Murder Will Out by Jennifer K. Breedlove

Willow Stone used to spend summers with her godmother Sue on Little North Island. But when she was fifteen, the summers stopped. Now she's grown, and an organist and curious about Sue. But what she finds is not what she expects and it sends her back to the island. 

Now, she's trying to figure out a weird small town that has... dynamics. Plus, there are ghosts. Which I wasn't expecting.

Three stars

This book came out February 17, 2026

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

The Final Target by Nora Roberts

Arden is just starting out as an author at the beginning of the book. She's at a book signing and shrugs it off when one of her fans asks her to grab a meal or coffee with her. But then she sees him again. And again. And someone breaks into her house. Then again, when she's home. But he's wealthy so he gets off with a time of five years. 

In that time, Arden begins to heal, writes more books, and decides to move to Oregon, following her family. She also meets the people of her town, including Joe Riley who owns the hardware store as well as his grandson, Gideon. Gideon is a double-threat as a romance hero, being not only a woodworker but a former cop. 

Of course, the two begin to fall in love. But the danger still lurks.

If you like Roberts, you will enjoy this book. It definitely follows her formula but it's a good formula and enjoyable. 

Four stars

This book came out May 26, 2026

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene

Nancy is trying to relax and read a book but is having trouble concentrating. Luckily, she's interrupted by a knock on the door. Not so luckily, it's Nathan Gombet who is trying to get something from Carson Drew. Her father isn't home but, when he comes back, confirms that Gombet is someone that Nancy should avoid.

Luckily, she has a mystery to distract herself. There are a pair of elderly sisters who are concerned that their house is haunted. Nancy decides to stay at their house so she can experience what they are hearing. And it is certainly puzzling, but she is able to figure out what is happening in the end, leaving the sisters with a happy ending.

This book hasn't aged as well as the first one. I think it was just some of the language that made me realize how old these books are but I'm going to keep working my way through the series. 

Three stars

Nancy Drew #2

Follows The Secret of the Old Clock

Followed by The Bungalow Mystery

This book came out in 1930, rereleased June 16, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Dover Publications and Netgalley

Opinions are my own

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz, narrator Ari Graynor

Isabel "Izzy" Spellman grew up with parents who are private investigators. She also grew up with an older brother who was perfect. So she decided to become a nosy screw up. That more or less changed when she messed up enough to bother even her brother when she turns 23. Now she's 28 and her sister has been missing for three days. There is a little bit of hopping in time but most of the story is told in chronological order describing her parents, her former cop uncle, and her fourteen-year-old sister who wants nothing more than to be a private investigator. 

This book has actually aged better than I thought.

Four stars

#1 Spellman Series
This book came out January 1, 2007

Followed by Curse of the Spellmans

Audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Widows’ Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby

Ginny Cole has been surprised by a lot of things lately. Her husband's death, how much more expensive everything is without him, the fact that she was hired so quickly as a part time librarian in her new home in the village of Little Shaw, the murder of her new, thoroughly dislikeable boss Louisa. 

Because Ginny is the first person in, she is the one to discover the body. And that also gets her pulled in to working with three other widows in Little Shaw to protect Alice, one of the women's daughters. 

I enjoyed this cozy because Ginny did seem well-rounded and actually worked with police and didn't take unnecessary chances. I wish we had gotten to see more of some of the other characters be as built-out as Ginny but there were a number of characters and this was (I'm assuming) a first book in a series. The number of characters also filled in some of the space for the plot so there wasn't a lot of space for this to be a fairly-clued story. 

Three and a half stars

The Widows' Detective Club #1

This book came out March 3, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Redshirts by John Scalzi

I think knowing the conceit of this book, since it was recommended to me by at least two people, took me a little bit out of the story itself.

Andy Dahl is about to join the spaceship Intrepid. He's going to added on with four other people, two he knows. But there's something strange on board the ship. The crew tend to scatter whenever the officers come around. And four is a large number of people to replace at one time. As Andy and his crewmates begin to explore, they begin to realize that not all of them will survive to a happy ending.

Three and a half stars

This book came out June 5, 2012

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Labors of Hercules Audiobook edition Agatha Christie with Hugh Fraser (Narrator)

Hercule Poirot is feeling like he is in a rut. Then a friend mentions that he is not very like his namesake, Hercules. So he decides to undertake the Labours of Hercules before he retires. In fact, he will only take cases that relate the the labors. So, a Pekignese dog becomes the Nemean lion. The multi-headed Hydra becomes a rash of gossip. He even has to descend into Hell.

