Mystery and Suspense
Grime and Punishment by Jill Churchill (1989). Jane Jeffry, recently widowed and raising three children, is busy with car pools and community commitments (and gossip). When her new cleaning lady is murdered at the house next door, she decides she’d better conduct her own investigation, even if the police do not appreciate her efforts. I had seen this series for years but happened to be walking by a shop that had put a dozen outside for the taking. I checked to see that this was book 1 before accepting. It was perfectly innocuous but I look for more.
The Dower House by Patricia Wentworth (1925)(reread). Amabel Grey hasn’t laid eyes on Julian Forsham in twenty years, not since she gave him up to marry someone who needed her. But now she has signed a contract to live in his brother’s house for six months to disprove rumors of ghosts, and Julian turns up to help investigate. My review.
The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie (1925) (reread). When the prince of a Ruritanian country is murdered at an English country house party. Anthony Cade, who has traveled to England to hand deliver a memoir, is briefly a suspect, then assists Superintendent Battle to figure out what is going on, which includes a stolen diamond, forged letters, and a rare book collector.
Fair Play by Louise Hegarty (2025). Benjamin’s sister organized a New Year’s Eve/Murder Mystery themed birthday party at an Airbnb for their closest friends. The next morning Benjamin is dead and everyone is a suspect. This is an homage to the classic house party mysteries and it was clever but maybe too arch for me. Also, I guessed the killer.
Final Appeal by Lisa Scottoline (1994)(audio). Grace Rossi is working for the Chief Judge of the Third Circuit when he dies suddenly. The police think it is suicide but Grace does not believe the man who told her he loved her hours before would kill himself. She begins her own investigation which ultimately scares the real killer into coming after her. My review.
Historical Fiction
The House at Mermaid's Cove by Lindsay Ashford (2020). It’s 1943 and when a woman washes up on the shore in Cornwall, she is regarded with suspicion by her rescuer, Jack Trewella. Alice is a nun who was heading for Ireland when her ship was torpedoed. Because she speaks French, he enlists her in Resistance work he is doing, and they fall in love, despite her vows. I found this book extremely irritating and improbable. My review.
Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson (1998) (reread). This book has always made me want to visit Vienna! Susanna owns a dress shop in delightful Madensky Square where she tries to coax her clients into outfits that suit them and is very involved in the lives of the families who manage the other businesses. Susanna has several secrets that complicate her life but those must be put aside when their beloved square is threatened by development. Of course, a bigger threat is coming – WWI, but we’ll try not to think about that while reading this book.
Fiction
Greenery Street by Denis Mackail (1925). This is the story of infatuated newlyweds living on a charming street in London. Not much happens but their housekeeping adventures are charming, especially their unwillingness to upset the servants. My review.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos (1925). The ultimate gold digger, Lorelei Lee left Little Rock, Arkansas for Manhattan where she has a skill for finding generous gentlemen friends. If they don’t buy her jewelry she either moves on or persuades them not to take advantage of a sweet girl like her. When she decides she wants the security of a rich husband, the reader can’t help wondering if a lifetime of boredom is worth it. I had planned to read this for the #1925Club but several people beat me to it. Now I have to find the Marilyn Monroe movie to watch!
Romance
The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander (2025). It is hard to believe that anyone in this day and age think that operating a bookstore can be profitable. Most can barely stay afloat due to Amazon’s discounting and a “battle” will go to the better funded operation. Still, the reader roots for Jules Capelthorne to leave her publishing job in London to help her great-aunt keep the family bookshop going in a small seaside town. Unfortunately, an old rival has also returned to Portneath and is opening a much fancier and better funded bookshop but Jules is determined not to be outdone. A romance set amongst competing bookstores is bound to be fun, if not always plausible.
Overruled by Lana Ferguson ( 2025). Rival divorce lawyers are having a torrid affair, breaking every conflict of interest rule by not telling their clients. This just irritated me, although I usually like an enemies to lovers romance as much as anyone. This was recommended by Publishers Weekly.
Never Been Shipped by Alicia Thompson (2025). An overly angsty romance about a now-defunct band that had one major hit, attached to a cult television show. When a cruise is planned for fans of the show, the band members are persuaded to reunite. Micah, the one female member, left on bad terms but now sees her childhood friend John in a new way, while he has always loved her. I thought this was realistic in terms of the obsessive fans and pressure/scrutiny on the actors and musicians. This was another PW recommendation and I would probably read more by this author.
The Perfect Bride by Jasmine Cresswell (1993). Caitlin is a senior executive at a Washington DC company known for finding high quality household staff. When attractive lawyer, Alex Woodward, asks her to find him a wife, everyone but Caitlin knows it’s because he’s interested in her and she has been oblivious. This was an extremely dated romance but I picked it up at the Mankato library because I edited a vampire romance she wrote, Prince of the Night. She was British and met her husband in the British Foreign Service.
