Hopeful Hearts at the Cornish Cove by Kim Nash (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 

Title: Hopeful Hearts at the Cornish Cove

Author: Kim Nash

Publication: 30 March 2023

Format: Kindle eARC via NetGalley & Boldwood

Amazon Description: 

Meredith's life is at a standstill. She's stuck in a dead-end job, approaching fifty, and her dating life is a string of disasters. But one evening, while browsing the internet, she sees an ad for a lighthouse, and in a moment of impulsiveness, she makes a ridiculous bid for it.

With the help of local handyman Clem, she sets about renovating. And as they work together, a bond begins to form. But when Meredith finds out that Clem is keeping a secret from her, it changes everything. Will they find a way to build something more meaningful together?

A delightful story about community, friendship and having the courage to start over, perfect for fans of Carole Matthews, Milly Johnson and Lucy Dillon

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I have adored Kim Nash since before she even became Kim Nash - Romance Novelist Extraordinaire. She's beginning to scare the ever-livin' out of me, though. My first real post of the year was a two-fer of her Muddleford Cove books. There was much ugly crying and multiple boxes of tissues and snotty sweater (or jumper, depending on which side of the pond you're on) sleeves ... and pure joy to be had.

I think after this one Kim probably owes me a new sweater/jumper ... or I need to find a way to AirMail some G&T across the Atlantic as thank for once again coming to the rescue of my repeatedly shattered being. Please please please tell me this won't be a one-and-done.

 

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

 

The Moonshine Shack Murder by Diane Kelly (Tuesday Intros and Teaser Tuesday)

  

Title: The Moonshine Shack Murder

Author: Diane Kelly

Publication: 6 July 2021

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description

In this intoxicating new cozy mystery series, the future for modern-day moonshiner Hattie Hayes looks bright--until death darkens the doorstep of her Moonshine Shack.

The Hayes family has made moonshine in Chattanooga since the days of Prohibition, and Hattie is happy to continue the tradition, serving up fun, fruity flavors in mason jars for locals and tourists alike. All signs indicate her new 'shine shop will be a smashing success. What's more, mounted police officer Marlon Landers has taken a shine to Hattie. For the first time ever, the stars seemed to have aligned in both her work and romantic life. But when a body ends up on her store's doorstep alongside a broken jar of her Firefly Moonshine, it just might be lights out for her fledgling business.

The homicide detective can't seem to identify the person who killed the owner of a nearby bar. The only witness is Hattie's longhaired gray cat, and Smoky isn't talking. When the detective learns that the victim and Hattie had a heated exchange shortly before his murder, she becomes her prime suspect.

Lest Hattie end up behind bars like her bootlegging great-grandfather a century before, she must distill the evidence herself and serve the killer a swift shot of justice.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I do love a good 'shine (my favorites being blackberry and apple cinnamon), so when I saw the third in this series on NetGalley I had to ask for it .... and then get my hands on the first two. I am so ridiculously behind on my NetGalley reads that I'll probably be denied and have to wait for the third, but I'm okay with that. I've loved this first one so much that I know it'll be worth the wait .... and I do still have to read the second one and find out what happens next with Hattie and crew. The mystery itself wasn't terribly complicated or surprising, but as long as the characters keep being a well-written as they were in this first one, it's a series that I will gladly continue with, mason jar in hand.

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

 

 

 

 

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Title: The Love Wager

Author: Lynn Painter

Publication: 14 March 2023

Format: Kindle eARC via NetGalley & Berkley

Amazon Description: 

Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs onto the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she snuck out of. 

After agreeing they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie realize they’re each other’s perfect wing-person in their searches for The One. They text each other about their dates, often scheduling them at the same restaurant so that if things don’t go well, the two of them can get tacos afterward. 

Spoiler: they get a lot of tacos together. 

Discouraged by the lack of prospects, Jack and Hallie make a wager to see who can find true love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off. As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they both struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I am still largely on the "romance is bullshit" end of the spectrum and I'm actually surprisingly okay with it ... for me. Then there's Jack and Hallie and you just have to know from the description that they're destined to be together. Watching them figure that out and overcome the obstacle course of online dating other people in the process was an absolute delight -- except, of course, for the times that I thought it was going to rip my heart out.

