Tag: MoreMysteryPlease

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

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.

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

Murder most frigid

What’s not to love, in The Frost Fair Murders, Ellis Blackwood’s fifth book of the Samuel Pepys Mystery series!

Part cozy mystery, part 17th century thriller, we find the esteemed Samuel Pepys, his personal inquisitors Jacob Standish and Abigail Harcourt, along with other guests sharing a Christmas feast and talking of the possible Frost Fair should the River Thames freeze over.

According to the author,  Frost Fairs no longer happen because the old London Bridge had 19 arches, which used to stop the flow of water when it got really cold. Once in a blue moon, the Thames above London Bridge would ice over. The people would all come out, set tents up, roast ox, skate around, play nine pins, and even set up a printing press on the ice. “It almost feels almost Victorian, but these things go back hundreds of years,” Blackwood said in a recent interview.

For any lover of British mysteries, we all know that if there is a fair or a village fête, there’s bound to be a body or two or three. Blackwood did not disappoint. Jacob and Abby soon discover that the first death was not the terrible accident Pepys had suspected but was, in fact, murderous evil a-glide on the ice. Evil that could touch them all if the inquisitors could not solve the mystery.

I love Blackwood’s writing, not just the incredible pictures of 17th century England that he paints on the page and in our minds, but the way his characters move their investigation and his fabulous stories forward.
In this installment of the series, we get to know the famed diarist and his foibles a little better, learn more about Abby and her past, and watch the trust and understanding grow between the former housemaid and her fellow inquisitor.

And it’s a Christmas mystery!

I highly recommend The Frost Fair Murders for anyone interested in historical cozy mysteries, thrillers, Christmas cozies and 17th century London. I received this advanced reader copy of The Frost Fair Murders 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.

Review by Di Prokop, More Mystery Please

The Golden Girls are back

Chaos ensues when Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia are on the case in Rachel Ekstrom Courage’s Murder by Cheesecake, the first installment of her Golden Girls cozy mystery series.

Eckstrom Courage captures the nuance of each of the ladies, so much so that, while I was a fan of the comedy that ran from 1985 to 1992, I wasn’t sure that I could read a whole book of perfectly timed banter and one-liners. I’m so glad I did. The throwback cozy was not only full of cheesecake and laughter but a solid mystery, as well with all the twists and turns of one of Rose’s stories.

Tasked with putting on a true St. Olaf-style wedding in Miami for Nettie, her niece, who is actually her cousin, with all of the cockamamie requirements of the hometown elders, so that Nettie can inherit her trust, Rose has her work cut out for her.

Just when it looks like she, with a little help from her roommates, will pull it off, the girls discover the body of the man Dorothy was going to bring to the wedding, frozen, face-down on top of one of Rose’s famous cheesecakes in fiancé Jason’s family’s hotel freezer. Rose isn’t the only one, who needs help, as Dorothy becomes the prime suspect and the roommates must prove her innocence.

I recommend Murder by Cheesecake to fans of the Golden Girls and cozy mysteries alike. I received an advance readers copy from Hyperion Avenue, 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

Three star bake

I so wanted to love The Usual Family Mayhem, which teases hijinks, girl power, hilarity and revenge served with one of Grandma’s “special” pies.

But, alas, award-winning author HelenKay Dimon’s rom com/mystery only rose to a three-star bake for me.
The story seemed to be on preheat way too long for my taste and I lost interest in the characters. While the premise was good, a few twists and turns and some amusing scenes, I’m sorry to say, weren’t enough to save it for me.

I received this advanced reader copy of The Usual Family Mayhem from Avon and Harper Voyager courtesy of NetGalley.

Review by Di Prokop

Bravo!

Bravo!

In A Long Time Gone, author Joshua Moehling delivers a beautifully written thriller full of mystery, emotion and suspense that leaves the reader sitting back in their chair saying, “Wow.”

Life hasn’t been easy of late for my favorite sexy detective. In this third book in the Ben Packard mystery series, we find our protagonist pulling court-security detail when a shooting puts him on leave and under investigation with too much time to think – not only about recent events and his future but his older brother’s decades earlier disappearance from the family’s lake house, as well.