During the short stories, we see familiar characters like Miss Lemon, George, even the Countess, Vera Rossakoff. An interesting mix of stories; some stretch quite a bit to be added to the original labors while others (like the last) are almost spot on the nose. 

Four stars

Hercule Poirot #26

Follows The Hollow

Followed by Taken at the Flood

This  book came out in 1947

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Age Happens by Jim Davis

Most of the book is dedicated to various birthday strips. Mostly Garfield's but some of Jon's. There are also sections with quizzes, fan art, and even an interview with the cat himself. The best, in my opinion, were Jim Davis's favorite strips with explanations of why. 

Four and a half stars

This book came out June 19, 2018

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Garfield Bigger Than Life by Jim Davis

This book includes veterniarian and love interest Liz as well as the diner and Irma. We also get introduced to one of Garfield's great enemies, the world's cutest cat, Nermal. Although, he doesn't seem to mind Nermal too much in the first visit. 

There are a LOT of turkeys and chicken legs consumed and furniture scratched by our favorite orange cat. Unfortunately, not all of the furniture belongs to Jon. 

Four stars

Garfield #3

Follows Garfield Gains Weight

Followed by Garfield Weighs in

This book came out in 1981

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own 

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Sam is a simple bear. She lives in her quiet town, runs her hardware store, and kills people to muffle the voices in her head. Of course, she doesn't kill anyone in town. That would be way too obvious. So why does a body show up during the local parade? And why does she think it may only be the first.

Suddenly, Sam is under the gun herself in a bid to find out who is a serial killer before her own misdeeds are uncovered.

This was an interesting story and I was bemused to see Sam encounter bears in the wild as opposed to herself. There was an interesting difference between the somewhat cheerful drawings with mainly pastel colors and the grim storyline.

Four stars

This book came out October 18, 2023

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Oh Susan Elizabeth Phillips, you do make me smile. In this book, Dean Robillard, quarterback for the Chicago Stars, picks up a woman on the side of the road dressed in a beaver suit. Blue Bailey hsd been dumped by her boyfriend and had her accounts cleaned out by her humanitarian mother, her car died and the woman who was supposed to pick her up from her recent roadside advertising gig never showed up. Instead, she gets picked up by a gorgeous man whose perfect body is splashed over billboards all around town. The two are not immediately attracted but definitely intrigued. Dean needs relief from boredom and Blue needs a ride to Nashville. She agrees to ride with him to his farm where he's resting up for the next football season. What neither of them knows is that Dean's estranged mother has been masquerading as a housekeeper in order to fix the house up for him. When his half-sister and estranged father also show up, a family special it is not. 

Love the book. Made me laugh. Witty banter and real family problems kept me interested. Will definitely read again (and again, and again...)

I wrote this in 2010 and have, indeed, read it again and again. Don't love it as much as I did in the beginning but still enjoyable.

Four stars

Chicago Stars #7

Follows Match Me if You Can

Followed by First Star I See Tonight

This book came out February 6, 2007

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

Garfield at Large by Jim Davis

The Garfield origin stories. He looked a little different in the beginning, but his love of lasagna has been around since then. So has his fear of baths. And his laziness.

We also get to see when Odie is introduced. While their relationship eventually mellows, it was more than a bit contentious at first.

Four stars

Garfield #1

Followed by Garfield Gains Weight 

This book came out in 1980

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

Harry has been asked to help a director who seems to be under a curse. At the same time, he's still dealing with the threat from the vampires. Although not all vampires since Thomas, a recurring character in this series, is the one to ask for his help. 

Harry will, of course, have a number of battles, will end up bruised and bloodied. But he will also come out of this book with some unexpected family. However, he will live to fight another day. 

Three stars

Dresden Files #6

Follows Death Masks

Followed by Dead Beat

This book came out August 3, 2004

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Ode to the Bones by Carolyn Haines

Sarah Booth Delaney and Tinkie are on the hunt for a missing farmer. Oscar had to foreclose on his family's farm and is now concerned that the young man, Danny, is missing. But is he missing just because he is ashamed to have lost the farm? Or is there something more sinister at work?
The actual mystery didn't take center stage as much as the plight of today's farmers. There are so many factors working against the people who love the land of the south and for more than just development. Yes, there is a developer who is not set up as the Big Bad as much as a general nuisance. 

The ending was a bit dramatic but does set us up for the series to continue.  

Three and a half stars

Sarah Booth Delaney #30

This book comes out May 26, 2026

Follows Doggone Bones

ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

The Ending Writes Itsel by Evelyn Clarke

I read a book so similar to this recently, I really had to think about whether I was re-reading a book. Sometimes ideas are just in the atmosphere. 

Six writers are invited to the island of a reclusive best selling author who is finalizing the last book in his series. He also often holds exclusive But when they get there, they are told that the author has died with 90% of his novel completed. These six authors are going to complete the novel with the best ending getting not only a million dollars but the promise of a publishing house throwing its full weight behind their publicity tour. of course, things are going to go off the rails.

I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't just read the other story. This also had a weird insertion of a plotline that only showed up a bit in the beginning and at the very end. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out April 27 2026

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

The Hollow by Agatha Christie, Hugh Fraser (Narrator)

Dr. John Christow has a varied romantic background. Now, at a weekend at his friends' Sir Henry and Lady Lucy Angkatell's house, known as The Hollow, he has his wife (Gerda), his girlfriend (Henrietta, an artist), and an ex, Veronica (moviestar). It's supposed to be a relaxing weekend away, but the romantic entanglements are going to create stress. It doesn't help that the nephew of the Angkatells, Edmund, is loafing around making eyes at Henrietta.

But tensions rise and John is dead. Henrietta is standing over him with a gun. It seems to be an open and shut case but Hercule Poirot is on site and working with Inspector Colquhoun to discover what really happened.

Three stars

Hercule Poirot #25

Follows Five Little Pigs

Followed by The Labours of Hercules

This  book came out in 1946

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers

They say you can't go home and Cassandra Fairfax is about to discover exactly how true that sentiment is. She's received a letter from her mentor, Chiron. She arrives in his living quarters above a bookstore to find him dead. She is the sole inheritor and left in a state of confusion. The split between Cassandra and Chiron was not amicable and they did not have a chance to  come back together. Now, she's back in a world she's been living on the fringes of for a number of years. 

Thought of as a child prodigy, Cassandra has not (legitimately) been in a bookshop for a long time. She is shocked that the river beneath it, the one that helps keep the bookshop running, is so low. The start is to bond with the bookshop and bring it back to life. The second is to find a bookseller. Third? Find out why so many people are so interested in the bookshop.

It took me awhile to get into this world and I'm not sure that it was fully put together. An interesting premise maybe not fully realized. If there were another book, it might build the world out better.

Three stars

This book came out November 28, 2025

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie Jr.

I can't remember which podcast I heard about this on and, by the time I got it, had forgotten the story. It took me awhile to get into the book. The prelude kicks off the story with a rare instance of the narrator speaking directly to you, the reader. I had to flip through and make sure the rest of the book did not continue in that vein because that is one of my least favorite conceits for a story. However, I kept going and was drawn into the world of Babs Dionne and her daughters Lori and Sis. The book mainly focuses on Lori and Babs thought we get a rich tapestry of secondary characters as well. 

This is a lovely glimpse of so many towns in the rural United States. Once vibrant but depending on one main industry which, when it collapses, takes the town down with it. When that happens, drugs often move in. Babs has become the leader of the town in many ways. Is she a good person? Objectively not. Is she doing the best she can to save the people she loves? Yes. 

Four stars

This book came out March 25, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own 

The Botanist's Assistant by Peggy Townsend

Margaret Finch is described in the book as tall and big-boned. Several times. There are also a number of references to her nickname, Big Bird. So, a bit of an oddity. And her personality only helps to set her apart. Her life is ruled by routines with the same outfits on the same day of every week, getting to work on time, etc. She also has a rigid sense of rules and will follow them, even to the point of her own detriment. 

Her entire world is shattered when she finds her boss dead. When thinking back over the scene, she becomes convinced that he was murdered. But, having no friends and few people who even like her, no one wants to listen to what she has to say. 

This was a short book with a lot of beats that repeat, but was overall an enjoyable read.

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 18, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Death Masks by Jim Butcher with James Marsters (Narrator)

The war between the Red Court and the Council is raging. There is a possible end in sight if Harry will agree to battle mano-a-mano with the vampire's champion. But he still has to make a buck so when a priest from the Vatican is referred to him, Harry is interested. He's shocked to learn that the item that the priest is searching for is the Shroud of Turin. And if those aren't enough, he's pulled into the investigation of a headless, handless corpse. Then, there's the fact that Susan, his ex(?)-girlfriend is back in town.

There was SO MUCH going on in this book. It took me awhile to get into it and I wish we could have seen more of the "problem of the week" that was in this book but there was a lot of time spent on the overarching stories. 

Three stars

Dresden Files #5

Follows Summer Knight

Followed by Blood Rites

This book came out September 3, 2002

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own