en-US Thu, 01 May 2025 20:43:32 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 215805924 Vera Wong is back and as meddling as ever in this follow-up to the hit Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.��

Ever since a man was found dead in Vera's teahouse, life has been good. For Vera that is. She’s surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son, Tilly, has a girlfriend! All thanks to Vera, because Tilly's girlfriend is none other than Officer Selena��Gray. The very same Officer Gray that she had harassed while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn't be ungrateful, even if one is slightly...bored.

Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance. The young woman is looking for a missing friend. Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tilly and Selena's, Vera finds a treasure Selena's briefcase.��Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer—who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for.

Online, Xander had it a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer. The only problem is, after his body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can't seem to actually identify him. Who is Xander Lin? Nobody knows. Every contact is a dead end. Everybody claims not to know him, not even his parents.

Vera is determined to solve Xander's murder. After all, doing so would surely be a big favor to Selena, and��there is nothing she wouldn't do for her future daughter-in-law.]]> 325 Jesse Q. Sutanto 0593546253 Robin 0 to-read 4.27 2025
author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
name: Robin
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60194162 "Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose."

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.]]> 560 Barbara Kingsolver 0063251922 Robin 0 to-read 4.46 2022
author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Robin
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16085481
When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back.

Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick's formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should—and should not—marry.

Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider's look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.]]> 403 Kevin Kwan 0385536976 Robin 0 to-read 3.91 2013
author: Kevin Kwan
name: Robin
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 292327
A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Toni Morrison's virtuosic first novel asks powerful questions about race, class, and gender with the subtlety and grace that have always characterized her writing.]]> 206 Toni Morrison 0307278441 Robin 0 to-read 4.18 1970
author: Toni Morrison
name: Robin
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1970
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 5081331
Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read.]]> 289 Maya Angelou 0345514408 Robin 0 to-read 4.25 1969
author: Maya Angelou
name: Robin
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1969
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 232187 155 Roald Dahl 0141301155 Robin 0 to-read 4.11 1964
author: Roald Dahl
name: Robin
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1964
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 13356706 THE LORD OF THE RINGS
��
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

--back cover]]> 407 J.R.R. Tolkien 0547928211 Robin 0 to-read 4.44 1954
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Robin
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1954
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 22024583 "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film.]]> 271 Harper Lee Robin 0 to-read 4.46 1960
author: Harper Lee
name: Robin
average rating: 4.46
book published: 1960
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 37415 238 Zora Neale Hurston 0061120065 Robin 0 to-read 3.98 1937
author: Zora Neale Hurston
name: Robin
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1937
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216785385 If you could swap your life for a better one, which would you choose?

On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the first day of the rainy season, you'll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market—where you can choose to completely change your life.

No one is more surprised than Serin when she receives a ticket. Lonely and with no real prospects for a future, Serin ventures to the market, determined to create a better life for herself.

There, she meets a magical cat companion named Issha and they search through bookstores, perfumeries, and fantastical realms while Serin tries to determine what her perfect life will look like.

The catch? Serin only has one week to find her happiness or be doomed to vanish into the market forever.

And all the while, a shadow follows quietly behind them…]]> 206 You Yeong-Gwang 0593952669 Robin 0 to-read 3.48 2023
author: You Yeong-Gwang
name: Robin
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217223352 When her grown daughter is suspected of murder, a charming and tenacious widow digs into the case to unmask the real killer in this twisty, page-turning whodunnit—the first book in a cozy new detective series from the acclaimed author of Ayesha at Last.

After her husband’s unexpected death eighteen months ago, Kausar Khan never thought she’d receive another phone call as heartbreaking—until her thirty-something daughter, Sana, phones to say that she's been arrested for killing the unpopular landlord of her clothing boutique. Determined to help her child, Kausar heads to Toronto for the first time in nearly twenty years.

Returning to the Golden Crescent suburb where she raised her children and where her daughter still lives, Kausar finds that the thriving neighborhood she remembered has changed. The murder of Sana’s landlord is only the latest in a wave of local crimes that have gone unsolved.

And the facts of the case are Sana found the man dead in her shop at a suspiciously early hour, with a dagger from her windowfront display plunged in his chest. And Kausar—a woman with a keen sense of observation and deep wisdom honed by her years—senses there’s more to the story than her daughter is telling.

With the help of some old friends and her plucky teenage granddaughter, Kausar digs into the investigation to uncover the truth. Because who better to pry answers from unwilling suspects than a meddlesome aunty? But even Kausar can’t predict the secrets, lies, and betrayals she finds along the way…]]> 336 Uzma Jalaluddin 1443472840 Robin 0 to-read 4.30 2025
author: Uzma Jalaluddin
name: Robin
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 1489073
A native of the Massachusetts island called Martha's Vineyard, whose ancestors sailed from its shores generations back, Victoria knows more about the island and its people, then and now, than anyone else living. The knowledge has helped her solve one murder and earn her own baseball cap emblazoned with "West Tisbury Police Deputy," and the job that goes with it.

Of course she knows Phoebe Eldridge; a short-tempered woman who lives alone, dislikes her granddaughter intensely and won't even mention the name of her son, a Vietnam vet who disappeared some years before. It's Phoebe's rancor as much as any desire for money that leads her to sell the family land to a developer who comes up with what seems like an offer she doesn't want to resist.

The Conservation Trust enlists Victoria, as someone who will not be suspected, to search that land for an endangered plant, any endangered plant, because the state prohibits bulldozing rare plant habitats. Victoria is delighted to add another purpose to her daily walks. She enlists an eleven-year-old after-school assistant, and with the "Endangered" list in her hand, she begins her search. Her first find, though, is the body of one Montgomery Mausz, the developer's rather dubious attorney.

There are plenty of suspects, but deputy Victoria (don't dare say "honorary deputy" to Victoria's face) hasn't forgotten her first task and is rewarded by the discovery of a little nest of cranefly orchids, which puzzle Victoria by appearing to change shape. In the course of this botanical detection, Victoria and her assistant are treated to adventures that delight the 92-year-old as much as the pre-teen, even though they give both of them more scares than they had bargained for.

This charming story, with its share of thrills and suspense, will have readers crossing their fingers and hoping the sea air, home-baked beans, and a vital interest in what goes on around her will keep old Victoria Trumbull going for a long, long time.
]]> 272 Cynthia Riggs 0312301456 Robin 0 currently-reading 3.64 2002
author: Cynthia Riggs
name: Robin
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 58341875
When the police begin to suspect her loyal servants, Her Majesty knows they're looking in the wrong place.

For the Queen has been living an extraordinary double life since her coronation. Away from the public eye, she has a brilliant knack for solving crimes.

With her household's happiness on the line, her secret must not get out. Can the Queen and her trusted secretary Rozie catch the killer, without getting caught themselves?]]> 330 S.J. Bennett 1838774319 Robin 0 3.45 2020
author: S.J. Bennett
name: Robin
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/30
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 53288434 A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them - setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.

Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose - selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders�� that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate - and not everyone will survive.]]> 301 Sarah Penner 0778311015 Robin 0 3.72 2021
author: Sarah Penner
name: Robin
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/26
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 58065033 390 Bonnie Garmus Robin 0 4.23 2022
author: Bonnie Garmus
name: Robin
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/26
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 55196813
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.]]> 304 Nita Prose 0593356152 Robin 0 to-read 3.71 2022
author: Nita Prose
name: Robin
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 747192
Despite interruptions from her granddaughter Elizabeth, the harbormaster Domingo, a swarm of Island locals, and a few mysterious visitors, Victoria manages to get in a good bit of detective work and still finds time to cook her traditional Saturday night supper of Boston baked beans. She even concocts a scheme to trap the killer. But she'll need to act quickly, victim number two has already been found.]]> 272 Cynthia Riggs 0451208161 Robin 0 3.27 2001
author: Cynthia Riggs
name: Robin
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 212693117 Majestic mountain views, whisky by the fire and�� a murder to solve? Join Ally McKinley at her cosy little guesthouse in the Scottish Highlands as she tackles her first puzzling case!

For recently retired Ally McKinley, the tiny village of Locharran is the perfect place to open the guesthouse of her dreams in a lovingly restored old Scottish malthouse. Before long she is making friends with the locals, including Hamish Sinclair, the earl who owns the nearby castle. But things take an unexpected turn when her first paying guest, American tourist Wilbur Carrington, is found sprawled across her cobblestoned courtyard with a dagger in his back��

With the police baffled, Ally’s instincts get the better of her, and she can’t resist launching her own investigation. In no time at all she and her Labrador puppy Flora are on the case, making enquiries over tea and excellent shortbread. She finds that Wilbur, a keen amateur genealogist, was convinced that he was the rightful Earl of Locharran�� Even worse, he had plans that would put many people out of their jobs and even their homes.

But which of the locals resorted to murder? The hotel owner furiously trying to save his business? Locharran Castle’s fiercely loyal housekeeper who’d do anything for the earl? Or the earl himself, whose entire way of life was threatened by what Wilbur knew?

