{I've Been Reading} There'll be Shell to Pay

 There'll be Shell to Pay by Molly MacRae

The Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries are filled with absolutely everything I adore about the cozy mystery genre -- a picturesque location, a protagonist who is involved in something I'd like to learn more about, entertaining characters, a pirate ghost... By the time I finished this book, I was ready to buy figs for my next grilled cheese sandwich and start researching antique carved conch shells. The book opens with Maureen's arrival back at Ocracoke Island and her inherirted shell shop, but things aren't as she expected to find them. Half of her customers are whispering about murder and showing more interest in the walls of the shop than the shells she has for sale. That's before a tourist is found dead on the island. It's the second book in the series and the author makes just enough references to previous events to remind readers what happened in the first book (or fill in readers who are jumping in with this one) without giving away any important spoilers. 

Runner 13 by Amy McCulloch

The Amerpersands are a series of extreme marathons, coordinated by a man who delights in making his courses as brutal as possible.  Adri left the world of competitive runnings years ago, her reputation in tatters, but she's been lured back in with a promise that if she wins she'll learn the truth about what happened during her last marathon. If that means risking her life on a 250 mile run through the Sahara Desert, she's willing. I really enjoyed this thriller, which gave me a chance to vicariously experience something I'd never get near in real life.

A Catered Bake-Off by Isis Crawford

Before filming even begins, a baking competition inspired by a popular television show is plagued by suspicious accidents. I've got really mixed feelings about this one. It's the eighteenth book in the series, so I'm missing a LOT of backstory (I did read the previous book when it came out and had managed to completely forget it until I went back and checked my notes.) The plot is extremely fast paced, with more time spent on the investigation than the cooking competition. That's probably a good thing, but it was the detailed descriptions of the cooking that I found myself enjoying most. 

A Whale of a Crime by Mona Marple 

The first in a new series, this book has a great setting. The decriptions of the seaside bookshop and the smell of old books pulled me right in. Chapters alternate between several characters with an occasional long string of social media messages.... and that's where I found myself a bit lost. Either I missed a detail early on, or I was supposed to piece it together  from the online messages.  

{I've Been Reading} Strange Houses

 

Strange Houses by Uketsu 

It starts with the floorplan of a seemingly normal house and an odd sealed space between rooms. An author and an architect consider what purpose their might be for that space and the house's other unusual features, quickly developing dark theories about the family that lived there. This short book is a quick, intriguing read that reminded me  of online posts where someone sees something, decides it's "off" and immediately leaps to wild conclusions. I've never read anything quite like it and I'm definitely eager to check out the author's previous book, not to mention their Youtube page. 

Deep Waters by NW Bulfin

In a near future plauged by pandemics and flooding, Eoin Ryan acccepts a job teaching history at an isolated island commune. Contact with the outside world is severely limited and the members are seeking a more natural lifestyle.  As much as I love folk horror, this one fell flat, despire the prehistoric stone structures and indecipherable writings.  I never did figure out why the commune supposedly wanted or needed a history teacher. Their real purpose behind bringing him to the island becomes clear, but the job offer itself never made sense to me. The plot moves very, very slowly and once the author reveals what's really going on, it didn't feel worth the wait. 

Disclosure -- The publishers have provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} Smile for the Camera

 Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith 

The original cast of an iconic slasher film gathers at an isolated cabin to film a reunion documentary, the first time they've all been together in years, but this time the deaths are real. Told from the point of view of Ella, the film's final girl, the book moves back and forth between the past and present. I enjoyed the writing, but there's nothing particularly new or suspenseful here. 

One Sharp Stitch by Allie Pleiter

Shelby grew up in her mom's needlepoint shop. She knows the techniques and the customers and has the skills to take over for a month while her parents are travelling, but she wishes they'd chosen her almost too perfectly organized sister instead. Everything is working out until she finds the featured artist of the shop's monthly trunk show dead. That probably should have been the end of Shelby's involvement with what at first looks like a tragic accident, but the artist's family insists that she continues to sell her scissors and canvases in the shop.  Fans of crafty cozies will enjoy this one, which has a nice balance of murder mystery and needlework. 

So Happy Together by Olivia Worley

Jane isn't an unreliable narrator. We know from the beginning that she's been stalking Colin, a man she had a brief relationship with and isn't ready to let go. Throughout the book, the reader knows almost everything Jane knows. There are plenty of revelations, but they're all new information to Jane. It's a little like "You" and a little like "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and keeps twisting in unexpected directions that I wasn't expecting it to go. 

For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes

So Happy Together reminded me that this one had been sitting in my TBR pile for far too long. I loved the author's previous books so much that I'm not sure how this one managed to fall through the cracks. Joe has found himself another "you" to obsess over, this time at a Harvard writer's fellowship. Wonder has so much in common with him (at least in Joe's mind) that they're obviously meant to be together. I'd forgotten how easy it is to slip into his thoughts and the plot is as entertaining as ever, especially when complications start to threaten his budding new relationship. 

Wicked Fun by Dave Pasquantonio

Twenty years after Jane Hawkins's last real life murder, she only kills people in the pages of her mystery novels. A well liked member of her small community, she lives a quiet and predictable life. Then a true crime podcaster shows up at her book signing wanting to interview her about her husband's unsolved murder. No one has ever suspected her before, which puzzles me because she seems to be just figuring out how things work. It's an entertaining read with an ending hook that has me looking forward to a sequel. 

{I've Been Reading} Dormant

 

Dormant by D. L. Forge 

I thouroughly enjoyed this short horror novel, which pulls you into the plot without any unnecessary backstory or details. The author does a fantastic job of introducing us to Marcy and Owen Parker, newlyweds who are excited about their new home, a fixer upper with a lush garden. The book's promotional materials described it as "found-footage ecohorror/creature feature" which is a good way to give you the gist of it without any spoilers. It's creepy, well-paced, and entertaining. 

The War of the Roses by Warren Adler 

There's a new movie adaptation of this one coming out and I probably won't get to see it until it hits streaming, so I did what I frequently do and got my hands on the book. Originally published in 1981, this is a dark, wild ride that's (in my opinion) aged well. Jonathan and Barbara rose both want new lives away from their marriage -- but they both refuse to give up their house and the trappings of the life they've build together. Their rapidly escalating battle is extremely entertaining and had me wondering just how far they'd go as their actions got worse and worse. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies.