Monday, October 14, 2024

 


House of Glass

by Sarah Pekkanen

 

When a young nanny dies after falling through an upstairs window of her employer’s home, an investigation opens with best interest attorney Stella Hudson coming into the case to decide on the placement of the nine-year-old girl who perhaps witnessed the possible murder. To those on the outside the family appears happy and well-adjusted. They are well off and living a life of luxury in a household which includes the child Rose Barclay, her parents, and Rose’s grandmother.

If the nanny was murdered, the question becomes is Rose safe in the home. Immediately many problems appear that indicate Rose may need to be removed from the home. The parents are in the middle of divorcing. The nanny was pregnant with her employer’s child. Rose refuses to speak at all and is no help as a witness. Everyone in the family appears to be lying and covering up, but who are they covering up for?

Stella is reluctant to take this case because of her own traumatic childhood and usually only takes clients that are teenagers. Once she becomes involved, however, she is determined to help Rose even if Rose herself is the killer. Rose is either covering up for someone or is herself guilty of pushing her nanny out the window. Rose seems to be hording pieces of glass to the point that her family has removed most of the glass in the house and put in plastic. Is Rose hoarding weapons to protect herself or to kill someone else in the household?

The atmosphere in the house is unnerving for Stella and perhaps dangerous. Everyone inside the house is suspicious as is the nanny’s boyfriend. It seems impossible to decide how to protect Rose or who to protect her from so Stella puts herself in danger and sets a trap for the killer.

Stella is a smart and interesting hero with an unusual job. I was interested in how she would handle the investigation which had to be done quickly. While her past played a part in the story, I didn’t feel that it overwhelmed the main storyline. Rose’s intelligence is obvious but so is her fear. The question is who is she afraid of or is she just afraid of being caught. Definitely a mystery and a thriller and one that keeps you guessing. I think this character would make a great subject for a series.

 

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Halloween Fun:

Perhaps frightful


I love all types of mysteries including fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal novels that have a mystery bent. Because we give something a name doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t jump out of our comfort zone once in a while to explore other genres. Even Sir. Author Colan Doyle had Sherlock Holmes explore the paranormal. Many fantasy books have a mystery element to them and are excellent reads. Perhaps the Halloween season is a time to try something a little out of our comfort zone. Some of these authors are fantasy heavy and some are fantasy light or paranormal light. I’ve included books that are Halloween themed, but not necessarily paranormal or fantasy in nature (in case you don’t want to go all out into fantasy just yet.) All are fun to read if you give them a try!

Esme Addison this year came out with “An Intrigue of Witches” which is the first in her new series the Secret Society Mysteries. Her hero is Sidney Taylor, a early American historian, looking for an important artefact, but finds her way blocked on every side. She doesn’t give up and starts to find her own history of witchcraft. I really enjoyed her other series Enchanted Bay Mysteries which includes “A Spell for Trouble” as the first in the series.

If you want to delve into a heavier duty fantasy series, you could start light with Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. The first book in the series was “Storm Front.” Harry Dresden is a private investigator and a professional wizard. This is a terrific series and was turned into a television series. Jim’s son James Butcher is following his father’s footsteps with his series Unorthodox Chronicles which started with “Dead Man’s Hand.”

Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series is a great starter series to drag mystery readers into the fantasy genre. “Moon Called” is the first in the series. I cannot say enough about how great this series is and how the characters grab your interest.

Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series is another fantasy series which I love to read. “Spider Bite” was the first book in the series. “Spider” is an assassin who is always on the right side.

Leigh Bardugo’s series with Alex Stern started with “Ninth House” and is absolutely a murder mystery series with a fantasy twist.

Keri Arthur has a wonderful fantasy series called Crown of Shadows. The first book is “Relic Hunters” wherein Bethany Aodhan searches for godly artifacts in the midst of murder and the threat of chaos being released in modern-day England.

