The Kindness of Strangers

 

A dead body on page one and I still couldn’t guess how we got there.

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted listen!

Five housemates, one mysterious stranger, and a 1950s London boarding house where everyone has a secret. 

The Kindness of Strangers by Emma Garman is going on my list of books to recommend when someone says they want something like an Agatha Christie. This is slow burning, character driven, atmospheric, and absolutely packed with secrets. It pulled me right in. 

The setting is London, 1953 and the city is still pulling itself out of the war. Honor Wilson runs a boarding house, and she’s picky about who gets a room. We’ve got George, the society girl trying to escape her debutante life. Mina, the small-village girl who came to London to be more than she was. Robbie, the would-be writer haunted by the war. And Saul, the refugee who lost his entire family in the Holocaust. 

Then Jimmy Sullivan turns up at the door one foggy night and Honor lets him stay even though she clearly doesn’t want to. Everyone can feel something is off about him, but no one can put their finger on what. Mina and Saul end up teaming up like an unlikely detective duo to figure out who he actually is, and that’s where the book really gets its hooks in you.

Olivia Dowd’s narration is wonderful. She gave every character their own distinct voice and I never once got lost in the house full of people.

If you like Christie’s group-of-strangers-with-secrets setup or the cozy-with-edge feel of The Thursday Murder Club, grab this one. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you enjoyed this, you might be interested in The Thursday Murder Club.

About the Author

Emma Garman, a Brighton-based writer and critic, has been a columnist for The Paris Review and a contributor to Literary Review, The Daily Beast, Lapham’s Quarterly, and History News Network. She has an MA in creative writing from the City College of New York and an MA in literature from Queen Mary University of London. The Kindness of Strangers is her debut novel.

5 Books to Break Your Reading Slump

Reading slumps are real, and sometimes the only cure is a book that grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go.

These five did exactly that for me. Different vibes, different genres, but every single one of them made me forget what time it was.

Whether you’re in the mood for a sweeping emotional thriller, a twisty legal mystery, or something atmospheric and dark, there’s a book on this list for you. 

All the Colors of the Dark — Chris Whitaker

1975, a small Missouri town, girls going missing, and a one-eyed boy named Patch who does something brave and pays a price for it for decades. This one is part serial killer thriller, part love story, part gut punch. It spans 25+ years and somehow gets more gripping as it goes. Warning: you will ugly cry.

The Violin Conspiracy — Brendan Slocumb

A Black violinist from rural North Carolina discovers the beat-up fiddle his grandmother gave him is actually a Stradivarius worth millions — and then someone steals it days before the most important competition of his life. It’s a mystery, it’s a coming-of-age story, and it’s a look at racism in classical music that will stick with you. The author is an actual violinist, and it shows.

Those Empty Eyes — Charlie Donlea

A teenager is found holding a shotgun at the scene of her family’s massacre. She didn’t do it — but the media dubs her “Empty Eyes” and decides she did. Ten years later, she’s changed her name and is working as a legal investigator when a new case starts connecting to her own unsolved past. Fast-paced and twisty, with an ending I genuinely did not see coming.

The Return of Ellie Black — Emiko Jean

A girl vanishes without a trace. Two years later, she’s found wandering out of the woods — alive, but refusing to talk. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is desperate to find out why, partly because she lost her own sister to violence years ago. Atmospheric, dark, and the twist will drop your jaw. Stephen King called it a “page-turning suspense novel.” He’s not wrong.

The Marsh King’s Daughter — Karen Dionne

Helena has a normal life — husband, kids, jam business. Then she hears on the news that the Marsh King has escaped from prison. Her father. The man who kidnapped her mother and raised Helena in a remote Michigan marsh, completely off the grid. Now she knows the police can’t catch him. But she can. This one is deeply unsettling in the best way.

Looking g for more recommendations? Check out 5 Fast Paced Thrillers You Can Read in a Weekend. 

Follow me on Instagram for book reviews and recommendations. 

 

Three Bags Full

 

When a flock of sheep wakes one morning to find their beloved shepherd George lying dead in the field, they know something isn’t right. Humans may not realize it, but sheep are excellent observers. And this particular flock is determined to uncover the truth.

Leading the investigation is Miss Maple, the sharpest mind in the meadow. She’s joined by Mopple the Whale, a sheep with an enormous appetite and an even more impressive memory, along with the brave Othello and Zora, who tends to drift into existential musings. As the flock quietly watches the humans around them, they begin piecing together clues, puzzling over human behavior, and trying to determine what really happened to George.

Leonie Swann’s Three Bags Full is a delightfully unusual cozy mystery. The premise may sound whimsical, but it’s also surprisingly clever. The sheep’s observations about humans are funny,  and occasionally profound. Seeing human habits and motives through their eyes gives the story a fresh perspective that kept me smiling throughout.

This is definitely a slow-burn mystery that sometimes meanders a bit—much like sheep wandering through a meadow, but the charm of the flock more than makes up for it. These woolly detectives completely won me over.

There is one trigger warning associated with the story, so it may be worth checking beforehand if that’s something you prefer to know in advance.

This charming mystery was first published about 20 years ago, but it’s having a moment again because the movie adaptation is coming out in May. After watching the trailer, it looks pretty adorable.

Thank you to Soho Press for the delightful gifted copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Looking for another book with a delightful animal main character? Check out my review of The Tortoise’s Tale. 

About the Author

Leonie Swann grew up near Munich and earned degrees in philosophy, communications, and psychology from Munich University and the Munich School of Philosophy. Her debut novel, Three Bags Full, was published in 2005 and became an instant hit, leading the German bestseller charts for months. It has since been translated into twenty-six languages and won the prestigious Glauser Prize for crime fiction in the debut category, as well as the PETA Award. She has now published six books and lives and works in the English countryside near Cambridge.

Murder at Holly House

 

Set at Christmastime in 1952, Murder at Holly House drops us into the seemingly sleepy village of Elderby, where Inspector Frank Grasby has been quietly exiled after an earlier investigation went spectacularly sideways thanks to a mishap involving a stable full of very expensive thoroughbred horses and an irritated aristocrat. His new assignment should be harmless enough. Look into the theft of some farm equipment. Nothing to see here or so it seems.

That illusion doesn’t last long. When Grasby discovers a dead man stuffed into a chimney at the local manor house, the case turns sharply darker. As he digs deeper, it becomes clear that Elderby is brimming with secrets, half-truths, and residents who are very much not what they appear to be. What starts as a small village mystery escalates into something far more dangerous, with implications that may reach beyond Elderby and into matters of national security.

Grasby is a delight. He’s charming and smart. He has a wonderfully dry, wry British sense of humor. He’s the kind of detective you’re happy to spend time with, even as the stakes rise and the threats close in. The book balances classic whodunit vibes with post-war tension, exploring themes of class, secrecy, loyalty, and the lingering shadows of World War II.

Tom Turner’s narration is excellent. His performance brings Grasby’s personality to life and captures the shifting moods of the story, from cozy village scenes to moments of genuine menace. It’s an immersive listen and one I didn’t want to end.

This is a terrific choice for Agatha Christie fans, historical fiction readers, and anyone looking for an offbeat holiday mystery that’s cozy but not toothless. Many thanks to Sourcebooks Audio for the gifted audiobook. Murder at Holly House is available now and it’s well worth your time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy Monday bookish pals! QOTD: Do you like your holiday reads cozy and classic, or dark with a little bite?

#audiobookreview #murderathollyhouse #historicalmystery

#cozymysteryvibes #britishmystery

#holidayreads #christmasmystery

#whodunit #bookstagrammystery

#audiobooklover #bookishescape

#wintersreads #readmoremysteries

About the Author

Denzil Meyrick was from Campbeltown on the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyll. After studying politics, he enjoyed a varied career as a police officer, distillery manager, a director of several companies, and an executive producer of a major TV adaptation of his books. Regarded as 'One of Scotland's finest writers' (SWH), he was the No.1 New York Times bestselling author of the DCI Daley series, and the Detective Frank Grasby mysteries, including the Waterstones Thriller of the Month pick, Murder at Holly House. Denzil died peacefully at his home beside Loch Lomond in Scotland, in February 2025.

