Review: Women of Good Fortune

I love a good heist story and I also loved Crazy Rich Asians so when I heard about Sophie Wan’s debut novel, Women of Good Fortune, I was immediately intrigued. A bride and her friends come up with a plan to steal all of the red envelopes of cash from what promises to be THE wedding of the season? I was in! The novel was so much fun to read and had more depth than I was expecting. It’s definitely one to check out!

Here’s the book’s description:

Lulu has always been taught that money is the ticket to a good life. So, when Shanghai’s most eligible bachelor surprises her with a proposal, the only acceptable answer is yes, even if the voice inside her head is saying no. His family’s fortune would solve all her parents’ financial woes, but Lulu isn’t in love or ready for marriage.
The only people she can confide in are her two best friends: career-minded Rina, who is tired of being passed over for promotion as her biological clock ticks away; and Jane, a sharp-tongued, luxury-chasing housewife desperate to divorce her husband and trade up. Each of them desires something different: freedom, time, beauty. None of them can get it without money.
Lulu’s wedding is their golden opportunity. The social event of the season, it means more than enough cash gifts to transform the women’s lives. To steal the money on the big day, all they’ll need is a trustworthy crew and a brilliant plan. But as the plot grows increasingly complicated and relationships are caught in the cross fire, the women are forced to face that having it all might come at a steep price…

The story is told over the year or so leading up to Lulu and Harv’s wedding and each chapter counts down so you know just how long the women have to plan their heist. The chapters also alternate so the reader has the chance to get to know each woman - Lulu, Jane, and Rina. I liked the format but didn’t love it because, though I felt it allowed the reader to understand the women a little better, I don’t know if we ever got the most fulsome picture of each character. But I did think the tension increased with the countdown, especially when the reader realizes there’s not much time left and it doesn’t seem like things are going to work out.

As is often the case in a multi-narrated novel, I felt myself drawn to one character more than the others. In this instance, it was Rina. Lulu felt too two-dimensional (which is kind of a point of the story, which is all I’ll say about that) and Jane was…well, I’m not sure. She was hyper-focused on wanting to change her face with plastic surgery but wasn’t realizing that she had a lot of mental work to do. Work that may actually allow her to avoid going under the knife. I’m not judging her - we can never know someone’s true feelings, not even a fictional someone - but I think I got too fixated on the fact that she needed help before she’d be truly happy. I think Rina was just a little bit more formed and that was part of why I looked forward to her chapters more than the other two.

I’m sure I’ve said before that I sometimes struggle with the family dynamics in stories, particularly when the characters are from a culture different than my own. I respect that all cultures are different and truly enjoy reading about all kinds of families. I can never know - and don’t expect to know - what it’s like to live in China and have elders that deserve a different kind of respect and care than I’m used to (being a White woman living in Canada). I always chafe at the idea that someone (especially women) have to follow certain rules and obey others instead of having the life they actually want. Marriage and children aren’t for everyone and I can’t help but feel pushing a woman towards those things is an extremely outdated way of looking at the world. I try hard to let go of my particular viewpoint when I read these books but sometimes it’s hard, as it was with this novel when I was so frustrated with how Lulu was being treated in the months leading up to the wedding.

I did not have high hopes for the heist, I gotta be honest. The women were doing a lot of planning, I’ll give them that, but the reason for stealing the money felt so personal that I worried their feelings would get in the way of a successful mission. I found myself flipping through the last few chapters faster than the others because I was on the edge of my seat wondering if they’d be able to pull it off.

Women of Good Fortune was a really great read. There were some parts that could have used more work but overall I felt Sophie Wan’s debut offering was a solid one that I think a lot of people will enjoy. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by HTP Books via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man

I’m not sure which book started the historical rom com mystery craze but I’ve been having a lot of fun trying different books and authors that fit into this genre mishmash. Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man is the latest I’ve tried but Violet Marsh’s offering didn’t thrill me as I would have liked.

