book review «Auntiemwrites Crime-Mystery Author M K Graff Auntiemwrites Crime-Mystery Author M K Graff

SJ Bennett: The Queen Who Came in From the Cold Wednesday, Dec 17 2025

Continued series winner and great read book review, historical mystery, murder mystery, Queen Elizabeth mystery Auntie M Writes Crime 2:55 pm

Bennett’s Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series is a favorite of Auntie M’s, and by going back in time to the Queen’s earlier years, Bennett has given herself plenty of years to travel through cases with the lively woman who would go on to serve her nation for decades.

In this one we are brought to the height of James Bond fever. It’s 1961, with Prince Charles now 12 and Princess Anne at 10 already in love with horses. The Queen is on the royal train with her entourage that includes her sister, Princess Margaret, and her photographer husband, Anthony Armstrong Jones.

It is after dinner that one of the group claims to have seen a murder from the train’s window, not seen by any of the others who were all in the dining car. An unreliable witness, her claim still must be investigated as it has recently come to light that a photographer friend of Tony Armstrong Jones is missing.

The Queen relies on her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, to help her work the investigation amidst the threat of the Cold War, and an important upcoming visit to Italy with time on the royal yacht Britannia, where the Queen Mother makes an appearance.

What follows is a well-crafted mystery as the Queen uses Joan to help her get to the bottom of the death of the body seen from the train. Elizabeth’s wit and intuition is called on, and her ability to use her staff to her ends is delightful.

A marvelous addition to a fine series.

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The Quiet Mother: Arnaldur Indridason Saturday, Dec 6 2025

Award winning novelist and complex mystery and Continued series winner and police thriller book review, detectives, murder, murder mystery, series winner, suspense Auntie M Writes Crime 6:52 pm

A master of Icelandic noir, with several popular series and many awards to his credit, Indridason bring a new Detective Konrad mystery to readers. And if you have read some of his others, there are a few brief references that canny readers will catch.

Now retired, the detective continues to pursue his father’s killer. This cold case of the murdered man, not a pleasant person, has occupied Konrad over several years but readers will be quick to understand his background if this is their first read in the series.

It’s not just this case that takes up his time. When a Reykjavik woman is found murdered in her home, Konrad’s phone number is on her desk and he’s notified by the current detective on the case. Valborg had approached him recently, asking for his help in finding the child she gave up for adoption many years ago, over fifty in fact, and faced with that kind of time lag, Konrad hadn’t acquiesced.

But now that she’s dead he feels compelled to figure out what happened to her child, despite having very little knowledge, not even the sex of the child.

This is where Indridason shines, in following Konrad’s private investigation as he ferrets out leads and information from almost thin air as he digs into the woman’s past. It’s a complicated route but one that leads to an unexpected resolution, with surprising stops and starts along the way.

As the tension rises, crimes from the past are unearthed. This is an absorbing story of the echoes of old crimes that last through the years.

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Peter James: The Hawk is Dead Sunday, Nov 2 2025

Award winning novelist and complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for and police procedural and police thriller and Series not to be missed book review, book-review, books, detectives, England, fantasy, fiction, murder, mystery, police procedural, thriller Auntie M Writes Crime 2:07 pm

Peter James’s long-running DCI Grace series, now on BritBox in a grand adaptation as Grace, has just published his 22nd in this series, The Hawk is Dead.

The backstory to this novel is fascinating: Her Majesty Queen Camilla, a huge Grace fan, asked him when she was Duchess of Cornwall in 2019 if he couldn’t see a way to bring Sussex-based Grace to London. After kicking the idea around for four years as he worked on other projects already under construction, James figured out a plot what would allow him to bring Grace and a few members of his team to the Palace.

And that kernel of an idea started when James read that the 775 rooms in Buckingham Palace were to undergo a major renovation, which would take place over the course of several years, not just for updating and modernization but for safety reasons. The Royal Collection consists of over a million very valuable art and objects held by The Crown, many in Buckingham Palace.

From that grew the idea for the entire novel, and the beginning of exhaustive research, which included James being given inside tours of the palace, and even learning how to drive a train! Always giving his realistic police procedurals a grand plot, James knocks it out of the park with this one, literally, by taking Grace from his Brighton territory to Buckingham Palace.