The Killer Question

 

Author: Janice Hallett

Narrator: full cast

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Publication date: September 23, 2025

Such a clever story! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you Simon Audio for the #gifted audiobook The Killer Question by Janice Hallett. 

Sue and Mal Eastwood run an out of the way pub where the weekly trivia game is the big draw. Then a body is found in a nearby river. If that’s not bad enough, a new unbeatable trivia team arrives and disrupts the pub’s friendly competition. As Sue and Mal, try to figure out if the new team is cheating, they’re also working to keep their own secrets under wraps. 

Clever story telling and excellent plotting makes this book standout. The story unfolds through emails, text messages, witness statements, and dialogue from police body camera footage. I loved how Hallett put it all together so seamlessly. There a large cast of often quirky characters, a dual timeline, and surprising twists. This cozy mystery certainly kept me on my toes. 

I absolutely loved the full cast narration. I think it would have been difficult to keep track of who was who without a full cast. Instead I got a very immersive listening experience. They truly brought all the characters and the story to life. Hallett is a new to me author and I’ll definitely be dipping into her backlist. The Killer Question is out now.

Happy Wednesday #bookish friends! What was your last 5⭐️ read? 

#bookreview #thekillerquestion #booklover #audiobooks #mysterybooks #cozymystery

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man

 

Author/ Jesse Q Sutanto

Narrator: Eunice Wong

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Year: 2025

Happy Wednesday bookish friends! My new favorite sleuth is back for more fun, food, fixing strangers’ lives, and solving a murder in Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man by Jesse Q. Sutanto. This is the second book is the series and it’s just as fun and charming as the first book. 

Business at Vera’s teahouse has picked up. Her relationship with her son has improved She’s no longer lonely thanks a close knit group of friends. But she’s a little bored and misses the excitement of an investigation. When Vera meets a distressed young woman who’s looking for her missing friend, Vera jumps into action. Here the full summary from the publisher: 

Ever since a man was found dead in Vera's teahouse, life has been good. For Vera that is. She’s surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son, Tilly, has a girlfriend! All thanks to Vera, because Tilly's girlfriend is none other than Officer Selena Gray. The very same Officer Gray that she had harassed while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn't be ungrateful, even if one is slightly...bored.

Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance. The young woman is looking for a missing friend. Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tilly and Selena's, Vera finds a treasure trove: Selena's briefcase. Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer—who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for. 

Online, Xander had it all: a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer. The only problem is, after his body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can't seem to actually identify him. Who is Xander Lin? Nobody knows. Every contact is a dead end. Everybody claims not to know him, not even his parents.

Vera is determined to solve Xander's murder. After all, doing so would surely be a big favor to Selena, and there is nothing she wouldn't do for her future daughter-in-law.

Once again Vera pulls complete strangers into her orbit as she investigates the disappearance and subsequent murder of a young man. Her investigation leads her into the brutal and dangerous world of trafficking. But Vera persists until the case is solved. All while gathering a new group of young people into her circle of friendship and straightening out their lives with her special brand of tough love and food. Lots of food. 

Narrator Eunice Wong provides another fantastic performance and brings the colorful characters to life. This could be read as a stand alone, but I recommend reading the previous book, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, first. That way you’ll have the backstory of how Vera got into the detective business and you’ll be more familiar with many the characters. Don’t miss out on this delightful and endearing series! 

What’s for dinner tonight? My daughter and I are going out for dinner tonight. 

About the Author

Jesse Q Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Indonesia, Singapore, and Oxford, and considers all three places her home. She has a Masters from Oxford University, but she has yet to figure out how to say that without sounding obnoxious. Jesse has forty-two first cousins and thirty aunties and uncles, many of whom live just down the road. She used to game but with two little ones and a husband, she no longer has time for hobbies. 

Vera Wang’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

 

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Narrator: Eunice Wong

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Year: 2023

Do you read cozy mysteries? Here’s a fantastic cozy mystery. It’s Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutano. When Vera, the elderly owner of a tea shop, finds a dead body she decides to solve the murder.

I usually like my mysteries gritty and hard boiled, but I loved this fun cozy. Vera is an absolute gem of a character. She’s a little pushy and thinks she knows best, but she has a big heart and she’s funny as heck. Vera starts out as a lonely widow in her failing tea shop. She has one regular customer and a son who has a busy career. Finding the body and playing detective gives her purpose and a group of new friends. Sure, her new friends are all suspects in the murder investigation, but Vera knows she’ll crack the case. 

This is a humorous and touching story of friendship with a well plotted mystery that has lots of twists and turns. The audiobook with narration by Eunice Wong is fabulous! I highly recommend it. When I finished listening to it, I immediately put a library hold on the second book which published in April. I’m so here for more of Vera’s adventures. 

About the Author

Jesse Q. Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Indonesia, Singapore, and Oxford, and considers all three places her home. She has a Masters from Oxford University, but she has yet to figure out how to say that without sounding obnoxious. Jesse has forty-two first cousins and thirty aunties and uncles, many of whom live just down the road. She used to game but with two little ones and a husband, she no longer has time for hobbies. She aspires to one day find one (1) hobby.

Murder Takes a Vacation

 

Author: Laura Lippman

Publisher: William Morrow

Publication date: June 17, 2025

Thank you William Morrow Books & NetGalley for the e-arc! 

Laura Lippman takes a turn to the cozy side of the mystery genre in her upcoming book. Not to worry, there’s still an enticing murder to solve. 

Muriel Blossom is a grandmother,  a widow, & recent lottery winner. She’s at an age where many women blend into the background, which helped with the bit of private investigative works she’s done. Mrs. Blossom is on her way to Paris when she meets handsome & charming Allan. He’s the first man to spark something in Mrs. Blossom since her beloved husband died. She didn’t expect to see Allan again, let alone for him to turn up dead in Paris. She also keeps running into a young man named Danny who tells her Allan was involved with smuggling a precious piece of art. Danny thinks Mrs. Blossom knows more than she letting on about the smuggling & the murder. As Mrs. Blossom embarks on a cruise up the Seine, she has more questions than answers & more men flirting with her. As the cruise progresses, the danger increases. Can Mrs Blossom find answers before it’s too late? 

I love Mrs Blossom! Kudos to Lippman for giving us a mature female detective. I loved seeing this character literally bloom throughout the her journey. She found strength & courage when she needed it most. I also enjoyed Mrs Blossom teaming up with Danny. They made an unlikely, but engaging pair of investors. This is a well constructed whodunnit sprinkled with Lippman’s usual wry wit. I found the whole book absolutely delightful. And I want more! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Murder Takes a Vacation publishes June 17 just in time to be your perfect beach read. 

QOTD: do you read cozy mysteries or do you prefer more hard boiled? 

I usually prefer hard boiled mysteries. 

About the Author

Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at The(Baltimore) Sun. She began writing novels while working fulltime and published seven books about “accidental PI” Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism. Her work has been awarded the Edgar, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and Barry awards. She also has been nominated for other prizes in the crime fiction field, including the Hammett and the Macavity. She was the first-ever recipient of the Mayor’s Prize for Literary Excellence and the first genre writer recognized as Author of the Year by the Maryland Library Association. She was recently named a 2025 Grand Masters award recipient by the Mystery Writers of America. 

#murdertakesavacation #lauralippman #williammorrow #netgalley #crimefiction #cosymystery #mysteryfiction #thrillerfiction #parisfiction #vacation #bookstagram #reader #bookrecommendation