by Jeanne Burrows-Johnson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019
A whodunit as smart and engrossing as the unlikely gumshoe.
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In this third entry of a mystery series, a woman’s latest vision seems to be an unsolved, decades-old murder that links to a present-day homicide.
Freelance journalist Natalie Seachrist is excited about the upcoming First Annual Aloha Scavenger Hunt in Honolulu. It’s not far from her Lanikai home, but this is her first vacation with her boyfriend, Keoni Hewitt, a retired homicide detective. Unfortunately, mere days into the weeklong event, cops discover a body in the hallway of Natalie and Keoni’s hotel. The crime scene resembles Natalie’s recent vision. As it was her first vision in months, she initially dismissed it, believing the black-and-white images were her memory of an old film noir. Despite similarities between the recent murder and Natalie’s vision, the latter was clearly from “an earlier era.” The cop working the present-day case, Lt. John Dias, Keoni’s old partner, has little evidence on the new homicide. But as he’s aware of Natalie’s ability, he encourages her to look into the mysterious murder of yesteryear even if she’s not part of the official probe. Natalie tries connecting the two crimes by identifying the earlier victim as well as the hotel from her vision. And notwithstanding the decades separating the murders, there’s a possibility of a solitary killer. Burrows-Johnson’s (Murder on Mokulua Drive, 2018, etc.) protagonist, as in preceding novels, is an accomplished sleuth. Her visions may spark an investigation, but Natalie’s research skills, stemming from her days in travel journalism, are what lead her to answers. The author’s bountiful details explore Hawaii’s history and culture, as scavenger hunt clues direct Natalie and Keoni to historical landmarks and the inquiry includes Chinatown in Honolulu. Though Burrows-Johnson tends to linger on descriptions of Hawaii’s food and handsome locales, this tactic meshes with Natalie’s investigative approach. The protagonist’s pace, for example, is leisurely but never boring, as she consistently tracks down and pieces together evidence. Nevertheless, though the case reaches a resolution, questions regarding the culprit’s specific motive and method remain.
A whodunit as smart and engrossing as the unlikely gumshoe.Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-932926-72-9
Page Count: 308
Publisher: Artemesia Publishing, LLC
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Lorna Barrett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2019
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.
Too much free time leads a New Hampshire bookseller into yet another case of murder.
Now that Tricia Miles has Pixie Poe and Mr. Everett practically running her bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, she finds herself at loose ends. Her wealthy sister, Angelica, who in the guise of Nigela Ricita has invested heavily in making Stoneham a bookish tourist attraction, is entering the amateur competition for the Great Booktown Bake-Off. So Tricia, who’s recently taken up baking as a hobby, decides to join her and spends a lot of time looking for the perfect cupcake recipe. A visit to another bookstore leaves Tricia witnessing a nasty argument between owner Joyce Widman and next-door neighbor Vera Olson over the trimming of tree branches that hang over Joyce’s yard—also overheard by new town police officer Cindy Pearson. After Tricia accepts Joyce’s offer of some produce from her garden, they find Vera skewered by a pitchfork, and when Police Chief Grant Baker arrives, Joyce is his obvious suspect. Ever since Tricia moved to Stoneham, the homicide rate has skyrocketed (Poisoned Pages, 2018, etc.), and her history with Baker is fraught. She’s also become suspicious about the activities at Pets-A-Plenty, the animal shelter where Vera was a dedicated volunteer. Tricia’s offered her expertise to the board, but president Toby Kingston has been less than welcoming. With nothing but baking on her calendar, Tricia has plenty of time to investigate both the murder and her vague suspicions about the shelter. Plenty of small-town friendships and rivalries emerge in her quest for the truth.
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0272-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
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by Agatha Christie ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 28, 1934
A murder is committed in a stalled transcontinental train in the Balkans, and every passenger has a watertight alibi. But Hercule Poirot finds a way.
**Note: This classic Agatha Christie mystery was originally published in England as Murder on the Orient Express, but in the United States as Murder in the Calais Coach. Kirkus reviewed the book in 1934 under the original US title, but we changed the title in our database to the now recognizable title Murder on the Orient Express. This is the only name now known for the book. The reason the US publisher, Dodd Mead, did not use the UK title in 1934 was to avoid confusion with the 1932 Graham Greene novel, Orient Express.
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1934
ISBN: 978-0062073495
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dodd, Mead
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1934
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