Book Review: Murder at Midnight (Lily Adler Mystery #4) by Katharine Schellman

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Genre: Historical fiction mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: September 19th, 2023
Pages: 320, hardcover
Source: NetGalley

Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to returning to Hertfordshire to spend time with the family of her late husband. She is also excited that Captain Jack Hartley, her friend and confidante, will be visiting his own family after a long voyage at sea. With winter quickly approaching, Lily is most excited at the prospect of a relaxing and enjoyable Christmastide season away from the schemes and secrets she witnessed daily in London.

At a neighborhood ball, she soon becomes reacquainted with a friend of her late husband, Peter Coleridge, a wealthy man who not only manages Irish investments, but also a fund that most of the locals of Hertfordshire take part in. There, she also learns Jack’s sister, Amelia, is the subject of much of the neighborhood gossip—although Amelia refuses to explain if there is any truth to it. For a brief moment, Lily wonders if she ever really left London.

When a snowstorm forces several guests, including both the Adlers and the Hartleys, to stay the night, Lily quickly deduces that all is not well this holiday season. In the morning, a maid discovers the body of a guest in the poultry yard, shot to death—and he is the same man that is scandalously linked to Amelia.

Lily accepts the offer to assist in the investigation, but will she find more than what she bargained for the more she digs? Or will she herself be buried deep within the snow?

I love a good English country house murder mystery, and Murder at Midnight does not disappoint. Lily Adler’s fourth case takes us to Hertfordshire, where Lily is attending a house party in the company of her deceased husband’s mother and brother.

Also present are Captain Jack and his family. When the body of one of the young men from the party is found in the snow, Jack’s younger sister becomes the main suspect. Lily and her magistrate brother-in-law investigate, but are stymied by Amelia’s refusal to talk and Jack’s false confession.

Lily’s lover, Matthew, helps with the investigation. He also wants to formalize their relationship, and you do have to wonder at his timing. Lily, naturally, postpones the discussion until the murder is solved, which perhaps should have been all the answer Matthew needed.

Why you should read it: Schellman has recently begun a new series, and I worried, unnecessarily, as it turned out, that it might cause a small drop in the quality of this series. The writing is as solid and wonderful as ever, and allows you to understand the characters.

Why you might not want to: Amelia grated on my nerves. She could have resolved things much sooner if she just hadn’t been so stubborn, silly, and overindulged by all the adults in her life. Yes, I know that she was trying to avoid being “ruined,” but I was seriously out of patience with her before I was half done with the book. It wasn’t enough to keep me from finishing it, but I hope scenes with Amelia are few and far between in future books.

Book Review: Last Word to the Wise (Christie Bookshop #2) by Ann Claire

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Genre: Cozy mystery
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Pages: 336, trade paperback
Source: NetGalley

The Christie sisters and their bookshop cat, Agatha, flirt with cold-hearted crime when bookish matchmaking turns into a date with death.

Sisters Ellie and Meg Christie share a love of books, reading, and their new roles as co-caretakers of the Book Chalet, their family’s historic bookshop tucked midway up a scenic Colorado mountain. But romance? That’s another story. Ellie and Meg joke they’re in sisterly competition for worst relationships. So, when their cousin signs them up for her newest business endeavor, matchmaking based on bookish tastes, the sisters approach their blind double dates with foot-dragging dread.

While Ellie’s date meets her low expectations, Meg’s match, a book-loving romantic straight out of classic literature, charms her over a lovely dinner. The next morning, Meg is giddy with anticipation of a second date—until she’s stood up without a word. She fumes that she should have known better. However, her date had a good reason for ghosting her. He’s dead. Murdered, the police later confirm.

As the last known person to see the victim alive, Meg becomes a prime suspect in his death. She grimly quips that at least her dating record can’t get any worse. But it does. A thorn from Meg’s romantic past returns to little Last Word, espousing motives too sweet to believe.

