May 2025's Reading Summary

Yep, it's that time again.   Time for a reading summary.  Here's what I read in May.

And yes, the index got updated as well this month.

All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).  The links will take you to my full review.

 

#Throwback for Murder by Sarah E. Burr (Trending Topic Mysteries #4) – 5

It’s been a quiet nine months for Coco Cline and her friends. In that time, the new government office building in Central Shores has been finished, and the city is holding a festival to celebrate. However, Coco’s friend, Charlotte, is shocked when her ex shows up during the festival. She came to town to get away from him. A few minutes after a tense standoff ends, he dies under the suspicious circumstances. With all the evidence pointing to Charolette, can Coco clear her friend?

Once again, Coco is surrounded by a good group of friends, and I enjoyed spending time with them and watching their relationships grow. There isn’t too much with her family this time. The plot started quickly and the pacing never lagged, with several sub-plots to keep us engaged. I did have a couple of niggles with the ending, but they are minor. There are a few laughs as well. If you haven’t read this series yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up today. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

 

A Killing Way by J. R. Sanders (Nate Ross #4) – 5

When famed silent film cowboy William S. Hart hires Nate Ross, he is looking for a portrait that was recently stolen from his home. He even knows who stole it. The catch? The thief was killed in a suspicious accident that has deeply divided the community of cowboy actors. Can Nate navigate the controversy and find the painting?

Since I live in the town that William S. Hart called home, I got a kick out of seeing a couple places I know well show in this historical mystery. The plot and pacing were great, and I had a hard time putting down this PI novel. Speaking of being a PI novel, there is a little more content than I might normally read, but it was a small amount. The characters are good overall. A few could be stronger, but fans will be happy to spend more time with everyone. If you haven’t started this fun series yet, fix that today. 

 

A Killing in Costumes by Zac Bissonnette (Hollywood Treasures Mysteries #1) – 4

Jay and Cindy were on their way to a successful career in Hollywood until their marriage ended when they both realized they were gay. Now, a couple of decades later, they are opening a Hollywood memorabilia shop in Palm Springs. Things are off to a slow start until aging actress Yana Tosh contacts them about selling her collection of Hollywood costumes. She’s talking to a larger auction house as well, and when Cindy and Jay’s competition dies, they quickly find themselves suspects. Can they clear their names?

This book has been on my radar for a while, and I’m glad I finally picked it up. The writing did make it hard to get into the story originally, but soon I was hooked on the mystery. There were several good twists and surprises on the way to the logical climax. Jay and Cindy share lead character duties, and they lead a cast of characters I enjoyed getting to know. And I smiled at the many references to classic movies, tv shows, and stars of the screen. We also get talk about classic musicians. At this point, this is looking like a standalone novel, but if a sequel does pop up, I’d be happy to visit Cindy and Jay again. 

 

Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss (Cheese Shop Mysteries #6) – 5

Willa Bauer is excited to be celebrating the second anniversary of opening her shop. But her excitement is tampered when her former fiancé and former best friend show up in town to open a new location for their chocolate shop. However, when someone appears to have been poisoned by one of their chocolates, Willa can’t help but poke around. Can she figure out what happened?

I was glad to have this part of Willa’s back story show up in town, and I liked the growth it gave Willa. We also saw a couple characters we haven’t seen in the last two books, which was great. The cast of both old and new characters kept me engaged, as did the story, which had plenty of complications on the way to an ultimately logical climax. I did feel that Willa’s actions at one point early on didn’t really make sense. Once again, we get some delicious sounding recipes at the end. Fans of the series will be delighted. If you enjoy culinary cozies and haven’t started this series yet, you need to fix that today. 

 

The Tale of the Tenpenny Tontine by P.J. Fitzsimmons (Anty Boisjoly Mysteries #3) – 5

Anty is developing a reputation for solving sticky problems, so a friend reaches out to him when two relatives die in a duel. Since a family fortune is on the line, who dies first is important. However, Anty has hardly looked at the scene before he realizes it was murder. Considering the victims were found in a locked room, how did the killer pull it off?

I’ve got to make time to read this series faster, because this was another wonderful entry. The mystery was sufficiently puzzling with plenty to keep me engaged. And we reached a logical climax that explained the how and the who. The characters are a little thin, but that is in service to the comedy. The laughs come from a very dry British wit and plenty of sarcasm. I was laughing on page one, and smiling or laughing the rest of the way through the book. If that’s what you are in the mood for, you’ll be glad you picked up this book. 

 

What Comes Around by Annette Dashofy (Zoe Chambers #13) – 5

This book opens just days after book twelve ended, which makes sense.  Helpless ended with Zoe deciding to finally stand up to Dr. Charles Davis publicly.  But before she can line everything up to fire him, Pete and Zoe are called to scene of a homicide.  A woman has been brutally murdered in a hotel room.  The surprise is that the victim was Davis’s ex-wife who came to the area to tell Zoe something.  What was it?

