Mystery Solving Heroines

Today's post highlights three very different heroines, but they are all wonderful in their own ways.

I've made a Teaquila in honour of Vera's tea shop and the sheer amount of tea people in the old English times drank. 60ml cold black tea, 30ml tequila, 15ml honey vodka, 15ml sugar syrup, 15ml lemon juice, 2 dashes orange bitters. Shake and strain into a glass mug.

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Sutanto

 

I'll start with Vera because she has to be my favourite mystery-solving heroine. She's so funny, I really love her. I definitely want to be more like Vera, she doesn't let anything faze her!

I have been wanting to try this series for a while and though it probably would have helped to know who some of the characters are, it's not necessary to have read the previous book. I have now bought book 1 though and I'm really looking forward to it.

One of the best things was the friendship between Vera and her neighbour Winifred. I love their sniping which just shows how much they really care about each other. There was so much humour on every page, as well as empathy and emotion. One of very few 5 star reads so far this year!

Book Summary

Vera Wong is perfectly content as a teashop owner. She is definitely not seeking opportunities for amateur sleuthing. But what else is she to do when a distressed woman called Millie asks for her help?

Okay, perhaps Vera wheedled the story out of her. And maybe the case file for Millie’s missing friend Thomas didn’t exactly fall into her lap. Everyone knows a locked briefcase is just asking to be opened by someone handy with a hairpin.

Not even the aroma of chrysanthemum tea can stop Vera from catching the scent of this mystery. However dangerous it is, Vera intends to uncover the truth in the only way that this Chinese mother knows how: by spilling the tea.

Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Investigator by Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar

 

It took me a little longer to warm to Caroline but as I got to know her and she learned more about her own prejudices I liked her more and more. Its quite interesting to see her grow and realise how little she has actually seen of how other people live. She also has some humour, though it is a lot more straight-laced, but I love her verbal sparring with the gentlemen who clearly have no idea who they are dealing with!

I haven't read Pride and Prejudice so while I know of the main characters I'm not really familiar with anyone else. I don't think this really matters to the story but fans of Pride and Prejudice will enjoy meeting some old friends.

Book Summary

A missing maid. A murder most foul. A highly imprudent adventure.

Two years after the events of Pride and Prejudice, Miss Caroline Bingley is staying at her brother's country estate within an easy ride of Mr and Mrs Darcy's home, Pemberley, and wondering if there's more to life than playing cribbage and paying calls on country neighbours.

So when Georgiana Darcy's maid, Jayani, vanishes – and worse, Georgiana disappears in search of her – Caroline races to London to find them both, and quickly discovers a shocking, cold-blooded murder.

Soon Caroline and Georgiana are careering through the gritty, grimy underbelly of London assisted by Caroline's trusty manservant, Gordon, and demanding answers of shady characters, police magistrates and mysterious East India Company-men to discover the killer. Along the way they uncover the cost of Empire on India and its people… and Miss Bingley's incomparable powers of investigation.

As Caroline puts her superior new talents to work, she finds out exactly what an accomplished, independent woman with a sharp mind and a large fortune can achieve – even when pitted against secrets, scandal, and a murderer with no mercy.

A Game Most Foul by Alison Gervais

 

Jules is attending her dream summer writing seminar, but she finds being new to London is difficult and trying to hide her hearing loss doesn't help either. I liked how determined she was to investigate when one of her new classmates goes missing and she's also not going to let any other mystery go unsolved either!

Her friendship dynamic with Suruthi and Percy (who are about as different as two people can be) is lots of fun to read and Dreams of Antiquity, her great-aunt's antique shop, is wonderful as one of the main settings.

Of course, as a Sherlock  fan I was very eager to find out how he and Watson were going to be involved in the book, this was quite a selling point for me.

Book Summary

Attending the prestigious Ashford College’s writing seminar is a dream come true for Jules Montgomery, but the summer isn’t unfolding as she hoped. Navigating London with her gradual hearing loss is difficult, and hiding it from her classmates is a challenge. Even worse, she can’t seem to shake a case of writer’s block. When a fellow student goes missing, neither the police nor their teacher, Professor Watson, seem that concerned. Jules and her new friends Percy and Suruthi are determined to get to the bottom of the case and they’re not the strange man who frequents Jules’ aunt’s antique shop is eager to help—and his name is none other than Sherlock Holmes.

