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Private Investigators

Review

The Game is Murder

by Henrietta Thornton April 17, 2025

In Ward’s clever and unusual debut, the reader is put to work solving a murder, their task propelled by a sassy narrator who insults them throughout. The tale opens with murder-mystery dinner at which guests hear the story of a nanny who’s murdered in a case of mistaken identity; when the former man of the house, Lord Verreman, discovers that he hasn’t killed his wife, Lady Verreman is able to escape. At least, that’s what police believe. At the dinner, guests are told of various anomalies at the scene and alibis and motives for others connected to the case, and are led through the inquest after the nanny’s autopsy. Then the viewpoint switches: a detective is hired by the rich couple’s son and is required to visit the the home where the murder happened, hear the evidence—in a most unusual delivery—and reveal the culprit. These first two sections are unusual enough, but the third tops them: the reader is presented with all the evidence and must make choices step by step as to what they believe, in the end reaching a verdict of their own (a contract is in place, after all). What an intriguing start for this author!

April 17, 2025 0 comment
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Review

Mirage City

by Brian Kenney March 27, 2025

What the world needs now is more queer historical mysteries, and thankfully Lev AC Rosen is doing a wonderful job of delivering exactly that. The fourth, and best, in the series (Lavender House, The Bell in the Fog, Rough Pages) follows Evander “Andy” Mills, an ex-cop and current private eye—it’s the early 1950s—who takes on a case that forces him to leave his beloved San Francisco for Los Angeles. Andy is hired by members of the Mattachine Society, an early gay-rights organization, to find several of their members who have gone missing. Locating men, and one woman, who are already super low-key, keep their sexual identity under wraps, and are terrified of the cops, makes for some especially challenging detective work. Fortunately, Andy is able to track down some great leads, from a gay biker club to a lesbian pharmacist (a useful career in drug-addled Hollywood). But most shocking of all, Andy sort-of reunites with his mother—although that’s all you’ll hear from me on that. This book moves nice and fast, stays completely on point, and provides an ongoing romance that is totally delightful. Book group alert!

March 27, 2025 0 comment
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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
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Review

Murder on Sex Island

by Brian Kenney February 13, 2025

A marvelous parody of reality TV shows—think especially of Love Island—mashed up with traditional mysteries, if traditional mysteries include lots of fake sex, along with fake hair and teeth. When one cast member disappears from the super-successful, super-sleazy show Sex Island, the producers need to bring on someone else as a replacement ASAP. Staten Island native Luella van Horn is quickly hired as a two-fer, to join the show as a new contestant and in the meantime solve the case of the missing cast member. Except Luella is really a divorced former social worker from Staten Island named Marie Jones, who aspires to be a private eye and whose past is pretty inept, if incredibly humorous. But as the story grows darker, Marie finds herself trying to get out of a situation that is becoming riskier by the hour. First released as a self-published novel, this book was quickly embraced by comedian Jo Firestone’s many fans. While I haven’t heard it, the audio version, narrated by Firestone herself, is hugely popular.

February 13, 2025 0 comment
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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
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Review

The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant.

by Brian Kenney January 30, 2025

A traditional mystery full of quirky characters and humorous situations, this feel-good narrative is told by Gen Z’s Olivia Blunt, who remains ticked off with her famous boss (low wages, no opportunities for growth, hostile environment), Boomer Aubrey Merritt. Olivia dreams of being more than an assistant, but in the meantime she’s soaking up everything she can about the job from Aubrey (she has to retire or die someday, right?) while evaluating possible cases. Which is how she and Aubrey end up on Vermont’s beautiful Lake Champlain, where they’ve been hired to investigate the murder—or is it suicide?—of Victoria Summersworth, the matriarch of a family that owns a sprawling resort on the lake. Readers will enjoy the cast of largely middle-aged family members, employees, and general hangers-on as Olivia and Aubrey grill each and every one of them. The ending may be totally surprising as Aubrey delivers quite the denouement in the tradition of Agatha Christie.

