October Rereads

As always, opinions are my own

 The Lady Has a Past by Amanda Quick

Burning Cove #5

Four stars

Follows Close Up

This book comes out May 4th

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

Four stars
This book came out February 5th, 2019
Followed by Aurora Blazing
Borrowed this book from the library

Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik

Four stars
Follows Polaris Rising
Followed by Chaos Reigning
This book came out October 1st, 2019

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

Leda Foley has sort of always considered herself sort of a minor psychic. She gets flashes but they are mainly small things like preventing someone from spilling a coffee. Heck, she doesn't even have any information about her fiance's death three years ago. But then she gets a big flash and, in the course of her job as a travel agent, reroutes an LA detective off of a plane that blows up on the tarmac. It's a good thing that she's been slowly building her psychic muscles by holding objects for people and then picking a karaoke song because she's going to need all the skill she can get in order to help the detective solve a cold case. A cold case that might help her find some closure for herself.

The connection between the two cases was a bit tenuous and there were a lot of people introduced in the story but I liked that Leda actually acted like she had some brains and didn't rush into dangerous situations like is so common for amateur detectives in contemporary novels. A bit quirky but fairly fun. 

Three and a half stars

This book cam out October 26th, 2021

Followed by Flight Risk

ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas by Jackie Lau

If you can get a grunt out of Greg Wong, you should consider yourself lucky. But he would talk with Tasha Edwards. And he was probably her last good boyfriend which is sort of sad considering that was high school and they are now in their thirties. Now they are both living in the big city and Tasha needs a ride to Mosquito Bay for the holidays so Greg's mother has volunteered him. Too bad they are caught in a snowstorm. They are just lucky to get a room, even if it doesn't have heat and only has one bed...

A cute story though not as good as the first book in the series and awfully short. I wasn't quite sure how the two of them would stay together but... eh. As a part of the larger series, I would bump the rating up a bit. 

Three stars

This book came out November 12th, 2019

Follows A Match Made for Thanksgiving

Followed by A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau

A donut baker and a movie star fall in love? Sure! I'll read that book. And it's by Jackie Lau... I'm all in. And Lau didn't disappoint. With well-developed characters and a relationship arc that made sense, this was a book that I adored.

Lindsay McLeod can be forgiven for not recognizing Ryan Kwok when he ducks into her bakery. After all, his most recent fame is for his abs and he's wearing a shirt. But when he calls later to ask her for some help learning how to bake for when he's on a celebrity baking fails show, she's hesitant. The man is hot but way out of her league (as she sees it).

Ryan is reeling from his mother's death. He was never as close to his father and now the man is practically only talking to him in grunts. When he answers the phone; which isn't often. Ryan goes on the baking show as a way to be closer to his mother though it doesn't hurt that Lindsay is a woman at whom he'd definitely look twice.

I loved the way the two fell in love and can't wait to read the next book that Lau puts out.

Four and a half stars

This book came out October 26th, 2021

Followed by The Stand-Up Groomsman

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Book and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven

Another book that has been adapted from a commencement speech. Most of what you will read is contained in the speech which is widely available on the web. A lot of what you read is common sense but McRaven manages to wrap in compelling stories from his days as a Navy SEAL. There are things like never leaving a friend behind, making sure that you are taking some risks, standing your ground, and, of course, making your bed (because then you have done at least one thing well in the day.)

Four stars

This April 4th, 2017

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton, Frederick Davidson

The audiobook of an inauspicious Catholic priest who goes up against some of the most criminally minded men in the world (and comes out on top) is just as good as reading the stories. I've read these stories several times now and each reading is better than the last. You have Father Brown thwarting the notorious Flambeau by creating chaos in his wake. Then Flambeau changes sides and becomes a detective, one who Father Brown often assists such as in the case of the man who worships Apollo and a headless body at a dinner party. Interesting stories that are often fairly clued.

