Tag: Women

Cozy, Historical, Indie, Mystery, Women

Strong Temptations by Amy Renshaw

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Publisher Description

Reporter Sophie Strong uncovers deadly secrets in a 1912 department store. Can she find the killer?

In 1912 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, aspiring reporter Sophie Strong yearns for a thrilling undercover mission that rivals those of her idol, journalist Nellie Bly. Her dreams of adventure are dashed when her cautious editor assigns her to the seemingly mundane role of a shopgirl.

But appearances can be deceiving. What starts as an ordinary job takes a sinister turn when a fellow employee meets a tragic end. Suddenly, Sophie and her coworkers fall under suspicion. Determined to prove their innocence and driven by insatiable curiosity, she embarks on her own covert investigation. Detective Jacob Zimmer urges her to leave the pursuit of criminals to the professionals, but she can’t resist plunging into the perilous web of secrets, lies, and hidden motives. Sophie explores the shadowy corners of one of the city’s most popular department stores, and each step closer to the truth lures her into more danger.

In this gripping historical mystery, Sophie Strong’s relentless pursuit of justice sets the stage for a heart-pounding race against time. Will she expose the killer’s identity before she, too, becomes a victim? Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen, Victoria Thompson, and Ashley Weaver.

My Thoughts

This is a solid, entertaining historical mystery featuring a smart and sassy protagonist in Sophie Strong. Modeled after famed reporter Nellie Bly, Sophie longs for an undercover assignment that is more exciting and exhilarating than the women’s columns she habitually writes. Finally given the chance, she finds herself smack in the middle of a murder mystery.

The author writes some strong female characters here who all contribute to the arc of the story. Of course, there’s the underlying romantic element which adds some mild spice to the story and promises of things to come. Sophie is the star here – she’s unflappable, brave, smart, and loyal – all the traits that will endear her to readers.

While I hadn’t read book 1 of the Sophie Strong series, I will go find it and I’m sure will enjoy it. Then I’ll await new entries in the series! Recommended.

Publication Date: April 23, 2024
Published By: Lilac Bower Media
Thanks to Book Sirens for the review copy

Family, Fantasy, Magical, Magical Realism, Women

The Moonlight Healers by Elizabeth Becker

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Netgalley Description

A powerful debut with a magical twist about one woman’s discovery of her family’s secret healing abilities and the mysterious consequences she must contend with when she uses them on someone she loves.

For generations, the Winston women have possessed an unspoken magical gift: they can heal with the touch of a hand. It’s a tradition they’ve always had to practice in secret, in the moonlight hours, when the fireflies dance and the whippoorwill birds sing.

But not every healer has rightfully passed on this knowledge to her descendants, and for young Louise Winston, the discovery of her abilities comes in less-than-ideal circumstances—she brings her best friend back from death following an accident, the day after he professed his long-held feelings for her, five days before she’s supposed to move away.

Desperate for answers, and to avoid this new reality between them, Louise escapes to her grandmother’s lush Appalachian orchard. There, she uncovers her family’s hidden history in a tattered journal, stemming back to her brave great-grandmother who illicitly healed Allied soldiers in war-torn France. But just as Louise begins to embrace her unique legacy, she learns that it can also come with a mysterious cost. And with a life hanging in the balance, she’ll be forced to make the most impossible of choices…

Spanning eighty years, The Moonlight Healers is a deeply empathetic, heartfelt novel about mothers and daughters, life and death, and the beautiful resilience of love.

My Thoughts

There are many great stories out there about women’s power and knowledge passed through generations, and I find I gravitate to this concept time and again. In The Moonlight Healers, I found a lovely, tender, and sometimes tragic story about the power of women healers and the joy and heartbreak the gift has had on past and present generations.

