Review: Bodies and Battlements by Elizabeth Penney

Bodies and Battlements (A Ravensea Castle Mystery, #1)

by Elizabeth Penney

Release Date: March 27, 2025

2025 Minotaur Books

Ebook Version; 288 Pages

ISBN: 978-1250270051

ASIN:  ‎ B0DCTNBQ59

Genre: Fiction / Cozy Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Herbalist Nora Asquith is delighted to welcome Ravensea Castle’s first guests to the picturesque village of Monkwell, Yorkshire. After a thousand years of ownership, her family has decided to convert the castle into a bed and breakfast. But when Hilda Dibble, a self-appointed local luminary, is found dead in the knot garden the next morning, Nora’s business is not only at risk—she’s a prime suspect.

Hilda had opposed the hotel plan every step of the way, and although she didn’t succeed in stopping the venture, her disagreements with Nora seem to only further her motive.

 

 Nora and her actress sister Tamsyn decide to investigate for themselves. They look into the entangled dealings of their newly arrived guests, while also getting hints from Sir Percival, one of the castle ghosts. As they learn, Sir Percival’s tragic death centuries ago sheds light on present-day crimes. Surely they can get to the bottom of this mystery while keeping their new business afloat . . .

 

My Thoughts

Bodies and Battlements is the first entry in a new cozy mystery series for this author, and while I did find the plot to be somewhat straight-forward and predictable, I really enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the relationships that were being built and this is definitely what defines a cozy mystery for me.

 

It is always difficult to develop characters in the first book of a series as you have to ensure you don't give too much away about them, but at the same time you don't want them to seem one-dimensional. I thought the author did a great job with the characters in this book as I felt connected to them and enjoyed their different viewpoints with regards to the bed and breakfast being created  and its connection to the long history of the building and the lands. Nora was hard-working, loyal to her family and her family history, but when push came to shove, she knew exactly when to stick up for what she believed and when it was necessary to give a little.  I liked that she was also an apothecary, grew her own herbs on the land, and sold her items around the neighbourhood as well. There seems to be a lot of possibility with that avenue to exploit in the future.

 

Nora's sister Tamsyn, and their father were also fun characters to round out the main characters. Tamsyn is quite different from her sister and I really liked her spirit. I liked how steadfast Nora's father was and how he liked to research his family history when things started to happen. But then, I would have been all over those papers if I had access to a thousand years of my own family's history.  Just think of it!!  

 

The plot moved along rather quickly, and I did find it to be somewhat predictable, but I liked the added 'pararnormal' twist of the resident ghosts. A place as old as this has to have at least one or two ghosts!!  There is a bit of an actual police investigation, but this is a cozy mystery so most of the action comes from Nora and Tamsyn as they investigate. I did appreciate that they didn't do anything silly and told the police whatever they knew though, as I dislike it intensely when characters keep things to themselves just to move a plot point forward.  This didn't reduce the tension when things did happen however, so it was fun to see how they got out scrapes and what they would discover in such an old place.  

 

Verdict

Bodies and Battlements was an enjoyable read, and the fact that I figured out the ending didn't lesson my enjoyment at all. I really needed a cozy read at the moment as I have been reading some heavy hitters and this one fit the bill perfectly.  Both the characters and the plot were fun and I enjoyed the historical aspect to the story as much as learning about the local area that will probably feature in future books. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries, and I am now off to read the second book in this series.  

 

Review: An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly

An American in Scotland (Scottish Isle Mystery, #1)

by Lucy Connelly

Release Date: April 4, 2023

2023 Crooked Lane Books

Ebook Edition; 304 Pages

ISBN: 978-1639103508

ASIN: B0B5Z1TDP2

Audiobook: B0BX4LSW45

Genre: Ficton / Cozy / Murder

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Sea Isle was supposed to be the fresh start Dr. Emilia McRoy dreamed of. Far from the busy emergency room across the Atlantic in Seattle, she hoped to settle down and begin this new chapter as a small-town doctor to the quirky residents who immediately welcomed her. When she stumbles across a dead body, she starts to think that she may not be as Scot free of the drama and intrigue as she initially thought.

Emilia soon learns she has bigger issues at hand.  Her luck continues when she discovers that part of her new responsibilities includes being the coroner for the very body she found. Finally, when the body goes missing before she can even begin the autopsy, Emilia must convince the townspeople that a crime did, in fact, occur. The deeper she digs into the picturesque town, the more suspicious she becomes.

 

My Thoughts

An American in Scotland is the first book in the Scottish Isle Mystery series, and I was sent all four books in the series by the publisher.  I was intrigued by the setting because it's set in Scotland, but I was concerned because of the title as I was prepared for lot of stereotyping, and this is exactly what we got in this book.

 

So, let's talk about the things that I really liked about this book. First of all, I loved that the medical office and the house were in a church. One of the things I adored about the Rachel Morgan books (Kim Harrison) was that she lived in a church as I always thought that would be so cool.  Instead of tearing them down, the fact they are sold and used as homes or businesses combines the history of the building and the modern use.  I also really enjoyed the fact that this book was set in Scotland as I have visited the country a couple of times and it's beautiful.  

 

Emilia is one of those main characters that is rather annoying however, but the secondary characters kind of even out the fact that she is so annoying. For a doctor who worked in ER, she makes some rather rash decisions, and I got tired of her condescending attitude. And since when do you do research about a place by watching British television shows, and since when do you not read the fine print on a document you sign for a job offer? Holy hell. She shows up to Scotland surprised by the weather conditions and has to pretty much purchase a new wardrobe. I shouldn't be so surprised by this however, as I live in a snowbelt and have seen people rush to buy boots and parks when the first snowfall hits where I live as well, but when you are going to live there permanently? 

 

The mystery was actually interesting, but I did think Emilia was the weakest link in the whole thing.  For a doctor who has learned to keep one's counsel over the years and keep one's mouth shut due to privacy issues, she certainly has not demonstrated she has learned either of these and I would be concerned if she was my doctor.  She blabs information to the wrong people and keeps pertinent information from the people who really needed to know said information.  And I'm not even going to get started on the issues I had with the medical stuff in this book as that was just lack of research on the author's part and too many liberties were made (as if people who read the book don't have any medical training and won't know the difference).  I think Medical Imaging Technologists would have a field day with the errors in this book.  Let's just say an untrained person would not be able to run an MRI, x-rays, etc... by doing some online courses.  The pace however, moved along quite quickly, and I really enjoyed the secondary characters in the story.

 

Verdict

An American in Scotland had a pretty interesting mystery, but I honestly just couldn't connect with the main character as she made so many silly decisions and the author relied too much on the reader having to just go with the flow of things. The lack of research about the medical stuff bothered me as I felt it was just assumed people would not realize that it was just not possible for a young, untrained woman to have that much knowledge through the internet considering some of these programs take 2-4 years at college to complete, each. I did love the descriptions about the Scottish countryside and the weather as I could definitely relate to the cold and the snow, and I was not really surprised the main character was not prepared for the weather as she was not prepared for anything else either, but it would have been nice if some of the things were actually in the dialect of the area and not Americanized, as I am sure they don't use dollars there (LOL).   While I will read the next book in the series, I won't be rushing to do so soon. 

 

Review: The Fatal Folio by Elizabeth Penney

The Fatal Folio (The Cambridge Bookshop Series, #3)

by Elizabeth Penney

Release Date: October 24, 2023

2023 St. Martin's Paperbacks

Ebook Edition; 320 Pages

ISBN: 978-1250787750

ASIN: B0BQGFXGTM

Audiobook: B0DL6GWR72

Genre: Fiction / Cozy / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

After moving to Cambridge, England, Molly Kimball has found a lot to love, including—of course—her family’s ancestral bookshop, Thomas Marlowe-Manuscripts and Folios. And though she’s not quite ready to use the “L” word when it comes to her boyfriend Kieran, she’s definitely fallen for his intimidating family’s library.

His family is paying her handsomely for an updated catalog when Molly discovers the original manuscript of a Gothic novel, A Fatal Folio by the pseudonymous Selwyn Scott. Kieran’s cousin Oliver, a professor specializing in Gothic literature, is eager to publish a paper on the mystery—especially because a troublesome student, Thad, is threatening to file a complaint against him and prevent his long-awaited promotion.

