Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is an intriguingly appealing debut crime novel by Kerryn Mayne.  Released 9th July 2024 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats (paperback due out from the same publisher in late 2nd quarter 2025). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.

This is very very much a character driven story featuring a neurodivergent main character, strongly suppresed trauma memories, and a quite surprisingly deeply moving story in places. There are trigger warnings aplenty, domestic violence, child abuse, PTSD, trauma, suppressed memories, and more; it's a comprehensive shopping list. 

The author writes with unvarnished, sometimes clinical detachment on otherwise horrific actions and it is impressively effective, given the slightly wonky personality of main character Lenny. 

The denouement and resolution are satisfying, if also slightly off kilter. 

Four stars. All in all an effective and very well written debut.  It would be a good choice for public or home library acquisition, buddy read or mystery book club selection. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A Ruse of Shadows - Lady Sherlock #8

 

A Ruse of Shadows is the 8th Lady Sherlock mystery by Sherry Thomas. Released 25th June 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in library binding edition, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This is a well written historical Holmes homage murder mystery with a strong romance subplot. The book is largely character driven and most of the characters are well rendered and interesting. The pacing was somewhat uneven for though it picked up in the second half of the book. The underlying setup (that the investigative force behind the Holmes name is Charlotte Holmes who's not above some gender prestidigitation to walk unfettered in a man's world)  is well and sensitively written for the most part and the author makes good use of the ensemble cast including Mrs. Hudson and Holmes' sidekick "friend with benefits" Lord Ingram.

The dialogue was pretty well done and at least moderately true to period, there aren't any places readers will be yanked out of their suspension of disbelief (which usually happens because of  egregious modernisms), so that's very nice. The language is clean and there's nothing to dismay anyone's maiden auntie. There is a fair amount of casual sexism which was annoying, but obviously a fact of everyday life for women of the time period regardless of their social class. 

The book does work well enough as a standalone; new readers won't have trouble keeping the story straight, however, these characters do have a history together. There are several plot elements from previous books which are referred to here which would be fairly big spoilers if not read in order. 

Four stars. It's an enjoyable escapist read which is well written. For -strict- fans of the Doyle canon, this book won't convince readers that it's a newly discovered authentic story. For people who love the time period, like their murder mysteries with a dose of romance, and don't mind that Holmes is female, this could be a good fit. The series continues to go from strength to strength, and the author's not resting on her laurels and continues to work to keep her audience. Top shelf historical mystery fiction, and a solid series.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reaper's Gamble: Of Black Sand and Ash - Reaper's Gamble #1

Reaper's Gamble: Of Black Sand and Ash is the first book in a YA fantasy series by R.E. Holding. Released 24th June 2024, it's 358 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. 

This is a young adult novel, emphasis on *young*. The characters are often immature and dangerously impulsive (and whiny), but overall, although youthful, the prose is honest and accessible. MC Loren is reluctant to venture out of his stepdad's basement, content to shutter himself away and plan for a life as a roundsman instead of being pushed to follow his sister's more traditional (illustrious) path. 

Stepdad sends him to The Guild's (capitalization intentional) summer camp to push him, where he finds a group of friends and stumbles into a conspiracy which could have profound implications. There's a very summer camp vibe to the first third of the book. Everything is shrouded in mystery and it's not clear if that's 100% intentional on the author's part or if it's being figured out further on down the line in the series.

It's fairly well written, but not polished. There are good bones to the story, but it's not yet quite hit its stride. It'll be interesting to see how Ms. Holding develops the storyline further. 

Three and a half stars. It would be a good choice for home reading, or a buddy read. It will appeal more to YA readers. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

French Quarter Fright Night - Vintage Cookbook Mystery #3

 

French Quarter Fright Night is the third Vintage Cookbook cozy mystery by Ellen Byron. Released 3rd Sept 2024 by Severn House (a new publisher for this series), it's 256 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out from the same publisher in second quarter 2025. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a delightfully light and humorous cozy set in and around a fictitious stately home in New Orleans and the shops and tourist attractions associated with it. Protagonist and amateur sleuth Ricki James-Diaz runs a vintage cookbook and kitschy kitchen supply store in the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum and is a transplant to Louisiana from California.

Some of the characterizations and plot developments are admittedly a bit over the top and there are some twists which require a healthy suspension of disbelief, but all in all, it's a pretty good example of why the shopfront cozy subgenre is so popular. Ricki's internal Zen monologue ("I choose to feel calm" etc) was slightly intrusive at some points, but overall it added whimsy and a little humor to the read.

The eclectic mix of eccentric characters left an open field for most of the book for "whodunit" and why. The denouement and resolution are self contained in this volume and it works well as a standalone. With 3 books extant in the series, and having apparently found a new home with a new publisher and set to continue, it would be a nice choice for a mini-weekend binge read or buddy read. As with many shopfront/cooking allied cozy series, this one includes some bonus recipes in the back.

Four stars. The author is prolific and competent. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes