Ginger Reviews Murder, She Wrote: Aloha Betrayed by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

Hello, everyone! It's been a while, bit I'm happy to be back with another cozy mystery review. If you love armchair travel as much as you love mysteries, this one might be just the ticket.

In Murder, She Wrote: Aloha Betrayed, Jessica Fletcher leaves Cabot Cove behind for the beautiful island of Maui, where she's been invited to teach a course on community involvement in police investigations. Her co-instructor is retired detective Mike Kane. Before long Jessica finds herself investigating the death of a well-liked college professor whose fatal fall from a cliff doesn't seem accidental at all. The victim had been passionately involved in a local environmental controversy, so there are plenty of suspects and motives to sort through.

One of my favourite things about this book was the setting. Author Donald Bain (and co-author Mrs. Fletcher, of course) clearly wanted readers to feel as though they were taking a Hawaiian vacation alongside Jessica. There are descriptions of the scenery, local traditions, Hawaiian customs, and enough tropical atmosphere that I could almost feel the sunshine warming my whiskers. If you enjoy mysteries that double as travel adventures, this one delivers.

Jessica is kind, observant, endlessly curious, and somehow manages to make everyone around her feel comfortable enough to reveal just a little more than they intended. I also enjoyed her partnership with Mike Kane. He makes an excellent investigative companion without ever overshadowing Jessica.

The mystery itself unfolds at a relaxed pace. Rather than racing from one dramatic scene to another, the story takes its time introducing the suspects, the local politics, and the relationships surrounding the victim. That's exactly what I want from a cozy mystery. It gives you plenty of opportunities to play detective from your favourite reading chair—or your favourite sunny windowsill, if you're a kitten like me.

I will admit there was one odd subplot involving an obnoxious secondary character that felt out of place compared to the rest of the novel. I think you'll understand what I'm referring to when you read this book for yourself. It didn't seem to fit with the overall story, which made it stand out even more. Fortunately, it's only a small part of the book, and it didn't stop me from enjoying the mystery as a whole.

Overall, Aloha Betrayed is a lovely blend of tropical vacation and classic Jessica Fletcher sleuthing. If you're looking for a cozy mystery filled with beautiful scenery and a puzzle that's enjoyable to unravel, I'd happily recommend packing Murder, She Wrote: Aloha Betrayed in your beach bag.

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Enjoy 3 Small Town Cozies with Serenity Bay Mysteries 4-5-6

Serenity Bay Mysteries 4-5-6
Author: J.J. Brass
Publisher: Rainbow Crush
Word Count: 115,000
Ebook ISBN: 9798233631160

Join amateur sleuth Lucy Larkin as she solves murders in Serenity Bay, the quaint little town she calls home. This charming box set includes books four, five, and six in the beloved Serenity Bay Mysteries series.

In Murder by Christmas, Lucy attends a festive gathering with the cast and crew of Serenity Bay's beloved holiday musical. When a winter snowstorm traps everyone inside, the partygoers make the best of it, but the evening takes a chilling turn when murder rocks the celebration. As hidden secrets are revealed, Lucy finds herself entangled in a web of love, lies, and unexpected motives. With no way in or out, it's up to her to unravel the truth and expose the murderer among them.

In Mind Over Murder, psychic medium Gabriel Kolter descends upon the town, offering his otherworldly insights to curious residents. Little does he know that this visit will lead to his own demise. With suspects aplenty and a town full of secrets, Lucy navigates the tangled relationships of Serenity Bay's residents. Will she uncover the killer's identity before Valentine's Day is forever stained with the shadows of a chilling murder?

Finally, in Murder in a Pickle, When an injunction is issued against the local pickleball club for exceeding legal noise levels, club members are irate. And when the man who initiated the injunction is found dead, the idyllic community is thrown into turmoil. As the close-knit pickleball club rallies to clear their name, Lucy pieces together a puzzle that reveals a web of deception and hidden motives.

Brimming with wit and warmth, this collection is a treat for lovers of cozy mysteries, charming small towns, and delightfully quirky characters. Come back to Serenity Bay, where every corner hides a secret and every mystery is just waiting to unfold.

Buy Now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GNTXCHTR?tag=dorishay-20
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=zfvBEQAAQBAJ
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/serenity-bay-mysteries-4-5-6/id6759294308

Find Serenity Bay Mysteries 4-5-6 at many more retailers using the Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/4jkMoo

It's also available in Large Print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GP18Q79B?tag=dorishay-20

There's also an audio version: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details?id=AQAAAEBavC78ZM

 

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KitKat Reviews Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Hi friends. I just finished Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, and I’m still sitting with it. It’s one of those books that lingers quietly after you close it.