To sleuth out the truth, the sisters must sift through secrets deeper than the February snowfall. Clues accumulate, but so do suspects, crimes, and betrayals. Ellie and Meg can’t afford to leave any page unturned. Romance may not be their forte, but hearts and lives are on the line, and the Christies know how to solve a mystery—especially when murder is involved.

I’m always amazed when bookstores in fictional small towns not only survive, but thrive, even when they’re in tourist attractions/resort towns like the Christies’ bookstore is. I’m glad they’re doing well, though, because that gives us another chance to solve a mystery with them.

The Christies allow themselves to be forced into yet another of their cousin Lorna’s business schemes, and go on blind dates. When one of the men turns up dead, the sisters band together to solve the crime and clear their names.

Why you should read it: Agatha the bookstore cat and some of the regular secondary characters are a lot of fun. There are plenty of clues and false clues, and you’re given enough information to solve the crime before Ellie does.

Why you might not want to read it: The sisters allow themselves to get pulled into things they don’t want to do because of family ties. As business owners, you’d think they’d have a bit more assertiveness, and they sometimes act a bit helpless. This was also an irritation in the side plot with Meg’s ex showing up, and her and Ellie allowing him and Meg’s daughter to manipulate them. These ladies need to learn to set some boundaries. If you like strong amateur sleuths, this might not be your cup of tea.

Book Review: Uncanny Vows (Huntsmen #2) by Laura Anne Gilman

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Genre: Historical Fantasy
Publisher: Saga Press
Publication Date: November 28th, 2023
Pages: 384, trade paperback
Source: NetGalley

Following the events of the high-stakes and propulsive Uncanny Times, Rosemary and Aaron Harker, along with their supernatural hound Botherton, have been given a new assignment to investigate…but the Harkers believe it’s a set-up, and there’s something far more ancient and deadly instead.

Rosemary and Aaron Harker have been effectively, unofficially sidelined. There is no way to be certain, but they suspect their superiors know that their report on Brunson was less than complete, that they omitted certain truths. Are they being punished or tested? Neither Aaron nor Rosemary know for certain. It may be simply that they are being given a breather or that no significant hunts have been called in their region. But neither of them believes that.

So, when they are sent to a town just outside of Boston with orders to investigate suspicious activity carefully, the Harkers suspect that it is a test. Particularly since the hunt involves a member of the benefactors, wealthy individuals who donate money to the Huntsmen in exchange for certain special privileges and protections.

If they screw this up…at best, they’ll be out of favor, reduced to a life of minor hunts and “clean up” for other Huntsmen. At worst, they will be removed from the ranks, their stipend gone—and Botheration, their Hound, taken from them.

They can’t afford to screw this up.

But what seems like a simple enough hunt—find the uncanny that attacked a man in his office and sent him into a sleep-like state—soon becomes far more complicated as more seemingly unrelated attacks occur. The Harkers must race to find what is shadowing them, before the uncanny strikes again, and sleep turns into murder—and the Huntsmen decide that they have been compromised beyond repair.

But their quarry may not be the only uncanny in town. Botheration and Aaron both sense something else, something shadowing them. Something old, dangerous…and fey.

Rosemary and Aaron Harker have been sidelined after the events in “Uncanny Times,” so they’re relieved, but also apprehensive, to get a new assignment assisting a family who are benefactors of the Huntsmen. It feels like a setup, but what can they do but go? Their livelihoods depend on a successful hunt. They are met by a fellow Huntsman who claims to have a hunt of his own, but may also be keeping an eye on the Harkers. The hunt seems straightforward at first. A man has been sent into a magical sleep and can’t be awakened. During the investigation, though, Rosemary and Aaron find more fey, and more secrets, and get closer to understanding Aaron’s powers.

This is the second book in the series, and it’s not as tightly-plotted and paced as the first. It’s a great read, but I feel like it’s not as focused. Part of it is the nature of the hunt, and the kid gloves the Harkers have to wear when dealing with the afflicted family. The other part is the secrets they keep from the organization, but also from each other. I’m disappointed that Rosemary is still using Blast to enhance her abilities even as she discourages Aaron from using his innate ones.

