Three Bags Full (2005) by Leonie Swann #20BOS26

 

🐑 I have made the second mistake this year, reading wise. I have let myself be tempted by another hyped book which is soon to be a major movie with top actors, just like Remarkably Bright Creatures. And this story was also about, and told from the point of view of, a certain animal. While Remarkably is alternately told from the point of view of human characters and Marcellus the 'remarkably bright' octopus, Three Bags is told mainly from the POV of a flock of sheep's. Both creatures - octopus and sheep - are clever enough to have solved a mystery that the humans failed. However funny or cute the idea was - a flock of sheep turn detective - this story has layers of darkness, and lacks of clarity in the mystery solving. 🐑 The clever sheep belong to a shepherd called George Glenn, who lived in a cozy Irish village of Glennkill. He was a good shepherd - taking a good care and love every one of his sheep, often talks to them, and read stories at night. The books were mainly romances, but one day he read them a detective story, but stopped before finishing it. It was supposed that from these stories reading, and George's continual conversation with the sheep, that they observed much about humans (and detecting). One day, though, the sheep found that their shepherd is dead - pinned to the ground with a spade. The sheep knew that it was a murder, and, led by Miss Maple (the sheep version of Miss Marple?) - "the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world)" - they investigate the murder. 🐑 As I mentioned before, the idea is cute and quite promising - how a flock of sheep investigate a murder? They stalk the humans, and listen to every conversation. The humans are none the wiser because, hey, who would imagine that the sheep understand what you said, and if they do, how would they "revealed" it? No, the humans mostly ignore their existence. But Miss Maple - being the smartest sheep in Glenkill; and possibly the world - keeps mulling over the "clues" in her head, until - bingo! she's got it! The revealing to the humans is going to be more difficult, but for this too, she had thought a smart solution. So, what's my problem?-you might wonder. First of all, I didn't know what's happening most of the time, since we only get snippets of truth alternately from sheep and humans. You can imagine that sheep cannot fully understand what humans are talking or doing, and we are only presented with mostly the sheep's perceptions. For instance, the sheep dug the earth and found hidden down there "the thing". It's clear that George had buried 'the thing', but what was it?? - I wanted to scream to my tablet everytime they mentioned "the thing" (I listened to the audiobook). And when much later, it was revealed to be plastic bags containing dry grass, and had caused one of the sheep (Mopple the Whale who's always hungry) fainted and slept for 24 hours, we can only vaguely suspected what the bags had contained. Is-it-what-I-think-it-is? kind of situation. And that changed my mind about George - he's not a lovely character I have thought before. 🐑 Then, 'the darkness' that overshadowed the whole story. You'd get the creepy feeling of a haunted and suicidal soul all through. What with the 'ghost' and death the sheep kept talking about, and a sheep called Zora who's obsessed with 'the abyss'. She loves to perch alone near the cliff in silent, and looks at the abyss for a long time. And I kept thinking, while reading, what this book is really about?! The twisted ending topped it all. This is not a murder mystery, and certainly not a cute "sheep detectives" you'll probably think; this is a bunch of crooked-mind people; and some really cute and smart sheep (Mopple the Whale and Miss Maple) plus some others with dark and suicidal thoughts. The 'actual' murder mystery, however, kept a mystery through the end. And one more thing before I ended this post, why did George promise the sheep a journey to Europe? Isn't Ireland a European country?? What was the point of this book, really? Rating: ⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

Murder at the Spring Ball (2021) by Benedict Brown #20BOS26

🥂 Beginning a new series is always an exciting reading experience. It is doubly so when the debut proved to be a success, just like this one. Murder at the Spring Ball is Benedict Brown's first book of Lord Edgington cozy mystery series, set in the 1925 England. It's charm is thanks to the combination of the Golden Age Detective vibes - complete with red herrings, incompetent police officer, Poirot-ish style of rather dramatic denouement - and an unlikely sleuth of a former detective and his fourteen years old grandson. There's a little jazz, a little dancing, a little Downton Abbey-ish atmosphere, and a good murder mystery. What else would one need to enjoy one self thoroughly?

🥂 Elderly but still formidably Lord Edgington had been shutting himself from the world after the death of his wife. But now he was suddenly 'awaken', and intended to shake himself out of the heavy 'slumber' with a kick: a grand ball at Cranley Hall, to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday. He surprised everyone, though, by appointing Christopher, his teenage grandson and not altogether special, to be the party organizer. The ball gives us plenty of fun, from the planning, right up to the ball itself, where the first murder is about to be committed. Christopher, of course, made several blunders - imagine a fourteen-year-old organizing a grand ball! His ordering of too much flower for decoration is pretty hilarious; and his worrying whether it was his abundant flowers that have poisoned someone, is rather cute.  

🥂 The first victim is Lord Edgington's annoying daughter, who was poisoned to death via the champagne she'd been drinking through the evening. And now Lord Edgington, together with Christopher as his assistant, is conducting a murder investigation - to the chagrin of the Police Inspector - who was his former rival - who was tasked for it. The murderer must be someone who were at the ball: the family, the servants, and Christopher's nemesis: Marmaduke Adelaide, whom Christopher likes to call Marmalade, and who often bullies him at school. Lord Edgington suspects that whoever the murderer is, was trying to kill him, and/or the entire family at the party. But who would want that? And what's the motive? 

🥂 I love Christopher from the start, he loves nature and reading Dickens, with healthy appetite - a nerdy introverted like me. I also like the way Lord Edgington educates him (to be a future Chief Inspector like himself?) He encourages Christopher to build his own deduction; never mocking or scolding him too hard when the teenager makes mistake (which is quite often), and always ready to praise when he makes a good job. The way Lord Edgington helps Christopher arranging flowers (the abundant flowers he mistakenly ordered) in the vases until far to the night - a gentle way to let his grandson made mistake and be responsible to the outcome, while learning from it). But what I love most is the duo's dynamic. When Lord Edgington was succumb to his grief after not one, but two of his offsprings murdered (yes, there was a second murder), it was Christopher who made the effort to 'awaken' his grandfather.

