firstCLUE Reviews
  • Home
  • Review Database
  • Interviews
  • Crime Fiction News
  • Submission Guidelines
  • About Us
Tag:

Women Sleuths

Review

The Dark Library

by Danise Hoover April 3, 2025

This old-fashioned gothic thriller (appropriate since our lead character has a PhD specializing in that genre) is set in WWII-era academia in New York’s Hudson Valley. Estella, or E as she prefers to be called, has been summoned home by Annie, the family retainer, because E’s mother has gone missing. In the time it takes E to pack up her life in Boston and return, her father has a stroke, can no longer communicate, and dies within days. Despite her Yale degree, the fusty local college where her father held sway employs E as a research assistant, typing for the male faculty members. The tiny salary requires E and Annie to live in penury in E’s parents’ elaborate house, all the while searching for clues to her mother’s whereabouts. Dragging the river finds a body of a missing student from years before, and persistence eventually finds a clue that leads to finding E’s mother. A suicide, unexpected allies, false and true friends, and bitter revelations about the past and present all lead to the dramatic “act of God” ending that such a story requires. Great fun!

April 3, 2025 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

Solid Gold Murder

by Brian Kenney March 27, 2025

My fear of woodland creatures (read “bears”) is so great I could never imagine hanging out in the California forests. Especially overnight. In a tent. But I sure do love reading about life in Foundgold, CA and Dee Stern, the proprietor and part-owner of Motel-of-the-Mountains. It’s early in the season, and Dee is developing family-friendly activities to attract new visitors. But when her socials start to blow up, and it is reported that someone found a gold nugget in Foundgold, Dee realizes that she has a problem on her hands. Or an opportunity? That problem/opportunity is none other than Sylvan Burr—a retired tech industry billionaire, under 30—who suddenly shows up with his entourage; he’s managed to bribe his way into several motel rooms. He’s so rich, how could he be seeking even more money? This all makes for a wonderful cozy. Dee, a former Hollywood sitcom writer, brings sophistication to Byron’s (A Very Woodsy Murder) story, along with plenty of humor, while tiny Foundgold, with its mash-up of crazy residents, provides plenty of entertainment. Sure to appeal to all who love cozies or traditional mysteries.

March 27, 2025 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

The Story That Wouldn’t Die

by Jeff Ayers March 20, 2025

Jolene finds herself in the lobby of city hall when the mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, gets stuck in an elevator. With a job as a TV reporter, she gets the exclusive on the mayor’s rescue. But her instincts go into high gear when she talks to a small-business owner who believes some shady deals are happening in the city government. When he later dies in a car crash, and the family doesn’t want to talk to her or anyone, she begins to question if lucrative government contracts and the people responsible for them are to blame. It doesn’t help that Jolene’s editor wants her to cover a cupcake story and drop the city-hall case. When she begins to receive death threats, she’s torn between wanting to stay alive and not letting injustice slide. Estes has a background in television reporting, and she nails how to tell a story with strong characters whom readers can relate to. The compelling mystery and pursuit of answers make Jolene a fun and engaging amateur detective. The next entry in the series (the previous is Off the Air) cannot come fast enough

March 20, 2025 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

Dying Cry

by Jeff Ayers March 20, 2025

A vacation/honeymoon for Mattie and Cole Walker, along with Cole’s young daughters, quickly goes awry in Mizushima’s (Gathering Mist) latest when the family is out snowshoeing and they hear a scream. Cole and the girls return to the lodge for help, while Mattie stays behind with her K-9 companion, Robo. They see someone hurt, but before they can get there to assist, a rockslide buries the victim, and if it weren’t for quick thinking, Robo would have been buried as well. The investigation proves rocky when Mattie realizes that the victim is someone her family knows; he’s the husband of Cole’s veterinary assistant, Tess. Mattie works with the investigative team for Timber Creek County, and when they start digging, the clues and evidence mount for Tess’s guilt. Isn’t it always the spouse? Mattie doesn’t believe it could be Tess, but the more she tries to prove her friend’s innocence, the more she puts her family in the crosshairs of a dangerous person who is willing to kill again. Mizushima has a terrific series with the Walkers and life in the fictitious Colorado Timber Creek County. Robo, her K-9 assistant, continues to shine. Ten books in, and Mizushima still gets better with every entry.

