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Brilliant thriller

Like Double Dutch making quarter turns, changing directions just when you think you know the next jump, USA Today bestselling author Joshua Moehling expertly bobs and weaves together a brilliant thriller in Beneath a Broken Sky.

In this fourth book in his Ben Packard series, we find our detective and the folks of Sandy Lake, Michigan dealing with suffocating heat, along with the aftermath of not just a tornado that caused major damage to the town, but also the smoke and ongoing threat of nearby wildfires.

An unexpected visit from the sister of a former lover, the murder of a mom, who had threatened legal action after her gay son was bullied and his car was vandalized, and whose husband was unfaithful has a tired, shorthanded Ben pushed to the limits.

The only downside to the novel is that reading about men who can’t make up their minds proves tiresome after a while, so I do hope that Ben, who for now remains my favorite hunky detective, will make up his mind when it comes to his love life.

I highly recommend Beneath a Broken Sky to fans of mystery, thriller, suspense and LGBTQ+ fiction. I received an advance copy of Beneath a Broken Sky, from Poisoned Pen Press, courtesy of NetGalley.

Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.

Review by Di Prokop

Delicious debut

In the much anticipated The Belgravia Phantom, Ellis Blackwood has delivered another delicious debut with his new Quill and Page Mystery Series.

Having put the acclaimed 17th century Samuel Pepys Mysteries to bed earlier this year, Blackwood has brought another world artfully to life in exquisite detail — this time Victorian England, Settles Street in the East End of London.

That’s where we get to know a rich ensemble of colorful characters: Kate Quill, a wrongfully dismissed lady’s maid now forced to take in mending to pay the rent, her three siblings, their ragamuffin friends, an all-knowing Irish landlady, not to mention the meticulous, former gentleman’s gentleman, Frederick Page.

Each has their own talents, including some which may or not have been acquired in the course of petty thievery, ala The Artful Dodger. After Kate takes a job as a medium’s assistant, it will take every last one of the Settles Street crew to try and prove her innocence before police bring Kate in for the murder of her former employer, who was killed during the séance.

I loved getting to know the entire Quill clan, and enjoyed the thrilling chase for Lady Pemberton’s killer, with as many twists and turns as suspects. Especially with more than a tease to their next adventure, featuring one of my favorite characters, I can’t wait to read the next Quill and Page installment and highly recommend The Belgravia Phantom to historical mystery fans.

I received an advance reader’s copy of The Belgravia Phantom, courtesy of the author and Vintage Mystery Press. Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.

Review by Di Prokop

Death of an Ex

Life and its secrets can be messy. Delia Pitts captures every nuanced layer of private investigator Vandy Myrick’s in Death of an Ex.

This second book of the Vandy Myrick mysteries finds Vandy visiting her mother’s and her daughter Monica’s graves, after receiving a settlement check from those held responsible for Monica’s death, three years earlier.

After running into her ex and his son at a banquet later that night, Vandy finds out the next morning Phil’s been murdered just blocks from her home after an intimate reunion, sending her on a mission to find the killer and the truth about who Monica’s father really was.

Full of heart, sometimes heavy, Pitts’ crisp first-person writing brings readers on an emotional roller coaster, with a gripping whodunnit. While I didn’t like everything Vandy did, Pitts’ masterful prose ensured I understood her.

I highly recommend Death of an Ex, just out in paperback, as a dramatic mystery perfect for a beach read. I received an advanced reader copy of Death of an Ex from St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books, courtesy of NetGalley.

Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.

Review by Di Prokop, More Mystery Please

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy wins Agatha Award

Kudos to Kelly Oliver and The Case of the Christie Conspiracy for a well-deserved Agatha Award. After all, it doesn’t get much cozier than a murder mystery with the legendary Golden Era detection club as suspects.

A murder of a fellow author is followed by Dame Agatha’s much speculated upon disappearance, making her a prime suspect. Eliza Baker, secretary to club president Dorothy Sayers, is not so sure and she and the group’s newest member, Theo, set out to investigate.

Oliver does a brilliant job of setting the stage and bringing readers along on a fabulous mystery in true Christie style. I also loved the perfectly-balanced tension and rivalry between the two amateur detectives.

I highly recommend The Case of the Christie Conspiracy to cozy mystery lovers and Agatha Christie devotees. You’ll love it!

Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.

Review by Di Prokop, More Mystery Please

Spectacular swashbuckling finale

If you love historical mystery and suspense as much as I do, you’ll love the swashbuckling adventure that is Jacob’s Last Standish, the final installment of author Ellis Blackwood’s incredible Samuel Pepys Mysteries.