The relationships between mothers and daughters is especially poignant and emotional. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about each member of the family, from Agnes to Helene on down to Camille, Bobbie, and Louise. The overarching theme of how, in history, the persecution of women healers forced them to move their activities to nighttime to avoid scrutiny is not only the source of the title, but also a stark reminder of how dangerous it was to be a woman knowledgeable in the healing arts.

There’s some romance included here, but it’s not the core of the story, which is all about mothers and daughters, endings and beginnings. If you’ve keenly felt the loss of a mother, a grandmother, sister, or a mother figure, I recommend a box of kleenex by your side as you approach the ending.

Highly recommended.

Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Published By: Harlequin Trade Publishing Graydon House
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Book Tour, Books About Books, Mystery, Partners In Crime

The Tell-Tale Homicide by Daphne Silver

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

THE RARE BOOKS COZY MYSTERIES
by Daphne Silver
November 25, 2024 – January 3, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume lands her dream job: creating a new museum in her Chesapeake Bay town of Rose Mallow, Maryland. But on her very first day, she makes a shocking discovery – a dead man clutching a book by Edgar Allan Poe, stolen from the collections!

As Juniper gets closer to cracking the coded message hidden inside the book, she realizes someone is desperate to keep its literary secrets buried… even if that means burying her too.

Dressed in her signature vintage style with rescue pup Clover by her side, the fearless bookworm must hunt down the culprit before becoming the next victim. But can she solve the case without jeopardizing a budding romance with her boss, the dashing Leo Calverton? And can she help her sister Azalea perfect their grandmother’s legendary blintz recipe before the Rose Mallow Festival?

A delightfully deadly page-turner, The Tell-Tale Homicide continues the charming Rare Books Cozy Mystery series by Agatha award-winning author Daphne Silver. Fans of Kate Carlisle and Jenn McKinlay will love tagging along with the whip-smart, book-loving Juniper on her adventures.

My Thoughts

The second entry in this series is just as charming as the first. Juniper Blume is back along with her sister Azalea, the hunky Leo Calverton (who is NOT her boyfriend!) and a few other colorful characters populating the quaint town of Rose Mallow.

The murder mystery involves priceless books by Edgar Allan Poe but also plenty of red herrings driven by the chaotic nature of past loves & betrayals and new relationships. Juniper is positioned here to be the bridge between the wealthy Calvertons and the business owners and residents of Rose Mallow, which I think will make for some entertaining future books. The resolution of this mystery was a surprise and went in a completely unexpected direction. I enjoy the author’s style and storytelling quite a bit and will be recommending this series.

Series Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Series:The Rare Books Cozy Mysteries
Series Links: Amazon | Level Best Books

Shortlinks:

Author’s Website    https://pictbooks.tours/D0sXv    
Goodreads    https://pictbooks.tours/X7LIz    
BookBub    https://pictbooks.tours/sDzca    @daphnesilverbooks
Instagram    https://pictbooks.tours/C5VYw    @daphnesilverbooks
Facebook    https://pictbooks.tours/TRRI7    @daphnesilverbooks
        
Amazon –     https://pictbooks.tours/KIcgR    
BN –     https://pictbooks.tours/KrTks    
Goodreads –     https://pictbooks.tours/F52VK    
BookShop.org –     https://pictbooks.tours/JgLP3    
Publisher –     https://pictbooks.tours/We0tK    
        
Amazon –     https://pictbooks.tours/WL0jt    
Goodreads –     https://pictbooks.tours/waf7E    
        
SERIES – AMAZON    https://pictbooks.tours/s7CRf   

Author Bio

Daphne Silver is the Agatha Award winning author of the Rare Books Cozy Mystery Series. Her first novel, Crime and Parchment (Level Best Books, 2023), won the Agatha for Best First Mystery Novel. Her latest book, The Tell-Tale Homicide, comes out November 2024 from Level Best Books. She’s worked more than twenty years in museums and symphonies and has the great fortune of being married to a librarian. When she’s not writing, she’s drawing and painting. She lives in Maryland with her family. Although she’s not much of a baker, she won’t ever turn down a sweet lokshen kugel.

