The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao

It starts off so sterotypically, Kathryn has had a bad day and just wants to talk to her boyfriend. When she gets to his house, there are rose petals leading to the bedroom and her boyfriend is on his knee... in front of another woman. She decides to go on the romantic vacation she had planned with her boyfriend but with the other woman instead. When they get there, they discover a third woman! The three get together and decided to prank the heck out of him. Instead, they find his dead body. That sets off a chain of events where Kathryn becomes one of the main suspects. At least she gets to spend some time with the super hot cop.

This book was fine but I didn't feel like any of the characters were fully developed. 

Three stars

Hu Done It #1

This book came out June 24, 2025

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood

Willowjean Parker (not the name she was born with) meets Mrs. Pentecost on a fraughte evening when they both almost die. Willow grew up in a small town then moved around frequently with a circus so she hadn't heard of Mrs. Pentecost, the famous detective. But after that night, Mrs. P sought her out and hired her. Three years later, Willow is still working with Mrs. P. They are approached by the Collins twins and their "uncle." Their father committed suicide then, during a party with a seance, their mother is bludgeoned to death. They want to know what is going on. 

Willow and Mrs. P are on the hunt for a murderer and getting pulled into the world of a medium who, past the time when most were moving into the world of tarot readers, is still working with the richest people (including Mrs. Collins.)

The set up very much reminds me of Wolfe and Goodwin with Parker being the legs, though she is not just the muscle, she is very much being trained to take over the agency some day.   

Three and a half stars

Pentecost and Parker #1

This book came out October 27, 2020

Followed by Murder Under Her Skin

Opinions are my own

A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica and Stoker are itching for a new adventure. When Mornaday comes to them with the story of a man who read a note and then jumped out of a window. This story leads them to cemeteries, vampires, a cult, and a crossover.

This is a lovely addition to the series. Not much character development but lots of atmosphere and an interesting story. 

Four stars

This book comes out March 3, 2026

Veronica Speedwell #10

Follows 
A Grave Robbery

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Primrose Murder Society by Stacy Hackney

Lily's life hasn't exactly been easy lately. Her daughter, Bea, is acting up (understandably) after Lily's husband embezzled millions of dollars and then left them in the lurch. They lost their home (feds took it) and Bea has been kicked out of her private school. Lily has had to take her mother's boyfriend's offer of cleaning out his mother's apartment. At least they have someplace to live, even though Lily still needs a job. 

The Primrose apartments are the most posh in town, but, while Lily is slightly intimidated by the wealth, Bea is mostly obsessed with a murder that happened there almost twenty years ago. A resident dies and leaves behind a will that will give two million dollars to whoever can give information leading to the arrest of the person who killed his granddaughter. Bea, an inveterate Murder She Wrote watcher is all in. Lily is much more hesitant but is willing to go along because this is the only thing bringing Bea joy right now. 

The mystery comes together pretty nicely although the final solution was a bit out there. The two main characters are fairly fleshed out but there is room for growth which will be fun to watch if the series continues. 

Four stars

This book comes out March 3, 2026

ARC kindly provided by William Morrow and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Murder in Postscript by Mary Winters

Amelia's first marriage was not a love match. Her husband knew he was dying and wanted someone to take care of his elderly aunt and niece, both of which Amelia is doing. The niece is much easier to love than the aunt who is ingrained in society and is always meddling to make sure that Amelia is the perfect widowed Countess. 

What the family doesn't know is that Amelia also writes an advice column, Lady Agony. It is that column that has her embroiled in the killings of a young girl (and she's only the first.) Luckily, she's just met her late husband's friend, Simon and he's willing to help out. 

A fun cozy mystery that Smexy Books did not oversell. 

Four stars

Lady of Letters #1

This book came out March 28, 2023

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie

A visit to the dentist doesn't usually but end up with a visit from the police, but it happens to our favorite protagonist. After he sees Dr. Morely for a tooth issue, the man ends up dead. It is possibly a suicide but Japp would like to talk to Poirot anyway. Alistair Blunt had an appointment with the same dentist and there is a possibility that this was an assassination attempt on the banker. 

There is a sprawling cast of characters in this one including an actress who was also at the dentist but who has since disappeared, a political activist, and the people who live with Mr. Blunt. The solution is a bit convoluted but wouldn't be out of place in a story that was written today. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 11, 1940

Follows Sad Cypress

Followed by Evil Under the Sun

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

The Final Problem by Arturo Perez-Reverte

I didn't even realize that this book, another in the genre of actors who played detectives now becoming the detective, had been translated from another language. There was a bit of formality in some of the writing but I thought it fit with the personality of our first person narrator, an aging former movie star who is (mostly) philosophically "retiring" from acting. In his prime, "Hopalong Basil" (as named by an early agent) was in any number of films but is generally recognized now as The Definitive Sherlock Holmes of his time.

