Audiobook Review: Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge

Murder at Mallowan Hall
Author: Colleen Cambridge
Narrator: Jennifer M. Dixon
Series: Phyllida Bright Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Highbridge (October 26, 2021)
Length: 9 hours and 29 minutes

Description: Tucked away among Devon's rolling green hills, Mallowan Hall combines the best of English tradition with the modern conveniences of 1930. Housekeeper Phyllida Bright, as efficient as she is personable, manages the large household with an iron fist in her very elegant glove. In one respect, however, Mallowan Hall stands far apart from other picturesque country houses....

The manor is home to archaeologist Max Mallowan and his famous wife, Agatha Christie. Phyllida is both loyal to and protective of the crime writer, who is as much friend as employer. An aficionado of detective fiction, Phyllida has yet to find a gentleman in real life half as fascinating as Mrs. Agatha's Belgian hero, Hercule Poirot. But though accustomed to murder and its methods as frequent topics of conversation, Phyllida is unprepared for the sight of a very real, very dead body on the library floor....

It soon becomes clear that the victim arrived at Mallowan Hall under false pretenses during a weekend party. Now, Phyllida not only has a houseful of demanding guests on her hands - along with a distracted, anxious staff - but hordes of reporters camping outside. When another dead body is discovered - this time, one of her housemaids - Phyllida decides to follow in M. Poirot's footsteps to determine which of the Mallowans' guests is the killer.

My Thoughts: This historical mystery stars Phyllida Bright who is the housekeeper at Mallowan Hall. Her employers are Max Mallowan and Agatha Christie. Phyllida is a woman with secrets. She didn't come to the position of housekeeper by rising through the ranks of the servant class which irritates the very correct butler. 

Phyllida is also a mystery fan and has a crush on Hercule Poirot. No man has measured up to Poirot yet in her opinion. Phyllida gets a chance to become a detective herself when she discovers a body in the library during one of the Mallowan's house parties. 

The victim is a man who claimed to be a reporter there to interview Mrs. Christie for an article in the Times. Investigation indicates that this was a lie. His reasons for being present are not known until Phyllida investigates. 

But his was only the first death. When a young maid is also murdered, the case gets more complex. Phyllida soon learns that there is a connection to another event that the house guests and the maid attended. 

I enjoyed the setting of this mystery. I also liked Phyllida who was an entertaining investigator. I liked her rivalry with the new chauffeur. I am eager to read more in this series to learn more about the mysterious Mrs. Bright. 

I bought this one November 1, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz

The Night Island
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Narrator: Eva Kaminsky
Series: The Night Files Trilogy (Book 2)
Publication: Recorded Books (January 9, 2024)
Length: 8 hours and 23 minutes

Description: The disappearance of a mysterious informant leads two people desperate for answers to an island of deadly deception in this new novel in the Lost Night Files trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz.

Talia March, Pallas Llewellyn, and Amelia Rivers, bonded by a night they all have no memory of, are dedicated to uncovering the mystery of what really happened to them months ago--an experience that brought out innate psychic abilities in each of them. The women suspect they were test subjects years earlier, and that there are more people like them--all they have to do is find the list. When Talia follows up on a lead from Phoebe, a fan of the trio's podcast, she discovers that the informant has vanished.

Talia isn't the only one looking for Phoebe, however. Luke Rand, a hunted and haunted man who is chasing the same list that Talia is after, also shows up at the meeting place. It's clear he has his own agenda, and they are instantly suspicious of each other. But when a killer begins to stalk them, they realize they have to join forces to find Phoebe and the list.

The rocky investigation leads Talia and Luke to a rustic, remote retreat on Night Island in the Pacific Northwest. The retreat promises to rejuvenate guests with the Unplugged Experience. Upon their arrival, Talia and Luke discover guests are quite literally cut off from the outside world because none of their high-tech devices work on the island. It soon becomes clear that Phoebe is not the first person to disappear into the strange gardens that surround the Unplugged Experience retreat. And then the first mysterious death occurs...

My Thoughts: The second book in the Lost Night trilogy stars Talia March and Luke Rand. Both of them are trying to track down a list of participants in a test of psychic abilities that was conducted years earlier. They both believe that find the list will lead to the person or persons who are doing experiments to enhance psychic powers on unwilling list members.