It was nice seeing Jack's best friend and sister, Colin and Liv. I would highly recommend reading Mr. Wrong Number first to meet the family ... and because it's another phenomenal book.

And now I go back to swiping left and right just in case there's actually a Jack out there.

 

 

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

 

Chaos at Carnegie Hall by Kelly Oliver (Tuesday Intros and Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: Chaos at Carnegie Hall 

Author: Kelly Oliver

Publication: 15 November 2022

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description

Can Fiona catch a killer and find a decent cup of tea before her mustache wax melts?

1917. New York.

Notorious spy, Fredrick Fredricks, has invited Fiona to Carnegie Hall to hear a famous soprano. It’s an opportunity the War Office can’t turn down. Fiona and Clifford are soon on their way, but not before Fiona is saddled with chaperon duties for Captain Hall’s niece. Is Fiona a spy or a glorified babysitter?

From the minute Fiona meets the soprano aboard the RMS Adriatic it’s treble on the high C’s. Fiona sees something—or someone—thrown overboard, and then she overhears a chemist plotting in German with one of her own countrymen!

And the trouble doesn’t stop when they disembark. Soon Fiona is doing time with a group of suffragettes and investigating America’s most impressive inventor Thomas Edison.

When her number one suspect turns up dead at the opera and Fredrick Fredricks is caught red-handed, it looks like it’s finally curtains for the notorious spy.

But all the evidence points to his innocence. Will Fiona change her tune and clear her nemesis’ name? Or will she do her duty? And just what is she going to do with the pesky Kitty Lane? Not to mention swoon-worthy Archie Somersby . . .

If Fiona’s going to come out on top, she’s going to have to make the most difficult decision of her life: the choice between her head and her heart.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I've been having a hard time really getting into this one. I've been battling a nasty bug/cold/general blahness for a couple of weeks now and that may have something to do with it. After all, I absolutely adored the first three Fiona Figg books and this one I've been reading very VERY slowly for a week already and I'm still not even halfway through.

It's not a bad book. The characters I adored from the first three are all back. Fiona, the incorrigible Clifford, the mysterious Fredrick Fredricks, and the so-called swoon-worthy Archie Somersby .... whom I'm still very much questionable about. There's just something about him that niggles at me and I don't think I trust him.

But wait ... isn't this a "brand new cozy mystery series" like they claim?

No. 

It really isn't. 

 THIS IS NOT A NEW SERIES.

I don't care what they say. If you don't know the background from the first three Fiona Figg books, you'll probably feel like you're missing something.... and you are. Just tossing in "Kitty Lane" doesn't make it a new series .... it makes it a continuation with a new character added to the mix .... one who is currently sitting on the fence with Archie Somersby for me.

Read the others first.

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

 

 

 

 

The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency by Peter Oxley (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Title: The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency

Author: Peter Oxley

Publication: 2 March 2023

Format: Kindle eARC from NetGalley & Burning Chair Limited

Amazon Description

London, 1868. The streets are haunted by thieves, murderers… and demons from beyond the Aether.

Spencer and Bart are the city’s most incompetent crooks, and they are in deep trouble. Hunted by both police and their fellow criminals, they are forced to consider the unthinkable  — going straight.

Forming The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency, they thought their troubles were behind them, but they soon find themselves caught up in a web far more dangerous than they could ever imagine, pitched against demons, criminals and evil magicians.

Why are there so many demons roaming the London streets, and can Spencer and Bart stop them before it’s too late?

Who are the mysterious Tappers, and what are they doing with the women they abduct from the streets?

Can Spencer and Bart change the habits of a lifetime and not only stay on the right side of the law, but also save the day?

The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency is the new novel from Peter Oxley, the author of the Infernal Aether series. If you like dark gothic adventures with a light-hearted twist, then you’ll love The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I have had almost ridiculously good luck lately with my book picks. Since the beginning of the year, there have only been four that I was just kind of "eh" about ... and only three that ended up firmly on the DNFWNEFYCMMF* pile. 

