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Mean Cuisine
Mean Cuisine, by Wendy W. Webb, is a comic cozy mystery with a messy kitchen, a dead chef, a psychic investigator, and a black cat who seems to understand danger before everyone else does. Beluga Stein signs up for culinary school, looking for a change of pace, which is funny from the start because her first big food disaster involves exploding eggs. She tells herself the school will mean “Murder-free, safe cooking. No doubt about it.” Naturally, that hope lasts about five minutes.
The book’s real charm is Beluga herself. She’s nosy, dramatic, smart, food-obsessed, and usually aware that her life has become ridiculous. Her friendship with Tanya gives the story a lot of its bounce, since their conversations feel like those of two longtime friends who know exactly how to annoy and rescue each other. Planchette the cat and Emerson the goat add another layer of chaos, and the animal comedy never feels separate from the mystery. It’s part of Beluga’s world.
The mystery is built around the culinary school, where strict chefs, competitive students, strange accidents, and supernatural hints all share the same space. The murder investigation brings in poison, jealousy, hidden motives, and a cluricaun with a taste for wine. Webb keeps the pace lively by mixing classroom mishaps with clues, diary entries, and scenes that turn ordinary kitchen tools into potential hazards.
What stands out most is the voice. The humor is constant, but it comes from character more than punch lines. Beluga’s narration has a casual, sideways logic that makes even danger feel oddly cozy. By the end, when she writes, “All’s well that ends well. At least for some,” it fits the whole mood of the book: cheerful, suspicious, and perfectly aware that peace is probably temporary.
Mean Cuisine is a warm, weird, food-centered mystery about a woman who wants to learn to cook and instead finds herself sorting out murder, friendship, and a supernatural mess. It’s playful without losing the thread of the case, and its best moments come from watching Beluga stumble into trouble with total confidence that she can talk, eat, or investigate her way out of it. Webb’s work is best suited to fans of cozy mysteries and any reader who appreciates humor woven throughout suspenseful plots.
Pages: 224 | ASIN : B0DM2NYQHZ
Death in the Manor
Death in the Manor, by Michael H. Balfour, is a layered mystery that starts with Roland Astor’s suspicious death and steadily widens into a story about money, legacy, family loyalty, and civic rot. Dante Villehart enters Astor Manor expecting a rich family’s private disaster, but the case quickly becomes bigger than one dead man in a study. The novel works best as an investigation of power: how it’s inherited, protected, hidden, and eventually exposed.
Dante is the center of the book, and he’s easy to spend time with because he’s observant, worn down, funny, and just self-aware enough to know when the case is getting under his skin. His exchanges with Gemma, Marissa, Ingrid, Beatrice, Marcus, Margaret, and Dr. Blackwood give the story a lived-in feel. The book gives him a lot to carry, but it also lets him be human in small ways, especially when someone reminds him, “You can’t help everyone, you know.”
The manor itself feels like more than a setting. It’s a pressure chamber full of locked rooms, old grudges, coded files, hidden cameras, and family history that refuses to stay buried. One of the best early lines comes when Beatrice says, “The Astor family, Mr. Villehart, has never lacked for enemies. Most of them dine at our table.” That line captures the book’s whole mood: polished manners on the surface, bruises and leverage underneath.
As the plot moves from a possible suicide to Project Phoenix, offshore accounts, boardroom panic, blackmail, and corruption reaching into City Hall, the story becomes part manor mystery and part corporate crime thriller. The pacing is strongest when Dante is following paper trails, reading people’s silences, or trying to decide who’s scared and who’s performing. There’s a good balance between clue-hunting and character work, so the revelations feel tied to people’s choices rather than just case mechanics.
Death in the Manor is a moody, talky, character-driven mystery with a broadening sense of danger and a detective who’s as interested in motives as he is in evidence. It’s about a death, but it’s just as much about the machinery around that death: the family myth, the financial scheme, the public image, and the people left to clean up after powerful men. The book closes with enough resolution to satisfy the case while still leaving Dante’s world open, which fits the series well.
Pages: 373 | ASIN : B0G3JWPL1N
Miss Penny Saves the Heir (Miss Penny and the Ghost series, Book 1)
In Miss Penny Saves the Heir, Cathy Quintilla introduces Miss Penelope “Miss Penny” Treblecleft, a beloved schoolmistress and medium in Asterton whose orderly life turns deliciously strange when a public scandal, a duel, and Lord Blackwood’s suspicious death place Anthony Blackwood in danger of ruin. With help from the genial Rector Sinclair, her telepathic black cat Onyx, and the ghostly Lady Caroline, Miss Penny follows clues that include a secret drawer, a spectral memory, and a very incriminating silver-wolf cane. The result is a Regency-flavored paranormal mystery with romance tucked into its folds like a letter in a writing desk.
I enjoyed the book most when it leaned into its odd little household of investigators. Miss Penny isn’t a hard-boiled detective in borrowed muslin; she is gentler, more domestic, and more devotional than that, but her softness never feels useless. Her séances, piano-playing, and conversations with Onyx give the mystery a warm eccentricity. The supernatural elements are not there merely to decorate the plot with ectoplasm; they are part of the book’s moral engine, allowing the dead to clarify what the living have muddled through vanity, greed, pride, and fear.
What I also liked was the book’s fondness for texture: cucumber ices, foxglove bushes, fussy butlers, handwritten letters, church gossip, and the dramatic social weather of who danced with whom. The pacing can be leisurely, and some emotions are expressed broadly. Still, I found that part of the charm. The novel has the air of a parlor fire: a little ornate, sometimes smoky, but persistently inviting. Its villainy is satisfyingly wolfish, its romance sweet without being brittle, and its cat has enough acerbic intelligence to steal every room he pads into.
The ideal audience is readers who like cozy mysteries, Regency romance, historical fiction, and amateur sleuth fiction, especially when the sleuth’s best allies are a clergyman, a ghost, and a judgmental cat. Fans of Deanna Raybourn or Darcie Wilde may enjoy the period setting and investigative heroine, though Quintilla’s book is gentler and more whimsical, closer in spirit to a cozy ghost tale than a razor-edged historical thriller. Miss Penny Saves the Heir is a tender, eccentric mystery where justice arrives wearing gloves, carrying a candle, and listening carefully to the dead.
Pages: 339 | ASIN : B0CMDDJ7YD
Haunted Day and Night
Haunted Day and Night follows Anastasia “Ana” Day, a young paralegal in York, Pennsylvania, who buys a crumbling 1887 Victorian row home that turns out to be a lot more crowded than the real-estate listing suggested. As she scrapes carpet, patches plaster, and fights with her controlling boyfriend Blake, strange things start happening in the house. Doors swing open on their own, cabinets sit wide open, a saw accident in the basement feels almost pushed, and messages appear in candy-apple red lipstick on the bathroom mirror that tell her to leave. Paranormal investigators eventually help her uncover the story of Eliza and Eva Klinger, former residents tied to women’s rights, whose restless presence nudges Ana away from toxic love and toward a stronger, more honest version of herself. The book blends haunted-house chills with a slow-burn story about walking out of unhealthy relationships and rethinking faith, family, and what it means to have a voice.
I really enjoyed how grounded the horror felt. The house is vivid in my mind, from the stained powder-blue carpet to the mahogany banister and those bay windows that keep catching Ana’s eye while everything else falls apart around her. The early scenes with Blake in the basement and the “LEAVE” message on the mirror genuinely made my stomach tighten, not because of jump scares, but because the danger feels emotional as much as supernatural. The writing leans descriptive and sometimes lingers on details or explanations longer than I personally wanted, yet that same patience helps the creepy moments land. I liked how the dialogue shows Blake’s gaslighting and need for control without turning him into a cartoon villain; I could imagine real conversations like the ones about “helping” her and “fixing” her house and life. Side characters like Bob the handyman and Ana’s coworkers give the story warmth and a hint of community, which makes the isolation in the house hit harder when things go sideways. At times, I wanted a bit tighter pacing, especially in the middle, but overall, the narrative flow kept me turning pages to see what the house would do next and what Ana would finally do about Blake.
What surprised me most was how much the book leans into questions about belief, the afterlife, and women’s agency, and how emotional that became for me as a reader. The ghosts are not just a spooky background; they are women with their own history of fighting for rights, and their presence feels like a protective line of ancestors standing behind Ana. I liked that she wrestles out loud with heaven, hell, reincarnation, and religious dogma, and that different characters give different answers without the story shoving one “right” view in my face. The connection between restoring the house and restoring her sense of self is pretty on the nose at times, yet it still worked for me because it felt sincere rather than gimmicky. I found the EVP scenes with Nate and his team strangely moving: hearing the names “Eliza” and “Eva” come through while Ana has just done her own historical digging gives the whole thing a bittersweet weight. The feminist thread, especially around women ignoring red flags, surviving control, and learning to trust their own instincts, hit me harder than the ghost plot at some points. Every now and then the message tilts a bit preachy, but I never doubted the heart behind it, and I appreciated that the spirits are there to empower Ana rather than just punish or terrorize her.
I would recommend Haunted Day and Night to readers who like their ghost stories emotional and character-driven, with more haunted feelings than graphic frights. If you enjoy old houses, slow-build supernatural tension, and stories about women untangling themselves from bad relationships while questioning inherited beliefs, this will probably be right up your alley. It is a good fit for book clubs that like to talk about themes like spiritual abuse, intuition, and generational female strength, and for fans of softer paranormal fiction who do not need constant jump scares. For everyone else who loves a creaky Victorian, a stubborn heroine, and ghosts who have opinions about patriarchy, I think this book will be a satisfying and sometimes surprisingly comforting read.
Pages: 400 | ASIN : B0BXJTKG4M
And Then I Heard the Quiet
Set in the charming village of Fort Langley, Alyssa Hall’s mystery novel, And Then I Heard the Quiet, introduces us to Valerie Russo, a young woman grappling with her past while aspiring to coordinate events for the upcoming 2010 Olympics in Canada. In an attempt to find some peace, Valerie takes a temporary gig house-sitting—and dog-sitting—for the affable Carter family. What begins as a serene retreat swiftly turns into a complex adventure, as an unexpected encounter pulls her into a whirlwind far beyond her expectations.
The charm of this novel is anchored in its vividly drawn characters, who, though they echo the familiarity of American sitcom figures, are perfectly suited to the quaint, drama-filled backdrop of Fort Langley. Their distinctive personalities may stretch the bounds of realism, but they leave a memorable impression that enriches the unfolding mystery. Although the plot might initially appear predictable, it expertly incorporates a series of unexpected twists that captivate readers all the way to its sudden and satisfying conclusion.
The portrayal of the protagonist, Valerie, presents a subtle challenge in the narrative. Her tragic past is gently woven into the story from the beginning, with occasional hints throughout that seek to build intrigue. This narrative choice may leave readers eager for more clarity, which could enhance engagement with her character in initial readings. While this stylistic approach subtly teases out her backstory, it’s a technique that may become more noticeable upon re-reading when the element of mystery is familiar.
And Then I Heard the Quiet stands out as an excellent choice for a leisurely vacation read. Its succinct form and engaging twists offer a delightful escape. It’s perfect for anyone eager to delve into a light, captivating mystery. This mystery novel will be a charming pick for readers in search of both relaxation and intrigue.
Pages: 240 | ASIN : B0CYXS9J6D
Steampunk and Victorian Vibes
The Roses of Port Townsend follows a mother and her two sons as their fresh start in a seaport town turns into a ghostly adventure. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I traveled with my two sons, Ian and Ryan, from Olympia, Washington, to Port Townsend when they were younger. We stayed at Manresa Castle over Easter and had a wonderful time. During our visit, we took several photos and captured images that featured orbs. In one photo, there was an orb above each of our heads, which was quite spooky. Manresa Castle is reportedly haunted and has been featured on the television show “Ghost Adventures.”
