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Amateur Sleuth

Review

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective

by Brian Kenney

With its seven eccentric residents, charming historic bungalows, and a beautiful Santa Barbara setting just minutes from the beach, this novel will remind readers of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of a City series, although the latter lacks a mystery element. But they do both share an aging, somewhat hippy matriarch who owns and governs her own complex, and Mrs. B., the landlady of the Santa Barbara Marigold Cottages, only rents to those who need a leg up. Mrs. B.’s latest acquisition is Anthony, a reserved hulk with a prison background and the tats to prove it. Anthony makes the other tenants anxious, and when a dead body is found on the grounds of the cottages, the tenants, with the exception of Mrs. B, all point to Anthony. But Mrs. B. remains certain of his innocence, and heads down to the police station to turn herself in. Wonderfully eccentric with deep dives into many of the characters’ lives, this quickly paced read provides the perfect summer mystery.

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Review

10 Marchfield Square

by Brian Kenney

Yes, the comparison to Only Murders in the Building is inevitable (as it is to The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective, above, not to mention The Thursday Murder Club). All are narratives of place, in which the residents of a building, or buildings, are deeply involved in the story as amateur detectives, suspects, or both. Marchfield Square inhabits the smallest block of squares in London, with many of the units—Rear Window-like—facing internally, providing residents with a great deal of information about one another, but with little opportunity for actual conversation, at least without hollering across the courtyard. Remarkably, the elderly heiress who owns the complex, Celeste van Duren, is not just still alive, but actively engaged in running it. So when one of the residents is murdered (he totally deserved it), Celeste appoints two of the tenants—Audrey, a young woman who works as Celeste’s cleaner, and Lewis, a somewhat failed novelist—to a team responsible for investigating the murder. Because as we all know, the real police can’t be trusted to do anything right. Audrey and Lewis have to work out their own difficulties, but eventually the two are seen together snooping about the Square tracking the activities of their neighbors and friends. And guess what? Everyone has something to hide. This is loaded with humor and packed with punch, and cozy readers will be sure to keep a look out for more from this Audrey/Lewis duo.

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Review

The Busybody Book Club

by Brian Kenney

Nova Davies has relocated from London to a remote Cornish seaside town, in part to be with her fiancé, whom she is set to marry in a little more than a week. While Nova loves her job as a social worker in the local community center, she can’t help but be a bit frustrated by her clients. Must the five members of her book group—a real bunch of misfits if there ever was one—argue about everything? But that’s just the beginning of a series of misfortunes, all of which seem to point to Nova. First one of their own, a book group participant, disappears, only to have a dead body show up in his house. Then a significant sum of money, earmarked to repair the community center’s ancient roof, goes missing—could Nova really have been so dizzy that she forgot to lock up the building? There’s a lot of fun to be had here, from Phyllis, an Agatha Christie superfan who insists on using Christie’s plots to solve the murder and find the funds, to Nora, whose life couldn’t become more complicated thanks to a full-on control freak of a mother-in-law and a mom who’s stranded in South America, likely to miss her wedding. And the fiancé? Please dump him. A delight from start to finish, and sure to please cozy readers who appreciate strong characters, a great community setting, and a dollop of criminal activity. For readers who enjoy Lucy Gilmore and Emily Henry.

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Review

Murder Takes a Vacation

by Danise Hoover

Readers of this author’s Tess Monaghan series might remember Muriel Blossom as a minor character. She’s plump and elderly, which gives her the ability to disappear into the background, making her effective at surveillance. But life is very different now. For one thing, a found lottery ticket has made her wealthy. She is on her way to France to meet an old friend for a cruise on the Seine, and arrives so early for her flight that she is upgraded to business class. Allan, gray-haired, attractive, also early, takes her under his wing, giving her a melatonin gummy to help her sleep. When they arrive in London too late for her connecting flight to Paris, he shepherds her through the unexpected day. This is not what our Muriel is used to, and though she is flattered and intrigued, her natural skepticism and self-awareness are ever-present. In Paris, she is confronted with murder, art theft, and an FBI agent (or is he?) and a newer, stronger, more outspoken version of herself. The river cruise offers more interests, but also more dangers, and ultimate solutions. Overarching all are Muriel’s memories of her dead husband and a lifetime of shame for her weight, which she finally confronts. The story is complicated, but the character of Muriel is so compelling and wonderful that it’s more important than any crime. Here’s a woman who has found her rhythm and style along with the culprits. Readers cannot fail to love her.

