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.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

If a Poem Could Live and Breath by Mary Calvi (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: If a Poem Could Live and Breathe

Author: Mary Calvi

Publication: 14 February 2023

Format: Kindle eARC from NetGalley & St Martin's Press

Amazon Description

A fact-based romantic speculative novel about Teddy Roosevelt’s first love, by Mary Calvi, author of Dear George, Dear Mary.

Studded with the real love letters between a young Theodore Roosevelt and Boston beauty Alice Lee―many of them never before published―If a Poem Could Live and Breathe makes vivid what many historians believe to be the pivotal years that made the future president into the man of action that defined his political life, and cemented his legacy.

Cambridge, 1878. The era of the Gilded Age. Alice Lee sets out to break from the norms of her mother’s generation. Women are fighting for educational opportunities and exploring a new sense of intellectual and personal freedom. Native New Yorker, Harvard student Teddy Roosevelt, is on his own journey of discovery, and when they meet, unrelenting currents of love change the trajectory of his life forever.

If a Poem Could Live and Breathe is an indelible portrait of the authenticity of first love, the heartache of loss, and how overcoming the worst of life’s obstacles can push one to greatness never imagined.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

This could have been amazing. A lot of people are already in the "it is amazing" camp. Parts of it are, even for me ... but there are enough parts that make me shake my head that it's just not an overall amazing for me.

It time jumps.

It changes from first person to third person.

It went on and on and on when it seemed wholly unnecessary.

I have a feeling that had Calvi chosen one time or the other and had stuck to a singular point of view I wouldn't have minded the on and on and on quite so much. My head was already aching from the other two qualms, though, so I ended up skimming quite a bit. Some parts jumped out at me and made me go "ooooooh that's lovely" (like the Teaser Tuesday blip), but it wasn't enough to be amazing.

 

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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.

 

 

Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: Mr. Wrong Number

Author: Lynn Painter

Publication: 1 March 2022

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description

Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall...or maybe she's just the screw-up her family thinks she is. But when a "What are you wearing?" text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining—albeit anonymous—relationship of her life, she thinks things might be on the upswing....

Colin Beck has always considered Olivia his best friend's annoying little sister, but when she moves in with them after one of her worst runs of luck, he realizes she's turned into an altogether different and sexier distraction. He's sure he can keep his distance, until the moment he discovers she's the irresistible Miss Misdial he's been sort of sexting for weeks—and now he has to decide whether to turn the heat up or ghost her before things get messy.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

Once again, I owe Berkley a huge debt of gratitude. When they first sent me an invite for Lynn Painter's upcoming The Love Wager, I almost blocked them from my inbox. I trust them, though. Their rom-coms helped me to survive the March shattering of my heart (which then on the roller-coaster from hell for almost a year), so I decided to go ahead and accept the invitation. Some day maybe possibly it would be an okay thing to attempt anything resembling romance again. Another reviewer clued me in on The Love Wager having some of the same characters as Mr. Wrong Number .... so here we are.

 

I am fairly certain that there will be no murders or serial killers in this one .... and I might even be okay with that. I've done my best to get at least somewhat over the "woe is me"-ness that has been my life for the past couple of months. I've deleted over a decades worth of messages and pictures. I've had really good talks with my closest friends about how the agony started long before I was willing to realize it. I accepted the advice of a hotel guest who suggested online dating just to have someone to talk to ... and the gift of a month of "premium" service from another.

 

I think it's time for the big test: 

 

Can I actually survive a rom-com? 

 

I'm only 20% in right now because I've actually had work to do at work (the horror!) and because I did spend twenty-four hours or more in deep "woe-is-me" mode right after I started it ... but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be okay. I might even end up being more than okay. It probably helps that Olivia is an even bigger mess than I am, and that I've been talking to a couple of seemingly not horrible guys and with one in particular our conversations are eerily similar to the ones between Miss Misdial and Mr. Wrong Number. I may not get the Happily Ever After that I'm sure will come for these two by the end of the book, but if nothing else it's making my heart smile a little bit more than it was before I started reading. I'm calling that a win.

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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.

 

 

To Kill a Mocking Girl by Harper Kincaid (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Title: To Kill a Mocking Girl

Author: Harper Kincaid

Publication: 12 May 2020

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description

Quinn Victoria Caine is back in her quirky town of Vienna, Virginia, starting her new life as a bookbinder in her family-owned, charm-for-days bookshop, Prose & Scones. With her trusty German Shephard, RBG—‘Ruff Barker’ Ginsburg—by her side, what can go wrong?
 
