Countess of Harleigh Mystery Series by Diane Freeman

A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder

Read for Cozy Mystery Book Club and really drawn in by the sassy, independent heroine. I’m picky about historical fiction and wasn’t sure how this one was going to hit me but I think the historical elements were just enough to keep the story in a specific place in time while letting the characters and mystery shine. Looking forward to reading more of this series.

A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder

I read the first book in this series for Cozy Mystery Book Club and was hooked! I’m picky about historical fiction, but this is… very gently historical, I would say. It’s so easy to slip into the past and join Frances in this world. I thought this was a great second installment with a very interesting case and loved seeing how Frances rose to the challenges.

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder

Book three was a bit slow for me at the start, but the last fourth was fascinating. In my opinion, there were too many minor characters introduced in passing that ended up being suspects. Because of this, it was hard to keep them straight and try to figure out what was going on re: the crime. However, it didn't really matter because there was no way the reader could have solved the crime along with Frances, which was kind of disappointing because that's my favorite part of cozy mysteries. However, the ending was good enough that I'll definitely keep reading the series and hope this was a lull.

A Fiancee's Guide to First Wives and Murder

After a lackluster third installment, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the progression of the relationship between George and Frances, and liked seeing more of Aunt Hetty. It was also nice that Alicia Stoke-Whitney made a reappearance and developed her character a bit more. I got a bit of Irena’s backstory and family confused throughout the first part of the book, but overall it was a good story and great mystery.

A Bride's Guide to Marriage and Murder

This might have been my favorite book in the series yet! I love seeing more of Frances’s family - they’re all really unique characters. After some of the suspects blending together in the previous two books, this crime and everyone involved really stood out and had me hooked. There were lots of potential suspects yet the reader was able to solve things along with Frances and George.

A Newlywed's Guide to Fortune and Murder

I like that Frances and George are growing together and I like seeing how they work together, but this book was a miss for me. I think all the side characters being a previously unknown family made it harder for me to feel invested in the mystery. I did like how Aunt Hetty stepped up again - she's possibly my favorite character!

An Art Lover's Guide to Paris and Murder

This book was so fun! Frances and George finally get to go to France... but not for the wedding trip they expected. I loved getting more of George's family involved and thought the case and its surrounding drama was probably the best yet in this series. I can't wait for the next installment since this book will most likely change a lot of what happens in the future.

I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell

I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell

Alex Marks moves to New York City hoping for a fresh start—just a quiet life with her copywriting job. But when she hears about the murder of her childhood hero, Francis Keen, everything changes. Keen wasn’t just any journalist; she was the beloved voice behind Dear Constance, a famous advice column. Her death shocks everyone, but the killer was never caught.

On a whim, Alex applies to take over the column, never thinking she’ll actually land the job. But once she does, strange letters start showing up at the office, making her wonder—why hasn’t the murderer been found? And could her new boss, the powerful editor-in-chief Howard Dimitri, have something to do with it?

As Alex digs deeper, she realizes she’s not just uncovering Keen’s secrets—she’s stirring up ghosts from her own past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous things become. Can she solve the mystery before she ends up just like Francis Keen?

I loved the premise of this book. It felt almost comfortable and literary at first, before unsettling things came into play. One slight pet peeve was that I felt like Lucy was too obvious - not who she was necessarily, but how she fit in. I think that reveal came a bit too early and was too heavy-handed. 

Overall the book was a page-turner and I wasn’t sure who did what until the end.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

Once I started seeing this book everywhere, I knew I needed to give it a try. I was surprised to see it was classified as romance at the library, considering the title and book summary. Once I read it, I got a bit of the romance aspect, but it was pretty light and behind closed doors. It made me think of what an Emily Henry cozy mystery might be.

I really enjoyed the writing and the brief interludes of the police transcript. Randomly jumping to Ethan’s POV halfway through, and then sporadically after that, kind of threw me off. I feel like he would mention things and the reader would get them, then he’d mention them again later to Maggie and, while I understand why it was that way, it just felt repetitive as a reader and I would have rather had new reveals instead of reliving the elevator scene several times. However, I loved this overall and want to read more by the author.

The Record Shop Mystery Series by Olivia Blacke

I love finding a new cozy mystery series. Vinyl Resting Place was the January pick for Cozy Mystery Book Club. I love how the choices are always the first book in a series so you don't have to get up to speed with several books to join in on the discussion. Plus I love getting a chance to discover new authors and get invested in a series. My last home run from the book club was the Grilled Cheese mysteries.

