Murders at the Montgomery Hall Hotel by Gina Kirkham - Book Review

Murders at the Montgomery Hall Hotel by Gina Kirkham

Publication Date: 14th Nov 2022

Genre: Contemporary Humorous Cozy Mystery (cum Romance)

3.5 Stars 

One Liner: Interesting premise but got a few misses 

*****

Librarian Prunella Pearce and her bestie Bree are all set to start a detective agency after their success in the previous case (book one). The duo and other ladies of the Winterbottom Women’s Institute go to Montgomery Hall Hotel for Halloween to enjoy a murder mystery weekend away from the village. 

The hotel’s current owner Tarragon Montgomery is stuck between matriarch Cecily (who doesn’t want to make changes to the place) and his money-loving wife, Stephanie. As if things aren’t bad enough, there seems to be a thief at their barely surviving hotel. 

Psychic Selma, who was to be a part of the murder mystery weekend, has been replaced by an impostor with an ulterior motive. With a raging storm outside and the Winterbottom women going wild (thanks to free-flowing booze), it’s up to Pru and Bree to solve the cases and determine if there’s a connection between the mysteries. 

Can the duo repeat their success? 

The story comes from multiple POVs. 

What I Like: 

The book works great as a standalone despite being the second in the series. The characters can be a bit confusing (continued in the next section), but the plot is independent. 

The pacing is steady and consistent even when nothing seems to be happening. That’s hard to achieve in a book with 350+ pages, but here it keeps going without slowing down. 

The mystery, as such, isn’t much. We can figure it out in the first quarter of the book. It’s more of ‘how will all these threads come together, and will the criminal be nabbed’ that keeps the reader moving. 

The book is more of a chick-lit and family drama with murders thrown into the mix. Though that wasn’t what I expected, I readjusted my expectations and could enjoy the book (to an extent). 

The scenes with the killer are decent and well done. They don’t delve into the darker side but show enough glimpses to create an impact. 

What Didn’t Work for Me: 

There are three ladies whose names start with C. Two of them stick together and are kinda bosom buddies (in many ways). This doesn’t help in remembering who is who, especially when all of them are loud. 

I have no issues with old ladies lacking a filter or making sexual innuendo jokes. But there’s only so much I can read without rolling my eyes at the constant sex jokes (it doesn’t help that some of those went over my head). There’s a difference between older ladies speaking their minds and blabbering. I like the former kind, while the book has the latter. Also, I don’t particularly like the ladies being used as comic relief. 

Humorous cozies are fun (I recently enjoyed a goofy book). However, here the slapstick comedy and the murders don’t gel completely in this book. The author can write (the book is very visual). It just wasn’t that good for me. I also see how this will make a great script for the screen (after editing). The comedy I found too much in the book can be appealing when enacted by people. 

To summarize, Murders at the Montgomery Hall Hotel is the book for you if you like mindless comedy and jokes with a bunch of murders thrown into the mix. The cover is super cool, though. 

Thank you, Bloodhound Books, for the eARC. 

The Real-Life Murder Clubs by Nicola Stow - Book Review

The Real-Life Murder Clubs: Citizens Solving True Crimes by Nicola Stow

Publication Date 24th Nov 2022

Genre: Non-Fiction, True Crime  

4.5 Stars 

One Liner: Loved it 

Nicola Stow shares stories about real-life amateur sleuths and armchair detectives who worked for years to solve crimes no one else could. They take cold cases and use information in the public domain to solve crimes. 

Some work alone, some in pairs, and others in groups. From handwriting experts to graphic designers, analysts, homemakers, and retired employees, real-life murder clubs have an array of people with the same goals. The book includes a collection of such murder clubs and how the members have worked on some of their best cases. 

I’m glad I didn’t focus much on the blurb except for the last paragraph. As someone who didn’t watch the Netflix show (or many others), I could get into the book without expectations. 

I have to say I loved reading it. The writing is compact yet detailed. It has a conversational style without being too casual or friendly. 

