Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I feel like Winter is the perfect time to read something cozy when you're stuck in the house and just want to wrap up in a blanket with a warm mug of something. So when I saw a new cozy mystery series releasing with a Black family owned bakery I jumped on the opportunity to read an arc. So thank you to Macmillan and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read for an honest review.

In Against the Currant we're introduced to Lyndsay Murray and her family who are immigrants from Grenada. Lyndsay has dreamed of opening a bakery for years even though her baking isn't the best and it's a family affair with everyone contributing. After a rival owner ends up dead all eyes are on Lyndsay since she had a very public argument with him.

I wanted to love this book but aside from other issues I really wasn't invested in the mystery. Lynsday has a nice family and I did find them interesting. I enjoyed how close knit they were. The food was mouth watering and familiar. The hustle and bustle of the shop and the large cast made sense. I just didn't care about following Lyndsay herself. 

Lyndsay read very young and sheltered to me. More 21/22 than the 27 years she was supposed to read. She seemed to really be stuck on the bullies during her grade school days and it didn't make sense to me. I understand she had to deal with them all the way through college but being quite a few years removed from that environment it didn't track that she still spoke about them like she just graduated. 

As someone with family from the English speaking Caribbean who even has family and family friends who live in Little Caribbean, I side-eyed so much of this book. It felt like it was written from the perspective of someone who was on the outside looking in. Some things were done well and some things were done so wrong. Some of the mentions of popular musicians were completely off. Trust me  when I say the only ones who consider Harry Belefonte the King of Calypso are white people. What soca did Buju Banton sing? Other times name dropping worked even when it was less thought of ones like Billy Ocean.

Listening to the audiobook did not help. The accents were so bad! I'm not sure what islands that narrator thought she was doing. It was giving Jafakrican. And the way the pronunciation of Bunji and Machel made me feel lightheaded they were so off. These are very popular artists she could've looked up to get the pronunciations correct. 

Overall this one was a huge miss for me which was a shame.

Interview with Raquel V. Reyes

Welcome Back Booklovers!! I'm back with my first author interview of the year. I've read her Caribbean Kitchen Mystery Series which I've reviewed on here. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries and haven't picked that up yet, definitely check it out! But she was also featured in some recent anthologies alongside some other great authors.

How did your upbringing shape your identity as a writer? When did you start reading crime fiction? 

 As an only child with two parents working out of the home, I spent a lot of time with my maternal (Southern) grandparents and my paternal (Cuban) great-grandparents. The library and TV were my first friends. The library gave me Agatha Christie and Elizabeth Peters and encyclopedias filled with art, culture, archeology, and history. TV (because I'm Gen-X and cable was too expensive for my bisabuelos.) gave me I Love Lucy, Welcome Back, Kotter, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Rhoda. (<3 Rhoda) Those TV shows tackled heavy subjects with humor. I see a throughline to my writing style and tone.  

And why did you decide to write cozy mysteries?

Cozy mysteries are low stakes in the violence department, with high rewards in the justice department. That suited my needs as a reader. As a writer, I wanted to make sure people like me (Latinx, multi-cultural, bi-lingual) were represented in the genre I loved. 

Since cozy mysteries tend to follow a specific formula, how do you deal with writing things readers aren't always used to seeing? For example, Miriam is a married woman with a child while many cozy protagonists are single.

Miriam having a family is not too far from the norm for a cozy. Although the romance and family usually come much later in the series, maybe around book six or seven. I started the series with a ready-made family because I knew finding romance wasn't Miriam's story arc. Her challenges and tests were going to be from navigating her husband's passive-aggressive xenophobic mother. It was also vital to me that Miriam be inspirational. She is a Latina with a Ph.D. 

With such an array of dishes to choose from, how do you decide which Caribbean recipes to include in your books?

