ARC Review: The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong

The Poisoner's Ring
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: A Rip Through Time (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books (May 23, 2023)

Description A modern-day homicide detective is working as an undertaker's assistant in Victorian Scotland when a serial poisoner attacks the men of Edinburgh and leaves their widows under suspicion.

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows… the latest of which is Gray’s oldest sister.

Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong is known for her exquisite world building, and this latest series is no exception. The Poisoner's Ring brings the intricacies of Victorian Scotland alive as Mallory again searches for a 19th-century killer as well as a way home.

My Thoughts: The second in the Rip Through Time series has Mallory and Dr. Gray working on a case of wives poisoning their husbands. It comes much closer to home when Dr. Gray's older sister Annis is also accused of poisoning her husband. 

Annis had left her family behind when she married into the aristocracy. She was angered that her father decided to leave his funeral business to one of his sons rather than her who had an interest in business. Now, she needs the help of her brother who has been working as a consulting detective and her sister Isla who is a chemist, but you wouldn't know it because of her attitude.

This story is set in a richly imagined Victorian culture with all the required fashions and attitudes. The worldbuilding is very well done. I enjoyed watching Mallory, as a 21st Century police officer, try to adjust to a new time period and the knowledge and attitudes of Victorian policing. It helps that a select few know that she is a person out of her own time.

Fans of time travel and mysteries will enjoy this story. 

Favorite Quote:

"If Annis wanted someone to think she isn't capable of murder," I say, "she'd be better off with a cop who hasn't spent a full minute in her actual presence."

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

ARC Review: Identity by Nora Roberts

Identity
Author: Nora Roberts
Publication: St. Martin's Press (May 23, 2023)

Description: The #1 New York Times-bestselling author's terrifying new thriller about one man's ice-cold malice, and one woman's fight to reclaim her life.

Former Army brat Morgan Albright has finally planted roots in a friendly neighborhood near Baltimore. Her friend and roommate Nina helps her make the mortgage payments, as does Morgan's job as a bartender. But after she and Nina host their first dinner party―attended by Luke, the flirtatious IT guy who'd been chatting her up at the bar―her carefully built world is shattered. The back door glass is broken, cash and jewelry are missing, her car is gone, and Nina lies dead on the floor.

Soon, a horrific truth emerges: It was Morgan who let the monster in. "Luke" is actually a cold-hearted con artist named Gavin who targets a particular type of woman, steals her assets and identity, and then commits his ultimate goal: murder.

What the FBI tells Morgan is beyond chilling. Nina wasn't his type. Morgan is. Nina was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Morgan's nightmare is just beginning. Soon she has no choice but to flee to her mother's home in Vermont. While she struggles to build something new, she meets another man, Miles Jameson. He isn't flashy or flirtatious, and his family business has deep roots in town. But Gavin is still out there hunting new victims, and he hasn't forgotten the one who got away.

My Thoughts: Morgan Albright had a childhood as an army brat constantly moving to follow her father's career. Now she wants roots and thinks she's found them in Baltimore. She has two jobs and a mortgage on a home she has big plans for. She shares that home with her best friend Nina. 

When she meets Luke at the bar where she bartends, she begins a relationship with him. She doesn't know that he's targeted her to be his next victim in a plan for identity theft and murder. Unfortunately, it is Nina who is murdered by being home sick when Luke comes to retrieve the device he's installed on Morgan's computer. 

Morgan needs to deal with her best friend's death while trying to untangle all the financial chaos Luke left in his wake. He's maxed her credit cards, taken out new cards in her name and maxed those too, taken out a home equity loan, and borrowed money from a loan shark. 

Morgan feels that her only choice is to move to Vermont with her mother and grandmother and build her life anew. There she finds a new close relationship with her mother and grandmother, a job she loves at a resort bar, and a new relationship with Miles Jameson whose family own the resort.

But Luke hasn't forgotten her. He blames her for the way his luck has turned bad since he wanted to murder her and failed. And he's coming for her.

This was an excellent story filled with great family relationships, a slow-burn romance, and the chills that come with being stalked by a serial killer. 

Favorite Quote:

"How do you feel about camping?"

