An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly

In the last months of 2022, the best mysteries I read were often cozies. Cozy mystery authors, including Lucy Connelly, have added a depth to their books, sometimes a darkness and reality, that wasn’t always present in cozies. An American in Scotland is an...

A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong is probably best known for her Rockton series, but her new time travel mystery, A Rip Through Time, marks the debut of a new series. It’s going to remind some readers of Julie McElwain’s Kendra Donovan books, but it’s a different...

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

A gorgeous cover. Descriptions of Edinburgh, Scotland at Christmastime that would make anyone want to be there, even a snow grinch like me. The Christmas Bookshop is another delightful novel by Jenny Colgan, with a little bit of romance, and a great amount of family...

Rizzio by Denise Mina

Denise Mina’s novella, Rizzio, tells the dramatic story of the murder of David Rizzio, Mary, Queen of Scots’ private secretary. On, March 9, 1566, a team of assassins, including Lord Darnley, Mary’s husband, dragged Rizzio from a small supper of...

The Bookshop of Second Chances by jackie Fraser

I felt so guilty about The Bookshop of Second Chances that I finally bought my own copy. Because I had so many other books to read, Jackie Fraser’s charming debut novel was sitting on a table with a bookmark stuck at chapter four. I finally picked it up again...