Author: joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews

#TheArtsTrailKiller #NetGalley

I think that Emylia Hall’s excellent series does not garner the attention that it deserves. I have found every title in the Shell House Detective books to be enjoyable.

The stories are set in Cornwall with the area brought to life in a way that lets me recall past time there and leaves me wishing that I could go back.

The Shell House Detectives are Ally and Jayden. Ally’s husband Bill was a local police officer who has died by the time that the series begins. She becomes close to a divorced writer, Guy, in the earlier books. Jayden stands out in the community where most people are white. He is married and at the time that this story begins, his second child has just been born. As a side note, credit to the author for acknowledging how difficult the days of parenting a newborn can be. Ally and Jayden began solving cases (of course) in the first of the series.

As this story begins, an arts festival is about to start. A famous artist has returned to be the guest of honor. Interestingly, he does not seem to bring his best work. He does bring an art dealer, semi significant other who (no spoiler because it happens early in the novel), is murdered. Was she the intended victim? Will there be other deaths? Is the graffiti that is popping up related to the murder? These are just some of the questions requiring answers in the story.

There are many characters to follow. The story line is involving.

Of interest to those who have followed Ally and Gus, a man from Ally’s past has arrived for the festival. Will he and Ally rekindle their relationship? What has brought him back?

This book is about 400 pages long which I loved as I was happy to remain in the company of these characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this book. All opinions are my onw.

Note: The e book costs under $5.00 which amazes me

Pub date: 08 April 2025

The audio book:

I toggled between reading and listening as I often do. Listening while I exercise makes the time so much more enjoyable.

The narrator here is spot on…easy to understand, able to speak in the voices of the different characters and able to bring the story to life.

Really well done!

Thanks to NetGalley and the audio publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

From the publisher:

Some of the earlier books in the series:

#TheShellHouseDetectives #NetGalley

This is the first in, what appear to be, at least three Cornwall set mysteries featuring two characters with complex pasts. They are Ally and Jayden. Ally was widowed and misses her police officer husband deeply. Her daughter would like Ally to leave Cornwall to be with her in Australia; Ally is very ambivalent. Ally is an artist who creates works from the detritus that she finds on the beach. (She makes a relevant find there).

Jayden worked as a police officer who left the force after a tragedy. He is biracial and not sure if he fits into his wife’s community. Both of these characters are trying to keep their lives moving forward. Will solving a case help them to achieve their goals?

Ally’s husband Bill was haunted by one person’s death. When he arrested this man’s son, Bill offered to help him in the future. When this young man comes knocking on Ally’s door, she (regretfully) turns him away.

Events move forward and this young man is now in the hospital, gravely wounded. His grandmother and only support was not there for him when he got out of prison. Lewis Pascoe has an interaction with the couple that built a new home where his grandmother had been. These events set the scene for the novel.

I enjoyed the main characters in this book and was also interested to meet the people around them. There are many community members in the story so there is no lack of suspects. For example, there is the coffee shop worker and a recently divorced man who is trying to write a novel.

In addition to the mystery and the characters, Cornwall is also a strong presence in the book. Readers will be able to smell the sea, see the cliffs and walk along the shore.

All in all, this was a most enjoyable read. I recommend it to anyone who likes cozy mysteries.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 01 July 2023

Readers will so enjoy meeting Nora Breen, the former nun, who serves as the amateur investigator in this 1950s set novel. Formerly Sister Agnes, she has left the convent after many years to take up residence at Gulls Nest. Nora has chosen this location because someone close to her, who had been living there, is missing. Did Frieda meet with foul play? Nora fears so as Frieda had promised to write weekly and her letters have stopped.

At Gulls Nest Nora meets quite an assortment of characters. There is the woman who owns the boarding house and her daughter, Dinah, who does not speak. The reader never knows where she will be found. There are also the housekeeper (an awful cook) and Rose, who both work there, and then, of course, the boarders. These include a couple Teddy and Stella, a puppeteer and performer called Professor Poppy, the mysterious Karel, and others. On the side of the law is Rideout who engages in much verbal play with Nora.

The story becomes more intricate when someone is found murdered. This is not Frieda but, no spoiler, so I won’t say who. What else will happen? Will order be restored?

Nora is outspoken and sometimes brash (she throws a shoe at an unresponsive officer in the police station). She is also determined, bright and a keen observer with whom I loved spending time.

This is a terrific mystery and one that it is easy to recommend. I eagerly await Nora and Rideout’s next appearance.

Kirkus Reviews notes: “A delightful series kickoff in a cozy community primed for more murder.”