His team becomes involved when the Queen is traveling by train to visit hospices along the south coast. Her train must be evacuated after being derailed inside a tunnel. A harrowing scene from the train driver’s point of view brings the accident to life, and as the Queen and a trusted advisor exit the tunnel, shots ring out. While the Queen narrowly misses being assassinated, Sir Peregrine Greaves, Private Secretary to Their Majesties and one of the most senior members of their household, is killed.

Grace has a nagging feeling the Queen might not have been the intended target, and readers are treated to insights into the workings of the Royal Household, and its pecking order, as well as an extensive treatment of the glories contained within the huge building as the investigation ensues.

With attention turned to the household, when a diary Sir Peregrine kept in code, more matters come to light and soon Grace and his team, especially his long-term bagman DI Branson, must sift through Not-My-King protestors; territorial tiffs with the Met, who want to take over his investigation; and missing artifacts. Then a second body is found…

This was one of the most enjoyable Grace novels to date, and as usual, gives us a window into his home life, too. But James’s intricate plotting with its exploration of life within the royal household make this a gripping story.

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MERRY by Susan Breen Thursday, Oct 2 2025

Christmas story and family story and Family story and great read book review, Christmas story, Dickens, Dogs, family story, ghosts, London Auntie M Writes Crime 9:01 am

Sometimes a book knocks your socks off and resonates with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

Susan Breen’s Merry is just that kind of book. It’s inventive, and filled with original characters you’ll come to love, none more than Merry Bingham, a book scout who loves Dickens and Christmas and just wants to find the Christmas joy for herself and her family at a fraught time in her life. And did I mention her dog Leroy talks to her?

When Merry brings her family to London for Christmas it’s at a great cost to her, and things don’t go as this super-organized woman has planned. Hanging over her is a medical test that will change her life, no matter the outcome, and she’s desperate for one more happy holiday before she tells her family about it.

But things, like Life, soon spin out of Merry’s control on so many levels she can’t catch her breath. And then the ghost of Charles Dickens appears, and he’s angry with her!

There is humor here, and great insights into human nature. You’ll learn about the business of book scouting, literature, Dickens, and how London celebrates Christmas. The magical elements are low key and unobtrusive. Best of all, you’ll be moved by Merry and her family, and the true meaning of Christmas.

This is a gem of a book. I’ve just bought copies for several reader friends, because it’s a gift you’ll want to keep giving–it’s that good.

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M.W. Craven: The Final Vow Tuesday, Sep 30 2025

Award winning novelist and complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for and police thriller and Series not to be missed and suspense thriller book review, murder, murder mystery, police procedural, psychological thriller, thriller Auntie M Writes Crime 4:22 pm

Auntie M NEVER flips to the end of a book. NEVER.

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.

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Season of Death by Will Thomas Tuesday, Apr 22 2025

Award winning novelist and Continued series winner and historical saga and Private detective and Series not to be missed book review, historical mystery, police procedural Auntie M Writes Crime 11:44 am

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~

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BEYOND THE GATES by Linda Lovely Monday, Apr 21 2025

amateur sleuth and Continued series winner and great read and humorous crime and mystery to die for and Series not to be missed book review, continuing series, murder mystery Auntie M Writes Crime 9:42 am

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!

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Auntiemwrites Crime-Mystery Author M K Graff

SJ Bennett: The Queen Who Came in From the Cold Wednesday, Dec 17 2025

The Quiet Mother: Arnaldur Indridason Saturday, Dec 6 2025

Peter James: The Hawk is Dead Sunday, Nov 2 2025

MERRY by Susan Breen Thursday, Oct 2 2025

M.W. Craven: The Final Vow Tuesday, Sep 30 2025

Season of Death by Will Thomas Tuesday, Apr 22 2025

BEYOND THE GATES by Linda Lovely Monday, Apr 21 2025

Death Unscripted: A Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery

THE GOLDEN HOUR shortlisted!

THE GOLDEN HOUR: The 4th Nora Tierney English Mystery

The Blue Virgin

Winner Best British Cozy

Death at the Dakota: A Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery 2

The Scarlet Wench

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