Buried in a Book by Lucy Arlington
When Lila Wilkins gets downsized from her newspaper job, she decides to look on it as a good thing. She immediately finds a job with a small publishing company, but her first day doesn’t go as smoothly as she hopes. When the local homeless man, who visits the company everyday trying to get his book published, dies in the lobby, Lila begins looking into his life and tries to figure out who wanted to kill him.
Lila is a believable character, not overly mettlesome or quietly demure; she investigates in a way that is proper to both her nature and her journalistic instincts. Although the characters working at the publishing company are very stereotypical – the gorgeous woman edits the romance books, the grandmotherly type is the children’s editor, etc. – they also provide a look into the small town personality and keep the reader guessing as to who might be the culprit. The plot moves quickly and there are enough red herrings thrown in to keep the reader interested even though the book is a bit predictable. Buried in a Book is a solid mystery good for women especially those who can relate to Lila’s home life with her teenaged son, a budding romance later in life and having to start over after losing a twenty-year career. This book would also be good for older teens and those looking for a mystery that’s minus graphic violence.
Read-alikes:
Barrett, Lorna – Booktown Mystery series
Brandon, Ali – Black Cat Bookshop Mystery series
Braun, Lillian Jackson – The Cat Who… mystery series
Azurée Agnello, West Babylon Public Library
Aunt Dimity & the Lost Prince by Nancy Atherton
Living in England’s legendary Cotswolds, American expatriate Lori Shepherd has been solving mysteries with the help of the not quite dead Aunt Dimity. The conceit is that although Aunt Dimity is buried in the nearby church-yard, she communicates with Lori through a blue leather bound journal which is on a bookshelf in her study.
In this, the eighteenth mystery, author Atherton has Lori and her New Zealand born friend, Bree, searching for a Russian prince who may be secretly imprisoned nearby. The search is on when a sterling silver sleigh turns up in the pocket of seven-year old Daisy Pickering. Lori is convinced of the verity of Daisy’s story of Mikhail, driven from Russia by wicked men and who, when he thought he had arrived safely in England, was thrown into a dungeon.
The silver sleigh was one of his treasures and with little else to go on, Lori and Bree set out to find the imprisoned Mikhail Unknown to Bree, they will get some assistance from Aunt Dimity.
One of the delights of the series is the British countryside setting. Details about the land, the people, their customs, their food, etc., immerse the reader in a modern day mystery - with a ghost as a bonus.
Atherton has achieved this while living in Colorado Springs. If you liked the BBC mystery series, Rosemary and Thyme, you’ll love Lori Shepherd and Nancy Atherton.
Read-alikes:
Susan Witing Albert
Helen Chappell
Grace O'Connor, West Islip Public Library
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (Flavia de Luce series)
What a delightful series this has been so far! Precocious Flavia de Luce is a 12 year old
novice chemist with a penchant for poisons and a knack for solving murders
(more deaths occur in the small British village of Bishop’s Lacey than you
would think). Her intuition is usually
spot on, though often to the chagrin of the local police inspector.
In Bradley’s 6th outing, Flavia learns the fate of her missing mother. There’s a little less of her saucy wit and humorous interactions with her insufferable older sisters, Feely and Daffy, but it does tie up that part of her life nicely. In the end, we see a slightly more mature and wise Flavia.
In Bradley’s 6th outing, Flavia learns the fate of her missing mother. There’s a little less of her saucy wit and humorous interactions with her insufferable older sisters, Feely and Daffy, but it does tie up that part of her life nicely. In the end, we see a slightly more mature and wise Flavia.
If you like your cozies wickedly funny, start with the first
of the series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and don’t stop.
Read-alikes
Joanne Kilbourn series by Gail Bowen
Murder Among Us by Joanne Jacobs
The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
Cathi Nashak, Deer Park Public Library
Killer Librarian by Mary Lou Kirwin
Karen Nash - mystery
lover and librarian at a small town Minnesota library
Dave – her ex mid-life
love of her life
Caldwell Perkins – b’n’b owner and bibliophile
On her first
night, Karen, mystery lover and librarian at a small town Minnesota
library, goes to the local pub with Caldwell
and drunkenly tells a stranger, Guy, about being dumped by Dave and how she
could just kill him. Later that night, unable to sleep, she goes to the sitting
room only to find another guest dead. It’s ruled an accidental death, but
enmities and past connections among the other guests cause some doubts in
Karen’s mind. Meanwhile, a cryptic message from Guy makes her wonder if he took
her words too literally. Can she stop
him in time before he kills Dave?
