The Whisking Hour - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: The Whisking Hour (Bake Shop Mystery #22) by Ellie Alexander

Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Fall is in full flush in the charming hamlet of Ashland, Oregon, where theater director Lance’s production of Perfect Crime has been met with rave reviews. As with everything, Lance has put his own spin on the long-running Broadway classic, opting for an intimate staging and drawing the audience into a cozy New York apartment on a stormy fall night where a nefarious set of suspects pulls off the perfect murder. Jules and the team at Torte are eagerly whipping up a murderous crime scene feast for the cast party, baking a bevy of treats like panna cotta eyeballs with blood orange coulis, deviled eggs, and savory cheese fingers with pumpkin dipping sauce.


Life seems to imitate art when a storm rolls over the Siskiyou Mountains on the day of the soirée, ushering in gusty winds and unrelenting rain. But Jules and Lance are not to be deterred. After all, the show must go on. The audience buzzes with electric energy as the lights flicker and the actors take the stage. Once the actors take their final bow, the cast trickles into Carpenter Hall, ready for a night of frivolity, but when the lead actor stumbles in with a fatal stab wound, Jules wonders if she’s just witnessed the perfect murder.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I've been reading this series since the beginning and always pick up the newest release.  

My Impression: I always look forward to my visits to Ashland, Oregon and the Torte crew and this was no exception.  Fall is in full swing and Jules is preparing for maternity leave.  This book focuses more on the theater side of Ashland with a toxic director and a whole host of actors and crew with some interesting and disturbing methods of working.  When the director is found dead the only real surprise is how did he make it this long.  Because this focuses on the theater side of things and because there are a number of temporary staff members (whose names we don't even learn) we don't get quite as much of the inside the bakery team feel.  There are quite a number of yummy food descriptions and Andy's spiced lattes sound amazing!

There are quite a lot of misdirection and red herrings which makes for a fun investigation and I always enjoy anytime Lance is on the page.  This series is heavy on the description and the small details and subplots.  While this adds to the cozy community feel for longtime readers it can slow the pace and I would imagine be a bit tedious for readers who aren't already familiar with the Ashland world.  This is a fun series with fabulous food descriptions and likable characters.  While maybe not the best for standalone reading it is a consistently enjoyable series.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Definitely - I've really enjoyed what I've read by this author and will continue to read her mysteries.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy cozy mysteries this series is one you definitely need to try.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

This Week in Reading - February 22

 

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

Murder on the Sacred River by Tasha Alexander - This is the newest book in the Lady Emily series which I've been enjoying. (Publisher)

Murder, She Wrote: Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early - I've read one other MSW book by this author and really had fun with it so I'm excited to pick this one up.  (Publisher)

Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe - I've been loving cozy fantasy and this is a princess stuck in a bookstore so what's not to love? (Publisher)

Currently:

Reading:  The Lost Book of First Loves by RaeAnne Thayne and A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn

Listening:  The Scrooge Conspiracy by Anna Elliott and Charles Veley - This is the last book in this series and I'll be sad to see this end.

Slow Read:  The Queen Who Came In From the Cold by S.J. Bennett

This was a long week - nothing really terrible or a big deal but just lots of little grinding details.  I've just felt like I'm dragging all week.  I'm hoping to get some solid sleep this weekend and then feel more energized feeling for the week ahead. 

Have a great week and happy reading!

Death and the Dancing Footman - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads: Death and the Dancing Footman by Ngaio Marsh

Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
Source:   Purchased

Description:  The party's over when murder makes an entrance...

With the notion of bringing together the most bitter of enemies for his own amusement, a bored, mischievous millionaire throws a house party. As a brutal snowstorm strands the unhappy guests, the party receives a most unwelcome visitor: death. Now the brilliant inspector Roderick Alleyn must step in to decipher who at the party is capable of cold-blooded murder...

Genre: Mystery - Classic
 
Why I Picked This Book:   I'm slowly reading my way through the Ngaio Marsh books and this was the next one on my shelf.

My Impression: While this is technically an Inspector Alleyn book he really doesn't show up until the last quarter.  Before that it is just the guest list of a house party designed to be absolutely awful with guests who all hate each other, a famous playwright who is a bit of an outsider, and a host who is joyfully pulling the strings.  Until things take a much more serious tone.  

This was a good and enjoyable mystery.  The victim was a surprise and there seems to be no opportunity for anyone to have been the killer.  The dancing footman is in fact pivotal to the investigation which is kind of fun.  I love an isolated house party mystery and in this one not only are they in an out of the way house but they are trapped by a blizzard and generally miserable weather.  I did guess a little bit of the how but there were still a lot of surprises in the unraveling.  Alleyn has a nice presence - just enough to put all the pieces together but not so much where he becomes the focus of the story.