🥂 In short, this is such a delightful murder mystery and a beginning of a series, which I would definitely continue on. You can feel a bit of the 1920s vibes, if not from the narrative, at least from the ball. Christopher has been inadvertently introducing jazz to the family reminded me so much of how Rose first brought jazz to Downton Abbey!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for: 20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026 hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

Murder at Mallowan Hall (2021) by Colleen Cambridge

✒️ Have you ever imagined what would happened if Agatha Christie were to deal with a real murder? Would she be as shrewd as the detectives she had penned, Poirot or Miss Marple? Well, this new series from Colleen Cambridge were to be as close as you can have to answer that. In this first book we were brought to Mallowan Hall, the fictional mansion of the Mallowans (Max and Agatha), and introduced to their housekeeper and amateur sleuth, Phyllida Bright, who was portrayed as shrewd and organized like Hercule Poirot. In fact, Poirot is Phyllida's hero. And of course, the first murder she's got to solve had taken place at Mallowan Hall.

✒️ The Mallowans was having a house party, and after a storm came just at the first night, another guest is gatecrashing the party: a journalist called Charles Waring. He was accepted upon the Mallowan's benevolence only, what with the storm and it's being late in the night. However, the next morning, when Phyllida entered the library, she found Waring's dead body, stabbed in the neck with a fountain pen (of all the weapon-to-be on the desk: letter opener, marble paper weight). The tragedy creates a havoc among the guests upstairs, and certainly among the staffs downstairs. And Phyllida, who hates disorder, believes it was down to her to solve the murder, without waiting for the Police Inspector to do so, so that everything could be soon back to normal, for her own, as much as for Agatha Christie's sake (she needed peace and order to finish her current book). ✒️ If you are fan to Agatha Christie, you would enjoy this book (and series). Not only that Phyllida Bright has passion of order and little grey cells almost as good as Hercule Poirot's, the sleuthing style itself is a homage to Agatha Christie's. I loved the building suspense before the second murder was about to happen, just like how Agatha Christie had often wrote. I loved also the Hercule-Poirot-denouement style - you know when he pointed finger to one suspect to make he or she squirmed, only to say next that he or she isn't the murder, until dramatically pointed to the real murder? Although Phyllida lacks Poirot's confidence and eloquent, it was amusing to follow nonetheless. But the greatest amuse for me, is perhaps how Cambridge made this murder as an inspiration for the Agatha Christie in the story to write her next book - you know, the body of a stranger found dead in one's library. If you're Christie's fan you would certainly know which book I'm referring to - hint: it's Miss Marple story. Another one is from Agatha Christie's conversation with Phyllida:
"After all, it was you who suggested a story with a victim who everyone thought was an accidental murder, but turned out she was really the actual target and had been killed by the supposed victim as a way to hide her villainy. That is still one of my favorite twist."

Now, I ask you, Agatha Christie fans, do you know which book that is?? No title, please, in case people have not read it!

✒️ I liked all the characters in this book. Phyllida is the most interesting; she lives up to her name: Bright. She has bright hair (fiery red?) and likes to wear bright-coloured clothes while out of work. Her relationship with Agatha Christie is similar to that of Florence Armstrong and Lady Hardcastle's in Lady Hardcastle series (another charming historical cozy mystery). Their friendship dated from their working together during the war. And so, to the outside world they are employer and servant, but in Agatha Christie's closed room, they are friends - although theirs aren't as liberal as Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong's teasing and bantering, it's more of companionship of two people in the same level (they are Phyllie and Agatha between themselves). Phyllida and Christie usually talks about the case, and a little about Poirot and her books. It's not very surprising that Phyllida solved the murder all by herself, without any suggestion from Christie. ✒️ Another interesting character is Bradford, the chauffeur, a sardonic and surly man whose snorts on what Phyllida's saying annoys her greatly, but who had helped her a few times during the investigation. I'm excited to see where their relationship would go from here, and therefore cannot wait to dig into the next books in the series. All in all, this has been a delightful read - a cozy mystery with interesting characters, good portrayal of the downstairs lives of a manor house (imagine Downton Abbey), a nice plot twist with enough red herring, sprinkled with quite a racy motive, and styled similar to Christie's (which I believe, she would even have approved). If you love Agatha Christie, you'll certainly enjoy this series!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026 hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

Dim Sum of All Fears (2018) by Vivien Chien

 

🥟 Following Vivien Chien's debut series of Death by Dumpling, which was okay. I have bigger expectation for the second book, but unfortunately, this has been a little off for me. Our sleuth, Lana Lee, has plan for her future career, which does not involve waiting tables at the family restaurant of Ho Lee Noodle House, located in the Asian Village business complex. However, just days before her coming interview at a professional office, her parents announced that they would go to Taiwan visiting an ailing old aunt. And, they wanted Lana to be in charge of the restaurant, instead of her sister Anna May, who's studying for her law school - which is more important than Lana's current idle existence. And so, like a dutiful Asian child, she relented.

🥟 Lana has just been befriended another bookworm like herself. A few months ago, a newlywed couple opened a souvenir store next door, and the wife has been a kind and gentle person, with whom Lana liked to book-shopping with. However, a terrible thing happened; one night the couple was brutally murdered inside their shop. So, once again, Lana couldn't stop herself from meddling and snooping into the murder case; intending to find the murderer of such a kind woman who was her friend. Of course, her new boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau, scolded her for snooping, but how can she resisted anyway? Not when 

🥟 First of all, there's too many dramas around the sleuthing. And I always hate drama! Well, a few dramas to spice up is still okay, but in this case, a lot of Lana's sleuthing came from these dramas. The dead husband turned out to have not one, but two ex wives (and possibly one ex-lover - I have lost count). And 'miraculously' these ex wives, as well as the wife's sister, suddenly wanted to have heart-to-heart conversations with Lana. That must have been every detective's dream, I guess. I still can't imagine how strangers would want to speak with a friend of the deceased (after a murder, no less). And they even answered some of Lana's questions, which would have seemed suspicious to normal people. But there you are. These ex wives even turned tantrums at times. :( Maybe too many women in a crime story is a bad idea after all!

