If you liked this post, check out some more Bookish Bites:
It’s time to wrap up all the books we read in July 2024!
We read all 9 books on our TBR this month, but only by the skin of our teeth!
Some reading months are easier than others. And it makes it slightly harder to power through a mountain of books when you’re watching back-to-back seasons of ‘The Rookie’ rather than reading.
HOWEVER! Reading is for enjoyment, and even if you only managed to read one novel or crack the spine of another – you’ve still won in our book!
We always encourage you to source books from your local independent bookshop. However, we understand this is sometimes not practical based on location or budget.
Therefore, this post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means, if you click on the link and purchase the book from that link, I get a few dollars at no extra cost to you! This way we can both stock up on new reads! 😀
Happy Reading, Friends!
Standalone or Series?:
This is a standalone novel.
What's it all about?:
On a foggy winter morning two children discover the impossible: the wreck of an eighteenth-century ship stranded in a field. One enters the hatch on the deck and is never seen again. And she isn’t the last to disappear. Soon a government agency begins to investigate, determined to uncover the ship’s secrets before a media storm erupts. They enlist Robert Grim, a retired specialist of the occult, to unravel the mystery, who soon realises the ship could be a harbinger of an ancient doom awakened under the sea. In a maelstrom of international intrigue and pure terror, Grim must race against time as he comes face to face with an open doorway to the apocalypse.
What did we think?: 3 Stars
This was our Fishbird Central Book Club pick for July 2024! Woot woot! What did YOU think?
This wasn’t my favourite book by Olde Heuvelt – that would probably still be ‘Hex‘, followed closely by ‘Echo‘. This was a fun and atmospheric read though. I loved the idea of the ship appearing from nowhere, acting as a portal to who knows where and then slowly decaying. The ‘big bad’ has a very organic element that is creepy, and I’d definitely follow more stories with Robert Grim as the main character. I did get a bit lost with all the mammoth stuff, and would have cut a lot of the government conspiracy storyline out. Overall an entertaining read, and I’d still say that this author is an ‘auto-buy’ for me these days.
Grab yourself a copy:
Standalone or Series?:
This is Book One in the ‘Kinsey Millhone‘ series
What's it all about?:
When Laurence Fife was murdered, few cared. A slick divorce attorney with a reputation for ruthlessness, Fife was also rumoured to be a slippery ladies’ man. Plenty of people in the picturesque Southern California town of Santa Teresa had reason to want him dead. Including, thought the cops, his young and beautiful wife, Nikki. With motive, access and opportunity, Nikki was their number one suspect. The Jury thought so too. Eight years later and out on parole, Nikki Fife hires Kinsey Millhone to find out who really killed her husband. But the trail has gone cold and there is a chilling twist even Kinsey didn’t expect.
What did we think?: 4 Stars
This was a quick page-turner and I’ll definitely keep reading the series. While channeling cosy-crime vibes, this is a little grittier than a traditional cosy. Kinsey makes some questionable moral choices, but she’s down to earth and relatable and owns her own detective agency. As an introduction to the series, this ticked the boxes for me. Can’t say I’d be able to pick Kinsey out of a lineup yet, but with 25 more books to go, there’s a lot more to discover!
Grab yourself a copy:
Standalone or Series?:
This is Book One in the ‘Popcorn Shop Mysteries’.
What's it all about?:
Opening a gourmet popcorn shop was never on Rebecca Anderson’s bucket list. But after a failed marriage to a celebrity chef, she’s ready for her life to open up and expand. She has returned to her hometown of Grand Lake, Ohio, with her popcorn-loving poodle Sprocket to start a new business—naturally called POPS. As a delicious bonus, Cordelia “Coco” Bittles, a close family friend who has always been like a grandmother to Rebecca, owns the chocolate shop next door, and the two are thinking of combining their businesses. But when Coco’s niece, discovers her on the floor of her chocolate shop, those dreams go up in smoke. The local sheriff thinks Coco was the victim of a robbery gone wrong, but Rebecca isn’t so sure. As suspects start popping up all over, Rebecca is determined to turn up the heat and bring the killer to justice in a jiffy!
What did we think?: 4 Stars
This was a hoot, and Sprocket the dog on the cover is definitely worth the price of admission! A typical small town mystery, with some well-defined cosy characters. I found our lead – Rebecca Anderson – to be quite sassy and she certainly leans into her rivalry with her high-school nemesis. I’ll keep going with this series. There are also a few recipes in the back of this book, for those looking to make the fictional snacks a little less fictional.
Grab yourself a copy:
Standalone or Series?:
This is Book 2 in the ‘Hercule Poirot‘ series.
What's it all about?:
Stabbed in the back. A pieced of lead piping nearby. It should be a simple case. Poirot is summoned to France, but arrives too late to save his client, whose body now lies face down in a shallow grave on a golf course. Why is the dead man wearing his son’s overcoat? And who was the intended recipient of the love-letter in the pocket? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse.
What did we think?: 3 Stars
Yay for Poirot! Also Hastings falls in love VERY quickly! Calm it down, Hastings! If I were Poirot, I’d ask people to refer to my head as ‘egg shaped’ a little less. This is a solid whodunnit, with Poirot able to show off his genius to the Parisian plod in a satisfying way. I did think we’d spend more time on the golf course, considering the cover – so don’t spend too much time picking out your outfit.
