Just A Second: mystery

Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 10

Recent Reads - An Unsuitable Job

An Unsuitable Job by Bonnie Hardy - Josie MacFarland is getting a second chance with the Harvey House, and in an unusual position. She was let go as a Harvey Girl, but she's been asked to return to the Castaneda Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico as a Harvey House detective after a travelling salesman and regular guest was found murdered in his room. Josie hopes she'll have the chance to make things right with the friends she abandoned when she had to leave abruptly just a short time before.

The sheriff has a dangerous sort of charm, but he dismisses Josie as an unserious amateur. Josie wonders how hard he is really trying to solve the case, or if he is protecting someone else. The Harvey House matron was never a favorite of Josie's to begin with, and treats her and her friend Lily with disdain, but is there something more to her meanness? Josie has only her instincts and courage to recommend her, but she's determined to find out exactly what happened, and when Lily is falsely accused of the murder, Josie doubles down on her efforts to save her friend and get to the bottom of the whole story.

I enjoyed the setting and story, and the straightforward narrative style. It's definitely more in the cozy mystery style, and a mostly fun read, but I felt there were some holes and some places where the story was disjointed or would have benefited from more character development. We don't really find out why Josie was let go, and while it's not really necessary to the story, it's a huge part of her need to prove herself so it seems relevant. We also don't really find out why she was chosen as a house detective, other than some hints that as a woman she could blend in with the Harvey Girls and have access behind the scenes, which felt a little unsatisfactory. At a few places, the narrative jumped abruptly from one setting to another in a way that made me wonder if I'd missed a page. To be fair, this could be partially due to formatting since I was reading an ARC - a visual break in the text could easily solve this problem, and I hope that's all it was.

One other aspect I didn't care for was that when Josie dressed as her alter ego, Joe Mack, the narrative immediately shifted the description as if she had indeed become "him" with the male pronouns. Readers can follow the story quite easily and understand that this is still Josie, just in disguise. The shift in pronouns did not land for this reader and seemed like an effort to tell a story set in 1929 with a nod to the preferred pronouns trends of the 2020s. I did like Josie's independent spirit and her spunk, and that the story doesn't rely on a romance to move the events along. The historical notes at the end were very interesting, and introduced some insights about the setting and the way Harvey House Girls, and women in general, were viewed at the time.

From the Publisher:

In 1930s New Mexico, a Harvey Girl takes on a job she was never meant to survive.

In this multiple award winning historical mystery, readers find themselves immersed in 1929 Las Vegas, New Mexico. When a man is murdered at the Castaneda Hotel, Josie MacFarland is given an impossible role: the first Harvey House Detective. Armed with only her determination, Josie faces a dismissive sheriff, the cold shoulder of old friends, and the hardships of the Great Depression.

She can either return home in disgrace―or fight to prove she belongs in a world determined to shut her out.

I received a digital copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a book with an uneven number of chapters (#24), published in 2026 (#52) for The 52 Book Club's 2026 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2026

It's my first case in the March '26 Mini, kicking off the full Mystery Genre Challenge with Case #12 - An amateur sleuth.

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

©2008-2026 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

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Sunday, February 15

Recent Reads - A Certain Darkness

A Certain Darkness by Anna Lee Huber - If Verity and Sidney thought they were going to get some downtime and a refreshing break from investigations and intrigue, they were mistaken. Verity has had a little time to recuperate after the injuries suffered in their last investigation, and agrees to go with Sidney when French authorities contact him saying that a prisoner has requested a meeting with him. A woman that had been an informant during the war had been imprisoned in France and specifically asked to speak to Sidney in an attempt to negotiate her sentence, and claimed she had information she would only pass on to him. Verity's experience in British intelligence comes into play as she recognizes Miss Baverel's ploys and suspects where she is speaking in "code" and where her weaknesses may lie. After their meeting with Miss Baverel, they consider what to do with the vaguely worded claims she made, but before they can see her again, she is assassinated and it's meant to look like a suicide and also casts suspicion on Verity.

Sidney and Verity decide to travel to Miss Baverel's home to follow up on a hunch, and find they are in danger - someone is following them and means them harm. About this time, Verity receives contact from her former British Intelligence superiors, asking her to investigate the murder of a Belgian lawyer who had also worked with British Intelligence. He had been carrying a report with shocking information and evidence of potential treason, and it is missing. British Intelligence wants Verity to find the portfolio and destroy it. Despite many qualms about the investigation, Sidney and Verity take on the challenge, and soon question whether the two situations are actually linked. Was the information Miss Baverel claimed to have related to the missing report, and is their nemesis Lord Ardmore involved in both?

