Category: Mystery

A Scandal in Mayfair by Katherine Schellman

I quite enjoy this cozy mystery series set in Regency era London (this is number 5 and they are arriving yearly). Socialite and war widow, Lily Adler, is approached by a young woman who feels her Uncle is robbing her of her inheritance. Of course, nothing is as simple as it seems, and missing wills, a body or two, and some mysterious illnesses combine into a real threat for Lily (who of course would never give up!).

A little romance, character development across the series, and some very good twists. I was quite pleased that I figured things out just pages before they were revealed — the mark of a mystery perfectly tuned to my taste — ie not obvious but directly related to the clues presented. Plenty of cozy style filler but I enjoyed the filler (and it wasn’t stupid) so that was just fine. The characters tended to be on the slightly non-conforming / diverse side which gave the London society setting a bit more flavor as various levels of snootiness struggle to apply the “correct” respect.

Fun!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on August 20th, 2024.

So Far and Good by John Straley (Mystery – Audio Book)

My first John Straley novel, and it turns out to be the 8th in his Alaska based Cecil Younger investigator series. I found it fascinating — now I just have to see how much I like the main character when I start back at book #1

The story in brief: Cecil’s daughter’s friend George (for Georgina) does a surprise DNA test for herself and her unaware mother. The results are not what she expected, and the book takes off from there — and I mean really takes off. Meanwhile, Cecil is in jail serving time for murder of a man who had done something terrible to his daughter. I don’t know what that was and I’m guessing it took place in one of the previous books I haven’t read yet, but I have to say that his experiences in prison and the way he participated in the story from there were deeply interesting from both an action and a psychological / philosophical perspective.

I loved the characters — from Cecil himself, to his possibly autistic best friend, to his research scientist wife, to the personalities in prison, to the long bearded survivalist defense attorney, to the Tlingit parents, and to the teenagers at the center of it all. I think what I liked best about the characters is that they all have a strong sense of morality and principles and they stick to them. The morality may or may not not be the same as yours or mine — but it exists and is consistent. Loved the Alaska setting and the various relevant discussions of prison life including gender fluidity and the psychology of the relationships between inmates and parole boards, men and women, black and white.

I’ve already gone back and started the first in the series…

Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery)

The fifth 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, Horowitz — under pressure from his agent to produce a fifth book when there are no fresh murders for the duo to solve — decides to write up an old Hawthorne case. He is warned by many — including Hawthorne — not to do it but naturally he does it anyway!

The case: The peace of an idyllic upscale gated community (a close — cul-de-sac to Americans) is shattered when a loud, obnoxious, and inconsiderate family moves into the largest lot. It doesn’t take long for the neighbors to get irate and only a little bit longer for the main irritant to show up with a crossbow bolt through his neck on his doorstep. Enter the curmudgeonly Hawthorne at the grudging request of the local police.

As always, Horowitz draws you in from the first paragraph, introducing each character in a way to arouse your curiosity, and then continually shedding layers until you think you see the truth behind the character. At least in my case, I never quite do figure it out even though Horowitz does not cheat, and all the clues are actually there. And who are these characters? A chess grandmaster, a compassionate dentist with a chronically ill wife, an NHS doctor who wishes he were still in London, two older women who share a house and a business (a cozy mystery shop), and a black barrister whose wife has passed away. The plot twists deliciously and the book itself alternates between the mystery and Anthony’s trouble getting enough information out of a reluctant Hawthorne to build on. And then there is Dudley — Hawthorne’s old “Watson” of whom he speaks positively (certainly in comparison to his thoughts on Horowitz as a replacement!) and yet whom he no longer sees…

Excellent fun.

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest review. The book was published on April 16th, 2024.

The Last Word by Elly Griffiths (Mystery)

Writing: 4.5/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 4.5/5

A fledgling detective agency is asked to investigate the (to all appearances natural) death of a client’s mother. The client is even so kind as to provide the name of the murderer — the mother’s second husband who has inherited the lot! Another client is worried about a similar situation, and oddly enough, the obituaries of both were written by a man who predeceased each of them! Natalka — a beautiful and blunt Ukranian careworker; her partner Benedict — a philosophical ex-monk who now runs a coffee shop; and Edwin — an erudite and genteel former BBC producer of advanced age all tackle the case which quickly heads off into surprising territories. At the center of the proliferating coincidences is a writers retreat and a book club run by one of the retreat’s instructors.

