My Favorite Book of August 2024: Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

“My Google search history alone was probably enough to put me on a government watch list. I wrote suspense novels about murders like this. I’d searched every possible way to kill someone. With every conceivable kind of weapon.”
― Elle Cosimano, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Title: Finlay Donovan is Killing It

Author: Elle Cosimano

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publication Date: February 2, 2021

Goodreads Synopsis:

Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moment, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.

My Thoughts:

I was going through a bit of a reading slump early in the summer, and this book was exactly what I needed to get out of it. It’s not deeply meaningful or realistic, but it was so much fun, I didn’t want to put it down. The twists and turns are so crazy, you never know what will happen next. Finlay Donovan is a great character and I can’t wait to read more books in the series.

September 1, 2024

Let’s Talk About Mysteries

Today’s bookish talk is about mysteries. I don’t really like graphic blood or guts, so I tend to lean more on the side of cozies or historical mysteries. But, I do like an occasional thriller, if it focuses on the psychological aspect. No matter what subgenre, here are the things I look for in a good mystery.

Twists

It goes without saying that you should not be able to solve a good mystery within the first few chapters. I want unexpected twists along the way. Just when the reader thinks they have something figured out, new information should let them know that they must be wrong. I want to gasp at least once during a mystery.

Entertaining, Intelligent Detectives

Whether it’s a real detective or an amateur sleuth, the crime solber should add to the story. I want someone who has interesting quirks. It can be something that helps them or hinders them. I just don’t want them to be a crime solving machine. I want a smart but flawed detective that’s going to add layers to the story beyond solving the mystery. If it’s an amateur sleuth, I want them to show some intelligence, and not just make a bunch of dumb decisions that results in them solving a crime while all of the trained detectives miss the clues.

Realistic Motive

If someone’s going to be murdered, the stakes have to be high, or the killer is insane enough that they think they are. I want to believe that the motive would really drive somebody to commit murder.

Show Me the Clues

Once the culprit is revealed, I should be able to look back and see that all the clues were there. I hate it when there’s an important piece of information that was never hinted at until the reveal at the end.

Some of my favorite mysteries

I only listed first in series or stand alones. Click on the books for their description.

August 12, 2024

My Favorite Read of August 2023

Goodreads Synopsis:

Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing…
Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?

Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).

But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.

Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.

Reasons I loved this book:

It’s hilarious!
Despite her flaws, you can’t help loving Vera
The suspects are all likable, and the murder victim is deplorable
Delicious food and tea descriptions
Found family

September 1, 2023

Throw Back Thursday Book Review 6/1/23

Welcome to my weekly post where I look back at some of my four and five star reads before I started Nicole’s Nook.

Today’s Book: A Beautiful Heist by Kim Foster

Publisher: Kensington Publishing

Publication Date: June 6, 2013

Date Read: December 27, 2014

Favorite Quote: “Sooner or later everyone behaves badly. Some of us are just better at it than others.”
― Kim Foster, A Beautiful Heist

Goodreads Description:

Everyone has a talent. Some are just more legal than others. Cat Montgomery steals jewels for AB&T, the premier agency for thieves in Seattle. Career perks: good pay, great disguises, constant adrenaline rush. Drawbacks: the possibility of jail time…or worse. Now she’s taken on a lucrative side job—recovering a priceless Faberge egg for an alleged Romanov descendent.

Though Cat is working solo, there are plenty of interested players. Her FBI ex-boyfriend is nosing around, as is her former mentor-turned-nemesis. Then there’s the sexy art thief helping—or is he hindering?—her mission. If her luck holds out, this could be the case that allows Cat to retire with her conscience and her life intact. If not, it’ll be her last job for all the wrong reasons…

My Thoughts:

This whole trilogy was a really fun, suspenseful read. Cat is a great gray character who works on the wrong side of the law, but has her own moral code. In fact all of the characters are multi-faceted, most of whom enjoy walking a thin line between right and wrong. This is great for people who like a mysteries which aren’t centered around murder.

June 1, 2023

My Favorite Read of May 2023: A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong

“Everyone needs things that serve no greater purpose than to make them happy.”
― Kelley Armstrong, A Stitch in Time

Goodreads Synopsis:

Thorne Manor has always been haunted… and it has always haunted Bronwyn Dale. As a young girl, Bronwyn could pass through a time slip in her great-aunt’s house, where she visited William Thorne, a boy her own age, born two centuries earlier. After a family tragedy, the house was shuttered and Bronwyn was convinced that William existed only in her imagination.

