ARC Review: The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions by Kerry Greenwood

The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions
Author: Kerry Greenwood
Series: Phryne Fisher Mysteries
Publication: Poisoned Pen Press (May 17, 2022)

Description: "The 15 1920s-era stories in this welcome collection from Australian author Greenwood will delight fans of Miss Phryne Fisher, who indulges in 'Sherlockery' for Melbourne's citizenry when she's not indulging her passion for 'food, sleep, intellectual puzzles, clothes and beautiful young men'...This volume is a fine companion to the 21 novels featuring this dashing protagonist." ―Publishers Weekly

In The Lady with Gun Asks the Questions, Kerry Greenwood distills the Phryne of her books and imagination. For those fans looking for greater character depth, a richer historical context of the twenties, and Phryne as her truest, freest self, Greenwood has curated just the right stories from her 21 novels and added four brand-new ones so we may meet the real fabulous Miss Fisher.

My Thoughts: This collection of 15 stories all show Phryne Fisher at her best. She's a bright, fashionable, free-spirit who is very wealthy and of high social class. She is also very good at solving puzzles which means that her career as a private investigator keeps her busy with intriguing cases. 

All of the cases in this collection were short with a tight focus on Phryne. They all also seem focused on Phryne's powers of observation rather than any sort of physical detecting. I liked all the period detail in fashion and mores. 

I found the stories all pretty similar. I would have liked a wider variety of kinds of cases that Phryne was called in to solve. 

Favorite Quote:

"You've probably read one of his pamphlets? The wages of sin is death, he reckons."

"So is the salary of virtue," murmured Phryne. "And at least the wicked have a good time."

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

ARC Review: The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

The Marlow Murder Club
Author: Robert Thorogood
Series: Marlow Murder Club (Book 1)
Publication: HQ (January 7, 2021)

Description: To solve an impossible murder, you need an impossible hero…

Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper. 

One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don’t believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local Vicar.

Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.

When another body turns up, they realise they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…

My Thoughts: An unlikely trio of detectives solve three murders in the cozy village of Marlow. Judith Potts is seventy-seven and lives alone in a run-down mansion. She's content with her life, enjoying her whiskey, and setting crossword puzzles to keep her mind sharp. 

When Judith is out swimming nude one evening, she hears a gunshot at her neighbor's house across the river. Unable to get out of the river, she returns home and calls the police. They look around and don't find anything. The next day Judith looks around herself and finds the body of Stefan Dunwoody in the garden. 

Judith becomes interested in trying to solve the murder though she's discouraged by Detective Sergeant Tanika Malik. DS Malik is in over her head since her boss is out sick and their boss isn't quick to assign a more experienced investigator. So Judith begins poking around. 

When a second man, cabdriver Iqbal Kassam is found dead in his bed with the same sort of wound as Dunwoody, dog-walker Suzie Harris gets involved in the investigation along with Judith. And along the way, Becks Starling who is the vicar's perfectionist wife becomes part of the team. When a third murder victim is discovered, the trio spends a lot of time trying to figure out the connections between the victims and trying to prove that various suspects were guilty of the crime. 

I really enjoyed the various personalities of the three amateur detectives. The mystery was enjoyable too with lots of twists and turns, clues and red herrings. This was an engaging cozy mystery.

Favorite Quote:

"Let's go and cut ourselves a couple of slices and I'll explain. Because, between Beck's loaf of bread, some shredded paper, and a charity shop wheelchair, I reckon we'll have a good chance of getting our hands on what we need by the close of play this afternoon."

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

ARC Review: Mad for a Mate by MaryJanice Davidson

Mad for a Mate
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Series: BeWere My Heart (Book 3)
Publication: Sourcebooks Casablanca (April 26, 2022)

Description: Verity Lane might be a Shifter who can't shift (known as a "squib")―but woe betide anyone who tries to tell her who she is or what she's capable of. She's a proud member of a club for squibs out to prove themselves by participating in dangerous stunts. Which is probably how she ended up on this strange island...

Bear shifter Magnus Berne wants two things: to connect with his motherless goddaughter, and to find out who keeps dumping dead bodies on his property. When he discovers Verity on his island, he's determined to get some answers―but it's clear that whoever has been killing squibs is just as resolved to keep it quiet. And now that Verity is in the crosshairs, they'll have to move quickly to stay ahead, stay alive, and stay together.

My Thoughts: MAD FOR A MATE was humorous urban fantasy. Magnus Berne is a bear shifter who is in Minnesota to look after his goddaughter who has recently lost her mother - Magnus's excuse for not having a real relationship. He's living on an island in Lake Minnetonka and is currently wondering who is dropping department store mannequins on his lawn. 

Then, one day, instead of the daily mannequin, he finds Verity Lane. It seems she's ended up there after swimming six miles as part of a challenge from her club of squibs. Verity is out to prove, mostly to herself, that just because she can't shift into a bear form, she is still a powerful and worthy person. 

However, when two of the members of the club die, it becomes apparent that someone is murdering squibs. It is up to Verity and Magnus to find out who the killer is. 

Magnus and Verity are both prickly people and they are both busy denying that they even have a relationship even as they are both falling in love. The dialog is entertaining and witty.

There is a large cast of quirky characters in this story. Many of them were stars of earlier books in the series as noted in footnotes. I enjoyed learning some of their stories and seeing how they fitted into the plot of this story. I also liked the Twin Cities setting for this story and enjoyed seeing places I knew and had visited. 

It did take me a while to get into the flow of this story. The author has a quirky style that reminds me of Shelly Laurenston's urban fantasy stories. 

Favorite Quote:

"This isn't a movie, and I'm not a detective. I'm not gonna find something all the techs missed. I'm not compelled to involve myself because I think the cops aren't doing a good job. And if I come face-to-face with a serial killer, I would scream and scream and run away very, very fast."

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

ARC Review: Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

Grave Reservations
Author: Cherie Priest
Publication: Atria Books (October 26, 2021)

Description: A psychic travel agent and a Seattle PD detective solve a murder in this quirky mystery in the vein of Lisa Lutz’s The Spellman Files and Charlaine Harris’s Aurora Teagarden series.

Meet Leda Foley: devoted friend, struggling travel agent, and inconsistent psychic. When Leda, sole proprietor of Foley's Flights of Fancy, impulsively re-books Seattle PD detective Grady Merritt’s flight, her life changes in ways she couldn’t have predicted.

After watching his original plane blow up from the safety of the airport, Grady realizes that Leda’s special abilities could help him with a cold case he just can’t crack.

Despite her scattershot premonitions, she agrees for a secret reason: her fiancé’s murder remains unsolved. Leda’s psychic abilities couldn’t help the case several years before, but she’s been honing her skills and drawing a crowd at her favorite bar’s open-mic nights, where she performs Klairvoyant Karaoke—singing whatever song comes to mind when she holds people’s personal effects. Now joined by a rag-tag group of bar patrons and pals alike, Leda and Grady set out to catch a killer—and learn how the two cases that haunt them have more in common than they ever suspected.