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

Pub date: 08 April 2025

336 pages

Mystery & Thrillers

From the Publisher

July 2026 Prepub Alert: forthcoming titles to know, share, and buy; plus a downloadable spreadsheet of all the titles and an Edelweiss catalog with plot summaries, author profiles, and more.
— Read on www.libraryjournal.com/story/Prepub-Alert-July-2026-Titles

#TheKeeper #NetGalley

I think that Tana French is a brilliant author and her books are must reads for me. I found The Dublin Murders series to be very clever with the detective pairings and story lines. My favorite of these is The Likeness but it is very easy to recommend the entire series. Her non-series novels have also offered gripping reads.

Now readers have The Keeper to savor. It is the third (and last book) in the series that also included The Searcher and The Hunter. Ideally, these books should be read in order, although that should not be a hardship in any way.

Here are characters who will be well-known to readers of the earlier titles. Cal, Lena, and Trey are the central three. Readers will, I think, be eager to know how all of them are doing and where French will leave them at the end of this novel. In addition to Lena, Trey and Cal, many others surround them in their community of Ardnakelty. Among them are Trey’s family, the farmers, the shopkeeper (Lena’s sister) and the local Garda.

This time there is also much about Tommy Moynihan, his son Eugene and Rachel who had been dating Eugene. What happened to Rachel? To what extent are Tommy and Eugene responsible? What does it mean to Ardnakelty when the social equilibrium is again upset? Read this one to find out.

French excels at describing the physical landscape. Readers will feel that they are soaking in the very air of the township.

This book is, in my opinion, a slow burn. Have patience, stick with it. It will be worth it.

I highly recommend this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for this read. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 31 March 2026

Post first published on 19 March 2026

5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

See reviews of the first two titles on my blog if interested.

Description:

from the publisher

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Oprah Daily, Today, BookPage, Goodreads, and more

From the iconic crime writer who “inspires cultic devotion in readers” (The New Yorker) and has been called “incandescent” by Stephen King, comes the third and final book in the million-copy-bestselling Cal Hooper trilogy.

On a cold night in the remote Irish village of Ardnakelty, a girl goes missing. Sweet, loving Rachel Holohan was about to be engaged to the son of the local big shot. Instead, she’s dead in the river.

In a close-knit small town, a death like this isn’t simple. It comes wrapped in generations-old grudges and power struggles, and it splits the townland in two. Retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper has friends here now, and he owes them loyalty, but his fiancée Lena wants nothing to do with Ardnakelty’s tangles. As the feud becomes more vicious, their settled peace starts to crack apart. And when they uncover a scheme that casts a new light on Rachel’s death and threatens the whole village, they find themselves in the firing line.

“One of the greatest crime novelists writing today” (Vox) crafts a masterwork of atmospheric suspense that brings the story of one of her most beloved characters to a spellbinding conclusion.

From the Publisher:

#SonofNobody #NetGalley

Unlike many others, I have not (as yet) read The Life of Pi so that is not why I wanted to read this novel by Yann Martel. I was deeply interested in it because I had just read the Iliad in a class (and an excellent one at that!). I learned so much and felt much more than I had ever anticipated while reading that work. The time was right for Son of Nobody as the Iliad was fresh in my mind.

This book will, I think, have both its fans and detractors. It requires a bit on the reader’s part and is certainly not a page turner. However, I was fascinated by how the author had thought about the Iliad and written something that relied on that, while being original.

This is a story told in two narratives. One is about Psoas. He is a fictional every man who experienced the Trojan War. He did not come from an illustrious line and yet was thrust into this very long conflict.

The other story is about the scholar who explores Psoas’s story. His last name is Donne (for the poet?). He is on a quest and this has led him to be a less than perfect husband and father.

This is a work of literary fiction. It can be read by those who have no experience of the Iliad but will be enjoyed most by those who have a reference point. It this book appeals, I suggest reading a summary of the Iliad, if needed, first.

I am glad to have read this one. Many thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for this title. All thoughts are my own.

Pub date: 31 March 2026

Description:

From the publisher

From the author of the international bestseller Life of Pi, a brilliant retelling of the Trojan War from the perspective of two commoners: an ancient soldier and a modern scholar.

Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey were not the only ancient tales of the Trojan War. In Son of Nobody, Yann Martel composes a new legend: the Psoad, an epic in free verse that follows a goatherd’s son, Psoas of Midea, who leaves his wife and family to fight at Troy. Psoas meets his doom and the poem of his life is lost—until a Canadian academic studying at Oxford, Harlow Donne, discovers its relics thirty centuries later. As Harlow assembles and comments on the fragments in footnotes, he retrieves memories of his wife and daughter and grapples with questions of ambition, family, and responsibility in both the ancient and modern worlds. Son of Nobody upends the regal perspective of traditional epics and shows that “the past is never done with, that always there are parallels and returns and repetitions, always the song continues.” Readers of Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles and Emily Wilson’s The Iliad will revel in this breathtaking feat of the imagination.

