THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING by Lisa Scottoline

Lisa Scottoline has done it again with This Changes Everything—the sequel to last year’s psychological thriller The Unraveling of Julia. Five years after the murder of her first husband, Mike, the discovery of her biological parents, and the inheritance of a crumbling villa in Tuscany, Julia is living a new life: married to Gianluca and mother to three-year-old Leni. That hard-won peace shatters when her psychic abilities flare during a phone call with her lifelong friend Courtney back in the States. In that moment, Courtney discovers her grandmother has been murdered.

Julia flies home to support Courtney, testing the new life she has built in Italy. Torn between loyalty to her best friend and devotion to her family, she faces difficult choices. Skeptical of the local police’s ability—or willingness—to solve the crime, she and Courtney launch their own investigation, aided by several of the victim’s friends.

I’m not usually a fan of supernatural thrillers, so I was glad Scottoline kept Julia’s psychic powers to a minimum. They serve the story without taking it over. The friendship between Julia and Courtney feels genuine and lived-in, and the tension between Julia’s Italian life and her loyalty to Courtney gives the book real emotional weight.

The pacing is tight, the small-town secrets are well-handled, and the ending was a complete surprise—I didn’t see it coming.

Rating:  4.5/5 stars ⭐

Highly recommended if you enjoyed The Unraveling of Julia or just want a smart, twisty thriller with heart.

The MARLOW MURDER CLUB by Robert Thorogood

The Marlow Murder Club is a charming British cozy mystery that I initially picked up after mixing it up with another popular "Murder Club" series. Both feature elderly amateur detectives and a lighthearted tone, but Thorogood’s book stands out with its own delightful flavor.

Set in the picturesque riverside town of Marlow, the story follows three very different women who band together to solve a series of murders. At the heart is Judith Potts—a sharp-witted, independent 77-year-old crossword setter (and former archaeologist) who lives alone in a faded riverside mansion. After witnessing a brutal killing while swimming in the Thames one evening, Judith finds the police skeptical of her account. Undeterred, she teams up with Suzie, a no-nonsense dog walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local vicar. Together, they form the Marlow Murder Club.

What begins as one suspicious death quickly escalates into multiple murders, complete with red herrings, small-town secrets, and a clever (if twisty) resolution involving a "murder pact." Thorogood keeps the violence mostly off-page, focusing instead on the women’s budding friendship, witty banter, and resourceful sleuthing.

I found it a genuinely fun, witty page-turner—cozy in the best sense, with strong female friendships, gentle humor, and plenty of Marlow’s small-town charm. The characters complement each other beautifully: Judith’s intellect and eccentricity drive the investigation, while Suzie and Becks add warmth, practicality, and unexpected depth. It’s lighter on procedural detail than some mysteries, which makes it an easy, escapist read.

If you enjoy The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, you’ll likely love this (and its sequels). It has that same comforting blend of humor, heart, and clever plotting, though The Marlow Murder Club leans even more into feel-good sisterhood and riverside English village vibes. There’s also a TV adaptation worth checking out if you enjoy the book.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐

Perfect for fans of gentle crime-solving without heavy violence or grimness. Highly recommended as a light, satisfying mystery—ideal for a weekend read or cozy armchair escape.

THE DESK FROM HOBOKEN: A GENEALOGY MYSTERY by ML Condike

 

In The Desk from Hoboken, forensic genealogist RaeJean is trying to rebuild her life after a devastating personal tragedy. Hoping for a gentle re-entry into work, she takes over a seemingly straightforward case: confirming the identity of 180-year-old human remains discovered on a Connecticut college campus. The bones are believed to belong to Mary Rogers—a woman whose mysterious 1841 death has never been solved and who is widely thought to have inspired Edgar Allan Poe's The Mystery of Marie Rogêt. 

What starts as a quiet historical verification quickly spirals into something far more dangerous. A mysterious client, reluctant relatives more interested in burying secrets than laying the past to rest, and the previous genealogist's abrupt disappearance (along with all of her research) pull RaeJean deeper into the mystery. As blackmail, bribery, kidnapping, and murder enter the picture, RaeJean must rely on modern forensic DNA analysis, meticulous historical research, and perhaps a touch of otherworldly guidance from a beautiful antique desk with ties to Hoboken. 