I've found Marsh to be a bit inconsistent but this book and the previous book (Overture to Death) I read by her have both been so much fun.  I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I'm looking forward to my next book by her and getting the rest of the Marsh books I don't have.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Yes!  It's a fun classic mystery.

Friday Fives - Five Upcoming Releases I'm Really Excited About

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. This week I'm looking through the next couple of months and picking books I'm really excited to read.

1.  Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict - I have really enjoyed what I've read by this author and I'm fascinated by Egyptology so this looks like it can't miss.

2.  The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst - I have really loved the previous two books in this series and I loved the character when she appeared in the previous book.

3.  Rialto by Kate Milford - I've read a few books in this author's Greenglass House series which I enjoyed so I'm curious about this one.

4.  The Midnight Train by Matt Haig - I listened to The Midnight Library back a month or two ago and was really surprised with how much I enjoyed it.  

5.  It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell - I really like Jewell's books and this one looks really intriguing.  

What new releases are you looking forward to reading?

Books from the Backlog - The Simplicity of Cider

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert

Blurb:  Focused and unassuming fifth generation cider-maker Sanna Lund has one desire: to live a simple, quiet life on her family’s apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin. Although her business is struggling, Sanna remains fiercely devoted to the orchard, despite her brother’s attempts to convince their aging father to sell the land.
Single dad Isaac Banks has spent years trying to shield his son Sebastian from his troubled mother. Fleeing heartbreak at home, Isaac packed up their lives and the two headed out on an adventure, driving across the country. Chance—or fate—led them straight to Sanna’s orchard.

Isaac’s helping hands are much appreciated at the apple farm, even more when Sanna’s father is injured in an accident. As Sanna’s formerly simple life becomes increasingly complicated, she finds solace in unexpected places—friendship with young Sebastian and something more deliciously complex with Isaac—until an outside threat infiltrates the farm.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  This has been on my TBR since it came out and it sounds delightful.  

Authors I've Been Meaning to Read - The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti by Jennifer Probst

At the beginning of the year, I made a list of authors that I've been saying I need to read and commit to reading at least one book by each of the authors in 2026.  Here's my thoughts on one of those books/authors.

Goodreads:  The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti by Jennifer Probst

Blurb:  Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey haven't been close in years, but when the sisters are forced to come together to settle their mother's estate, they discover a secret. In an old trunk, they happen upon ownership papers for a house on the Amalfi Coast, along with a love letter to their mother from an anonymous man, promising to meet her in Italy during the summer of her sixty-fifth birthday.
Now they're questioning everything they knew about her history. In order to get answers about the woman they thought they knew, they'll have to go back to where it all started. The sisters embark on a trip to the stunning cliffside village of Positano, Italy, to track down the mysterious ex-lover, and figure out who their mother really was.

As Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey unearth the truth, they also experience the magic of Italy, the power of sisterly love, a little unexpected romance, and newfound hope for the future.

My Thoughts:  I really enjoyed this book.  I'm only child so of course I love books involving sisters and this really focused on relationships. Nothing is unicorns and rainbows between the sisters in general and in their personal lives.  They are very different women with different looking outlooks on life and finding common ground does not come easily to any of them but the results are worth it.  Pris was probably my favorite character and seeing her come to terms with her life and figuring out what she really wanted was really enjoyable.  I loved the Italian setting and the food mentions.  I enjoyed The search for the mysterious R but honestly that was secondary compared to the sisters themselves.  I'm looking forward to reading more from this author and more of her books set in Italy.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books For Armchair Traveling on My TBR

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Books For Armchair Traveling.  Here are ten books from my TBR that I hope take me traveling very soon.W 

1.  The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - Post-war Spain.  Probably not the best vacation destination but it does sound interesting.

2.  Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst - I could use a vacation to Italy about now.

3.  The Memory of Lavendar and Sage by Aimee K. Runyan - I also wouldn't turn down a trip to Lavender fields in Southern France.

4.  Peach Tea Smash by Laura Childs - Charleston, South Carolina is always a lovely place to visit but do avoid themed tea related events as there is usually a dead body.

5.  Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson - Iceland is really high on my To Visit list.   The book is probably a bit more murder-y and bleak than I'd like my visit to be but I'm willing to take some chances!

6.  The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes - This one has very mixed reviews but a visit to magical house in Mexico doesn't sound bad.

7.  Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey - A coastal island in North Carolina sounds like a perfect vacation right now.

8.  The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen - Bowen always does a fantastic job making her settings come to life and I've always wanted to go to Venice.

9.  What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand - I've been to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and loved it so I imagine I would also love St. John.  Plus, it seems like it'd be warm and I'm currently very cold.

10. One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan - Back to France but this time to Paris!

What books are on your armchair travel list?