The Blighted Bough by Jody Chaffin

September 28, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Blighted Bough by Jody Chaffin
A Larkspur Hollow Garden Club Mystery, Book 3
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

One golden harvest. One rotten secret. Forty-eight puzzles to the truth.

The apples are in and the whole of Larkspur Hollow has turned out for the Harvest Festival — the cider press running, the Green strung with lanterns. Then, on the second morning, Hal Bradley is found dead in the cider cellar. Everyone agrees it was a terrible accident: a careless man, a cellar full of working cider, one bad breath of air. Retired schoolteacher Eleanor “Nell” Ashworth is the only one still asking who put him there.

But this time, the detective is you.

Each chapter hands you a scene and a word search. Solve the puzzle, and the leftover letters reveal a hidden clue — a suspect cleared, a motive exposed, a secret the harvest was never meant to give up. Track them across forty-eight puzzles and you’ll be ready to name the killer, the motive, the means, and the place before Nell does.

No one can outrun the past.

As mentioned in my reviews of the first two stories in this series, I have previously had trouble with the limited character development in this universe. This is something I’m sharing yet again because I’m beginning to see signs of change in this area and I wanted to tip my cap to the author for this. While there’s still work to do as far as making the character well rounded goes, I did feel like I was able to get to know them better in the third instalment and am looking forward to seeing how they grow and change in the future as a result of living in a community where murders happen so regularly.

I struggled with the killer’s motivation this time around. It didn’t seem serious enough to warrant such a violent action, especially given how easy it would be to either hide what this person didn’t want to have revealed or to find people in town who would sympathize with them and not think of it as a scandalous thing in the modern age. As much as I wanted to give this one a higher rating, my difficulty understanding why the antagonist behaved this way was an obstacle to doing so.

With that being said, I loved the historical information about the 1920s and 1930s that was included about how certain parcels of land in this community were used back then. While all of the scenes were set in present day, the past influenced the characters in all sorts of creative ways. This is something that happens in real life fairly regularly as well across a wide variety of topics, so it was cool to see it represented in fiction.

The Blighted Bough was thoughtful.

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The Bitter Berry by Jody Chaffin

September 25, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Bitter Berry by Jody Chaffin
A Larkspur Hollow Garden Club Mystery, Book 2
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Preston Hartwell came home to Larkspur Hollow the golden boy everyone remembered. By the week of the Strawberry Social, he’d made an enemy of nearly everyone. By the end of it, he was dead.

Everyone calls it a tragedy — a good heart giving out in the summer heat. Retired schoolteacher Nell Ashworth calls it murder, and she means to name who’s behind it. But this time, the detective is you.

Solve each chapter’s word search, and the leftover letters reveal a hidden clue: a suspect cleared, a motive exposed, a secret long buried. Across forty-eight puzzles, you’ll gather everything you need to name the killer, the motive, the means, and the place — then find out whether you’ve cracked the case.

Six suspects. One sweet summer social, one bitter secret. A verdict only you can reach.

Nothing can conceal the truth forever.

While these can be read as standalone works, readers who stick to their publishing order will get to learn a little more about the recurring characters over time. I know I was pleased to meet up again with some familiar faces and figure things out about them that weren’t shared in the first instalment. This struck a good balance between encouraging new fans to join in on the fun while also rewarding its existing audience with some information that makes more sense to people who have already visited Larkspur Hollow in their imaginations before.

In my earlier review of “The Buried Bloom,” I mentioned wanting more plot and character development from these books, and I was happy to see the former be given more time to shine in the sequel. There were hints shared about aspects of this community that are such deeply concealed secrets I wondered if anyone outside of that particular family was actually aware of it. Had the recurring characters been given an equal amount of attention, this would have been an easy five-star read for me for sure. My fingers are crossed that I will be able to cross that threshold with a future review.

I adored the bittersweet mystery this time around, especially when it came to how differently a society might treat various members based on how much money or social standing they have. That topic is an especially good one for the cozy mystery genre due to how many different ways it can be explored. While I don’t want to accidentally give away any spoilers, other readers should take close note of how the various characters in this small town behave around each other and well as around outsiders. It’s something that I can only hope will explored more in future instalments of this series.

The Bitter Berry has only increased my desire to experience this entire series!

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A Beautiful Couple by Leslie Wolfe

September 24, 2026 By 1 Comment


A Beautiful Couple by Leslie Wolfe
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Her husband killed someone. She’s the only witness.

