{I've Been Reading} Porcelain

Porcelain by Jesse Sprague 

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It starts with the protagonist, Gabrielle, in an extremely uneasy situation, stuck alone with a guy she really shouldn't have gone home with. Then he's dead and her childhood doll is there soaked in blood and she can't remember what happened. It's a repeat of how her parents died, and her foster father. The book reminds me of a slumber party story we used to tell back in the early 80s and it had a lot of promise, but I don't feel like it quite delivered. 

The Beauty Queen by Sally-Anne Martyn

Forty years after her sister's diseappearance, Zoe Kincade has returned to the seaside town of Sunshine Sands. Officially, she's there to report on this year's beauty pageant, but what she really wants is to find out what happened to Jane after she was crowned the winner. I loved the setting, with its aging buildings and faded attractions. Even in the flashbacks to the 80s, the place is far past its prime. The locals are determined to protect their secrets and Zoe and her prying questions aren't welcome. Unfortunately, I felt like by the end the plot was slowly dragging along to a less than satisfying conclusion. 

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

{I've Been Reading} The Getaway

 The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard

Capri Sanzio's tours of San Francisco focus on murder sites. People are fascinated by true crime and she's the granddaughter of "Overkill Bill," which gives her a unique perspective on the whole thing and just a bit of notoriety. When two copycat murders strike far too close to home, she uses her training as a journalist in an attempt to discover what's actually happening and to investigate her long held belief that her grandfather is innocent. I really enjoyed this one. Snippets of Capri's tour scripts are included, which provide an intriguing glimpse into the city's history. The character's background as a journalist helps the whole investigation to feel plausible and I appreciated her sensitivity when dealing with true crime. I'd love to read more about Capri and her world. 

Cabin by Patrick Hutchison

This memoir had me immediately planning a day trip to the Washington mountains and if I hadn't known the roads were almost definitely frozen, I would've been trying to talk the family into it. The author's descriptions make you feel like you're in the woods and at the same time make you want to head for the woods. (Granted, I'm practically in the woods already and a fifteen or twenty minute drive would get me into actual national forest...) As he's describing his impulsive purchase of the cabin as a fort or clubhouse, it just sounds so appealing. He's in over his head and knows it, but he learns from his mistakes and builds his skills. The enthusiasm that fills ever page of this memoir is contagious. 

The Perfect Ex-Wife by Winter K. Willis 

Even though she's constantly living in the shadow of Natasha, her husband's first wife who went missing more than a decade ago, Ramona is a fantastic spouse and stepmother. She's there for her new family, living in a basement bedroom without complaint while the house's original master suite sits as an empty shrine. Then the plot switches to Natasha and she seems to be an equally likeable character. What happened and how did things go so tragically wrong? I enjoyed this domestic thriller. The plot structure felt a little different than most and even though it's a slow burn, it kept me turning pages. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about the ending. 

The Getaway by Mina Hardy

Every month, Claire leaves her husband and daughter to spend the weekend at an isolated cabin. It's her time to enjoy herself and recharge, but this time things won't go as she planned. The storm that strands her at the cabin is only the beginning. I didn't find Claire to be a sympathetic character, but the author immediately creates a feeling that something awful is about to happen.  I know...it's a thriller and OF COURSE something bad is going to happen, but I kept wanting to yell at the character not to do what she was doing. Whatever I was expecting based on the book's description, this wasn't it. Every new bit of information that the author reveals is wilder than the last. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy.

{I've Been Reading} You Feta Watch Out

 You Feta Watch Out by Linda Reilly 

The latest grilled cheese mystery has a recipe for grilled cheese fruitcake and I'm almost tempted to try it if some fruitcake finds its way to our house this holiday season. At a dress rehearsal of A Christmas Carol, one of the actors is found dead with Marley's heavy chains wrapped around his throat. The evidence points to Carly's best friend, but plenty of people could have wanted the unpleasant man dead. This is always a fun series, with lots of tasy sounding food and an entertaining group of characters. 