Many mystery authors who don’t necessary write paranormal books have an occasional Halloween themed novel and obviously a Halloween themed book is a natural for anyone writing a paranormal mystery series.

Emmeline Duncan’s new series started with “Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop” which is her first book in the Halloween Bookshop Mystery.

Alyssa Day’s Tiger’s Eye Mystery series started with “Private Eye” and her latest is the 14th book in the series “A Dead End Halloween.” Private investigator Jack Shepherd and pawnshop owner Tess Callahan work their magic to solve the latest mystery to hit the town of Dead End, FL.

Addison Moore’s latest in her Brambleberry Bay Murder Club series is “Nightmare in Halloween Hollow.” Kathi Daley’s first book in her Zoe Donovan mystery series was “Halloween Hijinks” and the series has grown to include 36 books.

Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone mystery series revolves around holidays and includes many Halloween themed books including “Trick or Treat Murder” and “Halloween Party Murder.” Isis Crawford also has many holiday themed books including “A Catered Halloween” in her Mystery with Recipes series.

Victoria Tait’s tenth book in her Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series is “Halloween Parade Peril.”

I’ve read several of Tonya Kappes’s mysteries that I’ve enjoyed. She has a couple Halloween books and paranormal books. Her series Magical Cures Mystery started with “A Charming Crime.” Her Ghostly Southern Mystery series started with “A Ghostly Undertaking.” One of her books in the Camper and Criminals Cozy mystery series is “Jackets, Jack-o-lantern, and Justice” (she has other fall related books in that series). Her holiday cozy mystery series includes “A Halloween Homicide.”

Paula Darnell’s fifth book in the Fine Art mystery series is “Halloween Hue-Dunit.”

Morgana Best’s latest book is “The Halloween Mystery Spell” which is part of her Kitchen Witch series.

This list could go on forever! Most of the books I’ve included are cozies. Perhaps next year, I will step it up and include Horror.




Monday, September 23, 2024

 October Releases:

Delightful, not frightful



“The Drowned” by John Banville is the fourth book in the Strafford and Quirke mystery series. An Irish author with a long history of writing fascinating mysteries.

“A New Lease on Death” by Olivia Blacke is a new standalone mystery. Olivia Blacke has written several cozy mysteries in two series and now has a standalone mystery to sink your teeth into.

“In Too Deep” by Andrew and Lee Child is the latest Jack Reacher thriller. Reacher novels never fail to keep one awake.

“The Waiting” by Michael Connelly is the sixth book in the Renee Ballard series. Connelly is still writing terrific books although I must admit that Renee Ballard has not been my favorite series.

“Beyond Reasonable Doubt” by Robert Dugoni is the second book in the Keera Duggan series. Dugoni is a prolific American author who has written four difference mysteries series and seven standalone novels.



“The Blue Hour” by Paula Hawkins is a standalone mystery. Hawkins has written four excellent mystery novels including her first which was “Girl on the Train.”

“The Restaurant of Lost Recipes” by Hisashi Kashiwai is the second in the Kamogawa Food Detectives series.

"Gathering Mist” by Margaret Mizushima is the ninth book in the Timber Creek K-9 series. I love books with dogs in them especially working dogs.

“The Night Woods” by Paula Munier is the sixth book in the Mercy Carr series. Another great working dog series!

“The President’s Lawyer” by Lawrence Robbins is a standalone legal thriller and his first book. Robbins knows the law because of his years of working as a trial and appellate litigator. This one should give Grisham a run for his money.

“The Puzzle Box” by Danielle Trussoni is the second book in the Mike Brink series. Trussoni has written five books altogether in two series and one standalone. Her other series is a fantasy series.

 


Non-Fiction that might be of interest to mystery readers:


“Framed” Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions
A non-fiction book by 
John Grisham and Jim McCloskey.

 

In John Grisham’s first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man, “the master of the legal thriller” (Associated Press) teams up with Jim McCloskey, “the godfather of the innocence movement” (Texas Monthly), to share ten harrowing true stories of wrongful convictions.


