book series

Murder Most Haunted (A Midge McGowan Mystery #1) by Emma Mason

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Murder Most Haunted (A Midge McGowan Mystery, #1)Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a retirement gift, Midge McGowan receives a ticket to take part in a weekend ghost-hunting tour of an isolated mansion. There’s a handful of another attendees, such as a know-it-all paranormal investigator, and a former pop star.

Midge keeps her past as a detective to herself, and is fairly quiet as the weekend kicks off. The other attendees personalities are big enough, she really doesn’t need to say much. When a snowstorm strands the group after a murder takes place, Midge thinks, it’s just her luck.

It’s not just the murder though, there are other mysterious things happening around the mansion, and people’s behavior begins to reflect the pressure they’re under. Midge begins to investigate.

Is something paranormal responsible, or is there an evil human in their midst?

I had a lot of fun with this book. The audiobook was well-narrated and I enjoyed Midge, as well as the other misfit characters. It was such an odd group, and their interactions kept me on my toes.

I’m not quite sure why the overall rating for this is a bit lower, but I had a blast with it. I love when weather plays a role in a story, usually trapping a cast in some horrible situation, and that’s exactly what happened here. A blizzard made it impossible for help to reach them after the murder, so they were really left to their own devices.

Midge was definitely the odd person out amongst this group, but I like how over time, she started making in-roads with certain characters, and they came to appreciate her in their own ways. She definitely brought some knowledge and skills to the mansion that surprised them all.

There’s a sequel to this releasing soon and I’m excited to pick it up. I believe it’s a mystery set on a train, which is another thing I love. I would recommend this to Cozy Mystery readers who like a bit of substance. It’s a Cozy, yes, but it does have some darker subject matter and it also gets a little more serious at times.

Overall, I thought this was a great start to a series. I’m sure the further I get into it, the more attached I’ll get to Midge. She certainly is a bit different for a protagonist, and I find her to be refreshing.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to continuing on with this series.

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Review: The River Runs Black (North Country #2) by Tessa Wegert

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The River Runs Black (North Country #2)The River Runs Black by Tessa Wegert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The River Runs Black is the 2nd-book in Tessa Wegert’s North Country series. I loved her entire Shana Merchant series, the series previous to this one, and highly recommend it if you love Police Procedural Mysteries.

I haven’t yet read the 1st-book in this series, In the Bones, but I did end up checking it out from my local library after I started this one. I’m really looking forward to getting to it!

I actually knew nothing about this going in. I thought it might be set in the same area geographically as the Shana Merchant series, but I had no idea that it’s a spin-off of sorts. I was so stoked to discover that.

While Shana isn’t a main character in this story, her husband, Tim Wellington, is and Shana does make appearances. I’ve really grown to love Shana over the course of the 6-books in that original series, so was delighted to have more access to her and her life.

You might be asking, do I need to read the Shana Merchant series first? My answer to that would be, no, definitely not. This is completely it’s own thing.

You may be inspired to go back and pick up the books in that original series if you end up enjoying this as much as I did, but it’s definitely not a necessity.

The mystery in this novel has a few different pieces. It begins when a local teenager dies of a drug overdose, and subsequently one of the deputies in Shana and Tim’s department ends up making a record-breaking drug seizure along the Canadian border.

While initially celebrated as a victory for the investigative team, little do they know it’s but a pebble in the pond of what is actually going on in Alexandria Bay.

After Lab results end up showing that the drugs that killed the teen, and the drugs recently seized, are not of the same origin, it indicates they have a much bigger problem on their hands than they initially realized.

Once they start seeing it, the evidence of drug activity is everywhere. Adding fuel to the fire of the investigation, two young women end up going missing, and it seems like this mysterious drug ring could be involved.

It’s a race against the clock as Tim and the rest of the team try to find the young women before it’s too late, and rid their town of these dangerous criminal elements.

As mentioned above, even though this doesn’t follow Shana Merchant, it does include many of the characters from the original series, such as Tim, Val and Mac.

I loved that it was set in the same town and I felt like I was already attached to them. It made it very easy for me to just settle into the mystery and get invested.