Looking for clues, Ally finds a faded photograph in a hidden drawer in Wilbur’s room. Could this be the key to solving the mystery? But when one of her suspects dies in a suspicious accident, Ally realises that things are getting a wee bit too close for comfort�� Can she uncover the truth or will a killer get off scot-free?

An utterly unputdownable new Scottish cosy mystery series from bestselling author Dee MacDonald. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Clare Chase.]]> 248 Dee MacDonald 1835255051 Robin 0 currently-reading 3.85
author: Dee MacDonald
name: Robin
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 1037346
But who has time for marriage when there's a murder to be solved? When Mrs. Gentle dies under mysterious circumstances, the town is shocked and outraged. Chief Detective Inspector Blair suspects members of her family, but Hamish Macbeth thinks there's more to the story, and begins investigating the truth behind this lady's gentle exterior.]]> 256 M.C. Beaton 0446582603 Robin 0 3.77 2008
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 24862545
After a terrible day on set where she embarrasses herself in front of the entire cast and worst of all, it’s sexy bad-boy star, Dillon O’Hara, she plonks herself down on her battered couch to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s for the trillionth time.

Suddenly, Libby is astonished to find screen icon Audrey Hepburn, complete with little black dress, trademark sunglasses and vintage cigarette holder, sitting beside her and proffering advice.
Has Libby got what it takes to turn her life from a Turkey to a Blockbuster? Perhaps with a little bit of Audrey Hepburn magic, she might just pull it off��

A night in with Audrey Hepburn is the first in a series of three books following the life and loves of Libby Lomax as she blossoms from Z-lister to A-lister and all of the stages in between with a little bit of help from some very special friends.]]> 400 Lucy Holliday 0007582242 Robin 0 to-read 3.56 2015
author: Lucy Holliday
name: Robin
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 17118893
Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Librarian note: Older cover edition of 9780141345659.]]> 316 John Green Robin 0 to-read 4.15 2012
author: John Green
name: Robin
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60879779
I'm Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I'd killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it's a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Who was it?

Let's get started.

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE

My brother

My stepsister

My wife

My father

My mother

My sister-in-law

My uncle

My stepfather

My aunt

Me]]> 371 Benjamin Stevenson 0063279029 Robin 0 3.75 2022
author: Benjamin Stevenson
name: Robin
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:

]]> 120637 256 M.C. Beaton 0892960108 Robin 0 3.77 2007
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves:
review:

]]> 43716825 Laura Levine Robin 0 3.35 2007
author: Laura Levine
name: Robin
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:

]]> 213475 257 M.C. Beaton 0446618136 Robin 0 3.81 2006
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves:
review:

]]> 199825848 Freelance writer and long‑time Ben & Jerry’s addict Jaine Austen uncovers murderers on the mean streets of Beverly Hills, with a little help from her snarky cat, Prozac, in this witty mystery series from acclaimed TV comedy writer and novelist Laura Levine—a lighthearted treat for cat cozy fans and readers of Joanne Fluke, Miranda James, and Laura Childs. What could be more idyllic than starting a new gig with an exclusive train ride from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara? Turns out, a whole lot. Jaine must figure out how to tolerate her client—Chip Miller, aka Iron Man, a wealthy gym chain owner—who Jaine soon discovers is a tyrant and a bully with an ego as pumped as his pecs. Practically everyone on board seems to have it in for Chip—his dysfunctional family members, his beleaguered staff, even his supposed best buddy from the gym. So it’s no shocker when he’s found dead in his cabin. Unfortunately for Jaine, she’s the one who finds Chip’s body, leaving her DNA on the murder weapon, and making her a prime suspect in the police investigation. Forced to save her own caboose, can Jaine chug on through an unexpected love connection and ID the killer—or has she finally reached the end of the line?]]> 228 Laura Levine 1496728211 Robin 0 to-read 4.20 2024
author: Laura Levine
name: Robin
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61118390 It’s the funny side of homicide in acclaimed TV comedy writer and novelist Laura Levine’s newest mystery featuring Jaine Austen and her snarky cat, Prozac, as a murder from the past comes back to haunt the Hollywood writer-for-hire!

Freelance writer Jaine Austen is all too familiar with the short-lived sitcom I Married a Zombie—she once solved the murder of its star, Cryptessa Muldoon. But in true zombie fashion, Cryptessa is back from the grave—sort of—courtesy of a new theatrical production, and murder is on the bill once more��

The Bewitched knockoff I Married a Zombie may have flopped in its day, but it’s got a devoted cult following. Jaine is delighted when one of those rabid fans hires her as script doctor for his new play based on the show—until she reads the awful script and meets Misty, the actress who’ll be playing Cryptessa’s role. Misty has Audrey Hepburn’s doe eyes but not a smidgen of her ability. Yet she can certainly act the diva, demanding a special smoothie every day at 3pm. Meanwhile, Jaine is grappling with another spoiled female—her uncooperative cat, Prozac, who’s refusing to be wrangled into a kitty harness for outside walks.

When someone spikes Misty’s signature drink with a fatal shot of rat poison, the cast of suspects extends far beyond the theater. What Misty lacked in talent she made up for in enemies. Everyone Jaine talks to maintains their innocence, but one of them is clearly only playing the part. And it’s up to Jaine to figure out who, before a killer schedules an encore performance . . .]]> 304 Laura Levine 1496728181 Robin 0 to-read 4.05 2022
author: Laura Levine
name: Robin
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61111298 Her search begins with an ending....

The master of the Providence plantation in Barbados gathers his slaves and announces the king has decreed an end to slavery. As of the following day, the Emancipation Act of 1834 will come into effect. The cries of joy fall silent when he announces that they are no longer his slaves; they are now his apprentices. No one can leave. They must work for him for another six years. Freedom is just another name for the life they have always lived. So Rachel runs.

Away from Providence, she begins a desperate search to find her children--the five who survived birth and were sold. Are any of them still alive? Rachel has to know. The grueling, dangerous journey takes her from Barbados then, by river, deep into the forest of British Guiana and finally across the sea to Trinidad. She is driven on by the certainty that a mother cannot be truly free without knowing what has become of her children, even if the answer is more than she can bear. These are the stories of Mary Grace, Micah, Thomas Augustus, Cherry Jane and Mercy. But above all this is the story of Rachel and the extraordinary lengths to which a mother will go to find her children...and her freedom.]]> 322 Eleanor Shearer 0593548043 Robin 0 3.96 2023
author: Eleanor Shearer
name: Robin
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 213473 From the author of the Agatha Raisin television series...DEATH OF A BORE: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery Minor writer John Heppel has a problem--he's a consummate bore. When he's found dead in his cottage, there are plenty of suspects. But surely boredom shouldn't be cause for murder, or so thinks Constable Hamish Macbeth.]]> 272 M.C. Beaton 0446617199 Robin 0 3.79 2005
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 214175073 A murder, a missing man, and his newest constable’s secret past are all that’s standing in the way of Sergeant Hamish Macbeth settling in for a relaxing winter in his sleepy Scottish village of Lochudch.

All Hamish Macbeth ever really wants is a quiet life in the peaceful surroundings of his home in the Highland village of Lochdubh. Unfortunately for him, the time he would normally find most relaxing, after the tourists have gone and before the winter sets in, turns out to be far from peaceful.
��
The new love in his life, Claire, is keen for them to take a holiday and Hamish is mulling over the idea when his newly-assigned constable arrives, presenting Hamish with both a surprise and a secret. Getting to the bottom of the secret becomes the least of Hamish’s problems when, at the opening of the revamped village pub, he meets a family who have a score to settle with a sinister man who has mysteriously gone missing. Discovering a murdered woman’s body puts further pressure on Hamish, especially when it becomes clear that the murdered woman and the missing man were linked, although their true identities become yet another mystery.
��
To Hamish’s horror, he then finds himself working on the murder case with the despicable Detective Chief Inspector Blair, his sworn enemy, who has been drafted in under curious circumstances. With a growing list of suspects, ever more bewildering circumstances and Blair hindering him at every turn, Hamish must find the murderer before anyone else falls victim.
��
Never has a quiet life seemed further from his grasp!]]> 240 M.C. Beaton 1538743337 Robin 0 to-read 3.80
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.80
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 204905217
A month later, Lisa Marie was dead, and the world would never know her story in her own words, never know the passionate, joyful, caring, and complicated woman that Riley loved and grieved.

Riley got the tapes that her mother had recorded for the book, laid in her bed, and listened as Lisa Marie told story after story about smashing golf carts together in the yards of Graceland, about the unconditional love she felt from her father, about being upstairs, just the two of them. About getting dragged screaming out of the bathroom as she ran towards his body on the floor. About living in Los Angeles with her mother, getting sent to school after school, always kicked out, always in trouble. About her singular, lifelong relationship with Danny Keough, about being married to Michael Jackson, what they shared in common. About motherhood. About deep addiction. About ever-present grief. Riley knew she had to fulfill her mother’s wish to reveal these memories, incandescent and painful, to the world.

To make her mother known.

