Nancy Crochiere takes us all the way in this ticking clock family saga of love, secrets, and adventure. Combine an aging soap star in search of her drNancy Crochiere takes us all the way in this ticking clock family saga of love, secrets, and adventure. Combine an aging soap star in search of her dream, a mom desperately trying to keep a secret, a bigger-than-life cousin as travel buddy, and a daughter searching for her roots, and the result is a bittersweet and compelling road trip saga. The fireworks and revelations when the gang reaches Memphis are the cherry on top....more
I love this new, darker direction from Carlene O'Connor. Family secrets from the past and current intrigues kept me on the edge of my seat as veterinaI love this new, darker direction from Carlene O'Connor. Family secrets from the past and current intrigues kept me on the edge of my seat as veterinarian Dimpna Wilde and Detective Inspector Cormac O'Brien circle around each other trying to discover the truth about a murder in present-day southwest Ireland. The story is atmospheric and suspenseful with deeply drawn characters. A must-read!...more
Cheddar Off Dead is a delectable introduction to what promises to be a winning Cheese Shop Mysteries series. Cheesemonger Willa Bauer's just-opened shCheddar Off Dead is a delectable introduction to what promises to be a winning Cheese Shop Mysteries series. Cheesemonger Willa Bauer's just-opened shop is in jeopardy in Korina Moss's first mystery. Willa gathers a band of new friends to help her sort out who is suspicious and who is supportive in the Sonoma County village. Past hurts combine with present twists and surprises in a must-read story!...more
Alicia Beckman takes you on an atmospheric journey into women's lives at an old Montana lodge. Questions and crimes from the past reappear when Sarah Alicia Beckman takes you on an atmospheric journey into women's lives at an old Montana lodge. Questions and crimes from the past reappear when Sarah McCaskill returns to the site of events that happened twenty-five years earlier.
Beckman is a master author under her Leslie Budewitz nom de plume, and this brilliantly told veer into a darker, more suspenseful story does not disappoint. I can't wait for the next installment about Sarah and the women in her life. I highly recommend this book....more
I loved visiting Asheboro again in this third Victorian Village mystery from the late Sheila Connolly. Kate Hamilton has her hands full when the houseI loved visiting Asheboro again in this third Victorian Village mystery from the late Sheila Connolly. Kate Hamilton has her hands full when the house she's trying to renovate turns out to include a long-dead body in the walls. Kate unfolds other mysteries from the past until justice is served and the Victorian Village project can progress. I'm sorry this is master storyteller Connolly's last tale and happy she (and her daughter, co-writer Julie Williams) left the town - and her protagonist - in a good place....more
Dashofy takes us around the oval and then some with this suspenseful tale of life - and death - on the back side of a race track. Veterinarian Jessie Dashofy takes us around the oval and then some with this suspenseful tale of life - and death - on the back side of a race track. Veterinarian Jessie Cameron finds herself searching out a murderer as well as a horse abuser after her vet-mentor is killed. Jessie also faces questions about her own future. I loved details about the big animals, about vegetarian Jessie scrambling to find food on the run, and about her relationships.
I couldn't put this book down, and you won't be able to, either. Highly recommend....more
I could not put down this collection of five short stories and a novella. Leslie Budewitz, more commonly known for her prowess at the novel length, shI could not put down this collection of five short stories and a novella. Leslie Budewitz, more commonly known for her prowess at the novel length, shows she's also a master of shorter form crime stories. I loved the five short pieces. I'm a fan of historical fiction, so "Carried to the Grave" particularly spoke to me as the author wove in a story from the past to solve a crime in the present. All the other contributions are clever and intertwined in the best of ways.
My favorite has to be the novella "An Holy Death," in which we learn the 1910 origins of the Mercantile, the central setting of the Food Lovers Village Mysteries. The newlyweds, the body in the church, the orphaned little girl - all of it enthralled and touched me. Budewitz shines at historical mysteries as much as she does at contemporary tales.
