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Amateur Sleuth

Review

The Silent House of Sleep

by Danise Hoover

Book of the Week March 5, 2026

It is 1928 when we meet highly respected pathologist Dr Jack Cuthbert. In a deft combination of mystery and history we follow him from his early days as a medical student to his time in the trenches of WWI and on to his present position of respect and authority. He faces a case that’s a true puzzler: two naked bodies buried together, tied facing each other, but with different times and methods of death. The narration takes readers back and forth in time, from Cuthbert’s war and medical-school experience to his present-day 1928, establishing the basis for the nuances of the characters. Cuthbert’s young assistant, Morgenthal, and a contentious-at-first police inspector, Mowbray, form the team that must sort out the murders, with an unlikely clue coming from Virgil. The author gives us an unvarnished view of the trenches, the social constraints of the times, and the early days of forensic medicine. This is the first in a trilogy, which was published in the UK in 2023 and won a Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, is an exceptional addition to the genre. —Danise Hoover

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Review

Murder Like Clockwork

by Dodie Ownes

Full of twists and turns and characters whom readers will both love and hate, Murder Like Clockwork is the second title in Whyte’s 10 Marchfield Square series—and if you didn’t read the first, don’t worry! You can still drop right into this delightful mystery that’s set in the Belgravia area of London, overseen by grande dame Celeste. Audrey is a housecleaner, and Anton Petrov’s apartment is a special case. She cannot arrive early, or leave late. And then there are the dozens of antique clocks that must be wound every week. And, it never seems like anyone has been there between her weekly visits. One frigid day, she arrives early and discovers a body neatly placed on a plastic sheet. When the police finally get there, they go inside to find…nothing. No body, no blood. When Audrey consults with co-sleuth Lewis, who hates his job as a recruiter and would rather be a mystery writer, the hunt to find the murderer takes off. Whyte delights readers with characters eccentric and homey, willingly ignorant and intensely involved. Was it revenge? A contract kill? A money grab? Audrey and Lewis slowly but surely unravel the mystery and offer a completely satisfying wrap-up. Here’s hoping that Whyte keeps this recruiter and cleaner and their clever banter busy for many more titles.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

Turning the Page on Murder

by Danise Hoover

Bookstore-themed mysteries are cozies, right? Well, not this one. Bookseller Kate is in a complicated relationship with security-specialist Gary, who has taken a new job guarding a high-tech company run by an extremely secretive woman. Kate lives with her great-aunt Roselyn, who is losing herself to Alzheimer’s and no longer has a firm grasp on reality. Kate follows her aunt through the orchard late at night to the neighbor’s house, and finds her standing over the neighbor’s body with a knife in her hand. Gary arrives, as do the local police, and Kate cobbles together a false story that ends with her fingerprints on the knife. She is convinced that the only thing that will save her aunt is for her, Kate, to solve the murder. Car chases, cyber-crimes, hidden codes, and of course more blood follow in this bookstore mystery that, though we barely visit the store, sees a book plays a leading role in solving the knotty puzzle. Unexpected, fast paced, and somewhat confusing, this is hard to put down.—Danise Hoover

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Review

Murder at the Hotel Orient

by Brian Kenney

It may claim to be set in contemporary Vienna, but this novel reverberates far more with hotels–and their staff—from years ago. Visitors arrive at the Hotel Orient for many reasons, but the most likely are to enjoy a sexual tryst, appreciate a real good dalliance of yore, or just to hide their secrets. Cameras, along with all technology newer since the lightbulb, are banned. And guests are expected to adopt an alias, whether for three hours or 30 days. At the center of the hotel is American Sterling Lockwood, the cool, queer concierge and “keeper of the secrets.” She is ready to make every visit memorable no matter what it takes, as is Fernando, her best friend and bellhop. But, shockingly, the unmanageable happens: a double murder is discovered one morning, a first in the Orient’s history. Without technology and with a ledger full of falsehoods there is no way to decipher who the victim was or where they were going. What can be determined is that Fernando and Sterling must become  detectives, if only to save their own skins.—Brian Kenney  

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Review

A Murder Most Camp: A Mystery

by Danise Hoover

In an unlikely combination of coming of age, family saga, gay romance, and cold-case mystery, we have Mikey (what almost 30-year-old is still called Mikey?), who’s compelled by his father to serve three months at a rustic summer camp as counselor to save his access to his outrageously huge trust fund. He needs to supervise Annabelle, his 12-year-old aunt (family drama), as part of his penance for his wastrel lifestyle. His special group of campers latches onto the story of Rose, a camper who went missing back when Annabelle’s mom was a counselor. The cabin at the center of the mystery is still there, but it’s long unoccupied and decrepit. The intrepid kids and Mikey, a born rule-breaker, work to find answers. Jackson, Mikey’s hunky cabinmate and camp lifeguard, aims to be the voice of reason between steamy sex sessions with Mikey. Do they find the answers? Does Mikey survive the grime and spiders of camp life? Does he actually grow up? Does anyone figure out why they are there in the first place? Confusing and somewhat silly, but ultimately fun.—Danise Hoover

