The Jack of Hearts

 The Jack of Hearts

Magic, Mischief and Mayhem #1

Maddison Michaels

Reviewed by Helen

I have read and loved all of MS Michael’s romances and now she has taken a different direction and started a historical mystery murder series and book one is fabulous.

When the body of a woman is found sawn in half in an alley with a rose and a Jack of Hearts playing card in her hands with one of six written on it, the hunt is one for the killer.

Inspector Tobias Flint of Scotland Yard has never seen anything like this in all of his years in policing but what he does know is that he needs to find the madman who has done this. It is a precise replica of a magical illusion performed by the long dead magician the Magnificent Maguire and the press have named the killer the Coffin Conjurer, and now the hunt starts for the killer.

Jacqueline “Jack” Maguire the daughter of James Maguire the famous magician who was killed in a fire that all said was an illusion gone wrong, Jack who was thought to have died in the fire as well has been living her life well and is now known as Jack Hart she and two friends Cordy and Sera run Hart Investigating Agency and these three woman have a very good success rate at solving crimes they are well trained at what they do, Jack is a very competent magician herself but after the death of first her mother then father she left all that behind but when she receives a Jack of Hearts Card, the nickname her father had for her with a message that says she will be six of six, Jack is forced to do what ever she can to stop this madman if she can find out who it is before he comes for her.

Jack must team up with Inspector Flint to find the killer as a team one who sticks by the rules and one who is happy to bend them but together they search clues and as more bodies turn up in macabre situations they must work fast.

This is a fabulous book, awesome characters witty at times even with all of the macabre goings on, there are twists and turns I didn’t see coming, I loved Tobias and Jack and they are getting closer in many ways, and the ending is fabulous, I loved this one so much and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good historical murder mystery and the start of a series, I can’t wait for book two.

My thanks to Dragonblade Publishing and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

September 22, 2026 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc

The Shadow Carver

 The Shadow Carver

Inspector Henley #4

Nadine Matheson

Reviewed by Helen

This is another fabulous installment in this awesome series, DI Anjelica Henley and her team Stanford, Eastwood, Ramouter, with the help from Ezra and Joanna make a formable Serial Crimes Unit with Pellacia as their boss and when they are called to a house regarding another what they think in a home invasion turns out to be so much more and the pressure is on to catch the killer or killers before there are more dead bodies

The investigating starts and the CSU team are connecting dots to older unsolved murders and they need to act fast, all the victims are linked and the killer is leaving behind a signature that is brutal and cruel and they need to do their best to protect the victims they think will be next but will they get their killer or killers?

This is a fabulous story I have gotten to know Henley and the team throughout the first three books and she is a strong and resilient even after all she has been through but the authors shows her emotional side as well as she struggles to keep her home and work life separate and the team is the same they are all fabulous characters, a new member has been added and she is really pushing buttons, will she last and Henley needs to come clean about the other private investigation that she has been working on and I do hope all will be reveled in the next book which I can’t wait for, this is one that I do highly recommend, it was very hard to put down and I can’t wait for the next one.

5 stars

February 12, 2026 by HQ

As Long As She Lives

 As Long As She Lives

Margot Phalen FBI #3

Kate Wiley

Reviewed by Helen

Margot is with a team from the FBI that investigates cold cases that they suspect were victims of serial killers already locked up and waiting on death row, and Margot if very good at talking to these monsters of society, that might have something to do with her own serial killer father, but when she receives a letter from a female serial killer Carissa Withers, known as the Black Widow of Berkley who is just about to be put to death she is intrigued there were no cases on their desk that could be linked to her but she will go and see her.

The meeting is organized but there is only a very short time that Margot has to interview Carissa and what she discovers will make Margot think seriously about whether she is telling the truth and also makes her think about her own family.

Margot ends up in Florida talking to a detective that had something to do with Carissa’s first victim and this opens up perhaps one that she hadn’t bought up before her execution and then she gets a call from her brother David and goes to Phoenix what she discovers is shocking and only makes her think what this could all mean for her family.

This is another fabulous installment in this series and I loved it and very much and I looking forward to the next one with a hint of maybe closure on another case that Margot has been looking into when it affected her partner Wes not long ago. The author pulled me in and kept me turning the pages, I think Margot is one of the best after all she has been through, I do highly recommend this one and the series.

My thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

4 stars

August 17, 2026 by Storm Publishing

Shooting Reality

 Shooting Reality

DS Bec Harpin #3

Rozzi Bazzani

Reviewed by Helen

DS Bec Harpin is back with another murder or two to solve and yes she has her fabulous team with her Wendy and Shaun and new detective Joe, she is still battling her boss and yes still has a temporary position in Homicide, will she solve this one and become permanent in Homicide?