Now there are two mysteries to solve. What happened to their missing classmate? And how can it be that Watson and Holmes—two fictional characters from the Victorian era—are alive and well in the 21st century? The only way to find answers might lie in a quote from one of Watson’s old “You see, but you do not observe.” Jules may not be able to hear all that well, but without her hearing aids, she can certainly see more than the average person. And nothing about this is case is average.

Picture Book Special

Picture books can have a reputation as being very simple and undemanding but there can be so much to them and the illustrations themselves can say so much. They can take you from highs to lows and everything in between! Make yourself a lovely cocktail and then browse the pretty selection, who needs kids to enjoy an adorable illustrated book?

I've adapted a traditional cocktail to make my own version, a Cookie Gin Fizz! Usually served in a tall highball, I've made mine in a flute with a candy cane garnish. In a shaker, mix 30ml gin, 20ml lemon juice and 15ml gingerbread syrup with ice. Strain into your glass, top with tonic and add some pomegranate seeds. Yum!

Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol

Grandma just wants a bit of peace to do her knitting so she goes on a wonderful adventure, but nearly everywhere she goes, her kitting still gets interrupted. She has to go quite far in order to really get away but then does she really want all that solitude?

Vera is one of my favourite graphic novelists and her picture book was just as wonderful as her other books.

Do Not Say These Words by Frances Tosdevin

Your mission is to read this book without laughing, chuckling, sniggering and most certainly without giggling, ok??? Your only dispensation is to say the words just this once, while reading aloud. But never again!

Hmmmm, somehow I was not convinced that anyone would succeed, I definitely didn't...

Gathering the Glimmers by Ffion Jones

Wren is lost in the woods and her worry about making it out safely is taking over, until she starts to notice the glimmers! This book starts off quite dark and creepy, you can feel the stress and danger. Then the feeling of relief as the tone changes along with Wren's emotions.

The illustrations were amazing, strangely realistic while somehow otherworldly at the same time.

Fishing for Condiments by Ashley Baxendale, Anna Kukleva (illustrator)

Little Neget is worried he and his grandfather won't catch any fish for their dinner. Home is full of condiments which are no use at all without some tasty fish to put them on! This one was a little too simple for me, and felt like maybe I was missing part of the story. But the illustrations were beautiful and I loved the close relationship between Neget and his grandfather.

Murder At Merry Beggars Hall by Kay Blythe

Book Summary

Jemima Flowerday combines her skills as a dressmaker and sleuth to solve crime in the crumbling stately homes of 1920s Britain.

December 1922, and society dressmaker Jemima Flowerday receives a letter from Lady Hamlash of Merry Beggars Hall, requesting three new gowns for the Christmas season. Lady Hamlash does not travel, so Jemima will need to visit the Hall in deepest Suffolk to work in situ.

The commission appeals to Jemima for more than one reason. It will bring her some much-needed income. More interestingly, the remote manor house was the scene of a grisly murder earlier that year, when Lady Hamlash, inspecting her plants in the walled garden, found a man’s severed head beneath a terracotta asparagus cloche.

The murder was never solved.

Jemima, addicted to mystery novels and with a proud history of solving crimes in her own world, is sure she can crack the case. That ambition becomes a little more complicated when, within hours of her arrival at Merry Beggars Hall, the household cook dies in front of her...

This book was very easy to get into and I immediately warmed to Jemima. She is a sympathetic and down to Earth character, never taking advantage of her elevated status. She's also pretty smart and it seemed that she figured some things out quite quickly, so I wasn't sure why she didn't tell the police her suspicions earlier on! The descriptions of the places and the other characters were great too, I could picture their expressions, sitting around the dinner table.

I particularly enjoyed seeing the growing respect between Jemima and the inspector and I think there could be another story there in future. It would be very cool if she continued helping the police, or even became a civilian assistant.

I will definitely be looking forward to the next book in the Jemima Flowerday Mystery series!

Author Bio

Kay Blythe, who also writes as Natalie Meg Evans, is an award-winning historical author on both sides of the Atlantic, having reached the New York Times top 100 list with her debut novel, The Dress Thief.

Writing crime as Kay Blythe fulfils a long-held ambition.

