We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman

stars

We Solve Murders #2

Follows We Solve Murders

This book came out September 15, 2026

ARC kindly provided 

Opinions are my own

The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li

After two catastrophic events, Vivian Yin sent her daughters to a boarding school and their family was never the same. Now the first Chinese actor to win an Oscar is dead. Her family is shocked to learn that she changed her will two weeks before she died to benefit someone unexpected. Now, there are five people in a house that has deep secrets, some of which may still be hanging around. 

Four stars

This book came out May 6, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam, narrator: Elizabeth London

As with many of the nonfiction books I read, this doesn't have any especially groundbreaking material. But the hook is interesting, even a decade and a half after the book was written.  One of the things that happens in our lives is that we fritter away time. But if we track our time, pay attention to what we do, we might actually get more done. This is always a good reminder, especially when we have more things than ever to distract us.

There are a surprising number of references to Bel Canto, though it was a hit at the time this book was written.

Four stars

This book came out May 26, 2010

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson

Two women are heading out to a former club to attend a speed date. Jamie Prescott and her best friend Laurie are hoping to meet some men. They are not hoping to get murdered. But that, somehow, seems to be an option for the evening as, halfway through the rounds, the bodies start to pile up. Jamie is a big fan of both horror and rom-coms (writing her thesis on them, in fact) and has the list of rules for how to be the Final Girl. But will the rules work in real life? 

Four stars

This book came out February 3, 2026

Followed by While You Were Screaming

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison

Willa is stuck. She's heading to the wedding from a group of friends she met in college, but she's bound to see her ex there. The one she broke up with because they were beginning to want different things in their relationship. She is dreading it with the passions of a hundred fiery suns. And it sucks. It sucks so bad and it's even worse than she thought. Than she could have imagined. But... then she wakes up. And it's the same day. And it's even worse. And it happens again, and again, and again. 
Super gory but I really enjoyed getting to know Willa. We don't get to know the others as well but this really is a book that focuses on her. Is there some hand waving in this book? Yes. Yes there is. But I enjoyed it anyway and Harrison is still an author I will only read during the daylight hours.

Four stars

This book came out September 8, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Mystery of the Midnight Rider by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Jorjeana Marie

Nancy and Ned are at the horse show. Nancy never misses it and Ned has a family friend, Payton Evans, who is competing. Rumors are that Payton is being considered for the Olympic team. That would definitely cause a lot of jealousy and may be part of the reason that someone seems to be trying to sabotage her efforts. 

A really fast read but, like chips, still enjoyable. And the ending made sense which was nice. 

Four stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #3

Follows Strangers on a Train

Followed by Once Upon a Thriller

This book came out May 7, 2013

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

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

Death on the Night Train to Verona by Benedict Brown, narrator: George Blagden

Christopher and Lord Edgington are heading to their next step on their European tour. But the train they are taking to Verona is running late. It seems it has been delayed for one person. And what a person! It's the famous film actress. There are several people on the train who are connected to the actress in various ways, which makes it difficult to discern who might have wanted to kill her. Christopher and his grandfather will have few hours to solve the mystery.

There is a thread through the series of the girl that Christipher saw in the first book now being on the train. He is able to speak to her only briefly before they are interrupted by an older man who may be her father.

Four stars

Lord Edgington Investigates Abroad #2

Follows Murder in an Italian Castle

Followed by The Alpine Christmas Mystery

This book came out September 30, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Spy x Family, Vol. 14 by Tatsuya Endo, (translator) Casey Loe

Anya earns both a Stella and a Tonitrus Bolt in her end-of-year exams. Loid decides to ignore the bolt for now and celebrate the Stella by taking a skiing trip. While there, they are involved in a locked room mystery when one of the other occupants of the chalet is almost murdered. I wish that story had been longer but there is a limit to how many strips are in a chapter.

There is also the story of Anya's school having a dance. She tries to get close to the younger Desmond but he is not interested (aka he runs away.)

Finally, we get the story of Henry Henderson, the school's headmaster. It seems he had a past with Becky's chauffer/minder, Martha.

