Friday Fives - Five Quick Reviews for Books I've Read Recently

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 sharing 5 quick reviews for books I've read recently.

1.  Hearse and Buggy by Laura Bradford - This is a solid intro to a cozy mystery series set in Amish country with a mix of Amish and English characters.  There's conflict between former Amish and those living in the Amish faith and the other residents of Heavenly, Pennsylvania.  I liked the main character, Claire and her family and friends.  The mystery had a satisfying conclusion and had just enough development that I do want to read the next book.  That said it wasn't the most memorable of stories.   I remember very little about how the mystery played out other than that I was happy with the solution.  I do plan on continuing with the series but it isn't in my must read the next one ASAP list. Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

2.  The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis - I was so excited when this book came out as I'm fascinated by Egyptian history and the dynamic of the archaeologists and the museums and the people of Egypt.   I've also had good luck with previous books by this author.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I loved the combination of fashion, history, and family secrets.  Annie and Charlotte were fantastic main characters with very different histories but lots of tenacity and spirit.  I really enjoyed all the different storylines and couldn't wait for everything to come together. The audio added to the enjoyment of the story and I'm so looking forward to reading more from this author.  My Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)

3.  Miss Marple by Agatha Christie et al - This is a book of 12 Miss Marple short stories written by 12 modern authors.  As with most short story collections this is a bit of a mixed bag.  There were a few I really didn't like both for the story and because they did not seem to capture the spirit of Miss Marple.  On the plus side, there were a number of stories where it was very clear that the author had really done the research and/or already had a lot of love for the sleuth.  Ruth Ware, Val McDermid, and Leigh Barduga's stories stand out especially.  Ruth Ware's story was a bit of extra fun because it felt like a premise that we normally see Poirot in and to have Miss Marple instead was a treat.  Overall, this was a fun collection with a few standouts, a couple of flops and the rest in the middle.  If you're a Miss Marple fan this one is worth giving a try.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

4.  Apprentice to Villian by Hannah Nicole Maehrer - The first book in this series was one of my absolute favorite reads in 2023.  I love the Villain, I love Evie, and I really enjoyed everyone in their world.  Sometimes when I really love a book I drag my feet about reading the next book in the series and that was definitely the case here.  This came out summer of 2024 (and I preordered it) and I'm just now getting around to reading it.  This feels a bit like what it is - a bridge between book 1 and book 3.  The world is built and the story is setup but nothing can finish just yet.  I enjoyed the story and seeing more of the characters.  I really enjoyed getting to know Becky a bit more.  This is definitely a book that needs to be read in order.  I do highly recommend the audio versions and am so looking forward to reading book 3. My Rating: Really Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

5.  The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - I really enjoyed listening to the audio of this one and was completely pulled into the story from the beginning.  I'm still not sure what I think of the story itself and how everything unraveled but I was interested from page one.  This author team delivers some seriously unexpected twists, turns and character development.  This one definitely has me thinking and this is an author pairing I will definitely be revisiting.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Books from the Backlog - Innocence Road

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:  Innocence Road by Laura Griffin

Blurb: Leanne Everhart knows women have something to fear in her artsy hometown, especially so if they’re not rich, white locals. Returning to town after her father’s death, she sees the ugliest sides of an area that draws people for its severe, untamed natural landscape.
While her department faces mounting backlash over a recent wrongful conviction in the long-ago murder case of a popular local teenager—which is now unsolved—Leanne is called to a fresh crime scene at the edge of the desert. A nameless woman was found murdered, with no clues as to her identity. As Leanne digs into the crime scene evidence, she grows convinced this latest murder case is linked with the local teenager’s murder. And to multiple cold cases, all unnamed female victims, that have all been shelved by her department without leads.

Now, with conflicted loyalties and without allies, Leanne must hunt down a serial killer, one who’s been preying on local women for two decades, growing bolder and more ruthless with every strike.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  This is an author I read a few books ago but then haven't revisited for awhile.  This one looks good and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Reading What I Love - The Secret of Terror Castle

The last few years I've made a list of 10 books - 5 books off my shelf, 5 books from the library - that I'm really wanting to read.  There's no real rhyme or reason.  I just go through my library list and my shelves and pick the books that are calling to me.  My focus in 2026 is reading books I think I'll love - or at least really enjoy.