The setting is the Thousand Lakes region of upstate New York, which sits on the border to Canada, and offers up plenty of room for intriguing cases being on a prominent border. I always love Wegert’s mystery elements. They’re well-plotted and I love the way she paces her reveals and clues. You can always count on plenty of twists and turns.

I feel like the stakes are always high and propulsive. I’m usually at the edge of my seat by the end, wondering how everyone I care about is going to make it out unscathed.

Wegert always does a great job as well developing her characters and sense of place. I feel like after you read this, you’ll want to know more about all of them. I can’t sing Wegert’s praises enough. I’m a big, big fan and highly recommend checking out either series.

Thank you to the publisher, Joffe Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m locked into this series for the long haul now!

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Review: Written in Red (The Others #1) by Anne Bishop

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Written in Red (The Others, #1)Written in Red by Anne Bishop
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

After asking a group of friends with different book tastes than my own for some book recs, I ended up picking this one up. My friend loves this series and I’ve been seeing it around for years, and have been curious.

This was a great rec for me, because while outside of my comfort zone as far as genre, it did have a dark atmosphere and some dangerous vibes that are in my lane. I feel like if I would have picked this up as they were being released I would’ve been obsessed with the series.

I thought Bishop did a great job with world-building in this first installment, and I also found the characters interesting, and for the most part very likable.

I did wonder in the first half what the point was. I was enjoying the build, but it felt like it lacked a plot. First books of any series can be that way though, especially in a world as complex as this one. I did start to enjoy it more in the later half of the book.

If I had more time I would definitely continue on with the series, because the action in this picked up in the 2nd-half and I would be interested in what comes next.

Unfortunately, I do need to prioritize other reads right now, particularly through the Fall, but I’m absolutely keeping this on my radar and will hopefully have time for it in the future!

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Review: The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club (Hu Done It #1) by Gloria Chao

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The Ex-Girlfriend Murder ClubThe Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club is a humorous Cozy Mystery following chemist, Kathryn Hu. Kat is a little socially awkward and hasn’t made a lot of friends in Boston, where she works in a research lab.

She does have a boyfriend though, Tucker Jones, who is the light of her life. At least until she finds out that he has two other girlfriends, Olivia and Elle.

The women decide to team up to teach the cheating jerk a lesson, but when they enter his apartment to exact their revenge, they end up discovering his very dead body.

Crap. Their DNA and fingerprints are everywhere in his apartment. They did arrive there hoping to do him dirty. They’re innocent though. They swear they’re innocent, but who is going to believe them?

In order to clear their names, Kat, Olivia and Elle need to find the real killer. They go undercover and end up finding a lot of folks that may have wanted Tucker dead.

With a hot detective sniffing around, will they be able to uncover the truth before they go down for the crime?

This was really cute. I put off reading it for so long and now I’m kicking myself. I was surprised at how invested I became in this mystery and characters. I would equate the humor and coziness to the Aunties series by Jesse Q. Sutanto, so if you liked that series, this could be for you.

Admittedly, it did take me a minute to get used to Kat’s narrative voice. She’s quite quirky, and makes a lot of Dad Jokes, but I ended up coming to love her. I feel like when you realize her awkward silliness is 100% genuine to who she is, she becomes incredibly likable.

For me the star of this show is the relationship that develops between these three women. All of them were in positions where they could really use a friend and the way they bonded over this toxic man was just so satisfying.

Particularly for Kat. I feel like as the Reader, it’s easy to become so empathetic for Kat’s experience. She’s not close with her parents. She has no real friends in Boston, where she moved for her job, and her colleagues unfortunately just don’t understand her.

The way she grows as a person through her friendships with Olivia and Elle was so beautifully-executed by Chao. While the mystery was fun, the way Kat grew as a character was the highlight for me.

I would recommend the audiobook for this one. The narration by Carolyn Kang brought so much life to this story, and she definitely delivered the comedic timing as well.

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m excited to continue on with this series. I’m interested to see how Chao is going to build it out from here.

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Review: Murder at Gulls Nest (Nora Breen #1) by Jess Kidd

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Murder at Gulls Nest (Nora Breen Investigates #1)Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Murder at Gulls Nest is the 1st-installment of a Historical Cozy Mystery series by Jess Kidd. This series follows Nora Breen, who has recently asked to be released from her vows.

