I almost did after reading the opening pages of this terrific novel. That’s how strong the opener is, and explains why I kept flipping pages long after the light should have gone out…
I’ve been a huge fan of the Poe and Bradshaw series from Day 1 and follow them avidly. Each of the previous books have genius plotting, really well-done characterizations, and an ironic humor that contrasts nicely to some of the darker bits. Because there are darker bits.
But the stakes are raised in this one. A sniper had been shooting individuals with no apparent pattern. Then a bride is killed on her wedding day, and her influential father aids Poe’s investigation in a rare way, desperate to find his daughter’s killer.
The pressure on Poe and Tilly is sharp and relentless, and it doesn’t help that Poe is due to be married shortly. There will be sleight of hand, psychological reasonings, and above all, Tilly’s uncanny ability with maths to bring them closer to an invisible killer.
A thrilling read, this is an extraordinary book, perhaps Craven’s finest, from someone who’s loved them all.
From time to time, Auntie M likes to let you in what she’s been reading, not for review, but for her own personal choice. These are some of my favorites, the ones I reach for again and again for a satisfying read:
Steve Cavanagh knocks it out of the park with his new Eddie Flynn legal thriller, Two Kinds of Stranger, which may be his most perfectly twisted plot yet, and he’s a master at it. Eddie is a conman turned lawyer who won’t hesitate to step outside the law to bring justice.
This case comes too close to home when a stalker client threatens his daughter, ex-wife and her new lawyer husband. At the same time, he and his team have taken on the case of a young woman whose life had been about espousing random acts of kindness. In an ironic twist, that same instinct has led to her being poisoned, while her cheating husband and his lover are also poisoned. While the duo die, Ellie Parker manages to survive but is soon charged with their murders, as no one can find the stranger she says she helped who poisoned her, a sociopath working behind the scenes to manipulate her life.
No one except Eddie Flynn. And then his ex-wife’s stalker is killed, and his daughter’s mother and her husband are on trial for that murder. His team is managing two serious trials at the same time, and lines will be crossed with life-changing outcomes. At times you can’t see how he can pull this one off, and Eddie isn’t certain he can, either.
There’s a final extra ending twist that makes it all come full circle—you won’t be able to put this one down. Cavanagh gets NYC and its environs perfectly, which is all the more surprising when you learn he and his family live in Belfast, Ireland. Don’t miss this brilliantly layered novel.
The Marlow Murder Club is currently showing on my Masterpiece Mystery, and Auntie M snapped up the newest installment, a locked room (boat) mystery that weaves a killing around the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society in Murder on the Marlow Belle.
Verity Beresford enlists Judith Potts and her friends to track down her missing husband after the drama society had hired The Marlow Belle for an evening on the river. But no one remembers seeing Oliver Beresford leave the boat.
Then Oliver’s body, complete with bullet holes, washes up downriver, and the three women amateur sleuths are on the hunt. Soon they are knee-deep in the personal lives of the main players, whose secrets they must unearth, as it seems Oliver had a host of enemies.
Cosy mystery crime at its finest with a returning ensemble we’ve grown to love.
Queen Camilla let it be known that Peter James is her favorite author, and so his October book, The Hawk is Dead, has scenes at Buckingham Palace. But One of Us is Dead is out now, so readers who follow Brighton Superintendent Roy Grace can gratefully indulge.
Grace and his familiar team are investigating a series of murders that appear unrelated, but Grace has a that twitch of instinct that tells him they are, despite mushroom poisoning and accidents that may not be what they seem.
At a local funeral, a man enters the church late to see a fellow a few rows ahead of him he knows to be dead–because he gave that man’s eulogy. What these disparate incidents have in common becomes the latest chase to find a canny killer.
Grace’s respect and detail of police procedures is at full mast here, as is his frustration at being behind the desk too much. Another great installment in a long-running series that never disappoints.
I had fears that SJ Bennett’s series featuring Queen Elizabeth would come to an end with the passing of the monarch, but Bennett’s Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series continues with A Death in Diamonds by heading back in time to 1957 with a young Queen finding her voice. And now she’s opened up a host of years to pull from as the series continues.