About the Author: 

Yann Martel is the author of Life of Pi, the international bestseller that won the 2002 Booker Prize and was adapted to the screen in the Oscar–winning film by Ang Lee. He lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Praise for Son of Nobody: A Novel

A brilliant novel of ideas. . . . A powerful meditation on life, death, and the vanity of human wishes, all illustrated by a poem that would do Homer proud. A stunningly imagined revisitation of an ancient past.
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Original, thought-provoking, and utterly absorbing… [An] inventive novel about a classics scholar who makes a thrilling discovery.
— Kristine Huntley, Booklist, starred review

Inspired… An appealing labor of love.
— Publishers Weekly

From Publishers Weekly:

Yann Martel

Author

“I was inspired by Homer’s Iliad. The Trojan War still speaks to us today because it was a siege, and waiting, prolonged waiting, is very trying. Waiting is an incubator of wild ideas and unwarranted rage, hence the violence that can arise when it finally ends. Waiting fascinates the ancient and modern minds because to learn how to live is to learn how to wait, how to deal with the sand as it falls through the hourglass. We all live before the walls of Troy.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/books/new-books-april.html

#TheAstralLibraryDeluxeLimitedEdition #NetGalley

I loved Quinn’s novel, The Rose Code, and, after that one, I have always read her books. I enjoyed The Briar Club but it did not displace The Rose Code as my favorite. Now Quinn has written The Astral Library; this one is different from her earlier books that offered suspenseful historical fiction.

This time, Quinn has written a novel with some elements of fantasy. Main character Alix travels to the Astral Library which is like no library I know of-I only wish that it were real. How does Alix get there?

Well, Alix’s mother left her to the vagaries of the foster care system. Note that Quinn clearly sees the flaws in this system for those who are in need. Alix (names Alexandria for the famous library) has had one consolation only in her young life and that has been reading, reading, reading.

When the story opens, Alix is struggling financially and emotionally. One day, when at the Boston Public Library, she accesses the Astral Library meeting with it idiosyncratic head. Alix is told that she can choose to enter the world of any one book. (Read the story to find out what she chooses). While in the library Alix faces danger and adventure. She visits books and times that are real for her in these moments. For example, Alix visits Sherlock Holmes and the world of Huck Finn. In another plot in this novel, Alix enters paintings as, for example, one by Thomas Cole.

What will happen to both Alix and the Library? What will her life be like by the end of this novel? Readers will hope that her life improves. I know that there is one character that I hope she will be involved with long term (again no spoiler so won’t say who).

This book is part of what seems like a recent genre to me in which people enter the world of books or a character from a novel appears in the life of a book’s protagonist. This is a trend that I have enjoyed.

Those who can roll with this story without questioning how the events could happen will enjoy a book with lots of mentioned literature and art. These are elements that I enjoyed.

Note too that a theme of this novel is body positivity. Alix is a size 22 and there is someone she knows who makes a gorgeous blue dress for her. There is also commentary on the importance of libraries and the importance of all kinds of books being available to all.

I recommend this book to those who like their books to have that books within books vibe.

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

Pub date: 26 February 2026

Description:

from the publisher

This stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION is only available on the first printing while supplies last! The collector’s hardcover features stenciled edges, illustrated endpapers, and jacket effects.

From New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn comes a gorgeously written fantastical adventure which poses the question: Have you ever wished you could live inside a book? Welcome to the Astral Library, where books are not just objects, but doors to new worlds, new lives, and new futures.

Alexandria “Alix” Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives…inside their favorite books.

The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect. Aided by a dashing costume-shop owner, Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby as danger draws inexorably closer. But who does their enemy really wish to destroy—Alix, the Librarian, or the Library itself?

Armitage’s debut is quite assured and demonstrates a firm knowledge and grasp of British royalty. Some of these characters and circumstances skate pretty close to events that happened and to real people. For example, Lexi’s mother will certainly be compared to Diana and there are many other connections for the reader.

The story itself is engaging. While the book is about a royal, a non-royal will, I think, relate to what happens when life suddenly changes and important decisions have to be made. What Lexi will choose is a major plot point.

Lexi has turned her back on England as the story begins. She is in Australia and in her second year of a medical residency when she is urgently called back due to a horrific tragedy. This puts Lexi back in contact with her family and prior life.

Readers come to understand Lexi, her family and events in a story that takes place in the present and past. The pages turn as readers share her life in this long, just over 400 page, novel.

Reese Witherspoon chose this for her book club. I can understand why.

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

Pub date: 02 December 2025

Post first published on 4 February 2026

Description:

from the publisher

An irresistible modern fairy tale about a British princess who must decide between her duty to her family—or to her own heart.

A Reese’s Book Club Pick!

