Penni Justice - Author

I thoroughly enjoyed this tenth installment of Lauren Elliliot's Beyond the Page cozy mystery series. While the other nine books should be read in order, A Limited Edition Murder can be read as a stand-alone. 

In this book, Addie Greyborne and her dog, Pippi, temporarily live in a picturesque village in West Yorkshire, England. Addie needed a break from her life in Massachusetts, so she left her friend and employee Paige in charge of her Beyond the Page Books and Curios store. Of course, Addie misses her best friend, Serena, who continually begs her to hurry home.

As expected, Addie is drawn into an intriguing new murder mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, the mystery, and the new characters. The only thing that felt odd was Serena and Paige's visit, as I didn't feel like they added much to the story. I assume the next book will reveal whether Addie stays in England or returns home, and I'm eagerly anticipating it. 

If I had to choose, I'd let Addie remain in that quaint little village and let Paige continue running her store. She could always go back to the States for visits.

"The Women" is another fantastic and well-researched novel by Kristin Hannah, telling the story of a young twenty-year-old nursing student who joins the Army Nurse Corps and heads to Vietnam in 1965. We follow Frankie's life and her relationships, including those with her family and friends, which have helped shape her life. This story serves as a history lesson for so many who aren't familiar with the atrocities of this war and the controversy back home in the States. It also reveals the struggle of all the courageous men and women who served to treat the wounded under terrible conditions, only to be spat on when they returned home. The phrase "no women served in Vietnam" may have been overused a bit, but I'm sure that was said by many politicians, not knowing how to handle the lack of support for that war. Speaking of lack of support, these women returning home didn't have any support, and many suffered from PTSD. It is appalling but not surprising for those times.

While I was a very young girl, I remember the later years that were covered in this book. I, too, had an MIA bracelet, so hearing about them again brought back so many memories of this time. I recently discovered the details of the MIA Air Force pilot on my bracelet. Unfortunately, his plane was shot down by a rocket; he ejected and then landed south of Dong Lam. He died and was buried there, although his remains were recovered and returned to his family many years later.   

I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't want to put it down. As I said, it was another great read by Kristin Hannah, and I can't wait for her next one. 

I enjoyed Carlene O'Connor's "Murder in an Irish Village," the first book in her Irish Village Mystery series. I'll admit it took me a few chapters to get into it, but I soon found the protagonist, Siobhán O'Sullivan, entertaining. The setting is the village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland. I watch quite a bit of Irish television and movies, so some of the Irish phrases are familiar. There is also a bit of humor throughout, and I found myself laughing out loud a few times. Get used to seeing the words "brown bread" throughout the book, which is Siobhán's most requested recipe. 

Siobhán and her siblings, known as "the six," run the bistro after the tragic death of their parents. Of course, there is a murder to solve, and quite a few suspects keep the reader guessing. As soon as I finished this book, I immediately began reading the second book in the Irish Village Mystery series. 

If you would like to leave a comment, this review is posted on Goodreads. 

A Body on the Beach is the first in P. F. Ford’s West Wales Murder Mysteries. Detective Norman Norman is brought out of retirement to join the Llangwelli Police Department in West Wales as the new DS to work Di Sarah Southall and a new team of inexperienced recruits. The department is used to having the big cases taken away from them, so they must quickly solve the mystery and prove their department has what it takes to solve crimes. The body found on the beach is a local woman, Kimberly Lawrence, and her husband hadn’t even reported that she was missing. Not only is Norman getting used to working with this new team to solve the murder, but he is also adjusting to the rainy climate and slower pace of life in this region, which makes it a perfect setting for this story.

There was a lot of dialogue, but it works for the police procedural mystery, with likable, relatable characters and their flaws. The setting is intriguing, and the mystery has several twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the very end.

I enjoyed this book so much that I quickly finished all the available books in this series and wanted to learn more about the author, P. F. Ford, who started writing later in life than most authors. I also discovered that Norman Norman is a character in the author’s previous series, Slater & Norman Mysteries. I’m already at book 10 of 14 of that one because they are fast and entertaining reads. Norman is my favorite character in the Slater & Norman series, so it’s no surprise that P.F. Ford chose to use him in the new West Wale Murder Mysteries.