“Each of these stories is told with astonishing power. They are packed with human drama, with acts of shocking villainy and breathtaking courage. But these are more than just gripping true stories—they are a clarion call for reforming the tragic flaws in our criminal justice system.”—David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flow

Monday, September 9, 2024

 


Keep Your Friends Close

by Leah Konen

Isolated and embroiled in a custody battle, Mary is desperate for a friend. So when she meets the charming and enigmatic Willa at a Brooklyn playground, their connection feels fated. But during a margarita-fueled moms’ night out, Mary shares her darkest secret about her ex, George, and the next morning Willa simply disappears. No calls, no texts, nothing.

Two months later, Mary’s divorce is almost finalized, and she’s trying to build a new life for her son in upstate New York. On her first day in town, she runs into Willa . . . only Willa’s name is now Annie, and she’s got an entirely new family in tow. When George turns up dead and Mary becomes the prime suspect, she has no choice but to turn to her only friend in town: Willa.

As coincidences—and evidence—pile up, Mary begins to wonder whether Willa had something to do with George’s death. Is the woman a friend or a foe, a confidante or just a con? Mary must uncover the truth before she loses everything.

See Less

About Keep Your Friends Close

How well do you know your friends?

Isolated and embroiled in a custody battle, Mary is desperate for a friend. So when she meets the charming and enigmatic Willa at a Brooklyn playground, their connection feels fated. But during a margarita-fueled moms’ night out, Mary shares her darkest secret about her ex, George, and the next morning Willa simply disappears. No calls, no texts, nothing.

Two months later, Mary’s divorce is almost finalized, and she’s trying to build a new life for her son in upstate New York. On her first day in town, she runs into Willa . . . only Willa’s name is now Annie, and she’s got an entirely new family in tow. When George turns up dead and Mary becomes the prime suspect, she has no choice but to turn to her only friend in town: Willa.

As coincidences—and evidence—pile up, Mary begins to wonder whether Willa had something to do with George’s death. Is the woman a friend or a foe, a confidante or just a con? Mary must uncover the truth before she loses everything.

See Less

About Keep Your Friends Close

How well do you know your friends?

Isolated and embroiled in a custody battle, Mary is desperate for a friend. So when she meets the charming and enigmatic Willa at a Brooklyn playground, their connection feels fated. But during a margarita-fueled moms’ night out, Mary shares her darkest secret about her ex, George, and the next morning Willa simply disappears. No calls, no texts, nothing.

Two months later, Mary’s divorce is almost finalized, and she’s trying to build a new life for her son in upstate New York. On her first day in town, she runs into Willa . . . only Willa’s name is now Annie, and she’s got an entirely new family in tow. When George turns up dead and Mary becomes the prime suspect, she has no choice but to turn to her only friend in town: Willa.

As coincidences—and evidence—pile up, Mary begins to wonder whether Willa had something to do with George’s death. Is the woman a friend or a foe, a confidante or just a con? Mary must uncover the truth before she loses everything.

See Less

About Keep Your Friends Close

How well do you know your friends?

Isolated and embroiled in a custody battle, Mary is desperate for a friend. So when she meets the charming and enigmatic Willa at a Brooklyn playground, their connection feels fated. But during a margarita-fueled moms’ night out, Mary shares her darkest secret about her ex, George, and the next morning Willa simply disappears. No calls, no texts, nothing.

Two months later, Mary’s divorce is almost finalized, and she’s trying to build a new life for her son in upstate New York. On her first day in town, she runs into Willa . . . only Willa’s name is now Annie, and she’s got an entirely new family in tow. When George turns up dead and Mary becomes the prime suspect, she has no choice but to turn to her only friend in town: Willa.

As coincidences—and evidence—pile up, Mary begins to wonder whether Willa had something to do with George’s death. Is the woman a friend or a foe, a confidante or just a con? Mary must uncover the truth before she loses everything.

