REVIEW: The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will release on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.]

Summary


Alice and Iris and their friends are with everyone who’s anyone at the Sadie Hawkins dance at Levy Castle. The history of the castle – including the mysterious death of movie star Mona Moody – is something Castle Cove takes very seriously. But two of Alice’s old friends, Kennedy and Park, seem more concerned with contemporary drama rather than history. They have a very public fight in the middle of the dance.

Then there’s the screaming.
The blood.
Kennedy is gravely injured. Park runs.
The students are trapped at the Castle due to a storm-caused mudslide – and the authorities struggle to get there.

It’s like one of Alice’s Agatha Christie novels! While Kennedy is soon taken to the hospital, and the students can finally leave the Castle, the questions over what really happened aren’t going away any time soon. So Alice, Iris, and their friends start investigating.

Review


I absolutely adored The Agathas when I first read it a year ago. In fact, it was one of my top 10 most favorite reads of 2022. Halfway through the book I was begging the universe to make this a series. I was so excited when I heard there would be a sequel!

This was outstanding! The story blew me right out of the water. Alice and Iris are back, better than ever – with a real friendship with ups and downs but a core connection and loyalty that keeps them together. The mystery is layered, and each piece is solid and meaty on its own. There’s a LOT going on here – and I loved all of it! There are real stakes here, too, which added to the tension and to my enjoyment. There were several moments when I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough.

I blitzed through The Agathas in a day before I started this so I would have the characters fresh in my mind. I am glad I did so I could jump right into this new story.  Newcomers should absolutely start with book 1, if for no other reason than the ending is “spoiled” here in book 2. You’ll be happier if you read these in order. Fans of book one should snap this up immediately – it was terrific! I can’t wait to see what comes in book 3.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Summary


Meg’s notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe says she should be busy with wedding tasks for her brother’s big day. But she’s also gotten drawn into checking into some cold cases. Her nephew and a buddy started a true crime podcast and seem to have gotten some unwanted attention.

Meg has a few cases to check out – a cheating scandal, a missing singer, and a robbery-turned-homicide. The three cases have her chasing all around the community. Each case seems so cold she’s not sure there’s anything new to discover. But there must be something she is missing because someone wants these cases to just go away. And they’ll do anything to make that happen.

Review


What a wild ride! One of the things I love about this series is the antics of Meg’s family. And they are in rare form in this book. In fact, in telling a funny part to my husband I realized, for an outsider, this family is too ridiculous to be believed. But I love them.

The mystery was fun. Meg has three different cases to dig into. And each one initially seems like it’s too old, too cold, to make any headway. But in the end it all comes together. The ending was satisfying and enjoyable.

Series fans should pick this one up. I laughed out loud MANY times while reading. And I always enjoy time with Meg and the crew. Newcomers might find the family antics to be a bit too much without the history and context that makes them endearing. The mysteries can easily stand alone for new series readers. Hopefully you’ll find the family chaos fun enough to go back and pick up the earlier books in the series – it’s one of my favorites! Book 32, Dashing through the Snowbirds, is out now, and I plan to review that one soon.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: On Borrowed Crime by Kate Young

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary


Lyla Moody is the receptionist for her uncle’s private investigation business and a mystery buff. But she doesn’t expect to be personally caught up in a case in real life.

Carol Timms is a member of the Jane Doe Book Club with Lyla. So when the black BMW almost mows Lyla down, she recognizes Carol in the driver’s seat. She doesn’t get a good look at the person with her, but Lyla can tell Carol’s upset. But she never says anything to Lyla. She only drives away.

A hour later, Judge Timms, Carol’s husband, calls the PI office to hire Lyla’s Uncle Calvin. The judge claims Carol has either gone missing or been abducted.

When Lyla and her best friend Melanie find Carol’s body stuffed in a suitcase and left by Lyla’s door, all their mystery and true crime reading for the Jane Doe Book Club becomes all too real. Who could have killed Carol? Did it have to do with her time in therapy with Lyla’s father? Where there problems in her marriage? Could it be over money? Or does it have anything to do with the cold cases Carol wanted the book club to look into?

Lyla and Mel are determined to find out, both to clear Mel and Lyla’s father of suspicion, but also to ensure closure for their friend.

Review


The case at the center of this mystery is captivating. The Janes are drawn in not only because of Carol’s death but also because of the cold cases she wanted the group to look into. The book group didn’t feel very cohesive, and sometimes they didn’t even seem like friends, which was odd. I expected a cozier group for the namesake of the series. But I did like Lyla and Mel quite a bit, and I enjoyed watching them work through the case. I’m not sure if the author is setting up a romance for Lyla or a love triangle. We’ll have to see how things unfold as the series moves forward.