This extraordinary book is written in both Lisa Marie’s and Riley’s voices, a mother and daughter communicating—from this world to the one beyond—as they try to heal each other. Profoundly moving and deeply revealing, From Here to the Great Unknown is a book like no other—the last words of the only child of an American icon.]]> 304 Lisa Marie Presley 0593733878 Robin 5 4.26 2024
author: Lisa Marie Presley
name: Robin
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 61062194 From the magical moments on set as Draco Malfoy to the challenges of growing up in the spotlight, get a backstage pass into Tom Felton’s life on and off the big screen in this #1 New York Times bestseller.

Tom Felton’s adolescence was anything but ordinary. His early rise to fame in beloved films like The Borrowers catapulted him into the limelight, but nothing could prepare him for what was to come after he landed the iconic role of the Draco Malfoy, the bleached blonde villain of the Harry Potter movies. For the next ten years, he was at the center of a huge pop culture phenomenon and yet, in between filming, he would go back to being a normal teenager trying to fit into a normal school.

Speaking with great candor and his signature humor, Tom shares his experience growing up as part of the wizarding world while also trying to navigate the muggle world. He tells stories from his early days in the business like his first acting gig where he was mistaken for fellow blonde child actor Macaulay Culkin and his Harry Potter audition where, in a very Draco-like move, he fudged how well he knew the books the series was based on (not at all). He reflects on his experiences working with cinematic greats such as Alan Rickman, Sir Michael Gambon, Dame Maggie Smith, and Ralph Fiennes (including that awkward Voldemort hug). And, perhaps most poignantly, he discusses the lasting relationships he made over that decade of filming, including with Emma Watson, who started out as a pesky nine-year-old whom he mocked for not knowing what a boom mic was but who soon grew into one of his dearest friends. Then, of course, there are the highs and lows of fame and navigating life after such a momentous and life-changing experience.

Tom Felton’s Beyond the Wand is an entertaining, funny, and poignant must-read for any Harry Potter fan. Prepare to meet a real-life wizard.]]> 288 Tom Felton 1538741369 Robin 0 to-read 4.28 2022
author: Tom Felton
name: Robin
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 53152636
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.]]> 320 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 0525620788 Robin 0 to-read 3.66 2020
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Robin
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 178336506
On mean Harp Bittlemore’s blighted farm, hidden away in the Backhills, nothing has gone right for a very long time. Crops don’t grow, the pigs and chickens stay skinny and the three aged dairy cows, Berle, Crilla and Dally, are so desperate they are plotting an escape. The one thing holding them back is the thought of abandoning young Willa, the single bright point in their life since her older sister, Margaret, ran away.
But Willa Bittlemore, just turning 14, is planning her own rebellion. Something doesn’t add up in the story she’s been told about her missing sister, and she's beginning to question if her horrible parents are even her parents at all. Just as things are really coming to a head, a bright young police officer starts investigating a cold case involving a baby stolen from a little rural hospital 28 years earlier, and Willa and the cows find out exactly how far the Bittlemores will go to protect a festering secret.
Written with Jann’s trademark outrageous humour and full of her down-to-earth wisdom, The Bittlemores is a rural fairytale, a coming-of-age story and a prairie mystery all-in-one, saturated with her observations of the world she grew up in and her deep connection to the animals we exploit. This marvel of a first novel digs into how people come to be so cruel, but it also glories in the miracle of human kindness.]]> 384 Jann Arden 1039008712 Robin 0 currently-reading 3.80 2023
author: Jann Arden
name: Robin
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 65213393 Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, a dazzling first entry in a terrific new Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin.

When Lady Petra Forsyth’s fiancé and soulmate dies just weeks ahead of their wedding, she makes the shocking proclamation—in front of London’s loosest lips—that she will never remarry. A woman of independent means, Petra sees no reason to cede her wealth and freedom to any man now that the love of her life has passed, nor does she intend to become confined to her country home. Instead, she uses her title to gain access to elite spaces and enjoy the best of society without expectations.

But when ballroom gossip suggests that a longtime friend has died of “melancholia�� while in the care of a questionable physician, Petra vows to use her status to dig deeper—uncovering a private asylum where men pay to have their wives and daughters locked away, or worse. Just as Lady Petra has reason to believe her friend is not dead, but a prisoner, her own headstrong actions and thirst for independence are used to put her own freedom in jeopardy.]]> 304 Celeste Connally 125086755X Robin 0 3.49 2023
author: Celeste Connally
name: Robin
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 60446350 Sage convinces Roman Lyman, Chip's caddy, to help her clear their boss's name and save their jobs. They unearth a secret that's been hidden for a quarter of a century, discover a box of cash, and stumble onto a blackmail scheme. In the process, Sage discovers that Roman's been keeping some secrets of his own.
Sage and Roman will be lucky to save their lives, let alone their jobs.
Sage of Innocence is the second book in the We Sisters Three series, the new romantic comedic mystery series from Melissa F. Miller, the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of the Sasha McCandless legal thriller series and the Aroostine Higgins legal thriller series.]]> 246 Melissa F. Miller 1940759153 Robin 0 3.73
author: Melissa F. Miller
name: Robin
average rating: 3.73
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 195790712 Some properties are too hot to handle...

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are hot for a historical property that has just come on the market—a fire station in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood that was built nearly a century ago.

The cousins have just begun the interior demolition work at the fire station when Joanna Hartzell, who lives in a townhouse around the corner, comes by with a plea for help. Joanna owns the right half of her building, which she proudly maintains in perfect condition, while the left side falls into disrepair: the seven adult children who inherited it years ago refuse to lift a finger on repairs. Never one to turn down a challenge, Whitney and Buck manage to acquire the rundown townhouse—though it turns out Joanna is only one of the many neighbors interested in buying the property once they’ve worked their magic.

Then Joanna shows up at the fire station confused and rambling, then collapses, never to recover. Alarm bells go off for Whitney: she suspects something—and someone—evil could be the real cause. Can she and Collin put the clues together and smoke out a killer?]]> 304 Diane Kelly 1250816084 Robin 0 4.13 2024
author: Diane Kelly
name: Robin
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 215149232
For the first few months all Yeongju does is cry, but the long hours in the shop also give her time to mull over what makes a good bookseller and store. As she starts to read hungrily, host author events, and develop her own bookselling philosophy, she eases into her new setting. Surrounded by friends, writers, and the books that connect them all, she finds her new story as the Hyunam-dong Bookshop transforms into an inviting space for lost souls to rest, heal, and remember it's never too late to scrap the plot and start again.]]> 320 Hwang Bo-Reum 1639736379 Robin 0 to-read 3.78 2022
author: Hwang Bo-Reum
name: Robin
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 8858
Death of a Poison A Hamish Macbeth Mystery

When the residents of Lochdubh begin receiving poison pen letters, no one takes them seriously. But Constable Hamish Macbeth fears them, and his instincts prove correct when the postmistress is found hanging from a rope with a vicious poison pen letter at her feet.]]> 227 M.C. Beaton 0446614890 Robin 0 3.81 2004
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/12
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves:
review:

]]> 213474
Death of a A Hamish Macbeth Mystery

Trouble is afoot in a Scottish fishing village as Constable Macbeth finds the pub empty, the church full, and the air permeated with fear. With the help of a journalist, Macbeth begins to ferret out the truth.]]> 235 M.C. Beaton 0446613711 Robin 0 3.86 2003
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 63043722


First, a corpse appears out of thin air during a performance by famed illusionist “Professor Paolini�� in front of a packed auditorium at the Pomegranate Theatre. Then a second victim is shot dead in a locked dressing room along one of the theatre’s winding backstage corridors. Edmund is in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time, and attracts the suspicion of Scotland Yard inspector George Flint. Luckily, conjuror-turned-detective Joseph Spector is on the scene. Only Spector’s uniquely logical perspective can pierce the veil of deceit in a world of illusion and misdirection, where seeing is not always believing.



Tom Mead continues to pay homage to the locked room mysteries of the Golden Age in this second Joseph Spector novel.]]> 288 Tom Mead 1613164092 Robin 0 currently-reading 3.55 2023
author: Tom Mead
name: Robin
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 199457038 Victor Silvius has spent nine years as an inmate at The Grange, a private sanatorium, for the crime of attacking judge Sir Giles Drury. Now, the judge’s wife, Lady Elspeth Drury, believes that Silvius is the one responsible for a series of threatening letters her husband has recently received. Eager to avoid the scandal that involving the local police would entail, Lady Elspeth seeks out retired stage magician Joseph Spector, whose discreet involvement in a case Sir Giles recently presided over greatly impressed her.
Meanwhile, Miss Caroline Silvius is disturbed after a recent visit to her brother Victor, convinced that he isn’t safe at The Grange. Someone is trying to kill him and she suspects the judge, who has already made Silvius�� life a living hell, may be behind it. Caroline hires Inspector George Flint of Scotland Yard to investigate.
The two cases collide at Marchbanks, the Drury family seat of over four hundred years, where a series of unnerving events interrupt the peace and quiet of the snowy countryside. A body is discovered in the middle of a frozen pond without any means of getting there and a rifle is fired through a closed window, killing a man but not breaking the glass. Only Spector and his mastery of the art of misdirection can uncover the logical explanations for these impossible crimes.
An atmospheric and puzzling traditional mystery that pays homage to the greatest writers of the genre’s Golden Age, Cabaret Macabre is the third book in Tom Mead’s Joseph Spector series, hailed by the Wall Street Journal as “a recipe for pure nostalgic pleasure.�� The books can be enjoyed in any order.]]> 320 Tom Mead 1613165307 Robin 0 to-read 3.78 2024
author: Tom Mead
name: Robin
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59580637 A magician-turned-sleuth in pre-war London solves three impossible crimes.