Vinyl Resting Place

Was this book written just for me? I mean, records, coffee, and a mystery, yes please. Not to mention the song title puns used for the special brews Juni created in the shop! Speaking of the main character... I loved Juni and her sisters and the mystery of her uncle and all his associates. I thought it was really well done in terms of characters. The mystery itself wasn’t what I was expecting because I thought the reader would get all the clues to try and solve the mystery themselves, and that wasn’t possible (unless I missed something?), but it was still a fun ride with good twists. I definitely want to read more in this series.

A Fatal Groove

I loved the premise of this series but the first book didn’t quite grab me. I’m glad I gave Blacke another chance though, because this book ROCKED. I feel like she hit her stride here, or maybe it’s just because more townspeople were introduced and the story felt more rounded than the first mystery. I think the clues were better in this one too, and while there were plenty of potential suspects, I felt like I got to the resolution along with Juni, which I didn’t get from the first book. Can’t wait for the next! My favorite parts of both the first and second book in this series are definitely the song title/coffee puns - they're SO good.

Rhythm and Clues

The third book was such a satisfying resolution (for now???) to this series. I think I liked the second book best of all, but this one nicely wrapped up that love triangle (a bit late for my tastes but hey) and had a really interesting crime. My favorite part of the second book was seeing more of the community, and this takes that idea and runs with it, showing more of the town and local businesses. I feel like there weren’t enough coffee/music puns, though, which is just one reason I hope Blacke continues this series eventually. Six months in Cedar River isn’t enough!

The Blanche White Series by Barbara Neely

 Happy Black History Month!

I wanted to share the Blanche White books all together. Barbara Neely created this realistic, "average" yet incredibly intelligent sleuth that is one of the most memorable characters I've read. She doesn't shy away from racism, sexism, misgynoir, and other important societal issues. She's a cleaning lady and a stand-in mother for her niece and nephew yet still has romance (without getting in over her head, which is refreshing) and adventures.

This series was brought to my attention thanks to Sisters in Crime having a Reading Like a Writer discussion about the first book, Blanche on the Lam. I was hooked on Neely's writing style plus Blanche's larger-than-life personality, so I had to read the whole series.

Each book is worth a read, getting better and better as it goes on. Check out my reviews for the whole series:

Blanche on the Lam

Blanche Among the Talented Tenth

Blanche Cleans Up

Blanche Passes Go

Blanche Passes Go by Barbara Neely

Blanche Passes Go by Barbara Neely

I think this might be my favorite Blanche book of the series, though I loved them all for different reasons. (Major shout-out to Sisters in Crime for bringing these books - and this author! - to my attention.)

This one felt like a solid ending for the series, though I would happily read four more of whatever antics Blanche got into. I think the racial and justice issues in this book probably hit home the most for me, because the issues are so major and are becoming more and more relevant by the day.

I loved seeing Blanche’s friendship with Ardell in the flesh instead of over the phone as it had been in the previous books. I also enjoyed seeing a man treat Blanche right… most of the time, and how she kept her head about him.

Some quotes I especially loved:

"She'd never been big in the trust department and saw no reason for that to change - not until there was intelligent life on earth."

"Blanche thought it a special shame that so many poor white people had been suckered into believing black people were their enemy, instead of seeing how both grroups were being screwed by the same pale rich guy."

"[She's] just a woman like any other - making mistakes, being scared, moving on anyway. Just like the rest of us."

And my current favorite... 

"Maybe the only way to end this mess was for every woman to stand up for every other woman, even if she couldn't stand up for herself." 

This is a series I’ll re-read in time, and can’t recommend it enough to people who love mysteries, social commentary, and humor.

Blanche Cleans Up by Barbara Neely

Blanche Cleans Up by Barbara Neely

I think this has been my favorite Blanche book so far!

The mystery was deeply ingrained in a community instead of more limited like the previous two books. There was corruption in a few Black neighborhoods in Boston, threatening to spill over and impact even more people.

Blanche was sassier than ever and spoke so much truth. There was a lot of great commentary about how young Black men are expected to be and how they’re treated regardless of how they act. She also had a great angle on teenage pregnancy.

I’m excited to read the fourth book but also sad that it’s the last for Blanche.

See my reviews for Blanche on the Lam and Blanche Among the Talented Tenth.