Goodreads:  The Secret of Terror Castle by Robert Arthur

Blurb:  Finding a genuine haunted house for a movie set sounds like fun -- and a great way to generate publicity for the Three Investigators' new detective agency. But when the boys arrive for an overnight visit at Terror Castle -- home of a deceased horror-movie actor -- they soon find out how the place got its name!

Why I Think I'll Love This One:  I do love a good middle grade adventure story and this sounds like a fun one!

My Thoughts:  This was a lot of fun!  The three boys (Bob, Pete, and Jupiter) feel very much like Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys characters.  They're good smart kids with a strong work ethic.  I do think they have a bit more of a sense of humor than any of the characters in the Drew/Hardy universe as well as a healthy sense of self preservation.  The mystery feels straight out of Scooby Doo with ghosts, a creepy old house, a long dead actor and a few characters that might not be what they seem.  This was a fast read and the reveal was a fun one.  If you haven't come across this series yet and enjoy middle grade adventures this is a series to try.  I'll be keeping an eye out for other books in the series.  My Rating:  Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Top Ten Tuesday - Spring 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 Spring TBR.  I love making seasonal TBRs!  Am I best about sticking to them? Not in the slightest but I like pretending I will.

1.  Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto - I love the Vera Wong books by this author and this book looks really great.

2.  Too Close to Home by Seraphina Nova Glass - I read a mystery by this author last year and loved it so I'm super excited about this one.

3.  The Final Target by Nora Roberts - I look forward to Roberts' standalone romantic suspense books every year and this one looks really good!

4.  Stay For a Spell by Amy Coombe - This cozy fantasy book looks absolutely delightful.

5.  A Cruise to Die For by Heather Graham - The reviews for this one haven't been stellar but I do love a cruise ship setting so fingers crossed it works for me.

6.  The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst - I have loved the first two books in this series and I just thoroughly enjoy the worlds that this author has created.  

7.  Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict - I enjoy this author's books and I love the sound of this one.

8.  The Shippers by Katherine Center - I read and thoroughly enjoyed a book by this author last year so I need to read another one!

9.  The Librarians by Sherry Thomas - This is on my priority reads list for 2026 and I'm hoping to get to it this spring.

10. A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch - This is the first book in a long running historical mystery series that I've been wanting to read for years.  I actually read this one but it's been over 10 years ago so I want to reread it before I continue with the series.  I remember enjoying it but that's about it.

What are you hoping to read this spring?

Overdue Reviews - Flawless

 

Goodreads:  Flawless by Heather Graham

Blurb:  Everyone goes to Finnegan’s.…

It’s a pub in lower Manhattan, run by the Finnegan family for generations and now owned by Kieran and her three brothers. Kieran Finnegan, who still works there whenever she can, has become a criminal psychologist—a fitting reaction, perhaps, to her less-than-lawful past.

Meanwhile, New York’s Diamond District has been hit by a rash of thefts. No one’s been killed—until now. FBI agent Craig Frasier is brought in to investigate; he and Kieran meet at a jewelry store in the middle of a heist. She’s there to “unsteal” a flawless stone taken by her light-fingered youngest brother as an act of vengeance. He’s there to stop the gang.

But the police and FBI soon discover that there are two gangs of diamond thieves, the original and a copycat group of killers. And the second group seems to think their scheme is as flawless as the stones they steal.

