Friday, July 31, 2026

July 2026 Rereads




Three and a half stars
Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1
Followed by In the Market for Murder
This book comes out October 4, 2016






Four stars
A Narwhal and Jelly Book #8
Followed by Narwhal's Sweet Tooth
This book comes out July 4, 2023






Identity by Nora Roberts
Four stars
This book comes out May 23, 2023
Hard copy from library
Opinions are my own

Odie Unleashed! by Jim Davis

Odie gets his own book? Delightful. All of the strips in this book include Garfield's best frenemy. They certainly weren't pals when Odie first showed up with Jon's friend, Lyman. But, when it comes down to it, Garfield is always going to protect his pal. Or show just how empty his head is. But Odie occassionally gets his own back and it is just as funny. 

Four stars
This book came out September 27, 2005
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Thursday, July 30, 2026

The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene, Mildred Benson (Ghostwriter)

Nancy is meeting Bess and George at their aunt and uncle's ranch. There's a phantom horse causing issues across the ranch and they are close to having to abandon the ranch altogether. But is there really a phantom? And does it have anything to do with the notorious outlaw Dirk Valentine who is reported to have hidden a treasure somewhere on the ranch?
Nancy gets knocked out in this book. This seems to happen to the poor girl so many times. This book is definitely dated - fascination with the old west, some of the clues wouldn't be as well known today, bit it is a fun book with a glimpse into the time the book was written.

Three and a half stars
Follows The Mystery at Lilac Inn
Followed by The Secret of Red Gate Farm
This book came out in 1931
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Monday, July 27, 2026

Murder at First Slice by Valerie Burns

Michael and Madison are getting married. But not until after  Baby and Daisy. Madison has recovered from that and from the hangover left after her bachelorette party when she gets another shock. One of the invited guests is someone that her favorite baker (and Micahel's aunt), Miss Hannah, absolutely hates. And this is one one of her good days from the dementia that is ravaging her mind. 
As they get to know Dorothy Wilson, it soon becomes clear that she is probably one of the family members that should not have been invited. She is not only rude, she manages to piss off almost everyone she meets. 

stars
This book comes out July 28, 2026
Baker Street #5
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Publishing and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Sunday, July 26, 2026

Echoes in Death by J.D. Robb

Eve and Roarke are just back from vacation and are attending a super-fancy party. Eve isn't supposed to go back to work until Monday but (as is no surprise to regular readers) gets pulled back in early when she and Roarke see a naked, bloodied woman almost get hit by a car. They manage to get her to the hospital in time to save her life but her husband is already dead. 
After a dinner party, Daphne and Anthony Strazza were attacked and then, while he was tied up, she was beaten and raped by a man dressed as a devil. As usual with the "In Death" series, there are layers to the story. Daphne is twenty-four and married to a man nearly twice her age. She doesn't seem to be able to make decisions for herself and her husband, though known as a brilliant surgeon, is also known as something of a... well, he's an asshole. So was this attack tied to Daphne and her husband? Or is it tied to two similar attacks?
A nice addition to the In Death series

Four stars
In Death #44
Followed by Dark in Death
This book came out February 7, 2017
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Saturday, July 25, 2026

The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories by Agatha Christie with Hugh Fraser (Narrator), Christopher Lee (Narrator)

Witness for the Prosecution
The story on which this story is based was turned into a really good play. Leonard Vole is a suspect in the murder of the elderly Emily French. His solicitor isn't sure that the man will be found innocent, even with the evidence given by Leonard's adoring wife, Romaine. But there is a shocking turn of events when it starts to appear that Romaine might not be so loving after all.

The Red Signal
A talk between friends brings up premonitions of danger. One character brings up the idea of a "red signal" and a "green signal." One warns of danger. Suddenly, Dermott feels that signal rear its head again. But he's among friends. Yes, he loves his friend's wife, but that shouldn't cause danger, no one knows about it and he's certainly not going to act on it.


Fourth Man
Three men sit in a train carriage. One is Canon Parfitt who actually knows one of the other men, Sir George Durand who is a famous lawyer. The third man is Dr. Campbell Clark who is an eminent psychiatrist. But the title is about the fourth man, the one who appears, at first, to be asleep.
They begin discussing the case of Felicie Bault who apparently had more than one personality. They discuss her story, but are surprised when the fourth man actually has the story behind the story.

S.O.S.
Mortimer Cleveland has had two flat tires and considers himself lucky to find himself in the Dinsmead's family's home with their two daughters and son. But there is an odd air in the house. The two girls go upstairs to make up his bed and on the table next to it is written, "SOS."

Wireless
An elderly worman is told not to excite herself. But the new radio her nephew bought for her seems to be channeling her dead husband...

The Mystery of the Blue Jar
A young man hears a woman screaming about murder at the same time every day. Is it a hallucination or could it be something more fantastic?

Sing a Song of Sixpence
When people promise that they'll do anything to help someone, they rarely actually mean it. Which is what Sir Edward Palliser meant when he said it to Magdalen Vaughn ten years ago (when she was, ew, seventeen and he was in his fifties and he was flirting with her.) Now, she's OLD (ew) and he doesn't really want to help but he promised.
Magdalen's aunt was killed and everyone is a suspect. She would like some help.

Mr. Eastwood's Adventure
Mr. Eastwood has writer's block. He has started writing the mystery of the second cucumber but none of his usual writing methods are working. But then he gets a call. It's obviously not for him, but the code word is "cucumber." What a coincidence! Suddenly he's buying a drink set, meeting a gorgeous woman, and very nearly being arrested. But what is actually happening in this story?

Philomel Cottage
Alix Martin has been having dreams that her old friend/crush has killed her husband. So, when he's in the area, she puts him off. But then, she starts to discover that he may not be the man he presented himself as. Newspaper clippings of a man who has killed his wives make her even more concerned. Then comes the twist ending...

Accident
Now retired Inspector Evans is surprised to recognize a woman in a small village. She was acquitted of poison nine years ago. She said her husband was an arsenic eater and accidentally poisoned himself. The jury let her go. But now she's married again and the Inspector is worried that history might repeat herself.

The Second Gong
Is dinner being served late? Why else would the dinner go off late? Or twice, as one character believes. It seems dinner was pushed back for a visitor. And that visitor is Hercule Poirot. So, you know something has happened. 

Friday, July 24, 2026

Rocky Road by Bob Mayer

If you are expecting this to be a continuation of the Rocky Start series, it is. To an extent. This is very much an instrospectie journey for Max to heal himself (as much as he can) from the pyschological toll his job took on him. His goal is to finish the Appalachain Trail, but his friends and family have added an additional goal of getting out of his own head by talking to at least one person every day.
It's a little corny but it really works for Max and he saves a bunch of people along the way. 

Three and a half  stars
Rocky Start #3.5
This book came out March 17 2,026
Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own