My Thoughts: Leda Foley is a travel agent (currently) and an inconsistent psychic. She is also still deeply grieving the murder of her fiancé - which she didn't see coming. When she rebooks a flight for police detective Grady Merritt which keeps him off a plane that slides off the runway and catches fire, Grady begins to think that Leda could be helpful in solving a cold case that is driving him crazy.

Leda and her best friend Niki are willing to help but Leda isn't confident in her abilities to actually be useful. As the two - and sometimes three of them - interview witnesses and explore crime scenes, Leda comes to believe that there is a connection between her fiancé's unsolved murder and the case that Grady is working on.

This was a very engaging story. I couldn't put it down. Leda is a wonderful, well-rounded character. I liked that she is honing her skills as a psychic by doing Klairvoyant Karaoke at her favorite bar which is managed by Niki's boyfriend. Currently, she's being paid in free drinks but as her reputation grows - in part because of publicity by the bar owner - she's going to be getting a cut of the night's receipts when she performs. 

I liked Grady too, He's a widower and a great parent to his seventeen-year-old daughter. He's also willing to stretch the bounds of what he previously believed and bring in Leda and her psychic insights if that is what it takes to solve crimes. 

This is the first book I've read by the author and a new direction for her writing according to her Acknowledgments. I hope she continues with more stories like this one which was thoroughly enjoyable.

Favorite Quote:

Niki knew Leda was only talking. Her friend had learned the hard way that warning people about tragic misfortune could lead to restraining orders, at best -- and at worst (just the one time), a ride in the back seat of a cop car. Because sometimes a frantic heads-up sounds like a threat. Apparently.

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

ARC Review: The Family Plot by Megan Collins

The Family Plot
Author: Megan Collins
Publication: Atria Books (August 17, 2021)

Description: When a family obsessed with true crime gathers to bury their patriarch, horrifying secrets are exposed upon the discovery of another body in his grave in this chilling novel from the author of Behind the Red Door and The Winter Sister.

At twenty-six, Dahlia Lighthouse remains haunted by her upbringing. Raised in a secluded island mansion deep in the woods and kept isolated by her true crime-obsessed parents, she has been unable to move beyond the disappearance of her twin brother, Andy, when they were sixteen.

After several years away and following her father’s death, Dahlia returns to the house where the family soon makes a gruesome discovery: buried in their father’s plot is another body—Andy’s, his skull split open with an ax.

Dahlia is quick to blame Andy’s murder on the serial killer who terrorized the island for decades, while the rest of the Lighthouses react to the revelation in unsettling ways. Her brother, Charlie, pours his energy into creating a family memorial museum, highlighting their research into the lives of famous murder victims; her sister, Tate, forges ahead with her popular dioramas portraying crime scenes; and their mother affects a cheerfully domestic facade, becoming unrecognizable as the woman who performed murder reenactments for her children. As Dahlia grapples with her own grief and horror, she realizes that her eccentric family, and the mansion itself, may hold the answers to what happened to her twin.

My Thoughts: Dahlia Lighthouse tells this story. It talks about her unusual childhood being raised by a mother who is obsessed with true crime and who homeschools her children with true crime at the heart of their curriculum. Her father is a distant figure who more or less ignores his daughters - Tate named for Sharon Tate and Dahlia named for the Black Dahlia. He interacts more with his sons - Charlie who is named for the infant Charles Lindbergh and Andy named for Andrew Borden. 

The older kids - Charlie and Tate - left home at eighteen leaving the younger two behind. Andy disappears on his sixteenth birthday leaving behind only a note and a grieving and bewildered sister. Dahlia stays an extra year in the hopes that Andy will come back and when she leaves at 19 she only moves a ferry ride away.

Dahlia spends seven years doing little but haunting the internet in the hopes of finding her missing brother. She is finally brought back to the island where she was raised when her father dies of a heart attack and Andy's bones are found in the father's burial plot. 

This is a very odd story and tightly focused on Dahlia's point-of-view. All of the family deals with their grief and their past in different ways. Their mother has decided that she needs to bake cookies. Really, that is pretty much all she does and with very little success given that she's never baked cookies before. Charlie, who is an actor, has decided to make their home into a memorial museum to convince the rest of the people on the island that they are just ordinary. 

Tate has dealt with her past by making dioramas depicting the serial murders of young women who also lived on the island and posting her projects on Instagram. She becomes obsessed with making a diorama of Andy's murder. 

Dahlia decides to investigate both Andy's murder and the serial killings but frequently gets sidetracked with her own grief and depression. She learns all sorts of secrets that change how she views her past and make her question everything she thought she knew about her family.

Fans who have an interest in true crime with find lots of famous crimes mentioned in this story. I was intrigued by the picture of a young woman raised in a very unusual situation and the way it shaped her life. 

Favorite Quote:

My entire life, I thought that Andy and I saved each other from loneliness, when really, we just built a different kind, one that felt like comfort, life safety, but in the end, was only a cocoon. And that seemed normal to me; it was just like Charlie and Tate.

But what I didn't understand, never paused for a moment to consider, is that cocoons are inherently temporary, too tight a space in which to grow.

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

ARC Review: Death in Daylesford by Kerry Greenwood

Death in Daylesford
Author: Kerry Greenwood
Series: Phryne Fisher Mystery (Book 21)
Publication: Poisoned Pen Press (June 1, 2021)

Description: Taking the waters has never been more delicious―or dangerous...

When a mysterious invitation for a spa holiday arrives for Miss Phryne Fisher from an unknown retired Captain Herbert Spencer, Phryne's curiosity is piqued. Spencer runs a retreat in Victoria's rural spa country for shell-shocked veterans of World War I. It's a cause after Phryne's own heart, but what can Spencer want from her?

Phryne and her faithful servant Dot set out for Daylesford, viewing their rural sojourn as a short holiday. While Dot gets to know the remarkable women who run the hotel where they are lodging, Phryne enjoys an enticing meal―and dessert―with the attractive Captain Spencer. But their relaxation is short-lived as they are thrown into treacherous Highland gatherings, a mysterious case of disappearing women, and a string of murders committed under their very noses. Meanwhile, back at home, Phryne's three wards are busy solving a mystery of their own when a schoolmate is found floating facedown near the docks―and pregnant at the time of her death.

With her usual pluck and deft thinking, Phryne methodically investigates the strange goings-on in this anything-but-tranquil spa town.

My Thoughts: In this 21st adventure, the Honorable Phryne Fisher finds herself traveling to Australia's spa district with her loyal maid Dot on a mysterious invitation from a Captain Herbert Spencer who is running a retreat for shell-shocked young men. Of course, mystery finds her.

