Audible 5 hrs 2 minutes at 1x, 3 hrs 20 mins at 1.5x
All he wanted for Christmas was to get through the season without having to *Holiday Season 2024*
Audible 5 hrs 2 minutes at 1x, 3 hrs 20 mins at 1.5x
All he wanted for Christmas was to get through the season without having to solve another murder- but when his ex-wife Erin calls, covered in blood with no recollection of how it got there, he knew his Christmas wish would not be coming true.
Turns out her boyfriend, Lyle Pierce has been murdered in their home, and coincidentally, he was also the sponsor of world famous magician Ryan Blaze so all of Ernest’s suspects are professional tricksters: masters of the art of misdirection.
THE MAGICIAN
THE ASSISTANT
THE EXECUTIVE
THE HYPNOTIST
THE IDENTICAL TWIN
THE COUNSELLOR
THE TECH
Of course, Ernest will be narrating for us, and he is as snarky as ever but as always he will be following the rules of Golden Age mysteries-fair play, clues left for the reader to discover so that they can actually solve the mystery if they pay close attention..which I failed to do! ...more
Acclaimed author of “Missing White Woman” and a “new to me” author, this was my least favorite of the Busybodies collection. (six stories)
Busybodies,Acclaimed author of “Missing White Woman” and a “new to me” author, this was my least favorite of the Busybodies collection. (six stories)
Busybodies, is described as a collection of quirky mysteries featuring amateur gumshoes who stumble upon peculiar cases, but this seemed more like HUNGER GAMES than a quirky mystery.
You can read or listen to each cozy story in a single sitting. AVAILABLE NOW for free on Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited.
Nita Prose (of Molly the Maid fame) penned #4 in the Busybodies collection.
For decades, meddlesome Marge has been spying on her neighbors and 3.5 ⭐️
Nita Prose (of Molly the Maid fame) penned #4 in the Busybodies collection.
For decades, meddlesome Marge has been spying on her neighbors and she takes pride in always knowing the “real story” so she can set the neighborhood gossips straight. ...more
Emma Rosenblum, (author of Very Bad Company and former executive editor at Elle) sets her contribution to the Busybodies Collection at a photo s2.5 ⭐️
Emma Rosenblum, (author of Very Bad Company and former executive editor at Elle) sets her contribution to the Busybodies Collection at a photo shoot for Elle.
A $3 million Bulgari diamond necklace disappears during the locked photo shoot, setting up a locked room mystery where all the suspects are on set. Of course the lowly assistant is blamed, and she must solve the crime if she hopes to keep her job.
The guilty party seemed obvious and the Fashion World doesn’t really resonate with me, so it’s been my least favorite of the collection so far.
Busybodies, is described as a collection of mysteries featuring amateur gumshoes who stumble upon peculiar cases. Read or listen to each cozy story in a single sitting. AVAILABLE FREE on Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited....more
Josephine Ying is finally getting a turn at hosting the family’s annual Chinese New Year dinner and she is determined to make it so memorable th3.5 ⭐️
Josephine Ying is finally getting a turn at hosting the family’s annual Chinese New Year dinner and she is determined to make it so memorable that she will be assigned permanent hosting duties!
But, will her son upstage her by bringing a surprise guest who turns out to be a gold-digging fiancée who ends up dying at the dinner table?
To save this dinner, Josephine will have to solve the case of who wanted her dead- THE MOST!
This one was definitely surprising!
Jesse Q. Sutanto (of Vera Wong fame) contributed “The Reunion Dinner” to “Busybodies” described as a collection of quirky mysteries featuring amateur gumshoes who stumble upon peculiar cases.
Read or listen to each cozy story in a single sitting. AVAILABLE NOW for free on AMAZON PRIME or Kindle Unlimited....more
Lyda, is a newbie Realtor who hasn’t yet sold an house. So, her friend Dani, decides to help her by training herself as a home stager, with ti3.5 ⭐️
Lyda, is a newbie Realtor who hasn’t yet sold an house. So, her friend Dani, decides to help her by training herself as a home stager, with tips she learns on Tik-Tok.
But, when a body is found in the old Victorian they are staging, they will have to team up to close the case before they can hold an open house.
