TV Show Review: Quantum Leap Reboot - Season 2

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great stories that all come together

Cons: Just a couple minor ones

The Bottom Line:

Leaping after gap

Mostly strong second season

Sadly, it’s the last

“Sounds Like an Adventure to Me.”

I really enjoyed the first season of the Quantum Leap reboot, but it was clear they had an initial story to tell involving why the new main character leapt.  Since they resolved that at the end of that season, I was very curious what they were going to do for season two.  While the initial set up was a little shaky for me, I wound up enjoying this season, too.

The first episode starts just like any other episode – Ben (Raymond Lee) leaps into a new situation.  In this case, he’s in a plane that is about to crash over 1978 Russia.  However, he’s not getting any assistance from anyone back at Quantum Leap headquarters.  Finally, Ian (Mason Alexander Park) shows up to help Ben.  But Ian also reveals that, while to Ben it’s just been a few minutes, to the rest of the team, he’s been missing in time for three years, and everyone thought that Ben was dead.

While Ian brings the team back together, Ben has to deal with the revelation, most noticeably that his fiancée, Addison (Caitlin Bassett) has moved on and is now dating Tom (Peter Gadiot).  Meanwhile, Ben keeps meeting up with a woman, Hannah (Eliza Taylor) in various leaps.  He is clearly starting to fall for her.  Why is he seeing her multiple times?

Of course, all this is happening while Ben keeps leaping through time trying to fix history.  He leaps into a bank teller about to be a victim in a bank robbery.  He becomes a government agent investigating extraterrestrial activity.  He finds himself accused of witchcraft in 1692 Salem.  And he becomes a news producer trying to help a reporter nail a comeback story.

I hate it when a show jumps forward in time and one character isn’t aware of the passage of time.  So when I realized that was what they were doing with this season, I wasn’t happy about it.  And I did roll my eyes at the usual tropes, like Ben being upset about Addison moving on, and Addison being torn between Ben and Tom.

But as the season went on, I began to appreciate the choices the writers made as a result of this time jump.  A couple of my assumptions about what they were planning to do with the characters proved to be wrong (thankfully).  I was actually blown away in the last couple of episodes with how they brought everything all the characters were facing together for a complete season long story.  Yes, this is an example of excellent writing.  They clearly had a plan in place for the season before they started, and they executed it wonderfully.

What they didn’t have a plan for was the cancellation of the series.  A couple of weeks after the finale aired, NBC announced that the series wouldn’t be back in the fall of 2024.  And we are left once again unmoored in time.  I don’t blame the writers since they didn’t know when this was written or filmed.

To be clear, the storyline for season two was wrapped up.  Instead, what we got was a teaser for what season three would have been as a cliffhanger.  That’s probably what makes it so mild for me.  Yes, I would have been back, and I really want to know what the producers would have done with the storyline.  But since the cliffhanger was more about setting up the story going forward, I don’t feel as if we were left hanging in the same sense that we would have been otherwise.  Make sense?

But back to the season we did get.  Like the first season, we split our time between the leap of the week, which usually got a majority of the run time, and what is going on back at headquarters.  I feel like the leaps also fed into what was going on in the ongoing storylines better this season, probably because Ben’s plot wasn’t about his missing memory and why he leapt.  The writers did a really good job of giving us real emotional stakes in the episodes where we could feel for all the characters.  There wasn’t a right or wrong, but people were still allowed to struggle with what they were feeling.  I really liked it.  And each episode also had very real complications that made it hard to see how Ben would accomplish his task to leap again.

I know I’ve been praising the writers so far this season, but equal praise goes to the cast, including the regulars I haven’t mentioned yet, Ernie Hudson and Nanrisa Lee.  Everyone brought their best to each episode, fully making us invested in what their characters were going through.  I enjoyed getting to see some of these characters popping up as Ben’s guide through his leap, which helped us get to know them better and see different sides of Ben.

There were thirteen episodes in season two.  One of them did get into preachy territory, but it wasn’t as bad as last season’s preachy episode.  But for the most part, we get a show with great stories and characters we can care about.

