Audiobook Review: Five Golden Wings by Donna Andrews

Five Golden Wings
Author: Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series: Meg Langslow (Book 38)
Publication: Macmillan Audio (October 14, 2025)
Length: 9 hours and 26 minutes

Description: Two of Meg’s cousins, members of Mother’s vast Hollingsworth clan, are getting married, and both have chosen Caerphilly for their Christmas destination wedding . . on the same day, in the same venues. But while they’re cousins they’re also lifelong enemies. Mother’s efforts to keep the peace are wearing her down, and the battling brides (and their mothers) are making the holiday season miserable for everyone. So Meg steps in to keep the peace. And it was going badly even before she stumbles over the murdered body of the wedding photographer.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of suspects. The photographer has been hitting on many of the guests, bridesmaids . . . possibly even one or both of the brides. He’s also been slinking about and taking candid shots that are unflattering, embarrassing . . . occasionally even incriminating.

Can Meg help the local police nab the killer in time for the weddings to go on as planned? Unless, of course, the killer was one of the brides or grooms, in which case she needs to identify the killer in time to reveal their identity when she hears those fateful words, “If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else forever hold your peace.”

My Thoughts: The 38th Meg Langslow mystery takes place near Christmas time. Two of her cousins from the large Hollingsworth clans have planned Christmas weddings in Caerphilly. Unfortunately, the girls are lifelong enemies. Running interference between the two battling bride's is Meg's mother. Tensions are high and threaten to ruin Christmas for everyone. 

When the wedding photographer is found dead - by Meg. His murder must be solved before the brides walk down the aisle. Unfortunately, there are a number of candidates for killer since the photographer was definitely not a good guy. His assistant hates him since he ruined her changes of establishing a career as a wedding photographer herself. His former clients hate him because of the deceptive contracts he forced them to sign. Many women hate him because of his inappropriate actions and the compromising, or at least embarrassing, pictures he's taken of them. Meg has to sort it all out. 

But other things are going on too. Meg's friend Carolyn has some rehabbing eagles in the lobby of the inn to impress a donor, but they are being really stressed by the actions of the guests. Jamie and Josh are co-directing the children's Christmas pageant and have conflicts about the direction for the production. And that nice older couple staying at the inn may have a hidden agenda of their own.

This was another excellent humorous mystery in this long-running series. I enjoy catching up with all the various characters.

I bought this one December 7, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Barn Identity by Diane Kelly

The Barn Identity
Author: Diane Kelly
Series: House-Flipper Mysteries (Book 8)
Publication: Minotaur Books (March 31, 2026)

Description: The eighth in the House-Flipper mystery series set in Nashville, where the real estate market is to die for.

In Nashville, carpenter Whitney Whitaker is ecstatic when she discovers an abandoned barn perfect for her next project. However, since the surrounding former farmland has now developed into a shiny new shopping center, it seems the decrepit antebellum barn that once served as a livery stable should be torn down to make way for something more modern. Even so, Whitney can’t help but think the barn should be preserved. While unproven, it’s rumored the building once served as a hiding place for escaped slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. She convinces her cousin to take a chance on the old property. After all, the barn would make a unique retail space or, with its high ceilings and wide walls, could be turned into an arthouse cinema.

When a local print journalist reporting on the renovation is found dead on the property, investigators suspect he might have been murdered for any one of several exposés he’d published about local politicians, movers, and shakers. Whitney suspects there’s more to the story, and that the journalist’s fate might be tied directly to the stable renovation. Can she solve the murder and bring a killer to justice? Or might this goal be too lofty?

My Thoughts: Whitney Whitaker Flynn and her cousin find themselves renovating an old barn outside of Nashville that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad and a monument to enslaved persons. When a podcaster/journalist is murdered on the site, Whitney is on the case. After all, she was napping in the hayloft while waiting for a meeting with the barn's owner when the man was murdered. 

The suspects could be anyone on the journalists list of articles and podcasts, so Whitney finds herself investigating a megachurch, a vegetarian restaurant, and a rival land developer on her hunt for the killer. All the while, she is nursing her pregnancy and looking forward to her baby's birth.

This was an entertaining cozy mystery. It is the 8th in the House-Flipper series which makes it nice for fans to catch up on the lives of characters from earlier books. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips

Stakeouts and Strollers
Author: Rob Phillips
Publication: Minotaur Books (March 17, 2026)

Description: Amateur private investigator and new dad Charlie Shaw gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to track down a young girl’s missing father in Rob Phillips' 2024 Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Mystery Novel award-winning debut.

Charlie Shaw is low on sleep. And cash. Otherwise, life is going pretty well for the ex-crime reporter: he’s happily married to his college sweetheart, he’s a first-time dad to the most adorable baby girl in existence, and he’s making ends meet as a rookie PI. But when Charlie meets Friday Finley, a frightened sixteen-year-old runaway on a stakeout-gone-wrong, his world gets a little more complicated.