ML Condike's debut novel (the first in the A Genealogy Mystery series) cleverly blends fact and fiction. The real-life Mary Rogers case provides a rich historical backbone, while the contemporary investigation highlights the fascinating—and surprisingly suspenseful—world of forensic genealogy. I particularly enjoyed how the story weaves together cutting-edge science, old records, and family dynamics across generations. The antique desk adds an intriguing, almost supernatural layer that elevates the narrative beyond a standard procedural.

Strengths:

• Strong, relatable protagonist in RaeJean, who balances grief with determination.
• Well-researched blend of history, genealogy, and mystery.
• Pacing that builds tensions effectively, with plenty of twists to keep pages turning.

If you enjoy historical mysteries with a modern twist, strong female leads, and stories that connect past secrets to present-day danger (think a genealogical DaVinci Code lite with heart), The Desk from Hoboken is a compelling read. It's atmospheric, informative, and entertaining—perfect for fans of forensic thrillers or anyone who's ever fallen down a family tree rabbit hole.

Rating: 4.5 / 5⭐

  

MURDER on the ORIENT EXPRESS by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie is a work of fiction first published in 1934 in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club. 

The story takes place on the Orient Express, an elegant long-distance train service. When a murder occurs, the list of passengers on this particular trip is almost as long as the soon-to-be list of possible suspects. 

The plot of the book revolves around the murder of Ratchett, a passenger on the train whose real name is Cassetti, a man described as truly evil who had escaped punishment in the U.S. for the kidnapping and subsequent murder of 3-year-old Daisy Armstrong, which took place before the start of the novel. 

Hercule Poirot is a masterful detective, independently wealthy, and a highly moral man. Ratchett, now a passenger on the luxury train, approaches Poirot in the dining car and tries to engage the services of the world-renowned retired Belgian police officer and private detective to act as security for him because he has been receiving threatening letters. He believes someone is trying to kill him. Unfortunately for him, no amount of money will tempt Hercule Poirot to work for the despicable Ratchett.

As the story unfolds, Hercule Poirot has just finished up a case in Syria when he boards the Taurus Express, a train to Istanbul, for a few days of vacation. Upon reaching his hotel, a telegram is waiting for him that informs Hercule of a development in another case he is working on and that he needs to return to London as soon as possible. Poirot arranges passage on the Orient Express. However, he is informed that no first-class compartments are available, and he is relegated to second-class. While he waits for the next train for his return trip to London, Hercule runs into his old friend, M. Bouc, who happens to be the director of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagon Lits and a former coworker on the Belgian police force. Bouc makes arrangements for Poirot to take the carriage of a passenger who has yet to show up for this ill-fated train trip. Still, he must share it with Hector McQueen, the personal assistant of the soon-to-be murder victim. When the train reaches Belgrade, Bouc has Poirot's luggage moved to compartment number one, previously occupied by M. Bouc, who then moves to the Athens coach. Having now moved into the first-class compartment number one. Poirot's compartment is now directly next to Mr Ratchett. It is also two doors down from Mrs. Hubbard, another passenger who will provide critical evidence in the murder.  

When the train runs into a snow bank and is stuck there for several days, it's up to Poirot, with the aid of M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine, the coroner aboard the Orient Express, who is called upon to examine Ratchett's body, determine the victim's time and place of death, and also happens to be around for most of the evidence gathering done during the investigation to solve this most brutal murder. Poirot's 'little gray cells' work overtime, but is he up to the challenge?  

Those readers who love a good whodunit will love this book. It keeps you guessing right to the end.

My Personal Rating is ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

 

The FIFTH ASSASSIN by Brad Meltzer...

The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer was published in 2013 by Grand Central Publishing. It is the second book of the Culper Ring series, which picks up where book one, The Inner Circle, ends with the main character, archivist Beecher White inducted into the modern-day Culper Ring.  

It is essential to understand what the Culper Ring is before diving into any of the three books in Brad Meltzer's Culper Ring Series, so let me explain. The Culper Ring was a real, honest-to-goodness network of American spies operating during the American War of Independence. The Ring was organized in 1778 and was used to provide General George Washington with information on British troupe movements.¹ Meltzer's Culper Ring Series assumes that the spy ring still exists. However, the plot twist is that two separate factions within the organization are working in opposition. 