Here’s the book’s description:

Lady Charlotte Lovett should have never run away upon discovering her betrothal. But when one has been promised to a man who, rumor has it, killed his previous two wives, one does what one must. The only thing that can get her out of this engagement is proving that Viscount Hawley is as sinister as she thinks he is. And the person who would know best is his very own brother.
In many ways, Dr. Matthew Talbot is the exact opposite of his sibling—scholarly, shy, and shunned by society. But like his brother, he has secrets, and he doesn’t need Charlotte exposing them in her quest to take down the viscount. It only seems prudent to help her while keeping her from poking her nose in all the wrong places. But as they put their hearts at risk to grow closer to each other, they are also getting closer to a dangerous confrontation with Hawley.

One of the main issues I had with this book was Charlotte herself. She annoyed me. She may have thought she was learning the ways of the world but I felt the same as her cousins, Sophie and Hannah, and needed a lot of convincing before I could start to believe that she wasn’t just rebelling on a whim. Too often she came across as a poor little rich girl and that really grated on me. I could see she was a good person and had a less than ideal life but, at the end of the day, I didn’t really see her understanding how much her privilege afforded her. Plus, she kept putting herself in danger because she refused to hear that she didn't know how to live in the real world.

Hawley posed a very real threat - knowing but being unable to prove that he had two previous wives murdered is a terrifying prospect - but he came across as a cartoon villain. I could not take him seriously which was a problem since he was a serious problem to be dealt with.

There was some mystery and intrigue surrounding Matthew’s past that was hinted at (far too) often before it was finally revealed. By the time I learned the truth, though, I had stopped caring.

Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man may thrill others but Violet Marsh’s novel didn’t do much for me. It seems like there’s going to be another book in the series, with the way it ended, but I’m not sure yet if I’ll pick it up or not.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Review: This Could Be Us

Kennedy Ryan’s been on my radar for awhile but, like many authors, it’s taken some time to finally read her books. So many books, so little time, am I right? When Before I Let Go, the first in Ryan’s Skyland series, came out in 2022, I told myself I’d read it. Fast forward to the month before This Could Be Us is released and I finally got around to diving into Yasmen’s story. I loved it. I immediately picked up Soledad’s book - and I loved it too.

Here’s the book’s description:

Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who's never met a party she couldn't host or a charge she couldn't lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.
But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She's too busy keeping a roof over her daughters' heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.
But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn't want but can't seem to resist. She's lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?
After all she's lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?

I’m running a romance book club at the library I work at right now so I’m finding myself thinking about romances, why we love them, and what makes them romances vs any other kind of story, a whole lot more than I have before. After reading the first two Skyland books, I wondered, are these romance novels? There’s a Happily Ever After/For Now, absolutely, but that HEA doesn’t seem to be the main purpose of the story. Unless you’re thinking about the HEA the main characters have with themselves. I love the love stories in these books, but I was really there for the women and their process of learning to love themselves more than I was for them loving the men in their lives. Does it matter if I think it’s a romance or not? No. But we all know marketing matters and I’m always curious about how books are marketed.

I, like seemingly everyone in Soledad’s life, did not like her husband. But even I wouldn’t have guessed what went down. It was WILD and I could have felt like I was watching a movie (complete with a giant bowl of popcorn as I watched the chaos) but for the fact that I cared about Soledad and her girls so damn much. I hated what was happening to them which is partly due to the characters Ryan created and how she wrote them. (And partly because I'm not a monster and only monsters wouldn't feel moved by the situation they're in.)

I do, however, have some questions about some of Soledad’s choices but given I’m 1. Not a mother and 2. Haven’t been in her situation, I’m not here to judge. But I’m bringing it up because these thoughts pulled me out of the story Ryan created when I shouldn’t have been. I’ll continue being vague about what actually happened, but you can know that Soledad is left without (much) money so she has to try to land on her feet during a shitstorm while also earning money to look after her three daughters. While I can understand that she wanted to keep their lives as consistent as possible, I couldn’t understand why that meant she had to continue living in the same, giant, expensive house or pay for expensive gymnastic lessons and so on. Sorry, kids, sometimes life sucks and you don’t get to do all the things you used to. I just kept thinking that it would have been so much more financially responsible to sell the house instead of spending a ton of money on it when she was in such a precarious position.

