Tag:

Humorous

Review

Mr. and Mrs. Dixon Hide a Body

by Brian Kenney

Book of the Week January 15, 2026

Dreadful yet droll, disturbing but also delightful, this is the tale of one couple so eager to escape from their hopeless marriage that each is secretly planning to “off” the other in the next few days. Daisy is a seamstress and designer who creates her own bizarre clothes using used frocks, castoffs from other residents, while abusive husband James convinces townies to invest in his sleazy cryptocurrency business.  Living in a deteriorating mansion that is as rundown as their relationship, each has a plan to get rid of. Just when they’re  driving home from a party, with ideas for how to murder each other dancing in their heads, Daisy hits a man. She had wanted James to drive as she felt too tipsy. While most people might call the cops, Daisy and James take an alternate route and drag the dying man home so as not to attract attention. His demise comes rapidly, leaving the couple stuck with the age-old dilemma: what to do with a corpse in your house. Then it occurs to Daisy to haul the corpse off to the family mausoleum, as one does, located in the nether reaches of their estate. All goes well until weeks later a huge storm initiates a flood that washes out the village, exposing decades of James’ family members. Gruesome, yes. But don’t you want to know who got to prison first?—Brian Kenney-

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Review

Most Likely to Murder

by Dodie Ownes

This engaging young-adult mystery follows best friends Rick and Martina, social outcasts at Meadowvale High who are known for staging elaborate pranks. Their lives take a deadly turn when the school yearbook is hacked, replacing traditional superlatives like “Most Likely to Succeed” with terrifying death predictions, such as “Homecoming’s Cutest Corpses.” This perceived cruel joke quickly becomes a nightmare when students and staff start dying in the exact ways described. As the primary suspects due to their history of practical jokes, Rick and Martina must find the real killer before they become the next victims on the list. McBride’s snarky dialogue rings true to teen talk, and emerging romances add a little spark and normality to the out-of-control happenings at school. A group chat shared by the high-school seniors who fear they are targeted adds a chorus effect, and grown-ups prove completely useless when it comes to finding the murderer—and oh, what a reveal that is. Don’t miss the acknowledgement, in which McBride reveals where she got the story idea!

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Review

Killer Vibes

by Brian Kenney

Book of the Week January 8, 2026

Peter Key, 30, is a hipster detective of sorts, whose personal life is, if not actually a full-blown mess, certainly free of any clear agenda. He’s bisexual, a sometime pot dealer, and recently an inheritor of his uncle’s dilapidated home, which is located in one of Austin’s most desirable neighborhoods. No sooner does he relocate to Austin than he is surrounded by realtors eager to get their hands on his home, and they’re willing to get as violent as necessary. And it turns out that Uncle may not be as broke as Peter has been led to believe. The fun in this novel–and there is plenty–is thanks to Peter, whose inner musings (he has an imaginary butler who lends support) keeps the book bouyant.—

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Review

Death and Other Occupational Hazards

by Dodie Ownes

Death has gone on vacation here and there, but after she hears about a sabbatical while on a trip across the River Styx, the Boss agrees to her request for a break. Her sister Life gives her the chance to live in human form so she can understand humans better. Now Delara, working as a paralegal at a second-rate law firm in London, is shaken when she discovers an Unplanned Death caused by vampire fish—after all, it’s her department, and the Boss will not be happy if he finds out. She left the temp in charge—is that the problem? Of course, Life is all over Delara, asking how her creations could be snuffed out without regard for the Plan. The days of simply putting folks on the Boat could be over if she cannot find out how this aberration has occurred. No longer in a black sack and carrying a scythe, Delara is hot to get to the bottom of the issue when charming parasitologist Marco enters the investigation. Debut-author Dapunt fills this rollicking story with sideways glances at the afterlife, the underworld, and the Human Communications Director (HCD, aka Jesus). Beyond the central murder mystery, the novel explores themes of life and death, love and relationships, the meaning of existence, and human emotions. Satirical, funny, and packed with wry observations on how humans approach death, and life.

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Review

Three Hitmen and a Baby

by Jeff Ayers

A missing brother, the Russian mob, a sick child, and a kill-order all add up to just another typical day in Hart’s latest thriller. The members of Assassins Anonymous all want to put their killing days behind them. Valencia leaves her toddler in the capable hands of Mark, Astrid, and Booker so she can try to find her brother. When the little girl gets a high fever, Astrid and Booker take her to the emergency room, triggering red flags at the hospital when they can’t answer simple questions such as, “What’s the girl’s last name?” The police get involved, and the protagonists find themselves running, avoiding every camera they can. While they are regretting not just giving the girl Tylenol, Mark visits a Russian mob boss, who demands that he either kill Astrid or they will kill a woman he used to love and her son. The boy doesn’t know that Mark is his father, and his former girlfriend has not seen or spoken to Mark since his attempt at recovery. Hart has crafted a solid action thriller with humor and emotion, and as the pages fly, the intensity increases. At three books in, with all of them terrific, give this one a shot.