This installment begins with an unknown assassin in Washington, D.C., attempting to recreate the assassination plots successfully achieved by four of the most infamous killers in U.S. history, John Wilkes Booth, Charles Guiteau, Leon Czolgosz, and Lee Harvey Oswald. Throughout history, everyone believed the four killers were lone gunmen. However, Beecher White is not convinced. Through his investigation, he discovers that the four assassins may have worked together over the past hundred years. 

It's up to Beecher and the Culper Ring to find answers to the Who, What, Why, and How questions that remain unresolved before the copycat assassin finds its mark...the current President of the United States. Can it be done, but more importantly...can it be done before the assassin succeeds? 

This is an absorbing tale with more than one unexpected turn of events. I enjoyed this novel very much, but since many of the characters and subplots are continuations from the first book, I recommend reading the books in sequential order. I think you'll be glad you did.

My Personal Rating... ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The BIG SLEEP by Raymond Chandler

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler was published in 1939 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. It is a work of fiction told in the first-person point of view. This classic whodunit introduces the reader to the quintessential hardboiled detective, Philip Marlowe, the main protagonist, and narrator. 

The story takes place in Los Angeles and centers around the private detective's investigation into a blackmail scheme against Carmen Sternwood, the wild young daughter of General Sternwood, an elderly millionaire who has his hands full with both of his spoiled and impetuous offspring.  

The General hires Marlowe to deal with the latest blackmail plot. This one was perpetrated by Arthur Gwynn Geiger, the owner of an illegal pornography-lending library, against Carmen. As a matter of fact, this is the second time she's been faced with blackmail. The previous scheme was put into motion by a man named Joe Brody, a grifter who tries and fails to take over Geiger's racket. That blackmail plan ended when General Sternwood paid Brody off. With this latest attempt, the General hires Marlowe to, in essence, make this problem disappear. It seems Geiger has nude pictures of Carmen and intends to sell them unless she (or her father) can come up with the cash to get the photos back. 

During their initial meeting, the General also tells Marlowe about his eldest daughter Vivian who is in a loveless marriage to a man named Rusty Regan. But, unfortunately, it appears that Rusty has vanished. While determining whether General Sternwood wants him to look into the disappearance, Marlowe heads over to Geiger's bookstore, where he discovers the secret-pornography business being run out of the back of the shop.

Marlowe stakes out the bookstore and then follows Geiger home, where he witnesses Carmen Sternwood enter the house; a few moments later, there's a scream, the sound of gunshots, and two cars speeding away; Marlowe enters and finds Geiger's dead body and Carmen naked and strung out on drugs beside an empty camera. He takes Carmen home and then returns to Geiger's house, only to find that his body has been removed. 

When Marlowe gets a phone call from the police the next day telling him that Sternwood's car was found off the pier with the murdered body of the Sternwood chauffeur Owen Taylor inside, Marlowe knows that he is getting himself deeper and deeper into a much bigger scheme than what meets the eye and is putting his own life in danger due in part to all of the unanswered questions this mystery unfolds for the detective the longer he investigates.  

This novel is rife with atmosphere, plot twists, and a cast of characters you will remember. Unfortunately, like its film version, The Big Sleep has been called cryptic, confusing, and by some...impossible to follow. It has a complex plot, and I admit taking a few notes while reading the book to keep it all straight. You may want to judge for yourself, but none of this interfered with my enjoyment of reading this classic detective yarn.

My Personal Rating is ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

The MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett was published in 1930 by Alfred A Knopf, Inc. It is a hardboiled detective work of fiction. The story is told in the third-person narrative. 

The main character is Sam Spade, a private detective at the San Francisco Spade & Archer Detective Agency. The agency is approached by a potential client calling herself Ruth Wonderley. It seems Miss Wonderley wants to hire Sam and his partner Miles Archer to follow a man named Floyd Thursby, who ran off with her sister Corinne. 

The story told by Miss Wonderley is that she has made arrangements to meet with Thursby. But he refuses to let her see her sister, so she wants to hire the detectives to trail him and find out where he's staying. Neither Sam nor Miles is buying into her story, but the money she will pay them is too good to pass up. Miles volunteers to take the first shift tailing Thursby but is shot and killed while on the job. When Thursby is also later killed, Sam becomes the chief suspect and must now prove his innocence in Thursby's murder. 

