Murder in the Maze by J.J. Connington

Roger and Neville are twins. Roger has money acquired through methods that may not have been particularly legal. Neville is a lawyer with a big case. They are both at Roger's estate and have decided to find some alone time in the two centers of the maze. Two visitors to the house decide to go into the maze around the same time and discover both twins dead. 

There are many suspects including the twins' brother Ernest who seems to be something of a leech, their nephew Arthur who hasn't been quite the same after a bout of encephalitis, their niece Sylvian, and Roger's secretary, Stenness who has some secrets of his own.

Into this place come Sir Clinton Driffield, the Chief Constable, and Wendover who solve the mystery which was probably fairly clued when it was written, but some of the nuance may be missed by modern readers. I picked this book up based on the review from the Classic Mysteries Podcast and did not regret it. 

Three stars

This book came out in 1927

Sir Clinton Driffield #1

Borrowed as ebookf from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

You're So Bad by Angela Casella

Shauna is dealing with some stuff. Her ex-boyfriend and her ex-best friend are getting married. If that's not bad enough, they've asked her to be a bridesmaid. For the wedding that's going to be on her birthday. But she's totally fine. Totally. 

Her grandmother isn't so sure and has been spreading rumors that Shauna's dating a pediatrician. Well, she's not so her grandmother has also found a stand in. And Leo is all in. Shauna's cute and her grandmother is a trip so he's willing to help out.

There's a secondary story of them helping out a runaway teen. 

I never really connected to either Shauna or Leanard. The story was... fine and moved the friend group along. But I didn't see how Shauna or Leo connected really outside of the fake dating.

Three stars

This book came out August 31, 2023

Finding You #2

Follows
You're So Extra

Followed by You're So Basic

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean, Julia Whelan (Narrator)

Alice Storm is the third child of a billionaire tech family. She is the only one who walked away. So when her father dies and she's summoned back to the family manse. Well, their private island (coincidentally called Storm Island.) 
On the way there, she meets an attractive man and has a one night stand. It's just too bad that Jack Dean ends up being the man who's going to make sure that Alice, her mom, and all three siblings fulfill the tasks that their father left behind. And they are some odd tasks. Her mom has to say one nice thing about her father every day. Her older sister has to break off the years long affair she's been having with her father's employee, her brother has to do manual labor and can't talk on odd hours, and Alice... Alice has to stay. 
Most of the story is third-person omniscient from Alice's point of view, but we do get some of the other characters as well. Because of that, it was easy to feel so frustrated for Alice that no one else seems to see her point of view. 

Four stars

This book came out July 8, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Dragon Bound Elder by Thea Harrison, Sophie Eastlake (Narrator)

Dragos Cuelebre is bemused. Not only did someone steal from him, a dragon, they had the temerity to leave a note. His displeasure literally shakes the city.

Pia Giovanni knows that what she did was incredibly stupid and life-threatening but her ex-boyfriend is threatening to reveal her secrets to the world if she doesn't do this for him. Apparently, he needs to wipe out some gambling debts. She runs as fast as she can but Dragos finds her quickly. Unexpectedly, he doesn't immediately rend her limb from limb. Instead, over the course of a very fast week, the two fall in love. And deal with the enmity of a fey king, several kidnappings, and opening their hearts to each other.

What a great start to a series. I don't love one of the tropes used but though Harrison did it about as well as it can be done and the romance was a little too whirlwind but I am excited to listen to the next book in the series.

Three and a half stars

This book came out 

Elder Races #1

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Rattle His Bones by Carola Dunn, Lucy Rayner (Narrator )

Daisy is putting together an article about the Kensington’s Natural History Museum. When she goes, she meets an assortment of characters including curators, security, and guests. She comes for a return visit,
joined by her nephew and her fiancé’s daughter. They’re fascinated by the dinosaurs and butterflies. Of course, this would be the visit that a curator is murdered.  Surprising no one (as this is a fiction book), it is Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher who is called in to solve the case. 

Throw in a displaced Royal Duke and some missing jewels, and it’s a romp to the end. 

Three stars

This book came out in 2000

Daisy Dalrymple #8

Follows Styx and Stones

Followed by To Davy Jones Below

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Murder Most Puzzling Peril at Quandary Park A Mysterious Case to Solve by Stephanie von Reiswitz

Adelaide Hatchett has died. A heart attack. At a summer party. In her own greenhouse with all of the doors and windows locked. That's probably not a surprise as she was an older woman. However, Betrand Hellebore thinks there's something more to it. He and Adelaide weren't on great terms as he had been hired to make possets and potions specifically for her from the plants in her greenhouse. He left the house with hard feelings but doesn't believe he could have been disinherited. Adelaide must have been murdered. 

The reader normally wouldn't take on a case like this but in a Wolfe-esque manner, we have to work in order to keep ourselves in the style to which we've become accustomed. 

We are introduced to the people who were at her last party and given reasons why they might have wanted to kill her. There are puzzles on almost every page and they vary in easiness from medium to hard. Of the books that I've read like this lately, this was the best executed. Highly recommend getting in hard copy as it can be difficult to read and enjoy on an e-reader and would be very hard on a phone. 

Four stars

This book comes out September 30, 2025

ARC kindly provided by Chronicle Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

Shari Franke’s face was known to millions of people as her mother’s vlogging channel took off on YouTube. For a lot of her life, Shari’s most humiliating moments were taped and then broadcast to the world. But behind the scenes, there was a lot of turmoil. She and her five siblings were physically and emotionally abused, especially once her parents (whom she refers to as Ruby and Kevin), fell under the spell of a con artist. 

The book skims the surface of what happened to Shari. She only tells her stories and a few of her brother Chad’s, not wanting to be yet another adult who makes money off her younger siblings. The writing was pretty good although the editing was not great (a lot of spelling mistakes that took me out of the story.) 

Four stars

This book came out January 7, 2025

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own