Miraz Jordan

As the book went along I had my doubts about how things were occurring, but Kate Wells wove it all together quite cleverly in the end. A Midsummer Murder (The Malvern Mysteries Book 7). 📚

When a fatal accident shatters the peace, the weekend of relaxation descends into anything but tranquility. And Jude learns that Inigo’s connections to many of those at the retreat go back decades, and their shared secrets have been deeply buried.

After a couple of books that weren't quite what I hoped I turned to a known series; The Mystery of the Seaside Treasure (The Antique Shop Mysteries Book 7) by Judith Cutler was as good as I'd hoped. 📚

Lina isn’t thrilled when her beloved mentor Griff suggests a weekend getaway to Torquay. Instead of sun, sand and ice creams, an uninspiring antique fair and a fancy-dress ballroom dance are on the agenda.

The fair is as boring as she expects — until a miniature Japanese sculpture catches her eye.

Lina's life is changing though — I do so hope there are more to come in the series.

An elite investigation team swoops in to a small Australian outback town to solve the case in Lest Angels Weep (Detective Liz Moorland. Major Crimes. Book 5) by Phillipa Nefri Clark. 📚

The discovery of an angel-shaped pendant on a grave leads to a rumoured fourth death - from even longer ago. How the pieces connect is proving to be the most complex puzzle Operation Nobody has encountered.

I can't pin down why this book didn't really suit me, but I should remember not to read more in this series.

D. L. Keur is an author I really enjoy. Come Calling (The Sam & Mr. Nosy K-9 Cozy Mysteries Book 1) is in a new series, with ties in to her other series and was a darned good read. 📚

I love how Sam bonds with horse and dog — they are just as much lead characters.

Keen to read the next one now.

With a new horse, a found dog, lost people push Sam Cassidy back out on the high trails in North Idaho .

Samantha “Sam” Cassidy, a widow and sixty-eight years feisty, is a member of the local mounted search and rescue (SAR).

It was bugging me why I didn't quite engage with the book I just read.

As I wrote my usual two sentence review though I realised that as a reader I didn't get to feel how high the stakes were. The book should have talked much more about the lead character's memories of and history with the place. 📚

While the plot had a couple of dicey moments, the characters in Dropped Like a Bad Habit (Nun the Wiser Mysteries Book 2) by Melissa Westemeier were interesting. 📚

I just didn't entirely engage with the book — it was a little formulaic. Also, we needed to learn much more about the main character's deep connection to the place so we could really get to feel the threat.

When Sister Bernadette hears from the local pharmacist about plans to redevelop and gentrify their small community on Chestnut Street, she rallies her neighbors at The Abbey: Senior Living to help stop it.

An enjoyable read in a series I like — Murder At Ragged Falls: An Inspector Hilary Casgrain Murder Mystery (An Elk Ridge Murder Mystery Book 7) by Anne Shillolo. 📚

Inspector Hilary Casgrain takes on her first undercover assignment in years. … But early on the second morning, a man is found dead on the river bank, a visiting tourist has gone missing, and an elderly guest is furious that she’s been robbed.

I really enjoyed this series. The characters and settings were interesting, the plots challenging. The Cornish Cozy Mysteries, seven charming and addictive cozy crimes by Janie Bolitho 📚 :

When Rose Trevelyan takes on a photography commission in a quaint Cornish fishing village, she expects to capture houses, portraits and landscapes — not evidence. But the assignment places her at the centre of a shocking death.

Another entertaining read — Marsh Mysticsby Jana DeLeon 📚:

Yoga retreats are supposed to have bodies…just not dead ones. But when Eleanor, the owner of the retreat, turns up dead, Ronald and Gertie know just who to call. Eleanor’s sister, Mildred, is convinced Eleanor’s shady business partner had something to do with her death, but there’s no evidence to prove it.

Not a bad read. I quite enjoyed it. The Channel Islands Bake-Off Murder (The Gull Bay Mysteries Book 2) by Ashley Cain. 📚

April is thrilled when she’s invited to judge a high-profile TV bake-off over the May Day holiday weekend. It’s the perfect chance to put the Sea Breeze Café on the map.

A space based adventure story with lots of running around, shooting things, narrow escapes and the like. I quite enjoyed it. Rufus Quince: Bounty Hunter - Dreams of a Fool by Michael D. Britton. 📚

Rufus Quince is a retired bounty hunter trying to build a home in the outskirts of Tranquility, right near the edge of the bio-dome where there’s still a decent view of the Earth.

But … a group of ruthless speculators led by a phantom from Quince’s past try to force him off his land to steal what lies beneath.

This series! This was a book I didn't want to read because then it would have been read and I wouldn't still have it ahead of me. The more of this series I read the more I love these books. The Mystery of the China Horse (The Antique Shop Mysteries Book 6) by Judith Cutler. 📚

Lina has more than enough on her (antique) plate. With her beloved mentor Griff in hospital, she’s running their little village antique shop solo — juggling restoration jobs, bills, and chancers who think she’s an easy target.

when a well-spoken stranger offers her a rare china horse, Lina’s instincts start to prickle.

