Mostly Mysteries

06/15/202606/14/2026

The Black Echo

Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch, an LAPD detective, makes his debut appearance in The Black Echo by Michael Connelly. Connelly’s Bosch series spawned an Amazon Prime Series, Bosch, which ran between 2014 and 2021.

In this debut novel, an anonymous phone call to 911 sets Bosch on a case involving a dead body dumped in a drainage tunnel near Mulholland Dam. The corpse’s face and tattooed shoulder seem familiar, even though Bosch can’t immediately identify how, or if, he knows the deceased. As Bosch works on the case, the Federal Bureau of Investigation suddenly becomes interested in the case. Eleanor Wish and her boss, John Rourke, become irritants to Bosch to a certain extent.

Once Bosch figures out that he knew the victim, Billy Meadows, from his time in Vietnam, the powers that be in the LAPD and FBI angle to get him off the case. The more the “suits” wanted him away from the case, the more determined he was to continue, regardless of what could happen to his career. Interestingly, the perpetrator of the crime seemed to stay one step ahead. How? Why? Is there a leak or mole in the LAPD or FBI?

Although rule-bending and tenacious, Bosch is likeable as a character. He cares about the victims of the crimes which he’s investigating. He’s an avid coffee drinker, and lives alone. Although this is the first of Connelly’s Bosch novels that I’ve read, I get the impression that he closely interacts with the women in his cases.

Although thoroughly enjoyable, The Black Echo seemed to slow down at times. A little more copyediting may have tightened it up to be more smooth running. On the other hand, it has power and the ring of truth. Overall, an entertaining outing in the Los Angeles area.

The Black Echo
by Michael Connelly
© 1992
Little, Brown & Company

05/18/202605/17/2026

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop Once upon a time—that catchphrase from childhood. But doesn’t it always have a way of sneaking into our brains and wooing us, no matter how old we are? Six, sixteen, sixty, and beyond—where will that simple phrase lead us? To La Mancha with Don Quixote in Cervantes’ classic tale? Or Navarre with Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorsen in Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing? Whether we read the classics, mysteries, or modern romantasy, “once upon a time,” even if unstated, inevitably draws us inward, outward, or onward.

As Lewis Buzbee mentions in The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, we are “alone together” when we read. We are together with other worldwide readers of the same book, even though each person reads in solitude. We are together with our new-found, or familiar, literary friends. No longer are they just figments of the author’s imagination or just black marks on a page or screen. From the pages of well-written books, the characters stroll into our space and enact their lives in our imagination. Sometimes, we can literally see them—almost.

Beloved Bookshops

In this enjoyable memoir, Buzbee gives a brief history of the book trade and booksellers through history. He then guides us on a trip to his favorite bookstores-ones at which he worked and ones he’s visited as a sales representative. Even those he’s visited as a bibliophile in search of a good book to read. Buzbee never met a bookstore he didn’t like. One can almost see him slowly strolling down the aisles with a few books under his arm. Anything from a new release to a book he’s always wanted and just found on the “remainders” table. Or see him sitting in the café, if the shop has one, and thoroughly enjoying his finds while sipping coffee.

I’ve read The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop three times, now. I’ve savored it immensely each time I’ve read it. For me at least, it doesn’t get stale with rereading.

The Yellow-Lighted Bookstore
by Lewis Buzbee
© 2006
Greywolf Press

04/27/202604/20/2026

Sherlock Holmes and the Deathly Clairvoyant

Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Clairvoyant For lovers of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, such as I, Margaret Walsh’s Sherlock Holmes and the Deathly Clairvoyant is sure to please. In addition to the famous duo, other characters from the Conan Doyle canon take the stage. We again meet Inspector Lestrade, Mycroft Holmes, Mrs. Hudson, and Wiggins, the inimitable head of the Baker Street Irregulars.

In this engaging mystery, Kitty Pappwell, the niece of Amaryllis Winterbottom, comes to Baker Street to hire Holmes. Her aunt had died at home under what seemed like unusual circumstances. The police ruled the aunt’s death as a suicide by the police, who would not listen to the reasons Ms. Pappwell offered that it was murder, such as the fact that the aunt had made a date to go out with Ms. Pappwell for the day after her death. Thus, it seemed odd that she would commit suicide after making plans.