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Book Tour, Books About Books, Cozy, Mystery, Partners In Crime

Crime & Parchment by Daphne Silver

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

THE RARE BOOKS COZY MYSTERIES
by Daphne Silver
November 25, 2024 – January 3, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Description

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume knows this much… an ancient Celtic manuscript shouldn’t be in a Maryland cemetery. But that’s exactly what her brother-in-law claims.

Last year, Juniper saw the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells in Ireland. She learned how their bejeweled covers were stolen centuries ago, never to be seen again. So how could they have ended up in Rose Mallow, a small Chesapeake Bay town? Being Jewish, the Book of Kells might not be her sacred text, but as a rare books librarian, the ancient book is still sacred to her, making it important to Juniper to find out the truth.

Rose Mallow is the same place where Juniper used to summer with her sister Azalea and their grandmother Zinnia, known as Nana Z. Ever since Nana Z passed away, Juniper’s avoided returning, but her curiosity is greater than her grief, so she heads down in her vintage convertible with her rescue dog Clover.

Juniper discovers that her sister Azalea has transformed their grandmother’s Queen Anne style mansion into the Wildflower Inn, backing up to the Chesapeake Bay. Although Juniper isn’t much of a cook, Azalea has kept their grandmother’s legacy alive, filling the house with the smells of East European Jewish treats, like sweet kugels and tzimmes cake. Will coming back here feel like returning home or fill Juniper with a deeper sorrow? Can she apologize to her sister for not being there when she was needed most?

My Thoughts

The first in what appears to be series featuring Juniper Blume, Crime & Parchment is a well-written, clever mystery that will appeal to fans of cozies as well librarians (and there’s a big overlap there!).

Silver does a good job of fleshing out the characters which will certainly have a place in future books. Juniper is portrayed as both self-assured and full of doubt, never quite certain of her place in Rose Mallow. Her sister Azalea rounds out the family connection and the relationship between the sisters is one of the tension points in the story. Then there’s the potential love interest for Juniper, Leo Calverton, and the complicated relationship between Azalea and her ex-husband Rory.

Beyond the relationships is the crux of the mystery – could the long-lost, priceless covers of the the Book of Kells really be in Rose Mallow, Maryland? Sounds preposterous, right? The author makes an interesting case and seamlessly incorporates lots of Maryland history into the story.

This is a series to watch and will be one I recommend. Watch for Silver’s next entry in the series, The Tell-Tale Homicide, coming this fall and reviewed here on November 30.

Series Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Series:The Rare Books Cozy Mysteries
Series Links: Amazon | Level Best Books

Shortlinks:

Author’s Website    https://pictbooks.tours/D0sXv    
Goodreads    https://pictbooks.tours/X7LIz    
BookBub    https://pictbooks.tours/sDzca    @daphnesilverbooks
Instagram    https://pictbooks.tours/C5VYw    @daphnesilverbooks
Facebook    https://pictbooks.tours/TRRI7    @daphnesilverbooks
        
Amazon –     https://pictbooks.tours/KIcgR    
BN –     https://pictbooks.tours/KrTks    
Goodreads –     https://pictbooks.tours/F52VK    
BookShop.org –     https://pictbooks.tours/JgLP3    
Publisher –     https://pictbooks.tours/We0tK    
        
Amazon –     https://pictbooks.tours/WL0jt    
Goodreads –     https://pictbooks.tours/waf7E    
        
SERIES – AMAZON    https://pictbooks.tours/s7CRf 

Author Bio:

Daphne Silver is the Agatha Award winning author of the Rare Books Cozy Mystery Series. Her first novel, Crime and Parchment (Level Best Books, 2023), won the Agatha for Best First Mystery Novel. Her latest book, The Tell-Tale Homicide, comes out November 2024 from Level Best Books. She’s worked more than twenty years in museums and symphonies and has the great fortune of being married to a librarian. When she’s not writing, she’s drawing and painting. She lives in Maryland with her family. Although she’s not much of a baker, she won’t ever turn down a sweet lokshen kugel.