The story drives those choices. For example, the Jamaican dish, Ackee and Saltfish, that Patricia Campbell shows Miriam how to make in Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking. I knew I needed to go into detail about this dish in the story because I wasn't going to put it in the recipes in the back of the book. There is an ackee tree in my neighborhood, and most grocery stores in my area carry saltfish/bacalao. But not all of The Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series' readership live in metropolitan cities with large Caribbean populations. Ackee can be found canned, but it is not always easy to find. I try to make sure the ingredients for the recipes I included can be sourced at large chain groceries or ordered online. I also consider the prep time and skills needed to prepare the dishes. Miriam is a career woman with a young family. If my readers are anything like her, they'll want easy and flavor meals in their repertoire, not a twenty-step recipe that requires CIA (Culinary Institute of America) level skills to execute. I often give a hack to speed up the prep if you read the recipes.  

Since you also include Spanish words and phrases in your books, how do you decide when to use context clues vs when to give an outright translation? 

I get this question and similar questions a lot. There is no formula. It is instinctual. I've grown up with two languages in my head. It is literally how I think and live my daily life. It is how millions of other people live their lives, too. If I use a word that is very specific to a culture or crucial to the plot, I will usually translate it but rarely directly. If I translated it verbatim, the narration would feel more like an academic lecture than a pleasure read. Everything else is left to context clues. I know French, Japanese, and Italian words, not because I've studied or speak those languages. It is because I guessed what they were and then confirmed it later. That is one of the ways we acquire languages and knowledge through immersion. 

Do you know the plot entirely before you start writing?

No, I'm a discovery writer, aka a plantser. That's a plotter-pantser ( by the seat of your pants) hybrid. I know the beginning, the end, and a few key scenes when I start writing. Then I let the story lead me to the rest. 

You're also a part of Crime Writers of Color. How did you get involved in that community? 

I got a DM from Kellye Garrett. We had a few mutuals and knew of each other but had never met. I remember the first wave of members was small. We were about 30 people in the summer of 2018. Now, at the start of 2023, we are edging toward 400! Crime Writers of Color is a much-needed safe space for BIPOC writers. It has also been an advocate for more visibility in the publishing world. Much of the thanks goes to Kellye. She is tireless in her stewardship. 

When you're in a creative slump what helps you get inspired again?

I write a short story. Novels are a long haul. At about 30,000 words, I feel like I will never reach the end. That is the perfect time to write a short story. It is so satisfying to start and finish a story in just a few days of writing. I also love to read short stories for the same reason. They are the perfect one-sitting morsel. 

What are some of your favorite spots to eat in Miami?

Miami is a food town. The Food Network hosts the South Beach Food & Wine Festival. We have plenty of celebrity chef restaurants. We have delicious tropical produce and fresh seafood at our fingertips. But my favorite spots are usually the local joints that are unpretentious and chill. There is a roti place near me run by a Guyanese family. It is a hole in the wall, but their curry goat is mouthwatering. Any Haitian place with a painted mural/sign by Serge is usually great. Any Cuban place with a line by their Cafecito window will have good eats, too.  

Are there any upcoming projects you would like to talk about?

Calypso, Corpse, and Cooking is out, and I am still promoting it. Second books in a series don't always get the love they deserve. Later in the year, the third book in the series will be published. It is set in Puerto Rico. I love the island and lived there for a while. I am excited to share it with my readers. 

Paranoia Blues, an anthology of crime fiction short stories inspired by Paul Simon's songs, came out in late  2022. I'm proud of my story in it. It is titled The Vampires. Check it out. The anthology has many wonderful authors, including Cheryl Head and E.A. Aymar, to name a few. 

You can follow Raquel @latinasleuths on Instagram and @latinasleuths on Tik Tok. And discover more Crime Writers of Color at https://www.crimewritersofcolor.com/

Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! So I finally decided to do a reread of a book I haven't reread in awhile. I really enjoyed Hollywood Homicide during my initial read of it back in 2017.  And even though this was a reread I couldn't remember who the killer was so it was almost like I was following along with the journey anew.  I've recommended this book multiple times and I even interviewed Kellye Garrett on here last year. 

