by Tracy Condie, Sarah Erwin, & Sandra Murphy
This week we are doing even more catch-up, we have reviews and giveaways of historical, food, and Irish wedding mysteries-The Case of the Missing Maid by Rob Osler, Dominoes, Danzón, and Death: A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery, Book Four by Raquel V. Reyes, Blame the Beignets by Ginger Bolton, and Death at an Irish Wedding: An Irish Castle Mystery by Ellie Brannigan. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of all 4 books and links to purchase them from Amazon at the end of each review.
The Case of the Missing Maid by Rob Osler
Review by Sarah Erwin
Historical mystery is my most favorite genre to read, and I’m always excited when I have access to a new book to devour. And devour I did for The Case of the Missing Maid by Rob Osler.
Set in Chicago in the year 1898, readers meet 21-year-old Harriet Morrow, a new junior detective at the prestigious Prescott Detective Agency. Not only is Harriet a new detective, but also the first woman operative employed at the agency. With both their parents deceased, Harriet supports her younger brother. Previously she worked as a bookkeeper, but longs for more independence and financial security.
Harriet’s first assignment is to discover the whereabouts of a missing maid from Pearl Bartlett’s Prairie Avenue mansion. Everyone at the agency thinks this is a fool’s mission as Pearl is known to be rather scatterbrained, and Mr. Prescott gives Harriet a short deadline to succeed.
Upon visiting with Pearl, Harriet discovers that the maid (Agnes Wozniak) has indeed vanished under especially suspicious circumstances.
Brave and bold, Harriet dives into the mystery with both feet and bicycles around Chicago trying to find answers. Her journey takes her into Chicago’s Polish community, introduces her to Agnes’s lovely older sister, and to one of the city’s few (secret) gay bars.
This was a wonderful start to what I hope is a series with many entries featuring the bold Harriet (or Harry as her friends call her).
I instantly liked Harriet as I started the book and loved riding around Chicago with her, seeing the sites from a historical view. I could easily picture her in her shirt, tie, bowler hat and shoes. I cheered on her boldness, even when I was nervous about the situation she found herself in. She’s a reflective character – always thinking about situations and what she could do better next time. I loved watching her find her own footing in all aspects of her life from her dress, to her career to her love life.
The historical details were fascinating (highly recommend the author’s note at the end) and clearly well researched without bogging down the narrative. I enjoyed meeting the side characters and determining who Harriet could trust. The big reveal at the end was a wild ride that I could not put down because I had to know the ending. I won’t spoil the ending, but it really is lovely. I hope we get more of Harry soon!
You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.
Dominoes, Danzón, and Death: A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery, Book Four by Raquel V. Reyes
Review by Sarah Erwin
Raquel V. Reyes’ Caribbean Kitchen cozy mystery series is a delicious treat with the latest, Dominoes, Danzon, and Death being my most favorite entry so far!
Book four takes place three years after the last entry into the series, so Miriam Quiñones-Smith’s children are no longer babies. Her parents are also back in Miami and now living with Miriam in Coral Shores. Her cooking show continues to be a success and Miriam and Robert have laid down some boundaries with Robert’s difficult and racist mother and father. Things are good.
Well, that is until Robert’s new project comes to a halt when human bones are unearthed on site. There is the possibility that the site is ancient so tribal representatives, forensic archaeologists, and college professors are all called upon.
It’s not long before more bones appear, along with threatening notes and another murder victim. Miriam’s boss from her show is declared the main suspect, and of course, Miriam is determined to prove her boss’s innocence.
This is a fast-paced story that includes three mysteries for Miriam to solve, and she certainly doesn’t shrink from the stress and threats. She really is the best sleuth – smart and hard working, dedicated to her work and her family.
I love the immersion of mystery with Caribbean cuisine and culture. This story included Native American history as well, yet at no point did I feel overwhelmed by details. They blended together beautifully.
I also enjoy following along with Miriam as she works to solve the mysteries and also take care of her family and her work. There are so many vivid and cozy details added that I felt like I was right there with Miriam, seeing the sights she saw and eating the treats she ate. This entry was especially delightful as readers got to see Miriam’s lovable parents living with and interacting with Miriam and her family. It was heartwarming.
This is an excellent series to take in as audiobooks. I do not speak Spanish, and Miriam and her family communicate in a blend of Spanish and English. There are context clues and translations that helped me understand everything and narrator Frankie Corzo does a tremendous performance.
Highly recommend this latest entry into one of my favorite cozy mystery series.
You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.