"I feel humanity's progressed through work, innovation, necessity, and luck since there were cave dwellers or pioneers, and I respect their efforts, and value those efforts toward indoor plumbing, thermal windows, sturdy mattresses, and broadband. I don't see a reason to choose to ignore those innovations and sleep in a tent."

"That would be a no to camping."

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

ARC Review: Hard Dough Homicide by Olivia Matthews

Hard Dough Homicide
Author: Olivia Matthews
Series: Spice Isle Bakery Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (May 23, 2023)

Description: Someone in Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean neighborhood has an appetite for murder in Olivia Matthews' Hard Dough Homicide.

Spice Isle Bakery owner Lyndsay Murray is always looking for new ways to grow her family’s business. But she already regrets agreeing to host the retirement dinner for local high school principal Emily Smith. The tyrant used to be her mother's boss and they did not get along. Six guests arrive for the celebration, but only five survive. Emily starts convulsing―right after eating the curry chicken―and dies soon after. It’s not long before the police are knocking on Spice Isle’s door, bringing the Murray family back into the heart of another murder investigation―driving away customers in the process. Lyndsay can't help but wonder if this is the end of the bakery, even though it's just begun. She must put aside her reservations about investigating another crime, because the Murrays refuse to go down without a fight.

My Thoughts: In the second Spice Island Bakery mystery, Lyndsay and her family need to clear her mother's name when the principal who was the cause of her retirement dies in the bakery. The Murrays had been hired to cater Emily Smith's retirement party which they reluctantly agreed to do since Della disliked the woman. 

Their first surprise came when they found out how few people had been invited to attend. The second surprise was the animosity that filled the air when the guests assembled. The third surprise was when Emily suffered a medical emergency and later died. 

Rumors spread that the food was poisoned which didn't do anything to build the clientele of the new business. Even after the food was tested and proven not to be the source of the poison, rumors were still flying since Della Murray was declared a person of interest in the crime. 

Lyndsay needs to clear her mother's name in order to save the business that all the family had invested in. She decides to investigate herself when she learns that the cops, including the hot guy she had a crush on in high school, aren't investigating fast enough or paying attention to the clues she uncovers and shares with them. 

This was an entertaining mystery filled with Caribbean culture, fashion, and food. 

Favorite Quote:

"Do you know what you mean?" Irritation bubbled in my weins. This time, I stepped forward. "Let's be clear. You can't lose me because you don't have me. I don't get involved with people who're trying to put members of my family in jail."

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (May 15, 2023)

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

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

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

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

Other Than Reading...

Spring has finally arrived in my part of Minnesota. The grass is nicely green from the heat and the rain. Wednesday, we hit 81F, but the temperatures have cooled down again to the mid 50s. We had a few cloudy, rainy days, but today is gorgeously sunny.

My doctor's appointment for Thursday was changed by the doctor to this Monday. So, I have that on my schedule. Also, on the schedule are waiting for the tree service to come Tuesday morning to deal with the fallen trees and stumps from the hard winter. Wednesday the lawn care company will come and do the first spray of fertilizer and weed killer which is a sign that Spring has really arrived. 

I finally read Ex Libris which has been on my stack since 2009. It made me think a lot about what kind of reader I am since I am very clearly not the same kind as Anne Fadiman. "Literary" and "Classic" are two descriptors that raise red flags for me and send me running in any other direction. I am a genre reader. Just about any genre will do. I've read romances of all sorts and still do once in a while. I've read science fiction of all sorts and still do though mainly by my favorite authors. Lately, I find that I'm reading more mysteries of all sorts than any other genre. 

I am revisiting my past favorite genres as I try to read books that have been on my TBR pile the longest. As I'm looking at my unread books from 2009, I'm seeing lots of paranormal and urban fantasy titles. It will be interesting to see if they are still to my taste.

This coming week should see me finally completing my reread of the In Death series. The next one (Book 57) will be released in September. This rereadathon is another clue to the kind of reader I am. I love reading series. I have quite a few in progress and enjoy catching up with favorite characters as I read each new book. 

I've been working on my June calendar and have already slotted in a number of old books around my review copies. I haven't added any audiobooks to the calendar yet as I am waiting to see what kind of story I want to listen to. I generally like to plan ahead but am trying to be a little bit more impulsive in my reading choices. 

