all your Reads in Here

Welcome to the world of geek culture in Meghan Scott Molin's fun, fast-paced mystery, The Frame-Up . Even if you don't attend cons or read comic books, MG Martin's world is entertaining. It's repetitive to say it, but this is just a fun mystery. MG (Michael-Grace) Martin is totally immersed in geek culture. Her parents disowned her when she dropped out of law school to write comic books. And, it's that knowledge of comics and their history that involves her in a criminal investigation. She's in a coffee shop when she sees a crime scene on a man's computer and says it looks like a crime scene from an old comic. She's right, and Detective Matteo Kildaire of the LAPD is interested both in her personally, and in her knowledge. And, once she talks with Matteo, she admits "Witty banter is my Kryptonite." MG recognizes Matteo's crime scene as one starring her favorite superhero, the Hooded Falcon. She quickly becomes his consultant for the drug-re...

Joy Avon's debut mystery, In Peppermint Peril , is the first "A Tea and a Read Mystery". This one is set in the Christmas season, while the second one will take readers back to Heart's Harbor, Maine, for the Fourth of July celebration. Meet Callie Aspen and her Great Aunt Iphegeneia (Iphy). Iphy owns the vintage tearoom Book Tea. She loves mysteries and puts clues on her pastries. When Callie, who is visiting for the Christmas holiday, is dispatched to Haywood Hall with a special cake, she's curious about Aunt Iphy's mystery with this one. But, neither mystery fan realize they'll be caught up in an actual murder mystery at Haywood Hall. There's a lot of tension. Mr. Leadenby, the retired gardener, doesn't get along with Sheila, Callie's childhood friend. They're snipping at each other at the door. Dorothea Finster, the oldest resident in town at 93 is throwing the tea party at her beloved home. She's about to read her will, and she'...

When most of us see the subtitle to Bradley Harper's debut mystery, A Knife in the Fog , we'll have a question. Who is Margaret Harkness? The subtitle is "A Mystery Featuring Margaret Harkness & Arthur Conan Doyle". Margaret Harkness was a journalist and author in the late 1800s who published under the name John Law. And, she, like the other main characters in this compelling story, was a real person. Dr. Arthur Doyle is a young practicing physician in 1888. He's published one story featuring a detective called Sherlock Holmes, "A Study in Scarlet", but he is so disillusioned by the small payment he received that he vows never to write another crime story. Instead, he's working on a historical novel. He's stunned to receive a summons from former Prime Minister William Gladstone. Will Doyle come to London and meet with Gladstone's secretary to learn of an unusual proposal? Intrigued, the young doctor takes the train to discover why Gladsto...

Last month, I interviewed Paula Matter, author of the debut mystery, Last Call,   http://bit.ly/2OEesvq . Just this week, I had the chance to read the book, and there's so much I like about this book. I could have used a list of characters, but bartender Maggie Lewis and her story were fresh and original. Maggie Lewis has been the bartender at the VFW in North DeSoto, Florida for five years. She's a short, middle-aged, grumpy widow, but, most of the time, she enjoys the hours she spends with the regulars at the bar. Jack Hoffman has always been a pain, though. He complains about women in the bar, Maggie as a bartender, and every other issue that comes up. After writing his complaints in his notebook, he takes those problems to the board. Despite Jack's behavior, Maggie certainly wouldn't want the man dead. Why is she the main suspect when Jack's found murdered in his truck? Maggie had her first Saturday night off in five years when a younger woman is hired for the b...

I'm not into creepy characters and thrillers. Occasionally, I read one, sometimes by accident. And, I don't like women and children in jeopardy books. If you like books with menacing atmospheres and intense scenes, you might want to try Edwin Hill's debut mystery, Little Comfort . Hester Thursby is a librarian at Harvard, but she's on leave right now. Her best friend, Daphne, took off one night while Hester and her partner, Morgan, Daphne's brother, were out with friends. And, Daphne left her three-year-old, Kate, with Hester and Morgan, saying she'd be back in an hour or so. Months later, Hester is still acting as stay-at-home mom, a job she doesn't feel up to handling. She does have a little side business though. Hester, using her skills as a librarian, is very good at tracking down missing people. When Lila Blaine shows up, Hester assumes it will be easy to track down Lila's brother, Sam. He ran away from home twelve years earlier. Despite the lack of...

