I don't want to get into too many details, but I wanted to give an explanation to my loyal readers. May 22 I went to the Emergency room and within the hour was in surgery under going brain surgery. After nine days in ICU, I finally got to return home. The last several months have been intense healing and daily antibiotic treatments. I went through physical and speech therapy, but the general outlook is I will make a full recovery and have made tremendous progress already.
I share this to explain my lack of posts, but also to stress that getting treatment quickly was key. My speech suddenly became unintelligible after a serious headache for many days from what I thought was my sinuses (I was even on antibiotics). If you or anyone you know experiences garbled or difficulty speaking, get them to the hospital pronto.
I can't thank the surgeons, neurologists, and nursing staff enough for their care and diligence. I was fortunate to have a highly regarded neuro-surgeon in a hospital that is recognized for their neurological care. But again, getting treatment so quickly was key.
I'm just now getting around to my normal levels of reading, and I'm finally writing again and wanted to share with my faithful blog readers why I've not shared much lately. I'm jumping into the third Accidental Vampire PI draft. I'll keep you updated on its progress.
Deanna Raybourn is the New York Times bestselling author of the Edgar Award–nominated Veronica Speedwell Mysteries, as well as the Lady Julia Grey series and several stand-alone works. Her latest series features a group of women in their 60s who worked as elite assassins. But retirement can be deadly.
“This Golden Girls meets James Bond thriller is a journey you want to be part of.” -Buzzfeed
"... pits men against women, age against youth, technology against old school know-how.” -Amazon Book Review
Naturally it has been compared to "The Thursday Murder Club" and the 2010 movie "Red." Read this review to understand how it differs from both.
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Copyright: August 2023 (Berkley) 368 pgs
Series: 1st in Killers of a Certain Age thriller series
Sensuality: violence, mature themes, language
Mystery Sub-genre: Thriller, intrigue
Main Character: Billie Webster, recently retired from forty years in an elite female assassination squad.
Setting: Modern day, global locations
Obtained Through: Library
Book Blurb: "Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that’s their secret weapon. They’ve spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can’t just retire—it’s kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller by New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.
Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.
When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they’ve been marked for death.
Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They’re about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman—and a killer—of a certain age."
My Thoughts:
I like the four diverse women who make up the squad. Billie is the main point-of-view character through the book. She is particularly good at fighting and is a tad impulsive. The others are: Helen, a widow who's a smooth pickpocket and handy with a gun while also taking detailed notes on everyone she meets; Natalie (Nat), and Mary Alice. I like these gals and how they work so well together.
Many scenes are told via flashbacks. Those scenes actually provide some clues, but a few times it felt disorienting to jump to the past. This book has multiple global settings, but initially starts on a luxury cruise. The settings have just enough description to place you in each local. You really feel like your seeing each place through the eyes of a trained killer.
The plot leads you through some twists and turns and the pacing speeds along. The climax reveals more than I expected, making it very satisfying. The writing and plot are enjoyable and well done.
It isn't like "The Thursday Murder Club" (see review of book 2 here) since Richard Osman's series has ordinary people, except one character, making it a bit of a rag-tag amateur sleuth group. The 2010 movie "Red" (short for Retired Extremely Dangerous) is closer since I can see Helen Mirren's character as inspiration for Billie in the book, and both the movie and this books series are about retired deadly agents. But I think that is where the similarities end.
I absolutely love the "technology against old school know-how" theme. Their ability to use low-tech or no-tech actually keeps them alive while giving them an upper hand. So well done. Plus the age and experience beats younger and less experienced theme was golden as well. In an age where over fifty makes it harder to find a job, this had me routing for them.
There is a paradox at work through the book where the four women are shown to maintain their humanity and feelings while being efficient killers, which makes the characters more interesting. I like how they learned to rely on each other for each one's skill set and not be competitive. They have become like sisters in some ways.
I do have some caveats with my praise. The "Museum" organization, and thus the four women, operate on a vigilante assassination philosophy that the ends justify the means. They don't just skirt the law, they toss the law out the window to be judge (the Museum), jury (the Museum), and executioner (the assassins). It is stated this way in the book: "I'm interested in justice, not law." But justice is subjective and often handed out based on grudges or emotions like revenge when the law isn't the bedrock.
I know it took me awhile to get to this book so many of you may have read it already. I would love to hear your thoughts on the book.
Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list.
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When many people think of William Shakespeare, they think of a long ago time where life was harsh and cruel, illness wiped out hundreds of thousands, and the wealthy lorded it over the struggling working-poor. But times haven't changed all that much, really. The main themes of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets are universal.