Elle Cosimano (of Finlay Fonovan fame!) contributed “Staged” to Busybodies, described as a collection of quirky mysteries featuring amateur gumshoes who stumble upon peculiar cases.
Read or listen to each cozy story in a single sitting. AVAILABLE NOW for free on Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited....more
Molly Gray is the esteemed Head Maid and recently promoted Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel. And, with her upcoming marriag3 stars ⭐️
Molly Gray is the esteemed Head Maid and recently promoted Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel. And, with her upcoming marriage to Juan Manuel only two months away, life seems too good to be true.
When the hit reality TV show “Hidden Treasures” starring popular art appraisers Brown and Beagle, chooses to film an episode at the hotel, Molly brings in a shoebox containing a few of her gran’s old things for appraisal, and much to everyone's surprise, one item turns out to be a rare and priceless treasure.
Could life become even better?
Molly and Juan will become multi-millionaires if she agrees to auction off the item-but the priceless heirloom vanishes in a daring heist before the sale is final!
The key to the mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s Gran -which you can see her clutching in her hands, on the adorable book cover!
The story unfolds in alternating chapters, Present Day and Gran’s Diary entries. .
Although I have LOVED the earlier installments of this cozy mystery series-I struggled to stay engaged with this one mainly because of Gran’s chapters.
Gran was always humble and wise-but in this book she’s a young girl you WON’T recognize-and she DID NOT even resemble the woman we have grown to love! She is written as a completely different character!
In her diary she tells of her upbringing and forbidden love, and the story reads more like Historical Romance than a cozy mystery. I really didn’t need to know THIS much about her younger life.
Molly’s chapters are authentically Molly, but only comprise 50% of the book.
Nita Prose cleverly ties the two timelines together, when Molly figures out who is behind the heist because of things she learns in her Gran’s diary, but I found myself wanting to skim to get to the final page, which is never a good sign.
Sadly, Molly the Maid #3 only earns 3 stars from me, but other reviewers have loved it-so you might too! Be sure to read a sample of reviews!
A buddy read with Ceecee? Did she agree?
Available April 8, 2025.
Thank You to Viking for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, I am offering my candid thoughts!...more
Well, YES-for the most part! In fact, I think the first half of this installment may be EVEN FUNNIER, than the first book, with MANY of the “laugh out loud” moments-arising from the fact that Vera’s first language is Mandarin, so sometimes when she speaks English, something gets lost in translation…
Or does It?!
And, although she knows that “60 is the new 40”, she doesn’t hesitate to use her “helpless old lady”...more
He sends emails in the tone of a British Gentleman using ChatGPT to disguise his real identity…
But WHO is François Loubet?
He is a powerful money smugHe sends emails in the tone of a British Gentleman using ChatGPT to disguise his real identity…
But WHO is François Loubet?
He is a powerful money smuggler and he is using unsuspecting “Influencers” being protected by Maximum Impact Solutions to move his money.
Amy Wheeler is a private security officer, for Maximum Impact Solutions and she is currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. (think an older Samantha from Sex in the City or even Blanche from the Golden Girls)
It was supposed to be an EASY job.
But dead bodies and bags of money, keep showing up with Amy’s blood always found nearby. She is being set up.
Amy will have to turn to the ONLY person she feels she can trust for help-a retired cop and “sometimes” local investigator who just happens to be her father-in-law-Steve Wheeler.
Steve has recently lost his beloved wife Debbie, and he talks to her from a bench near his home, finds comfort from a stray cat named Trouble, which he recently adopted, and enjoys pints and Pub quizzes with his neighbors.
He has no desire to travel the World only one step ahead of the several would-be assassins who are tracking both Rosie and (now) Amy.
But, he loves Amy, so he won’t say no.
The result? Another fast paced, mystery filled with a new cast of likable characters and the same trademark HUMOR we have come to expect from the talented Richard Osman.
YES- he has another HIT on his hands!
I have LOVED his Thursday Murder Club series ( and am glad there will be more) but I am now ALSO looking forward to more cases for the “ We Solve Murders” agency. If you enjoyed TMC-I do believe that you will enjoy this series too!
The acknowledgments chapter at the end of the book hints at which characters will be back and I am glad to see that the hilarious and IRRESISTIBLE Rosie D’Antonio will be one of them. Hopefully we will get to know Amy’s husband Adam a bit better in the next installment.
