Category: Mystery

Numb Were the Beadsman’s Fingers by Alan Bradley (Historical Mystery)

This is the 12th, and probably last, delightful mystery in the Flavia de Luce series. If you’re new to the series, it follows an 11-year old irreverent chemist and amateur detective pottering about with her poisons in her family’s decaying estate in 1950s rural England. If you are newbie, I recommend going back and starting at the beginning — it isn’t necessary, but it’s much more fun.

This book starts with an immediate hook — Flavia and Dogger (the family manservant with a complex past and a “black belt in noncommittal”) are called in to the (silent) Sisters of Clemency convent to help identify a recently deceased nun who — wait for it — turned out to be a man. The (quite satisfying) unraveling of this mystery takes us to the Klondike, the shell-shock victims of WWI, and an intriguing Rosary Code. The writing is humorous and full of the creative and surprising asides that constantly stream out of Flavia’s fertile mind. The characters are highly competent (each in their own way) and likably quirky. The story is fun to follow with the kind of relevant (and sometimes utterly irrelevant) tangents that will attract the intellectually curious reader.

Alan Bradley wrote the first book in the series when he was 70 based on his winning entry for the Debut Dagger fiction competition. He passed away at the age of 87 just this last May.

Thank you to Bantam Sons and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on November 3rd, 2027.

Malice by Jonathan Kellerman (Mystery)

Number 42 in what has quickly become my favorite police procedural series, starring a gruff, inexorable, gay LA homicide detective and his best friend Alex Delaware, a psychologist who has a real talent for consulting on extra twisted murder cases. In this case, they track down the psychopath who has attached his own particular twist to the killing of three apparently unrelated victims.

AI suggests that this series is also a psychological thriller series — I agree with the psychological part, but I’m happy to say that while I’m on the edge of my seat during the entire trip, I’m never anxious (which is what often happens in books I label thrillers). Perfect for me.

I started reading this series a couple of years ago and have read them completely out of order with no problems. Kellerman is quite good at recapping any bit of history necessary to understand the narrative in a short set of aptly placed sentences. And while I usually read (as opposed to listen to) books, this is one series that I prefer opting for audio — John Rubinstein — the reader for most of the series — is fantastic and I’ve become accustomed to the personalities he imbues in the characters via their voices.

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 February 2nd, 2026.

Line of Descent by Adam Oyebanji (Science Fiction)

An engaging space opera serving as a prequel to Oyebanji’s last book — Breaking Day. The action opens in the ~100th year of a 130 year voyage — humanity’s first bid for the stars. The inhabitants are Generation 5 of a carefully controlled population program, and tensions around whose “lines of descent” will be propagated are high. Reproductive rights, privacy, surveillance, and secrecy are some of the issues that have caused serious rifts in the population, leading to strong feelings and increasingly dangerous actions. And now the Captain is nearing his termination date and a vicious battle between the two candidates for the position will remind most of us of our own recent electoral “conflict.”

I like Oyebanji’s writing — it is clean and accessible, and encompasses technical detail, action, and cultural norms with equal fluidity (and equal time). The idea of a “generation” ship evolving different customs, conventions, and beliefs is not a new one, but I enjoyed his take on where the fracture points might occur and what issues could lead to polarization and rupture … and how the “government” might tackle an attempt at reconciliation given the limitations of a truly isolated environment. Plenty of obvious parallels to issues today.

Interesting and relatable characters and faction / hierarchical relationships; good world-building including mechanisms of recycling, decay, and the impact of unavoidable accidents in such a removed environment; and a plot equally comfortable with action and personality. This is Oyebanji’s 5th book in as many years, and I have enjoyed all but one of them (not sure what happened with that one!).

I appreciated Oyebanji’s bio, which you can find on his webpage — adamoyebanji.com — shows his humor and his interesting background!

Thank you to DAW and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on November 17th, 2026.

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman (Mystery)

Second in Osman’s “We Solve Murders” series. This time the “gang” is called to a gorgeous villa in the Italian Hills where one of three bodyguards to the wealthy owner has been shot, with a cryptic note left in his pocket. Things progress along with several twists and Osman’s trademark humor to a satisfying closure.

Unfortunately, as in the first book, I simply could not relate to (or care about) any of the characters — the good guys, the friends of the good guys, and the bad guys. I know each member of the “gang” is supposed to be highly competent (in their specific area of expertise) and quirkily interesting, but I’m afraid none of them work for me the way almost all of the characters in the Thursday Murder Club books did. Could simply be a matter of personal character taste — your mileage may vary! The book is a good romp and very accessible — as in a middle schooler would have no trouble with it. But I don’t think I’ll bother with any additions to the series — I need a little more than a semi-good yarn in my reading. (I will eagerly await any additional Thursday Murder Club books!)

Thank you to Pamela Dorman and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on September 15th, 2026.

Crookedest Street in the World by Claire M. Johnson (Historical Mystery)

Book three of Johnson’s Fog City (San Francisco) noir series starring the hardboiled detective’s equally hardboiled secretary who tries (pretty successfully) to make a go of private sleuthing in an era unfriendly to women stepping out of their place. It’s hard going but she slowly accumulates a set of useful friends such as Dickie Vance (a fabulous foodie journalist Truman Capote clone) and the mostly-closeted, but thoroughly hard-nosed police detective O’Malley. This episode marries the Catholic convent with the Chinese underworld in a (typical, but also pleasantly convoluted) conflagration of power struggles. For whatever reason I didn’t enjoy the actual plot as much as in the first two, but it was still entertaining, and I liked the character development and writing a lot — especially the witty dialog, personal reflections, and philosophy (religious and otherwise).

