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

A Novel

by Allison Pataki

An e book bargain

Readers of historical fiction, mark your calendars for this books release da te. It is fabulous.

Allison Pataki tells the story of Marjorie Merriweather Post from her childhood right on through her “many lives.” She was a daughter, wife (multiple times), mother, key part of Post (later known as General) Foods, society woman, charitable worker and donor, ambassador’s wife, builder of multiple estates and more. The pages just flew as I followed Marjorie through her life.

Readers will travel with Marjorie to many locations. Among these are Battle Creek, Washington DC, Manhattan, the Adirondacks, Palm Beach (Mar-a-Lago) and Moscow. Readers experience Marjorie’s own experiences in each of these places.

Relationships were a big part of Marjorie’s life. No spoiler so I won’t write about how many times she married or who her husbands or children were.

I so highly recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction. It is one of the best that I have read in this genre.

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

I have just begun reading this book which is gently provocative and inspiring.  The author, ordained within the Episcopal Church, has left the ministry to begin teaching World Religion in a small, largely Christian college.

Written in a highly accessible, almost novelistic tone, Ms. Taylor introduces the reader to her students and their studies.  She encourages the reader to think about the role of religion in our lives.  Although I have not yet finished the book, I have the feeling that I will be savoring it right up to the end.  This is a thoughtful and highly recommended read.

From Goodreads:

The renowned and beloved New York Times bestselling author of An Altar in the World and Learning to Walk in the Dark recounts her moving discoveries of finding the sacred in unexpected places while teaching the world’s religions to undergraduates in rural Georgia, revealing how God delights in confounding our expectations.

Barbara Brown Taylor continues her spiritual journey begun in Leaving Church of finding out what the world looks like after taking off her clergy collar. In Holy Envy, she contemplates the myriad ways other people and traditions encounter the Transcendent, both by digging deeper into those traditions herself and by seeing them through her students’ eyes as she sets off with them on field trips to monasteries, temples, and mosques.

Troubled and inspired by what she learns, Taylor returns to her own tradition for guidance, finding new meaning in old teachings that have too often been used to exclude religious strangers instead of embracing the divine challenges they present. Re-imagining some central stories from the religion she knows best, she takes heart in how often God chooses outsiders to teach insiders how out-of-bounds God really is.

Throughout Holy Envy, Taylor weaves together stories from the classroom with reflections on how her own spiritual journey has been complicated and renewed by connecting with people of other traditions—even those whose truths are quite different from hers.  The one constant in her odyssey is the sense that God is the one calling her to disown her version of God—a change that ultimately enriches her faith in other human beings and in God.

2025 ANTHONY AWARDS PRESENTED
The 2025 Anthony Awards were presented at Bouchercon New Orleans on September 6, 2025. Our congratulations to the winners (listed first in each category) and all the nominees.

Best Mystery Novel
*	The God of the Woods by Liz Moore [review]
°	Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett [review]
°	The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny [review]
°	Alter Ego by Alex Segura [review]
°	California Bear by Duane Swierczynski [review]

Best First Mystery
*	You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen [review]
°	The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee [review]
°	Ghosts of Waikīkī by Jennifer K. Morita
°	Good-Looking Ugly by Rob D. Smith
°	Holy City by Henry Wise [review]

Best Paperback/E-book/Audiobook
*	Echo by Tracy Clark [review]
°	The Last Few Miles of Road by Eric Beetner
°	Served Cold by James L’Etoile
°	Late Checkout by Alan Orloff
°	The Big Lie by Gabriel Valjan

Best Historical Mystery
*	The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan [review]
°	The Lantern’s Dance by Laurie R. King
°	The Witching Hour by Catriona McPherson
°	The Bootlegger’s Daughter by Nadine Nettmann
°	The Courtesan’s Pirate by Nina Wachsman

Best Paranormal Mystery
*	A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke
°	Five Furry Familiars by Lynn Cahoon
°	Exposure by Ramona Emerson
°	Lights, Camera, Bone by Carolyn Haines
°	Death in Ghostly Hue by Susan Van Kirk

Best Cozy/Humorous Mystery
*	Cirque du Slay by Rob Osler
°	A Cup of Flour, a Pinch of Death by Valerie Burns
°	A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron
°	ll-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow
°	Scotzilla by Catriona McPherson [review]
°	Dominoes, Danzón, and Death by Raquel V. Reyes

Best Juvenile/Young Adult
*	When Mimi Went Missing by Suja Sukumar
°	The Big Grey Man of Ben Macdhui by K.B. Jackson
°	Sasquatch of Harriman Lake by K.B. Jackson
°	First Week Free at the Roomy Toilet by Josh Proctor
°	The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