The Red House Mystery and Thoughts on DNF

The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne

I was a big Winnie the Pooh fan in elementary school. There was a Disney store at the mall and I spent a lot of time and money there. I had stuffed animals, charm bracelets, t-shirts - you name it. But somehow I didn't know A.A. Milne, the Winnie the Pooh author, had written a mystery book until my mom told me about it.

Despite reading a lot, and reading consistently, I feel like it's sometimes a slog to get through the first chapter of books. I try to start relatively blind, without reading the jacket copy or back cover summary. But some first chapters throw so much at me that I then have to pause and read a summary just to know what is to come. It can help me understand what these characters are gearing up to do. Sometimes.

The first chapter of this book was one of the most boring things I'd read, but I know some mysteries start at a snail's pace to lure you into a false sense of security. However, after meeing half a dozen characters and not being able to remember their names, I was feeling a bit lost. At the end of the chapter, a new character is introduced with the same last name as who I was thinking of as the main character, and there was no mention of their relation or if it was a joke that they had the same name. All I could think was, this is fiction! Use any name you want! (Authors using very similar names is a pet peeve of mine.)

I started chapter two and there were a handful of new characters introduced in the first chapter, so I knew I needed to take a break. I decided to peek at some reviews to see if it was worth sticking with.

On Goodreads, the book has an average rating of 3.68 stars. Usually, that would be enough to convince me to keep on. It has more 4 star reviews than 5, but the 1 star ratings lured me in. I started reading a few and found the reviewers had many of the same complaints I already had, just a chapter and a page in. They mentioned it wasn't worth the read and so... I stopped.

It's taken me a lot to DNF (Did Not Finish) a book. I used to rarely stop reading before finishing a book. I actually remember one of the first times that happened back in May 2008. I blogged about it on my now-unpublished "Allison Writes" blog, while talking about juggling writing for a creative writing workshop and reading for fun:

"And one is the WORST book I have ever attempted to read, and I hate to mention the name here to even give it the tiniest bit of recognition, but it's Jonathan Tropper's The Book of Joe and it suuuuuuuuuuuuuucks more than anything I can imagine. The sentences are insane. My two faves:

(Runner up)
I take a deep breath, but the tears continue to come, blurring my vision, and I have to quickly pull over onto the anorexic shoulder of the highway, choking back an astonished sob as I throw the car into park.
What the hell is an anorexic shoulder?! I've only had two fiction classes, but in both we've learned to make things NOT sound like writing. And anyone who enjoys reading knows it's better to get sucked up into the story, not to be aware you're reading a book. If that's not pure "writing" then I don't know what is. I didn't get sucked in at all. The character is a jackass who tries to act macho, so I called his bluff as soon as he choked back his astonished sob.

(FIRST PLACE WINNER FOR ALL OF TIME!!!)
Just before I passed out, their fuzzy silhouettes appeared to touch in a tentative embrace, but I'd barely noted the illusion when unconsciousness dispensed with the foreplay and hungrily consummated our union.
Tell me that didn't make you laugh. This guy needs to put down the thesaurus! Big words don't make him sound smart, they make him sound pompous. And the whole sexual reference? Might be clever if properly done, but it just didn't work here. Then again I've never hungrily consummated my union with sleep, so he might be describing that moment perfectly.

I made it to page 59 - the page after the 1st place sentence, and could go no further. I want a ribbon for making it that far, please. I should have read the author reviews first. One chick-lit author says "You really fall in love with Joe. By the end I wanted to have his babies!" I think I lost brain cells just reading that..."

Clearly I'm still holding a grudge if I can remember the first book I DNF and wanted to find the exact quotes to prove why... But I digress!

Not long after that, I decided to give books 100 pages before deciding if I should keep on or stop. But 100 pages is a lot. Everything I've ever learned in fiction/novel/flash writing is to hook readers immediately, and I try my hardest to do that in my own writing. So why am I not holding other authors to that standard? Just because they happened to get published? Nah. So I lowered it to 50 pages, and that held up for a long time. 

But lately, I don't have the patience. I'll give you a chapter or a few pages depending on my mood. However, there are too many books out there to read, and so many that I'm sure will grab me right away. And if there aren't, that's okay too! I'll spend my time writing my own stories, or crafting, or baking bread. I don't want to waste time on books that aren't worth it anymore (though I'll admit I still hate-read some authors, but that's another rant). 