Our modern day, with its texting, movies on demand, communication across the world in seconds, and flying through the skies in hours that took weeks in Will's day, is still influenced by the Bard. His themes of love, death, ambition, power, fate, racism, and free-will still resonate with people today. Shakespeare was also a master at creating characters rich in personality and traits. These detailed characters never go out of style, with their faults and frailties of jealousy, ambition, naivety, power, kindness, nobility, and so on.
The great Nelson Mandela once said that "To be taken seriously as a politician, one must always quote from Shakespeare," and a lot of his speeches when he was president quoted the Bard. While he was a political prisoner for over 20 years in jail, he found inspiration in a smuggled-in copy of Shakespeare's complete works. There is one passage from the play "Julius Caesar" that Mandela signed while imprisoned: "Cowards die many times before their deaths/ The valiant never taste death but once."
But Shakespeare has influenced more than a luminary social justice beacon. The American English language is filled with words, phrases and expressions that Shakespeare coined in his writings (37 plays and 154 sonnets that we know of).
He penned one-tenth of the most quoted lines ever written or spoken in English, and he is the second most quoted writer in the English language. He introduced nearly 3,000 words to the English language--many of which we use regularly every day, such as: addiction, assassination, courtship, eyeball, impartial, luggage, swagger, hoodwinked, bedazzle, and tranquil for a short list.
Plus phrases we use regularly like: all the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players, Knock, Knock! Who's there?, in a pickle, tongue-tied, heart of gold, faint-hearted, good riddance, lie low, cruel only to be kind, fight fire with fire, baited breath, send him packing, come what may, wear your heart on your sleeve, not slept a wink, laughing stock, naked truth, out of the jaws of death, too much of a good thing, break the ice, wild goose chase, heart of hearts, seen better days, dead as a doornail, love is blind, breathed his last, vanish into thin air, makes your hair stand on end, for goodness' sake, off with his head, a sorry sight, the green-eyed monster, brave new world, the world is my oyster, and be all-end all.
As a writer, many of the tropes we have today came from Shakespeare. Forbidden Love from Romeo and Juliet, hidden identities and disguises from "Twelfth Night", revenge and betrayal from "Hamlet" and "Othello," coming of age with "The Tempest" and "Hamlet," the prodigal son in "Henry IV" and "The Merchant of Venice," and he regularly wove power and corruption throughout his plays.
Some other tropes he generated were the affable or charming evil person, the ambiguously gay character, the double entendre he used a lot, evil versus evil, love triangles, rags to royalty, prophecy twist ("no man or woman born"-reused particularly well in JRR Tolkien's Return of the King), the slap-slap-kiss or "shut-up" kiss, the sub-plot to keep interest, the truly evil villain, and a woman disguised as a man (nicely employed in Disney's "Mulan".) This is only his plays, for his sonnets contain even more tropes we see regularly today.
Even in the realm of psychology, Shakespeare was recognized. Sigmund Freud thought the Bard was the greatest poet and quoted him often. Freud greatly appreciated his insights and use of the unconscious. Macbeth is practically a psychiatrist's textbook of guilt and self delusion and a roadmap to insanity.
But what Shakespeare gave us, the lasting quality of his work, was insights into humanity at our best and worst presented in memorable fashion with equal parts laughter and tears. He knew how to tap into large universal themes and understand his audience and give them what they wanted, an escape for a few moments and to feel seen at the same time.
What is your favorite Shakespeare work and why? Do you see echoes of his influence around you today? Reply and let me know.
Here is a short piece with the amazing Dame Judy Dench giving us an impromptu bit of Shakespeare.
When I read: "In this World War II debut mystery filled with spies, murder, and a touch of romance, newly minted squad leader Dorothy Lincoln is caught in the crosshairs of a devious plot, perfect for fans of Susan Elia MacNeal and Ashley Weaver" I knew I had to read this debut novel in a new series.
If you have followed my blog for long, you know I enjoy historical mystery novels and particularly WWII era or Regency. Plus this author being compared to two of my favorite historical mystery authors made it a "must" read for me. Find out what I thought of this new entry in WWII mystery novels.
Author: Kristi Jones
Copyright: Nov 2024 (Crooked Lane) 294 pgs
Series: 1st in Dorothy Lincoln Mysteries
Sensuality: Mature topics, realities of war w/out gory details
Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Amateur Sleuth
Main Character: Dorothy "Dottie" Lincoln, Women's Auxiliary Corps Squad Leader
Setting: 1943 Algiers, North Africa during WWII
Obtained Through: Publisher via Netgalley for honest review
Book Blurb: "Algiers, North Africa, 1943. After her abusive German husband left her for dead and took their daughter with him behind enemy lines, Dottie Lincoln learned that it’s better to be a trained soldier rather than a victim. As a newly minted squad leader in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, she spends her days moving men and materials to the front and her nights attending mandatory dances to boost the morale of the men. Despite the grueling nature of her job, she has found a sanctuary amongst the women in the Army. When Ruth, a member of her squad, is murdered, she’s devastated and determined to get to the bottom of the murder.
