Looking for a light and fluffy read to stash in the beach bag? CeeCee has some suggestions! Here are some of hits and misses from our summer reading list.

Lost Coast Literary by Ellie Alexander

This book is a little odd. It looks like a cozy mystery, yet it’s not a whodunnit. I’m not quite sure what it is, really. It’s tagged as “magical realism,” which is probably the best description. In a nutshell, it’s about a career woman named Emily who’s about to embark on her “dream job” as a book editor, yet her plans get derailed when her estranged grandmother dies and leaves her a multimillion-dollar Victorian mansion on the Lost Coast! The catch? She has to edit her grandmother’s dusty manuscripts, which leads to big trouble when the stories she’s editing magically come to life! Oh, and her estranged family members are slightly bitter and rude. But, hey, can you blame them?

This all sounds very interesting, yet I’m struggling to decipher a plot. With no murder to investigate, what’s the endgame here? I guess it’s all about uncovering her family secrets that were so carefully hidden by Emily’s enigmatic father. Will she return to big city life and take on this editing “dream job” that she can’t stop talking about? Or will she make a new life for herself in California’s beautiful Lost Coast? Seriously, how is this even a question? Why would you want to leave all this behind to return to the nine-to-five drudgery of big city life? Maybe that’s what bothers me the most about this character. How does she not see what I’m seeing? This is every book lover’s dream come true! Sheesh!

Anyhoo, I’m not too impressed with this one. If it continues into a series, I think I’ll give it a pass and read more of Ellie’s fantastic bakery shop and microbrewery mysteries.

Love and Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean

Ever since reading 13 Little Blue Envelopes, I’ve been really into summer stories that involve mixed up teenage girls finding themselves overseas escapades. When I saw this at BookPeople, I had to buy the hardback because look at that cover! Although not quite as magical as 13 Little Blue Envelopes, this book really sparked my wanderlust. Could you imagine being handpicked by a teacher to go on a free literary-themed scavenger hunt across the UK with a whopping cash price no less?! True, this does require a huge stretch of the imagination, but it’s nice to dream, isn’t it?

So, the story revolves around a small group of high schoolers who scored this trip of a lifetime. Our main character, Britt, is hoping to win the grand prize so she can pay for UCLA after suffering a catastrophic knee injury and losing her soccer scholarship. We hear about this soccer issue A LOT throughout the book, which kind of makes her a bit of a pill. I think this story would’ve been better told through different narrators because Britt is kind of a broken record. But she’s a teenager, and everything is super dramatic at that age, so I must give her a little slack.

Minor gripes aside, I enjoyed the kiddos’ chaperoned scavenger hunt journey to various touristy destinations that inspired seminal classics by Sherlock Holmes, Jane Austen, King Arthur, Shakespeare and Chaucer. When I win the lotto, I’m going to follow their footsteps and visit all of these magical places and more!

There’s a buddling love story thrown in, of course, between Britt and local British boy named Luke. He accompanies her on the journey, which teeters on the verge of cheating, but whatevs. They both have a lot of issues to unpack along the way, but I’ll save you from any spoilers. I will say that this was a very sweet little romance about two people who helped each other see the best in themselves. Ah, young love!

Overall, this is a fun European adventure that is worth the price of a hardback. I highly recommend to fans of Jenna Evans and Maureen Johnson!

Killer Cruise by Laura Levine

I admit it! I knew nothing about this author, yet bought this book based on the cover alone! Put a cat and a cruise ship on a cover, and I’m sold! My gamble paid off because this book had me laughing out loud…which can be problematic when I’m listening to it on my swimming headphones while doing my evening laps.

I’m not really one for slapstick comedy, but the characters were over-the-top ridiculous in the best way. The main character, Jaine Austen (no relation) is a hot mess express who, quite honestly, should not own any animals. Yet, she charmed me nonetheless with all her many bumbling mishaps…like getting caught stealing sand for her cat’s makeshift litterbox while wearing Tweety Bird pajamas. Somehow her cat Prozac stowed away in her luggage (how does that even happen?), and she had to keep it a secret to avoid putting him in quarantine.