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Review

In the Spirit of French Murder

by Brian Kenney

Book of the Week February 5, 2026

The fourth in Cambridge’s series is a deeply compelling work of historical fiction that’s sure to appeal to a broad range of readers. Set in Paris in the years after the Second World War, these books have 30-year-old Tabitha Knight at their center, living with and cooking for her elderly uncles. She also enjoys occasional visits from her good friend, and Cordon Bleu student, Julia Child (who has just a few cameo appearances, but makes up for that by being loads of fun). In this volume, Tabitha is pulled deep into the world of the Resistance fighters, whose work often went unnoticed after the war, although the differences they made in many people’s lives were enormous. Nonetheless, not everyone is ready to celebrate their work, and when one of the Fighters is murdered, followed by another, and Tabitha’s beloved uncles are threatened, it is time for her to step up and investigate. Fortunately, she has the handsome Inspecteur Merveille on her side, and while he may look critically at Tabitha’s crime solving activities, her bravery and smarts incrementally win him over. Might we be getting close to a kiss?—Brian Kenney

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Review

A Will to Kill

by Danise Hoover

Book of the Week January 29, 2026

In a classically framed and styled mystery set in India rather than the English countryside of classic novels past, readers start off with our wealthy head of family, Bhaskar Fernandez. He’s so sure that someone is trying to kill him he has written two wills: one if he dies of natural causes, the other if under suspicious circumstances. Athreya, famed solver of crimes, has been invited to the country house to be charged with the task of solving the murder should it occur.  As the family is all gathered, there is a landslide that traps all within the compound and thick pea-soup fog that heightens confusion and adds to the intrigue. Confusion and intrigue are the least of it, though, and while murder does occur, it is not what or who was expected. In a lovely throwback to tradition, the book includes area maps and floorplans, and our investigator sorts things as methodically as Poirot might have. This is charming, character driven, and great fun to read.—Danise Hoover 

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Review

The Body in the Kitchen Garden

by Brian Kenney

Pudding Corner in the quaint parish of Pepperbridge. The name says it all, doesn’t it? The sleepy village, a bit twee. The regular offerings of teacakes or fruitcakes. The sharing of what can only be described as gossip, and quite excellent gossip at that. But then there is the shocking smell of smoke, seemingly coming from the gardens of the very grand Darlington Hall. Could it be a fire, set off by the homeless man who had taken up residence on the property, Daphne wonders? Yes, indeed! Closer inspection by Daphne—an antiques dealer helping to renovate the Hall—reveals the horrible end the man experienced, burnt to death in the Hall’s gardens. But as traumatizing as this incident might be, it does not stop Daphne from trying to determine who the man was and why he was murdered. Suffice it to say that Daphne is like some heat-seeking missile—kids, husband, even friends are pretty much moved aside while the search is on. “These villages had been the silent witnesses to secrets both harmless and grim, they had been the background of love trysts and betrayals, of an abundance of happiness and the stage set for a deluge of tears and hidden mystery.” Readers who appreciate S. J. Bennett, Janice Hallett, or Anthony Horowitz will be delighted by Sutton’s latest.—Brian Kenney

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Review

A Disorganised Death

by Brian Kenney

Lively, sophisticated, and chock full of red herrings, this is the fifth in Brett’s decluttering novels featuring Ellen Curtis. She normally refuses to do house clearings, but in her current case, Ellen does take on a clearing job because the work is largely focused on locating a will that must be hidden somewhere in the family’s house. As with the earlier volumes in the series, the book features a small handful of returning characters, including Ellen’s daughter Jools, who now lives in London and is working, to great success, in her mothers decluttering company, while her artist son continues to struggle with mental illness. These family members and friends that pop in and out of the book provide a richness and a vitality that gives the novel real depth. Readers of Richard Osman, Jesse Q. Sutanto, Olivia Black, M. C. Beaton, and many more readers will be delighted.—Brian Kenney

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Review

Missing in Soho

by Brian Kenney

A leader of London’s huge drag scene. A mentor to many young queens. A devoted spouse. A stunning entertainer who is a partial owner of the famous club Lady’s Bar. Misty Divine is all that and a whole lot more, when all of a sudden a man lurches his way into the club, a victim of a stabbing. “You’re in danger, Misty…” is all he can say before passing out. It would be a lie to say that Misty isn’t terrified. But she’s equally aware that she needs to step it up and quickly learns that there are actually a number of leads who want to see her disappear, if not end up six feet under. Misty’s espionage work takes them from a journalist who’s in hiding to a group of creepy financiers to an infamous U.S. televangelist. Tune in to see if Misty manages to overturn the patriarchy and create a new queer order while wearing couture.

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