Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

by CarolNo Comments
A couple of caveats: this is the first book by Kingfisher I've read and I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings, even if I don't read enough of them. In this loose retelling of the Snow White story. We have Snow White, of course, apples, and mirrors, but no dwarves. Our main character is a healer, Anya, a poisons expert who is summoned by the King to discover how Snow is being slowly poisoned. Anya, of course, has no choice but to go. Anya is essentially a spinster who has devoted her life to her studies, made possible thanks for her father being a wealthy merchant. She's smart but her discussion of poisons and poisonous plants tends to be a bit much for people in social situations. Anya is aided in her investigation by two of the royal guards, one of whom is a potential love interest, and a talking cat, who is just as haughty as you might expect. . I...
Read More
Murder by the Book by Amie Schaumberg

Murder by the Book by Amie Schaumberg

by Carol1 Comment
Forgetting for a moment the serial killer angle, I should have loved Murder by the Book. We've got murders, classic literature, and classic art combined with a small college setting, but in the end I was a bit disappointed. When a female college student is murdered and the scene is elaborately staged to resemble a famous painting, Detective Ian Carter is stumped. Thankfully he recently met Professor Emma Reilly, whose area of study might help give him some insights. Of course, after "accidentally" allowing her to see the crime scene photos, he is emphatic that he does not want her help, which accomplishes two things: 1.) pushing her to gather a group of friends to help her with her own investigation instead and 2.) cooling any romance that might have been developing between the two. Emily is the frazzled, socially awkward amateur sleuth who is rather over-confident in her ability to help. She's irritating. At the same time, our tough on...
Read More
A Pretender’s Murder by Christopher Huang

A Pretender’s Murder by Christopher Huang

by Carol2 Comments
A Pretender's Murder is the second in the Eric Peterkin historical mystery series, but can certainly be read as a stand-alone. Eric Peterkin, our amateur sleuth is dealing with life post WWI. He carries guilt for decisions, and occasionally has flashbacks. He has recently been elected to the position of secretary of the Brittania Club, a result of the murder in the first book, and is relieved when the well-respected Colonel Hadrian Russell shows his support. When Russell is murdered in the club, Peterkin takes it upon himself to find the killer. The Colonel had four daughters-in-law, each of whose husbands died in the war. These women let us see how the war impacted women's lives, both during the fighting and afterward, but are potential suspects. We have one of the dead men's friends who has returned after convalescing abroad and has been getting quite close to one of the widows. It's also possible that some of the Colonel's activities during...
Read More
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

by CarolNo Comments
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a decent cozy murder mystery set on Chicago's south side. I love Savvy, who owns a soul food restaurant and does some catering. Business is good, until Grandy Jaspers drops dead while eating her famous sweet potato pie. Even though it was ruled an accident, people are avoiding the restaurant. And to be honest, while Savvy knows it wasn't her pie that killed Grandy, she does think he might have been murdered. Savvy is a middle-aged widow who is smart, sassy, and determined, but maybe not the best detective. This is her first case though. And it's a tough one. We have tons of characters, most of whom she knows from one place or another, and they all seem to have secrets, even her assistant/side-kick, Penny. I actually had a hard time keeping everyone straight, and since I listened to the audio, I couldn't exactly flip back to see who was who....
Read More
History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook

History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook

by CarolNo Comments
I am torn about History Lessons; some things I loved, a lot I didn't. Our main character is history professor, Daphne Ouverture, who is trying to solve the murder of another professor, Sam Taylor. Sam's text to her the night of his death was strange, as is the fact that one of her books is missing. It all must be connected to his death and she needs to find out how. I want to love Daphne. She's smart and tough and I appreciated her thoughts on race and feminism and society. I didn't like the way she instantly smitten with Rowan, the police consultant/bookstore owner. I didn't like how unsure she seemed of herself in the beginning, especially after we meet her family and see how she deals with some situations later on in the book. I love the language in the book and the literary and historical references. You could make a whole reading list based on this one. I...
Read More
A Body at the Book Fair by Ellie Alexander

A Body at the Book Fair by Ellie Alexander

by CarolNo Comments
This is the final installment of the Secret Bookcase Mysteries - although don't worry, we'll get a spin-off, The Novel Detectives series. This time around, Annie and Fletcher are in Santa Clara for a book fair and Liam and Pri are coming along too. It just so happens that the fair is near the company that Annie blames for her best friend, Scarlet's, death, ten years ago, and Annie has a plan to get the evidence she needs. While we do get some background info on the cold case, this one probably works better if you've read others in the series. Of course, there's also a murder at the book fair. One of the presenters is killed by his own VR device, and Annie is there when it happens. The book fair sounds amazing and makes me want to go to a bookish event soon. The two mystery plot are balanced well. We have several suspects for the current murder...
Read More