I am sad that season 2 is the end of Quantum Leap.  I know many fans of the original didn’t like it, but I found the show fun for a modern day reinvention of a classic show.

Book Review: The Sinister Sitcom Caper by Sally Carpenter (Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Mystery, Sandy, and fun

Cons: I would like to see more of how Sandy figured out the solution

The Bottom Line:

Guesting on sitcom

Must solve cast member’s murder

Fun second entry

Murder is No Laughing Matter

Since I really enjoyed the first Sandy Fairfax book when I read it, I was quite happy when I received more in the series for Christmas, and I wasted no time in jumping in to see what would happen to him in The Sinister Sitcom Caper, the second in the series.

If you haven’t met Sandy yet, he was a teen idol in the 1970’s.  Between his singing career and his starring role on Buddy Brave, Boy Sleuth, he was quite busy.  However, he’s fallen out of favor in the fifteen or so years since then, thanks in part of his alcoholism.  But he’s trying to put that behind him now as he mounts a comeback.

He’s been back in LA for a few weeks from his disastrous appearance at a Beatles fan festival (aka the first book in the series), when his agent lands him a guest starring part on a sitcom.  No, it’s not one of the top new comedies of 1993, but Off-Kelter, a struggling show that hardly anyone is watching.  But a job is a job.  And for Sandy, it has a nostalgia factor since the sitcom shoots on the soundstage where they used to shoot his show.

But working on this sitcom isn’t going to be all fun and laughs.  The tension between the various cast members is so thick that you’d have to be completely oblivious to not notice it.  So, it’s hardly surprising (to us, anyway), when one of the actresses drops dead at Sandy’s feet.  Since no one else seems to be taking the death seriously, Sandy starts investigating.  Can he figure out what happened?

Being the entertainment junky that I am, I loved the idea of a book set behind the scenes of a sitcom.  Since author Sally Carpenter used to work for a studio, I’m sure we got some accuracy from the book.  Obviously, some details were changed to make for a better mystery.  While we might not have as many laughs as you’d get on a sitcom (this is a bad sitcom, after all), there are still some smiles and laughs to enjoy along the way.

And the mystery itself?  It did stall out a bit in the middle, but it was still solid with many viable suspects and surprises along the way to the climax.  While the solution was logical, it was a bit abrupt, and I would like to have seen how Sandy reached it.

Speaking of Sandy, we really got to know him better in this book.  Since he lives in LA and the first book wasn’t set there, we got more of a sense of his life here, including interactions with his ex and his son, which I loved.  It’s hard not to root for Sandy as we get to know him.

Meanwhile, the rest of the cast were also good.  There’s really only one returning character, and we don’t see that much of her, but I enjoyed the bits that we did get.  Sandy has a new sidekick here, and that relationship is fun.  The suspects do a good job of keeping us guessing as we watch Sandy try to figure everything out.

Sandy Fairfax makes for a fun sleuth, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with him.  If you haven’t met him yet, you’ll be glad you picked up The Sinister Sitcom Caper.

You'll swoon for the rest of the Sandy Fairfax, Teen Idol Mysteries.

Movie Review: Love in Glacier National

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: The leads and their chemistry

Cons: Pretty much everything else

The Bottom Line:

Romance amidst snow

A poorly written movie

Really does not work

“You’re Starting to Sound Like those Old Romance Movies.”

I noticed recently that Hallmark has a couple of romantic movies set in National Parks.  They sounded like they could be fun, so I decided to watch them, starting with Love in Glacier National: A National Park Romance.  Sadly, the result was less than ideal.

Heather (Ashley Newbrough) is a scientist who has developed a new computer modeling system to help better predict avalanches.  She is thrilled when she is invited to Glacier National Park to show it off.  She’ll be working with her friend Eric (Devon Alexander).  The only downside is that it means she can’t take the trip to Maui she had planned with her sister, but she talks Riley (Tegan Moss) into joining her at the mountain resort where she will be staying instead.

The only person not remotely interested in Heather’s program is Chris (Stephen Huszar), the head of the search and rescue program, who prefers to trust his own carefully crafted skills instead of a computer program.  Despite that, neither can deny the sparks that fly between them.  Will Heather win Chris over to her program?  Or is their romance doomed to fail?