Silent Came the Monster by Amy Hill Hearth 

This fictionalized version of the shark attacks that inspired Jaws intrigued me. I'd half-watched some of the Shark Week documentaries years ago so I knew a little bit about the history, but was curious to read more. The descriptions of the attacks and the attempts to save the victims were gripping. The main characters musings about a current polio outbreak and the American public's repsonse to it and to the warnings about the shark dragged on and on and on and had me wishing I'd read a non-fiction account written several years earlier.  

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} A Corpse Among the Carolers

 A Corpose Among the Carolers by Debra Sennefelder 

The annual Jingle Bell Stroll is a popular event, but this year it ended with the fatal stabbing of Santa Claus. Hope has blog posts to write and baking to do, but she plunges herself into the investigation, juggling it with the busy holiday season. I've been reading the Food Blogger mysteries since the beginning of the series and this book further develops the relationships between the characters. Pick this one up if you're looking for some holiday cheer and mystery. 

A Perilous Premiere by Gail Meath 

Set in 1930s Hollywood, this mystery feels like reading an old black and white movie. It's fast paced and fun and requires some suspension of disbelief, especially in the early chapters.  I don't know enough about Carole Lombard to tell you if her character is a convincing portrayal or not -- a fictional actress could have probably served the same purpose. 

Her Housekeeper by Samantha Hayes

I felt like the plot of this one kept meandering around in circles without actually getting anywhere until close to the end. After a fire destroys their home, Gina and her family accept an offer to stay in her vacationing friend's empty house. They don't realize that there's a housekeeper until the woman shows up and lets herself in one morning, but Annie assures them that Mary is trustworthy and when Mary suddenly needs a place to live she makes herself right at home. Of course she's not who she claims to be -- the author makes that immediately clear. Flashbacks and alternating points of view slowly reveal that it all goes back to their group of high school friends and something that happened after a party decades earlier. Some scenes near the end had me holding my breath, but it took a long time to get there. 

I'll be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong 

This one is a creepy, extrememly enjoyable ghost story with a likeable protagonist. Nicola has arranged a seance, trying to contact her dead husband. His last words at the site of the deadly car crash were that he would be waiting for her. She's already lived far longer than expected and the story of a terminally ill woman holding her dying husband immediately went viral, especially after onlookers claimed that it was his ghost who spoke the words. Nicole has a history with seances and knows exactly how to make it look like supernatural things are happening, but she also knows that real spirits exist. This isn't a particularly scary book, but it has all of the trappings of a good ghost story. 

Seances and spiritualist 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} The Woman in the Cabin

 The Woman in the Cabin by Becca Day 

Her name is Mary. She lives a simple life in an isolated cabin, spending each day tending  the garden, repairing leaks in the roof, making sure that dinner is hot on the table when her husband walks through the door. It's been ten years since she was anywhere else and her memories of life outside the cabin have faded. The world is dangerous and has nothing to offer her. Then she finds a bundle of letters tucked under a floorboard and realizes that she's not the first woman to have lived here with him. The writing kept me glued to the page even before the real plot twists started.  

Lonely Places by Kate Anderson 

After travelling the country for years in a converted school bus, a homeschooling family takes up residence at a fire lookout in Utah. The youngest daughter no longer speaks, traumatized by what happened in the woods That Night. After reading this book, I could go the rest of my life without hearing that phrase. which is repeated over and over in a slightly different font from the book's main text. There's also that thing that happened at the lookout that no one wants to talk about. The aspen grove is filled with creepy bones which the youngest daughter keeps picking up and bringing home. It's a young adult novel, so Chase, the older daughter, is extremely critical of her parents and looking forward to getting away from her family at the first possible opportunity. There's an intriguing story here and some really creepy imagery, but it takes a while to get there. 

Death at the Dinner Party by Ellie Alexander

The fund raising dinner at the historic farmhouse has barely started when one of the guests collapses. Curtis isn't one of the actors hired for that night's murder mystery, he's actually dead, and quite a few of his fellow attendees have reason to want him gone. I'm practically giddy about this new-to-me mystery series (I jumped in with the third book, which I don't recommend since I'm obviously missing some important back story -- I'll catch up on the first two titles as soon as I can.) It's atmospheric, the event is one that the characters are actually invested in, the protagonist is a trained crimonologist who knows what she's doing... and parts of it read like my favorite bits of the Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books I loved as a kid. It's fun and fast paced and I read the whole thing in one delighted sitting. 

Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine

This book sat in my to-be-read pile for way too long and I don't know why. Pregnancy related horror and thrillers are right up my alley and reviews compared this one to Rosemary's Baby, a novel that I absolutely loved. Actress Anna Alcott is desperate to have a baby and realizes that time is running out, that she and her husband might have waited too long. When their latest round of IVF results in a pregnancy, she and her husband are thrilled. When she has a miscarriage, they're devastated. There was no heartbeat on the ultrasound. There was so much blood in the hospital room. But she can still feel her unborn child moving inside of her. Pregnancy leaves woman vulnerable and the author absolutely captures that. Anna has been missing appointments and making mistakes with her medication. She's being stalked and receiving warnings about a cult of baby stealing Satanists. And, despite what the medical professionals say, she's still pregnant. I loved this one. 

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

{I've Been Reading} Sleep in Heavenly Pizza

 

Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigly

If you're looking for a holiday mystery, this one fits the bill perfectly. Delilah and her friends are always fun to spend time with and the book opens with her staff catering a Chrismukkah house party that ends with a death (but at least they're not snowed in with a killer the way they were in the previous book!) It's an enjoyable read with an ending that I never would have expected. Be sure not to skip the recipes at the end -- they're written by the characters and full of personality! 

Shear Terror by Dorothy Howell 

Her custom embroidered tote bag business isn't the success she'd hoped for, so Abbey is working part time at the Hideaway Cover visitor's center. That's where she discovers a body in the huge boxes of stuff they've collected for the annual lost and found sale. What she doesn't immediately notice is that the silver object embedded in the dead woman's chest is a pair of engraved sewing shears with Abbey's name on them. Her favorite pair of jeans has become too difficult to button, which led to the travel cup of tomato juice, which could help confirm her story...if she hadn't pitched it into the dumpster. This mystery is fast paced and fun with lots of small town gossip and Abbey continually getting in her own way as she tries to solve the murder and clear her own name. I'm going to keep wondering how someone with so few sewing skills decided to open a sewing studio and I'm going to keep happily reading this series. 

The Other Couple by Triona Walsh 

The first chapter was full of promise. A couple is set to spend a romantic weekend in a converted lighthouse. The setting, the relationship the author quickly establishes between the characters...it's all perfect. Then another couple shows up claiming to have reserved the property for the same night and it goes downhill from there. Every person in that lighthouse is hiding secrets and/or plotting against someone else. The book drags from that point on and the characters are hard to emphathize with. Why would a woman who is unwillingly sharing a rental with complete strangers leave her purse unattended in the kitchen -- and then be shocked when things turn up missing? 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

(I've Been Reading) Red River Road by Anna Downes

 My Missing Daughter by Ellery A Kane 

Ever since Gone Girl, thrillers have to end with a twist. One of the characters in My Missing Daughter actually says that and, for this book at least, it's pretty obvious that there's going to be some kind of crazy unexpected ending. Willow and her best friend are on a road trip to finish the last set of edits on the book they've written together and promote their project on their social media channels. But the converted school bus shows up in Willow's mother's driveway without either girl. Scenes of the girls on the bus alternate with Willow's mother's search for her daughter. I couldn't put this one down. The plot isn't believable, but it's a lot of fun leading up to a less than perfect ending. 