Catch Up With Daphne Silver:
www.DaphneSilver.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @daphnesilverbooks
Instagram – @daphnesilverbooks
Facebook – @daphnesilverbooks

Partners In Crime Book Tours
Book Tour, Mystery, Partners In Crime

Death in the Ozarks by Erik S. Meyers

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

November 11 – December 20, 2024
Virtual Book Tour

Description

A cross between Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and a Cheers bartender, Sally Witherspoon, a 50-something accountant turned biker-bar owner, loves solving puzzles. Up to now, she has focused on helping neighbors and friends find lost jewelry, lost pets, and lost loves.

But when she finds her best friend and business partner, Bill Arnold, dead in a dumpster behind her bar on a Saturday night, she needs all her wits and grit to find out who did it.

And she won’t stop until she does.

My Thoughts

Sally Witherspoon is very different from the typical amateur detective you find in most cozy mysteries. She’s older, a bit rough around the edges, worldly, and living life on her own terms. This is a welcome change from the spunky, quirky young women found in many modern mysteries – in one of those, Sally would be the odd auntie driving around town in a vintage car getting into mischief.

Here, Sally shines. She’s gruff and no-nonsense, but loves her people and her place in the world. The mystery is more “Law & Order” style than “Hallmark Channel” and the murder is a bit gritty. The relationships that are key to Sally’s life shine here, and there is plenty of emotion and humor as well as mystery.

I was reminded more than once of Joan Hess’ Maggody mystery series, and in a good way. I’ll be recommending this series for sure.

Book Details:

Genre: Traditional Mystery, Cozy Mystery 
Published by: Level Best Books
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads

Shortlinks:

Author’s Website    https://pictbooks.tours/m8dAs
Medium    https://pictbooks.tours/hWPUw    @erikmey 
Goodreads    https://pictbooks.tours/avqr3    @erikmey
Instagram    https://pictbooks.tours/z4cIB    @erikmeyauthor
Facebook    https://pictbooks.tours/xOSVz    @ErikSMeyersAuthor
       
Sally Witherspoon Mystery Series 
Amazon    https://pictbooks.tours/3whSd    
Publisher —     https://pictbooks.tours/FhR3R    

Death in the Ozarks        
Amazon —     https://pictbooks.tours/JylxH    
BN —     https://pictbooks.tours/voGLD    
Goodreads —     https://pictbooks.tours/40M4s    
BookShop.org —     https://pictbooks.tours/Zrq2I 

Author Bio:

Erik S. Meyers

Currently in Austria, Erik S. Meyers is an American abroad for years and years who has lived or worked in six countries on three continents, spending the longest time in Germany. He is an award-winning author and communications professional with over twenty-five years of expertise in a variety of corporate roles. Reading and writing are his passions, when he is not hiking one of the amazing trails in Austria or elsewhere.

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Mystery, Partners In Crime

A Hush at Midnight by Marlene M. Bell

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

October 7 – November 1, 2024
Virtual Book Tour


From the award-winning author of the ANNALISSE MYSTERY SERIES.

THE VISIT THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Celebrity chef Laura Harris dwells on the horror of finding her mentor’s body in the groundskeeper’s disheveled bed—pillow and bedding half covering her open eyes—purple bruising around her mouth. A grisly snapshot in time revealing the Texas woman’s last moments during her attack. The elderly matriarch from the small town of Stenburg has left the physical world, and Laura is shattered.

She is catapulted headlong into the pursuit of a casual executioner, one bold enough to come and go from the crime scene with ease, dropping bizarre crumb trails designed to mock the deceased. But Laura herself doesn’t go unnoticed. As she digs deeper, she is followed and bombarded by warnings to leave the state.

