When a body turns up at a glamorous séance, Mabel Canning’s sleuthing skills are put to the test. Because it appears the victim died twice…

London, 1921: As a winter wind blows through the streets of London, Mabel Canning is hired by the Useful Women’s Agency to attend a séance at the home of famous medium Madame Pushkana. But when Mabel hears a choking noise and a loud thud, she quickly turns on the lights to find herself at the scene of a murder.

The victim is none other than Stamford Plomley, whose widow arranged the séance after he died in a fire eight months ago. How did he come back from the dead without a scorch mark on him? And could one of their assembled party of gentlewomen have killed him… again?

When Scotland Yard arrive, the police try to stop Mabel from interfering. But having just formed the London Ladies’ Murder Club, Mabel isn’t going anywhere. And with the help of former detective Park Winstone, she begins to piece together what really happened at the ghostly gathering.

But when Mabel receives a threatening letter warning her to stay away from the case, she realises the murderer may have another victim in mind. With time running out, will she hit a dead end? Or can she keep herself from becoming the next one to be sent to an early grave?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Tollerton gave her one of those policeman looks in which he searched for an answer to a question that wasn’t asked.

Nervous or excited. I suppose they’re much of a muchness.

Mabel saw the importance of having compassionate friends you could trust who knew other people who had friends. The circle widened from there, but it started here in her flat with these three friends whose value was greater than gold.

Mr Trenchard is never late… He makes his own time.

My Review:

I am enjoying this cleverly cobbled series, the uniquely contrived characters were sublimely nuanced and deviously detailed with perceptive observations that just weren’t quite complete and kept me ever curious for more. The little pea in my brain was rattling throughout while devising and casting aside multiple theories on “who done it.” And even as jaded as I am, I would have never reached the actual conclusion this wily scribbler had concocted.

Fiercely independent Mabel Canning can’t wait to begin working for the Useful Women’s Agency. But when she discovers a body on her client’s doorstep, it’s time to add solving murders to her job description…

London, 1921: Mabel Canning is proud to be a modern woman working for the Useful Women’s Agency, carrying out tasks for gentlewomen from flower arranging to washing muddy dogs. But when she answers the door for wealthy widow Rosalind Despard, she almost chokes on her cucumber sandwich when she finds a soldier’s body on the doorstep.

As she offers tea to the policemen of Scotland Yard, Mabel can’t resist getting drawn into the investigation. Who was the mysterious dead man? And why was he holding a letter for Rosalind, written by her husband on the day he disappeared?

As Mabel hunts for clues, she joins forces with Rosalind’s handsome brother, former detective Park Winstone, and his adorable terrier, Gladys. But when Mabel suspects she is being followed, the detective duo know that time is running out before the killer strikes again.

As she investigates, Mabel discovers dusty old photographs that help her reveal the soldier’s true identity. But as she gets closer to uncovering the young man’s murderer, she knows she’s also one step closer to danger… Can she outsmart the killer and save Park and Rosalind before they also turn up dead as doornails?

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

She agreed that the vicar needed a wife, but it certainly wouldn’t be her…

My Review:

I like to switch gears and genres to avoid feeling like I’m reading the same book over and over. With that in mind, I decided to dive into some cozy mysteries for a pleasant and fun diversion from the tense thrillers I have been submerged in of late. I was extremely lucky to fall into a new to me author who just happened to be starting a new series based in the 1920’s. What fun! The series features an earnest and plucky gal who is considerably ahead of her time and striking out on her own to be “an independent woman.” I just had to love this for the premise alone!

Mabel has hit her thirties and despite her papa’s misgivings, has finally made her way out of her small village to the Big Smoke of London. She has set her sites on becoming one of Miss Kerr’s main go-to gals at Miss Kerr’s Agency of Useful Women. And no, they aren’t escorts but they do run all manner of errands. Mabel is soon proving her worth and making friends with a diverse group who would most likely make her papa’s and the local vicar’s hair fall out.

The engaging writing style was easy to follow with interesting characters and unexpected conundrums. I enjoyed Mabel’s unusual escapades and am looking forward to the next installment, which is already idling on my Kindle. I expect Mabel is going to be one of those people with a high rate of individuals inexplicably dropping dead in her vicinity.

A young woman has vanished into thin air.

When much-loved Annabeth Dillon is reported missing during a snow storm in Kearney, Wyoming, Detective Delaney Pace is called in. The search leads to a remote woodland cabin, and Delaney is distraught to find Annabeth’s lifeless body on the bed, dark red ties gripping her tight, long black hair covering her face. Searching the scene, she spots a dark figure at the window and rushes to give chase, but he gets away. Could it have been the killer?

Another victim is about to be taken.