 

The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency is most definitely not going on that pile. It feels almost like Gail Carriger, Christopher Moore, and Derek Landy had a great big lovefest with the spirit of Terry Pratchett and the end result was somehow Peter Oxley. [Hey. It's Alternate Universe Land. It could happen.]

It has humor, snark, magic, mystery, snark, demons, snark, and monsters (not necessarily the same as demons, after all)... oh, and a bit of snark.

There was not a soul in London not in fear of these new monsters. Even the demons feared them, went out in pairs for their own protection. 

This new menace. Even their name sent a shiver down the spine. 

The Tappers.

And it all takes place in an alternate Victorian London.

London was never quiet. It was the noisiest hell-pit on Earth; a wonderful, chaotic, messy, beautiful sea of humanity.

I think by now you probably know how very much I adore snark and Victorian London -- alternative or otherwise. I still wasn't expecting to adore this book as much as I have and I am so hoping that there will be many more installments to come. I know that it's related to Oxley's Infernal Aether series, which I have yet to read, but I really just want more Spencer and Bart and I'm not sure how prominently they may be in those ... if at all. [I would, of course, be more than willing to find out if someone wants to gift me the box set or something.] 

 

From the first time we meet our dynamic fearless fearsome main duo in The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency, I knew they were my type of guys and that this was going to be one for the potential future re-read pile.

 “Mornin’, Dicky,” grinned Spencer, a short, scrawny man with a face like a weasel and a voice to match. “Been a while. Mind if we have a chat? Didn’t think so. Bart, help Dicky to his feet.” 

Dicky tried to back away as Bart’s lumbering bulk lent down over him. His vision was filled with the man’s excessively hairy body and completely smooth head as two hands the size of shovels grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him—surprisingly gently—to his feet.

I know. 

 

I cheat. 

 

I throw in more blips and blurbs than necessary but sometimes it's just needed and it's not like there's some sort of blog police out there. If there was, I would just hide behind Bart. Besides, all those blips and blurbs happen in the first two chapters so it's just a realllllly extended Tuesday Intro .... or something. I'm sure Spencer would be able to come up with the right words to convince you. If not, I'm sure Bart would find a way.

 

* = did not finish - will not ever finish - you can't make me finish

 

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

 

 

 

 

I'll Sleep When I've Read... A Geek Girl's Guide to Murder by Julie Anne Lindsey

Title: A Geek Girl's Guide to Murder

Author: Julie Anne Lindsey

Publication: 1 February 2021

Format: paperback

Amazon Description: 

IT manager Mia Connors is up to her tortoiseshell glasses in technical drama when a glitch in the Horseshoe Falls email system disrupts security and sends errant messages to residents of the gated community. Mia doesn't have time to hunt down a computer hacker. Her best friend has disappeared, and she finds another of her friends murdered—in her office. Then the hunky new head of Horseshoe Falls security identifies Mia as the prime suspect. 

Eager to clear her name, Mia moves into action to locate her missing buddy and find out who killed their friend. But her quick tongue gets her into trouble with more than the new head of security. When Mia begins receiving threats, the killer makes it clear that he's closer than she ever imagined.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I shared the beginning and a blip from page 56 of the paperback on Friday ... by Saturday evening I was cursing and praising Julie Anne Lindsey for bringing such amazing characters into my life ... and leaving the book in a way that is only acceptable because the rest of the Geek Girl's Guide trilogy is already available. [Geeks love trilogies, by the way. It's just the way it is.] Mia is so much like me in so many ways that it really didn't surprise me when I ended up with four pages of my blog notebook filled with quotes -- with even more highlighted in the digital version that had to also be obtained so I could continue to read even when the lights were off.

I understood her. I felt her. Aside from the family, age, bank account, and murder, I was her. My wardrobe is almost equal parts nerdy fandom shirts and cute girly-girl dresses (I prefer Mary Janes to Mia's stilettos, though). I never ever willingly go anywhere beyond the corner store without my tablet, my smart phone, and a book (not counting the hundreds of digital books on various clouds). I have serious social anxiety issues but get along remarkably well with just about everyone I have to deal with for work. I have little clue and little success when it comes to 90% or more of the members of the opposite sex. Hipsters make me cringe.