Dayna Anderson is a broke retired actress struggling to find any kind of job to make ends me. She had one hit series of commercials for a fast food chain and not a lot since. Her father calls her and lets her know that her parents are behind their house payments. Even though she barely has any money she's determined to get the money for them even though he savings is wiped out, she's living in a closet, and she's scraping together gas money. She sees a billboard offering a big reward for tips that lead to an arrest in the case of a hit and run and she decides that's her key to saving her parents house. Dayna vaguely remembers passing near the scene on a night out and seeing a car speeding away so she starts her search for clues by contacting her friend Omari who she's been avoiding since that night. This leads her to a full on investigation as her friends Emme and Sienna worry about both her safety and sanity. 

I really enjoyed Dayna. This was a fun story that took me back to my high school days when Kyra Davis's Sophie Katz Murder Mystery books introduced me to amateur sleuth stories. Hollywood as a back drop is fresh and Kellye uses her background writing for television to write a character believable as a former actress. Dayna has unique best friends which made for a solid supporting cast. And I still laughed at Dayna's interactions with the woman who ran the tip hotline. 

Unlike in many amateur sleuth stories Dayna has no clue what she's doing and often fumbles which leads to crazy situations. This is a fast paced read with multiple red herrings that serves as a great introduction if you like contemporary stories but want to figure out if mystery is your thing. Or if you just want a light hearted mystery in the vein of a cozy but without the small town setting and less sanitized language. There's even a touch of romance as Dayna tries to figure out her complicated love life.

This book is currently out of print however you can still find used copies and the audiobook available for purchase. 

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! This week I jumped into a historical mystery debut that's the start of a new series. I would like to preface this review by stating this is not a cozy mystery like I've seen people incorrectly assume just based off seeing the pretty cover. It's an amateur detective novel where the violence and sexuality are on page. So set your expectations accordingly. I received an advanced copy from Berkley in exchange for an honest review.

Dead Dead Girls is set in 1926 Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance era following Louise Lloyd. The story opens up with her being kidnapped as a teenager and fending off her capturers saving both herself and other girls who have also been taken.  She is dubbed Harlem's Hero her name becomes well known in the area.

Ten years later, Louise is coasting through life working in a café during the day while dancing and guzzling illegal alcohol by night. She's buried the trauma of her kidnapping for so long behind getting drunk until it's brought to the forefront again. Women are being murdered by a serial killer and she becomes involved when one of the bodies appears in front of her place of employment which also operates as a not so secretive speakeasy at night. After an altercation with the cops it's earlier help them out or face prison and worse. So Louise partners with them to get into spaces white cops wouldn't be able to while tracking down the, "Girl Killer". 

At first the formatting of the chapters is a little bit to get used to as the author employs this technique of using shorter chapters. They also often end in foreshadowing cliffhangers in a style reminiscent of radio dramas. This is mostly in the first half of the book as opposed to the second half of the book and I don't feel like it was needed. 

I can tell Nekesa Afia had fun with the 1920s slang, dances, and fashion. This is actually a story where I would've preferred some name dropping even if it's fictional names because while jazz music is spoken about and played in the clubs we don't hear Louise and friends mention any artists by name. Diving deeper into those details really makes a difference and I hope we get more into Black Urban identity and culture in Harlem. Because sometimes it gave a feeling it could be set anywhere and sometimes the story read a little contemporary.

The strongest elements of the story were definitely Louise's camaraderie with friends Rafael and Rosa Maria and the complicated relationships with both her family. I liked when it dove into her unresolved trauma and how she has had to cope. It really acknowledges how stumbling across these dead bodies starts to put a strain on her. 

While it is easy to romanticize the 1920s there were also people who were rebuilding their lives after The Great Migration. There were people scraping to get by and crime was rampant in some neighborhoods. There were Black innovators and entrepreneur establishing themselves. Dead Dead Girls did touch on some of this showing that life wasn't just a cakewalk. 

Louise holds her own and plays well opposite every character she comes across making for an entertaining read. This book was a solid start to a series that has a lot of potential and I only saw the writing improve the further into it we got.

