An Unpardonable Act by Rhys Dylan (writing as Dylan Young)

August 7, 2026 By Leave a Comment


An Unpardonable Act by Rhys Dylan (writing as Dylan Young)
Publisher: Wyrmwood Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Truth is often buried where few dare to look.

A young girl disappears, echoing an unsolved murder from the past. The police think they’ve found their man, just as they had before. But they’ve already got it badly wrong once, forcing facts to fit a theory to convict an innocent man.

. Determined not to let that happen again, Detective Sergeant Anna Gwynne must go into the darkness that cloaks the worst of crimes and risk damaging herself in the process.

Can she get what she needs before another life is lost, or could the horror lead her down a path that puts her own life in grave danger?

DS Anna Gwynne works with a small team trying to re-investigate cold cases. The smaller team and slightly detached police work suits her well. But when their latest case is brought to them clouded with corruption and a distressing link to an extremely fresh case, and then Anna’s Inspector is sidelined she realizes perhaps too late that she’s been thrust into the deep end. And it’s time for Anna to stretch herself and start swimming through the mess.

I have been greatly enjoying this author’s Welsh based series and stumbled upon this reprinted older book of his quite by accident. I bought it from sheer curiosity and I wasn’t even half way through before I was quickly searching for more to order. This appears to be the first in a trilogy and while the main case and plotline is very well wrapped up within this book there are absolutely a few hooks – and a nefarious “bad guy” character – who I strongly feel will feature in the over-all arc of this trilogy.

I thoroughly enjoyed Anna’s character. Whip smart but also not your average police officer I was pleased as we learned more about her as the book progressed. Learning more about her was a good breath of fresh air against the at times emotionally heavy plotline. I found the plot to be layered and refreshing. I guessed at parts of mystery but found myself well surprised by a few other aspects of it so I really feel the author held a good balance here. I also really enjoyed that most of the puzzle was very logical (after you knew the answers – of course) and everything fit very well together without being obvious. I can very strongly recommend the mystery element of this story.

While I do feel some of the secondary team members could have been a little bit better fleshed out, I am hoping this will come to pass in the other two books of the trilogy. There was a lot of story crammed into this book and while more would have been nice a bloated book is not a good thing for anyone. So I understand this restraint.

A clever mystery, a nefarious bad guy and an excellent team with a strong female protagonist this is a great book and I’m eager to dive into the next two. Recommended.

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

When Death Calls by J M Dalgleish

August 6, 2026 By Leave a Comment


When Death Calls by J M Dalgleish
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Blood is thicker than water… and runs just as freely…
When the body of a man is discovered face down one morning in the swimming pool of his upmarket family home, the team wonder if it is the result of a tragic accident or serious foul play.

DI Tom Janssen is currently suspended pending the outcome of the events at the close of his previous case. Using the time away from the office to consider his future, and how this will impact on his family life, Tom is invited to attend a school reunion which he reluctantly agrees to. Coming face to face with people he hasn’t seen in years leads to more than a reunion of old friendships. Some people find it hard to let go of the past while others foster long-held grudges. It isn’t long before Tom finds old feuds rekindled and scores that aim to be settled… one way or another.

Finding himself at the centre of a murder inquiry – only this time as a witness rather than an investigator – can he steer clear of the case or will temptation, and a search for the truth, be too much for him to ignore.

DI Tom Janssen is suspended and trying to make the best of his undesired time off. When his wife insists, they attend his high school reunion Tom is less than thrilled, but really has nothing else to pass the time with. Meeting back up with a bunch of people he hasn’t seen in decades might not be Tom’s idea of a good time, but he’s shocked when the following morning he hears that he’s now on the opposite side of a murder investigation – being a witness and possibly the last person to see the victim alive. Can Tom resist the impulse to help with the investigation?

I was thrilled when the author released another book in this series – it’s been a while – and I was delighted to read another investigation with Tom and his team. Even though Tom is suspended – and deeply unhappy about it – I admit that I was pleased to find Tom for the most part tried not to nudge his way into the investigation. Sure, he is deeply curious, and when a few tidbits of other people involved came his way he followed along. But I found it quite refreshing from other similar stories where he didn’t insert himself into the investigation or run his own shadow or side investigation.