Amanda Davis has it all: a beautiful home, a thriving career, and a charismatic husband who is the darling of television news. But when Paul kills someone in a disturbing accident, Amanda’s perfect world shatters. Pulled into a web of manipulation, deceit, and dark secrets, she becomes his unwilling accomplice, trapped in a twisted, dangerous existence that tests the limits of love and loyalty.

As the weight of the secret bears down, Amanda begins to see a side of Paul she’s never known—cold, manipulative, and dangerously unpredictable. His charm fades, replaced by a chilling determination to keep their secret at any cost. The walls are closing in: the police are investigating, strange events unsettle her, and Paul’s behavior grows more menacing by the day.

Trapped and isolated, Amanda realizes she’s not just covering up an accident—she’s become a prisoner in her own life. With her sanity and safety on the line, she must decide: How far will she go to escape the web of lies? And who can she trust when the one person she thought she knew best becomes a threat?

I really enjoyed A Beautiful Couple by Leslie Wolfe. One of the strengths of this book is the author’s descriptive writing style. The use of first-person narration made it easy to get inside the characters’ heads and understand their motivations, fears, and suspicions. It added an extra layer of tension as the story unfolded. The suspense kept me turning the pages because I was constantly wondering how everything would work out and whether one character would eventually turn on the other. The pacing was steady throughout, and I appreciated that the dialogue and internal thoughts felt believable, at times, I felt like I was eavesdropping on a real married couple.

Paul, the husband, was especially easy to dislike. As a charismatic and eye-catching television news personality, his polished public charm stood in stark contrast to his cold, manipulative private behavior, creating a major driving force for the book’s tension and making the character dynamics fascinating to watch unfold. The story also delivered a twist that I definitely didn’t see coming. It was very unusual, but in a good way making the ending truly memorable.

After finishing the last page, I found myself puzzled: in my haste to see how the author would wrap up this snowball of drama, had I somehow missed the explanation of who committed one of the murders, or whether there would be any consequences from the self-defense incident? Those unanswered details left me wanting a bit more closure.

Overall, this was an entertaining psychological thriller that kept me engaged from beginning to end. I would definitely recommend it to fans of suspenseful domestic thrillers, and I’m interested in reading more books by Leslie Wolfe after finishing this one.

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Love Story, With Murders by Harry Bingham

September 23, 2026 By Leave a Comment

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Love Story, With Murders by Harry Bingham
Publisher: Orion Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A freezing cold winter. A dead body from the past. A tale of love – and murder. A human leg is discovered in a suburban freezer. The victim is a teenage girl killed some ten years earlier. But then other body parts start appearing. And these ones are male, dark-skinned, and very fresh… Is this a tangled tale of love gone wrong? Or are there more sinister lines connecting the dead bodies to a recent tragedy in a Cardiff prison, and an engineering company that’s up to a whole lot more than is first apparent? Fiona Griffiths starts to investigate, in the midst of the coldest winter on record. Up in a remote cottage in the Welsh Black Mountains, she finds the data that contains the clue to the entire mystery. But, as the first snow starts to fall, she discovers that she’s not alone…

DC Fiona Griffiths is called to join in a very large team of Welsh officers when the leg of a dead young woman is found in the garage freezer of a deceased elderly lady. Soon, many other body parts of the woman is discovered in the neighboring suburbs and the body is identified as that of a missing young woman from ten years ago. Only a few clearly male body parts are also discovered and Fiona is drawn into a complicated puzzle.

This is the second book involving Fiona Griffiths and her unusual outlook and I enjoyed this one as thoroughly as the first. Readers should know that while this book can easily be read by itself – Fiona is quite a quirky character and this book might be easier to grasp having read the first. That said the plot and much of Fiona’s character growth is very well encapsulated in this story.

I loved the setting of Wales. This atmosphere felt quite a bit grittier and harder than many of the British police procedurals I regularly read. Fiona is also quite a complicated character and I find her perspective on things to be unique and highly enjoyable to read. I also clearly acknowledge that this very different perspective won’t suit every readers tastes. With a somewhat grim and non-standard outlook readers who enjoy a cozier style of mystery might not find this clicks quite right with them.

With a strong cast of secondary characters, a very different style of story being told and a strong and deliciously complicated series of murders I found this to be an exceptional book and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment. Recommended.

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The Price of Borrowed Coffee by Richard Price

September 22, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Price of Borrowed Coffee by Richard Price
Publisher: Indigo River Publishing
Genre: Historical, Non-fiction
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

In the summer of 1945, the law in Cooktown, Georgia, didn’t seek the truth-it sought a scapegoat.

