mystery

REVIEW: The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long

Dear Ms. Long, Of the authors writing historical romance, you are one of my absolute favorites. Not too long ago, I sang the praises of your previous book, The Secret to Seduction, in what is one of the longest, most detailed reviews I have ever written. After I finished reading that book, I was tremendously(…)

REVIEW:  The Mortician’s Daughter by Elizabeth Bloom

REVIEW: The Mortician’s Daughter by Elizabeth Bloom

Dear Ms. Bloom, had never heard your name before Jane sent me a copy of “The Mortician’s Daughter.” And I didn’t realize that you also wrote a mystery series under the name of Beth Saulnier until I checked at the Big Internet Book Store for anything else you’d written. Now that I’ve read this book(…)

REVIEW: Death in the Andamans by MM Kaye

Dear Readers, “Beautiful Copper (it’s a nickname) Randal had come to the exotic Andaman Islands off the coast of India to visit her former school friend but before long she falls under the sultry spell of sun and ocean…and of handsome Nick Tarrent. But undercurrents of violence and betrayal run deep beneath the polite society(…)

REVIEW:  Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (aka Diana Norman)

REVIEW: Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (aka Diana Norman)

Dear Mrs. Franklin/Norman, What can I say? I finished “Mistress of the Art of Death” late in the evening after reading non-stop for almost 200 pages. My heart was racing, I was glued to the book and if a fire had started somewhere in my house, I honestly don’t think I would have noticed until(…)

REVIEW:  Big Boned by Meg Cabot

REVIEW: Big Boned by Meg Cabot

Dear Ms. Cabot: Everyone knows by now I have an inappropriate girl crush on you and that I squeal a bit every time I get a new book of yours (okay, maybe only Ned knows that I do this squealing thing . . . and now everyone else). But I wondered, after I finished, if(…)

REVIEW: What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris

Dear Mrs. Harris, When I got my hands on the hardcover edition of the third book in this mystery series, it was another moment when I wished I’d already read the other books in the series. But since, and especially with a mystery series, I try to read sequels in order I knew I’d better(…)

GUEST REVIEW: Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout

Dear Jane: There's certain comfort in the familiar read. My husband can't understand why, with a stack of new books piling up on my night stand, I can often be found with a book I've read hundreds of times before in my hands. I love new books, but sometimes you just want something safe that(…)

REVIEW: I Gave You My Heart, but You Sold It Online by Dixie Cash

Ladies, This is the second book I’ve read in your series set in the minuscule west Texas town of Salt Lick featuring the dynamic duo of hair stylists Debbie Sue Overstreet and Edwina Perkins-Martin. And while I still love all the titles of the books, this one fell far short of book one in the(…)

REVIEW: Blood Ties (Tawes Island Book 2) by Judith E French

Dear Ms French, Once again we’re back on the secluded Chesapeake island of Tawes where they have their own way of doing things. Island Justice, they call it. And once again the heroine is told from almost the beginning of the book that evil lurks on the island. Well, the locals sure aren’t kidding about(…)

REVIEW: The Birth of Blue Satan by Patricia Wynn

Dear Mrs Wynn, After having written about traditional 10 regencies, you’ve now started a new historical series set in 1715 England in which the politics and society of the day play a prominent role. I’m going to steal a review done at amazon.com: “Pat Wynn is a proven master at the Regency mystery genre. Her(…)

REVIEW: Whose Number is Up, Anyway? by Stevi Mittman

Dear Mrs Mittman, Thank you for the autographed copy of your latest Teddi Bayer mystery. Did you and Jane meet up at RWA or something? She said nothing to me about it but all of a sudden, here’s this nice surprise in the mail. I’m glad to say I think book four is humming along(…)

REVIEW: There’s a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell by Laurie Notaro

Dear Ms. Notaro, I admit it was the great title and the book cover which sold me on trying this book. And then the subtitle, “a novel of sewer pipes, pageant queens, and big trouble” didn’t dim my interest either. It’s neither a romance novel nor women’s fiction nor Chick Lit but kind of a(…)

REVIEW: Body Movers: 2 Bodies for the Price of 1 by Stephanie Bond

Dear Mrs Bond, I gotta love a woman who puts a review quote from her husband on the front of her book! Did you really make him read it? Bad you, bad, bad you. When Jane first sent me the arc, I didn’t realize it was actually book two in this series. Once the realization(…)

REVIEW:  Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter

REVIEW: Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter

Editorial note: This review/letter may contain spoilers. It is also not entirely a review but more of a diatribe. If you read this series, you may not want to read this post. Again, if you do read this and are spoiled, don’t blame us. We warned you. The book is due out on July 31,(…)

REVIEW: Amagansett by Mark Mills

Dear Mr. Mills, Your first novel takes place in the summer of 1947 on Long Island, in and near the Hamptons, where the wealthy have summer homes. Not far from the Hamptons is Amagansett, a working class community. The two communities coexist side-by-side, but not without tension. Through political maneuverings in the state government, the(…)