I’ll be honest: I went in expecting a domestic thriller. A missing girl, a mysterious death? That setup usually means twists and secrets. And yes, there are secrets here. But this isn’t a thriller in the usual sense. It’s slower, deeper, and more emotional. It’s literary, but not in an intimidating way, just beautifully written and full of truth.

If I had to label it, I’d call it a literary family drama with elements of mystery. The story starts with Lydia, the middle child of the Lee family, found dead in a lake. The question isn’t just what happened, but why. And in trying to answer that, Celeste Ng pulls apart every thread of this family’s life.

The Lees live in 1970s Ohio, and that setting matters. It’s a time when a mixed-race family (Chinese-American father, white mother) stands out. The small, subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways they’re treated differently ripple through everything. It shapes how each person sees themselves and each other. You feel the isolation in every page.

What struck me most was how real the family dynamic felt. Everyone’s trying, in their own way, to love and be understood, and they're failing just enough to make it hurt. The parents want the best for their kids, but they’re weighed down by their own regrets. The children are desperate to be seen, but no one really knows how to talk about what they need. The title says it perfectly: Everything I Never Told You.

The writing is evocative and spare, the kind that lets emotions creep in quietly. You can almost smell the 1970s kitchens, hear the hum of a house full of silence. It’s beautiful, and sad, and sometimes painfully true.

If you want a story that captures the ache of family, identity, and everything we leave unsaid, this one’s unforgettable.

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KitKat Reviews Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

Hi everyone! It’s KitKat again. I just hopped off this train-mystery, and I’ve got thoughts.

First: the humour. You'll remember it from the first book in the series. The main character Ernest (Ernie) Cunningham’s voice is wry, self-aware, and always nudging the reader. He often addresses you, lets you in on the tropes, even warns you when he’s doing something “murder-mystery-ish.” That meta quality is a delight. It doesn’t feel showy; it feels playful and smart.

The setup is a closed-circle: you’re on a train with a bunch of writers, and when a murder happens, the killer has to be one of those on board. The tension of knowing the murderer is “in the room” (or the carriage) is classic, and Stevenson leans into it well. You want to turn the pages, check every motive, and second-guess every conversation.

One of my favourite scenes takes place in Coober Pedy. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a fascinating town in South Australia where, because of the brutal heat, many people live underground in “dugouts.” The novel leans into that strangeness, but I had to do some outside research to discover the true weirdness of place. There’s something thrilling about being in a spot where the landscape itself feels uncanny—hot, exposed, subterranean, hidden.

The train itself is a real one: The Ghan, a luxury line running north to south across Australia (Darwin to Adelaide). The slow stretches of outback, the stops in remote places, the shifts between isolation and motion — they all contribute to the atmosphere. You feel both confined and unsettled.

The characters are strong. Ernest is not perfect, and that’s good. He doubts himself. He’s funny and vulnerable. The other writers, the festival guests, the staff — each has quirks, secrets, ambitions. Nobody is wasted. Even small roles feel alive.

If you like ultra-dark mysteries, this isn’t that. The tone often leans lighter, more witty than grim. Also, the puzzle is tricky. Stevenson plays fair, giving clues, nods, and hints. But I don’t think I solved it before the reveal; there were surprises. The meta asides help you notice things you’d otherwise miss.

All told: Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is one of those rare mystery books that’s both clever and fun. You get suspense and wit. You get place, and characters, and a puzzle you can chew on.

I highly recommend this one — especially if you like mysteries that wink at the genre. Hop on board early in this series and you’ll be waiting for the next Ernest Cunningham train.

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KitKat Reviews Exit by Belinda Bauer

Hi friends, it’s KitKat here with some complicated thoughts about Exit by Belinda Bauer. I just finished the audiobook, and I’m still sorting through how I feel—so this review might be a bit more reflective than usual.

To start with the good: I was completely hooked for most of this book. It’s a dark comedy-meets-mystery with a truly unique main character, Felix Pink, a retired man involved in assisted dying (or at least, he thinks that’s what he’s doing). The tone walks a fine line between quirky and grim, and for the most part, it works beautifully. I laughed, I gasped, I looked forward to every chapter. The narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life—I’d honestly recommend listening if you can.

But then came a moment that really took the wind out of my sails.

Without giving too much away, there's a twist late in the book that relies on the old and deeply frustrating “fake disability” trope. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s when a character pretends to have a disability as part of some deception or hidden agenda. It’s something I’ve seen show up in mystery fiction and on TV more often than I’d like, and every time, it lands badly—especially for readers or viewers who live with disabilities in real life.