This mystery involves more espionage and secret statecraft than the previous ones and I found it a challenge to follow the different threads and links in the chain as Sidney and Verity unravel it. The personal dangers and impossible choices they face, and the ramifications of the information in the missing report being made public are immense, and this adventure is fraught with suspense and intrigue.

From the publisher:

March 1920: Life has turned unsettlingly quiet for former British Intelligence agent Verity Kent and her husband, Sidney. But even that false calm is about to end. As threats remain, the French authorities soon request Sidney's help with a suspect who claims to have proof of treason―shortly before she is assassinated. And Verity, too, is called to investigate a mystery . . .

The murder of a Belgian lawyer aboard a train seems at first to be a simple case of revenge. But the victim was connected to British Intelligence, and possessed papers detailing the sinking of a gold-laden German ship during the war.

As Verity and Sidney dig deeper, they discover their cases are intertwined―and a lethal adversary persists. Officially, the Great War may be over, but this is a battle of nerves and wits they cannot afford to lose . . .

This is a book featuring a conspiracy (#5) for The 52 Book Club's 2026 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2026

This is related to "crime" for Prompt #2 of the February Mini-Challenge

This is #8 in the Connections Challenge. The cover shares an item from the cover of the previous book (the railing). (I'm continuing the connections from the 2025 challenge)

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

Saturday, February 7

Recent Reads - Secrets of the Maison Fournier

Secrets of the Maison Fournier by Amelia Pine - American Emma Greene is the owner of a small English-language bookshop in Paris, and her shop is in the shadow of the illustrious new Maison Fournier department store. She has heard rumors about the owner of the store, and is rather surprised to receive an invitation to the grand reception celebration Maison Fournier's opening. Along with her new friend Cècile, owner of a neighboring French bookshop, Emma attends the opening. While drinking celebratory toast to the success of his business, Henri Fournier dies, a victim of poisoning. Emma finds herself the most convenient suspect since she is a foreigner, but the detective Inspector Lefèvre also recognizes that Emma is a keen observer of details and a valuable witness. To Emma's great relief Inspector Lefèvre does not believe Emma is the murderer, but the rest of Paris is not so kind and business at her bookshop suffers.

At Cècile's urging, Emma hires an assistant, and soon Luc joins Emma and Cècile in their own investigation of the murder. After all, no one is more motivated to find the real killer than the one wrongfully suspected. Inspector Lefèvre repeatedly warns Emma to stay out of it and to not embark on her own investigation but also seems to understand that his warnings will not be heeded. Luc and Cècile constantly tease Emma that the Inspector's interest is very personal, and Emma admits - at least to herself - that she is drawn to the Inspector and hopes to know him better.

In the meantime, the investigation takes Emma and her friends to the offices of Maison Fournier, the studios of Fournier's associates, and to the opera, collecting valuable information and clues. Can they piece it all together before the murderer silences Emma or the suspicions swirling around her destroy her reputation beyond repair?

I enjoyed these charming and quirky characters, the period details of the mystery and Paris setting, and the simmering attraction growing between Emma and Inspector Lefèvre. Although there's a murder and a bit of darkness, it still has the feel of a cozy mystery. Emma's background, and the circumstances that brought her to Paris, are revealed a little at a time, and Lefèvre's even more slowly, and I really liked him. Cècile is a character that is over-the-top and requires a bit more suspension of disbelief to accept. The writing is done well, though I felt that there were too many personification descriptions, especially in the first half or so. They were lovely and creative descriptors for the most part, but lost their charm when there were several per page for successive pages. This was noticeable to me, but didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. And I will be looking for the next installment, eager to find out what is next for Emma, the brooding Inspector, and Emma's interesting friends.

From the publisher:

Paris, 1888. A city of light, love, and deadly secrets.

When American bookseller Emma Greene opens a small English-language bookshop in the Latin Quarter, she hopes for a quiet life among books, not whispers and suspicion.

After the powerful owner of the glittering Maison Fournier department store dies under suspicious circumstances, Emma becomes a reluctant suspect. To save her reputation, she must untanble Parisian society secrets with the help of a guarded detective, a circle of found-family neighbors, and a slow-burn romantic tension that could be just as dangerous as the truth.