Friday is looking for her estranged father Shawn, an unreliable alcoholic who left when she was young―and who also happens to be her only shot at avoiding the foster care system since her mother’s death a few weeks earlier. At first, Charlie believes the man is simply hiding out somewhere, avoiding his responsibilities as usual, but the more he investigates, the more unsettling―and dangerous―Shawn’s disappearance becomes. When his own family is threatened, Charlie realizes he’s in over his head, but can he back out now that he’s begun to care for Friday as his own?

A perfect page-turning blend of humor and high stakes, Stakeouts and Strollers is a heartwarming story of fatherhood, family, and what it really means to be a “Girl Dad.”

My Thoughts: Charlie Shaw, former newspaper crime writer, it working as a rookie private investigator. Despite a lack of cash, things are pretty good for Charlie. He's married to his high school sweetheart and is the father of a six-month old daughter. While tailing a woman whose husband suspects her of cheating, he sees the other man attacked and beaten by someone unknown. He also notices that he isn't the only one watching. 

Friday Finlay is sixteen and looking for her father. Her mother has just died, and she hasn't seen her father for a number of years. He did communicate with her occasionally but has dropped off the radar. Charlie agrees to help her find her father not knowing what a can of worms he's opening for himself. Friday's father was working for a couple of local mobsters when he dropped out of sight. They want to find him too since he didn't leave empty handed. 

As Charlie and Friday search them find themselves involved in illegal gambling, drug dealing and murder. 

I really enjoyed this story. Charlie was a great character filled with a reporter's curiosity and a girl dads caring not only for his own daughter but for Friday too. I liked Charlie's point of view and his snark. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews

Owl Be Home for Christmas
Author: Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series:  Meg Langslow (Book 26)
Publication: Dreamscape Media (October 15, 2019)
Length: 9 hours and 32 minutes

Description: The 26th book and the sixth Christmas mystery in the Meg Langslow series, Owl Be Home for Christmas is yet another wonderfully merry and funny book from New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews.

It's a few days before Christmas, and Meg's grandfather is hosting a scientific conference on owls at the Caerphilly Inn. Most of the family are there, helping out in one capacity or another, including Meg's grandmother, Cordelia--invited by Grandfather in rare gesture of peace-making, to share her expertise on rehabilitating large birds, including owls. An unexpectedly severe snow storm traps the conference-goers in the hotel, and one of the visiting ornithologists is murdered. Even if Caerphilly is able to clear the roads in time, Chief Burke doesn't want the various suspects to scatter to half a dozen continents before he identifies the killer, so there's a very real possibility that none of them will make it home for Christmas . . . at least not unless Meg comes to the rescue.

Full of intrigue and snow, this Christmas mystery will take readers home to Caerphilly for Christmas.

My Thoughts: A sudden snowstorm maroons the attendees at a scientific conference on owls put on by Meg's grandfather. The attendees and a lot of Meg's family are at the Caerphilly Inn helping with the conference. The snowstorm, coming so close to Christmas, has really put a damper on people's holiday plans. 

The death of an obnoxious attendee puts even more of a damper on the conference and the holidays. Luckily, Horace has found himself stranded at the Inn since he couldn't get home from patrol. And the Chief of Police is available on the other end of the satellite phone. 

The investigation is not easy given that the victim was almost universally despised by the other attendees. The one exception is his assistant who seems to have an unhealthy obsession with the victim. As Meg and Horace try to sort out the timelines and question the suspects, they discover that many of the people at the conference seem to have good reasons for killing the man. 

This was an entertaining episode in this long-running series. I enjoyed Meg's investigations even though they put her in danger. 

I bought this one December 7, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham

The Crime at Black Dudley
Author: Margery Allingham

Narrator: Paul Panting
Series: Albert Campion (Book 1)
Publication: SNR Audio (February 27, 2025)
Length: 7 hours and 38 minutes

Description: First published in 1929, now public domain in the US and Canada. A house party is under way at the remote Black Dudley, and among the guests are some very shady characters. As they merrily recreate the ritual of the Black Dudley Dagger, Colonel Coombe dies. Pathologist George Abbershaw suspects foul play, and when a vital item is mislaid, a gang of crooks hold the guests hostage. Will they escape the house – what did happen to the Colonel – and just who is the mysterious Mr Campion?

My Thoughts: This classic mystery introduces Allingham's major character Albert Campion. Although he isn't the main character in the country house mystery, his presence is felt.

A group of people have been invited to a country house named Black Dudley for a weekend. The viewpoint character is George Abbershaw who is a pathologist who has sometimes worked with the police. He is there mainly because a young woman he is pursuing is also invited to the party. 

When a parlor game involving the historic Black Dudley Dagger ends with the death of the host of the weekend, Abbershaw finds himself trying to solve the mystery. Things get even more complicated when he and some of the other guests realize that a number of the guests are criminals. They find themselves held hostage by the criminals until a missing item is returned to them.

Abbershaw had found the missing papers and burned them for some mysterious reason making the return impossible. The criminals aren't willing to believe that the papers are gone and threaten the guests. 