Four stars

This book came out 1911

Followed by The Wisdom of Father Brown

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood

As good as the rest of the Buchanan,etc. books. Not sure how the main characters fit in except that Max is FBI. My biggest beef with this book was the two sets of people trying to kill Ellie. Neither story got developed as well as it could have been done. I know Garwood needed a reason for Max to follow Ellie home (to her sister's wedding, the one that's marrying Ellie's ex-fiancee, the fiancee who cheated with said sister one night after meeting her, which Ellie is having trouble forgiving), but it seems like a little bit of a rehash of Theo's story with protecting the super-smart prodigy doctor. I really enjoyed the book and skimmed through it a lot faster than a lot of the other books I've been reading lately.

Three stars

This book came out January 1st, 2011

Follows Sizzle

Followed by Sweet Talk

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie

A series of short stories featuring the amazing Hercule Poirot, the first few stories are better than the later ones. 

The Under Dog 

An older gentleman is killed in his home office. His wife is convinced it was the secretary but why would he do it? Poirot is not convinced but he is willing to go and see the problem 

The Plymouth Express 

A wealthy woman is found dead on a train. Is it possible her husband, the one she was separated from, killed her before they could be divorced? Her father wants answers and he wants Poirot to find them. 

The Affair at the Victory Ball 

The Victory Ball is supposed to be a time of celebration but one man, a collector of statues, was killed by a knife and his paramour is dead of a cocaine overdose. At a party where everyone was in costume, how can Poirot suss out the killer? 

The Market Basing Mystery 

It's a holiday in the country for Japp, Hastings, and Poirot. But a local constable recognizes Japp and asks for help. A gentleman appears to have committed suicide but the doctor says it's physically impossible. A couple recently came to visit; is it possible their threats of blackmail have driven the man to kill himself? Or was it murder? 

The Lemesurier Inheritance 

A young man is terrified by the death of his father. His cousin tells Poirot and Hastings that the family has a curse wherein the firstborn of every generation is slated to die. Now the young man's older son has had several near-death incidents. It will be up to Poirot to save the boy's life. 

The Cornish Mystery Mrs. Pengelley is afraid her husband is poisoning her. She goes to Poirot for help but by the time he gets to her home, she is already dead. The husband is in jail but Poirot suspects that there may be more to the story. 

  The King of Clubs A famous dancer stumbles into a drawing room gasping the word "Murder." A nearby lord has been found dead. The family she burst in on is perfectly respectable but is everything as it appears? 

The Submarine Plans 

A spy is invited into the home where the plans for a new submarine are being housed. When the plans disappear, she is the obvious suspect. Did her maid, who screamed on the steps, have something to do with it? 

The Adventure of the Clapham Cook 

Eliza Dunn, a perfectly good cook, has walked out of her situation. Her lady, Mrs. Todd, wants to know why. It leads Poirot to discovering the perpetrator of a bank fraud.

Three stars

This book came out in 1951

Follows Three Blind Mice

Followed by Mrs. McGinty's Dead

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

A Match Made for Thanksgiving by Jackie Lau

Nick Wong left Mosquito Bay and never looked back. He really likes living in Toronto. It's here that a woman just propositioned him for a one night stand. It's just too bad that he's still thinking about that night. And even worse, she's showed up at his family's Thanksgiving dinner... as his brother's date. 

Lily Tseng is not a risk taker. Not until the night she spends with Nick Wong. When she sees him at Thanksgiving, she's intrigued. He was supposed to be one aberration but he still looks so good. And when they're caught by his grandmother making out... 

This is a fast, fun, and fluffy story. It's not long but it was fun. 

Four stars

This book came out October 8th, 2019

Followed by A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas

Borrowed as Kindle Unlimited book

Opinions are my own

The Mind of the Leader by Rasmus Hougaard

I read this book for work and think that it will work well for me. However, this book is very geared toward "mindfulness" i.e. there are a lot of exercises that ask you to stop, take a moment, and listen to what your brain is saying. This may turn some other people off. 

Mindfulness - makes sure your people are seen and heard; in one survey, making sure that you were present for your team was the most important part of being a leader (not on the phone, not on email, not letting your mind wander)

Selflessness - give people space to develop; Leaders who take blame and pass on praise have employees who will take risks and be creative

Compassion- be able to have the hard conversations when needed; be able to have compassion for self as well as for your team; be able to handle the highs and the lows of life and the job, to acknowledge but then let go of mistakes; be able to understand other people's viewpoints without taking on their emotions

We need to make sure that, as leaders, we are not in a bubble -- we do not have so many people who are catering to us that we think that everything is going fine.

