A Murder at Midnight by Ellie Alexander

A Murder at Midnight by Ellie Alexander

I've been reading this series from the beginning and always enjoy them. This time around, Annie and Fletcher have agreed to let a ghost-hunting television show film at the bookstore right before Halloween. Quite honestly, they should have known it was a bad idea. When the crew arrives, the tension is palpable and it's no surprise when one of them ends up dead. The mystery was fine. The people working on the show gave you plenty to be suspicious about, with plenty of resentment and old secrets to go around. we have several clues and a couple red herrings. I didn't love how it was wrapped up, the method the killer used seemed a little unclear or maybe I missed something. We don't see as much of the usual friends this time around. The investigation is pretty much centered on the Sleeping with Spirits crew and the town suffers a major storm that same evening, so everyone's got their own...
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A Death in the Dark by Ellie Alexander

A Death in the Dark by Ellie Alexander

This is the second in the Novel Detectives series, which is a spin off of another series, but I think it be easily read as a stand alone. Annie and Fletcher run both a bookstore and a detective agency. Thankfully, they have solid employees at the store, so can take the time they need for their investigations. This time around they are in the office early, when running coach from the local high school arrives, covered in blood, with no memory of the night before. He wants their help figuring out what happened. Of course, it's not long till they find a dead body and start to wonder if their client is a murderer. Our mystery centers around the high school and the track team. We have a couple of solid suspects and Annie gets to use some of their new techy purchases to gather clues. It's pretty easy to guess the killer though. As always, I love Annie and Fletcher....
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Murder at Raven’s Gate by Louise Marley

Murder at Raven’s Gate by Louise Marley

I thoroughly enjoy this series. Raven's Edge is a village that has a leaned into its past and maybe embellished it a bit. It leans into the spooky, and witchy, and ghostly. We've got two mysteries this time around. A "ghost" has been haunting Blackheath Hall, where two older sisters, Lady Peony and Rose, live. Lady Peony is far from a scared, little old lady. She knows fully well that the knocking is not really a ghost, but someone trying to scare them out of the house. She hires Kieran Drake to figure out who is behind it, so he and Milla Graham have set up shop at the hall to keep watch. In the meantime and not too far away, DS Harriet March's date with Misha from the coffee shop, is cut short when, while on a ghost tour, they find a dead body in a shallow grave. I like that Harriet was leading the investigation this time around,...
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A Very Novel Murder by Ellie Alexander

A Very Novel Murder by Ellie Alexander

Annie and Fletcher, from the Secret Bookcase Mysteries, have opened up their detective agency and have their first case. Kelly Taylor, a talented surfer and activist, recently drowned in her bathtub, but her elderly neighbor is convinced the young woman was murdered. I like Annie and Fletcher and their friends. They're smart and dedicated. They also have a good relationship with the police and have no problem keeping them updated or calling them in when necessary. Annie's boyfriend is handsome and caring and supportive and her best friend is adorable and a whiz with coffee. Annie's life is pretty good, aside from almost getting killed. There are no conflicts with her friends or employees. The town she lives in is appropriately cozy and walkable. Even the crows like her. Yes, we're told parts of her background have been tough, but it's really no surprise that with her first case, she solves a murder, uncovers a drug dealing operation, and gets...
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The Holly Village Murders by Benedict Brown

The Holly Village Murders by Benedict Brown

Poor Bella. Her fiancé was recently killed and now her Aunt Adele is dead under mysterious circumstances. Marius Quin, our mystery novelist/ amateur detective, and Bella head to Holly Village, where Adele lived, to figure out what happened. The folks are an interesting lot, mostly older aristocrats, but it's hard for Marius and Bella to imagine any of them as the killer. Marius and Bella make a good team, although I'm a little tired of Marius' "I love her but can't tell her" bit. The banter between the two is fun and their strengths play off each other well. The mystery takes place over about two days. We get plenty of clues and the whodunnit might be a little obvious, but there are plenty of Christmas touches that make this a nice read for the season. It's well-researched and lets you feel immersed in the late 1920s in London. It's the 6th in the series but was written to be...
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Arsenic and Old Lies by Benedict Brown

Arsenic and Old Lies by Benedict Brown

I enjoy this series a lot, but don't seem to have much to say about this one. Marius Quin, mystery writer and amateur detective, finds a dead man in his study. The man has obviously been murdered and was Bella's fiancé. Bella is Marius' friend, sleuthing partner, and the woman he's been in love with forever. He's too close to the situation to help the police, so distracts himself with the case of Felicity Mortimer, a woman imprisoned for poisoning her husband fifteen years earlier. Marius is convinced Felicity is innocent and he and Bella set off to the Mortimer country estate to prove it. I like Marius. He's not the best detective or writer or the most sensitive man, but he tries. I love how well he and Bella work together and their friendship is well done. The plot moved along at a nice pace with plenty of clues, suspicious characters, and family secrets. The next in the series takes...
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