March 2026

As always, opinions are my own

The Nightingale before Christmas by Donna Andrews 

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 21, 2014

Meg Langslow #18

Follows The Good, the Bad, and the Emus

Followed by Lord of the Wings

Audiobook from Audible

Lord of the Wings by Donna Andrews

Four stars

This book came out August 4, 2015

Meg Langslow #19

Follows The Nightingale Before Christmas

Followed by Die Like an Eagle

Audiobook from Audible

Die Like an Eagle by Donna Andrews

Four stars
This book came out August 2, 2016

Meg Langlsow #20

Follows Lord of the Wings
Followed by Gone Gull

Audiobook from Audible

Gone Gull by Donna Andrews

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 1, 2017

Meg Langslow #21
Follows Die Like an Eagle
Followed by How the Finch Stole Christmas

How the Finch Stole Christmas! by Donna Andrews

Three stars

This book came out October 24, 2017

Meg Langslow #22

Follows Gone Gull

Followed by Toucan Keep a Secret

Toucan Keep a Secret by Donna Andrews

Four stars

This book came August 7th, 2018

Meg Langslow #23

Follows How the Finch Stole Christmas!
Followed by Lark! The Herald Angels Sing

Book from Audible

How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay by Jenny Lawson

stars

This book comes out March 31, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Viking Penguin and Netgalley

Opinions are my own

Vengeance in Venice by Erica Ruth Neubauer

 Jane and Redvers are on their honeymoon and enjoying their time alone. Except they're not as alone as they used to be since Aunt Millie has not only found them in Italy, she's insisting that they attend a party with her. 

The soiree is being thrown by Clara, an heiress to the Morton salt company. She's eccentric and rude and Jane is stymied as to how she is a friend of Millie's. It's equally strange that this particular get-together includes a murder, that of Clara's second ex-husband, an Italian poet. The police immediately latch onto Clara's secretary, a woman Jane has met before. 

The search for the killer will introduce Jane to a new kind of detective (inspettore) and cause her to question whether she is at good at reading people as she thinks she is. 

Four stars

Jane Wunderly #5

This book comes out March 31, 2026

Follows Homicide in the Indian Hills

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally

I picked up this book on a whim, enjoying both the cover and the title. McNally has certainly lived an interesting and varied life including acting, directing, writing, and opening restaurants. I wish we had read more about the restaurants, being in the hospitality industry right now. He also came off as a little to much of a martyr, blaming himself for every relationship in his life that went wrong. He may not have a great personality, and it was mostly a matter of fact recitation rather than self-flagellation but it was still a little tiring.

Four stars

This book came out

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Slay Fell Things by Erik Henry Vick

He knows when you've been sleeping, he knows when you're awake... And he wants to sacrifice you so that he can stay immortal, as liches do. Well, really, he's going after Leery. But Dru might have something to say about that. 

With Leery and Dru being back in "the real world," their relationship needs to take the next step and this story ends with that happening. 

Three stars

This book came out December 11, 2020

Claw & Warder #8

Follows Sure 'Lock

Followed by Where the Wild Things Aren't

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

This Will Be Interesting by E. B. Asher

Most people would be grateful to be brought back from the dead. And, while Galwell the Great's circumstances ARE fairly unique, he still feels like he should be grateful. He's trying very hard to be. But, for the rest of the world it's been ten years while for him it's the blink of an eye. His life just gets even weirder when an assasin tries to take him out.

River kills for the council. This one is weird, though. She's gotten instructions on who to kill but not why. And she always gets the why. She encounters Clara, a journalist who is also an old friend. Seeing her again is one of the reasons River decides to figure out what is going on. 

I had no idea how Asher was going to follow the first book. How do you deal withsomeone whose death united a nation, but now the man has returned. I quite enjoyed it. 

