NetGalley – Page 3 – Carol's Notebook

The Library Game by Gigi Pandian

January 27, 2025January 27, 2025 by Carol8 Comments

The Library Game is the fourth in the Secret Staircase series, and I do think they are best read in order. Tempest, a former stage magician, is enjoying her work with her father’s Secret Staircase Construction company. This time around they're working on changing a Gray House, large private home, in to a classic mystery library and will be presenting an escape room/mystery play in the house for the town's "Summer Stroll" weekend. During a play rehearsal, one of the actors is murdered during a planned on-stage blackout, but the body disappears when everyone leaves the room to get their phones. Tempest's friend, Sanjay, aka "The Hindi Houdini," is one of the suspects - or maybe he was supposed to be the victim. Either way, Tempest and her "Scooby" gang, Ivy, Gideon, and Sanjay, need to solve the case. The author does a great job of weaving in the elements important in stage magic like forcing choices, misdirection, and sleight of...

Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

Curds & Whey has only been open two years and Willa needs to solve a sixth murder. Willa's ex-fiancé, Pierce, and his partner, Willa's former best friend, Riley, have opened a pop-up chocolate shop in the town's revamped bakery. Willa is, reasonably in my opinion, angry that the pair has chosen her town for their newest store, but when a reporter is killed by poisoned chocolates, she knows she's not guilty, even if the police chief isn't so sure. I felt a little bad for the character who got killed. We met him, saw he was pushy, and then he was dead. There was never much consideration that he was even the intended victim. The reader has several suspects to look at, although Willa would rather not believe any of them are guilty. And was destroying the business's reputation the point, or was someone trying to kill AJ, the newspaper editor, or Willa herself? Turns out Pierce is not a very...

The Secret of the Three Fates by Jess Armstrong

January 22, 2025January 22, 2025 by Carol2 Comments

The Secret of the Three Fates picks up a few months after the first in the series, The Curse of Penryth Hall, in October of 1922. This one probably works as a stand alone, but you'll have a much better feel for the characters and appreciate what we learn about their backgrounds here. This time around, Mr. Owen and Ruby are at a remote manor house in Scotland, supposedly to purchase illuminated manuscripts. Mr. Owen, however, has lied to Ruby and the two of them are actually there to attend a séance- Mr. Owen is hoping to speak to his son, Ben, who died in the War. The séance, hosted by three mediums going by the name of The Three Fates, is frighteningly real. One of the mediums, seemingly possessed by a spirit, delivers an ominous message: There’s nowhere on earth you can hide from the dead. We have not forgotten … we shall not forgive. The dead know what...

Haunting and Homicide by Ava Burke

January 16, 2025January 16, 2025 by Carol2 Comments

I love catching a new series at the beginning and Haunting and Homicide is a fun read and a good introduction to Tallulah “Lou” Thatcher and her family and friends, both living and dead. Lou lives with her grandmother in New Orleans and has a business doing ghost tours which makes perfect sense since she has been able to see and talk to ghosts since she was little. When a rival ghost tour guide dies Lou is unfortunate enough to stumble across his body. But now he's a ghost who begs her to make sure the police find out who killed him. She wants to help and she wants to clear her own name - she found the body, they were clearly not friends, and the murder weapon came from her store. The mystery is well-written with several twists and surprises. This is Lou's first outing as an amateur sleuth and she's not great at it yet, but she does...

Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin

January 14, 2025January 14, 2025 by Carol5 Comments

Paul, still grieving after the loss of his partner and not in a steady job, takes over a cookery class from his old friend, Christian, who has broken his arm. It's a residential cooking school held in an old mansion in Belgravia, just a short walk from Paul's own house. Paul is not thrilled with the situation, not only because he has no idea what he'll be paid, but all of the students are major Christian fans and are disappointed that Paul has taken his place. And then he discovers Christian's body, clearly murdered, and Paul becomes one of the main suspects. The mystery's good enough. Each of the students and even the cooking school owner have secrets and possible motives for wanting Christian dead. We have several clues and a few red herrings. It's a bit like a house party mystery, especially when Paul ends up having to stay there too. The suspects are limited to those in the...

Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old by Brooke Shields

January 7, 2025January 7, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

Brooks Shields has been a well-known actor/model my entire life. She's 9 years older than me and this book about growing older resonated with me in several ways. Yes, Brooke Shields is famous and beautiful and can afford fancy clothes, but she's also funny and down to earth and relatable. She shares personal anecdotes and mixes in observation on society and statistics that back up her points. She discusses gaining confidence as she gets older, about worrying less about others' opinions and finding joy in middle age. But also about being overlooked and undervalued as a "woman of a certain age." Shields discusses her recent interactions with the healthcare system and how we need to advocate for ourselves, even if we're sometimes (often) seen as difficult. She points out, from personal experience and research studies, that there is a definite lack of knowledge surrounding perimenopause and menopause and considering how many women are in those life stages, that's ridiculous. Shields narrates the...