They meet at a house where the seller of the list has invited each of them to come buy a copy. They find that the seller is missing and determine to track her down. Meanwhile, someone is trying to kill Luke. It appears that that someone sees Luke as both a failed experiment and a rival in the psychic assassin business.

Luke and Talia find themselves attending a retreat on mysterious Night Island where the plants have gone wild and the vibes aren't good. They are sure that their missing seller is present on the island. But so is the psychic assassin who is still determined to kill Luke. But the assassin is not the only killer on the island. When the assistant gardener is found dead with no visible cause and the guru leading the retreat also dies, Talia and Luke have to find a way off the island along with the few remaining guests before they disappear like the others. 

This was an entertaining paranormal suspense/romance. I enjoyed the way Talia and Luke went from being suspicious of each other to being partners and falling in love. 

I bought this one at Chirp November 11, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Honor of the Queen by David Weber

The Honor of the Queen
Author: David Weber
Series: Honor Harrington (Book 2)
Publication: Baen (October 1, 2024)

Description: Book 2 in the internationally best-selling Honor Harrington science fiction series. First time in Trade Paperback!

It’s hard to give peace a chance when the other side regards conquest as the only option and a sneak attack as the best means to that end. That’s why the Kingdom of Manticore needs allies against the Republic of Haven—and the planet Grayson is strategically situated to make a very good ally indeed. But Her Majesty’s Foreign Office overlooked a “minor cultural difference” when they chose Honor Harrington to carry the flag: women on the planet of Grayson are without rank or rights and Honor’s mere presence is an intolerable affront to every male on the planet. At first Honor doesn’t take it personally; where she comes from gender discrimination is barely a historical memory, right up there in significance with fear of the left-handed. But in time such treatment becomes taxing, and she makes plans to withdraw, until Grayson’s fratricidal sister planet attacks without warning. Now, Honor must stay and prevail, not just for her honor, but for her sovereign’s—for the honor of the Queen.

My Thoughts: Honor Harrington is sent with her ship Fearless to support the diplomatic team working for an alliance with Grayson. Her mentor from the academy is the head of the mission. Grayson was founded by religious, anti-technology bigots. They received quite a surprise when they found that they needed technology to survive on the lovely planet they chose. The planet has more than its share of heavy metals that have polluted the land, air and water. 

However, the environment isn't the problem for Honor. The culture is male dominated. Wives are historically chattels. Women don't serve in the military and are under the dominion of their husbands or fathers. She and her female colleagues are treated with disdain. This really tries her patience and puts her nerves on edge.

Grayson is also under constant threat of attack by its neighbors from Masada who were exiled from Grayson centuries earlier because of their religious fanaticism. Masada wants Grayson back and the Apostates killed. To further that goal, they are taking secret help from Manticore's rival Haven. 

Unfortunately, the second in rank in the diplomatic mission is an idiot who believes that Grayson and Masada should just get over their little religious issue in order to take advantages of the benefits of trading with their nearest neighbor. This wouldn't be a problem with Honor's mentor in charge, but when he is killed along with Grayson's head of the Navy in an attack by Masada, Houseman takes charge of the mission.

Honor needs to do something to fulfill her oath to the Queen and honor her mentor's life, but the Grayson military isn't eager to take orders from a woman. She goes over the military's head right to the Protector and manages to save his and his family's lives when Masadan assassins attack them at dinner. Severely injured, Honor needs to fight to protect Grayson even though she is vastly overmatched by the Haven ships hidden among the Masadan. 

This was another engaging space opera filled with politics, battles, and excitement. 

I bought this one. In fact, I bought it at least three times since I have the paperback from before 2008, the Kindle copy, and the Audible copy. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year
Author: Ally Carter
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld & Zachary Webber
Publication: HarperAudio (September 24, 2024)
Length: 8 hours and 21 minutes

Description: Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room two days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:

She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.

He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

The laugh out loud holiday "romystery" that you've been waiting for!

My Thoughts: Two authors are invited to spend Christmas at the home of their biggest fan. Maggie Chase is the new Queen of Cozies. Ethan Wyatt writes big-time thrillers. They have been bumping into each other for years at author events. He's fallen in love with her; she can't stand his guts. 

Maggie is just getting over a rough divorce from a guy who has been gaslighting her since they married. He's managed to take most of her money and her best friend too. To say Maggie isn't ready to fall in love again is a vast understatement. Let alone fall in love with a man who doesn't remember her name and always calls her Marcie.

