London 1946. If you haven’t met the partners who comprise the Right Sort Marriage Bureau, you’re in for a treat. They were introduced in Allison Montclair’s The Right Sort of Man. The second book, A Royal Affair, is a particularly apt read during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee year. Miss Iris Sparks (Cambridge grad and serial fiancée)…
When Annie Pederson was nine years old, her little sister Laura was snatched away from her and she herself left for dead in the waters of Lake Superior, near their hometown in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP.) In the twenty-four years since, she’s blamed herself for her sister’s abduction, and chased every lead she could find…
After recovering from breast cancer but still reeling from her longtime boyfriend’s defection, Rarity Cole pulls up stakes and moves from St. Louis to Sedona, Arizona. She embraces “her second shot at life” by opening The Next Chapter bookstore, nestled between “a fortune teller’s shop and a place that sells crystals.” Books, chocolate, ice cream,…
A Miami native, New York’s Alex Segura has spent his professional life balancing two great loves: novels and comic books. In addition to writing the critically acclaimed five-book Pete Fernandez Miami Mysteries series and a variety of short stories (one of which, “Red Zone,” won an Anthony Award), he has also penned multiple comics (“The…
What a delightfully meta-textual examination of writing in the 21st century! With The Woman In The Library, Sulari Gentill has written a truly thought-provoking modern crime fiction novel—one that entertains and enthralls at a high level while still keeping at least one foot grounded in reality. The book’s core is the story of four people…
Making a courtesy call upon the newly married Sir Charles Wyatt on behalf of her infuriating father, clever widow Lily Adler finds herself unexpectedly drawn into the family’s affairs when a servant is accused of a theft. “Your footman is innocent. I am afraid it was your nephew who stole the money.” “Percy?” Sir…
Quinn Carr is one of the most authentic and unusual crime solvers it’s been my pleasure to meet. Puzzling Ink is set in the fictional town of Chestnut Station near Denver. A small community where everyone knows your name is so appealing and Clark brings it to life beautifully. The town of Chestnut Station was…
Fortune Favors the Dead opens with a real corker: “The first time I met Lillian Pentecost, I nearly caved her skull in with a piece of lead pipe.” And, BAM!—we already know we’re in for a thrilling ride. It’s 1940’s New York, and our heroes are an unconventional pair. For starters, they’re not heroes—they’re heroines.…
Earlier this year at the always exciting mystery conference, Malice Domestic, I was fortunate enough to meet author Marty Wingate. Although our conversation was brief, I found her quite engaging. And since Marty writes cozies, which are my all-time favorite reads, I could not understand why it is that I have never read any of her…
In Foul Play on Words by Becky Clark, mystery writer Charlee Russo has to juggle a kidnapping, a writer’s conference and a hotel that has gone to the dogs, and she worries that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. When mystery author Charlee Russo helps her friend Viv Lundquist by agreeing to be…