Four stars

This book comes out March 24, 2026

Follows This Will Be Fun

ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyage, and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien

Lana Lee, twenty-seven, has returned home and has been working for her parents for the last six months. Her parent's restaurant is a part of the "Asian Village." Mr. Feng, the owner of said village, is raising the rent and people are not happy. Since this is a murder mystery, Mr. Feng is the one who ends up dead. Also, since this is a murder mystery, there are any number of suspects as well as a variety of motives.
I finished this book but won't be actively looking to continue the series. Lana actively interferes in investigations, puts both herself and her friends in danger, and withholds evidence. And there's no reason for it! She's not even really a suspect nor is anyone she loves. The victim wasn't someone she loved. I just didn't get why she was invested at all. 

Two and a half stars

This book came out March 27, 2018

Noodle Shop Mystery #1

Followed by Dim Sum of All Fears

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

I'm Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus Craig

Carol has been released from prison after several decades. She has been deposited in a retirement community that should be quiet, but a murder occurs soon after she arrives. As a confessed serial killer, she comes under suspicion pretty quickly. 

80-year-old Geoffrey, a former cop certainly points her out pretty quickly. He is joined in his investigation by Catherine, a retired pathologist, and Margaret who was a barrister, even home secretary for awhile. They don't think the police are moving fast enough so they'll take care of it themselves. 

Carol wants to prove her innocence even when it puts her at odds with the people in her home, but will they have to end up working together?

A lovely story that is more than fairly clued. It took me awhile to get into the story but was worth the read. 

Four stars

This book came out February 17, 2026

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Coaching Effect by Sarah Wirth, Bill Eckstrom

This book has the premise that coaching elevates teams more than managing does. They studied sales teams becuase they are easier to track immediate results. They also talk about the four growth rings: stagnation (low/no growth), chaos (performance low), order (predictibility), complexity (growth through discomfort). 

They also talk about the tools needed for high performance growth: one-on-one meetings, team meetings, performance feedback, and career development plans. It's not only important to have these things but to do them on a particular cadence and in a particular style (in person, email, etc.)  It IS important to be clear and specific, to structure the talk for feedback, and to ask what questions rather than why questions, and to pay attention to your tone. 

It was an interesting book and fine enough to read, but I didn't really connect with the style.

Three stars

This book came out April 2, 2019

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own
 

Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson

Ernest is back in the thick of things, solving crimes using the rules of Golden Age mysteries. This time, he and Juliette are trying to get a loan to get their detective business off the ground but are having little success. Then, a letter comes from a bank that is willing to loan them money. 

They head to the bank and discover that the man willing to lend them money wants them to prove themselves first by finding his brother. While they're there, the bank is going to be robbed. And by the end of the story, all ten people in the bank will have stolen something. 

This is the closest of the sequels to hit the tone and feel of the first book with a setting that makes sense for the update to a golden age mystery. 

Three and a half stars

Ernest Cunningham #4

Follows Everyone this Christmas Has a Secret

ARC kindly provided by Mariner Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line by Elle Cosimano

The last book ended suddenly with Finlay's live-in nanny, best friend, and body-moving buddy, Vero, being arrested for stealing a large amount of cash from her sorority. Her loss is keenly felt, especially since her attorney has cut off communication to both Finlay and Vero's husband-ish-type-person, Javier. 

Finlay isn't okay with that and neither is Javi so they're going to go see Vero. And that turns into helping Vero and suddenly they're breaking her out of the house and tryin to figure out who actually stole the money. This leads them on another madcap adventure where they're again on the wrong side of the law, but Cosimano makes it seem so fun. 

Four stars

Finlay Donovan #6

Follows Finlay Donovan Digs her own Grave

ARC kindly provided by Minotaur Books and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

The Antique Hunter's Murder at the Castle by C.L. Miller

Bella, recently added to the Lockwood Antique Hunter's Agency, has gone off to track down some more faked antiquities. But is it a trap? Bella disappears and when Freya and Carole come up to see what is happening, they find a dead body.