I liked how Tom was clearly interested but also very respectful of his team conducting the proper police investigation. I found that quite refreshing.

Readers who enjoy a British police procedural murder mystery should find this a good book and quite easy to pick up. With Tom suspended from duty his team is all still present but not as “front and center” as usual so this is actually quite a good book to my mind to pick up if you haven’t read any of the previous installments or if you’re a few books behind in the series. A lot of this book focuses on Tom and on the characters and setting and not as much as usual on the rest of the team and their dynamics.

With a strongly plotted mystery and a number of interesting and layered characters I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable mystery book. Recommended.

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

Balancing the Woofs by Tara Choate

August 5, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Balancing the Woofs by Tara Choate
A Canine Accounting Caper #3
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Irene Lisner feels like her life is finally on track. Her sister Angie has moved hundreds of miles away. Her mother, Jennifer, appears to have followed Angie, so is rarely around. Goose, the new dog, is fun, and energetic, and the two are about to start agility training. Her MS symptoms look to be easing up. Work feels smooth, with no big cases on the horizon. She even has a boyfriend. It’s all too good to be true.
When she is assigned to help another department with a standard audit—the a non-standard review sends things into a downward spiral.

An unmarked plane crashes in the desert. A creature escapes from its burning wreckage, a byproduct of experiments in biological and chemical warfare—a cat.

As the multi-eyed feline mutant known as Kiki roams the Mojave Desert, terrorizing the crumbling town of Calpacia at its border, some seek to capture her. Gun-for-hire Salvadore Shaw, disgraced former Soviet Petrov and his group of mercenaries, and a professor and his chimpanzee assistant commence a vicious race to intercept Kiki’s rampage.

Who will survive the savagery of the Mojave Cat? Not many, if any.

Change is the only constant thing about life.

Irene’s relationship with her body is of my favorite aspects of this series. Like many other invisible illnesses, multiple sclerosis can grow worse or better with time. Seeing how the protagonist dealt with her symptoms and the uncertainty of how she’d feel a few days, weeks, or months in the future made everything else about her life feel more urgent. This isn’t a topic I see covered enough in fiction, so I was once again thrilled to find in this universe.

I did find myself wishing that Irene’s new dog, Goose, was given more time to shine. The previous books in this highlighted her relationship with a different pet of hers, and I was hoping for more canine-inspired conflict and humor than I found here. My fingers are crossed that any sequels in the works will include this as I’ve truly come to appreciate Irene as a character.

The ending was immensely satisfying, especially as it related to the many personal problems Irene was struggling with while she worked on this case. I liked the way she began to reorganize her life to better suit her limitations and am so curious to see how this works out for her in the future. While I don’t know if Ms. Choate has any personal experience with chronic illness and would certainly never ask her to divulge such personal information, I was impressed with how true to life these scenes felt to me as someone who has a disability. Everything from measuring out energy carefully on bad days to figuring out how to make sustainable changes for the sake of one’s health was beautifully described here, and I must tip my cap to the author for revealing a little bit of what goes on behind the scenes for some folks.

Balancing the Woofs was a gentle and heartwarming read.

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

So Passes the Night by Cassidy McKay

August 3, 2026 By Leave a Comment


So Passes the Night by Cassidy McKay
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

One wild night, two sexy seamen and a voluptuous woman — three broken souls seeking completion.

First Mate Cade Talbot disobeyed a direct order, sacrificing himself to save his best friend. Since then, Captain Grant Rowen rules his ship with an iron fist, demanding strict compliance from all aboard.

Coffers are low, and when a lone woman requests passage to St. Thomas, Captain Rowen accepts her payment. But the stormy sea crossing holds more than just nature’s surprises.

Aurora Journade reveals that she not only speaks to spirits, she makes love to them –and she doesn’t follow orders. With Aurora’s help, Cade has one last chance to reach out to his captain. Not even death can keep them from seeking passion’s redemption.

Healing comes in many different forms.