Why you should read it: We get more insight into Aaron’s abilities and the possibility of him being a “throwback.” We learn more about the different types of uncanny, and how the Huntsmen may not always be on the side of the angels.

Why you might not want to read it: The aforementioned pacing issues.

Book Review: Death by Irish Whiskey (The Dublin Driver Mysteries #5) by Catie Murphy

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Genre: Cozy mystery
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: January 23rd, 2024
Pages: 304, mass market paperback
Source: NetGalley

Dublin limo driver Megan Malone finds her relationship on the rocks when a double murder at the whiskey festival draws her in – despite promising her girlfriend she’d quit sleuthing for good…

Perfect for fans of Carlene O’Connor, Sheila Connolly, and Rob Osler alike, Catie Murphy’s acclaimed Dublin Driver Mystery series is a charming blend of Irish humor, compelling whodunnits, and the allure of the Emerald Isle.

“There is so much to like about the cozy perfection that is Catie Murphy’s [Dublin Driver series] from the lush Irish travelogue to the precise balance between comic relief and crime.” —Bookpage STARRED REVIEW for Death on the Green

The competition for best whiskey in Ireland will be a publicity bonanza for the winner, and that means there are celebrities involved—like boxer Angus McConal and Megan’s friend Niamh, an up-and-coming actress who’s teamed up with Megan’s uncle, the retired Sligo harbormaster. But rivalries and revelries turn out to be a bad blend when McConal dies at a whiskey tasting. Megan promised her girlfriend she’d quit her amateur sleuthing, but with Niamh and her uncle as suspects, she’s over a barrel . . .

With her relationship on the rocks, Megan gets in even deeper when a second entrant in the competition is killed—and her investigation starts zeroing in on a suspect. Now she just needs proof . . .

Megan the Murder Driver is back, to support her uncle in a local whiskey competition. When one of the competitors suddenly dies, she switches gears to investigate, despite having promised her partner, Jelena, that she would avoid playing detective.

Murphy is a solid writer, and I always enjoy her work and spending time with the characters she creates. This series feels ‘real’ in a way that cozies sometimes don’t, probably because in real life, people would start avoiding someone who had so many deaths around them, and I wouldn’t think an amateur sleuth would have a long life expectancy, either.

In Death by Irish Whiskey, though, something just never gelled completely for me. Maybe it was my irritation with Megan for risking her relationship with Jelena to investigate, especially when she’s good friends with one of the detectives, and really has no reason to be poking her nose in.

This book, and the previous one, have had a LOT more characters in them than the earlier entries in the series, so it was great seeing Megan interact more with some of the secondary characters, like Carmen and Niamh. Unfortunately, Megan had time to do so because Jelena left. No spoilers, so I won’t say whether they patched it up in the end or not, but Megan was definitely distracted because of her self-inflicted relationship woes during this case.

Why you should read it: Even though this isn’t my favorite in the series so far, it’s a nice puzzle with people you’ll enjoy reading about.

Why you might not want to read it: If you would put a relationship before risking your life as an amateur sleuth, you might give this one a pass and pick up the next book.

Book Review: A Pie to Die For (Lucky Pie Mystery #1) by Gretchen Rue

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Genre: Cozy mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: February 4th, 2024
Pages: 320, hardcover
Source: NetGalley

Este March runs the family-owned Lucky Pie Diner on Split Pine Island in Northern Michigan. The pies at Lucky Pie aren’t just good, they’re magical, with a family recipe that grants certain customers their greatest hopes and dreams when they eat the pie. The remote island is closed to outsiders over the winter months, but on the last day of the season, the unpopular new produce vendor, Jeff, turns up dead on his boat, and Split Pine Island’s peace goes up in smoke.

