Category: Mystery

My Grandfather, the Master Detective by Masateru Konishi (Literary Mystery)

<Translated from Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai>

I loved this book — It was gentle, dispassionate, intellectually engaging, and full of human insight depicted through understated, yet beautiful prose.

Kaede is a young, somewhat reserved, woman who shares a love of mysteries and puzzles with her aging grandfather. While the grandfather is suffering from Lewy Body Dementia, he manages to maintain aspects of his intellect and personality amid the confusions and hallucinations of the disease. In fact, one of the things I enjoyed the most about the book was the way he could train his still sharp wits and experimental approach on his own internal thinking apparatus to discern reality from hallucination.

Kaede is slow to connect with others, but she begins to bond with a colleague and his friend over stories, particularly in the Mystery genre. There are four “puzzles” her companions discuss, and these she takes to her grandfather who happily solves them quickly and with a crisp elucidation of his analytic steps. And then there is the biggest — and most impactful — puzzle of all. One that affects Kaede directly.

There was so much that I loved about reading this book — the portrayal of everyday culture in Japan with the small practices of cooking, commuting, fashion, and politeinteraction; the interactions with a beloved but in many ways failing elderly relative; and the broad range of “classic” mystery stories ranging from the well-known (e.g. Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen) to those I hadn’t heard of (e.g. John Dickson Carr, Takeshi Setogawa) to more contemporary series I hadn’t thought of in ages (e.g. Harry Kemmelman). The reader becomes, along with the characters themselves, a connoisseur of the genre in the most delightful and absorbing way.

The book is an ode to storytelling, friendship, and self understanding — the writing (and translation) is detailed, deep, but never loud. I’m always so impressed with an author that can make me feel deeply without hitting me over the head with overly dramatic, world-ending crises. Most of life is filled with the personal — deeply felt, deeply meaningful, but not necessarily attention grabbing calamities.

Thank you to G. P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on March 17th, 2026.

A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery)

The sixth in The Hawthorne and Horowitz series (for newbies, the two main characters are the fictional Detective Hawthorne and the author himself. It can get kind of twisted in a brain that holds too firmly to reality). In this episode, the duo are involved in supporting a production company in making a movie out of the first book — The Word is Murder — when the actor playing Hawthorne is found stabbed in his trailer part way through filming.

A set of irritating and suspicious characters who all had ample reason to want the (thoroughly unpleasant) actor dead, a fair amount of hero worship for Hawthorne alongside a dismissive disinterest in poor Anthony (our real life author co-starring with his fictional detective), and a deeply rooted and surprisingly related mystery of Hawthorne’s past all give this story plenty of spice.

Horowitz’s books are always engaging and well-written with excellent pacing. This one adds some interesting inside scoops on movie making (which Horowitz knows about deeply through his work on Foyle’s War and Midsomer Murders). Good read.

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 28th, 2026.

The Confession Artist by Christine Carbo (Thriller)

A tense thriller with an intriguing premise — a killer posts sketches of potential victims on social media with the message “You have 6 days to confess or die.” Two people have already died; a third comes up with a full confession and survives. Enter Crosbie Mitchell — a newly minted PI trying to drum up business. The latest sketch looks remarkably like her — and it’s not like the message mystifies her. In her mind, she has plenty to atone for, though she isn’t thrilled at the idea of going public. Struggling with an internal storm of guilt, fear, denial, and confusion, she has to figure out what to do. Should she confess? Hide? Or try to somehow stop the “Confession Artist” in their tracks.

I was hooked within the first few pages — Carbo’s impassioned style mixes convoluted plot, nuanced characters, complex questions of morality, and intense introspection into a stew of shifting emotions. She does a remarkable job of depicting how a single individual can feel like a perpetrator, a victim, and a defender all at once. The description of that inner turmoil was deftly executed. The demands for confession spanned sins entangled with eco-concerns, drug abuse, rape and sexual abuse, native American abuses, and the greed of the already wealthy. I was happy that all of the “sinners” were individuals rather than implied representatives of whole groups (i.e. not all men were abusers, not all rich people were greedy, etc.) There were some interesting explorations of moral equivalencies — is there a distinction between doing something bad, actively enabling someone else to do something bad, and being aware of something bad happening and not doing anything about it? How does your answer change if the victim is an innocent vs a objectively bad actor? I came to my own conclusions which were not necessarily shared by the author or her characters, but the story definitely made me think! The final resolution was surprising, satisfying, and actually believable.

A great read at multiple levels!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on June 1st, 2026.