When “Mae” Cook was found murdered, the town’s rage fell onto Charlie Lee Price, a young Black man whose speech disorder left him defenseless against a mob. He was accused, hunted, and killed without trial after already enduring a lifetime of abuse.

This is his story, decades later. His family refuses to let his name be forgotten.

Inside The Price of Borrowed Coffee, join his family in shattering the silence with a blend of oral history, archival research, and personal testimony. The true events of the murder behind “Mae” Cook unravel within the pages in more than just a true crime story.

Uncover and confront the legacy of Jim Crow, explore the effects of generational and racial trauma, and give honor to the man who was unable to speak for himself.

The Price of Borrowed Coffee wasn’t quite what I expected, though I understand and appreciate the author’s commitment to making sure the horrific events surrounding Charlie Lee Price are known and not forgotten. The book brings long‑overdue attention to the injustice he suffered and honors a life taken far too soon. It also acknowledges the tragedy experienced by both the Price family and the still‑unsolved murder of Mae Cook, showing how deeply unfair the situation was for everyone involved.

Hearing directly from the family and those who lived through that time added real value and emotional weight. Their voices help illuminate the generational trauma and racism that shaped the Jim Crow South.

However, the book felt repetitive at times, which made the reading experience less engaging than I hoped. Even so, it shines a necessary light on the legacy of racism and preserves the memory of a man who never had the chance to speak for himself.

A meaningful story, important in purpose, but uneven in execution.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Temperament – A Novella by K. Aurum

September 21, 2026 By 1 Comment


Temperament – A Novella by K. Aurum
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The stroke took his hand. The implant gave it back. Then it kept going.
Jon Finn was a violinist before a stroke stole his right side and his voice. The experimental device his doctors offer is a quiet miracle: it restores his hand, his speech, his playing. His recovery astonishes the hospital. His bowing has never been cleaner. He and the woman he loves have never fought less.

And, note by note, word by word, he is vanishing.

The implant doesn’t take his life. It takes his self: smoothing the edges, finishing the sentences, choosing the notes he used to reach for. Everyone sees a man restored. Only Jon feels his own wanting drain away.

Spare, unsettling, and quietly devastating, Temperament is a debut novella about identity, illness, and the hidden cost of being made better; a story that grows shorter and quieter as its narrator disappears.

Written by a practicing physician, it lingers where medicine can’t answer: when everything you can do remains, and only the you is gone, is that still you?

Sometimes science fiction is about asking questions that many people would rather ignore.

The author did an excellent job of exploring the ethical implications of using a artificial intelligence for medical purposes. Whether or not readers agree with the conclusions certain characters came to didn’t necessarily matter. An intelligent argument could be made for many different points of view, and even the ones I didn’t personally agree with still followed a logical and understandable path from one assertion to the next. This is the sort of discussion I’m drawn to when reading this genre, and it was handled smoothly here.

It would have been nice to see more clues added earlier on in the storyline about what was truly going on with Jon’s cognition. As much as I enjoyed being able to come up with my own theories about what was happening to him, this would have been an even stronger piece of work in my opinion if the author had spent more time developing the beginning and perhaps allowing a bit more of his opinion of how the final scene should be interpreted to bleed through, so to speak.

The deliciously ambiguous ending was what encouraged me to select a four-star rating for this tale. I appreciated the fact that it could be interpreted in multiple ways. While I don’t want to influence how other readers understood those last few sentences, their ability to be understood from so many different points of view reinforced my own assumptions about what was happening and made me shudder in a good way.

Temperament – A Novella reminded me why I like speculative fiction so much.

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Desert Star by Michael Connelly

September 18, 2026 By 1 Comment


Desert Star by Michael Connelly
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralization, and endless red tape. But after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her own ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving “the Late Show” to rebuild and lead the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come volunteer as an investigator in her new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his “white whale” with the resources of the LAPD behind him.

First priority for Ballard is to clear the unsolved rape and murder of a sixteen-year-old girl. The decades-old case is essential to the councilman who supported re-forming the unit, and who could shutter it again—the victim was his sister. When Ballard gets a “cold hit” connecting the killing to a similar crime, proving that a serial predator has been at work in the city for years, the political pressure has never been higher. To keep momentum going, she has to pull Bosch off his own investigation, the case that is the consummation of his lifelong mission.

