Eleanor Dash is back—and so is the murder.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ In No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding, the second installment of The Vacation Mysteries series, Eleanor and her friends head to picturesque Catalina Island to celebrate a secret celebrity wedding. Fresh off wrapping the film adaptation of their Rome adventure (When in Rome), the group is ready for love, laughter, and relaxation. But when ominous anonymous letters begin to surface (hinting at an impending murder) and a storm traps everyone on the island, the celebration quickly takes a dark turn.

Catherine Mack blends humor, suspense, and glitzy Hollywood drama into a tightly plotted whodunit that’s impossible to pause. Narrator Elizabeth Evans brings Eleanor and her world vividly to life, striking the perfect balance between light-hearted charm and gripping tension. Her performance adds depth and personality to every twist and turn.

Publication Date: May 13th

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing an advance listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ventured down to Virginia-Highlands and into the bookstore there.

Nine 4 star reads for April. Several had one of my favorite tropes, found-family mixed with my favorite genre, cozy mystery. Great reading month all around.

• Death in Douglas Glade (The Milverton Mysteries #3) G.B. Ralph ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder at Gulls Nest (Nora Breen Investigates #1) Jess Kidd ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) (Vera Wong, #2) Jesse Q. Sutanto ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Railway Conspiracy (A Dee and Lao Mystery Book 2) John Shen Yen Nee ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder in Masquerade (Lady of Letters #2) Mary  Winters ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• 10 Marchfield Square Nicola  Whyte ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Maid’s Secret (Molly the Maid, #3) Nita Prose ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Witness 8 (Eddie Flynn #8) Steve Cavanagh ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Beast of Littleton Woods (A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, #12) T.E. Kinsey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Seven books for March, plus I listened to Sunrise on the Reaping twice. This is much less than usual for me; I blame the anomaly on my obsession with re-watching all 15 seasons of ER because of the new show The Pitt.

I re-listened to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows because of Kierra Lewis finishing the series.

Favorite: Sunrise on the Reaping (will be reading again soon)

• Once for Yes Allie Millington ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Homicide in the Indian Hills (A Jane Wunderly Mystery #6) Erica Ruth Neubauer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7) J.K. Rowling ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Case of the Christie Conspiracy (The Detection Club, #1) Kelly Oliver ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Spellman Files (The Spellmans, #1) Lisa Lutz ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Psycho (Psycho, #1) Robert Bloch ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games #0.5) Suzanne Collins ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Our favorite newlywed sleuth, Jane Wunderly, is back; this time traveling through India with her husband, the ever-enigmatic spy, Redvers. Set against the backdrop of growing resistance to British colonial rule, this installment is rich with intrigue, political tensions, and characters with compelling motives.

As someone with several friends and colleagues from India, I appreciate historical fiction that offers a deeper cultural context. Even though this is a mystery, it provides an engaging glimpse into the era’s complexities. Jane and Redvers continue to be a dynamic investigative duo, and I love how emotionally connected I feel to their characters. I can’t wait to see where their next adventure takes them!

The audiobook experience was elevated by Sarah Zimmerman’s outstanding narration. Her voice is perfectly suited to the role, bringing both depth and charm to the story.

Special thanks to @netgalley and RBMedia for providing a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Allie Millington has done it again, weaving a heartfelt story where an inanimate object plays a crucial role in helping a child/family in distress. This time, the focal point is The Odenburgh, an old building on the verge of demolition to make way for a sleek, modern replacement. For 11-year-old Prue, the fight to save her home becomes intertwined with a deeper, more personal quest; to uncover the truth about her sister’s tragic death a year earlier at the age of 12.

Prue’s imagination shines throughout the book, particularly in the way she interprets people’s moods as weather patterns. This unique perspective adds depth to her character and makes her emotions feel vividly real.

The audiobook narration, performed by Sophie Amoss and Johnny Heller, is exceptional. Both narrators bring their characters to life with heartfelt emotion, enhancing the storytelling experience.

Millington’s first novel, Olivetti, was my favorite book last year. I even attended an author event to meet her and enthusiastically recommended it to others, gifting copies to friends and family. Her signature blend of empathy and humor is truly refreshing, and Once for Yes only cements her place as a must-read author for me. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Thanks to @NetGalley & RBMedia for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Finlay, Vero, and the ever-grumpy Mrs. Haggerty are back in another wild, laugh-out-loud mystery. It’s rare for a series to maintain its momentum five books in, but Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave might just be the most fun yet. By this point, Finlay and Vero feel less like characters and more like old friends; chaotic, crime-adjacent friends, but friends nonetheless.

This time, Mrs. Haggerty finds herself in a bit of a predicament when a dead body turns up in her backyard. With her home now an active crime scene, she strong-arms her way into crashing in Finlay’s bedroom. But things take a suspicious turn when Finlay starts noticing Mrs. Haggerty’s odd nighttime outings and her suddenly frequent book club meetings. Naturally, hijinks (and trouble) ensue.

One of the highlights of this book is how Mrs. Haggerty helps Finlay’s son grow up a bit—offering tough love in a way only she can. As always, this series shines in its portrayal of women supporting each other through every twist, turn, and crime scene life throws their way.

Angela Dawe delivers another fantastic audiobook performance, bringing each character to life with her signature flair.

A huge thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loose Lips
By Kemper Donovan
Ghostwriter Mystery #2
What an absolute delight of a sequel to The Busy Body! Kemper Donovan, an avid Agatha Christie fan (and one of my favorite podcasters), seamlessly weaves a charming homage to Death on the Nile while delivering another brilliant mystery.

This time, our beloved ghostwriter (writing under the pen name Belle) embarks on an almost entirely female cruise, where she’s not only teaching writing workshops but also mingling with authors of various genres. The witty banter and engaging personalities on board had me laughing out loud more times than I could count.

A huge shoutout to Eva Kaminsky, the audiobook narrator, whose performance is pitch-perfect. I was thrilled to hear her return from the first book, she really brings the story to life with her dynamic voice.

Thank you to @netgalley and RBMedia for providing me with a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Published Jan 21, 2025