Women are disappearing and young men who are potential beaus of a local beauty are dying in a number of different ways. Both Phryne and Dot soon find themselves involved in the different cases. Phryne is her usual self: confident and unconventional. And Dot is her usual self too: loyal and conforming.

There are a wide variety of interesting characters in this one including the local beauty Annie Tremain and her loyal sister Jessie, and Colleen O'Rourke who's another popular young lady. Phryne's hostesses at their lodging have secrets of their own too. In fact, the town is filled with secrets that Phryne manages to unravel during her short stay.

Meanwhile at home, Phryne's wards have a mystery of their own to solve when one of the girls' schoolmates is found floating in the bay. They band together along with Hugh Collins, who needs to work around a particularly stupid boss, to solve that mystery too.

The story was filled with local scenery, high fashion, and dodgy characters. I like Phryne's approach to life and enjoyed this story. I had previously only read the first two books in the series and am now eager to catch up on her earlier adventures.

Favorite Quote:

Phryne had never seen the attraction of leaning on someone else's shoulder--after all, she had two of her own--and she found it trying in others. 

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

ARC Review: The Last Scoop by R. G. Belsky

The Last Scoop
Author: R. G. Belsky
Series: Clare Carlson Mystery (Book 3)
Publication: Oceanview Publishing; None edition (May 5, 2020)

Description: The scariest kind of serial killer—one you don’t know exists

Martin Barlow was Clare Carlson's first newspaper editor, a beloved mentor who inspired her career as a journalist. But, since retiring from his newspaper job, he had become a kind of pathetic figure—railing on about conspiracies, cover-ups, and other imaginary stories he was still working on. Clare had been too busy with her own career to pay much attention to him.

When Martin Barlow is killed on the street one night during an apparent mugging attempt gone bad, it seems like he was just an old man whose time had come.

But Clare—initially out of a sense of guilt for ignoring her old friend and then because of her own journalistic instincts—begins looking into his last story idea. As she digs deeper and deeper into his secret files, she uncovers shocking evidence of a serial killer worse than Son of Sam, Ted Bundy, or any of the other infamous names in history.

This really is the biggest story of Martin Barlow's career—and Clare's, too—as she uncovers the path leading to the decades-long killer of at least twenty young women. All is not as it seems during Clare's relentless search for this serial killer. Is she setting herself up to be his next victim?

Clare Carlson is perfect for fans of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone and Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski

My Thoughts: Clare Carlson feels guilty when her old mentor Marty Barlow is murdered. He wanted them to get together but she was always too busy. She has a full-time job as the news director for television Channel 10. He was retired but still doing some investigations. He said he had the story of a lifetime; she still couldn't find the time.

After he dies, Clare begins to look into what Marty was investigating. First off, she finds he was looking at some buildings in New York City that have a number of problems. She finds that there is mob involvement and that the Manhattan Attorney General might be letting things go on. After all, Terri Hartwell is taking the political world by storm and is likely the next mayor of NYC. 

But there's more. As she looks through Marty's computer files, she discovers a hidden file which seems to indicate that there is a secret serial killer who has been killing women for more than thirty years. It all began with a murder of a 17-year-old girl in a small town in Indiana. 

Clare brings Marty's file to one of her ex-lovers named Scott Manning who now works for the FBI. She's still in love with him but he has gone back to his wife and is trying to rebuild their relationship. Clare is noteworthy for her difficulty with relationships. After all, she has been married and divorced three times and has any number of other short term relationships in her past. 

Besides her current investigations into Marty's investigations, Clare is also dealing with a media consultant who wants to make Channel 10 a better news organization and also with the on-again-off-again romance of the two main evening news presenters. 

To add even more drama, Clare is meeting with the daughter she gave away for adoption shortly after her birth when Clare was a college freshman. Linda Nesbit is now 27 with a husband and daughter of her own. As a child, she was kidnapped and Clare's coverage of that case earned her a Pulitzer. She followed the case again when the child, now known as Linda, was found again. She keeps meeting with Linda under the guise of doing a follow-up article. She hasn't confessed that she is actually Linda's birth mother. 

The story is broken into sections which each deal with a part of this whole story. It is told from Clare's first person point-of-view. I enjoyed solving the mystery along with Clare and liked Clare as a character. I enjoyed seeing behind the scenes at news gathering organizations and seeing the changes that the internet and social media has made to the business. 

I recommend this story and the first two in the series to fans of fast-paced stories. 

Favorite Quote:

Marty used to say no story ever works out exactly the way you expect. "You pull on a thread at the beginning, and you see where it takes you," he told me once back when I was a young reporter at that newspaper in New Jersey. "Sometimes it takes you places you don't want to go," Marty said. "But that's what being a journalist us all about. Following the facts, no matter what. And then you report the story, you report the facts, whatever they turn out to be. That's the job of a journalist."

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

ARC Review: City of Dark Corners by Jon Talton

City of Dark Corners
Author: Jon Talton
Publication: Poisoned Pen Press (May 11, 2021)

Description: Phoenix, 1933: A young city with big dreams and dark corners

Great War veteran and rising star Gene Hammons lost his job as a homicide detective when he tried to prove that a woman was wrongly convicted of murder to protect a well-connected man. Now a private investigator, Hammons makes his living looking for missing persons―a plentiful caseload during the Great Depression, when people seem to disappear all the time.

But his routine is disrupted when his brother―another homicide detective, still on the force―enlists his help looking into the death of a young woman whose dismembered body is found beside the railroad tracks. The sheriff rules it an accident, but the carnage is too neat, and the staging of the body parts too ritual. Hammons suspects it's the work of a "lust murderer"―similar to the serial strangler whose killing spree he had ended a few years earlier. But who was the poor girl, dressed demurely in pink? And why was his business card tucked into her small purse? As Hammons searches for the victim's identity, he discovers that the dead girl had some secrets of her own, and that the case is connected to some of Phoenix's most powerful citizens―on both sides of the law.

My Thoughts: This mystery set in Phoenix in the 1930s stars Gene Hammons who was a homicide detective until he lost his job when his efforts to free a wrongly convicted woman came into conflict with a well-connected, powerful man. Now he's a private investigator trying to make a living in the midst of the Great Depression.

Gene served in World War I, even lied about his age so that he could enlist with his older brother, and came home with bad memories and trouble with loud, unexpected noises. He managed to build a very successful career in the Phoenix police department. He's most famous for finding the University Park Strangler who left a trail of young female bodies in a nice part of town.

When his brother calls him to a crime scene, Gene gets involved in trying to find out who murdered a beautiful young blonde, dismembered her, and left his business card in her purse. He's pretty much alone in his investigation since the powers that be don't want any more bad publicity for Phoenix which would damage their role as a tourist destination.

