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This is set earlier in Penric’s life and has him solving the murder of a woman that wanted to speak to the archdivine but was turned away. When Penric finds out she is dead the next day he starts to find out what she wanted to tell his boss and who wanted her dead.
Nancy has returned from the Halls of the Dead looking for help from her former classmates. Her friends spring to action and return with her to fight the ghosts of the unquiet dead and help save the other living statues. You find out more about this realm and there are more surprises instore for the group as they try to figure out what caused the spirts to come out and attack everyone. A great story in this universe and there are new students so people will be asking for more backstories.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
This is a SF mystery with time travel. A super rich man has been murdered along with a clone of him murdered at a second site. A retired cop is brought back to help with the case since she has a history with the victim. There is a veteran cop familiar with her and a newbie cop and the three of them go to the murder site to work on the case. I don’t want to get details since it will give too much of the plot away.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
The third book has Alex going to America with their valet but not their horse in order to help Dr Denton. Denton’s cousin has gone missing at an abandoned coal mine in West Viginia. Of course, things are not simple and Alex learns more about mines then they ever wanted to know. Almost as eerie as the first book and leaving you with the feeling that we all need a friend like Alex in our lives even if we hope to never truly need someone of Alex’s mettle to help with those kinds of things
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
Spire Albion requires warriorborn Benedict to take 3 criminal warriorborn to a colony that has gone silent to recover a bag of documents. The colony is abandoned except for a small group of cats that can communicate with the warriorborn. As they figure out what attacked the colony there is a ship from a rival spire that will do everything they can to stop them from getting word back to their spire. A good story an you honestly don’t’ need to be familiar with the first book to enjoy this one.
#56 A Mouthful of Dust by Nghi Vo
Sep. 24th, 2025 10:49 amChih and their hoopoe companion Almost Brilliant are traveling to the city of Baolin to collect stories about the famine for their monastery. After eating a bowl of a pork dish the city is famous for, Chih is called to visit the local magistrate and is put under guard while there. Chih still does their work collecting stories from people in the home even as they can see there is a secret hiding in the house that is llinked to the famine. The 18 year old mystery is solved by the end and the story gives insight to just what people will do when there is nothing to eat and they are being hunted by a famine demon. As with most of these stories they can be read in almost any order and no real need of backstory to enjoy it.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
#49 Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher
Sep. 17th, 2025 02:17 pmA group of goblins soldiers are transported by a magical accident over 40 miles behind enemy lines and are trying to get back. A mage was trying to escape and his magic grabbed the goblins in error and now no one is where they are supposed to be. An elven veterinarian is the only hope these goblin soldiers have to get home in one piece. Filled with the usual T Kingfisher whimsy this was a fun lighthearted read.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
Set in the Kitty Norvell universe but can be read as a stand alone story. Three average guys have been living together as vampire roommates since they were turned in the same week 15 years prior. Sam plays and reviews video games and doesn’t go out much except to the club to help his roomie meet women for meals. Rick, the Master of Denver has pretty much left the three of them on their own since they were turned. When a reporter approaches them for a story but is really using it as a way to get info on Rick, Sam and his buddies now have to deal with older vamps coming after them and hope that Rick can get to them in time.
The latest finds Penric off to see a potentially possessed ox at a bridge building site that his brother-in-law is working at along with Penric’s son. Otta and Rina are brought with them so Otta can learn first-hand about newly possessed and Rina to keep her company. Rina is happy about this because she is interested in possibly following in her father's footsteps. Things happen and the ox gets lose and everyone is searching for it before something happens and the demon jumps to another host. This is also a story of a father watching his kids make decisions about their futures and possibly laying the groundwork for future books about the kids.
