The deliciously twisty new locked room murder mystery from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List and The Paris Apartment.
It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.
But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.
It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at…The Midnight Feast.
My Thoughts
Fans of domestic suspense will thoroughly enjoy this riveting story. Foley has crafted an irresistible narrative that blends the present day with a dark, dark past. Her cast of characters, especially Bella and Francesca, crawl out of the pages and into your brain until you can’t stop turning pages just to find out what happens.
What really hooked me here was the dual narrative of the secret-in-the-past plot line that binds Bella and Francesca and the creepy parallel story featuring a local legend of menacing birds. Twists and turns abound and I admit to a couple parts where I wanted to throw the book against the nearest wall because the tension was too much.
This will make a fantastic summer reading experience but I might recommend saving it for spooky season in the fall. It will definitely make my list of haunting reads in October.
Publication Date: June 18, 2024 Published By: William Morrow Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
Step into the beguiling world of 1926 New York and discover the power of resilience, friendship, and love from award-winning author Jocelyn Green.
Elsa Reisner’s lifelong dream of working as an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History is fading as the job begins to drain her passion. But fate takes an unexpected turn when she is assigned to catalog the bequest of a recently deceased patron whose Gothic country mansion holds secrets and treasures waiting to be discovered.
As Elsa delves into her task, she forms an unlikely bond with the estate’s delightful gardener and her daughter, as well as an architectural salvage dealer who still bears scars from the Great War. Together, they embark on a thrilling treasure hunt for a missing relic intended to safeguard the servants’ futures before the estate is sold. At the same time, Elsa’s body seems to betray her with new symptoms from a childhood disease that isn’t through with her yet.
With the brooding veteran and her handsome colleague joining the search, Elsa must navigate the tangled web of secrets and hidden motives along with the changing state of her health. As her deadline looms ever closer, will she be able to secure a new life for her friends before the estate slips from their grasp?
My Thoughts
Reminiscent of the old gothic romances of the 70’s, The Hudson Collection features a plucky heroine who teams up with a damaged but noble man to aid a young girl and her family in danger of losing their home. Elsa is one of the most appealing heroines I’ve come across recently – smart, vulnerable, and very brave. The story is very well-developed with action starting almost immediately and not stopping until the very end.
The historical elements here are fascinating, with dives into New York’s elite society scene post World War I, the polio epidemic and the far-reaching effects of medical research, and post-war mental health challenges for returning soldiers. If you’re tired of blood-and-gore mystery & suspense novels that focus on the most horrifying aspects of the human psyche, this book is for you. It is a captivating, gentle mystery that keeps your attention page after page.
Recommended.
Publication Date: June 4, 2024 Published By: Bethany House Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
I am a series reader. I find an author and set of characters that appeal to me and I keep going back for more. Turns out, many of my friends and family are also series readers and they had plenty of recommendations for your summer reading!
From Me…
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear – Follow the adventures of Maisie who grows from a teenage maid to an adult detective through this fabulous historical series set in the first half of the 20th century. Winspear has just published the final entry in the series, which you can read about here. Start with the very first book, Maisie Dobbs, and progress through the rest. Just as good in audio form as print.
James Rollins is the complete opposite of the previous author! He specializes in pulse-pounding adventure featuring the Sigma Force, a super-secret and multi-talented government agency whose job is to keep the world from imploding. Rollins has written multiple books in the series that all revolve around an intricate, well-researched piece of history. My favorite in the series is The Last Odyssey which features plenty of the monsters from the Greek myths I love. Start with the first in the series, Sandstorm, and go from there, although I started with #2 in the series, Map of Bones and was totally hooked. If you’re already a Rollins fan, there’s a new Sigma Force novel out this summer – Arkangel. You’re welcome!
Kate Mosse is the author of some very chunky books! However, those books will keep you up late turning page after page. My favorite is Sepulchre but her other work is just as fascinating. Meticulous historical fiction, mostly set in France. Reading her work is a commitment well worth your time.
