A Murderous Business

For an intriguing historical feminist mystery, I recommend A Murderous Business (publication day September 16, 2025) by Cathy Pegau, which I hope becomes book one of a series! It’s 1912, and Margot Harriman is running her father’s business empire after his passing–a canning company on Long Island that also manufactures and sells other prepared foods.Continue reading “A Murderous Business”

If Looks Could Kill

It took a little while for me to get into If Looks Could Kill (publication day September 16, 2025) by Julie Berry, but once I did, I was hooked! I had a hard time figuring out how the storylines could come together, but they did, in spectacular fashion! Fiction about true crime/ historical events mixedContinue reading “If Looks Could Kill”

The Macabre

I don’t typically gravitate towards fantasy with a strong horror component as a genre, but I really enjoyed the last book by Kosoko Jackson that I read (a queer romance), so I had to request The Macabre (publication day September 9, 2025) from NetGalley. He’s published at least half a dozen books already, so thereContinue reading “The Macabre”

All My Mother’s Lovers

I thought so highly of All My Mother’s Lovers (2020) by Ilana Masad that I recommended it to my book group, so was a bit disappointed when their reviews were much more mixed. It did spark a lengthy discussion, though. As the book opens. Maggie, a queer twentysomething, finds out that her mother, Iris, hasContinue reading “All My Mother’s Lovers”

Blood Caste

Blood Caste (publication date July 24, 2025) by Shylashri Shankar is an absorbing mystery set in 1895, and imagines what could happen if Jack the Ripper hadn’t been stopped in London but starts another killing spree in Hyderabad, India. Most fascinating was the interplay of all of the different royals and officials–both Indian and British–presentContinue reading “Blood Caste”

Gaslight

Gaslight (2023) is Nigerian author Femi Kayode’s 2nd installment in the Dr. Philip Taiwo series (Lightseeker is book #1), but it’s OK if you haven’t read the first book. Philip, a forensic psychologist, and his wife, Folake, a law professor, are back in Lagos, Nigeria with their three children after having spent two decades inContinue reading “Gaslight”

Wayward Girls

I was completely captivated by Wayward Girls (publication day July 15, 2025) by Susan Wiggs! It’s an epic story of friendship and survival despite the horrific conditions some girls in the United States were subjected to as recently as 50 or 60 years ago. As the book opens in 2020, we know that a fifty-yearContinue reading “Wayward Girls”

A Gentleman in Moscow

I struggled through A Gentleman in Moscow (2016) by Amor Towles despite its beloved status by many (Goodread Choice Nominee for Historical Fiction, Kirkus Nominee for Fiction), having to switch formats from print to audio version so that I could speed it up. It was just so slow! Many in book group really loved it,Continue reading “A Gentleman in Moscow”

Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Investigator

Another entry in the expanding Pride and Prejudice universe, Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Investigator, (publication day July 8, 2025) by Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar, is a satisfying mystery centered on a minor character from Pride and Prejudice. As the book opens, Caroline Bingley is staying with her brother Charles and his new wife JaneContinue reading “Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Investigator”

The Rebel Girls of Rome

It took me a little bit to get into The Rebel Girls of Rome (publication day July 8, 2025) by Jordyn Taylor, but once I did, I was hooked. Going back and forth in time in the present-day, from the perspective of Lilah who is visiting Rome with her grandfather Ralph (Raffaele), and in 1943,Continue reading “The Rebel Girls of Rome”