Lukasik blends all the elements needed for a dark suspense novel: a forbidding mansion, ghostly presences, secret passages, a hostile housekeeper, a temperamental employer, and residents unwilling to talk to outsiders. For fans of Rebecca, The Woman in White, and The Death of Mrs. Westaway.
Odessa’s psychic gifts (divining a person’s emotions by seeing colored glimmers around their head, and sensing and smelling things that others can’t) are a creative plot device. Her aunts add humor to the mystery, and it’s good to see characters from the previous novels return. Recommend to fans of paranormal cozies and culinary mysteries.
Thorogood gives the locked-room mystery a fun, modern twist that fleshes out the lives of its quirky protagonists; perfect for fans of Richard Osman’s “Thursday Murder Club” series.
The quirky village residents make this an appealing series debut. Characters from Shea’s “French Village Murder” series also appear in this book, but that does not detract from the storyline. Recommended for those who enjoyed the author’s previous series and for fans of M.L. Longworth, Martin Walker, and Serena Kent.
In this sequel to Augusta Hawke, Augusta is further developed and comes into her own as an investigator, though it could have used more scenes with her friend Misaki Jones and with Detective Steve Narduzzi. For Malliet fans.
The weather, as an additional character in the plot, is very effective. Though part of a series, this book can be read as a stand-alone. Recommended for fans of Carlene O’Connor and the “County Cork” series by Sheila Connolly.
This is another entertaining addition to the series. Subplots, featuring familiar characters from previous books, add to the story line. Recommended for followers of the series and fans of library cozy mysteries by Eva Gates and Holly Danvers.