With January seeming to last 51 days rather than 31, I would have thought I might have read more books, but it turned out to be a fairly average reading month. I read six books on my Kindle, two books in print, and listened to one audiobook. One of the books was a digital "advance reader's copy" or ARC, which I was approved to read through NetGalley. This is a cool thing. Publishers want upcoming books reviewed before their publication date in order to get a "buzz" going. If you have a book you are interested in, you may be approved to read it in exchange for a review in advance of its publication. 

I finished up 2024 with a cozy Christmas mystery/romance called The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter. This is a locked-room-style mystery very much in the manner of Agatha Christie. The publisher's description says, "The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas." Two rival authors have been invited to a Christmas house party at the home of a world-renowned mystery author. A terrible storm ensues, the author disappears, and our two main characters struggle valiantly to find out what happened, and of course, in the process, they become closer to each other. This was cozy and fun, and just right to read during the holidays. 4 stars

How To Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is a mystery with a small English village vibe to it. As a teenager, Frances Adams is told by a fortune teller that one day she will be murdered. She spends the rest of her life trying to make sure that doesn't happen-to the point of obsession. Ultimately, when she is in her 70s, the prediction comes true. Frances dies, and it looks as if she has been murdered. Meanwhile, niece Annie Adams has been summoned to her reclusive Great Aunt Frances' estate. When she arrives, Frances is dead. Annie is determined to get to the bottom of things, and luckily due to her aunt's obsession, there are a ton of notes left by her aunt that point to just about everyone in their quaint English village as suspects. This book was a cozy, engrossing, and clever mystery that I really enjoyed. 4 stars

After reading a couple of cozy mysteries, I was ready to shake things up a bit with more of a thriller-style book. A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison fit the bill nicely. Here's the setup: Celebrated author Columbia Jones is at the pinnacle of her career when she is found murdered in her hotel bed while on a book tour. The police have nothing to go on, and the author's daughter, a hungry journalist, and a savvy cop start digging into Columbia's past and discover there were plenty of people who may have wanted her dead. The fast pace, interesting plot, and well-drawn characters made this book a real page-turner. Free on Kindle Unlimited.
4 stars

The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring is the first book in a series about small-town America. Set in 1990, life seems fairly humdrum in Dalton, Maine, until you get a glimpse of what is going on behind closed doors. The book is slow-paced and offers character studies of the various residents of this rural town, each one of whom is featured in a chapter. The characters were well-sketched and very believable. Many topics are addressed in the book, such as post-partum depression, homophobia, fat-shaming, and domestic abuse. I recommend this book to literary fiction lovers. Others may find the pace too slow and the subject matter somewhat depressing. 4 stars

Needing a change of pace, I turned to a romance book by one of my favorite authors of that genre. Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez is the third book in her Friend Zone series. The publicist's blurb says "A brilliant and touching romantic comedy about two polar opposites, one adorable dog, and living each day to its fullest." Vanessa Price is a popular YouTube influencer whose life changes drastically when she assumes custody of her drug-addicted half-sister's infant daughter. The last person Vanessa expects help from is her cranky but hot next-door neighbor, lawyer Adrian Copeland. As with this author's other books, this one deals with more serious topics as well as romance. Vanessa suspects she may have inherited the gene for ALS, as her mother and sister have both succumbed to the disease. Vanessa is determined to live her life fully and not get involved romantically because she fears she will die before she is 30. This makes for great tension between her and her neighbor, who begins to fall in love with both Vanessa and baby Samantha. I laughed, I cried, and I loved every minute of this book. 5 stars

The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay was my advanced reader's copy, and did I ever strike it lucky with this one. I loved this book from start to finish. You are lucky too, because it is now published and available for you to read! Here's the setup:  It is 1898 and Quinn Le Blanc is the most talented con woman in London. She masquerades as the season's most desirable debutante in order to gain access to Max Kendall, an eligible duke with a massive fortune. It turns out the Kendall family has plenty of secrets of its own and other games of deception may be afoot. The author's development of strong female characters was especially good and I found myself rooting for the supposed "villains". I also enjoyed the mention of actual landmarks in London and their description in the Victorian time period. This book has more twists than a pretzel and I really enjoyed it. Give me a con caper set in the Victorian era and I am totally onboard. 4.5 stars

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Australian debut author Anna Johnston is going to be your cup of tea if you love a heart-warming story featuring an older adult. At eighty-two, Frederick Fife is lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. A case of mistaken identity lands him in a comfortable nursing home, where he meets a cast of characters that form a new found "family" for him. This is an at times amusing novel of forgiveness, redemption, and finding family. I listened to the audio version. 3.5 stars

The Axeman's Carnival by New Zealand author Catherine Chidgey was a first for me. A first, in that it is written from the point of view of a magpie. Yes, you read that right, but before you dismiss this book and move on, let me tell you about it. Tama, the magpie who narrates this book, is rescued by Marnie, who raises him despite her odious husband's threats to "wring his neck".  Tama is a mimic who picks up just about any phrase he hears spoken with hysterically funny results. Marnie starts posting YouTube videos of Tama's hilarious speech, and he becomes an internet sensation. Even through the humor, the reader develops an impending sense of dread by reading Tama's observations of the relationship between Marnie and her volatile husband Rob. This book was masterfully written. I cried, I was furious, I laughed out loud, and most of all, I developed deep feelings for magpie Tama. This was an enormously satisfying book, and so well done. Don't miss it. 5 stars

Listen For the Lie by Amy Tintura. Have you been hankering for a really good thriller? If so, I've got a great recommendation for you. Lucy has moved to LA to get away from her hometown, where at the age of 17, her best friend Savvy was murdered. Lucy was the prime suspect, but nothing could be proven. Lucy has lost all memory of the night her friend died, and her family and the citizens of her hometown are all convinced she did the deed. A well-known true crime podcaster has come to town to interview everyone who knew Lucy and Savvy and to hopefully solve the mystery of who killed the teenage girl. Lucy has vowed never to return but has caved to pleas to attend her beloved grandma's 80th birthday party. The point of view alternates from Lucy's perspective and snippets of the podcast interviews with family and townspeople. My eyes were glued to the pages of this twisty thriller, which has been nominated for both Goodread's 2024 Reader's Favorite Mystery and Thriller as well as 2024 Reader's Favorite Audiobook. 4.5 stars

Hope you love these books as much as I did! Let us know in the comments what sounds good to you, or what you have read.

In other news, Sara and I have a new podcast episode up, "Backburner Books". Click on the Reeding Between the Lines logo to the right to listen, or go to YouTube to watch us in person.