I love the feeling of community I got with the first two Skyland books. I loved being a part of that group of friends and family. I enjoyed spending time with them and wanted only the best for every single person I met while reading (apart from Soledad’s no-good husband and his racist mother). That love I have makes it even harder that now I have to wait for Hendrix’s book after bingeing the first two!

This Could Be Us was a fantastic read and I loved being part of the world Kennedy Ryan has created with her Skyland series. You’ll have all the feelings while reading this one so keep the wine, and maybe the box of tissues, at hand while you read. I think you’re going to love it too!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, HBG Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Cat Who Caught a Killer

Being a mystery fan, and one who enjoys some that are on the cozier side, how could I not be intrigued by a book that features a former cop and a TALKING CAT!? I heard about the Conrad the Cat Detective series when book two was released last year and since I was interested, PGC Books sent me the first book, The Cat Who Caught a Killer, to check out. L.T. Shearer’s first offering in the series should have been a winner but there was a lot that just didn’t land well enough to make me love it.

Here’s the book’s description:

Meet Conrad the cat. You’ve never met a detective like him before.
Neither has Lulu Lewis when he walks into her life one summer’s day. Mourning the recent death of her husband, the former police detective had expected a gentle retirement, quietly enjoying life on her new canal boat, The Lark, and visiting her mother-in-law Emily in a nearby care home.
But when Emily dies suddenly in suspicious circumstances, Lulu senses foul play and resolves to find out what really happened. And a remarkable cat named Conrad will be with her every step of the way...

The writing in this book…well, it left a lot to be desired. I found it to be repetitive in a lot of places. There were words that were overused but also plot points. We learned about a lot of things that are toxic to cats. We were also told about people’s auras (something cats can see, apparently) all…the…time. And if I had to hear Lulu’s former colleague complain about how he couldn’t say things like he used to be able to (you know, in the “good old days”) and that the force thought he was a “dinosaur”, I was going to throw the book out the window. Poor, middle-aged white man, thinking the world is out to get him these days. Oh and we can’t forget that Lulu has a lot of money and doesn’t have any financial worries.

I don’t always mind when I can figure out where the mystery is going but I saw the end of this one coming from a mile away. And it (the mystery, not me figuring it out) made me so mad. I wasn’t particularly enamoured with Lulu but I didn’t dislike her and I hated that she was dealing with such terrible circumstances and news. I wasn’t satisfied at the end when everything was revealed because I hated the pain that was caused and I wasn’t surprised.

I don’t know if it’s because the audiobook narrator didn’t sound old enough but I was constantly forgetting that Lulu was probably in her late fifties, early sixties. Or maybe older. I’m really not sure. Should that have mattered? Nope, not at all. I didn’t mind that she was an older main character. I minded that it didn’t really seem like she was older.

The other thing that really shouldn’t matter but does - there is zero information on L.T. Shearer so it’s clearly a pseudonym. Which is fine. But the little biography that is available is extremely careful about avoiding all gendered language. And not in the way that we should all be careful by not assuming gender or using harmful language. It makes me wonder if it’s a male author which would kind of make sense based on Lulu’s colleague’s attitude and how Lulu didn’t really seem like a fully formed character.

So, no, The Cat Who Caught a Killer was not a winner for me. I kept listening to the book in part because the narrator, Imogen Church, was delightful. There was just enough of a hook in L.T. Shearer’s novel to keep me reading it but I don’t feel the urge to pick up the next book in the series. Not even a talking cat will entice me!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributors, PGC Books, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

You know those books that you desperately want to finish because you want to know how it all wraps up but you also want the story to last forever because you know you’re not going to be ready to say goodbye? A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was one of those books for me. I absolutely adored Tia Williams’ latest novel and am so, so, so very glad I had the opportunity to read it.

Here’s the book’s description:

Leap years are a strange, enchanted time. And for some, even a single February can be life-changing.
Ricki Wilde has many talents, but being a Wilde isn’t one of them. As the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, she’s the opposite of her famous socialite sisters. Where they’re long-stemmed roses, she’s a dandelion: an adorable bloom that’s actually a weed, born to float wherever the wind blows. In her bones, Ricki knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her.
When regal nonagenarian, Ms. Della, invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, Ricki jumps at the chance for a fresh beginning. She leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. And just beneath the surface of her new neighborhood, the music, stories and dazzling drama of the Harlem Renaissance still simmers.
One evening in February as the heady, curiously off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine fills the air, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way.
Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the magic, romance, and opportunity of New York, and whose lives are uniquely and irreversibly linked.

I loved Ricki. I desperately wanted to be her friend. And visit her flower shop, Wilde Things, because it sounded like an amazing place to hang out in. I was sad that Ricki’s family couldn’t see how great she was but so happy that she created her own family with Ms. Della and Tuesday. I’m a big fan of the found family storyline. And Ms. Della! Oh, how I loved her too.

I’ve only been to New York City once and it was a very quick trip for a book conference/expo/event thingy so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to explore. I definitely didn’t get to Harlem. So, I loved being able to walk the streets with Ricki and learn about her new neighbourhood right alongside her. I especially loved that she was learning the history of the area and was able to find a really amazing way to feature the history and her flowers at the same time. Brilliant.

Speaking of the history, it was fun to see Harlem during its heyday in Breeze’s sections early on in the book. It sounded like an absolutely wild time to be alive. I’m going to have to seek out some historical fiction about the Harlem Renaissance now!

I don’t want to get too into it because it’s all part of the magic of this novel but there’s a hint of magic realism in this story. If you’re not able to set aside your realistic notions and open your mind, this may not be the book for you. But if you’re intrigued by a little mystery and Leap Year magic? Oh, you’re going to want to pick this one up. I wasn’t sure how Williams was going to bring everything together and I was surprised and delighted with how she did.

And the romance? Holy smokes, it was electric. Ricki and Ezra were magical together. (Yes, this review was brought to you by the word "magic.") It was a wee bit intense but that worked for a couple of reasons. First, they’re intense people who feel things deeply. Second, they’re soulmates and it can be a heady thing when you first meet your soulmate. Third, well, I can’t tell you that without giving things away. There was a slow burn that absolutely exploded when they finally gave into the attraction they were feeling for each other. I didn’t even notice the slowness because there was so much build up in the rest of the story that was well done and very necessary.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was an amazing novel and I loved the time I spent reading Tia Williams’ latest offering. It’s an enchanting romance, in all senses of the word, with Leap Year magic, fantastic writing, and strong characters all wrapped up in a love story. Check it out!

*A print copy of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, HBG Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Kilt Trip

Ah, Scotland. As I write this, Google Photos are reminding me that I was in Scotland for the first time four years ago. And I’m also still working through posting some recent trip photos from my trip to England and Scotland in December. So, while I always love reading books set in Scotland, it was an especially lovely (and wanderlust inducing) time to read Alexandra Kiley’s debut novel Kilt Trip. I had really been looking forward to this book and it ended up being a nice romance to get lost in while wishing I was exploring Scotland in person again instead of through the pages of a book.

Here’s the book’s description:

Ready or Scot...
Globetrotter Addie Macrae always follows her wanderlust. As a travel consultant, she jet sets around the world—anywhere but Scotland. But when she’s sent on assignment to help a struggling family-run tour company in the Highlands—and save her own job—Addie packs away her emotional baggage and turns on the professional charm.
Rugged as the land he loves, Logan Sutherland’s greatest joy is sharing the beauty of Scotland’s hidden gems…even if it means a wee bit of red ink on the company’s bottom line. The last thing Logan wants is some American “expert” pushing tourist traps and perpetuating myths about the Loch Ness Monster—especially when Addie never leaves her desk to experience the country for herself.
As they wage an office war, Logan discovers Addie’s secret connection to Scotland: a handful of faded Polaroids of her late mother. Hoping for a truce, he creates a private tour to the places in the pictures to help Addie find closure and appreciate the enchantment in less-traveled destinations, never expecting the off-limits attraction sparking between them. But Addie’s contract is almost up, and magic won’t pay the bills. They can’t afford distractions, but how can Addie do her job if she hasn’t explored all Scotland—and Logan—have to offer?

