The Practical Navigator by Stephen Metcalfe

August 09, 2016

It’s an unusual title for a strong, character-driven novel. Stephen Metcalfe uses a book called The American Practical Navigator by Nathaniel Bowditch as a guide for his story of a man whose life is out-of-control. And, Metcalfe succeeds brilliantly with The...

Books of a Feather by Kate Carlisle

June 26, 2016

I’m not sure which is my favorite Bibliophile mystery, but it just might be Books of a Feather by Kate Carlisle. Maybe it was the combination of all the bird books and an Audubon exhibit, along with Brooklyn Wainwright’s happiness. Whatever it is, I really...

Sayonara SLAM by Naomi Hirahara

May 13, 2016

What a fascinating character! I had never read one of Naomi Hirahara’s mysteries featuring Mas Arai, the almost retired gardner who is nearing eighty. The mystery in Sayonara SLAM was interesting. But, the true mystery revealed, and, never completely revealed...

Claws for Alarm by T.C. LoTempio

October 31, 2015

Have you ever finished a book despite your frustration with the main character? I loved Nora Charles, the investigative reporter turned sandwich shop owner, and the intuitive, spooky cat she adopts, Nick, in T.C. LoTempio’s Meow If It’s Murder. But, I...

Fudging the Books by Daryl Wood Gerber

August 11, 2015

I love so many elements of Daryl Wood Gerber’s Cookbook Nook mysteries. Jenna Hart is a caring, warm amateur sleuth. The Crystal Cove, California setting is charming. The latest story, Fudging the Books has not one, but two appealing young cats. And, the...