Category Archives: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Review: Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

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The Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

Descendant of the Crane
Joan He

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About Descendant of the Crane

In New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He’s debut novel, Descendant of the Crane, a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggles to do right in a world brimming with deception. This gorgeous, Chinese-inspired fantasy is packed with dizzying twists, complex characters, and intricate politics.

TREASON

For princess Hesina of Yan, the palace is her home, but her father is her world. He taught her how to defend against the corruption and excesses of the old kings, before revolutionaries purged them and their seers and established the dynasty anew.

Before he died, he was supposed to teach her how to rule.

TRIAL

The imperial doctors say the king died a natural death, but Hesina has reason to believe he was murdered. She is determined to uncover the truth and bring the assassin to justice.

TRUTH

But in a broken system, ideals can kill. As the investigation quickly spins out of Hesina’s control, she realizes that no one is innocent. Not the heroes in history, or the father she thought she knew. More blood will spill if she doesn’t rein in the trial soon—her people’s, her family’s, and even her own.

My Review

This book has been on my reading list for SO. LONG. I’m so glad I finally had the chance to read it.

DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE is about 400 pages, which is pretty near the high side in terms of my preferred page count. However. I devoured the story in two days. Every time I picked up the book, I couldn’t stop reading it.

The pace of the story moves quickly– right away, we know there’s been a murder, and Hesina, the new queen, is committed to discovering who killed her father, even risking her own death to ensure the truth is revealed in a trial.

She’s also just become queen of a country on the brink of war with a fierce neighbor. And queen of a country internally torn apart by fear and prejudice against people called sooths, who have the ability to perform magic or read the future.

Add to that all the usual new, young ruler court machinations, and you’ve got a pretty good idea where the story begins. And the stakes only get higher.

One of my favorite characters is Akira, a prisoner that Hesina has been told she needs as her representative in the trial to convict her father’s murderer. He’s mysterious, sardonic, and sometimes turns out to have inside information that Hesina needs to survive. There’s a very, very slow burn romance happening between them, so of course I was all in on that.

Conclusion

I feel like this was a really ambitious story to craft. It’s partly a history-inspired fantasy, partly a murder mystery, and partly a commentary on prejudice and the way that we shape people’s views and values through our telling of history. Which is a lot to tell in just 400 pages!

Not only do I feel like Joan He succeeded in her storytelling, but she also crafted a cast of engaging characters caught up in this compelling drama that I couldn’t stop reading. I think readers who love Elizabeth Lim absolutely need to check out DESENDANT OF THE CRANE.

Content Notes for Descendant of the Crane

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Characters are Chinese-coded.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl. Brief references to sex (A man hastily summoned to court complains that he hates to leave a partner unsatisfied.).

Spiritual Content
Some characters, called Sooths, have the ability to do magic that has to do with time. Some can see the future. Others can influence an object’s state by making its future state present. For example, sooth could turn a rock to sand by changing the rock’s current state to its state in the future after it’s been crushed.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. The court investigates the murder of the king. A couple scenes include battle violence. A violent mob attacks citizens, cutting them and executing more than one. A bomb explodes, injuring several people.

Drug Content
The king died by poison (before the story begins). A man drinks poisoned wine and becomes violently ill.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Manslaughter Park by Tirzah Price

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Manslaughter Park (Jane Austen Murder Mysteries #3)
Tirzah Price
HarperCollins
Published June 27, 2023

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About Manslaughter Park

In this queer retelling of the classic novel and third book in Tirzah Price’s Jane Austen Murder Mystery series, Mansfield Park is the center of a deadly accident (or is it?). Perfect for fans of the Lady Janies and Stalking Jack the Ripper.

Aspiring artist Fanny Price is an unwelcome guest at her uncle Sir Thomas Bertram’s estate. It’s his affection for Fanny that’s keeping her from being forced out by her cousins Tom and Maria and nasty Aunt Norris, back to a home to which she never wants to return. But then Sir Thomas dies in a tragic accident inside his art emporium, and Fanny finds evidence of foul play that, if revealed, could further jeopardize her already precarious position.

Edmund, her best friend and secret crush, urges Fanny to keep quiet about her discovery, but Fanny can’t ignore the truth: a murderer is among them.

Determined to find the killer, Fanny’s pursuit for justice has her wading into the Bertram family business, uncovering blackmail, and brushing with London’s high society when Henry and Mary Crawford arrive at Mansfield Park with an audacious business proposal. But a surprising twist of fate—and the help of local legends Lizzie Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy—brings Fanny more complications than she ever expected and a life-altering realization about herself she never saw coming.