The setting was as unique as it was well-suited for this erotic tale. I wasn’t initially sure if it was supposed to be set in contemporary or historic times, so figuring that out was part of the fun of reading it. Other readers should discover for themselves exactly when this was set, of course, but do keep an eye out for clues along the way as they do influence how everything played out. It was also interesting to see how the characters dealt with such a violent storm when help could be so far away due to the technology of the time.

I would have liked to see more plot development in this piece, especially as it related to Grant’s relationships with Cade as well as with the mysterious woman who asked to board his ship on a stormy night. The bonds between them were incredibly important later on in the storyline, so it was a little disappointing for me as a reader to not have as much information about them as I would have preferred by that point.

The slightly ambiguous ending suited these characters well. While the most important conflicts were wrapped up, there was still plenty of space for readers to speculate about what might happen next and fill in the gaps about the things the narrator didn’t spell out directly. Yes, it would have been nice to have more resolution about them, but it also left room for a sequel if the author decides to write one!

So Passes the Night was a sexy romp.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Toll For the Dead by MS Morris

July 30, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Toll For the Dead by MS Morris
Publisher: Landmark Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A solemn funeral. A bitter schism. A brutal murder.

When the much-loved lord of the manor, Henry Burton, passes away, the villagers of Hambledon-on-Thames gather to pay their respects at his funeral. But the day is marred when the churchwarden is found brutally battered to death in the north transept of the church.

Called to investigate, Detective Inspector Bridget Hart soon unearths a tangled web of old grudges and simmering feuds beneath the tranquil idyll of this sleepy South Oxfordshire village.

Bridget and her team must look beyond the thatched cottages and rose-covered houses to uncover the truth and prevent another death.

Almost every villager in the small township of Hambledon-On-Thames have gathered for the funeral of the old squire. After the service, when the bell-ringers are doing their toll for the dead, the local churchwarden is brutally murdered as she cleans up after the service goers. Bridget and her team are called in to investigate – only to find this case has a number of complications.

I have found this to be an excellent addition to an enjoyable series. The ending really left me feeling as if the author plans to leave this series here. The final chapter or two really seemed to me to tie up a number of the more longer-running story arcs and leave this in a good place.

While this might be the final book in the series – I still feel that the story, and the murder plot in particular, really was well encapsulated in this book. While the team and a lot of the history between them working together has a longer reach than just this book I felt the author explained everything really well and there was a good flow to the story that means I do think readers should feel comfortable if they pick this book up having had no exposure to any of the previous stories.

I also enjoyed the fact this was a multi-layered plot and held my attention throughout the book. There were some interesting secondary characters and quite a few different wheels turning so I found myself invested and interested throughout the story.

For a solidly written British police procedural style of mystery this is an excellent author and a book I can definitely recommend.

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

Death in Little Puddlebury by B.L. Bandy

July 29, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Death in Little Puddlebury by B.L. Bandy
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Harriet Harbottle came to Little Puddlebury for peace, quiet, and perhaps the chance to write the sort of cozy mysteries she once edited for London’s famed publishing house, Wetherby & Finch.

Instead, she finds a corpse.

At the village spring fete, Harriet purchases a battered Edwardian ledger from a table of unwanted books. Hidden inside is a forgotten will tied to the grand manor house of Swincombe Hollow. The document threatens to overturn generations of inheritance and expose secrets the village has long preferred buried.

Before Harriet can learn more, the village solicitor is found dead in his office. The police call it an unfortunate accident. Harriet is not convinced.

With the help of her loyal Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Bramble, an endlessly gossiping neighbor named Gladys, and a foul-tempered stray cat who despises rain, Harriet begins untangling the history of Swincombe Hollow and the people desperate to keep its past concealed.

But in Little Puddlebury, old money hides sharp teeth behind polished smiles. And someone is willing to kill to keep a dead woman’s final wishes
from coming to light.

Harriet Harbottle is a retired book editor having moved into a cottage left to her by her aunt in a village named…you guessed it…Little Puddlebury. This is the perfect English cozy in a little English village. Not the stuffy type of village, but definitely the “let me put the kettle on dear” type. Puddlebury is a place where everything is everyone’s business. In fact, Harriet finds they sometimes know what she is going to do before she does it.