It's cocktail hour at Merry Beggars Hall. Take your pick from a Strawberry Cosmopolitan or a Passion Fruit Daiquiri! For the Cosmo, blend 50ml vodka, 30ml strawberry puree, 30ml cranberry juice and 15ml lime juice with ice. For the Daiquiri, blend 50ml rum, 30ml passion fruit and 15ml lime juice with ice.

Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow by Peter David

Book Summary

Buddy is no ordinary teddy bear.

He’s a Knight, crafted by The Nameless Wizard himself, and sworn to protect his Person, 10-year old Mieya, from all the Things-That-Go-Bump-In-The-Night.

When Mieya is cursed into a magical sleep, it’s up to Buddy and his friends Esteban the Bard, Sasha the Warrior-Princess, and Copper the Butterfly to journey across The Realm-Under-The-Bed and find the one responsible.

But this is no ordinary Quest. The Realm is a dangerous place, filled with jungles, deserts, lightning storms, and Monsters. But worst of all is The Queen of Sorrow who waits for them in her dark castle in the crags. To break her curse, Buddy will need more than his skill with a blade, Esteban’s witty songs, or Sasha’s ferocious might.

He’ll need Heart.

A terrifying but magical realm underneath a child's bed, where the nightmare monsters live, but also many more other-worldly creatures alongside them.

Buddy is a brave, sympathetic soul and I enjoyed the brief glimpses back at his origins with the mysterious Nameless Wizard. The journey Buddy takes brings him and his growing group of friends through many places which are just as wondrous as they are sinister. Beautiful glowing caves, a desert of coins and sentient pirate ships.

It's such a terrifying thought that the monsters could be real, with their own domain under the bed. And just as worrying, that I could have thrown away my protector as a child! Despite being about a teddy bear and the monsters under the bed, this didn't really feel like a children's book. The writing was quite mature so I think it is suitable for anyone of any age.

Author Bio

A native son of Massachusetts, Peter has been living in the Deep South for over 25 years. By day, he’s an insurance professional, saving the world one policy at a time. But at night, well, no one really wants to see him fighting crime in his Spider-Man onesie. Instead, Peter develops new worlds of adventure influenced by his love of science fiction, mysteries, music and fantasy. Whether it’s running role-playing games for his long-time friends, watching his beloved New England sporting teams vie for another championship, or just chilling with a movie, his wife, two boys, one puppy and three cats, Peter’s imagination is always on the move. It’s the reason why his stories are an eclectic blend of intrigue, excitement, humour and magic, drawn from four decade’s worth of television, film, novels and comic books.

I have made a Teddy Bear cocktail to match the book. Shake the following ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass: 45 ml pear liqueur, 22.5ml apple schnapps, 45ml apple juice and a pinch of cinnamon.

Unicorns in Uniform: Dragon Inferno by Tracy Curran

I've just finished reading and this first book in the series is exciting and full of action! Continue to find out more about the book and then read an extract from the start of the book.

Book Summary

When two young dragons accidentally set fire to The Witchy Wood, firefighting unicorn, Blaze, and her emergency vehicle, Quench, race to the scene. As they struggle to get everyone to safety and stop the flames from spreading, a witch called Jinx decides her magical abilities are exactly the help they need to stop the inferno. But Jinx’s magic only spells one thing...DISASTER. And soon the flames are raging towards a treehouse full of powerful potions. Can Blaze and Quench get everyone out before the whole of Witchy Wood goes up in smoke?

Extract

Chapter 1 - Sparks in the Sky

It had been a busy morning. Blaze’s tummy grumbled loudly as she and her emergency vehicle, Quench, pulled up in front of the Unicorns in Uniforms’ headquarters. The grumpy sound coming from her stomach matched Blaze’s mood. She was soaking wet and muddy, all thanks to Quench’s love of mischief.

“It’s a double wash and polish for you,”

Blaze scolded the fire engine, turning down her very loud music. She breathed in the calming view of Sizzling Sands beach, which stretched out in front of the headquarters, and pressed the button on her key ring that activated the doors to the headquarters garage. “Your hosepipe tricks are tickling my temper!”

