Charleston and its rich history provide a lovely backdrop to this tale of mystery, romance, and danger.
White finishes her Tradd Street series with panache.
Doughnut-addicted realtor Melanie Trenholm’s ability to see and converse with ghosts has caused considerable turmoil in her life. The old house she inherited in Charleston has provided thrills, chills, and unhappiness. Her husband, Jack, a bestselling author and father of their twins, is still angry with her for finding a long-lost treasure while he was ill—a treasure that was stolen along with his book idea by villainous Marc Longo. Since Longo thinks more treasure, the mythical half of the Hope Diamond, is still hidden in the house, he’s constantly snooping around. Mellie’s even more concerned with the spirit of a young woman who died on the property in the 1800s. The ghost appears to Jack’s teen daughter, Nola, warning her to beware of a tall man. In addition, a creepy doll in a coffin pops up, along with piles of antique buttons. While Jack blows hot and cold, Mellie researches the identity of the monitory apparition and begins to wonder if the mystical diamond might exist. This last dispatch from Tradd Street is so closely linked to the prior six that readers are well advised to start from the beginning.
Charleston and its rich history provide a lovely backdrop to this tale of mystery, romance, and danger.Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-451475-25-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Checks all the boxes on the way to the happiest of endings.
An amateur detective is approaching happily-ever-after with her beau, but she’s committed to one last case as a way to support a murdered man she let down in life.
While some might picture the life of a librarian for Mayville Heights Free Public Library to be normcore, Kathleen Paulson’s is anything but. Not only has she had a hand in solving a string of mysteries in her small Minnesota suburb, but the helpers she’s relied on in doing this work have ranged from her fiance, Det. Marcus Gordon, to her two magical cats, Owen and Hercules. Owen, originally from an unusual cat colony on Wisteria Hill, has the ability to disappear and reappear seemingly at will, and Hercules can walk through walls and other solid objects. Both are pretty handy to have around when mystery calls, as it does once again when Kathleen finds that Will Redfern has broken into the library and been killed mid-burglary. A fighter for the underdog, Kathleen vows to solve Will’s murder as a way of caring for someone society had given up on. She also continues her mentorship of Riley Hollister, a bright young girl whose family hasn’t been there for her time and again. With Kathleen’s wedding to Marcus just two months away, her schedule is full of cake tastings and bridesmaid dress approvals, but she can’t help but try to solve Will’s murder, maybe this time with Riley’s help.
Checks all the boxes on the way to the happiest of endings.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593548738
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
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