all your Reads in Here

If you haven't yet discovered Simon R. Green's Ishmael Jones mysteries, Murder in the Dark is a good place to start. It's not quite as graphically violent as some of the earlier ones in the series. In fact, this one is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's  And Then There Were None  with the addition of Green's trademark black humor. In 1963, Ishmael Jones crashed to Earth in an alien space ship. Now, he lives in England in human form and works as a field agent for the mysterious Organization, investigating weird and unusual cases. There are more than you would expect in an ancient country with a history packed with "monsters and mysteries". The latest mystery involves a mysterious hole in the side of Brassknockers Hill near Bath. Ishmael and his partner, Penny Belcourt, are dispatched with an urgent assignment to protect the scientists now working at the site. An archaeologist working at a dig fell into the hole and disappeared. Ishmael and Penny find an odd ...

It's always difficult to review one of Louise Penny's books. The plots are so entwined with the characters that it's not easy to summarize the book without revealing too much. It's release date for Kingdom of the Blind , the first book Penny wrote after her beloved husband died. There are traces of Michael, traces of loss in the book. But, there's also courage and determination. David Singleton from the Charlotte Mecklenberg Public Library said "It may be her most personal book." Armand Gamache is presently suspended from his position as Chief Superintendent of the  Sûreté  du Quebec pending investigation into events the previous summer. But, he and Reine-Marie are quite content in Three Pines, the home that has become their refuge. That doesn't mean Gamache is idle. He's still planning to retrieve the drugs, the opiates that have not yet been released into the streets. He's watching for their distribution. Gamache also receives a strange lette...

Before I frustrate blog readers by once again reviewing the second in a mystery series, I wanted to congratulate author Amanda Flower. Like other writer/librarians before her, such as Jenn McKinlay, Amanda is leaving her library job in Ohio to devote herself entirely to her writing career. Congratulations, Amanda. Flower is the author of a number of series.  Death and Daisies  is the second in her Magical Garden series set in Duncreigan, Scotland. When Fiona Knox inherited her godfather's cottage and magic garden in Scotland in Flowers and Foul Play , she thought she'd be welcome in the village where his family, the MacAllisters, had lived for centuries. Instead, the village rector, Quaid MacCullen, refuses her admittance at the church door. He disapproves of the family and the magical garden. Then, on the eve of the opening of her new Climbing Rose Flower Shop, he threatens her. Despite the rector, the opening of the flower shop is a success. At least it's successful until...

We should count the number of times I've said start at the beginning of a series. You don't have to with Emily Littlejohn's Gemma Monroe series, but that doesn't mean I really like starting with the third book.  Lost Lake , set in a small town in Colorado, is an atmospheric mystery. Those who appreciate mysteries that emphasize the natural setting will enjoy this one. Gemma Monroe is a police detective who responds to a call about a missing person. Four people had been camping at Lost Lake, and when they get up in the morning, one woman is missing. Gemma doesn't know if the it's the story the three friends are telling that makes her uneasy, or Lost Lake itself. There are stories about the lake, and young women who committed suicide there. Now, Gemma wonders about the missing woman, Sari Chesney. When Sari's boss at the local history museum is killed soon after she reports the theft of a historic journal, Gemma's convinced there's a connection between...

Rita Mae Brown's foxhunting series is not for every reader. I enjoy the stories, although I haven't read all of them in the series. It really is the scenes of the foxhunting that I enjoy the most. Now, don't get angry about foxhunting, unless you've read these books, and see how humanely all the animals in the books are treated. Although I hadn't read one of the books in a while, I enjoyed returning to "Sister" Jane Arnold's world at Christmastime with  Homeward Hound. Despite the threat of a blizzard, Jane Arnold, Master of the Jefferson Hunt in Virginia, won't stop the Christmas hunt. Jane, known as Sister, even welcomes Gregory Luckham to the hunt. Luckham is president of an energy company that proposes to put a pipeline right through the heart of foxhunting country. Some of the local property owners are wealthy enough to sue the company, so Luckham's appearance is met with only lukewarm enthusiasm. When the blizzard does hit sooner than exp...