Okay, sure, bumping into her ex, Scott, or her former high school nemesis, Tricia, is a drag. It certainly doesn’t help that they have acquired the new hobby of shoving their recent engagement in her face every chance they get. But that doesn’t mean Quinn wanted to find Tricia dead in the road. So why does half the town think she may have done it?

Quinn is determined to find Tricia’s killer, even if it means partnering with her cousin-turned-nun, Sister Daria, and Detective Aiden Harrington, her older brother’s ‘too-movie-star-handsome-for-his-own good’ best friend. They believe she’s innocent, but of course that doesn't influence the police, who peg her as their prime suspect. Or, at least until she’s poisoned.

But there is no way Quinn is going to stop now. Vienna is her town and—for better or worse—Tricia was one of their own. Someone may have killed the mocking girl, but no one’s going to stop the notorious QVC.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I'm not very far into this one yet, but I'm already ecstatic that I have the second one already on my NetGalley shelf waiting for me .... and it's been a while since I've been "ecstatic" about anything. I think what really hooked me first is the tight relationship between Quinn, her brother, and their cousin. Yeah, I know there will probably be some romantic mushy crap at some point, but if the rest of the book stays as good as it's been so far I might be able to overlook it. [Yes, I'm still "woe is me"-ing and very much anti-romance ... and pro-murder.]

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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.

 

 

A Good Day to Pie by Misha Popp (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Title: A Good Day to Pie

Author: Misha Popp

Publication: 7 February 2023

Format: Kindle eARC via NetGalley & Crooked Lane Books

Amazon Description

Daisy bakes a little murder into every pie she creates, and she and her dog, Zoe, deliver them to the town’s worst cads. Now, Daisy’s entered a televised, elimination-style competition and has a shot at $100k in prize money—but she still has a murder pie to deliver between filming.
 
In a completely unexpected turn of events, she discovers that her intended victim is one of the competition judges, and he turns up dead before the pie even arrives. Now, Daisy has to solve the murder—even if it means working a bit of magic—before someone calls foul play and exposes her murderous secret.
 
For anyone who’s ever fantasized about the world of competitive baking à la the Great British Bake Off—or has ever dreamed ofgetting back at that guy who wronged them years ago— Popp's culinary cozy series is as alluring as a perfectly baked pie, this edgy yet utterly charming novel takes the idea of “a dessert to die for” to a whole new level.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I think I have a problem. Lately I've fallen in love with the first book of a series and get all giddy about being able to read the second .... and then it falls horribly flat for me. Well, maybe not horribly flat, but they almost never seem to be as "omigoodnessyouhavetoreadthis" as the first. There have been some notable exceptions : Jacqueline Frost and Kim Nash spring to mind. More often than not, though, it's like the second weigh-in on The Biggest Loser when the great week one losses were often replaced with gains.

Now, I didn't dislike A Good Day to Pie. It's just so different from Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies and I absolutely loved that one and have already re-read it and loved it just as much the second time around. It has cozy elements but is far from actually being cozy. That's actually one of the reasons why I had chosen this one to read now. I can't handle sweet and super cozy and was hoping for some good ol' snark and serial killing like the first one. Maybe it would have helped if I actually enjoyed the one episode I ever bothered to watch of Great British Bake Off .... or if my life wasn't such a mess. It definitely would have helped had it felt more like the unique first book and less like so many other "cozies."  

 

I love cozies. I do. I'll probably be reading a lot of them this year thanks to my challenges .... but I really wanted that first book feel. There was just (barely) enough of it scattered here and there that I'm still hopeful for when the third book rolls around, but not enough to make this particular book one I'll re-read when I'm in a serial killer kind of mood. A cozy mood re-read? Probably.

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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 Winter King by Bernard Cornwell (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: The Winter King

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Publication: 5 October 1995/reprint: 15 April 1997

Format: paperback & Kindle ebook

Amazon Description: 

It takes a remarkable writer to make an old story as fresh and compelling as the first time we heard it. With The Winter King, the first volume of his magnificent Warlord Chronicles, Bernard Cornwell finally turns to the story he was born to write: the mythic saga of King Arthur.