Mysterious Deaths

Holmes and Watson soon learn from acquaintances that others had died in a similar mysterious fashion. All those who died had one thing in common: they had attended a séance run by Eileen and Edgar Loxcroft. This sister and brother team ran séances for moderately wealthy middle-class Londoners. Why was the Messenger of Death heard at some séances, followed by the death of one of the attendees?

Holmes and Watson dug deeper and hunted up answers to their questions: The victims had been poisoned, but that no cup or glass was found near any of the victims. Plus, all the victims were missing a piece of moderately expensive jewelry. Holmes and Watson query their acquaintances and find that the Loxcroft siblings are frowned upon among other mediums.

How could Holmes and Watson attend a séance undetected? By sending Mrs. Hudson as a lure to draw out the murderer. To keep Mrs. Hudson safe, a whole group of people surround her. She is installed into a safe house owned by Mycroft Holmes. Even Wiggins and his confederates are recruited to watch the safe house and make note of any visitors, etcetera.

Holmes, Watson and their associates’ method for catch the villains makes for an interesting read. Holmes, Watson, Mrs. Hudson, and the others are well drawn and believable. In addition, Sherlock Holmes and the Deathly Clairvoyant moves at a comfortable, steady pace and comes to a satisfactory conclusion. I look forward to possibly reading other works by Margaret Walsh.

Sherlock Holmes and the Deathly Clairvoyant
by Margaret Walsh
© 2025
MX Publishing

04/20/202604/17/2026

Dance Noir

In Dance Noir: The Latin Beauty, Tom Riggins brings the 1930s to life. Under his skillful pen, Sacramento, California, comes alive with speakeasies, dancing, and life lived on a boat docked under a bridge. There’s also Selena, a beautiful woman caught in a tough situation. Did she kill her husband as the police suspect? Can she be helped by Nick Gazelle, an aging former cop turned private investigator?

Riggins takes on gangsters and a mob-style killing with a very slight potential to start a gang war between Victor Reyes’ Sacramento gang and Juanita “the Duchess” Spinelli, who heads a mob in San Francisco. But is that true? Or is it an internal argument between Victor and his son, Luis?

I enjoyed this novella about Nick Gazelle. But I would have liked to see more tension between the rival gangs and more backstory about Nick Gazelle. Details about Gazelle and the other gang were somewhat sparse. It seems the other gang was mentioned only to create some slight tension in the story. Otherwise, tension within this novella was minimal.

Gazelle had moved out of his apartment and on to a somewhat rundown boat in the harbor. He also had closed his office, keeping just the office door. Why? The reader can assume it was for cost-cutting purposes, but is that true?

I guess I wish this novella had been worked on and expanded into even a short novel before being released. However, I look forward to any further recordings of his cases and adventures. I hope his favorite waitress (and girlfriend) Vera, comes along for the ride in an expanded role.

Dance Noir: The Latin Beauty
by Tom Riggins
(c) 2025

04/17/202604/17/2026

The Case of the Man Who Died Twice

Ken Courtenay’s The Case of the Man Who Died Twice: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure seizes the reader’s attention and does not let go. This novel’s pace and plot lure the reader into a London filled with misadventure and arrogance.

A man declaring his innocence hangs for a murder. Eighteen months later, the man supposedly murdered comes back to London from a business trip to America. And gets murdered for real.

Tobias Gregson, Scotland Yard Inspector, calls on Holmes and Watson to help untangle this case. More murders and suicides follow, even involving murders Inspector Lestrade is investigating. Although Holmes and Watson relentlessly follow clues, they fear they will not solve the case before others are murdered. The twists and turns of the case draw the reader in, but well-placed clues give subtle hints as to who might be the mastermind.

Courtenay’s Holmes, Watson, and Gregson stand up well compared to the original characters drawn by Conan Doyle. They have the same quick wits and moral code as Doyle’s originals. The detective duo spring in and out of cabs and briskly stride along London’s foggy streets, as always. Inspectors Gregson and Lestrade and Mrs. Hudson are willing subordinates, as in days gone by. Gregson and Lestrade know they will receive top-notch assistance. Mrs. Hudson is long-suffering and the bearer of hearty victuals for Holmes, Watson, and the others.