It’s New Year’s Day in Australia and the life Lexi Villiers has carefully built is working out nicely: she’s in the second year of her medical residency, she lives on a beautiful farm with her two best friends Finn and Jack, and she’s about to finally become more-than-friendly with Jack—when a helicopter abruptly lands.

Out steps her grandmother’s right-hand-man, with the tragic news that her father and older brother have been killed in a skiing accident. Lexi’s grandmother happens to be the Queen of England, and in addition to the shock and grief, Lexi must now accept the reality that she is suddenly next in line for the throne—a role she has publicly disavowed.

Returning to London as the heir apparent Princess Alexandrina, Lexi is greeted by a skeptical public not ready to forgive her defection, a grieving sister-in-law harboring an explosive secret, and a scheming uncle determined to claim the throne himself.

Her recent life—and Jack—grow ever more distant as she feels the tug of tradition, of love for her grandmother, and of obligation. When her grandmother grants her one year to decide, Lexi must choose her own destiny: will it be determined by an accident of birth—or by love?

​“There’s nothing better than snuggling up with a great story this time of year. The December Reese’s Book Club pick, The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage, has everything I love in a holiday read—royals, romance, family twists, and a woman finding her own path. Can’t wait for you to dive in.” —Reese Witherspoon

“One of the best books I’ve read all year.” —Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress

From the Publisher:

Editorial reviews:

“Tiaras, titles, and titillating royals abound in this engrossing debut from Armitage…The Heir Apparent is filled with secrets, scandals, and a few unexpected twists, including a forbidden and beautiful love story…Armitage’s writing is spectacular, with rich dialogue and descriptions, a vibrant depiction of the burden of duty versus personal freedom, and unique insights into royal life.”―Booklist (starred review)

“Feels and reads like an adult version of The Princess Diaries…With Armitage’s expertise, she has crafted a novel about an exiled royal that is so believable that it could have actually happened…A sharply written novel rich with insight into the lives of royal families, as well as a beautifully crafted story that will have you waiting for Armitage’s next release.”―BookTrib

“In Armitage’s perceptive debut, the British monarchy navigates a crisis following the death of two heirs…A standout portrayal of the royals and the tabloid culture surrounding them.”―Publishers Weekly

“The author’s deep knowledge of all things royal adds realism and texture to this entertaining debut.”―Kirkus Reviews

#MayContainMurder #NetGalley

This title is Murrin’s sophomore effort, following on Knife Skills for Beginners. Both feature an amateur sleuth who is also a chef. This means that there is a lot of delightful information about food and meals in the books.

This time Paul is on a sea cruise. He was invited by a wealthy female friend. She has just married Sir Billy. Will their happiness last? What will become of the very, very expensive necklace that Xera was given by him?

This book is peopled with so many characters. They include the crew of the private yacht and the guests. Not all of them are likeable. And, of course, one of them will be murdered, leaving Paul to figure things out.

I liked many things about this book but did find the plot to require significant suspension of disbelief. Still, I believe that Murrin had great fun while writing his tale. His sense of humor is quite evident. For example, the yacht is named the Maldemer (anyone who has studied French knows that this refers to seasickness!).

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

Pub date: 16 December 2025

Post first published on 11 January2026

Description:

from the publisher

For fans of Nita Prose, Benjamin Stevenson, and Jessa Maxwell, this delightfully witty and tightly-written new locked room culinary mystery from the MasterChef semi-finalist, cookbook writer, and bestselling author of Knife Skills for Beginners features a charming chef, delicious original recipes, and a killer cruise aboard a luxurious superyacht.

“If it weren’t for all the terrible things that have been happening, I’d consider myself the luckiest man alive . . .”

While his flooded house undergoes repairs, chef-turned-writer Paul Delamare has been offered an accommodation upgrade—an all-expenses-paid trip aboard a private superyacht in the company of Xéra, one of his dearest friends. Paul will help Xéra work on her memoirs as Maldemer glides its sumptuous way to the Caribbean. The scenery is stunning, the luxury is unparalleled, and the food…well, at least the dishes that Paul is roped into preparing are delicious. The hired chef, meanwhile, seems completely out of her depth.

She’s not the only one. Much as Paul adores Xéra, a Parisian socialite who he was introduced to by his late lover, Marcus, he has little in common with the other guests, a motley crew consisting of Xéra’s new husband and his grasping family. 

When Xéra’s priceless new necklace goes missing, Paul falls under suspicion. But there’s far worse in store, as one of the passengers is found dead in mysterious and grisly circumstances. The stormy weather matches the threatening mood onboard, and as Maldemer veers off course, every semblance of order goes with it.

Above and below deck there are secrets and dangerous alliances. And as he untangles the truth, it becomes clear that Paul’s sharing close quarters with a killer eager to make this his final voyage . . .

From the Publisher