Grab yourself a copy:
Standalone or Series?:
This is Book One in the ‘Inspector Maigret‘ series.
What's it all about?:
What Maigret sought, and what he waited and watched out for, was the crack in the wall. In other words, the instant when the human being comes out from behind the opponent. Who is Pietr the Latvian? Is he a gentleman thief? A Russian drinking absinthe in a grimy bar? A married Norwegian sea captain? A twisted corpse in a train bathroom? Or is he all of these men? Inspector Maigret, tracking a mysterious adversary and a trail of bodies, must bide his time before the answer can come into focus.
What did we think?: 3 Stars
So I still don’t know who Pietr the Latvian is, but I enjoyed the story! I’m liking Maigret as a character and will be happy to follow him into some more stories. This book is also sometimes titled ‘Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett’, if you’re searching for Book One. Maigret gives me Jackson Lamb vibes (from Mick Heron’s ‘Slough House‘ series) in a good way. He’s been there, done that, and would rather not have to think about the paperwork. An interesting first glimpse into the well-loved series.
Grab yourself a copy:
Series or Standalone?:
This is a standalone novel.
What's it all about?:
In a small Alaskan town, a boy is found with his throat ripped out and the blood drained from his body. The brutality of the murder of chillingly echoes a killing from twenty-five years ago. Out-of-state detective Barbara Atkins is brought in to assist the sheriff, Jensen Tucker, who investigated the original case. However, the inhabitants of Deadhart believe they know who is responsible: one of the nearby vampyr colony who live in an old mining settlement deep in the mountains. Barbara is under pressure to authorise a cull of the entire colony. But the evidence doesn’t stack up, people are lying, and the more Barbara and Tucker delve into Deadhart’s history, the darker the secrets they uncover. As the snow thickens and the nights grow longer, another teenager goes missing and body parts are found. Time is running out for Barbara and Tucker to find the truth.
What did we think?: 3 Stars
While I loved the idea of a crime thriller set in a world where vampires are part of society – this one fell a bit short for me. I’d follow another story featuring detective Barbara Atkins investigating vampire related crimes though – that has room for some interesting storylines. Overall, I think the vampires were a little underused and I would have liked things to heat up a little more. A solid 3 star read though for fans looking for a quick small-town crime novel.
Grab yourself a copy:
Series or Standalone:
This is a standalone novel.
What's it all about?:
Jim Crow Florida, 1950. Twelve-year-old Robert Stephens Jr., who for a trivial scuffle with a white boy is sent to The Gracetown School for Boys. But the segregated reformatory is a chamber of horrors, haunted by the boys that have died there. In order to survive the school governor and his Funhouse, Robert must enlist the help of the school’s ghosts – only they have their own motivations.
What did we think?: 4 Stars
This was a bit of a chunker, but very easy to read and draws you in with solid characters. From the cover and blurb, I expected this to have strong ‘haunted house’ vibes – but largely it’s about the racism and violence faced by a school of young boys at the mercy of some terrible people. Tananarive Due is a great writer and doesn’t pull her punches. Would recommend this more to lovers of historical fiction with a lite supernatural twist.
Grab yourself a copy:
Series or Standalone?:
This is a standalone novel.
What's it all about?:
On Memorial Day in Jewel, Minnesota, the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. The investigation falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn’s murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past. Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through Jewel are a war widow and her adolescent son, the intrepid publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy, and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom struggle with their own tragic histories and harbour secrets that Quinn’s death threatens to expose.
What did we think?: 5 Stars
Ok, so I’m being a bit cheeky with this one, cos I only just finished it on the first day of August – BUT I’m counting it here because I can, so shhhh. This book was nominated for ‘Best Novel’ in the 2024 Edgar Awards and for good reason. It’s a slow burn, small-town atmospheric crime read, and has definitely made me seek out more of Krueger’s work. There are some tough topics in here around racism and abuse, but it’s handled well. I’d put Kruger in the same bracket as James Lee Burke, and look forward to reading more.
Grab yourself a copy:
Series or Standalone?:
This is a standalone novel.
What's it all about?:
Ex-detective Nick Charles attracts trouble like a magnet. He thinks his sleuthing days are over, but when Julia Wolf, a former acquaintance, is found dead, her body riddled with bullets, Nick – along with his glamorous wife, Nora – can’t resist making a few enquiries. Clyde Miller Wynant, Julia’s lover and boss, has disappeared. Everyone is after him, but Nick is not convinced Wynant is the murderer – and when he finds a junked-up hoodlum with a careless attitude to guns in his bedroom, it’s only the beginning of his troubles.
What did we think?: DNF
This is was on my radar as it’s on the list of Penguin Crime Classics that I’m reading through. I did end up DNF’ing this book, but mostly cos the library copy I was reading was heavily annotated by someone who disagreed with a lot of Hammett’s grammar choices hahaha. It was fun to read their comments, but I disagreed with a lot of their pencil marks, and it really distracted me from the story! One I’ll revisit in another TBR I think.
Grab yourself a copy:
If you liked this post, check out some more Bookish Bites:
