Miraz Jordan

Road to Copper Hollow (Mining For Justice Book 1) by Katie Trapp was heavier on relationships than on plot, but as the lead characters were lesbians I didn't mind too much.

Very quirky language — perhaps typical for the part of the US setting? I enjoyed it but may not read the next in series. 📚

The 74 page Shadow Of Temptation: A Prequel To Margot Harris Mystery Series by Nora Kane didn't inspire me to go on and read more of the series. It was simplistic and the female cop being 'tough' by pulling out her gun just didn't work for me. 📚

The 96 page Goodbye Elora Inn (A DC Holly Towns Mystery Novella) (A Port Alma Murder Mystery Book 8) by Anne Shillolo was a quick and easy read.

Not a specially complex plot: someone's murdered in a remote and snowed in Inn. Investigation takes place … 📚

Another rare book-on-paper purchase this year: the delightful Critters of Aotearoa by Nicola Toki and Lily Duval. 📚

50 Bizarre But Lovable Members of Our Wildlife Community

It's written with humour for people of all ages, including kids. An easy and very enjoyable read.

I always enjoy books by Joy Ellis, so on a day where I felt slightly unwell and stayed in bed all day this was an engaging read: The Bag of Secrets (Detective Matt Ballard Mystery Book 6).

I like that the two private investigators gather a whole diverse team to help solve their cases. 📚

Abandoned: Body Count (FBI-K9 Series Book 2) by Jodi Burnett. Although it was obvious in the description I failed to notice it's a heterosexual romance involving a somewhat creepy guy who'll probably end up using emotional abuse to control his love interest. Yuck. 📚

There's something about this series that I just love. Maybe it's the very ordinary people: Bea and Ant, checkout operator and trolley guy. The Missing Red Carpet Mystery (The Supermarket Mysteries Book 4) by Rachel Ward. 📚

A royal visit, a missing red carpet, a shoplifter later found dead …

Baxter K9 Hero by Jodi Burnett was a freebie for joining the author's mailing list. It's a prequel to a series which is probably why it was a simple and straightforward story of searching for a missing girl. Nothing too complicated. 📚

I've bought another from the series.

I enjoy this series, so Someone Murderous at The Midnight Motel (The Accidental Detective Book 5) by Kris Bock was a good read. 📚

when Kate’s hot flashes wake her in the middle of the night, she wanders outside to cool off and stumbles over a dead body. [They] can’t trust anyone at the motel or the local police force they suspect of corruption.

I rarely buy books on paper, but the first couple of pages of Sylvia and the Birds: How The Bird Lady saved thousands of birds and how you can too by Johanna Emeney and Sarah Laing had me hooked. 📚

This gorgeous NZ book is:

Part graphic biography, part practical guide to protecting our bird wildlife

Another darn good read — Murder At Arrow Pass (An Elk Ridge Murder Mystery Book 2) by Anne Shillolo. 📚

A catastrophic pileup on the treacherous winter highway through Arrow Pass draws Inspector Casgrain and her team into a web of violence that threatens the nearby community of Elk Ridge.

Up in Smoke (Kansas Cozy Mysteries Book 6) by Charlene Weir just didn't really gel for me — I even skimmed several (rather irrelevant) chapters rather than reading them. A couple of characters with very dark back stories, endless political discussions and few appearances by the detectives. 📚

I've enjoyed previous books in this series by Alice Bienia, and this was another engrossing read: Knight In The Museum (A Jorja Knight Private Investigator Mystery Book 5). 📚

When the daughter of a former police officer asks Jorja to look into her father’s death … Jorja is determined to find her the answers she’s looking for.

This book was distinctly odd. Maybe it's a 'thing' I don't know about, a genre I don't usually read … I just don't know. I probably won't read more in the series. 📚

The Thin Woman (The Ellie Haskell Mysteries Book 1) by Dorothy Cannell:

Ellie Simons stands to inherit her Uncle Merlin’s huge English country house. But on three utterly bizarre conditions. One: she must lose 63 pounds (rude!). Two: she must marry the fake fiancé she’s been passing off as her true love all weekend. And three: she must catch whoever killed Uncle Merlin in the first place.

Kansas in winter sounds brutal. I have no understanding of how anyone survives. A Cold Christmas (Kansas Cozy Mysteries Book 5) by Charlene Weir has some complex trails to follow, with the cold almost a character in its own right. Another in an enjoyable series. 📚

I'd missed reading this first in a series, so remedied that. The Winter Widow (Kansas Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Charlene Weir explains the back story and is an enjoyable read too. 📚

I started Blood Orchids (Paradise Crime Mysteries, Book 1) by Toby Neal but found the interpolated inner joys of a sadist disturbing. Then I realised I could skip those segments. When the two threads collided I put the book aside for a while. Now finished, I liked that the protagonist found strength from a past trauma.

I may read more. 📚

I finished reading Murder: Take Two (Kansas Cozy Mysteries Book 4) by Charlene Weir. 📚

It was a pleasant enough read which made us familiar with the characters, but the solution was ultimately reached through an external source rather than through deduction or clues. That feels a bit of a cheat.

This was a good enough read, though a bit slow and very rainy. A Prescription for Murder (Kansas Cozy Mysteries Book 3) by Charlene Weir. 📚

I think I still have another book in the series to read.

I read 3 chapters of Dead Before Dinner (A Maddie Swallows Mystery Book 1) by Kat Bellemore then stopped and read a few other books.

I did eventually read the rest, but it wasn't a favourite. 📚

I quite enjoyed Amazon.com: A Lesson in Murder (Kansas Cozy Mysteries Book 2) by Charlene Weir. 📚

I didn't figure out the guilty party, but the clues had been there.

Going ahead now to read the next one soon.

Changing Gears by L A Wright held my interest. 📚

When Jen embarks on a scenic cycling tour in France, she never expects to have her life upended by Abi, a captivating Scottish travel writer with a magnetic personality.

A fair few annoying typos. And, as the author seems to love the word askance, she should learn what it means and how to use it …

I loved this excellent book by an author whose previous books I've also really enjoyed. A Calculated Risk by Cari Hunter kept me reading. 📚

Jo has to risk her career to save a woman’s life, and a bad night gets worse when the trauma surgeon turns out to be Isla Munro, Jo’s only real love, who walked out on her 15 years ago and never came back.

The Cleaner, the Cat and the Space Station (The Shantivira Book 1) by Fay Abernethy sounded interesting.

The story was spoiled by the huge amount of rather didactic exposition. I admire the author's wish to present us with alternative ways of thinking, but there was just too much explanation. 📚

On one hand fantasy and romance … not my things really. On the other time travel and lesbians, and lots of interesting women. I read and pretty much enjoyed Sweet Paladin (In the Queerness of Time Book 1) by Alex Washoe. 📚

Harks back to Xena and Gabrielle.

Thanks to Cheri for the link.