A small island and killers everywhere. No communications. No boats. A hurricane closing in. Rogan Bricks alone against an army.
Former FBI agent and Marine Rogan Bricks once uncovered a shadow government and took down a drug cartel, so he's looking forward to his next assignment to infiltrate a laid-back meeting with financial wizards on a Caribbean island. Nothing dangerous this time, all he has to do is listen and report.
Yeah, right. It's just his luck when ruthless commandos sneak onto the private island and start killing everyone.
At the risk of blowing his undercover mission, Rogan must find a way to rescue the survivors and discover why these assassins are here... in the middle of a hurricane!
Standalone action novel following the best-selling thrillers The President Killed His Wife and Counterblow.
Author: Samantha Silver Genre: Cozy / Paranormal / Small Town Status:TBR Cats?: Yes
Ginger Says:
Mystery author Samantha Silver is best known for paranormal cozies, and she's back at it with her new venture: the Magical Bookshop Mystery series!
If you've got a taste for witchcraft, small-town life and books, you might want to give this new series a try. There are already three installments available:
Here's a bit more information about the first in the series, Alice In Murderland:
Moving from Miami to small-town Oregon was supposed to be boring...
When Alice Calliope takes over her recently deceased aunt's bookshop in Sapphire Village, Oregon, she's not expecting her world to be flipped upside down, but that's exactly what happens when her cousin Cat reveals to Alice that she's actually a witch. Add in the fact that the two of them stumble upon a dead body, and Alice's first day in town ends up being a lot more eventful than she could have possibly imagined! What was supposed to be a simple cross-country move winds up with Alice having to learn how to navigate a whole new magical world while at the same time trying to clear Cat's name as she emerges as the main suspect in the murder. Add in the eccentric Grandma Cee, witchcraft lessons, a whiny old ghost and the laziest cat ever, and Alice definitely has her hands full. With pressure mounting for the super-hot local sheriff to arrest her cousin, will Alice be able to hunt down the real killer before it's too late? Alice in Murderland is a full-length novel and the first book in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series of paranormal cozy mysteries.
Title: The Continental Gentleman (Book 5 in the Lady C. Investigates Series) Author: Issy Brooke Genre: Historical Mystery Status: TBR Presence of Cats: Unknown
The Honorable Butterball Catsworth III Says:
I am ever so pleased to announce that the fifth book in Issy Brooke's Lady C. Investigates series is now available for readers to purchase! The Continental Gentleman has certainly found its way on to my To Be Read list. If you enjoy Victorian mysteries, I do believe it warrants a place on yours as well.
Cordelia, Lady Cornbrook confronts her past. It’s not pleasant, but luckily she’s armed with a short, stabby sword. It’s late summer and Cordelia is rattling around her Surrey estate, annoying the servants and causing the gardeners to hide in the bushes. Her old friend – or nemesis – Hugo Hawke turns up, and he’s closely followed by his own past. It’s good news … at first. But Cordelia has received a note warning her that she is at risk of harm from a “continental gentleman” and it turns out that the local area is positively brimming with potential suspects. It’s not Cordelia who is found dead in a stream, however. The race is on to find the killer before they strike again. She’s aided by her motely retinue of servants, and severely hampered by her well-meaning friends who only wish to help her improve her social standing. Etiquette has never been Cordelia’s strong point. But she’s still got that sword…
Author: M.C. Beaton Genre: Cozy / British / Small Town Status:In Progress Cats?:Not Yet
Ginger Says:
I only just started reading The Quiche of Death the other day, but already I understand why my fellow cozy-enthusiasts have been encouraging me to pounce on this series: within the first couple chapters, it's already got everything you could ask for in a cozy. Oh, except nobody's been murdered yet. Obviously that isn't an obstacle to my enjoyment.
What I'm really loving about The Quiche of Death is the way our main character, Agatha Raisin, is a fish out of water in her new surroundings. In the first chapter, she sells her business in London and moves to a quaint town in the Cotswolds. Moving to a small English town is a fantasy for most cozy readers, even a Canadian kitten like me. I think that's half the reason we read cozies: for the setting.
Agatha Raisin is a fish out of water not only because she's a Londoner in a tiny town, but she's a contemporary person amidst a swell of characters who seem plucked from Father Brown. The townsfolk act, dress, and even style their hair like people from the past. Sure we're getting glimpses of Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages in this town, but there's a distinct period drama aspect to the supporting cast. It's a world the reader wants to inhabit all day long. The ins and outs of village life are so attractive to a city cat like me. And a rigged Quiche Competition? Yes, please!
I would love to tell you more, but that's all I know so far. As I say, I haven't even made it to the murder yet. But unless this book takes a wild turn, I'm sure to enjoy it tremendously!