Last year, I started a DNF shelf on Goodreads. I want to have a record of the books I couldn't get through so I don't keep picking them up and trying again. While I believe in the idea of the right book at the right time, the titles on these shelves aren't those that I'd want to give another try any time soon. But I also don't want to rate them 1 star just because I couldn't get into them, so this allows me to file them without rating them, just to play fair.

Blanche Among the Talented Tenth by Barbara Neely

Blanche Among the Talented Tenth by Barbara Neely

I was reading this along with three or four other books off and on, so it took me a bit to finish but that’s no commentary on the book itself. I loved this one even more than the first Blanche book because I felt like her character was even stronger here.

The case wasn’t much of a compelling mystery to me, but I loved the setting and seeing how Blanche acted on vacation. There was also a lot of great social commentary on race, color, and gender here that is still so relevant today. I had to make note of so many instances because these sentences were just screaming at me as a woman. The character of Mattie wrote a book that touched on the inequity of parenting in the early childhood years and, as a mother, that whole section had me nodding my head (page 188-190 if you have the book).

With many of these relationship and inequality arguments, I first thought, "Wow, Neely was ahead of her time," but of course that's sadly not the case. We're going backwards and it's ridiculous, but reading some of these lines did give me a strange sense of hope that we got past it once and can get past it again.

This one especially stuck out to me as I raise a son on my own and look at the men in the world around us...

"Blanche had one of those moments when her heart nearly stopped at the thought that this child she was raising was growing up to be a prime aged male. She focussed on the affectionate, good natured, individual person Malik had always been. Would puberty turn his entire personality around? She knew she didn't have much control over whether he'd develop into a man she'd like to know. No matter how often she told him to treat girls and women with fairness and respect, and about the importance of knowing and understanding his own feelings, [...] there was still a whole world of other boys and men out there telling him that being a butt-fondling troglodyte was not only OK, but all right."

Phew. For a mystery novel set during a beach vacation, there were a lot of hard truths shared here. I can't wait to read the third and fourth books. (You can find my review of the first book here.)

Evenfall Witches Series

In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace

I heard a lot of buzz about In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace in the cozy mystery community and I love witchy things, so it seemed right up my alley. I had attempted to read Steeped to Death by Gretchen Rue recently and couldn’t get into it, and honestly… this book reminded me a lot of that. And Gilmore Girls. It didn’t really pull me in, but it was an easy read so I stuck with it. I felt like everything came together toward the end, and that’s enough to make me want to read the second book. But I don’t think I’d really call it a cozy mystery because I don’t think it was possible to solve with the info given, and that didn’t really seem the focus - it was more on family and getting her magic back.

When the Crow's Away by Auralee Wallace

Since the feeling I came away with after finishing the first book was, "Hmm, that wasn't too bad," and my library had the second book, I checked it out to give it a shot. I wanted to like this book but, according to my Kindle, I hit 50% exactly and I just can't anymore. This one didn't feel as cozy as the first, I think because the first one seemed like it was establishing the setting and vibe, and then the second one did the same. So instead of cozy, it was just repetitive. The murder also felt very "...okay?" I wasn't sure why I should care. Usually in cozy mysteries the protagonist must solve the murder. They're compelled for some personal reason, or to save themselves or a loved one. That might have ended up being the case here, but the stakes weren't high enough by the halfway point for me to care so I'll never know. I have no problem reading a book that is just okay as long as it's entertaining, well-written, or makes me want to find out the answer, but this one was a major miss for me.

Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely

Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely

I read this because Sisters in Crime will have a Reading Like a Writer discussion on it soon and I wanted to take advantage of that.

I know there are a lot of mysteries out there, but I had never heard of this book! I’m so glad SinC brought it to my attention because I loved it!

Blanche is a cleaning woman who is taken to court after writing bad checks. Because she's a black woman in the south, she's sentenced to jail. But she's taking care of her dead sister's kids and can't leave them, plus she just doesn't want to be in jail. So she makes a run for it, and finds herself in a strange situation she doesn't know how to get out of without calling attention to herself and her whereabouts.

Blanche is so sassy and really stood out from a lot of mystery sleuths I’ve read lately. Here's one of her internal thoughts that cracked me up: "Waiting for some prime-aged whiteman to show up and set things right had the ring of guaranteed failure." I love all the side characters too, and how they form this network for Blanche.

The mystery itself was really well-done; I didn't see the twist coming, but it was explained well and didn't seem pulled out of thin air. I went back and saw the clues I'd missed in a different light. That said, I think one of the reveals was a little glossed over; I don't think I would have known what happened in the book alone - I had to look it up and check out another review to realize what transpired.

