murder-investigation

REVIEW:  Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

REVIEW: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Dear Ms. Hartman, Your debut YA fantasy, Seraphina, set in a world based Renaissance Europe, is both a coming of age story and a tale of a clash between two species. Sixteen year old Seraphina Dombegh, the heroine of the novel, is the child of a human father and a dragon mother. The secret of(…)

REVIEW:  Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey

REVIEW: Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey

Dear Ms. Carey, I’m a huge fan of yours. I loved the original Kushiel trilogy and while I thought the succeeding trilogies didn’t quite live up to that beginning, the Phedre novels still rank high among my favorite fantasy novels. Your non-Kushiel novels didn’t hit me the same way but I still appreciated what you(…)

REVIEW:  The Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox

REVIEW: The Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox

Dear Ms. Cox, The title of your novel caught my eye right away. It’s catchy and I admit the idea of an afterlife detective agency was interesting. The reality, however, was a bit more cute than I think I was expecting. Charlotte is just your average NYC private high school student. She was just minding(…)

REVIEW:  Haole Wood by Dee DeTarsio

REVIEW: Haole Wood by Dee DeTarsio

“When San Diego weathercaster, Jaswinder Park, is mysteriously summoned to the island of Maui in Hawaii to help her grandmother, she ends up losing her job. This fair-haired, light-skinned foreigner, called haole by the natives, decides to stay in Maui for a couple of days until she can figure out what to do with her(…)

REVIEW:  Babes In Tinseltown by Sheri Cobb South

REVIEW: Babes In Tinseltown by Sheri Cobb South

“In 1936, Frankie Foster leaves her Georgia home with high hopes of becoming a movie star in Hollywood. She soon finds work as an extra in a swashbuckling costume picture, but when the producer drops dead at her feet during filming, Frankie knows she must discover the truth if she is to save the picture(…)

REVIEW: Death, Taxes and a Skinny No-Whip Latte by Diane Kelly

REVIEW: Death, Taxes and a Skinny No-Whip Latte by Diane Kelly

Dear Ms. Kelly, I think most US citizens would agree with me that getting a visit from someone in professional attire who says, “We just need to speak with you a moment. We’re from the IRS.” is not a favorite way to start the day. Or end it. Discovering that your heroine, Tara Holloway, is(…)

REVIEW: Cast in Ruin by Michelle Sagara

REVIEW: Cast in Ruin by Michelle Sagara

Dear Ms. Sagara, Ah, the peril of the long-running series. I knew in the back of my mind that your ongoing Elantra series consisted of many books but checking Amazon, I see that Cast in Ruin is book 7. This both surprises me and makes me wince. Surprise because I can’t believe it’s been that(…)

REVIEW: A Game of Lies by Rebecca Cantrell

REVIEW: A Game of Lies by Rebecca Cantrell

Fair Warning!: Spoilers for the first two books will probably appear in this review. Dear Ms. Cantrell, I look forward to the annual summer release of the latest book in your historical mystery series about Hannah Vogel in pre-WWII Germany. This one doesn’t disappoint. Like the two before it, this one is taut and fraught(…)

Reviewx2: Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Reviewx2: Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Because this book is so awesome, it needs more than one review. Dear Ms. Brook, I’ve greatly enjoyed many of your books, yet for some reason I’ve never felt compelled to review one until now. While that may be perceived as rude, it turns out that other reviewers at DA (or other blogs) have gotten(…)

REVIEW: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

REVIEW: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Dear Ms. Brook, The Iron Duke is a steampunk romance and it is very different in setting and genre from most of the romances I've read. It’s not really paranormal, but rather science fiction set in a partly-historical setting. A kind of "what if" world. What if nanotechnology had been invented by the Asian nation(…)

REVIEW: Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

REVIEW: Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

Dear Ms. Armstrong, I’m a long-time fan of yours. My first exposure to your work was Bitten, the first novel in your Otherworld series about the only female werewolf in existence, several years ago before urban fantasy took off and became the sprawling subgenre it is today. I know I’ve said in the past that(…)

REVIEW: Fugitive Color by Z.A. Maxfield

REVIEW: Fugitive Color by Z.A. Maxfield

Dear Ms. Maxfield: I think I need to read more romantic suspense and/or more romantic murder mysteries. If they’re all as good as this, I’m missing out on some good stuff. Then again, I’m not sure how to write this review without giving everything away. But here goes. This is a short book: 150 pages.(…)

REVIEW: Secretive Stranger by Jennifer Greene

REVIEW: Secretive Stranger by Jennifer Greene

Dear Ms. Greene, Even though I’ve enjoyed other category books you’ve written, I don’t think I’ve ever tried a romantic suspense book of yours. So when I saw this offered at eharlequin, I decided, “why not?” At first, I thought it might buck my so-so luck with this genre. That is until the end when(…)

REVIEW: A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin

REVIEW: A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin

Dear Ms. Franklin, I knew there’s a reason why I love doing this blog. It’s so I can get my hands on the copy of your latest book, “A Murderous Procession” before it hits market shelves. Even though it’s book 4 of the “Mistress of the Art of Death” series, Adelia and Co are in(…)

REVIEW: A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell

REVIEW: A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell

Dear Ms. Cantrell, Back in October 2007, in one of our Publishing News posts, Jane detailed a little bit of information about your debut novel with a header, “Jayne, are you reading this?” Yep, I read it and was delighted when you followed up this year with an offer for us to review the book.(…)