Thrown together by circumstance, drawn together by attraction, Kieran and Craig both end up working on the case. Unfortunately, there’s more and more evidence that, somehow, the pub is involved. Because everyone goes to Finnegan's.…

My Thoughts:  This was a fun read!  Unlike a lot of Graham's other books this is the first in a series of mysteries featuring the same characters so starting with the first book in the series (this one) does help the series be more enjoyable.  Kieran is a criminal psychologist who also partially owns a pub with her brothers and has a slightly shady past.  Craig is a dedicated FBI agent who is very good at what he does.  The relationship between the two works and I also enjoy Keiran's brother.  I also liked the fact that Keiran is a psychologist.  The mystery of this one was fun with the jewelry robberies and the search for the bad guys.  I'm looking forward to reading more mysteries featuring Keiran, Craig and the crew at Finnegan's.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Goodreads:  Pinot Red or Dead? by J.C. Eaton

Blurb:  As the vineyards in Seneca Lake, New York, prepare for the seasonal “Deck the Halls Around the Lake” festivities, someone is determined to keep pinot noir off the wine list. Hijacked trucks and sabotaged ingredients have made it a hard-to-acquire vintage for the six local wineries—including Norrie Ellington’s Two Witches Winery.
The case of the stolen and spoiled wines gets stranger when Arnold Mowen, owner of the company distributing the wine, is found dead, the apparent victim of a hunting accident. As Norrie tries to find the connections between the pinot’s problems and Arnold’s death, she uncovers a conspiracy among many locals whose hatred for the wine distributor was bottled up for far too long . . .

My Thoughts:  I love another series by this author duo and while I'm not much of a wine drinker this series sounded fun.  Unfortunately, it didn't have quite the same zany but competent energy that the Sophie Kimball series has.  Norrie comes off as kind of whiny and some of her investigating just didn't make sense.  The mystery itself was an intriguing involving vandalism and a murder which may or may not be related and the solution was well done.  I found the parts about the wine vandalism and the way distribution works interesting.  I have one more book in this series which I'll read but I won't search out the other books.  I do recommend the Sophie Kimball series by this same author series if you're a cozy mystery fan looking for a fun read.  My Thoughts: Liked It (3 Stars)

Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist by Dorothy Gilman

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Purchased

Description:  Working with her retired CIA friend John Farrell, Mrs. Pollifax must smuggle a manuscript out of Jordan, a document that encodes the shocking truth of Saddam Hussein's reign.
Hardly are the two airborne when the coils of Middle Eastern intrigue begin to unwind. Mrs. Pollifax's seatmate is not the affable Arab businessman he pretends to be. It is not imagination that persuades Mrs. P. that wherever they go, she and Farrell are followed. To elude their pursuers in such a politically volatile country isn't easy. In fact, it can be downright deadly...

Genre:  Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book:  I have thoroughly enjoyed all the other books in this series and this is the next one.

My Impression:  I've been stalling on reading this book because after this book I'll only have one more in the series.  I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with Mrs. Pollifax and Carstairs and was thrilled to see Farrell returning for this book.  

This time Mrs. Pollifax is traveling with Farrell as he tries to pick up a document from an old friend.  Things go off the rails pretty quickly when Mrs. Pollifax discovers a surprise in her luggage and then the simple pickup becomes far more complicated.  I loved Joseph and his family as well as their time in the desert.  The awareness of the uncertainties on the other side of Jordan's borders is also a big and interesting factor.  I didn't love Mrs. Pollifax in this book.  She's always seemed so calm and unflappable and certain in her decisions but in this book she seemed a bit more tentative and just as bit more unsure.  

While Mrs. Pollifax doesn't shine quite as much in this book she did in previous books this is still such a fun read.  I flew through it in two sittings and am really looking forward to reading the next book soon.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  I'm looking forward to reading the final Mrs. Pollifax book and Gilman's stand alone books.  

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would.  This is a series that is best read in order with belief suspended but it is a lot of fun.

Friday Fives - Five Middle Grade Books on My TBR

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.   There are a few middle grade reading challenges that take place around this time of year and while I haven't read much middle grade lately here are 5 I would really like to read.

1.  The Winter of the Dollhouse by Laura Amy Schlitz - I love the cover and the sound of this premise.

2.  The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman - I read the first book in this series a ridiculously long time ago and really need to read the second book.

3.  The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell - I love the cover and this one sounds so fun.

4.  Tilly and the Lost Fairytales by Anna James - I read and loved the first book in this series and want to revisit the world James created with this series.

5.  Peril at Owl Park by Marthe Jocelyn - This is loosely based on Agatha Christie as a child and the first book was really fun.

What middle grade books do you have on your TBR?