The author does almost too good a job in coming into the story in the middle of the action. There are references to Lyla’s past obsession with cold cases and subsequent therapy, but I didn’t feel like this was fully explained or explored. It made me feel like I missed a book in the series. I don’t mind that when I start a series with a later book, but this is the introduction to the series, so I want to feel like I have a great handle on the people, the setting, and the context.

The hints about Lyla’s mom’s past are intriguing. Those felt like teasers for something to dig into in a later book, and that was perfectly comfortable for me. I did have a hard time liking her mom, though. She runs hot and cold to the extreme, which started to wear on me in this book. Maybe with more of her backstory, she will either be more sympathetic, or she will relax some of her tight control because she isn’t trying to shield Lyla from the past any more.

The mystery was a mixed bag for me. I picked out the culprit the first time they appeared in the book. I like to work through the clues in mysteries and see if I can tease out the ending before the protagonist, so I was disappointed to figure it out right away. Some of the rest of the case felt scattered – like things were thrown at the wall to see what stuck. Instead of being intrigued by all of the possibilities, they were distracting instead. I do wonder, though, if I would have felt differently about those pieces if I didn’t already know who did it.

There are some solid pieces to this that I loved – Lyla, Mel, Lyla’s grandmother, and Lyla’s job. I might give the second book a shot to see if some other the other pieces tighten up in book 2. (Some language, a few gruesome descriptions.)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥=Good/solid/fine

BONUS REVIEW: Microphones and Murder by Erin Huss

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Henery Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary


After several years as an engineer on a successful podcast, Liv pitches the idea of her own true crime show, Missing or Murdered. But the “talent” says she doesn’t have the experience or the gumption to do it well. So Liv quits her job.

She gives up her life to move to Santa Maria where Amelia Clark lived before she disappeared in 2008. Liv is accompanied by her enthusiastic younger biracial step-sister, Camry. Camry’s great aunt, Hazel, lives in Santa Maria and is letting them stay with her while they launch the podcast and learn everything they can about Amelia.

Liv’s early investigation goes poorly. Witnesses are hard to find or reluctant to share. Her primary source is only able to give them some files on the case before he’s no longer able to help. The area where Amelia’s car was found has changed a lot in 10 years making it hard to get clues in that space. There’s a reason this case has gone unsolved for so long. Liv starts to wonder if she’s made a BIG mistake.

But when an apple comes crashing through the bedroom window at Hazel’s, the sisters have to wonder if they have more information than they realize, and if they have gotten too close to a killer desperate to protect their secrets.

Review


This was OUTSTANDING!! I was pulled into the story form the first page. I loved the characters! By the end, there’s a little group of 5 working on the podcast and the case, and they are delightful. Liv and Camry are sisters, but by marriage, which makes for an interesting dynamic. Hazel, Camry’s great aunt, looks like Mrs. Claus, but sounds younger and sexier when she’s recorded for the podcast. Oliver is a Deaf YouTube star with millions of followers. He speaks as well as signs. As his grandmother, Hazel signs as does Liv who studied ASL in high school and college. This dynamic made for some fun moments in the story. And Austin is a reporter with a stutter, a crush on Camry, and some contacts around Santa Maria that the sisters really need. I loved how they all came together as a group and how they worked together.

The case was top notch! They got breakthroughs at reasonable moments where just the right question or contact opened a new avenue for the investigation. The pacing was terrific. There were early roadblocks to test Liv’s commitment to this path. And future discoveries came in a way that never pointed to police incompetence – they just didn’t find the right information in the right combinations to put all the pieces together. There were reluctant witnesses and others who never knew they had relevant information before. And the overall resolution was very satisfying!

I can’t tell you how often I laughed while I was reading. Between the humor and the great characters and the fantastic plot, I was in mystery-lover bliss with this book. I cannot recommend this highly enough! I noticed a couple details that were inconsistent, but I trust those were worked out in final edits. I’ll definitely be picking up my own copy of this now that it has released. Mystery fans and podcasting fans should not miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus

Summary


Twins, Ellery and Ezra, are living in Echo Ridge, Vermont, while their mother is in rehab. While it was their mother’s home town, and their grandmother still lives there, the twins had never been there before.

Twenty-three years earlier, their mother Sadie’s twin sister, Sarah, had gone missing. She was never heard from again, and Sadie left town as soon as she could to try to escape the memories and grief.

Echo Ridge has a tough reputation for dead and missing girls. Five years before Ellery and Ezra arrived, another high school girl, Lacey, was found dead at the local amusement park. While no one was ever arrested, Lacey’s boyfriend was the prime suspect. Declan also left Echo Ridge, but for him it was to avoid the whispers and suspicious looks everywhere he went.

