Ink and Shadows is the fourth entry in Ellery Adams’s Secret, Book, and Scone Society series. I have enjoyed all of the books and recommend them. They are, perhaps, best read in order although the author gives enough back story for a new reader to quickly catch up.

Two things that I love about the series:

The main characters. Each of them has struggled in life and moved forward. Each has a particular love or talent that is given its due in the books. My favorite is Nora. She owns the bookstore of my fantasies; there are amazing themed displays, a full array of titles, good coffee and knowledgeable staff. There are nooks to sit in and children’s story hours. Plus, Nora is a bibliotherapist. This means that the novel is filled with good reading suggestions. Nora has her past struggles and guilts; she has a new relationship which is in trouble in this title.

Nora’s friends are all women with their own stories and talents. They include a baker, a woman skilled in massage and comfort and two other close friends. Each has a gift for friendship.

The setting. The small town is lovingly portrayed. It is cozy with farmer’s markets, festivals, artisan shops, good foods and the outdoors close by.

There are murders sullying the town. Both a daughter and her mother are dead. Is the cause their interest in a grimoire or is there another reason? Are their deaths tied to the commune that they lived on prior to coming to Miracle Springs?

The author takes on some social issues as well. There is a group of women who believe in censorship and want Nora’s Halloween store windows taken down. There are also comments on CBD.

Readers who want a slightly less than cozy, cozy take a look at this series. I am already looking forward to the next book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

 #TheSummerSwap #NetGalley

When I think about what makes me engage with a book, the answer is generally the characters. Setting, plot and other elements of novels are also important but what I most seek is to spend time with the people and to care about them. Sarah Morgan gave me exactly what i wanted in The Summer Swap, a book that I recommend for an engaging spring/summer read.

Who is in the novel? Here are some of the people.

Cameron is an artist who is no longer alive but whose reputation and reach continue following his death.

Cecilia generally became known as Cameron’s wife but she was/is her own person. It was not always easy to be subsumed by her husband and their marriage was complicated. She is now trying to figure out what she wants (as are all the characters).

Kristen and Winston are Cameron and Cecilia’s middle aged children. Kristen is rather controlling, married to a surgeon and flirting with a possible dalliance as the book opens. Winston has a more laidback personality than the tense Kristen. Both Winston and Kristen have young adult children who also feature in the story.

Lily has had the hopes of her family placed on her shoulders. It is difficult when she realizes that she needs to find her own path in life, not do only what is expected. She has connections with Kristen’s daughter and has been in love with Winston’s son.

Watch out too for the journalist who flirts with Kristen. He may have ulterion motives.

As the story opens, readers learn that Lily is finding her way on the Cape. The Cape is also a place to which Cecilia travels when she escapes from the family party she did not want to attend. It is a place with some painful memories. Readers can expect that Lily and Cecilia will meet.

What happens to each of these characters makes up the essence of this very readable story. I enjoyed it so much and now will keep an eye out for a new book by this author. (I also liked her last novel The Book Club a great deal.)

Those who enjoy women’s fiction will, I am certain want to read The Summer Swap. Mark the calendar for its release date.

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

Pub date: 07 May 2024

#ReturntoVirginRiver #NetGalley

Robyn Carr wrote her first Virgin River novel back in 2007. Many books followed before Ms. Carr moved to other series including Thunder Point and Sullivan’s Crossings. Perhaps the author was inspired to return to Virgin Riven because of the TV series that is now on Netflix. Whatever the motivation, long term readers of the Virgin River novels will undoubtedly be happy to return. They know that they can count on good people, a nice community and a love story.

This novel is about Kaylee and Landry. Kaylee is an author of suspense novels who is experiencing writer’s block following the death of her mother. Through family friends, she chooses to travel to Virgin River in the hope that she will finish her novel. No spoiler to say that she does and even that she moves into a new genre, that she falls in love and that some unexpected things happen to her. That is the Virgin River formula.

Kaylee’s romantic foil is Landry, an artist and dog trainer. He helps Kaylee to overcome her fear of dogs and to move forward even as she recognizes that she will always miss her mom.

The relationship that Kaylee had with her mom is lovingly described and maybe even idealized a bit. I suspect that many readers will wish for the same closeness, acceptance and encouragement that Kaylee’s mom gave her.

There are other characters in Kaylee’s orbit but readers will perhaps most enjoy that the names of all the characters from the earlier novels are called out here. While many make an appearance, it is Jack and Mel who are most featured.

As an extra treat, the story is seasonal. Readers will enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas in this most perfect of towns. I especially enjoyed the description of the tree lighting.

This is a sweet novel. I don’t know if Robyn Carr will write about Virgin River again. Regardless, this novel is a gift to her fans.

An additional bonus in the novel is a section describing the making of the TV series and Ms. Carr’s visit to the set. There is also a long excerpt from one of her other novels.

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

A Novel

by Julia Bryan Thomas

I was first drawn to this title by its cover. Key elements of the story are here including the city of Paris, a young woman and some diamonds. I was curious as to how everything would unfold.

This book establishes its espionage theme from the beginning. There is a literal bang early on when Mia shoots someone. How did she get to this moment? The novel goes back and shows readers in this Cold War set story.

Mia was working in a bakery in New York and coping with the loss of her father. Her life was pretty quiet. One day, a man named Theo, engaged her in conversation. Theo invited Mia to come to Paris where she would train to be a model at the House of Rousseau. Mia who idolized Jackie Kennedy, and knew of her time in Paris, was intrigued. She did not hesitate for long before finding herself flying to France.

Mia interacts with many people in the pages that follow. She has two roommates, a woman in her building who is “of a certain age,” the woman who tutored and mentored her when she arrived and, a CIA agent, among others.

How did Mia’s life get so out of control? Why has she been recruited? Will she survive? Will Mia find happiness? Read this one to find out.

Recommended to those who like historical fiction from the not so distant past, those who are intrigued by the Cold War, and those who love Paris and fashion. I enjoyed this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks-Landmark for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 14 January 2024

From the Publisher

The author’s earlier book

https://joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=post&jetpack-copy=57383

The Daily Buddhist

366 Days of Wisdom for Happiness, Inner Freedom, and Mindful Living

#TheDailyBuddhist #NetGalley

This book rewards the careful reader who is willing to reflect on each day’s entry. There are reminders of important values that a person might sometimes forget. For example, readers are asked to consider what is ephemeral in life (for example possessions) and are encouraged to think to what truly matters.

With an entry for every day of the year, there is much to contemplate. There are sections in this book with the referenced topics including Life and Death; Looking Inward, Extending Outward, and Practice. Readers who spend time with the introduction, sections at the end of the book, and the messages for each day will feel that they have been offered much wisdom.

Recommended for those who are interested in Buddhism and those who want to try to live a responsible and satisfying life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow-Harvest for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 27 May 2025

READERS NOTE: I WILL REMIND YOU ABOUT THIS TITLE WHEN IT IS PUBLISHED.

MWA Announces the 2025 Edgar Award Nominations

by MWA · January 22, 2025

Mystery Writers of America Announces 2025 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominations

2025 Edgar Awards Nominations

January 22, 2025, New York, NY – Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce, as we celebrate the 216^th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, the nominees for the 2025 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published or produced in 2024. The 79^th Annual Edgar® Awards will be celebrated on May 1, 2025, at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.

BEST NOVEL

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Penguin Random House – Random House Worlds/Del Rey
Rough Trade by Katrina Carrasco (Farrar, Straus and Giroux – MCD)
Things Don’t Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins (Penguin Random House – Crown)
My Favorite Scar by Nicolás Ferraro (Soho Press – Soho Crime)
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Penguin Random House – Riverhead Books)
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (Macmillan Publishers – Celadon Books)
The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell (Penguin Random House – Doubleday)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

Twice the Trouble by Ash Clifton (Crooked Lane Books)
Cold to the Touch by Kerri Hakoda (Crooked Lane Books)
The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee (CamCat Books)
A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis (Kensington Books – A John Scognamiglio Book)
The President’s Lawyer by Lawrence Robbins (Simon & Schuster – Atria Books)
Holy City by Henry Wise (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle (Harlequin Trade Publishing – Park Row Books)
The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass (Harlequin Trade Publishing – Graydon House)
Shell Games by Bonnie Kistler (HarperCollins – Harper Paperbacks)
A Forgotten Kill by Isabella Maldonado (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)
The Road to Heaven by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson (Dundurn Press Ltd.)

BEST FACT CRIME

Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers by Frank Figliuzzi (HarperCollins – Mariner Books)

The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective by Steven Johnson (Penguin Random House – Crown)

A Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege, and the Murder of Lita McClinton by Deb Miller Landau (Pegasus Books – Pegasus Crime)

The Amish Wife: Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy that Let a Killer Go Free by Gregg Olsen (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)

Hell Put to Shame: The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre and the Horror of America’s Second Slavery by Earl Swift (HarperCollins – Mariner Books)

The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age by Michael Wolraich (Union Square & Co.)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

James Sallis: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Nathan Ashman (McFarland Publishing)

American Noir Film: From The Maltese Falcon to Gone Girl by M. Keith Booker (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers)

Organized Crime on Page and Screen: Portrayals in Hit Novels, Films, and Television Shows by David Geherin (McFarland Publishing)

On Edge: Gender and Genre in the Work of Shirley Jackson, Patricia Highsmith, and Leigh Brackett by Ashley Lawson (The Ohio State University Press)

Ian Fleming; The Complete Man by Nicholas Shakespeare (HarperCollins – Harper)

BEST SHORT STORY

“Cut and Thirst,” Amazon Original Stories by Margaret Atwood (Amazon Publishing)
“Everywhere You Look,” Amazon Original Stories by Liv Constantine (Amazon Publishing)
“Eat My Moose,” Conjunctions: 82, Works & Days by Erika Krouse (Bard College)
“Barriers to Entry,” Amazon Original Stories by Ariel Lawhon (Amazon Publishing)
“The Art of Cruel Embroidery,” Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine – July-August 2024 by Steven Sheil (Dell Magazine)