A buddy read with Mary Beth-Did she enjoy her first by Osman?
AVAILABLE NOW!
I paired my reading with the fantastic Audible narrated by Nicola Walker. I wish to thank the Chandler Public Library for the loan of both formats!...more
The holidays were always a special time for our favorite maid, Molly Gray and her Gran. They shared many traditions including getting aNOW AVAILABLE!
The holidays were always a special time for our favorite maid, Molly Gray and her Gran. They shared many traditions including getting an Advent calendar and filling it with small things to treasure, like shiny silver spoons or chocolate covered cherries.
The first few Christmases without Gran were difficult for Molly, but this year her boyfriend Juan Manual is determined that she have a “MOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS “starting with their own Advent Calendar and adding to the celebrations with some new traditions of their own.
But, despite all of the wonderful surprises he plans, Molly notices some suspicious behavior which has her questioning his love.
Savvy readers that we are, we can figure out what he is up to-but Molly has always had trouble making sense out of what she sees and hears.
She will have to rely on both the wisdom of dear friends and the lessons that her Gran left her with until she catches up to the rest of us and the mystery is solved.
This was a delightful 124 page novella filled with all of the sights, sounds and tastes of the holiday season which will help advance the story in preparation for the next installment “The Maid’s Secret” (Molly the Maid #3) due to be released in April 2025.
I paired my reading with the Audiobook narrated by the talented Lauren Ambrose (2 hrs 38 minutes) but this time I preferred the written copy only because I have imagined a “different voice” for this character, which didn’t match hers.
I highly recommend that you read the books in order, or you may not be able to fully appreciate this charming Christmas short story. ...more
Margaret Thatcher has just been elected (imagine a woman as Prime Minister!!) and the Yorkshire Ripper is terrorizing Northern England. Yorkshire 1979
Margaret Thatcher has just been elected (imagine a woman as Prime Minister!!) and the Yorkshire Ripper is terrorizing Northern England.
And, now Miv’s father feels like a move away from Yorkshire might be what’s BEST for his family, threatening to move them all “Down South”.
12 year old Miv has already lost her mother (for all intents and purposes) and she doesn’t feel like she could survive losing her best friend, Sharon too. Inspired by her favorite adventure books, “The Famous Five” by Enid Blyton, she comes up with a plan…
If she and Sharon can solve “The Ripper” case, maybe she won’t have to move away.
They make a “list of all the suspicious people” and begin investigating.
What they discover is that many of the neighborhood boys and men are up to “no good” but could they also be responsible for bludgeoning prostitutes with hammers and stabbing them to death?
This book progresses “suspect by suspect” and is filled with late 70’s/early 80’s NOSTALGIA which I both remember and love. (especially the songs!!)
The denouement is both shocking and unexpected.
It’s part “coming of age” story, part Historical Fiction, and part mystery and it brought back my own memories of reading Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew mysteries. Even the hardback book with its striking blue dust cover feels reminiscent of those times, and will become a cherished addition to my book shelf.
The heart of the story is the friendship between the two girls! This book was a gift from my good friend Susan- whom I met late in life-but we share so many interests that I bet we would have also been “thick as thieves” if we had met as young girls!
Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, who splits her time between covering general interest assignments and working on special proJolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, who splits her time between covering general interest assignments and working on special projects. Her most recent interview was with Larry Lemmon, “America’s true conservative voice”- and a controversial radio talk show host who was best known for his stance on pushing for a border wall, even before Trump did.
When word gets out about a death at Lemmon’s radio station, KFRK, Jolene and Nate Thompson, her photographer, rush to the scene-hoping to be able to report the facts first.
This could be a career-making story.
When the body is identified as Larry Lemmon, Jolene hopes that because she conducted his final interview, it would give her and her station an advantage. But as she chases the story, she finds herself always one step behind her nemesis, JJ, who reports for a rival station.
Colleagues and those with different political views, were just a few of the people who might want Lemmon dead. But who actually followed through with his murder?
Emmy Award winning reporter Cristina Estes is a Tony Hillerman Prize winner for this debut in the “Best First Mystery set in the Southwest” category-but I had a few problems with it.