Dottie’s company is the first group of American women assigned to a combat theater, and with Ruth’s death, the entire operation is being questioned. Determined to do everything she can to help win the war, bring justice to her friend, and hopefully reunite with her daughter, Dottie must rise to the occasion before the killer strikes again.
But when her past comes back to haunt her, Dottie must prove she’s not a German spy and put a stop to a deadly conspiracy that threatens the entire American war effort."
My Thoughts:
"Dottie" Lincoln is a great main character with her abusive past and personal secret to hide of a German connection. You feel her mother's heart ache for her daughter. But her determination and grit see her through.
Captain Devlin of the military police is the one assigned to investigate Auxiliary Ruth Wentz's death, which he immediately assumed was a suicide. The horrors of war are just too much for weak women. It would have been closed as suicide if not for Dottie's persistence that it had to be something else. Captain Devlin and Dottie end up working well together after a rough start. There may be a romantic angle in later books, but it will likely be a slow burn from these early indications.
The other women in the squad are very different and provide a couple of suspects. Each character is crafted so well, you felt like they were real.
I particularly liked the location. Most WWII novels are in the Pacific or England, occasionally behind the lines in Germany or occupied France, but rarely in Africa and the fighting there.
The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps really existed and had women in combat zones and this has great historical tidbits. The fact that the women were considered more for the morale of the men and not useful in their support roles is important to remember and is a wall these women pushed against while their lives were at risk . This had just enough realism to bring the war to the reader without it haunting you with horrible details.
The mystery itself is why would somebody murder Ruth? She wasn't into trouble and took her role very seriously. The investigation shows the seedy side of what happens around a combat zone. The answers aren't easily detected but make complete sense after the reveal. The killer reveal was very good -- tense and thrilling while believable and heart-pounding. Kudos.
The wrap-up leaves Dottie in a position to be on investigations with Captain Devlin in the next books, so this will be a series. Nicely done how that is maneuvered.
I will say that the beginning takes a few chapters of setup before the murder happens and the pace picks up. But pay attention because clues are dropped in all the initial action at a social where the Auxiliary ladies are meant to dance with the soldiers and entertain them. I grew impatient with so much time on the dance, but ended up going back to it later.
I have to say I am in love with this book and I'm excited to read the next. I highly recommend.
Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.
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Here is a short recruitment piece from the era for
When I noticed that the Hallmark series "The Jane Mysteries" was from a book series by K.K. Beck, I had to read at least one of the books. This is the first book in the Jane da Silva Mysteries, originally published in the 1990s by Hachette Books.
Main Character: Jane da Silva-37 y/o Singer and widow returned from Europe
Setting: 1990s, Seattle, Washington
Obtained Through: Library
Book Blurb: "Jane da Silva knows a Cole Porter tune and a silky voice will only carry you so far through the urbane cabarets of Europe. So when the young widow's "eccentric" Uncle Harold dies, she jets back to the States to claim the fortune she dearly needs to ransom her Visa card. Unfortunately, Jane finds her inheritance conditional and her situation critical.
It seems Uncle Harold and his old-codger cronies are part of a secret society dedicated to aiding and abetting offbeat lost causes, and Jane must carry on her uncle's "work" if she expects to see anything resembling a windfall. But just how far will the chic expatriate go when her "hopeless case" forces her to mingle with a sleaze-ball lawyer, a scheming psychiatrist, a sinister New Age cult, a stone-cold corpse -- and a ruthless murderer?"
MY Thoughts:
Jane da Silva is worldly-wise, slightly jaded, a survivor, tough, and determined. The book version has more layers and complexity. I like her.
Police Detective John Cameron ends up on a related murder investigation and doesn't think much of Jane's wacky inheritance setup and thinks there isn't any value in the old suicide. In this first installment of their working together, they are rocky and rapport develops over the course of the story.
Calvin Mason is the sleaze-ball lawyer who finds her first case for her. He is an interesting character with touches of Don Quixote with his pro-bono cases because he can't turn down the hard-luck cases.