The cat mom in me wants to judge, but then I must realize that this is slapstick humor at its slappiest. All of the characters are so cartoonish and over-the-top, so you really can’t take anything seriously. As a paid member of the cruise staff, Jaine must teach a course in memoir writing and gets stuck with a hodgepodge of bored passengers who have zero interest in writing. Poor Jaine just can’t win anybody over except for her new crush who happens to be a murder suspect when a gold-digging Cassanova gets killed with an ice pick! It’s up to Jaine to investigate a very suspicious group of passengers before the wrong person–the ship’s lounge singer–gets locked in the slammer.

Shenanigans and buffoonery ensue as she follows the clues. Oh, and did I mention the zany subplot involving her parents? OMG! Through a series of emails, she learns that her father is slowly ripping her place apart with home improvement projects, and her mother is planning her sham wedding! It’s just ridiculous, I tell you. If you enjoy slapstick humor and very light mystery plots, this one’s for you!

Fifteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton

I scored this hardback for two buckeroos the Austin Library’s bookshop just before I had to jump on a plane to Seattle. Sweet! I don’t know about y’all, but flying is stressful and uncomfortable, so I need a SUPER light book that doesn’t require too much thinking. This book did the job! It’s just a very simple and sweet story about a teenage girl who’s spending her summer in a quint Michigan beach town.

There’s some sadness sprinkled in as she and her family are coming to terms with the recent loss of their grandmother while they’re staying at her little beach cottage. I feel like the author did a really great job describing the jumble of emotions a teenager endures while reconciling a big loss. But have no fear! The heaviness is balanced out with all sorts of summer fun shenanigans—from kite flying parties to first-love butterflies with the boy next-door! Ah, young love.

Our protagonist, Chelsea, falls big time for a little cutie who’s helping his mom run a bookshop called the Dog Ear, which houses a resident Labrador Retriever of course! She soon lands a summer job at the local cafe (conveniently next to her crush at the bookshop) to afford a new e-reader and makes a bunch of new friends along the way.

Needless to say, this little bookworm is relatable and a character to root for. This is the kind of book that leaves you a little heartsick when the story’s all over, but yet there are quite a few more summery romance books by this author that can help fill the void. Sarah Dessen fans are sure to love this book.

Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway 

The title and the cover lured me in–and then I discovered the story takes places at an apple pie shop in Julian! Needless to say, I hit the purchase button faster than you could say alamode! All of my fondest summer memories took place at Camp Marston, a YMCA sleepaway camp in the mountains surrounded by looming pine trees. Oh, how I miss those days of food fights and boating on Lake Jessop!

Set somewhere near main street, the story revolves around a flailing pie shop ran by a couple of nice women who do good deeds for others. They take in a deeply troubled pre-teen, Cady, and provide a safe haven, far removed from her homeless lifestyle. The story is told by Cady, which can be uncomfortable at times because she’s so mixed up, but she slowly comes around. With the looming threat of her drug addict father showing up at the doorstep to take her back to the mean streets of San Diego, it’s quite clear that her sweet life (see what I did there?) could be gone in an instant, but there’s always hope! That’s what this book is all about: hope, resilience and self-discovery. This was a super fun read, and the subplot of saving the pie shop moved the story along at a nice pace. There’s some politics involved here that have to do with immigration, which has caused a bit of a commotion with some reviewers who slap a “PC” label on anything that doesn’t align with what they’re watching on Fox News. Either way, I found this to be a most enjoyable summer read that took me back to my favorite summer memories in the Julian mountains!

I must be a masochist because there’s no other explanation as to why I chose to simultaneously read two bakery shop cozies—both revolving around wedding catastrophes! Seriously, why do I do this to myself? I had a heck of a time teasing the two mysteries apart while I listened to them on audio (one in my swimming headphones, the other in my phone for commuting, chores, etc.). My reading/listening system is getting a little chaotic these days. Either way, I made it through both books and must now jot my thoughts down before they get mixed up in my mind like a bowl of cinnamon swirl muffin batter!

Donut Disturb by Ellie Alexander

The gist: Bakery shop owner Jules is putting on her gumshoes yet again as another murder afflicts her adorable Shakespearean town of Ashville, Oregon. The mysterious death of a wedding band member has cast a dark cloud over the wedding, and everyone is looking at the bride’s ex-con father! It’s up to Jules and her Torte bakery crew to save the day before the killer strikes again!