Look for unconscious biases -- use the beginner's mind

Four stars

This book came out March 13th, 2018

Borrowed as audibook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Having Wonderful Crime by Craig Rice

John J. Malone has joined Jake and Helene Justus on a trip to New York. They are having a night of drinking and pick up a fourth man. They found him blind drunk in the lobby of their hotel. When they wake up in the morning, they discover the man is on his honeymoon. Shortly after that they find out the man's wife has been murdered in their bedroom. Helene immediately decides the man must be innocent and tries to get Malone interested. He is not. He wants to go back to Chicago. Too bad he's not going to get his wish.

Jake is also wanting to solve the mystery but for his own sake. He's trying to sell a mystery novel but the publisher in New York, unaware of his entanglements with such things back in the Midwest, aren't impressed. His strange behavior is making Helene wonder exactly what is going on.

With the usual banter and pratfalls, this book is a delight. The vague homophobia and other stereotypes are not as egregious as some books of the time but nonetheless are jarring in the present day.

Four stars

This book came out in 1943

Follows Big Midget Murders

Followed by Lucky Stiff

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Say You'll Stay by Susan Mallery

Shaye Harper lost both her parents and then discovered that her boyfriend was using her all in a short amount of time. So she did what anyone else who had sold their home to follow said stinker to LA, she took off on a road trip. Now she's in Wishing Tree, Washington wondering why so many people are running around with antlers in July.

Lawson Easley is back in town after being deployed. He is happy to stay in Wishing Tree; it's where he grew up and where he feels at home. Wanting to stay in the small town is the reason his last relationship broke up so, while he's attracted to the stranger, he's feeling cautious. Even when Shaye picks up a job to stay in town, he's not sure it's a relationship that will work out.

Of course, it does (this is a romance) but it's all wrapped up very quickly. It's a novella so we can't expect much but it would have been nice to get a little bit more than the characters suddenly realizing everything would be okay without any more information than that.

Three stars

This novella came out July 1st, 2021

Followed by The Christmas Wedding Guest

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

In the Study with the Wrench by Diana Peterfreund

All of the characters in the first book are back... well, in the sense that they haven't left Blackbrook Academy. They each have their reasons for not wanting to leave, most of them we learned about or at least were heavily hinted at in the first book. Of course, after the murders in that book, many of the students have been pulled from the school. Unfortunately, two members of the so-called "Murder Crew" find another body which sets off a series of events leading to one of their own not being there by the end of the book. 

There is a lot more exposition and less action in this book which was okay until there was a sudden flurry of things happening at the end. I hope that the third book will tie up loose ends.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 13th, 2020

Follows In the Hall with the Knife

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca

In the first two books of this series, we met single mom April Parker who was a little bit of an introvert. We also met the kilted man, also known as high school coach Mitch Malone who is known for his hookups at the local bar. In this book, Mitch needs someone to go to a family function with him. Apparently his family doesn't believe that he is really grown up and he thinks that having a steady relationship (with a woman who is 9 years older) might force them to open their eyes. April isn't excited about it at first but then, she realizes that Mitch can help her fix up her house. Ever since she moved to town, she's been anxious to get away. She would have rather lived in a big city but she stayed so her daughter would have a community. But now her daughter is about to graduate and freedom is within her grasp. 

However, a weekend with one bed means that the sparks between April and Mitch are going to flame. But April has one foot out the door. And she's also dealing with the fact that her daughter's father, after eighteen years, has gotten in touch. How could her life possibly get more complicated

The flow of this story was fairly lovely but I felt like some things were either resolved too quickly or left unresolved. Still hope there's another in the series.

Four stars

This book comes out October 19, 2021

Follows Well Played

Followed by Well Traveled

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group

Opinions are my own

Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie

Gwenda Halliday Reed is newly married and just bought a new home. She is delighted until strange things start happening. When she wants to put new steps down to the sea, there are already some under a bush. She imagines a particular sort of wallpaper in a room and, when an old cabinet is pried open, the exact pattern is papered inside. Then, when she attends a play in London, a particular line causes her to stand up, scream, and run out of the theater. Luckily, she is attending the play with Raymond West, his wife, and his aunt, the indomitable Miss Marple. 