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Review

Last Night Was Killer

by Brian Kenney

Book of The Week

Interested in a new and hilarious spin on motherhood? Then get on your reading list the laugh-aloud-funny/steer-wheel-gripping story of Tilly Turner, a single mom who will do anything for her identical twin daughters. When her career as a stand-up comic hits the shredder and her beloved mother has recently died, Tilly moves back to her hometown in Idaho, eager to establish community. Which, naturally, brings her to join a pole-dancing 101 class. And guess what? Pole dancing turns out to be a total blast. If only she didn’t wake up the next morning with a pounding headache, bad case of alcohol-induced amnesia, and a dead body scrunched in the trunk of the car. For starters, who is the dead man? Could Tilly have done him in? And where can she get a reliable babysitter whom the twins will love so that she can go figure out what’s happening and what the other strippers may know? Add to this the hottie agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives who keeps showing up at her home, not invited but not disinvited either. Sit back, relax, and enjoy what is sure to be one of the best blends of crime fiction with a good dollop of coziness to be published in 2026.

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Review

The Pie & Mash Detective Agency

by Jeff Ayers

Book of the Week

What does a dating millennial couple do to add adventure to their lives? Take a class on becoming a private detective, of course! Jane Pye and Simon Mash are quirky; even their class instructor finds them a bit strange. With no job possibilities anywhere in their immediate futures, they decide to open the Pie & Mash Detective Agency after they graduate. Then they are given a class assignment that the instructor guarantees will result in a failing grade. Dev Hooper’s girlfriend, Nellie Thorne, has vanished. The police believe she’s just left him, but Dev thinks otherwise. As Jane and Simon start investigating, they stumble upon what’s either a wild coincidence or something more sinister. This Nellie Thorne is not the first woman with her name to vanish; the phenomenon has been occurring for decades. All of the women are similar in appearance, and all disappeared after around a year of dating. Is this a weird legend or ghosts? If it’s real, are others with that name safe? J.D. Brinkworth is the writing team of Jo Dinkin and Catherine Brinkworth, and this quirky, fun mystery will keep readers guessing while bringing a smile to their faces. The main characters are a hoot, and a hodgepodge of strange folks with secret agendas surrounds them. Filled with British humor, this introduction to Jane and Simon is hopefully the start of a long series. (DEBUT)

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Review

Murder Mindfully

by Brian Kenney

As hilarious as it is horrifying, this crime novel is frankly like no other. Separated from his wife—and with visits to his pre-school daughter far too infrequent—criminal-defense lawyer Björn Diemel has only one option: to clean up his work-life balance. It’s his wife who recommended he take up mindfulness. And while initially he’d rather run in the opposite direction, Björn gradually finds himself seduced by the writings and teaching of mindfulness master Joschka Breitner. (“Mindfulness means being available to your own needs. Anytime you are available to others stands in the way of this mindfulness,” says Breitner.) As Björn rises in his organization, leaving a number of corpses in his wake, he finally understands what’s important in life. And there is nothing that will get in his way to stop it. Also available on Netflix as an eight-part series.

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Review

Is This a Cry for Help?

by Brian Kenney

In no way could this novel ever be described as a mystery. And yet it is chock full of mysteries, large and small, some poignant, others humorous, all deeply compelling. Darcy, a public librarian, has returned to her job after suffering through a nervous breakdown that was serious enough to have her institutionalized for a spell. Even though she’s queer, with a wife she loves, learning about the sudden death of her boyfriend from years back pushes her into despair, obsessed with understanding what could have killed him. When she returns to work (presented 100 percent accurately BTW), it’s with understandable trepidation. Patrons are still watching pornos, finding inventive ways to harass one another, protesting both for and against book banning, and expressing anger over DEI. In every way, Is This a Cry for Help? is hugely prescient as it demonstrates how community, colleagues, partners, spouses, humor, and especially libraries can come together to help us survive and thrive.

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Review

I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home

by Brian Kenney

Free after several decades in prison and now a resident of a high-end retirement home, Carol fears that her presence there will evoke a range of emotions in her peers, including fear, curiosity, and hostility. And she’s right. Carol’s history as a serial killer does come to light, exposing her past to the other seniors. But when a fellow resident dies—he turns out to have been a former police commissioner—Carol realizes that many of the occupants also have a past in law enforcement, some more sordid than others. Suddenly, the burden to prove her innocence falls on her shoulders, along with some help from a few of her new-found law-enforcement friends. In this winning mixture of humor and seriousness, baking and bingo, Carol does her very best to end up on the right side of justice, even if she has to commit murder to stay there. A great choice for book-group discussions.

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