OK, so, while this book was a lovely little romance, I was let down by it. Was it because my expectations were so freaking high? Perhaps. But it started off with tropes that I do not like at all and it was really hard to bring me back from that. I don’t love enemies to lovers and I don’t love when a character waltzes into another’s world and assumes they know best (it’s why some Hallmark movies are so terrible to me). I actually stopped reading a book before the holidays because it started a lot like this one but I persevered with Kiley's because 1. The book was set in Scotland and 2. A trusted friend told me it got better. It wasn’t as “better” as I wanted but I managed and was treated to a perfectly respectable romance but one that won’t stick with me.

I don’t want to focus on the negatives but I do want to illustrate what didn’t work for me at the start of this book. It just seems fair to explore it so you can decide if it’s something that will also be a problem for you or is something that you don’t mind at all. That’s the beauty of books - some people love them, some people don’t. I want you to make your own call here! So, first of all, Addie is late to joining a tour at the start of the story. Which, you know, happens. Part of why she was late though was because the airline lost her suitcase. The woman works for a travel consultancy agency and travels All. The. Time. There is no way she would have checked a suitcase! Anyway. Because she was late, she can’t find the start of the tour so she’s mentally docking points. First of all, if she was on time she’d have seen the group of folks waiting for the tour. Second of all, I’ve been to the exact spot she is supposed to be and I don’t think it's all that difficult to find. Then I realize the tour is literally just bringing people up Calton Hill and learning a little bit about it from a guide. A guide who runs tours that are supposed to be exploring “hidden gems” of Edinburgh. Calton Hill is not hidden. It’s very visible (and, fun fact, was created by the ash of the volcano that Edinburgh Castle now sits on) and has a number of monuments you can see from all over the city. And then when Addie finally meets the staff of the company she’s there to makeover, she assumes she knows best and everything they have to say is stupid and won’t make them any money. I would have LOVED to find a tour company like Logan’s who actually did find some of the hidden gems when I was in Edinburgh because I know there are tons of things to see that are off the beaten path (which I also explored and loved).

And speaking of her work. I have no idea what Addie was actually supposed to be doing. Making the tour company better and more profitable, sure. But if the client (Logan and his family) are set on something, shouldn’t she try to see if it can work instead of dismissing it immediately? Her boss was even worse. I used to work for a PR agency and we’d provide our expertise and opinions but, in the end, what the client wanted, the client got. The woman’s never been to Edinburgh and she thinks she’s an expert? It was just really hard for me to get over how frustrated that made me. Logan was just as bad, though, and wouldn’t listen to anything Addie had to say and was acting like a sulky teenage boy. So many people want a balance of big attractions and little known spots and he didn’t seem to grasp that.

The book looks like it should be a rom com, given the bright, happy, illustrated cover. It’s definitely firmly in the romance category, though there are a few humorous moments that are wacky as you’d expect from a rom com. The issues Addie had to work through (grief over the death of her mother and traveling to Scotland without her, and so on), made the story much heavier than you would expect. It’s not a bad thing, just a case of, don’t judge the romance by the cover.

The thing that saved this book for me was the setting. Surprise, surprise! I loved being able to “visit” places I had just been (Edinburgh and Stirling Castles and Edinburgh itself) while traveling to other spots in Scotland that I wasn’t able to visit. The atmosphere was wonderful and it’s a great armchair travel book if you’re feeling the wanderlust. Just know you’re going to want to book a trip to Scotland immediately if it’s anywhere on your travel bucket list!

While Kilt Trip wasn’t a winner for me, that’s not to say you won’t enjoy Alexandra Kiley’s debut novel. It was a fine romance with an amazing setting that I think other romance readers would enjoy.

*An egalley was provided by the publisher, HTP Books, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Bury the Lead

I’ve been on a real mystery kick the last few years so was thrilled when two Canadian authors I love teamed up to write Bury the Lead, the start of a mystery series that features a small-town journalist. This novel, written by Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti, was one of my most anticipated of the year and I’m so thrilled to say it absolutely lived up to my expectations.

Here’s the book’s description:

A big-city journalist joins the staff of a small-town paper in cottage country and finds a community full of secrets … and murder. Cat Conway has recently returned to Port Ellis to work as a reporter at the Quill & Packet . She’s fled the tattered remains of her high-profile career and bad divorce for the holiday town of her childhood, famous for its butter tarts, theatre, and a century-old feud. One of Cat’s first assignments is to interview legendary actor Eliot Fraser, the lead in the theatre’s season opener of Inherit the Wind. When Eliot ends up dead onstage on opening night, the curtain rises on the sleepy town’s secrets. The suspects include the actor whose career Eliot ruined, the ex-wife he betrayed, the women he abused, and even the baker he wronged. With the attention of the world on Port Ellis, this story could be Cat’s chance to restore her reputation. But the police think she’s a suspect, and the murderer wants to kill the story―and her too. Can Cat solve the mystery before she loses her job or becomes the next victim of a killer with a theatrical bent for vengeance?

I did not see the end of this mystery coming at all! Hilton and Renzetti left cookie crumbs which I, personally, only realized were there after the story was tied up. Which I loved! There are times when I’m thrilled to have figured out whodunit and there are times I’m thrilled to be completely in the dark and have the author(s) deliver the resolution in a tidy little package. I probably would have been happy with either in this case, honestly, because I loved the book and the writing so much, but I did like that it wasn’t easy to spot who the murderer was. I had fun tracking down the clues for the story with Cat and really enjoyed the resolution (as much as one can enjoy reading about murder and finding out someone in town is guilty of killing someone else…).

I’m not always a fan of the amateur sleuth so I wondered how I would feel about Cat, who is not a law professional, working to solve a mystery. Turns out, it was perfection. She didn’t get in the way of the investigation the cops were running. She just stayed in her own lane and chipped away at the many layers covering up the story she wanted to expose. It was well-balanced, not something every mystery writer can do, so I applaud Hilton and Renzetti for giving me a non-police officer mystery protagonist I can root for!

Which brings me to the journalism side of things. I adored it. I admit that might be because I’m a tad biased as my partner is a journalist. It was a weird thing to read about now, I will admit, because there were massive layoffs at the paper he worked for and it’s a strange and kind of scary time for community news. I don’t think people realize how much we need those journalists and newspapers and they just keep disappearing. That terrifying and sad feeling aside, the authors nailed what it’s like to work in news, especially in a small town. Which didn’t surprise me at all as Renzetti is a former (fantastic) journalist herself who still provides pieces to news outlets today. There was one line where Cat’s talking about waiting for the police press conference regarding the murder and she says it will be held sometime “between now and the end of time” and, oof, isn’t that the truth! But even though the journalist angle had a special place in my heart, I think it’s a fresh take on the mystery genre with the bonus of showcasing how community journalism works. Take notes, friends, and pay attention to what’s happening to the news outlets in your area.

I loved that this story also had some commentary on the world today. Eliot was an absolute garbage human being (not that he deserved to die) and his past (and present) brought up the #MeToo movement and how women have been treated for decades. The reason Cat got fired from her TV job is infuriating (and I definitely guessed it before it was revealed which is a bit sad as I hate that female reporters are still being targeted by idiot males). And having multiple generations commenting on what was happening in town (and had happened in the past) was genius. Things aren’t as black and white as we’d like but it should still be easy to determine what is good and bad behaviour.

Finally, I loved the small town setting. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating here: I’m a small town girl and I really love when stories are set outside cities and I love it even more when the author(s) really “get” what it’s like to live in a small town. I figure Port Ellis is supposed to be somewhere in Muskoka and I grew up just south of the traditional Muskoka area but still in an area where cottagers flocked to in the summer. And reading this book felt right and made me miss summers at my grandparents’ house on the shores of Georgian Bay.

Bury the Lead was an amazing novel and it’s definitely in the running to be a favourite read of 2024. Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti have written a thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery with a heroine who is as intriguing as she is intelligent and I cannot wait to read more in the Quill & Packet series. If you’re a mystery fan, you absolutely must pick up this novel.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, House of Anansi, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*