My Review

I’ve never read MANSFIELD PARK by Jane Austen, so I read this reimagining or story inspired by the original without much in terms of expectations or comparisons to the original. I read a brief plot summary online to orient myself in the story, but I’m not sure how much of it I really absorbed.

It seems like a lot of background and plot elements are different in this book from the original story– such as the Bertrams having a business buying and selling artwork. I liked that the book included some exploration of the business of being an artist or an art dealer. Since the original story focused on themes of morality and moral principles, I thought that exploring those in the context of art as a business was an interesting way to shape the story.

As with SENSE AND SECOND DEGREE MURDER, I really enjoyed the storytelling. I found this to be a pretty quick read and a fun one, too. I like that the author also brought some queer representation into the story, and I definitely enjoyed the cameo appearances of Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

All in all, I’d say this is an entertaining murder mystery and a great summer read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
The major characters are white. Fanny and a few minor characters are queer.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls and a boy and girl. Fanny also overhears two couples kissing– two boys and, later, a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Fanny witnesses her uncle tripping before a fatal fall down the stairs. She notices a puddle of blood on the floor afterward and blood smudged on his glasses. A man kidnaps a woman, ties her hands, and gags her after threatening to murder her.

Drug Content
Fanny’s father is an alcoholic. References to social drinking.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of MANSLAUGHTER PARK in exchange for my honest review.

Review: A Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife by Kendall Kulper

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A Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife
Kendall Kulper
Holiday House
Published May 23, 2023

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About A Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife

A budding starlet and her handsome-but-moody co-star go from bitter enemies to reluctant partners when they get tangled up in the disappearance of a beautiful young actress in 1930s Hollywood.

Eighteen-year-old Henrietta arrives in Los Angeles in 1934 with dreams of trading her boring life for stardom.

She’s determined to make it as an actress, despite her family’s doubts and rumors of would-be starlets gone missing. And by the skin of her teeth, she pulls it off! A serendipitous job offer arrives and Henrietta finds herself on a whirlwind publicity tour for a major film role—with a vexingly unpleasant actor tapped by the studio to be her fake boyfriend.

But fierce Henrietta has more in common with brooding Declan than she realizes. They both have gifts that they are hiding, for fear of being labeled strange: he is immune to injury and she can speak to ghosts. Together, they might be the only people in Hollywood who can do something about these poor missing girls. And in doing so . . . they might just fall in love for real.

This whip smart, seductive caper by the author of MURDER FOR THE MODERN GIRL has the perfect combination of romance, vengeance, and a hint of the supernatural, set in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Hand to fans of THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS and MY LADY JANE.

My Review

I loved the 1930s Hollywood setting of this book. It was so much fun to read something set in that time period that really captured the excitement of the time period. One scene in particular, when Henny first comes to Hollywood had me thinking of a moment in the moving SINGING IN THE RAIN, when the main character tells an edited version of his arrival in “sunny California”.

I loved both Declan and Henny’s characters. Her sarcasm and quick wit were so perfect. She was independent and smart, and hard-working. I loved all of that. And Declan– his unbreakable exterior and tender heart were absolutely the best. There was a line early on after he meets Henny where he says something about being the unbreakable boy and realizing this girl could totally break him. I loved it.

This book definitely captured the magic of the early film industry while delivering a powerful Me Too message in which women who were victimized seek the chance to create their own justice. If you’re looking for an upbeat historical mystery/romance, grab this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Both Henny and Declan are white. Declan’s best friend is Latine. Minor characters are queer.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used pretty infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Henny witnesses an attempted sexual assault and interrupts, helping the girl escape the man attacking her. A man expects Henny to make out with or sleep with him, but she refuses. He doesn’t accept her refusal, but she’s able to escape.

Spiritual Content
Henny sees the ghosts of women who were murdered in Hollywood.

Violent Content
Declan works as a stunt man, taking on several stunt performances which should have left him grievously injured or dead.

Henny sees ghosts of women who were murdered, sometimes with evidence of what happened to them on their bodies (blood, water, etc.). She learns bits and pieces of what happened to some of the women.

A man tries to run Henny and Declan off the road. Two men fall from a bridge.

