Robin Agnew

Liza Tully: The Forty-Year Grudge

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Merritt & Blunt #2

Two books in, this has already become a favorite series. Everything about this series sparkles – the characters, the storytelling, and the setting.  The two central characters are 60 something Aubrey Merritt, a world-renowned private investigator, and her young, green, recently married assistant, Olivia Blunt (who, it must be said, does the lion’s share of the work).  Blunt is in training to become a detective but so far Merritt is a bit scornful of her talents.  She is eager, thorough, and good at research, however, and she arrives at the solution at *almost* the same time Aubrey does. read more

Danielle Postel-Vinay: Murder Most Delicious

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Series Debut

There are several ways to judge a book.  If three are present – plot, character, and setting – the book (to me) is good, if not great.  The x factor is prose style.  This novel has three excellent elements – character, setting and lovely prose.  The plot is OK and I figured out whodunnit long before the last page, but the prose just sings as does the setting of the novel, and I was carried away.

That setting is a tiny Paris neighborhood, Gros-Caillou, abutting the Eiffel Tower. The arrival of American sommelier Olivia Beech to a local anchor restaurant, Chez Jacques, is something of a sensation, becoming even more so when, during a wine tasting, the eponymous Jacques falls dead at Olivia’s feet.  While Olivia has been gifted with an extraordinary “nose” for wine, covid has taken away her sense of taste, which for a sommelier is a disaster.  Surfacing from a career crisis in an attempt to reclaim her life, she’s pinned her hopes on a resurrection at Chez Jacques. read more

Shaina Steinberg: Echoes of Infamy

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Bishop & Gallagher #3

I usually have no problem catching up with a series when I begin with a later instalment, but due to the complex backstories of the characters in this one, I found myself having to peruse a synopsis of the first two books to figure things out. It’s set in 1948 Los Angeles, and the main characters, Evelyn Bishop and Nick Gallagher, met during the war working as OSS agents.  In this novel, they’ve finally married and Evelyn has taken over the family aeronautics company, while Nick is working as a private eye. read more

Paula Sutton: The Body in the Kitchen Garden

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Hill House Vintage #2

Ninety-six years after Miss Marple made her first appearance in the village of St. Mary Meade, The Body in the Kitchen Garden demonstrates that the gentle English village mystery genre is still going strong.  Like Agatha Christie, the legendary creator of Miss Marple, modern practitioners of the British village mystery- writers like Connie Berry, G.M. Malliet, and most recently Katarina Bivald – find the depths of human emotion and depravity lurking not far below the surface of this seemingly idyllic setting.  Sutton has further updated the formula with the provocative move of having her detective be the only black woman in town. read more

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles: Deadly Force

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DCI Bill Slider #26

This has long been a favorite series of mine since the first book, Orchestrated Death (1991), in which the main character, the married Detective Bill Slider, meets what turns out to be the love of his life. Joanna, who is now his wife and mother of two of his children, is a musician, and in the first book the music is part of the story, which adds to it and gives it depth.  Most of the other books are straight up police procedurals, but they are excellent ones.

This novel, the 26th in the series, is no exception to Harrod-Eagles’ excellence.  Her way with language, humor, and puns is undimmed, and all you need to do is skim through her chapter titles to get a taste of her humor.  Her character descriptions are as sharp and brief as any a golden age writer committed to a page and are one of the reasons I love her writing so much.  This book, while late in the series, does not need to be read in order, as the story told stands well on its own.  I will say that a reading of the earlier books will add to your reading enjoyment, as the characters are filled in and established throughout the series. read more

Frank Anthony Polito: Dragged to Death

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Domestic Partners in Crime #4

I’ve enjoyed the first three books in this series, which features writer Peter Penwell and actor JP Broadway adding sleuthing to their busy lives. Somehow, bodies keep turning up, no matter what they do.  They also are hosts of a house reno show on “HDTV” – a show that sounds like HGTV’s sadly departed Bargain Block.  In this outing, however, the home reno is taking backstage to a drag show, which they’ve agreed to participate in for charity.

The strongest part of this novel is the explication and definition of the drag community, and the reasons why people are a part of it.  As Peter and JP join the group they are introduced as drag “sisters” who will learn techniques from the older queens.  In loving detail, Polito provides rich descriptions of the makeup and fashion that go into a drag presentation.  I loved that this was a universe where these men felt safe and accepted.  Like every other bubble in the world, though, bad things sometimes happen. read more

Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier: The Bush Tea Murder

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Debut

Short story writer Ashley-Ruth Bernier’s debut proclaims those roots – this sweetly moving novel is told via short episodes.  The episodes connect, and are longer than the typical short story, packing more of a punch, and by the end of the novel, the ends are neatly tied up.  Our heroine is culinary TV star Naomi Sinclair, who tells stories through her reporting on, and love, of food.

Naomi is from the island of St. Thomas, and it’s her Crucian heritage that shines through on every page of this novel.  As the book opens, she and a fellow host on EAT TV are pitching their true crime-food episodes, and Naomi is leaving her audience in suspense.  She has a great story to tell and her audience of TV producers are hanging on her every word to find out the solution to the long ago murder of Ursula Merchant, a well known island chef and entrepreneur. read more

Simon Brett: A Disorganised Death

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Decluttering Mystery #5

I love series fiction.  I’m sure I love it for the reasons many others love it – the deep and extended look at characters we grow to love as readers.  Some we love so much they seem real, to the point where when a series character is occasionally killed off, readers revolt and grieve, as though the characters actually were real, not fictional.  Simon Brett has written several series (Charles Paris, Mrs. Pargeter, Feathering) but I am hooked on this one.

This series follows Ellen and her family – she’s a widow with two twenty something children and an irritating and self-involved mother, Fleur.  By book five they are now old friends I am happy to reunite with, though Brett writes in such a way that a reader could enjoy the books in any order.  Ellen works as a home declutterer – often helping hoarders come to terms with their reasons for hoarding and letting go of some of their stuff. read more

Naomi Hirahara: Crown City

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Japantown #3

I’ve enjoyed all the books in this series, but in some ways I would say Naomi Hirahara is almost more of an historian than a mystery writer, evidenced by this latest installment of this extremely enjoyable series. There is in fact a mystery in Crown City, but the time period and setting are the real stars of the show. Another attraction is main character, Ryui Wada, an accomplished carpenter who emigrated to America from Yokohama in 1903 after the death of his father.  Although he has a job waiting for him, he’s just 18, speaks little English, and has a lot to learn, something that’s brought home when he discovers Pasadena, the “Crown City,” a place that astonishes, fascinates and horrifies. read more

J.D. Brinkworth: The Pie and Mash Detective Agency

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Debut

This charming, funny book, set in present day London, follows the adventures of Jane Pye and Simon Mash, a dating couple who decide to take a detective class at their local learning center.  (To a US reader, this will translate as a community college course.) Jane is between jobs, aka unemployed, and while Simon is working, he’s still willing to go along with Jane on her lark, which started with a book on detection that proved only too inspiring.

As a final assignment, the teacher (and working private eye) Gavin, assigns each team in the class a case to be solved.  He gives the only unsolved case to Jane and Simon, and, as it later becomes clear, it’s one he himself has been frustrated by for decades. Jane and Simon plunge right in, going to interview the witness, Dev, whose girlfriend has vanished.  The only problem is that the police don’t believe she ever existed as Dev doesn’t have a photo of her, she doesn’t seem to be a voter, be on National Health, or have a passport or driver’s license. read more