It is those movies that will become very helpful when, stranded on an island with a number of other people, Hoppy takes on the role of lead detective when a murder is committed. But why here and why this person? Everyone on the island is hypothetically strangers, caught by a random storm. Then another death occurs and the tension is ratcheted up.

I have somehow picked up a number of books that are written in the style of a Golden Age mystery. This definitely succeeds. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out February 10, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Stolen in Death by J. D. Robb

Nathan Barrister, by all accounts a pretty nice guy despite growing up with a wealthy, entitled father, is found dead, bludgeoned in his own home. Nearby, a door opens into a vault that no one in the family knew existed. It turns out Nathan's father bought a number of stolen art items and hid them in the house. No one knew about them. Well, someone knew about them because Nathan is dead and an expensive item is missing. According to the log they find in the room, there is only one item missing. An item that Roarke knows well...

Eve and her team need to solve the murder, try to recover the missing item, and finally deal with a foe who has been haunting her since early in the series.

Robb's books have a familiar cadence without being exactly duplicative. In this book, we don't know who the killer(s) are at first but get to know the players before the truth is finally revealed. 

Four stars

This book comes out September 2, 2025

In Death #61

Follows Framed in Death

Followed by Fury in Death

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

Opinions are my own

Fair Play by Louise Hegarty with Aoife McMahon, Andrew Wincott

Abigail is known for her fun murder mystery parties that are thrown on New Year's Eve. A group of friends get together, dress up, and then celebrate her brother's birthday the next day. But this year is different. This year, Benjamin is dead. And the famous detective Bell has been called in to solve the mystery. 

This is very much like a Golden Age mystery but rather than an homage like "Miss Winter's Library", it's a play on the classics, more like a twist on the classics like "Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone."

Three stars

This book came out April 20, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my down

Murder, Mess, and the Tangerine Dress by Lynn Rankin-Esquer

This book reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series. The main character, Izzy Bishop, is a chatoic mess, getting food on her clothse and feeding one of her clients a weed cookie. She even has a best friend who is somehow even brasher than her and trying to lose weight. But Izzy has something that Stephanie doesn't - extrasensory powers. They grew after she had a near-death experience in the previous year. That is the the experience that threw off her plan to open an organizing business with her sister so now, rather than being a true partner, Izzy is actually working for her sister. Her younger sister. Her younger  sister who clearly doesn't trust her. Which, to be fair, Izzy is on the manic pixie dream girl end of the spectrum so she tends to have a dirty car and stained clothes (no shame, just not her sister is expecting.)

So, Izzy is late to her appointment for an older widow who is cleaning out her closet. While there, a death occurs and Izzy and the woman nearly die as well. The only reason that they're saved is the woman's dead husband tells Izzy that they need to leave. 

An interesting story that I mainly read because I had also gotten the second book and didn't realize it wasn't the first in a series and I really like to start with the first book in a series. 

Three stars

Order Out of Chaos Mystery, #1

This book came out February 2, 2025

Followed by Murder, Hijinks, and Peridot Cufflinks

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent

10 years ago, Martha's sister disappeared. Today, postcards are arriving at the Clarendon English Dictionary office where Martha now works. The postcards hint at the true series of events that happened. Some of Martha's coworkers today were Charlotte's coworkers then, so there are plenty of suspects, especially when previously held secrets start coming to light. 

I heard about this on NPR's A Way with Words and they were enjoying the wordplay. Knowing of Susie Dent from various game shows, I expected no different. I didn't think there was a lot of plot because there was so much built up around the characters. I also felt vaguely like I had read so many similar books but couldn't really pinpoint one. However, the word use exceeded my expectations. 

Three and a half stars

The Clarendon Lexicographers #1

This book came out August 13, 2024

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Murder, Hijinks, and the Peridot Cufflinks by Lynn Rankin-Esquer

A year ago, Izzy Bishop had a near-death experience that super charged her already average sense of others. In the last book, she finally accepted that she might have some psychic abilities. Now, she's fully embraced the idea but is trying to figure out how to wield it well. Her first sense  of the book almost breaks a couple up. Then she senses something mysterious about one of the organizing client's significant other. This particular client was a sports star who has a LOT of money. When she touches a pair of cufflinks in his closet, she gets a vision of violent death. The person who died? Her archenemy Shania's elderly husband. Ufda. Is Izzy somehow going to be accused of his murder? Yes. Is she going to get another love interest thus cementing my feelings about how similar this series is to reading Stephanie Plum? Yes. Did I still finish the book? Yes.  

Three stars

Order Out of Chaos #2

Follows Murder, Mess, and the Tangerine Dress

ARC kindly provided as ebook by XandL Press and Netgalley

Opinions are my own

Death at Silent Pool by Benedict Brown

Christopher has reached the ripe old age of twenty but is still solving mysteries with his grandfather. It has been some time since the last book and, rather than traveling the continent like Lord Edgington had been promising, Christopher has been working to solve small mysteries in London. 