What I liked: This series has two big selling points: The gorgeous, whimsical Ashland setting and the colorful characters who run the bakery. I enjoy Jules’ dynamic with her beloved stepfather, The Professor. I also really get a kick out of Lance, her loyal employee who has a flare for drama. They make a great little crime-solving team.

What irked me: Now don’t get me wrong; I love me some delicious confectionary delights! However, the many, many long descriptions of baked goods seemed more like sausage stuffing to me. Did the author need to just plop two pages of recipe descriptions here and there to meet the standard page count? These interludes were as welcome and commercial interruptions during my favorite, most scandalous Lifetime movies. So annoying!

Thoughts on the subplot:  To break up the mystery, the author threw in a little side-drama about a formerly cantankerous employee, Steph, and her budding romance with some character whose name already escapes me. See! This is why I keep a running book blog. It’s the only way to reflect upon all my literary escapades! Either way, I thought this was a sweet little side-story with a funny twist with Steph’s parents. This is a great way to build character development as the series progresses. Well done, Miss Alexander!

Will I continue this series? Yes! I look forward to visiting this quaint little hamlet once again! Like many of my other favorite cozy series (the Bones Mysteries especially!), I always feel like I’m reuniting with old friends. Ah, the joys of reading!

Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake by Sarah Graves

The gist: Bakery shop owners Ellie and Jake find themselves in a bind as their business dwindles. The only thing that can keep them afloat is the successful completion of a wedding cake for the town’s power couple, Sharon Sweetwater and Andy Devine. Much to their dismay, the groom becomes suspect No. 1 when Sharon’s blackmailing ex dies inexplicably by an arsenic-laden milkshake—from the bakery shop, no less!

What I liked: The biggest selling point here is the setting. I enjoyed transporting myself to the waterfront bakery full of sweet confections! The descriptions drove me wild, which is probably not a good thing since I’m trying to boycott sugar while battling the bulge. Needless to say, I will not be trying out any of the book’s delectable recipes…sniff, sniff.

What irked me: As with most cozy mysteries, the main character’s TSTL (Too Stupid to Live) complex was a little much. I agree with many reviewers that her decision to kayak out to a suspect’s house without alerting the authorities was beyond ridiculous. Plus, it’s a little confusing why she needed to kayak or canoe (I can’t remember!) out there when she probably could’ve just taken a car. Considering her inability to handle a watercraft of any kind, and her phobia of leeches, this misadventure made zero sense.

Thoughts on the subplots: Again, I agree with many of my fellow reviewers that the subplot involving her elderly father’s rebellious ways really didn’t do anything for the story. However, I do feel her pain! My dad can barely function, but he just bought himself a brand-new truck. It’s terrifying thinking about him driving around in that thing. But I digress…where was I? Oh yes, and then there was the stolen baby. This event seemed rather random and unnecessary, but it did humble the main character a little bit, making her second guess her involvement in murder mysteries. Yet even after a brief moment of introspection, she went on and did TSTL things anyway…sigh.

Things that confused me: I’m really not understanding why their popular bakery shop is in dire straits. If it’s as good as they say, why are they losing business? And how the heck does one wedding cake sale put them back in the black?  I know wedding cakes are crazy expensive, but do they cost enough to singlehandedly save a tanking business? I just don’t get it!

Will I continue this series? Meh…I don’t know. I stopped reading Sarah Graves’ Home Repair mysteries because the main character is just a little too crusty. I wasn’t too fond of the characters in this one, so I’ll probably give this series a pass. There’s plenty of other bakery shop mysteries out there to satisfy my literary sweet tooth!

I just love a good mystery set right here in gool ol’ rootin’ tootin’ Texas—land of gunslingers, country crooners, cheap Lone Star beer and old timey honkey tonks. That’s why I always enjoy the Al Quinn thrillers by local author Russ Hall. I also tried out a new author, Celso Hurtado, whose title “Ghost Tracks” caught my eye at BookPeople. How could I not read a paranormal thriller involving a legendary stretch of road in San Antonio? Read on to see if these books might be your cup of Texas tea.