This is a well-written, quick 170+ pages. The characters are quite visible, and a few have their own personalities. I did find it a bit slow now and then but not enough to stop me reading it. What did keep me reading it was Harriet’s delightful bit of sarcasm and humor and her wonderful King Spaniel named Bramble.

This is Book 1 in the series, and it looks as if Book 2 is already published. I’ll have to see what Harriet and Bramble get into next.

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

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

July 23, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
Publisher: Hanover Press
Genre: Historical, Fiction, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

August 1939: London prepares for war as Hitler’s forces sweep across Europe. Grace Bennett has always dreamed of moving to the city, but the bunkers and drawn curtains that she finds on her arrival are not what she expected. And she certainly never imagined she’d wind up working at Primrose Hill, a dusty old bookshop nestled in the heart of London.

Through blackouts and air raids as the Blitz intensifies, Grace discovers the power of storytelling to unite her community in ways she never dreamed—a force that triumphs over even the darkest nights of the war.

Moved my heart. This was such an enjoyable read. It has good times and bad times. It has a bookshop, a curmudgeonly but sweet old man, a lonely old woman having lived through the hells of wars, and young girls trying to make their way in the world all in the midst of World War 2. Don’t get me wrong. This book is not all set during WW2. The story begins as Grace and Viv grow up in a small town and dream of leaving their unfortunate lives and running to make or break it in London. It’s a story of dreams. One of people who know they must work hard to succeed and find they can live through more than they ever dreamed.

This could be perfect for Young Adults, and yet I enjoyed every minute of it as an adult. There might be a lot of sweetness here, but there are some very realistic parts of the British living in London during the bombings in WW2. And in today’s world, a sweet story isn’t such a bad idea.

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

Hillary’s Final Case by Faith Martin

July 22, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Hillary’s Final Case by Faith Martin
Publisher: Joffe Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Can Hillary finally close the case of the missing young women?

Can she take down one of Oxfordshire’s most wanted criminals?

Can she handle her new boss?

Can she help one of her team get answers on his long lost sister?

And will she really get married and leave her beloved boat?

FIND OUT THE ANSWERS IN THE FINAL HILLARY GREENE BOOK!

Hillary Greene has returned to Thames Valley Police HQ, acting as a cold-case consultant for the Crime Review Team, looking into murders which the police have never been able to solve.

This is a crime mystery full of well-observed characters, which will have you gripped from start to the absolutely thrilling conclusion.

Hillary’s life is reaching another changing point – with a new boss, a new series of linked missing girl cases and a huge change in her personal life. Can Hillary keep her wits about her as things reach their inevitable tipping point?

I was pleased to see that – despite the title – this is not the final book in the series. The author had taken a sabbatical from the series so it was quite a relief to find there are still a few more books to come.

Retired DI Hillary Greene has been solving cold cases for a while now, but her last case opened a can of worms that I was pleased to see take center stage in this book. This particular plot has been percolating a while in the background and I found it deeply satisfying to see it all come to a head. I was even quite impressed I guessed some of these answers myself though there was still plenty of mystery to keep me eagerly turning the pages.

I do feel this book can be enjoyed by itself – but have to admit readers who have read some of the previous installments might find a greater emotional connection and satisfaction than someone just picking the book up on a whim. This is quite a culmination and having read the series myself I could see some of the hooks and I grasped the slightly different sense this book had.

Readers who enjoy a British police procedural mystery should find this a solid read with a good and complicated plot and a fresh, somewhat modern take on the regular mystery. I have been greatly enjoying this whole series and found this an excellent addition. Recommended.

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

Druid’s Moor by Rhys Dylan

July 20, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Druid’s Moor by Rhys Dylan
Publisher: Wyrmwood Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

On the moor, not all the beasts walk on four legs.

On a windswept moor, a child emerges from the mist with a story no one wants to believe. The farmer who finds her assumes she’s simply lost. But when she utters a chilling phrase—“We went to see the old ones”—he realises something is terribly wrong.