Red River Road by Anna Downes 

Vanlife intrigues me to begin with, but add in a young woman driving the Big Lap, following her missing sister's social media posts and trying to figure out what happened to her on the isolated roads of Australia, and I found myself totally immersed in this book. Some of Phoebe's posts are included between the chapters and the comments give chilling hints about what might have gone wrong. Chapters alternate between characters who seem unrelated at first but the author sets up a suspenseful collision course that had me holding my breath by the end. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel

 The House on the Covr of a Horror Novel by EV Knight

This short horror novel had me absolutely enraged at times. Miles is a clueless husband who buys a dilapidated old house after seeing his wife's many sketches of it. He thinks she's in love with the property, while in reality she's been comissioned to paint a cover for a horror novel. I couldn't stand Miles and over the course of the book began to realize that he's a very realistic description of a personality type I wouldn't get along with. The childless couple unexpectedly find themselves with a baby on the way. They're  absolutely horrible at communicating with each other, which makes every situation worse than it has to be. 

What's really going on in the old house surpasses anything that Emily dreamed up while she was painting it. There are graves in the swamp at the edge of the property, a horrific family history, and creepy old toys that keep turning up in the worst places. It's standard haunted house stuff...until it's not. Every plot element I hated while I was reading the book actually had a reason for being there and comes together in a very effective ending. I'm honestly not sure if I likes this one or not. 

French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Byron

This is an absolutely delightful Halloween themed cozy that provides readers with a vicarious chance to enjoy the spooky holiday fun in New Orleans and also to find out more about Ricki's life before she opened her vintage cookbook shop in the historic Bon Vee museum. I can't decide if this was my favorite book in the series so far -- all three have been great reads! The setting and characters are fantastic and so is the mystery.

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

{I've Been Reading} We Came to Welcome You

 

We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado

Sol and Alice feel lucky to have found a house in Maneless Grove, a perfect gated community. All of the houses are a little too similar, but membership in the HOA is voluntary and in the current housing market, they were having trouble finding anything at all within their budget. I loved this book. It reminded me of The Stepford Wives, but went in a completely different direction. Sol was already struggling, suspended from her university job amid accusations of plagarism.  She wants nothing to do with her overbearing neighbors. Alice is losing patience and doesn't see any of the things that raise Sol's suspicions.  Instead, the blames Sol's drinking. Watching the two of them forced apart by their circumstances was one of the most horrifying parts of the book.  

A Swarm of Butterflies by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett

A summer fete at a historic estate quickly turns fatal and a popular online personality realizes that the situation with his stalker is much more serious than he ever thought. It took me a while to warm up to this one. Rav and Nell are partners, rewilding the Finchmere estate. The book begins with Nell escaping a housefire, so the plot jumps into action with very little backstory about the characters or their rewilding efforts. If you're not already familiar with the concept, or the names of some of the small animals in their region, you may be just as lost as I was. (I imagine that if I'd started the series with the first book, I would've learned as I read, but I jumped in mid-series.) There are a lot of characters, with a lot of conflict between them. It's far more complex than your average cozy mystery plot. I'm definitely curious about what's going to happen with these characters, so I'll be watching for the next book. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} The House Hunt

 The House Hunt by C. M. Ewan 

The real estate agent is running late and the potential buyer is on a tight schedule. Knowing how badly they need to sell their house, Lucy lets the stranger in, forcing back all of her fears and phobias. Her boyfriend will be there soon.  It'll all be okay. 

But then the man insists on seeing the basement, the one place in her own home where Lucy absolutely won't venture. And he doesn't come back upstairs. He doesn't answer when she calls out to him. And Lucy's fears become full fledged panic. 

The plot is extremely fast paced, told in very short chapters that alternate between Lucy and another character. The description reminded me of We Used to Live Here, but it's not the same thing at all. About halfway through, I thought I knew where it was headed, but I was very wrong. 

He Loves Me Not by Lorraine Murphy 

I couldn't put this thriller down. Except for one threatening event in an early chapter, the plot moves slowly, but Ruth is an absolutely fascinating character and I was immediately plunged into her life. The cult that she fled a few years earlier isn't just a group of vaguely scary religious people, the Messengers of the Messiah are explained in detail and chillingly plausible. Ruth has left behind some of her more extreme beliefs behind and held on to others. She's been living a normal life with her daughter, but now things are beginning to happen that have her looking over her shoulder for men in black suits. It's a chillling, suspenseful read that left me wanting to look for the author's earlier books. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} Quilty as Charged

 Quilty as Charged by Maggie Bailey 

Lydia Barnes is counting on her first sewing retreat as a way to turn things around for her sewing shop, Measure Twice. The first weekend is a sort of trial run, with friends and regular customers in attendance. She's encouraged them all to leave their devices at home so when the owner of the mountain cabin is found murdered and an unexpected storm knocks out the power and phone lines they're all stranded with a killer. 