Mia Connors is my girl and Nate reminds me so very much of my beloved Ben -- one of my dearest friends who sadly passed a couple of years ago. I kept picturing us as Mia and Nate ... without Mia's Jimmy Choos and flowing Guinevere hair (I tend to stick with the pixie cut Ben insisted was my "bestest"). I regret that we never got to solve any actual mysteries together. We would have been epic.

As for the mystery and storyline, there were so many pieces that it kept me guessing as to how they would all fit together. Seeing how it all worked together was brilliant and stressful and awe-inspiring and a little bit anxiety-inducing. At one point, the oh-so-confusing security guard Jake told Mia that he was surprised that she was good at her part of the investigations going on. She replied with "well, I like a challenge, so this has been fun." It was fun for me, as well, and I look forward to getting my hands on the next two books. 

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If you want to share whatever has kept you up past your bedtime because you just needed one more chapter ... or the entire book ... please comment! My TBR pile is already toppling, but I can always add more.

A Geek Girl's Guide to Murder by Julie Anne Lindsey (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 

Title: A Geek Girl's Guide to Murder

Author: Julie Anne Lindsey

Publication: 1 February 2021

Format: paperback

Amazon Description: 

IT manager Mia Connors is up to her tortoiseshell glasses in technical drama when a glitch in the Horseshoe Falls email system disrupts security and sends errant messages to residents of the gated community. Mia doesn't have time to hunt down a computer hacker. Her best friend has disappeared, and she finds another of her friends murdered—in her office. Then the hunky new head of Horseshoe Falls security identifies Mia as the prime suspect. 

Eager to clear her name, Mia moves into action to locate her missing buddy and find out who killed their friend. But her quick tongue gets her into trouble with more than the new head of security. When Mia begins receiving threats, the killer makes it clear that he's closer than she ever imagined.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I got myself a paperback off Amazon in December after discovering that Julie Anne Lindsey is also Jacqueline Frost. Of course, then life got messy and then messier and I couldn't remember where I placed the book and .... you know how it is. I've still only just started it because of various distractions during my work shift, but I wanted to have something to share today and this just felt right. Hopefully I'll have enough done for a proper post in a couple days. I think it might end up being a good one for an I'll Sleep When I've Read... post.

 

 

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

Death and Croissants by Ian Moore (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: Death and Croissants

Author: Ian Moore

Publication: 2 July 2021 (Farrago)/14 March 2023 (Poisoned Pen Press)

Format: Kindle eARC from NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press

Amazon Description

"A fast-paced, witty story for those who enjoy dry British humor." — Library Journal

Richard is a middle-aged Englishman who runs a B&B in the fictional Val de Follet in the Loire Valley. Nothing ever happens to Richard, and really that's the way he likes it.

One day, however, one of his older guests disappears, leaving behind a bloody handprint on the wallpaper. Another guest, the exotic Valérie, persuades a reluctant Richard to join her in investigating the disappearance.

Richard remains a dazed passenger in the case until things become really serious and someone murders Ava Gardner, one of his beloved hens... and you don't mess with a fellow's hens!

Death and Croissants is an unputdownable, hilarious mystery perfect for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club.

What readers are saying:

"Richard Osman meets Sherlock Holmes rampaging through the charming Loire Valley in this raucously funny book. I loved it."

"A light, very funny mystery with appealing characters in a wonderful French countryside."

"Oh wow, this was funny. This one just knocks it out of the park."

"A story full of interesting and diverse characters told with lots of humor."

"The author gives you everything you want in a humorous, witty mystery that chases you through all the twists and turns with murder, mafia, and mayhem."

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I have yet to read Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series. I know, I'm as shocked as you probably are. I'm sure I will eventually but there has been sooooo much hype that it has felt kind of like Harry Potter did when it first came out. I didn't read that until many many many years later when my kid decided we should, and even then we never bothered to finish the series.