A noise that sounded very much like a hiccup echoed through Quench’s dashboard. Quench was a brilliant emergency vehicle, but he liked to have fun on the job. Already that morning, during a charity car wash, he’d turned his water jets on at full power and given everyone a soaking. Then, after dealing with a nasty kitchen fire at The Bakehorse Bakery, he’d managed to get Bagel, the bakery’s dog, stuck on the roof by shooting him into the air on a fountain of water. He’d created so many muddy puddles, the bakery was now surrounded by ducks.

“Is that your idea of an apology?” tutted Blaze, as she drove Quench into his parking bay.

Quench blew a raspberry and Blaze’s grumpy scowl broke into a smile. As annoying as her emergency vehicle was, there was no way she would be without him. She liked his spirit too much.

Blaze turned the radio back up to full volume, grabbed a bucket and sponge and scrubbed at Quench’s flame red bodywork until it was spotless. The fire engine showed his disapproval at being cleaned by blasting his horn in time to the beat of the music, promptly giving Blaze a headache.

The pink-nosed unicorn ignored it and scrubbed twice as hard. Blaze could be fiery and impatient, but she loved her job and had super-high standards. By the time she had finished polishing, her bright pink mane and shiny golden horn, which swirled like sunshine, were gleaming with sweat. Blaze searched for any specks of dirt she might have missed, but there were none. She nodded in satisfaction.

“Now it’s time to clean myself up,” she told Quench, “and then I’m going to pop to the Mane Control Room before whipping up some spicy fajitas for lunch.”

Blaze loved spicy food, even though the other unicorns joked that it inflamed her temper.

Blaze clip-clopped upstairs to the unicorns’ living quarters and into the cluttered and messy dormitory she shared with Sunny, Locke and Dash. Hanging off her top bunk was a clean, blue firefighting uniform that had the Unicorns in Uniforms logo embroidered on the jacket pocket and yellow high-vis stripes sewn across the body. Blaze smiled. The Sunshine Realm, with its mishmash of fantasy creatures and animals, really was a beautiful place and she was proud to be one of the emergency workers who kept everyone happy, safe and protected.

Suddenly, the dormitory went dark.

Blaze glanced up just in time to see a huge figure flash past the window.

“What was that?” She frowned. The Unicorns in Uniforms were trained to be on constant alert and that shadow had been too big to be any kind of seabird, even an albatross. Quickly, Blaze stuck her head out of the window.

“GAH!” A jet of hot flames shot down from the rooftop, scorching Blaze’s mane and almost melting the tip of her horn.

Then came a giggle and the scrabbling of claws.

Red dots of fury danced in Blaze’s eyes as she dashed into the bathroom, stuck her head in the sink and turned on the cold tap to extinguish any lingering sparks. After all the safety talks she’d given throughout the realm, someone was playing with fire on the roof of their emergency headquarters!

With her soaking wet mane dripping water in her eyes, Blaze raced outside and looked up. More giggling sounded from the rooftop of the cubed building, followed by a flash of silver.

“Who’s there? Come down at once!”

Blaze demanded.

There was a scuffle and then silence. Blaze huffed. She was going to have to get a ladder. Or... maybe Aquarius had seen who was messing about? She trotted towards the Mane Control Room.

The Mane Control Room was a big boathouse that was attached to the side of the main headquarters building. It had been cleverly designed so Aquarius, the sea-rescue narwhal – who was known as a ‘unicorn of the sea’ – could swim inside from her rockpool, monitor the control panel and keep track of any emergency calls via a waterproof headset.

“Aquarius?” called Blaze, motioning for her to swim outside. “Did you just see...?” But Blaze didn’t get to finish her sentence.

A bright trail of fire whooshed across the sky as two large, winged beasts, shadowy in the sun, launched themselves off the roof of the headquarters and dived towards them at a frightening speed. Blaze whinnied in alarm. They were going way too fast to stop, and there was no time for her to do anything but...

Author Bio

Tracy Curran writes picture books, young fiction and funny middle-grade. She was a primary school teacher for sixteen years and is now a carer for her autistic daughter. At around the age of three, Tracy fell into a storybook and discovered a world of magic! As a result, you’ll now find her immersed in the pages of another imagined world or running along the beach, conjuring up her own stories. Her pile of books is taller than she is! Tracy lives on the Cornish coast with her husband, three children, five rabbits, four chickens and one dog.

