Contemporary mysteries and thrillers ranging from the mid 1900s (plus or minus) to the present time
The book that started the Kate Shugak series… Dana Stabenow’s A Cold Day for Murder is the first book in her Kate Shugak series, which now runs to more than 20 titles. And it’s quite a series-starter! Stabenow’s love for her home state shows in her almost lyrical descriptions of Alaska: its vistas, its geology, …
A review of A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow Read More »
I really liked the first half, but the second half, not so much… Murder in the Basement is the eighth in Anthony Berkeley’s Roger Sheringham series. Originally published in the 1930s, it recently has been e-published by Poisoned Pen Press as part of their British Library Crime Classics series, and I received a review copy …
Review of Murder in the Basement by Anthony Berkeley – recently e-published Read More »
Brunetti is still as awesome as ever… It’s hard to believe that Donna Leon has been writing her Guido Brunetti series since the early 1990s, and although there’s a little bit of variability from title to title (some stand out a little more than others), I’ve read each and every one, and all are excellent. …
A review of So Shall You Reap by Donna Leon – coming in March 2023 Read More »
An unusual mix of legal thriller and Golden Age atmosphere… I hadn’t read any books by Phillip Margolin before receiving a review copy of Murder at Black Oaks, and I was surprised to find that he is the author of several mystery series, including this one, which features Robin Lockwood as the protagonist. But my …
Review of Murder at Black Oaks by Phillip Margolin – coming soon Read More »
A nice addition to an enjoyable series…. The Well of Ice is the third entry in Andrea Carter’s Inishowen series. In it, Carter returns to the same small town, Glendara; and the same cast of characters, including solicitor Benedicta “Ben” O’Keefe and local police Sergeant Tom Molloy; that have made the first two books so …
The case that doesn’t stop metastasizing… One of the things I love about police procedurals is the way that the detectives typically don’t get to concentrate on one case at a time. This seems to me to be a lot like real life. After all, who among us is lucky enough to get to think …
Review of Fall Guy by Archer Mayor – coming soon Read More »
Peacocks and weddings and some not-so-cold crime… The Meg Langslow series is one of a very few series that I have to read by myself, because I end up unexpectedly laughing out loud at least a couple of times in every book – and often more than a couple! And in Round Up the Usual …
Review of Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews – recently published Read More »
Still a great series! I read and really enjoyed a bunch of the early titles in this series, published back in the early 2000s. Then, between kid-raising and stressful job and a bunch of other stuff, I sort of lost track of this series, so I was happy to receive a review copy of Terns …
A not-so-cozy mystery in a wonderfully cozy setting… In his fifteenth full-length Bruno mystery, coming out tomorrow, Martin Walker has created a wonderful mix of crime investigation, scrumptious food, Périgordian history, Bruno’s friends and colleagues, and of course, Bruno himself. And readers also get a healthy dose of Bruno’s basset hound, Balzac, and Balzac’s adorable …
Review of To Kill a Troubadour by Martin Walker – out tomorrow Read More »
A pretty good mystery and I really liked the setting… I’ve wanted to try the County Cork series by Sheila Connolly for a while, so I was happy to receive a review copy of Fatal Roots. And although I was a little worried that it might be confusing to start with the eighth and most …