Miss Marple is the one to suggest that, perhaps, what Gwenda is experiencing may be memories of her childhood. Gwena disbelieves that as she grew up in New Zealand but then finds out she did, indeed, live in England, in that house with her father and stepmother. Does that mean that the woman she remembers dead in the hallway of that house was true as well? And someone quoted from the exact play that Gwenda saw in London?

Gwenda and Giles start digging into the mystery. Miss Marple has gone home but she is uneasy. Sometimes digging into the past brings up more than skeletons and someone who may have only meant to murder once, might murder again to keep it covered up.

An enjoyable story. Perhaps, not quite fairly clued but a fitting end to the Marple series.

Four stars

This book came out October 1976

Follows Nemesis

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Jessica Arden

This book started out so interestingly. Paige Harrington has a mysterious app, Ghosted, appear on her phone. Thinking it is a dating app, she swipes right on a guy she recognizes, Austin, who is a bartender she knows. Then he literally falls at her feet, flung off a balcony after having been strangled with Mardi Gras beads. It's a nice, tight story.

Then, the story starts to get convoluted. Paige's favorite professor now store owner is framed for the murder, her long-lost love shows up again to act as her mentor, a secret society is thrown in as well as are the ghost of her great-grandmother and her great-grandmother's best friend. Oh. And now her hedgehog is talking to her. Information starts to be repeated more and more often and the story gets a bit fractured.

An interesting start to a series but I'm going to proceed cautiously with reading more books in the series. If there is a love triangle introduced (which sort of seemed like it might be happening), I'm definitely out.

Three stars

This book came out September 21st, 2021

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Pub Quiz by Eric Saunders

Definitely by this book in paperback. This would be so much more useful if the answers were only a page or two past the questions but the links that are supposed to take you back and forth were difficult to use. Much easier flipping in a real book.

With an outline of how to set up your quiz nights, this book prepares you to host for your friends or even for locals down at the bar. There are hopefully going to be some edits because some of the questions aren't phrased well but overall a nice collection of questions. Just make sure you read through each of your lists and make sure there are no repeats. 

Three stars

This book came out October 15th, 2021

ARC kindly provided by Arcturus Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie

It is coincidence that has Poirot and Hastings seated near Jane Wilkinson, Lady Edgware, while attending a show where an American actress, Carlotta, impersonates her. Jane Wilkinson is a well-known actress and is highly amused by the impersonation. At dinner that night, Hastings and Poirot again see Jane and she invites them up to talk to her. It seems she would like to divorce her husband in order to marry a duke but her husband is not amenable being a man who enjoys causing pain in others. Jane declares that, if she cannot get a divorce, she may take a taxi and murder the man. 

When that exact thing happens, Jane Wilkinson seems like a logical choice but she was attending dinner with twelve people who are above reproach. It takes some time for Hercule Poirot to figure out the solution but, of course, he eventually does.

Fairly clued, this book is one of Christie's best. Lots of red herrings but Poirot refuses to believe them while Hastings falls for them all. 

Four stars

This book came out 1933

Follows Peril at End House

Followed by Murder on the Orient Express

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby December 2022

The Twelve Jays of Christmas by Donna Andrews

If you've read Donna Andrews before, the beats of this book are going to feel very familiar including the victim and the murderer. It is a major holiday and Meg Langslow is busy. This time, Michael and the boys are skiing while she is left at home because of a severely sprained ankle. But that doesn't mean that life is any less busy. Rob and Delaney are almost back from vacation but Delaney's mother has arrived to confer with Meg's mom on how they can transform the upcoming nuptials from the small affair that Rob and Delaney want to something more grand. Meg is also hosting a visiting artist who is working on pictures for her grandfather's new book. Unfortunately, the artist, Castlemayne, is not only grumpy, he's a jerk. He's let birds out in the house that are now dive bombing people, he is smoking in the library, and the doorbell rings constantly from people trying to track him down. Mostly to pay his late bills. How do they know where he is? A new gossip blog that is spilling all of the town secrets.
Of course, Castlemayne is going to be the one who ends up dead. And there are plenty of people who might have wanted him that way including two ex-wives, a long-suffering assistant, and a reporter who wants the full scoop.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out October 19, 2021

Follows Murder Most Fowl

Followed by Round up the Usual Peacocks

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple is on a dream vacation in an idyllic setting. Along with her are the resort owners, a young and very-much-in-love couple, there are two couples visiting the resort who seem like great friends, and a smattering of people her own age including a very ugly major and the very rich Jason Rafiel. 

