The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

There is a saying that you can't go home and Lily Armitage doesn't want to. Endgame House holds bad memories for her; memories she'd rather not revisit. But her aunt Lillian has died and Lily and her cousins are back at Endgame for one last Christmas games revelry. They are to stay at the house, without cell phones, for the entirety of the Christmas season. Every day, one clue will be released leading the cousins to a key. One of the twelve keys they find will unlock the door of a secret room. Whoever has that key on the last day will inherit the house. Of course, they have to survive in order to win. Not all of them will.

This is an intriguing story and there are two games woven into the mystery. There was a lot going on in this story but that left some gaps that I would have liked to have had filled in. 

Three and a half stars

This book come out October 4, 2022

ARC kindly provided by Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Extra Witchy by Ann Aguirre

I've been curious about how Leanne and Trevor ended up married and this book explores their story and it is lovely. It is not really a fake relationship because they are definitely involved even though they get married so Leanne will be taken more seriously for the city council. There were some points that I wish had been a little smoother but I loved the end when the magic users out themselves to the world but there is so much other news going on that no one really notices. That makes a LOT of sense to me.

Leanne Vanderpol grew up with a mother who was more concerned with finding love (in all the wrong places) than in raising her daughter. She wanted to be different but she already has two divorces under her belt. At least she didn't have children with either of her ex-husbands. Now she just works in a sausage party where the men treat her as lesser than because she's a woman. But she's going to change that by running for city council and working from the inside.

Trevor Montgomery got out of a bad relationship and just sort of... collapsed. Now he spends his days doing odd jobs, smoking weed, and hanging out with his friend and his friend's friends (he doesn't think they like him for himself.) Sure, Leanne is hot and hooking up with her in a bathroom during a party at their friend's house seems like a good idea at the time. But getting married? And being her househusband? Well, at least it's a direction in life.

Of course, this is a romance so it might just be that this relationship that starts off so tentatively might just make them both a little stronger. 

Four stars

This book comes out October 4, 2022

Follows Boss Witch 

ARC kindly provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

A lovely homage to "And Then There Were None." This book was tightly written with enough clues (and enough ties to the Christie book) that I was able to guess two-thirds of the ending of this book and was pretty sure about the third but was not disappointed in the knowing. It did get a little too twee for me at the end but otherwise a wonderful book.

For the first time in a long time, Daisy Darker's family is going to be in one place. Her father is a world-traveling orchestra conductor, her mother is a fading beauty. Oldest sister Rose is a veterinarian who seems sad all the time while middle sister Lily doesn't much seem to want to mother her daughter Trixie. Youngest daughter Daisy was born with a broken heart and the stress of caring for her exposed a lot of cracks in the family leading to her grandmother writing a bestselling book with Daisy's name in the title. Now, on her grandmother's eightieth birthday, they will all be together (along with one other) on an island. The causeway floods for eight hours and that will be a problem once the bodies start piling up.

Four stars

This book came out August 30, 2022

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

Our favorite crime-solving team is back and once again under threat. This time, Elizabeth is picked up from a walk with Stephen (who is picked up along with her.) A mysterious Swede (quickly dubbed The Viking) wants her to kill a man she once knew. She's not sure how well she knew Viktor Illyich but he's pretty sure they were VERY good friends. But she's told that it's either killing Viktor or The Viking will send him information which will cause him to kill Joyce. 

While Elizabeth is struggling with that problem, the rest of the club is working on a nearly ten-year-old murder. This one is focused around newscaster Bethany Waites. She was on the trail of a big story when her car was pushed over a cliff. Her body was never found but that was not unusual in the place where her car went over.

Like the other books in this series, lots of twists and turns and a series of unexpected endings. Not everything in the end will be good news and I did tear up while listening. 

The narrator for the book was absolutely fabulous and I am leaning more toward listening to the rest of this series than reading it in the future.

Four and a half stars

This book came out September 15, 2022

Follows The Man Who Died Twice

Followed by The Last Devil to Die

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

Helena Harding was a kick ass engineer and world class environmentalist. She was also the closest thing Mara had to family. When Helena dies and leaves Mara a house near Mara's new office at the EPA in DC, it seems like it should be a good opportunity for Mara. Except that Mara has actually only been left half a house, the other half belonging to Mara's nephew who works for Big Oil. 

They start off shaky and antagonistic but slowly learn that they may have misjudged each other and finally falling into some severe lust.

Three stars

This novella came out February 8, 2022

Followed by Stuck with You

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

State of Grace by Marie Force

Like other books in this series, there is a LOT going on. Not only do we read about one of Sam's cases, we hear about her adapting to the role of First Lady of the United States and all the side stories of the people in her orbit (and there are a lot of them.) Still, a fast and enjoyable read.

Sam is shocked when a typical suburban mom is found tied up and left for dead in the back of the woman's minivan. She and her team are going to have to do a lot of work to uncover exactly why this woman was murdered. This is, of course, taking place while Sam is trying to navigate the world of politics while still maintaining her own identity. 

This is all set against the backdrop of Christmas which Sam is looking forward to with her family. The family that is also under threat because the twins' grandparents have filed for custody and are trying to blackmail Eli into turning them over.

Four stars

This book came out December 21, 2021

Follows State of Affairs

Followed by State of the Union

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Dancing Death by Christopher Bush

There's a party planned, one that happens every year but this year, there's a big snow storm coming in so the people left over are the ones staying in or near the house. And it's an interesting crew that remains. Among them are sisters who don't seem very close, a writer who is down on his luck, and Ludovic Travers. Then, the electricity goes out and two people die. A stranded motorist shows up and there's another body. About 2/3 of the way through the book, the police show up and work with Travers to solve the crime.

It was very atmospheric and very convoluted. An interesting read and another good recommendation from the Classic Mysteries podcast.

Three stars
This book came out January 1, 1931

Follows Murder at Fenwold

Followed by Dead Man's Music

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own