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

• Golden in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook; Reread) -- In Death 50)
• Shadows in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook; Reread) -- In Death 51
• Faithless in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook; Reread) -- In Death 52

• A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths (Kindle) -- Ruth Galloway Book 4. My review will be posted on June 10.
• Forgotten in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook; Reread) -- In Death 53
• Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman (Mine since October 28, 2009) -- Interesting essays about books and reading from a reader much different than me. My review will be posted on May 24.

• A Killer's Game by Isabella Maldonado (Review; June 1) -- Start of a new thriller series starring former Army Ranger and current FBI Agent Danielle Vega. Packed with action. My review will be posted on May 23.
• Abandoned in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook; Reread) -- In Death 54

Currently

• Unknown by Rachel Caine (Paperback mine since February 2, 2010)
• Desperation in Death by J. D. Robb (Kindle mine since September 6, 2022; Audiobook new)

Next Week

• The Cipher by Diana Pharaoh Francis (Paperback mine since July 8, 2009; Audiobook new)
• The Queen's Weapons by Anne Bishop (Kindle; mine since February 7, 2023)
• Beyond the Rain by Jess Granger (Paperback mine since August 18, 2009)

• Beyond Heaving Bosoms by Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan (Nonfiction; Mine since April 17, 2009)
• A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari (Review; June 6)
• Final Cut by Marjorie McCown (Review; June 6)

Reviews Posted

• Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
• First Truth by Dawn Cook (Audiobook)
• Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay

• A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen
• Movieland by Lee Goldberg (Audiobook)
• Murder Mystery Book Club by Danielle Collins

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

Review:

• Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose by Nancy Springer (September 5)
• Home at Night by Paula Munier (October 17)
• Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally (November 14)

Bought:

• Six Against the Yard by The Detection Club (Kindle Daily Deal; $1.99)
• Booked for Murder by Jasmine Webb (Kindle, Audible Daily Deal)
• The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths (Kindle; Kindle Rewards)

• The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths (Kindle; Kindle Rewards)
• The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths (Kindle; Kindle Rewards)
• Street of the Five Moons by Elizabeth Peters (Kindle Daily Deal; $1.99)

• Encore in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook; Whispersync)
• Desperation in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook; Whispersync)

What was your week like?

Book Review: Murder Mystery Book Club by Danielle Collins

Murder Mystery Book Club
Author: Danielle Collins
Series: Florida Keys Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Fairfield Publishing (August 17, 2021)

Description: Eva Stewart runs a charming bed and breakfast in the Florida Keys with her talkative parrot. One of her favorite things to do is read murder mystery novels. She even has a murder mystery book club. When a dead body is found near the bed and breakfast, Eva has a real murder mystery on her hands. Can she help solve the mystery, even if it implicates one of her esteemed guests and ruffles the feathers of the local police department, or will her book smarts be the end of her?

Murder Mystery Book Club is the first story in the Florida Keys Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery series. If you like fast-paced mysteries with interesting characters, a talkative bird, and unexpected twists, you’re going to love the Florida Keys Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery series.

My Thoughts: Eva Stewart runs a B&B in the Florida Keys and hosts a murder mystery book club. When a man's body is found in the alley behind her house, Eva and the rest of the club find themselves investigating a real mystery.

Eva has a "secret past" and an interest in crimes and mysteries. She independently wealthy and owns and runs the B&B for something to fill her days. She knows that she should turn over all the evidence she finds to the new detective in town but he puts her back up and seems dismissive of what she has to tell him. 

Also new in town is the flamboyant medical examiner Dr. Vicky Clem who is also interested in mysteries and seems like someone who could become a good friend. Vicky is willing to pass on some of the information she learns to Eva.

This is the first in a new cozy series which looks like it has potential. I liked Eva and the other characters in her book club which includes a couple of dog groomers, an eccentric artist, and a women-of-a-certain age. 

There is a potential for a romance between Eva and the new detective if only Eva's contractor would get out of the way. He wants romance but Eva is only interested in him as a contractor. 

Favorite Quote:

Agatha Christie she was not, but Eva often wondered what it might be like to find herself solving a crime with a handsome detective at her side. Rolling her eyes heavenward, she silently berated Geraldine for putting that notion in her head. Crimes were best left to the pages of a fictional book, and that was that.