🥟 What I would have expected from this second book of the series, are, first, more noodle dishes to be mentioned, in particular the dim sum that the writer put in the title. Where is the dim sum?! And secondly, I would love to see more of Adam Trudeau, the detective, in the investigation, rather than only as possible boy friend to the sleuth, and who would later on appear when she was in danger, saved her, while saying: I've-told-you-not-to-snoop-look-what-you've-done' kind of thing. Which what I assumed to have happened, because - a confession - I ditched the book right after the murderer was revealed. I lost interest of the final outcome. So, that's how this series turned up for me. A promising one at first, but unfortunately, a disappointing sequel. Another series I won't continue in the future. If only Vivien Chien had put some dim sums into it, I would probably change my mind, because I love noodles and dim sums, and that had been my reason of picking this series in the first place.

Rating: ⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

Death Around the Bend (2017) by T.E. Kinsey

 

🏁 Having been through four books in this Lady Hardcastle Mysteries, a historical cozy mystery series by T.E. Kinsey, I can say it now for certain, that this is, by far, my most favorite in the sub genre. In case you're not very familiar with it, this cozy mystery is set in the early 1900s, where Lady Hardcastle and her lady's maid Florence Armstrong are the amateur sleuths. They have become inseparable and an unconventional pair before the series began, having met dangerous escapade in the past - the past that we did not know all the detail when starting the series, but which were unfolding throughout the series - a little in the first, a bit more in the second, and so on. What makes this duo most interesting is their relationship - companionable but with due respect. They live in a small village of Littleton Cotterell, and are usually assisting Inspector Sunderland - who becomes their friend - investigating local murder cases.

🏁 In this book, however, Lady Hardcastle and Flo are invited to the country estate of a Lord Riddlethorpe, who had been building a motor racing company. There will be motor racing and parties, and it would have been a jolly time for both ladies - who've been having fun with riding car - had there not been a series of murders. This time Lady Hardcastle and Flo couldn't work together with the charming Inspector Sunderland - though he still assists them in little ways. Instead, they're dealing with a surly police officer who arrested people without enough evidence. The first murder happened in the midst of excitement of the first day of the race. Lord Riddlethorpe owns three racing cars, and there's another one brought by a guest. The car number three had been tampered with, crashed, and killed the driver. 🏁 And so began the snooping and sleuthing for Lady Hardcastle and Flo. They're snooping at the garage (and found how the racing car must have been tampered, but by whom? And why?), and they are 'recruiting' a lazy footman to do more snooping. Flo herself mingles with the servants, and listens to things. The murderer must be one someone staying in the house. Is it Lord Riddlethorpe (but that is foolish, isn't it?), or Lady Lavinia, his sister? Or one of the guests - Harry (Lady Hardcastle's brother), Mrs. Beddows (a bullying woman), Herr Kovacs (Lord Riddlethorpe's competitor), Miss Titmus (a timid young woman, school friend of Lady Lavinia and Mrs. Beddows, who loves photography), or Mr. Waterford (a racing expert and partner of Lord Riddlethorpe)? The motive is surely related to the car racing, or is it? 🏁 As usual, the book begins in leisurely pace, Lady Hardcastle and Flo's usual bantering and teasing, then their visit to Lord Riddlethorpe's, the exciting car racing and summer parties ahead. Then suddenly a murder took place, then a second one, and the atmosphere changed into a gloomy and more intense one. Lady Hardcastle and Flo are gathering titbits of evidences and suspicions, but they haven't got any clue of the whats and whos. Until very suddenly, something clicked, and Lady Hardcastle instantly knew the answer, saw the immediate danger of another would-be victim, and the actions and denouement which follow. In the end, it proved to be a very delightful cozy mystery to read - lighthearted and sometimes funny at the start, but full of thrills and actions in the end. The plot is a good one too, with the final twist. I couldn't guess the murderer (which is always a sign of a good mystery). I also loved how Kinsey always puts in a bit of revelations of Lady Hardcastle's or Flo's pasts. In this one, we learned more about Flo's childhood - her circus life, and she had entered it, very interesting. Last but not least, there's the motor racing! As a former F1 lover, I cherished the racing scene near the end - that would cement this book as one of my favorites from the series! Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026 hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

Book Tour: Murder at the Homecoming (2026) by Merryn Allingham (Flora Steele Mystery #13)

It’s my stop today on Murder at the Homecoming by Merryn Allingham Books on Tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy of Bookouture for the invite, and for NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book. My blog has somehow been slipped out of the poster - a technical glitch, I'm sure - but I'm doing the stop as I have promised, anyway. So, here it is... 📚 About the Book

Amidst the smell of sherry trifle and the sound of lively music, the guests raise their glasses. But as a loud scream interrupts the toast, amateur detectives Flora and Jack Carrington learn that not everyone is in the party spirit… Sussex, 1960: Flora and Jack are delighted to be invited to the welcome party for Ambrose Finch’s long-lost son, finally back home after disappearing ten years ago. They’re eager to meet the young man they’ve heard so much about – and perhaps learn why he left in the first place… But when Ambrose’s maid goes to fetch the cake from the kitchen, her screams interrupt his big toast. Flora and Jack are horrified to find the cook hired for the occasion lying unmoving on the flagstone floor. The sickly-sweet smell of cyanide is their only clue, but the poor cook had no enemies. There are plenty at the party who do, though: Ambrose’s new secretary, Robin – at war with his former employer, a fellow guest – and his business rival, Chester, whose appearance at the party is suspicious in itself. Ambrose seems to have drafted the guest list to cause maximum conflict. But why? the poison intended for someone else? Flora and Jack can’t resist investigating, in an afterparty they never saw coming… And when another of Ambrose’s employees is found dead, they must work out why all roads lead back to the Finch family. But can they uncover whose past sins have come home to roost, before it’s too late? An utterly charming and completely page-turning cozy mystery novel filled with brilliant twists. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and J.R. Ellis.

📚 My Thoughts Here we are, returning to the beloved village of Abbeymead in the 1960s of Sussex, and to Flora and Jack Carrington, now in their fifth year of marriage bliss. As usual, the story picked up where we left in the previous book. The School House, which Jack had been keen on buying, but Flora was still reluctant to move on, becomes the current crime scene. One of the last events of the last book had been Ambrose Finch's delightful moment when a detective he hired had been successfully located the prodigal son, Lucas Finch, who left his father's house ten years ago. It was his homecoming celebration which becomes the opening of this book. Lucas Finch had been staying in Rome, Italy, when the detective (his name is Gotobed - what a name!) found him. Almost every one in Abbeymead are invited to the homecoming party, including Flora and Jack. However, the merry occasion soon become a grim one, when the hired cook (Alice Jenner's friend) suddenly collapsed - dead, after accidentally drinking a poisoned amaretto, served for the guests. Who was it intended to be? And what was the motive? Suspects are aplenty in this case, since Ambrose Finch had actually invited several - let's say people who'd had grudges to either himself and Robin Armitage, his secretary. There was a sort of reconciliation dinner preceding the party, which was intended to enable all the previous 'enemies' to bury their hatchets. Has one of them been attending the party while planning to commit a murder? While Inspector Ridley is busy investigating another murder of a more influential personage, the poisoning of a hired cook is threatening to be sidetracked. But the cook was Alice Jenner's best friend, and her murder needs to be solved. That's why, despite her usual disapproval against Flora and Jack's sleuthing activities, Alice asked Jack to investigate. The same request comes from Robin Armitage's fiancée, who believes that the poison had been intended for him. This time I suspected something fishy right from the start, and guessed the murderer so easily around the middle of the story. I was surprised that Flora and Jack haven't thought about it long before. The signs are flying everywhere waiting to be noticed, but both are ignoring them all the time, and focusing their mind on (too) many conjectures, instead. With Jack's profession as crime writer, and Flora's fondness of detective stories, I would have thought they'd be sharper in their deduction. This had, after all, been their thirteenth sleuthing adventure! What I loved about this series, is Charlie Teague's continuing character development. He's still helping Flora delivering books around, riding Betty (Flora's old beloved bicycle), when he's not very busy in The Priory's kitchen as cook helper. He's been even attending a patisserie course in London, after which he would be in the path of being a pastry chef. Well done, Charlie! But in this case, in particular, I loved how Charlie was made a hero after averting a dangerous scheme against his beloved Mr. and Mrs. C. To be honest, I have been expecting Charlie to be the Albert in Agatha Chirstie's Tommy and Tuppence. He's funny and intelligent, and is more down-to-earth than Albert. Well, it's my personal wish anyway. On the contrary, I was more and more annoyed with Alice Jenner. What kind of a friend was it who asked you a favor to do something, and then scolded you of doing it? If I were Flora, I would not befriend someone who wouldn't even try to support what I love to do. But I guess that's easier said than done, especially when one lives in a small village like Abbeymead. All in all, the mystery isn't as exciting as I had hoped, but the side story and character development compensate it. The ending is full of hope for a more exciting future, and we get a hint of where the next murder would be happening! ;) Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📚 About the Author

Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s. Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband and one last cat, Bluebell. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking. 📚 Social Media & Buying Link Mailing List: https://bookouture.com/subscribe/merryn-allingham Website: https://www.merrynallingham.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/merrynwrites Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8364492.Merryn_Allingham Here's the link to get a copy of this book: Amazon: https://geni.us/B0FP2K5DL6social

And be sure to check out other stops on the tour to see what others thought. Happy reading!

Murder in Regent's Park (2015) by Christina Koning: The Blind Detective series

👨‍🦯I can't believe that I haven't heard about this Blind Detective series until very lately, where have I been?? Anyway, a blind detective is an awesome idea for a cozy mystery, and Christina Koning did a marvelous job at drawing the character of Frederick Rowlands, our blind amateur sleuth. He was blinded after the war (the story is set in 1922), and lives in the countryside of Kent, trying his hands at farming. Not very successfully, it seems, when an old friend, Chief Inspector Douglas, offered him a temporary job as his assistance. A murder has been committed to a girl (a dancer) in London, and the killer left a playing card near the body. It was a braille playing card, and that's why Rowlands enters into the scene. The Chief Inspector wants him to blend in with men with the same predicament (blind, that is) to locate their (presumably blind) murderer.

👨‍🦯 And so, Rowlands is back into the whirlwind of London, and particularly to St Dunstan's Institute for the Blind, where Rowlands had been one of the inmates for years. Rowlands suggested that the Institute arranges a reunion party, and he and his wife Edith help with the preparation. I loved Edith Rowlands, here's an exemplary sensible, wise, and intelligent woman, who is so supportive of her husband. Meanwhile, more murders of young girls took place, and a new similarity was found: they were all lured by an advertisement to get a job as a painter's model. And so, there's another possibility that the murderer is an artist. But which one is true? Since a blind man could not have been a painter, right? But since Rowlands and the police had zero clue, they follow up both lines. 👨‍🦯 This new line of inquiry brought Rowlands' interest to the artistic world; one of these is his old flame - which spiced up the story a little! ;) Rowlands even agreed to sit as model to a painter, who's one of his suspects. I also liked this painter character; and from the start wished that he's not the murderer... And so, we are brought from the blind institute, to house parties of influential personages, to art gallery, and of course to the slum district of London where Rowlands interviewed some of the murdered girls' acquaintances. His blindness is almost no hindrance for Rowlands as he has been used to rely more and more on his other senses. Still, it doesn't guarantee him out of danger, as he is getting nearer to the truth. 👨‍🦯 All in all, this has become my new favorite murder-mystery series! I love the premise of a blind detective, it makes him more interesting to read. And I also love Fred and Edith Rowlands, though the Chief Inspector is quite an annoying person - he's rather a bully and a snob. The mystery itself is highly entertaining, a combination of whodunnit with a bit of thrilling action near the end. The art side added another charm to the story. But the factor which I admired most from Christina Koning is how she writes about the bygone era of 1930s so smoothly, I almost forgot that she wrote it in the 2010! It's a delightful read on every level. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026 hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man (2025) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

👵🏻 Vera Wong is back! Here is a series I am always looking forward to the next installment. I have read and enjoyed the first one: Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers - it was a blast; hilarious and heartwarming. I have been quite apprehensive for the second book; will it live to my expectation after that successful debut? But I have worried over nothing; this second book, if not as hilarious as the first - touches on a more relevant issues of the world we are living.

