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A Divine Fury

D. V. Bishop

9.0 (2 Ratings) Rate It

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Florence. Autumn, 1539. Cesare Aldo was once an officer for the city’s most feared criminal...

Historical fiction Italy Florence

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2648 KP) rated Death on the Causeway in Books

Sep 19, 2025

Chance Encounter Embroils Clark in Another Murder

Clark Thomas is stuck in Memorial Day weekend traffic when he sees a woman obviously upset on the side of the road. When he goes to help her, he finds her fiancé abandoned her a few hours earlier. As the two set out to find him, will they figure out why he took off? And how does the dead body they find along the way complicate things?

While the premise intrigued me, I found the pacing way off. Early on it was repetitive. And I figured out what was going on early. Still, I do like Clark and the rest of the gang, although I wasn’t happy with how his love life developed here. The setting makes me want to go visit in real life. And we get a new clue on the death of Clark’s wife. Those looking for a light read will enjoy this series, but don’t start here.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2648 KP) rated The Big Boat to Bye-Bye in Books

Feb 20, 2026 (Updated Feb 20, 2026)

Blackmail and Murder in the World of Puppets

Pete Ingalls has a new client - the producers of a puppet TV show for kids. Someone has gotten a hold of the very adult gag reel and is blackmailing them. As Pete investigates, he finds a dead body. Can he solve both crimes?

This is a different series since Pete is not who he thinks he is. All that is set up in the first book, and we don’t get the background here. It does play into the philosophizing we get in the book, but that should have been cut back. The main plot is good with some great twists. The ending is a bit convoluted, but it does work. The book has a lot of humor, which made me laugh at times and made me cringe at others. Overall, I’m glad I finally pulled this off my shelves and read it.