“The Snow Lies Deep” and perhaps nowhere deeper than in a small village in rural Vermont at Christmas. Paula Munier takes us right into the heart of the small, picturesque town of Northshire as the town celebrates the holiday season in grand style. The village is hosting the “Solstice Soirée,” “twelve days of eating, drinking, and making merry, beginning on the winter solstice and continuing through Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and Christmas right on to New Year’s Day.”
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In this delightful historical fiction mystery series, the not-so-proper Lady Petra Forsyth must solve the mystery of the murdered chef. This was no ordinary chef, but one who had served as chef to the royal household and also, years earlier, to Petra’s father’s house. Who would have murdered Sir Rufus Pomeroy?
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“The Seven Rings” is Nora Roberts’ last book in “The Lost Bride Trilogy,” and it’s set on the rocky coast of Maine, in a beautiful manor home filled with ghosts. Some of the ghosts are members of the Poole family who owned the mansion, others worked there and their spirits still inhabit the spacious rooms. But there is one entity that doesn’t belong, an evil spirit, who longs to possess the manor home and is willing to kill anyone who gets in her way. She killed seven Poole brides and stole their wedding rings, and she is intent on being the mistress of the mansion.
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“Hurricane Heist” is the second book in James Ponti’s new detective series, “The Sherlock Society.” This very clever middle grade series features the first person narrator Alex Sherlock, his two best friends Yadi and Lina, his sister Zoe, and his grandfather, a retired journalist. They live in South Florida in Coconut Grove and since the first book, have been looking for Al Capone’s missing Florida treasure — a stash of money that was secreted somewhere in Southern Florida and never found.
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The newest entry into the delightful time-travel murder mystery series by Kelley Armstrong, “Death at a Highland Wedding,” might be my favorite of the four books in the “Rip Through Time” series. In this mystery, Mallory Atkinson, a 21st century Canadian detective who has traveled in time back to the 1870s, journeys with her employer and his family and friends to Scotland for the wedding of Hugh McCreadie’s sister.
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David Rosenfelt’s 31st (!) entry in the Andy Carpenter Mystery series is “Dogged Pursuit.” But this one is significantly different from the earlier entries in one important way: it’s a prequel featuring Andy as a rookie in the defense attorney business. He’s approaching thirty years of age and has decided that it’s time to help those who are essentially victims of the system. He wants to give the wrongly accused a real chance in court. And though he’s relatively young, and all his previous work has been on the prosecution side, he has an inner confidence that whispers, “Help people. You can do it.”
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There’s nothing like a sweet, humor-filled fantasy with just a touch of romance, and Auralee Wallace’s “The Late Night Witches” is the perfect fall novel. The main character is Cassie Beckett, and she lives on Prince Edward Island with her three children. Her husband is away with Doctors Without Borders, and it doesn’t look like he’s coming home any time soon. Her somewhat flighty sister Eliza also lives in town.
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This is the third novel in the Ruby Vaughn Mystery series, and as is suggested by the title, “A Devil in Oxford,” the setting is Oxford, England, in the days before Christmas, 1922. While the main character, Ruby Vaughn is an American, she spent time in France during WWI and now lives in Exeter with the charming octogenarian Mr. Owen; Mrs. Penrose, their clever and admirable housekeeper; and a black cat. In each novel Ruby travels to a different location where she stumbles on a murder that she is compelled to solve.
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While most of Louise Penny’s fabulous Inspector Gamache books can be read as stand-alone novels, “The Black Wolf” is certainly the second half of her last book, “The Grey Wolf.” Unlike the other books in the series, that one ended with the clear idea that the ultimate problem was not solved, that there was another issue Gamache and his colleagues (who are also friends and family) must deal with.
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I loved Tess Gerritsen’s “The Spy Coast,” and her sequel, “The Summer Guests” makes this a series that is sure to be one of my favorites. There’s so much to enjoy—especially for readers of a certain age. We love reading about main characters who are our (Boomer) age. Main characters whose aches and pains might be there, but don’t stop us from enjoying life and doing our best to be active and actively participants in the world around us.
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The Missing Pages” by Alyson Richman is a perfect title for a novel about love, loss, and those who adore books. Bibliophiles are smitten by the scent of paper and ink; they love to sit in the peaceful silence of libraries and peruse vast selections of books; they love to meet other bibliophiles and talk books. And sometimes, as in this beautifully narrated story, they fall in love. There is much loss in these pages, but there is also much love.
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In her seventh book, “The Deadly Book Club,” author Lyn Liao Butler presents a thrilling murder mystery filled with likely suspects, all of whom might have had a reason to kill the victim. Five women, prominent book influencers, meet online once a month to talk business and books, drink cocktails, and dish dirt. During one meeting, when several of them happen to be in Hawaii, the screen freezes. But the audio continues, and those in the meeting hear bloodcurdling screams as one of them is surely being murdered.
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