On Guy Fawkes Night, Molly, Kieran, and her friends set out to enjoy the costumes, fireworks, and fun—at least until a stray firework starts a panic, and the group stumbles upon a prone body, their face covered by a mask. It’s Thad, and he’s been stabbed to death.

 

My Thoughts

The Fatal Folio is one of those genres of books I like to read between the heavy-hitters as I am always in need of some easy, fun reads to give myself a break. This one fit that bill quite nicely as it was interesting, fun, but didn't necessarily have a lot of depth to it. 

 

It's always fun to continue a series and see how the characters develop and to be honest, I like a series where the romantic relationship is not full of drama and miscommunications, where the adults actually talk to each other and discuss their issues, so this is always a bonus in my eyes. Both Kieran and Molly are main characters that are interesting and don't typically do anything silly when they are investigating. I enjoy Molly's interactions with her family, with whom she lives, and like learning more about how they manage the bookshop they co-own. I mean, I am a book girly, so why wouldn't I find that interesting? 

 

The plot itself was a bit erratic and while I thought the inclusion of the story within the story was interesting, to be honest, it really had no purpose as it didn't have anything to do with the actual mystery. And while there was a lot going on in this book, and there seemed to be a lot of twists and turns because of all the events, in hindsight, there really wasn't and the actual mystery was pretty shallow and predictable. It's not that I didn't enjoy it, but it was quite easy to figure things out as they happened and I would have liked a few more red herrings. And even though I read this just a few weeks ago, I actually had to look at my notes to remember the ending as I couldn't remember what happened; it just wasn't something that was memorable and stuck in my head. 

 

Verdict

The Fatal Folio definitely had some things going for it such as the descriptions of the city as well as some unique background information, something I really appreciated. The mystery itself was a bit muddled and I found it to be quite simplistic and easy to figure out. There were also some contradictory statements with regards to Molly's knowledge of things that I noticed, but not enough to really bug me too much, just something that as a librarian she would have known. Otherwise, even though this wasn't my favourite of the series, it was still fun. The publisher did send me a copy of all the books in the series so on to the next one. 

 

Review: A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay

A Merry Little Murder Plot (Library Lover's Mystery, Book #15)

by Jenn McKinlay

Release Date: October 8, 2024

2024 Berkley

Ebook ARC; 317 Pages

ISBN: 978-0593639382

ASIN: B0CRTC24ZY

Audiobook: B0D63FDSZF

Genre: Fiction / Cozy Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

3 / 5 Stars

Summary

During the most wonderful time of the year, famous author Helen Monroe arrives in Briar Creek to be the writer in residence, but her “bah humbug” attitude excludes her from the many holiday celebrations the town residents enjoy. Another newcomer, Jackie Lewis, reveals she’s visiting Briar Creek to be near Helen because she believes they are destined to meet. 

When Jackie’s body is later discovered in the town park beneath the holiday-light display with a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript in her hand, the reclusive novelist becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her self-proclaimed mega-fan. 

 

My Thoughts

A Merry Little Murder Plot is the next installment in the Book Lover's Mystery series, and while it was fun to read, it was fairly predictable and focused quite a bit on the librarian's role in the library, almost a hero-worship of librarians through discussions on topics such as book banning and the role authors should play in peoples' lives.  It was a bit preachy in my opinion as even librarians can hold prejudices and have been known to belittle people's reading choices.  Other than that, it was fun to revisit Lindsay and company as they celebrate the festival season.

 

I did think the book started off rather strongly, with a plot that was rather engaging. You had characters who were quite into the festive season and others were reluctant to participate for a variety of reasons. The story focused largely on the writer-in-residence program that featured a popular writer working on a new book, and she was as bit prickly in the beginning. To be honest, I think writing a story in full view of a bunch a patrons frequenting a library would be kind of strange, and I think I would have difficulty writing in such circumstances as well and probably become cranky as a result.  

