Barbara’s rating: 3.4 out of 5 Stars Series: An Alexander Gregory Thriller #5 Publication Date: 5/2/24 Period: Contemporary London and Cambridge Number of Pages: 254 Let me get this over with, right here at the beginning, I thoroughly DISLIKE cliffhangers! This author’s books usually pull me into the story so deeply that I cannot put the book down until I’ve read the last page. I cannot tell you why, but that just wasn’t the case with this story. It took me almost a week to read it and when it ended in a cliffhanger, I just threw my hands up. Had I known about the cliffhanger when I was halfwa ..read more

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars Series: Scottish Bookshop Mystery #9 Publication Date: 4/9/24 Period: Contemporary Edinburgh Number of Pages: 304 This was a fun read featuring mayhem, murder, stolen treasure, and a hoarder who thinks she is the rightful heir to the English throne. When Delaney Nichols left Kansas and moved to Scotland for a job at the Cracked Spine Bookstore, she didn’t expect to fall totally in love with the country, the job, and the handsome tavern owner, Tom, across the street. The very wealthy bookshop owner, Edwin, doesn’t just own a bookstore. He owns an extensive g ..read more

Book Blurb Bake Off Wars is back! Get your aprons on and let the sleuthing begin! Vera Bolt, Queen of Bakes, dies unexpectedly aged 66 In a shocking announcement this afternoon, Vera Bolt’s agent confirmed that the Bake Off Wars judge and national treasure died yesterday. Ms Bolt was in the process of filming the next series of the hugely popular television show at Francis Court, the home of the King’s sister and her family. It’s believed that the renowned pastry chef was stabbed in the heart, and the main suspect is rumoured new royal girlfriend, Summer York. What am I supposed to do? Lady ..read more

Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 stars Series: A Doyle & Acton Mystery #19 (I think) Publication Date: 2/21/24 Period: Contemporary London Number of Pages: 220 I have come to realize that I really like reading books with quirky characters – even when those quirks might not be ‘lovable’ quirks. Go figure. This series is filled with quirky characters – some lovable quirks – some not. If you like quirky adventures, this book and this series might be for you. Doyle and the newly promoted Munoz have been called to the scene of what would appear to be a cut-and-dried suicide. Except, there is a stra ..read more

Barbara’s rating: 4.4 out of 5 Stars Series: Irish Village Mystery #10 Publication Date: 2/20/24 Period: Contemporary Ireland Number of Pages: 286 Vera Cowley – or Mrs. Chips as everyone in town calls her – has not been having an easy time lately. Sadly, that time has passed, and she’s no longer a part of this world. She was found, murdered, in her fish-and-chips shop. Oh! My! Who could have done such an awful thing? Was it her ex-husband? Perhaps it was her ex-best friend. Or, was it the vegetable oil salesman – or the bakery owner – or the slimy banker – or the fisherwoman – or the food crit ..read more

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars Series: A Scottish Isle Mystery #2 Publication Date: 1/9/24 Period: Contemporary – Sea Isle, Scotland Number of Pages: 272 Emilia (Em) McRoy, a burned-out American emergency room doctor, has been in the beautiful Scottish village of Sea Isle for three months and she’s loving it. She’s made wonderful friends and cannot imagine ever living anywhere else. While she should have read her contract more closely – after her arrival, she discovered many things she had missed – such as the fact that she was also the coroner – she is still thrilled to be there. Emilia ..read more

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars Series: Stephanie Plum #30 Publication Date: 10/31/23 Period: Contemporary Trenton, New Jersey Number of Pages: 332 This quirky, entertaining, witty series is always good for bringing a smile to my face. This one had the zany stuff we usually see – firebombed apartments, car smashes, viewings at the funeral home, grave digging – all of it. Then, to add to it, the mystery in this one was more front-and-center than they usually are, and I liked that. Yes, the books can be silly – really silly – but there is something about the outlandish characters and bizarre ..read more

Barbara’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars Series: County Kerry Mystery #2 Publication Date: 10/24/23 Period: Contemporary Ireland Number of Pages: 320 I love this author’s Irish Village Mysteries series because the characters are fun and interesting and the mysteries are not dark and brooding though they include murder. So, of course, I wanted to try this series as well. I read the first book and rated it well because the characters were certainly unique and though the story was on the dark side, I cut it some slack because of setting up the series, character backstories, etc. However, this second ..read more

Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars Series: A Doyle & Acton Mystery #17 Publication Date: 9/24/23 Period: Contemporary – Dublin Number of Pages: 218 I am totally bewitched by this quirky series with such flawed, yet endearing characters. The strait-laced, fey, Irish Roman Catholic, Doyle is tasked with keeping her brilliant, scorched-earth, vigilante husband, Acton, under control by tempering his edges and keeping him on the straight-and-narrow. You’ll never meet a more mismatched pair, yet they work perfectly together. Acton, Doyle, the children, their security, and staff are all in Dubli ..read more

About The Book Uncovering a web of conspiracy that intertwines past and present, can Lady Beatrice and DCI Richard Fitzwilliam catch a killer and unveil the truth of her husband’s death at long last? BREAKING NEWS Second Senior Police Officer Dies Within a Week A senior officer from the Protection and Investigations (Royal) Services died unexpectedly yesterday. His death comes hot on the heels of Detective Inspector Ethan Preece (43) from City Police, who died of a suspected heart attack last week. Although he’s not yet been named, the dead officer was a greatly respected public figure, who ha ..read more