A Glimmer of Death by Valerie Wilson Wesley

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! January has been a busy month for new releases across genres and I'm back with a review of another new one. I haven't been reading as many cozy mysteries as I used to because for awhile I felt like every new series I picked up read exactly the same. While this one has the familiar tropes expected in a cozy mystery without feeling like a carbon copy of everything releasing right now. I'll be honest I went into this book without reading the synopsis. I just heard it was by a veteran Black mystery author and I immediately put in my arc request with Kensington Books. 

This story follows the widowed Odessa "Dessa" Jones, a struggling real estate agent and former caterer in a New Jersey town. It's been a year since her husband's death and she's just trying to stay afloat and keep her desk at the agency while her crazy boss' threats loom. In usual cozy fashion her boss was one of those people everyone hated so it's no surprise there are multiple suspects when he ends up dead.

If you're looking for a light easy to read mystery with a interesting cast of characters I suggest picking this one up. This was full of young and old characters each with their own set of secrets. I liked that Dessa was actively trying to learn more about the way the law works and how conmen run their cons. Sometimes in cozies the way the women are instantly sleuths despite no years of experience and able to put the clues together is annoying. And like the readers Dessa didn't know her coworkers too well so we learned about them as she did.

And there was a twist on the cozy romance in that the potential love interest is a retired police officer so he's close enough to the force to be helpful but not the ones running the investigations. 

Throughout you get plenty of descriptions of scrumptious cakes as Dessa restarts her catering business on the side. As you can find a recipe for her 7 Up cake included.  A solid start to a new series.

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette

Welcome Back, Booklovers!

This month I was in the mood for something fun and light after a string of  blah books. And A Deadly Inside Scoop certainly peaked my interest. Old school ice cream shop complete with a soda fountain owned and operated by a black woman?  I'm not even the biggest ice cream fan but I couldn't wait to salivate over her concoctions! Caramel popcorn, ghoulish blueberry, pumpkin roll, decadent chocolate... Yum!

The story follows Browyn Crewse a late 20 something who moved from NY back to her hometown in Ohio and has taken over the family ice cream shop. She's spent months doing renovations and has had a few set backs while trying to bring the business back to it's former glory. It may be outside of peak ice cream season but Win is determined to make the place a success.  She's added vintage touches and churns all the ice cream by hand. None of that buy in bulk from Hershey's or Turkey Hill stuff.  Family and friends are determined to help her but the first day of business is super slow as snow keeps the customers away. To make matters worse Win gets the shock of her life when she comes across a dead body while trudging through the snow.

At first Browyn doesn't believe it's murder but her best friend and new coworker Maisey couldn't disagree more. These girls were real amateurs and I found that endearing. Often in these stories these women are instantly smarter detectives than the local police and it's just not believable. Maisey watches some amateur sleuth shows on TV and thinks she has the crime solved. She just knows the killer is her boss Ari who she can't stand. And while he is very shady is he actually a killer? And maybe it isn't the smartest thing to let a suspected killer know your on to him. I like how they made their own murder board like in the crime shows by using sticky notes and different colored felt tip pens. Having read another book by the author under her other name Abby L Vandivier (https://amzn.to/2RB9686) I saw some similarities between Maisey in this story and Auntie Zanne in that one. But Maisie wasn't as overbearing as Auntie Zanne could be. 

"We're not on television," I said. "There's no guarantee that we'd come back the next week's show."

Some thing I thought stood out is that the author does not shy away from mentioning that this family is one of the few black families in town. It also touched on how black folks often aren't given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to crime after the police come knocking down her door. There was also some good  commentary about circumstantial evidence and providing a crime was committed beyond a reasonable doubt.

One of the only things that annoyed me was the obligatory cute animal in the cozy, in this case a cat, was always given free range to walk around the shop. All I could think about was cat hair in the air or getting into folks ice cream whenever it was mentioned.

This was a well written, diverse mystery with a likable cast of characters worth checking out. The mystery does take it's time to start but the story keeps you entertained throughout.

*I recieved an arc from Berkeley in exchange for an honest review.