But there is an ugliness beneath the surface and it comes out when the ugly major dies. He told a lot of very bad stories but that didn't mean he should be murdered. Nor should the maid who noticed something strange. 

Christie is still at the height of her game here when it comes to creating characters. The mystery is not very fairly clued but it is an interesting ending either way. 

Four stars

This book came out November 16th, 1964

Follows Nemesis

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Don’t Pick Up All the Dog Hairs by Ronald Dwinnells

I've been reading a lot of leadership books lately and this one looked interesting. Plus, there was a dog on the cover. A really cute dog. 

The book is a series of short chapters, each revolving around a specific idea related to leadership. Most are fairly standard (don't pass the buck, learn how to prioritize, pick your friends strategically.)  Mr. Dwinnells does introduce the idea of FAME (failure, adversity, mistakes, and enemies) and how valuable each of those can be but it is really just a new package for learning to embrace falling down. And he does put entertaining spins on things like not dealing with people who pretend to be experts but aren't (shoemakers), making sure that you are decisive (not a squirrel), and I do like that he includes many studies like those in the chapter that clothes make the man (person) and he spends a lot of time on important topics like nipping things in the bud immediately (malicious pranks and sexual harassment.)

Four stars

This book came out September 21st, 2021

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group

Opinions are my own

A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie

Though Miss Marple doesn't appear until over half way through the book, this is one of her stories. The book starts out with a rich description of the office of Rex Fortescue. His secretaries are described in great and painting-like detail. The bumble-headed secretary who probably isn't going to last long. The disapproving head of the secretarial pool. The condescending, cool blonde who is Rex's private secretary and (wrongly) assumed mistress.

Rex comes into the office as per usual. Has his tea, specially brewed by the blonde as per usual. But then, there are some unusual sounds. The secretary rushes into the office to find Rex in some sort of fit. She doesn't know what to do and panics. All of the other secretaries panic. Chaos ensues until two doctors and an ambulance arrive on scene. Poor Mr. Fortescue. He's been acting so strange lately and refusing to see the doctors his family has been setting up appointments with. And now he's dead. But the coroner recognizes the symptoms immediately. Hard luck for the murderer (yes, they assume that almost from the beginning) that he happens to realized that taxine (sp?) is involved. 

But who would have wanted to kill Rex? He had two sons, one involved in the business and one considered prodigal. The one thought he was running their fortune into the ground though the latter seems to have nothing to gain. His daughter's lover has been run off when Rex threatens to disinherit her and Rex's much-younger second wife is having a rather indiscreet fling.

Before the end of the book, there are two more murders. Including one that brings Miss Marple into the picture looking for justice.

Dame Christie at her best and a wonderful book to listen to.

Four stars

This book came out November 9th, 1953

Follows They Do It with Mirrors

Followed by 4:50 from Paddington

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Smart Woman's Guide to Murder by Victoria Dowd

I got this book because the second one looked interesting and I figured I might as well start at the beginning. But... I really didn't like any of the characters in this book. Between that and the looooooong descriptions, I sometimes felt like I was slogging through but it was an interesting premise and there are definitely a LOT of back stories that need to be told.

Everyone's book clubs go to an old manor house to discuss their current reads, right? Especially a book club that mostly only reads "Gone Girl." 

Narrator Ursula Smart (she notes, however that this is not her real name), is going along on the trip. Even though she isn't a part of the group nor does she like any of the people in the group or particularly want to be at that location. She apparently only wears one outfit and goes to great pains to hide exactly how much she is drinking. As the book goes on, we find out that she has some trauma and that affects her even to this day.