I found this an interesting story but with some problems. First of all, there was such a large cast of characters that I couldn't keep the villains and victims clear in my mind. Second, some things happened that didn't really make sense like Abbershaw burning the papers for no apparent reason. 

I did enjoy Campion's appearances and his character which reminded me of the character of the Scarlet Pimpernel though set in modern times. I also had some problems with the racial prejudice running rampant through the story which automatically classified the Germans as villains. I could set that aside considering that the book was published in 1929, but I still found it jarring. 

I was intrigued enough by Albert Campion that I'll be looking for more books in the series. 

I bought the Kindle copy January 18, 2025, and the audiobook December 24, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

The view from the narrow window was dreary and inexpressible lonely.

Friday 56:

'How thrilling!' she said. 'It sounds just like a play! I've got just the right costume too, haven't I? I shall break into song at any moment. What is it?'

This week I am spotlighting a classic mystery. The Crime at Black Dudley is the first in the Albert Campion mysteries by Margery Allingham. Here is the description from Amazon:

First published in 1929, now public domain in the US and Canada. A house party is under way at the remote Black Dudley, and among the guests are some very shady characters. As they merrily recreate the ritual of the Black Dudley Dagger, Colonel Coombe dies. Pathologist George Abbershaw suspects foul play, and when a vital item is mislaid, a gang of crooks hold the guests hostage. Will they escape the house – what did happen to the Colonel – and just who is the mysterious Mr Campion?

ARC Review: All My Bones by P. J. Tracy

All My Bones
Author: P. J. Tracy
Series: On Old Juniper Bookshop Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books (December 2, 2025)

Description: Madeline Brimley, new owner of a bookstore in a small Georgia town, finds herself playing sleuth when a friend is charged with the murder of a much-disliked woman.

Madeline Brimley recently inherited a bookstore in Enigma, Georgia, is embarking on her second career, after her first one (acting) founders upon the metaphorical rocks. Settling in, Madeline recruits her friend Gloria Coleman, the local Episcopal priest, to help her plant azaleas in the front yard of the old Victorian that houses the bookstore. Turning the soil, however, uncovers the body of one Beatrice Glassie, a troublesome woman who has been missing for the past six months.

When her friend Gloria is arrested for the murder, Madeline is determined to prove her innocence and, as she quickly finds out, there aren't many people in town who hadn't wanted to kill Bea Glassie at one point or another. And the very expensive and rare first edition of a particular volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales―ordered by the victim and her sister is somehow tied to the grim death. With the help of her not-quite-boyfriend, a local lawman, and her deceased aunt's best friend, Madeline plans to set a trap to catch the real murderer―before she becomes the next victim.

My Thoughts: Madeline Brimley wants to plant roses developed by her recently deceased Aunt Rose in front of the bookshop she inherited from her. She has enlisted the help of her friend Gloria Coleman who is the local Episcopal priest and her neighbor. 

While digging through the heavy Georgia clay the come upon a layer of Quikcrete and some bones. The front of the bookstore has become a crime scene. The bones are discovered to belong to Bea Glassie. She's been missing for the past six months and no one including her sister had noticed or cared. But now her sister Idell is making up for her earlier silence. She has accused Gloria of killing Bea because she heard the two arguing at the church one day. 

Bea and Idell are rich, elderly women who haven't made many friends in town. They argued over a man and haven't spoken for many, many years. But Idell calls on a cousin in charge of a branch office of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and harasses him enough to convince him to arrest Gloria.

Madeline needs to find the killer in order to set her friend free. Bea's abrasive personality doesn't narrow the pool of suspects. Everyone in Enigma, Georgia, has wanted her dead a time or two. From an old boyfriend to her estranged sister to tradesmen she's stiffed of fees, there are lots of suspects. 

This was an engaging small-town cozy set in rural Georgia. Madeline who grew up in Enigma but left for an acting career as soon as she graduated from high school has only recently returned to take care of the bookshop she inherited from her aunt. She has both and insider and outsider's point of view and a rather dramatic nature. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Die Like an Eagle by Donna Andrews

Die Like an Eagle
Author: Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series: Megs Langslow Mystery (Book 20)
Publication: Dreamscape Media (August 2, 2016)
Length: 8 hours and 46 minutes

Description: Meg is Team Mom, and Michael is coach of their twin sons' youth baseball team, the Caerphilly Eagles. Meg tangles with Biff Brown, the petty, vindictive league head. On opening day Biff's lookalike brother is found dead in the porta-potty at the ball field. So many people think Biff's scum that it would be easy to blame him, but he has an alibi - and Meg suspects he may actually have been the intended victim.

With Die Like an Eagle, listeners can look forward to another zany Meg Langslow mystery - this one filled with the spirit of America's pastime and Donna's eagle eye.

My Thoughts: Die Like an Eagle is the 20th book in the Meg Langslow Mystery series. This time it centers around the great game of baseball. Meg and Michael's twins are in a coach-pitch summer league and having lots of fun. 