But for Ethan Marcie is an in-joke based on an encounter with Maggie in a stuck elevator five years earlier - an encounter she doesn't remember. That's when he fell for her.

The two find themselves at the isolated Scottish estate of Eleanor Ashley who is Maggie's hero and role model. They are surrounded by Eleanor's family and people connected to her. When Eleanor disappears, Maggie and Ethan team up to find her. Ethan has a secondary purpose since it looks like someone is trying to murder Maggie too. 

This was an engaging mystery. It was also an engaging romance. I loved the banter between to two main characters. 

I bought this one from Chirp December 4, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz

Sleep No More
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Narrator: Eva Kaminsky
Series: The Lost Night Files (Book 1)
Publication: Recorded Books (January 3, 2023)
Length: 9 hours and 20 minutes

Description: New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz returns with the first novel of the Lost Night Files, an exciting new romantic suspense trilogy about a night that changed three women forever—but that none of them can remember.

Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs—an experience that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman.

After receiving a tip for their podcast, Pallas travels to the small college town of Carnelian, California, to explore an abandoned asylum. Shaken by the dark energy she feels in the building, she is rushing out when she’s stopped by a dark figure—who turns out to be the women's mysterious tipster.

Ambrose Drake is certain he’s a witness to a murder, but without a body, everyone thinks he’s having delusions caused by extreme sleep deprivation. But Ambrose is positive something terrible happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute the night he was there. Unable to find proof on his own, he approaches Pallas for help, only for her to realize that Ambrose, too, has a lost night that he can’t remember—one that may be connected to Pallas. Pallas and Ambrose conduct their investigation using the podcast as a cover, and while the townsfolk are eager to share what they know, it turns out there are others who are not so happy about their questions—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.

My Thoughts: This is the first book in the Lost Night trilogy. Pallas Llewellyn is an interior designer who has a gift for design that is a psychic talent. After a night she doesn't remember, her gift is greatly enhanced. She and the two other women who were with her when the lost night happened also had their psychic gifts enhanced. They started a podcast to try to discover what happened to them.

A tip to the podcast leads Pallas to a small college town to explore an abandoned asylum. The tipster is Ambrose Drake who is sure that he saw a body being hauled out of the building where he was undergoing tests for sleep deprivation. It turns out that he had a lost night too. He'd always had a talent for aura reading but now he's begun sleepwalking. The only way to avoid it is to not sleep which has led to his extreme sleep deprivation. 

Under the guise of making a podcase, Pallas and Ambrose who writes thrillers when he isn't sleep deprived begin to investigate to see if Ambrose's memory is correct. They find a shady doctor and shady college administrators. They also find drug runners. What they don't find is any indication that a woman died the night Ambrose underwent his testing. 

I liked the characters and the setting of this story. I liked that Pallas was coming to terms with her newly enhanced psychic gifts and was able to help Ambrose deal with his sleepwalking. I liked the banter between the two main characters. I also liked the romance that developed between the two of them. 

I bought this one at Chirp November 11, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (December 15, 2025)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

A typical winter week. We got 4.3 inches of new snow with Tuesday's 2.6 inches taking the lead. These are what my brother refers to as "nuisance snows" since they aren't much trouble for people used to driving in snow. We had a high temperature of 24F on Tuesday and a low of -16F on Saturday. The high temperature on Saturday was -6F. Brisk breezes Thursday through Saturday didn't make the temperatures feel any warmer.

Despite the cold, I did get out of the house on both Thursday and Friday this week. I had prescriptions to pick up and did some grocery shopping on Thursday. Luckily, it was my brother's day off, so he was my chauffeur. On Friday, I was the designated driver for my brother's annual eye appointment. Luckily, I wasn't needed since his pupils were not dilated too much for him to drive. After reading in the doctor's waiting room for over an hour which did let me finish a book, we stopped at another grocery store on the way home. They had the kinds of soda my brother and I drink on sale. We stocked up. I was glad my brother was along since he was the one who toted all the cases of soda. Naturally, today's grocery ad had the same soda for an even cheaper price at another grocery store. 

This week should keep me at home. Nothing is on the schedule except for my housecleaner on Thursday. I should finish all of my January 13 review copies this week. I plan to fill in the blanks on my calendar with books that continue series that I'm reading before reading the January 27 review copies. I may pause my In Death reread because I do have three other audiobooks on the stack for next week. 

