NetGalley – Page 2 – Carol's Notebook

Murder in an Irish Garden by Carlene O’Connor

March 2, 2025February 28, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I listened to Murder in an Irish Garden on audio and I loved the narrator's accent. She helped place the book solidly in Ireland. And I love hearing names and places pronounced correctly. The story starts off with Siobhan studying for her detective sergeant exam with help from her husband, Macdara. This somehow leads to a fight that has them bickering through the first half of the book, which I found annoying, especially since I couldn't see what the big deal was to begin with. Maybe they always argue? I've only read one other in this series. This time, the mystery centers around a garden competition. One of the competitors is found murdered and everyone's gardens have been ruined. Multiple crime scenes and plenty of suspects make it a complicated case. Everyone seems innocent and and everyone seems guilty. While the plot was good, I also enjoyed all the garden and flower talk. Maybe I'm just dreaming of summer and...

The Chow Maniac by Vivien Chien

February 27, 2025February 27, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

The Chow Maniac is the 11th in the Noodle Shop series, but I think it could be read as a stand alone. There is no over-arching plotline to the series and although we have lots of returning characters, I think they're introduced well. This time around, Lana, our amateur sleuth, is approached by Lydia, a private detective we've met previously, with a case that involves the Asian community. Lydia has been hired to look into a century-old Asian organization known as the Eight Immortals. Three members have already died under seemingly natural circumstances, but the client believes they were actually murdered and that he may be next. Lana is a great character. She manages her family's restaurant, but has solved enough murders for people to notice her. She's funny and sassy and does not know how to keep a secret. Per usual cozy rules, she has an adorable dog and is dating a police detective, although neither play a huge part...

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

February 25, 2025February 25, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I can't tell you why I picked up Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng. I don't read a lot of horror, I avoid serial killers, and I haven't been reading many pandemic books. But it was fabulous, in a gory, violent, haunting way. It's Summer, 2020 in New York City. In the opening scene, 24-year-old Cora Zeng and her sister Delilah are waiting for the subway when a man appears just as the train approaches. He calls Delilah a "bat eater" and pushes her onto the tracks. She is killed by the train and the man is never caught. resulting in her brutal death before Cora's eyes. Unfortunately, the man escapes. The second chapter picks up a few months later. Cora is now working as a crime scene cleaner, a job that fits Cora and her need for cleanliness well, but a disturbing number of the jobs have been cleaning the apartments of murdered Asian women. It's also Ghost...

The Serpent Under by Bonnie MacBird

February 19, 2025February 19, 2025 by Carol1 Comment

I guess we need to look at The Serpent Under in a few different ways. First, Victorian London. MacBird does a fabulous job of bringing the foggy, damp, crowded city to life. We see the people, issues, and prejudices of the time. Second, our main characters. Holmes and Watson feel like the originals, if that makes sense. They have the mannerisms and partnership they always have. Yes, Holmes' attitudes towards women, Roma, etc. are more modern, but he was never conventional. And here it particularly works well since it doesn't allow him to just go along with the easy solution. We only get brief glances of Lestrade and Mycroft, which is appropriate. Heffie, a former irregular who now works with the police, is a good addition. She's tough and reliable and very good at working undercover. The dead woman's family and friends are all a bit odd and she seems to have been the only truly likeable one of the bunch. Plot...

How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin

February 17, 2025April 1, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

Annie Adams has been living at Gravesdown Estate for several months. She inherited the mansion and land when she solved the murder of her great aunt Frances. That mystery is covered in the first book of the series and I think you almost need to have read How to Solve Your Own Murder in order to understand the history and relationships in this one. It's a small town full of secrets and gossip, and just because you've known someone your whole life doesn't mean you can trust them. Annie is already feeling unsettled - the house is big and cold, the townspeople are not overly friendly, when she meets Peony Lane, the fortune-teller whose prediction guided most of Frances' life. Peony has a fortune for Annie, but she won't tell it unless asked. She also gives Annie some advice about looking into a decades old accident. Not much later, Peony is found dead, murdered in Annie's solarium. Annie, of course, gets wrapped...

A Victim at Valentine’s by Ellie Alexander

February 6, 2025February 6, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

The Secret Bookcase Mysteries is one of those series with an overarching plot that hasn't been resolved yet. That is both my least favorite thing about the series and why this one doesn't work well as a stand-alone. Annie's best friend, Scarlet, was killed over a decade ago, but Annie has some new information and is working on solving the cold case. I'm just not a fan of those overarching mysteries. Annie's works full-time at a bookstore, where part of her job is coordinating events. For Valentine's Day, the store has teamed up with a matchmaker for a weekend of books and romantic events. Early the morning of the second day, a well-liked member of the community is found dead near the store. While the event continues as planned, Annie is determined to help the local detective, Dr. Caldwell, discover who the killer is. The mystery is fine. The plot moves along well. We have three potential suspects and a few...