A Belle Époque historical cozy mystery with bookshop intrigue, a clever heroine, and romance under gaslight.

Perfect for fans of Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Rhys Bowen, Deanna Raybourn, and Tasha Alexander.

I received a digital copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a book featuring the literary device personification (#44), and has a diacritical mark on the cover (#47) for The 52 Book Club's 2026 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2026

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

Thursday, December 11

Recent Reads - Monet For Nothing

Monet For Nothing by PJ Fitzsimmons - Teddy Quillfeather's third mystery takes the clever flapper to Paris in order to help out her friends Stella and Dabs. The situation is questionable right from the start - it's something to do with Teddy smuggling a painting out of France to England, and Stel and Dabs and all their circle in Paris are strange characters.

There's a lot going on and a lot to keep track of, and Teddy slips lightly through the entire labyrinth, always seeming to have a plan or a backup plan. Stella is supposed to get a painting of her grandmother back to England, but the trick to it is that the painting may have been done by a famous master, which is why it will need smuggling. Shortly after Teddy arrives, Dabs confesses that he's "enhanced" a signature on what is believed to be an unfinished Monet painting . . . that has been authenticated and is scheduled to go to auction. This unlikely crew comes up with a scheme to make enough copies of the unfinished work to confuse the issue, but then the original is stolen which confuses things even more thoroughly!

The characters are exaggerated and often ridiculous, but oddly likeable for all that. Dabs is supposed to be painting for an upcoming exhibition but he can't concentrate. Stella is impatient for Dabs to finally marry her. Mick and Melda are an author couple who are perpetually hosting parties and roasting each other in the way that only truly loving couples can. Oola La is an over-the-top art agent representing Dabs. Even Teddy's dear friend Stilts makes an appearance.

Delightfully fast-paced and packed full of clever alliterations, word plays, and turns of phrase, the narrative certainly kept my attention, though I felt the clues and important details were in danger of being obscured by so many interesting words. I loved the humor and hilarious visuals I imagined from the descriptions. It's not strictly necessary to read the previous Teddy Quillfeather adventures in order to enjoy this one, but it would set you up to enjoy it even more.

From the publisher:

Taking refuge from London's mating season, Teddy travels to Paris for a little light smuggling but soon finds herself at the centre of the impossible heist of a priceless masterpiece on its way to auction. Her friends are under the gavel for forgery, fraud, and filching fine art, but sorting the clues from the counterfeits only gets more surreal as Teddy's seemingly simple smuggling scheme turns into yet another impossible theft, and she must canvas the capricious, suspicious, and radically seditious authors, artists, swindlers, and socialites of the literary Left Bank of 1920s Paris.

Like all Teddy Quillfeather Mysteries, Monet for Nothing aims to frame a caper in comedy for those who take their cosies with a couple of coats of clever.

By the same author: Frauds On Favourite, Hardy Haul at Hardy Hall

I received a digital copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book's plot includes a heist (#5) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot, and at the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by The Intrepid Reader and Baker.

#histficreadingchallenge

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Friday, October 31

Recent Reads - The Terrifying Tales

The Terrifying Tales by Edgar Allen Poe - This collection of classic tales of suspense and horror is one of the spooky books that I inevitably pick up to read during October (my other favorite is Dracula). The only downside for me is this collection doesn't include my very favorite work from Poe - The Raven. The cover features a raven, so I think that's a bit of false advertising!

The collection begins with The Tell-Tale Heart, in which the narrator explains to the reader how and why he murdered his landlord. He describes himself as quite sane and brilliant in his planning, and yet as the events of the day in question unfold, his insanity becomes more chillingly obvious. This is the story I used in my creative writing class as the example of building tension through the repetition and rhythm of the heartbeat. Since the narrator is addressing the reader very directly, I considered this book as breaking the fourth wall for the 52 Book Club Challenge.

The Cask of Amontillado is another classic, and the narrator's planning and cold calculation to be rid of his enemy is so sinister. The Masque of the Red Death and The Fall of the House of Usher are full of spooky atmosphere and fate.

In The Murder in the Rue Morgue and The Purloined Letter, the narrator has struck up a friendship with the eccentric genius M. Dupin, who solves a puzzling and gruesome murder. The Murder in the Rue Morgue is considered the first modern detective story, and the manners and methods of M. Dupin are similar to the more well-known fictional detective Sherlock Holmes so it's easy to see how Poe's work became a model for other detective stories.