March 20, 2025 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

What He Left Behind

by Danise Hoover March 13, 2025

Oak Hill, NC is a town where nothing much in the way of crime happens. Then, in the space of a few days, there is murder, robbery, and arson. Jacob Sawyer, someone who hasn’t been seen for 15 years, is back in town, though no one thinks he is the cause. Grace Bingham, local police detective and Jacob’s abandoned love interest from before, is under time pressure to solve the crimes without offending anyone important. Jacob’s back because his mother, beloved in the town, is dying of cancer; Calvin Dockery, an extremely wealthy local who pulls all the strings, is also dying. The current crimes harken to unexplained events of the past that caused Jacob to leave. The story moves from the present to the past and back again, gradually revealing what happened. Grace and Jacob are undeterred in their search to connect what is happening now with what happened in the past regardless of who is involved. Money is power, and power is very dangerous here, and those with it are willing to spare no one. Resolution is not easy, but very satisfying in a book with a great deal of atmosphere and local resonance.

March 13, 2025 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

Her One Regret

by Brian Kenney March 13, 2025

Immensely powerful. Expertly written. Shocking time and time again. This novel poses the question: what should a woman do if she loves her child, but regrets being a mother? Real-estate agent Lucy Mendoza disappears, her groceries and baby abandoned in a Rhode Island supermarket parking lot. Immediately the media is on the case, as is Michelle, Lucy’s very best friend, who is certain Lucy would never abandon her child, and leads a search to exonerate Lucy. In fact, there are a number of theories about Lucy’s absence swirling about town. Cops who can’t help but compare her case to that of the several moms who disappeared over the years in a similar fashion; likely all acts of violence. And then there are the many husbands who decide that Lucy was a home-wrecker, so desperate to leave behind her family she bolted without a trace. And the secret that Michelle carries around: that Lucy regrets being a mother, so much so that she fantasizes about leaving her world behind. But Michelle knows that if information like this ever becomes public, Lucy would emerge from it persona non grata, a monster. What happened to Lucy? Freitas delivers a finale that readers will ponder time and again. A great choice for book groups

March 13, 2025 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

History Lessons

by Brian Kenney March 6, 2025

A unique work of crime fiction told from the perspective of a BIPOC community within an elite, east coast university. Daphne Ouverture, an expert on French colonialism, is a new junior professor. She keeps a low-key life, focused on her research and teaching, with her circle of friends and family (but most assuredly not any of her miserable dates) providing support. Wallbrook does a great job of depicting what life is like for Black women in Harrison University, an Ivy League environment (too often invisible, too often fetishized). But when young professor Sam Taylor, the darling of the anthropology department, is murdered, Daphne’s world is blown wide open. Sam was no friend of Daphne’s, although their paths crossed more than once. It gradually becomes clear that whoever killed Sam is now pursuing Daphne, believing that she has invaluable information, and there’s no place on campus she can feel safe. The pleasures of this book are many, from watching Daphne’s development—and taking on of social-justice issues that have an impact on many of the Harrison women—to the always ready advice from her father and from the appearance of a love interest to the joy of her friendship circle. At the same time, this book can go dark fast with stalking, rape, and sexual abuse all mentioned. Much is made of Daphne’s unique skills as a detective—she’s gifted—and more Daphne can only make the world a much better place.

