Lowcountry Bookshop: A Liz Talbot Mystery

by Susan M Boyer

Private investigators Liz Talbot and her partner Nate Andrews are hired by an anonymous benefactor to investigate the hit and run murder of Philip Drayton and prove the innocence of Poppy Oliver.  Their investigation will have them uncovering a clandestine group that work together to assist battered women and will lead them into one of the most exclusive private clubs Charleston has to offer. 

I read a lot of cozy mysteries but this one was a step off the norm for me.  The protagonists were not booksellers or librarians as the amateur sleuths but honest, licensed investigators with a lot of toys.  Considering the many varied directions this investigation goes off on they need them.  There is a paranormal spin in the series in the form of Liz’s best friend from high school who, after one too many tequilas at a party when she was 17, will forever remain 17.  Colleen only appears to Liz and Nate but seldom does so in this seventh installment of the Liz Talbot mysteries. This is a down to earth mystery with several plot twists, regardless of the ghost.

I wish to thank the generosity of the publisher and NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Henery Press

PUB DATE:  May 29, 2018

ISBN:  9781635113761

Genre: Mystery Detective, Contemporary

What Should Be Wild

by Julia Fine

Whatever she touches dies. If she touches it again, she can bring it back.  Maisie Cothay has grown up knowing this.  She killed her mother, after all.  She can feel the pull of the forest, the cursed forest into which a few women have disappeared throughout history.   What is the curse of this forest?  Why is her father so worried about her journeying into it? As Maisie grows into a young woman, she decides she can make decisions and finds herself on a quest that could put everyone she has grown to love into serious jeopardy, including herself.

Fine’s debut is dark and mystical.  It begins slowly as the author lays out the foundation of the story and before you realize it the story has buried its roots into you and you cannot put it down or look away from Maisie’s journey.  Teen fans of Alice Hoffman will gladly sink within the pages of this mythical adventure.  Fine has woven romance and a touch of the mystic into a tale of a young woman reaching out to break the bonds of childhood to become her own woman. #harpercollins  #whatshouldbewild  #juliafine

I wish to thank the generosity of the publisher for providing an advanced reader’s copy for my approval.

PUB:  Harper, HarperCollins

PUB DATE:  May 8, 2018

ISBN:  9780062684132

Genre:  Women’s Fiction, Fantasy

Beyond the Pale

by Clare O’Donohue

Hollis and Finn are professors married for ten years who have settled comfortably into their routine.  At least Finn thinks, so.  Hollis, on the other hand, is beginning to feel antsy, a need to roam.  When she is approached by a former beau, who is now CIA, to acquire a manuscript believed to be counterfeit, Hollis’s past comes in handy as she pushes her husband to step outside the box and help her out.  As they embark on their little jaunt to Ireland, it quickly becomes evident they might be in over their head and who the ‘good guys’ are is murky at best.

This is a smooth, gentle read that is easy to follow and not stressful at all.  NOT!  It moves along at a steady pace but O”Donohue constantly throws loops and curves at you.  You don’t know who to trust and just as you begin to feel comfortable and think you have figured it out, she tosses you to the wolves.  Good story and a fun read.  I look forward to more adventures with Hollis and Finn.

I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for generously providing an Advanced Readers Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Midnight Ink

PUB DATE:  May 8, 2018

ISBN:  9780738756509

Genre:  Mystery/Thriller