Book Review: A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian

 

Tempest Raj is rightly worried. Julian Rhodes blamed his wife's accident on their small family run business when it was his actions that caused it. His subsequent suing of the company has them all frazzled to a breaking point. Then late one night Tempest gets a phone call to meet Julian at the Whispering Creek Theater which she has rented out for her last magical performance. When she gets there, he has been stabbed with a sword through the door. It seems a booby trap has claimed his life. But, who could have done it and why? She decides to investigate the murder herself instead of waiting for the police to do so. Then there is more injury and death. She knows that she has all the information she needs to solve the mysteries, but she can't quite put it together. With a little help from her friends, can she put it together in time to keep anyone else from dying and keep herself out of jail?

A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian was released March 19th, 2024 from Minotaur Books.

I enjoy the Secret Staircase mystery novels. There's always some cool thing they are adding to a home. Plus there are the characters. Tempest and her close grouping of friends work well together. Her family make great supporting characters. And there is pretty much at least one locked room mystery per novel. My favorite characters are of course Tempest and her best friend and partner in crime, Ivy. There is much though that Tempest does alone in her investigations. Ivy always ties the crimes to some novel since she is going to be a librarian and they have that neat library with the train car to showcase.

The plot grabs us early on and the action and deductions keep it moving forward. The writing is well done. You want to keep turning the pages. And the ending is satisfying.

Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's well done. The mystery is interesting. The plot moves forward at a good rate. And it keeps your attention. I didn't quite know all the answers to the mysteries and was surprised at some of the answers. It's a good book that does that. If you like your mysteries with a bit of stage magic, found family as well as a nice real family, this could be a good series for you. You could probably read this as a standalone since everything you need to know is explained. It will most likely make you want to read more in the series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinions.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #504: Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles comes the final book in the “action-packed, enchantingly fun” (Booklist) Ink & Sigil series, as an ink-slinging wizard pursues the answer to a very personal mystery: Who cast a pair of curses on his head?

Al MacBharrais has a most unusual job: He’s a practitioner of ink-and-sigil magic, tasked with keeping order among the gods and monsters that dwell hidden in the human world. But there’s one supernatural mystery he’s never been able to solve: Years ago, someone cast twin curses on him that killed off his apprentices and drove away loved ones who heard him speak, leaving him bereft and isolated. 

But he’s not quite alone: As Al works to solve this mystery, his friends draw him into their own eccentric dramas. Buck Foi the hobgoblin has been pondering his own legacy—and has a plan for a daring shenanigan that will make him the most celebrated hobgoblin of all. Nadia, goth queen and battle seer, is creating her own cult around a god who loves whisky and cheese. 

And the Morrigan, a former Irish death goddess, has decided she wants not only to live as an ordinary woman but also to face the most perilous challenge of the mortal world: online dating. 

Meanwhile, Al crosses paths with old friends and new—including some beloved Druids and their very good dogs—in his globe-trotting quest to solve the mystery of his curses. But he’s pulled in so many different directions by his colleagues, a suspicious detective, and the whims of destructive gods that Al begins to wonder: Will he ever find time to write his own happy ending?

Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne is expected out October 1, 2024 from Del Rey.

Why am I waiting on this book: I've enjoyed the first two books in the trilogy. I can't miss the third and final book of Al and his friends. I really like the humor that shines through as well as the action. If you are looking for a good urban fantasy with sigil magic, fae, and gods and goddesses, this could be the trilogy for you. 

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists.Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

most celebrated hobgoblin of all. Nadia, goth queen and battle seer, is creating her own cult around a god who loves whisky and cheese. 

And the Morrigan, a former Irish death goddess, has decided she wants not only to live as an ordinary woman but also to face the most perilous challenge of the mortal world: online dating. 

Meanwhile, Al crosses paths with old friends and new—including some beloved Druids and their very good dogs—in his globe-trotting quest to solve the mystery of his curses. But he’s pulled in so many different directions by his colleagues, a suspicious detective, and the whims of destructive gods that Al begins to wonder: Will he ever find time to write his own happy ending?

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #503: The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher:

Inspired by C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobes—just in case—from the author of The Wishing Game.

As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived.

Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons’ investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy.

Jeremy alone knows the fantastical truth about the disappearances, for while the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with impossible beauty and terrible danger. He believes it is there that they will find Emilie’s sister. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own inscrutable reasons. But the time for burying secrets comes to an end as the quest for Emilie’s sister begins. The former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories.

Alongside the headstrong Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they called home for six months—for only then can they get back everything and everyone they’ve lost.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is expected out July 16th, 2024 from Ballantine Books.

Why am I waiting on this book: I like that it was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia. I also like that it is billed as a fairy tale for grownups. I'm wondering why Rafe doesn't remember. And I'm hoping for some sort of a happy ending.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists.Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #502: My Mother Cursed My Name by Anamely Salgado Reyes

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher:

Three generations of fiercely strong and stubborn Mexican American women face grief head-on as they attempt to shed generational trauma and discover the true meaning of home in this lyrical novel that features magical realism in the tradition of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina and The House of the Spirits.