January 30, 2025 0 comment
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Review

Nobody’s Fool

by Jeff Ayers January 9, 2025

Coben (Think Twice) brings back former Detective Sami Kierce from Fool Me Once (the book and the NetFlix series) as his past crashes into his simple life. Sami works as a private investigator, doing jobs that embarrass him. He teaches a true-crime class at night school and lives with his wife and year-old son. Sami might want answers from past events in his life, but thinks he will never learn the truth until a woman he recognizes arrives in his class. When Sami graduated from college, he met Anna on a trip to Spain, and for days their lives were bliss until she ended up dead. But the woman Sami sees in his class is Anna, and Sami stumbles into a larger mystery that seems unrelated to his time overseas. To add to the investigator’s increasing stress, the person responsible for killing his partner when he worked in law enforcement is released from prison and asks Sami to reinvestigate the case to prove his innocence. Then Sami’s wife, Molly, thinks she is being stalked, and the lurid texts proving she’s right begin popping up on Sami’s phone. Coben juggles several complex stories, each one of which would be compelling by itself but that together create a page-turning experience that will leave fans and newcomers to Coben enthralled. The twists are shocking, and Sami; his wife, Molly; and the supporting cast are so much fun. Coben would be foolish not to bring them back for another story.

January 9, 2025 0 comment
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Review

Love the Stranger

by Willy Williams August 22, 2024

Queens native son and former high-powered Manhattan attorney Ted Molloy is rebuilding his once-stellar legal career. His fancy office is now Gallagher’s Pub, where he partners with LesterYoung McKinley on foreclosure investment deals and represents his activist girlfriend, Kenzie Zielenski’s, organization in its battle to stop the construction of “the Spike,” a mega-development project threatening Corona’s immigrant communities. As the campaign against billionaire real-estate developer Ron Reisner heats up, someone attempts to sabotage Ted’s legal efforts and undermine Kenzie’s reputation. At the same time, Kenzie worries that a shady immigration lawyer is cheating Mohammed, a recent Yemeni immigrant who chauffeurs Kenzie in his cab. Dropping by the lawyer’s office one morning, she stumbles upon his body and spots a shadowy figure fleeing the scene. Could it be Mohammed’s 14-year-old stepson, Haidir? In the entertaining follow-up to his 2022 Nero Award winner Tower of Babel, Sears vividly captures the corrupt seediness of local real estate development dominated by big money and embraces the “kaleidoscope of colors, classes, and ethnicities” that marks New York’s largest borough. Fans of Dennis Lehane’s Boston-based Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro series will enjoy following the gritty adventures of a flawed but appealing sleuthing couple.

August 22, 2024 0 comment
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Review

Burn This Night

by Henrietta Thornton July 18, 2024

Kate Myles has a lot going on. The former LAPD cop, her career ruined by a pain-pill addiction brought on by a car crash, has lost her marriage and custody of her beloved daughter, Amelia. She’s now working as a private detective, rolling her eyes at old-time movie assumptions. It’s far from glamorous, and she’s far from ready for more drama in her life. But no matter: while living at her mom’s, she discovers paperwork that leads her on a quest to find biological relatives, a plot line that includes an intriguing aspect of the use of DNA in crime cases, and that also leads her to Idlewood, a town with a sad history. Hired to clear the name of a drug addict who’s accused of killing his sister in an arson attack, she also investigates a local cold case, of a young woman who was killed years before. How all these things are related is the story of every small town, with Kenna perfectly portraying the intertwined regrets, missed opportunities, and love that make each place unique. Better again is her portrayal of Myles, a gutsy, lovable character who pushes herself to the brink and more for those she loves. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

July 18, 2024 0 comment
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Review

The Big Empty

by Jeff Ayers July 11, 2024

Traci Beller is a popular influencer with millions of followers inspired by watching her bake. It’s been ten years since her father, Tommy, never returned home, with the local police attributing it to him abandoning his family. Now, Traci wants answers. She reaches out to the best detective to learn the truth, Elvis Cole. Elvis has his work cut out for him trying to track down someone missing for a decade, but he’s willing to give it a shot, though he’s doubtful he will uncover anything more than what the police could find. But the detective stumbles upon a mystery involving the last person who saw Tommy alive and refuses to talk about it. He starts seeing the same dark-colored vehicle following him and soon learns that people don’t want him to discover the truth and are willing to kill anyone to keep everything secret. This case started as a simple missing person case for Elvis, but becomes the one that could be his last. Crais masters compelling crime fiction by blending humor, terrific main characters, and suspense into a phenomenal package. Empty might be in the title, but this story is far from it.

July 11, 2024 0 comment
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