The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke (Mystery)

A fun and quite twisted mystery set in the familiar “guests on an island” mystery trope. In this case, the “guests” are a set of mid-list writers (meaning that their work is good but never given the necessary marketing support by their publishers). The book is FULL of funny and probably all-too-true pointed jabs at the publishing industry which is apparently not for the weak of heart. Our cast is summoned to the private island and extravagant castle of the fabulously successful writer Arthur Fletch. But — Arthur is dead and the last book of his highly popular series is only 90% completed. This visit is an opportunity to complete the book and earn a million dollars and a lucrative future publishing contract. They have 72 hours. And just as we start to get to know our characters a bit, and get excited by the way each of them is approaching the problem — bodies begin to appear.

Very twisty plot, relatable characters with personality and depth, and plenty of insight, humor, and varying takes on the writing and publishing process. I enjoyed many of the detailed asides about individual author experiences, approaches, and (many) irritations. Also learned some new (to me) writing principles such as Chekhov’s Gun — a “narrative principle emphasizing that every element in a story be necessary, while irrelevant elements should be removed.”

This book is on several of the 2026 “must-read” lists and is a (very successful!) collaboration between popular authors V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke.

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 7th, 2026.

When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman (Mystery — Audio book)

I’ve been reading Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series (up to 41 books!) which teams a psychologist (Delaware) with the hard boiled, gay LAPD detective with a high enough homicide case solve rate to “encourage” his superiors to overlook his unorthodox approaches (Milo Sturgis). I started with random audio books towards the end of the series, numbering 30 and above and now have gone back to read this one — the first.

I like this series a lot (obviously), though I do prefer the later ones. The characters — Delaware and Sturgis, their domestic partners, supporting LAPD members and even the perps, victims, and witnesses, are all pretty relatable and interesting. The writing is easy — full of interesting factoids but clean, clear, and never wandering through tangential detail. No long descriptions of nature or furniture or clothing, unless relevant to the case. I tend to read mysteries written by women and I am enjoying reading this series which is written by a man — there is a pointed distinction between reading strong men from a man’s perspective versus from a woman’s. I like it and have fun noticing how it might have been different had a woman written it (obviously not all men or all women write the same way — what I noticed was subtle but I found it fun).

This first book had a few too many scenes where Alex Delaware manages to get himself out of very dangerous situations through some clever hero machinations — that kind of thing just bores me as I prefer the brain stuff. But as the series evolves, Milo takes on more of the work and their partnership replaces the lone hero psychologist nicely.

Great series!

When the Wolves are Silent by C. S. Harris (Historical Mystery)

Number 21 in the Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery series. Regency period — 1816 — London and environs. This was the “year without a summer” due to the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815.

Sebastian — son and heir to an Earl — has a habit of involving himself in bringing justice to murder victims, regardless of their class. In this episode, first one and then another of a group of high born friends is murdered — one found in the river and the other burned to death. One of the group is Sebastian’s nephew Bayard. The entire group — Bayard definitely included — is what are known as “bad ton” where “ton” refers to the state of being fashionable and high society. The men in this group feel they are above any law or sense of human decency.

In solving the evolving mystery (more bodies turn up) there is reference to the American wars, the slave trade, ancient Celtic practices including human sacrifice, and potential Druid revivals. I always thought of Celts as ancient Britons but learned recently that in fact Celtic tribes were roaming around Central Europe as early as 1200 BCE. and as for Druids, I found this note in the book interesting: “Actually as far as we can tell, the Druids were more like what we might call the intellectual class of the ancient celts. The poets, historians, musicians, physicians, and astronomers of their day and advisors to Kings.”

The writing is decent, the characters (from the high to the medium and low) have evolved over time and have depth, and the mystery was quite convoluted, but completely consistent and engaging. The historical setting is excellent.

As an aside, the author’s note at the end of these books is always illuminating as she clearly delineates the fact from the fiction. I was particularly interested in a “real” character — German chemist Friedrich Accum who, among his other many accomplishments, was one of the first to draw attention to the danger of food additives and was involved in gaining acceptance for beet sugar, which was notable for not being derived from slave-driven sugar production from cane.

Thank you to Berkley House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 14th, 2026.

The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer (Literary / Mystery / Romance Fiction)

This is an unusual book. What starts as an adventure story that blurs the lines between reality and fiction via a coven of magic infused “Book Witches,” veers off into a more meaningful, touching, existential, and incredibly meta story about the importance of literature within our lives and the incredible love and connection between authors, characters, and readers. I laughed through most of the book, but was brought to tears (of the poignant, meaningful variety) multiple times in the last half.