March Mystery Madness

Welcome Back, Book lovers

March is Mystery Madness Month.  As with all genres mystery is overwhelmingly white. So as I decided to come through with some diverse book recommendations. I'm posting a few that caught my eye but if you're interested in more I suggested visiting Crime Writer's of Color (https://www.crimewritersofcolor.com/books) which is an amazing database for diverse mysteries, suspense, and thriller in all different subgenres.

And as always remember if you click the link and make a purchase on Amazon I may receive a small commission.  Thank you to you amazing people who click my links and make purchases and use my referral codes. And thank you  all visitors for continuing to support my small blog and help it grow.


The Thursday Night Killers Book Club

Life's not easy for the members of the Thursday night book club. After fifteen years of dutiful service, Jerri maybe on the unemployment line. Cece can't get her grown son to move out and take his pregnant girlfriend with him. Sabrina's husband wants to drain her bank account to fund his next get rich quick scheme.

Everything She Lost

After suffering a mental breakdown that nearly destroyed her marriage, Nina Taylor works hard to maintain her tenuous hold on sanity and be a good mother to her two young daughters. Despite her best efforts, she questions the possibility of a full recovery.

Single mom Deja Johnson struggles to overcome her troubled past and raise her young son. But her friendship with Nina brings more complications. What Deja is hiding could not only destroy relationships, but endanger lives.

One traumatic night threatens to shatter Nina’s mind. With Deja’s help, she strives to maintain her mental balance. But as events spiral out of control, the women must find out if Nina is losing her sanity or if someone is plotting against her.

A Killing Fire 

As a child forced to witness her father’s crimes, homicide Detective Raven Burns dedicates every waking moment to proving that she is not her father’s child. But when she shoots a suspect who has what turns out to be an unloaded weapon, Raven finds that she must confront both the demons of her past and the stains on her soul in order to stop a killer.

Broken Places

Cass took a bullet two years ago after an incompetent colleague screwed up a tense confrontation with an armed suspect. Deeply traumatized, Cass resigned from the Chicago PD, leaving one less female African-American on the force. Now she’s the head of a one-woman private investigation agency, taking on just enough work to pay the bills. But when the only father figure she’s ever known, Father Ray Heaton, asks her to look into a recent spate of vandalism at his church, she readily agrees to handle it.


Only hours later Cass is horrified to discover Father Ray’s murdered body in the church confessional, a dead gangbanger sprawled out nearby. She knew Pop, as she called him, had ticked off plenty of people, from slumlords to politicians, with his uncompromising defense of the downtrodden. But a late-night random theft doesn’t seem like much of a motive at a cash-strapped parish. The lead detective assigned to the case is all too eager to dismiss it as a burglary gone awry, just another statistic in a violent city. But Cass’s instincts tell her otherwise, and badge or no badge, she intends to see justice done

The Strivers Row Spy

For college graduate Sidney Temple, the Roaring Twenties bring opportunities he never imagined. His impulsive marriage to independent artist Loretta is a happiness he never thought he’d find. And when he’s tapped by J. Edgar Hoover to be one of the FBI’s first African-American agents, he sees a once-in-a-lifetime chance to secure real justice.

Instead of providing evidence against Marcus Garvey, prominent head of the “dangerously radical” back-to-Africa movement, Sidney uses his unexpected knack for deception and undercover work to thwart the Bureau’s biased investigation. And by giving renowned leader W. E. B. Du Bois insider information, Sidney gambles on change that could mean a fair destiny for all Americans...

But the higher Sidney and Loretta climb in Harlem’s most influential and glamorous circles, the more dangerous the stakes. An unexpected friendship and a wrenching personal tragedy threaten to shatter Loretta’s innocent trust in her husband—and turn his double life into a fast-closing trap. For Sidney, caught between the Bureau and one too many ruthless factions, the price of escape could be heartbreak and betrayal no amount of skill can help him survive.

