The Afternoon Tea Murders (Secret Detective Agency #4) by Helena Dixon

 

Wartime cozy historical fiction mystery. 

In 1942, Whitehall agent Jane Treen is pulled away from her desk by an urgent warning: her colleague, codebreaker Arthur Cilento, is in danger at a remote assignment at Downland House in Devon. Jane travels there under the guise of conducting a routine audit. As she starts to go through household accounts and assess the mission’s objectives, Jane finds that there are some disturbing irregularities and not much progress has been made. She and Arthur take a day to travel into the local village only to find the local tea shop owner dead on the floor. Jane must figure out if the threat is coming from inside the house. 

Well-paced whodunit that captures the quiet tension of the English Home Front and their efforts on breaking coded messages during the war. The story showcases the practical intelligence of Jane Treen and the analytical skills of Arthur Cilento. It feels authentic and uses wartime constraints like rationing and blackouts. This will definitely be appreciated by readers who appreciate historical accuracy and a strong professional partnership versus a trope romance. Even if a bit predictable, after all there aren’t that many possible suspects, it was a fun and fast read. 

This is the 4th installment in a series that should be read from the beginning in order to understand and appreciate the relationship between Jane and Arthur. He continues to be sickly and his manservant, Benson, is always reliable to step in when it counts. 

I received an ARC from Bookouture for a Blog Tour date on May 1, 2026 and can definitely recommend this cozy mystery.

This is the 4th installment in the series.

Genre - World War II, cozy, historical, mystery, murder, spies

The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall

A tense and tangled mystery thriller. 

School counselor and search-and-rescue expert Audrey Dixon has never stopped thinking about her childhood best friend, Janie, who vanished years ago into the shadows of local folklore (Jenny Red Hands). When she discovers a necklace associated with the legend in the woods and hears about another currently missing girl, Meghan Vale, she becomes obsessed with finding her and researches all of the cold cases. She immediately suspects that a local family might be connected to these disappearances and she begins a dangerous investigation. 

The story is told in alternating "Above" and "Below" chapters with the latter featuring the perspective of a girl shackled in a dark bunker. 

If you're fond of amateur sleuths going off piste and managing to stumble into incredible discoveries with luck, coincidence, and daring, then this is the story for you. The narrative becomes increasingly convoluted as it tries to tie together the urban legend with the multi generational drama of a prominent family. The tension is high but for some reason, the book seemed to drag at times. The final reveals felt way over the top with the shocking twists and the ambiguous ending. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also reading along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publisher. The narrators, Karissa Vacker and Ina Barron, did an admirable job of voicing the main female characters though at times they both got carried away with dramatic flair. Listening always enhances my pleasure in the book and this was no exception. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Tags and genre: missing girls, kidnapped, murder, amateur sleuth, family drama 

This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum

 Fast and fun mystery thriller.

Benny Abbott and Joy Moore have a successful podcast where they joke about surviving in crazy scenarios. Things get real when Joy and her husband, Xander, disappear. Benny finds himself at the center of a police investigation and tries to figure out what happened to Joy by looking deeper into past episodes of their show and her writing in the autobiography they are working on. 

There was a lot going on and quite a few characters involved in trying to find out about Joy and Xander. The friendship between Benny and Joy was very sweet and authentic, though you could see the unresolved ‘more than friends’ reality quite clearly. It was a bit tense for a minute but things became more clear once all the secrets were exposed. A truly interesting inclusion was the fact that Joy suffered from narcolepsy and that definitely impacted her life.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publisher. The narrators, Julia Whelan and Sean Patrick Hopkins, were absolutely fantastic as the main characters. In addition, we were treated to a full cast for some of the podcast segments and tip-line recordings. And, a cameo by the author, Tiffany Crum. I really appreciated the immersive audio layering with the background noises and ambient sound effects. The performances definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book and I highly recommend that everyone listen. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre and tags: mystery thriller, psychological, romance, narcolepsy, domestic violence, murder, podcast, friendship

Murder at the Highland Games (Ally McKinley #4) by Dee MacDonald

Cozy mystery set in the Scottish Highlands.

In the village of Locharran, B&B owner Ally McKinley is excited for the annual Highland Games until champion athlete Archie Armstrong is killed during the caber tossing. He and his extended family are staying at Ally’s while visiting from Canada, and there is no shortage of suspects.

Fast paced with a huge pool of possible killers, Ally snoops and pries to get information so that she can help Detective Inspector Amir Kandahar in solving the case. The investigation proceeds with many interviews and revelations of motive. The story provides a glimpse into small town life in the Highlands. The main character, Ally, is in her early 70s and has a boyfriend as well as friendships with the locals. 

This is the fourth book in the series that is best enjoyed if read from the beginning. 

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend if you’re in the mood for a cottagecore mystery.