Erin Hart is the author of what I call the “bog mysteries.” I found Hart’s work as I was randomly researching the topic after seeing a news story about an ancient body discovered in an Irish peat bog. Hart’s bog series features two recurring characters – pathologist Nora Gavin and Irish archaeologist Cormac McGuire. Start with the first in the series, Haunted Ground.
Katherine Arden is the author of one of my all-time favorite high fantasy trilogies – The Winternight Trilogy. Start with the first, The Bear and the Nightingale and immerse yourself in Slavic folklore and magic. This is an absolute stunner of a series!
From Cynthia Dana…
Record Shop Mysteries by Olivia Blacke is a fun series featuring three sisters who take over the operations of a family record shop and cafe in their small Texas hometown. They serve up delicious coffee, spin some hot tracks, and solve murders in their spare time. There are three entries in the series – easily readable during the summer months!
From Allison McDonald Fredericks
Scot Horvath series by Brad Thor is a thrilling, fast-paced action-adventure series in which the main character, Scot Horvath, protects the United States and its people at all costs. For fans of James Rollins, Steve Berry, and Clive Cussler.
Keeper of Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger is a captivating series for kids who are into fantasy. The main character is 12-year-old Sophie Foster who discovers she’s a telepath. The series follows Sophie’s adventures and includes plenty of action-packed mysteries and challenges.
Tristan Strong trilogy by Kwame Mbilia is part of the Rick Riordan presents series which features fascinating characters and world lore. In this case, Mbilia explores the world of African American folklore and West African gods with his engaging character, 7th grader Tristan Strong. Check out other entries in the Rick Riordan presents series.
From Beth Nash…
Ruth Ware is one of the best authors of psychological suspense fiction working today. She has a new one coming out this summer – One Perfect Couple – but there are plenty of others to dip into. Check out her catalog of work on her website.
Looking for a lighter mystery ion the cozy vein? Try Amy Van Sant’s books which include the Pineapple Port mysteries, the Shee McQueen series, and many others.
Louise Penney’s Inspector Gamache mystery series is a long-running, beloved set of suspenseful adventures set in Quebec. If you haven’t read these novels, start this summer and stay occupied for the rest of the year!
Here’s one more series for the mystery & suspense readers out there: The Cold Case series by Lissa Marie Redmond follows cold case detective Lauren Riley through many fascinating investigations.
Charles Fontaine returns to Europe to sell his family’s ancestral domain and finds that a twelfth-century legend still haunts the property. Clues lead him to a parchment relating the curious tale of a village seeress, whose music enchanted a nobleman with shadowy ties to the present-day Fontaine family. With the help of a famous medievalist and enigmatic woman from his youth, Charles draws ever closer to the truth of this tale and its stunning historical revelation…and to his own buried past. “”The Heron Legacy”” is a novel of modern suspense in which history roams freely, its breath still warm.
My Thoughts
This lovely, gentle book contains a deceptively gripping plot and a wonderful set of characters who will stay with me for a long time. The concept of chivalry runs strong and true through the narrative as the reader follows Charles de la Fontaine (or Charles d’Outre-mer) as he grows from a thoughtful boy obsessed with history to a man grown in the image of his father (or is he?)
The chapters describing Charles’ relationship with his beloved Uncle Theo are some of the most interesting and touching in the story and truly drive the narrative forward. Charles’ fascination with the chivalrous knights of the Crusades and the cognitive dissonance of their actions (killing for God) help create an exciting and deeply moving story.
The author is exceptionally skilled at storytelling – keeping a consistent pace, introducing new characters and bombshell information at just the right time, and crafting an ending that wraps up all the loose ends. I’ll be recommending this for sure.
Publication Date: June 25, 2024 Published By: BooksGoSocial Thanks to Book Sirens for the review copy
I recently asked my friends & family to share titles of books they love and would recommend to those of you looking for a great summer reading experience. Here is Part 1 of a two-part series of posts. This one includes individual books; the second post will cover recommended series. First you will see a gallery of covers followed by an annotated list. Clicking on an image will take you to the text. I hope you’ll find something you like!
From me!