Best Critical or Nonfiction Work
*	The Serial Killer’s Apprentice by Katherine Ramsland and Tracy Ullman
°	Writing the Cozy Mystery: Authors’ Perspectives on Their Craft edited by Phyllis M. Betz
°	Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers: Critiquing the Columbo Killers by Chris Chan
°	On Edge: Gender and Genre in the Work of Shirley Jackson, Patricia Highsmith, and Leigh Brackett by Ashley Lawson
°	Abingdon’s Boardinghouse Murder by Greg Lilly

Best Anthology or Collection
*	Tales of Music, Murder, and Mayhem: Bouchercon Anthology 2024 edited by Heather Graham
°	Murder, Neat: A Sleuthslayer’s Anthology edited by Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman
°	Scattered, Smothered, Covered & Chunked: Crime Fiction Inspired by Waffle House edited by Michael Bracken and Stacy Woodson
°	Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir edited by Tod Goldberg
°	Friend of the Devil: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the Grateful Dead edited by Josh Pachter

Best Short Story
*	“Something to Hold Onto” by Curtis Ippolito   Dark Yonder, Issue 6
°	“A Matter of Trust” by Barb Goffman   Three Strikes—You’re Dead
°	“Twenty Centuries” by James D.F. Hannah   Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir
°	“Satan’s Spit” by Gabriel Valjan   Tales of Music, Murder, and Mayhem: Bouchercon Anthology 2024
°	“Reynisfjara” by Kristopher Zgorski   Mystery Most International

Previous Anthony Awards

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2025 BARRY AWARDS PRESENTED
The Barry Awards, voted on by the readers of Deadly Pleasures, were presented at the Opening Ceremonies of Bouchercon New Orleans on September 4, 2025. Our congratulations to the winners (listed first in each category) and to all of the nominees.

Best Mystery Novel
*	The Waiting by Michael Connelly [review]
°	Spirit Crossing by William Kent Krueger [review]
°	The God of the Woods by Liz Moore [review]
°	Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin
°	California Bear by Duane Swierczynski [review]
°	All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker [review]

Best First Mystery Novel
*	Ordinary Bear by C.B. Bernard
°	The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes [review]
°	Paper Cage by Tom Baragwanath [review]
°	In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan
°	First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston [review]
°	Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera [review]

Best Paperback Original Mystery Novel
*	Double Barrel Bluff by Lou Berney [review]
°	All the Rage by Cara Hunter
°	Smoke Kings by Jahmal Mayfield [review]
°	Someone Saw Something by Rick Mofina
°	Wordhunter by Stella Sands [review]
°	Sin City by James Swain

Best Action Thriller
*	Hero by Thomas Perry [review]
°	Assassin Eighteen by John Brownlow
°	First Strike by Stephen Leather
°	The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey [review]
°	Hunted by Abir Mukherjee [review]
°	The Price You Pay by Nick Petrie [review]

Previous Barry Awards

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2025 SHAMUS AWARDS PRESENTED
The Shamus Awards are given annually by the Private Eye Writers of America to honor excellent work in the Private Eye genre, were presented at the Opening Ceremonies of Bouchercon New Orleans on September 4, 2025. Our congratulations to the winners (listed first in each category) and all the nominees.

The Eye Award

Christine Matthews

Best P.I. Novel
*	Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts [review]
°	Kingpin by Mike Lawson
°	The Hollow Tree by Phillip Miller
°	Farewell, Amethystine by Walter Mosley
°	Death and Glory by Will Thomas

Best P.I. Paperback Original
*	Call of the Void by J.T. Siemens
°	Geisha Confidential by Mark Coggins
°	Quarry’s Return by Max Allan Collins
°	Not Born of Woman by Teel James Glenn
°	Bless Our Sleep by Neil S. Plakcy
°	The Big Lie by Gabriel Valjan

Best First P.I. Novel
*	Twice the Trouble by Ash Clifton [review]
°	The Devil’s Daughter by Gordon Greisman
°	Fog City by Claire M. Johnson
°	The Road to Heaven by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson [review]
°	Holy City by Henry Wise [review]

Best P.I. Short Story
*	“Deadhead” by Tom Andes   Cowboy Jamboree Magazine, Fall 2024
°	“Alibi in Ice” by Libby Cudmore   Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, July/August 2024
°	“Drop Dead Gorgeous” by M.E. Proctor   Janie’s Got a Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Aerosmith
°	“Under Hard Rock” by Ed Teja   Black Cat Weekly #164, October 2024
°	“The Five Cent Detective” by S.B. Watson   Crimeucopia, November 2024

Previous Shamus Awards

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I have enjoyed other novels by Eliza Knight including The Mayfair Bookshop and The Queen’s Faithful Companion. So, when I see her name on a book cover, I am excited.

This time, Knight explores the world of publishing in the early 1960s. To say that women were not highly valued for their skills is an understatement.