Some of it is descriptive, but it is needed to provide a backstory about the criminals and the crimes (people from other countries may not know the details about killers in the US, and it doesn’t make sense to Google each of them to understand the book). That’s not needed, of course. The book tells me what I should know about the case, the proceedings, and the role of real-life sleuths who cracked it years afterward. 

While some have a personal connection with the case, others felt compelled due to different reasons. They talk about the trigger moments that made them get into this path. Imagine spending your time, money, and other resources on someone you don’t even know. 

On one side, there are official groups like Websleuths with strict moderators that work genuinely for what they believe in and help the police departments. Yet, there’s no dearth of over-excited armchair sleuths who don’t think twice before speculating or sharing someone’s personal information. 

The last chapter in the book deals with such instances where amateur sleuths caused more harm and resulted in the hounding of an already grieving family. It also highlights the role of careless and fame-hungry journos and influencers using social media to share rumors as facts. The recent case of attacks on Hindus in Leicester, UK, is a great example. What does one say when a Guardian journo shares fake news to target one community? 

 I love the closing statement made by a retired cop. Becoming a real-life detective shouldn’t be for credit or fame. It is a responsibility and a selfless service to help people find closure. Those who expect recognition should not get into these activities. 

To summarize, The Real-Life Murder Clubs is an impressive and inspiring collection about ordinary citizens who chose to be extraordinary by taking up crime-solving as a true passion. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Ad Lib Publishers, for the eARC. 

#TheRealLifeMurderClubs #NetGalley 

*****

P.S: I’m going to search for similar clubs in India. Hoping to find at least a few clubs. 

The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk - Book Review

The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk

Publication Date: 10th November 2022

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Christmas Fiction

4 Stars 

One Liner: Funny and entertaining (but a bit slow) 

*****
Gwen has been in low spirits, no thanks to her newly single status and trouble at work. She is determined to enjoy Christmas with her family, but things get messy. It sure is not easy when her father wants to live his dreams through her lawyering career, and her sister Creys (and her sister’s husband Oliver) seem to make things worse. It doesn’t help that Gwen meets her childhood crush, Dev Jones. 

Then Gwen wakes up the next day to repeat Christmas Day all over again. Someone made a wish, and it’s up to Gwen to find out and fulfill it. This turns out to be an eye-opener as Gwen realizes that there were many things she didn’t know about her family. Also, she wonders if she is living the best life when it no longer makes her happy. Can Gwen find what she wants for Christmas while helping her family truly come together as a unit? 

The story comes from the first-person POV of Gwen Baker. 

My Thoughts: 

I’m glad I went into the prepared to read it more as Women’s Fiction than romance. Right expectations are important to enjoy the book. 

The writing is easy to read and flows with natural humor. It is silly, quirky, and even eye-roll-inducing. But it is entertaining and lighthearted. Even those several pop culture references didn’t diminish the effect. 

The characters are well-defined despite not being too layered. What we see is enough to understand their essence. Gwen has a few not-so-nice moments, but those make her human. After all, who hasn’t embarrassed themselves at one time or another? A bit of exaggeration is expected in fiction, so I don’t mind. 

The Groundhog Day loop doesn’t start until close to 100 pages. I feel this is necessary to establish the characters and set the stage for the actual time loop. The reader goes into the main plot armed with the required information. 

The book deals with varied themes like dysfunctional families, parental pressure, love, relationships, cheating, career struggles, workplace issues for women, etc. They blend with the plot, appear whenever necessary, and get resolved (sometimes easily, sometimes not). 

The pacing is a bummer. Despite the humor and everything, the story dragged in some places. A couple of themes are handled with a weeny bit extra emphasis, but that’s no big deal when the book delivers on the nice Christmasy feeling and a happy ever after. 

To summarize, The Christmas Wish is a lighthearted, humorous read with lots of family time and some romance (for icing). 

Thank you, NetGalley, HarperFiction, and HarperCollins UK, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley 

Note: 

So, Dev Jones is half-Indian. His mom is Sunita, and they also have a teeny dog called Pari. Diverse- check. Brown character- check. 