If you’ve read enough of my reviews, you know I have no issue with predictable stories as long as I’m having fun.  That wasn’t the case here.  I pretty much had all the beats of the movie figured out early on.  Some took a little longer to predict just because those subplots hadn’t been introduced yet.

But I wasn’t having fun.  Instead, I found myself cringing as the writers made the characters go through these familiar tropes in the most awkward way possible.  It wasn’t fun; it was painful.

Despite this, I did like Heather and Chris.  The actors have great chemistry, and I really did want to see them wind up happy at the end.

Then there’s Riley and her sub-plot.  I actually found her matchmaking tactics cringe inducing, but I still got invested in her sub-plot.  Which just kind of disappeared as we ramped up to the climax.  I was very frustrated by that.

Obviously, the writing wasn’t the sharpest, and that bled over to the performances.  There was only so much the actors could do with some of that dialogue.  Overall, this had a low budget production quality to it.

There is a reason I’ve pretty much stuck to Hallmark’s mystery movies before now – I find their others to be more hit and miss than the mysteries.  Love in Glacier National was definitely in the miss category.

January 12th's Sunday Post

Welcome to the weekend and another Sunday Post.  I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
It's Monday,  What Are You Reading?

It's been quite a week here in LA.  yes, I am safe.  The worst fires, the ones dominating the news coverage (as they should be) are quite a ways away from me.  There was a fire at the south end of town but I live a ways from that one.  The closest fire to me started Wednesday afternoon, but they had it under control before I went to bed.  And the wind has been blowing south, so all the smoke hasn't even been bothering me.

But this isn't to say I haven't been very distracted all week.  It's been a struggle to get anything done at work.  I have two book reviews to write, one of which I am planning to post on Thursday.  (Gulp).

Anyway, I have a few things packed and ready to load into the car if something near me starts and I do have to evacuate.  While the winds won't be as bad as they have been, we are still supposed to have windy conditions for the next few days.  And the air is so dry, at times it feels like moisture is being pulled out of my body.

Hopefully, my concentration can become a little better because I don't think things are going to change for at least another week.  And I have things I need to get done at work.

But enough of this.  Let's move on.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Favorite Books Read in 2024

Tuesday - Book Review: Hired Guns by Steve Hockensmith

Wednesday - The Traitors USA - Season 2

Thursday - Book Review: Rivers and Creaks by Marc Jedel

Friday - Friday Post featuring Welcome Home to Murder

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Love in Glacier National

Tuesday - Book Review: The Sinister Sitcom Caper by Sally Carpenter

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Quantum Leap Reboot - Season 2

Thursday - Book Review: Welcome Home to Murder by Rosalie Spielman

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thought

Book Haul:

I've got another six book haul to tell you about.  Some of these were bargain books I've gotten over the last few weeks and two were books I bought online that arrived this week.

Let's start with the bargain books.  First up was Killing Dylan by Alastair Puddick.  This book sounded funny.  It's been on my radar for a while, so when it was cheap right after Christmas, I snagged it.

The other sale book I got was Murder at Vinland by Alyssa Maxwell.  This is the most recent in her Gilded Newport series, and it went on sale for one day this last week.  I have a long ways to go before I will be ready for it, but naturally, I snagged it.

As the year was winding down, I got notified that I was about to lose some of my Kindle points, and I was so close to another reward.  I didn't have a choice but to buy a Kindle book and then immediately convert my points and redeem them for another book, right?  I got two books in series I've been reading this last year, Legally Blind Luck by James J. Cudney and The Tale of the Tenpenny Tontine by P.J. Fitzsimmons.

Which brings us to the two physical books I got this week.  Both are also in series I've already started.  They were on my Christmas list, but my family got me other books from my Christmas list instead.  (There are always lots of books on my list).

A Killing Way is the latest Nate Ross Mystery from J.R. Sanders.  These are set in LA in the 1930's, and I always enjoy them.

