Molly Gray is the crime-solving Head Maid at London’s Regency Grand Hotel in THE MYSTERY GUEST the second book in the adorable and bestselling Molly the Maid series. Socially challenged, Molly has an eye for details that others miss. The Regency Grand is thrilled to...
#reviews category
The Forgotten Masters of World War II Thrillers
Jan 19, 2024 | #reviews
In the aftermath of World War II and horror of the Holocaust, the now-forgotten masters of World War II thrillers including Herman Wouk, Ken Follett, and Leon Uris wrote sweeping sagas of lives torn apart by war for an audience that had lived through the violence and...
Shepherd is a better Goodreads with a unique recommendation feature
Dec 15, 2023 | #noticed, #reviews
It's time to celebrate! Shepherd.com is your new go-to book recommendation wonderland. Shepherd.com, is a new(ish) platform to find books. It's considerably more interesting than Goodreads and has fewer trolls, too. What makes Shepherd so different is the vast number...
Your top books of 2023, according to Mystery Ahead
Dec 12, 2023 | #reviews
Every year, I calculate which books in the Mystery Ahead newsletter were most popular with readers. The top books of 2023 were clicked on the most out of the 75 books featured in the newsletter this year. One of my books claimed the top spot (not always the case!)...
Book review: RECKONING by Baron Birtcher
Sep 25, 2023 | #reviews
New favorite series alert! Sheriff Ty Dawson solves murder and corruption cases in must-read police procedural RECKONING by Baron Birtcher. Dawson joins Walt Longmire and Cork O’Connor as lawmen whose investigations are driven by a personal code of honor and the...
Book Review: GRIMM UP NORTH by David J. Gatward
Sep 15, 2023 | #reviews
Now and then, you stumble across a series that is simply captivating and you have to inhale one book right after the other. The DCI Harry Grimm series set in the Yorkshire dales, is that kind of addictive series. GRIMM UP NORTH is the first and a terrific introduction...
Book Review: THE TWYFORD CODE by Janice Hallett
Jul 18, 2023 | #reviews
At first, I was skeptical of a book made entirely of audio transcripts. No, let me back up. At first, I assumed that the audio transcripts were a clever introduction and then the rest of the book would be standard fiction prose. But in fact, The Twyford Code is...
Book Review: RED KNIFE by William Kent Krueger
Jun 23, 2023 | #reviews
RED KNIFE by William Kent Krueger This dramatic addition to the outstanding Cork O’Connor series has it all: a main character firmly grounded in both past and present, intriguing secondary characters, red herrings in abundance, and a central mystery that seems...
4 Unputdownable Thrilling Spy Reads
Jun 9, 2023 | #deception101, #reviews
Need Father's Day ideas? How about a couple of thrilling spy reads? As a retired CIA officer, I can vouch for the authenticity of each book on this list. Well-crafted, spine-tingling action, authentic details that comes from a deep well of research and/or personal...
25 International Mystery Series to Take You Around the World
Jun 1, 2023 | #noticed, #reviews
A hand-selected list of international mystery series that will take you around the world. How many have you read?AFRICA 1 Precious Ramotswe series by Alexander McCall Smith Main character: Precious Ramotswe is the “traditionally built” proprietress of the Number 1...
Book Review: 10 DAYS by Jule Selbo
May 5, 2023 | #reviews
This Portland, Maine mystery has it all—a wounded, complicated heroine, a multi-faceted investigation with save-the-world implications, and oodles of atmosphere. Best of all, this is just the first in what promises to be a great new mystery series. Dee Rommel is a...
Book Review: SENSE OF GRACE by Richard F. McGonegal
Apr 28, 2023 | #reviews
This police procedural offers the best first sentence that I’ve read lately. The overall pace and plotting meet that high bar, making this a fast page-turner. Sheriff Francis Hood of Huhman County, Missouri, is a savvy and compassionate lawman but also a recovering...
Book Review: THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT by Jim Nesbitt
Mar 17, 2023 | #reviews
THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT is a noir gem, peppered with American muscle cars, a hard-drinking hero, and universal life lessons. Ed Earl Burch is a Dallas private eye of a certain age. With an angel on one shoulder and the devil everywhere else, he’s too young to retire,...
Book Review: Family Secrets Come with the House in SQUATTER’S RIGHTS
Feb 11, 2023 | #reviews
In SQUATTER’S RIGHTS by Cheril Thomas, compelling family secrets come with the house. The first book in the Eastern Shores Mysteries introduces us to attorney Grace Reagan, who just bought the huge money pit on Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore where her mother grew up....
Book review: THE MONOGRAM MURDERS by Sophie Hannah
Jan 13, 2023 | #reviews
I love reading a good mystery as much as I love writing them! Here's what I read this week. A new Hercule Poirot mystery Mystery fans can’t get enough of Agatha Christie’s fussy Belgian detective (cue Sir Kenneth Branagh, please!) and THE MONOGRAM MURDERS shows why....