See Less

About Keep Your Friends Close

How well do you know your friends?

Isolated and embroiled in a custody battle, Mary is desperate for a friend. So when she meets the charming and enigmatic Willa at a Brooklyn playground, their connection feels fated. But during a margarita-fueled moms’ night out, Mary shares her darkest secret about her ex, George, and the next morning Willa simply disappears. No calls, no texts, nothing.

Two months later, Mary’s divorce is almost finalized, and she’s trying to build a new life for her son in upstate New York. On her first day in town, she runs into Willa . . . only Willa’s name is now Annie, and she’s got an entirely new family in tow. When George turns up dead and Mary becomes the prime suspect, she has no choice but to turn to her only friend in town: Willa.

As coincidences—and evidence—pile up, Mary begins to wonder whether Willa had something to do with George’s death. Is the woman a friend or a foe, a confidante or just a con? Mary must uncover the truth before she loses everything.

See Less

Isolated and embroiled in a custody battle, Mary is desperate for a friend. So when she meets the charming and enigmatic Willa at a Brooklyn playground, their connection feels fated. But during a margarita-fueled moms’ night out, Mary shares her darkest secret about her ex, George, and the next morning Willa simply disappears. No calls, no texts, nothing.

Two months later, Mary’s divorce is almost finalized, and she’s trying to build a new life for her son in upstate New York. On her first day in town, she runs into Willa . . . only Willa’s name is now Annie, and she’s got an entirely new family in tow. When George turns up dead and Mary becomes the prime suspect, she has no choice but to turn to her only friend in town: Willa.

As coincidences—and evidence—pile up, Mary begins to wonder whether Willa had something to do with George’s death. Is the woman a friend or a foe, a confidante or just a con? Mary must uncover the truth before she loses everything.


Mary is in the process of divorcing her husband, George, and finds that without her husband she no longer has friends, money, a job, or a home. George’s family was very wealthy, but also very domineering. She feels she lost herself in the marriage and has no choice but to divorce, especially since her son seems to be picking up her husband’s attitude of disrespect. She is trying to start over with nothing but her son and a husband who goes back and forth between hating her and trying to win her back.

Desperate for company, she finds herself talking to another mother in the park where she took her son to play. They instantly connect and exchange numbers. She feels she has found a true friend with Willa and that they have a bond. She befriends Willa whom she overshares with and eventually is ghosted by. As her struggle to divorce her husband and win custody of her son heats up, Mary moves closer to where she grew up and runs into Willa who pretends that she has never seen Mary and identifies herself as “Annie.” Annie has a different child that she is caring for than when they first met and has made some effort to look a little different, but Mary is sure it is Willa.

George claims that he is ready to file for divorce and will come to an agreement that Mary will find palatable. But in a turnaround, he follows her to her new home and tries to win her back. Unfortunately, George is murdered, and Mary is a prime suspect especially since they had an ironclad prenup. With George dead, she doesn’t have to divorce him, or worry about him taking away her son, or her endless money problems since she gets his life insurance. She is terrified that she will be arrested and remembers sending a text to Willa saying that she wished George was dead, which could leave the police with a very wrong impression. She turns to Willa/Annie trying to make sure the text is erased and to gain a friend back. Unfortunately, Mary isn’t so sure that Willa is a friend or something much more complicated. It seems that Willa may be a con artist and perhaps had something to do with George’s death.

To complicate things, Mary’s sister-in-law Cassandra, who used to be her friend before everything blew up when Mary tried to help Cassandra with her divorce which caused George to threaten to take Mary’s son away from her (yes complicated). Cassandra and Mary are trying to divorce men that are brothers, and the brothers are closer to each other than to their wives and have more loyalty to their birth family than to the family they created. As the book goes on, Cassandra’s role becomes much more important.