A Gracious Plenty by Sheri Reynolds An older title but so memorable. Badly burned in a household accident when she was a child, Finch Nobles grows into a courageous and feisty loner who eschews the pity of her hometown and discovers that she can hear the voices of the people buried in her father’s cemetery. When she speaks to them, they tell their stories in a remarkable chorus of regrets, explanations, and insights.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett Follow the adventures of an awkward Cambridge professor as she navigates challenging colleagues, the perplexing residents of a remote Icelandic village, and mischievous and dangerous members of the hidden Faerie Kingdom in this entertaining fantasy novel.
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo I wrote about this luminous tale here a few weeks ago. Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about a winter full of mysterious deaths, a mother seeking revenge, and old folktales that may very well be true.
From Pat Rapp…
Pat is retired from the Fairport Library and spends her time enjoying her grandchildren and bringing art to Fairport.
The Geek Way: the radical mindset that drives extraordinary results by Andrew McAfee. What is “being geeky”? It’s being a perennially curious person, one who’s not afraid to tackle hard problems and embrace unconventional solutions. Andrew McAfee shows how the geeks have created a new culture based on four norms: science, ownership, speed, and openness.
The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden. Part of a series featuring a housemaid with a deep, dark secret. Thriller fiction at its best!
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt – lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults.
From Cynthia Dana…
Cynthia is semi-retired from the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County and is a prolific reader.
Secret Lives of Booksellers & Librarians by James Patterson Enter a world where you can feed your curiosities, discover new voices, find whatever you want or require. This place has the magic of rainbows and unicorns, but it’s also a business. The book business.
The Women by Kristin Hannah Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation that guides her through Vietnam.
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson A memoir/cookbook about the food, the traditions, and the women that bind families through generations.
From Claire Talbot…
Claire is the Adult Services Librarian at the Greece Public Library and hosts a podcast there on reading.
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.
Funny Story by Emily Henry Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
From Amy Hogue…
Amy is the former Director of the Parma Public Library in Hilton NY who now spends her time homesteading and homeschooling her three children., and, of course, reading!
Rom-Commers by Katherine Center She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.
Rook to King by Carina Taylor Two people after the same priceless chess set. What could go wrong?
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin An entertaining mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate…. Now it’s up to her great-niece to catch the killer.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.
The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh Sometimes you’re so busy writing other people’s stories that you lose the plot of your own.
Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews Friendships, romance, and mystery all combine at the St. Cecilia resort one summer that changes everything.
From Betsy Dobles…
Betsy is a retired librarian who worked at the Greece Public Library in Rochester NY.
Untold Power by Rebecca Boggs Roberts Just over a century ago a woman became the first acting president of the United States. Her name was Edith Bolling Galt Wilson. She climbed her way out of Appalachian poverty and into the highest echelons of American power and in 1919 effectively acted as the first woman president of the U.S. (before women could even vote nationwide) when her husband, Woodrow Wilson, was incapacitated.
From Emily John…
Emily worked at the Ogden Farmers’ Library in Spencerport NY for several years. She now lives in Queens.
Unmasking AI by Joy Buolamwini Unmasking AI goes beyond the headlines about existential risks produced by Big Tech. It is the remarkable story of how Buolamwini uncovered what she calls “the coded gaze”—the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion in tech products—and how she galvanized the movement to prevent AI harms by founding the Algorithmic Justice League.
Somehow by Anne Lamott In Somehow: Thoughts on Love, Lamott explores the transformative power that love has in our lives: how it surprises us, forces us to confront uncomfortable truths, reminds us of our humanity, and guides us forward.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut — a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love. Join Kiela the librarian and her assistant, Caz the sentient spider plant, as they navigate the low stakes market of illegal spellmaking and the high risk business of starting over.
The Enchanted Hacienda by Jennifer Cervantes This enchanting coming-of-age story of a young woman whose “dream” life is up-ended will warm your heart as she reconnects with family, history, and magic.
From Bob Scheffel…
Bob is a long-time librarian at the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County and a prolific reader.
Knife by Salman Rushdie On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black—black clothes, black mask—rushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are. This is Rushdie’s story. One of the best of the year.