Yes, that’s right, Nora was a nun. That alone had me intrigued about this series. It’s pretty hard not to love an ex-nun turned amateur sleuth.

The impetus behind Nora’s recent choice is the apparent disappearance of her former novice, Frieda. Frieda was always a reliable letter writer (it’s the 1950s), so when her letters stop suddenly, Nora grows concerned. Nora feels compelled to seek Frieda out, to check on her safety.

She follows a line from one of Frieda’s letters and ends up at the Gulls Nest, a charming seaside hotel in Kent, which really acts more as a boarding house. Nora, hiding her identity, begins staying at the Gulls Nest and inserts herself into the lives of the residents there.

It’s not long after Nora arrives that people start dying under shady circumstances. Now it’s not just the disappearance of Frieda that Nora needs to figure out, but also who’s murdering the residents of the Gulls Nest, and why?

I felt like this was a great start to a series. The writing is excellent and it felt like it had a lot of heft, a bit more serious than a lot of Cozies I tend to enjoy, but Nora’s character absolutely sucked me in.

I’m a nosey old broad myself, so I found it easy to relate to her. I loved watching her skills at engaging with people, and getting them talking. She had a touch of Miss Marple, or Jessica Fletcher, about her in that regard. People just opened up to her. They want to tell her things.

The residents at the Gulls Nest are an intriguing cast as well. I did find it a touch challenging initially keeping everyone straight, but once the action really kicked off, that unmoored feeling sort of went away.

The 2nd-book, Murder at the Spirit Lounge released earlier this Summer, and I’m excited to get to it. I have a feeling that like with many Cozy Mystery series, you become more and more attached to the characters as the series goes on.

I’m looking forward to learning more about Nora’s background mayhaps in the next book. We did get a glimpse into her past here, and she’s definitely lived a life.

I’m also interested to see how her relationship with Detective Rideout develops moving forward. If it will evolve into more of a romance, or if it will perhaps just be an incredible partnership of investigative minds, for which I would be happy to accept.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I’m so sorry it took me this long to get to this one. It was a great experience, not sure why I’ve been putting it off, but I certainly won’t be waiting to read the next installment!

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Review: Lights! Camera! Frendo! (Clown in a Cornfield #4) by Adam Cesare

~ megs14malloy

Lights! Camera! Frendo!Lights! Camera! Frendo! by Adam Cesare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Lights! Camera! Frendo! is the highly-anticipated 4th-installment to Adam Cesare’s Teen Scream Slasher series, Clown in a Cornfield.

I’ve enjoyed the trajectory of this series. It feels like an ode to Teen Scream and Slasher movies, with this installment being no exception. Cesare is clearly a huge fan of this subgenre of Horror and it shows on the page.

In this installment, we’re heading back to Kettle Springs where a big budget movie focusing on the original Kettle Springs Massacre is ready to start filming. Sabrina Alvarez, a young, fairly unknown actress, has been selected to play the role of Final Girl, Quinn Maybrook.

Sabrina is nervous. It’s a huge role for her, and it’s her first time being on a shoot like this on her own, without her Mom. The rest of the cast and crew already seem well-acquainted, so she’s definitely the new girl on the block.

The director’s methods are also not what’s she is used to, but for the most part, everyone on set is friendly and welcoming. It’s the town itself that seems off.

And it’s Kettle Springs, so you know her instincts in that regard are correct. There’s definitely something off.

We follow along, via multiple different perspectives, as this film tries to get off the ground. Not everyone in Kettle Springs is happy about the exposure.

It’s not long before bodies start dropping again. Who’s going to be the Final Girl this time?

This was excellent. I enjoyed it so, so much. I loved the Scream 3 feel of a movie being made on the Kettle Spring Massacre. All the actors and actresses, it was fun to follow them on the set and watch as things started to get unhinged in a real Kettle Springs kind of way.

I recently read Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror, which covered the making of the Scream franchise, and a lot of the different elements Cesare included here involving the cast and crew, reminded me of things I learned in that book.

I think Cesare did a great job making the film shoot feel believable, and then pulling in the Frendo lore and the rest of the town as well. We also see some old favorite characters again, like Cole and Rust.