Drug Content
A famed Hollywood actor shows up for rehearsal very drunk after rumors that production has been delayed several times due to his binge drinking. A man claims that some women died due to drug overdoses.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of A STARLET’S SECRET TO A SENSATIONAL AFTERLIFE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight
Kalynn Bayron
Bloomsbury YA
Published June 20, 2023

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About You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight

At Camp Mirror Lake, terror is the name of the game . . . but can you survive the night?

This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street.

Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.

But the last weekend of the season, Charity’s co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity’s role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they’ll need figure out what this killer is after. Is there is more to the story of Mirror Lake and its dangerous past than Charity ever suspected?

My Review

Okay, Kaylnn Bayon is on a ROLL. Wow. So, earlier this year I read MY DEAR HENRY, which is a reimagining of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde,” and it was amazing. (My daughter is currently reading and loving it.) Last year I read her middle grade debut, THE VANQUISHERS, and that one was excellent as well. Now, here she is again, taking on a completely new genre of writing with this book. Is there anything she can’t write?

I don’t read a lot of books in this specific genre, so I’m not going to really be able to evaluate this book against other similar titles, but I have to say that I felt super engaged reading this book. It’s only about 240 pages or so, and I read it in one sitting.

I liked the characters a lot, especially Charity and Bezi. The setting– the backwoods camp turned into a live horror show experience– felt so creepy and isolated. I thought the premise of the story was really fascinating, too. It starts off walking a balance between poking fun at slasher films and also appreciating the beats and plot points writers use to tell those stories.

The only real thing that stands out to me as feeling like it didn’t really fit together is the way one minor character is introduced. She appears on scene dropping hints about something bad, and then later reappears in the story as the slasher part of the plot ramps up. I am not sure that I understood why she made the claims she did in the first place in light of all the reveals later in the book. But I did tense up in that first scene when she appears, so I appreciate the tension of that part. I just wish it had connected with the overall story a little more cohesively.

Conclusion

On the whole, though, I definitely enjoyed this creepy, scary read. The only other book like this one that I’ve read is THE PLEDGE by Cale Dietrich, and I can definitely say I enjoyed this one more. The woods and isolated camp really hooked me in this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Charity is a lesbian and Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. References to sex.

Spiritual Content
References to blood rituals. Some characters act out blood rituals.

Violent Content
Charity and the other staff act out a slasher skit (complete with fake blood and rubber/retractable weapons) with customers who participate and try to avoid the “killer.” Some scenes show people who have been seriously injured or killed. A masked killer attacks Charity and her friends.

Drug Content
References to Charity’s stepdad, who is an alcoholic.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DIE TONIGHT in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Sense and Second-degree Murder by Tirzah Price

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Sense and Second-Degree Murder (Jane Austen Murder Mystery #2)
Tirzah Price
HarperCollins
Published April 5, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Sense and Second-Degree Murder

When eighteen-year-old aspiring scientist Elinor Dashwood discovers her beloved father slumped over the desk of his office study, she knows his death means dire straits for the Dashwood women. To make matters worse, an outdated will entails his estate—including Norland & Company, the private investigation firm where her younger sister Marianne worked as her father’s partner and protégé—to their half-brother and his haughty wife, who waste no time in forcing the Dashwoods out of their home and into a cramped apartment on London’s Barton Street.

But before they go, the Dashwood sisters make a startling discovery that points to foul play, and the killer might be family.

Obviously, the girls must investigate. It could be dangerous; it could ruin their reputations; and most importantly, it won’t bring back their father. But if the Dashwood sisters can combine their talents and bring their father’s murderer to justice, it may bring them all some comfort—and it might even lead to love.

Three of Jane Austen’s classic novels receive a murder mystery makeover in this romantic and thrilling three-book series that’s perfect for fans of THE LADY’S GUIDE TO PETTICOATS AND PIRACY and STALKING JACK THE RIPPER. In SENSE AND SECOND-DEGREE MURDER, aspiring scientist Elinor Dashwood and her sister Marianne, a budding detective, work together to solve the mystery of their father’s murder.

My Review

From the first page, I was excited about the way the author captured the spirit of the characters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. I loved Marianne’s willfulness and passion and Elinor’s keep-it-together practicality. I found it easy to get carried away by the pursuit of the mystery of who murdered their father, especially in the midst of the Dashwoods being forced from their home and struggling to navigate their grief over their father’s sudden death.