From Kristin Hauser…
Kristin is my niece and like her father, my eldest brother Hugh David, a Reader with a capital R!
Down the Drain by Julia Fox The hotly anticipated book from “one of the all-time pop-culture greats” (New York magazine) that chronicles her shocking life and unyielding determination to not only survive but achieve her dreams.
When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill Traveling from a repressive finishing school to a vibrant brothel, taking readers firsthand into the brutality of factory life and the opulent lives of Montreal’s wealthy, When We Lost Our Heads dazzlingly explores gender, sex, desire, class, and the terrifying power of the human heart when it can’t let someone go.
From Beth Nash…
Beth worked with me at the Gates Library many years ago.
Confessions of a 40-Something F**k-Up by Alexandra Potter A funny and heartfelt novel for any woman who wonders how the hell she got here and why life isn’t quite how she imagined it was going to be.
Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders Inspired by true events, Women of the Post brings to life the heroines who proudly served in the all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps in WWII, finding purpose in their mission and lifelong friendship.
From Doreen Castano…
Doreen served as the Young Adult librarian at the Ogden Library for many years, then became a library trustee after her retirement. She also served as the volunteer coordinator for the Spencerport Depot and Cana Museum & Visitor Center.
Lake News by Barbara Delinsky This poignant treatment of how media attention derails the life of a woman who retreats to the small town of her birth recover will give you all the feels.
An Accidental Woman by Barbara Delinsky Another story set in Lake Henry, New Hampshire that will give you a few hours of enjoyable reading.
This collection of recommended books only scratches the surface of what is available. If you’re looking for some additional recommendations, I suggest you visit your local public library and talk to the staff there. You may find your next favorite book!
So many deaths . . . An elusive shaman, a creature of the underworld, here to unleash evil or bring justice to the wronged?
San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti has been haunted for years by the hit and run death of her fiancé, Michael Sefton. The driver of the vehicle was never apprehended. The lone witness to the accident spoke to no one and now is dead. Even the cold case detective assigned to the case died before any resolution was found. Every time Julia thought she might be getting close to an answer, each clue led only to a dead end.
Michael, a graduate student, had just returned from an archeological dig in Guatemala when he was killed. But why did he mail his journal to Julia for safekeeping before his return home? What was he afraid of? Why did another graduate student fall to his death on that trip? And now, another man connected with that journey has been murdered closer to home. And the murderer hasn’t finished.
When Julia finally finds the courage to delve into the journal Michael sent to her years before, she learns of the undercurrents, jealousies and anger among members of the group. She begins to understand the pressure and fear her fiancé was coping with and his suspicions of their University mentor who was most likely engaged in unethical and illegal behavior.
But events soon take a darker turn when Julia finds a likeness of the Maya god Hunhau, god of death and the underworld, on her doorstep. A strange man covered with markings and tattoos keeps appearing to her but no one else seems to see him. With guidance from another professor, she’s introduced to a world she never knew existed.
Is the man she sees human? And is he under the sway of the Maya god of death?
Will he unleash evil or is he here to right a wrong done to his people?
Julia must move quickly or her death will be the next.
My Thoughts
Di Marco’s Zodiac series has become one of my favorites. It blends the complexity of astrological research with compelling plots and appealing characters to deliver a mystery just this side of the term “cozy.” There is plenty of humor and quirky characters to be sure, and not a lot of blood and gore, but the intricate nature of the plot is what nudges this out of the cozy category for me.
DiMarco has done her research and delivered a story that includes a fascinating look into Mayan culture while at the same time exploring the often complicated relationships among the humans filling out the story. This one is very satisfying as it brings some closure to Julia regarding the death of her fiancé, which I anticipate leading to some new and equally entertaining mysteries in Julia’s future. Will be recommending this one on my summer reading lists, for sure.
Book Details
Genre: Traditional mystery Published by: Indie Publication Date: May 6, 2024 Number of Pages:370 est ISBN: 979-8989009596 | eBook 9798989009589 Series: The Zodiac Mysteries, Book 5 Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Connie di Marco is the author of the Zodiac Mysteries featuring San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti, a woman who never thought murder would be part of her practice. The Light Beside the Sea is the fifth novel in the series. Earlier books are The Madness of Mercury (Zodiac #1), All Signs Point to Murder (Zodiac #2), Tail of the Dragon (Zodiac #3), Enter a Wizard, Stage Left (an e-book prequel novella), and Serpent’s Doom (Zodiac #4).