The owner of the castle has been killed. Carole had met him before and was not impressed, especially in how he treated his daughter, India. Freya nad 

From there, the plot gets a little crazy and convoluted. I had to go back and reread the last couple of chapters to really try and get everything. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out March 17, 2026

Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder #3

Follows Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea

ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree

We met Fern in a previous book in the series. She's a ratkin bookshop owner. In this book, she's sold her old bookshop and has moved to be closer to her friend Viv, thinking that the move might help her fill the emptiness she's been feeling. And though it's good to be near her friend, she's still not feeling fulfilled. Trying to fill the emptiness, she overdrinks one night and decides that it's going to be a good idea to crawl into a cart. She wakes up well outside of town and discovers the cart belongs to Astryx, the one-eared elf also known as the Oathminder. She's taking a redhaired goblin to get a huge reward.

A lot of adventure in this book and some good character growth for Fern.

Four stars

Legends & Lattes #2

This book came out November 11, 2025

Follows Goblins & Greatcoats

The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao

It starts off so sterotypically, Kathryn has had a bad day and just wants to talk to her boyfriend. When she gets to his house, there are rose petals leading to the bedroom and her boyfriend is on his knee... in front of another woman. She decides to go on the romantic vacation she had planned with her boyfriend but with the other woman instead. When they get there, they discover a third woman! The three get together and decided to prank the heck out of him. Instead, they find his dead body. That sets off a chain of events where Kathryn becomes one of the main suspects. At least she gets to spend some time with the super hot cop.

This book was fine but I didn't feel like any of the characters were fully developed. 

Three stars

Hu Done It #1

This book came out June 24, 2025

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

It is supposed to take hundreds of years for the Fairweather to reach its destination. There were supposed to be no additions to the living creatures who boarded; their memories would just be inserted into new bodies. There aren't even supposed to be cats and dogs. So why is Dorothy's nephew asking her questions about babies?

I don't know how Waite manages to build so much world into such short snippets but she does, adding on to what she already started in the first of this series. I don't think you have to have read Murder by Memory but I would anyway.  

Four stars

Dorothy Gentleman #2

This book comes out March 10, 2026

Follows Murder by Memory

ARC kindly provided by MacMillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Murderbot is still trying to stay under the radar. It would, in fact, prefer if people would forget it existed. But the investigation around GrayCris is still ongoing. Murderbot has decided to go to Milu to uncover what GrayCris was really doing there. Then, humans get on the same transport along with a robot that Murderbot gets to know. And when they're attacked, this SecUnit gets involved. 

Short but with a lot of action. 

Three and a half stars

The Murderbot Diaries #3

This book came out August 7, 2018

Follows Artificial Condition

Followed by Exit Strategy

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

Stephane Breitwieser is one of the most prolific art thieves of recent times (at least who has been found.) But he doesn't steal for money. Instead, he keeps all of the art for himself, to look at.

This book covers his early life as well as his meeting of Anne-Catherine, the woman who opens up his world. Previously, he had not really connected to anyone, but mainly to objects. And it is likely that love of objects that helps to spur on his urge to steal art. He doesn't steal for money, at least not before his jail stint, but for the love of the items. 

He is eventually caught though and, due to the vagaries of the law, is not jailed though he stole millions of dollars. But they are all non-violent so his time is not as long as one might expect. 

The author took some time in building this story, even getting to inteview Breitwieser. 

Four stars

This book came out June 22, 2023

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Witches of Honeysuckle House by Liz Parker

Everyone knows about the Caldwell curse and, knowing that this is the 13th year since a Caldwell has been claimed, the town is staying at arm's length. No one wants to get be caught in the splash zone because it's not just the Caldwell's that die, it's the people they love.

In different ways, both Evie and Florence have been trying to stop the curse. Florence has mostly given up magic. Evie is still living in Caldwell house and trying to work off of her mosther's notes. She's raising her daughter. 

We get flashes back to the 1960s when the curse began as well as snippets from the 70s and 90s. 

I liked the idea of this book but it didn't land for me. I made it through and it was fine but also felt like there was a little too much going on. 

Three stars

This book came out October 21, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Peanuts Treasury by Charles M. Schulz

A huge book of Peanuts comic strips. pages range from four to five strips. It includes the origin stories for the Great Pumpkin, Lucy's psychiatry stand, and the kite-eating tree. We also get the little red-headed girl, little league, and the Christmas program. 