Kiss and Kill in Texas by Russ Hall

The synopsis on the back cover does not lie. This could very well be the most dangerous, dare I say suicidal, mission Al Quinn and his mystery squad, including an infant and a dog, (I’m judging just a tad) have taken on. And let me tell you, they’ve endured countless entanglements with drug lords, mercenaries and psychos. This book involves a nasty crime ring in Port Dexter, and it’s up to Al and his crew to clean up the streets before more unsuspecting tourists end up in Davy Jones’ locker! Eeek!

What I liked: I keep coming back to these books because the author really gives his readers a strong sense of place. I love, love, love that this book takes place in a seedy coastal town right next to Port Aransas. I could practically feel the salty, humid air on my skin and see the rustic shrimp boats out in the distance. Although, believe me, you won’t want to have anything to do with the shrimp boat in this story! I also loved the side characters, especially Luke Boy, who despite his sketchy beginnings became a real asset to the crime-solving team as they kept running out of the fire pan into the fire with gun-toting, missile-launching thugs on their trail.

What irked me: OK, so I know that Al’s squad works as a unit, and every single member of his family are assets…however, I was really judging the new mom, Bonnie, for bringing her baby along on this mission, especially since every past crime-solving voyage has involved countless near-death experiences. Also, Tanner the dog really should’ve sat this one out. I know their Lake Travis homestead was ransacked by killers early on, but couldn’t the new mom and children be dropped off somewhere safe?

Overall: Normally I don’t read action thrillers, but the Al Quinn mysteries are always a good time! Yes, I was judging Bonnie for bringing her baby along, but other than that little grievance, I rather enjoyed this thrill ride. The pacing just keeps ratcheting up, and you will not want to put this thing down until the evil criminal mastermind is taken down for good! Also, might I add that the writing is top notch, and I did not see even one typo! That’s more than I could say for many books I’ve read from the big publishing houses.

The Ghost Tracks by Celso Hurtado

I did a double take when I saw this paperback on the horror shelf at BookPeople. A ghost story revolving around the haunted railroad tracks in San Antonio? Yes, please! I lived in San Antonio for three years and am ashamed to say I never visited that legendary road where people stop their cars and wait for ghost children (the spirits of kiddos who perished in a bus-train collision) to push them across the railroad tracks to safety. My guess is that this road is on an imperceptible incline, but hey who knows? Anyhoo, this book was interesting, and mostly very sad, but it didn’t give me what I wanted.

What I liked: The main characters, two best friends named Erasmo and Rat, are starting up their own ghost-busting business to make ends meet. Such fun! These two are what the kids call “ride or die” BFFs, which I really appreciate. They have each other’s backs…at least until Rat goes rogue, but I’ll save you from spoilers. Either way, these two characters—and all their emotional baggage—are the main reasons why I continued reading this book. I was invested in Erasmo’s quest to pay for his grandmother’s cancer treatments. I felt so much for him and really wanted to see everything work out in the end!

What irked me: I wanted a ghost story, and didn’t get one! This is more of a crime thriller involving two hapless teenage ghost hunters getting tangled up with some shady, shady clients. The author certainly doesn’t shy away from gruesome scenes, but the scares had very little to do with the paranormal. Also, this book is set in San Antonio, but the setting is woefully lacking. The only nods to Texas are some scenes outside the HEB, and maybe a few rides on 410. And the ghost tracks? Not really a big part of the story whatsoever. Big disappointment!

Overall: This book has its share of problems, but the “How’s this going to end?” question kept me from trashing it in the DNF pile. I loved the themes of friendship and family, but the plot was all over the place and the big reveal was super bizarre.

Wow! It’s been a while since I’ve given a book all the stars, but this one deserves the praise. I’ve never read anything by Lisa Unger before, so I feel like I’ve discovered a new treasure! Here’s my assessment:

What I liked: I really enjoyed the whole “snake in the grass” storyline amidst the backdrop of a secluded, luxurious AirBnB. We’re dealing with three couples—and every single person has something to hide, thus making the reader wonder who’s the most likely to go psycho killer in the end!

