Jane Litte's Blog, page 51

Review: Liar City: A Novel (Sugar and Vice # 1) by Allie Therin

A murder has Seattle on edge, and it falls to a pacifist empath—and a notorious empath hunter—to find the killer before it’s too late

It’s the middle of the night when part-time police consultant and full-time empath Reece gets an anonymous call warning him that his detective sister needs his help. At an out-of-the-way Seattle marina, he discovers that three people have been butchered—including the author of the country’s strictest anti-empathy bill, which is just days from being passed into la...

REVIEW: The Iron Princess by Barbara Hambly

Something is amiss with the world’s magic. Spells don’t work the way they used to—when they work at all. Only the powers of the Crystal Mages remain as they were, powers founded on the use of the mystical element adamis, the harvesting of which has enslaved the peoples of the Twilight Lands.

They need a hero.

At the same time, ravenous beasts have begun to appear, legendary creatures that seem to be proof against any magic. And Clea Stylachos, granddaughter of a great sage of the Twilight peop...

REVIEW: The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About Love, Life, and Mortality by Karen Fine

A tribute to our furry, feathery, scaley, and wet family members, All Creatures Great and Small meets Being Mortal in this compelling memoir of one woman’s dream to become a veterinarian.

Karen Fine always knew that she wanted to be a vet and wasn’t going to let anything stop her: not her allergy to cats, and not the fact that in the ’80s veterinary medicine was still a mostly male profession. Inspired by her grandfather, a compassionate doctor who paid house calls to all his (human) patients,...

REVIEW: A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas

DISCLOSURE: I am Sherry Thomas’s critique partner and critiqued this manuscript but I have not contributed to this review. —Janine.

Dear Sherry Thomas:

This is the seventh book in the Lady Sherlock series, and when I found out it was set on a ship, I was excited. I like closed circle mysteries, though I just discovered that phrase. I knew this wasn’t quite a locked room mystery, so I did some sleuthing (see what I did there?) to discover the term. There’s something elegant about a well-done clo...

REVIEW: A Waltz with Traitors by A.L. Sowards

The Former Russian Empire, 1918

Czech soldier Filip Sedlák never wanted to fight for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. So at the first opportunity, he defected to the Russians. Now he and others like him have formed the Czechoslovak Legion. Their goal: leave the chaos of Russia, sail to France, and help the Allies defeat the Central Powers, thereby toppling a hated empire and winning an independent Czechoslovakia.

With the fall of the tsar, Nadia Linskaya’s life is in ruins. Her family is dead, her...

REVIEW: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto

Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady—ah, lady of a certain age—who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to.

Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing—a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera ...

Review: Murder on Milverton Square (The Milverton Mysteries book 1) by G.B. Ralph

Addison Harper is abruptly summoned to Milverton at the behest of an abrasive lawyer. He plans to be in and out, back to the city lickety-split. Instead, he finds himself charmed by the small town with its delightful and eccentric residents, not to mention the rather easy-on-the-eye Sergeant Jake Murphy.

Despite the rocky start, Addison admits he’s had a pleasant day out. That is, until returning to find the prickly old lawyer on the floor, and very much dead. Worse, it looks like murder, and A...

REVIEW: The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green

For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she’d accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations.

The first is her repentant father’s offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York’s wealthiest patrons who ...

REVIEW: Stateless by Elizabeth Wein

From the beloved #1 bestselling author of Code Name Verity, this thrilling murder mystery set in 1937 Europe soars with intrigue, glamour, secrets, and betrayal.

When Stella North is chosen to represent Britain in Europe’s first air race for young people, she knows all too well how high the stakes are. As the only participating female pilot, it’ll be a constant challenge to prove she’s a worthy competitor. But promoting peace in Europe feels empty to Stella when civil war is raging in Spain an...

Reading List by Jennie for October through December 2022

All suspense this time, and I didn’t read much. Janine and I reviewed Moira’s Pen together.

The Break by Katie Sise

This was another “new mother in New York” thriller; this feels like a little sub-sub-genre I’ve stumbled upon (I really like Mother of All Secrets which I read a bit earlier in the year).

Rowan O’Sullivan has recently given birth to Lila; she lives in New York with her husband Gabe. When the story starts, Rowan, who is a mystery writer (I don’t love the meta career choice) has a lo...