I always love Griffiths’ characters. They are interesting in the way real people are interesting — not just superficial quirks but different ways of thinking, different things that give them pleasure, different ways of tackling problems. While some characters get the diversity treatment (the DI with a small role in this book is a lesbian Sikh), they get to be individuals within that identity classification and do not pretend to represent the whole or spend much time letting their identity inform the important parts of their lives. Her characters are completely believable, and I would be very happy to spend time with most of them. I also love Griffiths’ writing which has been consistently good throughout all of her many (many) books. Although I would classify her mysteries as cozies, there is never any dull filler. In this book, what “fills” the pages are questions of spirituality and ethics, literary references ranging from Shakespeare to Christie to Richard Osman, (good) writerly advice, operatic clues, and feathered barbs relating English experiences to those of a Ukranian.

I read a lot of mysteries — they are my comfort reads — but most mysteries are nothing special. Some nice closure at the end, a few historical tidbits, an engaging character. I find Griffiths’ mysteries a cut (or two) above. She is in my top three along with Louise Penny and JK Rowling (as Robert Galbraith) — satisfying at every level. I’m so happy with her prolificity!

Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 23rd, 2024.

Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty (SciFi)

An entertaining sequel to Station Eternity which was one of my favorite reads last year.

In truth, while I enjoyed this book, and appreciated the twists and the personal development of some favorite characters, it was a little disappointing when compared with book number one (or Lafferty’s other offering Six Wakes). No new alien cultures to explore, new characters (all human) whom I already can’t remember, and a basic mystery that kept me reading, but didn’t have any shocking twists. It was fine and I’ll probably read the next one when (if) it comes out, but I hope Lafferty will get back to the (IMHO) really good stuff in her next release.

Murder in Rose Hill by Victoria Thompson (Historical Mystery)

I like this late 19th/early 20th century series by Victoria Thompson starring midwife Sarah Malloy (nee Brandt) and her private detective husband Frank. The characters have continued developing at the rate of approximately one book per year since 1999 beginning with the initial meeting of the young widow and the rare, incorruptible Sergeant Frank Malloy. Thompson does an excellent job with historical detail — inserting each story in pieces of history with deftly integrated details that do not sound like a regurgitation of Wikipedia articles.

In this installment, Louise, a young woman determined to follow in muckraker Ida Tarbell’s footsteps, is digging up information to bring down the patent medicine industry which she is sure harms more people than it could possibly help. (She is clearly correct given that most potions are mixtures of alcohol, heroin, and cocaine!) When Louisa is found dead shortly after interviewing Sarah, her father comes to the Malloys asking for help in finding her killer. The story brings in the new technology of the time (electric motors! the telephone!) along with the mechanics of the police force, the (widely varying) attitudes towards women who choose education and working lives over lives as wives and mothers, and of course, the ubiquitousness and impact of patent medicines. Did you know that the word “flashlight” comes from the fact that the originals gave out only short bursts of light because batteries were weak and bulbs primitive? Pretty fascinating stuff!

The writing is fairly simple, the characters are likable, though not terribly introspective, I never do figure out whodunnit in advance, and the history illuminates the every day details of life in a completely foreign time period.

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 April 23rd, 2024.

Next of Kin by Samantha Jayne Allen

Number three in Allen’s Annie McIntyre / Garrett, Texas series. Nice and complicated, full of atmosphere, and I really like the way Annie is developing. In my review of the last book, I said, “Annie suffers from occasional bouts of self-doubt which I hope she has less often in the future (I like to see characters grow!)” and guess what? She really has grown into the role, and her bouts of self-doubt have largely disappeared. Made me happy!

This deliciously convoluted plot includes long lost relative discoveries on Ancestry.com with a heavy dose of bad guy blood mixed in. Social services, group homes, drug dealing, bank robbers — they pop up in unexpected places and through it all Annie keeps her cool, pursues justice like a tenacious bulldog, and treats us to her ongoing reflections, many of a philosophical and moral nature (my cup of tea). The regular characters — her 85 year grandfather retired sheriff Leroy, his investigative partner of many years Mary Kate, Annie’s newly married cousin Nikki, and increasingly serious boyfriend Wyatt — all get better and more interesting with each book.