Let's Chat: Writers of Color Writing White Books

So I realize this is a topic where everyone has varying opinions. Some people have a stance that authors should be able to write whatever they feel like writing. And that's fine. But that also means that white authors can write stories about People of Color. We all know People are Color are barely given writing opportunities as is. And that white publishers will make excuses as to why a book by an Author of Color is not up to standard while publishing a story by a mediocre white author. And I know most of us don't want write writers writing their stories and our stories.  I know I'm getting tired of having to do background checks on authors lately every time I come across a new book with a black face on the cover. As black writers are fighting to get their stories published I refuse to put money into the pockets of white writers looking to capitalize off the diversity trend.

After that mess the other day with Penguin Random House and Barnes and Noble putting classic white stories in black/yellow/brown face instead of promoting more diverse tales it really got me thinking. First I want to start by giving praise to the authors who have been advocates for diversity in the publishing industry and pushed for change. It's very easy to be complacent in a system not designed for you.  We Need Diverse Books paved the way to get more stories told and pushed a conversation about how much diversity is lacking across all genres.

Let's talk about popular Young Adult writer Melissa De La Cruz who has written well over 40 books during her career. But just how many of those stories feature a Filipino lead like herself? When I think of all her highly praised titles none of the first stories that come to mind feature leads who look like her. I read her semi-autobiographical story Fresh Off the Boat years ago when it first published and it wasn't until about a decade or so and several published books later did she release a story similar in tone with Something in Between. Where are her other books with Filipino culture? Why has she published more stories about girls like her? Very many of her books have been turned into movies. Yet the only one featuring a non white lead becoming a film is 29 Dates which just felt like an attempt to jump on the K Pop trend. Melissa herself is not Korean and doesn't have much knowledge on Korean culture. One of the complaints I read about the book was how inauthentic the Korean parts felt while the brief scene featuring Filipino culture felt so much more real.  Surely she's been in the industry long enough that she can push for change.

I spoke in a previous post about how despite craving at times a lighter mystery I haven't been reading many cozy mysteries lately because they're all too alike. White heroine, small town, cute pet, cute job, and a detective love interest. Ironically I discovered the genre after reading Kyra Davis's Sophie Katz's mystery series which is a chick-lit mystery series featuring a Half African American/Half Jewish heroine living in living in San Francisco.  I discovered these books at the library in the same section as the cozy mysteries which led me to picking up some of those stories. But one thing I noticed is that in these stories there was no one that looked like me at all. Not the lead or the extensive cast.

So I was very happy a few years ago when I starred seeing mysteries being released by Black authors that I didn't have to hunt for. The Detective by Day series by Kellye Garrett was a series I really needed. It brought back the fun that I enjoyed after and was missing after Sophie Katz. It follows a struggling Black actress and her group of friends. A breath of fresh air and escape from what's considered the cozy norm. This led me to pick up Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon which follows African American classical musician Gethsemane Brown and is now 6 books strong. And these books were getting well deserved praise.

I needed more diverse cozies to devour. Upon suggestion I was told about a new author VM Burns who had series that was getting attention. By that time her second book Read Herring Hunt was being released soon so I leaped at the opportunity to grab an arc. The nice thing about mystery series is that you can read them out of order and not be totally lost. So I read it and felt a little confused because while other character's race was mentioned the same was not done with Samantha and Nana Jo. And there was one particular incident early in the story that stood out to me because it felt like it was trying to make a statement about racial profiling by the police. So I asked the author herself outright if her leading lady was Black.  This was her response,

"I made a conscious decision not to state Sam’s race in this series. I wanted readers to imagine her however they wanted and didn’t want the series to be pigeon holed or restricted in anyway. I can say that Sam and I share a lot of the same hopes, dreams and character flaws. However, I’m sure readers of other races may imagine her differently, and that’s fine with me."

Which to me felt like a cheap cop out. Being Black shouldn't be a restriction. If people don't want to read about a black character they probably don't want to read anything by a Black author either. And it's not like her picture is not in the book or on her author's page on Amazon. And it felt a little like she decided to hide the character's Blackness as not to make white readers uncomfortable. 