The Trustees, 6 white-haired men, who oversee whether her cases (2 per year required) fulfill the terms of the will to inherit the fortune are named and described in the book, but the show doesn't even have trustees holding the reins of the fortune. The trustees are: lawyer George Montcrieff, Bishop Barton, Judge Potter, Professor Grunewald, retired banker Franklin Grendinning, and retired Navy Commander Kincaid. I appreciated the brief introduction to these men.
The hopeless case she begins investigating, that Calvin Mason brings to her, is the 16 years old suspicious suicide of a woman who was in a cult, The Fellowship of the Flame, and mere hours after turning over her inheritance to the cult she dies. Her daughter is a talented musician and hopes Jane can prove the inheritance was swindled and can be returned to pay for her tuition to a music school. But mostly her daughter wants to understand her mother and why she died.
I enjoyed the Seattle setting and Vashon Island in the Puget Sound that gets featured in the investigation. In my early teens, I lived around that area and visited the Puget Sound once. If I go back, I want to visit Vashon Island.
The killer reveal was tense but seemed too quick. The wrap up leaves it open for Jane's ongoing investigations.
Overall a solid mystery with tense moments, an independent sleuth with common sense and grit. She does take a few risks that put her in danger. I liked the book Jane more than the show's character.
Rating: Good - A good mystery read. It wasn't great, but it has definite good qualities. I recommend for a beach read.
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Here is a short video with tourist info on Vashon Island featured in the novel.
This is a brand new series she has started. If you've been here long enough, you know I enjoy books set in Scotland. This book is set in England and Ireland too. I love beginning with the debut novel, so let's see what this new addition to the mystery genre has to offer.
Author: Elizabeth Penney
Copyright: May 2025 (Minotaur) 288 pgs
Series: 1st in Ravensea Castle Mysteries
Sensuality: Mild
Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy Mystery, amateur sleuth
Main Characters: Nora Asquith, Herbalist turned castle B&B proprietor
Setting: Modern day, Monkwell, Yorkshire in England
Obtained Through: Publisher/Netgalley for honest review
Book Blurb: "Herbalist Nora Asquith is delighted to welcome Ravensea Castle’s first guests to the picturesque village of Monkwell, Yorkshire. After a thousand years of ownership, her family has decided to convert the castle into a bed and breakfast. But when Hilda Dibble, a self-appointed local luminary, is found dead in the knot garden the next morning, Nora’s business is not only at risk―she’s a prime suspect.
Hilda had opposed the hotel plan every step of the way, and although she didn’t succeed in stopping the venture, her disagreements with Nora seem to only further her motive. One of Ravensea’s guests happens to be Detective Inspector Finlay Cole, who is new to the area and now finds himself with a murder case in his lap.
Nora and her actress sister Tamsyn decide to investigate for themselves. They look into the entangled dealings of their newly arrived guests, while also getting hints from Sir Percival, one of the castle ghosts. As they learn, Sir Percival’s tragic death centuries ago sheds light on present-day crimes. Surely they can get to the bottom of this mystery while keeping their new business afloat . . ."
My Thoughts:
Nora Asquith is the responsible daughter who is attempting to financially save the family's castle. Besides her own herbal line of products, she has opened the family's historic home to a small amount of paying guests in hopes of keeping the property in the family.
Her sister, Tamsyn, is a popular actress home to lick her wounds after her show, Highland Lass, is canceled. Their relationship starts rough but turns to solidarity. Will, the brother who brews his own mead in town, is around sporadically. Arthur Asquith is their father who spends his time writing the family history.
Among the first guests is Detective Inspector Finlay Cole, who is new in town and hasn't found a place yet. He heads up the investigation into the murder. He is definitely romantic interest material. Janet Fagan, housekeeper and cook extraordinaire and husband, Guy are the regular staff and part of the family. English Mastiff, Rolf, and the gray tabby cat, Ruffian are ever present along with Sir Percival, the ghost of a knight make this a fun cast.
The setting is rich with old smuggling caves along shore from the shady past, Sir Percival's ghost, and the small town at the base of the hill below the castle provide a great setting with atmosphere to spare.
The plot moves along well as more suspects are uncovered. The pacing kept my interest throughout. The killer reveal was only a little tense, but still good. Overall a solid mystery and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!
Rating:Excellent - Enjoyed it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list
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I saw one description call this "Miss Congeniality" meets "Law & Order: Dairy Crimes Unit" which cracks me up in itself. That sets the bar rather high. Let's see what I thought.
