by Sandra Murphy & Cynthia Chow

This week we have reviews and giveaways of 3 more fun mysteries for your May tbr-Dead Post Society: A House-Flipper Mystery by Diane Kelly, Last Wool and Testament by Peggy Ehrhart, and Vice and Virtue by Libby Klein. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win copies of all 3 books and links to purchase them from Amazon at the end of each review.

Dead Post Society: A House-Flipper Mystery by Diane Kelly
Review by Cynthia Chow

While her cousin and business partner Buck takes a break after the birth of his first child, house flipper Whitney Whitaker Flynn helps her uncle with his latest construction project. Whitaker Woodworking has been hired to completely renovate Tennessee’s old Ridgetop Preparatory Academy, which closed in the 80s and has been empty ever since. Whitney finds herself intrigued by a Victorian home on the property, so much so that she gets Buck to have them save it from demolition and purchase it for their next house flipping project. She learns that it has been empty for a reason, as it was the site of the murder-suicide of the school’s last headmaster and his wife. When Whitney finds a bullet embedded in a porch post she takes it to the police, believing that this could have been evidence that they missed and is possibly critical to their previously closed investigation.

Dr. Irving Finster was a bestselling author whose book sales were declining, was facing budgetary and faculty issues, and according to rumors had a straying wife. After seeing accusatory graffiti Whitney is unable to resist looking into the beleaguered headmaster’s life, especially when she learns about a possibly sociopathic former student who had invaded the Finsters’ home. In order to placate her curiosity Whitney tracks down the former faculty, questions a groundskeeper, and even sacrifices her hair to a possibly murderous hairstylist. While her cat Sawdust narrates a few chapters expressing her frustration with her absent human, Whitney finds herself working with the police to solve an injustice decades old.

This seventh in the series has Whitney setting aside most of her contracting duties to focus instead on the intriguing murder investigation. This is a boon for mystery readers, as it ventures in the academic mystery genre by exploring the many factions and political battles within upper education. Whitney is still adjusting to being the new wife of Metro Nashville homicide detective husband Collin Flynn, who by this time has become accustomed to her nosy tendencies. Sawdust is a bit less complacent with Whitney’s adventures, although the feline plays a critical role in the dramatic conclusion.

As Whitney sees her cousin and best friend settle into the new phase of their lives, she reconsiders her own now that he has found happiness in her marriage and successful renovation business. The humor and dialogue is as lively as ever, and the introduction of academic politics is a new addition that energizes the plot and keeps the series as innovative and compelling as ever. Poems by Rudyard Kipling, William Shakespeare, and Walt Whitman introducing each chapter establish its academic credits while hinting at the intrigue to follow. This is another winning mystery led by a clever amateur detective and her house flipping team.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Last Wool and Testament by Peggy Ehrhart
Review by Sandra Murphy

When the mailman arrives to deliver a handful of mail and finds the front door open, it’s never a good sign. It wasn’t for Ingrid Barrick, a fiber artist. While the first thought might be that Ingrid fell or had a heart attack, the open door says murder is the likely cause of her death.

The police decide Ingrid interrupted a burglar. Despite living alone and focusing on her work with fibers, Ingrid annoyed her neighbors by having a wildflower garden in lieu of a traditional grassy yard to attract bees and butterflies. Her cranky neighbor is sure ragweed is grown out of spite.

Another neighbor, Coco, is curious and pulls Pamela and Bettina into the investigation. They’re able to meet Ingrid’s daughter who seemingly has no attachment to any of her mother’s belongings, Ingrid’s former lover, designer, and the girl’s father, and Coco’s wildly eccentric boyfriend. There are bound to be clues but is Ingrid’s obsessive need to draw bees a clue?

This is book 12 in the popular series. Most, if not all, have been reviewed in KRL. Bettina is a reporter for the once-a-week throw-away newspaper and takes her job seriously. Pamela is an editor for Fiber Craft magazine and can work from home. Knit and Nibble nights provide a group setting for knitting and showcasing sweet treats.

Bettina has pushed for a romantic relationship for Pamela—preferably with their neighbor, Richard Larkin. Pamela firmly resisted but there are clues she may weaken. I look forward to what’s next.

Ehrhart includes a pattern for a knitted doll sweater with an intarsia butterfly. For those who are more inclined to the evening’s snacks, there’s a recipe for Pamela’s strawberry-banana pudding (banana pudding with strawberry jam added for sweetness and color) and Roland’s magic cake (Roland is the male knitter in the group). Four ingredients bake into three layers—a custardy bottom, creamy middle, and the top resembles an airy souffle.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

Vice and Virtue by Libby Klein
Review by Sandra Murphy

Layla Virtue was a cop until an explosion ended her team and her career. She’s also an alcoholic trying to stay in recovery. Her lifestyle has taken a hit and has her living in a trailer park with a neighbor who has a rooster that crows, very early. An HOA (homeowners association) would look tame compared to the rules this rundown trailer park has. Layla knows—she’s been in violation of most of them.

She’s trying to reinvent herself as an 80s rock and roll singer guitarist but her gigs are birthday parties and bars which present their own hazards in sobriety. Looking out over sparse crowds, she wonders if any of them were even born during the 80s. Her lifestyle calls for a lot of AA meetings.

Although she’s used to being alone and prefers it that way, there are three women in her AA group who decide to befriend her. No matter how she tries to escape, they’re there for her. It’s annoying and kinda sweet, almost.

Especially after Layla’s father shows up. She can only disguise him for so long. After all, the neighbors will catch on that Layla’s stealing clothes from their clotheslines and dressing her dad up like an elderly aunt. Without the getup, he’d be recognized and then all heck would break loose and worse, Layla would have to move.

Her new neighbor is a Labrador retriever—and his handler, Nick, who is pretty darn good looking. So much so, Layla realizes they’ve met (kinda) before and in a compromising odd situation. Awkward!

During an eight-year-old’s birthday party, moms all sloshed on fancy drinks, kids running wild, Chuckles the Clown inflates his last balloon animal. What looks like a heart attack is really murder. The kind Layla used to investigate and is tempted to do again, badge or no badge.

Klein also writes the Poppy McAllister mysteries, reviewed in KRL. Poppy is a baker and shares gluten-free recipes. Don’t look for that kind of thing from Layla. With a crazy dad, three women who are recovering alcoholics, good at investigating, determined to be her friend, and a Lab who claims her too, Layla hasn’t got a chance. I can’t wait to see what they get up to next.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copies of all 3 mysteries, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “may tbr” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 24, 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.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s the editor for the upcoming Yeet Me in St Louis, an anthology with stories from twelve St. Louis writers. Her own short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and anthologies such as The Perp Wore Pumpkin and I (Almost) Died in Your Arms. ‘Lucy’s Tree’, published in The Eyes of Texas, won a Derringer Award from the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She lives in St. Louis with Ozzie the Westie Impersonator and his sidekick in crime, Louie the Cat.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.