It took me a while to warm up to this one. There's a lot of sewing jargon, which would be right up my alley if it was the kind of sewing that I do, but I didn't recogize a single pattern or fabric line. They're making quilted jackets, but thankfully they're quilting their own fabric instead of using cutter quilts. (Yes, I would've been upset about fictional characters making fictional projects and destroying quilts that never actually existed. I'm like that.) 

Once the murder happened it got a lot more interesting. Everyone seemed to have a possible reason to want the victim dead. The way that Lydia eventually figured out who did was was satisfying. I haven't read the first book in the series, but the resolution left me wanting to visit these characters again. 

The Man in my Attic by Robin Mahle

What makes this domestic  thriller so unique is that you go into it with a pretty clear idea of what's happening. There is a man hiding in the family's attic and you know who it is and what he's already done. You know what secrets the husband and wife have been hiding from one another. Their little boy tells them about "Billy," his friend in the walls. It's just a matter of waiting to see what will finally happen. It's fast paced and suspenseful. If I have any complaint it's that there are SO many characters telling the story. I found myself flipping back to see whose point of view I was reading. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} Peach Tea Smash

 Peach Tea Smash by Laura Childs

Just...WOW! This kept me turning pages -- I literally read it straight through from beginning to end. After a friend's husband is murdered at the Mad Hatter Masquerade, tea shop owner Theodosia Browning starts an investigation, all while planning multiple events for her shop. The atmosphre and pace are absolutely perfect. I love Theodosia's confidence. This is the twenty-eighth book in the series, but I never felt lost even though I've only read one previous title. (After this I want to go back and catch up on what I've missed!) 

Death on a Serving Board by J. C. Eaton 

Murder, charcuterie boards, and the ghost of a food critic....Katie Aubrey has her hands full. The customers attending a class at her shop can't seem to stop squabbling over the tiniest things. An investor wants her building and won't take no for an answer. A body was found in the alley. Katie is scrambling and it makes for a fast paced, engaging plot. I definitely should have started this series with the first book, but this one is a lot of fun. And did I mention the GORGEOUS cover?  

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} Between A Flock and a Hard Place

After Oz by Gordon McAlpine

Several days after her aunt and uncle's farmhouse is scooped up by a tornado then dropped into a splintered pile of wreckage, eleven year old Dorothy Gale is found unharmed in a pumpkin patch with her little dog at her side. She tells a detailed story about the colorful land she visited, the friends she made there, and the witch she accidentally melted. Unfortunately, a local woman has been found with her face burned away, as if melted, by lye. 

This is the story of the young female psychologist who visits Dorothy in the asylum and tries to decipher what actually happened. It's not quite what I was expecting -- there are very few references to the original book. Instead, it's a procedural mystery as Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford tries to find out what actually happened to the spinster and if little Dorothy is as innocent as she claims. The people of Sunbonnet, Kansas are an unpleasant bunch. I don't know if I've ever read so many bible quotes in such a short book, religious or not (and this one is definitely not.) The original book describes a sad, gray world that Dorothy escapes and in this book she's right back in it. As bleak as it all is, the author kept me interested until the very end. 

Between A Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews 

There's a lot going on in the latest Meg Langslow mystery. Another reality show is in town, this one filming a home rennovation for Marvelous Mansions with absolutely no concerns about how their plans are going to inconvenience the rest of the neighborhood or what the local building codes are. Someone has released a huge flock of feral turkeys into the area, terrorizing the locals and the construction crew. And there's been a murder. 

