{I've Been Reading} Hypnosis is For Hacks

 

Hypnosis is For Hacks by Tamara Berry 

Eleanor Wilde is a (formerly) fake medium who talks to real spirits. While her boyfriend's castle is being renovated, she accompanies his mother to a seaside resort and almost immediately witnesses what she's sure was a murder. The man is definitely dead -- what's being questioned is whether those two shadowy figures Eleanor saw were real or a trick of the light. Oh, and Eleanor's former partner-in-crime, a shady mentalist, is staying at the same hotel and wants in on the scam he's sure she's committing against her boyfriend's family. There's also a creepy doll that keeps turning up just outside her door and terrifying her brother. 

Eleanor is one of my favorite cozy mystery heroines. When she's faced with the idea of having her past secrets revealed, she doesn't back down. Instead, she calls Nicholas and involves him in what's going on. I absolutely loved this one! 

 

The Broken Spine by Dorothy St. James

I've been thinking a lot about libraries lately. Ours just reopened after being closed for most of the past two years, first while they were relocating to temporary quarters so the main library could be retrofitted for earthquake safety, then due to lockdowns, then so that it could be moved back to the main building, then again due to lockdowns.... They've had craft kits you could pick up at the curb and mobile hot spots to check out and an island on Animal Crossing....seemingly everything was prioritzed  but books. 

It might have been the perfect time for me to read The Broken Spine, a cozy mystery about a library that's been updated by removing the books. Assistant Librarian Trudell Becket isn't going to give up the town's beloved book collection without a fight and, along with her friends, sets up a library in the building's basement, stocking it with the books that were destined for the local landfill. She's down there working when a heavy shelf falls upstairs, killing the town manager. And because she won't reveal what she was really doing, she's the main suspect. 

I really, really enjoyed this one and can't wait to spend more time with Tru and her friends in their secret basement library. It requires some suspension of disbelief, and I really hope that a future book fixed Tru's relationship with her overbearing mother, but as fun escapism I highly recommend it.  

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with and advance review copy. This post contains affiliate links.