July 2026's Reading Summary

It's time for July's reading summary.  I didn't get the index updated this month, so I'll try again in August.

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

 

Murder at Ochre Court by Alyssa Maxwell (Gilded Newport Mysteries #6) – 4

It’s July of 1898, and Emma Cross has spent the last year in New York City working for the Herald.  Sadly, she is still relegated to the society column.  And that’s what has brought her back to Newport – she is covering the biggest social event of the season, the coming-out ball of Cleo Copper-Smith.  But the night ends in shocking fashion, when someone is electrocuted.  The electrician who worked on the cottage is a friend, so Emma dives in to help clear him when people accuse him of shoddy work.  With a variety of motives, can Emma figure out the truth?

As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think about the reactions to new technology today and how some characters were reacting to the new technology of electricity for houses.  I appreciated how that played into the mystery, providing just one motive that kept me engaged.  As is often the case, I felt like the mystery was a little too complex when we got to the ending.  While things made sense, there was a bit too much exposition.  But I expect that at this point.  I am tiring of the love triangle, so I am hopeful that this particular storyline is wrapping up.  Overall, I do like the characters and love seeing them grow as the real and fictional rub elbows so seamlessly.  I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Newport.

 

The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood (Marlow Murder Club #5) – 5

This book picks up exactly where the last book ends, which means Judith has just been accused of killing her husband by her step-daughter, who just showed up at Judith’s front door.  Meanwhile, someone has killed a big football star who lived in Marlow, and Tanika seems to be trying to get Judith, Becks, and Suzie involved in the case.  Why is she doing that?  Can the ladies solve the case and help Judith at the same time?

After that cliffhanger at the end of book four, I was anxious to read this book, and it didn’t disappoint.  The book juggles the two storylines well, and I was engaged the entire time.  The suspects helped keep me confused.  I did feel the ending was a bit convoluted, but the more I read and thought about it, the better it seemed to me.  While Judith is the focus, Becks and Suzie get plenty of page time as well.  And I laughed the entire way through at the character’s reactions and antics.  While new fans might not want to start here, established fans will love every page.

 

Death on the Back Nine by Caleb Wygal (Myrtle Beach Mysteries #6) – 3

Clark Thomas’s brother is coming for a visit.  He hasn’t seen Bo in several years.  One thing Bo wants is to play golf on one of the fantastic golf courses throughout the area.  Clark arranges for the two of them to join Detective Moody for a round early one Saturday morning.  But, the foursome directly ahead of them isn’t the most fun to follow around the course.  When they get to one hole with a wicked dogleg, one of that foursome hits their ball into the woods…and never returns.  Someone has hit him with a golf club.  With Clark on the spot and Moody’s partner out of town, the mayor asks Clark to help out.  Will he be able to find the killer?

The mystery in this book was solid, but it needed some good editing.  We got too much set up, and there were other passages that could have been shortened or removed.  The subplots got short changed as well.  There was also too much foreshadowing.  But the mystery kept me confused until Clark figured it out.  And I do continue to like him.  We get a cliffhanger to lead us into the next book which will resolve a major ongoing storyline, and I’m anxious to see what is going on there.

 

Strong Medicine by Steve Hockensmith (Holmes on the Range #8) – 5

It’s the summer of 1894, and brothers Old Red and Big Red have traveled to Galveston, Texas. They aren’t on an official case, but they have gone down to help their friend Olivia Pertwee.  Her family has suffered from a blackmailer, but their business partner just died in a fire in his warehouse.  Is someone out to destroy the family’s business?

It’s always a pleasure to pick up a book in this series.  I found the suspects perfect for keeping me confused, but I really liked the growth we saw in the brothers.  I did figure out part of the plot out early, but the rest kept me guessing until the logical climax.  This series isn’t a cozy series, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine.  I laughed so often, both at the relationship between the brothers and the antics of the suspects.  As always, I am looking forward to seeing where the author will take us next.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Lie Down with Dogs by Liz Milliron (Laurel Highlands Mysteries #5) – 5

Jim Duncan has finally made the switch from patrol to investigations, and he and his new partner have landed a case on his first day.  The dead body has been in the house for a few days before it is found, but they also find a greyhound in a cage in the background.  Meanwhile, Sally Castle is making the leap from the public defender’s office to a private law firm.  Her first client is an accountant accused of taking money from a greyhound nonprofit.  As Sally and Jim investigate, will they find that their cases connect?

There are plenty of changes afoot in this book, and I enjoyed how that changes provided some added storylines.  All of this let us get to know Jim and Sally even better without losing the supporting players I’ve come to love.  The story is strong and kept me engaged all the way to the logical climax.  In fact, I wasn’t complaining when I got to read the second half in one day.  I even learned a bit more about greyhounds.  If you aren’t yet reading Liz’s books, you are really missing out.

