Tag: new york city

Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library review

Tari Hann

This is the first book in a brand new series by Amanda Chapman who I was happy to find out was none other than Amy Pershing who wrote the Cape Cod Foodie Mysteries that I read a few years back. This book was really different and I found myself wanting to read more about these characters and hang out with Mrs. Christie some more. Can’t wait to read the next book and I’m hoping so much I get approved for it when it comes up on NetGalley!

#NetGalley #BerkleyPublishing #AmyPershing #AmandaChapman

My Goodreads review:

Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library (Mrs. Christie, #1)Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was absolutely awesome! I haven’t read a lot of Agatha Christie but I’ve read enough to recognize the basic style the author was going for and totally enjoyed the idea of the Queen of Mystery herself visiting a smallish library that had a library room just like her own. I really liked the key players in the story as well and that young girl that joined the mystery solvers, Mairead, she was a hoot sometimes and honestly just a very cool kid.

The extreme detail of the explanation definitely reminded me of reading an Agatha Christie mystery, and even the skeptical Adrian found himself believing in…something. I loved the lengthy author’s note that told a lot about her writing journey of the book and just mentioned some things that I thought were pretty cool. It looks like it’ll be a series, so I look forward to visiting more with Mrs. Christie.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Berkley Publishing, and my opinions are my own.

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Honey Roasted review

Tari Hann

This is the nineteenth book in the long-running Coffeehouse Mysteries by author Cleo Coyle who’s actually married writing couple Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini. I also love their other series, The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries.

The Coffeehouse Mysteries have been around since 2003 and are still going strong! I always enjoy the author acknowledgements that include something about buildings in New York or something else fun. It’s especially an interesting read for this book where it explains about the rooftop beekeeping aspect of the book as well as talking about the small neighborhood in New York known as The Hole.

#berkleypublishing

My Goodreads review:

Honey Roasted (Coffeehouse Mystery, #19)

Honey Roasted by Cleo Coyle My rating: 5 of 5 stars There wasn’t a current murder going on in this book, but there was definitely an almost-murder with a woman now in a coma, and since the woman was a friend of Madame’s, Clare made it her priority to get to the bottom of this. Meanwhile, Mike was very involved in a case of a string of dead OD/homeless bodies showing up in New York’s The Hole neighborhood. Side note: Every time I read one of this series, I learn a little more about something interesting in New York. Not that The Hole is now on my bucket list or anything, but I did Google it just to get a feel for the type of area Mike was having to deal with. Yep, saw some pics of the perfect body-dumping spots, and it’d definitely be extra creepy at night, but on the other side just bording it, things looked very normal.

Anywho, I hadn’t guessed who the main perp in all of this was at all! I was surprised at who it was when Clare confronted them in a pretty awesome showdown. For a while there, the side story of Mike getting so involved in his case and the extra animosity he was showing toward Franco (young undercover cop who’s dating Clare’s daughter), that I was a little worried about the engagement. But I trusted the authors, and they came through in a really nice way. And…I had to giggle at all the bee puns well-sprinkled through the book in the dialogue! Loved it! I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Berkley Publishing via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own. View all my reviews

City of Lies–Victoria Thompson

Tari Hann

This is the first historical cozy mystery in the Counterfeit Lady series by well-known author of Gaslight Mysteries, Victoria Thompson. I probably would never have thought to read it had it not been for another online book club I’m in. I never really thought I’d enjoy historical very much, but this was interesting as well as entertaining. I have to say it’s the most unusual job for a protagonist that I’ve read about so far! I am really anxious to keep reading in this series and hope I get approved from NetGalley to read the second book before it comes out in November.

My Goodreads review:

City of Lies (Counterfeit Lady, #1)City of Lies by Victoria Thompson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to say this is the most different occupation I’ve come across for a sleuth, making a living by being a grifter who cheats their way through life and encounters danger at just about every turn–especially when they make their mark angry. It was a well-written and plotted mystery though, as well as compelling. I got to know Elizabeth and her two friends that she got sent to jail with and cared about what happened to them. I had no idea all these awful things happened during women’s suffrage in our country and how some of those women actually did suffer and die for their rights. It was interesting to read in the back of the book after it ended that the women’s stay in the workhouse was based on some real life events.

The author painted the perfect bad guy in Thornton. I really wanted to see him get ruined for the way he treated everyone, especially females, so I loved how the sting finally ended, it was really epic! Even little shy Anna got to play an important part in it. There was a really good twist in the scheme that had me even fooled for a little while.

I haven’t read many other historical mysteries but this is the first that didn’t have a current murder to solve. They were mainly focused on the sting operation and making sure the bad guy paid and it was interesting to get to that point. The book didn’t end with a cliffhanger, but it did end in such a way that I definitely would like to read the next one and see what characters and situations might carry on in that book.

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