Old Black Magic by Ace Atkins
Read as part of CBR17 Bingo: starts with O I have heard from many living old school mystery writers that the modern PI mystery tales in the States can be traced back to Spenser. Having gone out of vogue with the deaths of Chandler and Hammett — and with only Ross Macdonald elevating the genre — the hardboiled PI tale had taken a back seat by the time Robert B. Parker began building his prodigious catalog in the early-70s. Which is why I’ve given more […]
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano
If we know one thing by now that Finlay Donovan is really good at, it’s digging a grave. Who’s it going to be this time? Mrs. Haggerty, nosy neighbor extraordinaire and self-appointed president of the neighborhood watch, is in trouble. A body has been discovered in her backyard and she’s been taken in for questioning. Finlay and Vero settle in for a nice relaxing time of minding their own business. But when all the evidence starts pointing at her ex-husband Steven, it’s a race for […]
The Puzzle Wood by Rosie Andrews
(Hello Team, I am posting a review in June! This is months earlier than I usually do!) I picked this book up on vacation in Edinburgh. The cover has crows on it and it looked good enough. Spoiler – there are no crows in the book at all. Weak sauce. I do not read much mystery at all. The pitch of “governess goes to isolated mansion in woods and things are spoooooooky” seemed like a diverting way to spend much of the flight home. […]
Three Bags Full: A Novel by Leonie Swann
This charming murder mystery was originally published in German in 2005. The Deluxe Edition that I read came out this year, and apparently an animated movie with Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson is due in 2026. I happened to see the sequel to this novel (Big Bad Wool) in Barnes and Noble, so I asked if they had the first book. If you enjoy cozy murder mysteries, look this one up. The action takes place in a quaint little Irish village called Glennkill, famous for […]
Longshadow by Olivia Atwater
The third novel in Atwater’s regency faerie tale trilogy is a sweet and sapphic delight perfect for Pride. We had first met young Abigail in the novel Half A Soul– she is the adopted daughter of the Lord Sorcier Elias Wilder and his wife Theodora. The workhouse child has now grown into a mostly proper young lady who just wants to use her unusual magic. She sees the perfect opportunity to investigate the sudden deaths of several of her aristocratic peers. The most likely suspect […]
Mixing Magics by Clare Edge
I was semi-recently diagnosed as T2 diabetic, so as soon as I saw Ber’s story I knew I needed to get my hands on it, even as my experiences are different from hers (and not just because she accidentally summons demons with her finger sticks lol), and I loved Accidental Demons so much. I’m so glad I was able to read Mixing Magics early and now have the opportunity to scream at everyone to pick it up. Mixing Magics picks up about a month after […]