When two people are murdered and the Queen finds herself used as the alibi for one of the murders, all the while trying to learn her job and her nation’s place in a modern world, it seems that the very advisors she must trust may not always have her best interests at heart.
Her ally becomes Joan McGraw, an ex-Bletchley Park code breaker, discreet and loyal to the Queen, and soon this dynamic duo are running their own investigation. A clever and intriguing way to continue this series, Bennett gets the personalities of the royals involved down pat with nice asides we can well imagine might really have been said. A jewel~
Skelton’s well-plotted series featuring investigative reporter Rebecca Connolly continues with The Hollow Mountain.
Filled with the kind of ironic humor Auntie M enjoys, Rebecca is challenged by Alice Larkin, a dying millionaire and former reporter, to unearth what really happened when her lover died while working as a tunnel tiger on the Hollow Mountain project years ago.
With Alice parsing out her story, Rebecca must use her talents and those of her colleagues to unearth the truth of the hazardous construction as the workers blasted through mountains, under rivers, to create a pass, but she soon finds herself in jeopardy when the secrets she is finding threaten the reputations of those left behind.
Skelton’s series at highly atmospheric in their Scottish settings and the entire series comprise great reads.
Nita Prose’s maid Molly Gray is a wonderful character with a unique take on life whom Prose first debuted in The Maid. Now planing her wedding to chef Juan Manual, she’s been promoted to Head Maid and Special Events Manager at the Regency Grand Hotel, a delightful setting for much of the action of the series.
In The Maid’s Secret, the antiquities show Hidden Treasures is filming an episode at the Regency Grand when a decorated egg Molly brings in to be valued is found to be an antique treasure. At the same time as the television world and Molly’s life is turned upside down, excerpts from her grandmother’s diary explain how the egg came to be in her possession. And then the egg goes missing . . .
It’s a nice device that alternates with the madcap part of the auction process and gives a glimpse–and surprising information–to Molly. As usual, there is a sense of a heartfelt lesson being told.
Please welcome Melissa Westemeier, whose second mystery in her Nun the Wiser Mysteries, DROPPED LIKE A BAD HABIT, debuts today!
Millennial women have crept into the cozy crime scene (we see you, Mabel Mora and Lila Macapagal), but what of their male counterparts? MIA for the most part, but you CAN find one in the Nun the Wiser Mysteries! Detective AJ Lewis gives Sister Bernadette Ohlson the assist—and occasional redirection—as they work together to solve murders in Old Habits Die Hard and Dropped Like a Bad Habit. When I started writing the series, I decided to base AJ’s character on my oldest son, which meant creating a man considerably younger than the male characters populating most modern mysteries.
Bernie’s former student, Andrew John Lewis, is 28 and he bears the characteristics of his generation’s counterparts. Tech-savvy? Check. Like everyone else his age, he’s got a smart phone and knows his way around the office computer system. AJ’s also an avid gamer and technology dominates his lifestyle. A typical weeknight involves ordering dinner delivered through the app on his phone before settling on his couch to play Red Dead Redemption II or Cyberpunk 2077 on his Xbox. He uses technology at work, for commerce, to stay connected with people, and to get his information.
Sensitive to female (and other) counterparts? Indeed! AJ’s partner, Taylor Jones, is a woman, as are many of his colleagues. Women in AJ’s world aren’t relegated to secretary-getting-coffee or femme fatales. Older generations engaged in intersex battles, but millennials view each other through a lens of greater cooperation. AJ’s not quite as prone to making snap judgements about people’s character based on gender stereotypes…or other stereotypes for that matter. His partnership with Bernie develops with huge respect for each other’s skill sets and appreciation for what it takes to work intergenerationally, which involves enormous amounts of patience and a sense of humor on AJ’s end!