Midnight in the House of Commons by Charles Finch

Number 16 in the Charles Lennox mystery series. I haven’t read them all, but I loved this one! Got me straight through a long and uncomfortable flight.

1881 in London — in addition to the mysteries (the murder of a member of Parliament in the House of Commons, a mysteriously vanished fiancé, and a surprising heartbreak), we are treated to numerous and intriguing contextual details about the era: suffragettes, the Travelers Club for Gentlemen (you have to have traveled at least 500 miles from London in a straight line), the origin of and immediate enthusiasm for toilet tissue, 19th century chemistry, and the machinations and odd traditions of the lords and commoners in Parliament. Our Lennox — with his Holmesian observational skills, aristocratic bearing, and calm demeanor — is on the case. While it’s a cozy (IMHO) with some filler — I found the filler infinitely more interesting than the typical food related fluff.

Quite fun!

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 3rd, 2026.

The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves (Mystery)

Two dead girls found outside the posh North Devon holiday home of a British MP the morning after a local music festival. DI Matthew Venn, a gay police detective replete with his own insecurities due to his evangelical based cult upbringing, is on the case exploring local tensions, difficult personalities, and long held secrets.

Ann Cleeves is a great mystery writer — I’ve loved reading (and viewing) all three of her series: Vera, Shetland, and this newer new Matthew Venn (this is number 3). The stories grip from page one and never really let up — plenty of tension and evolving character insights, never so much tension that my anxiety gets raised (I’m not a lover of thrillers). I enjoyed the constant shifting perspectives as characters (especially Venn) have to constantly examine the prejudices and biases that shape their judgements, leading to mistakes of attention where they can least be afforded.

Clean writing, never a dull moment, and a killer (no pun intended) finish.

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 September 29th, 2026.

Crown City by Naomi Hirahara (Historical Mystery)

Writing: 5/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 3.5/5

It’s 1903 and 18-year old Ryunosuke Wada — a novice carpenter — has made his way from Yokohama, Japan to Pasadena, CA alone after the sudden death of his Master Carpenter father. While there, a number of mysteries come his way — a missing painting, a dead body, a possible attempted murder, some anti-Japanese threats — that he tackles with his older Japanese roommate, “Jack.” These are resolved successfully and in a satisfyingly complex way, but for me the novel is really the story of the very observant and continually reflective “Ryui” as he becomes both an adult and an “American.”

The author’s prose is precise, contemplative, and acutely descriptive, exploring cultural practices and clashes, historical settings, and routine practices of living and working at the time. The lovingly detailed rendering of the Master Carpenter’s process for hand crafting beautiful objects and buildings, spanning architectural thought to wood selection to the final transformations was beautifully done — drawing me in despite my initial lack of interest in the subject. The characters had depth and conflicts were clarified from multiple perspectives. I felt as though I gained some real understanding of the time and place in which the story occurred.

I listened to the audio book and thought the narrator did an excellent job of imbuing the story with a relatable voice. This is a new author for me and she is going right onto my list. Crown City is “book 3” of the “Japantown Mysteries.” I have no idea how this volume fits into the first two, but if they are written with the same level of character and cultural insight, I’ll be happy to find out!

Last One Out by Jane Harper (Literary Mystery)

Writing: 5/5 Plot: 3.5/5 Characters: 4/5

A small rural community in New South Wales. A long-term, tight knit community slowly dwindling with the expansions of a mining company installed at its borders. Noise, dust, and buyouts gutting it out from within. Those who choose to leave coming up against those who choose to stay. Five years ago, Sam went missing on his 21st birthday and there is still no trace. This year, on the anniversary of his disappearance, his now separated parents and the remnants of a once vibrant town, get together for a now annual memorial. Guilt, anguish, anger, and regret tug at them all, and none of them want to talk about it.

Harper is a master at bringing a place and the psychic energy of those who inhabit it to life. While this book does have a central mystery, and the mystery is — eventually — solved, the emphasis is far more on the grief and personal reflection associated with the tragedy and the simultaneous unwinding of a community. I found it illuminating, but also quite depressing. However, expertly done.

Thank you to Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar 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.

City of Promises by Victoria Thompson with Ellen Thompson (Historical Mystery)

This latest Thompson book is a crossover novel bringing together the characters from her two mystery series for the first time: the Gaslight Mysteries and the Counterfeit Lady Mysteries. New York City circa 1900 —when the adopted (and highly successful) daughter of Frank Malloy and his wife Sarah (Gaslight Mysteries) becomes enamored with a handsome man who is urging a quick wedding, their worried suspicions take them to the lawyer Gideon Bates whose wife, once a con-woman extraordinaire (Counterfeit Lady Mysteries), helps conceive a plot to unmask the interloper without raising the ire of the bride to be. It’s fun, full of period bits (I love the fact that the ringing of the newly installed telephone terrifies its upper class owner as it is jarring and assumed to be a harbinger of ill!), and the integration of the two character sets done so smoothly it’s difficult to remember that they began fictional life in two distinct series.

It is with great sadness that I report that Victoria Thompson passed away in late 2024. This book, conceived and partially written by Victoria, was completed by her daughter Ellen. I am happy (and surprised) to say that I couldn’t tell the difference — very unusual in my experience. I am looking forward to future installments!

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