Miraz Jordan

Another great story from Aline Templeton — Murder in Kirkluce (Detective Marjory Fleming Mysteries Book 4). 📚

Colonel Andrew Carmichael. Old soldier. Local benefactor. The man who won't sell.

First, a slaughtered sheep is dumped in his courtyard.

A warning.

Days later, the colonel opens his front door — and is shot dead on his own doorstep.

Nice quote, with a cop looking after a greyhound: 🐶

He’d tried throwing a stick for it, but this was ignored with a pained dignity which made him feel positively embarrassed at being so uncouth.

This freebie rounded out a series I just didn't take to, which I was sad about because the setting and author are pretty local. Angels of Clay : The Matakana Series by Madeleine Eskedahl. 📚

As the investigation begins, Sergeant Bill Granger and Constable Niko Sopoaga find themselves drawn into a case that quickly becomes more complex.

This was more a slice of Matakana life than an investigation and eventually the perpetrator happened along rather than any trail of clues leading to them.

I enjoyed this somewhat but wasn't entirely enthralled with a plot that raced along with almost magical speed. Crime in the Community (Pitkirtly Mysteries Book 1) by Cecilia Peartree. 📚

Christopher thinks he has his life under control until the mysterious Amaryllis arrives in the little town, spreading chaos and confusion in her wake.

There were some turns of phrase I really enjoyed, like:

He brushed aside any attempt to thank him, apparently embarrassed to have caused gratitude to be felt.

Bradenslen mentioned this series so I tried Book One.

I'm coming to really enjoy this series, and this book held my interest. Murder in Drumbreck Bay (Detective Marjory Fleming Mysteries Book 3) by Aline Templeton. 📚

Someone is silencing witnesses. Someone always one step ahead.

And the killer is closer to Detective Fleming than she knows.

The number of amusing passages I highlight is increasing too, like this one:

Ronnie’s face was a murky purple, an unhealthy colour. It crossed her mind to suggest he call a doctor—but why? It would only provoke him further, and anyway, what was wrong with being a wealthy widow?

When a young lad's pet calf has to be slaughtered because of a deadly virus it sets him on an animal rights path, that leads him as a pawn right to a manipulator with a deadly purpose.

A good read — Fire on the Norfolk Broads (Detective Geldard Mysteries Book 3) by Heather Peck. 📚

Detective Geldard is wolfing down a quick sandwich lunch at his desk when he gets the call. There’s been a devastating explosion at the local Science Park. Multiple casualties.

Geldard races to the scene — it’s carnage.

This is a book that stays with you, rather than being a run of the mill murder mystery — Hold of the Bone by Baxter Clare Trautman: 📚

Things are great for LAPD Lieutenant Franco; she’s sober, loved, eligible for retirement – and bored absolutely out of her mind.

When a skeleton is dug up it sparks Frank into a personal discovery and transformation.

I enjoyed the read, though a couple of moments near the end didn't sit well.

I enjoyed reading Death on the Norfolk Broads (Detective Geldard Mysteries Book 2) by Heather Peck. 📚

A farmworker spots a human arm among a crate of dead turkeys. It’s DCI Geldard’s first day with Norfolk Police, and he didn’t expect to be dealing with murder quite so soon.

It looks like an accident. But a closer inspection reveals signs of foul play

The ending felt a bit rushed and unsatisfying though.

I read this book in dribs and drabs over the course of a year — Rare Tongues: The Secret Stories of Hidden Languages by Lorna Gibb. 📚

From the whistling languages of La Gomera in the Canary Islands and the Hmong people in East and Southeast Asia, to the wars and clashes in Sri Lanka and the conservation efforts in Hawaii and New Zealand, Rare Tongues draws attention to how language and culture are becoming increasingly homogenous, and what we risk losing as a result.

There were many interesting tidbits, such as:

State control is easier when you can control the words people use.

And this, which echoes word for word statements made in Aotearoa about bilingual road signs:

… those in Scotland who are angered by Gaelic on road signs. ‘Why should the majority have to put up with it? It’s a tiny group of speakers who all know English anyway’ is a common lament. ‘Why are we paying for this extra signage?’