But Biff Brown who is the league head isn't making it fun for the parents. From crazy rules to restricted practice times to a poorly maintained field and facilities, those who aren't already intimidated by Biff's vindictive tactics are afraid to make any moves against him. 

Meg is already looking for Biff to discuss town business since his construction company is supposed to be rehabbing the town square before the next local holiday. Her calls and emails are going unanswered, and she is getting very frustrated with him.

When a body is discovered in Biff's noxious porta potty at the ball field, Meg at first thinks it's Biff. Turns out that it is Biff's lookalike half-brother and frequent game umpire who is the victim. But who would want him dead when Biff has so many enemies?

Meg has to track down the killer if she wants the Founders' Day baseball tournament to go on. And she has to track down Biff to get him to fulfill his contract with the city or step aside so someone else can do the job. 

This was another excellent entry into the long-running series filled with the usual eccentrics and the usual humor. 

I bought this one as a Kindle book November 21, 2024. The Chirp audiobook was on sale for $2.99 when I bought it on August 16. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Death at an Irish Village by Ellie Brannigan

Death at an Irish Village
Author: Ellie Brannigan
Series: An Irish Castle Mystery (Book 3)
Publication: Crooked Lane (August 26, 2025)

Description: Entrepreneur Rayne McGrath’s wedding venue is open for business until a dead and unburied body is found at the cemetery in the third Irish Castle mystery.

With six months left to fulfill the provisions of Uncle Nevin’s will and save the fixer-upper castle she and her cousin inherited, Rayne McGrath and Ciara Smith’s bridal venue venture is finally bringing in money. To unite the reluctant villagers, some who’d vehemently protested their efforts to modernize the village, they agree with Father Patrick’s idea to create a group of volunteers to clean the old cemetery behind the beloved church. When a body is found by one of the historic tombstones, the cousins must work overtime to solve the newest case.

The plot thickens and an unsolved crime from the past is unearthed when it’s discovered that the body was on top of a fake grave that has connections to Rayne’s ancestors. With two weddings scheduled at the castle and her mother on the way, Rayne fears she won’t be able to balance it all, yet she rolls up her sleeves and dives into old family journals in hopes of puzzling out not one but two mysteries.

Perfect for fans of Carlene O’Connor and Sheila Connolly, this whimsical cozy will charm mystery readers everywhere.

My Thoughts: The third Irish Castle mystery has Rayne McGrath and Ciara Smith searching for ways to fulfill the terms of Rayne's uncle's will. They have a year to make the village and castle solvent. Things would go smoother if murders didn't keep happening. 

This time, with a wedding to take place at the castle, Rayne and Ciara discover a body leaning against a tombstone during a clean-up of the graveyard. As Rayne and Ciara look into Aiden Dennehy's death, they soon learn that he had a number of people who might prefer him to be dead. The garda are convinced that the bartender who punched him the previous night because Aiden was messing around with his sister is at the top of the list. 

Rayne and Ciara don't believe that Beetle the publican killed Aiden but don't have a stronger possibility. They are busy getting ready for the weekend wedding which will provide funds for the winter which is only one thing on their massive to-do list. High on the list are finding a lawyer to help answer some of their pressing questions, dealing with the property management firm to discover just what they own, and finding a way to draw younger people to the town to bolster the population and the economy.

A trunk found in the attic filled with photo albums from the 1920s raises more questions than it answers and doesn't help identify the Thomas McGrath supposedly buried in the main cemetery instead of the McGrath plot. 

Adding even more complications is Freda Bevan who wants to annex the village Rayne and Ciara are trying to save and an elderly and wealthy lady from Dublin who is demanding the Rayne and Ciara look into the death of her 90-year-old brother who lived in the village. 

Throw if a few romantic relationships and Rayne's sociopathic ex who has escaped from prison and may or may not be hiding out in Mexico and you have a plot filled to overflowing. 

The story is filled with a large cast of characters between people working at the castle and the people living in the town. It was hard to keep track of them all. Also, the story could likely have been 20% shorter if the constant repetition of plot points was eliminated. It was like the author wrote each chapter months apart and felt that the reader needed the reminders. 

Fans following the series will want to read this one despite its flaws and clear lack of resolution of the plot concerning whether or not Rayne and Ciara will be able to save the town and the castle. Various other plots introduced in this episode are solved or partly solved. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective
Author: Jo Nichols
Publication: Minotaur (August 19, 2025)

Description: The perfect summer read, full of charm and heart, written in the vein of The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building but with a southern California twist.

Mrs. B, the landlady of The Marigold Cottages is a stubborn idealist who only rents to people she cares about: Sophie, an anxious young playwright with a dark past; Hamilton, an agoraphobe who likes to overshare; Ocean, a queer sculptor raising two kids alone; the perfectionist Lily-Ann; and Nicholas, a finance bro who’s hiding secrets.

