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Marion Lane and the Character of a Conclusion
It’s probably a good sign when you start out with the audiobook version and get so impatient that you switch to the written word. It’s a rare occurrence for me, because I usually listen to nonfiction that can function as extended podcast. Or, if I’m listening to fiction, it’s of the cozy variety that does…
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TCO Reviews: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies is an Autumn book in spirit, but not in practice. Despite the academic vibes, the book actually takes place over a dark, frigid, Norwegian winter. But the latest entry in the series, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is a perfect fireside material. (Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for…
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An introverted adventurer: Emily Wilde and pushing boundaries
The start of Fall is, for me, inextricably linked with Academia, not just because it’s the start of school. When the wind gets nippy there’s no better place to escape than a library, full of books and blankets. Warm sweaters and overcoats are Peak School Vibes. And the candles of Autumn decor seem to mesh…
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TCO Reviews: Starter Villain by John Scalzi
There’s nothing like a good Evil Villain scheme to get Autumn well on its way. As the leaves turn and the wind gets nippy, it seems like the world itself is starting to plot against us. And while I may not be able to impact the earth’s movements around the sun, I can at least…
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The caricature and the compass: different lenses into crime
I recently came across two explorations of the crime genre that happened to intersect at an interesting time. The first: Kate Jackson (of crossexaminingcrime.com)’s wonderfully funny new release How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel. (Thanks to In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel for this find!) And second, an episode of Revisionist History by…
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TCO Reviews: Board to Death by CJ Connor
The exploration of the small-business cozy mystery continues, with a different “flavor” of the subgenre. We’re moving from an ode to independence in Color Me Murder to a more nuanced look at the small business experience (and some of the other beats that ride along). And Board to Death, a recent release by CJ Connor,…
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Cozy capitalism in Color Me Murder
OK, so the hiatus has gone on a bit longer than expected, but I am planning to be SOLIDLY back. The good news is, I’ve been doing so much reading in the interim, and so I’m very very excited to share some great new reads with all of you. This week, we’re going full entrepreneurial…
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Mixing Murder and Mythology in Threads that Bind
I’ve loved mythology stories since elementary school, and 2023 has been an unexpectedly fun year for them. From VenCo to Thief Liar Lady to The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, this year has served up a number of remixes on tales from the past. The best of these stories, in my opinion, do more than simply…
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A Caribbean Mystery, Part 2: Social capital and social awareness
Summer in the Bay Area is cold and foggy – I literally walk to work in a puffer jacket. And so I’ve been looking forward to escaping into the BBC (1989) and iTV (2013) adaptations of A Caribbean Mystery. Who could fault hours and hours of palm trees and ocean vistas? Well… maybe me, as…
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A Caribbean Mystery, Part 1: Compare and contrast, setup and payoff
The Summer of Scandal continues with perhaps one of my favorite Miss Marple stories: A Caribbean Mystery. This one has it all – an exotic resort setting, a unique Marple challenge, and so many rich people behaving so, so badly. Affairs? Got ‘em (multiple!). Gossip? Got it. And it wouldn’t be a Miss Marple book…