Quick book recommendations...

 

The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro

London, 1855. A disturbing murder of a lovely young woman on All Hallow's Eve, and another suspicious death on All Saint's Day, bring police inspector Sebastian Bell and Crimean nurse, Gemma Tate, together. They're both grieving personal losses; and they're both determined to bring a killer to justice. This Victorian mystery is riveting and intricately crafted. I loved Bell's outrage on behalf of the murdered young women, and his willingness to listen to Gemma and her thoughts on the case. And I loved that she didn't go off doing stupid, reckless things all the time. I also loved the atmospheric setting and all the historical details. It's one of my favorite time periods to read about. And this gripping novel is one of the best mysteries I've read this year.  5 stars! 

Cold as Hell by Kelley Armstrong (A Haven's Rock Novel)

Murder. A blizzard. And Casey's risky pregnancy and imminent labor. The stakes are high in the isolated town of Haven Rock as Casey and Eric realize there's a murderer in their small community. Who is it? And who will they target next? Can I just say that I love this series and these characters? This is another fast-paced and suspenseful mystery. Though I didn't love it quite as much as her previous novel, The Boy Who Cried Bear. Maybe because Casey and her pregnancy, and subsequent struggle to still be independent and investigate everything, took center stage, pushing Eric and the other characters to the periphery. (Except for their Newfoundland, Storm, whom I love.) But even with that, this book is a very fun and enjoyable read. 4 stars! 

(Murder at Haven's Rock is the first book in Armstrong's Haven's Rock series, which is actually a continuation of her Rockton series. You can read more about those first books here. )

Happy Reading!

Randomness...

Recently finished reading:  Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn

And I'm happy to say that it was just as fun as the first book. Billie, Helen, Mary Alice and Natalie are the best characters! I love their banter and snark, as well as their intelligence, toughness, and unorthodox skills. 

I also saw this amazing must-see movie:  Rule Breakers.

It tells the true story of Roya Mahboob and the robotics team comprised of four young women from Afghanistan that she started. Their struggles and achievements are inspiring. (Though the ongoing plight of women and girls in Afghanistan, and how hard they have to fight for even the most basic of human rights, continues to break my heart!) Everyone should go see this movie. 

My glad things for last month:

• Listening to (and loving!) Disturbed's new song: I WILL NOT BREAK. It's awesome!
• Chickadees singing outside my window every morning. (They're my favorite little bird.)
• New recipes that weren't too hard to make and that tasted really yummy: Pear & Broccoli soup, Pesto Whirls, and Orange Creamcheese Cake. 
• Getting caught up on AJ Pearce's Emmy Lake Chronicles, and finishing Jennifer Estep's Black Blade series. Both of which I can definitely recommend. 
• Watching a murder of crows hopping around the playground like they own it; and watching all the elementary kids' delight at their antics.
• Getting together with friends for a night of playing games (Wingspan) and catching up.
• And my former boss, who's also a good friend, reached out last week to see how I was doing.

The Crack in the Lens by Steve Hockensmith

 

The plot:  October, 1893. Gustav "Old Red" Amlingmeyer, Sherlock Holmes-loving cowboy detective, and his younger brother, Otto "Big Red" Amlingmeyer, are on another case. Only this time it's personal. Five years ago Gus's sweetheart was murdered, but back then he didn't know how to 'deducify' the truth about what happened to her. Now that he knows Sherlock Holmes' Method for solving crimes, he's hoping to track down  the real killer. Only San Marcos, Texas, is not the same town it once was; and no one there is glad to see the Amlingmeyer brothers. But they're about to stir up some trouble, because Gus isn't going anywhere until he finds out the truth. 

My thoughts:  What a fun read! Otto, who narrates their adventures with amusing sarcasm and homespun humor, and his much more serious, even grumpy, brother, Gus, are the best characters. I loved getting a glimpse into Gus's past in this book. And the way these two get into and out of impossible situations is always entertaining. They're such a great team. And the time period is one of my favorites. Plus, I find the whole premise of these two cowboy sleuths acting like a Western version of Holmes and Watson irresistible. This is the fourth book in this series (though it could easily be read as a standalone), and just as good as all the others. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Other Steve Hockensmith reads:

Holmes on the Range

The White Magic Five and Dime

Haiku reviews...