The book has a lot of twists and turns and an unexpected ending. It moves fast and it isn’t easy to figure out what is going on, which makes it even more fun. There are a couple of elements of the book that I found disturbing and too often true. One is that some women become too isolated in their marriage, letting go of friends, and depending completely on their husband for economic security and emotional support. The other element is the idea of some women basically selling themselves to the highest bidder. I think it might be easier and more beneficial in the long run to have a career which gives you self-respect. You can still be married and have children, but I believe it is good to have some independence and self-reliance. Once more the concept of friendship is central to this book including how hard it is to find friends and how difficult it is to maintain those friendships. Modern fiction seldom has straight forward heroes anymore and this book has that element. No one is an obvious hero, or perfect. In fact, I would say that no one in this book is very likable. They are all damaged people who make some poor choices and take actions that are often questionable. All these things make the book far more complex than I expected when I picked the book up to read. It was fast moving and thought provoking.



As coincidences—and evidence—pile up, Mary begins to wonder whether Willa had something to do with George’s death. Is the woman a friend or a foe, a confidante or just a con? Mary must uncover the truth before she loses everything.



Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman’s 5th book in the Clay Edison series just came out in August to great reviews. The Kellerman’s are an amazing family of writers with a long history of best-selling mysteries from Faye Kellerman and her husband Jonathan and now son Jesse. 

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

 

  

Just for Laughs

If you find yourself becoming paranoid from reading all those heavy weight domestic thrillers, it might be time to read something fun and lighthearted.  You might need to pick up a cozy mystery that is funny or just fun. Here are a few of the authors I pick up when I need something to bring a smile.

David Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series continues to be both funny and heartwarming (because of Andy’s love of dogs and his great relationship with his wife). The 29th book in the series came out in July and the 30th book comes out in October which is “The More the Terrier.” I love everything about Andy Carpenter. Each time I pick up the latest, it’s like visiting an old friend. All of Rosenfelt’s books have been good reads and I really like the K Team series as well.

Vivien Chien’s Noodle Shop mystery series is excellent lightweight fun. I enjoy the location of Cleveland, Ohio and the struggle of the main character Lana Lee with her family, her culture, and her love life. The 10th book in the series “Peking Duck and Cover” came out in July.

Jana Deleon’s Miss Fortune mystery series is just completely hilarious. The 27th book in the series “Baskets and Beignets” came out in May. Fortune is a CIA assassin who starts out hiding in Louisiana. It doesn’t take her long to discover that she likes living there especially when she finds that some of her neighbors are not what they appear to be.

Apple+ making “Bad Monkey” into a series has reminded me just how great Carl Hiaasen’s books really are. The TV adaptation is very well done and I’m hoping they do “Razor Girl” as well. “Nature Girl” was always my favorite of his books. The great news is that in May of next year, “Fever Beach” is slated to come out.

Janet Evanovich is still writing the Stephanie Plum series and the 31st in the series is coming out in November (“Now or Never”). Elle Cosimano’s fifth book in her Finlay Donovan series is coming out in March 2025 which is “Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave.”  Donna Andrew’s 36th book in the Meg Langslow series comes out in October (“Rockin’ Around the Chickadee”) and her last book only came out in August.

These are only a few of the many funny mysteries available and I’ll have to revisit this list later and add to it. In this stressful election year, it’s a wonderful escape to read a book that makes you laugh.

 


Tuesday, August 27, 2024


The Son’s Secret
     

                              by Daryl Wood Gerber


Maggie Lawson life is pretty stressful. Her job as the dean of a small college in New Orleans involves lots of demanding parents and a couch who is facing sexual harassment charges. Her son’s girlfriend was killed in a hit-and-run accident, and he married his dead girlfriend’s best friend. She has money problems because her house flooded, and she has to pay for her mother’s rather expensive care facility. Her husband divorced her and married his girlfriend. And now her son Aiden seems to be ghosting her. Maggie feels that his conduct isn’t normal for him and starts being afraid that something has happened to him.