I have a confession to make. I actually sent my copy of Harvest of Secrets by Ellen Crosby to a friend who is a big fan. That means I don't have my copy in front of me to refer to. It feels as if the review is missing something when I don't have the book in hand. Lucie Montgomery's workers at her Virginia vineyard may be right. It might be unlucky to find a skull. After a shed was destroyed during a storm, two of the men went to clear it. That's when they find a skull buried outside the family cemetery. They claim it's bad luck, and someone will die. Lucie discounts it, but then events start to snowball. When the rest of the skeleton is found, the forensic anthropologist identifies it as a woman who was murdered. Lucie becomes emotionally involved as she tries to uncover the woman's story, knowing she must have been a relative. At the same time, her DNA results come back, revealing a living relative. Now, Lucie really has worries because she never told the fami...

Cora Harrison's Reverend Mother mysteries, set in Cork, Ireland in the 1920s, are certainly realistic. She doesn't sugarcoat the conditions of life at that time, or the brutality and deaths during the period of rebellion. She doesn't hesitate to injure or kill characters that the reader has grown to care for, because that's life. It's one more reason to encourage readers to start with the first book in this series,  A Shameful Murder.  Once you've read the first couple books, the repercussions of a murder in the third book, Beyond Absolution , are all the more shocking. When Reverend Mother Aquinas sees Father Dominic's body in the confessional at Holy Trinity Church, she knows he was murdered. She sends for the police doctor so he can confirm that the priest's death was not accidental. He was stabbed through the ear by someone on the other side of the confessional. The murder of a priest becomes the talk of Cork. Reverend Mother wants to find the killer...

You're used to seeing Sandie Herron's name connected with the audio book reviews here under the topic, "Have You Heard?" Today, she has a review of Kate Carlisle's lastest book,  A Wrench in the Work s. (Thanks, Sandie!) A WRENCH IN THE WORKS Written by Kate Carlisle A Fixer-Upper Mystery, Book 6 Berkley Prime Crime, November 6, 2018 ·          Mass Market Paperback Contractor Shannon Hammer is happy to welcome her contractor sister Chloe back home.   It’s been ten years since she last lived in the family home in Lighthouse Cove.   She left after high school to find her way in Hollywood, and she became one of the stars of the Home Builder’s Network show “Makeover Madness.”   They want to film several episodes in Lighthouse Cove focusing on the Victorian architecture so prevalent in this historic town.   Chloe co-stars with Blake Bennett, an older man with whom she has a terrific stage presenc...

I tried to hold off. I really did. But, it's so hard to wait until after Halloween to read books set at Christmas when they're showing up in the mail. It was impossible to resist the cover of Miranda James' latest Cat in the Stacks mystery,  Six Cats a Slayin' . So, before the book review, kudos to Dan Craig, the artist who did the cover art. Once in a while, I think it's appropriate to recognize the cover artist. It's almost Christmas in Athena, Mississippi. Librarian Charlie Harris doesn't feel in the Christmas spirit, though, when he encounters his new neighbor, Geraldine Albritton. She's a little too enthusiastic and flirtatious for the staid Charlie. Something seems off about her, and Charlie's co-worker Melba Gilley agrees. Geraldine claims to be from Athena, but Melba doesn't recognize her, and Melba knows the history of everyone in town. Although Charlie does his best to ignore Geraldine, he agrees to attend her Christmas get-together, ho...

I've read the second, and now the third Lady Sherlock mystery by Sherry Thomas. I'm afraid I'm just not the right audience for these books, although I'm a big fan of the original Sherlock Holmes stories and some of the pastiches. I found The Hollow of Fear difficult to follow at times, and I'm not as in love with Charlotte Holmes as many readers are. As I said, though, I think I'm not the right audience. When Charlotte Holmes helps her half-brother escape from men who are after him, she senses there is a plot in motion. Her sister, Livia, is an unwitting pawn. Livia annually visits Mrs. Newell, a distant relative. When the cisterns fail at Mrs. Newell's house, all her guests move to Lord Ingram's estate, Stern Hollow. Livia is aware that all society speculates about Charlotte's friendship with Lord Ingram, guessing that it's more than friendship. Then Livia, along with two of the worst gossips in London, find Lady Ingram's body in the estate...

