eyes.2c Reviews

The Bloodied Client  (Maggie Gallagher Legal Thriller #2) by Peter Kirkland    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Layered murder trial set in the small town of Kerry in Ohio. Maggie Gallagher, attorney, is woken to a banging on her front door. A teenage girl falls into her arms clutching a gun, and asks Maggie to be her lawyer. That girl it turns out is her son Ian’s girlfriend, Zoey. Zoey’s accidentally shot a strange man who’d invaded her bedroom, woken her from a deep sleep, grabbed her, and was to all intents and purposes was kidnapping her. Maggie gets Zoey off the charge.  Three weeks later Zoey’s parents are murdered. Zoey once again asks for Maggie’s help. Maggie is ambivalent but concedes.  Things become way more complicated for Maggie. Her father, a reformed drunk turns up bringing unpleasant memories to the fore. Then there’s Zoey! Is she a killer or is something else going on? A good story with some unexpected twists. A Relay Pub. ARC via NetGalley.       ...

Murder of a Winchester Goose (Harlowe and Fitch Historical Mystery #6)   by Elizabeth Rose    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I have enjoyed the 14th Century Harlowe and Fitch series thus far but this last novel just didn’t quite match the previous titles. Sure there’s plenty of action and mystery.  I was totally fascinated by the Winchester Goose origins and meanings. In this novel, last in the series, Lady Vivienne Harlowe and Sheriff Zachariah Fitch’s  world is interrupted by murder and dark doings. Fitch’s sister Cassandra, who’d chosen legal prostitution as a living, being a “goose”, had always rankled Zachariah. Now she’s turned up in Maplethorpe, accompanied by her friend Fanny. Cassandra is looking for Zachariah’s forgiveness.  When Fanny is found dead in a horse’s trough wearing Vivienne’s cloak, Zachariah fears the worst. He is fearful, distressed and  angry. Murders afoot and it doesn’t stop here. I was driven crazy by Zachariah’s brother Issac’s constant inabilit...

A Lion's Ransom  (Owen Archer Mystery #16) by Candace Robb       ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Its 1377. Captain Owen Archer is called to a robbery. The goldsmiths of York had decided to gift the new King Richard with a golden rampant Lion. Gold smelted down  from collected gold coins, designed and  created by their guild members.  Now the Lion is missing!  The goldsmith, Gold master Harrigan, the current master of the guild whose job it was to finish the article, had neglected Owen’s instructions to store the object in the treasury where it would be guarded. And now, disaster! The quest for the troublesome golden lion will lead to the death of an artist, the finding of a body in river, intrigue, and other associated problems, including the Duke of Lancaster, the Fleming merchants, and reaches back to the Castilian fleet. Owen finds himself going from one crisis to another in his investigations. Another great Owen Archer read! A Severn House ARC via NetGalley....

The Meadows of Murder  (Brother Athelstan Mystery #24) by Paul Doherty    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Once again Brother Athelstan, Dominican friar annd parish priest of St Erconwald’s, and Sir John Cranston, Lord High Coroner of London, are embroiled in a situation that reaches into the highest levels of power and politics in the land.  Joan, Queen Mother, widow of the Black Prince, mother to King Richard, and John of Gaunt are involved The death by stabbing of an avaricious and merciless money lender is a prelude to even more deaths of the powerful leaders of the London guilds. Who is targeting certain guild leads and why? Father Athelstan is embroiled when the killer, William the Weaver seeks sanctuary in St Erconwald’s. William later dies in the church in mysterious circumstances. Athelstan and Cranbourne’s attention turns to St Osyth’s Priory. A religious house with a deep harbor that John of Gaunt’s cogs from Castile can sail into. Matters have taken a grim turn in the priory,...

Fire Must Burn  (Sparks and Bainbridge Mystery #8) by Allison Montclair     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge once more delight with their savoire fare attitude to life, secret service personnel confrontations, ability to bend the rules, and solve mysteries Iris has been dealt a heartfelt blow with the death of Archie, and is still hurting. The war has ended, but for the Brigadier this is the perfect time for his passion to route out any communist sympathisers who might be betraying Britain in the new Cold War frontiers to come to the fore.  A trip down memory lane for Iris and her rowing Cambridge years evoke thoughts of her first introduction to Anthony Danforth in her Newman College years. The Brigadier suspects Tony of being a double agent. He wants the Right Sort Marriage Bureau to take Tony on as a client. He already has an agent lined up to be a perspective bride. Iris and Gwen are the Brigadier’s not so perfect agents! This time they tread a na...

Tears for the Forsaken (Spencer & Reid Mystery #5) by Cara Devlin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jasper is wrapping up a counterfeiting case he’s been conducting in Liverpool. In the midst of all this he and Leo have been asked to attend the reading of the will of a Mrs. Francine Stroud, at Cowper Hall, home to the Viscount Cowper—definitely not a friend. Both are equally startled to find they’ve been left a property in Craven Hill, a stylish address, and a request to investigate the death of Francine’s son, Theodore, over twelve years ago. It’s not long before bodies begin to pile up. One is a woman who turns out to have once been engaged to coroner Connor Quinn. Not only that, Leo’s seperate pursuit of the death of Quinn’s ex fiancé opens up some dangerous trails. Once more Eddie Bloom, a vicious gangster, has Leo in his sights. Jasper and Leo quarrel, even as they move closer to each other. The situation is turbulent. Another exciting episode in the Spencer and Reid adventures An ARC via Bookfunne...

Devil's Gambit  (King Fool’s Mystery #4) by Jeri Westerson   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Once more King Henry VIII’s jester, Will Somers finds himself assisting a lady-in-waiting in a somewhat precarious situation. Lady Margaret Loy has accompanied Anne of Cleeves from Germany to England hoping to marry one of Henry’s courtiers, Sir Francis Heron. His father, Lord Humphrey Heron won’t allow this unwelcome match. Margaret has no dowry to speak of, nothing to enhance the union.  Margaret persuades Will to present the king with a document to sign stating Henry was in favor of the marriage. Henry refuses. Will goes to Lady Margaret’s rooms to give her the bad news, only to find matters have taken a turn for the worst. She’s found her courtier’s father in her rooms. He’s been strangled! Margaret begs Will to help her hide the body. He reluctantly does. Why didn’t Will leave well enough alone?! Balancing his life between his King, Harry or rather Henry, depending on Henry’s mood, his wife...