The characters: I’m glad I went old school and read the hardback instead of going the usual audiobook route. When we’re dealing with this many characters, it’s easy to get confused, especially when the chapters flit from one character’s perspective to the next. Normally I get tripped up when this happens, but not this time. Each of the characters has a unique voice and backstory, so it was very easy to keep track of who’s who. I found myself very invested in their hardships—and the intrigue (especially with the evildoers) had me glued to the pages!!!

The foreshadowing: The author did an excellent job depicting a foreboding sense of doom right from the get-go with the creepy property owner and his waitstaff. And then there’s the home decor!!! Egads! Would you stay in a place with artwork made out of human bones? I’d be packing my bags and finding a Motel 6! And then, of course, there’s an impending storm that will inevitably trap everyone inside a mansion with a killer—such fun!

The creep-factor: There is a really, REALLY evil person in this book. Their actions really make you ponder the whole “nature vs. nurture” debate. I, for one, believe true evil exists in people despite their upbringings, which seems to be very apparent in this book. I’ll stop here to save you from spoilers!

Overall: This is a high-quality read that took me on a rollercoaster ride that I’d like to jump on again and again. After reading this, I’ll have to rethink ever doing a DNA test. Some Pandora’s Boxes need to stay closed—am I right?

Oh wow, this was bad. I mean…how did I not DNF this thing? Sometimes I fall into this weird trap where the book is super bad, but I can’t abort the impending trainwreck. At first, I thought, “OK, the main character is a ditz, and she doesn’t know how to safeguard her cat from roaming free, but it’s a silly cozy mystery, so why not just lighten up?” I tried, y’all, I really did. But it just kept getting worse! If I could be in the room with the MC, Chase, here are a few things I would scream at her face:

WHY CAN’T YOU KEEP YOUR CAT AT HOME??? WHY???

Our adorable, pudgy feline sidekick is constantly being transported from the upstairs apartment to the downstairs bakery, which is full of hazards! He keeps getting loose and running across the busy street! And Chase’s dumb s**t business partner keeps feeding him actual dessert bars!!! Just imagine all of the trouble she could’ve avoided if she just kept her kitty safe and secure. She wouldn’t have helped herself into a stranger’s unlocked home (bad idea!) to find a dead body. No, she’d still be baking her hula bars and not worrying about becoming suspect No. 1 in a murder investigation. Pulling a knife out of a dead body at a crime scene is a bad look. Just saying.

WHY DON’T YOU DO SOME SLEUTHING???

Very, very, very little sleuthing is involved here. Chase mainly gets her clues by happenstance wen overhearing conversations. She has all the motive int the world to investigate this thing, but she’s too busy fretting about the town vet’s potential love interest and various other annoying things that grated on my nerves.

WHY ARE YOU SO JUDGEMENTAL????

Chase is SO obsessed with this red-headed woman who hugged her vet (and potential boyfriend) while he was at work. Apparently, he saved the woman’s dog from certain death after accidentally ingesting a whole chicken. Chase has the AUDACITY to judge this woman for not taking good care of her dog. Meanwhile, she’s constantly searching for her lost cat because she doesn’t have enough sense to keep him in her secured apartment! Ugh…I can’t with her.

WHY ARE YOU PUTTING UP WITH INSUBORDINATE EMPLOYEES???

Chae, you are the boss lady. That means you can fire employees who are hurting your business! The two girls running the frontlines of the bakery are constantly at each other’s throats and creating a hostile environment for EVERYONE! There’s no way any of my bosses at my post-high school minimum wage jobs would’ve put up with this behavior. There’s also a MAJOR infraction that Chase and her lame business partner chose to overlook, which baffled me to no end.

WHY IS YOUR BUSINESS PARTNER TRYING TO MURDER YOUR CAT???

According to the hot vet, Chase’s cat is on the brink of diabetes. What does her business partner do? She sneaks him dessert bars constantly! Dude…this would make me livid. But yet, Chase doesn’t do anything to stop the insanity. She just keeps toting him down to the bakery office every day knowing he’ll get fed sugary sweets and end up roaming the streets yet again.

I could go on and on about Chase’s ridiculous antics, but that could take all day. Just do yourself a favor and skip this entire series and read a good kitty-themed mystery, with actual sleuthing, by Amanda Flower, Cat Conte or Laurie Cass!