As Detective Evan Warlow battles his own demons, he and the team are pulled into a case of ritualistic secrets, long-buried crimes, and the whispers of something darker lurking in the mist.

In the empty heart of Wales, legends are harmless. It’s the people you need to fear.

It’s Christmas-time and the shortest day of the year. A farmer out in his field in the bitterly cold early morning hours finds a young girl, wandering alone, in shock and clearly hypothermic. The Rural crimes team contact DI Warlow, uneasy with the simple, pat answers being given to them. As the team investigate further what they begin to uncover might ruin the festive season for them all and have longer-lasting repercussions.

I have been a solid fan of this Welsh based series for quite a while now. While I do admit this book in particular has a number of hooks and links to a longer running plot arc over the previous few books, I still feel it’s such a deeply emotional and well plotted book that it’s well worth the effort to give it a go. The characters in this story are really beginning to come into their own – the team working brilliantly together but each of them strong and able to deliver independently. And while there are a few different moving parts to the various sub-plots, I feel the author really should be commended on how well and intricately this was all woven together. It’s an exceptional read.

I was also thrilled at a strong secondary plot involving DI Anna Gwynne. I have read the first of that trilogy – having accidently stumbled across it just a month or so ago – and while there are no real spoilers Anna’s interactions with the Warlow team has absolutely bumped up the other two books in her trilogy up my to read list order.

Readers who enjoy a slightly grittier police procedural mystery should absolutely find this an enjoyable book. It’s quite a way into the series, but I do think it can be easily picked up by itself. Some of the longer-running plots might feel more emotional and give a deeper satisfaction having read some of the more recent previous books, but I definitely think readers can dive right in here and still find a solidly plotted, well written mystery with varied and interesting characters.

A great read. Recommended.

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

The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen

July 17, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen
Publisher: Penguin Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement.

But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her local circle of old friends—all retirees from the CIA—to help uncover the truth about who is trying to kill her, and why. This “Martini Club” of former spies may be retired, but they still have a few useful skills that they’re eager to use again, if only to spice up their rather sedate new lives.

Complicating their efforts is Purity’s acting police chief, Jo Thibodeau. More accustomed to dealing with rowdy tourists than homicide, Jo is puzzled by Maggie’s reluctance to share information—and by her odd circle of friends, who seem to be a step ahead of her at every turn.

As Jo’s investigation collides with the Martini Club’s maneuvers, Maggie’s hunt for answers will force her to revisit a clandestine career that spanned the globe, from Bangkok to Istanbul, from London to Malta. The ghosts of her past have returned, but with the help of her friends—and the reluctant Jo Thibodeau—Maggie might just be able to save the life she’s built.

Maggie Bird is a sixty-something, happily retired lady living in a small seaside town in Maine. Happy with her chicken farm and simple life, that peace is shattered one evening when – while out to dinner with her book club – a woman’s dead body is unceremoniously dumped in Maggie’s front driveway. She and her friends are more than willing – and capable of stepping up, but have some of their old ghosts come back to haunt them?

I bought this book on a whim, the blurb and plotline tickling my fancy. Overall I found this quite an enjoyable espionage/mystery style of book though have to admit the pace was a little slower than I’m used to and was expecting. Readers looking for a high action, quickly plotted story might not find themselves satisfied. Personally I found the pace a little slower – and while the plot was very well woven and I especially enjoyed the characters, I do admit I found the tone a little waffling at times.

That said, this I do feel this is a solid mystery and I definitely found myself enjoying Maggie’s character and that of her fellow neighbors and friends. While there are strong espionage overtones to the book – it’s not an action packed Bond or Bourne style adventure. I was impressed at the multi layers to the plot and I was very pleased that it wasn’t as simple or straightforward as you’d expect initially. There were definitely enough twists and turns to keep me turning the pages and while I did guess parts of the solution I was delightfully surprised by a few things I hadn’t guessed. So overall a really good balance to my mind.

Readers looking for a well plotted and interesting mystery should find themselves very happy with this book. For something I picked up on a whim I am very happy with this and plan to look into others by this author. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
Next Page »