2 More Mysteries to Add to Your Reading List

by Donna Huber

I don't know if I've just been craving crime fiction this summer or if I've just lucked out with some great reads. Out of all the books I've read this summer, mysteries have been the best reads. Here are two more to add to your list.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

The Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina Bivald

August 2024; Dreamscape Media; 9781666668353
audio (13h 31m), ebook, print; mystery

The small, rundown village of Great Diddling is full of stories—author Berit Gardner can feel it. The way the villagers avoid outsiders, the furtive stares and whispers in the presence of newcomers… Berit can sense the edge of a story waiting to be unraveled, and she's just the person to do it. In fact, with a book deadline looming over her and no manuscript (not even the idea for a manuscript, truth be told), Berit doesn't just want this story. She needs it.

I picked up this book because I thought Great Diddling was a great name for a town. Then I found out that the author is Swedish. I've tried a few Scandinavian novels but haven't enjoyed them and I was starting to think that, like Russian literature, it just wasn't going to be something I liked. Well, Katarina Bivald proved that wrong. Perhaps because it was set in England it was familiar but whatever the reason, I found myself really entertained by the story and the characters.

It kind of reminded me of M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series and I had to check to see if the narrator was the same as I've listened to several books in that series. I looked through Helen Lloyd's listing of books on Goodreads, but I haven't listened to anything else she's narrated. She was great as the narrator of this book.

This story turned out to be much more bookish than I thought it would be. The village puts on a literary festival and there is a lot of talk about books.

I enjoyed the characters. However, there were a lot of characters and it made it difficult to follow the audiobook because I couldn't remember who some of the characters were. Also, the story doesn't stay focused on the murder - I actually forgot for a while that someone had been murdered as I got caught up in the flurry of activity around the literary festival.

The festival definitely provided levity. The town wants to have big-name authors give talks. However, they don't have a lot of time to pull it off and none of the authors can make it so the organizers had to find impersonators. You can imagine how that went.

Overall, it was a great book with fun characters and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Buy The Murders in Great Diddling at Amazon

An Irish Bookshop Murder by Lucy Connely

August 2024; Bookouture; 978-1835257173
audio, ebook, print (282 pages); cozy mystery 

After receiving an unexpected inheritance from her grandfather, Mercy and her twin sister Lizzie are now the proud owners of a charming antique bookshop in the tiny Irish village of Shamrock Cove. But before they can take in the beautiful view of the sea, one of their neighbors drops dead!

A cozy mystery featuring a bookshop - count me in! 

An Irish Bookshop Murder is the first book in Lucy Connely's new cozy mystery series. It is a great start. I immediately liked the characters though Mercy's constant hovering over her sister was annoying by the end. I understand Lizzie has gone through something traumatic but I think she is stronger than her sister is letting her be. I hope this thread gets snipped quickly.

Shamrock Cove sounds like a cute town but I worry about the closed nature of the court. I tire of series quickly when there is a murder occurring in a small town every time - it's either a resident or a visitor and it just becomes ridiculous. The court residents can't be the suspects every time. Perhaps there is more to the town than we saw in this novel as it was largely focused on introducing the core characters.

When I read a book I usually hear the characters in my head but the dialogue didn't really give the Irish characters an Irish accent in my head. The same could be said of Lizzie Mercy. I get Mercy not having much of an accent as she has been living in New York, but I would have thought Lizzie would have sounded more Texan. It's a minor complaint but I think how the characters sound is part of the world-building and right now they could have been in any small town anywhere in the world.

The murder victim gives Mercy (and the readers) a great opportunity to get to know the other residents so this was really more of a foundational novel. But even so, it was enjoyable. 

There are several subplots running through the book so I'm not sure how easy this series will be to jump in anywhere but lucky for you reading this review you can get in on the ground floor. But don't delay, book 2 comes out in November.

Buy An Irish Bookshop Murder 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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