Her mother doesn't treat her well (at least from her point of view)  but Ursula still clings to her in times of stress. Not as welcome? Her mother's best friend, Mirabelle, who, at least in Ursula's eyes, does nothing but try to take her mother away. 

Also on the trip are Aunt Charlotte (who Ursula's mother barely seems to stand) and Joy who Ursula calls Less (Joy-Less). Joy is on the search for a new rich husband but is full of platitudes and other people's property. The biggest surprise is that Joy is the second to die. The first is a fortune teller who, perhaps, saw a little too much.

Three stars

This book came out May 5th, 2020

Followed by Body on the Island

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Couture and Curses by Danielle Garrett

Going to a wedding conference might not be the best idea for a newly dating couple but Anastasia Winters is a planner and this is the day that she and SPA agent Caleb have time together. Caleb gamely comes along and is treated to the sight of two designers in a fight. One is Aurelia, a friend of Ana's. Then, later, when Ana is picking up a dress from Aurelia, she sees a green light and suddenly the dress shop explodes. Now Aurelia is in a coma and there's a shadowy figure that seems to be hunting Anastasia. 

Some plot holes but a fast, fun, and fluffy book.

Three stars

This book came out

Follows Newly Wed and Slightly Dead

Followed by Wedding Bells and Deadly Spells

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Riley Thorn and the Corpse in the Closet by Lucy Score

The summer heat can sometimes cause people to go a little crazy. Since Riley Thorn had to deal with a bunch of crazy in the first book, she'd really rather have some normal. However. Her grandmother, who no one actually likes, is in town to conduct a psychic boot camp that will enhance the skills of ... well, everyone but mainly Riley, her sister, and her guardian/teacher/friend/angel(?) Gabriel. Mostly it seems like she's there to suck out any joy and fun in Riley and her family's life.

Her housemates are all still alive (they're mostly very old) and crazy. Her boyfriend is being scarily overprotective after Riley got shot in the last book (maybe justified but still not okay to track her without asking.)

Into all of this come two clients -- one is looking for her ex-husband and one wants to know who killed his wannabe-You-Tube-star wife. 

Once again fast, fun, and fluffy, the crazy train threatens to go off the rails but mostly was an enjoyable book.

Four stars

This book came out July 7th, 2021

Follows Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door

Followed by Riley Thorn and the Blast from the Past

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie

Oh, I do like this book. But then, Agatha Christie and Miss Marple rarely disappoint. An old school chum is worried about her sister, Carrie Louise, and wants Miss Marple to go check out the situation. Carrie Louise is currently running a boarding school for juvenile delinquents with her third husband. The money comes from her first husband with whom she had one biological and one adopted daughter. The biological daughter, the third husband, the now-deceased adopted daughter's daughter and her husband, and one of Carrie Louise's stepsons from her second marriage are all living out the house. But this is not a happy family. No. The stepson is trying to inveigle the granddaughter away from her sullen American husband, Wally. Mildred (the biological daughter) has always felt second best, first to her adopted sister and now the the sister's child. Of course, there are all those at-risk youths running around and now Carrie Louise's stepson by her first marriage has shown up with concerns, but he won't tell anyone but the third husband (Lewis) what those concerns are. Then one night, one of the delinquents takes a shot at Lewis but, while he survives, the stepson from the first marriage is dead. 

Who killed him? Why? Is someone really poisoning Carrie Louise? 

It's a tangled web that only Miss Marple can solve (though with a touch of stereotyping). 

Four stars

This book came out in 1952

Follows Three Blind Mice and Other Stories

Followed by A Pocketful of Rye

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Forgotten in Death by J. D. Robb

The day starts with a fresh corpse in a dumpster and continues with two more walled into some construction (Roarke's unfortunately). Lieutenant Eve Dallas is not enjoying her day. It doesn't help that her partner, Detective Delia Peabody, bubbling over with enthusiasm for the home project she's working on. It's not exactly a topic that Eve is interested in but she'll listen if she has to. Then it turns out the previous owners of the site have ties to the Russian mob and her day just keeps going downhill.