👵🏻 If you aren't yet familiar with Vera Wong, she is a Chinese woman of sixty-ish of age, who lives in Chinatown of San Francisco; and owner of a teahouse she named: VERA WANG'S WORLD FAMOUS TEAHOUSE. Of course it's an exaggeration, and her deliberately mistyping "Wang" (you know who Vera Wang is, don't you?) instead of "Wong', is a typical Chinese people. After her successful first murder-solving, Vera Wong cheekily added "Investigator" after teahouse owner. Maybe "matchmaker" should also be added, since two of her suspects list on the first murder case have been a couple ever since. These two appear once again in this story, along with some other characters, who now become Vera's big family. She only has one son - Tilly - and he, too, has been in relationship with the police officer who investigated the first murder, Selena. On their moving in together, Vera has started to regard Selena as a daughter-in-law - again, typical of Chinese mothers; they are always way ahead of us!

👵🏻 It all begins when Vera's credit card was scammed. When she went to the police station (to meet Selena - her daughter-in-... ahem, her son's girlfriend), she met a confused, and definitely distressed, girl called Millie. Vera brought the girl to the teahouse; and after brewing her a cup of tea (Vera always knows what kind of tea for every person and circumstance), and giving her something to eat, she had no difficulties to extract what had bother the girl. Vera always has the knack to do so - it's the charm of a Chinese mother, no doubt, which she always mentions. Millie told Vera about her missing friend, a guy called Thomas, who is a successful online influencer. And when Vera was snooping on Selena's files, she found information concerning the missing guy, marked as John Doe, who has been found dead. That's how Vera's snooping has brought her just another murder case to solve.

👵🏻 Like in her first case, Vera begins with compiling a suspects list. This brings her to the "glittering" world of content creators and social media influencers. She attends an influencers party, and even starts her own social media account, and hey.... her first video (of her calmly brewing tea, taken by one of the suspects-slash-new-friends) became viral in one night. And boom... Vera could have added "social media superstar" to her already numerous titles. These videos, along with her delicious foods, her fragrant tea, and her knack of comforting people, are Vera's weapons to solve the murder case.

👵🏻 I have been prepared for what this story might bring (which it does): many hilarious moments, delicious Chinese foods, and heartwarming scenes when all the people related to the case (plus Vera's entourage from book one) gather around her as one big family. What surprised me, though, is the depth (and rather dark) of the theme Jesse Sutanto brought as a background, which she acknowledged, was inspired by real occurrences she's been told while visiting an Asian country (Sutanto is Indonesian-born who currently lives in America). It resulted in a mix between light-hearted murder mystery (but not so mysterious after you'll get to the background) and grim reality. A delicious read, as always, and I can't wait for the next book!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (1967) by Lilian Jackson Braun

🐈 Jim Qwilleran and Koko the cat are together again solving a murder mystery. We were introduced to the pair in the first book of the The Cat Who... series by Lilian Jackson Braun: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards. Then Jim Qwilleran, a veteran journalist, has landed a job in a smallish company called Daily Fluxion, where he was assigned to handle a weekly column in art section - a field in which he had neither experience nor knowledge to begin with. But he soon adapted to the art world, and offered a lodging with a senior journalist - Koko's initial master, and a murder-victim-to-be. And that's how Qwilleran had been first introduced to his future partner-in-crime. When Koko - a Siamese cat whose full name is Kao K'o-Kung - lost his master, it was he who inadvertently 'supplied' clues for Qwill to solve the murder.

🐈 This second book started where we left the first. Koko moved in with Qwilleran, who has now learned of the cat's quirky interest in literature (he loves 'reading' dictionary!), and Qwill has been transferred to a new assignment: the interior design section - of which he has also zero knowledge. Right after the first issue of Gracious Abodes - the weekly magazine - has been published, the covered residence was burglarized, and the lady of the house murdered. It was soon followed by the second issue, and the next. Qwilleran must solve the murders ASAP, before he and his fellow cameraman were to be sacked.

🐈 Like in the first book, what I loved most about this mystery is Qwilleran and Koko's bonding. I liked the character of Qwilleran; I liked how he adapts to each new assignment with fresh vitality, and how he indulges with Koko's eccentricity, besides his own eccentricity - if moustache quivering when he 'smells' something fishy can be called eccentric. Koko was having more stage in this second book than the first. He's having a concerning problem mid story; Qwilleran caught him eating some of his ties, and even the green upholster of the Danish Modern (a kind of sofa) which didn't belong to him. It turned out, through a psych-cat-trist, that Koko is lonely, and needs a companion (a good lesson for an inexperienced cat owner!) 🐈 The most interesting stage of the mystery is when Koko disappeared. He was found later on at the neighbor's mansion - also one of the suspects - along with a tragedy connected to the mystery. Along Qwill's investigation, Koko had been scattering some clues - along with many red herrings too. Either when he lost his beloved ball (and Qwill would extract a clue when retracting it under a cabinet or something), or when the two were playing an invented game related with the dictionary (also Koko's beloved item). Koko would put his paw on random word in the dictionary, and Qwill would tell him (or search for) its meaning - how one find that kind of game amusing is beyond me. On the whole, just like the first one, this mystery proved to be a fast-paced exciting murder mystery, with hilarious moments with some eccentric but lovable characters (humans and cat). A very delightful read to start a new year! Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

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Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026 hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

Picture Miss Seeton (1968) by Heron Carvic

🌂When a middle-aged semi-retired art teacher called Miss Seeton was walking out of an opera performance, she encountered a young man hitting a girl. She can't stand that kind of behavior, so she poked the young man's ribs from behind, with her umbrella. The man was astonished, but he vanished into the night before Miss Seeton recovered, but not before she saw his face. But lo and behold, the girl was not only fainted, she's dead! The young man had stabbed her, and what Miss Seeton has witnessed wasn't a quarrel, but a murder.

