Stacking the Shelves #78

 

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 ya'll!

Silent Nights by various authors, edited by Martin Edwards (British Library Crime Classics)

Kindle Purchase: Kindle Unlimited Free Trial

This is part of the British Crime Classics series and I love that it is a Christmas themed edition. I might not get to all the stories by New Years Day but it'a a good one to pick up and read between longer books. It features 15 Christmas themed mysteries by classic authors.

An Ancient Evil by P.C. Doherty (Canterbury Mysteries Book One)

Kindle Purchase: Kindle Unlimited Free Trail

I'll be honest....I'm not sure about this one but it looks unique and is written by an author who started writing in the 80's after majoring in medieval history studies. I want to try it and it was free right now with my 3 months Kindle Unlimited subscription. Pilgrims from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales narrate the story on their way to the sacred shrine. Along the way they tell tales of "mystery, terror, and murder."

The Case at Barton Manor by Emily Queen (Mrs. Lillywhite Investigates Book One)

Kindle Freebie through newsletter and Book Funnel

I love to subscribe to newsletters of publishers and authors. You can really get some good deals and insider info. I received a free copy of book one in this series and while I might not get to it right away I will try in 2026. After the death of her husband, Rosemary Lillywhite becomes involved in a murder investigation involving her brother. Another lady detective series set in the Roaring 20's.

Murder at Everham Hall by Benedict Brown (A Marius Quin Mystery Book One)

 

Publication Date:

November 3, 2023

Genre: 

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

Length:  

320 pages

Series

Marius Quin

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

A mystery novelist with writer’s block, a lavish party to ring in the new year, and a film star with three bullets through his head…

December 1927. Mystery writer Marius Quin has one previous bestseller, endless looming mortgage payments, and no idea how to write his next book. When his childhood friend Lady Isabella Montague invites him to an intimate New Year’s Eve party hosted by a narcissistic actor, Marius seizes upon the distraction. With his perpetually glum Basset hound along for the ride, he navigates the snowy lanes to the opulent estate of Everham Hall. As the celebrations begin, fireworks light up the sky, champagne corks pop, and then the host is murdered.

Snowed in and with the police unable to reach them, Marius is the closest thing the panicked party has to a detective and he is swiftly nominated to find the killer. But when two more guests are attacked, Marius soon realises that solving mysteries is even harder than writing them. With Bella at his side, and a clutch of conniving suspects to choose from, can Marius find the culprit before the killer targets him?

My Thoughts

I’ve been meaning to start this series for awhile now, having enjoyed his Lord Edgington one. This one centers around Marius, a writer who is still in love with his childhood friend, Bella. 

On New Year’s Eve he is invited to a lavish gathering at a famous celebrity estate where Bella will also be in attendance and when they get caught up in the murder of the host they find they make an excellent sleuthing team. 

Marius already writes detective crime novels so interviewing the many eccentric guests is exciting for him and he’s very good at it. As he and Bella dig into the many odd relationships between the deceased and his friends and family, he must also deal with Bella’s current boyfriend, Gilbert, whom Marius can’t stand of course. 

As more attempted murder occurs and past histories begin to look ugly, they are worried they could be next. The solution was clever and does not go where you think it will. It involves people and events that aren't visible until the end which I always love in cozy mysteries. There are also a couple of really well planned red herrings to throw you off a bit.

I thought this was a great start to a solid series. I liked the main characters a lot and care enough to continue. I see that Marius and Bella will be working together to solve more crimes and so it should be a lot of fun. This author does a great job of establishing the setting and has got the cozy winter, castle thing down. I will be continuing with these for sure.

It's probably best read now during the holiday/New Year's season to get the most enjoyment out of it!

Can't Wait Wednesday: Grave Merriment by Angela Ranson (Catrin Surovell Tudor Mysteries Book Four)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Grave Merriment by Angela Ranson. I featured the first book in the series in another post, Shades of Death. The books take place at the Elizabethan court and Lady Catrin is asked to investigate a brutal man trying to exhort money from the wealthy. It is set at Christmas time so it would be a good one to save for next year at this time.

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Historical Mystery/Renaissance Mystery

March 13, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

Christmas, 1561

Queen Elizabeth’s courtiers are decorating Whitehall Palace and preparing for twelve days of festive food, masques and revelry. But Lady Catrin Surovell, Countess of Ashbourne, cannot find her celebratory spirit. The queen has asked her to stop a brute who has forced the waifs of London to work for him. The boys are being beaten or killed if they don’t help him extort money from the wealthy. And it seems the brute may be someone at Court. 