For generations, the Olivares women have sought to control their daughters’ destinies, starting with their names. In life, Olvido constantly clashed with her carefree daughter. Then teenage Angustias discovered she was pregnant and left her mother’s home in search of her own. Ten years later, Felicitas finally meets her estranged grandmother and is terribly disappointed when Olvido is nothing like a grandmother should be. She is strict, cold, and…dead.

Now, Olvido is convinced the only way her spirit will cross over is if she resolves her unfinished business—to make sure Angustias is in a better place regarding family, job, husband, and God, but maybe not in that order—and Felicitas is the only person who can see or hear her. Heartbroken about her mother’s passing and desperate to put Olvido’s tiny Texas home in her rearview mirror as quickly as possible, Angustias doesn’t understand why suddenly everyone in town seems to be conspiring to set her up with every eligible bachelor in town, offer her jobs, and invite her and Felicitas to church every Sunday.

As Olvido attempts to puppeteer her granddaughter to “fix” Angustias’s life from beyond the grave, Angustias tries desperately to find a better place for Felicitas, and Felicitas struggles to keep her ability to see the dead a secret from Angustias, all three Olivares girls are forced to learn how to actually listen to one another, to work to overcome generations’ worth of well-intentioned mistakes and learn the true definition of home.

My Mother Cursed My Name by Anamely Salgado Reyes is expected out July 30th, 2024 from Atria Books.

Why am I waiting on this book: I like stories with magical realism. I like the multigenerational aspect of this one as well. I want to know what happens to the three main characters.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists.Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #501: The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher:

A librarian with a knack for solving murders realizes there is something decidedly supernatural afoot in her little town in this cozy fantasy mystery.

Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle keeps finding bodies—and solving murders. But she's concerned by just how many killers she's had to track down in her quaint village. None of her neighbors seem surprised by the rising body count...but Sherry is becoming convinced that whatever has been causing these deaths is unnatural.

When someone close to Sherry ends up dead, and her cat, Lord Thomas Crowell, becomes possessed by what seems to be an ancient demon, Sherry begins to think she’s going to need to become an exorcist as well as an amateur sleuth. With the help of her town's new priest, and an assortment of friends who dub themselves the "Demon-Hunting Society," Sherry will have to solve the murder and get rid of a demon.

This riotous mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Murder, She Wrote is a lesson for demons and murderers alike: Never mess with a librarian.

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner is expected out September 24, 2024 from Ace.

Why am I waiting on this book: I like the premise. Brings to mind the small town cozies. How does no one get alarmed by how many murders there are to solve in the small town? This possible explanation may be over the top, but it sounds like so much fun to read.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists.Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Book Review: Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano

 

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano is the 4th book in the Finlay Donovan series. It picks up where book 3, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, leaves off.

Finlay and Vero must get to Atlantic City for a number of urgent reasons including saving Vero's crush Javi and locating a stolen car. So they concoct a story saying they need a Girl's weekend and are taking the kids with them. Finlay's ex-husband digs in his heels and says the kids are not leaving the state without him. And Finlay's mom is determined to accompany them for her own reasons.

Because it's Finlay and Vero, it hasn't been 24 hours and already trouble is finding them. Marco wants payment in full of what Vero owes him before he will free Javi. And he wants to know where his nephew Ike is. The women can't own up to that. So, they are at an impasse.

Finlay and Vero decide to break into Marco's suite to look for clues as to where Javi and the stolen car might be. Someone has beaten them to it, though, and left behind a dead Marco. They have no idea who did it. It adds to their workload. Find who killed Marco, they are probably looking for the car as well.

Then Nick, Charlie, Georgia, and Samantha show up at their hotel (all cops.) Nick is very eager to keep Finlay close to him to keep her safe. Rumor has it that the Russian mob boss who owns the car is on his way back to the states flying into Newark.

Finlay has to juggle people and responsibilities to continue to pursue the questions that brought them to Atlantic City. If things don't go off as planned, will she have to confess to the things that lead up to this mess?

This is not a standalone book. You must read them in order to appreciate the mess that Finlay and Vero are in.

Finlay and Vero are fun characters to read about. So often it seems they are going out of the frying pan and into the fire. This is a good escape from reality. The ladies are funny in an almost Lucy and Ethel way. Thing after thing happens to them escalating the danger and action. Basically, the premise for the plot is wild and bears little resemblance to reality which makes it a good read if you want something different. 

The action moves the plot forward at a good rate. There are very few times when Finlay and Vero aren't actively doing something. But, even then you are learning more about them and the other characters.

I gave it 5 stars out of 5. The series would make for good beach reading. But, it also makes for fun reading if you need a break from reality. If you enjoy humorous mysteries with lots of action, this could be a good book and series for you.

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano was released March 5th, 2024 from Minotaur Books.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #500: Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher:

Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first volume in the new swashbuckling fantasy series set in the universe of THE GREATCOATS.

Damelas Chademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.

He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles - until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city's most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer.

With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who'd just as soon see him dead, this failed grandson of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head.

Oh, and there's still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him . . .

Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell is expected out March 28th, 2024 from Arcadia. This is the first book in the Court of Shadows series.

Why am I waiting on this book: I like what one reviewer wrote that it is a swashbuckling story with elements of romance and humor. I like my books to have humor. And avoiding a duel by becoming an actor sounds interesting and unique.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists.Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!