Tag: Mystery
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“Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime” by Leonie Swann
I enjoyed reading the first book in the Agnes Sharp series and found the second one even better. The elderly residents of Sunset Hall – Agnes, Edwina, Bernadette, Charlie, Marshall, and Winston – go on vacation to a fancy, secluded Cornish hotel, partially because Edwina won a romantic gateway for two and everybody wants to…
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“The Dark Wives” by Ann Cleeves
The institution of privately owned care homes for troubled teens in England is controversial. Running them should be a noble mission, but without sufficient state control, it can evolve into a business like any other, subject to negligence. Additionally, for the residents of such houses, their temporary homes and proximity to other teens like themselves…
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“One Big Happy Family” by Jamie Day
The setting of ‘One Big Happy Family’ is a unique luxury hotel on the shores of Maine, a place that immediately brought to mind the iconic Burgh Island Hotel off the coasts of Devon – the setting of Agatha Christie’s renowned novels. “The Precipice” is family-owned, with themed rooms where the Bishop’s three sisters spend…
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“A Refiner’s Fire” by Donna Leon
In her 33rd installment of the series, Donna Leon once again transports us to the enchanting city of Venice, guiding us through the labyrinthine streets alongside Commissario Brunetti. While I may have missed a few of the series’ novels, my fondness for them remains steadfast, a testament to Leon’s captivating world. This time, the story…
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“Summers End” by Juneau Black
“Summers End” was an unusual, cozy mystery for me. All the characters are animals living in a world of animals—think modern-day Beatrice Potter creatures, Aesop’s fables, or the Hundred Acre Wood without Christopher Robin. I was curious about this mystery because my local bookstore mystery book club selected another one from the same series (A…
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“Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice” by Elle Cosimano
Two bodies in a hotel room, a lost Aston Martin, some bad guys, and Kevin Bacon, who is not who you think he is, make for one crazy ride. Once more, Finlay, a divorced mother of two young children, and Vero, Finlay’s children’s snarky nanny, get into trouble. This time, they take a road trip…
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“Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect” by Benjamin Stevenson
Train travels are romantic. Sure, there are overcrowded trains people board through the open window, as there is no way to fight the crowds of passengers trying to enter using the doorway, and those can hardly be called “romantic.” But there are other trains, seen in luxury travel ads, with people sipping champagne and contemplating…
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“The Fury” by Alex Michaelides
Alex Michaelides took the psychological thriller world by storm a few years ago, publishing “The Silent Patient.” It was hard to avoid seeing his book, and, being a psychological thriller aficionado, I had to read it. I loved it. Later, I enjoyed his next book, “The Maidens.” Again, a college setting is one of my…
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“Finders Keepers” by Natalie Barelli
Rose, the 23-year-old protagonist of “Finders Keepers,” is one of those female characters that I instinctively like. She’s a mixture of vulnerability, a survivor of a challenging childhood, and a girl who blames herself to the point of believing she might be a psychopath. Judging from her recollection of the past, a reader must be…
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“Murder on Mistletoe Lane” by Debbie Young
“Murder on Mistletoe Lane” by Debbie Young is the fifth installment in Stella and Lyndy’s historical mystery series. I enjoyed listening to the first four novels, and this was the first one I read on paper, happily discovering that it’s as charming as the audiobooks. Stella, a wealthy American heiress, and her aristocratic Viscount husband…
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