Author: joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews

Death Comes to Marlow is the next in a series, following on The Marlow Murder Club. I enjoyed this title even more than that first book. The author knows how to tell a story; he is also known for TV’s Death in Paradise.

Anyone who enjoys Richard Osman’s series is sure to enjoy spending time with Judith, Becks and Susie. They help the police and specifically Tanika to solve another case in these pages.

Judith is in her 70s and deliberately eccentric. Susie finds it hard not to blurt and has a dog walking business, while Becks is married to the local vicar but…who is she seeing now?

One day, a man named Sir Peter invites Judith to his posh engagement party. He has had an intimation that he will be murdered and indeed he is. There are many suspects in the pages that follow, including his son and daughter, and his new fiancee, or is it someone else?

The plot just rattles along and I liked spending time with Judith and Co. I highly recommend this title to those who enjoy cozy mysteries and women of a certain age. I am eager for the next book by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Five Stars

And, this just in from PBS

#HowtoKnowaPerson #NetGalley

We currently live in a rather fractured and partisan world in which, it seems to me, we often lose the ability to disagree without being disagreeable, to attempt to understand another’s perspective and to venture out of communicating only with those with whom we already know that we will agree. How did we get to this point? Is it where we want to be? If, those reading this post recognize that there is work to be done but need help getting there, please pick up this book.

David Brooks has written a work that cries to be read by just about everyone, including the mental health community, politicians, the person who is a friend, a parent, a partner, and so on. He has synthesized a great deal of research on how to relate to others while also sharing some of his personal experiences with the reader.

Brooks observes that, despite being a reporter, he did not always communicate well outside of his professional role. In some ways, he wrote this title for himself as well as the reader.

Some of the topics artfully explored include how to really see another person and to listen to them, what gets in the way of that, whether a person wants to be an “illuminator” or not, defense mechanisms, talking about the hard things, understanding what empathy really is and much more.

The number of highlights that I have added to my copy of this book reminds me of how much I was left to ponder. Book clubs, teachers, social workers and others, read this book and then talk tabout it. It will be worthwhile.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 24 October 2023

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/10/books/summer-books-quiz.html

www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/books/funny-novels-humor.html

by Gill Paul

Gill Paul is one of my favorite authors of historical fiction. Somehow this one passed me by for a while, though I am now happy to have read it.

Meet Canadian Arden and Polish Rubinstein in alternating chapters, starting in 1915. These two became fierce rivals who were not above committing any number of dirty tricks to achieve success.

I had earlier read a novel about Estee Lauder. Here readers spend time with the other two towering female cosmetics giants. Readers get to know them in alternating chapters, starting in 1915.

What is remarkable about all of these women is that they were quite successful in a time when most women were not founding and managing companies. They all were cutthroat competitors who fought for all that they achieved. They do not always come across as likeable but their legacies were lasting.

Those who are interested in the beauty industry and/or those who enjoy historical fiction featuring strong women may well want to give this title a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for this title. All thoughts are my own.

Pub date: 31 August 2023

Historical Fiction

400 pages

Other titles by Gill Paul:

#JumboBibleWordSearch #NetGalley

This book offers large print word search puzzles that all share biblical themes. It could be enjoyed by those who are interested in thinking about the passages and those who simply enjoy word search puzzles.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Zeitgeist for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 19 August 2025

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/books/new-books-august.html

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/04/books/review/best-thrillers-books-2025.html

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/books/review/new-historical-fiction-books.html

A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies, and One Mysterious Cold Case

by Chuck Hogan

#TheCarpoolDetectives #NetGalley

I confess that I do not really read true crime although I would list crime and mystery fiction as a great love. I find the world way too full of bad things already so choose fictional murders for my pleasure reading. Still, I felt a prickle of curiosity when I received an invitation to read this one. It certainly turned out to be interesting.

The Publisher’s Description:

A lot of us like to think we could solve a mystery. Can these four moms actually do it?

In 2020, Marissa, Jeannie, Samira, and Nicole find themselves at a familiar crossroads: when motherhood takes charge of their lives, they begin grappling with their own identities. Their thriving careers seem like a lifetime ago, and as their children become more independent, they struggle to find purpose. But when they meet at a bowling night fundraiser for their kids’ school, they discover a shared interest in true crime that crystalizes around a mysterious double homicide that took place in their hometown a decade earlier: A couple in their 60s vanished overnight from their home and mysteriously shuttered their family business, leaving millions of dollars unaccounted for. Initially believed to have absconded with the money, they went from suspects to victims when their bodies were discovered in their car at the bottom of a steep ravine. And then the case turned cold.

But what if the moms could solve it? What if they could bring a killer to justice and give closure to a grieving family?

The four women have no connection to the case and no law-enforcement background, but the determined group find themselves in incredible and often dangerous situations–digging for evidence in prohibited ravines, scouring potential crime scenes for blood splatter, and sifting through pages and pages of dense police files. As they get more and more entangled in this complex investigation, they also find themselves in real danger—and with information that could blow the case wide open.

An emotional and often terrifying odyssey through a DIY criminal investigation, The Carpool Detectives is the ultimate wish fulfillment for any true crime fanatic, an absolutely thrilling read for armchair sleuths and mystery fans alike.

My thoughts:

This book read quite a bit like fiction. The four women did something remarkable in investigating this case, beginning with a somewhat naive Marissa (not her real name) wanting to explore the events and drawing in some other moms as well. I don’t think that I want to be a real investigator but this book will, I think, appeal to many who long for exactly this.

Kirkus Reviews describes this book as a “Riveting read about real-life Nancy Drews that seems destined for the big or small screen.”

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 29 July 2025

352 pages

True Crime

From the Publisher