This is a well established series with a LOT of characters. I jumped in with the last book (Let It Crow! Let It Crow!) and absolutely loved it, but I had a harder time getting into this one. Maybe it was because it was so fast paced, or maybe because I had a hard time relating to the turkeys. (We've got a local flock that I've never seen as a threat -- are wild turkeys and feral turkeys different critters?) The mystery itself is just complicated enough to be interesting and has a satisfying conclusion. I should really go back and start this series from the beginning. 

A Poisonous Palate by Lucy Burdette 

Food critic Hayley Snow is asked  to help investigate the disappearance of a young woman who was last seen at a communal campground on Big Pine Key in the late 1970s. That intrigued me, and so did the idea that one of the characters is researching a book about Hemmingway. This book offered a great chance to visit a different place and time and the solution to the mystery was suspenseful and satisfying. 

Don't Tell a Soul by Jessia Huntley

This is a wild ride of a thriller. A teenager flees her abusive father. Her escape plan doesn't work out as expected, but she finds herself in a small town renting an attic room from an older woman who was in a similar situation as a girl. The arrangement is going well until she breaks her landlady's rules and goes down to the basement. If you don't insist on realistic situations and want a fast paced read with unexpected twists, this is a fun one. 

A Mask of Flies by Matthew Lyons

The book starts with a botched bank robbery. Anne Heller is driving towards the isolated cabin she once fled with her mother, an injured friend bleeding in the passenger seat of the Oldsmobile, a police officer in the trunk. She never wanted to return to that place, but in that moment it's the only option she can think of. The story is fast paced and full of violence...until it suddenly isn't. Things really slow down once Anne confronts the nightmares of her childhood and I found myself losing interest.  

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

I've Been Reading -- Imaginary Strangers

 Imaginary Strangers by Minka Kent

After surviving a brutal childhood, Camille has spent her own years as a mother being better, vowing that her own children will never have less than her absolute best. She guards her secrets carefully, never letting the details of her previous life slip. Then her six-year-old daughter begins sharing songs and pictures from her new friend at school, frightening evidence that "Imaginary" knows things no one should. I started this one in the morning and seriously considered rescheduling the rest of my day so that I could just stay home and keep reading. It's thoroughly engrossing and entertaining, but lost a bit of momentum in the final chapters.

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy.  

{I've Been Reading} On The Surface

On the Surface by Rachel McGuire

I started reading this book early in the morning and after a few chapters was seriously considering whether I could cancel my plans for the rest of the day and keep reading. Sailing with the Foxes is a small Youtube channel telling the story of two cruisers, Dani and Sawyer, and their trip around the world. They're broke and haven't made it very far, but the two have big plans. After blacking out at a late night party, Sawyer wakes up alone in the cabin of their boat with no idea how he got back aboard. Dani has vanished, leaving behind her passport, camera, and other valuables. Immediately, rumors begin to fly. Did Dani drown during one of her daily swims? Did she flee an abusive relationship? Did Sawyer kill her? If this is reminding you of recent news stories, the characters in the book make that same comparison. I had some guesses about Dani's fate and wasn't completely wrong, but the plot was a lot more complex than I first expected it to be. I absolutely LOVED this one! 

What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall

The setting is what really creates the tension in this thriller. Topanga Canyon is a tinder box with one road in and out and it's fire season. Bailey Meadows has just moved in with author Jack Beckham, posing as an author-in-residence while she's really a private investigator in training, there to investigate a disappearance in the canyon. There are a lot of missing women in this book, both in real life and in Jack's novels.  At times, I struggled to keep them all straight. The author did an amazing job of depicting the fear that comes with approaching wildfires and some of the revelations at the end were completely unexpected. 

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

{I've Been Reding} Incidents Around the House

 Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman 

This horror novel really got to me. There's one scene in particular that I don't think I'll forget any time soon, especially not when I'm making my way from room to room after everyone else in the  family is asleep. It's told entirely from the point of view of a little girl who has been refusing to let her imaginary friend, Other Mommy, into her heart. Bela doesn't understand what the woman who slips out of her closet at night wants from her, but she knows that it would be a bad idea to say yes. Watching her parents through Bela's eyes as they begin to realize that there's a presence sharing their house with them is a wonderfully creepy experience.