BEST JUVENILE

The Beanstalk Murder by P.G. Bell (Macmillan Publishers – Feiwel & Friends)
Mystery of Mystic Mountain by Janet Fox (Simon & Schuster BFYR)
Mysteries of Trash and Treasure: The Stolen Key by Margaret Peterson Haddix (HarperCollins – Quill Tree Books)
The Spindle of Fate by Aimee Lim (Macmillan Publishers – Feiwel & Friends)
Find Her by Ginger Reno (Holiday House)
 
BEST YOUNG ADULT

Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell (HarperCollins – Heartdrum)
The Bitter End by Alexa Donne (Random House Books for Young Readers)
A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur (Macmillan Publishers – Feiwel & Friends)
Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson (HarperCollins Publishers – Harper Teen)
49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards (Sourcebooks – Sourcebooks Fire)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

“Episode Five” – Rebus, Written by Gregory Burke (Viaplay)
“Episode One” – Monsieur Spade, Written by Tom Fontana & Scott Frank (AMC)
“Episode One” – Moonflower Murders, Written by Anthony Horowitz (Masterpiece PBS)
“Mirror” – Murderesses, Written by Wiktor Piatkowski, Joanna Kozłowska, Katarzyna Kaczmarek (Viaplay)
“Episode Two” – The Marlow Murder Club, Written by Robert Thorogood (Masterpiece PBS)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

OUR OTHER AWARDS

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD – Endowed by the family of Robert L. Fish.

“The Legend of Penny and the Luck of the Draw Casino,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May-June 2024 by Pat Gaudet (Dell Magazines)
“Head Start,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September-October 2024 by Kai Lovelace (Dell Magazines)
“Murder Under Sedation,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March-April 2024 by Lawrence Ong (Dell Magazines)
“The Jews on Elm Street,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September-October 2024 by Anna Stolley Persky (Dell Magazines)
“Sparrow Maker,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, November-December 2024 by Jake Stein (Dell Magazines)

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD – Presented on behalf of Simon & Schuster.

The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen (Amazon Publishing – Lake Union)
The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)
The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)
Return to Wyldcliffe Heights by Carol Goodman (HarperCollins – William Morrow Paperbacks)
Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen (Crooked Lane Books)

THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD – Presented on behalf of G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)
A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh (Sourcebooks – Sourcebooks Landmark)
Proof by Beverly McLachlin (Simon & Schuster Canada – Simon & Schuster)
A World of Hurt by Mindy Mejia (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)
All the Way Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)
The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho Press – Soho Crime)

THE LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL AWARD – Endowed by the estate of Lilian Jackson Braun.

The Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina Bivald (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)
Death and Fromage by Ian Moore (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)
Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)
Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose (Crooked Lane Books)
The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)

SPECIAL AWARDS – PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED ON JANUARY 15, 2025

GRAND MASTER

Laura Lippman
John Sandford

RAVEN AWARD

Face in a Book Bookstore & Gifts, El Dorado Hills, CA

ELLERY QUEEN AWARD

Peter Wolverton, Vice President, Executive Editor, St. Martin’s Press

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Edgar Awards, or “Edgars,” as they are commonly known, are named after MWA’s patron saint Edgar Allan Poe and are presented to authors of distinguished work in various categories. MWA is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime-writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. The organization encompasses some 3,000 members including authors of fiction and non-fiction books, screen and television writers, as well as publishers, editors, and literary agents.

Mystery Writers of America would like to emphasize our commitment to diversity and fairness in the judging of the Edgar Awards. Judges are selected from every region of the country, from every sub-category of our genre, and from every demographic to ensure fairness and impartiality.

# # #

The EDGAR (and logo) are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by the Mystery Writers of America, Inc.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/01/21/books/review/midcentury-books-search.html

This is the second book in this author’s series. It will be enjoyed by readers who like mysteries that are not too violent and stories with good characters and plots. And, of course, it will be enjoyed by those who like bakeries and a bit of magical realism. All in all, a good read.

A bit on plot: Baker Felicity has been making egg tarts for the wedding cake at an outdoor wedding. All goes well, until it doesn’t. There are a missing groomsman and a groom who meet their fates.

There will be sleuthing and a mystery solved by the end of this enjoyable story.

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

Pub date: 21 January 2025

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the Magical Fortune Cookie series and Jennifer J. Chow:

“Good things lie ahead in this series.” ―Kirkus Reviews

An Atlas of Forgotten Horticultural Treasures

by Sandra Lawrence

#LostGardensoftheWorld #NetGalley

Garden lovers will enjoy dipping into this collection which features 40 gardens that have, for varied reasons, been lost. For each of these, there is beautifully evocative artwork to help readers imagine the garden in it glory. The text further details what made each of these places special.

These gardens were once found all around the world. Readers travel to The Garden of Dreams, Little Acorns, Warley Place, Bachs of Khajuaro, Gardens of the Nations, Madinat al-Zahra, Wah Bagh and these are just a few of the places.

This would make a lovely addition to the library of a garden lover! The author makes a wonderful guide. She has loved gardens ever since she became a reader of Frances Hodgson Burnett.

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

Pub date: 01 October 2024

From the Publisher