Tag:

Mystery & Detective

Review

Murder Returns to Gravigna

by Dodie Ownes

Nico Doyle, an American ex-homicide detective, is once again coerced into working with Gravigna’s local police in the final installment of Trinchieri’s “A Tuscan Mystery” series. Maresciallo Perillo, the town’s highest ranking police officer, is weary of his work and gladly accepts Nico’s assistance in determining who murdered Gravigna’s butcher, Sergio Macchi. Amid the beautiful scenery of the Chianti region, bad feelings and secrets lurk and soon the townspeople are suspicious of everyone. As readers meet the shopkeepers and restaurateurs and spend time with OneWag, Nico’s adorable dog, a picture begins to form of a town and its people in transition. There’s even a developer interested in building a high-end hotel complex, much to the chagrin of the locals. After the owner of the enoteca dies by apparent suicide, the search for the murderer picks up speed—what good is a Tuscan town without meat and wine?! Trinchieri brings this deliciously plotted (yes, there is much good eating and a recipe included) mystery imbued with the everyday loves and lives of the locals to a satisfying conclusion. Fans of contemporary mysteries who are craving a trip to the Tuscan countryside without the airfare will find much to relish in this series conclusion.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

Hidden Currents

by Henrietta Thornton

Sheriff’s deputy Sam Karnes just wants to get married to the love of his life, Brenna. His first attempt at writing vows, “Respondent states he loves her and would be willing to proceed with a lifelong commitment,” is perhaps not quite right. Worse again is his meddling mother-in-law. He’s gotten great advice from his boss, the star of this absorbing police procedural, Sheriff Hank Worth, who says to just stay out of most of the wedding arrangements. But Hank can’t stay out of messy politics himself, as in this sixth outing in the series, he’s leading the investigation into a shocking murder in his small Ozarks town of Branson, Missouri. The owner of a local fishing store has been found dead. He was relatively new to town, having bought the store from its long-time owner and moved here with his wife, who he was in the process of divorcing, and her troubled son. In the background of that investigation, Hank’s second-in-command, Sheila, is under the microscope as she testifies against attackers in a case that has politics written all over it. Booth has again brought the Ozarks and police life to the page in a way that will keep readers rapt and leave them waiting for more from these steadfast characters. New readers will find Hank especially endearing and will want to go back to the previous books for more.—Henrietta Thornton

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Review

Five Things I See

by Henrietta Thornton

You know when you’re reading something and hope there will be more of this and then realize IT’S A SERIES! That was my thrilled experience when I left Grace Hartwell’s Jacksonville-cop world and came up for air. What a gripping and satisfying read. Grace is a homicide detective who keeps to herself, relying on her smarts and independence to be the best there is. Here she’s faced with two cases, one of which may not even be a murder—a building inspector has been found dead at the bottom of an under-construction building. There’s an empty bottle of whiskey by his side, so maybe this will be an open-and-shut accident. But nothing can be simple for Grace. Then there’s the much bigger deal of a couple who are found tortured and dead in their home. The husband turns out to have been quite the ladies man, so maybe a jilted lover did it? But when more victims are found, there may be a serial killer—oops, a pattern killer, as she’s been instructed to call them (less media frenzy). A real job is portrayed here with more than one responsibility and workplace politics to boot, and working both cases takes Grace and readers on a breakneck and emotional ride through terrifying danger and the excitement of a tough puzzle and chase. Get this on your TBR now.—Henrietta Thornton

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Review

The Armchair Detectives

by Brian Kenney

They’re a charming bunch, these old geezers. And while it’s easy to dismiss them—with their jokes about their residence, Twilight Lodge, and their ill-operating prostates—something else keeps gnawing at Martin. He’s eighty-four years old, sophisticated, wary of the goings-ons around him, and has under his belt decades working in the Civil Service all over the globe. When several friends in the old home die off, it sets Martin off on sleuthing. Death is a part of life, as the retiree hears so often. But do we need it to visit with such regularity? This novel is pure delight from beginning to end. The characters are treated realistically, love is at least somewhat in the area, and Martin does what he does best: investigate. As comic as it’s thoughtful, this is a title ready for a large, thoughtful, humorous audience.—Brian Kenney

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Review

The Dying Light

by Brian Kenney

Book of the Week July 30, 2026

As with all of Cleeve’s novels, this one centers on a violent act that summons a whole community, from the police to a rising politician and from a small group of teens to the media eager to expose the familes. At the center of the novel is DI Matthew Venn, whose gentle demeanor and persistent inquiry move the storyline ahead, peeling the novel like the proverbial onion. The tale takes place in the UK in the midst of a scorching summer, when Venn has been called in to investigate the death of a young woman found floating face-up in a pool. But it’s not just any pool—the luxurious location is owned by the girl’s friend, Hannah, who is also missing. Social media, secrets, and unrest all go far to crack this mystery, exposing what is left unsaid. A sophisticated, fast-moving novel that many readers will relish.—Brian Kenney

