NetGalley – Page 2 – Carol's Notebook

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson

September 24, 2025September 23, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I have not read anything by Jónasson, including the first in this trilogy, which maybe was a mistake. We get enough background that I knew what was going on, but at least one subplot is carried over into this one and I might have been more invested in the characters. Famous crime author Elín S. Jónsdóttir is missing and our Detective Helgi is assigned the case. Helgi is a fan of Golden Age mysteries and turns to them for inspiration occasionally, which I enjoyed. Helgi interviews those her friends, in the hopes of solving the case before the press find out and we get bits and pieces of an interview she gave in 2005 that has yet to be published. Maybe she's just taking some time away, which she's done before. The book also shows us a bank robbery that took place in 1965 that probably has a connection to the disappearance because why else would it be introduced. I didn't...

The Story That Wouldn’t Die by Christina Estes

September 23, 2025September 23, 2025 by Carol1 Comment

I read the first in this series starring reporter Jolene Garcia, but this one definitely works as a stand alone. Jolene is looking for the next big story, since the murder she solved in book 1 hasn't really seemed to give her career much of a bounce. However, her bosses have her running all over town to cover cupcakes and stuck elevators, so when a small business owner with ties to the city council is killed, Jolene feels like she's the only one who wants to investigate. Jolene is an interesting character. She's caring, smart, and tenacious. She's also a bit of a bulldozer and is not above hurting her friends' feelings or pawning assignments off on the intern in order to do what she thinks she needs to. She's ambitious, but maybe not entirely likeable. I liked the peek into a news station and Jolene was a competent investigator. The mystery itself was well done. It moved along at a...

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

September 5, 2025September 5, 2025 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...

Murder by the Book by Amie Schaumberg

September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 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...

A Pretender’s Murder by Christopher Huang

August 27, 2025August 27, 2025 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...

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

August 13, 2025August 13, 2025 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....