The tale begins in Dark Age Britain, a land where Arthur has been banished and Merlin has disappeared, where a child-king sits unprotected on the throne, where religion vies with magic for the souls of the people. It is to this desperate land that Arthur returns, a man at once utterly human and truly heroic: a man of honor, loyalty, and amazing valor; a man who loves Guinevere more passionately than he should; a man whose life is at once tragic and triumphant.

As Arthur fights to keep a flicker of civilization alive in a barbaric world, Bernard Cornwell makes a familiar tale into a legend all over again.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

Be prepared to see an awful of Bernard Cornwell this week .... and probably next .... and, likely, off and on for eons to come. I actually started this in September and it got set aside because life got messy and then I got sidetracked with NetGalley and trying to finish the alphabet and whatever. Thought about picking it up again in December and then life got messier and I just couldn't.  

 

You know what? Screw the messiness. That's what books are for and Cornwell is sooooo amazingly good at pulling you in and not letting you go. He is, perhaps, the King of Escapism. At least for right now.  

 

So The Winter King is the first of The Warlord Chronicles (also referred to as "The Arthur Books"). Thanks to ThriftBooks I already have them all .... and lots of other Cornwells .... and there will probably be more on the way before long. The Winter King is divided into five parts and right now I'm thinking each part will get it's own post. Maybe. I finally got people to leave me along long enough to finish Part One and we haven't met Arthur in person yet. 

 

Bad Wolf is in the process of producing the first season of what will likely (hopefully) be several seasons based on the books. I'm already extremely excited based on the cast and what I've read so far. Heck, I knew I was going to love the books before I even bought them. After all, this is the man who brought The Last Kingdom and Uhtred son of Uhtred into my life. (I have yet to read those books as I'm still recovering from the last season of the show and there's still a movie supposedly on its way.) 

 

Anyway, back to the book .... errr .... the show based on the book. The cast? Huge ... but some highlights for me will be :

* Iain De Caestecker as Arthur ("Fitz" from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) 

* Stuart Campbell as Derfel, the narrator ("Bill Fraser" from Rogue Heroes -- another show that added a ton of books to my TBR) 

* my beloved Andrew Gower as Bishop Sansum (A lot of parts in a lot of shows, but I fell for him as "Nick Cutler" during the fourth season of Being Human. The real one, not the U.S shite remake.)

 

I know, not a lot about the book .... yet .... but I did say that we haven't met Arthur yet, didn't I? Go ahead and read the Intro and Teaser .... I have a feeling he'll get some blips on Friday.

 

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

"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.

Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

(the UK cover is cooler than the US)

Title: Wicked Autumn

Author: G.M. Malliet

Publication: 13 September 2011

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description: 

The first in a delightful series, Wicked Autumn sharply skewers the quintessential English village in a cunningly modern version of the traditional drawing room mystery. Wickedly entertaining, it’s the perfect choice for Agatha Christie fans.

Max Tudor has settled happily into his post as vicar of St. Edwold’s Church in Nether Monkslip. The quaint English village seems to be the perfect new home for Max, who has fled a harrowing past serving in MI5, the British domestic counter-intelligence agency. But his serenity is quickly shattered when the wildly unpopular president of the Women’s Institute turns up dead at the Harvest Fayre. The death looks like an accident, but Max’s MI5 training quickly kicks in, and before long he suspects foul play.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

 

I thought that I had read this years ago but there's no indication on the blog of having done so, so here we have it. Right now I'm about 40% in and if I did previously read any part of it, I didn't get very far and I have no idea why. I must have had too much life stuff going on or something because this absolutely is delightful. Granted, I have more than my fair share of life stuff going on now, but rather than using it as an excuse to not read, I'm using the reading as an excuse to avoid pretty much everything else.... like my usual workouts, it seems. I really should unload the exercise bike and just read while I pedal....

Anyway, I've seen this series classified as both "cozy mystery" and "traditional detective" for sub-genres. I can see both. It's not sickeningly sweet and full of recipes and cats like some "cozy" and not as serious and violent as a some "traditional." It's a dang near perfect combination of both so far.... and it doesn't hurt at all that Max has been likened to Hugh Grant in appearance. I've been drooling over that man since 1991's Impromptu. 

It's a bit of a slow read but that may just be me. There's an awful lot of background information which is a plus in the first book of a series, but I look forward to seeing if the pace picks up as the series progresses. Book 8 should be out in September according to Malliet's website. I may be caught up by then.... but there are so many other lovely distractions (including some other Malliet series) waiting so maybe not.

 

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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.