The Washashore by Christopher Mirabile

The Washashore by Christopher Mirabile ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (NetGalley ARC pub date 4/7) The first of two books in a new series released this year featuring a fish out of water new police chief in Provincetown. This book came in at over 400 pages but when I first picked it up just “to get a taste” I read 70 pages quickly. The first half lays out the mystery but focuses more on character development, then the investigation picks up in the second half. It is definitely not cozy but doesn’t veer into thriller - it mentions some hard things but doesn’t stay there long so it is a solid mystery with a good dose of romance thrown in as well. I’ll be proceeding to the next book in the series shortly! Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC.

Grim Tidings (Ghosted #2) by B.K. Borison (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/15)

Grim Tidings (Ghosted #2) by B.K. Borison (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/15) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was a fun but thoughtful look at life and death, and life after death. I enjoyed the characters and themes, although I found the body lusting and open door scenes a bit excessive and somewhat distracting from the heart of the story. While this is billed as the second in the Ghosted series, it can definitely be read as a standalone - it takes place in the same city with different characters, and just a couple small Easter eggs. I also enjoyed the autumnal and Halloween backdrop. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager​ for the ARC.

Deadly Entanglement (Harriman & Mancini #2) by Cathy Pegau (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/15)

Deadly Entanglement (Harriman & Mancini #2) by Cathy Pegau (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/15) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It was fun to return to these familiar characters with some interesting themes, but I was frustrated by how transparent the mystery was from early on. The book layered in some complexity which I appreciated, but I wish it had kept me guessing longer. I enjoyed the sense of place and time. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

We Chase Shadows (We Solve Murders #2) by Richard Osman (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/15)

We Chase Shadows (We Solve Murders #2) by Richard Osman (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/15) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Much like the first in this series, this book started off somewhat slow with disparate threads but then the pacing accelerated as the mysteries came together. It took me a minute to reconnect with the characters as they are not yet as hardwired for me as the Thursday Murder crew. I enjoyed the extra layers to the three main characters that were revealed and I enjoyed the details and travel. By the second half of the book I started reading quickly and stayed up late to finish. Another fun romp! Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the ARC.

Apple Pies & Poisoned Lies at the Cider Falls Festival by Traci Hall

Apple Pies & Poisoned Lies at the Cider Falls Festival by Traci Hall (NetGalley ARC, pub 8/25) There’s a large family of minor characters (all named after apples), a lot of comments about bodies but no romance, (just an unresolved will they or won’t they storyline). They also fail resolve one of the storylines, perhaps trying to set up for a series? There was plenty to like about the autumn setting and pleasant characters, but this book needed tighter editing and maybe felt a bit YA to me. It dragged at times but was overall enjoyable and cozy. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC.

Christmas Mysteries at The Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzler (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/8)

Christmas Mysteries at The Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzler (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/8) I requested this book on NetGalley for kindle and the formatting was so bad it was barely readable. I relayed it to tech support who notified the publisher and they removed the kindle option but didn’t resolve it. I was stuck reading it on my computer - I would not have requested the ARC if it had not been available for kindle and this affected my reading experience. I enjoyed the variety of settings/characters for these stories, some of which had more prominent Christmas themes than others and of course being centered around a mystery bookshop was fun. I liked the concept but the execution was hit or miss, as happens with short story collections. Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the ARC.

The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/8)

The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/8) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

I definitely would not have grabbed this based on the title or description, but when I read the preview in the

Minotaur sampler I liked it and am glad I requested the book. This story is set outside of Toronto and has cozy

autumn vibes without being cheesy. The characters are likeable although could use some more maturity, and

there are interesting elements around tarot and I would pick up the next book if this was turned into a series.