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Sunday, October 31, 2021

More October Books by Emma Jameson, Sherry Thomas, Jeffrey Deaver, and Joy Ellis


 A Death at Seascape House by Emma Jameson.  Mystica mentioned this series, and I thought it sounded like fun.  It was.  

Librarian Jemima Jago is divided about her feelings concerning her return to St. Morwenna in the Scilly Isles of Cornwall.  She's excited about the opportunity to catalog St. Morwenna's largest collection of antique books, but she left twenty years ago under less than auspicious circumstances and dreads seeing some of the residents.  

Immediately on her return, Jemma discovers the body of the island busy-body, meets an old boyfriend, and becomes the chief suspect in the murder.  Not as cozy as many cozies, although there is an amateur detective, a closed community, and no graphic violence, there is more depth and character development.

Light and often amusing at times, some quirky characters; I enjoyed it and went on to read the next one which I'll review later.

Kindle Unlimited.  2021.  Print length:  278 pages.  

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Miss Moriarty, I Presume (Lady Sherlock #6) by Sherry Thomas continues the adventures of Charlotte Homes, Lord Ash, Mrs. Watson, and Livia.  Another series I've followed from the beginning, enjoying the plots and the characters.  This plot is more complicated than the earlier ones and depends a great deal on having read the previous books.  

Moriarty, using the pseudonym of Mr. Baxter, arrives at Baker Street to hire Holmes (and he knows that Charlotte IS Holmes) to find out about his daughter who is secluded at religious estate in Cornwall.  The usual bravado Charlotte has shown previously is absent here; she is afraid of Moriarty--for herself and for her friends.  She can't refuse, but is aware that Moriarty wants to ensnare her in some way.

Lots of twists in this one, but this one felt very different from earlier installments.

NetGalley/Berkley Pub. Nov. 2, 2021.  Print length:  368 pages.

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The Midnight Lock by Jeffrey Deaver.  I haven't read a Lincoln Rhyme, the quadriplegic forensic scientist and criminologist, book in years, but I enjoyed reuniting with the familiar and relatable characters and the suspenseful, complex plots.

One thread has a young woman awake to discover that while she slept, someone has been in her apartment, moving things around, eating cookies while sitting in a chair watching her sleep, then taking a pair of her underwear, and leaving a note signed "The Locksmith" behind.  Creepy--especially as part of the story is told from the Locksmith's pov.  The indication is that at this point, the Locksmith is content to just mess with her mind.  But he has other victims lined up as well, perhaps with intentions to more than frighten his victims.

The other plotline has Lincoln Rhyme forced to admit to a forensic error in the trial of a powerful and influential mobster.  It results in the Mayor ending Lincoln's job as consultant for the NYPD, which also means that he has to surrender all evidence in the Locksmith case as well. He is not to be involved in any police work.   But Amelia Sachs, Ron Pulaski, and Lon Sellito work at getting around the constraints placed on Lincoln by the Mayor.   

There is quite a lot going on in this book--devious and twisty misdirections keep the reader from fully seeing the entire picture and there are threads that tangle in unexpected ways.

I enjoyed a revisit to the Lincoln Rhyme novels and really should catch up on some the books I've missed over the years.

NetGalley/Penguin Group.  Nov. 30, 2021.  Print length:  400 pages.

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The Night Thief (Jackman & Evans #8) by Joy Ellis has a similar creepy character as in The Midnight Lock--invading houses where women are sleeping and taking only photographs of their sons.  At first, it seems the culprit might be Ratty, who is known for midnight visits, but the photographs are certainly atypical as Ratty has never stolen anything.  So who is making the visits and stealing photographs of young boys...and why?

Rowan Jackman's partner, psychologist Laura Archer, has a patient who has been referred to her for his sleepwalking episodes.  Something about him bothers Laura and she reaches out to Sam Page for help with the man's somnambulism.  