This book was fine, and had its moments but overall just didn't grab me. I won't bother with more in the series — Augusta Hawke (Augusta Hawke Mysteries Book 1) by G.M. Malliet. 📚

In Chapter 1, I liked:

The romance novel wouldn’t get off the ground; it may have been a case of my being unable to write what I didn’t know, but my attempt described two people so insipid I couldn’t stand to be in the room with either of them for the year or more it takes to write a book.

I feel a little churlish in saying this book from a "prestigious" and "award winning author" was only OK. I was drawn to the book because it was free, and it's set around Matakana, about an hour's drive from where I live. Rings On Water (The Matakana Series Book 2) by Madeleine Eskedahl. 📚

what seems to be a straightforward case of an unfortunate death turns into a complex web of small town secrets and desire for revenge that will soon place Bill's family in danger.

I'm inclined to think a good editor could have removed a good 50% of the word "and" where sentences should have been structured differently (it really bugged me).

The tourist promo stuff about Matakana was also annoying. It made me think of the first two episodes of NCIS Sydney where they basically spent all their time pointing out they were in Australia.

The plot also needed tightening up.

The fact that I hadn't already read Book 1 of the series suggests I'd previously looked at a sample and decided against it.

Obviously, a lot of other people enjoyed this book more than I did.

This is turning out to be a series I really enjoy. While reading, I identified several potential perpetrators, but I was wrong each time. Murder in Knockhaven Harbour (Detective Marjory Fleming Mysteries Book 2) by Aline Templeton. 📚

On a stormy September night, the Knockhaven lifeboat crew are returning from a routine rescue when disaster strikes. The boat inexplicably misses the harbour and crashes into the lethal rocks of nearby Fuill’s Inlat.

The routine inclusion of Scots words and phrases is a delight too.

This was a fun and easy read — Mirabile by Janet Kagan. 📚

On the distant planet of Mirabile, a settlement of human colonists from Earth is jeopardized by the genetic mutants of Earth plants and animals like the Loch Moose Monster, the Frankenswine, and the dreaded carnivorous Kangaroo Rex—and it’s up to ecological troubleshooter Mama Jason to destroy the menacing mutants.

Very much a procedural but enjoyable as always. Some interesting character developments too. Zero Tolerance (The King & Midnight K-9 Mysteries Book 4) by D. L. Keur. 📚

What Mike knows is that he’s got hours only to find and secure the life of a man he not only admires, but respects, because the people who Mike suspects took Powers aren’t playing games.

This is a different "In The New Forest" series from others I've read. I enjoyed the story, the characters and the setting and will read more. The plot developed some interesting complexities and some pleasing surprises. Death in the New Forest (New Forest Murder Mysteries Book 1) by Linda Mather. 📚

Detective Elinor Saxby leaves the city for a crooked little cottage near sleepy Lyndhurst village. It’s not exactly her dream home, cut off from everything and everyone she’s ever known. But Elinor will do anything to leave her troubled past behind.

A light and easy read, though our lead character is distracted by a couple of good looking young men. The Channel Islands Harbour Murder (The Gull Bay Mysteries Book 3) by Ashley Cain. 📚

Dripping diamonds and disdain, ‘Scandalous Sam’ orders vintage champagne, insults her company . . . and rushes out without paying her share of the bill.

By nightfall Samantha has vanished. And just twenty-four hours later her body is hauled from the harbour

I suspected this might be too dark for me, but apart from a couple of paragraphs it wasn't. I enjoyed the read and loved all the Scots dialect. I'll be reading more for sure. Murder in Galloway (Detective Marjory Fleming Mysteries Book 1) by Aline Templeton. 📚

Meet Detective Marjory Fleming, a Galloway lass born and bred. She’s tough, sharp, and not easily intimidated. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly, but underneath the hard exterior, she has a heart of gold.

This is a truly remarkable book — not your average cosy mystery, not your average space scifi — it's a one of a kind and well worth reading. Hellspark by Janet Kagan. 📚

After being attacked, rescuing a young woman, and going before a judge, Tocohl has learned all she ever wanted to know about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now she is seeking answers to mysteries that could save a world.

I learned about this book via Lingthusiasm.

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.