Review of Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (1975) (Amelia Peabody #1)
Bottom line: A fun Victorian cozy set on the banks of the Nile Rating: Recommended Blurb: Set in 1884, this is the first installment in what has become a beloved bestselling series. At thirty-two, strong-willed Amelia Peabody, a self-proclaimed spinster, decides to use her ample inheritance to indulge her passion, Egyptology. On her way to […]
Review of A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (2007) (Three Pines Mysteries #2)
Bottom line: A strong continuation of a very good series. Rating: Recommended Blurb: CC de Poitiers managed to alienate everyone in the hamlet of Three Pines, right up to the moment she died. When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache begins his investigation, it seems like an impossible murder: CC was electrocuted on a frozen lake, in […]
Review of The Anatomist’s Wife by Anna Lee Huber (2012) (Lady Darby Mysteries #1)
Bottom line: A powerful mystery with a great new detective. Rating: Recommended Blurb: Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister’s estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to […]
Review of Whiskey Sour: A Jack Daniels Mystery (2004) by J.A. Konrath (Jack Daniels Mysteries #1)
Bottom line: Definitely worth a read for hard boiled fans who don’t mind a little cliché and dose of humor in their gruesome detective stories. Rating: Recommended Blurb: Lieutenant Jacqueline ‘Jack’ Daniels is having a bad week. Her live-in boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, chronic insomnia has caused her to max out […]
Review of by Cape Refuge (2002) by Terri Blackstock (Cape Refuge Series #1)
Bottom line: A realistic mystery that is well worth reading. Rating: Recommended Blurb: Mystery and suspense combine in this first book in an exciting new 4-book series by best-selling author Terri Blackstock. Thelma and Wayne Owens run a bed and breakfast in Cape Refuge, Georgia. They minister to the seamen on the nearby docks and […]
Review of by Miss Pym Disposes (1946) by Josephine Tey
Bottom line: A quirky novel with a murder. A good read for fans of the Golden Age mystery era who are looking to add some more authors to their list. Rating: Recommended if you are a fan of Golden Age mysteries. Blurb: Miss Lucy Pym, a popular English psychologist, is guest lecturer at a physical […]
Castle TV Series
Bottom line: A murder mystery TV series with great characters, acting, and storylines. Rating: Strongly Recommended Castle is my favorite TV show. Maybe of all time, but definitely my favorite currently running show. It’s a murder mystery that features Detective Kate Beckett and her crew, who have been told to bring a writer, Richard Castle, […]
Review of The Alphabet Mysteries Series by Sue Grafton
Bottom line: A great example of the hard boiled genre, featuring a strong female P.I. Rating: Recommended Blurb for First Book: A is for Alibi (1982) A IS FOR AVENGER A tough-talking former cop, private investigator Kinsey Millhone has set up a modest detective agency in a quiet corner of Santa Teresa, California. A twice-divorced […]
Review of Maui Widow Waltz by JoAnn Bassett (2011) (Islands of Aloha Series)
Bottom line: Meh. Rating: Recommended if Blurb: Even “death do us part” couldn’t spoil her wedding day plans… Wedding planner Pali Moon is thrilled when a would-be bride shows up at “Let’s Get Maui’d” inquiring about a lavish beach wedding. That is, until she learns it must be on Valentine’s Day–just nine days away. Oh […]