Miraz Jordan

22% through and I was considering abandoning When Murder Comes Home (Aileen and Callan Murder Mysteries Book 1) by Shana Frost. 📚 Then this para decided me👎🏼:

Steaming pots of savoury food effused mouth-watering aromas that drifted through the kitchen into the dining room.

Yet another excellent book in a series by a favourite author: Warn Me When It’s Time (Charlie Mack Motown Mystery Book 6) by Cheryl A Head. 📚

FBI agent, James Saleh, … helps the Mack Agency infiltrate and take down a homegrown militia hell-bent on starting a race war in America.

Hmmm, I’ve abandoned Blood in the Bayou: A Bone-Chilling FBI Thriller by CM Sutter just under half way through. There was too much point of view of a particularly nasty criminal and the FBI agents seem to be overlooking some obvious things. Just not working for me. 📚

I really enjoyed this Canadian story: Goodbye Port Alma (A DC Holly Towns Murder Mystery) by Anne Shillolo. 📚

DC Holly Towns is on the team that has to untangle a far-reaching web of sex, drugs, and money, and solve a crime that threatens to tear the city apart.

Damn good read, so well put together! The Case of the Fond Farewell (Ellie Tappet Cruise Ship Mysteries Book 6) by Cheri Baker. 📚

When tragedy strikes in the dark of night, Ellie and her friends investigate. The trail of deception leads to a shocking revelation…

// @cheri

Knockout (A Holly Hands Mystery—Book 1) by Mia Gold had a very strong start. 📚 A new and original character and compelling premise. I found it strained credulity overall though and sometimes just annoyed me. Not sure I’ll read the next one.

This was a pretty good read: Old Sins, Long Memories by Angela Arney. 📚

Meet Dr Lizzie Browne. After her divorce she moves to a small coastal town for a quieter life. Now her patients are turning up dead.

This started well, became a bit suss and then by 66% through was annoying: Last Call (The Janet Black Mystery Series Book 1) by Libby Kirsch 📚

I read to the end just to see the explanations really.

Hmm, I read The Uniform (Detective Helen Carter Book 1) by Jodie Lawrance. 📚

Set in Edinburgh in the 1970s the relentless grimness makes this a bit hard going: every single page contains dirt, grime, overt sexism, smoking, excessive drinking, poverty, tenements, slums, winter…

I enjoyed Lowcountry Box Set (A Liz Talbot Mystery) by Susan M Boyer. 📚

I’m not usually into ghosts but this was an inoffensive plot device much like hacking skillz or martial arts expertise. I skipped a few pages of the hetero-romance gory details too.

Set in South Carolina.

Ambivalent about Pineapple Lies: (Pineapple Port Mysteries 1) by Amy Vansant. 📚 The mystery solving seems to involve mainly having some random notion and declaring someone ‘the killer’. There’s a lot of (hetero) romance too. I may try book 2. It was light, and amusing enough.

I’m enjoying this author’s books, including The Girl Who Was Forgotten: (The Shee McQueen Mystery Thriller Series Book 2) by Amy Vansant. 📚

No more in that series so I’ve moved on to a different series by the same author.

This was a darn good read: The Girl Who Wants: (The Shee McQueen Mystery Thriller Series Book 1) by Amy Vansant. 📚

Shee’s quest to recover the life and loves she’s lost brings a depth of emotion rare in such page-turning suspense.

Now for book 2.

Hmmm, I enjoyed Mousse and Murder (An Alaskan Diner Mystery Book 1) by Elizabeth Logan. 📚 It strained my credulity a bit though. There seemed excessive attention to the cat. I’m not sure what exactly didn’t sit quite right, but I’m dithering about reading the next in series.

We had an unusual event at Waikawa Beach this weekend: the launch of a Little Free Library created by a couple of members of the community. Here’s Anja giving a speech before cutting the ribbon. And that’s the back of me as I introduced Anja to the 40 or 50 folks who attended. 📚

This one was a bit disappointing: A Simple Case of Murder (Lost in Alaska Book 4) by Leigh Mayberry. 📚

Pretty much everything was out of the Police Chief’s hands and I found the ending unsatisfactory. A spelling error was important in the plot but was rife throughout the book.

Another good read: Next of Kin (DI Sarah Quinn Mystery Book 5) by Maureen Carter. 📚

Lisa Webb is beaten and left to drown … the latest victim of a serial sex offender who has been terrorising the area. But DI Sarah Quinn realizes things are not as they seem

I enjoyed Lost to the Sea: A Cozy Mystery (Lost in Alaska Book 3) by Leigh Mayberry. Somehow the odd word choices and other ‘mistakes’ lend authenticity for me. I imagine the books are written by someone whose English differs from mine and it may not be their first language. 📚

Another Leigh Mayberry cozy enjoyed, with its endearingly odd language: A Killer Vacation: A Cozy Mystery (Lost in Alaska Book 2) 📚:

Paul Coleman wasn’t a nice guy, and the deeper Meghan digs, he might not even be one of the good guys. This is not the vacation she hoped for.

I enjoyed reading A Cold Day for Murder: A Cozy Mystery (Lost in Alaska Book 1) by Leigh Mayberry and am embarking on the next in series.

Numerous language oddities (missing words, wrong words) but with no info about the author I’m thinking maybe it’s an Alaskan thing? 📚

This was enjoyable 📚: Frightfully Fortune (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 20)

a dead man gallops through the park on a black stallion and slides to a decapitated stop right in front of Swamp Team 3… another festival is about to be turned on its head

I think the series is fading.

I abandoned Coffin Cove (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 1) by Jackie Elliott about half way through. It didn’t hang together well, had way too much exposition — just not really my thing. 📚

Excellent: A Question of Despair (DI Sarah Quinn Mystery Book 1) by Maureen Carter. It was well-written, held my interest so I read it pretty quickly, and had credible plot twists. I see some US reviewers don’t understand English as it’s spoken in the UK. I loved the language! 📚

I’ve just enjoyed another excellent Kat Voyzey Mystery from @cheri: Cutting the Track! Cheri’s craft is really maturing. If I was in a pickle I’d definitely want Kat Voyzey on my side. 📚

Elated at the prospect of a real missing persons case, Kat jumps in to track her down.

I had totally misremembered this photo taken in 2012 at Ha’atafu Resort in Tonga. This may be the best solution for avoiding screen glare and device shutdown while reading in the sun. 😀 📚

If travel ever happens again, Ha’atafu Resort is fabulous — a dozen guests, amazing food.