🌂 Superintendent Delphick from Scotland Yard led the murder investigation, in which Miss Seeton produced her sketch of the murderer's identity as César Lebel. He's a criminal involved ina drug gang, whose identity had never been known before - not until Miss Seeton poked her umbrella onto his ribs, that is. As an important eyewitness to the Scotland Yard, Miss Seeton must leave her house for safely (Lebel stole her purse, and hence, knew her address). So, she's staying in a village cottage she'd just inherited in Plummergen, in the Kent countryside. There we were introduced to several other quirky but interesting characters that were bound to people a small village, complete with gossips, prejudices, and all. The arrival of Miss Seeton, whom they've read in the newspaper about, and following her steps, the Scotland Yard team, stirred and excited the quiet village like never before. 🌂 To call this book a cozy mystery is a bit misleading, because there's almost no mystery in it. A murder happened, and our 'heroine' witnessed it, but the police wasn't solving that case. The identity of the murdered girl wasn't even revealed. No, Scotland Yard were, partly, after the criminal, and partly protecting their eyewitness. And they didn't do their job very nicely. Miss Seeton had been abducted (with sack thrown over her had), and enduring a few murder attempts during her stay in Plummergen, while the police couldn't even keep with her movements - they always lost her. Still, she survived, partly with the help of her umbrella (the heroine's weapon!), and her naivete. The funniest element of this book (and its most attractive point) was Miss Seeton's naivete. She seemed oblivious of the attacks thrown at her, and almost always even felt sorry for the chaser. On one occasion she nearly helped him, and would have done it had she not fallen into the pond.

🌂 In short, this books is more about a funny little adventure with a funny quirky heroine. You'd appreciate it more when you read it on some gloomy rainy days (we are in the middle of monsoon season here..), but would be disgusted with it if you'd hope of some crime-mystery.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Chasing Vermeer (2004) by Blue Baillett

 

👨🏻‍🎨 First of all, I was quite surprised by the mixed reviews this book gets on Goodreads. There are many two stars, but also four stars. I always liked books where people either love or hate. This book has average stars of 3.72, not that bad. So, why not? Thought I. In the end, I'm glad I have decided to read it. It was an entertaining story about art theft (Vermeer's A Lady Writing painting) and coincidences, full of puzzles and codes, and some suspenseful actions; not mentioning the history of art (particularly Vermeer), that this story induces to middle grader. What not to enjoy?

A Lady Writing by Johannes Vermeer

👨🏻‍🎨 Calder and Petra, who live in London, are ordinary high school students, but with intelligent and extraordinary passions. Calder is obsessed with pentominoes that he always keeps in his pockets. Pentomino is a polygon in the plane made of 5 equal-sized squares connected edge to edge [wikipedia]. Whenever he is unsure about something, he would pull one block from his pocket, and the letter it represents would be his "guidance" to what he should do next. He and his friend Tommy even created a code using all letters from pentominoes. Petra, on the other hand, is an imaginative girl, who, at present, is obsessed with a book titled Lo, written by Charles Fort, who believes that life is not a series of coincidences but is an interconnecting web of patterns.

The Pentominoes

👨🏻‍🎨 Their class assignment required Calder and Petra to write their interpretation of art - what-makes-an-object-art kind of thing. Calder found out that the painting on the curio box he owns, was none other than Johannes Vermeer's The Geographer. He found that out when delivering books order of to a Mrs. Sharpe's house, and saw the painting. Curiously, Mrs. Sharpe is the previous owner of the book Lo, which Petra has taken from a giveaway box outside a bookstore. Stranger still, an unknown woman in lemon yellow jacket with ribbons on her hair, has appeared in her dream, asked to be rescued. Who is she?

The Geographer by Johannes Vermeer

👨🏻‍🎨 Meanwhile, more strange things are happening. Three persons in London have received a mysterious anonymous letters asking for their helps to solve an art mystery. On the other hand, a valuable painting of Vermeer, A Lady Writing, has been stolen when in transit between the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and The Art Institute of Chicago, where it would be exhibited. An equally strange advertisement has been published in newspapers, apparently from the thieve, claiming that he/she had stolen it for a good cause: to raise awareness that someone else painted some of what we believe are Vermeer's works. From so many coincidences - or are they 'interconnecting patterns' in Charles Fort's theory? - Calder and Petra believe it is they who must solve the mystery, and find the stolen painting. Can they do that, while FBI has failed?

👨🏻‍🎨 Needless to say, this was an exciting read for me. I always love books with art theme, especially paintings. And Vermeer is one of painters I always admire (Girl with A Pearl Earring is my favorite by Vermeer). Apart from the far-fetched dream of Petra (the Lady asked for help and guided Petra to her location), this is an educational and entertaining read for middle grader. Just as common people who don't have interest in art before, become art connoisseur, thanks to the thief's challenge, so do middle graders who read this would have been interested more in Vermeer and his works. Such a good idea from the writer! I also love the coincidence, or strange phenomenon topic in Charles Fort's book Lo, which does really exist. Is coincident real? I believe so, co-incident means more than one incidents that occur at the same time, concerning one particular object, right? So, if two people with some interest gather forces in one project, they would be focusing in the same field, and so, there's bound to be many such co-incidents happening all around them. Charles Fort's Lo also taught us to be more open minded to strange occurrences - that we cannot fathom what's happening, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

What an entertaining, educational, and inspirational this book proved to be!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Murder at Sissingham Hall (2013) by Clara Benson

💙 This was my second Clara Benson - I have loved my first; it's a Freddie Pilkington-Soames - and thought that it might be as nice as the other one. I was wrong. 

💙 The story opens when Charles Knox was coming home from eight years living in South Africa. He went there in the first place, right after his engagement had been broken by Rosamund, his beautiful fiancée, who thought Charles was too poor for her to maintain the comfortable life she's used to - with balls, parties, with all the social life of the kind. Now Rosamund has married a wealthy man, Sir Neville Strickland, and lived in the countryside mansion of Sissingham Hall. And surprise, surprise! It was to Sissingham Hall that Charles was invited to stay for the weekend.