For me, this is the best installment since the 1st-book. I loved being back in Kettle Springs. It was a great set-up, with copious creative kills and a solid continuation of the lore. I am so pleased with how Cesare concluded it. Will we be blessed with a book 5!?

Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins Children’s Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I highly recommend this series to Horror fans, and this book in particular if you’ve already started this series. I’m hoping we get at least one more book!

I don’t want it to end!

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Review: Happy Hour (Killer VHS Series #9) by Gemma Amor

~ megs14malloy

Happy Hour (Killer VHS Series Book 9)Happy Hour by Gemma Amor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Happy Hour by Gemma Amor is the 9th-installment in the Killer VHS series. If you’ve never heard of these, they’re a series of standalone Horror novellas, written by a host of different authors, that channel the vibes of 80s/90s Horror.

My thoughts on this one are fairly simple, and can actually be summed up with just one word: UNHINGED!

In this novel, we’re following Brian, who owns a unique ((putting it mildly)) cocktail bar in 1990s-London. Brian has some interesting eccentricities that set his bar apart from the others. I let you discover the details for yourself.

Brian’s perspective reminded me a lot of Patrick Bateman. I’m not sure if the author was inspired by his character when writing Brian, but honestly, he could be Patrick’s cousin. I think they’d get along famously at the family reunion.

As far as the content of the story, I found it compelling. I liked the backstory we got for Brian’s character and the way that the back-and-forth was pieced together.

There’s some great, cringey body horror as well, and I felt Amor did a fantastic job balancing an actual plot with all the toe-curling Horror aspects. There’s actually a coherent story in here, which isn’t necessarily always the case.

While i wouldn’t classify this as Extreme Horror, it’s definitely dipping a toe in those deeper waters. This is actually the first I’ve read from Gemma Amor, but I’m stoked to read more. This was a tantalizing introduction to this author for me. For sure.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Shortwave, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’d love to collect all of these paperbacks.

The covers are always so good, and I’d love to add them to my always-growing Horror collection!

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Review: Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line (Finlay Donovan #6) by Elle Cosimano

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Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line (Finlay Donovan, #6)Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line by Elle Cosimano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line is the 6th-installment of the much loved Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano.

I’ve listened to all of these books on audio, and absolutely adore the narration by Angela Dawe. She is Finlay to me at this point. As soon as I hear her voice, I’m locked in and ready for whatever Finlay has in store for me.

This installment continues the story of Vero’s shady past. We’ve had piecemeal info on what exactly lead to Vero working for Finlay, but this book definitely helps fill in the entirety of her backstory.

Vero gets extradited back to Maryland, facing criminal charges for a theft that occurred at her sorority house while she was Treasurer there, which she swears she didn’t commit. She’s placed under house arrest at her Mom’s home back in her hometown, ankle bracelet and all.

Finlay knows Vero is innocent and she’s committed to helping her friend clear her name. Vero has been there for her through all sorts of tough times, and Finlay is ready to step up to return the favor.

Leaving her kids behind in Virginia with her boyfriend, Finlay heads off to Maryland to support Vero any way she can, and if you’ve read any of the books in this series, you know a lot of hi-jinks are going to ensue.

While this wasn’t my favorite of the series, as far as the plot and mystery component, I still really enjoyed my time with it. I absolutely love this great cast of characters that Cosimano has created. Their relationships and banter, watching their bonds grow, it’s all filled my heart.

Prior to reading this, I hadn’t seen the announcement for the 7th book, but this ending made clear there was another coming and I’ve since found that information. I’m personally hoping Finlay’s Mom will be more prominent again in the next installment, because I definitely missed her in this one.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review.

I love this series and will continue to pick them up as long as they’re released. I’m already looking forward to Book #7!!

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Review: The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts (The Marlow Murder Club #5) by Robert Thorogood

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The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts (The Marlow Murder Club, #5)The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts is the 5th-book in Robert Thorogood’s The Marlow Murder Club series. I’ve enjoyed the previous books tremendously, so had been anxiously awaiting this 5th-release.

If you aren’t aware, these books follow Judith Potts, a widow in her 70s, and her two BFFs, Suzie and Becks, as they tackle mysteries in their local Marlow community.