As a feline living with a disability myself, I find this trope especially harmful. It contributes to a culture of doubt, where people already question whether disabled folks are “really” disabled. Using disability as a disguise or red herring doesn’t just feel lazy—it actively reinforces mistrust and stigma. And even though this book didn’t linger on it or spell it out in detail, it soured what had been, until then, a smart and engaging read.

So now I feel really torn. I loved so much of this book. The writing, the pacing, the character work—it all clicked for me. But this one narrative choice pulled me out of the story and left me feeling disappointed and uneasy. I’ve been sitting with that discomfort, wondering if I’m being too hard on the book or too easy on myself for having enjoyed it so much. But I keep coming back to this: you can admire a book’s craft and still name the ways it let you down.

I wish this trope would go away. It’s tired, it’s damaging, and it adds nothing that a writer couldn’t achieve through better, more respectful storytelling.

So, would I recommend Exit? Honestly… I don’t know. I wish I could, because so much of it is smart, funny, and humane. But I also don’t want to overlook the way it uses disability as a plot device. I guess my honest answer is: read it if you want—but read it with eyes open.


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Zorro Reviews: We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

We Solve Murders. Richard Osman. New series. Book one. Big win.

Richard Osman knows what he’s doing. This thing is sharp, quick, and funny. Very funny. Not cute funny—actual laugh-out-loud funny. Jokes land. Dialogue snaps.

The pace? Fast. But not chaotic. It moves. England. Ireland. America. Dubai. It hops around. You always know where you are. You always want to see what’s next.

The story’s solid. Twists, reveals, secrets. One mystery leads to another. Never drags.

Main guy is Steve Wheeler. Ex-cop. Haunted by grief. Dry sense of humor. Keeps things close to the chest.

Then there’s Amy Wheeler. His daughter-in-law. Professional bodyguard. Tough, sharp, no-nonsense. Their dynamic works.

And Rosie. She’s the client. Big energy. Total wildcard. She makes everything more complicated—and more fun.

Side characters? Weird. Memorable. No filler. Everyone’s got a line, a look, something strange. Osman makes it all work.

The tone? Stylish. Clever. Never smug. Cool without trying too hard. It’s also got heart. Hits when it needs to.

This is the start of a new series. You want in now. Ground floor. No question.

Zorro says: read it. No hesitation.


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Butterball Reviews: Thirteen Steps Down by Ruth Rendell

Posted by Butterball, Esquire of the Drawing Room, Keeper of the Hearth, Master of Suspense

Ah, Thirteen Steps Down. A title that positively purrs with menace, don’t you think? When I spotted this Ruth Rendell novel perched precariously on the shelf—like a vicar’s secret—I knew it was meant for me. And I must say, dear readers, it did not disappoint. This book slinks across the mind like a cat in moonlight: quietly, stylishly, and with claws at the ready.

We find ourselves in Notting Hill (not the one with Hugh Grant, thank heaven), where a peculiar young man named Mix Cellini rents a room in a crumbling Victorian house and quickly becomes obsessed—with both a faded model and a long-dead serial killer. Oh yes. And with Rendell at the helm, obsession is never just obsession, is it? It’s an infestation, a rot beneath the floorboards. Delicious.

Rendell is a master of the slow simmer. If you're looking for a chase scene or a shootout, you may as well go chase your own tail. But if you, like me, prefer your suspense with a side of existential dread and a sherry glass full of decay, then pull up a tufted armchair and get comfortable.

What I adore about this novel is the way Rendell writes madness. Not with melodrama, but with method. Mix is not a cartoonish villain; he is pitiful, lonely, deluded... in other words, deeply human. Uncomfortably so. I found myself hissing at him one moment and pitying him the next. Quite exhausting. I had to lie on the radiator for an hour afterward just to reset.

The house itself is nearly a character. It creaks, it sighs, it harbors secrets in every stair. Rendell knows exactly how to let place and psychology mirror one another until you're not sure where the walls end and the madness begins. Which is, in my semi-professional opinion, the goal of every proper psychological thriller.

A word to the wise: this is not a book to rush. It’s a slow descent—thirteen steps down, if you will—into obsession, control, and the rot that festers when we let fantasy take root in our reality. Read it when the rain taps at the windows, when the air smells of dust and secrets. Read it alone, and maybe not just before bed, unless you like your dreams with a twist of menace.

Final Judgment:
A sinister little masterpiece. Dark, deliberate, and magnificently British. 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I believe I hear the kettle boiling and a faint knocking on the cellar door. Probably nothing...

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