It’s a pleasure to share that this, the thirty-seventh title in the Agatha series, is as entertaining as any of the preceding titles, if not actually better. White it’s true that some readers recently introduced to the series might benefit from knowing a bit more of Agatha’s past, Green–and, for decades, Beaton–have continued to develop the Aggie we know and love. And it is quite an achievement! Here, the Cotswolds are in an uproar, with many of the local pubs, which can’t afford the raise in the rent, being converted into apartments. Add to this the attempts of Sir Charles Fraith to rekindle his passion for Agatha, while in the midst of one of the local historical recreations, this time of the 17th-century, a body is discovered. And the businessman who was shot has a connection with the bar. Could Agatha be the next victim? Cranky, funny, and all too real, this is a delightful tale sure to draw both new and older readers.—Brian Kenney
Cozy
With a title like this, how could a book be anything but a bit zany? Daphne, named for the Scooby-Doo character, fresh from a forensic journalism degree and a failed hope of a job, arrives in Reno. Her great-aunt is reviving a scandalous rag of a newspaper into something that reports high-society events. She has a classic meet-cute with her hunky fellow staffer, though strives to keep her libido in check and just be a colleague. Their first assignment is to cover a wedding at a rural Oregon resort famed for its sasquatch sightings. The owner of the lodge is marrying a woman nearly 30 years his junior and, despite a pre-nup, his family is outraged. Because of a booking error, our duo must share a lavish but outdated suite complete with a champagne-glass bathtub and a secret passage. Of course, there is a missing hotel maid, bigfoot sightings, and a whiff of (get this!) real-life fugitive D.B. Cooper. Our intrepid reporter ferrets out the clues and solves this in Scooby-Doo fashion with the assistance of dogs. Silly and light as a feather, sure, but lots of fun.—Danise Hoover
A lovely New England village, a charming, successful local museum, and the prospect of the loan of a historic quilt from a leading citizen; what could go wrong? Alas, the brunch meeting that museum curator Caroline Platte has with said leading citizen goes about as wrong as possible, with the discovery of the donor’s dead body and a missing quilt. Our lovely village is fraught with undercurrents of classism, real estate greed, and. of course, sexual misconduct. The morning coffeeshop coterie discusses and gossips hoping for clues, but it is our intrepid curator Caroline and her stalwart landlady Libby who face dangers to find the solution. Unfortunate arrests, false leads, and personal masks abound and lead our duo in fruitless directions. Like the best of cozies, this ends not with a recipe, but there’s a quilt pattern as well. Solid character development, a well-crafted plot with history and art pointing the way, and a heartwarming side-story make this a satisfying and enjoyable read.—Danise Hoover
Book of the Week May 7, 2026
Patricia Phillips, formerly a Lawyer and now a psychotherapist, revels in her status as village curmudgeon. She lives on the Sussex Downs, swims in the cold English Channel daily, and lays down the law to tourists who venture too close to the edge of the cliff and people with their dogs off-leash. One of her patients is found washed up at the bottom of the cliff and is swiftly declared a suicide by the local incurious police department. Pat loudly and vehemently disagrees but has no success in getting the case reopened. She, of course, sets out to solve it, with the assistance of her friend Prichard. While she feels that her training will give her insights and make her readily able point out the killer, there are holes in her assumptions. She must face the changing local population (swingers and boho golf club planners) in addition to her own errors in thinking and lack of internet know-how. Pat is an extraordinary character, equally cranky and loveable, and the ending of her tale leaves open the chance for another installment. Readers can only hope.—Danise Hoover
There’s a lot going on in Jackson-Opoku’s latest book, the successor to her debut, Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes. But one topic is totally overwhelming, and that’s food. A longtime chef, Savvy owns a cafe in Chicago that draws plenty of patrons seeking her delectable, comfortable soul food. But Savvy is a bit restless, and when a long-term friend hires her to cater a company luncheon featuring Creole classics (po’boys, bread pudding…I just can’t stop) at a nearby office, the chef takes the job, only to find someone dead in the company’s conference room. Once again, Savvy has to manage her role as murder investigator while still keeping her cafe afloat. What’s really fun about Jackson-Opoku’s books is the richness of detail—with references to poetry, fiction, and song scattered throughout the text—as well as reports from friends and family. We’re fortunate to have a great new series to enjoy.—Brian Kenney
