Five stars: Barbacoa, Bomba, and Betrayal by Raquel V. Reyes and Frankie Corzo (narrator) (2023) is the third book in the Caribbean Kitchen mystery series. What starts as a vacation to the Dominican Republic and becomes a work trip in Puerto Rico puts Miriam into the middle of a gentrification money laundering scam that's affecting so many of the small towns across the Caribbean, regardless of country.
@bookstodon My #review of Rouge by Mona Awad is now live! Darkly beautiful and intensely bittersweet, this actually managed to make me cry towards the end. That is VERY much a compliment.
I loved The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk and I'm reading an ARC of her second rare-books-library mystery, That Night in the Library (June 2024). It started off a little slow but now it's getting gooooooood. #mystery#bookstodon@bookstodon
Five stars: Murder at the Lobstah Shack by Maddie Day and Rachel Dulude (Narrator) (2021) is the third book in the Cozy Capers Book Group mystery series. Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida discovers the body of Annette DiCicero in the walk in freezer of the local Lobstah Shack. Tulia Peters, the shack's owner, had a contentious relationship with Annette but swears she didn't kill the woman. Mac believes her and decides to help figure out who actually did.
@bookstodon My #review of Paladin's Faith (Saint of Steel #4) by T. Kingfisher is now live! Kingfisher knocks it out of the park once again in this continuation of one of the best #romantasy series currently available.
A Murder in Ashwood: Scandals and Secrets in the Gilded Age - The Avenging Angel Detective Agency Mysteries - Historical Mystery - and a Giveaway #Mystery#HistoricalMystery#Giveaway#MFRWAuthors
Five stars: Murder and Mamon by Mia P. Manansala and Danice Cabanela (Narrator) (2023) is the fourth book in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen mystery series. The Calendar Crew is celebrating the opening of a new business venture: a laundromat. Unfortunately the business is vandelized and Ninang April’s niece is found murdered inside.
I gave Happiness Falls to a library guest to borrow and then realized I hadn’t finished it and that I didn’t know the solution to the mystery, but that I no longer cared. HF was a lot of consciousness raising, and in the time it took me to read that novel (except for the last two chapters) I could have read both a better mystery and some better nonfiction to get my consciousness raised on the primary topic. Mysteries need structure. #bookstodon@bookstodon#Mystery
Five stars: Prologue to Murder by Lauren Elliott and Karen White (Narrator) (2019) is the second book in the Beyond the Page Bookstore mystery series. When the head librarian goes missing and is later found dead in an underground utility vault, Miss Newsy accuses Addie Greyborne. Frustrated by the libelous gossip, she teams up with the town's new medical examiner to solve the case.
SHARP PRIVATE EYE thriller follows a detective and his childhood best friend, now an investigative reporter, to Mexico on the trail of a seasoned criminal. Lots of relatable characters and some great descriptions. SOLID B
Five stars: Killer Run by Lynn Cahoon and Susan Boyce (Narrator) (2015) is the fifth book in the Tourist Trap mystery series. Jill Gardener has been pressured into sponsoring a 5K race through her seaside town. When her aunt's boyfriend collapses from heat exhaustion, he stumbles over the body of the race's organizer.
Five stars: Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts and Cris Dukehart (Narrator) (2023) is the start of the Bee Keeping mystery series. Bailey Briggs, author of murder mysteries has brought her teenaged daughter to Humble Hills after her grandmother suffered a bad fall. Shortly after arriving, the mayor is murdered and it looks like grandma's honey is the murder weapon.
THE FAMILY THAT SLEUTHS TOGETHER…finds out more about themselves and each other in this charming, engrossing California murder mystery starring three generations of smart, sharp women solving a complicated crime. B PLUS
@bookstodon My #review of The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge is now live! This was a really compelling read in ways that I hadn’t expected, but was pleasantly surprised by.
I think I first heard about this book while listening to an ad on a Rotten Mango podcast episode, and I was drawn to it because of my love for true crime, mystery, thriller, and suspense. The idea of a podcaster becoming the subject of her own podcast was fascinating to me, and I couldn't wait to dive into it.
Lisa Jewell did such a great job crafting these characters and their storylines. I knew after Janie followed Alix to the restroom in that restaurant that she was going to be weird. Her behavior after that initial interaction slowly but creepily escalated from being "okay that's weird" to "wtf is wrong with her?" The social worker in me wants to pull out a DSM-5 manual and diagnose her with a personality disorder. I'm curious if anyone else shares the same opinion.
The ending still left me with questions. None of this is true... but which part? Josie's telling of her version of her life experiences? Roxi and Erin's telling of their version of their life experiences? I personally want to believe that Josie is, in the words of the British, completely mad and that her (possible) personality disorder and (possible) psychosis has deluded her into believing that she truly is a victim who just wanted to break free.
Side note... This would be cool to watch as a dramatized version on Netflix or something.
Five stars: A Flock and a Fluke by Hillary Avis and Kitty Hendrix (Narrator) (2020) is the second book in the Clucks and Clues mystery series. With Easter approaching, the town of Honeytree is hosting its first ever Egg Scramble, a treasure hunt for adults. In the process of tracking down the most valuable of the eggs, Leona finds the body of the pastor's wife.