A Summer Shadow

 A Summer Shadow

Chief inspector Shadow Mystery #9

 H L Marsay

Reviewed by Helen

Another fabulous installment in this awesome series, I love being back in York with Shadow and Jimmy and it is summer so we start of at a cricket game but Shadow’s relaxing afternoon changes quickly when Jimmy comes to inform him that a body has been found in the scorer’s hut hoping that this could be natural causes is soon vanished and now they have a murder investigation, so much for rest on a Sunday.

This is a brutal murder of retired council worker, Martin Croft what they uncover is that Martin was not a nice man and when they discover a skeleton in the basement of a property that Jimmy and Sophie are looking at, the old newspaper building and that turns out to be Martin’s supposedly deceased sister Annie things take another turn, she was murdered as well but by who, was it her brother?

Martin’s murder looks like it has a lot of anger behind it and when they search his home and find it to be filled with expensive antiques the investigation runs deeper to find out where he got the money from, they uncover a web of not only blackmail but extortion the investigation digs deeper into the past.

Shadow is finding the summer heat hard and life on his long boat is not what it used to be he is spending more time with Maggie his friend from school days and Jimmy as always is there with questions for him but as long as he gets his meals in, his mind is till quick and it is not long before he works how who did it.

I highly recommend this one and the series it is brilliant Shadow and Jimmy as well as the other characters we have gotten to know add so much to the story, and I do hope that there will be more to come. I could barely put this one down.

My thanks to Tule Publishing for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

May 6, 2026 by Tule Publishing

Secrets of the River

 Secrets of the River

Janene Morgan

Reviewed by Helen

Maggie Ellis is a librarian in the small town of Wattle River, the river runs by the town and it means a lot to all of the residents it covers things makes things go away or does it, when long term resident Arthur Bell goes missing and his body is found a few days later by the river, it according to local councilors is nothing to worry about, natural causes but Maggie feels that it was something more and she will not give up till she gets to the truth.

Maggie follows a trail of paperwork through archives and computer check-ins she is methodical, patient and takes her time, to check and make sure of her findings, just like Arthur did while he was searching old files, there are whispers throughout the town, warning Maggie to let things go don’t upset the natural flow of the town but Maggie never gives up and she knows that secrets have been held for some time now, will she find the answers and get justice for Arthur?

What a fabulous debut for Janene Morgan, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Maggie and the residents of Wattle River, Maggie is good at what she does, stands her ground and is calm and meticulous when researching and she gets answers, I would highly recommend this one to any reader who enjoys a great cosy mystery. I do hope that there are more stories set in Wattle River and more mysteries for Maggie to solve.

5 stars

March 12, 2026 by Reads on the Road

The Body at the Windmill

 The Body at the Windmill

A Georgina Drake Mystery #7

Kate Hardy

Reviewed by Helen

Another fabulous visit to Little Wenborough with my favourite sleuth Georgina, with her partner DI Colin Bradshaw their trusty dog Bert and friends Doris, Sybbie, Cesca and Jodie and it was another page turning mystery.

When a group of school children on a trip to the local windmill fall ill and their teacher dies this puts a lot of suspicion on the owner Louise Wilkins, even though one of those children is her own son, it appears that they became ill after eating sausage rolls from Louise’s bakery and even worse Bert gets really ill a couple of days later after helping himself to sausage rolls that should have gone to Colin, will they find out the truth behind this mysterouis case of poisoning.

While investigating this case Doris has also added another two hundred year old case of the original mill owner’s daughter Margaret being accuse of poisoning a child, is someone trying to use this old case and arsenic to copy, can they sort both cases out and get the answers that they need and they need to do it fast as there has been another death.

Another fabulous story that I loved from start to finish, I do love all of the characters and the interesting facts that were learned along the way about the history of arsenic and how things have changed over the centuries. I do highly recommend this one and the series they really are fabulous, I can’t wait for book 8.

My thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

February 2, 2026 by Storm Publishing

Of Vines and Victims

 Of Vines and Victims

Travelling Celebrant Mystery #4

Phillipa Nefri Clark

Reviewed by Helen

My favourite sleuth is back in another story that was intriguing and had me guessing till the very end, Daph is looking forward to another wedding but she is also feeling a little melancholy at this stage, she is missing her home town of Rivers End, she loves travelling with John the love of her life in their caravan Bluebell but is also happy that after this wedding they will be returning home for a winter break.

When they arrive at Crystal Springs Winery for the wedding of Belle and Arvin they are thrilled to find out that the bride is Belle the foster daughter they had planned to adopt ten years ago and had lost touch with after she went to life with her father, tears of joy fall freely and Daph and John are delighted to meet Belle’s fiancé Arvin and his lovely family.

But things change quickly when at a dinner with the bridal party and family at the winery’s restaurant The Pinnacle a food critic and his friends cause problems and after storming out that critic is found dead and by none other than Daph and then starts an investigation that opens up a lot of that has been happening, anonymous threats and accidents that have caused serious injury will Daph and John get to bottom of all that is happening and stay safe and will the wedding go ahead?