Title: Catch a Killer Author: George Woods Genre: Action / Thriller / Police Procedural Status: Read Cats?: Zero
Zorro Says:
After reading that Hardy Boys mystery a couple months back, I've kept an eye out for other nostalgic action/adventure type books written for young people. That's why I picked up Catch a Killer by George Woods.
That Hardy Boys I read had a copyright date in the 1920s. Catch a Killer isn't that old. It hails from 1972. A quick Amazon search tells me this book isn't easy to get your hands on. There's no ebook version available, as far as I can tell. If you want to read this book, you'll have to buy a used copy of the hardcover or paperback.
The reason I figured this was juvenile fiction is that the copy I picked up was an educational edition printed specifically for a school board. It comes complete with follow-up activities and questions for students.
I half understand why a school board might pick this book for young people: the main character is twelve years old. But just because you've got a kid in your book doesn't make it a kids' book. Catch a Killer doesn't strike me as a juvenile fiction so much. Reminds me more of a police procedural TV series from the 1970s in the vein of Columbo. Except a lot of it takes place in the woods.
Andrew, the aforementioned 12-year-old, ends up witnessing a crime. His bad luck, because that crime is the murder of two police officers. The killer immediately takes Andrew hostage and leads him on a night hike through the wilderness.
They're on the run.
Since the only police on-scene are now dead, will investigators think it was young Andrew who killed them?
The way this book was written is very effective. You get one chapter about Andrew's experience, one about the investigators trying to solve the double homicide, yet another about the killer's childhood and upbringing. Instead of vilifying the young man, the author shows the reader what drove him to kill. By then end of the book, even the boy he takes hostage feels empathy toward him.
Since we know who the killer is, the two main mysteries in this book are: 1) what made the killer kill, and 2) will Andrew be blamed for the crime?
In order to find out, you'll have to track down a copy of the book and read it for yourself. I enjoyed it, and any reader nostalgic for adventure novels from the 70s should like it too. The book's a product of its time. Very reminiscent of police procedurals from that decade, but also delving into the psychology of the killer.
If you want to Catch a Killer for yourself, you can find copies at Amazon.
Title: Sand-Witch on Rye Author: Molly Dox Genre: Paranormal / Cozy / Mystery Status: TBR Cats?: I suspect so (there's a cat on the cover)
Ginger Says:
Hello friends! I have yet to begin The Soup and Sand-Witch Cozy Mystery Series, but I figured I'd post about it because these books look absolutely adorable.
In Not-So-Normal Town, strange things are happening. Turmoil, murder, and cookie jar spirits are turning the paranormal world upside down. Katy can’t help digging for clues when Miss Priss turns up dead at the local bowling alley. Too bad her magic is rusty. She’s having a spell of a time finding answers. Magic is only good when you remember how to use it. Teaming up with her best friend, Katy hopes to reveal the truth before it’s too late. With an itch to become a better witch, she knows she’ll need to brush up on her skills, but with no time to spare, she needs to find answers before the killer strikes again. Sand-Witch on Rye is the first book in The Soup and Sand-Witch Cozy Mystery series, and offers a family-friendly read with no foul language.
Title: The Witch Tree Symbol Author: Carolyn Keene Genre: Juvenile / Nostalgia / Mystery Status: Read Cats?: None, but there is an angry bull.
KitKat Says:
Inspired by Zorro's review of a Hardy Boys Mystery, I decided to give Nancy Drew a go. I've obviously heard references to this series, and I'm aware it's been popular for generations, but I've never read a Nancy Drew book for myself. Better late than never?
With a copyright date of 1955, I was more than a little afraid of what I was getting into with The Witch Tree Symbol--particularly because the action takes place in Amish country. I figured a book written in the 50s would resort to broad stereotypes in representing Amish people.
I was surprised (and relieved) to find I was wrong. I'm not Amish, so I can't speak with any degree of authority on the matter, but it seemed like a fair and thoughtful representation of the families it depicted.
Not just that, but Nancy Drew is an intrepid investigator. She's pretty fearless. I can see why the series has been so popular throughout the years.
Having said all that, would I rush out to read another Nancy Drew mystery novel? Probably not, and here's why: I found the writing style outdated and impersonal. I don't mean that as a dig. These books were written, what, more than sixty years ago? Times change, trends change, tastes change. I really like to get inside a character's head and feel what they're feeling. That's pretty much impossible to do when the narrative bobs at the surface of the action.
I still think that, if you've never read a Nancy Drew mystery, The Witch Tree Symbol is worth your while. Aren't you curious what you've been missing out on all these years?
Whether you read Nancy Drew as a youngster and you're looking for a spot of nostalgia or you've never read this series and you don't mind starting with #33, you might want to spend a day with The Witch Tree Symbol.
Yeah, right. It's just his luck when ruthless commandos sneak onto the private island and start killing everyone.