Relatable Themes

This novel’s themes resonate with today’s political climate in the United States. In an understated, subtle, and even-handed way, Courtenay spotlights greed and murder. He also highlights the attitude some people have that they will get away with anything, including murder, because of who they are, their standing in the community, and their race.

Based on this work, I will check out the author’s other works. I hope Mr. Courtenay continues to offer additional cases that Inspectors Gregson and Lestrade can use to entice Holmes and Watson into action.

07/28/202507/25/2025

Sherlock Holmes Takes the Case

From London to England’s Lake District to Edinburgh, Scotland, Sherlock Holmes and his reliable companion, Dr. John Watson, are always ready to solve the case. In David MacGregor’s Sherlock Holmes Takes the Case: Eight Tales of Mystery and Intrigue, the detecting duo travels great lengths in search of intrigue and crime. For example, they research a case of tiny coffins found on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh in “The Adventure of the Scottish Coffins.” They uncover fraud in “The Amateur Mendicant Society.” Mudlarking in the Thames in London dirties Holmes’ boots in one of the stories. They uncover how an ancient Egyptian scroll went missing in “The Adventure of the Alexandrian Scroll.” And Holmes diverts attention by suggesting multiple solutions in a stabbing in “Death at Simpson’s.”

Clever and Entertaining Stories

Each story is cleverly written and tightly plotted. Holmes and Watson are at the peak of their form in each story. MacGregor captures the flavor of the original Conan Doyle detective duo. The hustle and bustle of London is as much a part of the scene as is the Lake District village of Grasmere. MacGregor expertly distinguishes between the “steam-hammer metronome” that is London and the bucolic “gentle peaks” and “burbling waters” around Grasmere. In a couple of stories, Holmes allows a different kind of justice to be done. “Justice is not the sole province of bewigged old men in courtrooms. Justice belongs to us all.” Conan Doyle implied the same sentiment in a few of his stories. The last story has the duo up on the rooftop trying to apprehend a jolly old, gift-giving phenomenon. One who is aided by a red-nosed hooved creature. Sorry Holmes, it’s not Moriarty.

So, look to be entertained with the stories in this collection. “Death of a Mudlark” and “The Adventure of the Mysterious Benefactor” enchanted me. Which favorites will you choose?

Sherlock Holmes Takes the Case: Eight Tales of Mystery and Intrigue
by David MacGregor
edited by David Marcum
© 2025
MX Publishing

07/25/202507/25/2025

Method of Revenge

Method of Revenge Why are children dying when wallpaper from Henderson and Company is hung in their bedrooms? Could there be something wrong? But why aren’t any parents talking about it?

In Cara Devlin‘s Method of Revenge, Leo Spencer is at a nightclub with her friend, Dita Brooks, when Gabriela Carter, the wife of a mob boss, dies from arsenic poisoning. Who would want her dead and is her death related to the deaths of various children?

Jasper Reid is assigned the case of Mrs. Carter’s death. As usually happens, since Leo Spencer is peripherally involved as a witness, she insinuates herself into the investigation, much to Jason’s consternation. But, since Leo’s observations move the case forward, he is secretly glad of her help.

As with the other two entries in Cara Devlin’s Spencer and Reid series, Method of Revenge, the second mystery in the series, is tightly written, with a plot that propels the reader forward. In addition to the mysterious deaths, Devlin also highlights the burgeoning, but slow-moving interest and love between the protagonists. Their relationship is under stress from certain aspects of their shared past, which causes sparks to fly. A solid fascination about which way their love will flow lures me to wait eagerly for the next installment.

Enjoyable Read

Devlin created two likeable protagonists, both having strengths and flaws. Spencer is intelligent, as evidenced by her work at the morgue with her uncle, and her insightful tips to Reid on aspects of his cases. Impulsive and stubborn, Spencer gets herself into situations from which Reid and his partner, Detective Sergeant Lewis, must extricate her. Reid is honorable and hard working. However, he has kept certain facts about his past hidden, both from Spencer and Scotland Yard. When these facts come to light in his dealings with Spencer, tempers simmer and sparks fly.

I enjoyed the three offerings in Devlin’s Spencer and Reid series so far. I look forward to reading her Bow Street Duchess mystery series.

06/23/202506/18/2025

Shadow at the Morgue

With Shadow at the Morgue, Cara Devlin has created a strong opener to her new Spencer and Reid series. With a splendid start like this, the series is bound to go from great to outstanding.