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Review

The Potting Shed Murder

by Brian Kenney

Might this book be a cozy mystery? Let’s run it through my cozy-meter and find out. One, do we have much empathy for the lead character? Absolutely. Daphne Brewster, a Black woman—in fact, the only person of color as far as the eye can see—has moved her husband and family out of south London to a Norfolk town called Pudding Corner to escape urban woes. She’s become so successful at selling antiques that she’s now known as the vintage lady. Still, it turns out that things are as complex in Pudding as they are in London. Two, isn’t the book too slow? No. If you want faster, go find James Patterson. The characters in this town are so absolutely delightful as they roam about the town that I would happily spend another day or two with them. Again, the name: Pudding Corner. Might that be a hint as to what we can expect? Three, is it sexy and violent? Much more yearning than sexy. And if there had been any sex, it was years ago. As to the violence, it is offstage, involving a corpse that keels over in his allotment patch—a little garden the size of a postage stamp where Brits go and plant rutabaga on the weekends. Four, is this book a stand-alone? We hope that the publisher is sensible and Ms. Sutton will be back to delight us again with Daphne and Book Two.

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Review

Welcome to Murder Week

by Brian Kenney

An utterly heartfelt, entertaining, and beguiling sophomore effort from Dukess, author of The Last Book Party (2019). Cath is finally going through the possessions of her recently deceased mother. Cath was raised by her grandmother, and her relationship with her hippy mom consisted of intermittent and impulsive visits throughout her Buffalo childhood, with mom disappearing nearly as fast as she would arrive. So it’s a shock when Cath finds among her mother’s possessions the tickets for “murder week,” in which a quaint British town is staging a fake murder to bolster tourism, with all the locals taking on a role. But even more remarkable is that Cath’s mother—who as far as Cath knows never left the U.S.—planned for them to go together. What was she thinking? Nevertheless, Cath can’t quite shake the idea of murder week, and in several weeks time, she finds herself in England’s Peak District, sharing a cottage with Wyatt, who back in the States works in his husband’s birding store, and Amity, a divorced romance novelist who is suffering from writer’s block. Dukess deftly handles multiple narratives: the search for clues to the hamlet’s fake murder; the unearthing of shocking revelations about Cath’s family; and a slow-moving, present-day romance. A joy for Anglophiles and chock-a-block full of humor, this coziest of cozies will delight fans of Vera Wong, Finlay Donovan, and The Thursday Murder Club.

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Review

One Sharp Stitch

by Danise Hoover

Shelby is returning home, not by choice. Her career managing a graphic-arts company is over as the company was sold, taking with it her hopes for romance with her boss. She’s had a pretty soft landing, though. Her parents are taking a month-long road trip, leaving her to manage the family needlework shop with the free apartment above. Why isn’t she happier? She feels the judgment of nearly everyone around her, from her practically perfect older sister to her old high school mate Kat who has been vying to take over the shop herself. Kat runs her own business, sharpening knives and scissors and designing and selling needlepoint canvases and high-end scissors. The first weekend that Shelby will be in charge, the shop will hold a trunk show of Kat’s merchandise. When Kat doesn’t show up to help prepare, Shelby goes looking for her, finding her in her mobile sharpening van with a knife in her chest. The police and all others rule this a terrible accident, but not our Shelby. Her unauthorized sleuthing isn’t the only tension in the story. She needs to run the business, maintain the proper position in the community and deal with her sister’s tacit criticism of whatever she does. To assist her, Shelby starts building a community of needlepointers of her own age group, men included, and of course adopts a stray cat. The charming town, Shelby’s renewed love of needlework, and her growing group of friends will have readers eagerly awaiting the next installment. Just as many cozy mysteries include recipes, this one ends with needlepoint patterns.