Gene and his girlfriend news photographer Victoria Vasquez soon find lots of hidden secrets surrounding the murder victim Carrie Dell. The story is filled with corrupt cops, mob exports from Chicago, and local criminals from a variety of ethnic groups. The language is contemporary to the times and jars a little on our more sensitive current nerve ends, but the story is compelling and fast-paced.

Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy this story which is larded with real life characters including Barry Goldwater. It paints a vivid picture of life and crime in 1930s Phoenix, Arizona.

Favorite Quote:

On the bottom floor was the lobby to the Valley Bank & Trust, the strongest such institution left in Phoenix. The lobby looked like the high temple of money, with soaring ceilings, Art Deco carvings, sleek hanging chandeliers, and walnut teller counters and benches so beautiful they made me feel every inch the imposter. It was almost enough to make you trust banks again.

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

ARC Review: Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

Pride and Premeditation
Author: Tirzah Price
Series: Jane Austin Murder Mysteries (Book 1)
Publication: HarperTeen (April 6, 2021)

Description: Perfect for fans of the Lady Janies and Stalking Jack the Ripper, the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries series is a clever retelling of Pride and Prejudice that reimagines the iconic settings, characters, and romances in a thrilling and high-stakes whodunit.

When a scandalous murder shocks London high society, seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Bennet seizes the opportunity to prove herself, despite the interference of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious firm Pemberley Associates.

Convinced the authorities have imprisoned the wrong person, Lizzie vows to solve the murder on her own. But as the case—and her feelings for Darcy—become more complicated, Lizzie discovers that her dream job could make her happy, but it might also get her killed.

My Thoughts: This book resets Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as a mystery set in London. I am one of the minority who hasn't read the original nor have I seen any of the screen adaptations. My only knowledge of the original story is that of anyone who lives in this culture. Midway through reading this story, I did read the Spark Notes summary of the plot.

Lizzie Bennet is the second daughter of a competent but not very ambitious lawyer. She would very much like to work for him and become a lawyer herself. She has spent years helping in his office which deals mainly with contract law trying to convince her father to take her on as an employee. She is distressed that her father has taken Mr. Collins as a partner and intends to leave the business to him because she sees that Collins is incompetent among other faults.

When Collins steals credit for a discovery Lizzie makes, her father tells her that she needs to find her own case and solve it by logic. Luckily, one of her street sources tells her that there has been a murder. She quickly goes to the site to find that Mr. Bingley has been accused of killing his wastrel brother-in-law. She convinces Bingley to let her investigate but her plans to be hired are thwarted when Bingley hires his old friend Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Lizzie and Darcy don't hit it off. In fact, each gains a very negative opinion of the other. But Lizzie is determined to solve the crime. She is assisted in her investigation by Mr. Wickham who is a Runner and quite often underfoot when she is investigating. She also learns that Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy are enemies. Wickham blames Darcy for getting him fired from Pemberley and Associates. 

This was an engaging mystery. Fans of the original Pride and Prejudice will enjoy seeing the characters recast into new roles in this one. Though some characters seem to retain their original roles like Mrs. Bennett who is still the discontented hypochondriac wife willing to do anything to marry off her five daughters. Her strong interest in society gossip does provide a very helpful clue as Lizzie investigates.

I recommend this one to fans of historical mysteries.

Favorite Quote:

Lizzie strode off, filled with renewed purpose and just a bit of unease. To be followed was such an exciting thing! She'd never been followed before, at least not in the course of her work for the firm. Lydia following her around assemblies her first season certainly didn't count.

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

ARC Review: The Murder Game by Carrie Doyle

The Murder Game
Author: Carrie Doyle
Publication: Sourcebooks Fire (April 6, 2021)

Description: A murder at a boarding school is gruesome enough, but what if the murderer is your roommate? Perfect for fans of A Study in Charlotte comes a gripping prep school novel filled with dark mystery and suspense.

What if your best friend and roommate killed a teacher at your prep school? Or what if he didn't do it, but he's being framed, and you're the only person who can save him? What if you aren't sure which it is?

Luke Chase didn't mean to get caught up solving the mystery of Mrs. Heckler's murder. He just wanted to meet up with the new British girl at their boarding school, and if that meant sneaking out to the woods after hours, then so be it.

Little did he know someone would end up dead right next to their rendezvous spot, and his best friend and roommate Oscar Weymouth would go down for it. With suspects aplenty and a past that's anything but innocent, Luke Chase calls on his famous survival skills to solve the mystery and find the true killer. With plenty of suspects, Luke will need to use all his skills to solve the mystery and find the true killer.

My Thoughts: This is a boarding school mystery. Luke, his roommate Oscar, and two girls Pippa and Kelsey sneak out late one night to a local make-out spot. They weren't expecting to overhear a murder.

Since they snuck out which could have consequences including expulsion, they want to keep their presence at the scene a secret. But Oscar is the sort of troublemaking kid who soon becomes a focus of the investigation. Luke is the stand-up, rule following kind of guy who has a past which includes his kidnapping and desperate escape through wooded country. He is trying to live down his reputation as the Kidnapped Kid but he still has the skills he needed when he was younger. 

Once Oscar is accused, Luke becomes determined to find out who really killed the new Mrs. Heckler. He has lots of suspects besides his roommate who worked in her office to offset some demerits. Joanna Heckler was the sort of woman who always wanted the next new man which means that quite a few of the other male teachers now appear on Luke's suspect list along with her husband. 

I liked Luke's growing relationship with Pippa who is a new student at the school. She left England under a sort of cloud because she was seen arguing with her best friend just before her friend was murdered. She was blamed but not charged and has come to the US to start over. 

I liked the mysterious survival skills teacher who seems to know a lot more than he's saying and who pushes Luke to recover the skills that let him survive his own kidnapping. 

This was an entertaining story and well-plotted mystery with interesting characters. I hope this isn't Luke's last adventure in crime-solving. 

Favorite Quote:

The headmaster softened. "Luke, what happened to you was terrible. And I know you want to be a good friend to Oscar, which you are. But this is different. This is murder. And the police will solve this. You have to have faith in them."

Luke stood up. "With all dur respect, sir, I've learned that the only person I can have faith in is myself."

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

ARC Review: The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett

The Windsor Knot
Author: SJ Bennett
Series: Queen Elizabeth II (Book 1)
Publication: William Morrow (March 9, 2021)

Description: The first book in a highly original and delightfully clever crime series in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves crimes while carrying out her royal duties.

It is the early spring of 2016 and Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle in advance of her 90th birthday celebrations. But the preparations are interrupted when a guest is found dead in one of the Castle bedrooms. The scene suggests the young Russian pianist strangled himself, but a badly tied knot leads MI5 to suspect foul play was involved. The Queen leaves the investigation to the professionals—until their suspicions point them in the wrong direction.