I had only read and reviewed one other in this series"
Main Characters: Willa Bauer, owner of French inspired Curds & Whey Cheese Shop
Setting: Modern day, small town Yarrow Glen in Sonoma Valley CA
Obtained Through: Publisher thru Netgalley for honest review
Book Blurb: "The small town of Yarrow Glen’s neighbor, Lockwood, hosts an annual Labor Day weekend bash: Dairy Days. And Willa Bauer and her cheese shop, Curds & Whey, refuse to miss out on the fun. Willa is thrilled to celebrate her favorite thing―she is a cheesemonger after all―and this festival goes all out: butter sculptures, goat races, cheese wheel relays, even a Miss Dairy pageant. Too bad the pageant runner, Nadine, is treating Dairy Days prep like it’s fondue or die and is putting everyone around her on edge. When Willa finds Nadine’s dead body under years’ worth of ceramic milk jugs, the police aren’t sure whether the death was an accident. But fingers are pointing at Willa’s employee, Mrs. Schultz, who steps in to help the pageant after Nadine’s death. Someone wanted Nadine out of the whey, and Willa is going to find out who."
My Thoughts: I haven't read every book before this, so a reader can jump in here and it should be easy to understand the dynamics. I'll be honest, in the previous book that I read and reviewed in this series, Willa didn't click for me. The character isn't bad, she just wasn't for me. I gave it another try and this outing I have warmed to her a bit. The supporting cast, called "Team Cheese," includes Archie- recently a high school graduate, and Mrs. Schulz- a retired schoolteacher, and Willa's neighbor and good friend- Baz. They are a found family for Willa and make the story.
There is plenty going on with lots of small town drama, grudges, and personality clashes. The killer reveal is well orchestrated and high tension. Bravo! I recommend, particularly if you like culinary cozies or cheese in general.
Rating: Good - A fun read with a good mystery and small town drama galore
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This series has quickly become a "must read" for me. It is also receiving praise everywhere. Offering “a vibrant picture of the roles Black and mixed-race people played in Regency life” (Publishers Weekly)
Here are the reviews of prior novels' in the series:
Main Characters: Lady Abigail Worthing, unhappy in a marriage of convenience
Setting: 1806, London England
Obtained Through: Library
Book Blurb: "A marriage of convenience saved Lady Abigail Worthing’s family from disgrace, but she’s finding her absent husband's endless conditions increasingly repressive. Unable to stay at their London home during the oncoming winter, she accepts a ride to the country (to family for the holidays) from her neighbor, Stapleton Henderson. However, she's less than delighted that she’s his excuse to avoid a dinner held by Lord Charles Duncan, one of London's most powerful—and relentless—magistrates. More irritating, women are decidedly unwelcome at the evening’s prestigious discussion of criminality—even though Abigail and Stapleton have solved several cases together . . .
Then an unexpected blizzard strands them at Lord Duncan’s with his now-houseguests. Suddenly, an evening of fine dining, fine brandy, and insightful debate becomes an inescapable—and deadly—ordeal. The ultimate test for Abigial’s skill. One of the dinner guests is found dead in front of the Berkley Square mansion. And when another party is murdered, Abigail discovers each had received a taunting, prophetic nursery rhyme . . . coincidence, or clues left by a killer on the loose?
Through deft interrogation, she learns everyone present is connected to Lord Duncan's greatest failure in the courts: the conviction of a Martinique plantation informant for a murder he didn’t commit. But as Abigail races to find who was really responsible for the miscarriage of justice, she'll be forced to put her own and Stapleton's lives at risk in a gambit that will alter their fates forever—or end them permanently."
My Thoughts:
Lady Abigail "Abbie" Worthing (baroness) is independent and intelligent but a little bit of a troubled soul. Her marriage of convenience has her very troubled as it has been two years since seeing her husband with no change in sight. Commander Stapleton Henderson is her next door neighbor, a recent widower, and a physician. They are clearly good for each other which brings plenty of tension.
Florentina Sewell, her cousin, is a math minded wiz who makes a great sidekick but can be rather like a mother-hen during this outing. Mr. Neil Vaughn is her godfather but isn't present in this story much.
All of the men they are snowed in with are secretive and seem bitter. The nursery rhyme that all the men got snippets from are eerie and suggest murder for each.
The pace took a little to get going because the first few chapters are Abbie and her cousin in the same room as the first murder is being dealt with in the middle of the blizzard. But those chapters have clues slipped in that become important later. The pace picks up from there.
Having everyone snowed in is a challenging setup to keep interest and action, but this was handled deftly and ratchets up the tension among the characters. The plot is twisty and hard to even guess which of the men present (none of them pleasant except Henderson) is the murderer, or if there is more than one. The killer reveal is harrowing with a startling outcome that was handled well. The final wrap-up presents a surprise that makes it excruciating to wait for the next book.
