"The Sign of Four Spirits", by Vicki Delany

Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery book #9

Gemma Doyle, co-owner and manager of “The Sherlock Homes Bookshop and Emporium loves to turn into an amateur sleuth in her spare time and can’t help but to poke her nose where it doesn’t belong. “The Sign of Four Spirits” brings us to West London, Cape Code, Massachusetts during the tourist season when a psychic fair is about to open. Thinking they are a fraud, Gemma doesn’t believe in fortune tellers and mediums but with much probing by her friends she joins them at a séance held by Madame Levalier. During the séance, there is a commotion in the library and when the lights are turned on, Madame Levalier is dead stabbed in the back of the neck with a long sharp hat pin...Just the right incentive for Gemma to spring into action. I leave it to you to read this soft mystery and to come to your own decisions....

I enjoy soft mystery from time to time and I know one by Vicki Delany will answer my wish. Although we have a couple of murders, none are gruesomely described. Of course Gemma was there to help her cop boyfriend with the investigation and as the story builds up we have a touch of the paranormal and a hunt for the whodunit. Everything moves at a steady pace, no rushing around just smoothly said till we reach the surprising reveal. The plot is good and fun to follow.

Gemma is a good character who comes off as a rude, blunt at time but she doesn’t go around bushes and tells it as she see fit. We also have recurrent actors as well as a few new ones to enjoy; they are quite a contrast to Gemma. Readers should enjoy this cast. I simply love Moriarty, the cat.....

This 9th installment works fine as a standalone and should please most lovers of soft, well-said and well plotted mysteries.

My thanks to Crooked Lane Books for this ARC which I received via Netgalley

"Odyssey's End", by Matt Coyle

Rick Cahill book # 10

San Diego PI Rick Cahill is in financial trouble, his wife and daughter left him after multiple fits of rage cause by CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) which is slowly destroying his brain. In desperation he accepts an offer from Peter Stone to find and protect his daughter, Angela Albright, from a Russian mobster Sergei Volkov, whose testimony had helped to convict him to a 15 years sentence. Sergei was about to be released.....S50, 000 to track Angela was hard to say no to....but his effort attracts attention....this case may be his last hoorah....

With its many references from the past to situate us this story is not hard to pick up at this point and reads well on its own.

The story is well plotted and written and of course Rick Cahill is a sympathetic character to root for. A simple case of missing person turns out to be more complicated by multiple death threats, very bad criminals, a brush with cryptocurrency, the witness protection program and the mighty FBI. Why not add clues that will lead him to a violent and bloody shootout by the end. Mr. Coyle did not forget to add all the suspense needed to make his story exciting. From slow moving action at first it turned out that the many twists and turns provided at the end certainly held my attention till I close the last page. Along the way, a lot of focus is set on Cahill’s personality, he broods a lot about his life; he misses his wife and daughter, and harps about it from the beginning till the end, it is a bit much...I wanted to tell him get a life Cahill...but who knows what the author has in store for
him next...

I received this ARC from Oceanview Publishing via Netgalley for my thoughts.

"A Stranger in the Family", by A.J. McCarthy

A Charlie & Simm Mystery book # 3

In a few words:

When a strange man approaches Shanna McGuire and shocks her with a story that makes her question her family history. She asks Simm to investigate the man’s claim. A former private investigator and pub owner in downtown Montreal he and his wife Charlie love to tackle simple case of genealogy and see what they will uncover. But what they think is a straightforward case soon takes a dangerous turn with threats, violence and homicide.

My thoughts:

I love how Ms. McCarthy incorporated in her tale the dark period in Quebec’s history, “The Duplessis Orphans” and has concocted masterfully an engaging mystery around this shameful time. Laced in, is a complicated family dynamics and an unwavering persistence to find the truth. Charlie and Simm exchanged their point of view in a good-humoured teasing way, it is pleasant to follow them. The many characters in this tale are interesting and are essential to propelling the plot forward which leads to a smashing disclosure. Not only, is this fast-paced and engaging story marred by the mistreatment of orphans it also takes us into a web of lies and betrayal while Charlie and Simm race against the clock to avert another murder.

I love this puzzle set in my home town and love how Charlie and Simm with their lovely pug Harley navigated the perilous journey while facing bodily threats. This story is well said, well-done and is captivating from start to finish.

I received a free copy of this book and I leave a voluntary review, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own