When it turns out there might be a connection between the two cases, Eve is astonished. But that doesn't stop her from working on justice for all involved, even righting wrongs that the first person had done to them decades ago.

I liked that there was a concentration on Eve and Roarke, then on the mystery and to some extent what was going on with Peabody and her house. At book 53, there are a lot of characters in this series and sometimes it feels like they are all shoehorned in. Not so with this one.

Four stars

This book came out September 7th, 2021

Follows Faithless in Death

Followed by Abandoned in Death

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread August 2023 as audiobook from Libby

Deeper Than The Ocean by Julie Ann Walker

There are starting to be rather a lot of names in this series with the six former SEALs and now at least 5 of their romantic interests. It did make it hard to follow at points but then it settled into two main stories.

The main plot was between Christina "Chrissy" Szarek and Ray "Wolf" Roanhorse. The man who was falling in love and the woman whose past made her wary of the feeling had been circling around each other in all of the previous books. In this one, Chrissy and her best friend are shot when they take a shortcut through an ostensibly abandoned warehouse. It's just bad luck that they happen to see a drug drop going on. Both are shot but while Winston immediately goes down, Chrissy is able to make it to the bar where she is supposed to meet Wolf for a "friendly" drink.

Like other books in the series, our heroine is in trouble that the hero is trying to protect her from. It again sort of overwhelms the romance and the reader getting to see the relationship really grow.

The B story is between Mia, a shy and introverted historical researcher with A Past, and Romeo, a ladies' man who is fighting his attraction to a woman who is the kind you settle down with.

Three and a half stars

This book came out May 31st, 2021

Follows Ride the Tide

Followed by Shot Across the Bow

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple is on the case again, this time called in by Dolly Bantry. A body has been found in her library, that of a young, heavily made-up girl. The rumors about Colonel Bantry are already flying and Mrs. Bantry knows of only one woman who can help. 

The girl was an exhibition dancer at a posh resort, covering for a cousin who had severely sprained her ankle. She was also cozying up to an older man who had lost all of his family in an airplane accident, all except a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law. When the man told them that he was considering adopting the now-dead-girl, the son- and daughter-in-law were upset. But were they the ones who killed her? Jane's on the case.

This is Agatha Christie at the top of her game, using actual clues as red herrings while still dropping breadcrumbs for the reader. 

Four stars

Follows The Regatta Mystery

Followed by The Moving Finger

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Cheers to the Duke by Sally MacKenzie

Jo, Lady Havenridge as she is more properly known, is frustrated. Yes, her friends are happy and married but that means that creating the ale that pays for the Home (a place for women and children to live) rests solely on her shoulders. Yes, the Duke of Grainger has proved a steady patron but that's because he's only been nobility for a year. The rest of the people who fund the Home? They might have shorter attention spans. And where would that leave her and all of her charges? 

But her friends are conspiring against her. In fact, everyone is conspiring against her to get her away from the home. And maybe into a new family.

This was a cute story but there was just so much pressure on Jo and Edward. Edward fell in line pretty fast but Jo railed against what appeared to be inevitable. 

Three and a half stars
This book comes out October 5th, 2021

Follows The Merry Viscount
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Cure for What Ales You by Ellie Alexander

Sloan Krause is once again in the middle of a mystery, this time concerning her own past. When a woman, Maureen, comes to town who strongly resembles her, Sloan's past starts to affect the present at full force. Maureen has some strange tales and Sloan is not sure what to believe. Plus, there seems to be a mysterious "bad guy" who Maureen says is coming for Sloan and her family. And some of that urgency is even more strongly conveyed when the head housekeeper at the hotel where Maureen was staying is murdered in Maureen's room. 

Is Maureen right? Is Sloan in danger? Or are these the ravings of a woman who has been running for too long?

This story didn't hold together as well as some of the earlier books. The last story ended on a rather shocking note that seemed to be leading to a greater story but was wrapped up in a few sentences in the front of this book. Sally seems to be a greater and greater part of Sloan's life but I"m struggling to remember if we've ever seen her on page. And this book was very full-speed-ahead then slow then full-speed-ahead and a slow down. 

Three stars
Follows Without a Brew

This book comes out October 5th, 2021
Ebook kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own