But Catrin’s attempt to find him are disturbed by a mischief-maker who is taking every opportunity to ruin the Christmas festivities, leaving the queen in great distress. At each scene of chaos Catrin finds a perfume bottle, all with their own unique scent. Is the disruption linked to the brute at court? Or is someone else hell-bent on destroying the queen’s festivities? And can Catrin solve both mysteries before someone ends up in grave danger…? 

GRAVE MERRIMENT is the fourth book in the Catrin Surovell Tudor Mystery Series. It is an exciting historical thriller set at the court of Elizabeth I.

Stacking the Shelves #77

 

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 ya'll!

Feud by Derek Birks (The Wars of the Roses Book One)

Kindle Purchase: Kindle Unlimited Free Trial

The author of this book hosts one of my favorite podcasts, A Slice of Medieval. He is a former history teacher who is especially knowledgeable about The Wars of the Roses. This is book one in his historical fiction series about that time period and begins in the year 1459 with the growing conflict between a knight and a local, rival Lord. We see history unfold alongside the knight, Ned and his family, who of course become involved. I think it will be a great series and there are nine books taking it all the way to 1485.

Talleyman by John James (Victorian Maritime Adventures Book One)

Kindle Purchase: Kindle Unlimited Free Trial

I don't know anything about these books but I do love the mystery and nautical feel from the cover and description. It is set in Ireland in the 1840's during the Irish potato famine and concerns a seaman from the British Royal Navy who is trying to help distribute food to the desperate, starving people of Cork County. He becomes involved in a brewing rebellion and must decide which side to take. I think it sounds like an action filled amazing read!

The author lived and wrote during the mid 20th Century. He was from Wales. These books are considered classics now.

No Dark Place by Joan Wolf  (Medieval Mysteries Book One)

Kindle Purchase: Kindle Unlimited Free Trial

This is the first of a two book series from 1999 by an author new to me. But I'm a sucker for good medieval mysteries so it looked worth trying. This author has written mostly best selling romance books, which I'm not a big fan of but this one looks more mystery based. 

It is set during Norman England. A nobleman has just lost his adoptive father, the Sheriff of Lincoln, and finds out his real childhood may have been more dangerous than he remembers. He sets out to solve the mystery of his past and finds danger along the way.

Murder in An Irish Castle by Verity Bright (Lady Eleanor Swift Book Twelve)

 

Publication Date:

November 28, 2022

Genre: 

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

Length:   

320 pages

Series: 

Lady Eleanor Swift Mysteries

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

Irish whiskey, rolling green hills, a traditional Christmas feast and… a murder? Lady Swift will need the luck of the Irish to survive this holiday season!

Christmas, 1924. Lady Eleanor Swift has received a rather unexpected invitation to the village Christmas party in the tiny, rural hamlet of Derrydee in the west of Ireland. Eleanor is thrilled about exploring her ancestral roots at her late uncle’s estate and spending the festive season in a castle. Packing Gladstone the bulldog’s coziest Christmas jumper, they set off to the Emerald Isle with her butler Clifford in tow.

Arriving late at night, Eleanor and Clifford are shocked when they find a body sprawled in the snow on the winding country lane outside the estate. The local constable is immediately suspicious and all but accuses the pair of murder. This isn’t the warm Irish welcome Eleanor imagined.

Clifford is certain he recognises the poor fellow from the funeral of Eleanor’s uncle – but what was their connection? Undeterred by the villagers’ lack of gossip on the matter, Eleanor is determined to get justice for the victim. The man’s pockets are suspiciously empty of personal effects, but closer inspection reveals an old key hidden in the heel of his boot. Could this unlock more than one mystery for Eleanor?

But when a fire breaks out at the castle on Christmas Eve, an even bigger question looms: is someone out to ensure the family line dies with Lady Swift? And will Eleanor’s first Irish Christmas be her last?

My Thoughts:

This was a perfect November/December book to get me into the Christmas spirit. The descriptions of the Irish castles and surroundings, traditional food, and the local, quirky townspeople all made it feel authentic and I appreciated the author's research and interesting details. 

Eleanor, Clifford, and the dog, Gladstone really had a baffling mysyery to solve in this story. From the minute they find the nearly dead man in the road it seems no one wants them involved in questioning anything much less investigating suspicious clues. Of course this doesn’t stop them and after taking the man to a local convent and witnessing odd behavior by the nun and doctor there, they feel obligated to find out why.