Tom Cunningham, the local sheriff, casts suspicion onto Este, who may have been the last person to see Jeff alive. Not to mention several people witnessed her getting into an argument with the rude vendor in some of his final hours. Este decides to clear her name and her diner’s reputation by launching her own investigation, which means she must turn suspicion on her friends and neighbors, because only a local could have murdered the victim.

As Este investigates, she uncovers a deeper web of secrets, finding that many of the locals had reason to either frame her, or kill the victim. The clock is ticking to figure out the killer, and the clues in the case are flakier than an apple pie. Este will have to uncover the killer before her future crumbles.

In “A Pie to Die For,” Este March must clear her name and save her diner after a produce supplier is killed.

The premise of this series is that Este has inherited an ability to make lucky pies. She can’t do in on command, and only one pie per day, if any, can be lucky. Este doesn’t have a lot of information about how and why this is so, and it does beg the questions of why luck has to be conveyed via a pie, and how does the magic work to direct the person who needs it to the diner. But happily, this is a cozy, so we don’t have to dwell on pesky existential questions like that when there’s a nice, juicy murder to solve.

Este knows she’s not really a viable suspect, even if she weren’t in the early stages of a potential romance with the local sheriff. Still, when her business is threatened by the murder of the man who has replaced the town’s produce supplier, she decides to investigate. Along the way, she finds another threat, and has to work to save her beloved home.

This is a good start to the series, if a little uneven and repetitive in places. We spend a lot of time in Este’s head, and I think the story could have benefited from her interacting more with her friends. Este does take charge, getting her home set up, running a business, rescuing a cat, and tentatively starting a romance, on top of investigating, so in fairness, she’s busy.

Why you should read it: Nice series start, characters you’ll enjoy, great setting, and you’ll be interested in what’s next for Esme

Why you shouldn’t read it: No real reason. It’s a solid series entry, but like some debuts, it’s a little bumpy in places, since the scene has to be set, and we have to get to know the characters.

Book Review: Rivers of London: Deadly Ever After (Rivers of London Graphic Novels #10) by Ben Aaronovitch

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Genre: Mystery Graphic Novel
Publisher: Titan Books
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2023
Pages: 116, paperback
Source: NetGalley

CSI meets Harry Potter in this graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch – writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series, Andrew Cartmel author of The Vinyl Detective and Celeste Bronfman.

Illustrations from a mysterious book of fairy tales drawn in the late 1800s are coming to life in the 21st Century and causing havoc. The illustrations were originally painted by a Victorian artist called Jeter Day who disappeared one night in an enchanted forest when he was spirited away by tree nymphs never to be seen again…

Now, with the enchantment accidentally broken by Olympia and Chelsea, daughters of the river goddess Mama Thames, Jeter, twisted by his time spent with the nymphs, has returned to our world bitter and resentful. It is a world he neither recognises nor likes. All he wants is his life returned to him and woe betide any man who stands in his way.

With Peter and Nightingale busy on another case, it falls to sisters Olympia and Chelsea with the help of the Foxes to stop Jeter and save the day.

RoL: Deadly Ever After is a non-Peter, non-Nightingale graphic novel featuring Beverley’s the river goddess’s younger sisters who have not featured much in the series. The twisted fairy tales are an interesting take, and the artwork is great, but I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I have some of the others in the series. I did, however, like the Foxes, and am glad they were included.

This works as a stand-alone, and is enjoyable for fans of the series.

Book Review: Bryant & May: Peculiar London (Bryant & May: Peculiar Crimes Unit #18.5) by Ben Aaronovitch

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Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Pages: Hardcover, 496
Source: NetGalley

Thinking of a jaunt to England? Let Arthur Bryant and John May, London’s oldest police detectives, show you the oddities behind the façades of the city in this tongue-in-cheek travel guide.

The best fun is running all over the city with these amiable partners. —The New York Times Book Review, on Bryant & May: The Lonely Hour

It’s getting late. I want to share my knowledge of London with you, if I can remember any of it.