The Mother by Valerie Keogh

When her husband says they need to talk, Sarah expects him say wants our of their marriage. It's what she's been about to say herself. Instead, he suggests that they have a baby and she....somehow....agrees to his plan. I love domestic thrillers that focus on motherhood and this one went in an entirely unexpected direction. It was an entertaining, fast paced read that kept me guessing what was going to happen next. 

Murder Buys a One Way Ticket by Laura Levine

The Jaine Austen mysteries are always fast paced and fun. It's absolutely guaranteed that Jaine will find herself in embarassing and humorous situtions, and that her cat, Prozac, will add to the chaos. This time she's been hired to ghost write an excercise manual, despite the fact that she can't name or locate  a single muscle in her own body. Fitness guru Chip Miller was looking for an out of shape writer just like her -- after all, she's his target audience for the book. Jaine finds herself (and her cat) on Chip's private train, along with a lot of people who want him dead. Then she finds his body. There are also emails to Jaine from her mother and father, this time detailing a feud involving Elvis and Betsy Ross. I found myself laughing out loud more than once and can't wait to read more about Jaine and her cat. 

Come Shell or High Water by Molly MacRae

There's a lot to love about this cozy mystery. It has an amazing setting, an intriguing premise, and a great cast of characters. I did struggle to get through the first few chapters. feeling like I'd missed important information. It's the first book in the series, but protagonist Maureen Nash is suffering from electrocution and a concussion. She's confused and she's also not telling her new neighbors exactly why she came to Ocracoke Island just before a hurricane hit. Once I'd verified that I hadn't missed previous books and realized that things weren't supposed to be clear, I started enjoying the read a lot more and I can't wait to spend more time on the island with Maureen and her friends and family. 

An Art Lover's Guide to Paris and Murder by Dianne Freeman

Once again, I plunged into a series because the description of this one sounded so intriguing. It's set in Paris in 1900, at the World's Fair and involves artists and I'm not patient enough to read six previous books just so I can get to this one (although after reading this one, I plan to double back and catch up.) Historical cozies are rapidly becoming some of my favorite reads and this one is no exception. Theplot took some unexpected turns and the setting absolutely fascinated me. I know I've missed lots of back story about the characters, but was able to enjoy the book without worrying too much about what I didn't know. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} We Used to Live Here

 We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

I can't gush enough about how much I loved this book. The premise is delightfully creepy, but there's so much more here than the book's description promises -- and I don't want to spoil any of it. Charlie and Eve are a perfect couple, with great chemistry. They plan on refurbishing and flipping the sprawling old house they just bought. The family that shows up at their door is just normal enough that I can almost understand why Eve overcame her reluctance and let them in for what was only supposed to be a few minutes. I know, I just said another book was one of the best horror novels I'd read in a long time -- so is this one. It looks like 2024 is a great year for horror novels!

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant

The first few pages of this thriller, with their vivid descriptions of Emlyn and her job as a fishing guide pulled me in immediately. She's confident and likable and when she sets offf with her ex-boyfriend in search of an estranged friend who disappered from her #vanlife adventure without warning, it makes sense. Something obviously went wrong between Emalyn and Tyler to cause their breakup, and something caused Emalyn and her friend, but that's revealed gradually through flashbacks. I felt like I was reading about real people making real decisions and the plot didn't go in the direction I expected it to. 

Now You See It by Carol J. Perry

Lee Barrett is getting used to her new role as "Historical Documentary Chief Executive" for WICH-TV, gathering footage for a documentary about the Seafaring New England exhibit at a new museum.  After the driver of an armored truck is murdered while delivering a shipment of artifacts, she becomes involved in the investigation. What's interesting about this one is how far removed Lee is from the murder. Her police detective husband provides her with details, but she didn't know the victim and her only ties to the case are as a television reporter. She does spend a lot of time with the suspects and the solution to the mystery is a satisfying one, with clues along the way that will make sense by the end. This is a well established series and obviously there's a lot I don't know about the characters and their history and relationships, but the author makes it easy to jump right in without a ton of back story. There are some fun supernatural elements, including the visions that Lee sees in reflective objects and a model ship that appears to be haunted. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} Do What Godmother Says

