The Last Drop of Hemlock is set in New York City in the 1920s. This is the second in the series and, while it does work as a stand-alone, I think you get a much better feeling for the characters if you read them in order. Vivian and her sister, Florence, are poor, but better off than they used to be. The setting, from their tenement building to the club where Viv works to the street's cities, felt real. I loved the details - the smells, the sights, the people.
The mystery was well done. In a city where everyone works by their own moral standards, some of which are more gray than others, there are plenty of suspects in the murder. And Vivian's reasons for looking into the death make sense- they can't trust the cops. She has to call in a favor or two and puts herself in a couple of dangerous positions, but it all feels in character....
When Tiffany's half-brother dies unexpectedly, she buries him in the garden and then assumes his identity. She sees it as the only way to keep her cottage and money. As a spinster in 1780s England, she has few options. Of course, being two people is quite complicated. When a servant at the palace is found poisoned, a death that looks very similar to her brother's, Tiffany realizes she might be in danger.
Tiffany is a great main character. She's determined and funny and loves reading novels, which she was never allowed to do before. She's also very aware of society's inequalities and determined to help when she can.
A Novel Disguise is a nice mix of romantic comedy, because of course Tiffany has a love interest and of course hijinks ensue, and murder mystery. It's also very well-researched without showing it off. The details of daily life for both the aristocracy and servants are fit in well. It also shows us a...
Alex Daniels has settled into Bellamy Bay well and is helping out at the family herbal apothecary. Her aunt and cousins have welcomed her with open arms, and she is immersed in her mermaid heritage, learning her skills and unearthing talents. Everyone in town is looking forward to the Mermail Festival. As part of the festival, Neve Ryland, a mural artist, is invited to paint and unveil a mural for the visitors' center. Shortly after the unveiling, Neve is found murdered. Once again, Detective Jack Frazier, Alex's boyfriend, has settled on a person Alex is close to as the main suspect. Honestly, I'm not sure what Alex sees in Jack. We never see them having fun together, just eating and grumping at each other about the cases. He keeps secrets from her, doesn't take her opinions seriously, and looks down on her family business. Granted, Alex is keeping secrets too, but I don't think Jack would believe her if she...
A Spell for Trouble is the first in the Enchanted Bay Mystery series featuring former risk assessor, Alex Daniels. After quitting her job in New York, Alex accepts an offer to visit her Bellamy Bay relatives whom she hasn't seen in many years. Alex is welcomed into the family with open arms and soon joins her Aunt Lidia and cousin, Minka, working at their apothecary shop. But when a troublesome customer is found dead, Lidia is arrested for the murder. Alex is determined to find out who the killer is and prove Lidia’s innocence.
Bellamy Bay is a wonderful oceanside setting and the characters are charming. I loved how the author incorporated Alex's family's Polish heritage into the story. The magic was woven into the plot well and it was nice to learn about how the magic worked and the rules around it along with Alex.
A Spell for Trouble was fun. The killer wasn't a surprise, but getting there was entertaining....
I have never seen the tv Mss Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries tv show, but Just Murdered is based on the screenplay of the first episode. In 1964, a somewhat aimless Peregrine Fisher discovers she has an inheritance waiting for her to claim in Melbourne. Which is good, since she just got fired from the latest in her string of jobs. She arrives at the Adventuress' Club and finds out that she had an aunt, Phryne Fisher, also an Adventuress, who has been missing for six months. Phyrne had left instructions that her sister, Pegegrine's deceased mother, be contacted in the event of Phryne's disappearance or death, which is why Peregrine was sought out to claim Phyrne's things. Almost immediately one of the adventuresses is accused of murdering a model and Peregrine is determined to help clear her name.
This book was a lot of fun. Peregrine is self-assured and her variety of past jobs gives her random skills and knowledge...
Against the Currant is the first in a new cozy mystery series set in a newly opened Caribbean bakery. Lyndsay Murray's dream has always been to open a bakery/eatery featuring food and recipes from Grenada where her family came from. It's finally opening day and everything is going wonderfully until in storms Claudio Febrizi, another local baker who does not want any competition. He causes a scene in front of a bakery full of customers and Lyndsay ends up arguing with him and asking him not so nicely to leave. When Claudio turns up dead the next day, Lindsay finds herself as the number one suspect.
Lyndsay and her family are close and it was nice to see their connection and how supportive they are to each other both in work and in their personal lives. We get a sense of family, but of community too. We see how the community can band together to support local businesses and culture.
I...