Unhappy at the mishandling of the case and concerned for her staff’s morale, the monarch decides to discreetly take matters into her own hands. With help from her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, a British Nigerian and recent officer in the Royal Horse Artillery, the Queen secretly begins making inquiries. As she carries out her royal duties with her usual aplomb, no one in the Royal Household, the government, or the public knows that the resolute Elizabeth will use her keen eye, quick mind, and steady nerve to bring a murderer to justice.

SJ Bennett captures Queen Elizabeth’s voice with skill, nuance, wit, and genuine charm in this imaginative and engaging mystery that portrays Her Majesty as she’s rarely seen: kind yet worldly, decisive, shrewd, and most importantly a great judge of character.

My Thoughts: Fans of British Royalty will greatly enjoy this new mystery story in which Queen Elizabeth II solves a mystery.

It is 2016 and the Queen is at her favorite home - Windsor Castle. Events are ramping up to her 90th birthday celebration and the annual Windsor Horse Show when a young Russian pianist is found dead after being present at a "dine and sleep." The Queen had danced with the young man the evening before and is concerned about informing his family. Her private secretary Sir Simon Holcroft is reluctant to share all that he knows about the young man's death since it seems to have been some sex play gone wrong which resulted in his death by hanging. 

However, some discrepancies in the set-up of the supposed suicide soon lead to the conviction that the young man was murdered. Three different legal entities are involved in investigating this case. Detective Chief Inspector David Strong is with the Windsor Police, Ravi Singh is with the Metropolitan Police, and Gavin Humphreys is the new chief of MI5. Humphreys gets the idea that the young man was killed at the order of Putin and immediately begins investigating the idea that someone at Windsor Castle is a Russian sleeper agent.

The Queen, who is deeply loyal to her staff, and whose staff is deeply loyal to her is not pleased with the direction of the investigation and recruits her new Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, to do some investigating for her and to keep it secret from Sir Simon. Rozie quickly learns that she isn't the first APS who has done this sort of thing for the Queen when she makes contact with former APS for some insight into the Queen's wishes.

The Queen subtly guides her police officials based on things she and Rozie discover rather than taking an active role in the investigation. I liked that she outmaneuvered and outthought the men who persisted in underestimating her abilities. 

I enjoyed this story and enjoyed my vicarious visit to Windsor Castle. I think other mystery lovers will enjoy it too.

Favorite Quote:

"No, I mean it. No wonder everyone's keeping it hush-hush. That, and protecting you fragile nerves."

The Queen threw him a look. "They forget. I've lived through a world war, that Ferguson girl, and you in the navy."

"And yet, they think you'll need smelling salts if they so much as hint at anything fruity. All they see is a little old lady in a hat." He grinned as she frowned.

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

ARC Review: An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn

An Unexpected Peril

Author: Deanna Raybourn
Series: Veronica Speedwell (Book 6)
Publication: Berkley (March 2, 2021)

Description: A princess is missing and a peace treaty is on the verge of collapse in this new Veronica Speedwell adventure from the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

January 1889. As the newest member of the Curiosity Club--an elite society of brilliant, intrepid women--Veronica Speedwell is excited to put her many skills to good use. As she assembles a memorial exhibition for pioneering mountain climber Alice Baker-Greene, Veronica discovers evidence that the recent death was not a tragic climbing accident but murder. Veronica and her natural historian beau, Stoker, tell the patron of the exhibit, Princess Gisela of Alpenwald, of their findings. With Europe on the verge of war, Gisela's chancellor, Count von Rechstein, does not want to make waves--and before Veronica and Stoker can figure out their next move, the princess disappears.

Having noted Veronica's resemblance to the princess, von Rechstein begs her to pose as Gisela for the sake of the peace treaty that brought the princess to England. Veronica reluctantly agrees to the scheme. She and Stoker must work together to keep the treaty intact while navigating unwelcome advances, assassination attempts, and Veronica's own family--the royalty who has never claimed her.

My Thoughts: This sixth Veronica Speedwell adventure has Veronica and Stoker settled in London and working on their relationship. This isn't an unmixed blessing for Veronica since she greatly misses the adventures she had while traveling around the world hunting for butterflies. She and Stoker have different relationship goals too. Veronica is absolutely opposed to marrying Stoker which makes sense when considering her need for freedom and the restrictive rules for married women.

Veronica and Stoker are working on an exhibition at Veronica's Curiosity Club which commemorates the life and legacy of Alpinist Alice Baker-Greene who lost her life in a climb in the tiny principality of Alpenwald. While setting up the exhibit, they discover clues that might lead to the conclusion the Baker-Greene's death was not a tragic accident but was actually murder. Well, Veronica jumps to that conclusion with Stoker being more reluctant. 

Veronica begins her investigation but she is being thwarted by the Alpenwald government which doesn't want the bad publicity for their country and who are trying to secretly sign a treaty that will help them survive the political ambitions of Kaiser Wilhelm. Things get even more complicated when the ruling princess goes missing during her visit to London. Luckily, Veronica and the princess bear a strong resemblance to each other which isn't too surprising since they had a common ancestor from the British Royal Family. 

As Veronica impersonates the missing princess, she has ample opportunity for she and Stoker to look into the possibility the Baker-Greene was murdered. Of course, there are also ample opportunities for those who don't want the mystery solved to try to to discourage them with things like poisoned chocolates and bombs. 

I enjoyed this historical mystery and really like Veronica's viewpoint. I like the way the romance is progressing with Stoker. I liked seeing other characters from earlier books in the series like J. J. Butterworth and pastry chef Julien d'Orlande. The delicacies he presented to the princess made my mouth water. 

Fans of historical mysteries and fans of Veronica Speedwell with be eager to follow all the twists and turns as she unravels all the clues and solves the case. 

Favorite Quote:

"You are not among the good that has happened to me. You are the best of all that I have known. You are what I searched for when I left that house and wandered this earth, boy and man. You are part of myself I never thought to find because I did not even dare to dream you existed. You are all that I want and more than I deserve, and I will go to my grave thanking a god in whom I do not believe for bringing me to you."

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

ARC Review: Dragonfly Girl by Marti Leimbach

Dragonfly Girl
Author: Marti Leimbach
Publication: Katherine Tegen Books (February 23, 2021)

Description: In this spellbinding thriller and YA debut from bestselling author Marti Leimbach, Kira Adams has discovered a cure for death—and it may just cost her life.

Things aren’t going well for Kira. At home, she cares for her mother and fends off debt collectors. At school, she’s awkward and shy. Plus, she may flunk out if she doesn’t stop obsessing about science, her passion and the one thing she’s good at . . . very good at.

When she wins a prestigious science contest she draws the attention of the celebrated professor Dr. Gregory Munn (as well as his handsome assistant), leading to a part-time job in a top-secret laboratory. 

The job is mostly cleaning floors and equipment, but one night, while running her own experiment, she revives a lab rat that has died in her care. 

One minute it is dead, the next it is not.

