Carol's Notebook

Murder in an Italian Castle by Benedict Brown

June 22, 2026June 22, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I've read a few of Lord Edgington and always enjoyed them. Now, Lord Edgington and his grandson, Christopher, have finally started their European tour. Their first stop is in Italy, at Castle Montegufoni, owned by Edgington's old friend, Lord Renwick Monroe. They've only just arrived when they hear arguing from the clock tower and see Renwick fall to his death. Turns out Renwick was not a nice man, but someone who enjoyed pushing buttons and causing tension. Unsurprisingly, we've got a host of suspects, including Renwick's three heirs, his secretary, and assorted townspeople.The mystery was clever. The clues all fit together well, but I still didn't guess the solution. The historic touches are fun and the food sounded delicious.Murder in an Italian Castle is light, enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to their next adventure in Italy....

Murder and Mayheim by Ronica Black and Toni Logan

June 17, 2026June 17, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

Murder and Mayheim should have been one I thoroughly enjoyed. Our amateur sleuth, Cassie, is a bookstore owner on a murder mystery cruise in Alaska with her best friend. They team up with a pair of elderly sisters who are just hilarious. Cassie meets a potential love interest, Hannah, within seconds of boarding. It's Hannah's sister who ends up dead after falling down the stairs. Cassie and Hannah are convinced she was murdered and are determined to find the killer.The mystery was actually pretty decent. The clues tied together well and we had several potential suspects. The problem for me, which I didn't realize from the blurb, was just how much the growing relationship between the two women would overshadow the mystery. I didn't realize we would have full-fledged graphic sex scenes between these two people who just me. And that's probably my fault for not reading more reviews or knowing the author, but it took me out of the...

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

June 16, 2026June 16, 2026 by Carol1 Comment

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is just fabulous. There's a reason it's a classic. The first time through, you'll be surprised by the twist. On rereads, you'll appreciate how clever Christie is and how entertaining her characters can be.Hercule Poirot has retired to the country to live in anonymity and grow vegetable marrows, which I think are a type of zucchini. It's not going terribly well. But then we have a couple of deaths in town, a suicide followed shortly by a murder, and Poirot gets to put his little grey cells to work.Our narrator is Dr. James Shepherd, the local doctor, who knew both of the dead people quite well. From him we learn about Mrs. Ferrars' suicide, which town gossip is sure was due to the guilt she felt from poisoning her husband. We also learn that she disclosed some information to Roger Ackroyd in a letter the night he was killed. Shepherd acts a little like...

Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney

June 15, 2026June 15, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

Dungeons and Danger is the second in the Ravensea Castle mystery series, but I think it could be read as a standalone. The mystery is self-contained, and although we have several characters returning from the first, the author does a good job of introducing everyone.The Asquith family has turned their centuries old castle into a B&B, complete with resident ghosts. Their current guests include a professor specializing in Viking history who believes there's a treasure hidden on the grounds and a group of ghost hunters filming a show. And the castle is hosting a huge Viking festival. "Accidents" start piling up and it's no surprise when someone ends up murdered.The returning characters are all well-developed and interesting, without going over the line into quirky. I like Nora Asquith and her family. Their interactions feel genuine and they work together well. Nora is dating the local detective inspector, Finlay Cole, but they both act like adults and their relationship is...

The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart

June 9, 2026June 9, 2026 by Carol2 Comments

A couple of weekends ago we went to the Pittsburgh Book Fest, which was so much fun! One of the events I signed us up for was a presentation about Mary Roberts Rinehart, who was born and raised in Allegheny City, which eventually was annexed by Pittsburgh, and then built a house in Sewickley following the success of The Circular Staircase. She led a fascinating life, if you ever get the chance to read about her. Pitt actually holds the archives of her papers. So, I listened to The Circular Staircase in preparation. I've read it before but didn't actually remember any of it.Rachel Innes is a wealthy woman who has been the guardian of her niece and nephew for a long time. They are both young adults now and the three of them have decided to rent a place for the summer, and taken Rachel's maid with them. The mansion, belonging to a banker and his family who...

The Clock House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

June 8, 2026June 8, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

A group of paranormal investigators, mostly college students along with a medium and two magazine employees, have gone to a remote mansion called the Clock House that is supposedly haunted by a teenage girl who died 8 years ago. They're locked into the old part of the mansion and, of course, there's a murder. Note: Don't get locked in at remote mansions. At the same time, the series amateur sleuth/mystery writer, Shimada Kiyoshi, is visiting the house with another college student who wasn't able to make the trip originally. So, inside the house, people are being killed in locked rooms surrounded by hundreds of ticking clocks with no way to escape - and yes they do try, while on the outside, Kiyoshi is trying to solve the riddle of the house and what happened 10 years ago.This is the first I've read in the series and it worked fine as a stand alone. There were some references to previous cases,...