Blame the Beignets by Ginger Bolton
Review by Sandra Murphy
Emily and Brent are married and living in two homes, kind of. There’s Emily’s house in town and Brent’s house on the lake. Both have their appeal. In town, Emily can walk to work at Deputy Donut, the donut/lunch spot she co-owns, and be accompanied by her cat, Dep. Business is brisk, especially when fresh beignets piled high with powdered sugar are on the menu.
Brent, a police detective, worked late so Emily went to the lake house and, with Dep, went kayaking. It was peaceful until she heard a scream. Knowing one of her young employees might be in the area, she had the panicked idea the scream might have been Hannah’s.
Because of the cliffs and foliage, it’s impossible to see much at a time. She had to search on foot. On the trail, there’s a piece of beignet and a hair clip near the path—Hannah’s hair clip. All she could see at the base of the lookout point was a shoe and a bit of blue jeans. With no access and help on the way, all she can do is wait.
The shoe and jeans are on a dead body, but thankfully, not Hannah’s. However, Hannah is under suspicion as well as two friends of hers. There are other suspects as well but proving who’s guilty is not going to be easy, especially when most of them are not telling the truth.
Being in the donut shop, Emily hears a lot of gossip which can come in handy with Brent’s investigations, while she makes sure to avoid risks. There are other distractions—friends are expecting their first baby so that means a baby shower, guests, and gifts. Emily and Brent are a perfect couple, rich with friends, and common interests. I look forward to seeing more of them in future books.
This is book nine in the series. Because readers will be hungry after reading, (or during, but keep the powdered sugar off the pages, please), Emily included recipes: pumpkin spice swirl beignets, pumpkin spice mix, chicory coffee, cheddar shortbreads, and radish-cucumber salad (to offset the calories of beignets!)
You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.
Death at an Irish Wedding: An Irish Castle Mystery by Ellie Brannigan
Review by Tracy Condie
This is the second book in the Irish Castle Mystery series and it is every bit as enjoyable as the series starter. I have read mysteries with wedding drama, or upper crust drama, or even Hollywood actor drama, but this is the first time that I have seen all three wrapped up in a single book. Cousins Rayne and Ciara need to make the wedding venue idea work or lose the family estate, which would mean the town gets annexed into the next town over and that is not a good thing.
A unique aspect of this story is that Rayne is an amazing wedding dress designer whose boutique catered to the Rodeo Drive crowd until… (read Murder at an Irish Castle) it didn’t. Suffice it to say that she knows a few things about fancy shmancy and all things designer, but a working manor with sheep and such, well that is another thing all together. Cousin Ciara takes care of the workings of the estate, but she does not do fancy. She has no need or want of such silliness. The two cousins need all the help they can get because this is a wedding for the tabloids. Or would be if anyone knew it was taking place. Why all the secrecy?
Suspects include the bride, hotel heiress Tori Montgomery, who doesn’t like her own movie-starlet maid-of-honor, Amy Flores. Animosity amongst the characters is par for the course––Amy barely tolerates her own personal assistant, Tiffany Quick. The groom, Hollywood heartthrob Jake Anderson gets along with everyone, but his brother Josh can be a bit much sometimes. To round out the out-of-town suspects is Jake’s personal assistant, Ethan Cruz, who keeps reminding Jake that he is supposed to appear “available” per his Hollywood contract, not married, and therefore off the market.
So why does Tiffany end up dead? The visitors are completely at odds with each other as is Rayne with a few of the locals. Bran Wilson, plumbing contractor for the family estate, has been spreading some nasty gossip about how untrustworthy Rayne is because she is an American. It is as if he wants to sabotage the cousins’ efforts. Then a Swarovski crystal heart disappears from Tori’s wedding dress, and Rayne has to do some quick thinking and fast stitching to save the day.
The plot was so well crafted that I couldn’t put the book down. From the Irish accents of my imagination to the description of the beyond-amazing wedding dress with hand-adorned Swarovski crystal hearts, I felt completely immersed in the story. I am already rooting for Rayne’s possible relationship with Amos Lowell, the ground’s manager, even though Rayne says she doesn’t have time for a relationship and is not about to start trusting herself after her last relationship fiasco. I look forward to the next book and to see what Ellie Brannigan has in store for the cousins, and if Rayne will be able to keep the pretty pink Hermes bag instead of selling it to cover estate costs.
You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.
To enter to win a copy of all 4 books, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “new years” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 25, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.
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All sound like good reads and all are new series for me.
thanks. txmlhl@yahoo.com
All sound like interesting books. I especially would like to read “The Case Of The Missing Maid”. I like the Chicago storyline. Adding all of them to my TBR list.
Thanks for the chance, would love to get them! tWarner419@aol.com