A tale with minimal tension, but one that provides an engaging and satisfying read.
Fischer’s cozy mystery series starter tells a tale of secrets and second chances, set just outside California’s Yosemite National Park.
Forty-eight-year-old Pepper Rose is moving away from home for the first time. Her father died when she was 13, and Pepper chose to remain at home with her widowed mother, Ruth, in Riverside, California, while her twin sister, Piper, got married after high school, had three children, and moved to Manhattan Beach. When Pepper was 18, she began working as a police station dispatcher; after 30 years on the job, she’s retired and plans to head out to the Bear Springs Campground, a privately owned, family-operated wilderness retreat where she’ll be the camp host and, hopefully, fulfill her dream of living where her family used to vacation. Now it will be Piper’s responsibility to check in on Ruth. When a disgruntled Piper arrives to receive final instructions from her sister, she brings a Labrador puppy for her mom, ignoring the fact that Ruth doesn’t care for dogs. However, the pup is perfect for Pepper; she names him Ranger, and the two embark upon the first adventure of what promises to be an enjoyable, character-driven series. The campground has only 25 sites, but between a few troublesome visitors and the enigmatic employees, there is enough well-paced intrigue to keep the narrative interesting throughout: A missing employee, a rambunctious troop of youngsters, a potential stalker, and a thief, plus a host of family conflicts, provide plenty of excitement, a bit of poignancy, and an ample supply of drama, including budding romances. Pepper, Fischer’s gently acerbic narrator, has a distinctive voice that provides readers with a pleasing mix of snark, angst, and tenderness, and her breezy demeanor suits the novel’s upbeat tone. A few storylines feel a bit saccharine, but readers will consistently have fun keeping company with these likable characters. A final, surprise reveal effectively sets the stage for a sequel.
A tale with minimal tension, but one that provides an engaging and satisfying read.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2022
ISBN: 979-8-9860651-0-6
Page Count: 252
Publisher: Cozied Up Press
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.
A 16-year-old savant uses his Groundhog Day gift to solve his grandfather’s murder.
Nishizawa’s compulsively readable puzzle opens with the discovery of the victim, patriarch Reijiro Fuchigami, sprawled on a futon in the attic of his elegant mansion, where his family has gathered for a consequential announcement about his estate. The weapon seems to be a copper vase lying nearby. Given this setup, the novel might have proceeded as a traditional whodunit but for two delightful features. The first is the ebullient narration of Fuchigami’s youngest grandson, Hisataro, thrust into the role of an investigator with more dedication than finesse. The second is Nishizawa’s clever premise: The 16-year-old Hisataro has lived ever since birth with a condition that occasionally has him falling into a time loop that he calls "the Trap," replaying the same 24 hours of his life exactly nine times before moving on. And, of course, the murder takes place on the first day of one of these loops. Can he solve the murder before the cycle is played out? His initial strategies—never leaving his grandfather’s side, focusing on specific suspects, hiding in order to observe them all—fall frustratingly short. Hisataro’s comical anxiety rises with every failed attempt to identify the culprit. It’s only when he steps back and examines all the evidence that he discovers the solution. First published in 1995, this is the first of Nishizawa’s novels to be translated into English. As for Hisataro, he ultimately concludes that his condition is not a burden but a gift: “Time’s spiral never ends.”
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781805335436
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please.
Four residents of Coopers Chase, a British retirement village, compete with the police to solve a murder in this debut novel.
The Thursday Murder Club started out with a group of septuagenarians working on old murder cases culled from the files of club founder Elizabeth Best’s friend Penny Gray, a former police officer who's now comatose in the village's nursing home. Elizabeth used to have an unspecified job, possibly as a spy, that has left her with a large network of helpful sources. Joyce Meadowcroft is a former nurse who chronicles their deeds. Psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif and well-known political firebrand Ron Ritchie complete the group. They charm Police Constable Donna De Freitas, who, visiting to give a talk on safety at Coopers Chase, finds the residents sharp as tacks. Built with drug money on the grounds of a convent, Coopers Chase is a high-end development conceived by loathsome Ian Ventham and maintained by dangerous crook Tony Curran, who’s about to be fired and replaced with wary but willing Bogdan Jankowski. Ventham has big plans for the future—as soon as he’s removed the nuns' bodies from the cemetery. When Curran is murdered, DCI Chris Hudson gets the case, but Elizabeth uses her influence to get the ambitious De Freitas included, giving the Thursday Club a police source. What follows is a fascinating primer in detection as British TV personality Osman allows the members to use their diverse skills to solve a series of interconnected crimes.
A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-98-488096-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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