May 2026's Reading Summary

 We've rounded the corner on another month, so it must be time for another reading summary.  Here's what I read in May.

No, I didn't get the index updated this month.

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

Between a Roquefort and Hard Place by Linda Reilly (Grilled Cheese Mysteries #7) – 4

It’s been ten months since Carly and Ari got married, and they are happily settling into married life. At her restaurant, she and her employees are working on a grilled cheese competition. But Carly drops everything when she is invited to Peppermint Mansion, the biggest and most mysterious house in the area, to cook a grilled cheese for the elderly owner. The mansion is undergoing renovations, and Ari is handling the electrical. But while Carly is there, the general contractor dies. The police quickly determine it wasn’t an accident and start looking at Ari as their prime suspect. Can Carly clear her husband?

I was happy to see another entry in this fun series. The mystery gets started quickly and kept me engaged with some good suspects and twists on the way to the logical conclusion. We did get to see the supporting characters again, although they blended a bit into each other. Carly and her husband still shone. We also get three more delicious sounding grilled cheese recipes. Fans of the series will be glad they picked this one up. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

 

Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips – 4

Charlie Shaw is trying to juggle being a new father of a six-month-old and a new career as a private investigator, but he’s struggling. While he’s out on surveillance, he meets a teenager who is looking for her father. Charlie can’t help but feel for her, and he decides to take on the case even though she can’t pay him. However, he quickly figures out that he’s brought a lot of danger on his family. Is his client’s father still alive? Can he figure out what is happening before the danger hits too close to home?

When I saw this won Minotaur’s Best First Mystery aware, I knew I had to give it a try. The tone was darker than I was expecting, complete with some language and violence. Still, I did get some laughs, especially from the banter between Charlie and his wife. The plot went in some unexpected directions on the way to the logical climax. The characters were all well developed, and I fell in love with Charlie and his family. I did feel Charlie took some unnecessary risks, especially as a new father. One location in the San Francisco setting was a bit of a stretch, but few will care. Overall, I enjoyed this debut and will be back if we get a sequel. 

 

Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early (Murder She Wrote #63) – 4

When Jessica, Seth, Mort, and Mort’s wife, Maureen, take part in a trivia contest at the grand opening of an Irish themed pub in Cabot Cove, they never expect to win, much less that the prize will be a trip to Los Angeles to be contestants on Trivia Pub Live, a new live trivia game show. However, things take a deadly turn when one of the crew is found dead after the first day of tapping. Will the team be able to find a killer and stay in the competition?

My favorite episodes of the show were always the ones in Cabot Cove, but getting to have Seth and Mort on this trip was the next best thing.  Plus, I recognized the niece we were visiting, which made it fun.  The pacing was a little slow at the beginning between the set up and introducing a couple of sub-plots, but once the mystery kicked into gear, it was steady the rest of the way, with plenty of red herrings and clues before we reached the logical climax.  And I really liked how the book ended.  I kept the many suspects straight, although some of the lesser ones faded a bit into the background because they didn’t have that much page time.  I also enjoyed the tour of mystery locations in Los Angeles.  Overall, this is a fun addition to the long running tie-in series.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood (Marlow Murder Club #4) – 4

Verity Beresford seeks out Judith Potts when Verity’s husband, Oliver, never returned from the maiden voyage of the Marlow Belle. The boat had been rented by the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, which Oliver heads. But then Oliver’s body turns up, and Judith can’t help but wonder if Verity was trying to divert suspicion from herself by asking for help. Can Judith and her friends figure out what really happened?

While Judith is the main sleuth, Becks and Susie are still active and contribute a little toward the solution. Becks also gets a strong subplot, and I still laughed at the antics of all three characters. I wasn’t as big a fan at some of the comments that seem to be bashing men. The mystery kept me guessing with strong suspects, but I found the climax weaker than I would have liked. The plot gets Judith involved in the drama group’s latest play, which I enjoyed. And that ending makes me very glad the next in the series is due out in a couple of months. Fans will definitely be glad they picked this book up. 

 

Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons (Anty Boisjoly Mysteries #5) – 4

Anty is off to the French Riviera at the invitation of his mother. They have a strained relationship, but Anty goes because he thinks this will be a good chance to confront his mother over a nagging question about his father’s death. But when he arrives, he discovers there’s been a more recent death. There’s a floating circus on the island where Anty is, but the headliner has been killed, trampled to death by his elephant. The animal is set to be executed for this crime, but Anty isn’t buying it. Can he find the real culprit in time to spare the beast?

