The Running Bibliophile

Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis is the first installment in the Maya and Sandra Mystery series, a cozy mystery series centered on private investigators. The story follows Sandra Wallage , the wife of a U.S. senator and the newly elected president of Portland High School’s PTA, who becomes the latest target of a vicious gossip website called Dirty Laundry . After a heated PTA meeting, Sandra crosses paths with Maya Kendrick , a private investigator who has uncovered the identity of the person behind the gossip site. When the two women attempt to confront the culprit, they instead discover a dead body. Was it really a suicide, or did someone have a motive for murder? I’m a longtime fan of books by Lee Hollis , which is actually the pen name for sibling writing duo Rick Copp and Holly Simason . They’ve written several cozy mystery series, and what I appreciate most about their books is that they aren’t overly kitschy, unlike some other cozy mysteries I’ve ...

The Big Empty by Robert Crais falls into the Mystery & Thriller genre and has an expected publication date of January 14, 2025. The story opens with Anya calling to remind her mother Sadie to pick her up from the skate park. When Sadie arrives, Anya is missing. Fast forward to Traci Beller hiring private investigator Elvis Cole to find her father Tommy Beller, who abandoned her and her mother almost ten years previously. What will Elvis Cole discover? I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Big Empty by Robert Crais from NetGalley for free in exchange for my honest review. I was excited to be approved and receive this novel. The main character, Elvis Cole, was an instant hit with me. He's just an extremely likable character. A somewhat insignificant character that I absolutely love is Cole's semi feral cat since I am a huge cat lover. Cole taking care of the cat is probably a huge factor in me liking him so much. I also really like his partner Joe Pike because he...

In the last installment of The Spellman Files , Isabel "Izzy" Spellman finds her parents have gone on strike since she did a hostile takeover of the family business. And, Rae has come back into the company with her own special division of it doing who knows what. To top things off, Izzy has know idea how to take care of the company finances, and when she's accused of embezzling money from a client with Alzheimer's, Izzy knows she could lose everything for her family. Even though The Last Word (The Spellmans, #6) is the last book in this particular series by Lisa Lutz, I have hoped for years that she would change her mind and come out with another one, especially since she had a slight twist at the end that could lead it to be told from another character's perspective. However, I have come to terms that this will never happen, so rereading the entire series every so often will have to suffice. Who else becomes sad when one of their favorite series comes to an end?...

Trail of the Spellmans (The Spellmans, #5) by Lisa Lutz is the fifth installment in the book series about Isabel "Izzy" Spellman and her family of private investigators. For the first time that she remembers, Izzy isn't the "odd man" in the family. Older brother David and younger sister Rae are in an impasse and not speaking to one another. Albert, the dad, is hiding something and has gone to great measures to hide it. And, Izzy's mom, Olivia, has herself booked solid with several new hobbies. Then, Demetrius Merriweather keeps going on first dates without any second dates. On top of this, several of the family cases have become intertwined with each other. Grab yourself a ginger ale and settle yourself down for the ride of a lifetime. I don't know how Lisa Lutz keeps doing it, but each book in this series is better than the last. I love the fact that there are several mysteries going on throughout the book . . . my favorites being the one with the bana...

The Cuckoo's Calling (Comoran Strike, #1) by Robert Galbraith opens with Comoran Strike working as a private investigator in London, England. When John Bristow hires Comoran Strike to investigate the death of his sister Lula Landry, a famous supermodel, Strike is thrown into the world of celebrities as he investigates the case. I read this book for one of the book clubs I was in, and had I not been in the book club, I'm not sure if I would have picked up this novel or not. When it was released it became public knowledge relatively quick that Robert Galbraith was actually J.K. Rowling writing under a pseudonym. It didn't really surprise me that she used one as I'm sure she wanted the book to be reviewed more honestly and not compared to her Harry Potter book series for children. While I did enjoy The Cuckoo's Calling immensely, it did follow the typical formula for books in the mystery and thriller categories. I expected a lot more from J.K. Rowling, so I didn...

Recently, I decided to reread The Spellmans Strike Again (The Spellmans, #4) by Lisa Lutz, and it was just as good as I remembered it to be.  Part mystery, part humor, it sucked me in from the get go.  This particular book series is so unlike any other books I've read that I've often wondered how Lisa Lutz came up with the idea for the series.  One day I'll eventually see if I can find out the answer to my musings.   The character development and imagery is so well done that as I read The Spellmans Strike Again , it was like watching a movie in my mind.  I would love for the series to be developed into a movie or television show, but as far as I know, there is no plan for that happening.  I've come to love every character in the series . . . okay, maybe not Harkey, but you get the picture.  They are so endearing, even the ones that have annoying personalities. There isn't one bad thing I can say about this book or any of the others in the series....

Incredulously funny and clever, Revenge of the Spellmans (The Spellmans, #3)  by Lisa Lutz continues the story of dysfunctional family of the Spellmans. Isabel "Izzy" Spellman has taken a break from her parents' private investigation firm and started working as a bartender at her favorite bar, The Philosopher's Club. When her boss, Milo, introduces her to a patron looking for a private investigator that is affordable, Milo expects Izzy to take the case. When Izzy isn't working at the bar or on the case, she is attending court ordered therapy. To top things off, her personal life is falling apart. This is a book series that just gets better as it goes and one that I am revisiting. Lisa Lutz is such a talented author. Although Revenge of the Spellmans is a mystery, it doesn't follow the normal formula that other mystery writers follow. One of the unique items of the book is that there are footnotes that further explain parts of the book and gives more ...

Rachel Caine did it again with Bitter Falls (Stillhouse Lake, #4) . I was immediately engulfed in Gwen Proctor's world of being on the run. Like the previous installment, Bitter Falls is narrated by the main four characters . . . Gwen, Sam, Lanny, and Connor, and it definitely flows better than Wolfhunter River (Stillhouse Lake, #3) . Although, I am still partial to Gwen's narration, it is refreshing to hear the voices of the other characters and understand their inner dialogue. Something I thoroughly enjoyed was the continuation of a couple of the characters from Wolfhunter River into Bitter Falls , namely Vera "Vee" Crockett. I expect to see her in at least one more book of the Stillhouse Lake book series.  The action packed fourth installment was so heart pounding good, that I had to force myself to put the book down as to not rush through and really enjoy the book. However, I stayed up entirely too late last night so I could finish Bitter Falls (Still...