Darn. Once again, I discovered a series with the second book. You can start with Steven Cooper's Dig Your Grave , but if you like the Arizona setting and the characters, Gus Mills and Alex Parker, as much as I did, you'll wish you had started with Desert Remains . Detective Alex Mills of the Phoenix Police Department needs help on his latest case. His team is called to a cemetery where the body of a well-dressed man has been found in an open grave. Mills, following a hunch, calls his friend Gus Parker. Gus is a psychic and Mills wants him to take a look at the scene. Gus often has a vision that will point them in the right direction, even if it's unclear at first. Then, a second body is found, and the man appears to have dug his own grave. Both dead men were prominent in their field, and in Phoenix. While Mills' team digs to find a connection between the two victims, Gus goes missing. Parker's girlfriend is a famous rock star, and she can't locate him. It isn...

Oceanview Publishing, publisher of Danny Lopez' The Last Breath , has a statement in the front of the book. "Oceanview focuses on works that exhibit a strong sense of place and setting; compelling protagonists and supporting characters; tension that builds throughout a book's narrative; seamless, gripping, and suspenseful story lines; and authenticity." While I believe all mysteries should strive for those goals, Lopez' book, with its descriptions of Siesta Key, certainly succeeds with that strong sense of place and setting. The atmospheric mystery captures Florida's Gulf Coast and the political tensions between developers and those who love the islands as they are. Dexter Vega is an unemployed reporter who picks up freelance writing jobs when he can. He actually spends a lot of time in Siesta Key and Sarasota bars, bemoaning his lack of money and work. When he gets desperate, a friendly editor throws him an idea. Bob Fleming, a wealthy retiree, is looking for...

Laurie Loewenstein's first Dust Bowl Mystery, Death of a Rainmaker , was the most evocative book I've read since Larry D. Sweazy's last Marjorie Trumaine mystery,  See Also Proof . The author says she was inspired by Timothy Egan's nonfiction book, The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dustbowl , and you can truly see that in all of the detailed description. In the 1930s in Jackson County, Oklahoma, they've gone over 240 days with no rain. In desperation, a local businessman's group hires an itinerant rainmaker, Roland Coombs, who boasts in less than five days they should have rain. But, the day after his show with TNT and blasting powder, Coombs is found dead in an alley after a terrible dust storm. It's up to Sheriff Temple Jennings to discover who would want to kill a stranger in town. Temple has all kinds of trouble on  his hands, not just a murder case. Despite his hatred of that aspect of his job, it's his s...

When I read the seventh Buryin' Barry mystery, Secret Undertaking , I liked the cast of characters enough to go back and pick up the first in the series,  Dangerous Undertaking . Mark de Castrique is skilled in introducing a new series. This reader, at least, felt as if I had dropped into the middle of Barry Clayton's life, and was just re-meeting people I had met before. Barry Clayton moved back home to Gainesboro, North Carolina from Charlotte where he'd been a police officer, a grad student in criminal justice, and married. That's all in the past now. His father has Alzheimer's, and Clayton's mother and uncle, and the community, need him as an undertaker. He's at the cemetery where Martha Willard is to be buried when Martha's grandson Dallas Willard shows up, shoots his brother and sister, and then aims at Barry, shouting, "Take a message to my grandmother. Tell her they tried to take her land. Tell her I love her." Barry survives, wounded i...

I won't say bestselling romance author Jude Deveraux has written herself into her first mystery, but the wonderful Sara Medlar character sounds familiar. If you read Deveraux' website, she's living in Florida, loves boxing and weightlifting, and drives a Mini Cooper. Sara Medlar is a retired romance writer, lives in Florida, boxes, lifts weights, and drives a yellow Mini Cooper. I hope Deveraux has as much fun writing the character as I did reading about her in  A Willing Murder. Sara Medlar bought a big mansion in Lachlan, her hometown, and hired Jack Wyatt, grandson of her childhood sweetheart, to remodel it. But, she's rattling around in that house. When Jack breaks his leg in a tragic accident, she invites him to move in. Then her niece Kate Medlar accepts a job as a realtor in Lachlan, and Sara is excited to offer her a suite in the house. But, Kate's just a little suspicious of Jack's motives. However, Kate's not there long when the trio finds somethin...