Suddenly she’s the remarkable wunderkind, the girl who can bring back the dead. Everything is going her way. But it turns out that science can be a dangerous business, and Kira is swept up into a world of international rivalry with dark forces that threaten her life. 

My Thoughts: Kira Adams is a High School Junior and a scientific genius. She is also the main caretaker for her mother who has cancer. They are deeply in debt to the local loan shark. But Kira has taken to entering scientific contests which offer cash prizes to supplement the family income. 

Things change a lot when she wins a very prestigious contest which requires her to travel from her home in California to Stockholm, Sweden, to pick up her prize. The only problem is that she has entered the contest fraudulently. One of the requirements is that she bas a Ph.D. that she earned no more than a year earlier. She didn't lie; she left the line indicating when and where she got her Ph.D. blank. But another of the award winners is suspicious and really causes her trouble. 

However, she has done her own research and has written a brilliant paper which draws the attention of Dr. Gregory Munn who runs a prestigious lab in Oakland which is near her home. He offers her a job working in his lab. Unfortunately, her supervisor is the same jerk who caused her problems in Stockholm and who seems determined to teach her nothing and force her to quit. Luckily, she does make friends with some of the other scientists and she also finds a home that fits her much better than trying to fit in at her High School.

When she discovers a procedure that brings a rat back to life, she quickly learns that science can be a cutthroat sort of game. Everyone wants her discovery. She's kidnapped along with her nemesis Will and taken to Russia where she is forced to share her procedure and pressured to join a rich man's stable of young scientific geniuses. Until she manages to escape...

This was an exciting thriller. filled with all kinds of action and lots of tension. I really liked Kira in all her brilliance and social awkwardness. The story had a nice group of supporting characters including her best-and-only friend Lauren and the many young scientists at Dr. Munn's lab. 

Favorite Quote:

"Why is everything you own black?"

"Because they haven't come up with a darker color?"

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

ARC Review: Saddled With Murder by Eileen Brady

Saddled with Murder 

Author: Eileen Brady
Series: Dr. Kate Vet Mysteries
Publication: Poisoned Pen Press (October 6, 2020)

Description: First in a new vet books mystery series, perfect for fans of cozy mysteries by Miranda James and Leann Sweeney!

Veterinarian and amateur sleuth Kate Turner has her hands full trying to juggle two boyfriends, a thriving practice, and a criminal investigation

It's the Christmas season and veterinarian Kate Turner is not feeling very jolly. She's overworked, unappreciated, and dealing with two dissatisfied clients. Throw in a very complicated personal life and Kate's definitely got a case of the holiday blues.

To make matters worse, Kate's ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, is mugged and robbed after they have a heated argument in the hospital parking lot. Then, two of her dissatisfied clients turn up dead (which really gets Kate's tinsel in a tangle). All of these events seem like coincidences, but they add up to something much more venomous.

Saddled with Murder is a cozy holiday mystery from beloved author Eileen Brady that explores the fragility and resiliency of animals and humans whose trust has been broken, and will keep animal-loving readers riveted until the last page.

My Thoughts: Vet Kate Turner is filling in for another veterinarian on a year-long vacation. It's almost Christmas and the Christmas party complete with litter box cake should be fun for everyone. But when someone makes a video of the party goers making Selfish Christmas Wishes, things take a turn for the murderous. Kate makes a wish that some of her troublesome patient's owners would disappear never thinking that someone would make her wish come true.

The first death is Frank Martingale. He was contentious and always had a bunch of nuisance suits going. He is disputing the vet bill and threatening to take Kate to court. The second death is Eloise who is threatening to sue Kate because her bulldog didn't have the puppies she wanted her to have. The third is Raeleen who once worked for the vet office Kate is now running and who blames Kate for her firing. 

All three were mentioned in the infamous video which was accidentally posted on line and is now in danger of going viral. 

The first two deaths could have been accidents but Raeleen was shot to death. There are many suspects including Kate and the local snowplow driver Pinky who is Kate's next door neighbor and the owner of Princess - a senior dog and the love of Pinky's life. Pinky has some social anxiety and is otherwise a little strange. At first, Kate suspects him since he plowed the first two victims' driveways and actually discovered the second body. But there are other suspects including the on-again, off-again boyfriend of the third victim and anyone who had a grudge against Frank.

Kate also has other issues to deal with. She has a couple of boyfriends and their relationships weren't trouble-free. She is also being encouraged by her Gramps to finally make it up with her father who sort of abandoned her when her mother and brother died in a car accident near the Christmas holiday some years earlier. Her father has built a new life with a new wife and two more children and Kate still blames him for moving on so fast. 

The mystery was nicely twisty and the characters were engaging. I liked the details about the life of a vet. This is the fifth Kate Turner mystery and stands alone quite well. I haven't read the earlier books yet and had no problems getting into the story.

Favorite Quote:

Someone is playing a nasty game of cat and mouse, only the dead weren't mice, but people -- people with lives and hopes and dreams. Gone forever.

A predator who carefully chose specific victims.

Who was better equipped to catch a predator than a veterinarian?

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

ARC Review: Second Chance Angel by Griffin Barber & Kacey Ezell

Second Chance Angel

Author: Griffin Barber & Kacey Ezell
Series: Last Stop Station (Book 1)
Publication: Blackstone Publishing; Unabridged edition (September 8, 2020)

Description: After a devastating galactic war, disgraced veteran Ralston Muck ekes out a living as a bouncer at Last Stop Station's premier nightclub, A Curtain of Stars. Night after night he listens to the club's star performer, Siren, sing her memories and ease some of his aching loss. But when Siren goes missing, Muck finds himself drawn into a world of dirty cops, drug lords, and conspiracies that trace back to the war itself.

The only person he can trust isn't even human. Angel, Siren's personal AI, was ripped from the singer's mind the night Siren disappeared. With no idea what has happened to her human host, and pursued by a killer virus, Angel flees to Muck for answers.

Together they struggle to comprehend the conspiracy that entangles both their lives. Can Muck and the angel on his shoulder recover Siren before it's too late? Or will he lose everything that matters to him one more time?

My Thoughts: Ralston Muck is eking out a living as a bouncer on a space station. He is a disgraced army vet who has had his AI removed. His only solace is listening to the star singer at the club where he works. Hearing her eases some of his pain as she sings out her own pain.

One night she disappears and her AI Angel somehow manages to leave her brain and find its way to Muck's. This is unheard of and even thought to be impossible. It is also impossible that Angel is starting to feel emotions but it is. 

Angel recruits Muck to help her locate her original host which leads both of them into a galactic conspiracy and all sorts of danger. They deal with the space station's crime lord who is an alien and who sends him to another planet to look into the disappearance and some new drug. But danger follows them there and only a chance encounter with some people from Muck's past let them live through it.

I enjoyed the mystery aspects of this story and learning about the bigger conspiracy. I really liked the relationship that grew between Muck and Angel. I liked the worldbuilding which included interesting aliens, unique technology, and all sorts of secrets.

