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

Jodi Picoult

#ByAnyOtherName #NetGalley

Where does the title come from? Find out below. Think too of the different meanings it might have.

Picoult is an author who does not write the same book twice. That said, she has a knack for writing interesting novels that are often quite topical (school shootings, abortion and more).

In this latest work, Picoult examines ways in which women’s work is often taken to be less valuable. How might this play out in two time periods? Turn the pages to find out.

In the earlier time period, Picoult postulates that Emilia Bassano was never credited but wrote many of Shakespeare’s plays. Could this be true?

The world of her and Shakespeare’s time is very authentically portrayed here. Picoult did her research. Details of clothing, education, women’s roles, the power of men and more come alive.

Emilia faced many obstacles after her father died and her mother left her. She was educated but faced many constraints. How did she survive?

In the present day, Mel, who is a budding playwright, faces many challenges. She has learned that Emilia was a relative and has written a play about her. How are their lives the same and different? How do they each face their creative obstacles? Read this long novel to find out.

Be sure to look at the notes at the back of the book. There are lots of details on Shakespeare related references.

Those who are already fans of the author will likely buy this book. I hope that those new to her will also pick this up.

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

Title answer: Romeo and Juliet. Think 🌹

Pub date: 20 August 2024

From the publisher

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/books/review/new-fiction-books-2026.html

A Novel

by Susan Mallery

The cover really says it all. Here is a novel that is for a relaxing summer day as can be seen in this woman who is relaxing with a beach read. It is the story of three friends and those around them. Readers follow Bree, Mikki and Ashley in their intersecting lives.

The women come together when they rent a common space for their businesses. Bree has a bookstore, Mikki owns a gift shop, and Ashley bakes splendid sounding goods. Each of these women has relationships both past and present that impact them. Bree’s relationship with the older Lewis was complicated and she now does not seem to want to be close to a man. What will happen when she meets Ashley’s brother? Mikki is getting divorced and starting to date again. Ashley seems to have the perfect relationship but is it as good as it seems?

Those who enjoy classic women’s fiction and/or those who have read other novels by Ms. Mallery will want to give this one a look. For myself, I wanted just a bit more from this novel. I am often drawn to books about books but there was not quite as much about the store as I might have hoped for. Also, while I enjoyed spending time with these characters, I never found it hard to put the book down for a while.

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

Pub Date 31 May 2022

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/05/books/review/literary-buildings-quiz.html

#HeidensIliad #NetGalley

This translation of the Iliad offers a read with clarity. The language seems simple and straightforward. I think that readers who are afraid of taking on this classic will feel comfortable starting this version.

This is a good translation. However, I personally prefer the one by Emily Wilson.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bruce Heiden-Palmetto for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 15 March 2026

Description:

from the publisher

This unique new translation of the Iliad from a leading Homeric scholar is a work of poetic art that renders the voices of Homer’s narrator and characters with vividness, variety, and drama. It is the perfect choice for oral recitation. Read the Iliad aloud with friends or classmates and discover the power of Homer’s masterpiece as it flows from your own lips.

Bruce Heiden is Professor Emeritus of Classics at The Ohio State University, where he taught for almost 40 years. His many research publications on Greek and Latin poetry include Homer’s Cosmic Fabrication: Choice and Design in the Iliad (Oxford University Press 2008). Vignettes from this translation have previously appeared in Literary Imagination, Southwest Review, and the Norton anthology The Greek Poets: Homer to the Present.

An e book bargain

To Catch A Thief has to be one of my favorite movies of all times. Every time I watch it I escape into a good plot, good characters and an amazing setting in France. I had never read the novel upon which this popular film is based, so was thrilled when it was available on NetGalley.

I very much enjoyed this version of the story. It is suspenseful and stands the test of time. I highly recommend it. Jewel thieves, beware!

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

Pub date: 01 April 2025

This is the fifteenth entry in this long running series that began with A Beautiful Blue Death. That first book was published in 2008 and Finch went on to create an excellent historical mystery series.

This title has everything that readers look for in Finch’s books. Lenox has a complex case to solve, and of course will do so. Perhaps even more enjoyable though, is spending time with the characters, including Lenox’s wife Lady Jane, and other family members and friends.

This book will be welcomed by those who favor historical mysteries. Those who already know the series will be delighted. Those new to it will be happy to discover the backlist after reading this one.

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

Pub date: 04 November 2025

Post first published on 5 January 2026

Description:

from the publisher

NAMED ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST‘S TEN BEST MYSTERY NOVELS OF 2025 and THE LOS ANGELES TIMES’ BEST FALL MYSTERIES!

Against the vividly drawn backdrop of Victorian London, amateur sleuth Charles Lenox must unlock a mystery concealed in the architecture of the city itself, in this new novel from acclaimed author Charles Finch.

It’s 1879, and Lenox is convalescing from the violent events of his last investigation. But a desperate letter from an old servant forces him to pick up the trail of a cold case: the murder of an apothecary seven years before, whose only clue is an odd emblem carved into the doorway of the building where the man was killed. When Lenox finds a similar mark at the site of another murder, he begins to piece together a hidden pattern which leads him into the corridors of Parliament, the slums of East London, and ultimately the very heart of the British upper class.

