Recent Reads

In a previous post “What Am I Reading,” I mentioned several book series that I’d started. Here is an update on some books I’ve read since that post.

Fit Girls Cozy Mysteries by Ann Audree

So far, there are four books in the series with more to come: Exercise is Murder, Weddings are Murder, Pet Shows are Murder, Train Trips are Murder. The cozy mysteries are short reads around 100 pages, which I enjoy, and well-written. Each book is full of twists and kept me guessing who dunnit.

The books center around fitness trainer Paisley Summerhill and her friend Ellie Cruz, whose brother is Paisley’s ex-fiancé. The pair stumble onto a murder in each book and take up sleuthing to solve the crimes.

This is the link to visit Ann Audree’s Amazon page.

The Cainsville Series by Kelley Armstrong

I finished reading all five books in the adult modern gothic series and enjoyed them immensely. The series centers around Olivia Taylor Jones, a young socialite in Chicago who seems to have a “perfect” life. Her world is turned upside-down when she finds out she is adopted and that her real parents are in jail, sentenced as serial killers. The skeletons in the closet keep tumbling out, and Olivia searches for the truth and true happiness.

This is the link to Kelley Armstrong’s author page.

I read the first book in Armstrong’s Otherworld series titled Bitten. Although it is a good book, it didn’t draw me into reading more as the Cainsville series.

Still Life by Louise Penny

This book is one of Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache mysteries. Several of my friends have read all the books in the series. I enjoyed Still Life, although I stumbled through the first couple of chapters. A bonus was that I could not figure out who the murderer was. The plot had many twists and a slew of suspects. That being said, I didn’t continue with the series.

This is the link to Louise Penny’s author page.

The Secret Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams

I was on a cozy mystery kick and decided to read a couple of Ellery Adams’s books on a friend’s recommendation.

The Secret Book & Scone Society was a nice surprise. The main characters are four women, all with secrets in their past. When a murder happens in their quaint town to an acquaintance, the book and scone group gets involved to solve the case.

Murder in the Mystery Suite is the first book in another of Adam’s series, the Book Retreat mysteries. I enjoyed the book, although not as much as The Secret Book & Scone Society. This is the link to Ellery Adams author page.

I’m searching for a new series to try. If you have any recommendations, please leave a comment.