It’s written in the 1990s but sadly the racism and sexism aspects are so relevant these days that it could be a modern book. I can’t wait to read the rest of the Blanche series.

Linda Reilly's Grilled Cheese Mystery Series

I got the recommendation for the first book in the Grilled Cheese mystery series from the Cozy Mystery Book Club, which always recommends the first book so you don't have to jump into the middle of a series and feel lost. I've read several recommendations from that book club, but this has been my favorite (so far)!

Up to No Gouda

This is exactly the kind of low-stakes cozy mystery that I enjoy. The twist felt like it came out of nowhere since I didn’t catch many clues leading up to it, but I still had a great time reading it.

After the death of her husband, Carly moves back to Balsam Dell, Vermont, to finally open her dream business—a grilled cheese restaurant. Her gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches are a hit with locals and tourists... but not everyone’s a fan. Lyle Bagley, Carly’s high school ex, just bought the building her diner is in and wants her out. 

Then Lyle is found dead behind Carly’s dumpster and one of her employees is the prime suspect. Carly has to step up and figure out who the real killer is before her business goes under.

No Parm No Foul

The first book had me hooked, so I was super excited to dive into this one! It had all the clues I needed to solve the mystery alongside Carly, which made it even more fun than the first. Plus, I loved all the Halloween vibes and recipe ideas sprinkled throughout!

This book starts with a Halloween food competition that Carly really wants to win, because it's the perfect chance to impress the locals and show off her skills.

However, Ferris Menard, the owner of the nearby Sub-a-Dub-Sub, is mad at Carly because, just two days before the competition, one of his employees quit to work only at the grilled cheese restaurant. Ferris thinks Carly is to blame, accuses her of sabotage, and vows to ruin her.

The morning after the competition, Menard is found dead in his kitchen with a steak knife stuck in his heart. With plenty of people wanting to see him gone, Carly knows she has to figure out who did it.

Cheddar Late Than Dead

I’m really loving this series, and this book felt a bit darker compared to the first two. It didn’t have the same feel-good vibe, but it was still a great read. I also loved the idea of a donut grilled cheese and tried it for myself - it was the perfect blend of salty and sweet!

Carly’s former classmate, Klarissa Taddeo, is throwing an extravagant bridal shower at the historic Balsam Dell Inn. But when a double-booking messes things up, Klarissa is in a bind. They move the venue to the maid of honor's family mansion, and Carly steps in as caterer to save the day.

A rowdy group of groomsmen crashes the party and Klarissa is fuming at her fiancé. Things heat up when a loud argument breaks out, and everyone is shocked when the groom is found dead at the bottom of the stairs. Carly has to jump into action to clear her friends' names.

Brie Careful What You Wish For

This one felt a bit off to me, and it might be because the formatting was different from the previous books. Some chapters were only two pages long, which I didn’t remember from the earlier ones. The story was okay overall, but it didn’t grab me in the same way as the first two.

With the summer heat cranking up, Carly is excited to have teenager Ross Baxter delivering sandwiches to local seniors. He’s such a polite and hardworking young guy, so she brushes off when one of her more difficult customers complains about him. But Ross goes back to that same customer’s home for another delivery and discovers her dead body. Naturally, the police and half the town jump to the conclusion that he must have killed her, so Carly decides to step in and investigate to prove he’s innocent.

As Carly digs deeper, she finds out the victim had an estranged stepson and stepdaughter, both of whom were after her money to get their lives back on track. To make things worse, the dead woman had a reputation for causing trouble in other women’s marriages, which means Carly’s got a whole list of suspects to sift through.

Death in Castle Dark by Veronica Bond

Happy Cozy Mystery Day! Aka Agatha Christie's Birthday!

(I should have actually reviewed a Christie novel today, but I'm still celebrating with a cozy mystery review - and I'm reading another cozy right now!)

Death in Castle Dark by Veronica Bond

Nora Blake thought she'd scored the ideal gig when she signed on with a murder-mystery troupe at the quirky yet mesmerizing Castle Shadows. Living in a fairy-tale-like castle, performing thrilling shows, and hanging out with a fun group of actors (plus a few cuddly kittens) all seemed like a dream come true, especially with free room and board thrown in.