At first, everyone tells her that she is overreacting. She feels guilty about being a helicopter mom, but her feeling that he is in trouble grows as she finds out more about his life and feels that his texts to her are not written by him. His wife Celine finally admits that he left her, and she doesn’t know where he is. When her investigative reporter husband is shot, and Aiden doesn’t even get in touch with him it only increases her fear.

I must admit that I found some aspects of this book annoying. It takes quite a while for Maggie to convince herself that there is a problem and a long time to get everyone else on board. Even though it seems obvious that something bad is happening to Aiden, I imagine that it would be hard to convince the police since there isn’t much evidence. But I expected more interest when his father was shot, and no one knows where Aiden is.

When everyone finally gets on board, the book ends up having red herrings, twists and turns, and many people of interest. I became invested in trying to find out what could have possibly happened to Aiden.

Gerber writes a lot of mysteries, cozy mysteries, and Romances. She has several series including the Fairy Garden mystery series which I enjoy reading. Sometimes it’s nice to include a little magic in your reading. Last April she added a fourth book to her fairy series, “A Twinkle of Trouble.” In October 2024 she is starting a new literary dining series with “Murder on the Page.”

Don't miss this great book:







Tuesday, August 20, 2024

 


 Middle of the Night
          

                              by Riley Sager


Ethan Marsh should have had an idyllic childhood. He was raised in a quiet little cul-de-sac in New Jersey with loving parents. But 30-years ago when he was just ten, Ethan and his best friend Billy were camping out in his backyard when someone cut the tent open with a knife and supposedly kidnapped Billy who was never seen again.

Ethan has returned to his old home only to be plagued by nightmares and sleeplessness. Now that he is back in his old neighborhood he is haunted by his friend’s disappearance and the guilt he feels. He wonders why they took Billy and not him. When he is up late at night obsessing about the past, he sees his neighbors’ motion activated lights go on and off mysteriously as if someone is roaming the neighborhood. He starts finding mysterious things left in his yard that seem tied to Billy. Is the kidnapper back or is Billy’s ghost trying to tell him something?

Although 30 years has past, almost everyone that lived in the area when Billy disappeared still live on the small cul-de-sac. Ethan is driven to try to find answers to Billy’s disappearance and starts asking questions of those neighbors and digging into the past. He quickly finds that digging into the past is painful and dangerous. One of the places that Billy could have gone or been taken to is the wooded area behind Ethan’s house. Just at the outer edge of those woods is a mysterious research facility where Ethan finds out that his mother once worked. He becomes intrigued with the facility and starts digging into its past which could be an error in judgement.

The novel jumps between the present and the past where we get to know a lot more about Billy’s and Ethan’s relationships. The point of view (POV) also changes so that find out more about the events leading up to the disappearance through the eyes of Ethan, Billy, their mothers, and other kids in the neighborhood. Some of those kids are now grownups and still living next door to Ethan including Russ who is now a family man, Ashley who used to babysit Ethan, Ragesh Patel who was known for being a bully and is now a police officer. Ethan questions and badgers everyone who might know anything or be involved in any way until he starts finding out information that he never knew before. As he heads closer to the truth, he finds danger and truths that he may wish he had never uncovered.

Issues regarding secrets, lies, grief, and friendship abound in Riley Sager’s latest thriller.

I like the fact that the book felt real and the emotions understandable. Seeing a ghost is something that happens to people who are under great emotional stress and who feel guilt or just the loss of that person. I felt for Ethan and how haunted he was by the past and all the unanswered questions of that past. It’s not always possible to find all the answers or to quickly come to terms with loss even when you find answers. I’ve talked in the past about the complexity of friendships, and this is certainly the case here. Add in the complexity of dealing with grief and I can understand how this haunted him for over 30 years. He had so many unanswered questions. People often think that grief can be dealt with in a few weeks or a few months. The truth is that sometimes it takes years and sometimes you never fully heal.

This mystery just came out in June and his next book is scheduled for some time next year and should be called “With a Vengeance.”