Devlin sets both Leonora (aka Leo) Spencer and Jasper Reid apart from ordinary humans. Leo is intelligent, savvy and outspoken. And, as Jasper readily agrees, impulsive and stubborn. Jasper is portrayed as a bit straitlaced, but good at his job of Detective Inspector at Scotland Yard.

A cryptic case draws Spencer and Reid in when a body of a woman run over by an omnibus is brought into the morgue run by Leo’s Uncle Claude. Why does a man come into the morgue to steal the woman’s necklace? Why does a witness to the accident say that a man was chasing the woman prior to the accident? How is the woman connected to two criminals recently released from prison?

Scotland Yard assigns the case to Detective Inspector Reid, and, of course, Leo is intrigued and does her own behind the scenes snooping. She unearths important information that helps solve the case, much to the consternation of Reid.

Nicely Done

Devlin balances the mystery nicely with the burgeoning romance between the main characters. Reid and Spencer have a connection from their youth – they were raised by the same guardian for a short while. But Spencer is a bit standoffish with Reid, thinking he doesn’t like her, or is uninterested at the very least.

The story is told from the viewpoints of both Spencer and Reid. This works well, as the reader is immersed in the workings of both characters’ minds. With this debut in the Spencer and Reid series, Devlin creates a cozy historical mystery universe set in 1884. She includes historical facts that enliven the plot, such as the roles women can and cannot undertake during that period. For example, Spencer’s work at her uncle’s morgue is frowned upon or thought to be strange and “unwomanly.” I will be reading the rest of this series as well as Devlin’s other works.

06/16/202506/09/2025

Courier of Death

If you like historical fiction and/or mysteries, Cara Devlin‘s Courier of Death is a must read. Steadily, but quickly, paced, this third entry in the Spencer and Reid series will entice you from the outset.

How and why are the deaths of a police constable and an MP’s aide related? That is what Detective Inspector Jasper Reid is determined to find out, aided by his friend, Leonora Spencer. As this story is set in the London of 1884, the subplot of women’s right to vote adds historical interest.

Devlin endowed her protagonists with great personalities. Leonora, Leo to her friends, is smart, outgoing, and impetuous at times. Of course, her impetuosity gets her into trouble. From which Jason must extricate her. Leo works as an assistant in her uncle’s morgue, outshining male assistants, to the chagrin of the males. Jason’s intelligence and courage stand him in good stead as a Detective Inspector at Scotland Yard. The slow-burn romance between Leo and Jason complements murder and extortion to form a cohesive plot.

As mentioned, this is the third in a series by Cara Devlin. I plan to read the first two books in the Spencer and Reed series as well as other books written by this author. Devlin has also published a second English mystery series, a romance series, and a stand-alone romance, both set in the western United States.

I received a free Advance Reader Copy. This is a voluntary, fair and honest review.

10/07/202410/06/2024

The Nomad Detective

Violet Chase, the protagonist of The Nomad Detective, Volume I, by Amy Suto, takes on cases as a private investigator while searching for her sister, Adriana. Her sister disappeared at a yoga retreat in Guatemala some time prior to the beginning of the stories.

This collection of connected stories is a mixed bag. For example, the first story left me unsatisfied. Chase and her partner, Milo Baxter, find Teresa, the girlfriend of client, Jake Turner, in Costa Rica. After somewhat strange encounters there, both with Teresa and others, Chase returns to San Francisco to tell her client the outcome of her investigation. Jake, of course, does not take that well and fades into the distance. Drugs are a big part of this story, a somewhat stereotypical outlook on the region where most of the story occurs. Conning the rich foreigners, especially Americans, etc., etc.

Violet Chase is a somewhat unusual detective. She bills herself as a nomad detective, ready to take on cases that take her to parts of the world where she might find her lost sister. In addition, Chase has synesthesia, a condition in which the brain routes sensory information through multiple unrelated senses, causing her to experience more than one sense simultaneously. For example, when walking out into the sunshine, she sometimes senses that the sun feels sticky like chewing gum. She can also sense a person’s aura. She uses these senses to effectively size up people involved in her cases.

Although I somewhat enjoyed this novel in stories, I would have liked somewhat less of the auras and mixed-sensory signals and more of straight detective work. The Nomad Detective, while unusual, was a mid-level like for me.