I wonder if I can entice you to try a debut mystery called The Coroner by telling you about the author. The author's bio on the back of the book says, "Jennifer Graeser Dornbush is herself the daughter of a medical examiner, whose office was in her home. She investigated her first fatality, an airplane crash, when she was ten years old. Sine that first case, she has had decades of on-site experience in death investigation and 360 hours of forensic training through the Forensic Science Academy." I think she's at least qualified to write about the medical examiner aspects of this mystery. Emily Hartsford, a third year surgical resident in Chicago, is accepting a marriage proposal from a fellow surgeon when her cell phone goes crazy. Finally, she takes one of the calls and learns her estranged father had a heart attack. Of course, Emily heads to Michigan to the hospital. She finds all kinds of surprises when she arrives in her hometown after a twelve-year absence. She d...

D.A. Bartley's Blessed Be the Wicked may be a debut mystery, but she brings a knowledge of Mormon history and traditions to this intriguing story. The background, as well as the well-developed character of Abish Taylor, combine for a fascinating debut. Abish Taylor is from a respected Mormon family. Her father is a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. Yet, she had her reasons for leaving the Church. She moved to New York City, became a police detective, and had a loving, successful marriage. But, her husband's death devastated her, and she moved back to Utah, hoping to reconnect with her family and  nature. Now, she's the only detective on Pleasant View's police force. And, she's viewed with suspicion by all the Mormon men on the force, including her boss, Chief Henderson. All the insiders keep secrets from Abbie, even at the scene of Steven Smith's death. The men don't really want to investigate when Smith is found dressed i...

J.E. Barnard's debut novel, When the Flood Falls , introduces three troubled women who have to fight past their fears. Despite their initial distrust of each other, they find common ground in their need to find a killer. Lacey McCrae's husband, a fellow officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was abusive. After her divorce, she left the force, and fled. She's hiding out west of Calgary at the edge of the wilderness, working security at a soon-to-be-opened Arts Centre. She's staying with her university roommate, Dee. Dee has money and power, and works with, and runs with barons and hockey stars. However, she's scared to death. She finally admits to Lacey that she hears footsteps at night, yet no one has seen a prowler. Because of Lacey's own past, she believes Dee's ex-husband is terrorizing her. When there are incidents at the Arts Centre, and Dee is the victim in a hit-and-run accident, there doesn't seem to be a connection. Then a hockey star dis...

Fans of "Downton Abbey" and books involving the rich British upper-class may enjoy Ali Carter's debut mystery,  A Brush with Death . I found it a little too detailed and slow-paced for my taste, but those who enjoy all the details of English grand homes may enjoy this. Susie Mahl, the narrator, is what I see as a hanger-on. She's an artist whose specialty is painting pet portraits, so she spends time at grand homes all over England as she studies the pets. She's quite comfortable with the lifestyle of the rich upper-class, and depends on referrals. While she's staying with the Earl and Countess of Greengrass, Diana, Lady Greengrass refers Susie to new neighbors, Ben and Antonia Codrington. That meeting leads to a commission for Susie, one that puts her in the right spot when Alexander, the Earl of Greengrass, dies. Susie's to paint the Codrington's dog, Situp, but she's surprised to find another guest at their house when she arrives. Henry Dunstan-...

May Cobb's debut suspense novel, Big Woods , isn't the type of book I would normally read. I'm not a fan of women or children in jeopardy novels. But, I was asked to review this one for a journal, and I'm glad I did. It was one of the best novels I read that month. It's a strong debut. In 1989, ten-year-old Lucy Spencer disappears when she’s walking to school. She’s not the first child to disappear in the area, but most disappeared from Starrville and not Longview, Texas. None of the other children were found alive. Their bodies were found in Big Woods. But, fourteen-year-old Leah, Lucy’s older sister, is convinced Lucy is alive. The two share a birthday and a special bond. Her dreams, and a message on the computer saying “Underground. By the Woods”, convince Leah to continue to search. Her father turns to drink. Her mother gives up, but, as the months pass, Leah continues to sneak around and hunt for evidence. While the community is convinced a satanic cult is behi...