 

When one of the patrons becomes irritated with the person chose as the writer-in-residence and stirs up trouble, this is where I started to become irritated with the story line. It's not that I didn't like the issue of book banning as it seems to come up more frequently these days, but I think it was the execution for me. The reasons were weak and then the actual plot around it seemed so far-fetched that I was actually rolling my eyes. 

When the actual murder occurs in the book, I didn't really know what to think simply because the book fell into more tropes than Santa has bells on his sleigh, and what was rather interesting in the beginning just didn't seem to work anymore.  I honestly wondered if the author knew what the purpose of the book was, the murder-mystery or a book about book banning and the consequences.  Naturally, Lindsay and company have to help with the murder investigation, and while the author tried to throw in some interesting red herrings, it didn't really work for me and I knew who the culprit was pretty early on.  

Verdict

A Merry Little Murder Plot was fairly predictable, and while the beginning of the book was quite interesting, the middle of the book fell apart and descended into a bit of chaos. The plot was rather weak compared to some of the previous entries in this series, and I thought the twists didn't really deter the reader from realizing who had done the deed. In other words, nothing much went on and there were a few unrealistic things in the plot. 

 

Review: The Twelve Books of Christmas by Kate Carlisle

The Twelve Books of Christmas (Bibliophile Mystery, Book #17)

by Kate Carlisle

Release Date: October 24, 2023

2023 Berkley

Ebook ARC; 336 Pages

ISBN: 978-0593637692

ASIN: B0BRM5F11S

Audiobook: B0C21DZP73

Genre: Fiction / Cozy / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

1.5 / 5 Stars

Summary

In the middle of a wonderful Christmas holiday in Dharma, Brooklyn and Derek receive a frantic phone call from their dear friend Claire in Loch Ness, Scotland. The laird of the castle, Cameron MacKinnon, has just proposed to her! They plan to be married on New Year’s Day, and they want Derek and Brooklyn to be their witnesses. And while they’re visiting, Claire hopes that Brooklyn will be able to solve a little mystery that’s occurred in the castle library—twelve very rare, very important books have gone missing.

My Thoughts

The Twelve Books of Christmas is definitely not like the books at the beginning of the series, books I absolutely loved. Those were full of mystery, mayhem, complicated plots, and interesting twists and turns. This one is about beautiful and rich people who fly around the world at a moment's notice on a private plane, stay at fancy castles, do things on a whim, and maybe solve a mystery or two while they do all their other stuff in between. And everyone calls Derek ''commander", never investigating him or Brooklyn, simply because of who he was, even though he was right there when everything happened.   Not the same at all as the earlier books.

 

First of all, Brooklyn's independent character was something I enjoyed, even if she was somewhat whiny throughout the books. I mean her life got upended numerous times because she happened to come across dead bodies and it was natural that she would become a suspect, so I enjoyed those interactions she had with police officers and other people as she tried to solve the mysteries. Now, she just has Derek make a phone call and everything is good as he "pulls his magic strings" and suddenly, everything is taken care of. This despite the fact that he was one of the most suspicious people at the beginning. I get they are married now and I get that he would support her, but I would like to see them be a bit more suspicious of those around them.  

 

The plot itself was so thin you can't even see the wire in the trees.  For the first two thirds of the book, there were a lot of discussions about the missing books and how they were related to each other, but honestly, not big mystery came out of them simply because there was little to no investigation.  And I don't necessarily need a murder in these books, just a good mystery, but neither was actually interesting. Both just seemed thrown into a plot that was weak, at best.  Motives didn't make sense, the behaviour of certain characters made no sense, plot points were 'developed' and then discarded for no reason that I could see, so overall it was just a big mess.  And pages of descriptions of the food. Ugh!

Verdict

The Twelve Books of Christmas was my least favourite entry in this series, and I was so disappointed over the plot and character development as well as the ending. It was a mish-mash of stuff thrown together in order to give the author an excuse to send Brooklyn and Derek to Scotland over the holidays, one of the only things I liked about the book.  Unfortunately, this series has been going downhill for a few books now. I will probably give it one last shot, but after that, if it doesn't go back to the magic of the earlier books, I may have to call it quits.