The tenants live contentedly in their doll-house bungalows in Santa Barbara, just minutes from the beach, until their peace is shattered when Anthony, a quiet, hulking, but potentially violent ex-con moves in. Three weeks later, a dead body is discovered on the streets of the peaceful neighborhood. Anthony is arrested, and the tenants heave sighs of relief. Until Mrs. B, convinced that he's innocent, marches down to the police station and confesses to the crime herself. The tenants band together and form “The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective” to save their beloved landlady. As clues are unearthed and secrets are revealed, the community of misfits only grows more tight-knit...until a second body is found. Full of eccentricity, humor, community, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective will keep you hooked until the last page.

My Thoughts: This story told in multiple viewpoints takes place in some small bungalows in Santa Barbara. Mrs. B is the landlady. She has filled her cottages with broken people. Among them are a young playwright who is getting over being stalked, an agoraphobe, a queer sculptor raising her two kids, a perfectionist with an almost ex-husband, and a man who works in the City Planning department and has some secrets. 

When Mrs. B rents the last cottage to a man who has recently left prison and is a tattooed giant, the others wonder what she was thinking. But the story starts when they find a dead man in the bushes in their courtyard. 

The local police inspector thinks he has a slam-dunk: former con plus new body means he obviously murdered him. He isn't willing to entertain other options despite what the other residents tell him. The residents of Marigold Cottages form a text group and become closer to each other while trying to free their new friend. 

It even gets to the point where Mrs. B confesses to the murder in order to take the heat off her new tenant. But then Lily-Anne's ex tries to kill her and the body of a local developer who has been hounding Mrs. B. to sell her valuable property so that he can build apartments is found just feet away from the first body who also happens to be someone the developer brought in to help finance the deal. 

This was an intriguing and twisty mystery with nicely quirky characters. I liked seeing the story be gradually revealed through the various characters. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Picking Up the Pieces by J. B. Abbott

Picking Up the Pieces
Author: J. B. Abbott
Publication: Crooked Lane (August 12, 2025)

Description: A dedicated group of jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts must put their problem-solving skills to the test when one of their own is murdered, for fans of Kate Young and Richard Osman.

After her mother’s passing, Katie Chambers returns to Cedar Bay, a serene enclave nestled in the southwest corner of Washington State’s Whidbey Island to support her newly widowed father, Jim Chambers. Stepping into her mother’s footsteps, Katie takes on the role of graphic designer at Cedar Bay Puzzles. With the help of her father, she resurrects her mom’s cherished initiative, the South Island Jigsaw crew, a group of puzzle enthusiasts who gather weekly at the library to test and tackle the latest Cedar Bay Puzzles creations. But when a member of their club is murdered and Jim is the last person to see her alive, resulting in his arrest, Katie and the rest of the gang must use all of their resources to obtain justice for both.

To prove her father’s innocence, Katie reaches out to Connor Crozier, a firefighter and her former flame who shattered her heart seven years ago. With problems piling up at work and a competitor outright accusing CBP of stealing his designs, it is up to Katie to puzzle out the mystery before it’s too late.

Perfect for fans of The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers and The Marlow Murder Club, this charming and fun mystery will have readers puzzling over the mystery until the last page.

My Thoughts: Katie Chambers has returned home to Cedar Bay on Whidbey Island to support her father after her mother's death. Like her mother before her, she takes a job as a graphic designer at Cedar Bay Puzzles.

She becomes part of the South Island Jigsaw crew which is a dedicated group of jigsaw puzzle fans. The members include a high school student, a long-retired elementary school teacher, a retired defense attorney, a car salesman, and Elena Larrson, another employee from Cedar Bay Puzzles. They gather weekly to try out new puzzles and socialize. 

Things go awry when Elena Larrson is found murdered and Katie's father Jim is arrested for the crime. Katie pulls together the rest of the South Island Jigsaw crew to solve the murder and free her father. Things get difficult when it seems like Lieutenant Crozier of the local police is convinced that her father is guilty. She had a bad breakup with his son Connor before she went off to college in Colorado. Now Connor wants to be part of the investigation to prove her father innocent which brings up all sorts of mixed feelings in Katie.

The story was filled with red herrings and a wide variety of suspects. But the crew manages to use their puzzle-solving skills to find the killer.  

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes
Author: Sandra Jackson-Opoku
Series: Savvy Summers Mysteries (Book 1)
Publication: Minotaur Books (July 29, 2025)

Description: A sparkling debut mystery set on the south side of Chicago, featuring the quick-witted, unforgettable Savvy Summers, proprietor of a soul food café.

When Savvy Summers first opened Essie's soul food café, she never expected her customer-favorite sweet potato pie to become the center of a murder investigation. But when Grandy Jaspers, the 75-year-old neighborhood womanizer, drops dead at table two, she suddenly has more to worry about than just maintaining Essie's reputation for the finest soul food in the Chicagoland area.

Even as the police deem Grandy’s death an accident, Savvy quickly finds herself—and her beloved café—in the middle of an entire city’s worth of bad press. Desperate to clear her name and keep her business afloat, Savvy and her snooping assistant manager, Penny Lopés, take it upon themselves to find who really killed Grandy.