This is the best book so far — tighter plot, better balance of “novel” and “mystery,” and a well-developed (and continuously developing) set of characters.

A couple of quotes:

“He let information sit before speculating, enough time to regulate his own emotions, square them off, and keep them sealed.”

“Though I knew myself to be a believer in redemption, it was hard to overlook the universe’s uneven distribution of such favors.”

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 April 23rd, 2024.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill (Mystery)

Theodosia Benton abandons law school and her Australian home to focus on her unfinished novel, moving in with her brother in Lawrence, Kansas. A meeting with a successful author leads to mentorship, a free flow of ideas, and maybe something more … until he shows up dead one day, brutally murdered. Weird things keep happening and none of them are very good for our heroine, her brother Gus, and his investigator friend, Mac. Every time the author had a chance to go down the obvious path she instead takes evasive action and veers off onto a path I would never expect. Between the action and the backstories of her (very) relatable characters, we are treated to a twisted, entertaining, self-referential mystery blending writing techniques, reader psychology, conspiracy sites, preppers, and Tasmanian hippies (yes, you read that right). The situation does sometimes veer into regions of (to me) unrealistic evil corporate overlord action, but all of the other characters are believable and interesting — I particularly liked all the writerly discussions which focussed more on how to engage with a reader rather than dry (to the non writer) techniques. Be warned: a bit of a creepy feeling pervades the whole book, and I did feel that Theo should have figured some things out a little sooner than she did, but then I was in a comfy, stress-free space, so perhaps I wouldn’t have figured out very much more had I been in her position 🙂

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 March 19th, 2024.

Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

Writing: 3/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 3.5/5

A perfect airplane read! Number four in the Electra McDonnell series in which a (former) safe cracking thief turns her skills to help the British government in the person of the (handsome, naturally) Major Ramsey in London around 1941. Some nice twists and connections to historical events. I like all the characters — they are interesting and well drawn. In addition to the case in hand, each book makes some progress on Electra’s backstory (father murdered and mother accused of the crime before Electra was born) while the Electra and stoic Manjor Ramsey romance continues at a steady parboil.

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 May 14th, 2024.

The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman (Literary Mystery)

Number four in Richard Osman’s deservedly popular comic mystery series. Four retirement village pensioners tackle a Romance Fraud, some missing heroin, and the professional looking murder of an elderly antiques dealer who happens to be a friend. A reminder on the four pensioners from my previous reviews: Elizabeth, with the mysterious background and friends in high and low places who all seem to owe her favors; Ibrahim, the retired psychiatrist, who pores over the cases he failed; Ron, the former trade union leader who loves a chance to get back on the stage; and Joyce, who has the often under appreciated skill of bringing everyone together while remaining invisible herself.

While the book has all the hallmarks of Osman’s previous work — tight, content rich prose, laugh out loud moments every few pages, and irreverent mystery solving — this title is different. With one of the regular characters progressing steadily into ever increasing dementia, there is a philosophical turn and one of the most poignant scenes I’ve ever read. I was honestly weeping (correct term) for quite some time. Osman shows a different side of his prodigious writing abilities in blending this very real, and yet unfortunately very ordinary, experience to an otherwise fun, comic, and artfully written romp celebrating friendship and the purposeful embrace of old age.

Some quotes:
“Friendship, and Joyce flirting unsuccessfully with a Welshman who appears to be the subject of a fairly serious international fraud. Elizabeth could think of worse ways to spend the holidays.”

“Mervyn is not one of lifes hand-takers. He lives life at a safe distance.”

“The easiest way to make a small fortune in antiques is to start with a big fortune and lose it.”

“In my business you hear a thing or two about love. I find it easy to replicate. It is largely a willing abandonment of logic.”

“There comes a point when you look at your photograph albums more often than you watch the news.”

“ That’s the thing about Coopers Chase. You’d imagine it was quiet and sedate, like a village pond on a summer day. But in truth, it never stops moving, it’s always in motion. And that motion is aging, and death, and love, and grief, and final snatched moments and opportunities grasped. The urgency of old age. There’s nothing that makes you feel more alive than the certainty of death.”