If you are a fan of Ann Cleeves, J.D. Kirk, Matt Brolly, and British television mysteries like Vera and Shetland, you will most likely enjoy P.F. Ford’s mystery series.

“There was power in literature. Brilliant and undeniable.” It has been a while since I read a book that moved me as much as “The Keeper of Hidden Books” by Madeline Martin. It is a historical fiction novel set during the German occupation of Warsaw, Poland, during WWII, yet highly relevant today. Not only is Martin’s research impressive, but she also masterfully crafts a heart-wrenching story of friendship, family, love, and a fight to preserve Polish culture. I rarely cry while reading books, but I could barely finish the final chapters through my tears. “It whispered to her in the silence, a promise only a book can make to a reader, to offer a journey unique to them, tailored to the path that life had led them.”

There are so many quotes I could post, but just two more to leave you with.

“Books inspired free thought and empathy, an overall understanding and acceptance of everyone.”

“And when I read those texts, I looked for the deeper meaning in them, the hidden message intended to expand one’s soul in a way vocabulary expands the mind.”

Powerful and moving text by Madeline Martin. Well written! I will certainly re-read this in the future. 

The Man Who Died Twice was such an enjoyable read. I found myself laughing out loud many times. Of course, it's not all laughs with these lively pensioners, as the Thursday Murder Club has new murders to solve. There are also new romances, touching moments with Ron's grandchild, action, and intrigue. How wonderful it would be to live such an adventurous life at that age! While I do love Elizabeth, Ron, and Ibrahim,  Joyce has me in stitches! She is also quite the detective, much to the surprise of some.

While I also really enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club, I liked this book even more. I just found out production has begun on a new film, and they did an outstanding job with casting the main four! 

"Murder in Galway" is the first in Carlene O'Connor's "Home to Ireland" series. The protagonist, Tara Meehan, is from New York City and goes to Ireland to scatter her mother's ashes. I especially love her introduction to Galway. I also enjoyed Danny's character and look forward to the next book to see if he is still in the picture. Tara was interesting, sometimes a little too pushy and blunt, especially when questioning potential suspects, but I liked her and the story, which kept me wanting to see how the story ended. I am getting ready to begin book two.

I recently read all the books in this author's other series, Irish Village Mystery, and loved them all. I finished them one after the other because I love the protagonist, Siobhán O'Sullivan, especially her wit, and I also liked the setting and other characters. 

Overall, I was torn about whether to give "Murder in Galway" a 3 or 4-point rating, probably a 3.5, so I rounded to 4. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Irish Village series, but I did enjoy it.

After my husband and I put our three children through college, I wanted to return to school to earn another degree to improve my writing skills. While I have been a professional music publicist for 20 years, this time I wanted to focus on fiction. I'm so excited to announce that in May 2023, I will graduate from Southern New Hampshire University with a B.A. in Creative Writing & English with a concentration in fiction writing.

During one of my classes, I began writing a cozy mystery story and plan to publish that book in 2023. "Blueprint for Murder" is what I hope will be the first in a book series set in the small North Georgia town where my husband and I live. 

I am also writing a historical fiction novel that I will tell you more about in the near future!

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I have enjoyed reading the Beyond the Page Murder Series by USA Today bestselling author Lauren Elliott. 

A small town in New England is the setting for protagonist Addie Greyborne. She moves to the town founded by her ancestors during colonial times, which makes for some exciting history backstories. 

After previously working with rare books at the Boston Public Library, she is now the owner of Beyond the Page Bookstore specializing in rare books. Of course, with any good cozy mystery, there are crimes to solve and friends to help solve them!. I especially enjoy the holiday theme stories. 

The series has eight books, with the ninth installment scheduled for release this year.

Check out more about Beyond the Paige Murder Series on Goodreads.