But with a slimy investor harassing her to sell her name and business, customers avoiding her sweet potato pie like the plague, and her police sergeant ex-husband suddenly back in the picture, will Savvy be able to clear the café’s name and solve Grandy’s murder before it all falls apart?

After all, while Savvy always said her sweet potato pie was to die for, she never meant literally.

My Thoughts: This was one busy mystery. Savvy Summers, retired English teacher and assistant principal, has opened a restaurant and catering business using her beloved Aunt Essie's recipes. She has made it the best soul food restaurant in South Chicago. But when a frequent though cheap customer dies at table two, Savvy finds the reputation of her restaurant in jeopardy. 

Even though it is learned that the 75-year-old died of a heart attack brought on by too much Viagra, people are still blaming her sweet potato pie. Savvy believes that he was murdered and begins her own investigation. And when a local and very slimy politician also dies the same way after being hit in the face with one of Savvy's pies at a local fundraiser, Savvy's reputation is threatened again. 

And besides these threats to her business and reputation, Savvy is also dealing with harassment by a local property developer who is pressuring her to sell her business and building to his real estate group. 

But Savvy, with her Aunt Essie's maxims in her brain, isn't going to be pushed around. With the help of her assistant manager and her police sergeant ex-husband, Savvy is on the case. 

This story was filled with the attitudes and language of Black South Chicago. I enjoyed the setting and the descriptions of the soul food. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Death on the Boardwalk by Caleb Wygal

Death on the Boardwalk
Author: Caleb Wygal
Series: A Myrtle Beach Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Franklin/Kerr (February 2, 2021)

Description: THE BOARDWALK IS BEAUTIFUL—UNTIL SOMEONE TURNS UP DEAD.

Welcome to Myrtle Beach, where the sunsets are vibrant, the sea breeze carries secrets, and murder lurks just beneath the surface. Clark Thomas, a grieving bookstore owner trying to rebuild his life, makes a chilling discovery: the body of a friend rolled up in a rug behind his shop.

As Clark digs into the mystery, he’s pulled into a web of suspects that include business owners, environmental activists, and even the victim’s own coworkers. With the police focused elsewhere, a beautiful and suspicious tipster encourages Clark to investigate the crime himself.

But is he ready to face what he might uncover—and confront the ghosts of his own past along the way?

Perfect for fans of Southern mysteries, amateur sleuths, and small-town secrets, Death on the Boardwalk is a witty, fast-paced read that blends charm, suspense, and heart.

Don’t miss your chance to start the Myrtle Beach Mystery Series—where every charming corner hides a secret.

My Thoughts: Myrtle Beach bookstore owner Clark Thomas finds himself in the middle of a mystery when he finds a body wrapped in a rug outside the rear door of his bookstore. He recognizes the woman as a frequent customer and employee of OceanScapes resort.

Stuck in a holding pattern after the sudden death of his wife two years earlier, Clark finds his curiosity rousing. He has read many, many mysteries and works as a ghostwriter of thrillers, but he's never come face-to-face with a real murder. 

When one of the other employees of OceanScapes asks Clark to look into the crime, he lets his curiosity take control. He's lucky to get some covert help from the detective on the case and from a local reporter. Even his avid mystery lover mother throws in some hints. 

This was a fun mystery that begins a series. I enjoyed it and the Myrtle Beach setting. 

I got this free book via BookBub April 27, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Death on the Boardwalk by Caleb Wygal

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

There was a rug I wasn't expecting awaiting me in the alcove by the backdoor of my bookstore as I arrived to start the day. The rug had an art deco pattern of periwinkle and sepia toned multi-colored squares with a tan border. Each square was different. Random. It was a nice rug.

Except for the body rolled up on the middle of it.

Friday 56:

"It was weird, Clark," Margaret said after I returned. "I've never seen a young person have problems with that card reader before."

This week I am spotlighting Death on the Boardwalk by Caleb Wygal. It was free when I got it in April 2025. It is also the start of a nine-book series. Here is the description from Amazon:

THE BOARDWALK IS BEAUTIFUL—UNTIL SOMEONE TURNS UP DEAD.

Welcome to Myrtle Beach, where the sunsets are vibrant, the sea breeze carries secrets, and murder lurks just beneath the surface. Clark Thomas, a grieving bookstore owner trying to rebuild his life, makes a chilling discovery: the body of a friend rolled up in a rug behind his shop.

As Clark digs into the mystery, he’s pulled into a web of suspects that include business owners, environmental activists, and even the victim’s own coworkers. With the police focused elsewhere, a beautiful and suspicious tipster encourages Clark to investigate the crime himself.

But is he ready to face what he might uncover—and confront the ghosts of his own past along the way?

Perfect for fans of Southern mysteries, amateur sleuths, and small-town secrets, Death on the Boardwalk is a witty, fast-paced read that blends charm, suspense, and heart.

Don’t miss your chance to start the Myrtle Beach Mystery Series—where every charming corner hides a secret.