Socially engaged and health-conscious? You betcha! By the end of Old Habits Die Hard, AJ’s ready to lace up a pair of running shoes and get himself in better physical shape. In Dropped Like a Bad Habit, he’s gained speed, endurance, and an improved resting heart rate through his dedication to eating healthier and getting regular cardio workouts. AJ’s social life is a mashup of family time with his parents and sisters, gaming online with his college roommates, and listening to local bands and catching a couple beers after work with colleagues. He’s single (typical), but not quite ready to rely on dating apps to find love (atypical).
Our star detective is a budget-savvy single man living in a one-bedroom apartment. He prefers investing in a little fun over home ownership. He’s also nostalgic. His soft spot for the past is common among millennials, and AJ steeps himself in fantasy worlds like Star Wars and Marvel comics to escape the turbulence of everyday life. Since childhood he’s enjoyed the heroic tales of superheroes and fantasy worlds and continues to as an adult. There’s always a new Marvel or DC movie coming out, endless spin-offs to stream, and new twists on beloved universes to keep him entertained.
A few faces come to mind as I generate a dream cast for the Nun the Wiser Mysteries. Ironically, my first picks to play AJ Lewis both played Spider-Man on the big screen, which is pretty cool since AJ LOVES Spider-Man. I can picture Tom Holland or Andrew Garfield taking the role, both have a lean, lanky build and gorgeous thick brown hair. Joseph Gordon Levitt would also fit the bill nicely. I can picture him sitting at a desk in the Eugene Police Station and giving the Boba Fett bobblehead a tap before logging into their laptop. To a man, Tom, Andrew, and Joseph are as wholesome and good-hearted as AJ, our millennial detective thoughtfully considering the evidence to solve murder cases with Bernie in the Nun the Wiser Mysteries.
Millennial women have crept into the cozy crime scene (we see you, Mabel Mora and Lila Macapagal), but what of their male counterparts? MIA for the most part, but you CAN find one in the Nun the Wiser Mysteries! Detective AJ Lewis gives Sister Bernadette Ohlson the assist—and occasional redirection—as they work together to solve murders in Old Habits Die Hard and Dropped Like a Bad Habit. When I started writing the series, I decided to base AJ’s character on my oldest son, which meant creating a man considerably younger than the male characters populating most modern mysteries.
Bernie’s former student, Andrew John Lewis, is 28 and he bears the characteristics of his generation’s counterparts. Tech-savvy? Check. Like everyone else his age, he’s got a smart phone and knows his way around the office computer system. AJ’s also an avid gamer and technology dominates his lifestyle. A typical weeknight involves ordering dinner delivered through the app on his phone before settling on his couch to play Red Dead Redemption II or Cyberpunk 2077 on his Xbox. He uses technology at work, for commerce, to stay connected with people, and to get his information.
Sensitive to female (and other) counterparts? Indeed! AJ’s partner, Taylor Jones, is a woman, as are many of his colleagues. Women in AJ’s world aren’t relegated to secretary-getting-coffee or femme fatales. Older generations engaged in intersex battles, but millennials view each other through a lens of greater cooperation. AJ’s not quite as prone to making snap judgements about people’s character based on gender stereotypes…or other stereotypes for that matter. His partnership with Bernie develops with huge respect for each other’s skill sets and appreciation for what it takes to work intergenerationally, which involves enormous amounts of patience and a sense of humor on AJ’s end!
Socially engaged and health-conscious? You betcha! By the end of Old Habits Die Hard, AJ’s ready to lace up a pair of running shoes and get himself in better physical shape. In Dropped Like a Bad Habit, he’s gained speed, endurance, and an improved resting heart rate through his dedication to eating healthier and getting regular cardio workouts. AJ’s social life is a mashup of family time with his parents and sisters, gaming online with his college roommates, and listening to local bands and catching a couple beers after work with colleagues. He’s single (typical), but not quite ready to rely on dating apps to find love (atypical).