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Review

Glitter in the Dark

by Danise Hoover

We are taken back to the roaring ’20s, to speakeasys and the Ziegfeld Follies, in this gritty noir with Ginny Dugan as our main character and sleuth. She and her dancer sister have come to New York from Kansas. Dottie, the sister, dances for the Follies, and is engaged to Charlie, a financial guy from home; Ginny writes an advice column for Photoplay, though keeps angling for real, hard-nosed reporting. Ginny is out partying at a speakeasy when she’s a witness to the kidnapping of Josephine, a headliner who is Black, but her story is not believed. People are dying of heart attacks in Harlem dance clubs, and dancers are reporting ghosts in the dressing rooms of the Follies, young women who have been murdered. There are drug stashes and secret crime bosses. Ginny partners with Jack, a detective, but it is Gloria, a Follies star, who calls to her heart. The level and complexity of the crime speaks to a mastermind: the Eagle, whose identity is unknown until the end. This debut turns back the clock with authentic detail and sharply drawn characters and a strong sense of violence and lawlessness. A challenging book.

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Review

A Fashionably French Murder

by Brian Kenney

Expat Tabitha King—formerly of suburban Detroit—is living, as the kids would say, her best life. She’s upped and moved to post-war Paris—she’s bilingual thanks to her mother and French grandmother—and this third, and best, in the mesmerizing “American in Paris” series finds Tabitha hanging out with her chum Julia Child, from whom she picks up some much-needed cooking tips. She’s also settling disputes between her Grand-père and his partner, Oncle Rafe (they are reopening a restaurant, thus the agida) and dipping her toe in the heady world of haute couture, with Christian Dior, who makes a cameo appearance, leading the way with his “New Look.” But when Tabitha discovers a body in one of the exclusive fashion ateliers, all the frothy fun comes to a halt, or at least a sputter, as Tabitha, with the sometime help of the all-too-handsome Inspecteur Merveille, throws herself into the search for the murderer. It’s a search that takes Tabitha back to Paris during the Occupation and the work of the Resistance against the Nazis and the French Vichy government, as well as those whose role was less clearly defined. Rich in history, full of the value of friendship and family, and with a very, very slow-growing romance (we want more, Colleen!) this is certain to be one of the best mysteries of 2025.

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Review

I Died for Beauty

by Brian Kenney

Amanda Flower’s Emily Dickinson series just keeps getting better and better. It’s 1857 and Amherst, Massachusetts is experiencing one of the worst winters anyone can remember. Along with the freezing cold is the fear of chimney fires, and indeed an out-of-control blaze in Kelley Square, the Irish section of town, kills a young family, with the eight-year-old daughter, Nora Rose, the sole survivor. But the blaze has suspicious origins, and Emily and her maid Willa take it upon themselves to investigate. There is a lot going on in this novel, but it is all handled with great deft. Emily’s ongoing reliance upon Willa sets the maid apart from the other household staff, fostering jealousy. The marriage of Emily’s brother, Austin, and his wife,, Susan, continues to deteriorate. Women’s role in society, especially in marriage, is a source of ongoing debate. The future of the now-orphaned Nora Rose, an Irish Catholic girl in a largely Protestant town, and with no relatives, upsets the Dickinson household. Meanwhile, Willa’s own love life takes a dramatic turn. A great choice for book groups, which will appreciate both the book’s breadth and depth. Readers who enjoy this title may also like Mariah Fredericks’s The Wharton Plot and Kate Khavari’s A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons.

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