It is chock full of facts past and present about my home State- Arizona, highlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly. (Mostly the last two, but I guess that is what reporters see more of)
It is also so loaded with facts about how reporting has changed over the years from just reporting a story and competing for ratings, to competing for clicks on Social Media, and racing to be the first to “tweet” a breaking story.
So much so, that the story often reads more like an expose on the “cut throat day in the life of a journalist”- than as fiction-and the over abundance of facts took me out of the story, and slowed down the pace. Maybe those interested in this career might enjoy this more?
Also, a negative for me-that POLITICS played a big role in the narrative.
One thing I can say- when I found out what Lemmon did to get himself killed-I agreed with the PERP who declared that Lemmon got what was coming to him. ...more
Let me introduce you to the “Nosy Neighbors” seen peeking through the mail slot of this ADORABLE book cover!!
Flat #2 is the home of the cantankerous sLet me introduce you to the “Nosy Neighbors” seen peeking through the mail slot of this ADORABLE book cover!!
Flat #2 is the home of the cantankerous seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling -Shelley House’s longest resident. Always armed with a cup of tea, and her diary, she notes all of the coming and goings of the residence in her trusty notebook. She is seen on the left. (And, by the way that is MS. Darling to you!)
Beside her in that mail slot, on the right, is pink haired Kat Bennett. She has recently moved into Flat #1 as Joseph Chambers illegal subtenant, and she and Dorothy were not always accomplices-having gotten off on the wrong foot. Also in flat #1 is Reggie-an adorable Jack Russell terrier and scene stealer! (Or Reginald, according to Ms. Darling)
Rounding out the building is : Flat #3 Omar Siddiq and his daughter, Ayesha Flat #4 The anti-social tenant who frequently disturbs their peace Flat#5 Tomas’s Wojcik and his pit bull, Princess and Flat#6 Gloria Brown and her “latest no good”boyfriend.
This unlikely assortment of neighbors will have to band together if they have any hope of saving the historic Shelley House from demolition from an unscrupulous developer, Ferguson Alexander.
As eviction day nears, and things become dangerous, Dorothy and Kat must do something that neither one is comfortable doing-trust another person-each other-if they are to outwit and outlast Ferguson.
Once again, Freya Sampson has penned a delightful, COZY story of a community coming together, and written characters who will feel like friends by the end of the book!
There are reasons that Dorothy and Kat are both so closed off-and those secrets aren’t the only surprise revelations!
A new book from Freya Sampson is now something I am always watching for-she is three for three for me!!
CAN HERCULE POIROT SOLVE A BAFFLING MURDER MYSTERY IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS?
This is book #5 in the new Hercule Poirot mystery series, authorized by the CAN HERCULE POIROT SOLVE A BAFFLING MURDER MYSTERY IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS?
This is book #5 in the new Hercule Poirot mystery series, authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie and penned by New York Times bestselling author, Sophie Hannah, but it is the first of the series that I have read, and it works just fine as a stand-alone.
It’s 19 December 1931.
Hercule Poirot is once again teaming up with Inspector Edward Catchpool from Scotland Yard-a character that Sophie Hannah created and introduced to the World in “The Monogram Murders”-the first in this series.
Although Edward’s mother, Cynthia is usually busy trying to marry him off, this time she appears at Poirot’s home-uninvited- to summon Poirot to a mansion which could literally crumble into the sea, at any given moment.
She needs Edward, and Poirot to accompany her to Norfolk, to solve the case of a man who was murdered in what was supposed to be the safe haven of Ward 6 at St. Walstan’s hospital.
Cynthia is invested in the case because her friend’s husband Arnold Laurier is soon to be admitted to that same hospital, and his wife, Vivienne is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to offer an explanation of WHY.
But, Arnold who is an AVID fan of Poirot’s thinks the idea is ludicrous, and he would like to prove that, by helping Poirot to solve the case-from the inside.
Always up for a challenge, Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime if he wants to be home for Christmas-which he most definitely does. Their accommodations leave much to be desired-as the food served at Frellingsloe House is inedible and it’s hard to sleep when you fear you might fall into the sea.
Catchpool will keep a log of the findings which may, or may not, help you to follow the clues....more
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