The Pit and the Pendulum is the last in the collection, and is another atmosphere-driven short story. The narrator is a victim in a Spanish Inquisition torture chamber. The narrative focuses on the sensory experiences and the fateful knowledge that a horrific death is coming ever closer, building suspense and tension. With each new discovery of what is in his torture chamber, he finds that he escapes one terror only to realize that another worse fate awaits him.

For the October Mini-Challenge, I selected this book for Pick Your Scare Level, and while it's not the gory slasher style horror more common in today's books and movies, I consider it "Keep You Up All Night" level suspense.

This is a book that breaks the fourth wall (#25) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

Friday, September 19

Recent Reads - Murder Most Fair

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber - After wrappng up their last investigation, Verity and Sidney are enjoying a bit of a holiday and time to relax. But when Verity's Great-Aunt Ilse shows up on their doorstep, they have to confront the possibility that wartime enemies may still pose a threat. During the war, Tante Ilse lived in Germany and one of Verity's missions involved her, but now Tante Ilse claims a 'second deserter' had come to her home and that there had been threats made against her and her maid. They've come to England to escape the threats, but it seems to Verity and Sidney that the threats may have followed.

They all go to Verity's family home in Yorkshire, but some of their longtime neighbors are antagonistic and mistrustful of Germans and even of Verity. To make matters worse, Verity and Tante Ilse both think they've seen a familiar face and Tante Ilse says it is that mysterious 'second deserter'. As Verity and Sidney reach out to some contacts for more information, they must also continue to keep Verity's wartime service a secret from her family, and Verity fears Tante Ilse's memory is going. Then Ilse's maid is murdered, and it is up to Verity and Sidney to find the murderer before the people of the town take matters into their own hands in a vindictive search for a stranger that they claim is German.

In addition to the mystery and worries for Tante Ilse that are on Verity's mind, this is her first visit back to the family home in five years . . . since early in the war when her brother was killed in action. Verity has avoided the memories and grief and emotion, and her fraught relationship with her mother, and now she can't put off facing it all any longer.

From the publisher:

All is far from quiet on the home front in USA Today bestselling author Anna Lee Huber's captivating mystery series, in which former Secret Service agent Verity Kent receives a visitor - who is being trailed by a killer . . .

November 1919. A relaxing few weeks by the seaside with her husband, Sidney, could almost convince Verity Kent that life has returned to the pleasant rhythm of pre-war days. Then Verity's beloved Great-Aunt Ilse lands on their doorstep. After years in war-ravaged Germany, Ilse has returned to England to repair her fragile health―and to escape trouble. Someone has been sending her anonymous threats, and Verity's Secret Service contacts can only provide unsettling answers.

Even deep in the Yorkshire Dales, where she joins Verity's family for the holidays, Ilse encounters difficulties. Normally peaceful neighbors are hostile, seeking someone to blame for the losses they've endured. When Ilse's maid is found dead, Verity must uncover whether this is anti-German sentiment taken to murderous lengths, or whether there is a more personal motive at work. Could Verity's shadowy nemesis, Lord Ardmore, be involved? And if so, how much closer to home will the blow land when he inevitably strikes again?

By the same author: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts; A Grave Matter, A Study in Death, A Pressing Engagement, This Side of Murder, As Death Draws Near, A Brush With Shadows, Treacherous Is The Night, An Artless Demise, Secrets in the Mist, Penny for Your Secrets, A Stroke of Malice, A Pretty Deceit, A Wicked Conceit, A Perilous Perspective, A Fatal Illusion, Sisters of Fortune, A Deceptive Composition

This is a book about title with letter M (#) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This is #5 in the Connections Challenge. It is within 30 pages in length, compared to the previous book.

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot, and at the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by The Intrepid Reader and Baker.

#histficreadingchallenge

Thursday, July 24

Recent Reads - 10 Marchfield Square

10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte - In a quiet block of flats in London, a resident is murdered and the landlady doesn't have confidence that the police will handle the case properly, especially since the victim was an unsavory smalltime criminal who was abusive to his wife. Wealthy Celeste van Duren is confident that none of her tenants could be the killer, and certainly not the widow, Linda, but that's what the police seem to think. So she recruits two of the tenants and tasks them with working together to investigate. Audrey is also Celeste's cleaner and has an eye for details and a knack with people. Lewis is a crime writer who has run out of book ideas, but he's got the background in procedure and research. And most definitely does not have a knack with people. Both Audrey and Lewis could use the money Celeste is offering, and when Linda is also murdered, they have an additional incentive to figure out what really happened and get justice for Linda.