I felt so many emotions while listening to this book in the pool during my evening swimmy swim time! Here are just a few: 

Rage against the insidious diet industry that is so deeply embedded in our culture, which means it will probably never die! If I never have to see another depressing “before” and victorious “after” diet promo ever again it’ll be too soon! Why must the “before” pictures looks so dismal? They can’t even crack a smile or wear a cute outfit just because they’re not a size 4? Just do as Megan says: don’t wait to be happy until you have six-pack abs. Life is too short for that nonsense.

Resentment against all the “concerned” family members in my life for shaming my appearance and conditioning me to believe that all fat people are losers to be mocked. 

Resistance against anything—and I mean ANYTHING—that is profiting from the big money-making diet culture business. Just because a “health and wellness” calorie-constricting plan says it’s not a diet, you better believe it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, y’all! 

Sadness for all the “Fitspo” Instagram followers for buying into sham diets and fat-phobic beliefs. 

And most importantly—pride for all the advocates who come out and fight against these messed up systems! Hooray to the Megan Cabbes, the Mernivators and the Aubrey Gordons of the world for starting a new awakening in defiance of the trolls creeping up in their posts!

This book really had me feeling the feels. I hate to use the word “brave” because it can be condescending, but it’s the only adjective I can think of that best describes this author. She really put it all out there, including her really frightening, near-death experience with anorexia. It chills me to think that I almost went down that path while I was religiously following my Weight Watchers points system. I learned later in therapy that, even though I was following the plan, I was most likely anorexic. 

Out of curiosity, I looked at some of the very few negative reviews from others who wanted more guidance for self-acceptance, not “rants” about diet culture. I get that, but it’s so important to understand the systems before you can get to that point of healing. You need to know why these deeply-engrained shameful feelings are perpetuated by our fat-phobic, diet industry obsessed culture. There’s just SO MUCH to unpack, and for me, it has taken years of therapy. And to be honest, I’m still not 100% there yet. I’m still counting calories on Lose It (the free version cause I ain’t giving money to the diet industry any more!) and over-exercising out of guilt from eating a cupcake. Hell, I still can’t even look at myself in the dang mirror! So yeah, I’m a work in progress. Thanks, diet culture. Thanks, crummy family members.

Overall, this book gave me a lot of comfort. We are surrounded with so much fat-shaming noise from our family, our friends, commercials and lousy people shouting insults in the streets. It’s tough out there for us non-skinny folks. When I hear someone say, “Go ahead and wear a crop top,” or “eat what you want without shame,” I feel like I’m being wrapped in a big hug. This really is chicken soup for the soul–and I’m not talking low-cal soup, either! This is the good stuff made by a loving grandmama with all the butter and noodles with some yummy breadsticks on the side!

Happy Saint Patties Day to you, lads and lassies! CeeCee and I hope you’re all having a most bonnie day! To make it even bonnie-er (is that a word?), we bring you some picks from our Celtic-themed reading list!

The gist: In keeping with tradition of her international travels, JB Fletcher happens across a dead body—a murder victim, no less—while enjoying a lovely little bike ride along the rolling hills of the Bushmills. Let’s pause for a moment and reflect. JB is a classy, delightful lady, but she really is the harbinger of death, no? When are people going to wise up and stop inviting her to book festivals and family gatherings? Either way, she’s got a mystery to solve and a web of family drama to untangle involving a big-time business merger and some bad blood with the town doctor. Lots going on here, folks! 

What I liked: Well, I’ll be honest. I didn’t like much about this installment, and I think it has something to do with the new writers. What happened to Donald Bain? I will Google that later. This one was just kind of a snooze fest, but I will say that the writers did an OK job maintaining Jessica’s voice and overall classiness. 

What irked me: Mysteries involving business deals just don’t hold my interest. I found my mind drifting whenever the dialogue shifted to the family’s cosmetic line and….blah, blah, blah. A lot of intricacies were involved in the merger, and my mind just got lost in space. Just not my cup of tea…or Irish coffee, I should say. 