Now, twenty years later Bronwyn inherits Thorne Manor. And when she returns, William is waiting.

William Thorne is no longer the boy she remembers. He’s a difficult and tempestuous man, his own life marred by tragedy and a scandal that had him retreating to self-imposed exile in his beloved moors. He’s also none too pleased with Bronwyn for abandoning him all those years ago.

As their friendship rekindles and sparks into something more, Bronwyn must also deal with ghosts in the present version of the house. Soon she realizes they are linked to William and the secret scandal that drove him back to Thorne Manor. To build a future, Bronwyn must confront the past.

My Thoughts

This book was a taste of all my favorite genres: romance, fantasy, historical fiction and mystery. It has the feel of a classic with a modern twist. I enjoyed the way Armstrong weaves in just enough small details to build suspense throughtout the story so that you’re guessing until the end.

Reasons I liked A Stitch in Time:

Bronwyn loves William, but doesn’t just give up her life for him
The fun way Bronwyn exchanges information about the future with William through food and financial advice
Enigma the kitten is a great “character” who adds a touch of humor

June 1, 2023

Throw Back Thursday Book Review 5/25/23

Welcome to my weekly post where I look back at some of my four and five star reads before I started Nicole’s Nook. This week I decided to go with a series instead of just one book.

Today’s Books: Cooking Class Mysteries

Publisher: Berkley

Published: 2006-2009

Series Description on Goodreads

Annie Capshaw, recently divorced, and her ex-beauty queen best friend, Eve DeCateur, in Arlington, Virginia, in the Cooking Class mysteries.

Cooking Up Murder:

When Annie Capshaw and her best friend Eve take a gourmet cooking class together, they discover that murder is on the menu when a mysterious man is found dead in the parking lot after arguing with a fellow student, causing this case to come to a boil as they get closer to the truth.

Murder on the Menu:

Annie, Eve, and their former cooking teacher, while trying to keep their new restaurant afloat, investigate the apparent suicide of their friend Sarah, a staffer for a powerful congressman, but when they get too close to the truth, a series of mysterious “accidents” befalls them.

Dead Men Don’t Get the Munchies:

When Annie’s boyfriend, the owner of D.C.’s latest hotspot, offers a six-week bar-food cooking class, tensions boil over after one of his students is murdered and her best friend Eve is accused of the crime.

Dying for Dinner:

When Annie leaves the safety of her old bank job to become the full-time manager of her boyfriend’s restaurant, what’s meant to be the first day of the rest of her life might be the last day of someone else’s.

Murder has a Sweet Tooth:

Annie Capshaw has found that the way to a man’s heart is through his cooking class. But just as she and her best friend, Eve, are planning Annie’s big day with Jim, her former cooking instructor turned boss, murder takes the cake. Make that the wedding cake…

My Thoughts:

I’ve never liked gory stories, so I didn’t read a lot of mysteries, then I started hearing about cozies. These were recommended to me as a starting place for cozies. These are perfect for people who want a lighter murder mystery. Along with the mysteries there’s a dash of romance and a pinch of friendship. Plus there’s recipes.

May 25, 2023

Top Five Wednesday 5/17/23

Top Five Wednesday is a Goodreads group that responds to weekly bookish prompts.

May 17th: Mysteries

May is considered “Mystery Month,” so let’s share some of our favorite mystery reads!

I prefer mysteries which are not graphic, and focus more on characterization and motive. I read an occasional thriller, but lean more towards historical or cozy mysteries.

The Lady Julie Grey series is one of my favorite of any genre.

I loved this mystery and found Lena to be a lot more relatable than a lot of protagonists in cozy mysteries.

The Cormaran Strike novels are written by J.K. Rowling under pen name Robert Galbraith. These mysteries are so good and a completely different writing style than Harry Potter

This is book three in the Lady Darby Mystery Series. This is my favorite, but I would recommend reading them in order.

The Australian Outback setting adds an interesting level of danger to this mystery. This is more of a slow burn mystery where a lot of time is spent developing the back story and family relationships.

May 17, 2023

Throw Back Thursday Book Review

Welcome to my weekly post where I look back at some of my four and five star reads before I started Nicole’s Nook.