Although I missed a couple in Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's mystery series, it's always satisfying to return to Briar Creek, Connecticut. It's like meeting up with old friends, Library Director Lindsey Norris, her boyfriend, Sully, Captain Mike Sullivan, her children's librarian, Beth, and all the members of Lindsey's crafternoon group. With developments in Lindsey's personal life,  Hitting the Books  is even more satisfying for those of us who are rooting for her. Lindsey's trying to avoid a baby hand-off, so she's watching out the library window when an out-of-control car hits the local tennis coach, and speeds off. She and two other witnesses have conflicting accounts to give to Police Chief Emma Plewicki, but Lindsey's sure that car aimed at Theresa Huston. When there's a second attempt on Theresa's life, Lindsey wonders if Theresa is the target, or her wealthy fiance. Anyone who knows Lindsey Norris knows she won't be able to k...

After I read a couple of Mark de Castrique's Sam Blackman books, I quit the series. But, the seventh Buryin' Barry mystery,  Secret Undertaking , made me go back to pick up the first in this series. Dark humor, that western North Carolina small community setting, and the appealing characters drew me in. It's that humor that's so rarely done well that appealed to me. And, you don't need to have read the earlier books in the series if you want to pick up Secret Undertaking . "Buryin' Barry" Clayton is the owner of the local funeral home in Gainesboro, North Carolina. He's also a part-time deputy for a very shrewd sheriff, Tommy Lee Wadkins. But, Barry never expected Tommy Lee to fall for Archie Donovan's latest scheme. The insurance agent wants to ride on the Jaycees float in the Apple Festival parade to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs. Barry can arrest him, and he'll spend time in jail, trying to raise the $10,000. With Barry on the...

There seem to have been an extraordinary number of weddings in mysteries this summer. No, librarian Kathleen Paulson isn't the one getting married in Sofie Kelly's  The Cats Came Back . But, she's part of the wedding party and planning throughout the book. It's not a major plot line, but the characters are important to the series. Kathleen's two magical cats, Hercules and Owen, are essential to the main storyline. There's a music festival going on in Mayville Heights, Minnesota, with a number of performers in town. It's just part of the town's ongoing promotions. Hercules and Owen are part of that, posing for Ruby, a photographer, for a fundraising calendar to promote the town. Hercules has a different focus one night at the marina, though. Ruby finally goes to see what Hercules is focused on, and finds a body. Kathleen and Ruby both assume it's singer Emme Finley. Kathleen's the first to realize it's Emme's lookalike assistant, Miranda. ...

While the trade paperback of Andrea Carter's Death at Whitewater Church was just released, it appears that the book has been out for several years online. However, most readers will discover it as the debut mystery in a character-driven, atmospheric series. Benedicta "Ben" O'Keefe is a solicitor in Ireland, on the coast of Inishowen,  with "the most northerly solicitor's office in Ireland" or, as she says, providing "the last legal advice in Ireland". She's acting for clients, the sellers of Whitewater Church, a deconsecrated church, when the surveyor finds a hidden crypt on the property. He's shocked to find a skeleton in the crypt, but no one in town is surprised. They, and Conor Devitt's family, all assume it's his because he disappeared on his wedding day six years earlier. Ben's nosy, as she admits. As the confidant of many in town, she hears all kinds of stories of the missing man, but they don't add up. When Conor...

While the third Foggy Moscowitz mystery, Icepick , is called "A noir mystery set in Florida", the violence of Phillip DePoy's latest book is offset by the dark humor and the mysticism. In fact, like Foggy, the reader may get to the end and wonder what just happened. Foggy was once a successful car thief from Brooklyn, but when one of his thefts went horribly wrong, he escaped to Florida, where he's changed his life to make reparations. Now, in 1976, he's working for Child Protection Services. It's in that role that he tries to help two Seminole children, a brother and sister, Duck and Sharp, whose mother has disappeared. She was a hard-working, devoted mother who walked seven miles each way to work as a housekeeper at the Benton Inn. But, she hasn't been home in three days. When Foggy asks around, he learns twenty-seven Seminole women, almost one third of the women from the local tribe, have disappeared. Foggy's fears grow worse when he follows clues t...