Then there's the second in the Turner and Mosely Files from LynDee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin - The Cardinal's Curse.  I really enjoyed the first one and I'm looking forward to reading this one.

What I'm Currently Reading:

Friday night, I finished Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge.  This is the first in her series that features the housekeeper for Agatha Christie.  In this book, she gets involved when a houseguest is found murdered in their library.  I enjoyed it, and I'm glad I have the next couple in the series already.

I've just barely started Stuff to Spy For by Don Bruns.  It's actually been a couple of years since I read book two, so I'm overdue to dive into book three.  This is about two friends in their twenties who managed to get into some pretty wild things.  The spying in this case looks like it might involve industrial spying, but we'll see.  I'm only a couple of chapters in, after all.

That's it for me.  Have a good week.

January 11th's Weekly TV Thoughts

It's been an interesting week for TV watching here in LA.  Only one night was the show I was planning to watch not interrupted for fire coverage.  (Not that I wound up watching that night's shows that night.  Got distracted.)  I get it, the first was definitely more important.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  But that's also why Happy's Place isn't on here.  I'll catch up next week.

Wipeout – I didn’t have the dads pegged as making the finals.  I wish they had won over the team that did.  I wasn’t paying enough attention to see how they were selected to replace the team that got injured.  I guess they had come closest to finishing their heat.

Deal or No Deal Island – Well, that was kind of a boring opening.  I wasn’t that surprised that Luke left.  He just didn’t seem that bright at all.  And, if he had taken any deal, he would have been able to stay.  But he was 100% the reason his team was in that position, so it doesn’t upset me at all.  Oh well, hopefully, it will be more interesting going forward.

Shifting Gears – That was pretty funny.  I hope they get away from the politics, but I really felt the leads played well off each other.  I didn’t pick up on the fact that we were having a Galaxy Quest reunion with the cast, but that’s fun.  But the fact that I was laughing at some of the lines through the entire episode makes me hope for a second good sitcom on TV.  Could it be possible?

The Challenge – I’m definitely okay with the winners.  Appreciated that they had a tie for the women.  I felt based solely on the final challenges these were the people who deserved to win.  Next week should bring lots of drama with the reunion.  We’ll see how long I last with it.  But I do have to ask why this show has so much more drama than other reality shows I watch.  Is it because they have the same people over and over again so they really get to know/irritate each other?  Or just who they cast?

Only Murders in the Building – So, we’re going with the same plotting as the first season – focus on one person and then eliminate them each episode.  Not how I usually like my mysteries, but I am here for it.  Interesting getting to meet Lucy.  And see Jan again.  I feel like the second episode was more personal than about the mystery itself.  That’s probably because I didn’t consider the artist a real suspect.  Either way, both were great episodes.

January 10th's Friday Post

Welcome to Friday and this week's Friday Post.  As usual, I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

For the first three, I will be featuring quotes from Welcome Home to Murder by Rosalie Spielman.

This is the first in a series that has been on my radar for a while.  The main character has just retired from the Army, which makes her a little older than the main characters I usually read about.  Overall, I enjoyed the book.

It has a bit of humor, as you can tell from how it opens:

"I don't imagine a raccoon would turn down peanut butter, but do you really think his little hands could open the jar?"

Yes, it took me a couple of times to get that line straight in my head when I read it, but when I did, I laughed.

Meanwhile, at 56% into the book, we find this:

I smiled and waved at Aunt Edna as I got ready to pull out onto Route 8. She waved back, erratically, so I paused to look down the street.

"Oh wow, look at that."

"Holy…is that normal?" Nick gaped.

What are they seeing?  I'll let you discover that by picking up the book.

I'm aiming to have my review up on Thursday.  Of course, I have to write the review first.  Minor detail, right?

For today, however, let's finish things off with this week's Book Blogger Hop.  This week's question is:

January is National Hobby Month. Do you have any pastimes or interests other than reading that go well with your love of books and literature?

Reviewing?  Honestly, that's about it.  I try to be active as well, and I rarely listen to audiobooks while I'm running or anything like that.  And I can't watch TV while reading.  

That's it for me.  Hope you have a great weekend.

