Category Archives: Currently Reading

Currently Reading

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Forty Acres and a Soggy Grave by Frankie Bailey is the fifth of her Lizzie Stuart Mysteries. In this, the last so far, Lizzie accompanies her fiancé, John Quinn to a weekend with some of his old friends. Lizzie is quite nervous about meeting them – will they like her? But she quickly senses undercurrents swirling around the group, from Mitch and his extra young girlfriend, to the rumors that Bree is involved in smuggling undocumented migrants.

When one of the migrants if found hiding in the horse barn, and then Mitch’s girlfriend is shot right in front of Lizzie, she knows she is deep into something she doesn’t fully grasp.

Another wonderful mystery delving into the intersection of race and gender, now complicated by feelings about immigration. Highly recommended.

Forget me Never by Susan Witting Albert is the 29th China Bayles mystery. In this outing, China investigates the death of her friend Olivia Andrews. She hosts a true crime podcast and now she claims she has a bombshell story about an upstanding citizen of Pecan Springs. One morning, while out running, she is hit by a car. At first the death is ruled accidental but as China digs, she quickly realizes it was murder.

Another murder follows and all signs point to the second husband of a wealthy widow who died, it was thought murdered, twenty years previously. Is he the citizen of Pecan Springs? And who is he?

The usual gang appear and as usual the herbs and information about them is front and center.

Currently Reading

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Killer in the Kitchen is the second Chesapeake Bay mystery by Judy L. Murray.

Lizzie, Helen’s daughter, is the host of a popular cooking show. Upon hearing that Roberto, the popular chef and main attraction of the show, wishes to sell his house, Helen visits the set to meet him. When she visits the second time, she is just in time to see Roberto collapse, poisoned.

Worse yet, Lizzie had also tasted the food and is slightly affected.

Helen jumps in with both feet to identify who might have murdered Roberto. Now its personal since the shooter clearly considered Lizzie only as collateral damage.

There are suspects aplenty. Besides Roberto’s partner Adrian, Dana is another host who was pushed aside and lost a huge percentage of her ratings. The food stylist, Mariah, is another suspect, this time with an important secret.

The characters shine here. Although I had a suspicion about the murderer’s identity, I kept reading. I felt like I knew the characters personally and I was engaged in their lives.

Highly Recommended.

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You should have died on Monday, by Frankie Bailey, is the third of her Lizzie Stuart mysteries. They just keep getting better and better.

In this outing, Lizzie bends all her efforts to finding the mother who abandoned her at five days old. With an old post card as her only lead, she travels to Chicago. It does not take long to discover her mother, at twenty-two, was already involved in a relationship with a gangster and, at the same time, with the leader of a group that later becomes associated with the Black Panthers.

When Becca’s close friend suddenly disappears from Chicago, Lizzie follows her to Wilmington, North Carolina and then to New Orleans.

Secrets – who murdered Reuben James and Becca’s lover-gangster – are covered. But one secret, Lizzie’s paternity, remains unknown.

Throughout, Lizzie struggles with the status of her relationship with John Quinn, a man who has his own secrets. Highly Recommended.

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Murder comes home is the third in the Hometown mysteries by Rosalie Spielman.

A television crew has descended on Aunt Edna’s home. Ricks and Picks is scouting for more antiques and collectibles (Think Antiques Roadshow.) The discovery of a box of letters sparks an investigation into the history of the house and the family that owned it before. And the mysterious death of a so-called orphan girl.

At the same time, undercurrents in the television crew begin to cause problems in modern times. The ’67 Mustang Tess and her aunt – the Shecanics – are restoring for sale is taken from the garage. When it’s found, the Ricks and Picks cameraman is found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning, zip tied to the steering wheel. Tessa and Aunt Edna are on the case.

I love these books. Tessa and Aunt Edna are fully realized. I wish I knew Aunt Edna. The other characters are real individuals. And the mysteries aren’t bad either. I hope Spielman continues this series.

Highly Recommended.

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This week I read Death in the Orchard by MK Graff.

This is the third in the Trudy Genova mysteries. Trudy is a nurse. In the previous two entries, she is hired as a medical consultant to verify the information in television productions.

Death in the Orchard is a little different. Trudy, and significant other Ned, are on their way to Schoharie County to visit Trudy’s family. Her brother and wife are having a baby.

But Trudy has another agenda. Her father was murdered years ago and she has always thought there was more to it. The reader knows there is. A recent parollee hires on because he is looking for money buried in the orchard.

Then his body is discovered shot on the steps. It doesn’t take much imagination to realize someone else might know about that money!

Recommended.

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This past week I read Murder in the Fourth Position by Lori Robbins.

This is the fourth in this very interesting series. The protagonist/detective is a ballerina.

In this outing, Leah Siderova leaves the world of ballet for a musical on Broadway. The truth, though, is more complicated. There are rumors of problems on the set and the star of the show, Amber, is being targeted by online threats.

Then the online threats escalate into real world violence, resulting in the hospitalization, not only of Amber, but also of a costumer.

Then Leah herself is targeted. I love this unusual protagonist and setting and the mysteries aren’t bad either.

