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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2680 KP) rated The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories in Books

Oct 9, 2026 (Updated Oct 9, 2026)  
The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories
The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories
Gigi Pandian | 2023 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Get Ready for an Impossible Crime or Nine
This is a collection of short stories and novellas that feature Jaya Jones as she finds herself involved in some locked room mysteries. The title story was originally written for this collection and involves a murder and theft at a local art museum. In another, after being stranded in Denver due to snow, Jaya must figure out who killed an author in the hotel’s library. She also gets involved in a theft and disappearance at a conference. A couple of stories star Jaya’s friend Sanjay, and one of Sanjay’s stories finds him trying to solve a murder on an island off the coast of San Franciscos. There’s also a story featuring Tempest, the main character of the author’s Secret Staircase Mysteries. In the final story, Jaya must figure out who stole a valuable chess set.

All told there are nine stories in this collection. I might have been ahead of Jaya a couple of times, but for the most part, I was kept guessing until the end. And the stories are all fun. The collection jumps around in Jaya’s life, but there aren’t spoilers for the novels, so anyone new to her world could use this as an introduction. It’s fun to see many of the characters from the series pop in and out, and the new characters serve the stories well. I’m glad I’m up to date on Jaya’s adventures and look forward to seeing what she gets up to when the series continues next year.
  
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ClareR (6256 KP) rated Death at the Sign of the Rook in Books

Nov 23, 2025  
Death at the Sign of the Rook
Death at the Sign of the Rook
Kate Atkinson | 2024 | Contemporary, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I read my first Jackson Brodie in July 2021, and I’ve since worked my way through them all, not wanting any of them to end too quickly. I love this little corner of the literary world.

Death at the Sign of the Rook gives a nod to the Golden Age of Agatha Christie I think, with the murder set in a grand country house that’s fighting for survival, by turning part of it into a country hotel.

There are some very Christie-esque characters: an army major, a vicar, a dowager and of course, the sleuth with his sidekick (in the form of Jackson Brodie and DC Reggie Chase).

There’s art theft, people in disguise, secrets, lies and a truly awful Murder Mystery weekend! And Brodie can’t even get away because of the snowstorm!

This is everything I’d hoped for: funny, clever, fast-paced and immersive. I loved how it all came together at the end.

I can’t wait for the next instalment now!