Book Review: Rivers and Creaks by Marc Jedel (Redwood Country Mysteries #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Andy and other characters have potential

Cons: Mixed overall

The Bottom Line:

Some big life changes

Get started with a murder

In this mixed debut

Andy Finds a Corpse on His First Day

Author Marc Jedel has been on my radar for a while.  In fact, I have Kindle copies of the first few books in his longest series.  Still, when he started the Redwood Country Mysteries with Rivers and Creaks, I jumped on that book as well.  I finally read it, and it was a mixed bag for me.

We meet Andy Shirley on the day he takes over a bed and breakfast in Monte Rio, California.  The idea of running this during retirement was his late wife’s idea, and Andy is struggling with the idea of doing it on his own.  But he couldn’t back out of the sale, so here he is.

Since the bed and breakfast was already up and running, Andy is handed over the keys with a full house of guests – specifically a wedding party.  The previous owner has hardly left when screams summon Andy to the upstairs where the dead body of one of the bridesmaids has been found in her room.  Andy worries that this might ruin his new business before he even gets started.  Can he figure out what really happened?

Growing up in Northern California, I love the redwoods, so that’s what drew me to this book over some others the author has written.  Imagine my surprise when it was set in a very small community in the county where I grew up.  As always, I loved all the references to places I am very familiar with.  Even better, I started reading it when I was at my parents’ for Christmas.  Honestly, that might have colored the rest of my perception of the book.

The story is just as much about Andy moving into his new home as it was the murder.  In fact, I often felt the murder took a backseat to the adjustments Andy was trying to adjust to.  As a result, things felt a little underdone to me.  The climax was also weaker than it could have been, but it did answer all the questions I had.

Then there’s Andy.  He’s a self-proclaimed curmudgeon.  On top of that, he’s dealing with the fairly recently death of his wife.  As a result, he’s not super warm and outgoing.  I appreciated a different character as the lead character in a series, but at times, I couldn’t believe someone in his 60’s would really be so dumb as to say the things he did.  But that’s probably just me.  On the whole, I did enjoy spending time with him.  Even better, I enjoyed the new relationships he was forming with others in the community in this book.  I see potential for people to draw him out of his shell as the series goes along.

One thing I completely enjoyed was the humor.  I laughed multiple times as I was reading.  And no, it wasn’t all puns.

Despite the problems I mentioned, I did enjoy reading the book.  If Andy comes back with another case for him to solve, I will definitely read it.  Hopefully, it builds on what came in Rivers and Creaks to make a stronger book.

TV Show Review: The Traitors - Season 2

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong, fun reality competition show

Cons: Edited cliffhangers at the end of each episode

The Bottom Line:

Must find the Traitors

Second season is stronger

Better contestants

“Pass the Eggs.  Did I Say That as a Faithful or a Traitor?”

I wasn’t super impressed when I watched the first season of the US version of The Traitors.  Before my Peacock subscription expired last year, I decided to go ahead and give the second season a chance.  I’m glad I did because I enjoyed it much more.

The premise is still the same – a group of around 20 people head to host Alan Cumming’s castle in Scottland (or a castle he is claiming).  There, three will be tapped as traitors.  The rest are the faithful.  Each night, the traitors pick one person to be murdered.  The next evening, the faithful have a chance to vote out someone from the group, hoping they can get a traitor out.  During the day, everyone is working on challenges to build their pot.  At the end, if any traitors remain, they gain the prize.  However, if the faithful have eliminated all the traitors, they win.

Make sense?  After you’ve watched an episode or two, it all makes sense.

In the first season, there was a mix of reality show veterans and people who have never been on a reality show before.  This season, it’s all reality people from a variety of shows like Survivor, The Challenge, Big Brother, The Batchelor, the various Real Housewives shows.  The one exception was John Bercow, the former Speaker of the House of Commons.  A different reality show, if you will.

While the premise was the same this season, there were a couple of reasons I enjoyed this season better.  One, none of the contestants really bugged me.  Everyone seemed to be there to play the game.  Yes, they did take things personally at times (it would be hard not to in a game like this), but there wasn’t endless whining when things didn’t go their way.  Yes, they fought to come out on top, but they accepted the outcome of the game when they didn’t.