Today’s book: Snow White Red-Handed by Maia Chance

Publishers: Berkely Prime Crime

Publication Date:November 4, 2014

Date Read: September 3, 2016

My Rating: 4 stars

Favorite Quote:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Miss Ophelia Flax is a Victorian actress who knows all about making quick changes and even quicker exits. But to solve a fairy-tale crime in the haunted Black Forest, she’ll need more than a bit of charm…

1867: After being fired from her latest variety hall engagement, Ophelia acts her way into a lady’s maid position for a crass American millionaire. But when her new job whisks her off to a foreboding castle straight out of a Grimm tale, she begins to wonder if her fast-talking ways might have been too hasty. The vast grounds contain the suspected remains of Snow White’s cottage, along with a disturbing dwarf skeleton. And when her millionaire boss turns up dead—poisoned by an apple—the fantastic setting turns into a once upon a crime scene.

To keep from rising to the top of the suspect list, Ophelia fights through a bramble of elegant lies, sinister folklore, and priceless treasure, with only a dashing but mysterious scholar as her ally. And as the clock ticks towards midnight, she’ll have to break a cunning killer’s spell before her own time runs out…

My Thoughts:

This book combines all of my favorite genres: romance, mystery, historical fiction and fantasy. As if that isn’t great enough, there’s also a fairy tale connection. This is a delightful twist on fairytale retellings, where they are investigating the truth behind Snow White’s story.

April 13, 2023

My Favorite Read of March 2023:Thin Ice by Paige Shelton

“I knew I was keeping it together by only the thinnest of threads, but that was better than not keeping it together at all.”
Paige Shelton, Thin Ice

Goodreads Synopsis:

Beth Rivers is on the run – she’s doing the only thing she could think of to keep herself safe. Known to the world as thriller author Elizabeth Fairchild, she had become the subject of a fanatic’s obsession. After being held in a van for three days by her kidnapper, Levi Brooks, Beth managed to escape, and until he is captured, she’s got to get away. Cold and remote, Alaska seems tailor-made for her to hideout.

Beth’s new home in Alaska is sparsely populated with people who all seem to be running or hiding from something, and though she accidentally booked a room at a halfway house, she feels safer than she’s felt since Levi took her. That is, until she’s told about a local death that’s a suspected murder. Could the death of Linda Rafferty have anything to do with her horror at the hands of Levi Brooks?

As Beth navigates her way through the wilds of her new home, her memories of her time in the van are coming back, replaying the terror and the fear–and threatening to keep her from healing, from reclaiming her old life again. Can she get back to norma, will she ever truly feel safe, and can she help solve the local mystery, if only so she doesn’t have to think about her own?

My Thoughts:

This book was a great kick off for a mystery series. The Alaskan setting is perfect for a murder mystery. The isolation and harsh weather conditions add an element of danger. Normally, I find it improbable when series are set in small communities that have murders take place every couple of months. It works here for a couple of reasons. First, it’s a place people in trouble go to as an escape. Second, there’s a halfway house bringing in a criminal element. So, the danger makes sense. I also like that there are two mysteries: the main mystery which is solved within the book, and the bigger mystery of Paige’s stalker which I assume will progress in each book.

Reasons I liked Thin Ice:

Alaskan setting
Cast of interesting characters
Interesting subplots
Main character is a writer

March 31, 2023

My favorite read of February 2022: The Pirate Vishnu by Gigi Pandian

Pirate Vishnu (Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery, #2) — The Pirate Vishnu

Goodreads Synopsis:

A century-old treasure map of San Francisco’s Barbary Coast. Sacred riches from India. Two murders, one hundred years apart. And a love triangle… Historian Jaya Jones has her work cut out for her.

1906. Shortly before the Great San Francisco Earthquake, Pirate Vishnu strikes the San Francisco Bay. An ancestor of Jaya’s who came to the U.S. from India draws a treasure map…

Present Day. Over a century later, the cryptic treasure map remains undeciphered. From San Francisco to the southern tip of India, Jaya pieces together her ancestor’s secrets, maneuvers a complicated love life she didn’t count on, and puts herself in the path of a killer to restore a revered treasure.

My Thoughts:

This is the second full length book in the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery series. The character relationships will make more sense if you’ve read Artifact, but it could be read as a standalone. All of her life, Jaya Jones has been told stories about her Great Uncle Anand who died rescuing a friend during the San Fransisco Earthquake. But, then a lawyer shows up at her door with a treasure map that implies he might not have been so heroic after all. When the lawyer is murdered, Jaya knows there’s more to the story. I really like Pandian’s storytelling technique. She alternates between Jaya’s investigation and flashbacks of her ancestor. It’s a light, cozy mystery series, but I also learned about Indian history and culture.