Bec and the team are called to the Macedon Mountains to the home of wealthy TV producers Shelley and Chad Goodwin where the body of Shelley is found by her best friend. This investigation is not going to be easy Shelley is producer of the top rating reality TV show I’m Hungry, gathering evidence, it appears that Shelley has been having an affair so who could the killer be the husband, the lover or someone else?

But then another body is found that of the gardener it appears to be suicide and evidence is pointing to him being connected to Shelley but is he, the team are interviewing many people and there are leads that are giving them clues but are they the right clues, most of them point to the husband and Bec has her job cut out for her to unravel all the evidence they have.

This is another fabulous installment in this series again Bec uses her gut instincts and the help of her team, there are a lot of suspects and they must get to the truth of what happened, this one is set in the world of TV and celebrities and the setting is The Macedon Mountains and Melbourne Victoria. I am a big fan of Bec Harpin she is strong and determined and does her job so well, this one had me thinking and changing my mind so many times guessing at who the killer was, I also enjoy her ongoing relationship with Josh who always stands by her.

I do highly recommend this fast paced and fabulous story to any lover of a good crime, mystery, it was very hard to put down, so many fabulous characters. Thank you MS Bazzani I can’t wait for book four.

My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

September 5, 2026 by S & B Books

Murder in the Vineyard by Liz Fielding

 Reviewed by Nas Dean

MURDER IN THE VINEYARD by Liz Fielding is a riveting story that seamlessly blends intrigue with a compelling narrative. This story introduces readers to a chilling discovery in the vineyard by Abby Finch, that sets the stage for a captivating investigation.

The characters are well-developed and contribute to the overall atmospheric charm of the story. Once again, Abby Finch’s journey into the heart of the mystery is both enthralling and filled with unexpected twists. 

MURDER IN THE VINEYARD is a must-read for mystery readers who appreciate a well-crafted plot. Liz Fielding skilfully weaves together elements of suspense and a touch of the unknown, creating a tale that keeps readers guessing until the very end.

Highly recommended for all readers.

Joffe Books

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Cold River

 Cold River

Senior Constable Sally White #2

Margaret Hickey

Reviewed by Helen

We are back in the high country of Victoria with Senior Constable Sally White and this time a hiker has gone missing on Mount Viking this is a great way to return to work after her holiday but we all know Sally throws herself into work but things aren’t adding up for her.

The hiker Louis Taylor a budding journalist has been researching the chop, chop, illegal tobacco industry up in the high country and now the criminal that he interviewed has met a gruesome end and Sally is very worried about Louis not just being lost.

The search is winding down but Sally will not let it go especially when she learns about another missing hiker a few years ago and what she uncovers puts her in grave danger as well, Sally has a great mind for policing but she often jumps in feet first and against advice from numerous colleagues as well as her step father, the assistant commissioner of police, Sally takes off to find the answers and hopefully Louis as well but will she get out alive herself?

I loved this one from start to finish and have no problems highly recommending it, there were times that I could have yelled at Sally but what she finds will make her actions worth it I think and I do want more from Sally White and am hoping there will be more books.

5 stars

July 28, 2026 by PENGUIN Au

Dark Waters

 Dark Waters

A Bec Whitfield Mystery #4

Annie Seaton

Reviewed by Helen

Another fabulous installment in this series that I am loving, Bec is back from her trip to New Zealand and is rested and ready to be back at work but she didn’t expect to start as soon as she arrived but when a body is found in the water and he is an investigative journalist Dominic Davidson and it is a suspected diving accident but there are things wrong with the dive computer and DI Todd Davenport is there and requests that Bec accompany him to Cairns for further meetings she is back to work.

It turns out that Davidson was looking into reef tour operators and was days away from exposing a scandal the would open up drug and rare species smuggling and now he is dead and his laptop is missing and his marine biologist informer cannot be found but to solve this case Bec and Todd must go undercover for six days on a live aboard dive tour of the reef posing as married couple this is not going to easy for either of them especially Bec with the feelings and their past history but they have a short time to resolve this case and it could turn out to be dangerous considering one man is dead already.

The missing marine biologist turns up on the same trip and they uncover what they have presumed was happening but they must get proof first and stop what has been happening for years but the perpetrator will go to any lengths to keep his secrets and then the marine biologist goes missing, will Bec and Todd get their evidence before any more lives are lost?

I loved this one my trip to FNQ I have never dived but the author took me deep into the dark waters and I felt like I was with them on the dives and the story had me turning the pages till all was resolved and as for Todd and Bec will they ever find what is there between them? Back home Bec has some big decisions to make and maybe a transfer is what is needed, bring on the next book, I am really looking forward to more. I do highly recommend this one and the series.

My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

July 31, 2026 by ASA