#40 Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
Jul. 19th, 2025 11:07 amA group of bots that had been working in a restaurant decide to reopen it so they can pay their bills. Robots have a limited number of rights in California after the war and this group of friends decide to take matters in their own hands and make Biang Biang noodles to pay the bills. They are selling well but dister strikes in the form of review bombing them based on being a robot kitchen. By the end of the book they find out who is doing this and take the bad press and make it work for them. This is a SF cozy even if it is set in a future San Franscisco trying to rebuild from a war.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
Ashley got a new job as the community liaison for a district in the city that has more aliens than humans and she gets tossed in the deep end quickly. Constituents come in to get their rep to take care of issues of the sewer and worries about damage from an upcoming parade. Ashley also ends up meeting with a local animal control officer that deals with more than just cats and dogs. A humorous story and I hope there will be more in this setting in the future.
Yea for more mysteries with Sub-Inspector Ferron. This time the victim knew she would die but now she is missing and the only clue in her apartment is a herd of tiny unicorns. This story gets into the details of social media in the future. The killer is clever, but Ferron wins in the end. 
A good SF mystery set in a future India follows sub-inspector Ferron as she works on a murder where the victim was turned inside out. The details of setting and how things are really elevated this murder case. The audio was thoroughly enjoyable. Can’t wait to listen to the next one. 
#10 Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden
Jun. 2nd, 2025 02:17 pmA talented AI that is an investigative reporter wakes up and finds they are missing over a week of memories and have no idea what they were working on. A bit of sleuthing on their part has them back on the path of what xir were doing on the moon. I liked the idea that Scorn has both parents in xir life and an older AI sibling. The setting and mystery was good and I would like to see more in this setting.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
Ulcetha was framed for the disappearance of an artifact during his university days and now he works for a smuggler forging realistic documentation for questionable items. When the object he was accused of stealing shows up due to clues left him by a recently deceased friend, he starts to get the facts together about what happened years ago and see if he can set everything to right. Set in the same universe as The Goblin Emperor and The Cemeteries of Amalo, this is a lovey story that shines all on its own.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
The third mystery has Pleiti going to help a former classmate now at a rival university. She goes to recruit Mossa’s help against the plagiarism charges on her friend’s cousin’s academic work. Mossa is depressed and sends Pleiti away offering no support and just wants to be left alone to wallow in her melancholy. Pleiti arrives at the university and uses the mantra “What would Mossa do” to guide her to help Villette find the person slandering her and stop her from receiving a donship from Stortellen University. It was fun to see the role of primary investigator on Pleiti’s shoulders.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
A good solid ending to this trilogy with Ada and Rian on Earth to stop the nanobots launching with the software that will hold the restoration of the climate hostage to constant payments to keep it working. Rian still doesn’t believe that Ada is just doing it only so the correct software is updated. He thinks she will still manage a heist as well. Ada does pull off what she plans to do as she has for the previous two books and hopefully Rian will come after her and her heart.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
#5 Thaumaturgic Tapas by Tao Wong
May. 19th, 2025 12:09 pmThe third novella in the Nameless Restaurant series builds on the previous two but can be read by itself. Mo decides to hire help for Kelly since even with no advertising they are constantly full of customers. We see returning customers and meet some new magical people. These stories are a perfect cozy to read in one sitting but are not to be read while hungry. Step in the door of the Nameless Restaurant and see what all the fuss is about.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
#75 Only Hard Problems by Jennifer Estep
Dec. 30th, 2024 11:04 amThis novella is from Zane’s point of view. At the Summer Solstice party and charged with giving a gift to a woman his grandmother expects him to wed for a financial alliance for his house. When the Techwave breaks into the research lab of the house hosting the party Zane is right on them to figure out what technology they are trying to steal. But the mystery gets even more interesting when he sees Asterin Armas, his potential bride in the lab as well. The Techwave grabs her as a hostage and but Zane is able to free her, but the Techwave gets away and has what they are looking for. Zane has several interesting conversations after all the action and you get a new spin on his character. 
A shipwrecked 6-year-old girl is found and is in possession of a new demon. Penric helps her learn the language of where she is and makes sure her demon doesn’t go into ascension. Everyone thinks that the best course of action is to rid her of it since demons should be in adults but this is Penric and things don’t always go the way they should. A great story as always in this universe.
