Tag: Mystery

Books, Reading

Re Post Review: The Prisoner in the Castle (Maggie Hope Mystery #8) by Susan Elia MacNeal

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Re Post Review: The Prisoner in the Castle (Maggie Hope Mystery #8) by Susan Elia MacNeal

When I first discovered the Maggie Hope books back in 2012, I was overjoyed to find another new and exciting sleuth but this time with a new twist, she was more of a spy versus an amateur detective.

As time has gone by, I have grown incredibly attached to Maggie Hope and her author, Susan Elia MacNeal. I was one of the first readers of this series and one of the first people to openly love and rave about Maggie to anyone who would listen.

Since then, there have been eight books and each one so different from the other. Her character arc has gone in a number of different ways and while I haven’t loved every single change in her character, I am never bored and always come back to this series as an absolute favorite of mine.

I am thrilled to share with you guys that the eighth mystery is out now in paperback and I think could easily be read as a stand alone book. If you have been debating whether to pick up a Maggie Hope mystery or not, now is the time to pull the trigger! In honor of the paperback release this week, I have re posted my review of The Prisoner in the Castle for your enjoyment! Continue reading “Re Post Review: The Prisoner in the Castle (Maggie Hope Mystery #8) by Susan Elia MacNeal” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Undertaker’s Assistant by Amanda Skenandore

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Undertaker’s Assistant by Amanda Skenandore

The setting of this book instantly caught my eye and made me want to read it. It is set in Reconstruction Era Louisiana and features an undertakers assistant as the heroine. As many of you know, my Masters thesis was on women in Civil War nursing specifically Southern nurses through the Reconstruction era.

So to say that this book caught my eye was an understatement—I was practically chomping at the bit to read it! I finished my Masters degree three years ago, and since then I have not read a ton of books set in the Civil War or Reconstruction eras mostly because I felt burnt out but every once in a while, a book catches my eye and I can’t resist it—hence this book.

The other thing that excited me about this book was the main character, who is a freed slave who returns to the South to work as an embalmer. I thought this was an interesting angle and was excited to see how it played out in the story. Continue reading “Review: The Undertaker’s Assistant by Amanda Skenandore” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards

This is a book that I was looking forward to for quite some time. I was really interested in the family dynamics in this summary, especially since I am the oldest sister and my younger sister and I are in constant completion with each other.

I thought this one would yield interesting family relationships and dynamics as well as present a fascinating mystery with lots of things to question and debate.

Plus this author has written a number of books, most of which are women fiction or romance, sprinkled with a few mysteries. This one sounded like it was going to be a little darker and more complex than her usual books. I have never read anything by this author before, but I was eager to discover her style and writing. Continue reading “Review: A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Death in a Desert Land (Agatha Christie #3) by Andrew Wilson

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Death in a Desert Land (Agatha Christie #3) by Andrew Wilson

I would venture to say that most people have heard of the great mystery writer Agatha Christie. She’s written so many classic mysteries and I would be hard pressed to meet someone who hasn’t heard of at least one of her books in one way or another.

Because she is so recognizable and such a classic mystery writer, I was thrilled to see that someone had turned her into her own fictional sleuth. My first thought when I saw that someone had done this, was that it sounded hokey. Agatha Christie is such an icon and to mess with that and turn her into a fictionalized detective sounded trite…..but at the same time, I was also here for it.

Especially when I read the description. It sounded like Agatha Christie was going to be kind of a female Indiana Jones—at least in this book—who solves crime. And to be honest, I didn’t care how hokey this book could potentially be, I just knew that I needed to read it! Continue reading “Review: Death in a Desert Land (Agatha Christie #3) by Andrew Wilson” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Murder in the City of Liberty (Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery #2) by Rachel McMillan

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: Murder in the City of Liberty (Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery #2) by Rachel McMillan

When this book popped up for review, I was thrilled! I haven’t read the first book in the series, but it has been on my radar. Then this one came up and I was eager to dive in.

I am absolutely in love with the cover and can’t get enough of the colors and the gorgeous art deco details in the background. I felt like the cover absolutely captures the time period and would make readers excited to pick this one up……I know I was excited!

With this being the second book, I was hopeful that I hadn’t missed too much of the character back stories and that I wouldn’t be too lost. I also liked that it was set in Boston and not the typical New York or London settings that are so popular in many historical mysteries. Continue reading “Review: Murder in the City of Liberty (Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery #2) by Rachel McMillan” →