A wonderful book of nostalgia. 

Four and a half stars

This book came out in 1968

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

The Late-Night Witches by Auralee Wallace with Robyn Maryke

Cassie Beckett lives on Prince Edward Island in a neighborhood she loves. The book opens with her enjoying the quiet of her neighborhood but she does feel a gentle quiet, like she's supposed to be doing something other than all of the other things she does as a mother with three kids who's husband is away with Doctors Without Borders.  Then, her sister Eliza appears with a story about going to battle with a car. There's a lot going on. This is really not the time to find out she's The Chosen One. Well, the thirteenth witch. There's a Big Bad and, if he kills her, she's the thirteenth witch and he can escape the curse her great-great-whatever-grandmother put him  under. 

There was some character development but not a lot. There was also a lot of time hopping and glossing over parts. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 19, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

Sinek first focuses on the Navy and how the leaders eat last. This contributes to the circle of safety that their teams feel. And those circles are important to making sure that teams can survive and thrive. Circles are our relationships, and, if people don't feel like they are in a circle, they become disconnected and disaffected. 

He talks about the fact that leaders are not always the people with the titles of "Being in Charge," and, indeed, ends the book with an admonition for us all to become leaders. 

Sometimes, we follow the people in charge, just because they look like the people who we should be following. But we need to pay attention to our own higher moral authority as well. Sinek explores a number of stories and studies where the people in charge subvert the moral authority and how people reacted. And, while we may follow the strict law of the land, that may not be the same as having a high moral character. He points to the Titanic which knew that the lifeboat laws were going to be updated soon but still set out with only enough for about 1/4 of the people on board.

Like many authors of the time, Sinek falls into a familiar trap; he more or less ignores Generation X. He speaks long about millenials and quite a bit about Boomers, but barely touches on a whole swath of the population. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out January 21, 2014

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood

Willowjean Parker (not the name she was born with) meets Mrs. Pentecost on a fraughte evening when they both almost die. Willow grew up in a small town then moved around frequently with a circus so she hadn't heard of Mrs. Pentecost, the famous detective. But after that night, Mrs. P sought her out and hired her. Three years later, Willow is still working with Mrs. P. They are approached by the Collins twins and their "uncle." Their father committed suicide then, during a party with a seance, their mother is bludgeoned to death. They want to know what is going on. 

Willow and Mrs. P are on the hunt for a murderer and getting pulled into the world of a medium who, past the time when most were moving into the world of tarot readers, is still working with the richest people (including Mrs. Collins.)

The set up very much reminds me of Wolfe and Goodwin with Parker being the legs, though she is not just the muscle, she is very much being trained to take over the agency some day.   

Three and a half stars

Pentecost and Parker #1

This book came out October 27, 2020

Followed by Murder Under Her Skin

Opinions are my own

I Haven't Been Entirely Honest by Miranda Hart

I knew of Miranda Hart from her show, "Miranda," and didn't look to closely at what this book was before requesting it from the library. I didn't realize how much of this would be talking about her illness. I was newly dealing with my own brush with a scary illness and had to take a break from the book for awhile.

She talks a lot about what worked for her in coming to terms with the life she has versus the life she thought she was supposed to lead. Instead, she had to become very introspective, to go into a metaphorical cave to find the treasures of her life. 

As Hart reads the biography, it becomes apparent that many of the most delightful parts of her fictional character are a part of her own true life. Speckled with poetry and suggested dance breaks, this was an interesting story that I may have enjoyed more if I were in a different place in my own life. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 10, 2024

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica and Stoker are itching for a new adventure. When Mornaday comes to them with the story of a man who read a note and then jumped out of a window. This story leads them to cemeteries, vampires, a cult, and a crossover.

This is a lovely addition to the series. Not much character development but lots of atmosphere and an interesting story. 

Four stars

This book comes out March 3, 2026

Veronica Speedwell #10

Follows 
A Grave Robbery

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own