Old Man Winter is supposed to make a reappearance this weekend so it will be a great time to curl up with a good book, cozy blanket, and a hot beverage. Two recently published mysteries would be perfect for a weekend of binge reading. If you are looking for the edginess of a domestic thriller, then pick up the first recommendation and if you prefer something lighter with great characters, then the second on has your name on it.
Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free book were provided for an honest review.
The Party at No. 12 by Kerry Wilkinson
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| March 2022; Bookouture; 9781803142784 audio (8h 57m), ebook, print; domestic thriller |
I read a lot of Bookouture's cozy mysteries, and I have wanted to try their suspense/thriller novels. When I saw The Pary at No. 12 was available as an audiobook for review, I thought now was a perfect time (I've always have been wanting to try their audiobooks).
Hannah is about to use the inheritance from her grandmother to do some traveling and decides to host a going-away party with family and a few friends. She rents a "party house" (think AirBnB rental) but things look to be more strained than fun when an old friend shows up. Katherine, Sophie, and Hannah had been the best of friends until Sophie started dating, and eventually marrying, Katherine's boyfriend. Hannah hopes this will be an opportunity to bury the hatchet. But when Katherine is found dead the next morning, was it an accident or was someone trying to settle the score?
I usually shy away from mysteries and thrillers on audiobooks because I usually miss details due to distractions. However, this one was pretty easy to listen to. I did confuse Katherine and Charolotte early on, but once I had them straight in my head I was good. Tamsin Kennard narrators the chapters that are from Hannah's point of view and Andrew Kingston narrators Zach's chapters. They both do a great job. Sometimes I find it difficult with changing narrators and characters sounding different but that wasn't the cause with this book.
I'm not a huge fan of the covering up a death trope. I could kind of understand the 20-something characters wanting to cover it up even though they think Katherine's death was an accident. But the two mothers? It's actually Hannah's mother that seems to be leading the cover-up. But once the mystery of what actually happened starts to unravel, I really enjoyed the story.
I was kept guessing and never saw the ending coming. Of course, it made sense in the end but there are a lot of red herrings in the story. I enjoyed the characters. I felt for both Hannah and Zach as they search for answers. Hannah doesn't want to believe that one of her friends or family could be a killer and Zach is bereft over the loss of Katherine and what they could have been.
I didn't want to put this book down. If you want to stay snuggled in a blanket all weekend, then this is the book to pick up.
Buy The Party at No. 12 at Amazon
(Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read the ebook for FREE!)
Wild Irish Rose by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles
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| March 2022; Minotaur Books; 978-1250808059 audio, ebook, print (320 pages); cozy mystery |
I love Bowen's historical fiction and Her Royal Spyness Mysteries. I've only read one other book in her Molly Murphy series which was a Christmas book published in 2017 (read my review). Bowen writes this book with her daughter Clare Broyles. While Wild Irish Rose is book 18 in the series, it isn't necessary to have read the previous books to enjoy this one.
The story is set in the early 1900 and Molly is a relatively recent Irish immigrant. She is married to Daniel who is now a police captain and has two children - a little boy and a teenage girl who Molly had escorted to America when she immigrated. We get a good deal of Molly's past in this book as a murder has occurred on Ellis Island and a newly arrived Irish woman is the prime suspect. It brings back a lot of memories for Molly as she arrived under similar circumstances.
There is a lot of repetitiveness in the story. Sometimes it was something mentioned early on and then again towards the end, but other times information was given and then a few pages later it was repeated with no real reason. I can see this useful if you only get to read a couple of pages at a time, but for me it just felt like filler.
I liked all the characters in this book. I had an inkling as to who the murderer was from almost the start but the mystery still unfolded in a satisfying manner.
If you are looking for a lighter mystery for your weekend reading, then this is the book to get.
Buy Wild Irish Rose at Amazon
Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.
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