Illustrator Bio

Steve Wood lives in North London and works from a little studio in his house. While most of his time is spent spying on the neighbourhood cats and trying to lure them into his house, he does love to doodle. When drawing, Steve’s main focus is always the cast of characters that brings life and movement to the picture. He loves to emphasise subtle humour, taking influence from the adventure stories he loved as a child. Whether that’s tales of pirates and sunken treasure, cowboys, knights and dragons, or classic murder mystery stories, they all shape the pictures he loves to draw. When not working, Steve's favourite hobby is stealing biscuits from his girlfriend and blaming the ‘house mouse’.

To make a Fireman's Sour, add all the following ingredients and shake with ice, strain out the ice and then dry shake (without ice) again. Strain into glass filled with ice. 60ml white rum, 30ml lime juice, 15ml grenadine, 15ml egg white.

TBR Book Tag

I was tagged by Sifa on Sifa Elizabeth Reads quite a while ago so sorry for being extremely slow but I finally made myself sit down and choose my answers! Check out Sifa's great answers here.

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

I have lots of 'want to read' on Goodreads and Storygraph but I keep my physical unread books on a separate shelf, away from all my read books.

Is your TBR mostly print or e-books?

Print, I do have lots of unread books on my kindle but I don't like reading ebooks so I don't really count them any more. I also have some books that I want to listen to and I'm waiting for them on my library apps.

How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?

I love doing readathons so prompts help me choose a lot of the time. Sometimes a friend wants to buddy read or I have something due back to the library, otherwise it's just by my mood. Currently not participating in anything and it's kind of nice to just read whatever I feel like in the moment. But if anyone has any recommendations for upcoming readathons, then please let me know!

A book that’s been on your TBR the longest

Sooooo many I have no idea which is the oldest, but here are just a few. The Next Together by Lauren James, The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom and State of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury.

A book that you recently added to your TBR

I tried not to answer this till the last minute as I am constantly adding books. New from a favourite author, seen on Twitter or Instagram, mentioned in conversation, seen someone else reading, spotted in a library or bookshop. I just picked up my library hold of The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling.

A book on your TBR you strictly bought because of the beautiful cover

I literally bought A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal because of the cover and sprayed edges. I had seen it around and wasn't convinced until I saw the special edition, then suddenly HAD to have it. And I am so glad, I really enjoyed it!

A book on your TBR you never actually plan on reading

It is currently so long that there are probably quite a few I will never get to in my lifetime (unless I find the Philosopher's Stone) but just can't bring myself to remove them from the list.

I was going to say Anna O by Matthew Blake, I was sent this lovely copy by accident and didn't really think it was for me. However when I picked it up now to take a photo, I read the blurb again and it does sound really good! So... instead I will say some of my netgalley books that I requested ages ago when I just used to go wild on there and now I realise they don't actually sound that interesting.

An unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited for

Dragon Riders of Roar by Jenny McLachlan. I really enjoyed the others in the series and was so happy to find that a new one was coming out. I am currently reading it and liking it just as much as the others.

A book on your TBR that basically everyone had read except you

Heartstopper by Alice Osman. I found this copy in a hotel but haven't gotten to it yet. I do love graphic novels so need to give it a try.

A book on your TBR that everyone recommends

I remember really enjoying The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and have seen The Starless Sea recommended many times. However, I'm a little afraid that I won't enjoy it as much, particularly as my tastes have changed in all the time that has passed.

A book on your TBR that you’re just dying to read

I am very excited about Terror Tower, the last book in the Dread Wood series by Jennifer Killick.

The number of books on your Goodreads shelf

Read: 2065

Currently reading: 5

Want to read: 689

DNF: 11

I'm tagging anyone who wants to have a go!

Gorgeous (Hidden) Book Covers

Have you ever peeked under the covers? We all love a beautiful hardback, but what makes them extra special is looking under the dustjacket and finding a beautiful secret cover.

Here are some of my favourites, and all books I enjoyed. Which do you like best? Make sure to let me know of any others you've spotted!

Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor 3) by Jessica Townsend 

Archimancy (Shadow School 1) by J.A. White

The Midnighters by Hana Tooke

 

The Treehouse Library (Pages & Co 3) by Anna James

Peregrine Quinn and the Cosmic Realm by Ash Bond

Saving Neverland by Abi Elphinstone