Our star detective is a budget-savvy single man living in a one-bedroom apartment. He prefers investing in a little fun over home ownership. He’s also nostalgic. His soft spot for the past is common among millennials, and AJ steeps himself in fantasy worlds like Star Wars and Marvel comics to escape the turbulence of everyday life. Since childhood he’s enjoyed the heroic tales of superheroes and fantasy worlds and continues to as an adult. There’s always a new Marvel or DC movie coming out, endless spin-offs to stream, and new twists on beloved universes to keep him entertained.
A few faces come to mind as I generate a dream cast for the Nun the Wiser Mysteries. Ironically, my first picks to play AJ Lewis both played Spider-Man on the big screen, which is pretty cool since AJ LOVES Spider-Man. I can picture Tom Holland or Andrew Garfield taking the role, both have a lean, lanky build and gorgeous thick brown hair.
Joseph Gordon Levitt would also fit the bill nicely. I can picture him sitting at a desk in the Eugene Police Station and giving the Boba Fett bobblehead a tap before logging into their laptop. To a man, Tom, Andrew, and Josepsh are as wholesome and good-hearted as AJ, our millennial detective thoughtfully considering the evidence to solve murder cases with Bernie in the Nun the Wiser Mysteries.
Melissa Westemeier is a Sister in Crime and teacher from Wisconsin. She uses humor to explore serious subjects, and her published books include murder mysteries, rom-cons, and a trilogy loosely based on her years tending bar on the Wolf River. She likes her coffee and protagonists strong and prefers to work barefoot with natural lighting.
Mandy Morton’s 14th mystery in her No. 2 Feline Detective Agency brings readers into her delightful world of cats, which Publishers Weekly notes: “The world that Morton has created is irresistible.”
In this outing, Hettie and Tilly have decided to have a seaside vacation. Booked into the Sandscratchers Villa in Felixtoe, Suffolk, their hotel is right on the beach, and with a fairground to entertain them, their good friend Bruiser drives them there on his motorbike and sidecar, Miss Scarlet, and stays over.
They soon find that Minnie, the owner of their Villa is, part of the large Meakin family, who own and run the Mewsment fairgrounds. A Sandscratcher is a showcat who stops traveling and runs a permanent fair. There are rides, games of chance, and dodgems among the stalls. Further down the beach, Wilt Dinsney runs the Wild West Show and romances Minnie.
But after only a few days of fun and ice lollies, their relaxation is cut short when several of the Meakin family go missing. Hettie and Tilly, along with Bruiser, are pressed into service to find the missing cats, fearing they are searching for bodies.
There are tons of Minnie’s malapropisms that add to the wry humor. Auntie M has read each book in this charming series, and she is always struck my how realistic the cats are, imbued by Morton with human emotions and frailties with her nuanced eye. After a while readers won’t notice the lack of humans and will become used to Tilly licking her paws clean and keeping notes as Hettie forges the investigation ahead, with Bruiser helping, too, as they unravel what has happened to half the Meakin cat.
Auntie M promises readers will become totally absorbed in this magical world Morton has created, which PD James called “original and intriguing.”
Edgar Award Finalist Nev March brings readers her fourth mystery revolving around Captain Jim Agnihotri and Lady Diana Framjii as the married couple travel back to India for the first time since their marriage.
All is not well in the Framjii family with financial difficulties and Diana’s brother Adi accused of murdering his business partner. Found over the dead man shortly after his murder, Adi is the likely suspect, as their business making surgical instruments was floundering. Upon their return, Jim, who is mixed race, is not well received by the strict Parsi community, and as Diana grapples with being shunned, Jim investigates the murder.
The police seem content with arresting Adi, who protests his innocence. As Jim tries to unravel the silversmith’s life, he is hit with a perplexing trail that doesn’t make sense, from owed bills, to downright lies. Who and what was Satya Rastogi protecting?
He must go undercover at some point, and visit brothels before the truth emerges. And he soon finds Diana by his side helping him. This unlikely duo give this the air of a late Victorian Nick and Nora Charles.
1894 Colonial India springs to life under March’s talented pen. Rich in period details, coupled with the sights and sounds of Bombay, March bring the traditions of caste to the forefront as the mystery unfolds in this multilayered tale. Recommended read, especially for those who enjoy history.