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

Friday Memes: Murder Mystery Book Club by Danielle Collins

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Sky the color of aquamarine peeked through the green palm leaves flanking the front porch of the Key's Bed and Breakfast. Golden afternoon sunlight dappled the plush outdoor rug where Eva Stewart dug in her bare toes, painted in raspberry lemonade pink, enjoying a moment of peace away from her guests.

Friday 56:

"Uh, Detective," she called after him, stopping him halfway to the door he'd burst through two minutes before. "I was hoping I could talk to you for a few minutes. I have some...information." Her stomach clenched at that. Was supposition and inference really information?

This week I am spotlighting Murder Mystery Book Club by Danielle Collins, a new arrival on my TBR stack. Here is the description from Amazon:

Eva Stewart runs a charming bed and breakfast in the Florida Keys with her talkative parrot. One of her favorite things to do is read murder mystery novels. She even has a murder mystery book club. When a dead body is found near the bed and breakfast, Eva has a real murder mystery on her hands. Can she help solve the mystery, even if it implicates one of her esteemed guests and ruffles the feathers of the local police department, or will her book smarts be the end of her?

Murder Mystery Book Club is the first story in the Florida Keys Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery series. If you like fast-paced mysteries with interesting characters, a talkative bird, and unexpected twists, you’re going to love the Florida Keys Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery series.

Audiobook Review: Movieland by Lee Goldberg

Movieland
Author: Lee Goldberg
Narrator: Nicol Zanzarella
Series: Eve Ronin (Book 4)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (June 21, 2022); Brilliance Audio (June 21, 2022)
Length: 351 p.; 9 hours and 4 minutes

Description: Malibu Creek State Park is a beautiful locale for campers, tourists, hikers, and Hollywood. For Detective Eve Ronin, it’s a backdrop for murder in a riveting thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.

For decades Malibu Creek State Park was the spectacular natural setting where Hollywood fantasies were made. But when a female camper is gunned down, it becomes a real-life killing ground. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone are assigned the case…which Duncan fears is the latest in a series of sniper attacks that began long before Eve came to Lost Hills.

Seven victims over fourteen months…and top officials still refuse to see a connection. Eve and Duncan are stonewalled, threatened, and ordered to keep quiet. But Eve won’t back down. She’s no stranger to intimidation or corruption—she’s had a target on her back from day one at Lost Hills station.

Despite finding no evidentiary links between the shootings, Eve and Duncan follow their instincts into the shadows of Malibu Creek, where it’s not enough to expose the secrets and break the conspiracy of silence. They also have to make it out alive.

My Thoughts: The fourth Eve Ronin mystery has her partner Duncan Pavone just two weeks from retirement and Eve worrying that she hasn't yet learned enough from him. Her TV show is in the pilot stage with her estranged father set to direct it and her long-time movie extra mother set for a speaking role, but Eve is still reluctant to see her life on the screen. 

Unfortunately, a $10 million lawsuit against her for harassing a fellow deputy into suicide is hanging over her head and the department isn't offering her any support. Her quick rise to the murder-homicide division of the Sheriff's Department has made her lots more enemies than friends. 

This time the pair are called to a homicide in the National Park that is in their jurisdiction. Two women have been shot with bird pellets, killing one and leaving the other, a blogger with a grudge against the Sheriff's Department, injured but alive. 

The Park administration wants to cover this up so that park attendance isn't hurt, but Duncan is sure that this is just one more in a long list of crimes using a shotgun. It is the first fatality though. Both the Park and the Sheriff's Department have been covering up the incidents.

Eve and Duncan are determined to find the murderer despite the cover ups. Of course, Eve is also looking for the deputies who vandalized her car and tried to kill her too. 

The story was action-packed. I really liked Eve's determination to solve the crimes despite the great personal danger she faced from inside and outside the Sheriff's Department. I liked to see that her relationship with her mother wasn't as broken as it looked in earlier books. I also liked how political Eve was while still believing herself to be non-political. She seems pretty efficient at using pressure to get her way within the Sheriff's Department.

Nicol Zanzarella did a great job narrating the story. 

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