This brilliant series follows acclaimed diarist Samuel Pepys’ intrepid inquisitors, Pepys’ former maid, Abigail Harcourt, and Jacob Standish, whom Pepys gave a job as a deathbed pledge to Jacob’s father, Sir Miles Standish, investigating everything from witch trials, to plague-masked killers, murders of royal mistresses, threats to the king’s life, plots to steal the Crown Jewels, as well as the pair’s own personal quests.

Inspired by Pepys’ actual diaries, Blackwood has exquisitely crafted a pop-up picture book in the reader’s mind of 17th century London, where the nine volumes of whodunits take place over four months time, from the fall of 1666, as the embers of the Great Fire are taking hold in the city that had been besieged with the plague just the previous year, through January 1667, holding pace and tension from one book to the next with deftly woven mysteries and intrigue that keep you guessing.

In Jacob’s Last Standish, plagued by a lifetime of self-doubt, the titled character needs to draw up every ounce of breath and bit of confidence he has, to overcome himself, go after the murderous, treasonous Colonel Blood, avenge the death of a young woman who saved his life, and in his mind, prove his worth as his father’s son.

After Abby receives a letter from her brother, Will, who feared for his life, she ignores admonitions from Pepys and Jacob to stay away from him. When last Pepys and the inquisitors had seen Will, who at one time had been in league with a fanatical Puritan group, he had threatened them all.
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How I wish I could tell you more without giving spoilers away!

Suffice it to say, there were tears in my eyes during Pepys’ speech near the end. I am ever so grateful to have spent time with Abby and Jacob, cheer them on and watch them grow over these past two years, thanks to Blackwood’s prolific writing. I also enjoyed the author’s rich variety of colorful characters, who would pop into plots throughout the series. I will miss them all. (Hopefully, only until they make their way on screen.)

I highly recommend Jacob’s Last Standish to fans of historical fiction, historical mysteries and British mysteries. I received an advance reader’s copy of Jacob’s Last Standish, courtesy of the author and Vintage Mystery Press
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Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.

If you’re interested in learning more about Samuel Pepys, his diary is available online. Pepys’ diary entries from 1665 are also woven into the narrative of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated The Great Plague by Dorothy and Lloyd Moot (for which I was privileged to host a C-Span BookTV episode).

Review by Di Prokop
More Mystery Please

The Crown Jewels Murders


Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish are tasked with their biggest challenge yet — protecting the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London on behalf of the king in Ellis Blackwood’s The Crown Jewel Murders.

So well plotted, in this eighth installment of the Samuel Pepys Mystery series, Blackwood artfully shows that everything we thought we knew is not necessarily so, keeping readers guessing until the very end.

The entire series leading up to and including The Crown Jewel Murders has taken place in less than six months from September, 1666 to January 1667. Each book, each adventure leading to the next for Abby, Pepys’ housemaid turned inquisitor and Jacob, who became Pepys’ inquisitor as a deathbed promise to Jacob’s father. With each mystery the pair became more confident in their skills and in each other.

Blackwood’s masterful skill in 17th century world-building only gets better as he takes readers along through the Tower of London, deftly bringing costumes, architecture, the infamous jewels and even the lion statues today’s visitors see to life.

I love historical fiction. Each of Blackwood’s mysteries had me wanting to learn more, wanting to find out what story may have been the inspiration behind it. For The Crown Jewels Murders, it may have been Thomas Blood, a real man, who is not only behind the fictional plot to thieve the exquisite jewels in this mystery but also for his own attempt at a Crown Jewels heist in 1671.

I highly recommend The Crown Jewel Murders to lovers of historical fiction, suspense, mysteries and British mystery series, in particular. I can hardly wait to read the series finale in April. I received an advance reader’s copy from Vintage Mystery Press, courtesy of the author.

 Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.

By Di Prokop

Blown away by Tangles

I was absolutely blown away by Tangles, Kay Smith-Blum’s compelling debut novel, winner of 13 well-deserved literary awards.

Set in Hanford Washington, where two-thirds of the nation’s plutonium was produced as part of the Manhattan Project, now a major clean-up site, Smith-Blum masterfully weaves a tale of riveting historical fiction, romance and mystery – one full of palpable emotion – courage, fear, determination, hope and love.

Told through the eyes of a brave secretary and a young scientist, this stunning Cold War home-front tale reveals the devastating costs of the birth of the nuclear age, and celebrates the quiet courage of wronged women, the fierce determination of fatherless sons, and the limitless power of the individual.

