Miss Morton Takes the Waters by Catherine Lloyd

Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton are on their way to Bath. Caroline's mysterious "inheritance," still hasn't come through and Mrs. Frogerton is in the doldrums so it seems like the best idea. Once there, they start meeting people. Of course, many of the people look down on Mrs. Frogerton for coming from trade. But she doesn't mind any of them, even the eternally grumpy Lady Brompton. She is not the one who is murdered, however. 
Even so, there are a number of suspects in the murder. The ending came a little bit out of nowhere and was a little more chaotic than I remember the Miss Morton series being. 

We have two famaciliar characters but in a new setting and a new supporting cast, including another inspector who is very much intrigued by Caroline. I am generally enjoying this series but hope that Caroline's personal arc gets some movement soon. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out August 25, 2026

Miss Morton #6

Follows Miss Morton and the Missing Heir

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own 

Murder on the Rocks by T.E. Kinsey

Flo and Lady Hardcastle are in a locked room mystery. Locked island mystery? It starts with a train trip though that doesn't serve much purpose other than to introduce a character who doesn't show up again until the end of the story. 

But the ladies are going to the island at the behest of an old friend, J. B. McIntyre. They're relatively excited because he is a millionaire who always shows them a good time. 

When they get to the island, everything seems wonderful... at first. Yes, the married couple running the place are a little rough around the edges and at least one of the couples seems to be in a bit of a feud, but that is par for the course at any house party. Not so par for the course? A dead body. Although Flo and Lady Hardcastle do seem to encounter more bodies than normal.

Four stars

Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #13

This book came out May 26, 2026

Follows The Beast of Littleton Woods

Borrowed as audiobook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

How to Menopause by Tamsen Fadal

I really enjoyed this book. It's so informative and the author often encourages you to work with your doctor and to find what works for you. I really dislike books that are all or nothing. However, there is a certain assumption of access to care that may not apply to every reader. 

Even though I am in the group for peri-menopause, I didn't think I was having any symptoms. But, there are 34. 34 symptoms of menopause. And a whole bunch of things I thought were related to another health issue made more sense as being related to my age. 

Fadal covers any number of topics including sleep, brainfog, yoga, sex, eating, clothes, community, . For each of these, she goes through potential solutions both medical and not. I was happy to learn that the diet (close to the Mediteranean) that I am on for my high cholesterol is also recommended for menopause. 

Four and a half stars

This book came out 

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own 

The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded by Michael D. Watkins

This was a really interesting book in how the ideas for getting up to speed in a new job should be prioritized. I enjoyed that the author prioritized learning the company's culture over making immediate changes. I don't love the layout of authors telling stories around why their programs work (So-and-so did this thing and here's one example of why that failed). I really enjoyed the narrator but would advise people to read the e- or physical book. There were a lot of references to charts that probably would have been helpful to see. 
Was it perhaps written with an overly idealistic idea of most companies? Yes, yes it was. But that doesn't mean there aren't some good takeaways. It is perhaps geared a little bit more toward the upper echelon than frontline managers so may not be AS useful for them.

Four stars

This book came out September 18, 2003

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson

I had not read other books in this series and didn't really even feel like I needed to. It might have provided some more background but most of the story is about Martha, a librarian who believes that her husband, Alan, might be a serial killer. She reaches out to the person who helped her out of a bad relationship once before, Lily Kintner. 

There were a LOT of twists and turns. Too many? Meh. It was close. 

Four stars

Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner #3

Follows The Kind Worth Saving

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Five teens show up for detention. One of them runs a gossip website that is about to expose various secrets of the other four. One of them doesn't make it out of the room. Everyone gets up to look at a car accident and the fifth dies. 

Told in alternating views of the four teens, the mystery slowly unfolds, as well as the secrets of the teens and everyone in their orbit. The book is a bit dated at this point (several mentions of an ipod Nano), but the feelings remain the same. Could this happen today? Definitely. Did I like all of the characters? Not personally, and some of them definitely felt stock, but I'm willing to read the next book in the series to see how the stakes are raised.

Three and a half stars

One of Us is Lying #1

Followed by One of Us is Next

This book came out May 30, 2017

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Charity Shop Detective Agency by Peter Boland, narrator: Zara Ramm

The book starts when Fiona Sharp, one of the volunteers at a local charity shop,  Dogs Need Nice Homes, notices a rival charity shop volunter dropping off a box from the dump pile in front of her shop to Fiona's. While going through the box, she finds a blood-covered knife. This catpults her, as well as the other volunteers, Sue and Daisy, into a promising adventure. After all, all of them have read any number of mystery novels and they can do things the police can't. Like, interfering with police work. 

Three stars

Followed by

This book came out December 13, 2022

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own