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Pardonable Lies (Maisie Dobbs #3)
9.0
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In the third novel of this bestselling series, London investigator Maisie Dobbs faces grave danger...
House of Rougeaux
7.0
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(via Goodreads) For Abeje and her brother Adunbi, home is the slave quarters of a Caribbean sugar...
Swear on This Life
8.8
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From USA TODAY bestselling author Renée Carlino (Before We Were Strangers), a warm and witty novel...
Here and Now and Then
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To save his daughter, he’ll go anywhere—and any-when… Kin Stewart is an everyday family...
Doggerland
8.0
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Doggerland is a superbly gripping debut novel about loneliness and hope, nature and survival – set...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2656 KP) rated Death of a Red-Hot Rancher in Books
Sep 15, 2021
Lizzie Find Murder Heats Up Her Life
Lizzie Hale is enjoying running her romance bookstore. So what if her love life is a little non-existent, she loves getting to spend her days around books and interacting with her customers. Life gets much more complicated, however, when Brody Pierce dies. Brody owned the buffalo ranch outside of town, and Lizzie keeps finding evidence that her aunt may have been his secret lover. Lizzie worries that, if true, this secret will lead to her aunt being arrested for murder. Lizzie jumps in to the investigation to try to clear her aunt, but what does it mean when all the evidence she finds seems to point to her aunt?
There are plenty of book themed cozies, but this is the first one I’m aware of to feature romance novels as the specific bookish hook. I’m not a fan of the genre, but that didn’t hamper my enjoyment of this book. Lizzie is a great main character, and she is surrounded by charming family and friends I hope will be regulars. Part of the plot was driven by misunderstandings, which drove me crazy, but on the whole the plot was good with plenty of secrets to be uncovered before we reached the logical climax. I had lots of fun along the way and even laughed a few times. If you are looking for a lighter mystery, this is a debut to pick up.
There are plenty of book themed cozies, but this is the first one I’m aware of to feature romance novels as the specific bookish hook. I’m not a fan of the genre, but that didn’t hamper my enjoyment of this book. Lizzie is a great main character, and she is surrounded by charming family and friends I hope will be regulars. Part of the plot was driven by misunderstandings, which drove me crazy, but on the whole the plot was good with plenty of secrets to be uncovered before we reached the logical climax. I had lots of fun along the way and even laughed a few times. If you are looking for a lighter mystery, this is a debut to pick up.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2656 KP) rated The Last Thing Claire Wanted in Books
May 21, 2024 (Updated May 21, 2024)
What Happened to Little Danny?
After a divorce and leaving the FBI, Anne McCormack is trying to build her new estate sale business. One of her few clients is Claire Murray, who has just found out she has only a few months to live. Before she dies, Claire wants to find out what happened to her five-year-old son when he was killed twenty-nine years ago. The case was never solved, but Anne teams up with her uncle, a retired cop, to reopen the case. What will they find?
I picked this book up because I grew up in the town where the story is set. I enjoyed that even if many of the places in the story are fictional. The book is definitely darker than I would normally read, and it includes the content you’d expect from that. At the heart of the book is a good mystery, and I was caught up in trying to figure out who did it and how Anne would prove it. The Murray family drama did take over a few times, but most of the time, I enjoyed that story as well. The writing is good and gives us an appropriate melancholy vibe. It does take some of the characters time to develop, but by the end, we’ve gotten to know all of them. If you are looking for a more serious mystery, this is a debut to pick up.
I picked this book up because I grew up in the town where the story is set. I enjoyed that even if many of the places in the story are fictional. The book is definitely darker than I would normally read, and it includes the content you’d expect from that. At the heart of the book is a good mystery, and I was caught up in trying to figure out who did it and how Anne would prove it. The Murray family drama did take over a few times, but most of the time, I enjoyed that story as well. The writing is good and gives us an appropriate melancholy vibe. It does take some of the characters time to develop, but by the end, we’ve gotten to know all of them. If you are looking for a more serious mystery, this is a debut to pick up.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2656 KP) rated Welcome Home to Murder in Books
Jan 17, 2025
Retired From the Army Doesn’t Mean the End to Dead Bodies
Tessa Treslow left her hometown in Idaho as soon as she graduated from high school. She’s now spent over twenty years in the army and is ready to retire. Since she still doesn’t know what she is going to do with the rest of her life, she agrees to return to New Oslo for an extended visit. While reuniting with her parents and aunt, she senses that there is something they are keeping from her. But she learns more in the more horrific way when she and her aunt find a dead body in the garage her aunt runs. The police, in the form of Tessa’s high school boyfriend, feel that her family has the perfect motive. Can Tessa figure out what really happened?
