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Wuthering Kites
8.5
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Kite shop owner Emmy Adler feels an ill wind blowing through Rock Point when a murder hits close to...
Cocaine Nights
5.0
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Five people die in an unexplained house fire in the Spanish resort of Estrella de Mar, an exclusive...
It’s Your Party, Die If You Want To
7.0
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Between a riverboat gambler-theme engagement party and a murder mystery dinner for charity, Dixie,...
Sleep in Heavenly Pizza
10.0
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Sleep in Heavenly Pizza is the fourth book in Mindy Quigley's delectable Deep Dish Mystery series,...
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle in Books
May 29, 2018
What a ride! Wow. I'm stumped as to how to even explain how detailed and twisty and turny and clever this book is! I read somewhere that Stuart Turton had to map out an 8-day timeline with post-its marking every 2 minutes so he could keep track of everything - and wow! Just wow. I cannot even imagine the thought and preparation that went into arranging this story!
There is such creativity to this mystery - reminiscent of the best Agatha Christie novels, the book is set at Blackheath, a sprawling ancient estate, which has seen better days. But back in it's glory, almost two decades ago, there was a murder of a little boy. Now, coming up on the 20th anniversary, a whole slew of characters is gathered at the crumbling estate by the matriarch of the family, and yet another murder occurs.
Evelyn Hardcastle is the sister of that little boy, and she will die every single day until Adrian Bishop can solve the murder. He's stuck in an 8-day loop, and needs to figure out the killer and break the cycle. Oh and did I mention that every time her falls asleep, or goes unconscious, he wakes up in the body (and mind!) of a different guest?!
I loved how this all played out - Imagine waking up in an obese body that stinks and can't even get out of a bathtub without assistance! And then in that of a constable with a sharp clever mind and gorgeous fiancé, and then a drug dealer! What a ride this was! I dove right into it not knowing what to expect and breezed through the first 1/3 of it. By 2/3 in I started getting a little bit mixed up. The timeline jumps across and back the span of 8 days and you never know where in the past or future you will end up - or in whose (of 8 guests) mind/body. But by the last 1/3 - I was ravenously flipping pages to find out who killed Evelyn and the end does NOT disappoint! Wow! Again - wow!
What really cool and clever idea. I've never read anything like this and it was seriously one of the most inventive and creative murder mysteries I've ever read.
There is such creativity to this mystery - reminiscent of the best Agatha Christie novels, the book is set at Blackheath, a sprawling ancient estate, which has seen better days. But back in it's glory, almost two decades ago, there was a murder of a little boy. Now, coming up on the 20th anniversary, a whole slew of characters is gathered at the crumbling estate by the matriarch of the family, and yet another murder occurs.
Evelyn Hardcastle is the sister of that little boy, and she will die every single day until Adrian Bishop can solve the murder. He's stuck in an 8-day loop, and needs to figure out the killer and break the cycle. Oh and did I mention that every time her falls asleep, or goes unconscious, he wakes up in the body (and mind!) of a different guest?!
I loved how this all played out - Imagine waking up in an obese body that stinks and can't even get out of a bathtub without assistance! And then in that of a constable with a sharp clever mind and gorgeous fiancé, and then a drug dealer! What a ride this was! I dove right into it not knowing what to expect and breezed through the first 1/3 of it. By 2/3 in I started getting a little bit mixed up. The timeline jumps across and back the span of 8 days and you never know where in the past or future you will end up - or in whose (of 8 guests) mind/body. But by the last 1/3 - I was ravenously flipping pages to find out who killed Evelyn and the end does NOT disappoint! Wow! Again - wow!
What really cool and clever idea. I've never read anything like this and it was seriously one of the most inventive and creative murder mysteries I've ever read.
Midge (525 KP) rated The Winter Mystery in Books
Mar 18, 2019
Great & Humorous Cozy Mystery
Over recent months I've become a great fan of cozy mysteries so, when I saw this second book in the series featuring Jenny Starling being launched, I knew I had to read "The Winter Mystery." Also, it has a culinary theme which I love and a little light humour. The first book ‘The Birthday Mystery’ was so good, I knew it was likely that Faith Martin had written a winner with this book, too, and I was right!
Best-seller author Faith Martin has also written the ‘Detective Hillary Greene’ mysteries.
First, we are introduced to Jenny Starling who is spending Christmas in a snowed-in country house cooking all the traditional food she loves, however, the family she’s working for are not full of the seasonal spirit. On Christmas Eve, someone is found dead on the kitchen table and the head of the family is blaming Jenny! But with an incompetent detective called in, and seemingly no motive for the murder, Jenny will have to turn amateur sleuth again. She will stop at nothing to clear her name and find the perpetrator.
Faith Martin’s writing skills set the scene beautifully for this novel. The house is a large, charming, Cotswold-stone, Georgian farmhouse in rural Oxford, complete with stables, outhouses, a cobbled courtyard and a resident sheepdog.