In 1930s London, celebrity psychiatrist Anselm Rees is discovered dead in his locked study, and there seems to be no way that a killer could have escaped unseen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon. Stumped by the confounding scene, the Scotland Yard detective on the case calls on retired stage-magician-turned-part-time-sleuth Joseph Spector. Who better to make sense of the impossible than one who traffics in illusions?

Spector has a knack for explaining the inexplicable, but even he finds that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. As he and the Inspector interview the colorful cast of suspects among the psychiatrist's patients and household, they uncover no shortage of dark secrets—or motives for murder. When the investigation dovetails into that of an apparently impossible theft, the detectives consider the possibility that the two transgressions are related. And when a second murder occurs, this time in an impenetrable elevator, they realize that the crime wave will become even deadlier unless they can catch the culprit soon.]]> 256 Tom Mead 1613163185 Robin 0 to-read 3.45 2022
author: Tom Mead
name: Robin
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 19006316
Rosalind Perry has left her family's rural farm in Wisconsin to work as a housemaid at Sloane House, one of the most elegant mansions in Gilded Age Chicago. However, Rosalind is not there just to earn a living and support her family-she's at Sloane House determined to discover the truth about her sister's mysterious disappearance.

Reid Armstrong is the handsome heir to a silver fortune. However, his family is on the periphery of Chicago's elite because their wealth comes from "new money" obtained from successful mining. Marriage to Veronica Sloane would secure his family's position in society-the lifelong dream of his ailing father.

When Reid begins to realize that Rosalind's life may be in danger, he stops thinking of marriage prospects and concentrates on helping Rosalind. Dark things are afoot in Chicago and, he fears, in Sloane House. If he's not vigilant, Rosalind could pay the price.

Set against the backdrop of Chicago's Gilded Age and the 1893 World's Fair, Secrets of Sloane House takes us on a whirlwind journey of romance and mystery.]]> 318 Shelley Gray 0310338522 Robin 0 3.50 2014
author: Shelley Gray
name: Robin
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves:
review:

]]> 63003265 SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY WITH A SMIDGEN OF HOMICIDE

USA Today Bestselling author Tonya Kappes brings you southern and quirky characters in her mystery series. Her stories are charged with humor, friendship, family and life in small southern towns.

Grab your hammock and your bug spray, and join Mae and the Laundry Club Ladies on a wild ride through Happy Trails Campground, where the only thing more dangerous than the handguns is the gossip.

When famous bounty hunter Colt Lincoln is found dead in the Smelly Dog Groomer, clutching a sponge curler that belongs to Dottie Swaggert, Mae West and the Laundry Club Ladies know they've got a real doozy of a case on their hands. Despite Colt's catfishing ways and the fact that he'd parked his fifth wheel camper in Happy Trails Campground, owned by Mae and run by Dottie, they know their friend couldn't have done it.

As they start digging, they discover that Colt had been chasing a member of a notorious motorcycle gang member across the country. To complicate matters further, there's a motorcycle convention in town, and the Laundry Club Ladies have to go undercover to find out if any of the gang members are among the convention attendees.

But that's not all - Mae's mama, Mary Elizabeth, is breathing down her neck about finalizing her wedding plans with her fiancé Hank. With a killer on the loose and the campground buzzing with rumors, Mae's got her hands full.

As Mae and her pals weave their way through the hearsay and red herrings, they uncover a web of deceit that threatens to take down more than just Colt. With the killer still on the loose and time running out, Mae must use all her Southern charm and camping know-how to catch the culprit.

Will they catch the killer before it's too late, or will this case be the one that got away?]]> 186 Tonya Kappes Robin 0 4.18
author: Tonya Kappes
name: Robin
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves:
review:

]]> 52477998
It’s well known that working in movies can be cutthroat, but no one expected that to be taken literally.

It’s party time on board the Aurelia! On the LA to Hawaii leg, a Hollywood film crew are shooting scenes for a new action movie and Barbie has been given a bit-part role. It’s all great fun and Patricia isn’t surprised when her cute, blonde friend attracts the attention of the handsome A-lister male lead.

But when he is found murdered in the upper deck pool and the killer leaves a message saying Barbie is next, it falls to Patricia to work out who the killer is.

With her trusted butler, Jermaine, good friend, Barbie, and lame-duck Shane Sussmann, an odd-looking film extra she befriended, Patricia will have plenty of help as she unravels the truth. The prime suspect has an ironclad alibi though and there is definitely something going on with the film’s beautiful female lead.

Will there be more bodies? Will the new deputy captain be of assistance this time? Will Jermaine be able to serve tea at four o’clock?

It’s going to take more than luck to solve this one. Can she survive The Director’s Cut?

Praise for Steve Higgs:
'Be prepared to struggle with getting anything else done, as you will want to keep reading.'
'Truly delightful tales of mystery and misadventure.'
'Higgs is a wonderful author with great character development which includes an enticing cast of misfits.'
'A great crime comedy with a group of zany characters. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to the next one. Highly recommended!'
'Higgs makes everything and everyone come alive.'
]]> 162 Steve Higgs Robin 0 to-read 4.26 2019
author: Steve Higgs
name: Robin
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 45871397 What could be worse than having a gangster on board the world’s finest cruise liner. Having several of them obviously!

The Aurelia plays host to an underworld crime boss and his bodyguards, but when the gangster’s reluctant-looking bride to be goes missing and a ransom note if left in her place, Patricia puts her sleuthing hat on to help the new deputy captain solve the crime.

With new friend, eccentric socialite Lady Mary Bostihill, gym-bunny Barbie and her ever faithful butler by her side, Patricia intends to find out who has the missing woman and discover why so many rival gangs are trying to find her.

However, with no actual skills to call on and a niggling reminder that she was cleaning houses for a living just a few weeks ago, will she find the girl in time or just lead her friends into danger?

Expect the author’s usual blend of humour, mystery, and action and Patricia Fisher gets in too deep again.]]> 514 Steve Higgs Robin 0 to-read 4.20 2019
author: Steve Higgs
name: Robin
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 45871396 Patricia Fisher is about to find out that fifty-two is the perfect age for an adventure!

When her life is unexpectedly turned upside down, ginaholic housewife, Patricia, doesn’t react as most would. Instead, she empties the bank accounts and jumps on the first cruise ship available �� it just happens to be the world’s largest and finest, the Aurelia.

Less than twenty-four hours later, the world throws her the next curveball and so begins a race against time to prove she’s not a killer.

She has help though:
Her butler �� his perfect Downton Abbey accent and penchant for folding napkins correctly should be enormously helpful!

A pretty gym instructor �� can balanced nutrition and perfect abs keep Patricia out of jail?

Her chances don’t look great, but in our most testing times, we truly find our inner strength. Join Patricia Fisher as she learns that you are never beyond discovering a new version of yourself. The world will always look a little different once you have seen it through Patricia’s eyes.

Praise for the author:

"Higgs makes everyone and everything come alive!�� �� Amazon customer

"Truly delightful tales of mystery and misadventure." �� Amazon customer

The Patricia Fisher cozy mysteries are a series of fun, but enthralling tales which you can read without fear of graphic sex, unnecessary cussing or descriptive violence.]]> 227 Steve Higgs Robin 0 to-read 4.10 2019
author: Steve Higgs
name: Robin
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 205762561 For fans of Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries and Ellery Adams'�� Culinary Cozy Mysteries, the Ohio-set Amish Candy Shop series combines a fascinating look at Amish life with the fun of candy making, plus the romance between chocolatier Bailey King and her county sheriff fiancé. Amish Candy shop owner and star of TV’s��Bailey’s Amish Sweets, Bailey King has a lot to be excited about.�� She’s happily engaged to Aiden Brody, newly appointed county sheriff, and her candy factory is finally having its grand opening in Harvest, Ohio—just before Christmas! Bailey is ready to let the sweet celebrations begin . . . With the help of local community organizer Margot Rawlings, Harvest will have a Candy Land themed Christmas on the village square—featuring Bailey’s recently perfected recipe for gingerbread men. When the big day comes, everything is going well—until bitter news arrives. One of Bailey’s Amish friends has been killed in an apparent accident just outside the candy factory. Aiden is promptly on the case—with more than a little input from Bailey . . . Together, they soon learn that the victim was working for some powerful men in the county, and in doing so was spying on his own Amish community. Still, Bailey is determined to find the perpetrator. If she can’t cut out the killer from the rest of the suspects, her gingerbread men won’t be the only ones in danger of disappearing . . .]]> 352 Amanda Flower 149674375X Robin 0 4.15 2024
author: Amanda Flower
name: Robin
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves:
review:

]]> 897141 196 M.C. Beaton 0312973691 Robin 0 3.73 1999
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 60447806
Rosemary Field never planned on working as a private, holistic chef for a demanding vegan actress. But then, plans have a way of going out the window when a girl learns her parents have skipped town, leaving behind a half-million-dollar debt.