It was also more fun because the contestants were really playing.  All of them.  Yes, there were a few that were in charge of the alliances, but it was interesting to see how everyone approached things.  And how the strategy worked out or didn’t.  We also got to see some of them hurt themselves with what they thought was great strategy.  I felt sorry a time or two when that happened, but it made for great TV.

There was a big surprise half way through the season I thought might ruin it for me.  To my surprise, I even enjoyed that.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there were moments that really did bother me.  But that’s the case with most reality shows.  This was much more in keeping with other reality shows.

Sadly, a couple of the reasons I tuned into the season left fairly early.  I was spoiled for that, but I was still disappointed.

As with the first season, Alan Cummings was a fantastic host.  I loved his levity and his outfits were over the top in the best way possible.

These episodes were originally released on a weekly basis, but since the season was over before I started watching, I was able to watch them more quickly.  Frankly, I’m glad because their manufactured cliffhangers are so annoying.  It makes you appreciate the style of Survivor and The Amazing Race, which shows you who is leaving at the end of each episode.  Here, they seem to think it is a great idea to tease you with you to leaving and end the episode on that cliffhanger.  Sorry, but you can just tell me.  I’ll still be back next week.

While the first season had it’s moments, season two of The Traitors was much more entertaining.  Honestly, this is probably the biggest reason I’m happy I was able to renew my Peacock subscription for cheap.  I’ve just got to make the time to enjoy the international versions and watch season 3, which starts tomorrow.

Book Review: Hired Guns by Steve Hockensmith (Double-A Western Detective Agency #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Plenty of action with fun characters

Cons: A few things, but nothing major overall

The Bottom Line:

Protecting a mine

Plenty of deadly danger

Page turning action

Spinoff Series Starts with a Bang

I’ve been enjoying Steve Hockensmith’s Holmes on the Range series since the beginning.  Over the last few books, the series has taken a turn in premise and introduced some new supporting characters.  Now, those supporting characters are getting a spin off series of their own with the Double-A Western Detective Agency.  Despite the name, these are more good old fashioned Western adventures than true mysteries.  And if that’s what you are in the mood for, you’ll be happy you picked up Hired Guns, the first.

These books feature former Army friends turned adventurers Oswin Diehl, Ira Hoop, and Eskaminzim.  As I said, we have met them in a couple of the Holmes on the Range books, but if you jump in here, you’ll get the information you need to follow them and their relationships just fine.  All you really need to know is that the three of them are working as hired guns for the new detective agency in 1894.

This book finds them heading to the Arizona Territory to help out a struggling copper mine.  No, it’s not to help them with the mining.  The conglomerate Consolidated American Mining Corporation has decided it wants to buy this particular mine, and they are doing all they can to convince the owners to sell.  There’s just one major problem – the owners don’t want to sell.  And our trio of heroes have been hired to help protect the mine.  But against the overwhelming odds, can they do it?

As you can see, this is a straight forward book for a mystery reader.  We know who the good guys and bad guys are.  It’s just a matter of figuring out how to make sure the bad guys lose.  There was a bit of a slow start, but things did pick up.  I’ve got to say, I wasn’t sure how they were going to succeed for much of the book, which is just the way I love it.  The further we go into the story, the more complicated things become.  But I was cheering when I reached the end.

I will say the book was a little on the violent side for what I typically enjoy.  It might be a tad more violent than what we’ve seen from the author before since the emphasis was on the action rather than the deduction.  But this isn’t a reason to not read the book.  Just keep that in mind as you read it.

The reality of racial relations in the 1890’s comes up a few times in passing.  It is sad that things were ever this way in our country.  But it is encouraging to think about the progress that has been made.

The characters get their moments to shine, which is good since they appear to be types more than characters when we first meet them.  There is room for them to be fleshed out a bit more as the series goes along, but we have a good start here.

Author Steve Hockensmith has always included humor in his books, and that holds true again here.  Despite the serious odds the characters are facing, I found myself chuckling and laughing several times as I read.

