First a quick explanation!
Due to some severe health issues over the last few years, and a lingering chronic condition, my planned review schedule went right out of the window and I have been scrabbling ever since to get it back on track.
In an attempt to try to regain some lost ground, I have been scrunching some of my (overdue) NetGalley reviews together into one or two posts each week: shorter reviews, but still covering all of the points I intended to.
That's the plan anyway, so let's see if we can find any summer beach reads packed on my TBR shelves…!
Title: Murder by Invitation Only
Author: Colleen Cambridge
Publisher: Kensington Books
Blurb: In this engaging historical mystery, Agatha Christie's ever-capable housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, not only keeps the celebrated author's English country home in tip-top shape, she excels as an amateur sleuth. But when a murder-themed game goes awry, can she outfox the guilty party?
"A murder will occur tonight at Beecham House . . ." Who could resist such a compelling invitation? Of course, the murder in question purports to be a party game, and Phyllida looks forward to using some of the deductive skills she has acquired thanks to her employer, Mrs. Agatha, who is unable to attend in person.
The hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Wokesley, are new to the area, and Phyllida gladly offers their own overwhelmed housekeeper some guidance while events get underway. Family friends have been enlisted to play the suspects, and Mr. Wokesley excels in his role of dead body. Unfortunately, when the game's solution is about to be unveiled, the participants discover that life has imitated art. Mr. Wokesley really is dead!
In the absence of Inspector Cork, Phyllida takes temporary charge of the investigation, guiding the local constable through interviews with the Murder Game actors. At first, there seems no motive to want Mr. Wokesley dead . . . but then Phyllida begins to connect each of the suspects with the roles they played and the motives assigned to them. It soon becomes clear that everyone had a reason to murder their host—both in the game and in real life. Before long, Phyllida is embroiled in a fiendishly puzzling case, with a killer who refuses to play by the rules . . .
Review: This traditional murder mystery features housekeeper and amateur sleuth Phyllida Bright investigating a small pool of suspects invited to attend a murder or to take a starring role in it. There are plenty of respectful nods to Dame Agatha Christie's works throughout, which is highly appropriate, as Phyllida happens to be the great writer's housekeeper - Christie herself makes a couple of cameo appearances but doesn't really get involved in the plot much.
The whole premise and execution are great fun. Phyllida is an Amelia Peabody-style character, bossing everyone around and organising everything to her high standards, with the reader getting insight into her softer feelings that she keeps from the other characters. I found her very relatable. And the mystery was entertaining and well-constructed, with lots of clues and red herrings to keep read-along sleuths guessing.
Alongside the main story there are touches of blossoming romance for the upright main character, and a hint that she has secrets in her past that are not quite as tightly-laced as she pretends to be.
Overall, this is a really fun, old-fashioned cosy mystery story that is as readable and more-ish as the classic books to which it pays homage.
Title: The Undetectables
Author: Courtney Smith
Publisher: Titan Books
Blurb: Be gay, solve crime, take naps—A witty and quirky fantasy murder mystery in a folkloric world of witches, faeires, vampires, trolls and ghosts, for fans of Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey and T. J. Klune's Under the Whispering Door.
A magical serial killer is stalking the Occult town of Wrackton. Hypnotic whistling causes victims to chew their own tongues off, leading to the killer being dubbed the Whistler (original, right?).
Enter the Undetectables, a detective agency run by three witches and a ghost in a cat costume (don't ask). They are hired to investigate the murders, but with their only case so far left unsolved, will they be up to the task?
Mallory, the forensic science expert, is struggling with pain and fatigue from her recently diagnosed fibromyalgia. Cornelia is suddenly stirring all sorts of feelings in Mallory. Diana is hitting up all her ex-girlfriends for information. And not forgetting ghostly Theodore: deceased, dramatic, and also the agency's first – unsolved – murder case.
With bodies stacking up and the case leading them to mysteries at the very heart of magical society, can the Undetectables find the Whistler before they become the killer's next victims?
Review: An absolutely brilliant premise here, if a little clunky at times in the execution.
I love the representation of chronic illness in general - and fibromyalgia in particular - in main character Mallory, and how it impacts her self-view and therefore her relationships with the rest of the world. As a fellow chronic illness sufferer, her frustration, isolation and dogged determination to keep going despite the limitations imposed upon her are very recognisable and relatable. And I love quirky ghost Theodore too: their almost-familial friendship is totally lovely and I am desperate to find out who killed him (unresolved at the end of this book).
Sadly poor Theodore's murder has to take a backseat to the serial killings of Occult and Apparent (i.e. not-occult!) citizens that are spiralling ever closer to Mallory's small inner circle. There is a mixture of magic (witches, ghosts, vampires, faeries, spells) and modern science, as Mallory and her friends apply fingerprinting and DNA-style analysis to identifying types of magic and specific spells. Some of the worldbuilding, however, was not as detailed as I would have liked, so I wasn't quite clear on how the magic system works or how the wider society is structured and how the various occult races fit into that.
The main focus and heart of the story is Mallory: her inner struggles with her illness and self-doubt; her friendships; her desperation to solve the murders and thereby somehow prove her value. In comparison, I didn't get as clear a picture of Cornelia and Diana - their wants, fears or motivations, but that could come in future stories, as this is the first book in a planned series.
