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Review

Review

The Mistletoe Mystery

by Brian Kenney

Are you one of the many fans of Molly the maid? Then you’ll love Prose’s latest work, a novella—this reader finished it on the flight from Boston to New York—centered on the holidays. Since Molly’s much-quoted grandmother has died, the holidays just haven’t been the same. This year, though, boyfriend Juan Manuel is determined to bring joy to Molly every day of Advent. But when a few shadows pass over Molly’s work life in the Regency Grand Hotel, she’s suddenly doubting Juan, love, and their future. What a perfect stocking stuffer!

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Review

The Gonif

by Brian Kenney

Work has been sparse for detective Amos Parisman. He’s getting older, while his wife, whose dementia has become more advanced, requires greater attention. So when he’s asked to take on a job protecting a rare Torah—it was smuggled out of a North African Jewish community during World War II and somehow made its way to a small, rundown Sephardic temple in Hollywood—Amos is quick to say yes. A small, easy job, what could go wrong? Just wait and see. A bit of a classic gumshoe and a bit of a luft-mensch, or dreamer, Amos brings on his usual cast of characters to help out, from former-wrestler Omar to cousin Shelly to LAPD Lieutenant Bill Malloy (the two guardedly share information.) It’s a delight to follow Amos as he rolls around Los Angeles County, following potential leads while immersing himself in the world of rare books. Weinberger never fails to deliver a novel that’s as rich in character as it is in environment. Save it for that weekend when you need to escape.

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Review

Out in the Cold

by Jeff Ayers

The luxury yacht Aurora has a stellar group of diplomats and bigwigs enjoying the amenities and view of the Mediterranean when an attack turns the serenity to chaos. Possible targets include a diplomat from Finland and Special Agent Alex Martel’s former boss at Interpol, Celeste Clicquot. Alex helps save the day, but questions linger regarding the reason for the assault. It’s also clear that this was just the beginning. Someone does not want Finland to join NATO, and they are willing to risk World War III to achieve their goal. When things get personal for Alex, she goes against orders to take matters into her own hands. She must tread lightly with the few people she can trust to save the day again. This follow-up to Perfect Shot proves that Alex Martel and her cohorts lead one of the better special-ops series out there. Alex and Caleb, her current boss and possible love interest, are characters readers will follow anywhere. Fans of these novels should have Urszenyi on their mandatory reading pile.

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Review

Passiontide

by Brian Kenney

A brilliant novel, at turns passionate and bold, deeply unsettling yet often wonderfully humorous, set on the small Caribbean island of St. Colibri. It’s the evening before Ash Wednesday when a young woman is discovered murdered, lying in a public park under a cannonball tree. Talented Sora Tanaka was one of the many pan players who came to the island for Carnival—in her case from Japan—to perform in a steel-pan competition. There is nothing surprising about Sora’s murder, in fact so many women have been killed on the island that there is even a police unit dedicated to solving their killings (OMWEN, the Office of Murdered Women). But for some reason Sora’s brutal killing sparks an outcry from women that evolves into a full-scale revolution, attracting thousands of women to occupy a downtown square, igniting the fight against the patriarchy, domestic violence, and international femicide. Eventually their protests reverberate across the world and are covered everywhere from CNN to the BBC. Much of this story is told through the lives of four women, including a leader of sex workers on the island and even, shockingly enough, the wife of the Prime Minister. Roffey is a genius at dialing down the story—focusing on one character or a couple—then ramping it up to depict huge crowd scenes. This book is a wonderful reminder of why I read crime fiction; it belongs in the collection of every public library.

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Review

The Business Trip

by Henrietta Thornton

Get ready to root for two women, strangers to each other, in this fast moving thriller. Madison, WI waitress Jasmine has readers on a knife edge as she sneaks out of her so-called boyfriend’s trailer in the middle of the night to escape his belittling and violence. Stephanie, news director at a TV station in Madison, has things easier, but is lonely. When she goes to San Diego for a conference she doesn’t return to work. Instead she texts her neighbor that she’s met a great man and tells her job she needs unexpected time off…go, girl! But the trip isn’t as it seems. When the two women’s paths cross each other and that of an odious man, things take very unexpected and thrilling turns, right up to an exciting ending twist. There could be less telling and more showing here, but readers will relish following Jasmine and Stephanie as they take the roads less traveled in this absorbing, tightly plotted debut.

