Secrets of a Scottish Isle by Erica Ruth Neubauer

Jane Wunderly has infiltrated a secret cult. She's mainly on her own though her fiance, Redvers, is also on the island. This is the Golden Dawn, based on a cult that actually existed. And involved in that cult? W. B. Yeats who makes an appearance in this book. Not sure if it's actually successful though. 

 The mystery deepens when one of the initiates is killed but nobody's really sure how it was done. Add in a rival cult made up of former members and the suspect pool deepens.  

Three stars

This book comes out March 26, 2023

Follows Intrigue in Istanbul

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Intrigue in Istanbul by Erica Ruth Neubauer

Jane Wunderly is back in America, anxious to let her father know that she is engaged to be married. Too bad Henry isn't home. Especially startling, he's taken out a large sum of money against the family home and then left the country. Jane and Redvers take off after him as soon as possible, heading to Istanbul. Her aunt Millie and Millie's fiancee travel overseas as well. 

Once in Instanbul, Jane meets several people who know her father, some of them very unexpected and one of whom ends up dead. It will be up to Jane to figure out why her father left, what he's looking for, and who among the people calling themselves his friends can be trusted. 

This seemed a little more serious than I remembered but an enjoyable book overall. 

Four stars

This book comes out March 28, 2023

Follows Danger on the Atlantic

Followed by Secrets of a Scottish Isle

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Danger on the Atlantic by Erica Ruth Neubauer

In the first two books, Jane was starting to step out of her shell after having been in an abusive marriage. She moves out a little further in this one, joining the mysterious Mr. Redvers on a transatlantic voyage. Jane will be posing as his wife as they try to uncover who is working as a German spy. 

While on the trip, Jane meets Vanessa FitzSimmons, a newly married woman whose husband disappears almost immediately after the ship goes out to sea. But no one else seems to believe the man ever existed. 

This was an interesting story but I thought some of the plot lines could have been more thoroughly developed. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out March 29, 2022

Follows Murder at Mena House

Followed by Intrigue in Istanbul

Opinions are my own

Murder at Wedgefield Manor by Erica Ruth Neubauer

I very much appreciated that Jane got to expand as a detective. This definitely wasn't one of those "the detective only solves it when the murderer tries to kill them" stories. It was nice to see her grow as a detective. It was sort of interesting that more than one person actually looked to her to fix everything when a mechanic from the Wedgefield Manor is murdered. After the events of the last book, that does make some sense - she's part of the family (in a sense) so she can be trusted to keep a secret and she does have some experience.
Her experience isn't especially vast though so it helps that her beau from the last book, Mr. Redvers, also mysteriously appears on the scene and is able to stay long enough to help solve not only the murder but some other mysteries as well.

Maybe everything doesn't hang together perfectly but it was overall an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Four stars
This book comes out March 30th
Follows Murder at the Mena House

Followed by Danger on the Atlantic
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer

Jane Wunderly isn't sure why her Aunt Millie chose the Mena House as their place to stay in Egypt but she is grateful. It is a beautiful hotel and she is enjoying the company, especially a handsome man name Redvers. The young woman who seems to have captured the attention of all the young man, Anna Staten, she is not so impressed with. The young woman doesn't seem to like Jane (who, as a thirty-something-year-old widow is sure she isn't competition for a flapper) and spills a drink on her. But that doesn't mean that Jane is wishing death on the young woman. And Jane especially doesn't expect to be the one to find her.  When Jane becomes a main suspect, she is told to restrict herself to the main hotel. She cooperates (sort of) but she also starts to look into the murder herself. 
Meanwhile, her Aunt Millie seems to be hiding secrets of her own, spending time with a young woman golfer, Lillian, and Lillian's friend who is obsessed with Lillian, Marie.
This is definitely a story where regular mystery readers can figure out who the killer is but our heroine definitely doesn't until she is in the crosshairs herself. I'm willing to forgive that in one book, maybe two, but hopefully Jane smartens up by book three.

Three and a half stars
This book came out March 31st, 2020
Followed by Murder at Wedgefield Manor
Borrowed as an audiobook from Libby 
Opinions are my own