 

What does any of this have to do with Death and Croissants? Easy : I have absolutely no preconceived notions. I could care less about those who claim it's "perfect for fans of Thursday Murder Club" or those who claim it's just a poor knock-off. I saw it on NetGalley; went "ooooh a new one to beg Poisoned Pen Press for;" got giddy because it would cross off a spot on my Craving for Cozies Library Card (Cozy Written by a Male Author) and put France on my Literary Escapes challenge list; got the approval and here we are. 

 

I have other books on my NetGalley shelf that are being released sooner (or are already out -- whoops), but this just felt like it would be the perfect palate cleanser after the "holyomigoodnesswhatthehellwasthat" of Lisa Unger's Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. 

 

Even from the first few pages it was clear that I made the right choice. We have as our "hero" Richard Ainsworth, former film historian (WOO-HOO!!! Score one for classic film references out the wazoo!!!!), who now runs a bed & breakfast (score two from the girl who has worked in hotels for 2/3 of her life), and really doesn't seem to like people very much (I feel you, man .... deep in my soul .... that should give, like, ten scores all on its own). And we have Valérie d'Orçay, a guest at the b&b who ends up being so much more .... but what, and exactly who, is a bit of a mystery all of its own. 

 

It feels a bit like classic Agatha Christie (serious The Man in the Brown Suit vibes for me), with some Remington Steele (speaking of Stephanie Zimbalist ... if you know, you know) type chemistry with a far less debonair hero. Farrago has already released two novels and a novella and the first is about to get its reprint from Poisoned Pen Press .... and I'm already for more. 

 

Maybe someday I'll get around to reading Osman. 

 

Right now Moore is more than adequate.

 

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

 

 

 

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 

Title: Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six 

Author: Lisa Unger 

Publication: 8 November 2022 

Format: hardcover, eARC from NetGalley & Park Row

Amazon Description: 

Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller.

What could be more restful than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s generous brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It'll be three couples on this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R.

But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare. 

A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep.

How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

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23 February 2023

*****************

It has taken me entirely too long to start this. 

 

I had (still have) an advanced digital copy, for crying out loud. 

 

I bought the hardcover shortly after it was released.

 

In November. 

 

Early November.

 

I suppose there were probably a lot of reasons to put it off, but those are mostly over and done and now I can devote the proper amount of energy ... I hope. I've picked it up several times over the past few months but then stuff would get in the way in my brain and I knew this probably wouldn't be a book I would be willingly distracted from. I have an hour and a half left to my work week and then nothing but hanging out with my kid for the weekend and he is perfectly willing to avoid the cold and snow and stay tucked inside the house with a book for me and the ipad, iphone, laptop, tv, kitchen, etc for him 😉

 

By the way, I have had the "Friday 56" picked out since I picked up the hardcover in our favorite little bookstore. I had no intention of buying it that day, I was just curious about the options for the 56es. I could have easily just stuck with the free eARC .... but the blip from page 256 made the hardcover a "keeper" and the receipt has been holding the page this entire time.

 

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27 February 2023

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So much horribly unexpected life got in the way of reading as much as I wanted to over the weekend .... and then came the Sunday night-Monday morning work shift which, blessedly, was only a hassle for the first hour or so.

And then came the book .... and everything else just sort of disappeared.

I was completely entranced and awestuck and bewildered and a million other feelings that I really never expected even though I probably should have. This isn't my first Unger, after all. Even though it had so many elements that I typically cringe over like time jumps, storylines that don't seem to go together at all, and the dreaded multiple POVs. This is Lisa Unger, though, and I really can't imagine the book working quite so well, or being nearly as gripping, without those dreaded elements. I also can't can't imagine those elements working quite so well by anybody else's hand (or keyboard .... or however Lisa does her thing).

So many amazing pieces jig-sawed together into a book I will most definitely reread and would give a million and two stars to if I could .... and page 256 is still my favorite.

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

Murder Served Neat by Michelle Hillen Klump (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: Murder Served Neat

Author: Michelle Hillen Klump

Publication: 21 February 2023

Format: Kindle eARC from NetGalley & Crooked Lane Books

Amazon Description

Reporter-turned-mixologist Samantha Warren has already thwarted one murder. Now, her world is shaken—definitely not stirred—once again as another killing throws her world into chaos.