Favorite Quote:

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I think better on a full stomach."

"I'm not your sweetheart."

"Closest thing I got right now."

"Huh. Sucks to be you, I guess."

That little interplay caused him to grin all the way to the beat-up, greasy sausage booth.

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

ARC Review: The Deadly Hours by Susanna Kearsley et al.

The Deadly Hours
Author: Susanna Kearsley, C. S. Harris. Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent
Publication: Poisoned Pen Press (September 1, 2020)

Description: A stellar line-up of historical mystery novelists weaves the tale of a priceless and cursed gold watch as it passes through time wreaking havoc from one owner to another. The characters are irrevocably linked by fate, each playing a key role in breaking the curse and destroying the watch once and for all.

From 1733 Italy to Edinburgh in 1831 to a series of chilling murders in 1870 London, and a lethal game of revenge decades later, the watch touches lives with misfortune, until it comes into the reach of one young woman who might be able to stop it for good.

My Thoughts: This is a collection of four novellas by well-known authors of historical mysteries all featuring a cursed pocket watch.

In "Weapon of Choice" by Susanna Kearsley, the pocket watch finds itself in a supporting role in a plot to murder a relative of the exiled King James. The story is also a romance between recently married Hugh MacPherson and Mary Dundas who are apparently characters featured in another of the author's stories.

"In a Fevered Hour" by Anna Lee Huber moves the story one hundred years to 1831 and brings the cursed watch to Edinburgh where Lady Darby and her new husband Simon Gage are tasked with finding it by Bonnie Brock Kincaid since it seems to be causing problems for him. 

"A Pocket Full of Death" by Christine Trent takes place in 1870 where Violet Harper is an undertaker who is reburying a newly made Viscount's ancestors into a new family graveyard and discovers the pocket watch in the grave of the man being moved. 

"Siren's Call" by C. S. Harris moves the story to 1944 and brings the story of the cursed watch to a conclusion. It also tells the story of life in wartime Britain and the search for possible German spies. There is also a romance in this one.

I enjoyed all of the stories but liked "Weapon of Choice" the least probably because I felt like I should have known more about the main characters in the story. I've solved that one by purchasing A Desperate Fortune which tells the fuller story of those characters. I liked "Siren's Call" the best both because of the time period and because of the strength of the mystery.

Favorite Quote:

This was what he'd been trained to do, after all: peer at the mangled bodies of the dead and chase down their killers.

It had always struck Jude as a damned unpleasant way to spend your life.

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

ARC Review: Shadows of the Dead by Spencer Kope

Shadows of the Dead
Author: Spencer Kope
Series: Special Tracking Unit (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books (August 25, 2020)

Description: The best tracker in the world, a man with a secret and a special set of skills, must find two nearly untraceable killers before time runs out for their victims, in Spencer Kope's Shadows of the Dead.

A woman―abducted and found in the trunk of a car after a high-speed chase―regains consciousness in the ICU to reveal two crucial pieces of information: the man who kidnapped her is not the same as the man who left her in the woods, and she's not the first victim―in fact, she is number eight.

Magnus “Steps” Craig is part of the elite three-man Special Tracking Unit of the FBI. Known for his ability to find and follow trails over any surface, Steps is called in on cases that require his unparalleled skills. But there’s a secret to his talent. Steps has a kind of synesthesia where he can see the ‘essence’ of a person―what he calls ‘shine’―on everything they’ve touched.

Brought in to track the driver through a dense forest after the blood hounds have lost his trail, Steps and his partner Jimmy find the driver laughing maniacally, babbling about souls, and hiding a pristinely maintained box of eight posed rats. Now the Special Tracking Unit must chase two villains―through not just the real world, but the dark web as well―tracking an enemy they can't see, as time runs out for the unknown victims.

My Thoughts: This is the third mystery starring Magnus "Steps" Craig and his partner Jimmy Donovan. Together they are two parts of a special FBI unit that is called in when someone needs to be found. Steps almost died when he was eight and was revived only to discover that he has an unusual power. He can see something unique about where a person has been and what he has touched. Each person makes a unique path that Steps calls Shine. They are keeping Steps' power a secret.

They are called in to track down a man when a woman is found bound in his trunk. They discover the man which only begins the mystery. The man has a mental illness which makes him delusional. He keeps talking about his partner - the Onion King - who lets him help with his kidnappings. He also tells them that the girl in the trunk is number eight. They aren't at all sure what is real and what is part of the man's delusions - until the girl wakes up and confirms that she was kidnapped by another man and left in the forest for our delusional character to find. 

Our delusional man is identified as Murphy Haze Cotton and, in the course of searching his home, a diorama of rats who are all wearing masks is discovered. Further investigation leads to an isolated cabin which is also a repository for mannequins in masks and a location where the remnants of bodies dissolved in lye are spread.

Steps and Jimmy along with a variety of police officers from a number of jurisdictions are in a rush to identify the missing women who were used to create the masks and track down the elusive Onion King. The case becomes even more urgent when another young woman disappears.

This was an entertaining story with a unique detective. I thought it was well-paced and exciting. 

Favorite Quote:

Criminal investigations are a bit like playing Ping-Pong in the dark with marshmallows; no one ever knows the score and you spend half your time searching for the marshmallows.

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

ARC Review: Death a High Tide by Hannah Dennison

Death at High Tide
Author: Hannah Dennison
Series: The Island Sisters (Book 1)
Publication: Minotaur Books (August 18, 2020)

Description: Death at High Tide is the first installment in the Island Sisters series by Hannah Dennison, featuring two sisters who inherit an old hotel in the remote Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall and find it full of intrigue, danger, and romance.

When Evie Mead’s husband, Robert, suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, a mysterious note is found among his possessions. It indicates that Evie may own the rights to an old hotel on Tregarrick Rock, one of the Isles of Scilly.

Still grieving, Evie is inclined to leave the matter to the accountant to sort out. Her sister Margot, however, flown in from her glamorous career in LA, has other plans. Envisioning a luxurious weekend getaway, she goes right ahead and buys two tickets―one way―to Tregarrick.

Once at the hotel―used in its heyday to house detective novelists, and more fixer-upper than spa resort, after all―Evie and Margot attempt to get to the bottom of things. But the foul-tempered hotel owner claims he's never met the late Robert, even after Evie finds framed photos of them―alongside Robert's first wife―in his office. The rest of the island inhabitants, ranging from an ex-con receptionist to a vicar who communicates with cats, aren't any easier to read.

But when a murder occurs at the hotel, and then another soon follows, frustration turns to desperation. There’s no getting off the island at high tide. And Evie and Margot, the only current visitors to Tregarrick, are suspects one and two. It falls to them to unravel secrets spanning generations―and several of their own―if they want to make it back alive.