The book starts off with the solution to the disappearance of some jewels but then jumps back in time to the disappearance of Patinece Hindmarsh, wife of Abraham and mother of five children, none of whom seem to actually like each other. Abraham does not want help from either the police or Lord Edgington until three weeks later when his own life is threatened. And he is, indeed the next person to die; not the last. 

The Hindmarsh family has no lack of suspects including some side characters. The end is very twisty and turn-y but I was willing to suspend my disbelief in the enjoyment of the story. 

Four stars

Lord Edgington Investigates #14

This book came out April 21, 2024

Follows The Puzzle of Parham House

Followed by The Christmas Candle Murders

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Too Old for This by Samantha Downing

Lottie Jones is long past retirement. Not just work, but her early crime spree. So why is someone stirring up the past? It's too bad that the trend of docuseries has come to roost on her doorstep in the form of Plum Dixon. So she has to die. But cleaning up is harder than it was in her youth. And people keep following up on Plum.

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 12, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Experimental Magic by Iris Beaglehole, Lorna Bennett (Narrator)

In the first book of the series, Rosemary and Athena discovered they are witches and are now trying to navigate their new normal. Athena is about to start school and Rosemary is just trying to figure out her powers. And money. For now, she's working in the bakery. 

Athena is trying to figure out how school is going to work. She missed all of the basics and isn't even exactly sure what her power is or if she has power. 

Both Athena and Rosemary have some learning to do in this book. When Athena follows the boy she met in the first book into another realm, it's up to Rosemary and Athena's new friends to help her figure out a way home. Although, Athena does do a lot to help herself (and her father) as well. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out September 5, 2023

Myrtlewood Mysteries #2

Follows Accidental Magic

Followed by Combustible Magic

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Murder at Cottonwood Creek by Clara McKenna

Lyndy and Stella are on a trip to Montana. Both her mother and stepfamily as well as his father are there. Except that his father is not. He disappeared a few days earlier and no one knows where he went. And that's not the last untoward thing that happens on their visit, including death. 

We get to see a little bit more about both Lyndy and Stella but there is a lot of focus on the "B" characters. I didn't love the solution to the mystery either; it didn't make a lot of sense based on what we saw on the page. 

Three stars

This book came out November 25, 2025

A Stella and Lyndy Mystery #7

Follows Murder on Glenloch Hill

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Death and Dinuguan by Mia P. Manansala

There have bee n a series of burglaries in town, all have occurred at women-owned businesses. Then one of the burglaries ends in one death and one woman in a coma, someone who is very close to Jae. 

This is a regular in the series though I do not think you need to have read the rest of the books to enjoy this one. The author's note markd this as the final book in the series which would be sad, but there are some possibilities to continue further if Manansala changes her mind in the future.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out November 25, 2025

Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #6

Follows Guilt and Ginataan

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayers

Great stories. Perfect for a night-time read. Peter solves wonderful cases including one with a sculptor whose model is perfect except for one toe, a will devised by a crossword fanatic, and one case which requires him to be "dead" for two years.

Four stars

Lord Peter Wimsey #4 (or maybe 4.5?)

This book came out in 1928

Follows Unnatural Death

Followed by The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club

Accidental Magic by Iris Beaglehole, Lorna Bennett (Narrator)

Rosemary hasn't seen her grandmother in a long time. That's what makes it so surprising that she's been left her grandmother's whole estate. She's careful not to get her hopes up though anything will help. Her daughter's father has left them in a mountain of debt and Rosemary is drowning. 

Going to the small town to see what her inheritance is, Rosemary is also trying not to get her hopes up. She hasn't spoken to her grandmother in years and the house probably isn't much anyway. Once she's in town, however, she becomes a suspect in her grandmother's murder and isn't allowed to leave. 

The shocks don't stop coming when Rosemary discovers the other family legacy and has to figure out how to save them all.

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 25, 2023

Myrtlewood Mysteries #1

Followed by Experimental Magic

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Plus

Opinions are my own

Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist by Dorothy Gilman

Let's be honest, the Pollifax books are a product of their time. It's aging better than some books and definitely captures the tone of its time.
John Farrell is back and needs the help of Mrs. Pollifax. There is a manuscript that needs to be smuggled out of a Middle Eastern country and the author only trusted Farrell. Having Emily P. will help him fly under the radar. Or so they would think. But Emily is seated next to a man who is not only overly garrulous, he is more dangerous than he appears. And that will double the danger they are in as he has done something that will affect their safety even more.

Three stars

This book came out in 1997

Mrs. Pollifax #13

Follows Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer

Followed by Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled

Hard copy I did not keep

Opinions are my own