The Victorian architecture, combined with both Steampunk and Victorian vibes, makes Port Townsend a fascinating destination. The history of the town, as well as that of Fort Worden and Fort Flagler, is all intriguing and significant. As I was writing the novel, my husband and I lived on the coast, either on Camano Island or in Ferndale, Washington, overlooking the Salish Sea. We visited Port Townsend regularly, and during those visits, ideas for my novel began to develop. I would write between jobs or in the evenings after coming home from work. Once I was able to retire, I started writing regularly, and the ideas flowed freely.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
I tell a good story, and plot twists are a necessity. I have always hated knowing how a story would end, and about eighty percent of the time, I can guess at even a “trick” ending and get it right. However, plot twists need to make sense and must enhance the storyline. I found that plot twists added depth to my story and made it more engaging. Everything just fell into place. I also challenged myself to revive my imagination, which had been buried in dry government documents, statistics, program requirements, rules, laws, and administrative procedures. To be truly creative, you must find the child’s voice within and ask yourself what’s truly fun, scary, exciting, whimsical, or even absurd. That’s the voice I try to tap into. I do utilize some of my knowledge about government to create an image of “them bilge-rat government types,” as the untrusting pirate, Ben Pease, would likely say. Still, mostly I rely on my imagination, the history of the area, and the joy of finding and fighting monsters. We all have to defend ourselves against monsters at some point in our lives. These days, they are less likely to be vampires and more likely to be found in the hallowed halls of our political institutions.
Do you find you are able to relate to your characters while writing?
My characters have become very real to me; they feel like members of my family now, so I have a good understanding of what they will and won’t do. I can relate to every character in my novel because they remind me of my sons or because I’ve encountered similar characters in the past. Most of my characters are a blend of people I know, historical figures I’ve discovered through reading, characters from movies or books, and aspects of my own personality.
Can we look forward to more mysteries from you soon? What are you currently working on?
I want to share that the Gumshoes are preparing for another exciting adventure. I am starting to work on “The Portal Protectors,” the next book in the “Roses of Port Townsend” series. I hope to complete my first draft by the summer of 2026.
Author Links: Website | Reader’s Favorite
In the heart of the book, The Roses of Port Townsend, you will meet Mandy Rose, a resilient schoolteacher, whose husband is missing under mysterious circumstances. Forced to leave her home in Olympia due to her school’s closure, she ventures on a daring journey with sons Max and Oscar to Port Townsend, a quaint Victorian era seaport city. Despite warnings of its eerie aura and alleged hauntings from her brother, Leo, Mandy follows the path that fate has laid down for her. The Rose family’s strength is truly tested as they confront the chilling mysteries of this Victorian city.
Mandy, Max and Oscar, and their loyal dogs, Josie and Bone, delve into a world that transcends the realm of the ordinary. The city’s scenic tranquility belies the dangers that lurk within, as the family stumbles upon supernatural beings. The Rose family is welcomed by new friends in Port Townsend; Max and Oscar develop budding romances; family members come to the rescue; and together they all become amateur detectives in the most important missing persons case they will ever face.
Not all is as it seems in this city, where an unusual tomato garden holds lethal surprises, and a pirate’s secret could be the key to their survival. As Mandy and her family navigate through the labyrinth of Port Townsend, they uncover truths that could shatter their reality. What started as a quest for employment soon turns into a race against time as they struggle to find Mandy’s husband, and to discover the secrets of their new home, Victorian cottage, “Little Red.”
The Roses of Port Townsend is a thrill-ride of whimsy, suspense, mystery, and danger. The book weaves an enchanting tapestry of suspense, magical realism, and the strength of a mother’s love. As Mandy battles the unknown, the question remains-will the Rose family bloom again in Port Townsend, or will they wilt under its haunting spell? Dive into the pages of this riveting tale to find out!
The Roses of Port Townsend
The Roses of Port Townsend is a genre-blending story set in the misty coastal town of Port Townsend, Washington, where mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and family drama intertwine. The novel follows Mandy Rose and her two sons, Max and Oscar, as they relocate to this Victorian seaport after the mysterious disappearance of Mandy’s husband, Rick. The family’s attempt at a fresh start quickly veers into strange territory, with ghostly figures, cryptic messages, unsettling townspeople, and supernatural occurrences. Many of them are tied to the town’s haunting history and a bizarre obsession with tomatoes. As secrets unravel, the Rose family must confront both literal and figurative monsters while clinging to love and hope.
Ethel Steinmetz Marmont writes with obvious affection for the Pacific Northwest, and her descriptive passages made me want to visit Port Townsend. The real heart of the story, though, is the relationship between the characters. I found Mandy’s weariness and perseverance achingly real. The banter between Max and Oscar made me laugh more than once, especially Oscar, who’s half spooky child, half comedy relief. That said, the book zigzags tonally. Sometimes it’s a whimsical ghost story, other times it’s a tech thriller or a family sitcom. It’s not a clean cut, and I loved the creativity.