Rosemary makes the best of her situation, putting up with her boss's diva antics and halfheartedly fending off the advances of the impossibly sexy stepson who comes with the high-paying gig. Then someone decides to kill the miserable movie star. It's bad news for any chef when a client dies from an allergic reaction after eating your cooking. It's even worse news for Rosemary because the police are determined to charge her with murder.

To restore her reputation (and stay out of prison), Rosemary has to find the real murderer--and fast. Her short list of suspects includes a womanizing race car driver, a powerful music producer, Hollywood's hottest leading man, and, oh yeah, Felix, the dead woman's stepson--which gets a little awkward when Rosemary starts dating him.

Unfortunately, everything Rosemary thought she knew is wrong--dead wrong.

After a romantic dinner with Felix ends in food poisoning, she finds herself unattached, unemployed, and once again on the wrong side of the LAPD. She knows how to salvage an oversalted sauce, but can she salvage the disaster that is her life? And will the hunky homicide detective help her--or book her?

ROSEMARY'S GRAVY is the first book in the We Sisters Three series, the new romantic comedic mystery series from Melissa F. Miller, the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of the Sasha McCandless legal thriller series and the Aroostine Higgins legal thriller series.]]> Melissa F. Miller 1940759102 Robin 0 3.67 2015
author: Melissa F. Miller
name: Robin
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 174146851
The American Daughters follows Ady, a curious, sharp-witted girl who is enslaved alongside her mother, Sanite to��a businessman in the French Quarter of New Orleans.��Sanite and her mother Ady are an inseparable duo—taking walks along the river,��working together in the fields and spending nights looking up at the stars, dreaming. Ady’s favorite pastime is listening to Sanite's stories of her families' origins, their fierce and rebellious nature, and the everlasting love that strengthens their bond.

When mother and daughter are separated, Ady is left hopeless and unmoored, until she stumbles into the Mockingbird Inn and meets Lenore, a free Black woman with whom she becomes fast friends. Lenore invites Ady to join a clandestine society of spies called The Daughters. With the courage instilled in her by Sanite—and��help from these strong women—Ady learns how to choose herself. So begins her journey toward liberation and imagining a new future.��The American Daughters is a novel of hope and triumph that reminds us what is possible when a community bands together to fight for their right to live free.]]> 304 Maurice Carlos Ruffin 0593729390 Robin 0 currently-reading 3.56 2024
author: Maurice Carlos Ruffin
name: Robin
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 62848145 As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can't risk losing this job �� not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe . . .

It's hard to find an employer who doesn't ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It's almost perfect. But I still haven't met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I'm sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I'm doing laundry. And one day I can't help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything...

That's when I make a promise. After all, I've done this before. I can protect Mrs. Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe. Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It's simply a question of how far I'm willing to go...]]> 318 Freida McFadden 1837901317 Robin 0 to-read 4.21 2023
author: Freida McFadden
name: Robin
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60556912
Every day I clean the Winchesters�� beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out�� and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of��

An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!]]> 329 Freida McFadden 1803144378 Robin 0 to-read 4.31 2022
author: Freida McFadden
name: Robin
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60018635 A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family--and a new love--changes the course of her life.

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don't mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she's used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and...Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he's concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn't know she was looking for....
]]> 318 Sangu Mandanna 059343935X Robin 0 4.04 2022
author: Sangu Mandanna
name: Robin
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 1903158 302 Vicki Delany 1590584481 Robin 0 3.43 2007
author: Vicki Delany
name: Robin
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 31213577 308 Vicki Delany 1683310969 Robin 0 to-read 3.65 2017
author: Vicki Delany
name: Robin
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 38763327
Flavia is not your normal twelve-year-old girl. An expert in the chemical nature of poisons, she has solved many mysteries, sharpening her considerable detection skills to the point where she had little choice but to turn professional. So Flavia and dependable Dogger, estate gardener and sounding board extraordinaire, set up shop at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, eager to serve—not so simple an endeavor with her odious little moon-faced cousin, Undine, constantly underfoot. But Flavia and Dogger persevere. Little does she know that their first case will be extremely close to home, beginning with an unwelcome discovery in Ophelia’s wedding cake: a human finger.]]> 352 Alan Bradley 0345540042 Robin 0 3.91 2019
author: Alan Bradley
name: Robin
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 181109960 320 Edward Y.C. Lee 1443470562 Robin 0 3.93
author: Edward Y.C. Lee
name: Robin
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 36204075 SHE PLANNED HER OWN FUNERAL. BUT DID SHE ARRANGE HER OWN MURDER?

New York Times bestselling author of Magpie Murders and Moriarty, Anthony Horowitz has yet again brilliantly reinvented the classic crime novel, this time writing a fictional version of himself as the Watson to a modern-day Holmes.

One bright spring morning in London, Diana Cowper �� the wealthy mother of a famous actor - enters a funeral parlor. She is there to plan her own service.

Six hours later she is found dead, strangled with a curtain cord in her own home.

Enter disgraced police detective Daniel Hawthorne, a brilliant, eccentric investigator who’s as quick with an insult as he is to crack a case. Hawthorne needs a ghost writer to document his life; a Watson to his Holmes. He chooses Anthony Horowitz.

Drawn in against his will, Horowitz soon finds himself a the center of a story he cannot control. Hawthorne is brusque, temperamental and annoying but even so his latest case with its many twists and turns proves irresistible. The writer and the detective form an unusual partnership. At the same time, it soon becomes clear that Hawthorne is hiding some dark secrets of his own.

A masterful and tricky mystery that springs many surprises, The Word is Murder is Anthony Horowitz at his very best.]]> 400 Anthony Horowitz 0062676784 Robin 0 3.89 2017
author: Anthony Horowitz
name: Robin
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 77295
With great wisdom and insight Lindbergh describes the shifting shapes of relationships and marriage, presenting a vision of life as it is lived in an enduring and evolving partnership. A groundbreaking, best-selling work when it was originally published in 1955, Gift from the Sea continues to be discovered by new generations of readers. With a new introduction by Lindbergh’s daughter Reeve, this fiftieth-anniversary edition will give those who are revisiting the book and those who are coming upon it for the first time fresh insight into the life of this remarkable woman.

The sea and the beach are elements that have been woven throughout Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s life. She spent her childhood summers with her family on a Maine island. After her marriage to Charles Lindbergh in 1929, she accompanied him on his survey flights around the North Atlantic to launch the first transoceanic airlines. The Lindberghs eventually established a permanent home on the Connecticut coast, where they lived quietly, wrote books and raised their family.

After the children left home for lives of their own, the Lindberghs traveled extensively to Africa and the Pacific for environmental research.]]> 130 Anne Morrow Lindbergh 0394724550 Robin 0 4.14 1955
author: Anne Morrow Lindbergh
name: Robin
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1955
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 222572395 Vows and Villainy is the fifth book in Elizabeth Penney's delightful Cambridge Bookshop series set in Cambridge, England, where celebrations are about to commence.

It’s wedding season in Cambridge, and Molly Kimball is thrilled that it's almost time for her best friend's special day. With the help of her boyfriend Kieran Scott, she is determined to be the best maid of honor for Daisy and Tim. Daisy’s heart is set upon a Shakespeare-themed wedding to be held at Hazelhurst House, Kieran’s family’s home. The Scotts are also hosting a Shakespeare troupe for the summer, and the actors have kindly agreed to be part of the festivities.

But all goes awry with the discovery of Sir Nigel Peck, a famous actor with a checkered past and present-day misdeeds, floating dead in the moat with flowers strewn around him, à la Ophelia. When Kieran’s brother Alan becomes a top suspect, Molly and company must investigate to uncover the ugly truth behind this picturesque scene . . . before more bodies pile up.

Can Molly solve the murder before Daisy and Tim say “I do��?]]> Elizabeth Penney 1250388473 Robin 0 to-read 0.0
author: Elizabeth Penney
name: Robin
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203578754 In Madrigals and Mayhem, the fourth in Elizabeth Penney's charming Cambridge Bookshop series, Molly Kimball finds that even the holidays can come with a healthy dose of mystery.

Molly is eager to experience her first English Christmas with family and friends now that she's adjusted to her move to Cambridge and her restoration of her family’s ancestral bookshop, Thomas Marlowe—Manuscripts and Folios. When local toyshop Pemberly’s Emporium reopens, Molly is excited to meet the new owner, Charlotte Pemberly, who is determined to make the toy store a success after unexpectedly becoming her grandfather Arthur’s sole heir.