The story is told with chapters alternating between Audrey and Lewis as the viewpoint character, with a few chapters from Celeste's viewpoint thrown in here and there. Audrey and Lewis are very different and their partnership for the investigation is uneasy at first, but as they track down clues they realize that each of the residents of Marchfield Square has something to hide, and conclude that it's most likely that the murderer was someone who lived there. They learn to work together and trust each other as they untangle the leads and work through the possible theories.

Inevitably they face danger as they uncover those who had motive and close in on the killer. The growing friendship and trust between Audrey and Lewis is sweet and the glimpses of how Celeste cares for her tenants are endearing. Although there are three murders and the story moves along crisply, I'd still consider this a cozy mystery much more than a thriller or suspenseful mystery. Certainly there are some tense scenes and the closer the amateur detectives get to the solution, the more I was kept on the edge of my seat to see which parts of the theories were right and wrong, and if my solution was the same as Lewis and Audrey's. There is definitely an intriguing twist at the end, one that made me hope there might be a sequel at some point, but even if there isn't, the ending struck a great balance between a satisfying wrap-up and a tantalizing question or two left unanswered.

The comparisons to Only Murders in the Building are apt and I found myself picturing a couple of the characters looking very much like the beloved residents of the Arconia.

From the publisher:

The Paris Apartment meets Only Murders in the Building in this debut murder mystery with an intriguing cast of characters inhabiting a quirky block of flats in modern-day London.

When a minor criminal is murdered in the smallest residential square in London, elderly heiress and landlady Celeste van Duren recruits two of her tenants to investigate. Her cleaner, Audrey, knows everyone and is liked by all, while failed writer Lewis is known by no one. He hates his job, hates his life, and he's not that fond of Audrey either―but Celeste is persuasive.

As they hunt for clues in and around the Square, they discover everyone has something to hide, including their fellow residents. Audrey and Lewis must find a way to work together if they're to find the killer in their midst. Assuming of course, there's just the one . . .

Cozy crime enthusiasts will not be able to get enough of Marchfield Square and its residents.

This is a book published in 2025 (#52) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

Monday, July 14

Recent Reads - The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson - When a bestselling crime author goes missing, the young detective Helgi is given the challenge of finding her or finding out what happened before the press and public realize there's a problem. Helgi hopes to prove his mettle with the case, and maybe his own love of crime and mystery fiction will help him make sense of the few clues available. He faces challenges in his personal life too, with his former girlfriend stalking and threatening his new love interest and his struggles to handle the situations.

There's one flashback timeline in which the author, Elín Jónsdóttir, is being interviewed by an unknown person. We're given the transcript of this interview, and there's a sense that there must be clues for the reader that Helgi doesn't have access to, and it does add to the tension. The sections of transcript are interspersed throughout the story.

In another alternate timeline, the detective that Helgi replaced, Hulda, is doing follow-up work on a bank robbery and murder case. It was apparently the last case she was working on before she disappeared. Again, there's a sense to the reader that the cases or maybe even the disappearances must be related, but at the beginning it's not clear just how.

The tension builds throughout, as Elín's few close friends maintain hope that she is still alive and has just chosen to be incommunicado for reasons of her own. There are some clues that don't fit this solution, so Helgi keeps working at it, and the bits of interview transcript start to fall into place for the reader as well. There are some twists and turns in the solution.

There's some good payoff in how Hulda's investigation has a connection to Helgi's case, but those threads seem loosely woven together, and the way Hulda's timeline concludes makes me wonder if there is more to come in a sequel. Likewise with how the book ends on a cliffhanger, and such an abrupt one that I'm still not sure how I feel about it! I was actually startled that there was not another chapter and I really had reached the end of the book. I enjoyed the read, putting together the clues as best I could, and the rising suspense and subsequent satisfaction of the pieces coming together. However, that abrupt ending was very unsettling and left me puzzled and feeling like I'd missed something important.