Children’s and YA
The School at the Chalet by Elinor Brent-Dyer (1925) (reread). When Madge Bettany needs a way to support herself and a better climate for her delicate younger sister, she decides to open a boarding school in the Alps. The school starts with just a handful of girls of various nationalities and grows by leaps and bounds – there were 58 books published between 1925 and 1970. My review.
Restart by Gordon Korman (2017) (audio). Chase fell off a roof and has not only a severe concussion but amnesia. Returning to school is a weird experience because the football players are mad their star can’t play and the other 8th graders act scared of him. Slowly, Chase realizes his previous self was a vicious bully and he has to decide what sort of person he wants to be now. This was not a typically amusing Korman story but I enjoyed it; he really understands adolescents.
Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery (1925) (reread). This is the second in a three book series about an orphan less well known than Anne Shirley but just as appealing. Here, Emily has left New Moon where she had been taken in by her mother’s family and goes to live with a grumpy cousin while she attends high school. She continues to write and now her talent is beginning to be recognized. My review.
Linda's Homecoming by Phyllis A. Whitney (1950). When Linda’s mother announces she is remarrying and they are moving from NYC to Ohio for her senior year of high school, she is appalled. She dislikes her stepfather on sight and the new stepsiblings are unfriendly. However, slowly she makes the best of it and manages to unite a discordant family. I also picked this up at the Mankato library.
Grime and Punishment by Jill Churchill (1989). Jane Jeffry, recently widowed and raising three children, is busy with car pools and community commitments (and gossip). When her new cleaning lady is murdered at the house next door, she decides she’d better conduct her own investigation, even if the police do not appreciate her efforts. I had seen this series for years but happened to be walking by a shop that had put a dozen outside for the taking. I checked to see that this was book 1 before accepting. It was perfectly innocuous but I look for more.
The Dower House by Patricia Wentworth (1925)(reread). Amabel Grey hasn’t laid eyes on Julian Forsham in twenty years, not since she gave him up to marry someone who needed her. But now she has signed a contract to live in his brother’s house for six months to disprove rumors of ghosts, and Julian turns up to help investigate. My review.
Fair Play by Louise Hegarty (2025). Benjamin’s sister organized a New Year’s Eve/Murder Mystery themed birthday party at an Airbnb for their closest friends. The next morning Benjamin is dead and everyone is a suspect. This is an homage to the classic house party mysteries and it was clever but maybe too arch for me. Also, I guessed the killer.
Historical Fiction
The House at Mermaid's Cove by Lindsay Ashford (2020). It’s 1943 and when a woman washes up on the shore in Cornwall, she is regarded with suspicion by her rescuer, Jack Trewella. Alice is a nun who was heading for Ireland when her ship was torpedoed. Because she speaks French, he enlists her in Resistance work he is doing, and they fall in love, despite her vows. I found this book extremely irritating and improbable. My review.
Fiction
Greenery Street by Denis Mackail (1925). This is the story of infatuated newlyweds living on a charming street in London. Not much happens but their housekeeping adventures are charming, especially their unwillingness to upset the servants. My review.
Romance
The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander (2025). It is hard to believe that anyone in this day and age think that operating a bookstore can be profitable. Most can barely stay afloat due to Amazon’s discounting and a “battle” will go to the better funded operation. Still, the reader roots for Jules Capelthorne to leave her publishing job in London to help her great-aunt keep the family bookshop going in a small seaside town. Unfortunately, an old rival has also returned to Portneath and is opening a much fancier and better funded bookshop but Jules is determined not to be outdone. A romance set amongst competing bookstores is bound to be fun, if not always plausible.
Overruled by Lana Ferguson ( 2025). Rival divorce lawyers are having a torrid affair, breaking every conflict of interest rule by not telling their clients. This just irritated me, although I usually like an enemies to lovers romance as much as anyone. This was recommended by Publishers Weekly.
The Perfect Bride by Jasmine Cresswell (1993). Caitlin is a senior executive at a Washington DC company known for finding high quality household staff. When attractive lawyer, Alex Woodward, asks her to find him a wife, everyone but Caitlin knows it’s because he’s interested in her and she has been oblivious. This was an extremely dated romance but I picked it up at the Mankato library because I edited a vampire romance she wrote, Prince of the Night. She was British and met her husband in the British Foreign Service.
Children’s and YA
The School at the Chalet by Elinor Brent-Dyer (1925) (reread). When Madge Bettany needs a way to support herself and a better climate for her delicate younger sister, she decides to open a boarding school in the Alps. The school starts with just a handful of girls of various nationalities and grows by leaps and bounds – there were 58 books published between 1925 and 1970. My review.
Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery (1925) (reread). This is the second in a three book series about an orphan less well known than Anne Shirley but just as appealing. Here, Emily has left New Moon where she had been taken in by her mother’s family and goes to live with a grumpy cousin while she attends high school. She continues to write and now her talent is beginning to be recognized. My review.
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