When the victim’s attorney informs Laura that she’s to inherit the entire Stenburg fortune, the last act of kindness has made Laura the main person of interest in the investigation.

Message by message, Laura is methodically taunted by someone so deranged and driven they’ll do whatever it takes to dislodge Laura from Texas – permanently.

My Thoughts

Bell has delivered a taut, suspense-filled tale full of intrigue, betrayal, and surprises. The characters are both engaging and despicable, the plot well-constructed, and the descriptive narrative of the Texas landscape beautifully done.

Complicated relationships abound, as do strong women characters who drive the action of the story forward to its exciting conclusion. The relationship between Laura and Hattie and the suspicion that falls on Laura after Hattie’s death is the stuff that makes a gripping story and Bell deftly leads the reader through some twists and turns. Fans of harder-edged domestic suspense will thoroughly enjoy this one.

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth/Mystery/Cozy Mystery
Published by: Ewephoric Publishing
Publication Date: October 1, 2024
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 979-8-9863409-6-8
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Shortlinks:

Author’s Website    https://pictbooks.tours/sywjz    
Goodreads    https://Pict books.tours/BZhYK    
BookBub    https://pictbooks.tours/pRMCn    
Instagram    https://pictbooks.tours/3nZa9    
Twitter    https://pictbooks.tours/9ivZk    
Facebook – Author    https://pictbooks.tours/jFZCa    
Amazon Author Page    https://pictbooks.tours/AVTZV    

Retailers:
Amazon –    https://pictbooks.tours/FFAHA    
Goodreads –    https://pictbooks.tours/Dp80f    

Author Bio:

Marlene M. Bell has never met a sheep she didn’t like. As a personal touch for her readers, they often find these wooly creatures visiting her international romantic mysteries and children’s books as characters or subject matter. Marlene is an accomplished artist and photographer who takes pride in entertaining fans on multiple levels of her creativity.

Marlene’s award-winning Annalisse series boasts Best Mystery honors for all installments including these: IP Best Regional Australia/New Zealand, Global Award Best Mystery, and Chanticleer’s International Mystery and Mayhem shortlist for Copper Waters, the fourth mystery in the series.

She offers her children’s picture book, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team! written primarily for younger kids based on true events from the Bell’s East Texas sheep ranch. The simple text and illustrations are a touching tribute of belonging and unconditional love between a little girl and her lamb.

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Mystery, Psychological, Suspense, Women

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Welcome to Eris: an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.

Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.

Now home to Grace: A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.

But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling.

And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge….

A masterful novel that is as page-turning as it is unsettling, The Blue Hour recalls the sophisticated suspense of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith and cements Hawkins’s place among the very best of our most nuanced and stylish storytellers.

My Thoughts

Paula Hawkins’ latest is a grip-the-book-so-hard-your-fingers-hurt kind of story. The premise is fascinating – the work of a deceased famous artist is discovered to contain a human bone and it just so happens her philandering husband disappeared from her remote island home years ago. Could it be him?

The story follows an inquisitive curator as he navigates the treacherous terrain of that island, now inhabited by the artist’s companion of many years and executor of her estate. While the outcome was apparent to me pretty early in the story, the tension Hawkins builds as she weaves the stories of both Vanessa and Grace becomes almost unbearable at times, and the ending! Oh, the ambiguous ending! Definitely the stuff made for book clubs to debate!

Hawkins is getting better and better at taking old tropes and breathing new life into them. As I read this, I was reminded of both And Then There Were None for the isolation and Misery for the core relationship driving the story, but Hawkins has made both her very own.

Readers who are triggered by domestic violence should be aware that is an integral part of this story. This will be one of the hot books of the Fall for sure.