Because this storyline has been brewing in the background for multiple books now, I was hooked from the moment I picked up this one, always have a hard time putting it down.  I didn’t expect the ending, but it made perfect sense when Zoe figured it out.  As always, the characters are entertaining, new and old alike.  Zoe and Pete split the point of view character duties, and the shifts are always clear.  This series is darker than the cozies I often read, but don’t let that stop you from reading these books.  Sadly, this is the final book (sob!), at least for now.  Fortunately, the author is working on other things to entertain us.  If you are already a fan of Zoe and Pete, you’ll love this book.  If you aren’t yet a fan, dive in today.  You’ll be hooked in no time.

 

Root of All Evil by Liz Milliron (Laurel Highlands Mysteries #1) – 4

State Trooper Jim Duncan is concerned when he hears a notorious drug dealer has been spotted in Fayette County again.  He’s determined to catch the man this time.  Meanwhile, his friend Sally Castle, an ADA, is shocked to find a coworker murdered in his office one Monday morning.  Sally can’t stay on the sidelines with the case hitting so close to home.  The pair quickly see a connection between events.  But can they figure out what happened?

I’ve been meaning to pick up this series for a while since I’ve enjoyed other books from this author.  While this is her debut novel, it’s not the first story with these characters.  I do wish this book had more introduction to the characters, but we did get to know them pretty well over the course of the story.  Jim and Sally share point of view duties, which helps.  The pacing seemed a little uneven in the middle, but that’s a minor complaint.  I did feel one of the characters could have been smarter as the climax neared, but the wrap up did answer all of my questions.  Since this is a police procedural, it will have more content than the lighter books I often read.  Now that I’ve started this series, I’m hoping to get to visit the characters again soon.

 

Night of the Living Bread by Mary Lee Ashford (Sugar and Spice Mysteries #4) – 4

Sugar Calloway and Dixie Spicer are working on a new project for the Jameson County Historical Society.  It’s a cook book focused on various breads.  It may sound a little narrow, but they already have several ideas for subcategories, and the pair are excited about it.  Their contact for the project is Marla Mercer.  But Sugar’s appointment one morning never happens since she finds Marla dead on the office floor, a bread knife in her back.  Everyone seems shocked by the murder, insisting that Marla was well loved.  So who would want to kill her?

It’s been a few years (and a publisher change) since we got the previous book in this series.  I was glad to see it back and was easily able to slip back into Sugar and Dixie’s world.  It was great to reconnect with the characters, and spending time with them made me smile.  The suspects seemed nice as well, at least at first.  I did figure parts of the mystery out early, but I didn’t have it all put together until the climax.  There are a couple of subplots that helped kept me engaged.  We also get five recipes at the end of the book.  Fans will be just as happy as I am to revisit these characters.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #20) – 4

When two pharmacists are killed in San Fernando, it’s all hands on deck, including reserve officer Harry Bosch. It quickly looks like the motive might not be robbery but something to do with the drug trade.  But Bosch’s attention is being split since an almost 30-year-old case is being questioned thanks to fresh DNA evidence. If these new test results are right, it looks like Bosch sent the wrong man to prison back then. Can he figure out what is happening to keep a killer behind bars?

Bosch having two cases he is juggling has become a staple of the series, and there’s usually one I care about more than the others. This time, I found the modern story just okay. It was too straightforward and felt written to bring in real life topics for 2017. The old case, however, was compelling, and when that was the focus, I had a hard time putting the book down. We see some Lincoln Lawyer characters and a few faces from Bosch’s past, which is great, and all the characters were engaging. As usual, these books incorporate a little more of the real world into the stories, but as long as you know going in, you will be fine. Overall, I did enjoy book twenty in this long running series. 

 

There’s No Murder Like Show Murder by M. S. Greene (Backstage Mysteries #1) – 5

Tasha Weaver is the head of the costume shop at the regional theater in Eastbrook, Connecticut.  They’ve been struggling financially, so they are hoping that bringing in a couple of Broadway stars for their latest production will help the theater return to black.  But Kurt Mozer, the male lead, is being very difficult.  Still, it’s a surprise when someone shots him center stage when the theater is mostly empty.  Who would want to kill the star?

Since I love theater, this book caught my attention, and I’m so glad it did.  The story is strong with plenty of suspects, motives, and twists to keep me engaged until we reach the logical ending.  There were a couple of leaps of logic, but they were minor overall.  Tasha is a wonderful lead, and the rest of the cast was entertaining.  A few have room to grow, but they work for the amount of page time they get.  And the suspects were strong.  Plus I enjoyed this look at life behind the scenes in a theater.  Well, behind the scenes when a murder is thrown into the mix.  This is a strong debut that cozy mystery fans will devour.  I’m hopeful that we will get another book from this author soon.