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

The Hidden Worlds That Shape the Books We Love

by Katie da Cunha Lewin

#TheWritersRoom #NetGalley

As a passionate reader, like others, I have curiosity about the places where authors create their works. Both the cover and title of this book made me want to read it. I am glad that I did.

Following the introduction, this title is broken down into five chapters that reflect the different spaces of writers. For example, chapter one is titled “The Preserved Writer’s Room” while chapter four is called “Temporary Spaces.”

Don’t skip the introduction as it gives the reader a chance to know the author. She has a lot of interesting things to say.

Having read Mrs. Dalloway three times, I was delighted to see that the first place that Da Cunha Lewin visited was Monk’s House where Virginia Woolf wrote. I enjoyed going on from there.

This book has both text and photos to pique the reader’s interest. I think that it can be read in any order. Wherever one dips in, the mix of the author’s thoughts and the descriptions make for good reading.

Anyone who is a reader that is curious about authors and their spaces will want to give this one a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson for this title. All thoughts are my own.

Pub date: 11 September 2025

This anthology of mystery stories has an entertaining conceit…what would it be like to match up authors and their detectives in a story?  Answer…a good idea.  So, in this collection there are pairing of, for example, Val McDermid and Peter James; or Kathy Reichs and Lee Child.  Read their stories to see how the detectives come together.  Also readers will enjoy the introduction to each story in which they learn a bit about the writers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this fun story collection in exchange for an honest review.

Editorial Reviews

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/09/05/books/thriller-book-quiz.html

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/09/08/books/review/cartoons-comics-quiz.html

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/books/review/new-thrillers-fiction.html

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/books/review/the-secret-of-secrets-dan-brown.html

I had been curious about this book for a while. I am always intrigued by books about books.

Three young women who need to figure out their lives are eager to visit the area where a favorite book/movie took place. Like the characters in that story, each is thinking about next steps.

Emily has a talent for sewing. She is unsure about whether she should abandon a safe job to risk starting her own business. Rachel is about to move in with her (controlling) boyfriend. Will she change her mind? And Tori, at the last minute cannot go on this trip, because her father is upset with her reckless spending. Will she mature and find a job?

Into the story, also comes Alex. Alex is a last minute addition to replace Tori. What will this character add to the lives of the others?

This was an enjoyable but not amazing book for me. It was predictable but that was okay for me because I chose it as a comfort read. I would have liked to know more about the book that inspired the characters. Readers learn that it is about three friends but not much more. Given that the book is based on reactions of the characters to it, a bit more would have been welcome.

This was the first book that I read by the author. It ties up neatly.

I am pretty sure that I will pick up something else that Swain has written. Sometimes escape is what I want.

From the publisher:

Two feuding co-stars in a Jane Austen film adaptation accidentally travel back in time to the Regency Era in this delightfully clever and riotously funny debut

Tess Bright just scored her dream role starring in an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. It’s not just the role of a lifetime, but it’s also her last chance to prove herself as a serious actress (no easy feat after being fired from her last TV gig) and more importantly, it’s her opportunity to honor her mom, who was the biggest fan of Jane Austen ever. But one thing is standing in Tess’s way—well, one very tall, annoyingly handsome person, actually: Hugh Balfour.

A serious British method actor, Hugh wants nothing to do with Tess (whose Teen Choice Awards somehow don’t quite compare to his BAFTA nominations). Hugh is a type-A, no-nonsense, Royal Academy prodigy, whereas Tess is big-hearted, a little reckless, and admittedly, kind of a mess. But the film needs chemistry—and Tess’s career depends on it.

Sparks fly, but not in the way Tess hoped, when an electrical accident sends the two feuding co-stars back in time to Jane Austen’s era. 200 years in the past with only each other to rely on, Tess and Hugh need to ad-lib their way through the Regency period in order to make it back home, and hopefully not screw up history along the way. But if a certain someone looks particularly dashing in those 19th century breeches…well, Tess won’t be complaining.

A wickedly funny, delightfully charming story, The Austen Affair is a tribute to Jane Austen, second chances, and love across the space-time continuum.

My thoughts:

Having just spent a semester reading all six of Austen’s major novels, I loved the experience of entering her world. I have also enjoyed a number of Austen spinoffs so was curious about this title. It offers a fun and entertaining read.

Northanger Abbey was the final Austen book that I read so it was fresh in my mind when I picked up this novel. It was entertaining to think about what the protagonists, feuding though they may be, would do with an Austen adaptation.

When Tess and Hugh are sent back in time due re to an accident, readers are given immersion in Austen’s time. How will the two from times manage there? And, how will they get back to the modern world? Readers will enjoy finding out as they watch the relationship between Tess and Hugh evolve.

The Austen Affair is an entertaining enemies to lovers story. It offers a nice escape. Kirkus Reviews agrees, giving this title one of its coveted stars.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press-St. Martin’s Griffin for this title. All opinions are my own. Also thanks to Macmillan for the audio of this title. I went back and forth, reading when I could and listening while on the go. The narration was engaging and enhanced my experience with this title.

Pub date: 16 September 2025

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

A Novel

by Laura Imai Messina-an e book bargain

#TheHeartbeatLibrary #NetGalley

I absolutely adored Messina’s first novel, The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World. It was tender and heartfelt. It did not look away from tragedy and, at the same time, showed such faith in humanity.

Once again, Messina writes with her unique voice and moves the reader. Readers should know that there really is a heartbeat library. What a thing to contemplate and to make one think about one’s life and those of others.

As was true in the first book, the cover and design of the novel are beautiful. There are some interior illustrations that are simple and engaging. The novel is constructed uniquely with narrative and other sections of thoughts and revelations.

The story is about a man, Shuichi, and a child Kenta. Part of their connection came through Shuichi’s mother. She is no longer alive. Shuichi is clearing out her belongings and thinking about their relationship and his life. When he notices some things are being taken, he comes to see and know Kenta, a boy who has had struggles. Both Kenta and Shuichi have their stories and they are well told here.

Here is another moving and emotionally resonant novel by a talented author.

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

Pub date: 22 October 2024

The first book

It is only for the most special of calls: The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World