Mystery – Jill's Book Blog

Review: A Hush at Midnight

Title: A Hush at Midnight
Author: Marlene M. Bell
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary, Mystery
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing
Source: iRead Book Tours
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 1, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A manipulator.

A fatal plan for revenge.

Award-winning author of the Annalisse series, Marlene M. Bell, brings distant friends together in the rural South only to have one of them become the victim of a brutal crime of passion.

Once celebrated for her show-stopping pastries and irresistible desserts, former celebrity chef Laura Harris is now making headlines for a far darker reason.

Laura has been accused of murder.

How could this petite chef have brutally smothered the beloved small-town matriarch, World War II ferry pilot veteran, Hattie Stenburg? Hattie wasn’t just a pillar of the community; she was Laura’s confidant and mentor. The shocking twist? Hattie’s will contained recent changes, bypassing next-of kin and leaving her entire fortune and historic estate to Laura.

As Laura scrambles to clear her name, she uncovers sinister secrets lurking beneath the town’s idyllic surface. The real murderer is always one step ahead, leaving taunting clues and threatening Laura to leave Texas—or face deadly consequences. With time not a luxury, Laura must untangle the web of deceit before the killer makes her the next victim.

In “A Hush at Midnight,” Marlene M. Bell twists an amateur sleuth crime mystery into a race against the clock to solve her mentor’s murder.

Review:

A Hush at Midnight was a thrilling mystery. There were many subplots that made the mystery a little more complex, and most of them were connected in the end. The writing was descriptive and beautiful. It created a full and vivid picture of the setting in my mind.

A Hush at Midnight is a suspenseful thriller!

Thank you iRead Book Tours for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign.

Content warnings: death of parent (off page), cancer, strangulation, death, stalking

Have you read A Hush at Midnight? What did you think of it?

Review: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

Title: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year
Author: Ally Carter
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Mystery
Publisher: Avon
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 24, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:

She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.

He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

Review:

Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt are mystery writers who are both invited to an English mansion for Christmas. The mansion is owned by Eleanor Ashley, the famous author of 99 mystery novels. On their first night at her home, Eleanor disappears without a trace. Though some of Eleanor’s family is there too, only Maggie and Ethan take on the task of searching for clues and finding Eleanor, while also avoiding assassination attempts on their lives.

This was a fun holiday mystery. Eleanor left some clues about her disappearance, but they were closely related to her novels. Since Maggie was a huge fan of hers, she was able to figure them out. The mystery was fun to follow, and I had a hard time figuring out who was responsible.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is a great Christmas mystery!

Thank you Frenzy Books for providing a digital copy of this book!

Content warnings: poisoning, fire, gun violence

Have you read The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year? What did you think of it?

Review: We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders #1)

Title: We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders #1)
Author: Richard Osman
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary
Publisher: Viking
Source: Book of the Month box
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: September 17, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve…

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job…

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?

Review:

Steve Wheeler is a retired investigator who is enjoying his quiet life. His daughter-in-law is a private security officer whose current job is protecting the famous author Rosie D’Antonio. After three influencers and celebrities who share the same management company die mysteriously, Amy is certain Rosie will be next. She enlists the help of Steve to join her on a chase around the world to discover the killer.

This was my first read from Richard Osman and I really enjoyed it. I liked the unconventional relationship between the main characters. Steve was Amy’s father-in-law, and I don’t think I’ve read a story with two main characters with that relationship before. There were a few times that I laughed out loud. I listened to the audiobook, which was very good. It was a little confusing at times because there were so many characters to keep track of, but I liked the narrator’s voice.

We Solve Murders is a great new mystery!

Content warnings: death, gun violence

Have you read We Solve Murders? What did you think of it?

Review: Stars, Hide Your Fires

Title: Stars, Hide Your Fires
Author: Jessica Mary Best
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, LGBTQ
Publisher: Quirk Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: July 11, 2023
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A wanted thief. A murdered emperor. A killer loose on the station. A gripping YA mystery set in space.