At the same time, Lenox must contend with the complexities of his personal life: a surprising tension with his steadfast wife, Lady Jane, over her public support of the early movement for women’s suffrage; the arrival of Angela Lenox, a mysterious young cousin from India, with an unexpected companion; the dizzying ascent of his brother, Sir Edmund Lenox, to one of the highest political posts in the land; the growing family of his young partners in detection, Polly and Dallington; and the return of the problems that have long bedeviled one of his closest friends, the dashing Scottish physician Thomas McConnell.

Featuring a beloved cast of characters, a top-notch puzzle, and Finch’s trademark humor and richness of historical detail, The Hidden City is a novel by a master at the top of his form.

From the Publisher:

An e book bargain today

#HowtoSolveYourOwnMurder #NetGalley

It is hard to believe that this is Kristen Perrin’s first novel. She writes with an assured hand and keeps readers turning the pages in her take on a traditional mystery.

The story-Frances Adams was a teen growing up in the sixties when she went to see a fortune teller. She was given a very detailed and particular warning of things to watch out for. Much of her subsequent life was spent trying to evade her own death by nefarious means. On this night, Frances was with her friends Emily and Rose. They have roles to play in the story.

Frances had a niece and grandniece who are living an eccentric London life as the story opens. When Annie is summoned to meet with Frances’s lawyer in the small town where Frances has an estate, off she goes. There she meets Walt, the attorney and his relative, Oliver. She also encounters the annoying Elva and her family.

Not a spoiler because this happens early in the story, Frances is found dead. Who will inherit her money? Who killed her? Find out in this very enjoyable novel.

It is easy to recommend this title. Hopefully, Ms. Perrin will keep writing twisty, fun mysteries.

Many thanks to Penguin Group-Dutton for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 26 March 2024

From the Publisher

“The pace is quick, the red herrings are plentiful, and Annie’s growth from timid wannabe writer to confident sleuth is beautifully rendered. Combining elements of Agatha Christie, Anthony Horowitz, and Midsomer Murders, this is a richly entertaining whodunit from a promising new talent.”—Publishers Weekly

“Perrin juggles characters and clues with aplomb, sketching in the past via teen Frances’ journals and immersing readers in the present through Annie’s determined, good-hearted point of view. Readers will root for her as she gains hard-won confidence in this entertaining exploration of family secrets.”—BookPage

How providence and loss helped shape “The Lord of the Rings.”
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/opinion/tolkien-grief-lord-rings.html

#TheWorldsGreatestDetectiveandHerJustOkayAssistant #NetGalley

On the day that I am writing this, Tully’s novel is an e-book bargain so I wanted to make readers aware of it.

I ejoyedthis long (400 pages or so) traditional mystery. The two protagonists come together with little in common-the detective has been successfully solving cases for many years while the assistant is still finding her way. Still, Aubrey and Olivia develop respect for each other as they solve Aubrey’s latest case.

A wealthy socialite has died at an amazing sounding resort on the shores of Lake Champlain. Was Victoria murdered or did she commit suicide? One of Victoria’s children wants to know. Not everyone agrees, however, that the case should be investigated.

Tully creates a wide cast of characters/suspects. They include family members, employees, friends, guests, resort staff-just so many.

One thing I enjoyed is that some of the early chapters in the book featured parts of New York City that I know well. This helped me to picture scenes even more than usual.

The book moves slowly but was not boring. I enjoyed this title and will surely read the next in the series that comes out later in 2026.

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

Pub date: 08 July 2025

Post first published on 4 January 2026

Description:

A brilliant Boomer detective and her ambitious Gen Z assistant try to get along in this delightful feel-good mystery.

Olivia Blunt is thrilled to be hired as assistant to the nationally renowned investigator Aubrey Merritt. She longs to become a valued contributor to the great detective’s work, but Merritt is a difficult, exacting boss, and the learning curve is steeper than she expected.

After weeks of boring computer work, Olivia is finally invited to join Merritt on an important case. On the night of her sixty-fifth birthday party, Victoria Summersworth somehow fell over her balcony railing to her death on the rocky shore of Vermont’s Lake Champlain. She was a happy woman—rich, beloved, in love, and matriarch of the preeminent Summersworth family. The police ruled her death a suicide, but Victoria’s daughter Haley thinks it was murder.

Merritt and Olivia soon discover that the Summersworth family is complicated web of lies, ambitions, and resentments. As the list of suspects grows, Olivia makes one apparent mistake after another. When she blunders into a truly dangerous situation, she realizes Merritt might be right: she might be in over her head with this whole detective thing…or she might be unravelling a mystery even bigger than the one they started with.

---

From the Publisher:

Editorial Reviews:

“This novel succeeds through memorable characters at odds with each other (and sometimes themselves) across generational divides. A solidly entertaining read, especially for lovers of traditional mysteries.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A traditional mystery full of quirky characters and humorous situations… The ending may be totally surprising as Aubrey delivers quite the denouement in the tradition of Agatha Christie.”
—FirstClue

“This is a classic wealthy-family whodunit centered on a funny and smart pair of women who are opposites in just about every way. Readers will love spending time with this investigatory duo.”
—Library Journal

“Readers will be eager for a sequel”
—Publishers Weekly