Sam must also find out who killed Miles. The question is, why? For the answer...who could say it better than Sam Spade and the author himself? 

 "When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something  about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it. Then it happens we were in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed it's bad business to let the killer get away with it. It's bad all around... bad for that one organization, bad for every detective everywhere. -Sam Spade"

― Dashiell Hammett, quote from The Maltese Falcon¹

I will not tell you more of the story; you'll have to read the book, which has been in print for over 90 years, so that should tell you something. This book has been the basis for three movies, but only one has become a classic. If you're a film buff, you know which one I mean. 

If you like hardboiled detective fiction, especially from the genre's golden age, this book is a classic in every sense of the word. It's a great story and one you'll enjoy.

References:

¹The Maltese Falcon Quotes by Dashiell Hammett | Goodreads

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The BULLET THAT MISSED by Richard Osman

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman, published in 2022 by Pamela Dorman Books, is another excellent installment in the Thursday Murder Club Mystery series that features a loveable geriatric group of friends living in a retirement community outside of London. Much like a book club, they hold weekly meetings and use some of their pre-retirement skills, Elizabeth Best, a former spy; Ron Ritchie, a longtime union organizer; Ibrahim Arif, an ex-psychiatrist; and Joyce Meadowcroft, a retired nurse, to solve cold murder cases. The group is called The Thursday Murder Club, and this review is about the 3rd book in the series.  

Elizabeth has a lot on her plate, which includes her husband's dementia which seems to be worsening by the day. A new foe sends her threatening notes, makes threatening phone calls, and ultimately pays her a visit with a kill-or-be-killed demand. In addition, the cold case the group has committed to resolving is heating up. It is a decade old and relates to the murder of Bethany Waites, an investigative reporter about to crack a case of tax fraud wide open. But unfortunately, before Bethany can break the case, her car careens off a cliff, and her body is never found. 

Never content to limit their research to online activities, the club members manage to wheedle their way into situations that give them access to Bethany's friends and colleagues, the chief constable that worked the case, a drug dealer the group previously put in jail, and wants to kill Ron as soon as she gets out, along with an assist by many other unsavory characters. But, of course, all this leads to a full schedule for this group of retirement village sleuths. 

From the crafty Elizabeth, kind-hearted Joyce, brilliant Ibrahim, and the fussy but loyal Ron, this quartet of friends are the ones you want around when things go sideways. The Bullet That Missed is as suspenseful as it is entertaining. In other words, another great story from an author that knows how to write them. 

  

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

STILL LIFE: (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1) by Louise Penny

Still Life: (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1) by Louise Penny was published in 2005 by Macmillan Publishers. The story is set in the fictitious small Canadian village of Three Pines near Montreal. When a body is discovered in the woods, Chief Inspector Gamache of the Surete du Quebec and his homicide team are called in to investigate.

Jane Neal, a 76-year-old retired school teacher, has been found dead. While reviewing the scene, Chief Inspector Gamache finds a small puncture wound in her chest. He determines that Jane's demise came from the most unnatural cause. It seems that Jane was shot with a wooden arrow. Was it a hunting accident? After all, Three Pines is a popular spot for hunting. 

Ben Hadley found the body; according to him, Jane was well-liked and respected by everyone in the community. Jane's neighbor and best friend, Clara Morrow, informs Gamache that Jane entered a painting called Fair Day as her submission to a local art gallery opening just before she died. Gamache finds it odd that Jane has never shown her art to anyone before. He also finds it curious that another of Jane's friends, Timmer, died just a few weeks earlier of cancer and that Fair Day was painted at the same time as Timmer's death. What makes things even more curious to Gamache is that during Jane's lifetime, she never let anyone into her house beyond her kitchen. Now that she's dead, Jane's niece Yolande Fontaine will not allow Gamache to go into Jane's house... at all.

What goes on here in this small village? What's happening in Jane's house that seems such a well-guarded secret? Who is Timmer, and how is her death connected to Jane and her painting? Most importantly, who killed Jane... and why?