 

All Aboard for Murder by Ellen Byron (Golden Motel Mysteries #3) – 5

Every October, the community of Goldsgone, which is near Dee’s motel, celebrates the birthday of Angus Sprockles, the man who made sure they got designated a historic landmark.  Of course, they are also celebrating Halloween.  Among the events is a Halloween themed fundraiser for the historic society on the railroad that Angus’s only living heir runs.  But the event ends with Moses Sprockles dead.  It originally looks like an accident, but there are things that don’t add up.  Dee’s father had become friends with Moses, and he asks Dee to poke around even though this murder doesn’t appear to have anything to do with her motel.  Can Dee find the killer?

This series continues to be so much fun.  The plot is strong, with several subplots strengthen the story.  The California setting and the Hollywood elements add to the fun for me.  I love the cast of characters no matter how much page time they get, and I appreciated how one relationship moved forward.  Everything did reach a logical climax.  And the story had appropriate autumn vibes with a fun Halloween element included as well.  At the end, we get a road trip tip and a bonus recipe. I also smiled and laughed at the character’s antics and a few of the scenes.  All told, this is another winner you’re sure to enjoy.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass by Heather Day Gilbert (Exotic Pet-Sitter Mysteries #1) – 4

Belinda has just moved from New York City to Greenwich, Connecticut, where she is renting the carriage house behind the Carrington estate.  And she is currently pet-sitting the python of one of her clients.  But she’s barely settled in when she finds a young woman dead in the flower bed outside her cottage.  The victim was a friend of the handsome Stone Carrington the Fifth.  With the body being so close to her new home, Belinda starts to investigate.  Will she figure out what happened?

I have quite a few books from this author, so I thought I’d start with this three-book series.  Despite the quick start, I thought the first couple of interview scenes were a little short, but the book got over that.  The ending was a little weaker than I would have liked, but it did answer my questions.  I like Belinda, and the rest of the cast were developed well.  I’m hoping to see where the series goes next soon.

 

The Glass Thief by Gigi Pandian (Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries #6) – 5

Jaya Jones is thrilled when her favorite author, Rick Coronado, asks her to look at his new manuscript.  The chapters she receives are about a murder in a locked room in a haunted mansion and a missing statue.  Her instincts that there is more to the story prove accurate when she starts making connections to a murder that happened seven years ago.  But another death ups the stakes.  Can Jaya separate fact from fiction and find the killer and the missing statue?

If that description seems a bit complicated, don’t worry, the book lays everything out very easily.  There are multiple twists that up the stakes along the way.  It takes some concentration, but things do make sense at the end.  While I do wish we saw more of one of the supporting characters, I really liked a subplot involving Jaya’s personal life.  While the book is set at Christmas, the holiday vibes are minimal.  The new characters are good for their roles in the book.  I felt like I was traveling along with Jaya as we visit Paris and Cambodia before the story is over.  This is another page turning novel that is hard to put down.

 

Dead Days of Summer by Carolyn Hart (Death on Demand #17) – 3

As this book opens, Annie thinks the biggest problem she is facing is keeping the surprise birthday party she is planning for Max a secret, especially given how Laurel, Max’s mother, keeps thinking for herself.  But that’s before Max vanishes.  He’d taken a new case that Monday afternoon, and he let Annie know he’d be home late.  But he never comes home.  The search uncovers a dead body.  What does it mean?  Where is Max?

Being a fan of the series, the premise pulled me in right away.  Sadly, it stalled out in the middle before picking up again for the third act.  Even so, one major question I had was left unanswered.  The series regulars were their usual charming selves, even getting a laugh or two from me at times.  One character undergoes a transformation here that fit his personality from earlier in the series better.  The suspects don’t get much page time until the end, but they are good for the page time they have.  There are hardly any references to other mysteries; I hope we get more in the following books.  While this won’t be my favorite in the series, it is one that fans will still be glad they read.

 

“Robber Crabs” by Joan Druett (A Wiki Coffin Short Story) – 2

The story (and I use that term loosely) takes place before the series and finds Wiki in the South Pacific of the 1830’s looking to make his way to America.  As a 19-year-old, he’s now at the bottom of the pyramid on his new ship, something that makes him willing to jump ship after a stop at Christmas Island.  What might happen before he does?

You’ll notice the issue with that teaser.  And that’s the problem with the story.  Nothing really happens.  The little bit that Wiki figured out, I figured out early on myself, and there are some things that were left opened.  Meanwhile, we don’t really get to know anyone else in the story.  Half of the length here is a teaser for book five in the series.  There’s a bit of sailing history that is interesting, but that’s about it.  Don’t use this as a sample of the series, and most series fans can skip it.