Advanced Praise

“The best Paula Hawkins yet – by a tense and haunting mile.” – Lee Child

“An atmospheric, stylish puzzle box of a thriller… truly exceptional.” – Liz Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The God of the Woods

“A masterful exploration of the nature of obsession…I loved it.” – Angie Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Happiness Falls and Miracle Creek

The propulsive and powerful new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

Publication Date: October 29, 2024
Published By: Mariner Books
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the review copies

Book Tour, Mystery, Partners In Crime, Suspense

Autumn Embers by Tina deBellegarde

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

October 14 – November 8, 2024
Virtual Book Tour
A Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery

Bianca St. Denis travels to Kyoto to return a priceless artifact recovered in Batavia-on-Hudson during last summer’s flood. It’s late October and the city of 2,000 shrines is in full autumn splendor. While she’s in Japan’s ancient capital, Bianca visits with her son, a student at Kyoto University. Ian shows her the sights and introduces her to his circle of friends—his chosen family. 

On the night of her welcome party, Bianca thinks she witnesses a struggle in the garden, perhaps even a murder. When the police investigate and find no body, she is stumped yet alarm bells won’t stop ringing. She knows she’s witnessed something. 

When a dead body surfaces and suspicion falls on her son, Bianca’s maternal instincts spring to action to protect Ian and clear his name. Meanwhile, things in Batavia-on-Hudson are tense. Sheriff Mike Riley is losing his re-election bid while tackling devastating news about his dead partner, and wavering about his troubled marriage. 

Autumn Embers explores the malleable nature of our identities and reminds us that chosen families can be stronger than we think, and that true friendship can bridge any distance.

My Thoughts

As an Upstate New Yorker and loyal mystery reader, I have gravitated to deBellegarde’s Batavia-on-Hudson series and thoroughly enjoyed each one. She has built an engaging series featuring characters who become more complex with each book, especially Bianca who is navigating an entirely new world following the death of her beloved husband.

Autumn Embers is a bit harder-edged than previous entries in the series, bringing in more unsavory elements of the mystery/suspense genre like police corruption and organized crime. This seems to be a natural evolution for Bianca and Mike as they both grapple with major changes and challenges to their lives.

The plot here is intriguing, with deBellegarde delivering two stories of challenges – one with Bianca in Japan and one with Mike in Batavia-on-Hudson. The stories are very different but extremely unsettling for both characters and are delivered with wit and cleverness. The insights into Bianca’s relationship with her son and Mike’s past are woven into the larger story seamlessly.

The author secures her place among the best of New York State mystery authors with this one. Recommended.

Book Details:

Genre: Female Amateur Sleuth
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: September 17, 2024 
Number of Pages: 321 
Series: A Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery, 3
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop | Goodreads

Book Shortlinks:

Author’s Website    https://pictbooks.tours/fG4Mf    
Goodreads    https://pictbooks.tours/RffyP    
BookBub    https://pictbooks.tours/oOnWo    @tinadebellegarde
Instagram    https://pictbooks.tours/snnbX    @tdb_writes
Threads    https://pictbooks.tours/ON7mg    @tdb_writes
Twitter    https://pictbooks.tours/KWC5h    @tdbwrites
Facebook    https://pictbooks.tours/ldYoE    @tinadebellegardeauthor
Sleuths & Sidekicks    https://pictbooks.tours/HUgvj    

Batavia-on-Hudson Kindle Series    https://pictbooks.tours/mJ8P9    
Amazon –    https://pictbooks.tours/dQR74    
BN –    https://pictbooks.tours/qDwAj    
Goodreads –    https://pictbooks.tours/aLbxM    
BookShop.org –    https://pictbooks.tours/mxkpn    

Author Bio:

Tina deBellegarde

Tina deBellegarde’s debut novel, Winter Witness, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Dead Man’s Leap, her second book in the Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery series, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel. Reviewers have called Tina “the Louise Penny of the Catskills.” Tina also writes short stories and flash fiction. Her story “Tokyo Stranger,” nominated for a Derringer Award, appears in the Mystery Writers of America anthology When a Stranger Comes to Town edited by Michael Koryta. Tina co-chairs the Murderous March Conference and is a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks, where she blogs, tours virtually, and teaches writing workshops. She is a member of Writers in Kyoto and reviews books for BooksOnAsia.net. She lives in Catskill, New York with her husband Denis and their cat Shelby. She travels frequently to Japan to visit her son and daughter-in-law and to do research. Tina is currently working on a collection of interconnected short stories based in Japan.