My Thoughts: This was an interesting cozy mystery filled with suspicious people. Evie Mead is very recently widowed after her much older husband had a sudden heart attack. Her sister Margot flies in from Hollywood where she is a film producer to keep her company. Things take a twisty turn when Evie's husband's business manager tells Evie that her husband was nearly bankrupt. But then the manager Nigel's odd secretary comes in with a note that indicates that Evie might be the new owner of a hotel on one of the Scilly islands.

Margot and Evie decide to spend the weekend at the hotel to try to find out if there is some basis to the idea. Arriving in November doesn't show the hotel at its best. They learn that the hotel has long been in the family of Jago Ferris. Ferris denies knowing Evie's husband Robert and definitely states that Robert never loaned him money. But then he changes his story and says that he paid Robert back years earlier.

The whole situation is strange. Jago is quite a tyrant who is keeping his son from developing his ocean salvage business and belittling his wife every chance he gets. Then there is Lily who is the retired midwife/postmistress who lives rent free in the best suite in the hotel. There is also the suspicious man of all work and his niece who is stalking Jogo's son Cador. Add in photographer Alex Karlsson who is visiting to take pictures of the lighthouse but who was a long-ago beau of Jago's wife.

When Jago is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, all of the characters become suspects because most of them had a reason to want him dead. But then Lily is found dead and things get even more complicated. 

I enjoyed the story despite finding a number of the characters quite unlikable. Margot seems to delight in getting Evie into uncomfortable situations and was definitely keeping secrets from her. Of course, Evie has some secrets of her own about her relationship with her husband.

This was entertaining. I liked the setting and see quite a few possibilities for future episodes of this first book in a series. 

Favorite Quote:

"You know, we're only at the Salty Boatman for one night," I pointed out.

"I always unpack immediately," said Margot. "It helps me feel grounded. Do you know Vivien Leigh used to take her favorite pictures when she and Larry - that's Laurence Olivier - were on tour? She'd hang them up in her hotel room."

"I'm glad you decided against that," I said.

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

ARC Review: Murder in the East End by Jennifer Ashley

Murder in the East End
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Series: A Below Stairs Mystery (Book 4)
Publication: Berkley (August 4, 2020)

Description: When young cook Kat Holloway learns that the children of London's Foundling Hospital are mysteriously disappearing and one of their nurses has been murdered, she can't turn away. She enlists the help of her charming and enigmatic confidant Daniel McAdam, who has ties to Scotland Yard, and Errol Fielding, a disreputable man from Daniel’s troubled past, to bring the killer to justice. Their investigation takes them from the grandeur of Mayfair to the slums of the East End, during which Kat learns more about Daniel and his circumstances than she ever could have imagined.

My Thoughts: This is cook Kat Holloway's fourth adventure. In this episode, Daniel comes to her with his brother Errol Fielding because he wants her to look into a problem Errol brought him. Fielding is a vicar and a governor of a foundling hospital. A nurse he had become close to has disappeared as have a number of the children in the care of the institution.

As a mother herself and one who might have needed to surrender her daughter to a foundling hospital, Kat is eager to look into the issue of missing children. But she doesn't have a lot of time. As a cook in a gentleman's home, she spends most of her hours shopping and preparing meals. Any spare time she has is spent with her daughter who is in the care of some friends of hers.

Luckily, her mysterious friend Daniel who seems to have some connection with Scotland Yard is also interested in the case of the missing children. He isn't at all sure that his foster brother can be trusted though. Both of them had difficult childhoods in the lower classes in London and the experiences have left emotional scars on both of them.

Things become even more complicated for the various investigator Daniel and Kat have gotten involved in the search for the nurse and the missing children when the body of the nurse is discovered. She was severely beaten and left to die on the street.

Kat's investigation takes the reader to the difficult and dangerous parts of London where children are a commodity and well-connected bullies dominate. As she investigates, she learns more about Daniel's past and his current occupation. Some of the knowledge comes from a wealthy young female artist who is observing Kat and the other kitchen workers in order to create some paintings and who worked with Daniel on a criminal case in Paris.

I enjoyed this story which seemed to be quite realistic about life in the 1880s in London. Women's roles were very narrow and the class divide very deep. Kat is an intriguing character who is proud of her work as a cook and the sort of person who sees deep into other people and encourages them to be better than they think they are.

Favorite Quote:

I did hope that Miss Townsend did not make us recognizable. I could not imagine the embarrassment of appearing in a painting, no matter how innocuous that painting might be. I preferred anonymity and moving through life in a calm and peaceful manner. Much more comfortable all around.

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

ARC Review: An Accidental Corpse by Helen A. Harrison

An Accidental Corpse
Author: Helen Harrison
Series: Art of Murder Mysteries (Book 2)
Publication: Poisoned Pen Press (August 4, 2020)

Description: Accidents happen. But so does murder...

On the night of August 11, 1956, in a quiet East Hampton hamlet, Jackson Pollock crashed his car into a tree. The accident killed Pollock, the world-renowned abstract painter and notorious alcoholic, and his 25-year old passenger, Edith Metzger...or did it?

Metzger's autopsy reveals that she was already dead before the crash. Was it murder?

This shocking question draws vacationing Detective Juanita Diaz and her husband, Captain Brian Fitzgerald, of the NYPD into a homicide investigation that implicates famous members of East Hampton's art community―including Pollock himself.

My Thoughts: This historical mystery takes place in 1956 and combines real and fictional characters. It begins when two police officers and their 8-year-old son go on vacation to the shore. There they witness the fatal car accident that killed artist Jackson Pollack and one of his female passengers while throwing the other passenger out of the car.

Soon they learn that the female passenger was already dead when the accident happened. They are recruited by the local police chief to help with the investigation because his department is already stretched to the limits by a series of car accidents and the other problems that happen during the tourist season.

Fitz and Nita are glad to lend a helping hand and assist the local police. Nita is especially useful because she's a detective. There isn't another detective on the small town force.

I liked the way the story included historical details from the time period and information about local celebrities in the artistic community. I also liked that the story was told from a variety of viewpoints which added more detail.

As a mystery, it wasn't really all that mysterious. Once the villain appeared, it became quite clear what had happened and why. Before he appeared though, it was interesting to see what investigative techniques out heroes used and notice how many wouldn't be at all acceptable in a current police investigation.

Fans of historical mysteries and American artists would be a good audience for this story.

Favorite Quote:

"Hey, you guys, stop smooching!" TJ had caught them in the act. Startled, they sat up and looked momentarily embarrassed, then grinnd at their son as he scolded his father, using a phrase he'd learned from Grandma Blanca. "Que malo eres, Papa! Behave yourself!" Fitz pleaded innocent. "It's not my fault, buddy. Your mom threw herself at me, and I just couldn't resist."

Nita rose, straightened her dress, and tried to reclaim her dignity but failed. She pointed at her husband. "Pants on fire!" she exclaimed, and all three of them broke out laughing.

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