Writing as Connie Archer, she is also the author of the national bestselling Soup Lover’s Mysteries from Penguin Random House: A Spoonful of Murder, A Broth of Betrayal, A Roux of Revenge, Ladle to the Grave and A Clue in the Stew. You can find her excerpts and recipes in The Cozy Cookbook and The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. Visit her website at ConnieArcherMysteries.com. Facebook.com/ConnieArcherMysteries and X/Twitter@SnowflakeVT.
Connie is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers Association (UK) and Sisters in Crime.
Cold waves surround the woman, soaking her hair before pushing her onto the black rocks at the bottom of the cliff. She should gasp for air, but she doesn’t move at all…
Rachel McKenzie has trust issues. That’s what happens when your father murders your mother and gets away with it for years. Tormented by her past, Rachel seeks justice for others, investigating suspicious deaths in the remote and rugged Scottish Highlands.
So, when Rachel hears about a drowned woman on the windswept island where her estranged family lives, she’s driven to investigate. Ellen Hargreaves was a newcomer to the isolated isle, but the locals describe her fondly, especially her love of archaeology and the notebook where she wrote down everything she saw. A notebook that Rachel can’t now find…
The island’s sergeant wants to label Ellen’s death an accident, but Rachel is convinced there’s more to the story. Her instincts prove right when she discovers that Ellen found a human bone before her death. Had Ellen stumbled onto a dangerous secret?
Rachel is determined to find the truth. But then a teenage girl goes missing shortly after talking to her, and Rachel realises that she has exposed an innocent girl to a twisted killer. Heart pounding and wracked with guilt, Rachel works around the clock to find the vanished girl. But will she get there in time?
My Thoughts
Readers who like a blend of police procedural with familial and village drama will surely enjoy this debut series from Morag Pringle. The setting on the remote islands of Uist combined with a complex, well-developed mystery will draw readers in and keep them glued to page after page.
Protagonist Rachel McKenzie has the potential to become a favorite character. She’s smart, resilient, and empathetic, fully determined to speak for the dead and find answers.
Pringle is equally skilled at plot development, dialog, and description. Her descriptions of the remote and sometimes desolate Uist landscape are some of the best I’ve read. As I worked my way through the book, I kept thinking that Ann Cleeves’ successor has arrived.
Very well done.
A compulsively gripping crime thriller set in the atmospheric and stormy Scottish Highlands. Perfect for fans of Elly Griffiths, Rachel McLean and Rachel Caine.
Publication Date: May 20, 2024 Published By: Storm Publishing Thanks to Netgalley for the book
A night at the museum, a dead body and a trail to Cairo. Sounds like a case for Miss Clara Vale!
1930: Miss Clara Vale, chemistry major turned detective, is taking a night off from sleuthing to attend the launch party of a new exhibition at the Hancock Museum in Newcastle. But when the piece de resistance, a rare ornate sarcophagus, is finally opened and it turns out the mummy inside it is a fake it looks like there is no rest for Clara after all…
Later that night, she is summoned back to the museum and asked to investigate a series of stolen Egyptian artefacts. Using her scientific and forensic prowess, Clara, with her trusted assistant Bella in tow, embarks on a trail that will lead from Newcastle to London and along the river Nile to Cairo.
But she is not the only person hunting for stolen antiquities and when she uncovers an international smuggling ring with a penchant for murder, it becomes clear that Clara’s own life is in danger too.
Can Clara catch the smugglers before they get away with another murder among the pyramids?
My Thoughts
The Pyramid Murders is a delightful cozy mystery that will appeal to readers who enjoy smart and sassy protagonists, interesting and not too complicated plots, and a whole lot of FUN! This is the second I’ve read in the Clara Vale series and I am coming to really like the elegant and determined heiress-chemist-turned-private-investigator.