Read Last Week

• The Lust Crusade by Jo Segura (Review, January 13) -- "Friends to Lovers," multicultural romance. My review will be posted on January 6.
• The Bookbinder's Secret by A. D. Bell (Review, January 13) -- Historical mystery set in 1901 in Oxford. Apprentice bookbinder finds a letter in the binding of a book which leads to an epic journey to find the other books in the series and their hidden messages. My review will be posted on January 7,
• A Deadly Clue by Victoria Gilbert (Review, January 13) -- Third Hunter and Clewe contemporary mystery. My review will be posted on January 6. 

• Judgment in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Review) -- Book 11 in the In Death series
• Betrayal in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Review) -- Book 12 in the In Death series
• Seduction in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Review) -- Book 13 in the In Death series

• Reunion in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- Book 14 in the In Death series
• Purity in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- Book 15 in the In Death series
• Portrait in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- Book 16 in the In Death series

Currently

• Detour by Jeff Rake & Rob Hart (Review, January 13)
• Imitation in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- Book 17 in In Death series

Next Week

• Inside Man by John McMahon (Review, January 13)
• Toucan Keep a Secret by Donna Andrews (Audiobook, mine since December 5, 2025)
• The River Knows by Amanda Quick (Chirp Audiobook, mine since October 3, 2025)

• Outfoxed by David Rosenfelt (Mine since September 29, 2023)
• The Brazen Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Mine since August 6, 2025)
• Enchanted by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook, Mine since May 12, 2025)

Reviews Posted

• Big Jack by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)
• Shattered by Dick Francis (Audiobook Reread)
• The Residence by Kate Andersen Browers (Nonfiction)

• Challenges by David Weber (mine)
• On Basilisk Station by David Weber (Reread)
• Secrets of the Lost Ledgers by C. J. Archer (mine)

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

• Magic & Mischief at the Wayside Hotel by Elizabeth Everett (Review, March 10)

Bought:

• The Gift of the Magpie by Donna Andrews (Audible, $7.35)
• Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews (Audible, 6.10)
• Five Golden Wings by Donna Andrews (Audible, $9.92)

• Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold (Audible, $5.18)
• Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold (Audible, $5.31)

What was your week like?

Book Review: Secrets of the Lost Ledgers by C. J. Archer

Secrets of the Lost Ledgers
Author: C. J. Archer
Series: The Glass Library (Book 5)
Publication: C. J. Archer (September 3, 2024)

Description: An invisible message from a dead man resurrects a decades-old mystery.

With her sharpened magical senses, Sylvia recognizes invisible writing while cataloging an obscure book for the library. She’s shocked to discover the message, written many years earlier, pleaded for help. She’s even more shocked to discover the author of the message was married to a paper magician. Could there be a connection to Sylvia’s father?

With a magical mystery on her hands, Sylvia engages the help of Gabe Glass, and together they follow the clues to the location of two hidden ledgers that implicate a very dangerous individual in an illegal bookmaking scheme. Although not named, Gabe is convinced he knows who the bookmaker is, and sets out to prove it.

The investigation draws them into the shady underbelly of the horseracing industry and uncovers a link to Gabe’s parents that takes everyone by surprise. As they unravel the mystery’s tangled threads, unexpected twists and turns lead them to the truth.

But the greatest twist of all is the danger no one saw coming.

My Thoughts: The fifth book in the Glass Library series finds Sylvia discovering a message in invisible ink on the flyleaf of one of the old books she is cataloging. She calls on her friend Huon to read and copy the message which leads to an old mystery and perhaps to the secret of who Syvia's father is.

The message leads to some secret ledgers - also written in invisible ink - which lead to an old bookmaking scheme designed to defraud horseracing bettors. Gabe feels sure that this old enemy Thurston is involved in the scheme dispite being quite young when it was active. 

Gabe is also still dealing with kidnapping attempts and murder attempts since he has made some very dangerous people curious about his own hidden magical talent. He's always trailed by his friends Alex and Willie. Willie is especially concerned with keeping Sylvia away from Gabe.

As the team digs deeper and deeper, they find themselves in more and more danger. These secret holders aren't at all eager to share. 

I bought this one January 25, 2026. You can buy your copy here.