Tag: mysteries

The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson (Fiction)

A light, funny, and heartwarming story of a small village’s beleaguered community center and the small book club of troubled souls that transforms into an effective investigative group solving a convoluted mystery consisting of a large amount of missing money and a dead body (or two). A cranky old bat that nevertheless is quite relatable (what does that say about me, I wonder?); a gentle, older man, caring for his badly ailing, adored wife; a shy teenager who has the confidence of a peanut; and the chair of the group — a lovely woman just days away from her wedding who suddenly seems to be making a lot of memory related mistakes. Plenty of good book references — both about loving them and the life lessons that can be gleaned from them. A pretty amusing diatribe about the superiority of Miss Marple as compared to Poirot. Overall an uplifting, if somewhat predictable, read for the season.

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 May 7th, 2025.

Dreams of Arcadia by Brian Porter (Literary Fiction)

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

A gentle book about an East Texas veterinarian who leaves Houston (and the end of a disappointing marriage) for the rural lands of his father’s youth. The main character is very human and very relatable — he is supported by a whole array of well depicted and quite real people from the individuals in the small town to his many relatives, most of whom he hasn’t seen in years (or has never actually met). There is quite a bit of description of the landscape, the real (and brand new to me) day to day big (and small) animal vet cases and procedures, and his own internal thought processes. As he works to solve the little (but critical) every day mysteries that populate his profession and interpersonal engagements, he is able to find a place for himself that feels (finally) like home. I particularly liked the solution to the issue of one family’s ailing cows when no diagnostic test could turn up any problems. I won’t give it away here!

Thank you to Legacy Book Press LLC and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on June 27th, 2023