As an expert thief from a minor moon, Cass knows a good mark when she sees one. The emperor’s ball is her chance to steal a fortune for herself, her ailing father, and her scrappy crew of thieves and market vendors.

Her plan is simple:

1. Hitch a ride to the planet of Ouris, the dazzling heart of the empire.
2. Sneak onto the imperial palace station to attend the emperor’s ball.
3. Steal from the rich, the royal, and the insufferable.

But on the station, things quickly go awry. When the emperor is found dead, everyone in the palace is a suspect—and someone is setting Cass up to take the fall. To clear her name, Cass must work with an unlikely ally: a gorgeous and mysterious rebel with her own reasons for being on the station. Together, they unravel a secret that could change the fate of the empire.

Review:

Cass is a thief who decides to go to the Emperor’s ball on another planet to steal a fortune for her sick father and her group of friends. However, when she gets there, instead of announcing the Emperor’s heir, they announce that the Emperor is dead. Someone plants a murder weapon on Cass, and she must join up with a resistance movement to prove she’s innocent.

This is a great sci-fi heist story. Cass was a good thief, but she was realistic because she made mistakes which other thieves caught. There were unexpected twists throughout the story. However I did correctly guess who the real murderer was, but I enjoyed reading the end of the story.

Stars, Hide Your Fires is a great YA sci-fi story!

Thank you Quirk Books for sending me a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death of parent

Have you read Stars, Hide Your Fires? What did you think of it?

Review: The Mistletoe Mystery (Molly the Maid #2.5)

Title: The Mistletoe Mystery (Molly the Maid #2.5)
Author: Nita Prose
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 1, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Molly the Maid has a whole new mystery to solve in this heartwarming novella from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest.

Molly Gray has always loved the holidays. When Molly was a child, her gran went to great lengths to make the season merry and bright, full of cherished traditions. The first few Christmases without Gran were hard on Molly, but this year, her beloved boyfriend and fellow festive spirit, Juan Manuel, is intent on making the season Molly’s mofinst joyful yet.

But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about who Molly can and cannot trust, she dives headfirst into solving her most consequential—and personal—mystery yet. Molly has a bad feeling about things, and she starts to wonder: has she yet again mistaken a frog for a prince?

A heartwarming, magical story about the true spirit of the season, The Mistletoe Mysteryreminds us that love is the greatest mystery of all.

Review:

Molly Gray always loved celebrating Christmas with her Gran. Now that she lives with her boyfriend, Juan Manuel, he is trying to continue her traditions and start new ones. Even though he is being very thoughtful with gifts and traditions, Juan is acting strangely. He is speaking to other women and sneaking around at work. At the same time, Molly is a little apprehensive about the Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Hotel, since she was teased at the last one. Molly must figure out what is going on with Juan, so they can have a happy holiday together.

It was so fun to revisit Molly Gray in this holiday novella! There was a little mystery with what Juan was doing, but I guessed what he was planning early in the story. I loved reading about the traditions Molly had with her Gran and the new ones she was starting with Juan.

The Mistletoe Mystery is a fun holiday novella for fans of The Maid!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy of this book!

Other books in the series:

Have you read The Mistletoe Mystery? What did you think of it?

Review: The Unfinished

Title: The Unfinished
Author: Cheryl Isaacs
Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Contemporary
Publisher: Heartdrum
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: September 3, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this debut YA horror novel by Cheryl Isaacs (Mohawk), small-town athlete Avery is haunted by the black water and Unfinished beings of Kanyen’kehá:ka stories and must turn to the culture she hasn’t felt connected to in order to save her town.

The black water has been waiting. Watching. Hungry for the souls it needs to survive.

When small-town athlete Avery’s morning run leads her to a strange pond in the middle of the forest, she awakens a horror the townspeople of Crook’s Falls have long forgotten.