The only character that I felt got really shortchanged in the story was Mr. Brandon (Colonel Brandon in the original). He doesn’t play much of a role at all other than as a past client of Marianne and Elinor’s father until late in the story. And even then, he doesn’t really play much of an active role in the story. He’s more of a convenient guy to have around? A good resource for the investigation. A guy who knows how to treat a bullet wound. So that was a bit disappointing, since he’s a favorite character of mine. I can understand why the story was told that way (the murder is really the central plot, not romance), and I like other things about the story enough that it wasn’t a deal breaker for me by any means.

SENSE AND SECOND-DEGREE MURDER is the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mystery series that I’ve read so far. They definitely don’t have to be read in order, as the only connection that I noticed was a one line reference to the law office in PRIDE AND PREMEDITATION.

All in all, I think this is a clever remix of the classic story, and I loved reading it. I think readers who enjoyed MY LADY JANE or ONE FOR ALL by Lillie Lainoff should absolutely check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Elinor and Marianne believe their father was murdered. Before his death, he and Marianne investigated other murders. One scene shows a building catching fire. A woman shoots someone fleeing the scene.

Drug Content
Several characters use laudanum or similar substances.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of SENSE AND SECOND-DEGREE MURDER in exchange for my honest review.



Review: The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

The Night in Question (The Agathas #2)
Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson
Delacorte Press
Published May 30, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Night in Question

How do you solve a murder? Follow the lessons of the master—Agatha Christie! Iris and Alice find themselves in the middle of another Castle Cove mystery in the sequel to New York Times bestseller The Agathas by powerhouse authors Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson.

Alice Ogilvie and Iris Adams became the talk of Castle Cove when they cracked the biggest case of the fall: the death of Brooke Donovan. Together, the Agathas put Brooke’s killer away for good, and since then, things around town have been almost back to normal. Quiet, even.

But if Alice and Iris know anything, it’s that sometimes quiet is just the calm before the storm. The truth is, Brooke’s disappearance wasn’t the first mystery to rock Castle Cove, and it won’t be the last. So when their school dance at the infamous Levy Castle—the site of film starlet Mona Moody’s unsolved death back in the 1940s—is interrupted by a violent assault, Iris and Alice pull out their murder boards and get back to work.

To understand the present, sometimes you need to look into the past. And if the Agathas want a chance at solving their new case, that’s exactly where they’ll need to start digging. Only what they uncover might very well kill them.

My Review

The first book in The Agathas series introduced an unsolved Castle Cove mystery involving a film star named Mona Moody. I love that this second book explores more of what happened to her.

I enjoyed the number of female characters and the scenes connecting them with one another. It felt natural– I didn’t even notice until looking back at the end of the book. But there are a lot of female characters and a lot of scenes showing connections between them. Female characters are also very often the ones making the bold moves at the forefront of the story.

At the beginning of the story, I struggled a little bit with Alice’s negativity. She’s been estranged from her old friend group and feels pretty hostile toward them. She has some pretty unflattering thoughts about them, and after a while, it started to feel pretty mean. At one point, she finds an unconscious girl who’s been severely injured, and instead of caring that she could die without help, she rushes off after a potential suspect. I think the idea was that she’s kind of an impulsive person who can get laser-focused on one thing and sort of ignore everything else. And that makes some sense, but it felt kind of cold to me.

Iris’s empathy and vulnerability balanced out my feelings about Alice, though. And as the story progressed, Alice warmed and experienced some vulnerability of her own. I enjoyed the relationship between them quite a bit.

I’m not a super experienced mystery reader, but I thought the pacing of the mystery here was excellent. I’ve read books where the last few chapters wind up the story in a mad rush that leaves me feeling dizzy. None of that here. The elements came together in ways that raised the intensity without making me feel overwhelmed by the speed at which things unfolded. All in all, I thought it was very nicely done.

Would I continue this series? Absolutely. I really enjoyed this one and how it tied together past and present.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used pretty infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
The girls learn, in passing, that a peripheral friend (and high school graduate) works at a strip club to pay for college. At one point, Iris laments that she hasn’t kissed a boy yet.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to domestic violence. The girls find the victim of a violent attack. Iris sees someone in the midst of trying to kill someone else. A person waves a flare gun, threatening to use it to kill someone. Someone hits a girl over the head with a blunt object, causing head trauma. A girl sustains injuries to her face that require stitches. Someone kicks a girl in the stomach repeatedly, breaking one of her ribs.

Drug Content
Alice notices teen boys passing a flask at a school dance. Adults drink alcohol at a social gathering.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE NIGHT IN QUESTION in exchange for my honest review.