Samantha is mixing up traditional cocktails at the German Texan Lodge’s Fourth of July festival—a gig she was roped into by her mother. But amidst the bratwurst and brass bands, trouble is brewing. Lodge loyalties are divided over a proposal to build a private, country-club-style tennis center on the lodge grounds. Her mom’s best friend Patty Davis is vehemently opposed to the plan. Society matron Angela Clawson is all for it. At the festival, they’re seen in a heated argument—and hours later, Angela is found dead, killed by one of the ceremonial shovels intended for the groundbreaking.

Samantha’s mother begs her to help clear her best friend’s name, but can she handle another murder case or will the whole investigation go bottoms up?

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

One of my first reads of the year was Michelle Hillen Klump's A Dash of Death. I wasn't overly impressed by it, but I stuck with it because this was already on my NetGalley shelf. I almost didn't and just hit the "will not be leaving feedback" button since I have had very bad luck with the "second book curse" lately.

 

Murder Served Neat has broken the curse!

 

I cared more about the characters -- possibly because we had already "met" before. Even the victim was a "what the heck! who? how?" right off the bat. I still don't care who killed the guy in the first one 😆 As a whole, the story just flowed much more smoothly. Sure, it was a little bit all over the place at times, but here it made sense and even added to the story rather than distracting from. Now, we just need to address the not-so-little matter of a certain little triangle that hopefully won't drag on and on for books to come.

 

And, yes, I'll definitely be reading the books to come.

 

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

 

 

 

I'll Sleep When I've Read... Farewell, My Babylon by Davidy Rosenfeld

 

Title: Farewell, My Babylon

Author: Davidy Rosenfeld

Publication: 12 January 2023/5 March 2023

Format: Kindle eARC via NetGalley 

Amazon Description:

Erez Brown is a private detective. He’s a busy man dealing in cheating spouses, small-time fraud and petty theft. Nothing dangerous. No one gets hurt. That’s until he takes on the case of a missing young woman. It’s been three years since Lea Rubinstein walked out the door, but only now her Orthodox Jew parents are suddenly interested in finding their daughter. Erez believes it’s an obvious case of a teenage girl escaping the confines of a strict religious upbringing and that Lea simply doesn’t want to be found. What should be a straightforward paperchase for a detective of Erez’s talents turns ugly when he's savagely beaten for getting too close to answers, and then his discovery of a murder—a prostitute who specializes in dominance and sexual harm has been brutally killed. Is Lea Rubinstein responsible, or is she another victim?

Rambly Teaserish Stuff:

Dashiell Hammett gave us Sam Spade. Raymond Chandler gave us Philip Marlowe. Mickey Spillane gave us Mike Hammer. Now, Davidy Rosenfeld has given us Erez Brown. It reads like a classic noir but set in modern Tel Aviv, Israel. 

All of Brown's cases kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. Will he find the missing daughter? Is the wife really cheating? Is the husband? Where's the ice cream money??? Rosenfeld really drew me in, though, with Brown and everyone he encountered -- his clients, staff, friends, and even the police who are sure he's leaving something out even when he's not. I could see them and hear them and, more than a few times, wanted to buy them a beer. My brain has already cast Eric Balfour as Erez and Inbar Lavi as his secretary Mazal, who could easily rank right up there with Mike Hammer's Velda in terms of awesomeness.

The most fascinating character for me, though, was Tel Aviv:

"They say this city is a bubble. What it really is, is a broken mirror reflecting countless dreams. Tel Aviv is the capital of unfulfilled fantasies; the port Odysseus never reached; the grand lottery win missing only a single number; Pamela Anderson’s boobs…"

I've never been, but it feels like I have. Brown heard a song about Barcelona and though he had never been, he missed it. I'm going to feel the same about Tel Aviv until I get my hands on the next book and hopefully many more to come.

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If you want to share whatever has kept you up past your bedtime because you just needed one more chapter ... or the entire book ... please comment! My TBR pile is already toppling, but I can always add more.