The two must put aside old resentments and new tensions to run to ground not one but two dangerous killers who have operated with brash impunity.

It’s been a year since Detective Renee Ballard quit the LAPD, only to promptly return when offered her dream position. By doing so, she left Harry Bosch – and their joint dreams of working together – in the dust. Now, Ballard has reached out to Bosch, to request he join her new fledgling Open Unsolved division and help keep it alive. Can Bosch and Ballard return to working together when so much resentment still bubbles between them?

I’ve been reading this series for more than twenty years now, and still I find Bosch to be a gripping, page turning read – one that almost never fails to pull me out of a reading slump. Bosch is absolutely getting on in years now (aren’t we all?) and I appreciate Connelly not making Bosch able to easily run and jump and climb and do stuff virtually no seventy-something man can do no matter how fit or strong. Still mentally sharp, with decades of experience and the savvy knowledge of where to place one punch (instead of starting to brawl or chase) I found Bosch a joy to read.

Even though it’s set in modern – post covid – times, this book really retained that grittier, older style boiled detective feel that the series as a whole has always held for me. I felt the blend of old school and newer requirements was brilliantly handled. Things like a quasi psychic working on the team doing the genealogy/ancestry tracing online and through the web records mingled with Bosch’s knock on doors and well worn shoe leather really resonated with me and helped me turn these pages long past my bed time.

I also enjoyed how Ballard and Bosch both managed to work together while respecting each other’s strengths – and weaknesses. They can each be somewhat prickly and I remain firm in my opinion the reason they are able to work so well together is despite their differences in personality and approach, beneath it all they respect each other and value what they can both contribute. With that underpinning every step – even when they’re out of synch or frustrated with each other – there isn’t much they can’t both come back from with a bit of time, space and discussion.

Readers should know there is a wealth of history backing this series – it spans back to The Black Echo first published in 1992 – and I can thoroughly recommend this series as a whole for those who like a slightly gritter, more old school hard boiled police procedural series. That said, I feel this book can absolutely be read as a stand alone.

I feel the working relationship between Ballard and Bosch is well detailed as is the very cold case Bosch is determined to solve – and the carrot Ballard uses to lure Bosch onto her team. I do feel readers should be able to thoroughly understand and enjoy this book just picking it up by itself. But you’re missing out on an exceptional series if you’re not tempted to go back to the beginning and enjoy every part of this story. Highly recommended.

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The Buried Bloom by Jody Chaffin

September 17, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Buried Bloom by Jody Chaffin
A Larkspur Hollow Garden Club Mystery, book 1
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Thirty years buried. Forty-eight puzzles to the truth.

“Could such an interactive combination truly work? The answer is a resounding ‘Yes.'” — C.R. Hurst for Readers’ Favorite, 5 Stars

In the village of Larkspur Hollow, Vermont, everyone agreed that Cora Whitaker ran off in disgrace the summer of 1995. Everyone was wrong. Now her body has been found beneath the roses she once tended — and retired schoolteacher Eleanor “Nell” Ashworth is the only one still asking who put her there.

But this time, the detective is you.

Each chapter hands you a scene and a word search. Solve the puzzle, and the leftover letters reveal a hidden clue — a suspect cleared, a motive exposed, a secret the Hollow buried right alongside Cora. Track them across forty-eight puzzles and you’ll be ready to name the killer, the motive, the weapon, and the place before Nell does.

Six suspects. One garden full of secrets. A verdict only you can reach.

A complete solve-along mystery — no apps required. Just you, a pencil, and forty-eight word searches that build to a single solution. Perfect for cozy-mystery lovers and puzzlers alike.

Sharpen your pencil. Larkspur Hollow is waiting.

Unlike some plants, secrets can bloom anywhere.

It made me smile to see how small town politics played out in this mystery. While it isn’t strictly required to know about such things in advance, there were a few fun references to this cultural experience tucked here and there for those of us who have either grown up in such communities or who have other close ties to them. I was especially amused by the complex relationships between characters who had known each other for thirty years and sometimes much longer than that. They rang true and made this an even more engrossing read for me.

The limited amount of character and plot development was what ultimately lead me to choose a three-star rating. As much as I enjoyed solving the word-search puzzles at the end of every chapter and narrowing down my list of suspects, among other aspects of this case, there simply wasn’t much space for developing the characters or including as many plot twists as I was hoping to see. This is something I’m saying as someone who was excited to pick this book up and was hoping to give it a much higher rating. The framework for a potential five-star read was there, it simply needed to be fleshed out in order for me to feel justified in giving that rating.