Unfortunately, Devendra could have easily been David or Dave, and it could have been the same. While I’m glad that there is no stereotyping, I don’t like Dev’s cultural roots being erased without a trace. I couldn’t even imagine him because everything about him is 100% British. Now, if a book had Irish, Scottish, Italian, or other characters, there would be something other than ‘his thick black hair’ to show cultural diversity. 

Here, there’s nothing. Food, language, and music are connectors that keep the cultural element alive in second and third-generation immigrants. The book had ample opportunities to include a line or two to weave the Indianness without emphasizing or stereotyping the character. All it needed was a bit of research and some effort to make use of the diversity instead of ticking it off with physical descriptions and names. I haven’t docked points for this, but I would have added them if this was taken care of.

The Shadows of Rutherford House by C.E. Rose - Book Review

The Shadows of Rutherford House by C.E. Rose

Publication Date: 10th Nov 2022

Genre: Drama, Thriller (Domestic), Multi Timeline 

3.5 Stars 

One Liner: Mixed bag (outliner review)

*****

Christie is a psychiatric nurse at the institution where Lillian is recovering from a mental breakdown. They become friends (though it is against the rules). Christie helps Lillian recover and encourages her to get back to her life (and the stately home, Rutherford- Percy House). She feels a mysterious attraction toward the strange family and its past. However, Lillian is not adamant about not accepting her family home and legacy.  

Christie tries to uncover the past of Lillian’s family and discovers a shocking connection to her own family. It appears that her missing mother has ties to the Rutherford House. Will Christie finally find the answers to her questions, or will she end up with more questions? What will happen when the secrets are laid bare at last? 

The story comes in the first-person POVs of Christie and Milly and a third-person POV of Duncan. 

My Thoughts: 

With multiple POVs and timelines, the beginning sure feels messy and confusing. The dates appear after a few chapters, and by then, the damage could be done if the reader feels annoyed. I could create a timeline and link the characters a bit easier because I note down the names and details when I read a book. 

The short chapters made it easy to sustain the pace. The book has almost 90 chapters, but that’s fine because most are short and keep the story moving. 

Once I understood the basic premise, I could figure out half the twists. Not that I mind, as it shows that the storyline and the reveals make sense to the reader. The final twist was a surprise, and that’s good too. 

I really wished Imogen had a few chapters in her POV. She was one of the main characters, and reading her twisted thoughts would have elevated the story a lot more. 

The chapters with Milly and Duncan are done well. Somehow, I didn’t feel for Christie’s character. Some of her actions made me doubt her professional capacity as a psychiatric nurse. The insta-love angle wasn’t appealing either. It felt a little too convenient. 

The characters were well-etched despite being more than a handful. However, I wasn’t particularly impressed by a couple of twists that had to be there to merge the tracks and arrive at the climax. 

While the book has many individual elements that sound good, the overall effect wasn’t great or wow. I liked it enough but wasn’t eager to know more or rush to the end. I didn’t have the feeling of satisfaction a good book (irrespective of the genre) would give. 

To summarize, The Shadows of Rutherford House is a contemporary gothic family drama plus thriller with interesting characters and a twisted plotline. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Hera Books, for the eARC.  

#TheShadowsofRutherfordHouse #NetGalley 

Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire - Book Review

Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire

Series: Christie Bookshop #1 (Standalone)

Publication Date: 01 Nov 2022

Genre: Contemporary Small Town Cozy Mystery 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Uneven pacing and a bit silly but entertaining 

PC: Publisher's promotion kit

*****

Ellie Christie is back home in her tiny Colorado town to run the family bookshop with her older sister, Meg. Her sister’s teen Rosie and their fun-loving Gram help them in the business. The bookshop cat, Agatha C. Christie, does her bit to spread her hair around the books and bring more customers with her haughty frown. 