Ellery is a true crime fanatic. While she’s in Echo Ridge, she’d love to piece together what happened to Lacey and whatever happened with her Aunt Sarah. But before she can really get settled in her new home, Ellery and two other girls are targeted by a vandal whose actions indicate that another girl could suffer a similar fate as Lacey and Sarah.

Review


This was a terrific, twisty mystery! I loved the author’s first book, One of Us is Lying. This is just as good – clever, and meticulously plotted. There are several mysteries spanning the entire book – not just the two girls from the past and the current threats. Add to the actual cases Ellery’s many theories of what could have happened, and it feels like there’s a new wrinkle to consider every couple pages. I loved it! I never wanted to set the book down for very long because I had to find out what happened.

The main characters are Ellery, Ezra, Mia and Malcolm. They’re a great core group. Mia and Malcolm have the Echo Ridge background that Ellery and Ezra don’t, and they both have connections to Lacey who died 5 years before. Those connections layer really well on top of the deaths and disappearances.

I am writing this about an hour or so after I finished the book, and the solution keeps rolling around in my head. I can’t shake it. And I had the same reaction to the ending of One of Us Is Lying. Karen McManus is now a must-read author for me. If you love a good, twisty mystery, check this one out!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Summary


Monica knew it was probably a bad idea to hook up with a guy so much older than her. It didn’t take long to get pregnant. And even less time to end the pregnancy. And that’s what started it all. One time rifling through her step-father’s desk, looking for painkillers for the cramping. That’s when she found the letters. One for each year after her sister’s death. “It wasn’t him. Connect the dots.”

Five years ago, five cheerleaders died within weeks of each other. Two in a horrendous car accident. Two were murdered. And one committed suicide. Monica’s sister, Jen.

But the letters in her step-father’s desk call all of Monica’s assumptions into question. And finding Jen’s old cell phone stashed in the desk, too, raises new questions. Why would her step-father keep the old phone? Are there secrets on it that explain what might have caused five girls from the same squad to die so suddenly? Monica is determined to keep digging, no matter what, until she finds the truth.

Review


Wow! This was stunning. A start-to-finish read in the spirit of We Were Liars or One of Us Is Lying. Tightly plotted and suspenseful with fascinating characters. This is the sort of book that will hang with me, every time I see that cover.

My heart broke for Monica. She and her family are still grieving the loss of her sister – after the losses of four of her friends in tragic circumstances. Monica seems to be going through the motions of her life to the point of sleeping with this adult as maybe a way to shake things up. But her investigation takes over in a similar way, changing her behavior and her relationship with everyone around her. She’s desperate for answers, for the truth, and it’s compelling.

When all the pieces of the story were finally laid out in front of me, I was pleasantly stunned. I put pieces of it together, but the full picture was a satisfying surprise. This is an author I would read again.

(Lots of mature content in this one – suicide, statutory rape, abortion, etc., and some language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert

Summary


Amy is the head librarian at the Blue Ridge Library. She lives with her Aunt Lydia, having left her job as an academic librarian when she caught her boyfriend cheating on her.

In general, the small town librarian life gives Amy no more excitement than a patron asking her opinion on what poison to use in the mystery she is writing. But that’s before she meets Richard -and before she finds the dead body.

Richard is her new neighbor. He’s inherited a house with a history that he wants to research. And the library is the best place for that. In the 1920s, the owner of the house died, and his wife was accused of his murder.

But when Richard and Amy head to the archives to pull some old documents, they find a lot more than newspapers. The body of an elderly patron is there. Suddenly there are two mysteries – the 1925 one, and now this one, too.

Review


This mystery was excellent! In the end, there are actually THREE mysteries, each in a different period of time, that converge together. I found that really satisfying, although I did have to take notes for awhile to keep track of all the people and pieces. So many mysteries in one book! I was able to figure out one and a half of them, and I liked that. I deduced some of the story but not all of it, which  kept me guessing. What a great reading experience this was!

This is the first book in the  new Blue Ridge Library Mystery series. The characters – as well as the great plotting – will bring me back for more. Amy is terrific – smart, determined, and likable. She and Richard have terrific chemistry. I love that he is not in law enforcement, something you find a lot in cozy mysteries (he is a choreographer and a dancer). He also supports Amy in her research and sleuthing.

I’m already looking forward to the next book. There are some intriguing hints in this one about possible future plots – a new job for Amy’s best friend, and a mysterious and secretive character who may be up to no good. I highly recommend this to mystery fans. Put this  on your watch list, too. If you are like me, you won’t want to miss any books in the series. Book 2, Shelved Under Murder is currently scheduled to release in July of 2018.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was a joy to read!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½