As this story opens, Bernadette is working on editorial tasks but is not respected for this. Rather, she is asked to bring her boss’s dirty laundry to the cleaner. Understandably, Bernadette does not appreciate this and wants more. Will she succeed? Will friends that she makes at the New York Public Library help her? Find out in this enjoyable read that also features a likeable editor who has fallen for Bernadette. I recommend it.

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

Pub date:10 June 2025

From the Publisher

This was the first book that I have read by Rachel Hore although she has a substantial backlist. I will, most likely, read some of her others now.

This is a dual time story that readers learn is partly based on the experiences of the author’s family. It is about Nancy and the many people around her, from before her university days and well beyond them, up to the present day. They include her family, fellow students and scientists, academic figures and, romantic interests.

In the present, a journalist named Stef is writing a book about women scientists. She finds that Nancy and others were, in fact, not given credit for their discoveries and achievements. She hopes to change this.

In addition to following Stef’s work and interviews with Nancy, readers spend time with her family and watch as her life intersects even more with Nancy, due to her involvement with her grandson.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book. The settings were beautifully described as was the weather and a storm. I do think that the novel dragged a tiny bit in delineating Nancy’s work with insects in such detail. This is not to say that the work that is described wasn’t important. It was indeed as readers will learn.

Those who enjoy women’s fiction, dual time line stories and immersion into academic life in the 1940s and beyond will want to give this title a look.

I very much enjoyed the three other novels that I read and reviewed by Julia Kelly. They were The Whispers of War; The Light Over London; and The Last Garden in England. Each of these had war as a backdrop for good historical fiction.

Now, Julia Kelly has turned her pen to the post WWII period with this book that has nostalgia, drama, some interesting characters and lots of details. As can be seen from the title, this book is about debs, specifically a group of young women who were among the very last to be presented to royalty in 1958. Such presentations and the seasons that followed were the aspiration of many upper class families.

Here the author follows three different young women; Lily, Leana and Katherine. Each copes with their season in a different way; all of their lives intersect in a kaleidoscope of lunches, suppers, dances, balls, shopping trips, country weekends and more. Those who would like to vicariously sample the dresses, menus and venues will have much to enjoy here.

Each of these young women is looking to find their life’s direction. Follow them on their journey. You will witness friendship, love, conflict and some secrets!

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

Natalie Jenner’s previous novel, The Jane Austen Society, was a true favorite of mine. (See review on my blog). I was so excited when I learned that she had a new novel coming out. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the double thrill of receiving advanced copies of both the audio and print book editions. I enjoyed toggling back and forth between them, being able to listen on my walks and when doing chores.

The audio is read by one of my favorite actresses, Juliet Stevenson. She is brilliant and captures the voices of each of the characters, all of whom have different accents. This audio is a real treat!

Before picking up the novel, I thought that it was a standalone. It can function as that but there are some recurring characters from The JAS. Readers of that book will, undoubtedly, be happy to encounter Evie and some of the others again.

This novel has moved forward in time to the early 1950s. Much of the action (though action is not exactly the correct term for a leisurely read), takes place in a bookshop. This is a bookshop with rules; each chapter is headed by one of them. I loved imagining what the interior looked like based upon the descriptions. I adored the dropping of book title names and the famous real life literary people who came in, including Daphne DuMaurier and Ellen Doubleday.

The story focuses on a number of people who work in the shop. My one minor quibble is that I would call them women not girls, as in the book’s title. Evie is a character from The JAS. A Cambridge graduate, she is not able to easily find a job as the better jobs go to men. How does she get her job in the bookstore? There is some drama around this. Vivien has worked in the shop for a while; she has been thwarted by her inability to advance. She has also faced a tragedy. Change may come for her….Finally, there is Grace. She is presented as calm, practical and less than happy in her marriage. Will anything change for her?

There are a number of men in the story as well. There is the Indian gentleman employee who is interested in entomology. Readers also meet an employee who has a touchy relationship with Vivien. Another character is a Lord who owns the shop. Each of these men is well portrayed. They interact with the book’s female characters.

As was true for The JAS, this is a slower moving book and one to savor. I most highly recommend it. Note: All opinions are my own.

This title will be published on Pub Date 17 May 2022.

A Novel

by Sheila Roberts

#TheBestLifeBookClub #NetGalley

I very much enjoy stories that offer a window into the lives of characters who are facing the sorts of issues that any of us made have to deal with. In this story, for example, there is divorce, death of a spouse, raising kids, looking for and starting new jobs and even a cute dog who needs a bit of training.

Readers get to know Karissa and her daughter who are learning to live with their new circumstances. When they move to their new home, they meet Alice. She was widowed a few years ago. The third primary character is Margot; she, too, has a divorce and (lack of a)job issues with which to deal. In addition, there is also Alice’s sister in the story.

