Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose

Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose

by Carol1 Comment
Hannah Solace has returned home to renovate and manage Hummingbird Hollow B&B, which she owns with her sister, Reggie. The plan is to make the inn a haven for their guests and the gardens a haven for pollinators. She has become close to the neighbor, elderly Ezra Grayson, who knows all there is to know about the flowers and plants she's trying to grow. to be a fount of information regarding any plant, tree, or flower. Hannah is devastated when when she finds his body and realizes he was murdered. She feels like she is the prime suspect for a number of reasons, so starts snooping around on her own. I liked Hannah and can appreciate what she's trying to do at the B&B. She's been gone from town for ages and was a bit of a troublemaker when she was young and that gives a bit of nuance to her relationships. The detective investigating the case, Ezra's lawyer, the...
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Murder at an English Pub by Alice Castle

Murder at an English Pub by Alice Castle

by CarolNo Comments
Following the death of her husband, recently retired doctor, Sarah Vane, has moved next door to her best friend, Daphne, in the small town of Merstairs on the Kent coast. The two women have been friends since their schooldays, and both are delighted with the new arrangement. Daphne has recently purchased a beach hut and offers to let Sarah store some boxes there, but first it needs cleaned out a bit. While the two are working on it, they discover a body in a trunk, clearly murdered. Turns out the dead man was a mostly well-liked local bar owner. Sarah, of course, decides she has to snoop around. I'll grant you the cops don't seem incredibly competent, but Sarah barely knows the people in town aside from Daphne who isn't a real suspect. I felt her reasons for jumping headlong into the investigation seemed a little weak. The small town setting with quirky characters is a cozy mystery staple, but...
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A Killer Clue by Victoria Gilbert

A Killer Clue by Victoria Gilbert

by CarolNo Comments
We first met Jane Hunter and her boss, millionaire Cameron Clew in the first book of the series, A Cryptic Clue. Jane is a retired librarian hired by Cam to catalog his collection of mystery books, but the two of them have also started doing small investigations for people. In this second of the series, Eloise Anderson, a bookseller Cam deals with occasionally, has approached them about her mother's case. Her mother, now dead, was convicted of killing Eloise's father, but Eloise believes she was innocent and wants Cam to find out who the real killer was. Things become more complicated when another murder occurs and Eloise is the prime suspect. Jane and Cam make a good team. They have a Holmes and Watson vibe, but Jane is a more motherly figure than the usual sidekick. Jane is smart and good at talking to people, while Cam is not great at social situations and strongly prefers not to leave his home,...
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Dog Day Afternoon by David Rosenfelt

Dog Day Afternoon by David Rosenfelt

by Carol2 Comments
Two reasons I keep coming back to this series - adorable covers and Grover Gardner as the narrator. It doesn't even really matter what the mystery is. Wannabe-retired lawyer Andy Carpenter is called in to defend a dog lover who is accused of a crime they didn't commit. Andy and his team find out who the real bad guy is. Andy's client doesn't end up in jail. This time around it's a young man accused of killing 6 people at his workplace. The plot is a bit complicated, but all of the regulars are back, human and canine, to help sort it out. Andy is his sarcastic, funny, in real life would be obnoxious but works well in fiction, self. As is often the case, the solution is bigger than I really like in my mysteries. I like more personal motives and less organized crime, but it's not out of the ordinary for a Carpenter book and I do enjoy the...
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The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

by CarolNo Comments
At some point in the future, a fog, probably man-made, covers the whole globe. The fog is filled with tiny insects that devour any living thing they come in contact with, including humans. The only safe place is an island protected by a some kind of shield where 122 villagers and three scientists/elders live. It's a peaceful place where everyone has their jobs and knows their place. Until one of the scientists is murdered causing the shield to go down. If the murder isn't solved and the killer executed within 92 hours, the fog will engulf the island. The narrator is Abi, the artificial intelligence who knows everything that goes on on the island and controls most of it. She is also the one who wiped everyone's memory. The thing about Abi is that she has a job, she has commands she must follow. So even though she knows all and sees all, she doesn't share everything with the reader or...
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The Devil’s Flute Murders by Seishi Yokomizo

The Devil’s Flute Murders by Seishi Yokomizo

by Carol2 Comments
The Devil’s Flute Murders is set in 1947, as Japan continues its slow recovery from WWII. A young woman, Mineko, asks Kindaichi for help. Mineko's father, Viscount Tsubaki, was found dead, apparently of suicide, but it seems that his ghost is haunting their family, especially her mother Akiko. It turns into a complex case with multiple murders, questions of ghostly visitation, a family history that must be explored, and many family members, friends, and servants living on the estate grounds. It's an atmospheric mystery, with the potential ghost, spooky music, even bad weather all playing into the feeling. The book is also full of period detail. Following the war, Japan is dealing with a lot, including planned blackouts, crowded trains with hard to obtain tickets, food shortages, and bombed and lost homes, some of which contribute to the plot. I listened to the audio. The narrator did a good job with the pronunciations and accents, as far as I could tell, and...
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