After more details of that tragedy had come to light, a visit with his mother to visit the owner of his grandparent’s former home brings back memories. It also sends Packard on another investigation with life-threatening consequences.

Moehling should teach a master class on creating rich, fictional characters as real as they come. From Ben to his mother, his friends/coworkers and romantic interests, it’s all there with depth and easy, subtle strokes.

I highly recommend A Long Time Gone for mystery, thriller and LGBTQ fiction fans. I received this advanced reader copy of A Long Time Gone 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

Royally Intriguing: The King’s Court Murders

From his brilliant series debut to the fourth novel, my excitement still hasn’t waned for Ellis Blackwood’s Samuel Pepys Mysteries.

In my favorite to date, The King’s Court Murders finds the famed diarist’s inquisitors -Pepys’ former housemaid, Abigail Harcourt, and Jacob Standish – paying a visit, as honored guests of Charles II at his court at Whitehall Palace, where Jacob’s younger sister Anne resides as one of the king’s mistresses.

After one of the mistresses is murdered and Pepys is implicated, the king gives Jacob and Abigail an emotionally fraught 24 hours to find the truth and exonerate their esteemed employer.

With his incredible gift for seamlessly weaving setting, history and a most compelling mystery, Blackwood brings readers on a thrilling adventure through 17th century London and the royal court.

I highly recommend The King’s Court Murders for anyone interested in historical cozy mysteries and 17th century London. I received this advanced reader copy of The Brampton Witch Murders 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.

If you’d like a peek into the world of Samuel Pepys inquisitors and a free novella, visit https://ellisblackwood.com/

For more on Samuel Pepys, Abigail, Jacob and bringing 17th Century London to life, check out my interview with Ellis Blackwood below.

Review by Di Prokop, More Mystery Please

It’s not nice to use Santa as a weapon

Bestselling author Geri Krotow had me hooked from Ralph the watch parrot’s first squawk on the first page of her A Santa Stabbing, the first installment of her Shop ‘Round the World mystery series.

After traveling the globe, retired Navy pilot, Angel Warren, is excited to start the next chapter of her life in Stonebridge, Pennsylvania, close to family and reconnect with old friends. The widow and recent empty nester with twin girls off at college in opposite ends of the state is just weeks away from opening her Shop ‘Round the World, travel-themed gift shop when she discovers the body of an old classmate in her storeroom, stabbed with a broken Santa figurine from her shop. Despite the fact another old friend is now her hometown’s chief of police, Angel is the prime suspect.

She’s been away from Stonebridge for a long time. So even when she’s eliminated from suspicion, the town’s gossip mill continues to spread rumors she killed the cut-throat real estate agent. With her reputation and the success of her shop on the line, Angel sets out to find the real killer before she becomes the next victim.

I love Krotow’s easy style and humor, getting to know her rich characters, with plenty of suspects and plot twists and a possible romance with Nate the handsome and artistic barista — that is if he’s not the murderer. I look forward to reading future installments.

I ho-ho-highly recommend A Santa Stabbing to lovers of traditional mysteries, cozy mysteries, and Christmas cozies and look forward to reading future installments of the series.
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

You Feta Watch Out

It doesn’t get much cozier than Linda Reilly’s You Feta Watch Out, the fifth installment of her Grilled Cheese Mystery series.

Carly Hale, proprietor of Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery and amateur sleuth has front row seats in the Flinthead Opera House, to watch her best friend Gina’s dress rehearsal of A Christmas Carol. However, before the day is done, Dickens’ beloved work has a fourth ghost or rather the actor, who had been playing Marley, was found dead with Scrooge’s boss’ chains around his neck and Carly’s bestie is a prime suspect.

With the help of a local journalist, the winking knowledge of the local police chief and a cast of characters as rich as her cheeses, Carly is committed to finding the real killer, proving Gina’s innocence – not an easy task, even a dangerous one when questioning actors, not knowing if they are telling the truth or plying their trade.

There will be no pouting if you read You Feta Watch Out and I highly recommend it for cozy mystery fans looking for a festive read. I received this advanced reader copy from Beyond the Book Publishing, 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

*If you enjoy holiday mysteries as much as I do, be sure to check out the Second Annual More Mystery Please Santa Advent calendar, beginning December 1 as I share my new holiday favorite reads, giveaways and more.

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