The bookshop, Book Chalet, is a favorite destination for booklovers in the town. However, the appearance of a mysterious stranger disrupts their book club meeting. When the man later ends up dead and has a history related to the town, the list of suspects starts to grow. 

The Christie family goes on an unsubtle amateur sleuthing as the snow piles high around the town. When a close family friend ends up as the prime suspect, Ellie and Meg have to sharpen their Marpling skills and find the killer. Can they do it in time and prevent more disasters in their cozy little town? 

The story comes in the first-person POV by Ellie Christie. 

My Thoughts: 

• The book is set in a snowy fictional town in Colorado. The small-town setting is spot on, with an array of characters and even a celebrity thrown into the mix. 
• As the characters’ names suggest, there’s a lot of Christie in the book. As a fan, I did enjoy it, especially the regal cat. 
• The story is quite lighthearted and humorous. If you want something silly and goofy with murder, this is your pick. 
• The family dynamics are sweet, like really sweet. The teen is well-behaved and has enough skills to survive just about anywhere. Gram is tech-savvy enough to send voice messages (so what if the message ends up different from what she intended).
• My major grouse is with the pacing. It starts well, dips, slows, picks up a little, dips again, and ends with a moderate pace. Tighter editing would have solved the issue. I wouldn’t mind editing the repeated references to reading, either. I already know that they are bibliophiles. No point in reminding me multiple times throughout the book. 
• Absent in the Spring by Christie (written as Mary Westmacott) has a key role in the story. I like how it’s incorporated into the plot. 
• The murder and a few reveals were easy to guess (something I don’t mind in cozies). As the first book in the series, this one sets a decent base for the upcoming murders… books. I’d like more details about the main characters’ lives and a little less about how much they love to read. 

To summarize, Dead and Gondola is an entertaining read but a slightly bumpy ride. That said, I’m looking forward to the next in the series. 

Thank you, NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Bantam, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #DeadandGondola 

The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke - Book Review

The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke

Genre: Historical Horror, Drama, Mystery 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Atmospheric 

In the middle of Ghost Woods in Scotland is Lichen Hall, a huge house with mysterious members, rooms, and incidents. It is a place where unwed girls go to give birth and hand over the child to adoptive parents. It is supposedly a better place than the ‘institutions’ that serve the same purpose. 

Mabel goes there in 1950 and Pearl in 1965, along with a good many other girls. Pearl notices strange happenings and events in and around the house. One day, she meets a mysterious young woman and a boy on the grounds. Together, they start to unravel the hidden secrets even as darkness threatens to swallow them whole. 

The story comes in the first-person POV of Mabel and Pearl in alternating timelines. 

My Thoughts:

• The story is divided into four parts: 

1. Part I: okayish and slow 
2. Part II: picks up pace and intriguing 
3. Parts III and IV: engaging and steady-paced 

• As you can see, the book is slow to start and even a little boring. But once the atmosphere sets in, it keeps you hooked. 
• I read The Lighthouse Witches by the author and know that she writes settings very well. The book lives up to the previous one in this aspect. It is atmospheric, gothic, and dark. It’s not spine-chilling but has enough to sustain the mood. 
• Folklore and science blend nicely, and there are enough social issues to add to the list. However, it doesn’t get preachy or OTT. 
• Various human emotions and dark sides merge seamlessly as the story progresses. It also requires a little suspension of belief to take a few things in stride. 
• The main characters are well-defined if not fully sketched. The side characters do what’s required of them. Though they aren’t explored, we get the essence of each character without trouble. 
• Mabel and Pearl’s voices are distinct enough. They blur a little toward the climax, but it’s still easy to keep track. 
• The author’s note at the end is detailed and provides insights into her idea and intent for the book. 
• The climax and ending are predictable (there are many hints). The climax isn’t as impactful as I wanted, but the detailed epilogue is more than satisfying.  

To summarize, The Ghost Woods is a dark and atmospheric tale that uses folklore and science to explore the dark human side. Be careful of the triggers. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Emma Pickard from HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #TheGhostWoods 

P.S: Don't you love the cover?