I found this an intense mystery with plenty of suspects and few clues. This series shows no slowing or letting up. The author's notes are fascinating and not to be missed as well.
Ratings: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list
Have you read this book? Share your thoughts in the comments please.
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This is the 1100th post for this blog!!! That is a lot of content.
Kelley Armstrong is #1 NYT bestselling author of over 50 novels in mystery, fantasy and horror. She combines her fantasy and mystery writing into a unique time travel series "Rip Through Time" mysteries. Death at a Highland Wedding is the fourth installment in her gripping series featuring a 2019 Homicide detective who time traveled to 1869 and is stuck there. I have to say when I saw this unique murder mystery concept, I jumped at the opportunity to review!
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Copyright: May 2025 (Minotaur) 336 pgs
Series: 4th in Rip Through Time Mysteries
Sensuality: Mild, clinical descriptions of murder
Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Mystery, Time Travel Mystery
Main Character: Mallory Atkinson, modern homicide detective
Setting: 1870s, Scottish Highlands
Obtained Through: Netgalley-Publisher for honest review
Book Blurb: "After slipping 150 years into the past, modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson has embraced her new life in Victorian Scotland as housemaid Catriona Mitchel. Although it isn’t what she expected, she's developed real, meaningful relationships with the people around her and has come to love her role as assistant to undertaker Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie.
Mallory, Gray, and McCreadie are on their way to the Scottish Highlands for McCreadie's younger sister's wedding. The McCreadies and the groom’s family, the Cranstons, have a complicated history which has made the weekend quite uncomfortable. But the Cranston estate is beautiful so Gray and Mallory decide to escape the stifling company and set off to explore the castle and surrounding wilderness. They discover that the groom, Archie Cranston, a slightly pompous and prickly man, has set up deadly traps in the woods for the endangered Scottish wildcats, and they soon come across a cat who's been caught and severely injured. Oddly, Mallory notices the cat's injuries don't match up with the intricacies of the trap. These strange irregularities, combined with the secretive and erratic behavior of the groom, put Mallory and Duncan on edge. And then when one of the guests is murdered, they must work fast to uncover the murderer before another life is lost."
My Thoughts:
I have to admit that even though I was eager for a time-travel mystery, I wasn't sure how well it would turn out. Execution is critical and time travel novels are tricky. But this was handled very well and the story was great fun. The idea that modern day Mallory ends up in the body of housemaid Catriona Mitchel in the 1870s worked perfectly the way it was presented and solved many problems that could have risen if a stranger suddenly appeared in modern garb (many questions to get around, let alone the language changes in 150 years, but materials used in clothes etc.)
Although this is the 4th book and I hadn't read any of the prior in this series, everything was explained well and I had no trouble at all jumping into the series at this point. The relationships are established and Mallory being from the future is already accepted, so in many ways I liked jumping in at this point.
I like Detective Mallory Atkinson who is smart enough to realize she has to meld into the norms of the time for women. She is a well thought out character in extraordinary circumstances. Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie have accepted she isn't housemaid Catriona Mitchel and that she knows about forensics, advanced policing techniques, and even more important, they appreciate her. She has found more of a family in the past than she ever imagined. I like both Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie. I liked the bride, McCredie's sister even more through the book.
I love the setting woven throughout the story as not only a lovely area but simultaneously an atmospheric one. Great job in having the place set the tone in several scenes.
The investigation is done in spite of the young and inept constable insisting they butt-out and stop attempting to direct where he should give attention or how to investigate. This tension becomes key. It is very hard for our trio to figure out who did it until they start to piece together the "why." Why would a popular and well regarded man be murdered?
The killer confrontation isn't suspenseful. It is realistic, though, and well done. I typically love the action and tension filled reveal, but I have to say this time it was emotionally intense. For once I preferred it this way because it was written so well. Kudos!
Overall it is an absorbing mystery and well written with excellent characters that transports you to another time and place. Highly recommended. I'm already getting the first in the series. I don't know how I didn't hear of this series before-but now YOU know.
Rating: Near perfect - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list
Here is an interview with the author:
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Los Angeles native JERI WESTERSON writes a Tudor series the King’s Fool Mysteries, and a Sherlockian pastiche called An Irregular Detective Mystery. She wrote fifteen Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Mysteries, a series nominated 13 times from the Agatha to the Shamus. She also wrote several paranormal series and standalone historicals. She has served as president of the SoCal Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, president and vice president for two chapters of Sisters in Crime (Orange County and Los Angeles), she’s a member of the LA Sherlockian Society, and a founding member of the SoCal chapter of the Historical Novel Society. See JeriWesterson.com.
