Marnie Riches: The Gardener’s Club

by

This charming, sweet novel is set in the world of the competitive gardening clubs in the UK.  The main character, Gill Swanley, a widowed single mom, is juggling a burgeoning teen, a horrible job and a difficult and aging mother.  Her job seems especially soul crushing, as she’s in charge of a group of insurance call centers, ordered to cull her workforce by uncovering the slackers.

Riches manages to find humor in this situation, especially in the texts from Gill’s teenaged son (the one where he can’t find the lasagna she left for him to heat up for dinner is a classic).  For respite, she decides to try joining a garden group called the Bromley Botanists. Her first get-together sounds a bit like an AA meeting with everyone sharing their feelings, but the main thrust of the discussion becomes the “Golden Trowel,” a gardening award which the Botanists have never won, something they are determined to change in the coming year. Gill is just beginning to form alliances and friendships with members of the group when she and Marjorie, the Queen Mum of the group, discover a dead body in the community greenhouse and all heck breaks loose. read more

Charles Todd: A Day Of Judgement

by

Inspector Ian Rutledge #25

Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge’s long-awaited return is set in July 1921. He’s still suffering from shell shock and England is suffering from a heat wave when a body washes up near the island of Lindisfarne in Northumberland. Since the “holy island,” home to Saints Cuthbert and Aidan, is a popular pilgrimage destination, the Church of England is concerned about how the murder will affect its reputation and that of Lindisfarne itself.

Newly promoted Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent to investigate the murder and to use his social and political skills to protect the Church’s reputation. He finds locals who are suspicious of outsiders and still angry about U-boat attacks off their coast during WWI. He also finds that police jurisdiction is in the midst of a post-war reorganization that raises questions about who should be involved in the investigation with Rutledge. read more

Deanna Raybourn: A Ghastly Catastrophe

by

Veronica Speedwell #10

Although she certainly owes a debt to Elizabeth Peters and her character Amelia Peabody, Deanna Raybourn has managed her own memorable creations in the amusing Veronica Speedwell and her intriguing partner, Stoker.  Veronica is an intrepid explorer and sleuth in London in the late 1880s who specializes in the study of butterflies. Her unmarried partnership with taxidermist and fellow explorer Stoker is beyond unconventional, but their shared aristocratic lineage lets them get away with a lot. They live on the estate of Lord Rosmorran as they catalogue his extensive collection of objects, but this idyllic existence seems fated to be interrupted by the murders and mysteries that inevitably come their way. read more

Patrice McDonough: Murder by Moonrise

by

Dr. Julia Lewis #3

In 1867 London, the Isle of Wight was a holiday destination, one even favored by the royal family.  Queen Victoria had a home there and was often in residence.  In our story, Dr. Julia Lewis is vacationing on the Isle of Wight with her grandparents and missing and wondering about Detective Richard Tennant, who has been abroad and on the hunt for a villain for months.  She hasn’t heard from him and alongside worrying that he’s OK, she’s also worried that she was too forward, and that he doesn’t feel about her as she does about him. read more

Stacy Hackney: The Primrose Murder Society

by

Paperback Original

The Primrose Murder Society is the first adult mystery by Stacey Hackney, who has previously written two middle grade books. Indeed, this mystery also prominently features a kid – main character Lila’s rebellious little girl, Bea. When we meet mother and daughter, they’ve lost just about everything but each other. Lila’s well to do husband, Ryan, has been caught committing fraud and has abandoned them to run from the law. No one in Lila’s upper crust circle believes that she didn’t know about the crimes, and she has been shunned from society. read more

Tim Sullivan: The Politician

by

DS George Cross #4

I love a good police procedural, especially ones with an interesting main character like Tim Sullivan’s  DS George Cross.  Not so comfortable with humans he’s at home with facts, figures and making connections, because, like Detective Monk, he’s neurodivergent in a way that makes him both good at his job and extremely annoying to those around him. This series is huge in the UK and the US publisher is slowly releasing them stateside.  This is installment four in the series, and although it’s the first I’ve read, it stands comfortably on its own, with the characters and relationships clear. read more

Lilli Sutton: A Long Dark Night

by

A Long Dark Night is the second novel by Lilli Sutton, and it follows her debut stand alone that was of a similar mold – a harsh story of survival with themes of family, resilience, and ambition. Nina’s story, however, is also a murder mystery. Coming home when the corona virus shuts down the world, Nina is estranged from her parents and siblings and has been running her own restaurant. Her family lives in isolated Whitespur, Alaska, and has limited access to any form of technology, especially cell service. Before, her mother wrote her letters, but Nina eventually stopped answering them. Her mother never acknowledged her success. read more

Lucy Connelly: The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor

by

Series debut

You can’t help devouring Lucy Connolly’s yummy books like a really good bar of chocolate.   This first installment of her new series finds the central character, former journalist Dr. Gwen Griffiths, returning to Wales to become a professor at the very place where she attended university.  After the layoffs and contractions endured by newspaper staff everywhere, she’s certain she’s found a secure berth at a new place when her old friend Carolyn, now the dean, recruits Gwen to run the journalism department with a real-world edge. read more

Victoria Houston: The Wolves are Watching

by

Lew Ferris #4

I forget about these books in between reads, but I’m a fan.  Whenever I pick one up I’m always drawn in by a great read, and what’s better than that?  Lew – or Llewellyn – Ferris is the sheriff of Loon Lake, Wisconsin, and she’s an avid fisherwoman, something that’s woven through all the books.  She’s been dating the town dentist for awhile, sharing a cozy trading off houses type relationship with him.  Doc also enjoys fly fishing.  So far, so cozy, but these books aren’t quite cozy, though they have many, many cozy elements to them. read more

Patricia B. McConnell: Away to Me

by

Debut

This is an excellent debut from animal behaviorist Patricia McConnell, whose main character, Maddie McGowan, is also an animal behaviorist who goes to sheepdog trials in her spare time.  She takes her beloved dog, Jack, to trials, and he is still learning the ropes a bit.  The book opens with a bang.  Maddie is at a trial with her mentor, George, who offers her encouragement before her “run” with Jack, and then the worst happens.  George is shot and dies, and everyone at the trial feels it must have been a hunting accident. read more