So says Mr. Arthur Bryant. He and John May are the nation’s oldest serving detectives. Who better to reveal its secrets? Why does this rainy, cold, gray city capture so many imaginations? Could its very unreliability hold the key to its longevity?

The detectives are joined by their boss, Raymond Land, and some of their most disreputable friends, each an argumentative and unreliable expert in their own dodgy field.

Each character gives us a short tour of odd buildings, odder characters, lost venues, forgotten disasters, confusing routes, dubious gossip, illicit pleasures, and hidden pubs. They make all sorts of connections and show us why it’s almost impossible to separate fact from fiction in London.

One would think that it is impossible to out-peculiar Arthur Bryant and his friends? acquaintances? strays?, but London, in all its glory, manages to do just that, in this travel guide of the arcane. No crimes are solved, but the interplay between Bryant, May, the PCU staff, and all the personalities we’ve seen throughout the series, along with the wealth of knowledge about London, past and present, make this a thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile read.

It’s substantial, almost 500 pages, and chockfull of anecdotes and stories. I expected to like it, but to maybe feel disappointed that it wasn’t one of their twisty, turny mysteries. No fear, this is delightful, and every bit as quirky as you’d expect.

The chapters are divided into areas and/or topics, and don’t necessarily need to be read in order. This is a book to be savored. You might be able to read it in one sitting, but my advice would be to take your time. Get some tea, get some biscuits, read a little, then check out the references for more information.

Book Review: A Treacherous Tale (The Cambridge Bookshop Series #2) by Elizabeth Penney

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Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: August 23rd, 2022
Pages: 288, mass market
Source: NetGalley

Lately, Molly has been feeling that she might have fallen into a fairy tale: she’s reinvigorated the family bookshop Thomas Marlowe—Manuscripts and Folios, made friends in her new home of Cambridge, England, and is even developing a bit of a romance with the handsome Kieran—a bike shop owner with a somewhat intimidating family pedigree.
Having recently discovered The Strawberry Girls, a classic children’s tale, Molly is thrilled to learn the author, Iona York, lives nearby. But while visiting the famous author at her lovely cottage in nearby Hazelhurst, an old acquaintance of Iona’s tumbles off her roof to his death.
Then, when one of Iona’s daughters—an inspiration for the original Strawberry Girls—goes missing, Molly begins to worry this story might be more Brothers Grimm than happily-ever-after. Especially after Molly learns about the mysterious long-ago death of Iona’s husband and co-author of The Strawberry Girls…could past and present crimes be linked? Molly must put the clues together before someone turns this sweet tale sour.

Molly Kimball, recent transplant from Vermont to Cambridge, is busy with her bookshop and her aristocratic beau, but when her uncle is suspected of murder, she flies on her bicycle to solve her second case.

In A Treacherous Tale, Molly is organizing an event with local author Iona York, who is coming out with a new edition of her classic children’s book. She visits Iona, only to discover the body of a local antiques dealer, who has fallen off the roof of Iona’s house, where Molly’s uncle was repairing the thatch.

Molly is a likeable heroine and has a great support system in her friends and family. While she does occasionally jump to a wrong conclusion, she generally follows the evidence and the reader is given all the clues they need to solve the case along with her. The secondary characters are important to the narrative, and don’t just serve to enhance Molly.

Penney is a solid cozy writer, and I hope there are many more in this series. I like the Cambridge Bookshop series, but I admit I’m more partial to Penney’s Apron Shop series. Both are well worth reading.