This was a well-written and gripping story which took off in unexpected but interesting directions — Murder on the Norfolk Broads (Detective Geldard Mysteries Book 1) by Heather Peck. 📚

A human skeleton is unearthed in a forgotten World War 2 bunker on a remote Yorkshire farm.

What I liked most about this book was that it was written by a Kiwi in NZ English and set in Aotearoa in places I'm a little familiar with. Those are exceptionally rare for books I read. Dark Sky: Murder Among the Stars by Marie Connolly. 📚

a professor of astronomy is found dead at Tekapo’s Mt John Observatory during its internationally-attended 50th anniversary conference celebrations

I warmed up to the plot as the book went on and there were some surprises worth waiting for.

I really like this whole series and Book 5 does not disappoint. Keen to read more in the series. The Mystery of the Village Theatre (The Antique Shop Mysteries Book 5) by . 📚

Things aren’t looking bright for Lina. A flashy new antique centre has opened in the Kentish village of Bredeham, stealing her customers and threatening the future of her beloved shop.

In this book Gabe's childhood trauma reaches a troubling crescendo while conflicting accounts in the current case prove hard to resolve. A good read. Left in the Ashes (Detectives Martin & Stern Book 3) by Anna Britton. 📚

A derelict building in the New Forest burns down with someone inside it. Believed to be arson, DI Juliet Stern and DS Gabe Martin are called onto the scene to investigate. No one knows who the victim is or how they came to be there.

This was actually a good read, and the Jersey setting was a bonus. The Channel Islands Mystery (The Gull Bay Mysteries Book 1) by Ashley Cain. 📚

April has poured every penny she owns into renovating the rundown beachfront café she inherited from her grandma. …

the missing cake is only the beginning.

As the incidents grow increasingly sinister, April begins to suspect her café is being deliberately targeted. And if she doesn’t find the culprit — and soon — it’s not just her cosy little café that’s at risk.

It’s her life.

I enjoyed Velocity Weapon: Book One of The Protectorate by Megan O’Keefe, as recommended by Bookish Alex. 📚

[Gunnery Sergeant Sanda] wakes up 230 years later, on a deserted enemy starship called The Light of Berossus

Lots of twists and turns and shifting allegiances keep the reader on their toes.

Curious thing though: the book clearly reached an end about half way through before cranking up again. This long book should have been two titles.

Early in Book 3 I was ready to abandon this set as the books just weren't that good. Also, the author had a strong penchant for annoying (word-count padding?) lists. Jamie Quinn Mysteries Books 1-6 (Jamie Quinn Cozy Mysteries) by Barbara Venkataraman. 📚

Meet Jamie Quinn (and her quirky friends), always finding trouble she definitely wasn't looking for.

I picked the set back up again and the other 3 books were much better.

It's been a long while since the previous book in this series I enjoy, and I suspect this is the last — Something Prowling in Paradise Park (The Accidental Detective Book 7) by Kris Bock. 📚

It was a quick but enjoyable read.

three cases—all brought by friends—fall into [Kate's] lap. Squatters in a snowbird’s house, local pedigree dogs disappearing, and smash and grab burglaries at local pot shops.

Half way through The Antique Store Detective (A Bella Winter Mystery Book 1) by Clare Chase I decided to skip to the end — something I don't usually do. 📚

finding eccentric local historian Professor Oliver Barton dead in the ruins of Raven Hall is a bigger problem than she could have anticipated!

Glowing reviews abounded when I picked up this free book, but I found it not specially interesting and rather formulaic. It was as though the author had followed a set of rules for cozy mysteries.

I enjoyed this set of books, even though some cases were highly complex. Detective Winter Meadows Books 1-6 by Cheryl Rees-Price. 📚

In the shadow of the Black Mountains, the quiet village of Bryn Melyn harbours secrets that refuse to stay buried. Detective Inspector Winter Meadows, a thoughtful and unorthodox investigator, returns to his roots in rural Wales seeking calm — but finds himself confronting the dark corners of a community still healing from old wounds.

Although I've enjoyed other series by this author, the books in this series are pretty lightweight and I might not read any more — Dark Sky Jeopardy (The Rán Hollander Mystery Series Book 3) by Lakota Grace. 📚

A mega-lottery winner is killed and Rán's sister’s becomes a prime suspect.

One of my favourite series continues — Death by the Dozen by D.B. Borton: 📚

When a local historian begs Cat to find the villain who stole her beloved pig — Gertie, a cupcake-loving micro-mini with a mischievous streak — Cat figures it’s a simple petnapping. Sorry, pignapping. Until the trail leads to a dead human body.

Can't wait for the Thirteen book.

It's been almost 2 years since I read the previous in series, mainly because of price. This book was reduced, and still a great read!

Gathering Mist: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima. 📚

Deputy Mattie Wray, formerly Mattie Cobb, is summoned to Washington’s Olympic peninsula for an urgent search and rescue mission to find a celebrity’s missing child.