The Last Note of Warning by Katharine Schellman

At night she Vivian Kelly works in a speakeasy, serving drinks and dancing until sunrise. It's the 1920s so the drinks she serves are illegal and the stakes are high -- but the trouble she finds herself in stems from her reputable day job, making deliveries and alterations for a dressmaker. I absolutely loved this historical mystery. If Vivian fails to solve the murder, it will be devastating for herself and her family. The risks she is taking are real and the suspense kept me turning pages late into the night. It's the third book in the series, but there's enough backstory woven in that I was never confused (although references to previous events definitely have me wanting to track down the first two books!) 

Do What Godmother Says by L.S. Stratton

The portrait has hung in Shanice's grandmother's bedroom for as long as she can remember. It's part of her family history, but until her grandmother gives it to here while they're preparing the house to sell, she's never researched the artist or asked any real questions about it. This thriller tells the parallel stories of Shanice in the present day and the artist, Estelle, in 1927. I loved the historical details, the elements of spiritualism and the occult, and the building suspense as both Estelle and Shanice struggle with what they've become caught up in. 

A Twinkle of Trouble by Daryl Woods Gerber 

The fifth Fairy Garden mystery is fast paced and fun. Fiona is just back from visiting her mother in the fairy realm and Courtney is keeping busy with the Summer Blooms Festival and her shop. I enjoyed spending more time with Courtney and her friends and the mystery was intriguing. 

Irreplaceable by Nolon King with Lauren Street 

Nina Turner is obsessed with true crime podcasts, but she doesn't immediately recognize her new home as the site of a notorious murder. Once she puts the pieces together, she falls even more in love with the property. The plot alternates between Nina and her husband, who knew exactly what he was moving them into and has his own undisclosed motives. This one was a fun and entertaining read. As Nina made discoveries in the house,  I felt like I was puzzling my own way through the place's awful history forming and revising theories about what happened years earlier. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} Over the Edge

 Don't Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders 

Stay at home mom Joanne is finally feeling like she's got things under control, with a new job working remotely for her former employer and a perfect nanny lined up to help her our a couuple of days  a week. Then her adult stepdaughter moves in without warning, insisting that she'll take care of the baby. This starts out like a run of the mill domestic thriller, but the last half of the book is a wild ride that will keep you wondering who and what to trust. 

Over the Edge by Kathleen Bryant

After discovering a body in a remote canyon, former journalist Del Cooper begins to investgate how Franklin, a homeless man from Sedona, wound up so many miles from town and who would have murdered him. This thriller focuses heavily on the local politics and land deals, to the point that I found myself forgetting about the murder. Sedona is one of my favorite places and I enjoyed the chance to revisit in book form, but didn't love the mystery element. 

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

{I've Been Reading} Eleven Huskies

 Eleven Huskies by Philipp Schott

This one didn't hold my attention the way that Six Ostriches, the second book in the series, did. Of course I was worried about the poisoned dogs, but the actual murders? Those were felt like an isolated event that had little to do with Peter and his wife's canoe trip. What did pull me in and keep me turning pages was a harrowing scene about halfway through the book. Suddenly I was very interested in what was going to happen next. I love the characters and the way they feel more like real people than your usual cozy mystery protagonists, but I can barely remember who died or why they were killed. 

The Small Museum by Jody Cooksley

Be forewarned -- this historical mystery is incredibly dark and will keep you hooked until the end. A young woman is abruptly married off to a respected doctor in London, suddenly isolated from her family and familiar surroundings. Her sister in law and the housekeeper control her clothing, her meals, even her actions, and she rarely sees her new husband.  As she begins to convince him that her skills as an illustrator could be useful to him and gets her first glimpses into his cabinet of curiosities, the plot shifts to a courtroom scene where Maddie is on trial for something awful. This book completely captured my imagination and I couldn't put it down.  

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy.