All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles

What a lovely story written in the Gothic tradition. 

Set in 1905, Zebedee "Zeb" Wyckham has been invited for a family reunion at his  cousin Wynn's house. He wasn't particularly excited to go (his immediate family is pretty horrible and he only barely remembers Wynn), but Wynn managed to talk him into it. 

He is startled to see that the house is in the middle of the moors and is basically a monstrosity. Inside the house is Wynn, Zeb's brother Bram and his wife Elise, dissolute cousin Hawley, and another, more distant cousin, Colonel Dash. Also in the house? His former boss (and lover), Gideon. Oh, and a young cousin, Jessamine, to whom Wynn will leave all of the family money, but only if she marries one of the family members.  

With writing on the walls, ghostly presences, and an atmosphere made even more eerie by gas lamps, this was a spooky (but not scary) book that I could barely put down.

Four stars

This book comes out October 7, 2025

ARC kindly provided by Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Perfect Crime Party edited by Kel McDonald

 I really liked the cover photo and liked the description of this book. I did, however, only read the first two paragraphs and missed the fact that this is not only a collection of stories, but a collection of various authors. So, that threw me off for a little part of this volume. 

stars

This book came out July 8, 2025

ARC kindly proided by Consortium Books and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards

Six people have been invited to Midwinter to solve a mystery. There's a lot going on in this story including puzzles that the readers can solve themselves. I haven't ever read anything by Edwards (I've read many of the books he's edited), but I wonder if all of his books are written like fair play classic age golden mysteries set today. This book very much felt that way up to and including the end where all of the clues were laid bare to the reader to see how much you picked up on. 

Though this book goes through a few different first-person "journals" (not really journal entries but it sort of makes sense within the context of the story), the one we see the most is Harry Crystal, a mid- to low-tier mystery writer who, even with thirty-two books, is quickly sliding into irrelevancy. And that was hastened by the influencer with whom he arrives to Midwinter. All told, there are going to be six guests this Christmas. There are also four board members going to be present as well as some staff. Quite an interesting Christmas is stacking up to be had and then the first body appears... what does this have to do with what happened five years ago?

Four and a half stars

This book comes out October 7, 2025

ARC kindly provided by Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Don't Be Yourself Why Authenticity Is Overrated (and What to Do Instead) by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

I've always thought that the admonition to "just be yourself" doesn't make sense in the workplace context. Chamorro-Premuzic agrees whole-heartedly. There are definitely some... interesting examples given in this book. 

And a lot of these examples do make sense. How showing up authentically as a leader is a proof of privilege or how authenticity can be lost if a diversity program is not set up correctly. The author also tells us about the four authenticity traps and how to avoid them. 

Overall, the end of the story is not to be inauthentic but to show up as your best self. That may mean faking it some days. He argues that focusing on emotional intelligence will help you more and that if you learn to understand your coworkers, it will create a better work environment. 

Three stars

This book comes out October 7, 2025

ARC kindly provided by Harvard Business Review Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas by Natasha Bache

Olivia has hated her in-laws pretty much since she met them. Uber rich and obnoxious, she's not sure why her husband, Miles, turned out to be an amazing man. Luckily, they're about to move with their two children to Australia, so this will be the last Christmas they have to spend at Weiss Manor. No more little asides, no more having to dress for dinner, no more having to play pleasant families.

Almost everyone will be there, Miles's mother and father, his aunt, uncle, and grandmother, as well as his brother's family. It's a large crew and everyone will be looking down their noses at Olivia's family. Except for the one cousin who's not coming because he is in jail. 

The whole story is told from Olivia's point of view as she navigates the holiday season, this year made all the more treacherous as the bodies start piling up. In the end, very few people will make it out alive. Luckily, the dog survives.

This was one of those books that took me awhile to get into. I had to get to about a third of the way through before I really started to hop on board for the ride. If I had understood more about Bache's humor, I might have been on board  sooner. I did enjoy the twist at the end. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out October 14, 2025

ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins UK and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

If the Broom Fits by Sara Bourgeois

Brighton Longfield is not having a great time of it. She is divorced, recently fired, and her car just broke down. Luckily, it fires back up and she's able to make it into Coventry towing her U-Haul behind. Her new home, the one she inherited from her great aunt Maude "Mad" Tuttlesmith, is known as Hangman's House which is spooky enough but it doesn't look like it's even inhabitable so she stays at the local B&B. There, she meets a professor of the paranormal. He's a jerk to her. Later, Brighton learns he's definitely not endearing himself around town either. Too bad she's the one to discover him dead behind the local diner. 

She's not really a murder suspect but she has bigger things to deal with as she discovers that she's a witch and her family was pushed out of Coventry by the Skeenbauers, another local family of witches.

This is a shorter book so there are plot points that are rather abrupt but it was overall a nice read.

Three stars

This book came out March 17, 2019

Wicked Witches of Coventry #1

Followed by Doom and Broom

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Feint of Art by Hailey Lind

Annie Kincaid knows fake paintings. She grew up with a forger and may or may not have dabbled herself. These days, she's just trying to keep her faux finishing business afloat even as her new landlord is raising the rent prices. 
An ex reaches out and Annie agrees to go back to the museum she was fired from. The ex wants her to verify the authenticity of a newly acquired Caravaggio. It is definitely not an original. In fact, she recognizes the style. When the janitor who was also there at their midnight meeting turns up dead, Annie comes under the focus of the police. She decides to clear her own name. 

It took me a LONG time to get into this book. Definitely not a recent book; it isn’t aging well. Too many people to keep track of, most of whom aren't integraly to the story. 

Three stars

This book came out September 3, 2006

Annie Kincaid Mystery #1

Followed by Shooting Gallery

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own