Auntie M has long been a fan of this well-researched Victorian-era series, and of the two main characters: Private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker, a traveled man with an interesting past and deep connections in London and the world; and his young partner, Thomas Llewelyn, whose Welsh roots rear their head from time to time in his pithy thoughts.
As SEASON OF DEATH opens, Thomas is dealing with lack of sleep from his teething infant daughter, whose mother Rebecca has figured prominently in several episodes and is a recurring character. Several other recurring characters have become part of the fabric of this intelligent and highly readable series. It’s intriguing how issues like communication, when there were no cell phones, and information, with no computers yet, are handled.
The Dawn Gang has reared its ugly head, only to be properly dispatched by Barker and Llewelyn in spectacular fashion as they threatened a poor beggar who dragged her leg, known as Dutch, and is brought to a mission to be bathed and treated.
Then the influential MP Lord Danvers and his wife visit and ask the enquiry agents help in finding Lady Danvers missing sister, who is thought to have tried to elope to Rome. But before they get started in their search for the missing woman, an enormous sinkhole opens in an area called Calcutta. Built over old railway tunnels, the devastation is enormous in terms of loss of life. It was also the known meeting place for the criminal underworld, and it is assumed and soon proven that a massive bomb caused the sinkhole, with buildings atop it falling into the crater to kill not only those families living above it but the criminals meeting behind it.
The race is one to find out who caused the explosion, where Lady Danvers sister, May, is living, and what has become of Dutch, who disappeared from the mission. With the leaders of local gangs dead, who will take over the criminal land? And where is May hiding and why?
What is an added pleasure amidst the complicated cases and action is Thomas’s commentary on the social classes and political issues of the day. A delightful read all around~
The fourth HOA mystery debuts next week and it’s already garnering great reviews!
Here’s a few words from Linda on her launch party, and if you follow the link to the great review from Kings River Life, you’ll see a way to enter to win an ebook~ Happy Book Birthday, Linda!
On Thursday, May 1st, I’m celebrating the launch of Beyond the Gates, my 4th HOA Mystery, with First Chapter Bookshop, Ram Cat Alley, Seneca, SC.
If you’re in the area, drop by anytime from 4-8 p.m. Enjoy soft drinks, mimosas, cookies & more. Come early to beat Jazz on the Alley crowds or later to enjoy a side of music with your bookshop visit.
I was surprised and delighted when Kings River Life, an online California magazine, emailed me this terrific review of Beyond the Gates. Here’s the link.
Carla Damron, award-winning author of The Orchid Tattoo, says, “Beyond the Gates is the perfect cozy mystery for readers who crave Southern charm, suspense, and more than a little danger.”
The 9th DI Clare Mackay is a tightly-plotted winner, chockfull of Todd’s twists and page-turning events.
Intelligence indicates a serial killer known as the Choker, who targets gay men, is heading for Clare’s corner of Scotland, St. Andrews. Clare’s team swings into action, with covert actions, undercover work, and long surveillances.
Then a young man is murdered near a nightclub with all the hallmarks of this serial killer. Could Theo Glancy’s murder be connected to the nightclub as his family run it, or is this the newest case of the Choker?
Even worse than catching a new murder case, Clare finds the nightclub is attached to her nemesis, Val Docherty, who has shrugged off previous charges like a duck sheds water. Will this be the time Clare finally gets to see Val behind bars, and if so, at what cost?
This is a tight police procedural, with Clare’s team functioning well under her lead. Her personal life is on smooth sailing, too, until her sister brings her attention to her aging father’s issues. It’s time for Clare to have a few moments of personal reflection, all while searching to stop a serial killer before he strikes again.
Auntie M is a huge fan of Todd’s atmospheric series, gobbling up each installment. If you haven’t found this series yet, reach for it now. Better yet, start with the first, See Them Run, to follow Clare’s personal life. And now I have to wait for the next one…
Auntie M’s 2025 gift to you readers. Happy New Year! And three greats to read:
Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce Mysteries, set in the 1950s, are currently in production in the UK, based on the first in this wonderful series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. The books are a revelation, and when Bradley created his young genius sleuth, 11 in the first book, he hit on a magnificent creature, at turns smart and wily.