It’s a story that doesn’t leave you. I have laid awake at night thinking about it and how everyone needs to read Tangles. Knowledge is power.

I highly recommend Tangles for historical fiction, romance, mystery, and thriller fans. I received a copy of the book, courtesy of the author. Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.

Review by Di Prokop, More Mystery Please

I love this series!

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I love this series! That’s exactly what I said out loud the moment I closed The Brampton Ghost Murders, Book 7 of Ellis Blackwood’s phenomenal Samuel Pepys Mysteries.

While I knew the first book, The Brampton Witch Murders, was a brilliant debut, Blackwood has never ceased to amaze me in each of the subsequent stories he’s spun, the depth of his characters, the richness of the 17th century worlds he creates, and the perfectly paced intricacies of his plots, inspired by Pepys’ actual diaries – each installment better than the last with mysteries that keep you guessing.

In The Brampton Ghost Murders, Pepys’ inquisitors Abigail and Jacob return to the village of Brampton to find bags of gold Pepys had sent to his family home for burial in the back garden. According to the diaries, Pepys did in fact send his gold to Brampton for hiding when a Dutch invasion was feared might sail up the Thames.

Abigail and Jacob weren’t particularly keen on returning to a town where grudges were easily held against them, where there had been palpable evil in the guise of the Witchfinder General and residents who believed the women he had accused of being witches, including Pepys’ sister, Paulina, were just that.
Then there’s the ghost. With a fire damaging a local inn and no room at the Pepys’ home, the inquisitors were made to sleep in a cottage deep in the dark woods, where the ghost of the Wychwood Drummer was said to roam. A perfect read for the most ghoulish time of the year – at night during a power outage made it especially atmospheric.

I highly recommend The Brampton Ghost Murders to lovers of historical fiction, British mysteries and suspense and recommend giving the entire series as gifts to your favorite mystery lover. I received this advanced reader copy from Vintage Mystery Press, courtesy of the author.

 Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.

All aboard for murder

As an avid fan of the Masterpiece Mystery production of The Marlow Murder Club on PBS, I jumped at the chance to read the fourth book in the series (my first), Murder on the Marlow Belle. Reading Robert Thorogood’s words on the page instead of watching the series onscreen is even better!

By this installment, our amateur sleuths – Judith, Becks and Suzie – have a bit of a reputation in their bucolic riverside town for solving crimes – especially murder. So it wasn’t much of a surprise for Verity Beresford to show up at Judith’s door after her husband hadn’t come home the previous night.

Once local theatre director Oliver Beresford’s body was discovered, much to DI Tanika Malik’s superiors’ chagrin, our dynamic trio dives smack into the middle of an investigation into an “impossible” murder during a celebratory Thames excursion aboard the Marlow, with Judith joining the cast of the current production of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society.

Thorogood is ingenious in weaving a thoroughly intricate and satisfying mystery with a plethora of suspects, humor, heart, and revealing secrets – not only involved with the murders but our main characters, as well.

I highly recommend Murder on the Marlow Belle to fans of Thorogood’s shows – The Marlow Murder Club, Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise and Return to Paradise, as well as fans of cozy and British mysteries. I received an advanced reader copy of Murder on the Marlow Belle from Poisoned Pen Press, courtesy of NetGalley.

Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.

Review by Di Prokop, More Mystery Please

So much to love

There is so much to love in Ragnar Jónasson’s The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer that I have forgiven his cliffhanger of an ending.

My introduction to the acclaimed Icelandic author first came in his A Christmas Puzzle short story, where I felt as if I’d discovered a lost Christie or Marsh manuscript.

Those Golden-era crime fiction feels remain front and center in his current cozy, as we find our protagonist Helgi Reykdal tucked in at his late father’s bookshop, reading an Icelandic translation of Dame Agatha’s Peril at End House, during a visit home to be with his ailing mother.

Then comes a call from his boss at the Reykjavik police department, who offers him the chance of a lifetime — to solve the disappearance of Iceland’s preeminent crime writer, Elin Jónsdóttir.

With the help of some classic missing person mysteries to inspire him, Helgi sets off to solve the case that could make or break his career. With a rich cast of characters/suspects, lots of secrets, twists and turns, not to mention a Fatal Attraction–esque ex, The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer is an absolute delight, even if everything isn’t tied up in a bow. I look forward to reading the next installment of the series.

I highly recommend The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer to cozy, Golden-age and international mystery fans. I received an advanced reader copy of the English translation from St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books, courtesy of NetGalley.

Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.

Review by Di Prokop, More Mystery Please

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