Dead Man's Chest by Kerry Greenwood

Another Phryne Fisher book for you're reading pleasure. I mean, you have to like these books (or at least reading about them) if you're reading yet another one of my reviews about this series.

This one was a whole lot less mystery than many of the other ones. Don't get me wrong, I loved this book just as much as I love the busy and intense mystery filled ones. There wasn't really any steamy love bits in this one either. It was more about the day to day with a bit of a mystery thrown in.

Miss Fisher, her family, and her entourage are interesting and exciting all without the murders they work so hard to solve. I would read stories about them any day. How cool would they have been if they weren't just fictional characters. Putting my book lover problems aside, let's talk about this book:

This one is the 18th in the series. Miss Fisher takes her family off for a holiday, expecting a relaxing time with the sun and sand. Instead, they arrive to an empty house that should have had a butler and his wife prepared to welcome them on behalf of the owner of the home who arranged for Phryne to stay, and hints at buried treasure  by the sea that seems to have everyones attention. I won't say more, but it was interesting.

This one was a little light on the mystery, it kind of let things just move along at their own pace without a whole lot of intense investigation which I didn't mind. Doesn't mean I knew how things were going to turn out before they happened, I was still happily surprised.

I am now, and forever will be, a reader of this lovely series of books! Still waiting for the next series to appear on Netflix though. I love the show just as much!

Recommendation: If you still haven't read any of these but you are reading this review, just go to your nearest library and pick one of these babies up! You can't go wrong!

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris

I'm sure you've heard of the new show Midnight, Texas that has recently come out, and you might even know that it was based on a series by the lovely Charlaine Harris. (You'll know her as the author behind the books that are the basis of the t.v. show True Blood.) As a fan of her writing and a fan of this genre and type of book/show in general, I wanted to read the books and watch the show so I grabbed this up as part of a deal at Chapters.

This book is about a little tiny town in Texas called Midnight and the strange and secretive people who call it home. If you've seen the commercials for the show then you might know that theres hints of characters like vampires and psychics. With the arrival of a new person to town, things start to evolve that bring some secrets to light about some of the inhabitants of this little town, both good and bad.

The book was good. I enjoyed it. It kept me glued to the page and I really wanted to know how things all turned out by the end. This book didn't take me very long to read, and I didn't really want to put it down.

I liked how the story came from multiple points of view, giving a look into the lives of people living in Midnight and gave more depth to the story. Everyone has their own mysteries that they keep to themselves so although it was a mystery surrounding one character, each character was like their own little puzzle. I'm still confused and curious about a couple characters and I hope that by reading the other two books things might become clear.

Since watching an episode of the show, some of my suspicions have been confirmed and others are still mysteries for me. Reading more of the books and watching more of the show does need to happen.

I do have a bit of complaints about the show, but I will admit to only seeing one episode and not having read any more of the books yet so I really shouldn't be voicing my opinion. I just felt that even in the first 20 minutes that things were so different than the book was and that does tend to drive me a little nuts. I had no problem with the choice of actors or anything that, my problem was the actual changes being made in the story itself. It felt like the changes were so Hollywood and it was a bit hard for me. I know that the author does have writing credits in relation to the show too and if she's happy with it, then who am I to judge. Nevertheless I am interested and I am going to stick with it for now.

Recommendation: This book was pretty good, and coming from the point of view of someone who didn't know anything about the book or show (my fiancee) the show was pretty good too. I'm a big advocate of reading the book before watching anything related to it, but to each their own. Still, this is for the urban fantasy mystery lovers out there. Give it a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised.

A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

Half the time when I write these reviews I feel like I'm simply rewriting the blurb on the back of the book in my own words without really telling you much about the book but I hate spoilers and I actively try to avoid writing them. Bear with me while I try to tell you everything without telling you everything.

This is the first book in The Agency series. Set it 1850's London, it's about a girl named Mary who's life is saved from the gallows by these women who run a school for girls that helps them get ahead in life with education and manners, all the things girls need. Turns out the school is a cover for a secret group of women who call themselves The Agency. They are a group of all female private investigators who work behind the scenes going where only women can go, gathering information and helping elite organizations with their expertise.

Mary jumps at the chance to work with them and her first mission puts her in the home of a business man acting as a companion to his daughter. She is out there on her own, told only to pay attention and gather information if she can about his business practices. Things take a turn for the dangerous and Mary is in deeper than she thought.

This book has deception, intrigue, a little bit of romance, and a lot of action to keep you on your toes. Nothing is quite what it seems and with trouble lurking around every corner, as well as a deadline looming, Mary does whatever she can to find the truth.

This book was a simple read, didn't take me very long to finish. I bought it with a good discount because I had seen the cover a couple times, and I was intrigued. I really liked the idea of the all female investigative agency set in this time period and this book didn't disappoint. I do think I'll read more in this series if I can get my hands on them at the library.

Recommendation: For those who enjoy young adult mystery type Victorian intrigues. It's an easy, but interesting read.

Brownies and Broomsticks by Bailey Cates

Last year I found the book Daisies for Innocence by Bailey Cattrell at the library and I snapped it up because it had such a cute cover, and well, it was a mystery. Quite often that's all I need to know. Needless to say I loved it! (you can read what I thought about it by clicking on the title). The reason I'm telling you this is because that book was the first in a new series. I did some digging and it turns out that Bailey Cattrell was one of the names that the author of this book publishes under. There was a whole series she had written that I wanted to get my hands on.

You would be right in thinking this book is one of those cheesy titled, sweet, cosy mysteries with a single girl protagonist who finds herself solving a mystery when she probably has no business doing it, while getting stuck in a love triangle with two different and totally hot guys who both make it their life's work to save her butt at every turn even though they've only known her a week. 