I highly recommend reading this lovely collection. Don't be surprised when you go back and re-read, over and over....more
Amy Pershing delights and thrills with this debut cozy mystery set on iconic Cape Cod. Sam Barnes is a reluctant sleuth at first - in a reluctant retuAmy Pershing delights and thrills with this debut cozy mystery set on iconic Cape Cod. Sam Barnes is a reluctant sleuth at first - in a reluctant return to the Cape - but she musters verve, bravery, and sailing prowess to outwit more than one villain. If love comes with her victory, so much the better. The plot is deliciously twisty, the food mouth-watering, and the supporting cast charming and loyal. This book is a must-read....more
I loved Susan Van Kirk's first in the Sweet Iron Mystery series. The writing is impeccable, the storytelling smart and suspenseful. Beth Russell, a NeI loved Susan Van Kirk's first in the Sweet Iron Mystery series. The writing is impeccable, the storytelling smart and suspenseful. Beth Russell, a New York researcher discovering her complicated Midwestern past, is a character I was invested in from the start. Her search to get to know her family and her inheritance puts her life at risk and also shows her who she can trust in the town where her family did both good and ill. I highly recommend A Death at Tippet Pond....more
This first-in-a-series by seasoned author Sherry Harris was a refreshing trip to the beach, the bar, and a beguiling set of characters who intrigue. YThis first-in-a-series by seasoned author Sherry Harris was a refreshing trip to the beach, the bar, and a beguiling set of characters who intrigue. You'll want to crack open a cold Pilsner or pour a hoppy IPA as you settle into read her story set in fictional Emerald Cove in the Florida panhandle. I laughed, wept, and was on the edge of my seat as I read - all the marks of a great mystery. Highly recommend!...more
Dahmen presents a compelling, beautiful, evocative, well-written story I didn't want to put down. The history is well researched, with accurate and viDahmen presents a compelling, beautiful, evocative, well-written story I didn't want to put down. The history is well researched, with accurate and vivid details about the coast north of Boston as well as the Dakotas. The romance is suspenseful and nuanced, done tastefully and without embarrassing detail. The characters are deep and alive.
The storytelling in this debut historical novel is atmospheric, compelling, and delightful. Defelice Long immerses you in 1920 bayou village life, witThe storytelling in this debut historical novel is atmospheric, compelling, and delightful. Defelice Long immerses you in 1920 bayou village life, with all its rivalries, prejudices, strengths, and secrets. The characters live with the immediate past effects of the 1918 influenza pandemic and the War to End All Wars, with family loyalties and past conflicts playing an equal part. The unfolding of the story's layers is skillfully done, and the ending satisfies.
Several characters share the narration, but I most fell in love with Geneva. My reading over two days included tears and laughing and nodding in understanding. I recommend you get this book now and do nothing else until you finish it....more
This new middle grade novel by award-winning author, Beth Atkinson Eames, will break your heart and make you cry with joy. I think it's her best yet, This new middle grade novel by award-winning author, Beth Atkinson Eames, will break your heart and make you cry with joy. I think it's her best yet, and they've all been stunning. ...more
I couldn't put The Lucky One down. The twisted threads that finally come together, the search for the apparently lost, missing, or kidnapped, the suspI couldn't put The Lucky One down. The twisted threads that finally come together, the search for the apparently lost, missing, or kidnapped, the suspense, the deeply drawn characters: Rader-Day had hooked me from page one through to the end....more
Julia Henry's Garden Squad Mysteries debut digs deep into the lives of an older woman and her friends in a small coastal Massachusetts town. Lilly andJulia Henry's Garden Squad Mysteries debut digs deep into the lives of an older woman and her friends in a small coastal Massachusetts town. Lilly and gang solve a murder and cultivate civic beautification - but only under cover of darkness. Henry plants the seeds for a fast-growing series. Take the book to your garden or a public park and enjoy a perfect summer read....more
The wait for Crombie's 18th mystery was well worth it. In A Bitter Feast, she takes Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James - and their three children - for a The wait for Crombie's 18th mystery was well worth it. In A Bitter Feast, she takes Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James - and their three children - for a weekend in the idyllic countryside. Of course murder happens, and more than one. The several storylines are complex and interwoven in the expert way only Crombie can pull off. So are the multiple points of view. I was never confused about whose scene it was.
Gemma and Duncan's teen son Kit plays an important role. Chef Viv's history pops up at intervals to twine in her London past. We are immersed in the difficult lives of professional chefs. We see intimate relationships backfire in alarming ways. You can almost touch and smell the English Cotswalds. And it's all in the service of the story. Crombie unpeels the layers of the puzzle slowly and carefully.
Read this book. It was written by a master, and you'll happily lose sleep turning the pages....more
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