Cathy Akers-Jordan

Carol Miller: The Magician’s Deception

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Fortune Telling Mysteries #4

Disclosure: this is the first book of this series I have read. Apparently the theme of each Tarot-themed book comes from the main card of a Tarot reading done at the beginning of the book. Although Amazon describes the series as “hilarious,” that was not my impression. It’s fun and cozy, but not laugh-out-loud funny.

Sisters Hope and Summer Bailey run Bailey’s Boutique, a mystic shop in Asheville, North Carolina which features palm and tarot readings, tea, and mystical gemstones. When Hope does a one-card Tarot reading for a customer, her Gram peeks at the next undrawn card. It’s the Magician, which means “beware the deceitful stranger.” It’s enough to give Gram pause and for her to consider cancelling her school reunion trip with her boyfriend “Because it’s almost Halloween, my dear, and everything is turned around on Halloween.” read more

Jack Anderson: The Return of Moriarty

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If you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes, you need to read this book. It’s like all the pastiches we love but the twist is that supervillain James Moriarty is the detective.

Thanks to Holmes, Moriarty’s criminal empire has been destroyed so after surviving the plunge over the Reichenbach Falls Moriarty assumes the identity of a wealthy inventor named Hugo Strahm. Spoiler: Moriarty does not change his evil ways when stealing this man’s identify. That’s to remind us we’re still dealing with an essentially evil character. read more

Rhys Bowen: Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure

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Rhys Bowen’s annual standalone is a WWII novel about a woman who turns her life around after a surprising divorce and finds an unexpected new life in France just before the Nazis invade.

In 1938 Ellie Endicott is stunned when her husband of 30 years suddenly asks for a divorce because he is in love with another, younger woman. Ellie quickly gets advice from a solicitor and demands half their assets instead of the flat he offers her. Instead of taking this love-nest her husband once shared with his mistress, she demands a substantial settlement, then takes his Bentley and heads to France. read more

Ellen Crosby: Deeds Left Undone

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Wine Country #13

Winemaker Lucie Montgomery is having a rough harvest season. An employee is seriously injured in a vineyard accident leaving her short-handed. To make things worse, wine manager Frankie’s husband Paul Merchant is found dead at the bottom of his swimming pool, leaving Lucie yet another employee short. Both deaths happen just as all hands are needed to harvest and process delicate Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, a task that can’t be left to the untrained.

Was Paul’s drowning accidental? Lucie starts to wonder when she realizes that Violet Rossi, Paul’s predecessor as leader of Don’t Pave Paradise, also died under mysterious circumstances. Could someone want the rural roads paved badly enough to kill? And why does the name of socialite Eleanor Blake keep popping up? Is there a connection to her death eighty years ago in a theater fire? read more

Charles Todd: an overview of two beloved series

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After a two-year hiatus, Charles Todd has a new novella and a new novel coming out soon. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to their series, this is a cause for celebration – and time for a quick recap to remind you where both series left off. Warning for new readers: SPOILERS included.

Charles and Caroline Todd

For those who don’t know, Charles Todd is the pseudonym of mother-and-son team Caroline and Charles Todd, renowned authors of the Inspector Ian Rutledge series and the Beth Crawford series, both set in WWI and 1920s Britain. The authors have won the Barry Award for Best First Novel (A Test of Wills), the Mary Higgins Clark Award (The Shattered Tree), the Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel (A Question of Honor), and the Macavity Award for Best Historical Novel (An Unmarked Grave). read more

Laurie R. King: Knave of Diamonds

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Mary Russell #19

At Damian Adler’s wedding Mary Russell thinks she sees a familiar figure in the crowd, someone who looks like her uncle Jake. But Jake is dead, isn’t he? She last saw her wayward uncle 14 years ago and only remembers that the charming rogue was cast out of the family shortly before her parents and brother were killed in an auto accident.

As Mary looks forward to recovering from their adventures in the previous two books, Mycroft Holmes summons his brother Sherlock to London. The case? A cold case involving the theft of the so-called Irish Crown Jewels 14 years before: a case Holmes could not solve, a theft that cost him the wrath of the Dublin police and the King. That 14 years is no coincidence and Holmes immediately recalls the unproveable involvement of Jake Russell in the theft. Should he tell Mary the truth about her beloved (and apparently dead) uncle? read more

David Lewis: A Beacon in the Night

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Secret Churchill Files #2

London, 1941. As the Blitz winds down the Nazis begin a series of terror-bombings focused on British churches, stately homes, hospitals, and other emotional landmarks in an attempt to destroy cultural heritage and demoralize the British. Can Caitrin Colline, agent of the all-female 512 counterespionage unit track down the source of the beacons that lead the planes to the bomb sites?

Despite Caitrin’s success in saving the Crown Jewels almost single-handedly in the first book in the series, Churchill is threatening to improve his budget by absorbing the 512 into the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Head of the 512, Bethany Goodman, is determined to prove her unit’s usefulness by sending Caitrin to track down the source of the homing beacons. read more

Krista Davis: The Diva Poaches a Bad Egg

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Domestic Diva #18

When she’s not busy solving mysteries, Domestic Diva Sophie Winston writes a column on decorating and entertaining. If you like cozies, this is the series for you! Sophie lives in a historical house in Old Town Alexandria with her dog Daisy, ocicat Mochie, and possibly the ghost of her ex-husband’s Aunt Faye. Sophie’s split with Mars was amicable and they share custody of Daisy. He lives nearby with his old friend Bernie Frei, a Brit who owns the Laughing Hound restaurant, and both share Sophie’s adventures. Her best friend Nina rounds the close group of friends who spend lots of time enjoying food, drink, and solving mysteries. Each book is prefaced with a list of the characters and ends with Sophie’s recipes. The only thing missing is a map! (I love those old mysteries with maps.) read more

Craig Johnson: Return to Sender

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Longmire #21

After the flashback settings of First Frost (2024) and the novella Tooth and Claw (also 2024), Return to Sender brings us back to present day* Absaroka County, Wyoming: the least populated county in the least populated state in the US, jurisdiction of Sheriff Walt Longmire. Walt is asked by a cousin to search for missing mail carrier Blair McGowan. There are just two problems. First, she went missing from her 307 mile postal route in the Red Desert. Second, the desert, which is not Walt’s jurisdiction, is 9,320 square miles of desolation. read more

Julia Buckley: A Dark and Stormy Murder

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Book 1 of 5 in the Writer’s Apprentice series

Lena London has found her dream job: assistant to her all-time favorite romantic suspense writer Camilla Graham. Offered an interview upon graduation, Lena is immediately hired by Camilla and she and her cat Lestrade move into Graham House in Blue Lake, IN. Lena can’t believe her luck. She and Camilla bond almost instantly and Lena begins helping her edit/coauthor her newest book. The beautiful house is a dream home located on a hill overlooking eponymous lake in Blue Lake, filled with German Shepherds (Heathcliff and Rochester, of course), a cook, and a secret room. The town itself is quaint and friendly and Lena starts to make friends and settle into her dream career. read more