Can't Wait Wednesday: The Cherkley Court Conundrum by Benedict Brown (A Marius Quin Mystery Book 7)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, The Cherkley Court Conundrum, by Benedict Brown. I love this author and this series. Brown's characters are endearing and the mysteries are fun. This book in the Marius Quin series has the main character and his love interest, Lady Bella investigating a murdered maid and stolen jewelry in a country house in the 1920's. While this scene is not new to the cozy mystery world, I think Benedict has an entertaining style that stands out from some of the others. 

Cozy Mysteries, Historical Mysteries

July 17, 2026

Book description courtesy of Amazon Books

A maid found bludgeoned, a priceless treasure stolen, and the likely suspect gone without a trace…

When an old flame from Marius Quin’s past turns up at his door with knowledge of a shocking crime, he is drawn into a new case. A devoted maid has been brutally attacked, a valuable jewellery box stolen, and the head gardener has fled from the grand estate where they work.

With his sleuthing partner, Lady Bella, alongside him, Marius descends on Cherkley Court, the home of the domineering business magnate Lord Sheridan. But conflicting accounts from the man, his glamorous wife, a trio of young artists, and the troubled staff only lead to more questions. Although plenty of evidence points to the missing gardener, Marius isn’t convinced, and his hunch is proven right when the killer strikes again.

Faced with a conspiracy that reaches into the heart of the household itself, can Marius and Bella unravel a devious plot or will the killer get away with murder twice over?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books With the Word "Queen" in the Title

 

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is Books With the Word "Queen" in the Title. I thought this would be an easy topic for me as I read so many books that fit this description. I challenged myself to find books I have not read or reviewed yet. So here is my list. 

Happy reading y'all! 

Click on the book title to link to Goodreads.

1. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

2. Queen of the North by Anne O'Brien

3. Queen Isabella by Alison Weir

4. Queen Hereafter: A Novel of Margaret of Scotland by Susan Fraser King

5. The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner 

6. The Captive Queen of Scots: The Story of Queen Mary by Jean Plaidy

7. Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran

8. Mary, Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser

9. Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled An Empire by Julia Baird

10. Island Queen by Vanessa Riley

          

 

 

 

Stacking the Shelves #95

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

Anne Boleyn: A Novel by Evelyn Anthony

Kindle Purchase: $1.99 on sale this week

Normally I'm kind of over the Tudors because I read so much of them years ago. But this author has some good books to her credit and I couldn't pass this one up on sale for this cheap. It tells the story of Boleyn's life and love story with Henry VIII and includes the story of Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell's involvement which I'm always looking to learn more of. Published in 1957 I also like that it is a classic which is more likely to lack the modern touches I don't care for in today's historical fiction. 

The Uninvited Guest by Sarah Woodbury (The Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mysteries Book 2) 

Kindle Purchase: 99 cents this week

I have the first book in this series and I've read another book from a different series by this author. So now I have the first two for this series and need to read them. I really admire this author because she has taken on mysteries set in medieval Wales. That is unusual and not easy to research. This book is set during the reign of Owain, King of North Wales in 1143 and the main characters must unravel a mystery about a dangerous uninvited guest at the wedding of the king before he becomes a victim. They remind me a bit of the Cadfael series by Ellis Peters. 

Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England by Alison Weir 

Paperback: Found in my box of old books!

I love Alison Weir's non fiction books (to be fair, haven't read her fiction books yet) and lately I've been reading a lot about the "three Edwards." This book about the wife and queen of Edward II is one I purchased years ago and I was going through some old books and came across it again. It looks so good now especially since I've since learned more about his life and hers. Their story is one that seems made up because it is so unbelievable. I'm sure Weir has researched it in meticulous detail as she always does. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Summer 2026 TBR List

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is Books On My Summer 2026 TBR List. I like this topic but since I already joined the 20 Books of Summer reading challenge I'm going to list most from that list. I doubt I'd get more than 20 books read anyway, but I might! I also know my TBR list is not ever completely realisitic but still it's fun to see what I can accomplish. These are the top ten I'll likely finish or at least begin!

Happy reading y'all!

**Click on the title to go to goodreads for more information about the book.

1. Hammer of the Scots by Jean Plaidy

2. A Great and Terrible King by Marc Morris

3. The Reckoning by Sharon Kay Penman

4. The Royal Hammer by David Field

5. Death From High Places by Benedict Brown

6. By the Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie

7. Highgate Rise by Anne Perry

8. Murder in Manhattan by Verity Bright

9. The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters

10. Murder in Moscow by Kelly Oliver

 

Stacking the Shelves #94

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

Great Tales From English History Volume 3 by Robert Lacey (1690-1953)

Kindle Purchase: On sale this week for $2.99 (free with my points)

This third volume of a three part series looks unique. Lacey divides English history into sections and narrates true stories from the era that stand out as important or especially entertaining. He wrote the book and was a consultant for the Netflix series, The Crown, which I absolutely loved! 

Because I was able to get this book for free I couldn't pass it up. I confess I'd like to read his earlier volumes more as those time periods interest me more but this one includes stories about Queen Victoria, Captain Cook, and Winston Churchill. It also includes stories about common people who made a difference and inventions etc., just overall contributions that I may not know a lot about. I'm hoping it can provide a good snapshot of the era and fill in historical gaps you can't always see when reading historical fiction. 

The Cardinal: A Novel of Love and Power by Alison Weir

Kindle Purchase: $2.99 this week

I love Weir's books but haven't read her fiction ones yet. I am not that interested in Tudor queens right now but this one on Thomas Wolsey looks good. I remember when it came out wanting to read it but finding it hard to borrow or buy for a reasonable price. So this was a great find. She is a wonderful historian and researcher so this novel ought to be accurate and entertaining. 

The Nurse's Secret by Amanda Skenandore

Kindle borrow: Free with Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited 

Florence Nightingale, Bellevue Hospital's early days, murders....this story sounds very exciting not to mention original. With a little true history thrown in about the beginnings of nursing I am intrigued. This is free to borrow if you have an Amazon Prime membership and so I can't go wrong trying it out. This author has other books set in historical times and is a nurse. The main character is a woman from the streets who sneaks her way into Bellevue Hospital's nursing program and discovers a suspicious death while there.