Hotelier and herbalist Nora Althorp lives and works in Ravensea, the family castle, outside of York. It has been occupied by members of her family for around one thousand years. As such, the ghosts that also reside in the castle are well known to the family and regularly communicate. This week is a busy one. A scholar is making a deal with Nora’s father to hunt for a Viking hoard on the property, proceeds to be split of course; a group of TV wanna-bees are on site to film the ghosts, with the hopes of commercial success; and Nora’s brother has set up a Viking fest for the weekend, complete with roast ox and burning dragon ship. The ghosts perform beautifully, leading people to clues, though not everyone behaves within honorable strictures as far as the treasure is concerned. There is a lot of skulking about, minor poisonings, and eventually a murder. Nora outdoes the police but readily shares what she learns. A very comfy cozy with friendly supernatural additions that is a nice easy read.—Danise Hoover
It’s December in the beach town of Gore-on-Sea, and Nora Breen, recently a cloistered Carmelite nun, is drawn into the intrigue of a séance by friend and Detective Inspector Rideout. She is not invited to attend, but Rideout is. The medium, Mrs. Chimes, dies during the séance, murdered as we later find out, and all who were present seem marked for strange and dreadful deaths of their own. The connection is discovered only after much sleuthing, and Nora, with her sharp intelligence and easy manner, is able to uncover the striking details needed to unravel this. There is, however, so much more to this book than its complex mystery. The richly drawn characters, quirky situations of life in this odd town, and spectacularly inventive and colorful descriptive prose used by the author (portraits “rendered in gravy-brown paint”) make this captivating to read. As it is the second in a series, readers can only hope for number three.—Danise Hoover
Book of the Week April 9, 2026
Faye Wader, NYT bestselling author of the Kitty Howe mystery series, finally makes the plunge with the encouragement of her assistant, Jade, and hosts her first ever author event. On Misery Island, a place of nostalgic fun and hijinks for Faye, the 50 attendees will be able to attend Pre- Post- or Peri-Menopausal Mermaid Meditation; Publishing Confidential: Inside the Book Business, with Faye’s editor and agent; a Kitty Howe-themed Clambake, and more. The swag bags include plenty of kitsch, including signature Kitty Aviators, binoculars, and a lobster bib, along with copies of her last, and newest, title. And never mind that Faye’s number-one fan and critic, Peggy Mercer, will be there, surely with news of a misplaced comma or incorrect tense – all those other loyal adoring Kitty loyalists will lift Faye above that. The arrival of Faye’s franchise series rival, though not a complete surprise, ups the competition for attendees’ attention, as well as that of her editor, Merry, and her agent, Hal. Distracted by concerns with her forthcoming manuscript and lack of feedback from Hatchet, her publisher, Faye slips up on a plot point detail, which Peggy recognizes as a lie in Faye’s own backstory. Meanwhile Xoey, a social media maven who’s crippled without her phone, is desperate to tell the “author weekend story.” Feeling trapped by a prescribed wardrobe and envy, Faye begins to spiral. Before long, the bodies start to pile up. Readers will delight in discovering who ends up on the top of the heap, both literally and figuratively. A sharp, gossipy, and hilarious satire of the publishing business.—Dodie Ownes
This series is wonderfully reminiscent of Armistead Maupin’s series Tales of the City, Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club series, and Only Murders in the Building—all of which have a wonderful sense of community, an abundance of love, and a good dollop of eccentricity. It’s six months or so after the first murder solved by Mrs. B., the Marigold Cottages’ eccentric proprietor, who follows the lives of her tenants by keeping the cottages very quiet—too quiet, she is beginning to think. So she invites a friend, Elsa, to occupy one of the empty homes well located in Santa Barbara. But when a tragic death occurs, and several of the residents have reason to believe that Elsa is the protagonist, Mrs. B. has no choice except to call together the members of the Murder Collective to figure out who is responsible, and why. Then there is another death, with Elsa again the suspect. Can the collective free Elsa from their many doubts?—Brian Kenney
Book of the Week March 26, 2026
Dogs and drama, detectives and divas. There is a whole lot going on in this, the fifth in Burns’s Baker Street series. But despite all the balls she has in the air, it looks like the wedding of Maddy (bride-to-be, social media queen, beloved daughter, full-time baker, dog parent to an adored 200 lb. English mastiff) and veterinarian Michael will go off without a hitch. Scores of people are arriving in New Bison, Michigan to celebrate the event, although a few participants have come just to complain about or to one another. This would include two cousins who always clash, Dorothy (pure negativity) and Hannah (whom most people believe is incapable of killing). But then Dorothy is found dead, her body left outside the bakery. And Hannah is discovered standing over her, the alleged murder weapon, a bloodied rolling pin, in hand. What is going on here? To get to the bottom of it all, Maddy calls in the Baker Street Irregulars, a group of non-professionals who excel at helping the police solve crimes. A fun, high-energy narrative that does a brilliant job of illuminating life in small-town America.—Brian Kenney