This book is a sequel to Death At the Sanitorium: A Mystery, which I understand has a similar layout of Helgi following up on Hulda's previous investigation after her disappearance. I don't think it's necessary to read these in order, but given Hulda's disappearance and the drama in Helgi's personal life, I assume it would probably be very helpful to read in order.

From the publisher:

The next thrilling golden-age-style mystery from the #1 Icelandic bestseller Ragnar Jónasson, author of Death at the Sanatorium and Reykjavik.

One winter evening, bestselling crime author Elín Jónsdóttir goes missing.

There are no clues to her disappearance and it is up to young detective Helgi to crack the case before its leaked to the press.

As Helgi interviews the people closest to her―a publisher, an accountant, a retired judge―he realizes that Elín's life wasn't what it seemed. In fact, her past is even stranger than the fiction she wrote.

As the case of the missing crime writer becomes more mysterious by the hour, Helgi must uncover the secrets of the writer's very unexpected life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

#NetGalley

By the same author: Reykjavik: A Crime Story (with Katrín Jakobsdóttir)

This is a book set in a country with an active volcano (#49) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

Tuesday, July 8

Recent Reads - The Highland Heist

The Highland Heist by Pepper Basham - Frederick and Grace have had several exciting adventures on their honeymoon trip to Egypt and Italy, but before returning to England, Frederick surprises Grace with a visit to her family home in America. But the home has been sold and upon their arrival at her sister's house, there is another shock ― Lillias's husband has just been stabbed and she is the prime suspect and the household is in turmoil. Frederick and Grace try to take charge of the situation and find the real murderer. This is complicated by untrustworthy household staff, a phony police officer, and Lillias's uncooperative attitude.

Amidst all this drama, a solicitor arrives to inform the sisters that their late mother left them an inheritance in Scotland, and they need to claim it together. He has been delayed in finding them, and now time is of the essence if they are to claim the property before it is sold. Lillias grasps at this hope of salvaging her finances, but her name must be cleared before they can depart, so Frederick and Grace race to find out who killed Tony and keep themselves alive. It seems that someone wants to keep them from ever reaching Scotland and finding the original copy of the will!

When Lillias recklessly leaves for Scotland by herself, the pressure is really on Frederick and Grace to get there as quickly as possible not only to find the will but to rescue Lillias from the villain they realize is following her. More surprises await them all as they confront a ruthless killer and hunt for a will in a castle rumored to be haunted.

Coincidences and danger seem to follow Grace everywhere she goes, but her sense of adventure and love of books keeps her optimistic and high-spirited. As a character, she has matured over the series, but still seems very young, showing a childlike quality that borders on naivete at times, but her cheerful boldness and determination make her a very appealing and likeable character. She and Frederick are still in the early days of their marriage and both often reflect on the good fortune of their relationship and the devotion is accompanied by some starry-eyed newlywed behavior as well.

The adventures, coincidences, and character quirks are just exaggerated enough to provide drama and humor, although stretching credulity a bit. Grace's love of story and penchant for viewing everything through the lens of books she has read brings a lighthearted quality to the suspenseful situations, and one can't help but cheer for the fairytale happy endings along with her.

From the publisher:

Grace Storms a Scottish Castle to Save her Sister

Lord Astley surprises his wife with a trip to America to see her family before they end their honeymoon adventures. But just as they arrive, they find Grace's sister, Lillias, is the prime suspect in her husband's murder. To add to the confusion a solicitor arrives to tell the sisters they are needed in Scotland immediately to claim their mother's inheritance.

The clock is ticking to clear Lillias of suspicion, but someone is determined to keep the sisters from reaching the Scottish Highlands. When Lillias disappears, Freddie and Grace race to Scotland, sure the answers will be found in a long-forgotten castle.

With a ghost from Frederick's past leaving threatening clues along the way, the mysterious Mr. Kane waiting in the wings to grab the inheritance for himself, and an apparition haunting the infamous castle, Lord and Lady Astley must capture the castle, save Lillias, and not die in the process.

The Highland Heist is a Freddie and Grace Mystery, sequel to The Mistletoe Countess, The Cairo Curse, and The Juliet Code.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

#TheHighlandHeist #NetGalley

By the same author: The Juliet Code, The Cairo Curse, The Heart of the Mountains, Hope Between the Pages; The Red Ribbon; My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's Dream

This is a book featuring a character with red hair (#2) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot, and at the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by The Intrepid Reader and Baker.

#histficreadingchallenge