With that being said, I loved the amount of audience participation that the author expected of his readers. This was the kind of tale that needed my full attention not only while I was in the middle of a chapter but also while I was writing down the clues and solving the word search puzzles. It was such a unique way to draw readers in and make this one feel as though I was playing an integral role in solving the case.

The Buried Bloom was an intriguing start to a new series.

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The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch

September 16, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
Publisher: Gollancz
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

With this long new novella, bestselling author Ben Aaronovitch has crafted yet another wickedly funny and surprisingly affecting chapter in his beloved Rivers of London series.

If you thought magic was confined to one country—think again.

Trier: famous for wine, Romans and being Germany’s oldest city.

When a man is found dead with his body impossibly covered in a fungal rot, the local authorities know they are out of their depth. But fortunately this is Germany, where there are procedures for everything.

Enter Tobias Winter, an investigator for the Abteilung KDA, the branch of the German Federal Criminal Police which handles the supernatural. His aim is to get in, deal with the problem, and get out with the minimum of fuss, personal danger and paperwork.

Together with frighteningly enthusiastic local cop, Vanessa Sommer, he quickly links the first victim to a group of ordinary middle aged men whose novel approach to their mid-life crisis may have reawakened a bloody conflict from a previous century.

As the rot spreads, literally, and the suspect list extends to people born before Frederick the Great, Tobias and Vanessa will need to find allies in some unexpected places.

And to solve the case they’ll have to unearth the secret magical history of a city that goes back two thousand years.

Presuming that history doesn’t kill them first.

Investigator Tobias Winter is called in to help the local police when a strange fungal rot appears to have possibly killed someone. The local police are at a loss, and in Germany there is thankfully a procedure to handle everything – even the unknown. Tobias soon uncovers some of the city’s history – and magic – and complications begin to arise.

I have been loving the Rivers Of London series and was rather thrilled to find this novella takes the same quirky, paranormal mystery world and expands it out of England and into Germany. I strongly feel that readers who aren’t sure whether they’re wanting to dip a toe into this series could easily start here. The writing style and general laugh aloud, tongue in cheek banter is very present in this story, along with the strong mystery and very well balanced magical and paranormal world. Basically I felt this story had all the strong points of the main books, just with some new characters, a new country and a shorter length.

While I do admit the shorter story length does mean the plot wasn’t as complicated and convoluted as I’m used to in this series I absolutely feel the author did the plot justice. I also enjoyed the layers to the characters and am rather hoping sometime down the track we shall revisit both Germany and Tobias and Vanessa.

With a fully magical and paranormal world on offer, the new setting of Germany and a bunch of new characters, I found this to be a highly enjoyable story and a quick and wonderful read. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Buried In The Brambles by Hilary Pugh

September 15, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Buried In The Brambles by Hilary Pugh
Publisher: HouseMouse Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Cozy Mystery
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A Body in the Garden

While Esmé Proudfoot watches the chaos caused by her neighbour’s landscape gardeners from her kitchen window, a shocking discovery is made—a man’s body hidden in the undergrowth. The police quickly conclude it’s a case of natural causes, believing the man to be a lost hiker who tripped and fell on a rock. However, Esmé isn’t convinced. Together with the young lodger in her attic, she embarks on a mission to uncover the truth about the man’s identity and what led him to her garden.

Esme Proudfoot is an elderly but still spry retired widow. She and her young lodger are drawn into the curious mystery of the dead body found in their neighbor’s yard – hidden in the undergrowth and discovered by some landscape gardeners. Can Esme and Amos unearth the truth of what happened to the dead man?

I greatly enjoyed this cozy mystery, set in a small English town and with the unusual combination of a spry elderly lady and young male lodger amateur detectives. I found the main characters to be fresh and delightfully relatable. The authors tone and style were also very comfortable and chatty to my mind and something I could easily pick up and get into.

This is the first book in apparently three, and I thoroughly enjoyed the cozy, amateur mystery and definitely will be picking up the next one. I’ve read a few books by this author – the first books in her two other series – and find that I really enjoy her voice and style.

Readers who enjoy small country town mysteries should absolutely find this as enjoyable as I have. With different but still modern and relatable characters, a well written plot that is both fun and easily followed and a chatty sort of style this is a fun read and one I easily fell into.

A great author and enjoyable book. I’m looking forward to the next one.

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