Still Life is the first novel in the Chief Inspector Gamache Series. Penny's descriptive writing and character development make this book a page-turner. I did not figure out 'whodunit' until the end. It was also the first Louise Penny book that I've read. Fortunately, it won't be the last!

My Personal Review Rating...⭐⭐⭐⭐

The QUICHE of DEATH by M.C. Beaton...

The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton was published in 2006 by St. Martin's Paperbacks. It is a cozy mystery and the first in the Agatha Raisin series of books. The story follows Agatha Raisin, a successful London public relation firm's owner, who decides to chuck it all in and retire from the business for a simpler life in the small village of Carsley in Cotswold. However, Agatha needs help fitting into her new community. Of course, it doesn't help that she steals her neighbor's housekeeper away within the first week of residence. 

When Agatha hears there is to be a baking competition in Carsley, her competitive nature kicks in. She decides to wine and dine the lecherous contest judge and his wife to get the inside scoop on the competitors and enter the competition herself. One problem...Agatha can't cook, so she buys a spinach quiche from a London quiche shop and submits it to the contest as her creation. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse as Agatha loses the contest, and as it turns out, someone adds an extra ingredient to her quiche, killing the judge. The only way to get out of this pickle is for Agatha to investigate independently of the local police. Along the way, Agatha enlists the aid of her former assistant Roy from her days at the PR firm, her newly acquired housekeeper Gemma, and P.I. Bill Wong, who has a not-so-secret crush on her. 

If you like detective fiction, particularly of the British variety, that is not too heavy on the gore, along with some light comedy and romance, you might enjoy this series as much as I do.  

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

MAGPIE MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz is a mystery novel published in 2016 by The Orion Publishing Group. It's the first book in the Susan Ryeland series and an excellent introduction to it. The book uses a story within a story format, primarily focusing on the murder of a mystery writer.  

The main story goes like this, Susan Ryeland, a book editor, receives a copy of a manuscript by best-selling author Alan Conway. Unfortunately, Conway has a less-than-pleasant demeanor and is not exactly one of Susan's favorite clients. As a point of fact, Susan loves her job and only puts up with Alan because his books are so successful. And this latest story promises to be another triumph. However, the odd thing about this new manuscript is that as Susan nears its end, she notices that the book's final chapter still needs to be added. After all, who writes a murder mystery without an ending? And when Susan is told that Alan Conway has died of an apparent suicide, she suspects all is not as it appears. So she decides to investigate Conway's death to learn the truth and find the manuscript's missing chapter while at it.

Atticus Pünd, the 1950s fictionalized detective and the main protagonist of Conway's successful books, is charged with investigating a murder at a local manor house in this latest novel. However, the more Susan reads, the more convinced she is that another story is hidden in its pages. So can Susan solve the mystery in the final Atticus Pünd novel without the last chapter, or...can the fictional Atticus help Susan solve the mystery of Alan Conway's death? You'll need to read Magpie Murders to find out. This is a carefully crafted puzzler with an ending you won't see coming. And a must-read for anyone that loves a good mystery.

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

NONNA MARIA and the CASE of the MISSING BRIDE by Lorenzo Carcaterra

'Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride' by Lorenzo Carcaterra, published in 2022 by Bantam, is a cozy mystery set on the island of Ischia off the coast of the Italian mainland. The main character is Nonna Maria, an elderly widow and Italy's answer to Miss Jane Marple. Like Jane, Nonna Maria is a friend to many of the residents on the island and someone they all turn to when there is trouble brewing, and the local police can't seem to help. 

When one of her close friends is murdered, Maria steps in to help the local carabinieri (police), Captain Murino, solve the murder and, hopefully, prevent the possible murder of Anna, a lifelong islander and the daughter of another friend. Anna is newly engaged to Andrea, a less-than-savory character with a previous marriage and a past that raises more questions than he's willing to answer. Maria steps in to help when Anna confides that she's afraid of her fiance.

Nonna Maria is one cagey grandma, as she brings a cast of characters she counts as friends to help her resolve one murder and hopefully prevent another. The story moves quickly and is one I thoroughly enjoyed. This is it if anyone is looking for a good mystery that isn't grizzly. This is the first book by Mr. Carcaterra to introduce this excellent character, and I hope she will reappear in future books by this author.

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