One reason I like Joy Ellis' books is that both the Rowan Jackman & Marie Evans and the Nikki Galena & Joe Easter books have well-developed members of their teams.  Over the course of the series, the minor characters have become so familiar, and I always look forward to the way they work together.  It isn't necessary to have read the previous books in the series since the mysteries are completed in each book, but the pleasure of having watched the secondary characters come to life over the series is a large part of my enjoyment in the books.  

NetGalley/Joffe Books.  Nov. 18, 2021.  Print length:  370 pages.

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Two books set in Cornwall (although only A Death at Seascape House makes the most of the setting)  and two with midnight visitors.  

22 comments:

  1. I wouldn't mind reading all of these, but I'm especially interested in The Midnight Lock and A Death at Seascape House. They both sound so good! :)

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    1. From cozies to thrillers, I will read anything. I enjoyed all of these. :)

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  2. I'm intrigued by that Sherlock Holmes related series you mention, but I think I'm going to hold off on it a while until I can read more of the Laurie R. King books. Reading any Sherlock Holmes kind of fiction always reminds me of my earliest reading days, and that's kind of a nice side effect for those books to have.

    And there's Jeffry Deaver again, another of those guys I'm still not reading. Looking back, I see one book of his I've read, and that was 2010. He must be a whole lot better than I gave him credit for because EVERYONE seems to be reading him regularly. I'm going to have to try another one of his soon.

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    1. I do love a Sherlock pastiche. Laurie King, Sherry Thomas, Liese Sherwood-Fabre, Nicholas Meyer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Anna Waterhouse's Mycroft Holmes books, Martin Davies, John Gardner, and Donald Thomas, and many more that I've read with some take on the Holmes pseudo-canon. :)

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  3. These all do sound like good reads but I'm especially interested in that Emma Jameson book. Adding it to my TBR list.

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    1. I'm not even sure why I liked the Emma Jameson book--it simply appealed to me. Better developed characters and details than a typical cozy. I also enjoyed the next one that Mystica mentioned, A Death at Candlewick Castle. Not literature, but a fun interlude. :)

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  4. These book covers all look quite alluring. You're reading them quickly!

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    1. I did a lot of reading during October--mostly light reading, but interesting.

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  5. I'm glad you liked the Jameson book. I got reckless and got the whole lot! I also would recommend Briggs as an excellent mystery murder detective series. I got a couple on Netgalley but the rest on Amazon are quite pricey!

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    1. I did enjoy it, and I liked the second book as well, but haven't reviewed it yet. Thanks for the rec, Mystica!

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  6. Very much looking forward to this new Lady Sherlock book! And it sounds like a good, twisty one. I've certainly enjoyed the Joy Ellis books I've read and keep meaning to try other series that writes and not just stick with Nikki Galena.

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    1. This isn't my favorite Lady Sherlock, but I'm not going to miss any of them. I like the Jackman & Evans series as much as the Nikki Galena books. :)

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  7. All of these books sound really good, like something I'd enjoy. I'm especially drawn to Miss Moriarty, I Presume. I want to check out that series one of these days. :)

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    1. Have you read any of the Lady Sherlock books? I recommend starting with A Study in Scarlet Women! So much fun!

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  8. A Death at Seascape House and The Night Thief sound good to me. I'm glad to hear the latter can be read as a standalone too. :)

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    1. :) I enjoyed both. Not perfect, but entertaining!

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  9. I've only read a couple of Joy Ellis books from her Nikki Galana series. I really enjoy it and look forward to reading more before I explore her other series. I like the sound of the other books too! This is why I love series, you get to catch up with characters you know and go back to settings you feel like you've gotten to know as well.

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    1. When you enjoy both characters and settings, you are hooked! A good series is much more than a good plot. :)

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  10. I don't know if I could read The Midnight Lock - too creepy! A Death at Seascape House sounds good however, I don't like things that are too cozy and a librarian as a protagonist is very tempting.

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    1. The Midnight Lock was creepy! The librarian angle and the island setting appealed to me, and I was happy that it wasn't silly cozy or sweet cozy. :)

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