So Auntie M was delighted to find a new adventure for Flavia, now 15, and her prodigious brain growing in leaps and bounds, in What Time the Sextion’s Spade doth Rust. Mentoring her live-in cousin, Undine, described as “odious” and “moonfaced,” Flavia attempts to channel Undine’s potential for trickery to her own uses in her investigations.
This time a former hangman dies after eating poisonous mushrooms, and the de Luce’s own cook is suspected. With her chemistry expertise (something Auntie M admires add wonders how Bradley gets his information), Flavia sets out to clear dear Mrs. Mullet and uncovers some surprising and disturbing truths about her own family along the way. Clever humor balances the darker bits. Terrific.
I recommend Doug Johnstone’s Skelf series all the time and often give one for gifts. This family of three generations of strong Edinburgh women have been through the wringer and keep chugging along, and that is at the forefront of Living is a Problem.
Running a funeral home and private investigation agency from their home, their personal lives become entwined in the stories. Matriarch Dorothy, a skilled drummer, too, tries to help her boyfriend who is suffering from PTSD, when a Ukrainian member of the refugee choir that Dorothy’s band plays with goes missing.
Her daughter, Jenny, is conducting a funeral when it’s attacked by a drone, and Jenny sees gangland interference. She and Archie, their funeral home helper, are becoming closer, despite their differences. And her daughter, Hannah, a scientist, finds her interests changing, while supported by her wife.
This series is consistent, with an uplifting story that doesn’t shrug away from life–and death–yet leaves the reader uplifted and wanting more Skelfs.
Peter Lovesey closes his long-running Peter Diamond series with Against the Grain. The stubborn Diamond has solved more than his share of cases using his wiles and wit, with some surprises along the way.
In Against the Grain, Diamond travels to the country for a holiday with his partner, Paloma, at the invitation of his former colleague Julie Hargreaves. It’s no secret that Diamond is contemplating life after detecting, and he must decide to retire or solider on.
But he’s no sooner in the lovely village of Baskerville when Julie’s ulterior motive is revealed: a horrific accident at a grain silo has resulted in a manslaughter conviction for the dairy farm’s owner, and Julie is convinced that not only was there a miscarriage of justice, but that the real killer is still at large. He soon finds unfamiliar village customs come to the forefront of his days.
Diamond finds himself up to his elbows, literally, in things he couldn’t begin to imagine, that delight readers and perhaps Diamond himself. And uses his experience and his knowledge of human nature to a stunning climax.
It’s always sad to say goodbye to beloved characters, and readers can only hope Lovesey will keep Diamond going in a story or two. A wonderful series amongst Lovesey’s other fiction, Diamond is but one of Lovesey’s creations who linger with readers and deserve to be investigated.
Elly Griffiths has a treat for fans of her all of her series: a collection of stories that feature some of her favorite characters for readers to gobble up.
And what a collection this is! By turns heartwarming (St. Lucy’s Day), to the wry humor of Ruth’s First Christmas Tree, to a modernized Little Women in Castles in the Air. There are stand alones, too, such as Turning Traitor, What I Saw from the Sky, and others.
And we are treated to seeing Ruth Galloway and her Nelson together again for those readers who miss that series (hint, hint Elly!).
Many have tidbits of the history Griffiths sprinkles into her stories that add to them. And there’s even one from the viewpoint of Ruth’s cat, Flint (Flint’s Fireside Tale; A Christmas Story)
Best of all, the final story, Ruth Galloway and the Ghost of Max Mephisto, brings Ruth across the path of DI Harbinder Kaur, her protagonist from a different series, with the ghost of magician Max Mephisto from yet another of her series. It ties them all together, however briefly, for a delightful moment for readers.
Auntiemwrites Crime-Mystery Author M K Graff 