Minotaur Books – More Mystery Please

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

There is so much for classic and cozy mystery fans to love in locked room mystery master Gigi Pandian’s A Midnight Puzzle, her third installment in her Secret Staircase Mystery series.

First, there’s her amateur sleuth, Tempest Raj, whom I imagine as a beautiful Marvel superhero spinning her way to solving “impossible” mysteries. One who has a rich backstory and wonderful supporting characters.

Deadly booby traps in a spooky old theater, where Tempest’s mother had vanished years earlier, selkie folklore and nods to the greatest mystery writers of all time and there’s no doubt Pandian is deserving of all of her accolades, including having won the Agatha, Anthony, Lefty and Deringer awards as well as being a finalist for an Edgar award.

Even though I did guess the murderer early on, there were plenty of fun plot spins to keep me turning the pages so to be fair, I dinged it half a star.

I wish Tempest and Grandpa Ash were real. I wish he would come riding his bicycle in my neighborhood and bring some of his delicious Indian treats. If you’re like me, you’ll be delighted to learn that Pandian included a few recipes at the end of book.

Last but not least, I also wish Tempest and I could be friends and hang out with her and Ivy at the wonderful library where Ivy works. I’d also love it if she’d help me to build me a secret bookcase door for my bedroom.
I highly recommend A Midnight Puzzle to all cozy mystery fans and look forward to going back and reading previous installments of the Secret Staircase mysteries.

I received this advanced reader copy of 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.

Handwritten review of Dead on Target on desk next to antique typewriter, phone and clock radio — Be sure to check out my Instagram reel for a humorous attempt at reading my review on the beach.

The hawk-eyed, sharp-tongued, insatiably curious and colorfully coutured Agatha Raisin and her entourage of friends and lovers—past and present—are back.

In Dead on Target, the London P.R. exec turned Cotswold Private Eye is investigating the murder of Sir Godfrey Pride, a lecherous landowner, whose body Agatha discovered with his pants down and an arrow through his chest, during one of those deadly English village fetes that cozy mystery fans read so much about.

Now fools Agatha doesn’t suffer wisely and that includes Carsely’s Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes, who believes our heroine is the prime suspect when in reality, she could just be the next victim.

Throw in a gangster, counterfeit merch, ballroom dancing and Agatha in God forbid a Mirchester United Hoodie and track suit and Agatha Raisin and cozy mystery fans are in for a treat – a few laughs, a twisty plot and a satisfying ending.

R.W. Green has done an outstanding job of not only capturing the essence of Agatha’s character but also her cohorts and the village of Carsely that the late M.C. Beaton created 34 books ago. Don’t skip the foreword!

I highly recommend Dead on Target for all M.C. Beaton/Agatha Raisin fans and lovers of cozy lighthearted, humorous mysteries. I received this advance reader copy from 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.

Tag: Minotaur Books

Death of an Ex

So Much to Love in A Midnight Puzzle

I love Agatha Raisin!