I was happy when my schedule allowed me to slip in the next book in the Anty series.  While this is the wildest case he’s taken on yet (pun always intended), the book does take the murder seriously with a good number of suspects and motives leading to the logical climax.  Only Anty and his valet return here, but the rest of the suspects feel real while also maximizing comedic potential.  And yes, the dry wit is still on full display.  At times, it could be tone down, but I was still laughing as I puzzled over the clues.  This book is a circus in the best way possible and fans old and new will be glad they picked it up.

 

Harm Not the Earth by Liz Milliron (Laurel Highlands Mysteries #4) – 4

Jim and Sally follow up on a report and find a dead body in their off hours. Since the death is outside of Jim’s normal patrol area, the man who takes on the case doesn’t welcome his help. But Jim becomes even more determined to figure out what is going on when he realizes he knew the victim, having volunteered with his environmental organization. Then a second victim turns up. Sally jumps in to help, hoping to make sure things are resolved before Jim gets into too much trouble. Can they determine what is going on?

Between the title and the victim, I wasn’t surprised when some of the motives hit environmental issues. Fortunately, the author did a good job of portraying the complexities of the issue while still offering other motives. The plot was complex with several strong suspects and twists that kept me engaged until the logical climax. Unfortunately, there were some snags in the timeline, but nothing that truly impacted the solution. It’s nice watching the beginning stages of Jim and Sally’s relationship here. They are continuing to grow as individual characters as well. I’m glad I have the next in the series already since I enjoyed this one. 

 

My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere (Madison Night #13) – 5

Several years (and many books) ago, Madison worked for Ned and his then wife, Connie, redesigning their house. While Connie and Madison have stayed friends after the divorce, Madison hasn’t had much to do with Ned. But now he is back, wanting to hire her to turn a 1950’s ranch house into a period recording studio as he hopes to transition from music promoter to music producer. Unfortunately, the morning he hires Madison, Madison and Connie find the dead body of young singing sensation Vanessa Wright, one of Ned’s two clients. With the evidence pointing at him, Madison finds herself in a unique position to find the truth. What will she uncover?

While Connie has popped up in multiple books, it’s been a while since we saw Ned. It was nice to see him again. You can jump in here and follow this book without having all the backstory. The mystery was strong with plenty to keep me engaged on the way to the logical climax. And I enjoyed seeing the growth in Madison and her relationships again here. Those familiar with Doris Day’s movies, especially her second one, will spot an Easter egg or two. When you pick up this book, you’ll find it anything but a nightmare. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

 

Hollywood Kills edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff – 3

This book, put out to raise funds to help victims of the 2025 Los Angeles wild fires, contains sixteen stories set in and around Hollywood.  Over the course of the series, we meet just about everyone who works in the entertainment business from writers to character actors to caterers to directors to casting directors.  Unfortunately, for all of these people, they are about to find themselves playing some deadly games.  And yes, we do occasionally leave the Southern California area to find murder and mayhem on location.

Being an LA resident, I wanted to get this book to support the cause.  And I enjoyed the stories by Ellen Byron and Wendall Thomas the most, no surprise since I like their books in general.  But, when read back-to-back, these stories overall have a sameness to them.  Not every story, but the majority.  This isn’t to say the stories are poorly written or bad.  I was engaged by the characters as the entertaining plots unfolded.  I think if I had spaced these stories out a bit more, I would have enjoyed the book overall.  So, my recommendation is that you pick up this book and do just that.

 

Welcome to Cozy Town by Marla Cooper – 5

Violet has just inherited a bed and breakfast from a great-aunt she didn’t know she had in a town she’d never heard of before. But, considering she’s in need of a fresh start, the timing is perfect. However, when her first guest is found murdered in his bed, Violet can’t help but wonder what is going on. Especially since everyone in town seems to be taking it in stride. What kind of town has Violet moved to?

The teaser doesn’t really give you a feel for this cozy short story. It is a giant wink and nod to fans of the genre, filled with humor at the tropes we all know. You can’t help but laugh as you read, especially since it is obvious that this all comes from a love of the genre. The mystery is solid. It might be a little out there, but it also works for this story. My only complaint is that the characters are a little thin, but given the page count, I’m being picky. I read the story in about an hour, so it isn’t super long. And, of course, there’s a recipe at the end. Cozy mystery fans must read this story. They will laugh their way through it.