Arthur's new wife Althea Winters and her unpleasant family loathe Charlotte for inheriting what they believe was theirs and have set their sights on a valuable Madame Alexander doll that's gone missing. When Althea's grandson is poisoned by cakes from Tea & Crumpets, Charlotte becomes the top suspect. Molly believes Charlotte was the intended victim and investigates the Pemberly’s home, only to discover that Arthur had been murdered.

To get closer to this treacherous family, Molly and her boyfriend Kieran go undercover by volunteering to act and sing for a madrigal dinner directed by Althea and her daughter at St. Hildegard’s College. Molly must help her new friend clear her name while searching for the missing doll and wrangling her own family during the chaotic holiday festivities at the bookshop.]]> 288 Elizabeth Penney 1250344131 Robin 0 to-read 3.92 2024
author: Elizabeth Penney
name: Robin
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 69704979 In the third in Elizabeth Penney's delightful Cambridge Bookshop series, The Fatal Folio, Molly Kimball is learning that every killer has a story��

After moving to Cambridge, England, Molly Kimball has found a lot to love, including—of course—her family’s ancestral bookshop, Thomas Marlowe-Manuscripts and Folios. And though she’s not quite ready to use the “L�� word when it comes to her boyfriend Kieran, she’s definitely fallen for his intimidating family’s library.

His family is paying her handsomely for an updated catalog when Molly discovers the original manuscript of a Gothic novel, A Fatal Folio by the pseudonymous Selwyn Scott. Kieran’s cousin Oliver, a professor specializing in Gothic literature, is eager to publish a paper on the mystery—especially because a troublesome student, Thad, is threatening to file a complaint against him and prevent his long-awaited promotion.

On Guy Fawkes Night, Molly, Kieran, and her friends set out to enjoy the costumes, fireworks, and fun—at least until a stray firework starts a panic, and the group stumbles upon a prone body, their face covered by a mask. It’s Thad, and he’s been stabbed to death.

It soon becomes clear Oliver isn’t the only one with a motive, and Molly must once again put on a few masks of her own to sleuth out Thad’s killer, prove Oliver’s innocence, and discover what Selwyn’s novel might have to do with this most atmospheric mystery…]]> 320 Elizabeth Penney 1250787750 Robin 0 to-read 4.06 2023
author: Elizabeth Penney
name: Robin
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59808161
Having recently discovered The Strawberry Girls, a classic children's tale, Molly is thrilled to learn the author, Iona York, lives nearby. But while visiting the famous author at her lovely cottage in nearby Hazelhurst, an old acquaintance of Iona's tumbles off her roof to his death.

Then, when one of Iona’s daughters—an inspiration for the original Strawberry Girls—goes missing, Molly begins to worry this story might be more Brothers Grimm than happily-ever-after. Especially after Molly learns about the mysterious long-ago death of Iona’s husband and co-author of The Strawberry Girls…could past and present crimes be linked? Molly must put the clues together before someone turns this sweet tale sour]]> 288 Elizabeth Penney 1250787726 Robin 0 to-read 3.96 2022
author: Elizabeth Penney
name: Robin
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 202470544 As an eclectic tea shop owner descended from an Irish witch, intuitive Shay Myers has been living her most authentic life since moving home to California’s scenic Monterey Peninsula. Yet not even her heightened senses can predict how to run a business—or catch a killer . . .

Self-taught “seer�� Shay has much to learn as autumn hits the quaint coastal town of Bray Harbor. Since attempting the art of blending herbs at her popular shop, Crystals & CuriosiTeas, she’s set on growing ingredients in the mysterious greenhouse on the second floor—if only she can separate the medicinal plants from the deadly ones. Her new skills are put to the test when she meets pub owner and ex-detective Liam Madigan’s Gran. A psychic from Ireland known for interpreting tea leaves and people, Gran encourages Shay to build upon her natural talents and hold her own group reading . . .
��
Despite Shay’s reservations about putting herself in the spotlight, the evening goes off without a hitch. At least, until she does a reading and a customer goes from chatty to dead in a flash, poisoned after sipping a toxic substance recently grown in the greenhouse. Worse, Shay’s assistant is suspected of intentionally serving the lethal brew and committing cold-blooded murder. Now, aided only by Liam and her dog Spirit, Shay must exonerate her employee and save the future of Crystals & CuriosiTeas. But when clues start lining up like leaves in a teacup, she’ll need to understand the signs right in front of her to catch the manipulative murderer before it’s too late . . .]]> 336 Lauren Elliott 1496735218 Robin 0 3.82 2023
author: Lauren Elliott
name: Robin
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves:
review:

]]> 50648075
Christmas cheer has sent the griddle into overdrive at Robbie Jordan’s popular country store and ������é. And this year, there’s a new seasonal special to feast on: murder!
��
As December sweeps through South Lick, Indiana, Robbie’s life seems merry and bright like the string lights glistening around town. But strange happenings signal a bumpy ride into the holidays. First a man raises eyebrows at Pans ‘N Pancakes when he claiming to be the long-lost half-brother of Robbie’s assistant. Then a fire destroys the home of a controversial anesthesiologist, exposing skeletal remains in his attic. Helplessly intrigued, all Robbie wants for Christmas is to stop her winter wonderland from becoming a real nightmare. With a decades-old mystery taking shape, can she run as fast as she can in pursuit of a killer who’s harder to crack than a stale gingerbread man?

Includes Recipes for You to Try!

]]> 324 Maddie Day 149672318X Robin 0 4.05 2020
author: Maddie Day
name: Robin
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 13807532 223 Todd Burpo 084994841X Robin 0 currently-reading 4.09 2012
author: Todd Burpo
name: Robin
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 201114
He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid working for a wealthy woman in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi undertakes the long journey to India and arrives at "Happiness House" full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution.

An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning. She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family's debt—then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave.

Lakshmi's life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Still, she lives by her mother's words��"Simply to endure is to triumph"—and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world. Then the day comes when she must make a decision—will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life?

Written in spare and evocative vignettes, this powerful novel renders a world that is as unimaginable as it is real, and a girl who not only survives but triumphs.]]> 268 Patricia McCormick 0786851716 Robin 0 4.23 2006
author: Patricia McCormick
name: Robin
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 140832112 300 Charles Dickens Robin 0 5.00
author: Charles Dickens
name: Robin
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/01/06
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:

]]> 51132354
Among the plausible suspects are Renauld's wife Eloise, his son Jack, Renauld's immediate neighbor Madame Daubreuil, the mysterious "Cinderella" of Hasting's recent acquaintance, and some unknown visitor of the previous day--all of whom Poirot has reason to suspect. Poirot's powers of investigation ultimately triumph over the wiles of an assailant whose misdirection and motives are nearly--but not quite--impossible to spot.

Contains a character key, a detailed biography, and an illustrated list of notable Poirot portrayals.

Librarian's note: the first fifteen novels in the Hercule Poirot series are 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920; 2) The Murder on the Links, 1923; 3) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926; 4) The Big Four, 1927; 5) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 1928; 6) Peril at End House, 1932; 7) Lord Edgware Dies, 1933; 8) Murder on the Orient Express, 1934; 9) Three Act Tragedy, 1935; 10) Death in the Clouds, 1935; 11) The A.B.C. Murders, 1936; 12) Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936; 13) Cards on the Table, 1936; 14) Dumb Witness, 1937; and 15) Death on the Nile, 1937. These are just the novels; Poirot also appears in this period in a play, Black Coffee, 1930, and two collections of short stories, Poirot Investigates, 1924, and Murder in the Mews, 1937. Each novel, play and short story has its own entry on ŷ������.]]> 199 Agatha Christie 1734452552 Robin 0 currently-reading 3.84 1923
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1923
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 72357712 1 Maddie Day Robin 0 3.82
author: Maddie Day
name: Robin
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 7933292
—Ron Hall, coauthor of Same Kind of Different as Me

“Do you remember the hospital, Colton?�� Sonja said. “Yes, mommy, I remember,�� he said. “That’s where the angels sang to me.��

When Colton Burpo made it through an emergency appendectomy, his family was overjoyed at his miraculous survival. What they weren’t expecting, though, was the story that emerged in the months that followed—a story as beautiful as it was extraordinary, detailing their little boy’s trip to heaven and back.

Colton, not yet four years old, told his parents he left his body during the surgery–and authenticated that claim by describing exactly what his parents were doing in another part of the hospital while he was being operated on. He talked of visiting heaven and relayed stories told to him by people he met there whom he had never met in life, sharing events that happened even before he was born. He also astonished his parents with descriptions and obscure details about heaven that matched the Bible exactly, though he had not yet learned to read.

With disarming innocence and the plainspoken boldness of a child, Colton tells of meeting long-departed family members. He describes Jesus, the angels, how “really, really big�� God is, and how much God loves us. Retold by his father, but using Colton’s uniquely simple words, Heaven Is for Real offers a glimpse of the world that awaits us, where as Colton says, “Nobody is old and nobody wears glasses.��

Heaven Is for Real will forever change the way you think of eternity, offering the chance to see, and believe, like a child.]]> 162 Todd Burpo 0849946158 Robin 0 4.03 2010
author: Todd Burpo
name: Robin
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 52843028
A refugee of the Great War, Poirot has settled in England near Styles Court, the country estate of his wealthy benefactor, the elderly Emily Inglethorp. When Emily is poisoned and the authorities are baffled, Poirot puts his prodigious sleuthing skills to work. Suspects are plentiful, including the victim’s much younger husband, her resentful stepsons, her longtime hired companion, a young family friend working as a nurse, and a London specialist on poisons who just happens to be visiting the nearby village.

