Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Can't Wait Wednesday: Vanished in the Crowd by Rhys Bowen (A Molly Murphy Mystery Book 22)



For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Vanished in the Crowd, by Rhys Bowen. I have only read the first book in this series but I enjoyed it. So I know many people are loving them and want to know about the latest book. 

Molly investigates the case of a missing female scientist in 1909 New York. Taking place during the 300th celebration of the discovery of the Hudson River, it includes some historical elements that sound interesting. I know fans of the series will be excited for it! 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! 



Historical Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries

March 10, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

New York is busier than ever as two million visitors come to the city to witness the Hudson-Fulton celebration in 1909, marking the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the Hudson River. Parades, exhibitions, carnivals, and a marvelous display of the wonders of the latest invention, electricity, across the city make for two straight weeks of celebrations, which Molly and her family, along with their friends Sid and Gus, are excited to enjoy. But Molly is secretly dealing with financial troubles. She is too proud to ask her friends for a loan, but when they want to hire her as a detective she jumps at the chance.

Sid and Gus are hosting fellow Vassar graduates to take part in one of the parades but one of the women, a brilliant scientist, never shows up. It seems nobody knows where she is, including her husband. Is she trying to run away from her life or is it something more sinister? Why have the Vassar women really come to New York City? When Daniel asks Molly to spy on her friends and find out just what they are planning she finds her loyalties horribly divided. Then the parade turns deadly and only Molly has the tools to find out the truth.



 

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Top Ten Tuesday: New Authors I Discovered in 2025

 




This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is "Bookish Discoveries I Made in 2025." I am going to list 10 authors that I hadn't heard of before or ones I now know about that would be added to my TBR pile. I have either read one of their books or own one to read this year. The link will take you to their Goodreads page if you want to see a full book list and bio. Happy reading!

1. Michael Jecks- Focusing on the first crusade, historical fiction on a subject that is hard to find

2. Abigail Keam- She runs a Facebook cozy mystery page I love and has written some cute cozies herself. 

3. Vanessa Kelly- Her cozy country house mysteries have a Jane Austen feel to them and look cute.

4. Michael Livingston- Non-fiction author focusing on medieval history...my favorite!

5. C.W. Gortner- His novels about more obscure queens intrigue me enough to start collecting them...Juana of Castile and Isabella of Castile are two that I want to read more about.

6. Raymond Wemmlinger- His novels also feature historical subjects less known....Queen Anne of Scotland is one I'd like to read about.

7. Beth Cowan-Erskine- she writes 1930's country house murder mysteries set in Scotland....and there are only two books so far so this might be a series I can actually stay caught up with.

8. Katherine Kurtz- She has written several novels about The Knights Templar and their origins. These books were written in the 1990's so they are becoming classics.

9. Jenny Telfer Chaplain- She writes "sweeping, historical family sagas" and the box set I have is set in Ireland and Scotland around the late Victorian era. 

10. Myra Hargrave McIlvain- Her novels and specialty is Texas historical fiction set in the mid-1800's.  I am from Texas so they looked intriguing. 

Do you know any of these great authors? Which of their books are you familiar with and would you recommend them?




Sunday, January 25, 2026

Stacking the Shelves #84



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!





Murder On the Village Green by Rosie Hunt (Lady Felicity Mystery Book One)

Free with Rosie Hunt newsletter subscription

Rosie Hunt sends out her newsletter each week and it's really cute. She suggests other cozy mystery authors too and really shares some fun personal and book information. This week she gave away her first book in this series on Kindle. 

Lady Felicity is caught up in an English country mystery murder and it's the 1920's, everyone's favorite cozy historical time period. No, I don't need another series to start (10 books total) but i can't help myself when the author is so charming. And of course, the beautiful cover :) 






The Winter List by S.G. MacLean (Damian Seeker Book 6)

Kindle purchase: 99 cents this week

I bought this because it was on sale so cheap but I still haven't read this series. I keep trying to start but I get distracted by other books. I don't know why. Maybe I just haven't been in the mood for dark mysteries lately. This is the latest one so at least I'll have it when I want it. I own The Seeker, the first book and I've read and reviewed another S.G. MacLean book, The Bookseller of Inverness, and enjoyed it. 

This story takes place in 1660 right at the time of the restoration of Charles Stuart, something I know almost nothing about. It focuses on Damian Seeker's daughter, Manon, and her fear that her father will be found to be a traitor and spy to the former government, appearing on The Winter List of those who are being hunted down for execution. 






Westward To Freedom by David Field (The New World Nautical Saga Book Three)

Free with my Kindle Unlimited trial

I'm loving that Kindle Unlimited has all the David Field books but running out of time to read them all on the free trial I have. It ends mid February. So since I have read book one in this series, I need to try to read the other two before my membership expires. 

This book covers the adventure of the Pilgrims and The Mayflower voyage. I know a lot about this subject but Field always manages to add things I'd never heard before. I'm sure it will be a great read.