Catch Up With Tina deBellegarde:
www.TinadeBellegarde.com
www.SleuthsAndSidekicks.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @tinadebellegarde
Instagram – @tdb_writes
Threads – @tdb_writes
Twitter/X – @tdbwrites
Facebook – @tinadebellegardeauthor

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1000 Islands, Mystery, Suspense, Uncategorized

The Coldest Case by Tessa Wegert

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

News of a missing Instagram celebrity brings Senior Investigator Shana Merchant to a frozen island community of just eight people. When the visit turns deadly, her hunt for a killer collides with a cold case she’ll never forget . . .

It’s February in the Thousand Islands and, cut off from civilization by endless ice, eight people are overwintering on tiny, remote Running Pine. Six year-rounders, used to the hard work, isolation and freezing temperatures . . . and two newcomers: social-media stars Cary and Sylvie, whose account documenting their year on the island is garnering thousands of followers, and thousands of dollars’ worth of luxury gifts.

The long-term islanders will tell you Running Pine can be perilous – especially for city slickers who’ll do anything to get the perfect shot. So when Cary doesn’t return from ice fishing one morning, his neighbors fear the worst.

With the clock ticking to find the missing influencer, a police team are dispatched to take the dangerous journey to the island . . . but Sylvie, his frantic partner, will only talk to one person: newlywed Senior Investigator Shana Merchant.

Where is Cary – and what is it that Sylvie’s not sharing? With aspects of the case reminding Shana of an unsolved homicide from her past that haunts her still, she risks her own safety to help. But little does she know that a storm is coming – and if she doesn’t solve both crimes soon, she may become the island’s next victim . . .

The latest taut, thrilling small-town mystery featuring New York State senior investigator Shana Merchant, and set against the beautiful backdrop of the Thousand Islands, is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Ruth Ware.

My Thoughts

A solid entry in Wegert’s Shana Merchant series, fans will eat this up and readers new to the series will want to go back and read the earlier entries, which are:

  • Death in the Family
  • The Dead Season
  • Dead Wind
  • The Kind to Kill
  • Devils at the Door

As a New Yorker who spends a lot of time in the NYS North County, I adore Wegert’s settings in and around Alexandria Bay and the 1000 Islands, and this one is no different. Fans of fast-paced, semi-hard-hitting police procedurals will enjoy the ice-covered ride of this story.

Publication Date: November 5, 2024
Published By: Severn House
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Historical, Mystery, Romance, Women

The Story Collector by Evie Woods

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

An evocative and charming novel full of secrets and mystery, from the million-copy bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop

In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything…

One hundred years ago, Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens her very way of life.

In New York in the present day, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland. But once there, she finds she has unearthed dark secrets – secrets that tread the line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen.

With a taste for the magical in everyday life, Evie Woods’s latest novel is full of ordinary characters with extraordinary tales to tell.

My Thoughts

What a lovely story!

The dual-time storytelling works beautifully here as we follow Sarah and Oran in the present as they learn about Anna and Harold in the past. There’s some suspension of disbelief needed here as we follow Sarah’s unexpected journey from NYC to Ireland and her discovery of Anna’s diary. However, every good story requires that suspension and it’s not hard to do here.

Woods spins a gentle but gripping tale of past small village intrigue with a modern tale of a woman examining her life and wondering how she got so off track. This will appeal to fans of Susanna Kearsley and those who enjoy dual-time stories.

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