ARC Review: Death and the Librarian by Victoria Gilbert

Death and the Librarian
Author: Victoria Gilbert
Series: Blue Ridge Library Mystery (Book 9)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (July 9, 2025)

Description: It’s summertime in Virginia, but things are about to get out of hand when murder darkens the annual arts festival in this ninth installment of the critically acclaimed Blue Ridge Library mystery series, perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Miranda James.

Library director Amy Muir has always been suspicious of wealthy art dealer Kurt Kendrick. As a close family friend, the ties that bind them are strong, but his murky past is concerning, especially since he is the godfather to Amy and her husband Richard’s six-year-old twins. When a visitor to their small, historic Virginia town is found dead after publicly accusing Kurt of committing a decades-old murder, Amy is determined to prove that Kurt didn’t kill anyone, in the past or the present. But the evidence Kurt’s accuser sent to Sheriff Brad Tucker before her untimely demise indicates otherwise.

With Amy’s own aunt and other older town residents corroborating some of the details related to the first murder and a witness placing Kurt near the scene of the second crime, it seems Kurt is doomed to swift and severe justice. Amidst the fun and excitement of an arts festival that features the premiere of Richard’s new dance company, Amy faces her own challenging performance—balancing her work and family life while dancing on the edge of danger.

With family and friends harboring suspicions about Kurt and Amy bedeviled by her own wavering trust in his innocence, she must fight to uncover the truth before a hidden killer strikes again.

My Thoughts: When a visiting author of true crime books is murdered while attending a local arts festival, Library Director Amy Muir finds herself doing some research for the local police and getting herself in danger when she comes too close to the murderer.

Maureen Dryden has capitalized on the success of her first true crime story and is planning her second book which will be a succession of stories from small towns. She wants to look into the disappearance of Edward Jaffe who disappeared in 1967. While the newspapers barely mentioned the disappearance, Amy's aunt and her twin's godfather may have some information they've never shared about the disappearance. And Kurt, the twin's godfather, was seen at the inn where Maureen's death occurred. 

Amy finds herself juggling her research for the police with the care of her children and the preparation for her husband's launch of his new dance company. As she looks into the case described in Maureen's first book, she learns that enemies were made who might be involved in her death. 

This was an engaging story filled with interesting characters and a fast-paced plot. I enjoyed catching up with Amy and her circle again in this ninth book in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Tricks of Fortune by Lina Chern

Tricks of Fortune
Author: Lina Chern
Series: Play the Fool Mysteries (Book 2)
Publication: Bantam (July 1, 2025)

Description Tarot card reader extraordinaire Katie True gets embroiled in another local murder when her best friend becomes the prime suspect in this exciting mystery from the Edgar Award-winning author of Play the Fool.

Katie True has gotten her crap together. . . sort of. Now that the sinister events of the past year have wound down, Katie has finally made her dream come true and opened her own tarot reading room—even if it’s in her sister’s old real estate office in an outdoor strip mall. It’s a good start, but her momentum grinds to a halt when the murder of beloved veteran police officer, Matthew Peterson, shakes her and her small community to the core.

Katie is torn. Lieutenant Peterson had saved her life as a child and holds a special place in her past. Even worse, her closest friend Gina—who knows Katie better than she knows herself—is the primary suspect.

As the investigation unfolds, the details surrounding Peterson’s death become increasingly murky, as does Gina’s innocence. All Katie knows is that following her intuition has gotten her this far. But will her trusty tarot deck help her when the truth about the people she loves is too terrible to face?

My Thoughts: Katie True finds herself in the middle of her second mystery when the police officer who rescued her from a car accident when she was an infant is found dead - a potential murder victim. Worst of all, her best friend is the prime suspect for the crime.

As Katie uses her intuition and tarot cards to try to make sense of the death, she finds herself learning all sorts of secrets about people she thought she knew. 

I liked the flashbacks to when Katie was introduced to tarot cards by her aunt and liked the way the flashbacks fit into the plot. Katie is an interesting person who relies on intuition and who doesn't have her life together. Most of her family is successful and goal oriented. She is still exploring her possible future.

This was an engaging story. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovich

The Masquerades of Spring
Author: Ben Aaronovich
Series: Rivers of London
Publication: Subterranean Pr; Deluxe edition (September 30, 2024)

Description: Meet Augustus Berrycloth-Young—fop, flaneur, and Englishman abroad—as he chronicles the Jazz Age from his perch atop the city that never sleeps.

That is, until his old friend Thomas Nightingale arrives, pursuing a rather mysterious affair concerning an old saxophone—which will take Gussie from his warm bed, to the cold shores of Long Island, and down to the jazz clubs where music, magic, and madness haunt the shadows…

My Thoughts: This was a fun novella. Related to the Rivers of London series by protagonist Thomas Nightingale, it takes place in New York in the 1920s.

The narrator of the story is Augustus Berrycloth-Young. He's a graduate of the Folly. He used magic mainly for practical jokes which caused him to live England and relocate to New York City. He's a homosexual having a relationship with a Black reporter. He's a jazz fan. He's a sharp dresser. 