The writing is imaginative and often charming. Marmont occasionally indulges in monologues or eccentric character introductions that make you pause and think. That unpredictability also gives the book its charm. I didn’t always know where the plot was headed, and I liked that. The character of Benny P., for example, feels like he walked out of a Halloween parade and straight into a ghost tour. Is he a ghost? A pirate? A time traveler? I’m still not totally sure, but I enjoyed every second he was on the page. And the tomatoes became such a strangely meaningful element of the story that I might actually never look at them the same again.
The Roses of Port Townsend was a delightful read. It’s best suited for readers who enjoy quirky tales that mix magical realism with heartfelt family drama. If you liked A Series of Unfortunate Events, Coraline, or Practical Magic, this might hit the sweet spot. It’s especially good for parents reading alongside tweens or teens. It has just enough spooky spice to intrigue younger readers while still offering emotional weight for adults. It’s a little weird, a little heartfelt, and very much its own thing. For me, that’s enough to recommend it.
Pages : 390 | ASIN : B0F277WYCR
Psychosis Diagnosis
Psychosis Diagnosis by Nikki Minty is a dark, raw, and deeply emotional story set against the gritty backdrop of Coraki, Australia. The book follows Monroe, a teenager born into crushing poverty, drug abuse, and violence, as he struggles to escape his toxic home life. Along the way, he meets Indi, a girl trapped in an oppressive religious cult, and the two bond over their shared trauma. Interwoven through Monroe’s story is the unsettling past of Enzo, a boy from 1920s New Orleans who dabbles in dangerous dark magic and crosses paths with sinister figures. The novel flips back and forth between the two timelines, threading together themes of survival, inherited darkness, and the desperate hope for freedom.
From the very first scene, when Monroe’s mother is scrabbling through carpet fibers for her drug stash, I felt like I was dropped into his suffocating world. The details are so vivid, like the curdled milk on the windowsill, the wild tangle of his mother’s hair, it’s impossible not to feel Monroe’s desperation. Nikki Minty doesn’t sugarcoat anything. She shows every broken window, every slammed fist, and every moment Monroe wishes he could just disappear. There’s a rawness to the language, a kind of grit that doesn’t let you look away. Some parts, like Monroe’s inner battle after Freddy Krueger clocks him with a beer bottle, physically made me tense up.
What surprised me most, though, was how much heart there is beneath all the darkness. The relationship between Monroe and Indi could have felt cliche, but instead, it’s tender and cautious. Indi, with her ice-blue eyes and haunting scars, is fighting her own quiet war, and the scenes where they find shelter under a leaky patio roof or hide out in Monroe’s dingy room are oddly beautiful. I loved that Monroe wasn’t written like some savior figure swooping in. He’s messed up. He’s scared. Sometimes he’s selfish. And that’s exactly what made his decision to help Indi feel heroic. You can feel how heavy that choice is every step of the way.
The flashbacks to Enzo’s life in New Orleans elevated the novel to a deeper and more compelling level. They gave the story this eerie, almost gothic undertone that I didn’t see coming. Enzo’s early scenes with Jerimiah, where they accidentally or maybe not so accidentally kill a young girl during a dark magic ritual, were chilling. It wasn’t just the supernatural stuff that spooked me. It was how easily innocence turned into something monstrous. Enzo’s gradual fall into darkness mirrors Monroe’s struggle in a way that left me genuinely unsettled. The shifts between Monroe and Enzo’s timelines kept the story moving at a brisk pace, though at times I found myself wishing for a few more pages to fully savor each perspective before transitioning.
By the end, I was a wreck, in the best way. Minty builds the tension so well that by the final chapters, when everything’s crashing down, you’re white-knuckling the book, praying these characters you’ve grown to love somehow claw their way out.
I highly recommend Psychosis Diagnosis to readers who appreciate dark, intense, and character-driven narratives. Those who admired works like The Outsiders or Sharp Objects are likely to find this novel equally compelling. However, readers should be prepared for an experience that challenges rather than comforts; this story is not designed to offer easy resolutions, but rather to evoke deep and lasting emotions.
Pages: 372 | ASIN : B0DYZTR4ZR