💙 Charles dreaded his first meeting with Rosamund, because it was clear to us, readers, that he's still charmed by her. But the party was jolly enough, where there are other guests too: Bobs, Charles' old friend with his sister Sylvia; Angela Marchmont, Rosamund's cousin and our amateur-sleuth-to-be; the Murrays, Sir Neville's closest relatives; Joan, his ward; and last but not least, Simon Gayle, Sir Neville's secretary. That night Sir Neville retired early to his study, and the next day he was found dead; the study door was locked, but not the French window; and it seemed at first as an accident. But Angela Marchmont's thorough observation led the other to suggest that it's actually a murder. As it happened just after Sir Neville's solicitor arrived, apparently to change his will, it was suggestive that money was the motive. But is that so? 

💙 I have some problems with this book. I know that as a cozy mystery, there will be an equal amount of the mystery and personal life of the characters. But in this one, I disliked Clara Benson's choice of the main character - it should have been Angela Marchmont, instead of Charles Knox, who was a total simp. An unreliable narrator shouldn't be in a murder mystery. I have guessed the murderer easily enough very early, and was just wondering how on earth did both the Inspector and Angela Marchmont not see it right away, even after that incident had been disclosed? The 'dramatic' denouement is a bit ridiculous, thanks to Charles Knox. In the end, it's not a start of a series I have expected, and which I would certainly not continue.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Blog Tour: Murder by Firelight (Flora Steele #12) by Merryn Allingham

It’s my stop today on Murder by Firelight by Merryn Allingham Books on Tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy of Bookouture for the invite, and for NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book.

📚 About the book

No one can hold a candle to amateur detectives Flora Steele and Jack Carrington as they ask the burning question… Who is the killer walking the cobbled streets of their historic little town?

Sussex, November 1959. There’s a chill in the air at the Lewes bonfire celebration. Carnival floats fill the narrow streets, fireworks crackle overhead, and Flora and Jack feel the heat of the burning torches lining the streets. But when Trevor French, chief of the Grove Bonfire Society, tumbles from his parade float, they know something is afoot. Trevor didn’t just fall – and amidst the crowds, his killer slips away through the smoke-filled night.

But who would want the respected Trevor dead? As Flora and Jack question the vying bonfire societies, they find a surprisingly competitive underbelly at play. Did Edwin Brooker, former chairman, stoke the flames of rivalry too far? Or are the tears of the victim’s friend, Leo Nelson, faked to keep himself safe?

Just as the sleuths believe they’ve figured it out, the body of a key suspect in the case is found dead on their hearth rug, and Flora and Jack realise that no one is safe – including themselves. Together, can they smoke the murderer out? Or will their chances of survival go up in flames?

A completely addictive and absolutely charming cozy mystery novel. Fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis will adore this unputdownable series!

📚 My thoughts

🔥 Here we are, back with our favorite amateur sleuth couple, Jack Carrington and Flora Steele. Not long after coming back from their honeymoon-turned-murder-sleuthing in Venice, Jack and Flora are settling back to their routine in Abbeymead - Jack with his crime novel writing, and Flora with the All's Well book shop. Jack is in his last term teaching at the college in Lewes, and Flora - who has never been keen on staying at the their apartment - is expecting their full time stay in Abbeymead. In the meantime, they attended a bonfire festival in Lewes. It was a ritual celebration usually held around November 2nd, to mark Guy Fawkes Night. And during this festival, a man fell down, dead, from a parade float. It seemed like a usual incident, but Jack found out that the man, a Trevor French, had actually been stabbed. It's not an accident, it's a murder!

🔥 For once, it was Flora who isn't keen on involving in the investigation, while Jack, feeling adamant that Leo Nelson, who rented Overlay house (Jack's old home before moving to the cottage with Flora), was one of the suspects. This time, it is Jack that is eager to seek the truth - usually it's the other way round. Moreover, his friend, Inspector Ridley is on family leave, and his replacement is less incapable, prejudiced man, of whom Jack cannot trust. But it turned out to be a tough case; the stabbing happened during a festival, when people could be moving around on the float, and they were wearing costumes. The motives are also insufficient; would Edwin Brooker (the former chairman of Grove Bonfire Society) kill Trevor French (his new replacement) out of spite? Or could Leo Nelson possibly did it because he wants to renew his old love affair with French's wife?

🔥 Jack and Flora were struggling to build their case throughout the story; no evidence or motive are strong enough to focus on anyone. Meanwhile, dangers are lurking from anywhere; electrocuted door bell, for instance; and then, another murder occurred. This time I guessed the murderer correctly from very early of the story, and I was a little surprised that this murderer didn't raise any suspicions from both Jack and Flora. All in all, it was a fun cozy mystery to read, with satisfying ending. I loved that Jack and Flora were back in Abbeymead; I've been really missing the village life, and the interaction of the inhabitants - Jack and Flora's circle - it feels like a warm blanket in which I could take comfort every time I need it. The Friday suppers of Flora, Alice, and Kate are usually full of delicious mouthwatering dishes. Charlie Teague is now a chef - albeit still a part timer - can you believe it? He's still helping Flora delivering books to buyers' houses from time to time, riding Betty. Old Betty - how I missed 'her'! ;) And of course, the All's Well book shop, the one that made me fell in love with this series in the first place! I wish the next book will be closely connected with the book shop - maybe another murder at the book shop? ;)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚 Author bio

Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.

Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.

https://merrynallingham.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites
https://twitter.com/merrynwrites

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Merryn Allingham here:  https://www.bookouture.com/merryn-allingham


📚 Buying links

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0F6Y558JXsocial
You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you'll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo


Be sure to check out other stops on the tour to see what others thought. Happy reading!

Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase (1930) by Carolyn Keene

🕵🏻‍♀️ I remember perfectly when Nancy Drew entered the reading radar of my younger self; it's in between the Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie phases. I also read Hardy Boys, but only a few, it's not as riveting as Nancy Drew (or Alfred Hitchcock's Three Investigators, which came to me at the same phase). The Hidden Staircase was the second in the series, and if I have read it before, I completely forget. So, I have read it as if it's my first Nancy Drew - and I loved it!

🕵🏻‍♀️ Nancy Drew is an only child of the Drews; her mother had died, so she lives with her father, a criminal lawyer. One day, as she's alone in the house, a man called Nathan Gombet confronted her. He demanded to see Mr. Drew and accused him of having swindled the his money (which Nancy's 100% certain as impossible). Nancy threw him away finally, but the visit rather worried Nancy. Then she met two middle-aged sisters who lived in a dilapidated mansion house called Twin Elms. They believe the house was haunted; footsteps were heard at night, things or foods were mysteriously missing, and things like that. So, when her father left for a week on a mission, she decided to stay in the house to investigate, and helped the kind ladies to find peace again at their house.