And you know what? I loved it. It's silly and predictable, but honestly, it's a wonderful break from reality. It's just a book to pick up when you are looking for an easy read that sweeps you up, carries you off to a safe place, gives you a bit of romance and intrigue and keeps your mind occupied for a couple of hours. 

The bonus to this series is it involves magic. In this book, Katie Lightfoot moves to Savannah to open a bakery with her aunt and uncle. Shortly after arriving, she starts noticing strange things going on with her aunt. Turns out her aunt is actually a witch, and so is Katie! When a murder happens right outside the door of the shop, Katie's uncle becomes the prime suspect. With the help of her aunt and their witchy abilities, they must work together to find the real killer. 

For all its simplicity and cheese, I loved it. I will totally pick up more of this series and I am totally looking forward to the next one in the previous series too. This are just easy, fun reads. Like chocolate for the mind! 

Recommendation: If you're all about a good cheesy, cozy mystery that involves a little magic, than snap this one up. It'll be that distraction you've been looking for. 

Murder in the Dark by Kerry Greenwood

Yep. It's time again for another Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries review. Sorry, not sorry.

Murder in the Dark had a lot of action and a lot of drama. This one really kept me glue to the page. It showed a lot more of the seedy underbelly of drugs, sex, and partying that the rich set got up to back in the 1920's. It was quite thrilling! It didn't include a whole lot of her entourage that I love so much, but it made up for that with really interesting story telling. How Phryne metes out justice and lives to tell the tale is quite awesome.

I utterly enjoyed this book. It was dark and twisted, a little bit rougher than many of her books but I still loved very second of it.

Phryne receives and invitation to the Last Best party of 1928 being held by the Golden Twins whom Phryne knew from her days in Paris. It's a four day extravaganza, and someone has been sending her warning letters trying to keep her from going. Of course that isn't going to stop her. If anything it makers her want to go even more. There is a goat lady (complete with goat), female polo players, pipe smoking acolytes, flirtations, dancing, pleasure parties, and mint juleps. It's Phryne's type of party.

It was so interesting to read about the types of things they might have happened with the rich and popular back in the day. They kinds of trouble they could have gotten into made for a really interesting read. I don't want to give anything away, but if you like the naughtier side of things that tend to go on in these books, then you'll thoroughly enjoy this one!

Recommendation: If you're reading this and haven't yet picked up any of these books to read for yourself, then what are you waiting for?

Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy

This is the second book in the Wildwood trilogy. I've already read and reviewed the first book here if you'd like to know a little more about it.

This book has Prue McKeel heading back into the Impassable Wilderness. She finds herself being hunted by assassins sent by an unknown enemy and heads back into the wood to figure things out. She teams up with her friend Curtis again to start on a journey to bring unity back to the wood.

The side story in this one is all about an orphanage that uses the children as labour in a machine parts shop. The owner of this orphanage is obsessed with the Impassable Wilderness and he dreams to make it in and exploit it for his own gain. That's all that's on his mind, nothing else matters to him. I won't say any more but this does tie into the main story.

These books are just great. They are detailed and intricate but without weighing you down with so many details. The wood and it's creatures really come alive and you feel like you're going on the journey too. At one point, Prue came back to the world as we know it outside of the forest and honestly, I was in a hurry for her to go back. The author has created such a cool place that I want to know everything about it!

This is a young teen type of book because the main characters are quite young but the thing is that it doesn't feel like it. It's got a lot of awesomeness going on that reads like more of an young adult type of fantasy. It's very much a series that makes me think of the Chronicles of Narnia, and in no way is that a bad thing. It's a world where these kids are going to change everything for the better and I love it.

My only complaint was that the first book had a mission and it was resolved by the end of the book. I assumed this book would do the same thing and when things weren't explained/solved by the end of this book I was a little annoyed at it being a sort of cliff hanger. Cliff hangers drive me nuts! It's okay though, I've got the last book already on my shelf and I'm reading it next. This doesn't take away from my love of this book.

Recommendation: If you haven't heard of this series, or if you've not read the first one but you think maybe you'd like to find out more about Wildwood, start with the first book. If you've read the first but weren't sure about continuing, please just give this a try. This is for the fantasy world lovers who want to escape to a place where animals can talk and the woods are alive.

Blood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood

Here we meet again, for another conversation about the Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher and her entourage of awesomeness that reside out there in the 1920's Australia.

This one has Miss Fisher going under cover without any back up or help in the Circus to solve the murder of one of the members of the band of misfits that make up the circus. She finds herself utterly bored and when a friend from her past shows up with a problem, she decides she should help. Mr. Christopher has been murdered and it's going to be pinned on the wrong person. In order to solve this mystery she has to join the circus. She must learn to stand up on the back of a horse for the show while trying to fit in and learn all she can about the victim and who might have wanted to kill.

They did an episode of the show about this book. Having seen it and now having read the book they are two very different things. Usually that totally annoys me but I'm not bothered as much in this case. The book dealt with some pretty serious emotional things that just wouldn't have translated as well onto the show. I found this book to be much darker and more serious at times than the show, or even a lot of the books tend to feel.

I felt like this book brought me through a much larger emotional journey than I was expecting. I don't want to say more about that, because I don't want to give anything away. This book just wasn't as cosy and as light as a lot of them usually are. It touches on some rough and tough serious and dangerous things that surprised me, and really hit me hard while reading.

Recommendation: If you haven't read any of these books yet, don't start with this one. If you're familiar with the greatness that is Phryne Fisher, then have at it. It was hard but good.