But the magic of Castle Shadows hides something dark. During one of their early performances, what’s supposed to be a staged murder turns horrifyingly real when one of the cast members doesn’t get back up. He’s been murdered for real. Now, Nora’s caught in a chilling mystery off-stage, trying to figure out who among her fellow actors has gone from pretending to be a villain to actually becoming one—while making sure she’s not the next target.

I got this book recommendation from the Cozy Mystery Book Club (though I read it too late to participate). It’s the first book in a cozy mystery series (A Dinner and a Murder Mystery Series) but sadly there are only two books so far! I love the setting of a castle used for murder mystery dinners because it’s already engaging and spooky - then add in a real murder, and I’m hooked!

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

I already loved Tasha Coryell from her Split/Lip Press collection (which you can get your hands on HERE) and was really excited to read a full-length book from her. She always has interesting perspectives on things and the “quirky” narrator here definitely fits the bill.

This book stands out because Hannah is not the typical female protagonist and I loved that. She's unlikable at times and has desires and reasonings behind those desires that most main characters avoid completely... or kind of brush under the rug at best. But that made her feel real, because people are multi-faceted and might make "strange" choices, then double down on those choices, and then get completely caught up in the outcome.

Overall, the story felt like I was listening to a true crime podcast or watching a documentary since the narrator was all up in the action. (Which, I mean... it's a modern thriller - it's at least going to be a mini-series on Netflix, right? RIGHT?)

And then that ending... whew. I love the ending and hope for a sequel! But will be happy to just read more Coryell books, period.

With that said, Coryell mentioned at the end of this book that it was inspired by one of her short stories. I'd previously read Hungry People back in 2020, so I pulled it out to re-read. I easily found the story that she was referring to, and it was great in its own right. I'm glad it's a short story and I'm glad it found a slightly different way of being as a novel. But the other stories? I forgot how good they were. Like... take you to a whole other world good. So seriously - get a copy of that book! Split/Lip Press is one of the most fair independent presses when it comes to book prices and what the author gets, so buy directly through them!

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

 

"The truth won't change anything, but that doesn't mean it should never be exposed."

I saw this in a bookstore, and the title alone grabbed me, along with the cover image! But as petty as it may sound, the Colleen Hoover blurb on the front cover made me second-guess my initial thoughts. I've read a few of Hoover's books, and I later realized I'd read The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose and only gave it two stars. But overall, the synopsis sounded great, and I felt like I hadn't been reading much lately, so I was in!

"He closes the door behind him, leaving me to fend off the monsters on my own. But they're not under the bed anymore. They're in me."

The story was quite different from what I expected, but I enjoyed it. I felt like all three siblings were very unique and realistic, and they all had distinct voices, which can be tough in a multi-POV book. The way the siblings started uncovering information about their parents' past was really well done, too. I could have read anything about their childhood up to this point and been completely invested.

"As we age, we shed layers of ourselves, disintegrating like any other organic material, but some of us just break down faster than others."

The twist was okay, but I felt it was almost anti-climactic. It felt a bit rushed, and everything seemed to happen quickly after such a great build-up of the siblings putting the clues together. (Funny enough, I thought the ending of The Perfect Marriage ruined the book for me, so maybe that's just a constant for my experience with Rose's books, though this one didn't ruin it.) The final resolution also wasn't a home run for me - it seemed a little too sappy. Overall, this was still a good read that kept me turning pages, so I'd recommend it.

The Maid + The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

The Maid and The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose are nice spins on cozy mysteries. Molly lives in a small apartment and loves to keep it clean. She also loves that aspect of her job and is satisfied with it, even though many people might not enjoy that type of work.

There's very little drama in Molly's life - or at least, what's there, like grieving her grandmother and crushing on a coworker, isn't dealt with in an emotional way as it might be in a more literary novel. The only drama is the murders that happen in the Regency Grand Hotel, where she works.

Of course, Molly is the one investigating both murders. That's the hallmark of a cozy mystery, along with other key characteristics that make this genre stand out.

Ironically, for me, the mysteries in these books weren't that compelling. In both reviews, I mention they were fairly slow reads for me. 

For The Maid, my review stated: "I like the premise of this book but it was really slow going. The ending, conversely, seemed rushed. Overall the story was great but I wish the pacing was more consistent."

For The Mystery Guest, I wrote: "Both this and its prequel, The Maid, read slow for me, but were enjoyable stories overall. Almost cozy mysteries since Molly seems so content with her job and space in life. As a ghostwriter by profession, the case in this one did interest me more. I’d definitely read more from the author."

