Category: Mystery

Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill (Mystery)

Crime Fiction writer Joe Penvale and his sister Meredith board the famed Orient Express as both a celebration of Joe’s (barely) surviving cancer and a hope that the luxury train would stimulate his writing follicles. A whole host of diverting characters board with them — a retired French policeman, a Jamaica born Detective Inspector, a Duchess, a travel writer, a pair of octogenarian bounty hunters, a Welshman with a background in international terrorism, and a member of Scotland Yard. A pair of young podcasters — focused on the mystery genre with a strong dose of social indignance thrown in — complete the dramatis personae. Things are off to a great start but then … a mysterious illness leads to a partial quarantine and the stranger in the next cabin disappears, leaving a great quantity of blood behind. Now things get exciting.

Very good writing with lots of sentences to highlight while laughing or having my thoughts provoked. Unpredictable plot twists, including plenty of clever metafictional commentary and provocative ruminations on ones own mortality. I liked the multi-layer literary references to the Golden Age of Detective fiction, including to the notable Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express.” Very entertaining, difficult to put down, and brilliantly executed in every respect.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on August 19th, 2025.

Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman (Mystery / Thriller)

A completely gripping, classics based, mystery/thriller set in a classic Golden Age of Mysteries setting: a secluded Greek island, a group of invitees with a not-completely-positive history, a missing host, and … the first dead body. From there it’s one surprise after another and the reader is completely immersed in the whodunnit / who can I trust suspicion-laden head of the narrator, Maia. Why is this book so much more appealing (to me) than a typical mystery / thriller? It was engaging on an emotional, psychological, intellectual, and philosophical level — that doesn’t happen too often. As with almost all of Goodman’s books (I believe this is number 21), it was completely steeped in Greek mythology — the stories, the archeological remnants, the world of antiquity trading (and theft), and some compelling new (to me) interpretations of the myths as conveyed in the (almost too) vivid depictions of a physical (and mental) labyrinth. The imagery was captivating, and I don’t usually go for written imagery. The plot was perfectly paced, with a tug of war between confusion and epiphany, and the closure was smooth, clever, and completely satisfying.

I’m pretty sure I have read most, if not all, of Goodman’s 21 novels, but this is the first one I listened to. The reader was very good, though a little over the top (IMHO) with voice snottiness for certain unpleasant characters; however she kept my interest and did get me to slow down from rapid reading pace to take in some of the details I might otherwise have missed.

Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The audio book was published on July 15th, 2025.

City Lights by Claire M. Johnson (Historical Mystery)

Book two of Johnson’s “Fog City Noir” series, starring the undauntable Maggie Laurent — the hardboiled secretary for a hardboiled detective who has (likely permanently) left San Francisco for cooler climes allowing her to try to make it on her own (read episode one — Fog City — for the full skinny). Starting from a few seemingly small requests, Maggie ends up in the middle of the historic Industrial Workers of the World (the Wobblies) often violent organizing efforts crossed with some nasty business practices and (of course) crooked politicians. Great dialog, plenty of action, a strong female lead who learns to box and shoot a gun, to the great distress of her “loving” family, and enough reflection on her part to keep me happy. Plenty of good characters — some over the top, like Dickie who has got to be based on Truman Capote with plenty of endearing but wicked mannerisms, but all interesting and likable.

A fun read and I look forward to the next in the series.

Thank you to Level Best Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 15th, 2025.

The Lady on Esplanade by Karen White (Mystery / Ghost story)

The third installment (not necessary to read the first two, but they are good!) of the New Orleans-based Nola Trenholm mystery / romance/ dear-departed-spirits series — itself a spinoff from the similar Charleston-based series starring Melanie Trenholm — Nola’s relatively new stepmother. Nola and best friend Jolene (unrelenting fashionista and all-around force-to-be-reckoned-with) tackle two mysteries centered around the haunting spirits of two old houses under renovation: Nola’s Creole cottage (a lovely money sink of renovation needs) and a new house that will be the first project for the Murder Flip Business Nola is starting with reluctant psychic Beau, with whom she has an undesired (from both sides) strangely strong connection. A few new characters, wickedly tangled stories from the past, and a pretty creepy Madame Alexander doll that manages to appear inopportunely where she isn’t wanted without any external help.