This series debut has been on my radar for a while, and I’m glad I finally got to pick it up. It has some twists on the familiar cozy tropes, and I enjoyed those. There is a depth to the characters I appreciated, and I also liked that we got details about Tessa and the others over the course of the book without any data dumps. The mystery had a few pacing issues in the middle, but overall, it was good with plenty of red herrings and a logical climax. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Tessa can find in her hometown.
This series debut has been on my radar for a while, and I’m glad I finally got to pick it up. It has some twists on the familiar cozy tropes, and I enjoyed those. There is a depth to the characters I appreciated, and I also liked that we got details about Tessa and the others over the course of the book without any data dumps. The mystery had a few pacing issues in the middle, but overall, it was good with plenty of red herrings and a logical climax. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Tessa can find in her hometown.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2656 KP) rated A Very Woodsy Murder in Books
Jul 25, 2024 (Updated Jul 25, 2024)
A Sitcom Writer’s Death Isn’t a Laughing Matter
Dee Stern is looking for something new after her career as a sitcom writer declines. When she spots the Golden Motel outside of Majestic National Park, she buys it with her best friend, Jeff Cornetta. Their first guest is Michael Adam Baker, a former co-worker from Dee’s sitcom writing days. She’s less than happy to see him again. But then he’s murdered. With Dee and Jeff both on the suspect list and all reservations cancelling because of the news, Dee has to figure out what happened to save her livelihood. Can she do it?
While the motel and the areas where the action takes place are all fictional, anyone familiar with the Sierra Nevada mountains will pick up on the inspiration for the setting. Between that and the motel itself, I was completely charmed and wanted to go visit in real life. The characters we meet are a bit eccentric even for a cozy but also just as delightful. Dee’s background as a sitcom writer provides some good laughs and adds to how Dee views the events. The mystery sets itself up well so it can really get going once Michael is killed. I was hooked and surprised by the logical conclusion. While not a full-blown culinary cozy, there are a couple of recipes at the end. I was utterly charmed by this debut and am already booking my return visit.
While the motel and the areas where the action takes place are all fictional, anyone familiar with the Sierra Nevada mountains will pick up on the inspiration for the setting. Between that and the motel itself, I was completely charmed and wanted to go visit in real life. The characters we meet are a bit eccentric even for a cozy but also just as delightful. Dee’s background as a sitcom writer provides some good laughs and adds to how Dee views the events. The mystery sets itself up well so it can really get going once Michael is killed. I was hooked and surprised by the logical conclusion. While not a full-blown culinary cozy, there are a couple of recipes at the end. I was utterly charmed by this debut and am already booking my return visit.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2656 KP) rated Shattered Sight (Jackson Davis Mysteries #1) in Books
Mar 19, 2025
Can Jackson Handle Returning to Work?
Six months after an accident while pursuing a suspect injured his partner, Jackson Davis is returning to his job as a detective on the Niagara Falls police force. He's assigned a new partner, a rookie who just got promoted. And they've landed a confusing case. A business CEO was found at the bottom of the falls, but was it an accident, suicide, or murder? Even her family and co-workers can't agree on what might have happened. Can they make sense of enough clues to solve the case? Or will being back be too much pressure for Jackson?
Jackson's mental health is a major subplot of this book, and I'll admit it gave me some anxiety while reading. Talk about great writing. But I ultimately liked where that story ended and what it allowed us to learn about all the characters in the book. I really did enjoy getting to meet them and am looking forward to spending more time with them. The suspects were also strong. The mystery was great since there were so many avenues to pursue, I had a hard time figuring anything out. Yet in the end, things did make sense. Since this is a police procedural, the content is definitely more than the cozies I often read, but the few scenes were obvious when they were coming. This is a solid series debut, and I am looking forward to seeing what is next for Jackson.
Jackson's mental health is a major subplot of this book, and I'll admit it gave me some anxiety while reading. Talk about great writing. But I ultimately liked where that story ended and what it allowed us to learn about all the characters in the book. I really did enjoy getting to meet them and am looking forward to spending more time with them. The suspects were also strong. The mystery was great since there were so many avenues to pursue, I had a hard time figuring anything out. Yet in the end, things did make sense. Since this is a police procedural, the content is definitely more than the cozies I often read, but the few scenes were obvious when they were coming. This is a solid series debut, and I am looking forward to seeing what is next for Jackson.