The book strikes
me as more of a book of love – for the nice b’n’b owner and for classic
mysteries. #1 in Karen Nash
mysteries. #2 is Death Overdue.
Read-alikes
Cats
in the Stacks series by Miranda James
New
York Library series by David R. Beasley
Aurora
Roe Teagarden series by Charlaine Harris
Kathy Carter, Mastics Moriches Library, Retired
Pagan Spring by G.M. Malliet
Thaddeus Bottle, esteemed playwright and actor, and his wife Melinda are newcomers to the little, English village of Nether Monkslip. The longtime residents make an effort to welcome newcomers like the Bottles and hairdresser Gabby Crew, but Thaddeus Bottle quickly alienates almost everyone in the village. When he is found murdered, it falls to Vicar Max Tudor to investigate. As the vicar is ex-MI5, the local police bring him in as an unofficial assistant.
Max had hoped that his greatest challenge would be composing his Easter sermon. Instead he finds himself using his skills to pull clues from the gossipy inhabitants of the village. As no one seemed to like the deceased, there is a large pool of suspects to choose from. When not assisting in the investigation, Max is developing a relationship with neo-Pagan Awena Owens.
There are many twists, turns and red herrings in this gentle read. The violence is minimal and the character development is excellent. There is a strong sense of place; you will feel that you have walked the streets of Nether Monkslip. This is the 3rd in the Max Tudor Mystery Series.
Read-alikes
Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate by M.C. Beaton
A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen
Aunt Dimity Digs In by Nancy Atherton
Terry Z. Lucas, Rogers Memorial Library
Dog On It by
Spencer Quinn
Peg McCarthy, Commack Public Library
Dogs Don't Lie by Clea Simon
Animal lovers will enjoy Clea
Simon’s Dogs Don’t Lie. The main
character, Pru Marlowe, is trained as an animal behaviorist and is involved in
dog training and animal rescue. Marlowe also has an additional talent—the ability
to hear the thoughts of the animals that surround her. In that respect, her
closest confidant and friend is her tabby Wallis.
As Pru returns to her small New
England home town, she looks up a client who had adopted one of her rescues. She
finds her client dead and Lily, a pit bull, standing over the ravaged body—Lily
becomes a prime suspect. But Pru knows better. She knows that Lily’s owner always
kept the pit in her crate and someone would have had to let her out in an
attempt to frame the dog. Through communications with Wallis, a tiny kitten,
and a Bichon that may have witnessed the crime, Pru slowly begins to piece
together possible suspects and scenarios that may have led to the murder of her
client. In the process, she also uncovers some dirty little home town secrets.
This cozy is a light read, pure
entertainment—the plot is formulaic; there is a hint of romance; and the writing
style is simplistic. But the animals are fun, and watching Pru untangle
relationships and possible motives carries the reader through to a tidy
conclusion—it’s a cozy after all.
Read-alikes would include: titles
in Simon’s other pet noir series; any title in The Cat Who series by Lilian Jackson Braun; or any title in the
Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown. A reader may also be interested in the
nonfiction titles When the Horses Whisper
by Rosalyn W. Berne; The Possibility Dogs
by Susannah Charleson; and Rescue Ink
by Denise Flaim.
Deborah Formosa, Northport-East Northport Public Library
Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu
Aunty Lee is an Asian Miss Marple, observant, opinionated, determined, hospitable, and a longtime resident of Singapore. Offended when thr bodies of two women who had patronized her cafe' wash up on nearby beaches, she pulls strings to insinuate herself into the police investigation. Singapore, a cultural crossroads and foodie destination, co-stars, with emphasis on uits relative sophistication and tolerance for those who face discrimination elsewhere.
Like Christie's village cozies, the book is fast-paced, written in a direct style in simple language with characters who are pawns in a straight line plot.. The villain's values are out of place in such a cosmopoliltan society. A recipe for Aunty Lee's Amazing Achar (pickles) is appended.
The book should appeal to readers looking for old fashioned entertainment, foodie lore, or a gentle read in an exotic setting.
Read-alikes:
Agatha Christie, Murder at the Vicarage.
Cleo Coyle, Billionaire Blend
Shamini Flint, The Singapore School of Villainy.
Tarquin Hall, The Case of the Missing Servant
S. P. Hozy, The Scarlet Macaw.
Jackie Malone, North Bellmore Public Library