March 6, 2025 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

Death of an Ex

by Brian Kenney February 27, 2025

Readers were introduced to Evander “Vandy” Myrick in the excellent first book in this series, Trouble in Queenstown. In that book, Vandy had just returned to her hometown (Queenstown, New Jersey) to establish herself as a private investigator, while still mourning the death of her college-age daughter. It’s a strong narrative that ricochets from Vandy’s tragic past to her gutsy present. In Death of an Ex, Vandy once again gets tangled up with family, specifically her ex-husband, Phil Bolden, who walks into her life—and into her bedroom—promising to bring their family back together. But after just one night together, Bolden is found murdered. And Vandy decides it’s her responsibility to investigate who killed him. But Bolden was complicated: a successful businessman, father, philanthropist, and more. And as the only Black woman investigator in town, Vandy has little privacy but is a victim of plenty of gossip. Once again, Pitts has written a novel rich in the many layers of community while delving deeply into the character of Vandy; the balance between the two is perfect. A great choice for a reading group.

February 27, 2025 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

Widows and Orphans

by Henrietta Thornton February 6, 2025

Humor, up-to-the-minute political clashes, and more humor meet in this cozy-adjacent small-town mystery. Our protagonist, Canadian journalist Cat Conway, has had it with the wellness industry, especially its craven criticism of vaccines. Her series of articles on the anti-vax movement has made her a target of right-wingers, and scared advertisers could be the kiss of death for the Quill and Packet—the struggling Port Ellis newspaper Cat works for. Still, when the industry comes to town in the form of the Welcome, Goddess event, at which insufferable influencers Bree and Bliss bring their crystals, navel-gazing, and clothes in colors like oatmeal and wheat, Cat doesn’t shy from covering it. She aims to buttonhole the two about why they’re peddling harmful advice, but plans are derailed in favor of a murder investigation when one of the influencers is found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Finding out who did it brings us into the underbelly of the wellness industry, which is perfectly and hilariously lampooned here, but also invites readers into Cat’s thorny but loving relationship with her wellness-guru mother and an enjoyable will-they-won’t-they romance with her coworker Amir. While this can stand alone, readers will want to go back to series debut Bury the Lead to spend more time with this gutsy journalist.

February 6, 2025 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

The Witch’s Orchard

by Danise Hoover February 6, 2025

We don’t know anything about Annie when Max hires her to find his sister, Molly. Molly has been missing for 10 years, and Max has been saving all that time to hire a PI. Max is from rural Kentucky, as is Annie—from a different part, but close enough to matter. Ten years ago, three little girls went missing and were replaced by applehead dolls: Jessica; then Olivia, who was returned; then Molly. Olivia, autistic and non-verbal, has never been able to convey anything that happened. No one but Max and Jessica’s mother wants answers, it seems, but Annie is as dogged as the job requires. As we unravel what the town is about, we also unravel this investigator and find that her past and her ethos blend nearly seamlessly with what she finds. Corruption; abuse; meth labs surrounded by achingly beautiful landscapes; wonderful, goodhearted, traditional people; and downright creeps make up the puzzle she needs to unravel. In a wonderful combination of mountain lore and history, false heroes and major new friends, readers see a picture of backwoods Kentucky that is authentic and engaging. It would be wonderful to see more from this author.

February 6, 2025 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • …
  • 23

Get the Newsletter

Recent Posts

  • Silent Bones
  • No One Would Do What the Lamberts Have Done
  • The Italian Secret
  • Guilt
  • Covered in Cozy

Recent Comments

  1. Nina Wachsman on The Meiji Guillotine Murders
  2. Ellen Byron on A Midnight Puzzle

About Us

firstCLUE© aspires to publish the first reviews of today's most intriguing crime fiction. Founded by Brian Kenney and Henrietta Verma, two librarians who are former editors at Library Journal and School Library Journal.

Our Most Read Reviews

  • 1

    The Murder of Mr. Ma

    October 12, 2023
  • 2

    Murder by the Seashore

    April 6, 2023
  • 3

    The Road to Murder

    July 27, 2023

Get the Newsletter

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Email

©Copyright 2024, firstCLUE - All Right Reserved.


Back To Top
firstCLUE Reviews
  • Home
  • Review Database
  • Interviews
  • Crime Fiction News
  • Submission Guidelines
  • About Us