The cover makes this appear to be an ordinary historical mystery, but I can assure you there is nothing ordinary about Ava January’s The Mayfair Dagger. It’s the funniest historical mystery I’ve read. When the judge refers to the courtroom scene as a “debacle”, he’s correct. It’s a madhouse. Albertine Honeycombe and a housemaid, Joan, stole away from their country home, and rented a house in London for three months. After the death of Albertine’s father, her cousin wants to marry her off to the neighboring farmer, a man with two dead wives and fifteen children. But, her father had raised her ..read more

Victoria Houston’s recent books are more satisfying for those who enjoy the outdoors and reading about the tranquility of fly-fishing than they are for those of us who enjoy a satisfying mystery. In the latest book, At the Edge of the Woods, Sheriff Lew Ferris seems a little too abrupt, in too much of a hurry, as she investigates a suspicious death. After serving as Chief of the Loon Lake Police Dept. for fifteen years, Lewellyn Ferris was elected sheriff in McBride County, the Wisconsin county in the Northwoods. When a dentist and avid pickleball player is shot and killed on the courts one m ..read more

Most of you will recognize Kim Hays’ name. She’s a regular participant here on the blog, but especially on Thursdays. Kim’s third Linder and Donatelli mystery in her Polizei Bern series, A Fondness for Truth, was just released. In my questions for Sunday Spotlight, I asked her to provide some background, and tell us about her series and the latest book. Thank you, Kim, for taking the time to do this. Kim, would you introduce yourself to readers as a citizen of the world, and a writer? I’d be glad to, Lesa—although I don’t think of myself as a citizen of the world. However, I am a citizen of t ..read more

Yesterday, I sent in my last two reviews for this month for Library Journal, so I’m sharing one of Kevin Tipple’s reviews today. Pierce by Patrick B. Simpson is a March 2024 release. Thank you, Kevin, for sharing this review! Pierce by Patrick B. Simpson opens with the discovery of a body. College professor Danielle Hutchins was found face down in her classroom late one day. She was found by the janitor, Truman Pierce, who had been out on a date with her the day before. The same janitor who turned the body over as well as lifted evidence from the crime scene. It is a small town and he neglect ..read more

This week, I’m giving away two mysteries, one in a long-running series, one a debut. Let’s start with the latest Scottish Bookshop mystery, Paige Shelton’s The Poison Pen. Edinburgh is mourning the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II when bookseller Delaney Nichols’s boss comes to her with a most unusual assignment. An old friend of his, living in an estate in the village of Roslin, has found what could be a priceless relic on her property, and Delaney is tasked with investigating. Could Jolie possibly have an item of breathtaking Scottish historical significance in her possession? But when De ..read more

We had a couple gorgeous days of sunshine and temperatures almost 80 before we had rain, wind, and a tornado watch again. (sigh) But, I did have time to sit on my patio and enjoy the weather. I hope you had a couple days of whatever kind of weather you enjoyed. I had a wonderful week last week with family. I came back on Sunday, picked my sister and brother-in-law up at the airport on Monday, and now I’m looking forward to a visit from my friend, Donna. She’s driving in on Sunday and we have library, bookstore, museum and an author event planned. Donna, my sister, Linda, and I are going to se ..read more

The subtitle of this book says it all, “True Stories of the Magic of Reading”. James Patterson and Matt Eversmann’s The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians allows booksellers and librarians to share their passion for books and reading. Each short chapter is a passionate account by someone who found their niche in a library or bookstore, found their tribe, and now talk about books with other book lovers. Readers might find a book or two to read, but I was just happy to find other book lovers. There are a few people I know in the book, P.J. Gardiner, the Collection Development Librarian ..read more

I took three pages of notes while reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s. Why? I’m not writing a book report, and this is the only review I’m writing. But, the story of the 1960s, as seen by Dick and Doris Kearns Goodwin is fascinating, and I just felt as if I needed the notes. The historians were married for forty-two years. But, their experiences in their twenties and thirties, before they even met, set the map for the rest of their lives. To tell the story of their careers, particularly Dick’s, the couple opened three hundred boxes of lette ..read more

The 2024 Lefty Awards were presented this past weekend at Left Coast Crime, Seattle Shakedown. Congratulations to the winners. Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel Cheap Trills by Wendalll Thomas Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel (Bill Gottfried Memorial, covering events before 1970) Evergreen by Naomi Hirahara Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon Lefty for Best Mystery Novel Hide by Tracy Clark ..read more

I’ve been visiting my Mom for a almost a week. Yesterday, we went to a surprise party for my late husband’s aunt. She turned 95, and she’s terrific. Anyways, I haven’t had reading time. I have had a lot of family time, which was wonderful. I won’t have another book review until Tuesday. In the meantime, I hope you have some reading or family time ..read more