mystery - No Apology Book Reviews

Review Roundup Fall/Late 2022

January 5, 2023

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in late 2022. Beware of spoilers! Title: A Sinister Revenge Author: Deanna Raybourn Series: Veronica Speedwell #8 Great thanks to Deanna Raybourn, Berkley, and Edelweiss for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Overall this was a good addition to the series. Not exceptional, but good. I love that Veronica and Tiberious have developed a deep fraternal bond, and I loved the interesting dinosaur …

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

January 5, 2023

Title: Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six Author: Lisa Unger Series: n/a Slow, too much head-hopping Much thanks to Lisa Unger, Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Boo to Harper Audio for denying me the audio edition. *raspberry* This book is a slow burn for sure; the only thing intriguing in the beginning was the DNA tests from Santa in the prologue. Scratch that, the book’s just slow …

The Winter Garden by Nicola Cornick

January 5, 2023

Title: The Winter Garden Author: Nicola Cornick Series: n/a Needs an urgent pace and relevant past POV Much thanks to Nicola Cornick, Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book, but there were aspects to it that made it easy to put down. I loved the ghost and paranormal and mystery aspects, and I loved the archaeological aspects. There was plenty of the former (though …

The Twisted Dead by Darcy Coates

January 5, 2023

Title: The Twisted Dead Author: Darcy Coates Series: Gravekeeper #3 Much thanks to Darcy Coates, Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I ADORE this series. So far I like each book better than the last. I listened to the first two before reading Twisted just to refresh my memory. While Coates does an excellent job recapping and briefly explaining anything you need to know from previous books, …

Interview with Sara Driscoll (Still Waters)

December 9, 2022

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Still Waters by Sara Driscoll is an entertaining story. Sara Driscoll is the pseudonym for authors Jen J. Danna and Ann Vanderlaan. This story combines training, competition, and murder. The FBI K-9 team gets approval for a water-search training weekend in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota. This training is combined with a three-part search and rescue timed competition. The first morning the handler and their canine partner …

Interview with Korina Moss (Gone for Gouda)

November 6, 2022

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Gone for Gouda by Korina Moss is the second installment in her cheese shop mysteries. As with the first book, readers are treated to a riveting cozy mystery and great banter between the characters. The French-inspired cheese shop is playing host to celebrity vegan chef Phoebe Winston. But when photos surface that prove this vegan influencer is, in fact, a carnivore, things crumble. Phoebe is murdered. Willa’s employee, the affable Archie, was the last …

Interview with Nelson DeMille (The Maze)

October 7, 2022

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Maze by Nelson DeMille brings back the wonderful hero John Corey. It’s been too long between DeMille books. But the good news is that this story is typical John Corey with plenty of action and non-political correctness. It also has John hooking up with Detective Beth Penrose both figuratively and literally as a partner. It was a pleasure interviewing Nelson DeMille. Now once again, Corey is in Long Island, since his forced retirement …

Interview with Lisa Regan (Her Final Confession)

September 23, 2022

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Her Final Confession by Lisa Regan is a fantastic police procedural. This fourth book in the paperback series goes into the backstory of one of the secondary characters, Detective Gretchen Palmer, but it also shows how loyal a friend Detective Josie Quinn can be. Although this can be read as a stand-alone people may want to read the whole series to get more information of Josie’s personal life. The plot has the body of …

Interview with Amanda Flower (Peanut Butter Panic)

September 17, 2022

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower brings to life the wonderful characters she has created. This story opens during the Thanksgiving holiday, but it seems that some are not going to be very thankful. The main character is having boyfriend issues, and someone dies during the festivities. Those working at Swissmen Sweets, the main character Bailey, her Amish grandmother Clara, and their cousin Charlotte, are front and center in the plot. But also, is …

A Hard Day for a Hangover by Darynda Jones

September 20, 2022September 10, 2022

Title: A Hard Day for a Hangover Author: Darynda Jones Series: Sunshine Vicram #3 Not the conclusion I expected—or wanted Thank you to Darynda Jones and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Kejana Alaya for providing the ARC. It’s about goddamn time. We could have had this book a year ago, but the publisher wanted to let us stew for a while. Marketing, scheduling, I …