Avery can smell the water, see it flooding everywhere; she thinks she’s losing her mind. And as the black water haunts Avery—taking a new form each time—people in town begin to go missing.

Though Avery had heard whispers of monsters from her Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) relatives, she’s never really connected to her Indigenous culture or understood the stories. But the Elders she has distanced herself from now may have the answers she needs.

When Key, her best friend and longtime crush, is the next to disappear, Avery is faced with a choice: listen to the Kanyen’kehá:ka and save the town but lose her friend forever…or listen to her heart and risk everything to get Key back.

In her stunning debut, Cheryl Isaacs pulls the reader down into an unsettling tale of monsters, mystery, and secrets that refuse to stay submerged.

Review:

One morning when teenage Avery is on her morning run in the forest, she goes off the trail, gets lost, and finds the legendary black water. She’s always been told to stay on the trails, and now she has awoken the horrors that were lurking in the black water. Avery starts seeing faceless people following her in town, and then people start disappearing. When Avery’s best friend, Key, goes missing, she becomes more determined to find out what is causing these horrors and put an end to it for good.

This was such a creepy thriller. There was so much unknown about the black water that Avery encountered. She had to learn from some elders that were familiar with it, but her family was just her, her mom, and her great-aunt who had dementia, so her resources were limited. As the disappearances got closer to Avery, the story became more suspenseful and scary. Read this one with the lights on!

The Unfinished is a great horror!

Thank you Frenzy Books for providing a copy of this book!

Have you read The Unfinished? What did you think of it?

Review: As Good As Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3)

Title: As Good As Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3)
Author: Holly Jackson
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 28, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The finale to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. By the end of this mystery series, you’ll never think of good girls the same way again…

Pip is about to head to college, but she is still haunted by the way her last investigation ended. She’s used to online death threats in the wake of her viral true-crime podcast, but she can’t help noticing an anonymous person who keeps asking her: Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?

Soon the threats escalate and Pip realizes that someone is following her in real life. When she starts to find connections between her stalker and a local serial killer caught six years ago, she wonders if maybe the wrong man is behind bars.

Police refuse to act, so Pip has only one choice: find the suspect herself—or be the next victim. As the deadly game plays out, Pip discovers that everything in her small town is coming full circle… and if she doesn’t find the answers, this time she will be the one who disappears…

Review:

Pip is ready to go to college, but she can’t stop thinking about her last two cases. It doesn’t help that Max Hastings, who should be in prison, is suing Pip for defamation. When Pip starts to get threats, she finds connections to a serial killer, the Duct Tape Killer. However, the DT Killer has been in prison for six years. Pip must figure out if the wrong man is in prison, with the real killer still out there, before she becomes his next victim.

This was a great finale to the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. The mystery in this book was connected to both of the other books. The second half of the story kept me on the edge of my seat. I would have been too scared to do the things that Pip did, but she had to do them for the best outcome. She had to make her own justice when the authorities wouldn’t listen to her.

As Good As Dead is a great finale!

Content warnings: death, murder, drugging, blackmail, gaslighting, blood

Other books in the series:

Kill Joy (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #0.5)
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #1)
Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #2)

Have you read As Good As Dead? What did you think of it?

Review: The Paris Apartment

Title: The Paris Apartment
Author: Lucy Foley
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 22, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List comes a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide…

Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge

Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.

Review:

Jess is running away from her job and looking to start over. She asks her half-brother, Ben, if she can come stay with him in Paris. He agrees, but when she shows up at his apartment, Ben isn’t there. It isn’t like him to disappear without a trace, so Jess starts digging into his life to figure out where he went. There’s a strange group of people living in his apartment building who all knew Ben but they all seem to be hiding something. Everyone is a suspect as Jess investigates everyone’s past and connection to each other to find her brother.

I listened to the audiobook of this book and I really enjoy it. It was told through multiple POVs, with each POV being read by a different actor. I love it when audiobooks have a full cast. It was so easy to follow the story, and I flew through it. I found all the characters to be unlikeable, and they all had good motives to kill Ben, so I couldn’t guess who was behind his disappearance.