I have only reviewed two of the Crispin Guest novels on this blog, but I loved them both
I'm looking forward to learning more about her newest historical mystery series with connections to Sherlock Holmes.
Welcome Jeri Westerson!
The Adventures of a Sherlock Holmes Pastiche
When someone says deerstalker and pipe, what image does that conjure for you? Most likely the most iconic detective there is; Sherlock Holmes. And yet, neither deerstalker – that hunting/outdoorsy hat with a flap in front and back with two on either side, as well as a big curvy calabash pipe – were never used by the man in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s canon of work. We have two people to blame for that. First was Sidney Paget, the illustrator of the stories. He’s the one that put Holmes in a deerstalker. And as for the pipe, we have actor and playwright William Gillette, who was the first the play Holmes on stage. Holmes smoked, among others, a churchwarden and a clay pipe, both with relatively small bowls and long stems. But Gillette felt that it wouldn’t be well seen from the folks sitting in the gallery, so he picked the biggest pipe he could find, the calabash.
And what about that oft misquoted “Elementary, my dear Watson.” Even though something similar showed up in William Gillette’s play Sherlock Holmes (“Elementary, my dear fellow”), it is still a misattribution. Not in canon and not in the original play did Holmes ever say that. But in many other adaptions, he began to.
Sherlock Holmes. Why did I choose to write about such a well-defined, well-loved, well-recognized character whom I didn’t create? A pastiche, if you will, but what is a pastiche after all but fan fiction? And I’m a fan.
Well, that’s why I chose to write a Sherlock adjacent series.
My series, An Irregular Detective Mystery, is most definitely about my own characters who interact with Holmes. The Doyle canon is treated like historical documents. You don’t veer from the truth by having Holmes have a daughter, son, wife, uncle – whatever! Or Dr. Watson having a love child. The canon is sacrosanct. What is fair game, are the other characters who just appeared in three stories with only one of them named. The Baker Street Irregulars. Those were Sherlock Holmes’ gang of street urchins and only the boss was named, Wiggins, no first name. I didn’t pick him. I wanted my own homegrown characters, and so that became Tim Badger, a wily street kid, who when he got too old, was no longer useful as the eyes and ears of Holmes. But he had ambitions. He decided that he learned enough about Holmes’ method of deduction that he, too, could be a detective for hire, and once he ran into another young fellow working hard at his many jobs, a black man named Ben Watson, he decreed it was Fate, and Badger and his own Watson could work together as detectives. It turns out…they were miserable at it. Until Mr. Holmes himself stepped in with much needed financial help and a bit of mentoring.
Thus, An Irregular Detective Mystery series.
After I had finished my fifteen-book Crispin Guest Medieval Noir series, the strategy was to come up with a new series to take its place. I had two ideas I put into the crucible. One was a short-term series, six books, about Henry VIII’s real court jester Will Somers as the sleuth in my King’s Fool Mysteries, and the other was An Irregular Detective Mystery. My agent liked the former. I liked both. So I pitched the latter myself without my agent to my publisher and surprise, surprise, they loved it. I had two mysteries to write a year.
This is not for the faint-hearted.
But I found, even though I had thought about the Tudor series for some years, I really loved these two young blokes from London’s East End, and it was new for me to research the late Victorian period where there are photographs and newspapers and objects I can touch and buy for props for my events! The real thing! So different, and so fun.
I wanted a lot of humor in the series, mostly between Badger (so full of hubris and action) pitched against the more quiet and thoughtful Watson. Each with their own strengths and their own weaknesses that somehow balance out. Then add into it a love interest in the form of a female reporter (based on a real female reporter of the time) and it becomes more than the sum of its parts. If I enjoy writing them, you can be sure that readers will enjoy reading them, and they have.
Find THE ISOLATED SÉANCE, THE MUMMY OF MAYFAIR, and for pre-order THE MISPLACED PHYSICIAN at Barnes & Noble or Booskhop.org for indie bookstore purchases.
This is a brand new series for me. A bookstore setting and a writer who is the sleuth, what's not to like?
Author: Sue Minix
Copyright: January 2023 (Berkley) 331 pgs
Series: 1st in The Bookstore Mysteries
Sensuality: mild
Mystery Sub-genre: Woman amateur sleuth
Main Characters: Jennifer Marie Dawson, mystery author with writer's block
Setting: Modern day, fictional town of Riddleton, South Carolina
Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review
Book Blurb:"She can write the perfect murder mystery… But can she solve one in real life?
Meet Jen Dawson, mystery writer, coffee lover, and amateur detective?
