Dona's Book Blog

Thank you to the author Jess Armstrong, publishers Minotaur Books, and SMPI, for an advance digital copy of THE CURSE OF PENRYTH. Thank you also to NetGalley for the complimentary copy. All views are mine. I read this book twice! I loved the settings, and the mouthy female lead and her irascible senior roommate. Certain things about the mystery, I found deliciously Gothic, which I adore. The killer's methods delighted me and grossed me out! But unfortunately, I read this book twice because the plot lost me. Both times. Beyond the details, I couldn't connect with characters or plot because it was all too convoluted. Three (or more) things I loved: 1. I adore this mouthy female, what, detective? Inspector? A dire cynic smack in the middle of a supernatural tale. Excellent protagonist.  2. The dynamic between the first person narrator, Ruby, a young woman, and her irascible roommate, friend and benefactor(?), the older, disabled, and greatly resourced Mr. Owen, is v...

Thank you to the author DK Coutant, publishers The Wild Rose Press Inc, and Henry Roi PR, for an advance audio copy of EVIL ALICE AND THE BORZOI. The is one of those cozy mysteries that surprised me a great deal. Honestly, I was drawn in by the cover. The last time I tried a cozy mystery with a dog on the cover, I absolutely loved it.  It took a little while for this one to really connect the dog on the cover, but I think it's clever. Additionally, Doucant paints a gorgeous, moody, decadent Hilo for the reader to prance around in. The cast is huge, but the characters have meat.   And besides that, the character work is excellent and I connected to Evil Alice, of all people. I mean-- how can she be evil if she's dead!? Well this book kept me guessing until the very end! A lot happens at the very end, in fact. I think Doucant saves a little too much for the denouement in this one.  So it's not perfect, but still a very entertaining mystery! Rating: 🐩🐩🐩🐩...

I found Kill Joy by Holly Jackson on the Libby app. Check for your local library on the app and read great books for free!📚 My sweet husband gave me Holly Jackson's GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER trilogy for Christmas last year, and while I have yet to read them (you could read this whether or not you've read the other books), I was in no way lacking to enjoy this charming little mystery short. In it, several college students gather in a mansion to act out a murder mystery a la the old 90's murder-with-your-meal dinner shows. Many dramatic gasps, plot reversals, and suspenseful hijinks ensue. I'm assuming these characters show up in the first book of the trilogy, which would be fine, because they are each genuinely likeable. The way the brothers fight constantly reminds me of me and my sisters. And I love the main character, Pip Fitz-Amobi (yeah, that name is amazing !), with her self-assuredness and keen judgment. I even love that Jackson decided to tell ...