The setting of Daisy Darker setting is pure Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. A family is celebrating their matriarch’s birthday on a remote island. There is no way to return to the mainland, or even contact the police, when someone is murdered. The guests must race to findContinue Reading
Sex and Sexuality in Medieval England commits a common sin in histories of culture. It is overloaded with names and dates. Perhaps if I was related to the people mentioned, I would find that revelatory. Unfortunately, I just found it boring. However, the conclusions were interesting. One in six childrenContinue Reading
I started with low expectations about this book. While I love science fiction, I’m finicky about my fantasy. If anything takes me out of the story’s world, it ruins the book for me. But I didn’t need to worry. The Spear Cuts Through Water is excellent! A completely different takeContinue Reading
Usually, I pick up books to review based on what I think my blog readers might like to read. However, this week I chose three books just because I wanted to read them. My beach-themed family room needs some decorations so I thought I would begin a new hobby whileContinue Reading
I’m not even from the East Coast but I remember Crazy Eddie from the satires of him on Saturday Night Live. I never heard that his whole empire was based on scams until I read Retail Gangster. As a former internal auditor, I found this book a hoot! You canContinue Reading
In Peanut Butter Panic, Bailey is catering the desserts for a new village Thanksgiving celebration. But when the boyfriend of the celebration organizer’s mother dies from an allergic peanut reaction, Bailey must prove that her family’s sweet shop didn’t accidently kill him toot sweet. I always look forward to readingContinue Reading
Big Red is a reimagining of the life story of Rita Hayward through the eyes of a fictional sexually fluid female would-be gossip reporter, and part time spy for Rita’s boss, Rusty. In real life Rita had an interesting life. This book reads like a Hollywood scandal sheet version hypingContinue Reading
A Cornish Recipe for Murder is a charming cozy mystery set at a reality cooking show. Former police officer Jodie “Nosey” Parker is hoodwinked into being a contestant on a British baking show. But she has more to worry about than her chocolate ganache when a dead body is foundContinue Reading
Author Guest Post Perfect Setting for a Murder Colleen Shogan When I was starting to create the plot of Lethal Legacies, I knew that I wanted history to play a major role. In the book, my protagonist and amateur sleuth, Kit Marshall, is part of a team responsible for organizingContinue Reading
I love the introductions written by this author for the golden age mysteries published by British Library Crime Classics, but they always leave me wanting more. This book, The Life of Crime, includes all the details and backstories I have been wanting on famous, and not so famous, mystery writers.Continue Reading
Akari is a typical girl trying to fit into her clique in Japanese high school. All the boys look the same to her. None seem hot to her. But Yuki intrigues Akari. Yuki doesn’t feel the need to blend in with the other girls. In fact, her calmness makes herContinue Reading
With grocery prices rising fast, who doesn’t want to save money and live healthier by eating more plants. But if you are unfamiliar with vegan or vegetarian cooking, your plant recipe repertoire may seem like a menu of side dishes. This book addresses that problem by explaining How to EatContinue Reading
Author Guest Post How I Write Dear Readers, When it comes to writing books, particularly mystery books, authors generally fall into two basic camps – those who plot their books and those who more or less fly by the seat of their pants. (Let’s call these folks pantsers). I, myContinue Reading
I loved the first two books in the Lucas Page series and Do No Harm continues the author’s streak. This may be my favorite book so far! Someone is killing NYC physicians. Only Lucas sees the pattern. Only Lucas can find the killer. You can’t help but be fascinated byContinue Reading
Liv wakes up in the back of a NYC cab with no memory of how she got there or where the cab is taking her. When she arrives at her apartment, strangers are living there and quickly kick her back outside. Liv has no purse, so she looks through herContinue Reading
A rent collector is murdered, and children are missing in Dear Little Corpses, the latest Josephine Tey mystery. The heroine of Dear Little Corpses is a fictionalized Josephine Tey. Tey was a writer of laudable British golden age mysteries that fictionalized historical figures. This book attempts to do the sameContinue Reading