 

Track Her Down by Melinda Leigh

Dark secrets come out

as Bree investigates the

murder of Claire's parents.

Mystery .... 304 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(This is the 9th Sheriff Bree Taggert mystery and it's another good one, mostly because Bree and her partner, Matt Flynn, are such great characters.)

Only In Your Dreams by Madison Wright

Grey's loved Finley for

years. So when she needs a fake 

boyfriend, he's ALL in!

Romantic comedy .... 351 pages .... 4.5/5 stars.

(I loved this charming, clean romance! It's as delightfully sweet and fun as her previous novel, Off the Beaten Path.)

The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right by Suzanne Allain

Cousins switch places

during London Season. Each find love.

But will their love survive the truth?

Regency romance .... 257 pages .... 3.5/5 stars.

(Cute and clean romance; a little silly and a bit shallow, but still fun.)

Happy Reading!

The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan

A popular sorority girl.

An unsolved murder.

A campus podcast with chilling repercussions. 

From the blurb: 

"Lucas Vega is obsessed with the death of Candace Swain, who left a sorority party one night and never came back. Her body was found after two weeks, but the case has grown cold. Three years later, while interning at the medical examiner's, Lucas discovers new information, but the police are not interested.

"Lucas knows he has several credible pieces of the puzzle. He just isn't sure how they fit together. So he creates a podcast to revisit Candace's last hours. Then he encourages listeners to crowdsource what they remember and invites guest lecturer Regan Merritt, a former US marshal, to come on and share her expertise.

"New tips come in that convince Lucas and Regan they are onto something. Then shockingly one of the podcast callers turns up dead. The pressure is on to solve the murder, but first Lucas must come clean about his real motives in pursuing this podcast—before the killer silences him forever."

My thoughts:  This mystery is well-written and compelling. I liked both Lucas, who's young and naive but well-intentioned and determined, and Regan, who's tough and smart; and I quickly got drawn into Lucas's podcast and subsequent murder investigation. The who and why of Candace's disappearance and death did not come as a total surprise, but there was good suspense right up to the end. I enjoy Brennan's mysteries and this one is no exception. She does an excellent job of weaving together all the various elements. And I also really liked the Flagstaff, AZ, and college campus setting. Altogether, a very fun read.

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday...

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme:  BOOKS ON MY SPRING 2025 TO READ LIST. 

Though my spring To Read list is certainly not set in stone; it's more a list of possible reads, and might change at any moment as my mood changes. But here are twelve books I'm thinking about reading this month and next. 

World's Greatest Sleuth! by Steve Hockensmith

The Family Experiment by John Marrs

Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer

A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin

A Whisper of Death by Darcy Burke

Deep Freeze by Michael G. Grumley

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf

Lying Beside You by Michael Robotham

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton

Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz

Cold As Hell by Kelley Armstrong

Happy Reading!

The Penguin Pool Murder by Stuart Palmer

 

First line:  Two little black penguins were the first to know the secret.

First published:  1931

The plot:  Hildegarde Withers, 39, pragmatic, no-nonsense, single teacher of third graders, teams up with New York City detective, Oscar Piper, to solve the murder of Gerald Lester, who she discovers floating, dead, in the penguin pool at the New York Aquarium. And playing detective is what she's always wanted to do.

"I can get a substitute for a few weeks," suggested Miss Withers eagerly. "I'm having the time of my life. ... That's why I came to New York ten years ago, instead of keeping on teaching school out in Iowa. I wanted a little excitement, though it's little enough I've got at Jefferson School. This is great fun, and better than any detective story I ever read....It's the ambition of my life to play detective."

 My thoughts:  This is not a mystery to be taken too seriously, but it is an entertaining step back in time. Oscar Piper and Hildegarde Withers are amusing characters. I enjoyed how they worked together to figure out the murder; their disagreements and arguments were equally amusing. Derbys and hat pins, the stock market crash, guesses and interrogations, all play a role in this fun 1930s mystery. I liked it, and wouldn't mind reading some of Palmer's other Hildegarde Withers mysteries. 

Happy Reading!