Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too!

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/books/historical-fiction-books.html

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/books/review/new-historical-fiction-books.html

#TheMasalaChaiMysteryClub #NetGalley

The cover of this traditional mystery appealed to me and made me want to find out what happened in the story within its pages. It offered an enjoyable read highlighted by lots of delicious sounding Masala Chai and yummy snacks, along with some Shakespearean quotes and other book references.

Soni’s book may be compared to something like The Thursday Murder Club because it features a group of sleuths within a closed community. They are amateurs who readers know will find out what is going on. They have the help of one police officer much as The Thursday Murder Club had Donna on their side.

A man, Rohit, has been killed. He was disliked by many but, of course, this does not make his death okay. Neeti has known Rohit for many years and owes him for something big that he did for her in the past. Neeti wants to investigate as she does not believe that his death was natural. Having just read Dumb Witness, she also wonders if Rohit’s dog will help to solve the case. So, she forms the Masala Chai Murder Club.

Helping Neeti are her best friend Peggy, Peggy’s husband, and her niece Myra. (Myra also has a precocious young son but he is a bit young to be a detective.) The group follows where the clues lead which is largely to members of the community’s HOA.

This book is worth a look for those who enjoy traditional mysteries that do not feature overt gore. It is refreshing to have a protagonist from India as the main character and readers meet others of color in this story. I think that Neeti will be back for another case in the future.

One niggle: The Agatha Christie book is referred to as The Dumb Witness. I believe it is titled just Dumb Witness.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 21 July 2026

Post first published on 28 March 2026

Description:

from the publisher

Suspects abound when a much-despised neighbor is killed, perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club.

Retired librarian Neeti Shah was hoping for a restful life with her chai-loving friends, but when the body of a neighbor, a childhood friend of Neeti’s, turns up dead and the killer’s MO is similar to that of Neeti’s most recent book club read, things start to get out of control.  

When Neeti hears a commotion at a neighbor’s house, she finds Rohit’s body sprawled across the bottom of the staircase with Agatha Christie’s The Dumb Witness nearby. Blackmailing his neighbors, threatening them with lawsuits, and calling them by nasty nicknames were only some of the hateful things that made him so disliked. But were they angry enough to kill?

Neeti is indebted to her old friend, and she’s determined to find his killer. But she can’t do it alone, so she enlists her mystery-loving friends, the Masala Chai Mystery Club, to get to the bottom of the murder. 

But Neeti and her club members need to be careful. As more bodies turn up and more suspects start to appear, they’ll need to find the killer before they end up in hot water!

Mary Kirk, Bessiewallis Warfield, Diana Spencer…their stories entwine in this historical novel that is largely based on truth. It is a page turning and fascinating look at life in America and Europe from 1912 until 1997.

Mary and Wallis became friends in their teens; Wallis married an American pilot; Mary married a French pilot. Wallis divorced and subsequently married Ernest Simpson. You probably all know who her third husband was… but do you know who Mary married next? I won’t spoil the book by telling you.

Mary and Wallis’s stories come alive in a glittering London. The story of Alex and Rachel, who are impacted by Diana’s death, takes place in 1997. Choices are made by all with implications and consequences. I truly enjoyed this book and suggest it highly to fans of historical fiction.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/25/world/europe/uk-canterbury-archbishop-quiz.html

Dog Meets Dog on the Loose in London by Dan Yaccarino with illustrations by Ethan Long

Sherlock Roach and the Case of the Crunch Crumb by Joe McGee and illustrated by Jannie Ho

These are the first titles that I have read in this series for early readers. I really like what these books do. I think that they will engage and encourage young readers with their mix of entertaining illustrations and fun story lines. I am all for anything that gets young kids wanting to read. Perfect for those not ready for longer and/or unillustrated chapter books.

Note that kids may need help with reading some of the words in these books.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: o5 May 2026

Description for Dog Meets Dog:

from the publisher

Star Chapter Books are the perfect bridge for kids moving beyond beginning readers but not yet ready for longer chapter books. With short chapters, bold two-color illustrations, and fast-paced, funny stories, these confidence-building books make reading fun and rewarding.

In this tip-top tale of chaos and mayhem, dog siblings Betsy and Bones take London by storm—bungling plans, muddling maps, and turning their sightseeing into one hilarious disaster after another!

On their latest vacation, Betsy wants to stick to her carefully organized itinerary, but Bones is determined to follow his own whims. From Big Ben to Buckingham Palace to Tower Bridge, the siblings’ clashing styles turn every stop into comic confusion—but when it counts, they will need to work together to make the most of their London trip.

Each Star Chapter Book is 112 pages long, divided into six to eight short chapters with illustrated panels on every page to keep kids engaged from start to finish. This highly visual early chapter book format supports the transition from leveled readers to chapter books, making Star Chapter Books a perfect fit for independent reading, classroom libraries, or shared story time.

Look for more Star Chapter Books adventures to help kids grow confident and discover the joy of reading, including Betsy and Bones’s next adventure, Framed in Paris!.