Overall: According to the many rave reviews on Goodreads, this is a fan favorite. I just found it boring and slow moving. It’s lacking the magic and mystique of international travel, and I really wanted more touristy scenes so I could travel vicariously to Ireland—my main bucket list destination! Past MSW books took me to exotic places with colorful taxi drivers, tourist trap shops and delectable restaurants. I guess I’ll just revisit the older books to fill that wanderlust void! 

Dressed to Kilt by Hannah Reed

The gist: The third installment in Hannah Reed’s stellar Scottish Highlands Mystery Series, this book revolves around a murder at a whiskey distillery at a grand family estate. Say no more—you had me at whiskey! Our intrepid American sleuth, Eden Elliot, is at it again. This time she must find out who drowned a woman in a vat of whiskey—and why they had to ruin all that good hooch!!! That’s a whole crime all onto itself if you ask me. Either way, our leading lady must solve this mystery before her tourist visa expires. While the clock is ticking, her quest gets even harder when she discovers the head matriarch of the distillery had alternative motives for beckoning her to the fancy whiskey tasting event—and it all ties back to Eden’s estranged father. 

What I liked: As always, Hannah Reed delivers a most charming mystery in the gorgeous village of Glenkillen and surrounding countryside estates. Oh how I love Scottish mysteries filled with rolling snow-covered hills and quaint villages. I highly recommend listening to this on audio because the narrator has the best Scottish accent, and the lyrical lilt of the male voices make me think of swoony Jamie from Outlander.Such fun! 

Thoughts on the pacing: There is a LOT of intrigue going on here. I couldn’t stop listening until all the clues were uncovered. Why would someone want to off the head matriarch’s sickly, mousey assistant? Who’s leaving her threats? What does this all have to do with Eden’s mysteriously missing father—the man who abandoned her and her dying mother so long ago? And will she ever solve this case and maybe get her smooch on with her love interest before she getting shipped back to America? Will this series continue when she leaves? But she can’t leave because she just adopted an orphaned cat!!! So many questions! 

What irked me: I think authors need to get a little more imaginative with their murder victims when they revolve their stories around beer and whiskey joints. Without fail,  the body gets found in a vat or barrel. It’s getting a little old, folks. Let’s think outside the box…or barrel, I should say. 

Overall: This is a quality series for lovers of Scottish mysteries! It’s always nice to have go-to authors like Hannah Reed, Melinda Mullet and Paige Shelton when you’re in the mood for a Celtic-themed whodunnit!

Simone St. James and Wendy Webb are my go-tos when I’m in the mood for a ghostly, atmospheric mystery. This was an instant impulse buy when I saw this cover illustration of a woman in 1920s garb amidst the backdrop of a spooky train station. How could I resist a story about a psychic crime-solver tracking down a killer in WWI London? There’s a killer on the loose targeting psychics, and it’s up to Ellie (a psychic finder of lost things), to solve the mystery before she joins her friends (or frienemies, I should say) behind the veil of the Great Beyond. The storyline is intriguing, but yet I found the suspense to be lacking. I can’t put my finger on why, perhaps I needed more ghosts and less dialogue, or maybe I just wasn’t really feeling the characters. Either way, it was kind of a chore plodding through this thing. Here’s my assessment:

What I liked: As always, the author did a fabulous job delivering a spooky, gothic atmospheric story that immersed me into WWI London. Her descriptions of the foggy streets, sprawling countrysides and dark alleys really transported me to another time and place. I wish Hollywood would cool it with all the Marvel movies and start turning these books into blockbuster films!

What was missing: Oh, I don’t know…maybe some scary ghosts!!! Even though this book is centered around a psychic, she refuses to speak to the dead, which doesn’t make any sense because they can can give her all the answers she needs. Ugh! We do get some ghost action toward the end, but it’s too little too late.

What irked me: The big reveal was a letdown. I feel like I wasn’t give enough clues, and it all kind of morphed into a confusing mess.

Favorite character: I listened to this on Audible, so I’m not sure if I’m spelling his name correctly, but Pickwick, the rescued dog, stole the show! I was kind of “meh” about the main character until she took him in. The characters are all so very haunted and serious, so I appreciated the fun and fluff Pickwick provided.

Overall: This is certainly not Simone St. James’s best book, but I’ll go ahead and give it 3 stars just for the spooky atmosphere alone.