As a local activist, Annabeth had a lot of enemies and she was no stranger to death threats. So why was she alone in an isolated cabin? And when one of Annabeth’s colleagues is found dead in her own home, Delaney fears that the murders are linked. Were the women hiding a secret that someone killed to keep?

A twisted killer is in town and they’re only just getting started.

Days later, Delaney discovers that the murderer left DNA evidence on the body, and she’s shocked to her core when she learns who it belongs to. She knows the killer. As she jumps to action, another call comes in—someone close to her has gone missing. Delaney knows just how dangerous the killer is, but she’s prepared to risk everything, even her own life, to save the life of another innocent victim. Will she find them in time?

If you’re a fan of Mary Stone, Kendra Elliot, Robert Dugoni and C.J. Box you won’t be able to put down this absolutely nail-biting crime thriller from USA Today bestselling author Pamela Fagan Hutchins.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

She was poison on relationships, plain and simple. And theirs would be no casual fling, of that she was certain. It would be a barn burning, take-no-prisoners relationship with a capital R ending in destruction with a capital D.

Carrie shot Delaney a look so snake-like that Delaney expected to see a forked tongue when she opened her mouth to speak.

She had champagne and caviar tastes. He had a ramen and Busch Light job.

These cases are like one of those thousand-piece puzzles of gray clouds where every piece looks the same and half of them are nearly interchangeable. And it’s not until you find the right piece that you even see you’ve forced a wrong piece in.

Ignorance is always the best defense, and I’ve perfected that one.

My Review:

This wily author has mad skills as I felt like a passenger in their vehicles while holding on for dear life as Delaney raced around like a Grand Prix driver. The storylines were easy to follow yet complex and multi-layered with hits of well-placed humor and amusing observations. The characters themselves were complicated, deeply damaged, and intriguing. Everyone is guilty of something. I adore Sheriff Leo and hope the next installment goes a bit easier on him and allows him to catch his breath… and Delaney.

Someone is preying on the town’s teenagers.

When Detective Delaney Pace is called to a local high school in her small hometown of Kearney, Wyoming, she is devastated to find the body of star football player Noah Pinehurst slumped in the changing room, his team shirt hanging behind his lifeless body. Days later, two of his friends vanish from Noah’s memorial. Haunted by memories of her own father’s murder, Delaney is convinced that another twisted killer is stalking Kearney looking for victims.

More innocent lives are about to be taken.

As one of the missing teenagers stumbles into town, covered in blood and dirt, she tells Delaney she was kidnapped and buried alive. Delaney’s heart pounds in her chest as she recognises the kidnapper’s description. It sounds like someone close to her—someone she thought was dead…

She will stop at nothing to catch the killer.

If Delaney’s suspicions are correct, she’s about to face a ruthless murderer: but she’s prepared to put herself in unthinkable danger to catch them. She made a vow to keep the people of Kearney safe, even if it means taking the life of someone she loves…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I would have made it faster, but sadly I can’t twitch my nose and magically appear.

She smiled, showing lipstick on her teeth. It made her look like a vampire.

She wanted to sublimate into the atmosphere, as invisible as snow turning into water vapor.

My Review:

Book two maintains the smartly paced, near-constant action, and busy flinch-worthy storylines that began in book one. There is a staggering amount of murder occurring for a small town in Wyoming and I devised and cast off a multitude of theories concerning the guilty parties during perusal, but everyone was suspect and up to something. I couldn’t read fast enough to keep up with the dynamo of Delaney and enjoyed getting to know her better.

Now, having never truly recovered from losing her father all those years ago, Detective Delaney Pace is devastated when her brother and sister-in-law are killed in a car crash. Packing up her life she heads back to the rugged cowboy town of Kearney, Wyoming. Her niece Kateena is just eleven years old and Delaney will do anything to keep her safe…

Now there’s another killer on the loose, and he’s already taken his first victim.

New to the local police force, when a body is found on a secluded mountain trail Delaney is called to the scene. Surrounded by imposing pine trees, a young woman lies still in the moonlight. Gazing into her dark, unblinking eyes Delaney’s heart pounds wildly in her chest as she recognises the victim. It’s her beloved sister-in-law: Kateena’s mother, Lila. But she died weeks before. Didn’t she?

There’s evil lurking in this town and I’ll stop at nothing to hunt down the truth and deliver justice.

With Kateena traumatised all over again, when Delaney links Lila’s murder back to the place where her own father was killed she realizes she must face her own dark past to catch the man responsible. But little does she know that the killer has already made their next deadly move. Back at home, Kateena should be in bed sleeping soundly, but her room is empty. Kateena is missing…

Can Delaney uncover the truth behind the killings and save Kateena before it’s too late?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Kateena’s French bulldog. He had the look of a tuxedo-clad Regency gentleman, the attitude of a portly prize fighter, and sounded like the unfortunate mating of a pig and a chainsaw.