Book Blog Tour 4-20-26

Witness Protection by Robert Whitlow

 I enjoy legal thrillers and relish any courtroom drama along with the technical details, but this story was overly laden with an intense religious theme that detracted from my overall appreciation of the story. The constant evangelical undertones, emphasis on prayer and divine intervention, and talk of faith really did take away from the suspense and made the pace of the narrative lag. 

The gist is that a young husband and father, Cesar, is wrongly suspected of being involved with drug smuggling and hires a lawyer to represent him thru his boss who is in witness protection. Jon Tremaine had previous experience with a drug cartel and his testimony sent a kingpin to prison. Now, with his new identity, he manages a tree farm and tries to stay under the radar with his pregnant wife, Sarah. The lawyer is new to town after a divorce sends Kelli Quinn and her two kids to stay with her Aunt Carly. I kept waiting for her to do some real attorney work but if she wasn’t ignoring calls or letting others call the shots for her client, she was out to lunch with the DA or at home talking about stuff, especially food, with her kids. 

I prefer more edgy legal thrillers with more focus on the maneuvers and strategy that demonstrate effective defense of a client. It seemed that the main advisor to Cesar was Jon instead of his lawyer. 

I’m always looking for new authors in my favorite genre so I thought I’d give this one a try. Doubt I will read another. 

I started out listening to the audio book while also reading along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. I found the narrator, Jason Keller, to be lacking and not up to the task of voicing all the characters. This production definitely would have benefitted from a larger cast, especially a good female voice. His attempts at accents also drove me to distraction and I was ultimately so annoyed that I quit listening half way through and just read to the end.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - Christian fiction, drug cartel, legal suspense, witness protection, family life

Hope Rises (Walter Nash #2) by David Baldacci

 Gripping sequel brings the thrills.

After a brutal syndicate destroys his life, Walter Nash reinvents himself as Dillon Hope to hunt down the woman he holds responsible, Victoria Steers. He puts himself into her inner circle in a series of manipulations where he becomes a loyal body guard to the woman he intends to kill. Once embedded, he finds that things are not exactly as they first seemed. He must decide how far to go and whom to trust as he navigates the lethal tightrope he must walk to stay alive and get his revenge for all that was taken from him. 

This was a gritty and fast-paced story that was full of action and double cross. Nash, as Dillon Hope, has become a cold and calculated operative who must be alert to every changing and challenging situation as he penetrates Victoria’s world. There is a nonstop action and lots of tension as he tries to stay one step ahead of the nefarious plotting of all of the different factions and people involved in the crime world.  There was a lot going on and a lot of characters that might be good or bad at any moment. There was psychological tension as Walter grapples with the morality of what he’s doing and the choices he’s making. It’s definitely engaging and kept my interest. I’m hoping there will be another in this series as I don’t feel that his story has ended with all the tumult and changes.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The full cast of six narrators were simply amazing and brought the book to life. The dramatic flair, the accents, the performances all contributed to make this one of the best audio books I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. I’d highly recommend everyone enjoy this as I did as it was a truly immersive experience that enhanced my pleasure in the story.

This is the second in the Walter Nash series and should be read after finishing NASH FALLS.

Genre and tags: mystery thriller, murder, syndicate, drugs, body guard, intrigue

A Very Irish Mystery (Lady Eleanor Swift #25) by Verity Bright

 

Historical cozy mystery in the golden age of detective fiction.

In this 25th installment of the series, we travel to Dublin along with Lady Eleanor Swift, 
her husband, Hugh, and their butler, Clifford. This is no ordinary vacation, however, as she and Hugh have come to meet a man who holds the key to her parents' disappearance. While waiting to connect with him, they decide to visit the legendary Finnegan's Brewery only to discover the owner, Fergal Finnegan, murdered. The head of operations immediately hires the Byron Detective Agency to help solve the case before the police get involved and the brewery's reputation is ruined. 

This was a classic whodunit with lots of suspects. The 1920s Dublin backdrop provides atmosphere and a history lesson. Of course the emotional weight that Eleanor carries about what happened to her parents infused the narrative and provided some new information for her which I hope will be resolved sooner rather than later has this has drug on long enough. The team enjoys their usual repartee and points of peril in their usual fashion. 

I like this series and it's one of the few I continue to read because I've stuck with them since the beginning. I feel that most of the installments don't work well as standalones as there is a ton of backstory. Although the new agency is in its infancy, I do long for that team to stay back home at Henley Hall in Little Buckford as I miss the manor life and the details as well as the ladies who work the house. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. 
Book Blog Tour Date 4-14-26

This is the 25th book in a series that should be read in order from the beginning.

Genre and tags: murder, brewery, Ireland, Dublin, 1920s, amateur detectives, historical, cozy