Clearly, something about Molly's life kept me coming back. I like how cozy mysteries can feel like no-strings-attached reads. While I love getting attached to fictional characters, crying with them, and thinking of them long after I finish the book, sometimes it's nice to just... not have that level of attachment. So that's what made me read both of these books and what will push me to read more from this author/in this series.

What I liked most was how Molly was neurodivergent, most likely on the autism spectrum, but it was never explicitly stated. I like that the books aren't defined by having an autistic narrator. Plus, not knowing Molly's diagnosis, if she has one, feels more true to life.

If you like the niche of Molly being neurodivergent or the mysteries set in a hotel, you might like other cozy mysteries with diverse niches.

On the note of neurodivergence/autism/disabilities, I'll compile links and reviews to other books I've read that feature people with disabilities. Many are middle-grade and YA because my MLIS capstone project was collection development for a disabilities department. But there are adult novels out there, too, so I'll share a list Thursday.

Until then, please share your thoughts on The Maid and The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose in the comments!

Truly Devious YA Mystery Series

 

I read Maureen Johnson's Little Blue Envelopes books back when they came out, so I knew her name but didn't seek out more of her books until I had a hankerin' for some mysteries. I love any type of mystery, but was on a cozy mystery kick, and wanted to see if that was a genre within YA or not. Thankfully, it is - and Maureen Johnson is amazing at it!

I first read the Shades of London series, which made me want to re-visit England and also reminded me of how obsessed I was with Jack the Ripper as a teenager. Aka the perfect series for me! I usually love books that have intense character development so I can feel like I'm living another life for a bit, but cozy mysteries don't really do that. However, with Shades of London, it was so well-written that I felt like I knew the characters well enough as-is.

The same is true with Truly Devious. The first three books take place at a boarding school, which is already enchanting enough to a former public school student. The fourth is at a spooky summer camp and the fifth is in London for a study abroad program, so basically this series had everything I dreamed of as a teenager. 

Some things I loved about this series was how I never really knew who was the culprit - though I had a good guess in the fourth book, The Box in the Woods. But not knowing never made me feel like I was kept in the dark throughout the story, as it sometimes does in suspense novels (looking at you, unreliable narrator in The Girl on the Train). Also, I used to hate reading series if I didn’t read them back to back because I’d forget so much of the action in the previous book, but Maureen Johnson adds recap sentences throughout the beginning of the book to remind readers, without being too heavy-handed about it or devoting a whole chapter to a recap. I mean, I did read these back to back, perhaps with an adult novel in between, but there was still just enough recap to remind you of the previous book. But you can also read them as standalones without missing anything.

I can't recommend this series - and everything else I've read by Maureen Johnson - enough. I was especially delighted by Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village, which cracked me up with each page. I gave it as a gift and also recommended my mother gift it to a friend who loves mysteries, so it's only natural that I recommend it to you, too!

Have you read any of Maureen Johnson's books? If I enjoyed these so much, do you have any similar recommendations for me?

Learning How to Move Plot Along from TV Shows

One of my biggest problems with fiction writing has always been the plot. I have no problem creating characters and putting them in certain situations, but I often have trouble raising the stakes from there. Or I have trouble getting them out of problems I've created for them.

I've been reading less lately, which is not the best thing to admit on a book blog, but I'm happy to announce the shows I've been binging on Netflix has great plots that move right along and keep me hooked (hence the binging).

First up was Dead to Me on Netflix, at the recommendation of some coworkers. The concept was compelling enough, but the secrets revealed towards the end of each episode made for perfect cliffhangers. I know cliffhangers are necessary for shows, especially season finales, and sometimes for book chapters. But cliffhangers can be well done, or they can be so overly dramatic that, when they're resolved, you feel like you were duped. Like when the resolution turns out to not be a major plot point, but just a fake-out. And I think there were one or two of those in this show, but overall I felt like the use of suspense and slowly letting the viewer learn secrets was perfectly done. The season finale was also a nice balance of suspense, but believable events.

I recently saw that there will be a second season, though no date has been set yet. I'm eager to see what happens - and if you haven't seen the show yet, you have time to catch up before anything new is out!

After finishing Dead to Me and wanting more, More, MORE!, I turned to Good Girls.

Season one of this show is on Netflix, and I recommend you watch it... but try to have a way to watch season two, because you'll be hooked and wanting more! I was able to watch a few episodes of season two through a friend's on demand account, but now I need more! The last few episodes of season two are on Hulu, but I haven't been able to find 1-8 on any streaming service.

Viewing difficulties aside, this show is amazing. It's a little more over the top to me - it's somewhat realistic, but three women planning a major robbery and getting away with it (to the point I've seen, anyway), is a little tough for me to believe just because there were so many witnesses and secrets coming out. Once the gang gets involved, things get a little more unbelievable for me, but I love the show so much I'm more than happy to suspend my disbelief and escape into their crazy world for a binge.

I love the balance of humor, crime, and mystery, which makes me think of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series or the early books in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I like serious dramas sometimes, but the humor in Good Girls is perfectly timed and dry, and always elicits a genuine laugh from me. I love humor and comedy, period, and have typically attempted to use it in my own writing, but felt like it was hard to pick up on unless someone shared my sense of humor. This show helps me see that it's always worth adding humor, and if someone gets it, they get it. If not, it's just over their heads - it doesn't detract from anything if it's well done.

Both of these shows have been teaching me a lot about what a good plot is made up of, and how to create one without going over the top into unbelievable territory, or being underwhelming with a slow moving story. And while reading definitely teaches me all of these things, too, I love watching quality shows that help me become a better writer when I'm not in a reading mood.

Dahl Study: Fat Chance

My author study of Roald Dahl started with a reading of his Collected Stories while watching the accompanying episode of Tales of the Unexpected. Each Friday I'll recap a story and show (with spoilers, just so you know), but I encourage you to read and watch them on your own if you're interested!

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"Fat Chance" from Tales of the Unexpected (viewed 6/4/19)

This episode was unique because there was no matching story in Collected Stories. The story is actually written by Robert Bloch, but since it was part of the series I still wanted to view it and see how it fit in. Dahl does introduce the story on film, as he does with his own.

The episode has a good, but fairly common concept, but of course with a nice twist. A pharmacist is having an affair with his wife's best friend. He and this woman act in local plays together, so no one seems suspicious of them. While this is going on, the wife is going to a weight loss clinic because he husband calls her a compulsive eater. She's often shown eaten candy hidden in her purse while he's at work all day. She hides the report cards from the weight loss clinic, but the pharmacist knows where she hides them and always checks - she's not losing weight. He's frustrated with her, and the mistress is frustrated with their relationship. She tells the pharmacist he needs to leave his wife, but he's reluctant to change anything.

The best friend/mistress goes to visit the wife and plants seeds that the husband is cheating on her. The wife gets mad and says she'll take him for all he's worth. When the husband hears this, he and the mistress both agree he can't divorce her, because then they'd be poor. The mistress implies that he needs to kill her, and that he can since he's a pharmacist and has the knowledge of what might work, and has access to lots of pills.

The wife always asks the husband to bring home low calorie treats from the pharmacy, but one day he surprises her with a box of chocolates. He injected the chocolates with a drug and carefully covered his tracks so she'd eat them. She's happy but puts them aside for the night. The next morning, the mistress comes to the husband at work and says she's going away for awhile, and will only come back if the wife is out of the picture. When the pharmacist comes home his wife is stretched out on the couch; she looks dead, but wakes up when he leans over her. He asks if she ate the chocolates, and she excitedly tells him that she's realized she's not losing weight due to her own lack of willpower, and now she's determined to lose weight. He asks where the chocolates are, and she says she gave them to the best friend/mistress when she came over to say goodbye.

Dahl Study: The Hitch-Hiker

My author study of Roald Dahl started with a reading of his Collected Stories while watching the accompanying episode of Tales of the Unexpected. Each Friday I'll recap a story and show (with spoilers, just so you know), but I encourage you to read and watch them on your own if you're interested!

- - -

"The Hitch-Hiker" from Collected Stories (read 1/10/19)

A man in a fancy car stops to pick up a hitch-hiker because he remembers hitch-hiking and getting passed by. The hitch-hiker convinces the man to top out the speed on his car, so they get to 120mph before a cop pulls them over. The cop writes a ticket and threatens jail time, and writes the hitch-hiker's name on his notepad because his face looks familiar. The men drive away and the driver worries until the hitch-hiker proves he is a fingersmith (pickpocket) and stole the cop's ticket book and notebook, which they pull over and burn.

"The Hitch-Hiker" from Tales of the Unexpected (viewed 1/10/19)

This was similar to the story but with a much better ending! While getting the bonfire ready, the hitch-hiker asks the man to get more sticks. When the man comes back, the hitch-hiker has stolen his car!