 

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Review

Cry of the Rain Crow

by Jeff Ayers

Seven Mile Lake is hiding something, and in Dove’s gripping follow-up to Mask of the Deer Woman, that something is about to surface. When a boy takes a girl he’s trying to impress out on the water, a naked stranger swims toward their boat and attacks. Later, his body turns up in the lake, missing its heart. He worked for Blackstream Oil, the company drilling on Saliquaw Nation land; Blackstream has been at war with the locals since the day it arrived. Tribal Marshal Starr, a former Chicago cop still fighting to earn her place in the community, is pulled into the wreckage of corporate greed, a cold case involving a missing reservation girl, and secrets she was never meant to find. As the local wildlife turns feral and the drilling site’s methods look more unscrupulous by the day, Starr races to connect the threads before the lake, and everyone living beside it, pays the price. Dove delivers an atmospheric, folklore-steeped mystery anchored by Starr, a flawed and fiercely human protagonist whose search for answers doubles as a search for her own redemption. What she uncovers is as unsettling as it is unputdownable. Just don’t drink the water.—Jeff Ayers

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Review

Pushing Up the Daisies

by Brian Kenney

The Bromley Botanists are composed of quite the crew: eccentric academics, weepy archaeologists, affluent seniors, the truly grumpy, and a whole mish-mash of gardening folk. At the center of the group is middle-aged Gil, who led the Bromfield folk last year in restoring the garden, took over the “Chequered Lawns Golf Club”, and won the Golden Trowel Award. Overachiever much? Just as the Bromfield folk are planning to start digging up bulbs and converting the rich, beautiful soil, they discover the most shocking thing of all: a dead body. And one thing we know about the dead is that they are absolute geniuses at gumming up any project, the bigger the better. Can the botanists ever deliver on the promises they made? A fun read for gardeners and cozy fans alike.—Brian Kenney

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Review

Only the River Knows

by Danise Hoover

Though iving in a small town in pretty much nowhere, MN, sheriff Red Hammergren is faced with murders that would tax the workings of big-city law enforcement. In addition, she has yet to file for her reelection, and is faced with tauntings from the toxically masculine locals, one of whom is actively seeking her job. An amateur-theater production of The Music Man is at the center of the story. The town’s leading citizen has paid a professional to play the lead, with locals filling in the rest. When the director/English teacher is found murdered, it has echoes of the killing of her older sister years before. Is there a serial killer? A cultish group hearkens back to an old, unsolved crime from Seattle and brings a measles outbreak that taxes all. There are further deaths, sexual impropriety connected to the high-school principal, and more trouble than should fit in such a small place. With strong, interesting women characters carrying the day, this is an exciting read with suspects galore and a thrilling, convoluted ending. A fine addition to a strong series.—Danise Hoover

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Review

Split Screen

by Jeff Ayers

Eve Ronin’s week goes from bad to worse in Goldberg’s latest. A new sheriff has blackmail material on the LA detective, forcing her to embrace the social-media spotlight that comes with being the only cop with her own fictional TV show. The actress behind that show, Erin Casey, has ridden the role of Ronin to a career revival, and she’s arranged to shadow her real-life counterpart for a dose of authenticity. The moment Casey climbs into the car, everything unravels: a famous actress turns up dead from an apparent overdose, a previously unknown half-sister surfaces with mob connections and a body in tow, and Ronin finds herself quietly working to save her partner’s job while dodging threats from criminals and colleagues alike. Goldberg has a gift for blending humor with gritty violence and suspense, and his characters feel real enough that readers can’t help rooting for them. Genre fans will also appreciate the nods to Goldberg’s other projects and winks to fellow authors scattered throughout. The ending leaves Ronin’s world thoroughly upended, and the wait for the next installment will not be an easy one.—Jeff Ayers

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Review

The Claus Conspiracy

by Dodie Ownes

Don’t let the cover fool you: this is NOT a Christmas-themed cozy! Yes, there are bell ringers and trips to the mall, but the dead Santa Claus found in the trunk of a car is definitely not jolly. Badly beaten 19 year old Mal (short for Maleficent) cannot remember how she found her way to Seven Ponds Retirement Community, nor where she’s been, and before she can identify the man in the red suit, the body disappears. When a woman claiming to be Mal’s mom (“her name is Kiki!”) appears, everyone is suspicious. Podcaster Amber, her grandmother Jade, and the Death Comes Calling podcast crew dig into solving the mystery, much to the chagrin of local sheriff Eliana Vega, who might have to admit that Amber, just a credential short of being an official private investigator, is ahead of the law in putting the pieces together. An ex-Navy Seal band of brothers, tainted candy canes, and some of the worst Santas you’ve ever seen pile on the fun and intrigue as Amber races to solve the crime before anyone else gets hurt. Nothing can hold these octogenarian sleuths back when they put their minds to it, and their quick wits and quirky skills make this a delightful read from start to finish.—Dodie Ownes

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