Four stars

Follows Vol. 13

Followed by Vol. 15

This book came out September 4, 2024

Borrowed as hard copy from library
Opinions are my own

Spy x Family, Vol. 12 by Tatsuya Endo, translator Casey Loe

Our favorite family is dealing with a world post-Anya's class being kidnapped. Anya has to go back to schoole while Yor and Lloid go back to work. Yor's coworkers are skeptical when she refuses to speak ill of her husband so she creates problems that don't really exist. Meanwhile, Lloid is also dealing with her brother Yuri as both sides race to get to super spy Winston Wheeler before the other. 

Four stars

Follows Vol. 11

Followed by Vol. 13

This book came out October 4, 2023

Borrowed as 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

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

Follows Apprentice in Death

Followed by Dark in Death

This book came out February 7, 2017

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Honey Pot Plot by Bob Mayer, Jennifer Crusie with narrators Eric G. Dove, Cris Dukehart

How can there be even more dead bodies in Rocky Start? Weren't there enough in the first two books? Yes, this is a town with a higher number than average of former asssassins. But most have been retired long enough that no one should be after them any more. But now there are two attempts on the women in the town. 

At the same time there are kilings in town, someone tries to take Max out while he's just trying to finish the Appalachian Trail. Are the attacks connected or is something else going on? And will peace ever come to Rocky Start?

A fun series that seems like it is wrapping up. It's fast, fun, and fluffy but gave me something to listen to. 

Four stars

Rocky Start #3

Follows Very Nice Funerals

Followed by Rocky Road

This book came out March 20, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb

Oh noes! Eve's best friend Mavis has been found standing over a dead body. The body just happens to be that of the woman who threatened Mavis' current luvr. The woman was supposed to model Leonardo's clothes but she threw a tantrum when he started dating Mavis.

Eve has to not only work on clearing Mavis and Leonardo but also getting prepped for her marriage to the gorgeous and mysterious Roarke.
Peabody gets her first love interest in Illegals cop, Castro.
Fun read.

Four stars

In Death #3

Follows Glory in Death

Followed by Rapture in Death

This book comes out September 8, 2026

Ebook ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Garfield Brings Home the Bacon by Jim Davis

This book starts out with a series of Christmas strips. Once again, Garfield is trying to find a way to work around the "being good" theory. There are also a number of strips relating to winter that follow soon after. We also have Garfield's mouse friends as swell as strips with Arlene. We see a lot of jokes around the "Beware of Dog" sign and more strips that make us wonder why Liz is (still) with Jon. There is a recurring character, the waiter Armando, who shows up again. 

Four stars

Follows Garfield Lard of the Jungle

Followed by Garfield Gets in a Pickle

This book came out January 31, 2012

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn

Kuehn didn't know the story of her family until a filmmaker sent her a lettter. At first, she ignores it, thinking that it must be a mistake, he must have meant some other Kuehn's. But as she digs into her family's past, she discovers that her family was more invovled with WWII than she ever knew. 

It's an interesting story that certainly has missing pieces bcause Kuehn's aunt burned much of the family's memorabilia and most of the people involved are dead. 

Kuehn did a LOT of research to put her files together. And most of the work was done pre-internet so she had to figure out whereto go to even look to find information. 

Four stars

This book came out November 25, 2025

Hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Garfield Belly Laughs by Jim Davis

Garfield is back with his usual jokes about naps and eating. He also has a series of strips about horror monster theater where various classics film tropes get an update. There is a large section devoted to Christmas strips, including holiday apparel (e.g. Jon and Odie dressing as candy canes.)

Four stars

Garfield #68

Follows Garfield Slurps and Burps

Followed by Garfield Easy as Pie

This book came out December 10, 2019

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Very Nice Funerals by Bob Mayer, Jennifer Crusie with narrators Eric G. Dove, Cris Dukehart

Max Reddy doesn't want to stay in Rocky Start. It's a town with two many secrets that he doesn't want to be a part of. And one person he's going to hate to leave. But on the next-to-last day before his self-imposed return to the AT, someone cuts a rope bridge while he's on it. So... now he's sticking around. 

Meanwhile Poppy's life is changing. She had a traumatic incident in the last book and now her life is changing. And she's not sure if she likes where it's going but she knows that it is not going to be what she had originally planned. 

Four stars

Rocky Start #2

Follows Rocky Start

Followed by The Honey Pot Plot

This book came out July 21, 2024

Borrowed as audiobook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own