NetGalley – Page 11 – Carol's Notebook

Hard Dough Homocide by Olivia Matthews

May 12, 2023December 12, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

Hard Dough Homocied picks up where the first in the series left off, with the Murray family busy running their family bakery. They've been asked to cater a local high school principal's retirement party, a woman Lyndsay's mom, Della, dislikes. And of course, when the woman dies in the bakery, Della becomes the chief suspect in the murder investigation. Lyndsay decides she has to investigate to clear her mom's name and save the business - being connected with two murders just months apart is definitely not good for customer retention. I can't tell if the cops are actually incompetent or not, since we only see things thru Lyndsay's eyes. There are several suspects and at least from Lyndsay's point of view, the cops aren't investigating them all as well as they should. We've got a few clues that definitely point to people aside from Della. Lyndsay and her family are very close. They always have each others' backs. The family even joins...

Fateful Words by Paige Shelton

March 2, 2023March 2, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

I have read the Scottish Bookshop mystery series from the beginning and look forward to each new addition. I don't think you need to have read others in the series to enjoy this one, but it never hurts either. Delaney is left in charge of a small tour group when Edward and Hamlet take off to London. I don't understand why their reason for going had to be kept secret. I think it was something I would have let my friends/employees know about for a couple of reasons, but I guess it adds to the tension. The tour starts off on the wrong foot, with the manager of the inn where the group is staying falling to his death from the roof. Then, at lunch the next day, one of the tour group goes missing. I'm happy that the remaining three continue on with the tour, although it's probably a questionable decision. I liked the mini-tour of Edinburgh and hearing the...

The Cage of Dark Hours by Marina J. Lostetter

February 27, 2023February 27, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

The Cage of Dark Hours is the second book in the series, following The Helm of Midnight. Read the first before even attempting this one. The Cage of Dark Hours opens with a brief synopsis of what happened which works well as a refresher but not as a starting point. The Cage of Dark Hours continues a few years after the events of the first book. We have a couple of returning characters, but most of the cast is new. In the first, we learned how little the people living in the valley really understand about the magics that keep them safe, about their gods, or about the creatures that terrify them. This time around Krona and her companions are trying to pull the cover all the way off, revealing what is truly going on. The book opens with a Thalo ritual and we are introduced to Thalo Child who gives us insight into the inner workings of the Thalo order, people...

Just Murdered by Katherine Kovacic

February 20, 2023February 20, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

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...

The Helm of Midnight by Marina J. Lostetter

February 16, 2023February 15, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

The Helm of Midnight is a fantasy novel, but it's also horror and mystery. The book opens with a daring and deadly heist. The thieves stole a dangerous artifact of terrible power: the death mask of Louis Charbon. Charbon was once a serial killer and the theft of the death mask means that someone might have the power to channel Louis Charbon’s abilities when they wear it. Krona, her sister De-Lia, and the other Regulators need to find the thieves and discover the truth behind this heist. The story is told through the perspective of three main characters, each in a different time frame. The three viewpoints have different narrators which worked well by keeping it clear whose portion of the story we were listening to. And each read with appropriate emotion and helped flesh out the characters' personalities. Krona is in the present time, trying to solve the mystery and stop more killings. Melanie's chapters take place about two years...

Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews

February 3, 2023December 12, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

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...