Here, there is the added element of Egyptology – mummies, sarcophagi, digs in the desert, and maps to secret chambers housing untold treasures. Pair that with some sneaky antagonists and lots of madcap adventures and you have one of the most entertaining cozies coming out this summer.
Well done!
Publication Date: June 13, 2024 Published By: Embla Books Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
Jonathan Perris Can’t Save His Clients… Until He Saves Himself
1907
Rising from the devastation of a massive earthquake and fire, San Francisco is once again on the move. But a strike by streetcar drivers threatens to halt the Golden City in its tracks. Protests turn to violence and violence leads to death. Soon a young guard is convicted of willfully killing a protester and the public is out for blood.
Jonathan Perris, an immigrant attorney from England, has opened a law firm with an eye toward righting wrongs, and the guard’s conviction may fall into that category. But the talented barrister soon finds his newfound career shaken by a tragic event: the gruesome homicide of the beautiful and mysterious Lena Mendelssohn—a woman he’s been squiring around town. It’s difficult to run a law firm when you’ve been arrested for murder.
Don’t miss your chance for a limited time sale! Grab The Twisted Road for $1.99!
A native of California, A.B. Michaels holds masters’ degrees in history (UCLA) and broadcasting (San Francisco State University). After working for many years as a promotional writer and editor, she turned to writing the kind of page-turning fiction she loves to read. She writes historical fiction (“The Golden City” series, which takes place in Gilded Age San Francisco) as well as contemporary romantic suspense (“Sinner’s Grove Suspense.”). “Barrister Perris Mysteries” is her latest endeavor, based on characters introduced in “The Golden City.” All of her books are stand-alone reads.
Michaels lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband and two elderly, four-legged “sons” (16 and 17!) who don’t seem to know they’re just dogs. She is an avid reader, traveler, quilter and bocce player, as well as a mediocre but enthusiastic golfer.
The theft of an immensely valuable, immensely ugly necklace is only the beginning of the intrigues and oddities at a country weekend at Hardy Hall where Teddy Quillfeather’s mother has sent her with strict instructions to select an eligible bachelor from a shortlist of aristocrats, eccentrics, and egos.
But when Teddy tries to set things right with her natural knack for applied shenanigans she instead uncovers countless connected, complex criminal conspiracies complicated by country house courtesies. It’s a comedy of manners and caper of manors and the only solution, if you’re Teddy Quillfeather, is obviously another heist…
Theodora ‘Teddy’ Quillfeather will be familiar to readers of the Anty Boisjoly Mysteries. Teddy is Anty’s cousin—an audacious and loquacious, stylish and coquettish stiletta of the golden age and very much a citizen in good standing of the Anty Boisjoly world of whimsy.
But Teddy is not a female Anty Boisjoly. Where Anty’s capricious, she’s mischievous, where Anty’s deductive, Teddy gets fully involved in the mystery as it unfolds, and as the locked room murder is to Anty Boisjoly the clever caper is to Teddy Quillfeather.
Indeed, there are no murders in Teddy Quillfeather Mysteries. Instead, Teddy takes a turn towards the manor house mystery of manners, to which she brings proactive problem solving that often sees her fully implicated in capers involving smooth swindles and highwire heists, sticky fingers and loaded dice, and dark horses running dodgy courses.
Clearly, she needs her own series to manage it all.
My Thoughts
The word to describe this thoroughly delightful book is madcap. From the first page on, I felt like I was part of a Golden Age country house mystery peopled with a witty, urbane cast of characters who move through life with the ease of the very wealthy.
I haven’t read the series from which this is a spin-off, but protagonist Teddy Quillfeather 100% deserves her own series. She is one of the most entertaining sleuths I’ve come across, and the author truly comes through with hilarious and well-written dialog that totally fits the character. While the plot that becomes a bit convoluted at the end, the story hangs together well.
Add this to the subgenre of cozies that feature smart-alecky, intelligent, and fearless female protagonists and start recommending it to your friends. I will!
Publication Date: May 24, 2024 Thanks to Book Sirens for the book
It's All About the Book 