Description for Sherlock Roach and the Case of the Crunch Crumb

from the publisher:

Star Chapter Books are the perfect bridge for kids moving beyond beginning readers but not yet ready for longer chapter books. With short chapters, bold two-color illustrations, and fast-paced, funny stories, these confidence-building books make reading fun and rewarding.

In this quirky animal mystery, Bugopolis’s greatest detective takes on his tastiest case yet—the hunt for a missing crumb!

Sherlock Roach and his loyal partner Dr. Wormston are more than just a detective duo—they’re friends who always stick together. When a very important crumb vanishes without a trace, the pair hunts for clues throughout the insect underworld in a mystery that’s easy to follow, fun to read, and filled with laughs. Can they crack the case before all the crumbs disappear for good?

Each Star Chapter Book is 112 pages long, divided into six to eight short chapters with illustrated panels on every page to keep kids engaged from start to finish. This highly visual early chapter book format supports the transition from leveled readers to chapter books, making Star Chapter Books a perfect fit for independent reading, classroom libraries, or shared story time.

Look for more Star Chapter Books adventures to help kids grow confident and develop a love of reading, including The Super Roomies in the Lake of Slime!

Do you enjoy mysteries? Short stories? Female detectives? If yes, this book deserves a place on your bookshelf. It is filled with stories from different eras and covers 150 years of writing, beginning with the Victorians. My favorites sections are the Golden Age, Mid Century, the Modern Era and Bad Girls. Many, many of my favorite authors are to be found in this collection. At over 1000 pages, this will be a book to dip in and out of over time. Highly recommended!

#TheMinotaurSamplerVolume21 #NetGalley

Here is another welcome edition of the Minotaur Sampler. This free resource offers generous excerpts from forthcoming mystery/thriller novels that will be coming out in the spring and summer of 2026.

There is enough here to lead readers to add a few titles to their lists. See the covers, find out what each title is about, read a bit of each of the novels, learn more about the authors and decide what appeals. There will, I think, be something.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press-Minotaur for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 03 February 2026

Description:

from the publisher

Looking for a new book that will make your heart race? The twenty-first edition of The Minotaur Sampler compiles the beginnings of 5 can’t-miss novels publishing Spring/Summer 2026 for free and easy sampling.

The Break-Up Retreat by Camilla Sten is an eerie thriller where an undercover journalist goes to expose an exclusive clinic that claims to help women recover from heartbreak. Except some of those women are never heard from again.

In Allison Brennan’s pulse-pounding Whisper Creek, a family works against a terrible storm to protect their farm, but as they help their neighbors, they discover there are more threats lurking nearby.

Jack Friday’s Killer Vibes is a hilarious novel about the “laziest private investigator” in Texas who’s forced back into work after his uncle dies, and upon receiving his inheritance, it looks like the death wasn’t an accident.

Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead is a buzzy thriller about a mid-list pop star who turns into the world’s most famous (alleged) murderer after a string of murders sweeps across L.A and all signs point to her.

Ashley Cox’s Pretty Dead Things follows the Lone Star Pageant and all it’s secrets when old resentments and new confrontations reach their boiling point in this rich and addictive suspense novel.

#TheBigMouseParty #NetGalley

Young children will, I think, find this book to be appealing. The illustrations are bright, inviting, and filled with detail. There is a simple story about a party to read, and many opportunities for sound effects. This is also a search and find book which offers some additional fun. Note that at the end of the book, there are suggestions of even more things to look for.

This would make a nice book to share with a child.

Many thanks to Chouette Publishing and NetGalley for this title. All thoughts are my own.

Pub date: 07 April 2026

Description:

from the publisher

Welcome to Mice CIty, where a cheerful crew of little mice is getting ready for the party of the year!This picture book bursts with energy, color, and sound bubbles to read, repeat… and enjoy! Toddlers and older readers alike are invited to dive into a playful adventure where celebration and learning go hand in hand.Follow the three tiny heroes as they plan, decorate, cook—and of course, dance! On every page, a fun seek-and-find challenge invites children to spot the hidden mice, discover new words, and sharpen their observation skills.A joyful picture book designed to be read, reread, explored, and shared together as a family.• Vibrant, detail-rich illustrations to explore on every page.• Lively scenes packed with mini-stories across each spread.• A playground for the imagination—with a variety of emotions, outfits, and settings that encourage kids to express what they see and feel.• Sound bubbles to read out loud—making storytime even more engaging, interactive… and fun!

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This is a repost

#TheBookClubHotel #NetGalley

This is the perfect book to sit down with on a fall night. It is nicely written and plotted; the characters are people with whom readers will be happy to spend time.

The Maple Sugar Inn just seems like the perfect place to go to relax. The setting is gorgeous, the rooms are beautiful and the inn keeper cares about her guests…even as she has her own struggles.

Inn owner, Hattie is carrying on the dream of her husband which was to run this inn. Readers learn early in the book that he died in a freak accident, leaving Hattie a widow and a very young one at that. Will she want to keep the inn going?

Three friends are going to visit. Their lives are quite different from one another’s but the relationships go back years and are deep. One is a single, su

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Also:

If interested, I did a blog tour for this one. It is on my site.

From the Publisher