This installment involves the deaths of two local celebrities, who although they don’t initially seem connected, the women decide to investigate nonetheless, because it certainly can’t be coincidence. But why would a killer be targeting such high profile locals?

Judith, Becks and Suzie, never ones to turn away from a truly puzzling mystery, are sure that the two cases must have a link, but finding it will be a challenge.

With all of this going on, it’s not a great time for Judith’s past to come back and haunt her, but that’s exactly what happens. Judith’s distracted, are her dark secrets finally going to come to light, or will she be able to put out that fire and solve the murders all at the same time?

I’m so happy to report that this ended up being my favorite book of the series thus far. I loved the growth displayed by all four of our main ladies, I’m including Tanika, their friend and police contact, with this statement, and I feel like they are all truly coming into their own.

There was something so ‘final’ feeling about this ending though. I’m actually nervous about it. I really hope this isn’t the last mystery we get with this fabulous cast of characters.

When I first started with this series, I liked it, but I wasn’t in love, but as the series has progressed, each installment seems to get stronger, or perhaps it’s that I’ve become so attached to the ladies. Either way, I feel like Thorogood has done an excellent job leaning into their personalities and allowing the series to grow.

I love the dynamic between Judith, Suzie and Becks. They support each other so well, and where one of them may have a weakness, the others can provide their own strengths, making them a fantastic team.

I really enjoyed learning more about Judith’s past in this one as well. Thorogood has been alluding to something potentially shady in Judith’s past that she’s been hiding from, but we never got the full scope of that. I feel like I have a much deeper understanding of her now.

As usual though, there’s also a great amount of humor in the story, particularly when the ladies are in full investigation mode. They’re so funny, the hi-jinks they get themselves into, even dangerous ones, all to solve the crimes. Now that’s dedication to a goal.

I would highly recommend this series to all Cozy Mystery fans, in particular if you enjoy friendship groups solving mysteries together, or elderly amateur sleuths. The small town vibes are on point as well, as is the humor and heart.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As mentioned above, I truly hope we get more installments in this wonderful Cozy series!

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Review: Two Kinds of Stranger (Eddie Flynn #9) by Steve Cavanagh

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Two Kinds of Stranger (Eddie Flynn, #9)Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two Kinds of Stranger is the 9th-book in Steve Cavanagh’s Eddie Flynn series. I’ve really been enjoying this series. I haven’t read them all, and I’ve read them completely out of order, but I don’t feel like the order matters much.

Each book is its own unique case. What doesn’t change though, is the incredible cast of characters and Cavanagh’s fluid and engaging writing style.

If you aren’t familiar with the series, it does indeed follow Eddie Flynn, a criminal defense attorney, as well as his team, as they investigate, work and defend various cases in and around the New York City area.

The case in this book involves social media influencer, Elly Parker, who accidentally live streams the moment she catches her husband’s infidelity.

Devastated and unmoored, Elly leaves him and tries to stay out of the limelight as much as she can. On a rare occasion outside, she has a chance encounter with a stranger that plunges her into a nightmare she could never imagine.

Now facing the most serious of charges, for crimes she did not commit, Elly reaches out to the infamous Eddie Flynn, to defend her. Eddie is convinced Elly is innocent, but it’s harder to prove it than one would think, as an evil mastermind is manipulating the evidence from the shadows.

This mystery culprit seems to be one step ahead of Eddie, but Eddie didn’t get his reputation under false pretenses. This mystery criminal may have finally met their match.

This was a super compelling case. I loved that we got Elly’s perspective, so we knew exactly what had happened, but how was Eddie going to prove the truth?

We also got a glimpse into the mind of the baddie, and though I hated them, it was interesting. As with the rest of the books in the series that I’ve read, this is very fast-paced.

Cavanagh is constantly dropping new evidence and escalating the action. It’s not just action and intrigue though, this series also features fantastic characters.

While their relationships are built-up throughout the series, Cavanagh provides enough context that you can jump into the series wherever you want, and you won’t feel lost.

This is the 4th-novel that I’ve read in the series, and I’ve also read the prequel novella, The Cross. I’m looking forward to continuing. It’s a great series for anyone who loves intelligent and compelling Legal Thrillers.

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with a copy to read and review. This series has been such a complete surprise for me, so thank you for bringing it to my attention.

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