And there are hundreds of cozy mystery stories by white authors with new ones constantly being released. So when I see a non white author come up I get excited. And being black I definitely want to support Black authors. I saw a new story being released this year that I was very excited for because it mentioned potions and mermaids and the author is African American. But then I was a little disappointed when Esme Addison revealed her book doesn't feature her culture or someone who looks like her but her husband's Polish culture. 

I'm just at the point where I want to see myself and others like me represented in more stories. I don't want to read white stories by non white people. Just as I don't want white people to capitalize off the stories of non white people while they're fighting for their seat at the table to get their stories published. White people can pick up a book in any genre and see themselves and their experience while people of color cannot. And so many Black authors have spoken about how when they first started writing they wrote their characters as white because they weren't used to seeing themselves in the story and it took some time for them to change their perspective and write the stories they wanted to see. 

Barbecue, Bourbon and Bullets: A HoneyBun Shop Mystery by M.E. Harmon

It was a cozy mystery weekend for me and Barbecue, Bourbon and Bullets: A HoneyBun Shop Mystery was a nice little break between my longer, heavier reads. If you're not sure if the cozy mystery genre is for you I suggest checking out the short reads from the Honeybun Shop Mysteries which are all free with Kindle Unlimited. At only 52 pages this is a story you can enjoy on your break. And our heroine and her potential love interest are both black in a genre full of bland white leads.

In this story the mystery takes place at a new restaurant in NYC known for it's BBQ and bourbon.  And the descriptions of the food are finger lickin good! Our lead Ali is excited when the handsome Detective Avery Hamilton invites her out to eat when close friends cancel on him at the last minute.  But just as Ali is finishing up her meal a murder happens. But where is the gun? And just her luck the police are extra busy tonight thanks to protests going on. They may just be stuck in the restaurant all night. Though the very cute Detective Hamilton doesn't want her to get involved Ali can't help but want to solve the case. And with nowhere to escape in this case everyone is a suspect until proven otherwise. Luckily growing up on a commune and spying on the elders has made Ali good at eavesdropping and helped her pick up a few other skills.

This mystery was concise and to the point. Just enough information to hook you without any unnecessary filler. I really feel like despite the briefness of the story I got to know little things about Ali that shaped her personality.

Death in D Minor by Alexia Gordon

It's been a few months since I've read a cozy mystery and this one has been sitting on my Kindle for awhile. This is the 2nd book in the Gethsemane Brown Mystery series. I've read every other book in the Gethsemane Brown series except for the one being released this year and while you don't necessarily have to read them in order they're much easier to follow if you do. For example Book 3 ties up some loose ends from Book 1 and 2.

At one point Kindle gave me a free Audible audio upgrade with this book during an update. This was my first audiobook experience. And I HATED the narrator. She made it so hard to get into this story and she read Gethsemane's parts in the most annoying drawl. Note to self: Stay away from the audiobooks for this series since it seems this narrator does all of them. I'll have to go read it on mine own one day to see if my opinion of this story changes.

Gethsemane is back in this sequel to Murder in G Major. And this time she's no longer the only black person in town since her brother-in-law comes to visit. It was nice to see her interact with someone who knows her well. I appreciate all the mentions of African American history throughout the book. Her brother-in-law works for an art museum and gets accused of forgery of priceless embroidery. A murder ensues and this amateur detective needs to solve the case.

At the same time Eamon, the ghost we grew fond of in the first book has disappeared and Gethsemane must try and bring him back before his nephew Billy sells Carraigfaire Cottage. One of the best things about this series is the banter between Gethsemane and Eamon which this story severely lacked.

One of my critiques of this series is that for a small town each book always has a large cast. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of everyone involved. There were many characters in this story to keep track of and since it was winter break the cast from the school was noticeably absent. We also didn't get as much of Gethsemane's musical side like I would've preferred. I just wasn't as invested in the mystery here as I was the other books in the series.The cliffhanger at the end does a good job of setting you up for the 3rd book.

Though Death in D Minor was my least favorite story in the series I still advise you to check out this series as Gethsemane Brown is the fresh type of heroine cozy mysteries usually lack. It's nice to read a cozy mystery with a smart, talented woman and no romance overshadowing the mystery at hand.