Delaney felt something almost painful in her cheeks and realized it was a smile.

“Citiots?” “Idiots from the city.”

His eyebrows rose— gray, black, and white hairs curling upward and a few down. Like a spider was trying to escape his face.

His cowboy boots were so new the snake was still hissing.

Leo hated hospitals… He could picture diseases hiding in corners, waiting to jump to a vulnerable host.

My Review:

Her Silent Bones is the first installment of a new series and this crafty wordsmith has kicked it off with a bang.  Buckle up for a high-voltage and twisted tale with non-stop action, chilling crimes, complex backstories, witty inner musings and observations, and puzzling motives. The unusual cast of characters was varied as well as authentic and realistically and frightfully damaged. I had a hard time putting my Kindle down when my pillow beckoned, but easily fell right back into their dark dilemmas once I resumed my perusal.

Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.

I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Who was it?

Let’s get started.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

The wind was cruel; it found every crevasse in my clothes, invaded and patted me down like I owed it money.

Lucy smokes like she’s siphoning gas…

Time was not only borrowed, it was charging interest.

People have a habit of saying “That’s all I’m saying” when they’re saying an awful lot, I’ve noticed.

The hatred had scuttled back to her edges, like a closet full of roaches exposed to the light… An anger hangover, Erin and I used to call them: when you argue over nothing and realize in the cold light of morning that you just look stupid.

Family is not whose blood runs in your veins, it’s who you’d spill it for.

My Review:

This one is rife with amusing and wickedly clever observations and insights, which were tossed out to readers as asides, to include us as fellow collaborators to his efforts. The writing was entertaining and compelling with a complex plot and storylines thick with complicated issues, strained family relationships, dry wit, and a large cast of oddly quirked characters. I reveled in the dark humor and the undercurrents running through each crime, which were prickly and confounding yet smartly nuanced when I looked back at them. Some were cringe-worthy twisted with gruesome descriptors, but not enough to have me regretting my nibbles while perusing. I see there is a book two listed, I am eaten up with curiosity to see what quagmire the well-intentioned Ernest lands himself in next.

 

Charm Me
(Cherry Blossom Lake Book 2)
byTawna Fenske

 

Amazon / B&N / Apple / BB

 

Call me cocky, but it’s a fact women fall at my feet. So why does this one want to kick me in the junk?

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Might be my work for her uncle’s legal defense.
Or the dubious ways I earned my millions.
Or the scandal that cost my career. Or hell.
Maybe it’s just that I’m not a nice guy.
A fact I’m regretting once Lucy storms in and gets me rethinking my rule on dating single moms.
She’s funny and smart and so sexy it shouldn’t be legal.
Take it from a disbarred lawyer.
One desperate to dodge this desire sparking like frayed wires in a champagne flute of kerosene.
A few stolen kisses and I’m suddenly starved for simple life on this sweet lake, but that’s absurd.
Guys like me don’t belong in small towns. Towns this charming, this good, this…pure.
It should be easy staying chaste with Lucy, since our encounters include a precocious pre-teen, one misguided bat, and a goat who won’t take no for an answer.
But nothing’s easy with a woman born to boss five grumpy brothers.
Big as they are, those guys don’t scare me.
Not like my feelings for Luce and her daughter. Those have me quaking in my Gucci loafers.
So does this big-ass secret bearing down like a toxic tsunami.

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One-click this laugh-out-loud, enemies-to-lovers rom-com about a single mom and the bad boy millionaire she swears she’ll never fall for (spoiler alert: she does).

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About the Author 

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Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, stepkids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year. To find out more about Tawna and her books, visit www.tawnafenske.com.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

The room narrowed to the width of his smile, and Kerris felt herself leaning toward him, on the verge of toppling.

Walsh’s eyes held hers for an extra beat of her heart. That same jolt struck right down the middle of her soul. The intensity of that stare left her insides crackling.

Skepticism twisted Jo’s mouth, lifting one side and not bothering with the other.

Meredith tilted her head, studying Kerris with telescopic intensity. Kerris always felt like the edges of her soul had been peeled back under that look.

Kerris felt like a mouse lured into a trap by fake cheese.

Sanity was a fugitive on the run from reason.

My Review:

I fell right into this one and resented having to tumble back out for pesky things like eating and sleeping. I adore this crafty wordsmith’s phrasing and word skills. Ms. Ryan’s word voodoo is strong and alluring and held me entranced, even when I was so deeply annoyed with her characters that I wanted to give them a swift kick to their nether regions to dislodge their gray matter from their colons.

A RITA® and Audie® Award winner, USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish, and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts. Kennedy and her writings have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, TIME, O magazine, and many others. She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son.

Location is a big part of the adventure in Helen’s books and she enjoys setting stories in different cities and countries where she thinks her readers might like to escape to.