Rainy March is a Book Witch — “sworn to defend works of fiction from all foes real and imaginary.” She has a magic umbrella, a feline familiar (Koshka the non-Russian, Russian Blue), and a few mysteries of her own past to consider. Her adventures are humorous and quite literary (if you’re a reader you will enjoy traipsing through many of your favorite books as Rainy works to fix breaks and prevent the “Burners” from having their incendiary way). Rainy falls for the dashing (and fictional) Duke of Chicago during one of her rescues. This goes against the rules, but does make the story more interesting (and a lot more complicated). The seven section headings of the book are genres — Romance, Mystery, Fantasy, Non-fiction, YA and Horror, Thriller, and Science Fiction — and the plot does a good job of navigating through the sections in an eponymous fashion.

Clever, funny, and often poignant writing that takes an intricate worldview and serpentine plot and makes them accessible, fun, and intriguing. Some beautiful lines which I can’t include without giving too much away — except this non-plot centric funny one: “Two more !s? Something needed to be done about this punctuation abuse.“ I’m quite guilty of this abuse myself, sadly, hence my appreciation for the line. Some interesting historical tidbits on works of literature — my favorite about Nancy Drew: Apparently Nancy Drew was rewritten in the 60s to make her less feisty, a little older and better behaved. Not only did I have no idea, but all my copies are the rewrites! Grrr. Lastly, I loved the dedication: “Dedicated to librarians book, sellers and teachers fighting the good fight to save our stories and to all the world’s bedtime story readers.”

Inspired by a spate of actual book burnings in the 70s — fun, educational, and moving.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 7th, 2025.

Fire Must Burn Allison Montclair (Historical Mystery)

Book 8 of the Sparks and Bainbridge historical mystery series, and definitely my favorite so far. London, 1947, and the co-owners of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau are being asked to do a “favor” for British Intelligence by using their matching services to determine whether one Anthony Danforth is or is not a Soviet agent. The catch is that Iris Sparks — once in British Intelligence herself — had been a good friend of Danforth’s back in their Cambridge days, though it has been over a decade since they had seen each other. The plot thickens further with an “almost” body, some clashing secrets, and ongoing doubts as to the ethics of their subterfuge.

I like the series for the snappy writing, the deep and personal historical contexts, and the two main characters — each unusual for their time, but also squarely OF their time. Both serve as exemplars of how times were changing for women, and some of the means by which women were bringing that change about. In this particular installment, I particularly enjoyed the slowly elaborated 1935 Cambridge story that set the stage for the present day mystery. This was full of details — both political and cultural — that helped me understand what life was like in that era. I also liked the various (and plentiful) ethical dilemmas that peppered the plot — presented thoughtfully and resolved (as one often must when one lives in reality) in practical, rather than wholly principled ways.

Intellectually engaging, little to no filler, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you to Severn House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on January 6th, 2026.

The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith (Mystery)

This is the eighth book in J. K. Rowling’s Cormoran Strike series, and I gobbled up all 900 pages in just a few days. I honestly don’t know what it is about her writing, but hers are some of the few books that I literally can’t put down even when my neck is hurting from holding up the giant hardcover!

A body is discovered in the vault of a silver shop, mutilated and with all identifying features removed. While the police are happy to think it is the body of a convicted felon, there are at least three other unrelated theories as to whom it could be, and off go Strike and Robin to unravel the many possibilities. As always, the plot is convoluted and can get confusing (I take notes) but the convolutions feel realistic from the perspective of being a detective in a bustling world where many, many, things are happening at once, and it’s up to you to tease them apart. Plenty of dark themes, but I was happy that none of them were as creepy as the cult in the last book (that one was particularly hard for me).

My only complaint is that there was a little too much of the will-they-or-won’t-they in the long running saga of whether the two detective agency partners will get together or not. It’s been eight books, and I’m tired of it — it’s quite realistic, people being what they are, but it’s not that fun to read about.

Still, I will keep pre-ordering these books and hope that she continues the series for a long time. They continue to be top notch.

Death at the Door by Olivia Blacke (Cozy Mystery)

The second in the Ruby and Cordelia cozy mystery series: Cordelia Graves — a recently deceased woman coming to terms with navigating the world in her new state — and her new “roommate,” 20-year old Ruby Young — an annoyingly perky young woman who is hell on (Cordelia’s beloved) houseplants.

In this episode, a favorite delivery guy — who delivered more than the delicious sandwiches Trendcelerate (Ruby’s company) orders regularly — is found dead in the company bathroom. Looking like an overdose, the police aren’t too concerned. Enter our half ghost-detection team.

These stories are fun, the characters engaging, and even the filler piques my interest. Lots more backstory on our characters with the addition of a few more (e.g. a cute guy across the hall and Cordelia’s not-dead but also definitely not honest or law-abiding little brother), and we learn some more about Cordelia’s own death.

Fun ideas, good execution, an engaging read.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on November 4th, 2026.