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Review

Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge

by Willy Williams

Traumatized by a Himalayan avalanche that nearly killed her and that took the life of a close friend, renowned climber Ingrid Berg has returned to the charming Norwegian mountain hotel that has been her family’s home for 130 years. Putting away her crampons and ice ax, the 33-year-old has taken over managing Glitter Peak Lodge from her octogenarian grandmother. Christmas is coming, and it’s make-or-break time for the financially struggling inn. For the first time in years, the lodge will be open through tne New Year. “We will both continue the traditions of the past and introduce new ones,” Ingrid optimistically tells her staff. But as the days count down to Christmas Eve, Ingrid finds running the business as challenging as climbing Heaven’s Horn, the peak that looms over the hotel and the nearby village of Dalen. And strange things are happening, from last-minute cancellations to a noisy, late-night drive-by car parade of local teens. Is someone trying to sabotage Ingrid’s holiday plans to force her to sell the lodge? And is there a connection to the long-ago disappearance of a young bride? As old secrets are gradually revealed, Ingrid also finds her bruised heart opening up to a childhood sweetheart. With its 24 chapters organized like an advent calendar for daily reading, Johnsen’s second novel and first to be translated into English is a delightful, warm-hearted cozy about the healing power of family and community. Its magical winter setting; appealing, colorful characters; fascinating details on Norwegian Yuletide traditions; and recipes for such regional specialties as Pinnekjøtt (smoked lamb ribs) and krumkaker (cone-shaped Christmas cookies) will have readers booking their next holiday vacation at Glitter Peak Lodge.

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Review

A Messy Murder

by Brian Kenney

Simon Brett is juggling a number of excellent series, but these mysteries, featuring professional declutterer Ellen Curtis, are my favorites. Ellen is a totally believable character, with a complex life involving family, her career, and the lives of her clients, who often come to her in a state of crisis. The major mystery here is the death of 80-year-old Humphrey Carter, a well-known TV personality. Ellen is hired to sort out his study, only to find him slumped over his desk, dead. But minor mysteries abound. Why has Ellen’s 20-something daughter moved home, refusing to talk and leaving an older man to take care of the expenses? And how did her son suddenly pop up on the television, escorting a starlet on Hollywood’s red carpet? There’s lots to figure out here, and even more to make us wait impatiently for the next installation.

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Review

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

by Jeff Ayers

Carter’s latest novel answers the question: What if Agatha Christie wrote a rom-com? Maggie Chase writes cozy mysteries, and Ethan Wyatt writes thrillers for the same publisher. Maggie wants nothing to do with Ethan, and for some reason, he keeps calling her Marcie. Forced to fly together when a private jet takes them to a Christmas party hosted by a reclusive fan of their books, they are stunned to learn the host is none other than their favorite author, Eleanor Ashley, who inspired Maggie to start writing. Things get complicated when Eleanor vanishes, and shortly after that, murder joins the party. Maggie and Ethan are forced to trust each other since nobody else on Eleanor’s invite list appears innocent. This fast-paced novel reads like a mix of a terrific Hallmark movie and a Cary Grant movie from the 1930s. The dialogue alone is worth the price of admission. This is the perfect book for fans of Christmas romance and locked room mysteries and it’s understandable why it’s being compared to the last Knives Out movie.

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Review

Beyond Reasonable Doubt

by Jeff Ayers

How do you represent a defendant in a court of law when that person is someone you have not trusted since you were a kid? That is Keera Duggan’s dilemma in this terrific follow-up to Her Deadly Game. Keera and Jenna Bernstein were rivals as children, and Keera never liked Jenna, though she tried several times. Jenna would always manipulate Keera and even get her in trouble merely to satisfy her ego. Later, Keera’s dad got Jenna cleared of a murder charge and now she is CEO of a biotech company. Circumstantial evidence has Jenna in hot water again, and only Keera can prove her innocence this time. Dugoni is one of the best in the legal-thriller world, and he finds compelling ways to tell stories that involve injustice. Keera has her work cut out for her because she might believe Jenna is innocent of this crime, but does that make her not guilty of others?

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Review

Clever Little Thing

by Henrietta Thornton

Most of this book takes place in the past, when Londoner Charlotte; her American husband, Pete; and their eight-year-old daughter, Stella, await the arrival of a new baby. Charlotte is mainly focused on Stella, but she resists a diagnosis for her while a mom friend with an autistic child urges her to confirm why their children are so alike. The only person Stella seems to get along with is her odd—bordering on sinister, if you ask Charlotte—babysitter, a young Armenian woman named Blanka. She’s not very attentive to Stella, plays odd games, and will only respond “oh, yes,” to every suggestion Charlotte makes, while never once following through. Things take a turn for the stranger after Blanka dies suddenly. Now Stella seems exactly like her former caregiver, craving her strong meat stew (though the family is vegetarian), speaking like her, and in all ways seeming to channel the strange young woman. Readers will be rapt as the family members each retreat to their different corners of the house, literally and mentally; Charlotte’s beliefs are torn apart; and terrible danger looms ever closer. An unusual debut; readers will certainly be on the lookout for more from Echlin and her brilliant portrayal of doubt, fear, and fractured families.

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