I read this book via audiobook.  Chuck Galco does a good job as the narrator bringing the story to life.

As I said at the beginning, Hired Guns is a good Western action adventure novel.  Pick up this book and watch the pages, and the bullets, fly.

My Favorite Books Read in 2024

Before we fully jump into 2025, I want to take a moment to look back at my favorites of 2024.  I actually settled on a top 10 this year, which was a bit of a surprise to me.  Usually, I’m a few books over and I can’t quite figure out how to narrow it down any further, so I don’t.

As always, these are the books I read for the first time in 2024.  It’s half and half this year with books that were released in 2024 and books released in previous years.  And I’m just over half physical books over ebooks this year.

And yes, you’ll see some of the usual suspects on the list as well as a few new authors.

If you are interested in reading more, the links will take you to my full review.

The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian
I caught up on this series this year.  This is book two (which came out in 2023).  The series features a retired stage magician who is now helping her family’s specialty construction company.  And each series features an impossible crime/locked room mystery.  This book featured a crime with four impossibilities.  Yet in the end, the crime was satisfactorily solved.  I couldn’t put this book down as I read it.

The Case of the Canterfell Codicil by P.J. Fitzsimmons
Self-described as what happens when you mix P.G. Wodehouse and Dorothy L. Sayers, it is set in England in the 1920’s.  I was laughing the entire way through it while also trying to figure out how this locked room mystery was going to be solved.  This is the first in the series, and I enjoyed book two as well.  I have more to catch up on, and I’m looking forward to it.

Torn Asunder by Barbara Ross
Author Barbara Ross is making one last appearance on my list.  Sadly, she decided to end her Maine Clambake series, which has made many appearances on my list over the years.  But she ended it well, and the series’ many fans will be satisfied.  And it’s hard to complain when we got twelve great books in the series.

Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose
From a final book in a series to a first in series.  Ayla Rose is a new penname for Wendy Tyson, who has made my list before.  This new series surrounds a bed and breakfast.  As usual for this author, the plot is a little more serious than the typical cozy I enjoy, but it is still a cozy.  I enjoyed meeting these characters and hope to read more about them soon.

Joshua Tree by Sandy Dengler
This is book seven in a series about a National Parks ranger who travels to various parks to solve bigger issues they are facing.  This book finds him sent in to rubber stamp a case that everyone says was already solved.  And yet, he doesn’t feel comfortable with the conclusions.  The way this book unfolded and wrapped up really entertained me.  Plus, I love the author’s use of language.

A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron
Ellen (and her alter ego Maria di Rico) had three books come out this year, and I’m picking this one.  It’s the start of a new series featuring a former sitcom writer opening an inn in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  I laughed all the way through it and really enjoyed meeting the new characters.  I’m looking forward to the sequel, coming this summer.

Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley
I worked on catching up on the Deep Dish Mysteries this year, reading three of them.  This book takes place most in one long night as the characters get trapped by a storm after a catering gig.  And yes, there’s a killer in the group somewhere.  Books that take place in a compressed time period can drag for me in the wrong hands, but that wasn’t the case here.  Plus, we had some nice character growth.

Til Death by Annette Dashofy
Each time I pick up one of Annette’s books, I’m pulled in from page one.  This book finds the series’ protagonists getting ready for their wedding.  As long as murder doesn’t keep one of both of them from walking down the aisle.  Fans of the series will absolutely love this book.  It does wrap up several storylines, so those new to the series won’t appreciate it quite as much, but you won’t regret starting this series.

Comedy Can Be Deadly by Ryan Rivers
This series continues to amaze me with how it mixes laugh out loud comedy with serious topics and meaningful character growth.  The story finds our protagonists acting in a local theater production of a Shakespeare comedy when murder rears its ugly head.  The climax is over the top in a fun way that absolutely works.

Fondue or Die by Korina Moss
The latest Cheese Shop Mystery is another winner.  I love spending time with the characters, and the mystery kept me guessing.  The setting was out of town, but we still saw many of the regulars, and the growth in some of the characters was great.

Here’s to another great year of reading in 2025.