The second book for the week is Old Murders, the third in Frankie Bailey’s Lizzie Stuart mysteries.

I love this series. Lizzie Stuart is an engaging character with flaws as well as strengths.

Against the backdrop of a fight over the development of downtown Gallagher, a talented local artist goes missing. At the same time a fifty year old murder raises its ugly head. Someone wants to keep bury both mysteries and Lizzie is in the way.

At the same time, she is dealing with her fragile relationship with detective John Quinn.

As usual, Bailey does a great job of setting her mystery against the intersection of race, gender, and the imbalance of power. Highly recommended.

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I’ve known Frankie for several years but never read her first mystery series. Last week I read the first one, Death’s Favorite Child, and now I’m hooked. 

In Death’s Favorite Child, Lizzie Stuart is in Cornwall, England, on a much needed vacation with her friend Tessa. But Tessa’s ex shows up, and shortly after one of the people staying in the B&B is murdered. Although Lizzie doesn’t intend to investigate, she is sucked in.

Meeting John Quinn, a cop also on vacation, provides some heat and the possibility of a relationship.

In A Dead Man’s Honor, Lizzie has taken a position as visiting professor at Piemont College in Gallager, Virginia. Her grandmother, Hester Rose, had always told Lizzie to stay away from Gallagher but she can’t. She wants to solve the mystery of her grandmother’s past.

She gets more than she bargained for. Another murder – and John Quinn who is now head of University security.

The characters especially shine.

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Now that Malice Domestic is over, I can review the books from the panel I moderated: the importance of setting.

Heather Weidner almost needs no introduction. The author of several series, Twinkle, Twinkle au Revoir is the latest in her Mermaid Bay series. And a funny book it is too. The Love channel (a thinly disguised Hallmark Channel) comes to town to film a new movie. Ruby, the owner of the B&B, is being driven crazy by all the quirks of the actors. But business is booming is the Christmas Shop run by Jade Hicks.

Then the body of an annoying reporter is found and someone tries to murder the male star, Raphael Allard. Laugh out loud funny.

Peril at the Pool House is also written against the setting of a beach community. Helen Morrisey, a realtor/detective, has sold a Victorian beauty to Elliot Davies and wife Allison. Elliot is running for office and holds his kick-off in the house.

But rumors that the house is haunted appear true when strange events begin happening at the house. Then the body of his assistant is discovered in the pool house, bludgeoned to death.

The case takes a turn when Helen discovers a connection to a cold case.

A twisty mystery and good characters make this one shine.

Hammers and Homicide by Paula Charles takes place in a hardware store – a pretty unusual setting. Dawna is struggling to keep her hardware store going after the death of her husband. The job gets much harder when she discovers the body of a murdered man in the store bathroom. Warren Hardcastle was not popular in town but now Dawna is one of the suspects. Dawna and her daughter April jump on the case.

A touch of the supernatural makes this one a little different. Funny and fun.

Finally, Cathi Stoler’s book is a little different. She wanted to become a spy as a child and that shows. Nick Donahue’s significant other Marina are drawn into a complicated mystery that starts out simply enough with the death of a horse. The location moves from New York City to Dubai to Kentucky as Marina and Nick, a professional gambler – now there is a profession you don’t see very often – investigate.

This series has a real Robert Ludlum – Bourne vibe. Enjoyable.

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I met Mindy Quigley at Malice Domestic and, as usual, following my practice of reading something by every author I meet. I read Six Feet Deep Dish.

And what fun it was too.

Delilah O’Leary can’t wait to open her gourmet pizza restaurant in beautiful Geneva Bay, Wisconsin.. This has always been her dream. But the day before opening, her wealthy boyfriend dumps her, leaving her with an armful of bills.

Then, on opening night, Delilah finds her aunt’s caregiver Jeremy shot dead – and her aunt holding the gun.

To make matters worse, the detective, Calvin Capone (yes, the great grandson of THAT Capone) closes the restaurant while the investigation is ongoing. Needless to say, sparks fly between Delilah and Capone.

Written in a snappy style with several engaging characters – Delilah’s Aunt Biz is my favorite – this cozy is a treat.

Highly Recommended.

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I read two books this past week, but will save the one for Heather Weidner. She is on the panel at Malice Domestic that I am moderating. I will blog about all four of those books at the same time.

Speaking of conferences, I read the first in a series of my table mate at the Suffolk Mystery Festival.

Home is where the murder is

is the first in the Hometown Mysteries series.

Tessa Tresswell returns to Idaho after a twenty year career in the armed forces. Although Tessa is struggling to adapt to civilian life, she enjoys working on fixing cars with her Aunt Edna. Her family hopes she will stay, but Tessa isn’t sure.

Then Tessa finds a dead body in the park. She doesn’t know Augie That but her family does; he claimed that their property, including the garage and the store, was half his.

To make matters worse, the sheriff just happens to be Tessa’s high school love.

When Aunt Edna is arrested, Tessa knows she will have to investigate and make sure justice is done.

Lots of fun at the same time it deals with a serious subject: returning vets. Highly Recommended.