Are you looking for some new mysteries? Mysteries have been very popular here this past year, so here are some mini reviews of four new mysteries I’ve recently read, and one classic mystery.
Death on the Nile, by Agatha Christie has been keeping mystery readers up late since 1937. A new movie version 
featuring Kenneth Branagh as private detective Hercule Poirot is expected this fall. The setting is appealing, if a bit menacing, featuring a cruise on Egypt’s Nile River. A rich heiress and her new husband, a mother and daughter, a great aunt and her niece, an author and her son are all featured, along with the renowned Belgian detective and the jilted lover of another passenger. If you enjoy twisty plots with an atmospheric setting and an intensifying pace, this is still a wonderful read, if you can overlook some dated cultural references.
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke is the latest in the popular cozy Hannah Swendson series,
where everyone in Lake Eden, Minnesota drops into The Cookie Jar for a cup of coffee and all the latest news. A much disliked resident of Lake Eden is found by dead by one of Hannah’s sisters, and Hannah has to solve the mystery to clear her sister’s name. Full of tempting recipes, this is the perfect mix of mystery and comfort read.
An Extravagant Death by Charles Finch is a Victorian era mystery in which Charles Lennox, a 
private detective in London, visits New England and finds his detecting skills needed in opulent Newport, Rhode Island, when a young debutante is found dead on the beach. Charles misses his family dreadfully, and considers leaving his profession, especially after a close call.
Death in Daylesford by Kerry Greenwood will be published June 1. I won’t share too much of the
plot yet, but I can guarantee that it’s a delight to read. It’s been several years since the last Phryne Fisher historical mystery set in Melbourne, Australia, but this is worth the wait. The popular television series, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, has been filling the gap for many fans of this Jazz Age series.
Mystery of the Drowned Driver by Shanna Swendson is the third novella in the Lucky Lexie cozy 
mystery series, featuring a young newspaper editor in small town Texas whose boss is the ghost of the founding editor. Lexie wonders if her days in town are numbered as she stirs up ill feeling with questions about recent sales of family farms.
All of these titles are available from Libby/Media on Demand and/or Hoopla, several of them as audiobooks. Enjoy!
Brenda
breaks at work.
At work I’m also reading Musical Chairs, by Amy Poeppel, a contemporary novel about the founding members of a musical trio. This is a book I’m considering for a future book discussion.
first Agatha Christie mystery, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. I haven’t read many of her mysteries featuring Hercule Poirot, and this one is recommended.
ies.