While a few aspects didn't quite work for me, I really loved the potential in this story, the world and the characters, and look forward to bringing you a review of Book 2, The Undead Complex, later this year!
Title: The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch
Author: Melinda Taub
Publisher: Quercus Books | Arcadia
Blurb: Miss Lydia Bennet may be the youngest, but what she lacks in maturity and responsibility, she more than makes up for in energy, fun - and magic.
In this exuberant reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story from her own perspective. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves; Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.
But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat, and Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would you expect from a demon? And if you think Mr. Darcy was uptight about dancing etiquette, wait till you see how he reacts to witchcraft. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that when you're a witch, promises have power . . .
Full of enchantment, intrigue, danger, and boundless magic, The Scandalous Confessions of Miss Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice - while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister.
Review: It feels like this should be an absolutely ridiculous concept - Pride and Prejudice but make Lydia a witch! - but it is executed here so flawlessly and is so witty and clever that I have nothing but praise for this book and its author.
Despite the introduction of witchcraft, magic and demons to the original story, this telling keeps true to the spirit and voices of the characters we know and love (or love to hate, in some cases), simply switching the perspective and focus of the tale to allow us to see them in a fresh new light, which I found very illuminating. I have always bought into Lizzie's dismissal of her younger sister and I love that this book showed me a different side to both of them, while making it perfectly obvious how such a disconnect of views could come about.
I love the romance here and the friendships Lydia makes; love seeing her develop both magically and personally, and the special bond that she has with Kitty. And I love how things turn out in the end - no spoilers, but I couldn't stop smiling when I had finally turned the final page. I just love everything about this story and it left me feeling warm and happy.
Like the main character, this story is fluffy, fun and a bit silly on the surface, but is cleverer than it appears and has hidden depths of feeling when you set aside first impressions and get to know it properly.
I thoroughly applaud Melinda Taub and have added her to my must-buy list for the future!
Title: The Cracked Mirror
Author: Chris Brookmyre
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group UK | Abacus
Blurb: FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW
THIS IS NOT THAT CRIME NOVEL
You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed.
You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes.
Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer.
A cross-genre hybrid of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly, The Cracked Mirror is the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year, a genre-splicing rollercoaster with a poignantly emotional heart.
Review: A detective story like no other, this was an absolutely insane read but in the best way possible!
Chris Brookmyre somehow manages to blend Miss Marple-style cosy crime with Dirty Harry style hard-boiled crime, with a sci-fi-esque twist, and makes the whole thing work brilliantly. Readers are taken through a series of strangely familiar crimes, linked by characters and circumstances but each with a different set-up and new suspect pool. We dip into the worlds of Hollywood, publishing and gaming - three of my favourite settings to read about - seeing each crime from both the cosy and hardboiled perspectives as the two main characters, Penny Coyne and Johnny Hawke, slowly learn to work together.
It's difficult to really describe the book any more than that without giving away spoilers or hints that might ruin the beautiful, delicately balanced work of art that is this story. It is complex, clever, entertaining and definitely unique - must-read for jaded crime fans looking for something completely different!
Title: The Lost Story
Author: Meg Shaffer
Publisher: Quercus Books | Arcadia
Blurb: From the author of the bestselling novel The Wishing Game comes a Narnia-inspired fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobe doors . . . just in case.
Once upon a time, two boys went missing in the woods. Six months later, they reappeared, with no explanation for where they'd been or how they'd survived.
Fifteen years on, Rafe is a reclusive artist with no memory of what happened during those months, despite the scars he bears. Meanwhile, Jeremy is a famed missing persons investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her long-lost sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy.
Jeremy also keeps a secret: the fantastical truth about the magical realm they made home for those six months. And it's there they may find Emilie's sister.
Alongside Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they left behind - for only then can they get back everything and everyone they've lost.
Review: This book absolutely broke me. Usually, when I say that a book moved me to tears, I mean a few silent drops trickling down my face as I'm reading. This book made me ugly sob so hard I had to put it down and compose myself before I could read on. It also filled me with joy and delight, making my face hurt from beaming, so it was the literal definition of an 'all the feels' read for me.
If you loved Narnia, Oz, Neverland, Wonderland, Mythologia and other classic children's fantasy adventures, with mythical creatures and strange lands, princesses and knights and magic, then this is the adult fantasy adventure for you. It is full of nostalgia for all of those beloved worlds mentioned (and probably more I didn't spot!), with the whimsy of The Princess Bride and Labyrinth, and retuned to be age appropriate for adults who love all of the above.
In addition to the portal fantasy, there are elements of horror - fantastical and realistic (trigger warning for child abuse and abduction), and a deeply compelling LGBTQIA soulmates love story woven through the storyline, perfectly balanced with exploration of familial and friendship bonds too.
The whole book is just a beautiful, magical story about love and friendship, and family, and facing your fears, and following your dreams and your heart... there wasn't a thing I didn't adore about it. I am treating myself to a beautiful hardcover copy as soon as possible, so that I can keep it and read it again and again, just like its childhood predecessors.
This has been one of my favourite bundles of the year, with three very different mysteries, three fantasy novels, some romantic comedy and dashes of sci-fi and horror, spread between five clever, top-tier books.
I hope you love them all as much as I did!
Keep shining - if a little sweatily - and happy reading! 🙂
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