Lesa's Book Critiques
Sharing Books and Authors, with an Emphasis on MysteriesRecent Posts
Orris and Timble: Lost and Found by Kate DiCamillo
There's something about Kate DiCamillo's Orris and Timble books that speaks to my heart. The current one, Orris and Timble: Lost and Found is a story of friendship, being lost, and finding your way home. Carmen Mok's illustrations just add to the heartfelt, beautiful...
Booked for Revenge by Karen Rose Smith
Well, there's something I seldom do. I read Booked for Revenge by Karen Rose Smith, the second book in a spin-off series, and I didn't read the first book or the Daisy's Tea Garden series where this came from. However, this cozy mystery works, with a strong cast, a...
Agatha Award Winners 2025
Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Agatha Awards, presented this past weekend at Malice Domestic. Best Contemporary Novel: Gigi Pandian for A Midnight Puzzle Best First Novel: K.T. Nguyen for You Know What You Did Best Non-Fiction: Phyllis M. Betz...
Kevin’s Corner Annex – The Amber Waves of Autumn
I always appreciate Kevin Tipple's reviews of story collections. Today, he introduces us to The Amber Waves of Autumn: Noir Stories. Thank you, Kevin. Received from the publisher, Kelp Books, LLC, through NetGalley longafter the December 2024 publication date, The...
The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang
I switched from those short Japanese collections to a novel set in South Korea. The Rainfall Market is by You Yeong-Gwang, translated by Slin Jung. The Acknowledgements are interesting in that the author crowdsourced the publication of his book, and wrote it during...
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
I can't recommend Virginia Evans' novel, The Correspondent, highly enough. If you like epistolary novels with a depth of character, meet Sybil Van Antwerp. Sybil is retired from practicing law. She's divorced, a mother and grandmother who lives in Annapolis, Maryland....