The whole series is entertaining — fun writing, plenty of colorful characters and great banter (both inside people’s own heads and in dialog exchanges). The spirit-augmented mysteries are interesting and always somewhat historical, the action well paced and full of humor, and despite the fact that this is book is number ten for me, none of the stories feel repetitive or in any way dull. They grab my interest on page one and continue through the end. For those who enjoy architectural marvels and renovation stories, plenty of that, too. Not my thing but the descriptions never get in my way.

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 Nov. 4th, 2025.

Infinite Archive by Mur Lafferty (Sci Fi / Mystery)

The third in Lafferty’s Midsolar Murder series starring Mallory Viridian — one of the few human inhabitants of a sentient space station. Human murders tend to occur when Mallory is around (the reason explained in book one or two), which is why she made such an extreme relocation. Turns out that Mal is very good at *solving* the murders that occur and that provides a nice story to show off the fantastically quirky world Lafferty has created teeming with creative alien cultures, sentient mechanisms, and the “fun” everyone has trying to get along.

Each book adds more to the world — while I would recommend reading books one and two first, the author does a decent job of giving you the info you might need if you don’t. In this installment, a one-of-a-kind ship is making its way to the station with massive holodeck like capabilities and the physical embodiment of the entire Internet (including fan fiction sites — this is important!). And it is carrying … a mystery fan convention. What could go wrong?

I like Lafferty’s world building — more focus on alien cultures than alien tech which I find much more interesting. The mystery is a nice excuse to roam around meeting strange beings. I really like the bonding between sentient ships and stations with (often human) hosts. Plenty of action, but not the super stressful kind. Lots of fun to read — I always look forward to the next one, and I’m happy to say that she writes quickly!

Thank you to Ace and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 1st, 2025.

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman (Literary Mystery)

Read this in a single sitting — impossible to put down. The story has typically good twists and this time delves into bitcoin, trust issues, and a whole new meaning for deep storage, but what I have always liked about Osman’s books are his characters. The core Thursday Murder Club members (Elizabeth, Ibrahim, Joyce, and Ron), the somewhat unwilling police “friends,” and the various colorful criminal elements have all returned along with some new parts — and they are all as intriguing as ever. Osman’s characters have not run out of depth or surprises as often happens in series. Plenty of fun!

Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on September 30th, 2025.

The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths (Mystery / Speculative Fiction)

The first book in a brand new series from Elly Griffiths — one of my favorite mystery writers.
This book combines a mystery with speculative fiction (time travel). Ali Dawson’s cold cases are so cold they are frozen (thus jokes the team). Their secret? They can use time-travel to find out what actually happened. Now, to please a Tory Justice Minister whose grandfather was rumored (though never accused or brought to trial) of killing an artist’s model, Ali heads back to 1850 to see what she can find out. However, before she can return, a body turns up in the current day that is very much related to the case …

Griffiths is a great writer and brings all her powers of description and persuasion to the story, bringing the 1850s to life in exactly the way it would appear to someone born in our time. I liked the way Ali prepared for her “trip” — not just learning what to wear, eat, and say, but how to change the way she actually thought. A well-articulated differentiation between modern day and Victorian feminism ensued. I liked the cast of characters including Jones, the designer wearing communist physicist who is the time travel whiz (that’s the beauty of novels — characters don’t have to be internally consistent!). I’m sure they will be appearing in future books as there were some definite hints of stories left untold. Plenty of fun references — like using A Wrinkle in Time’s tesseract model (without actually stating such), and referencing the (real) match girls strike at the Bryant & May match factory (that’s how Christopher Fowler named his history obsessed, aged, detectives!). Lots of good history.