Book Review: Death at the Manor (Lily Adler Mystery #3) by Katharine Schellman

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Genre: Historical Mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: August 9th, 2022
Pages: 352, hardcover
Source: NetGalley

Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to spending the autumn away from the social whirl of London society. When she arrives in Hampshire with her friends, Lord and Lady Carroway, she doesn’t expect much more than a quiet country visit and the chance to spend time with her charming new acquaintance, Matthew Spencer.
But something odd is afoot in the small country village. A ghost has taken up residence in the Belleford manor, a lady in grey who wanders the halls at night, weeping and wailing. Half the servants have left in terror, but the family is delighted with the notoriety that their ghost provides. Piqued by this spectral guest, Lily and her party immediately make plans to visit Belleford.
They arrive at the manor the next morning ready to be entertained—but tragedy has struck. The matriarch of the family has just been found smothered to death in her bed.
There was no one else in her room, and the door was locked from the inside. The dead woman’s family is convinced that the ghost is responsible. The servants are keeping secrets. The local magistrate is flummoxed. Lily is determined to learn the truth before another victim turns up—but could she be next in line for the Great Beyond?

Lily Adler’s third case is a death that may have been caused by a ghost. In Death at the Manor, Lily, along with her friends Lord and Lady Carroway, are on a visit to Lily’s aunt in Hampshire. There have been recent sightings of a “Grey Lady” at the local manor, so Lily and Ophelia wish to investigate. Matthew Spencer, who may or may not be a potential beau, is a neighbor of the Wrights, and assists with their investigation.

While good, this book may be suffering from sophomore slump, even though it’s the third in the series. I think this is largely due to the absence of Jack and Simon. Matthew may be a potential suitor, but he isn’t the foil for Lily the way the other two are. It was nice that Lily and Ophelia got to spend more time together, and we got to spend time with the Carroways as a couple and see more of their relationship.

I also think the book couldn’t decide what it wanted to be, a Regency romance, a cozy mystery, or a gothic. It led to some slow pacing and an overall disjointedness. That said, it’s still a really good mystery on its own merits, and if I hadn’t had the previous two to which to compare, I’d probably have rated this one more highly.

Book Review: The Return of the Pharaoh: From the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D. (Nicholas Meyer Holmes Pastiches #5) by Nicholas Meyer

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Genre: Historical Fiction Mystery
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 9th, 2021
Pages: 272, hardcover
Source: NetGalley

In 1910, Dr. John Watson travels to Egypt with his wife Juliet. Her tuberculosis has returned and her doctor recommends a stay at a sanitarium in a dry climate. But while his wife undergoes treatment, Dr. Watson bumps into an old friend–Sherlock Holmes, in disguise and on a case. An English Duke with a penchant for egyptology has disappeared, leading to enquiries from his wife and the Home Office.
Holmes has discovered that the missing duke has indeed vanished from his lavish rooms in Cairo and that he was on the trail of a previous undiscovered and unopened tomb. And that he’s only the latest Egyptologist to die or disappear under odd circumstances. With the help of Howard Carter, Holmes and Watson are on the trail of something much bigger, more important, and more sinister than an errant lord.

Watson’s wife has consumption, and they travel to a specialized clinic in Egypt to effect her recovery. Holmes is also in Cairo, hunting a missing nobleman who disappeared from an apparently non-existent hotel room. The Return of the Pharaoh by Nicholas Meyer takes Holmes and Watson on a hunt for a missing nobleman, and a long-dead Egyptian king.

Nicholas Meyer captures Watson’s voice well, although I might quibble that his Watson is a bit more progressive than Conan Doyle’s. The story is interesting, and a few historical characters, such as Howard Carter, are scattered through, which will delight Egyptophiles. Naturally, there’s a mummy, as well as a tomb, and the duo must navigate not only the unfamiliar terrain, but the political landscape as well. England is still in full colonial mode, and still stinging from the defeat at the hands of the Mahdi some decades before.

If Watson is more progressive, Holmes is more fallible. The missing hotel room should not have taken him long to solve, even with the distraction of a dead waiter, and the arrival of his demanding client. There’s also a revelation toward the end of the book that could change their relationship.

Would Conan Doyle have sent Holmes to Egypt to search for a missing lord? Maybe, maybe not, but the story is well-written and I felt Meyer did a good job capturing the characters and crafting an intriguing mystery.