His comfortable lifestyle is interrupted by the arrival of Thomas Nightingale who has come to do a favor for a friend. A cursed saxophone leads to an imprisoned member of the fae and her daughter who are in need of rescue. 

Gussie, his beau Lucy, and Thomas tour lots of jazz age sites and events in their quest to rescue the imprisoned. 

I enjoyed the setting and I really liked Gussie as the story was told from his point of view. 

I bought this one January 17. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovich

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

As I've have often opined, what good does it do a fellow to be a master of the mystic arts if he's not allowed to do a bally thing with said mastery?

Friday 56:

I glanced over to where the well-dressed bruiser stood to one side of the stage, no doubt surveying his domain. He caught my eye and frowned. 

This week I am spotlighting The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovich. This is the latest in the Rivers of London series and was added to my TBR pile January 17. Here's the description from Amazon:

Meet Augustus Berrycloth-Young—fop, flaneur, and Englishman abroad—as he chronicles the Jazz Age from his perch atop the city that never sleeps.

That is, until his old friend Thomas Nightingale arrives, pursuing a rather mysterious affair concerning an old saxophone—which will take Gussie from his warm bed, to the cold shores of Long Island, and down to the jazz clubs where music, magic, and madness haunt the shadows…

Book Review: A Not So Shocking Murder by Lily Stirling

A Not So Shocking Murder
Author: Lily Stirling
Series: Holt Jacobs Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Stirling Options (October 15, 2023)

Description: First, no coffee. Then a dead guy. This is one killer vacation.

I thought being forced into a Mother’s Day trip with my entire family on the Oregon Coast was bad. Then came the dead bodies.

Turns out Mom’s cozy vacation spot kept its high murder count a secret.

So I’m stuck in a death trap.

Either I can play detective for a few days or follow Mom’s perfect schedule. Detective it is. But is my vacation long enough to solve a couple years’ worth of crimes?

Five days. Six murders.

No pressure.

Holt Jacobs isn’t for everyone. He’s a sarcastic introvert who can never get quite enough coffee. Becoming a sarcastic sleuth was unexpected, but as an engineer, Holt is used to solving puzzles.

My Thoughts: A NOT-SO SHOCKING MURDER is the first in the Holt Jacobs mystery series. Holt is a nearly 30-year-old engineer who has been dragged by his mother to join in on a Mother's Day celebration with his whole family at a small town on the Oregon coast. Holt loves his family, but forced together time is not high on his list of favorite activities.

Holt arrives at the first event - a dinner at a seahorse themed restaurant - jet lagged, dehydrated and sleep deprived after a series of travel mishaps. He doesn't expect to see a new town resident die of poisoning right in front of his eyes. Nor does he expect to pass out and come to looking into the beautiful eyes of paramedic Brittany. 

Curious about the reason for the man's death and eager to get out of his very organized mother's planned events, Holt decides to look into things. He soon discovers that the most recent murder is one of a series of murders that the local Chamber of Commerce isn't publicizing. Those murders include Brittany's fiancé with her brother accused of the crime. 

Between trying to get enough sleep and enough coffee and dodging his mother's plans, Holt is kept busy trying to solve the series of murders. 

I liked Holt who is a sarcastic introvert with a coffee addiction. 

I got this free title via BookBub April 27, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

By the time the group met up for the long-anticipated yarn-bombing, Sarah had netted four new personal training clients via The Sarah Jones Project Instagram account. Not bad for the brainchild of a kid she'd met in her first week after moving to Minneapolis.

Friday 56:

A couple of tears migrated into Sarah's eyes, Whitehook had disappeared into darkness outside, and instead of the lake, Sarah could see their reflection in the window, 

This week I am spotlighting Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West. This one is on my review stack. I was interested because of the setting - Minneapolis - which is a city I lived in for a while in my early 20s. Here is the description from Amazon:

Thirty-year-old Sarah Jones gets caught up solving a murder after unknowingly befriending a dangerous con artist (who’s nothing like what she seems) in this playful, twisty mystery from acclaimed author Kathleen West.

It feels like kismet when Sarah Jones, newly relocated to Minneapolis after abruptly calling off her engagement, gets invited to join a group of women who share her same (very common) name. For years Sarah has received all types of correspondence intended for different Sarah Joneses, but now it seems that this mistake has given her the opportunity for an instant community.

What starts as a low-stakes meet-up called “The Sarah Jones Project” soon turns sinister when another local Sarah Jones is found dead, under suspicious circumstances, at the base of the downtown Minneapolis bridge. After fielding numerous calls from concerned loved ones ruling out their Sarah as the victim, the surviving Sarahs decide to take matters into their own hands.

Aided by the dead woman’s nanny, a newly commissioned (and very handsome and eligible) FBI agent, and a cloistered nun with a complicated past, the motley crew of unlikely friends are determined to get to the bottom of the murder of one of their own.