Crime writer Jen returns to her small hometown with a bestselling book behind her and a bad case of writer’s block. Finding sanctuary in the local bookstore, with an endless supply of coffee, Jen waits impatiently for inspiration to strike.
But when the owner of the bookstore dies suddenly in mysterious circumstances, Jen has a real-life murder to solve.
The stakes are suddenly higher when evidence places Jen at the scene of the crime and the reading of the will names her as the new owner of the bookstore …
Can she crack the case and clear her name, before the killer strikes again?"
My thoughts: Jen Dawson was a difficult character for me. She was scattered in her investigation, shifting focus seemingly willy-nilly without a clear reason. She also approached sleuthing in a manner that left every single person angry at her because she had no subtlety and even engaged in some really risky behavior. Add to that, there were moments where she acted like a teenager smitten with a boy. This character was the biggest drawback to my enjoying the book.
Her former boyfriend seemed tedious. Her librarian best friend, Brittany Dunlop, was sadly forgettable and a librarian stereotype. Sometimes the dialog was stiff. I know this all sounds off-putting, but overall the mystery was average, just okay. I did see who the killer was even though there were a few suspects. The cover has a beautiful white cat, but there isn't a cat in the story. The title suggests the murder took place in the bookstore, but it was in a boat on a lake. I may give the second in the series a try to see if the author gets her stride-depending on my TBR pile.
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Rating: Good - an average read with a few flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.
I enjoy historical mysteries and historical intrigue, so its no surprise that WWII era is a favorite. There are a good number of books set in this era, so creating characters and a premise that engages me is important. I read the first in this new series and was hooked. Today I'm reviewing the critical second book in the series. Let's see how it did.
Book Blurb: "Freshly graduated from a rigorous training program in all things spy craft, former typist Evelyne Redfern is eager for her first assignment as a field agent helping Britain win the war. However, when she learns her first task is performing a simple security test at Blackthorn Park, a requisitioned manor house in the sleepy Sussex countryside, she can’t help her initial disappointment. Making matters worse, her handler is to be David Poole, a fellow agent who manages to be both strait-laced and dashing in annoyingly equal measure. However, Evelyne soon realizes that Blackthorn Park is more than meets the eye, and an upcoming visit from Winston Churchill means that security at the secret weapons research and development facility is of the utmost importance.
When Evelyne discovers Blackthorn Park’s chief engineer dead in his office, her simple assignment becomes more complicated. Evelyne must use all of her—and David’s—detection skills to root out who is responsible and uncover layers of deception that could change the course of the war."
I love Evelyn (Ellie.) She's strong and fierce while being levelheaded, whip smart, and a touch sassy. She embodies the spirit of women during the war, stepping up and out of their traditional roles to serve their country. I really appreciate that Evelyn has close female friends that are in her corner.
David Poole is her handler, but feels more comfortable investigating by her side. This is a slow burn with chemistry but "it's complicated." I like David and think they are good together. I'm looking forward to how the relationship will develop.
The setting of Blackthorn Park gives a dash of intrigue. I enjoy getting to read about a country manor that was requisitioned for the war effort, which happened a good bit in England. It provides a small pool of suspects and is removed from the town enough to add a delicious isolated feel.
I zoomed through the book, devouring the story. The pacing was spot on with plenty of suspects and motives. The killer confrontation was thrilling and dangerous making a great resolution to the tale. The denouement introduces a tantalizing new development that I have no doubt will carry into the next book.
My Thoughts: I adore this series. Wonderfully developed characters that seem to be real. Well thought out intrigue with great period details and plenty of suspects to investigate. The writing style has a period feel and balanced action with setting and descriptions. This series is a pure delight to read.
Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list
Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.
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A warm welcome to each and every guest, grab a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me. This is a blog for mystery, suspense, and thriller lovers.
Monday's: musings on the mystery genre, some author interviews, book giveaways, blog tours, mystery related games or trivia, even an occasional mystery/thriller movie review depending on what I scare up.
Julienne's ideal resort management career may come to an abrupt end when a celebrity pastor dies at the buffet table.
Nailed: Resort to Murder Mystery II
Julienne is snow bound in the middle of the Rocky Mountains with a killer striking at will.
SPIKED: Resort to Murder III
Julienne must solve the murder of a private investigator found with her business card on his dead body.
ARROWED: RESORT TO MURDER IV
It all began when a dying man with an arrow in his chest grabs her ankle.
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I’m a Colorado gal who loves the mountains and low bug population but hates the snow and cold. I have been a book worm from second grade and my first venture into writing stories was fourth grade.
I love pretty much all mysteries and those with a paranormal angle in particular. I look forward to sharing my adventures in reading with you.