How these women and those around them fare makes for an involving read. Plus, I do love any book that is about books and book clubs.

Anyone who reads book by authors such as Brenda Novak, Susan Mallery will, I think very much enjoy this title. I will now look to read more novels by Roberts.

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

Pub date: 07 May 2024

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Don’t we all want to become the heroine of our own story? Well, welcome to The Best Life Book Club. In a charming setting on an island off the Northwest coast, a set of characters so vivid we want to be their best friends, and a story that keeps us turning the pages, The Best Life Book Club is your book club book of the year. When Karissa, Alice, Margot and Josie discover the power of books and story to change their lives, they must decide whether to take the chance for something new: cue laughter, tears and love. With her trademark wit and warmth, Sheila Roberts delivers a story nestled inside a story, a novel of pure delight! —Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times Bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea


“Sheila Roberts makes me laugh…and come away inspired, hopeful and happy.” —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author

From the Publisher

I have been reading the Maggie Hope mysteries since the first title, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, was published in 2012.  The King’s Justice is the ninth in this historical mystery series.  Any of the books can be read as a standalone but readers of the series will relate to familiar characters including members of Maggie’s family.

The King’s Justice is a complex tale.  By the time that this story takes place, the stresses of war and Maggie’s work life (currently as a bomb disposal expert) are taking their toll.  Maggie is smoking and drinking too much and pushing for intimacy in a relationship where it does not appear wanted.

Into this tense and chaotic life come new challenges.  A Stradivarius violin has been stolen.  Will it be connected to the bigger cases of the novel?

Maggie is working with many Italian conscientious objectors in the UXB squad.  Why are they disappearing?  Are they dead or alive? Where would they go? Who is responsible for what is happening?

As if this were not enough, an imprisoned serial killer from a prior case wants to see Maggie.  He tantalizes her with the possibility of helping to solve another serial murder case that is being investigated, the one dubbed the Jimmy Greenteeth case. Readers will gradually watch the aspects of the story come together.

The author has done her research and posed some big questions.  I learned a lot about how the Italian community  in Britain was treated during WWII.  There are also questions raised as to what justice is or should entail.

There are big themes here and a story that reads very quickly.  My time with Maggie and her circle was well spent.  I already am looking forward to where the author will takes me in the next novel in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.  I honestly recommend all of the books in this series.

#TheKingsJustice #NetGalley

Prior books in the series that I reviewed:

If you like Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and WWII intrigue, you will certainly like this book. I have read and enjoyed all of the novels in this series, starting with Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. Maggie Hope is a resourceful, smart and spunky protagonist who takes great, and possibly foolish, risks, in order to help with the war effort. In The Prisoner in the Castle, Maggie has been exiled to an island where agents who pose a risk to security are secretly being housed. Over the course of Maggie’s stay on the isolated and claustrophobic island, life goes on with one big exception…Maggie’s fellow agents are being killed at a rapid, daily rate. Why? What danger do they present? Who can be trusted? How will the murderer be stopped? Will Maggie survive or could this be the end of the series? You will need to read the novel to find out.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a fun read in an enjoyable series.

The Paris Spy is part of a series set during WW II; The cover illustration for this latest entry is appealing but does not not reflect the gravity of Maggie and her fellow SOE operatives’ risky lives. This book is NOT a cozy mystery; the scenes with interrogation and torture were difficult to read.
I recommend this book. The Paris of the occupation was well drawn and there was an interesting mix of fictional and historical personages, including Coco Chanel. I connected with the characters and worried about their safety.
Occasionally, the plot relied on coincidence and was not completely believable. Nonetheless, I rooted for Maggie and hoped for her mission and England’s success as D-day comes closer. I would definitely recommend that you read other books in this series; the books do not have to be read in order to be enjoyed as some backstory is provided.

Pub date: June 1, 2021

The Bombay Prince is the third of Ms. Massey’s titles featuring Perveen Mistry. This one is my favorite!

The story is set in the early 20th century when Perveen was the first female solicitor in India. Perveen was educated at Oxford when she could not attend law school in her own country. She is in a practice with her father.

At the time that this story begins, Prince Edward is traveling to India. It is a time of unrest and protest as many in India would like to leave British rule behind. Some of those who are protesting are students. In this context Freny, a young college student, consults with Perveen. Freny is later murdered (not really a spoiler as this happens early in the book). Who killed her? Why?

The story itself moves at a leisurely pace. Readers get to know Perveen better in this book. There is more time spent with her family. Perveen’s friend Alice and Colin (from the second book) also are quite present.

The settings are beautifully presented. There are the college, the hotels, clubs, storefronts and more. There is also a lot to learn about Indian culture, foods and funeral customs. The author’s care in including so much detail enhances the reader’s experience.

Ms. Massey has written this series and also an earlier one set in Japan. I recommend all of her books most highly.

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