Ill Wind

Title: Ill Wind
Author: Nevada Barr
Published: April 6th 1995 by G. P. Putnam‘s Sons
Format: Hardcover, 309 pagess
Genre: Mystery
Series: Anna Pigeon #3

First Sentence: No graveyards; that botheredAanna. People died. Unless you ate them, burned them, mailed them to a friend, the bodies had to go somewhere.

From the Publisher: Lately, visitors to Mesa Verde have been bringing home more than photos–they’re also carrying a strange, deadly disease. And once it strikes, park ranger Anna Pigeon must find the very human source of the evil wind. (Penguin Random House)

My Opinion: Molly. It is always going to be Molly which brings me back to this series with her humor and spot on sisterly advice. Ranger Anna Pigeon may not always have her life together, but her battered heart is always in the right place. Ill Wind is part travelogue, part history lesson, part mystery, and part human interest where Nevada Barr brings her readers a story with no winners but maybe Anna will find the healing which is desperately needed.

Fallen

Title: Fallen
Author: Linda Castillo
Published: July 6th 2021 by Minotaur Books
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Kate Burkholder #13

First Sentence: She knew coming back after so many years would be difficult, especially when she’d left so much hurt behind when she departed.

From the Publisher: When a young woman is found murdered in a Painters Mill motel, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is shocked to discover she once knew the victim. Rachael Schwartz was a charming but troubled Amish girl who left the fold years ago and fled Painters Mill. Why was she back in town? And who would kill her so brutally?

Kate remembers Rachael as the only girl who was as bad at being Amish as Kate was—and those parallels dog her. But the more Kate learns about Rachael's life, the more she's convinced that her dubious reputation was deserved. As a child, Rachael was a rowdy rulebreaker whose decision to leave devastated her parents and best friend. As an adult, she was charismatic and beautiful, a rabble-rouser with a keen eye for opportunity no matter who got in her way. Her no-holds-barred lifestyle earned her a lot of love and enemies aplenty—both English and Amish.

As the case heats to a fever pitch and long-buried secrets resurface, a killer haunts Painters Mill. Someone doesn’t want Rachael’s past—or the mysteries she took with her to the grave—coming to light. As Kate digs deeper, violence strikes again, this time hitting close to home. Will Kate uncover the truth and bring a murderer to justice? Or will a killer bent on protecting a terrible past stop her once and for all—and let the fallen be forgotten? (Macmillan)

My Opinion: There is always a twist. When you think you have it all figured out, and you may have early on, Linda Castillo will hit you with one final part that knocks the breath out of you. This book branches off when the author talks of inherited psychological traits, which I don’t know are real or just a plotline, but used in a fascinating way to bring cohesion to the story.

Fallen has just enough rabbit holes and side stories to keep the reader engaged, and while the same cast of Painters Mill Police Department makes their appearance, there is a new depth when it comes to how they look out for each other.

Be warned, there are a few triggers in this book, and those who are sensitive to storylines involving assault or gory beatings should be aware.

Magic and Macaroons

Title: Magic and Macaroons
Author: Bailey Cates
Published: July 7th 2015 by Penguin Random House
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Series: Magical Bakery Mystery #5

First Sentence: "Abracadabra?", Mimsey snorted. "Lord love a duck. No one who can so much as cast a circle would use that word in an actual spell."

From the Publisher: For magical baker Katie Lightfoot, the only way to beat the Savannah summer heat is to whip up some cool treats for the Honeybee Bakery’s patrons. But when a meeting of the spellbook club is interrupted by a stranger collapsing on the floor of her shop, mumbling something about a voodoo talisman, Katie drops everything to begin investigating.

Her search for answers quickly leads her into a dangerous blend of Savannah’s infamous voodoo queens, a powerful missing charm—and a deadly witch who seems to be targeting the city’s magical community. And with the case getting hotter by the second, Katie will have to work fast to track down the talisman and the killer before the timer runs out.. (Penguin Random House)

My Opinion: I cannot say the Magical Baking series is my favorite, but after five books, I can say it is growing on me. This time, Magic and Macaroons takes a hard left turn by bringing in the darker side with the introduction of voodoo and a formidable Savannah queen. Her reach might trip up Katie and her friends, but in the long run, when their good magic is combined, evil does not stand a chance.

There is a sweetness with romantic touches throughout the book, but I do not find it bogging down the book. Then again, is this a book about magic with romance on the side, or a romance book with a bit of magic thrown in? I think it could go either way, and that is what draws people to the series.

Ruby Red Herring

Title: Ruby Red Herring
Author: Tracy Gardner
Published: June 8, 2021 by Crooked Lane Books
Format: Kindle, 328 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Avery Ayers Antique Mystery #1

First Sentence: Avery Ayers rushed through the kitchen of her parents' upstate New York home, grabbing a bagel from the spread Aunt Midge set out everyone morning.

From the Publisher: After her parents' deaths, Avery Ayers takes over the family business, Antiquities & Artifacts Appraised, from the home office in Lilac Grove and a branch in Manhattan. Now living back at home with her younger sister Tilly and their newly moved-in, eccentric Aunt Midge and her Afghan hound, Avery's life is filled with jewels, tapestries, paintings, and rare finds. But their world is rocked when Avery learns that the theft of a priceless ruby may be connected to her parents' demise.

The trouble starts when the Museum of Antiquities hires Avery to appraise a rare, resplendent ruby. It bears a striking similarity to a solitary stone in the museum's prized Xiang Dynasty bejeweled dragon medallion exhibit, which has long been missing one of its ruby eyes. Now, Avery and her colleagues--ostentatious Sir Robert Lane and fatherly Micah Abbott--suspect they may have the missing gem. But facets of the case remain cloudy. Security guard Art Smith is always underfoot but is not what he appears. Another body turns up connected to the appraisal. And Avery receives mysterious notes that begin to put her life in danger.

Avery enlists possible ally Art's help in cutting the list of suspects who might have polished off her parents and swiped the jewel. Was it art collector Oliver Renell? Curator Nate Brennan? Acquisitions Liaison Francesca Giolitti? Actor Tyler Chadwick? Was the crime impersonal or perpetrated by someone all too close to Avery? If she can't find the culprit, lovely Lilac Grove may be the setting for Avery's own death. (Penguin Random House)

My Opinion: At first, I wasn’t sure where this was going. Was Avery Ayers walking into a business, complete with her college degree in hand but no practical experience, which her parents had spent their lives cultivating, or was she the real deal and more than capable? Not until midway through the book did I have confidence in her -- and I know that wasn’t the point -- but I could now concentrate on the other ongoing escapades surrounding a recently found ruby that has brought misfortune to those who encounter it.

Tracy Gardner stirs up a diverse set of characters; fortunately, they are well defined and easy to follow. Of course, there isn’t a cozy mystery without the requisite love interests and a devoted dog, but they both work without too much stress.

I will keep a lookout for the next in the series since I want to see more Aunt Midge. There is something about her that remains a mystery, and now that one missing piece of the Ayers' puzzle has been found, I am convinced that there are more. And that more will be coming from Midge herself.