All of them have secrets they are desperate to keep, but none can outwit Poirot as he navigates the ingenious red herrings and plot twists that contribute to Agatha Christie's well-deserved reputation as the queen of mystery.]]> 174 Agatha Christie 1734452595 Robin 0 4.06 1920
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1920
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 45427798 ��
While looking forward to her high school reunion back in California, Robbie’s anticipation is complicated by memories of her mother’s untimely death. At first, she has fun hanging out with her old classmates and reuniting with the local flavors—avocados, citrus, fish, and spicy Cali-Mex dishes. But then she gets wind of rumors that her mother, an environmental activist, may not have died of natural causes. With the help of friends, Robbie starts clearing the smoke surrounding the mystery—but what she finds could make it hard to get back to Indiana alive . . .
��
Includes Recipes for You to Try!]]> 253 Maddie Day 1496723163 Robin 0 3.94 2020
author: Maddie Day
name: Robin
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 63915715
Gritta, Appel, and Efi managed to survive the Black Death, only to find that they are in desperate need of money. With limited options and lots of obstacles, they band together to become alewives - brewing and selling ale in the free Alsatian town of Colmar. But when an elderly neighbor is discovered dead in her house, the alewives cannot convince the sheriff and the town council that her death wasn’t an accident, it was murder. As the body count piles up, the ale flows and mystery is afoot!

Set in the tumultuous years after the most devastating pandemic the world has ever experienced, The Alewives is a playful romp through a dark time, when society was reeling from loss and a grieving population attempted to return to normal, proving that with the bonds of love, friendship, and humor, the human spirit will always continue to shine.]]> 266 Elizabeth R. Andersen Robin 0 3.96
author: Elizabeth R. Andersen
name: Robin
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 121646
Are you ready for a question about each of the stories? How did a woman holding a pistol in her right hand manage to shoot herself in the left temple? What was the link between a ghost sighting and the disappearance of top secret military plans? How did the bullet that killed Sir Gervase shatter a mirror in another part of the room? And who destroyed the "eternal triangle" of love involving renowned beauty, Valentine Chantry?

Hercule Poirot is faced with four mystifying cases: 1. Murder in the Mews, 2. The Incredible Theft, 3. Dead Man's Mirror, and 4. Triangle at Rhodes. Each of them is a miniature classic of characterization, incident, and suspense.

Listening length: 4 hrs. 26 mins.]]> 5 Agatha Christie 1572702842 Robin 0 to-read 3.82 1937
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1937
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16333
When Miss Marple comes up from the country for a holiday in London, she finds what she's looking for at Bertram's: traditional décor and impeccable service. But she senses an unmistakable atmosphere of danger behind the highly polished veneer. Not even Miss Marple can foresee the violent chain of events set in motion when an eccentric hotel guest makes his way to the airport one day late!

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "At Bertram's Hotel." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on ŷ������. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching ŷ������ for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."]]> 223 Agatha Christie Robin 0 to-read 3.72 1965
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1965
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 68930
Miss Marple senses danger when she visits a friend living in a Victorian mansion which doubles as a rehabilitation centre for delinquents. Her fears are confirmed when a youth fires a revolver at the administrator, Lewis Serrocold. Neither is injured. But a mysterious visitor, Mr Gulbrandsen, is less fortunate �� shot dead simultaneously in another part of the building.

Pure coincidence? Miss Marple thinks not, and vows to discover the real reason for Mr Gulbrandsen’s visit.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "They Do It with Mirrors." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on ŷ������. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching ŷ������ for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."]]> 224 Agatha Christie 0451199901 Robin 0 to-read 3.78 1952
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1952
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 31300
Nephew Raymond West has given his favourite aunt a vacation at a beautiful resort in the Caribbean. While there she encounters an old wind-bag. One of his stories is about meeting a murderer. He has a snapshot. Suddenly he hesitates, and gets flustered. By the next morning he is dead, seemingly of natural causes. Miss Marple has doubts.

And well she should.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "A Caribbean Mystery." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on ŷ������. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching ŷ������ for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."]]> 224 Agatha Christie 0451199928 Robin 0 to-read 3.83 1964
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1964
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 834378
Let us explain. Rex Fortescue, king of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his 'counting house' office when he suffered a sudden and agonising death. On later inspection, the pockets of the deceased were found to contain rye grain. What is that all about? It was a second incident, this time in the parlour at his home, which confirmed Jane Marple's suspicion that here she was looking at a case of crime by rhyme!

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "A Pocket Full of Rye." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on ŷ������. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching ŷ������ for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."]]> 220 Agatha Christie 0451199863 Robin 0 to-read 3.90 1953
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1953
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16372
Marina’s frozen expression suggested she had witnessed something horrific. While others searched for material evidence, Jane Marple conducted a very different investigation �� into human nature.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on ŷ������. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching ŷ������ for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."]]> 351 Agatha Christie 0007120982 Robin 0 to-read 3.95 1962
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1962
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16341
Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "The Moving Finger." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on ŷ������. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching ŷ������ for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."]]> 299 Agatha Christie 0007120842 Robin 0 to-read 3.85 1942
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1942
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215492
Now the man was dead. And yet the great Belgian detective couldn’t help feeling that he was being taken for a ride. After all, how could Jane have stabbed her thoroughly detestable husband to death in his library at exactly the same time she was seen dining with friends? And what could be her motive now that the aristocrat had finally agreed to grant her a divorce?

Librarian's note: the first fifteen novels in the Hercule Poirot series are 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920; 2) The Murder on the Links, 1923; 3) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926; 4) The Big Four, 1927; 5) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 1928; 6) Peril at End House, 1932; 7) Lord Edgware Dies, 1933; 8) Murder on the Orient Express, 1934; 9) Three Act Tragedy, 1935; 10) Death in the Clouds, 1935; 11) The A.B.C. Murders, 1936; 12) Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936; 13) Cards on the Table, 1936; 14) Dumb Witness, 1937; and 15) Death on the Nile, 1937. These are just the novels; Poirot also appears in this period in a play, Black Coffee, 1930, and two collections of short stories, Poirot Investigates, 1924, and Murder in the Mews, 1937. Each novel, play and short story has its own entry on ŷ������.]]> 219 Agatha Christie 0002314576 Robin 0 to-read 3.94 1933
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1933
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16316
Librarian's note #1: the concept of The Big Four first appeared as weekly short stories very loosely connected in 'The Sketch' in 1924. The 12 original stories were: 1) The Unexpected Guest, 2) The Adventure of the Dartmoor Bungalow, 3) The Lady on the Stairs, 4) The Radium Thieves, 5) In the House of the Enemy, 6) The Yellow Jasmine Mystery, 7) The Chess Problem, 8) The Baited Trap, 9) The Adventure of the Peroxide Blond, 10) The Terrible Catastrophe, 11) The Dying Chinaman, and 12) The Crag in the Dolomites. For her 1927 novel, Christie enhanced the linkages between the stories and shuffled them somewhat.

Librarian's note: the first fifteen novels in the Hercule Poirot series are 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920; 2) The Murder on the Links, 1923; 3) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926; 4) The Big Four, 1927; 5) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 1928; 6) Peril at End House, 1932; 7) Lord Edgware Dies, 1933; 8) Murder on the Orient Express, 1934; 9) Three Act Tragedy, 1935; 10) Death in the Clouds, 1935; 11) The A.B.C. Murders, 1936; 12) Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936; 13) Cards on the Table, 1936; 14) Dumb Witness, 1937; and 15) Death on the Nile, 1937. These are just the novels; Poirot also appears in this period in a play, Black Coffee, 1930, and two collections of short stories, Poirot Investigates, 1924, and Murder in the Mews, 1937. Each novel, play and short story has its own entry on ŷ������.]]> 272 Agatha Christie 0007120818 Robin 0 to-read 3.54 1927
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.54
book published: 1927
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16424
Poirot quickly takes a particular interest in the young woman. Recently, she has narrowly escaped a series of life-threatening accidents. Something tells the Belgian sleuth that these so-called accidents are more than just mere coincidences or a spate of bad luck. Something like a bullet! It seems all too clear to him that someone is trying to do away with poor Nick, but who? And, what is the motive? In his quest for answers, Poirot must delve into the dark history of End House. The deeper he gets into his investigation, the more certain he is that the killer will soon strike again. And, this time, Nick may not escape with her life.]]> 287 Agatha Christie 0007119305 Robin 0 to-read 4.00 1932
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1932
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 139175 196 M.C. Beaton 0312970625 Robin 0 3.75 1999
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 10852027 A spiderweb of dangerous relationships lies at the heart.