Faith Martin’s character development is wonderful, particularly that of Jenny who is an impressive woman and in her late twenties. Curvaceous and sexy, she’s a modern single woman, living and loving life as a travelling cook. She is happy travelling the country catering for different events and cooking great food. She doesn’t like having to divert her attention from baking delicious cakes or creating a new sauce recipe by having to solve murders. She is great at reading people and unmasking killers, always with a good dose of humour.
There are many suspects in this mystery, with clues and lots of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. It was a thoroughly satisfying read and I often found myself asking the same questions as Jenny and I was kept in suspense to the end. The pacing in "The Winter Mystery" was very good and I never lost interest, as it wasn't long before something intriguing would happen. Things came together for a fulfilling finish and wrapped everything up very neatly.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next novel featuring Jenny Starling and other books by the author, Faith Martin. "The Winter Mystery" whets your appetite for more to come.
My thanks to #NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author for providing me with a free advanced copy of #TheWinterMystery.
Best-seller author Faith Martin has also written the ‘Detective Hillary Greene’ mysteries.
First, we are introduced to Jenny Starling who is spending Christmas in a snowed-in country house cooking all the traditional food she loves, however, the family she’s working for are not full of the seasonal spirit. On Christmas Eve, someone is found dead on the kitchen table and the head of the family is blaming Jenny! But with an incompetent detective called in, and seemingly no motive for the murder, Jenny will have to turn amateur sleuth again. She will stop at nothing to clear her name and find the perpetrator.
Faith Martin’s writing skills set the scene beautifully for this novel. The house is a large, charming, Cotswold-stone, Georgian farmhouse in rural Oxford, complete with stables, outhouses, a cobbled courtyard and a resident sheepdog.
Faith Martin’s character development is wonderful, particularly that of Jenny who is an impressive woman and in her late twenties. Curvaceous and sexy, she’s a modern single woman, living and loving life as a travelling cook. She is happy travelling the country catering for different events and cooking great food. She doesn’t like having to divert her attention from baking delicious cakes or creating a new sauce recipe by having to solve murders. She is great at reading people and unmasking killers, always with a good dose of humour.
There are many suspects in this mystery, with clues and lots of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. It was a thoroughly satisfying read and I often found myself asking the same questions as Jenny and I was kept in suspense to the end. The pacing in "The Winter Mystery" was very good and I never lost interest, as it wasn't long before something intriguing would happen. Things came together for a fulfilling finish and wrapped everything up very neatly.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next novel featuring Jenny Starling and other books by the author, Faith Martin. "The Winter Mystery" whets your appetite for more to come.
My thanks to #NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author for providing me with a free advanced copy of #TheWinterMystery.
Lindsay (1793 KP) rated Spring Thaw: A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery Novella and Other Mystery Short Stories in Books
Jan 11, 2026 (Updated Jan 11, 2026)
Spring Thaw:
A Chris Matheson Cold Case
We are introduced to Chris and his family when we get a premonition of what is going on six years earlier.
Who came into the church and started shooting up the church while trustees were in a meeting.
Was it a trustee or was it someone else? Was it Duance McCall? Why stick it to him? Why investigate him? Why does he have a mystery that was unsolved in the case of why he cut off his family and friends when the church split?
Chris got some information about what might be going on, but not much. Though we hear Kirk and what was going on around the time of the shooting.
Though we get more of Kelly's father's story. Why all of a sudden do we have new witnesses come about, and now a murder weapon?
A 6-year-old cold case seems to be reopened again, but why? Is someone covering for their own family member?
Lauren Carr can do it with short stories, too. She hooked me with this one as it was only just starting. I am only a few pages in.
Well, we get more information, and now we don't know who did it. Was bishop really the target? Lauren Carr put twists and turns even in the middle of the story. Who is lying and why?
Killing Bid:
A Mac Faraday Mystery Short
We are introduced to Mac and Artchie through Mac's perspective, primarily through his troubles with bag snatching.
We are also introduced to Ben and Catherine's Flemings, who are Archie's friends.
While shopping, they talked about Celeste Taylor and the Estate auction Mac was invited to.
When they get an auction or a lease, look at the jewelry left here. Archie and Catherine come up to respect their husbands' statement that all of Celeste Taylor's jewelry is fake.
Is this true or is it not? La Chat is mentioned in the book. Did he do it or not? Who is La Chat?
A Beauty to Die For:
A Lover In Crime Mystery Short
We meet up with Joshua and Cameron. It all starts with a 2 am phone call from his cousin Tad Macmillan.
This is the start of a series of secrets. But clarify one person's name for a dying person so she can have peace.
Who is covering up murders, but especially Rachel Burke? Who framed Billy and murdered him? But made it look like something else and cover it up?
There are twists and turns, and even more to unravel this mystery.
Cameron and Joshua seem ready to prove that the dying mother's son did not do it, but to catch the real ones? But who did we seem to have found another murder along the way?
A Chris Matheson Cold Case
We are introduced to Chris and his family when we get a premonition of what is going on six years earlier.