The Paris Apartment is a great thriller!

Content warnings: death of parent (off page), death in childbirth (off page), blackmail, murder, drugging

Have you read The Paris Apartment? What did you think of it?

Review: Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

Title: Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies
Author: Catherine Mack
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 30, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life―the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can’t get out of her life―Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker―and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly―theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.

Review:

Eleanor Dash is a famous author of nine mystery books in the Vacation Mystery series. Her series features the detective Connor Smith, who is based on her ex-boyfriend. When Connor found out she wrote a novel about him ten years ago, he blackmailed her into giving him some of the royalties. Now, Eleanor is ready to kill off Connor. Her character. When she goes on a ten day book tour in Italy, including five other authors and the real Connor, Eleanor begins plotting her character’s death for her next book. However, someone is trying to kill the real Connor. Eleanor has to solve the real mystery of who is targeting Connor and herself, before real life turns into one of her murder mysteries.

This was one of those books that I didn’t want to end! As a writer, I loved seeing Eleanor’s life as a bestselling author. Her comments on the publishing industry were funny and accurate. This story was told from Eleanor’s perspective and she broke the fourth wall often by addressing the reader. She included many footnotes that were funny comments about the story. I’m so excited that this is the first book in a series because Eleanor’s voice was so entertaining!

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is an awesome first book in the series!

Thank you Minotaur Books for providing a digital copy of this book.

Content warnings: death of parents (off page), robbery, mugging, poisoning, gun violence

Have you read Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies? What did you think of it?

Review: An Inconvenient Wife: A Modern Tudor Mystery

Title: An Inconvenient Wife: A Modern Tudor Mystery
Author: Karen E. Olson
Genre: Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery
Publisher: Pegasus Crime
Source: Once Upon a Book Club Box
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: April 2, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

This astonishing crime novel—inspired by the Tudor era—takes the reader into the world of Kate Parker, who has just married billionaire Hank Tudor when a headless body is discovered near their summer home . . .

Kate Parker knows what she’s getting into when she marries billionaire businessman Hank Tudor—she’s his sixth wife, after all, and was by his side (as his assistant) when his fifth marriage to actress Caitlyn Howard fell apart.

But honeymoon plans go awry when a headless body is discovered near Hank’s summer home, forcing Kate to contend with two more of his exes: Catherine Alvarez—the first—who lives as a shut-in with her computers, carefully following Tudor Enterprises; and Anna Klein—the fourth—who runs a bed-and-breakfast where she and her wife keep a steady eye on things—particularly Hank’s children, Lizzie and Teddy.

In this clever and suspenseful reimagining of Tudor era betrayals, these three women become entwined in a deadly game of cat and mouse—with each other, Hank, and Hank’s brilliant fixer, Tom Cromwell—as Kate seeks to solve the puzzle of who the murdered woman is, who killed her, and whether her death has any connection to the other headless body from eight years ago.

Review:

Kate Parker married her former boss Hank Tudor, and became his sixth wife. Their honeymoon was cut short when a headless body was found on one of Hank’s properties. Through the investigation, Kate has to deal with two of Hank’s ex-wives: his first wife Catherine who lives as a shut-in and Anna Klein who runs an inn and looks after Hank’s children. These three women become involved in the investigation, questioning their roles in Hank’s life and if he is behind the murder.

This was such an amazing Tudor adaptation. I love reading about Henry VIII and his wives. This story was cleverly adapted into modern time, while also following the true story and creating a suspenseful mystery. The final chapters kept me guessing with all the twists, and the ending gave me goosebumps! It’s one of my favourite book endings!

An Inconvenient Wife is a must read for Tudor fans!

Content warnings: murder, divorce, adultery, agoraphobia

Have you read An Inconvenient Wife? What did you think of it?