A woman with a murky past jumps off a bridge, or was she thrown? A spoiled kid awash in gambling debt thinks he can beat the system. A lovely woman whose marriage is about to splinter into a thousand fragments. A professional shoplifting ring working for the Mob, racks up millions from stolen goods. A wandering husband is rich and ruthless. A dirty cop is so entrenched on the force he is immune to exposure. A sinister gangster is conscienceless and brutal. A lonely widower mourns the death of his lover, desperate for answers, which may be worse than the pain of his loss. Private detective Kinsey Millhone's thirty-eighth-birthday gift is a punch in the face that leaves her with two black eyes and a busted nose.

And an elegant and powerful businessman whose dealings are definitely outside the law: the magus at the center of the web.

V: Victim. Violence. Vengeance.]]> 437 Sue Grafton 0399157867 Robin 0 3.94 2011
author: Sue Grafton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves:
review:

]]> 101144259
With her boyfriend Morelli away in Miami on police business, Stephanie is taking care of Bob, Morelli’s giant orange dog who will devour anything, from Stephanie’s stray donuts to the upholstery in her car. Morelli’s absence also means the inscrutable, irresistible security expert Ranger is front and center in Stephanie’s life when things inevitably go sideways. And he seems determined to stay there.

To complicate matters, her best friend Lula is convinced she is being stalked by a mythological demon hell-bent on relieving her of her wardrobe. An overnight stakeout with Stephanie’s mother and Grandma Mazur reveals three generations of women with nerves of steel and driving skills worthy of NASCAR champions.

As the body count rises and witnesses start to disappear, it won’t be easy for Stephanie to keep herself clean when everyone else is playing dirty. It’s a good thing Stephanie isn’t afraid of getting a little dirty, too.]]> 336 Janet Evanovich 1668003090 Robin 0 4.01 2023
author: Janet Evanovich
name: Robin
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 61648468
Mae West is bound and determined to stay in shape for her wedding day and with all the delicious southern dessert Mary Elizabeth is serving for Thanksgiving Mae has joined the local running group to race in Thanksgiving’s annual Turkey Trot.

She never figured murder would be on the menu and a couple of people she loves have a perfect motive.

The list of suspects isn’t exactly brief especially when one of the governor’s recently pardoned prisoner is at the top of the list. Mae has a pretty full plate between trying to plan a wedding that will satisfy everyone, keeping Dottie in line as well as trying to get a long with her future mother in law.

So what’s a little investigation to keep her mind off things? If Mae’s not careful, she may find herself served up as a last-minute course with all the trimmings.]]> 199 Tonya Kappes Robin 0 4.14
author: Tonya Kappes
name: Robin
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves:
review:

]]> 61416733 Southern hospitality with a smidgen of homicide.

It is fall in Normal, KY, and the town is celebrating the season with a Bourbon Festival.

Mae West is trying to enjoy the festival and a night out with Hank. While trying to dodge the one question every keep asking (When is the wedding?) Mae overhears an argument between the bourbon king’s son and another man and woman. So, when she stumbles over a body with ties to the Bourbon King, her hackles are raised.

Mae, Dottie, and the rest of the Laundry Club Ladies start poking around into the Bourbon King’s complicated life and soon find out there's more than bourbon underneath the lid of a bourbon barrel.��]]> 197 Tonya Kappes Robin 0 4.25 2022
author: Tonya Kappes
name: Robin
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 6193821
He tells her a story. More than two decades ago, a four-year-old girl disappeared, and a recent newspaper story about her kidnapping has triggered a flood of memories. Sutton now believes he stumbled on her secret burial and could identify the killers if he saw them again. He wants Kinsey's help in locating the grave and finding the men. It's way more than a long shot, but he's persistent and willing to pay cash up front. Reluctantly, Kinsey agrees to give him one day of her time.

It isn't long before she discovers Sutton has an uneasy relationship with the truth. In essence, he's the boy who cried wolf. Is his story true, or simply one more in a long line of fabrications?

Moving between the 1980s and the 1960s, and changing points of view as Kinsey pursues witnesses whose accounts often clash, Sue Grafton builds multiple subplots and memorable characters. Gradually we see how everything connects. And as always, at the heart of her fiction is Kinsey Millhone, a sharp-tongued, observant loner who never forgets that under the thin veneer of civility is often the roiling dark side of the soul.]]> 403 Sue Grafton 039915597X Robin 0 3.95 2009
author: Sue Grafton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 16335
When the Blue Train stops, the jewel is missing, and the woman is found dead in her compartment. It's the perfect mystery, filled with passion, greed, deceit, and confusion.

Is Hercule Poirot the perfect detective to solve it?]]> 317 Agatha Christie 1579126952 Robin 0 to-read 3.84 1928
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1928
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 57806251
What links these fascinating cases? Only the brilliant deductive powers of Hercule Poirot!

The short stories are: 1. The Adventure of 'The Western Star', 2. The Tragedy of Marsdon Manor, 3. The Adventure of the Cheap Flat, 4. The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge, 5. The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, 6. The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, 7. The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan, 8. The Kidnapped Prime Minister, 9. The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim, 10. The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman, and 11. The Case of the Missing Will.

Librarian's note #1: besides the eleven above, there were three more included in the American version of the same title a year later: 12. The Chocolate Box, 13. The Veiled Lady, and 14. The Lost Mine.

Librarian's note #2: this is the entry for the collection of short stories, 'Poirot Investigates'. Entries for each of the stories are located elsewhere on ŷ������. All 14 can be found by searching ŷ������ for: 'a Hercule Poirot Short Story'.

Librarian's note #3: in published order, the first 10 Christie mystery books featuring Poirot are: 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 2) The Murder on the Links, 3) Poirot Investigates, 4) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 5) The Big Four, 6) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 7) Black Coffee: A Mystery Play in Three Acts [Charles Osborne novelized the play in 1998 under the title, Black Coffee], 8) Peril at End House, 9) Lord Edgware Dies, and 10) Murder on the Orient Express. Each has its own entry on ŷ������.]]> 191 Agatha Christie 1736062883 Robin 0 to-read 3.70 1924
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1924
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 140278
Who, apart from Miss Marple, would take her story seriously? After all, there were no suspects, no other witnesses... and no corpse. Not the police.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "4:50 from Paddington." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on ŷ������. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching ŷ������ for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."]]> 288 Agatha Christie 1579126936 Robin 0 to-read 3.96 1957
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1957
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16298
The novel was promoted on both sides of the Atlantic as Agatha Christie's 50th book and published in 1950 by William Collins.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "A Murder is Announced." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on ŷ������. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching ŷ������ for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."]]> 288 Agatha Christie 1579126294 Robin 0 to-read 4.01 1950
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1950
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16319
But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry?

The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple to solve the mystery�� before tongues start to wag.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel "The Body in the Library." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on ŷ������. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching ŷ������ for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."]]> 191 Agatha Christie 157912626X Robin 0 to-read 3.86 1942
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1942
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16322
There's a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling card is to leave the ABC Railway Guide beside each victim's body. But if A is for Alice Asher, bludgeoned to death in Andover, and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her belt on the beach at Bexhill, who will then be Victim C? More importantly, why is this happening?

Often considered to be one of Agatha Christie's best.

Librarian's note: the first fifteen novels in the Hercule Poirot series are 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920; 2) The Murder on the Links, 1923; 3) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926; 4) The Big Four, 1927; 5) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 1928; 6) Peril at End House, 1932; 7) Lord Edgware Dies, 1933; 8) Murder on the Orient Express, 1934; 9) Three Act Tragedy, 1935; 10) Death in the Clouds, 1935; 11) The A.B.C. Murders, 1936; 12) Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936; 13) Cards on the Table, 1936; 14) Dumb Witness, 1937; and 15) Death on the Nile, 1937. These are just the novels; Poirot also appears in this period in a play, Black Coffee, 1930, and two collections of short stories, Poirot Investigates, 1924, and Murder in the Mews, 1937. Each novel, play and short story has its own entry on ŷ������.]]> 232 Agatha Christie 1579126243 Robin 0 to-read 4.03 1936
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1936
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16331 288 Agatha Christie 1579126251 Robin 0 to-read 4.07 1930
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1930
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16328
The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells�� before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.

Librarian's note: the first fifteen novels in the Hercule Poirot series are 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920; 2) The Murder on the Links, 1923; 3) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926; 4) The Big Four, 1927; 5) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 1928; 6) Peril at End House, 1932; 7) Lord Edgware Dies, 1933; 8) Murder on the Orient Express, 1934; 9) Three Act Tragedy, 1935; 10) Death in the Clouds, 1935; 11) The A.B.C. Murders, 1936; 12) Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936; 13) Cards on the Table, 1936; 14) Dumb Witness, 1937; and 15) Death on the Nile, 1937. These are just the novels; Poirot also appears in this period in a play, Black Coffee, 1930, and two collections of short stories, Poirot Investigates, 1924, and Murder in the Mews, 1937. Each novel, play and short story has its own entry on ŷ������.]]> 288 Agatha Christie 1579126278 Robin 0 to-read 4.26 1926
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robin
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1926
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>