Who came into the church and started shooting up the church while trustees were in a meeting.
Was it a trustee or was it someone else? Was it Duance McCall? Why stick it to him? Why investigate him? Why does he have a mystery that was unsolved in the case of why he cut off his family and friends when the church split?
Chris got some information about what might be going on, but not much. Though we hear Kirk and what was going on around the time of the shooting.
Though we get more of Kelly's father's story. Why all of a sudden do we have new witnesses come about, and now a murder weapon?
A 6-year-old cold case seems to be reopened again, but why? Is someone covering for their own family member?
Lauren Carr can do it with short stories, too. She hooked me with this one as it was only just starting. I am only a few pages in.
Well, we get more information, and now we don't know who did it. Was bishop really the target? Lauren Carr put twists and turns even in the middle of the story. Who is lying and why?
Killing Bid:
A Mac Faraday Mystery Short
We are introduced to Mac and Artchie through Mac's perspective, primarily through his troubles with bag snatching.
We are also introduced to Ben and Catherine's Flemings, who are Archie's friends.
While shopping, they talked about Celeste Taylor and the Estate auction Mac was invited to.
When they get an auction or a lease, look at the jewelry left here. Archie and Catherine come up to respect their husbands' statement that all of Celeste Taylor's jewelry is fake.
Is this true or is it not? La Chat is mentioned in the book. Did he do it or not? Who is La Chat?
A Beauty to Die For:
A Lover In Crime Mystery Short
We meet up with Joshua and Cameron. It all starts with a 2 am phone call from his cousin Tad Macmillan.
This is the start of a series of secrets. But clarify one person's name for a dying person so she can have peace.
Who is covering up murders, but especially Rachel Burke? Who framed Billy and murdered him? But made it look like something else and cover it up?
There are twists and turns, and even more to unravel this mystery.
Cameron and Joshua seem ready to prove that the dying mother's son did not do it, but to catch the real ones? But who did we seem to have found another murder along the way?
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Rest in Peach (Georgia Peach Mystery #2) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
What a sweet treat! This was my first Georgia Peach mystery, and I really enjoyed it. The story and the setting just ooze southern charm. Nola Mae Harper is working hard to get her Peachy Keen shop ready to open on time when a murder occurs in town, and her best friend is the prime suspect. She knows the safe thing to do is to stay out of police business, but will the sheriff really look any farther with such a convenient suspect at hand? When it seems that she wont, Nola and her group of friends get together to try save Ginnys reputation, the Peach Cotillion, and a romantic relationship or two.
Nola, Hattie, and Ginny are an engaging group of friends with very individual, believable personalities, and there were enough suspects and clues in this mystery to keep me guessing right up to the end.
This is book #2 in the series. While I think it might have been nice to know a little more about Nolas first case, since she refers to it occasionally during the story, you dont need to have read book #1 to enjoy this one.
NOTE: I received a free copy from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Nola, Hattie, and Ginny are an engaging group of friends with very individual, believable personalities, and there were enough suspects and clues in this mystery to keep me guessing right up to the end.
This is book #2 in the series. While I think it might have been nice to know a little more about Nolas first case, since she refers to it occasionally during the story, you dont need to have read book #1 to enjoy this one.
NOTE: I received a free copy from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Sue (5 KP) rated The Coroner in Books
Aug 13, 2018
Emily Hartford seems to be doing well for herself with a promising surgical career in Chicago and having been recently engaged to a third-year surgical resident. Her world is turned upside down when she receives a call telling her that her estranged medical examiner father has suffered a major heart attack and she must come home.
Upon arrival at her hometown of Freeport, which she fled over 12 years ago after the mysterious death of her mother, Emily is pulled into an investigation. With her ME father unable to assist, Sheriff Nick Larson (Em’s old high school flame) asks her help in finding out if the sudden unexplained death of a Senator’s teen daughter was an accident or murder.
This book is engaging with several different stories going on at once. The first story is the mystery of the Senator’s daughter who was an equestrian, good student, and all around loved individual. How and why was she killed? The second story is about the relationship between Emily and her father. They once were so close, but with the mysterious accident her mother suffered leaving her dead, daughter and father have a rocky relationship. The third story is of Emily and trying to find out what she really wants in life.
The is a true mystery-suspense drama with a very surprising ending.
Upon arrival at her hometown of Freeport, which she fled over 12 years ago after the mysterious death of her mother, Emily is pulled into an investigation. With her ME father unable to assist, Sheriff Nick Larson (Em’s old high school flame) asks her help in finding out if the sudden unexplained death of a Senator’s teen daughter was an accident or murder.
This book is engaging with several different stories going on at once. The first story is the mystery of the Senator’s daughter who was an equestrian, good student, and all around loved individual. How and why was she killed? The second story is about the relationship between Emily and her father. They once were so close, but with the mysterious accident her mother suffered leaving her dead, daughter and father have a rocky relationship. The third story is of Emily and trying to find out what she really wants in life.
The is a true mystery-suspense drama with a very surprising ending.