Really enjoyed this book — it won’t be available in the US until July 8th — I couldn’t wait and bought it on my (conveniently timed) trip to England. No regrets!

The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves (Mystery — Jimmy Perez / Shetland)

I generally “read” most of Ann Cleeve’s work by watching the excellent BBC adaptations. This — the most recent of the “Shetland” series, and the first I’ve actually read — is so far from where the TV series has ended up that it was a bit of a shock for me!

The story takes place some time after Perez has left Shetland and is now living in Orkney with his partner and their child (with another on the way). It all starts when an old friend goes missing on Westray and found bludgeoned to death with one of the old Story Stones found in an archeological dig.

It’s a solid murder mystery full of island characters and relatable description of the incredible scenery (and weather) there. Not usually a fan of scenic descriptions, I could feel these descriptions and enjoyed them a lot. My only complaint is that the reader seems to be kept in the dark about the detective’s thinking so that the apprehension of the murderer is a bit of a surprise. Nonetheless, enjoyed it a lot.

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 30th, 2025.

The Hidden City by Charles Finch (Historical Mystery)

Number 12 in this historical mystery series, but number one for me. Regardless of not knowing the history of the characters I was able to follow the story very well. I would definitely categorize this as a “cozy” as there were no “thrilling” (i.e. terrifying for the reader) scenes to get my anxiety going. Fine by me! Interesting that as a cozy written by a man, there was less filler of the tea parties and gown description types (also fine by me) but plenty of historical detail about the Victorian Age in which the stories are set. This included plenty of social as well as policy / political commentary. I particularly enjoyed the description of various “guilds” (known here as “livery companies”) started in medieval times — all styled as the “Worshipful Company of xxx.” Tickled me. Some good bits on women’s suffrage and the complete injustice of the treatment of London’s “lower classes.” This particular episode felt like more of a novel than a mystery, although there was a mystery obviously (old murders just tied together with a current threat to someone living in the house where one of them occurred). I quite liked the characters and will likely go back to number one and see how things progress!

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, 2025.

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery)

Number three in the Susan Ryeland series (after Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders — both now streaming on Masterpiece). Susan was the editor of the fantastically successful Atticus Pünd detective series — from inception until disastrous events brought the series to an end. You’d think she would have had enough, but dire straights lead her to accept a job editing a continuation novel, written by Eliot Crace — a well-known loose cannon who is nevertheless blessed with a beloved children’s author as a (now deceased) grandmother.

It’s a classic story-within-a-story format — we’re reading the Crace novel as fast as he produces pages while simultaneously reading Ryeland’s story as she keeps sticking her nose into the author and the story, which continues to mirror reality to an uncomfortable extent. The two stories dovetail in weird and twisted ways and I never saw what was coming, though the clues were all there. I love Horowitz’s writing — clear and concise and bringing characters to life with minimal, essential, prose. The mystery (two in parallel really, one fictional and one not) is excellent on its own, but I also loved the meta layer exposure of the literary world — how writers write, the relationship between author and editor, and basic survival tips for the publishing industry. It’s full of anagrams, ethical discussions, and deliciously clever (albeit often evil) moves. I always appreciate a book that has no stupidity — intentional or not — in its pages!

Some facts new to me: According to the Authors, Licensing and Collecting society, the average salary earned by a novelist is a mere 7,000 pounds a year — not a lot (not even a little, really). There are around 200,000 books published in the UK every year ( and as many as 1 million in the USA) and as Horowitz writes: “How many of them do you really think are going to end up on the front table at Waterstones?.” Lastly, I had never heard of the Nazca lines in Peru — giant geoglyphs in a Peruvian desert dated between 500 BC and 500 AD that are so large they can be seen from space (for those who have read it, this reminded me of Vonnegut’s Sirens of Titan.

Easy read, completely engaging, and (IMHO) book clearly better than the Masterpiece series (which itself is very good, but the book is better)

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 May 13th, 2025.