🕵🏻‍♀️ Nancy checked every room, every walls, to find hidden doors or entrance where an intruder could have come from outside (as she didn't believe that ghosts are the culprit). It must have been a joke, or else, a crime. But none existed, or so Nancy thought, because I have immediately saw something fishy when the rooms and furniture were described. I was literally screamed at Nancy: there! you must check there! And I was right at the end. I guess I've read too many mysteries that something out of ordinary immediately intrigued me. Anyway, no entrance was found, but a person did enter the house at nights, and stole things. Worse for Nancy, her father was missing too! Are those two facts connected? And what about Nathan Gombet who swore he would get what he thought is his rights?

🕵🏻‍♀️ On the whole, it's unexpectedly a fast-paced mystery/detective/adventure thriller with wonderful plot, and satisfactory ending. I loved how Nancy Drew was portrayed; an independent, resourceful, highly intelligent girl who is generous and kindhearted. I liked how Nancy defended her father against Gombet's accusation. You know right away how she had been brought up with love and respect by a respectable parents. It is nice to know for sure that your father wouldn't do anything bad.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Picture of Murder (2018) by T.E. Kinsey #20BooksofSummer2025

📽️ T.E. Kinsey's Lady Hardcastle's Mysteries is one of the cozy mystery series I love to read through. Besides being a period cozy mystery (the early 1900s), I like it because for once, the amateur sleuths (Lady Hardcastle and her maid/companion Florence 'Flo' Armstrong) are women with strong characters, and without any personal 'problem'. Most cozy mysteries I've read these days seem to depict a 'broken' heroine, who had endured some sort of problems in the past, and now they must juggle between solving a murder and their own problem. I'm tired of it all, for once I want sound-minded heroines who solve murders just because they love doing it, not for saving someone or something. Lady Hardcastle and Flo are just that.

📽️ We are back at the small village of Littleton Cotterell. Lady Farley-Stroud asked Emily (Lady Hardcastle) to host a group of movie maker and actors on her behalf, due to a little fire that had just happened at the Grange (the Farley-Stroud's abode). Emily agreed to that readily; in fact both Lady Hardacstle and her maid Flo and the servants were all excited. For Lady Hardcastle especially, as she had been nurturing a new hobby: moving picture. The first night of screening would play a movie called The Witch Downfal, to mark the coming Halloween. But not everyone in Littleton Cotterell was excited; a group of church-fanatic were against it, and even put protest signs during the first screening. That night, one of the actors died, murdered, the same way as a character on the movie died. Then another was following, with the same pattern; this time the murder even happened at Lady Hardcastle's house.

📽️ As usual, Inspector Sunderland from Scotland Yard, who was supposed to lead the investigation was busy, so he called upon Lady Hardcastle and Miss Armstrong to help him (it's nice that for once it's the police who wanted the amateur sleuth, instead of the amateur sleuth who interfering with the the police work!). Who could be the murderer? The main suspects were the church-fanatic leader and another movie maker who claimed that the group had stolen his idea. But of course, the victims' friends were also suspects. But what was their motive? Would a movie maker or actor murder his friends and jeopardizing his work?

📽️ I loved this fourth book of the series; in fact, I think it's my favorite so far. Not only the story is compelling, it provides a backstory of Lady Hardcastle and Flo's past adventures. It had been a mystery so far - we only know that something happened when they were on a mission in Shanghai, China, but what mission, how dangerous it was, or how they have escaped it, were mystery to us from first book. I'm glad that Kinsey finally fulfills our curiosity. In short, I loved every single element of this story - Lady Hardcastle and Flo Armstrong's dynamic relationship; their mocking and teasing of each other were constant entertainment to us, with dry humour that made you chuckle - and the unexpectedly dark nuances of the case - all provide the perfect element for a not-too-cozy mystery to read for Halloween!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

20 Books of Summer 2025

hosted by Annabel and Emma

Wish You Were Here (1990) by Rita Mae Brown #ReadingtheMeow2025 #20BooksofSummer2025

🐱 For the third and last book I read for #ReadingtheMeow2025, I picked a cat-mystery. Mrs. Murphy is the cat-detective; she's a tiger cat who lives with a divorced-postmistress named Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen as her companion. To complete the household, there's a Welsh Corgi named Tucker. They all live in a small town, where everyone knows about everyone else, and there's not such thing as secret. Harry - as the postmistress - has a habit of reading postcards not addressed to her. In one of these, she found one postcard with Paris cemetery image, captioned "wish you were here". Few days later, a citizen was murdered - the one who'd received the postcard. Then another death, with similar "warning". It was then that Harry realized the significant of the anonymous postcards. There's a murderer among them, and most probably he/she knew that Harry knew more than she supposed to.

🐱 Mrs. Murphy and Tucker don't really fond of humans - they're too slow on anything. Nope, humans don't concern them much. But when it comes to Harry, they'll do anything to protect her. And now, they must solve the mystery before the murderer could harm their beloved mom! One thing that amused me is that the animals in this story talk to each other, but not to the humans. There are a few secondary animal characters, like Pewter - the butcher's grey cat, who often visits the post office. With their helps, Mrs. Murphy and Tucker investigated every murder, and they found a strange smell always accompany the corpse - a smell like that of... turtles (what a turtle smell like, I wonder?...) Anyway, it was they who finally solved the mystery, and they tried hard to let Harry know, but how dense their mom always is - she always thinks they need foods or a few cuddles; like those are all that pets need! 

🐱 All in all, it was a delightful read, combining murder mystery with small town dynamic and cute but smart animals. I loved most of the characters - both humans and animals - though the name "Bonbon" is rather funny for a woman; it got me giggling everytime. As a cat book, this is a fulfilling one, since the cat (supported by its gang) is front and center as the mystery solver.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Reading the Meow 2025

hosted by Mallika

20 Books of Summer 2025
hosted by Annabel and Emma