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INSPECTOR HOBBES AND THE COMMON PEOPLE by Wilkie Martin

August 30, 2021

A NOT-EXACTLY-HUMAN POLICE INSPECTOR, a daring archaeologist, and her bumbling reporter husband track down mysteries in the Cotswolds and in the Himalayas. Fun paranormal mystery with great characters, tight plotting, ridiculous puns. B PLUS

INSPECTOR HOBBES AND THE COMMON PEOPLE: COMEDY CRIME FANTASY (UNHUMAN BOOK 5)
The Witcherley Book Company
2021

Grade: B PLUS

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VELVET WAS THE NIGHT by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

August 28, 2021

EVOCATIVE NOIR THRILLER, set at the beginning of Mexico’s 1970s “Dirty War” against political dissidents. Tense and action-packed, but with thoughtful characterization and a vivid sense of place. A MINUS

VELVET WAS THE NIGHT
Del Rey
2021

Grade: A MINUS

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THE LIAR'S DICTIONARY by Eley Williams

August 26, 2021

AN ENCHANTING PUZZLE OF A NOVEL ties together an apprentice lexicographer and her counterpart from 100 years earlier in a word-dazzled mystery. Brilliant, eloquent, warm-hearted. A MINUS

THE LIAR'S DICTIONARY
Doubleday
2021

Grade: A MINUS

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LEGAL SEAGULL by Molly Fitz

August 23, 2021

A DETECTIVE TALKS TO ANIMALS, bit that’s the least of her troubles right now. Sweet, goofy cozy mystery features litigious seagulls and an imperious cat. Light fun. SOLID B

LEGAL SEAGULL: A HILARIOUS COZY MYSTERY WITH ONE VERY ENTITLED CAT DETECTIVE (PET WHISPERER P.I. BOOK 12)
Whiskered Mysteries
2020

Grade: SOLID B

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HOW TO MARS by David Ebenbach

August 21, 2021

THE FIRST MARS COLONISTS face some unexpected events in this charming, witty novel. Both skillful near-future science fiction and a warm comedy of manners, it’s a delight. B PLUS

HOW TO MARS
Tachyon Publications
2021

Grade: B PLUS

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WINDHALL by Ava Barry

August 19, 2021

AN OLD HOLLYWOOD MURDER rockets back into the headlines after 70+ years, thanks to new deaths at its site. Noir-infused tale works better as a love letter to bygone Los Angeles than as a classic mystery. SOLID B

WINDHALL
Pegasus Crime
2021

Grade: SOLID B

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THE GOLDEN MILESTONE by Kilian Knight

August 16, 2021

A SECRET TIME-TRAVEL EXPERIMENT could have dangerous consequences, and one government scientist must set things right. Intriguing premise, lots of action. SOLID B

THE GOLDEN MILESTONE: A NOVEL
Kilian Knight
2021

Grade: SOLID B

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BLIND MAN'S BLUFF by James Tate Hill

August 14, 2021

A LIFE WITH LOW VISION, and with even greater barriers of profound self-consciousness and shame, made beautiful by a passion for reading, writing, and teaching, and especially by love and friendship. Candid, uncompromising memoir. B PLUS

BLIND MAN'S BLUFF
W. W. Norton & Company
2021

Grade: B PLUS

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DIAMOND HILL by Kit Fan

August 12, 2021

RAW HONG KONG NOIR, set during the late 1980s runup to the 1997 transfer to China, sets a slow-burn thriller plot against a poetic evocation of doomed communities. B PLUS

DIAMOND HILL
World Editions
2021

Grade: B PLUS

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A DARK SIN by J M Dalgliesh

August 9, 2021

A JOURNALIST’S MURDER DREDGES up unsettling connections to a teen’s long-ago death, and the Norfolk homicide team has a tough case to crack. Sharp English police procedural with strong characterization and a tight plot. B PLUS

A DARK SIN: A CHILLING BRITISH DETECTIVE CRIME THRILLER (THE HIDDEN NORFOLK MURDER MYSTERY SERIES BOOK 8)
Hamilton Press
2021

Grade: B PLUS

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