I loved the new story in this awesome series I have loved all the other stories and this one was moving with the reunion with Belle and the intrigue that Daph uncovers throughout the investigation there are some not so nice characters in this one, including a police officer but there are also some fabulous lovely characters and the setting is beautiful as is the winery and the descriptions of the area, the small town of Benalla, a truly fabulous story, one that I would highly recommend and I am really hoping that there will be more stories in this series.

My thanks to Storm Publishing and Booksprout for my digital copy to read and review

5 stars

January19, 2026 by Storm Publishing

The Chianti Case

 The Chianti Case

The Vineyard Mysteries #2

H L Marsay

Reviewed by Helen

The second book in this series and it was fabulous catching up with Emma, Kiara, Paddy and Nico again this time in Florence, Tuscany as they meet up on another wine buying trip for their respective family based companies, I loved my first trip to Bordeaux let’s see how this trip pans out in Florence will all go well, will Emma need to solve another murder?

Emma King is fabulous with her taste and smell for fine wine that is why she is the buyer for the King Family Wines based in England, Emma is half French as her mother is French, father English although she can be very disorganised she is loyal and caring, she is looking forward to catching up with her friends to purchase the famous Chianti Classico wine.

But when Kiara’s ex-stepmother arrives in Florence to put on a musical concert and then is poisoned apparently at Kiara’s Italian boyfriend Gino’s new wine window Kiara becomes the primes suspect and Emma will not give up until she proves it was not Kiara and she finds the real culprit and as we have found before Emma has a long list of suspects and comes up with some very interesting scenarios. With suggestions from her friends and getting to know the inspector Cesare Romero who seems very flirty and happy to quote Shakespeare Emma is soon on the trail but can she convince the bumbling inspector of her suspicions?

Can Emma get to the truth before it is too late for Kiara? Another fabulous story in this series fabulous characters and a beautiful setting, I do highly recommend this one to any lover of a good mystery, I love Emma’s absolute determination to clear her friends’ name and I was cheering her one. I do hope that there is are more stories coming in this series.

My thanks to Tule Publishing for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

January 12, 2026 by Tule Publishing

Kill Your Boss

 Kill Your Boss

Jack Heath

Reviewed by Helen

I loved Kill Your Brother and Kill Your Husbands and I loved this one, it is witty and a very smart mystery and had my mind turning in so many directions and I thought I had it all worked out till the very end, it was good catching up with Detective Kiara Lui who has just come back from her honeymoon to her wife Elsie, enjoy your visit to Warrigal.

DS Kiara Lui has just broken up a fight between two locals outside the publish library when a body falls from the roof and hits the bike rack and it is only her first day back and she has a new probationary constable Ben Higgins to help with the investigation, is it suicide, did he fall or was he pushed.

The more people who are questioned the more questions she has it appears that the murder victim, Neville Adams is the library boss and is not a very nice person so the main suspects seem to be the people who work for him, if it was murder is there only one perpetrator or is there more, are they working together? Oh the twist and turns in this one is this death linked somehow to the young woman who went missing a few months before?

This one is twisty and witty with so many suspects all with good reason to kill their boss, the characters are fabulous and DS Lui has her work cut out for her she gets herself in danger a few times and her new probie Ben is learning fast he too gets in the path of danger with Kiara, this is one that I highly recommend it certainly had me turning the pages and I do hope that we visit Warrigal again.

5 stars

November 4, 2025 by Allen & Unwin

Of Funerals and Feuds

 Of Funeral and Feuds 

A Travelling Celebrant Mystery #2

Phillipa Nefri Clark

Reviewed by Helen

Book two in this fabulous new series and it was such a great read, I love Daphne Jones and her husband John, they are so easy to get along with as they travel around country Victoria in their caravan Bluebell so Daph can perform marriages and funerals in her role as celebrant sleuth because as Daph and John have found out that sadly there seems to be a murder mystery or two to solve on the way, come along for a witty and fabulous journey.

Daph and John have arrived in a small town Shady Bend to perform a funeral for local woman Edwina, this town is known for its crafts, preserves, local produce and a beautiful garden or two, but when they discover that the casket is empty and Edwina is missing this is not what Daph was hoping for seeing as she made this stop to perform this funeral as a special request on their way to officiate at a wedding.

Things get worse when two more people die and Daph’s suspicions grow as to how they died and on more uncovering there are lots of secrets and plans for uncovering a secret recipe that add to the mystery. Daph and John are very impressed with the local police officer Adam and are soon taking notes and digging deep into this strange town and the people who live here and as the mystery grows John is also researching his own mystery that is hopefully going to make Daph happy.

This really is another great cozy mystery, Daph is such a great sleuth, caring and meticulous with her research into uncovering the culprit, this one had me thinking I can tell you, there are so many great characters and anyone of them could have been the killer, but Daph and John nailed it and their help was much appreciated. This one had such a great ending as well and of course I do look forward to the next adventure with Daph and John.

I do highly recommend this book and the series if you are looking for a totally enjoyable story that is witty and fabulous, I loved it, MS Nefri Clark writes such awesome characters and stories it is like being with family.

Previously released as The Shadow of Daph

5 stars

My thanks to Storm Publishing and Booksprout for my copy to read and review.