What I have been reading…

Title: Dissection of a Murder (Goodreads link)
Author: Jo Murray
Genre: Fiction
Publication: May 2026
My Rating: 3 on 5

Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray opens with one of the most gripping premises in recent legal thrillers: newly qualified barrister Leila Reynolds is handed her first murder case – defending Jack Millman, accused of killing a well-respected judge. That in itself would be enough pressure. But Jack refuses to speak. To make matters more complicated, the prosecutor across the bar is Leila’s own husband, Julian – her mentor, rival, and the one person who knows her legal past intimately.

The courtroom scenes, drawn from Murray’s own experience as a barrister, feel lived-in and authentic rather than symbolic or performative – you get the sense of being right there under the lights, watching tactics play out in real time. Even without heavy legal jargon, the dynamics of trial strategy and jury persuasion are presented with clarity and drama.

Murray balances the external pressures of a sensational trial with the internal pressures of marriage, self-doubt, and secrecy. Leila is not just fighting for her client; she’s fighting to hold together her own life. The narrative structure, which includes perspectives from multiple characters and even a mysterious Witness X who claims to know what truly happened, adds another layer of tension.

One of the risks with mystery novels is the reveal itself. Too often, the culprit is uncovered by keeping the reader artificially in the dark, through conveniently withheld information or last-minute disclosures that feel more like sleight of hand than genuine deduction. Dissection of a Murder ultimately falls into this trap. While the build-up is tense and engaging, the resolution relies on information that the reader hasn’t been allowed to fully access, making the reveal feel less earned than it could have been.

That said, the journey remains compelling. Jo Murray’s courtroom realism and sharp pacing keep the pages turning, even if the final unravelling doesn’t quite live up to the promise of the premise.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

Title: Murder of Crows (Goodreads link)
Author: Amanda McKinney
Genre: Fiction
Publication: Sep 2025
My Rating: 3 on 5

Amanda James Greig’s Murder of Crows is the third book in the Detective Corstorphine series, and it leans hard into creepy, atmospheric crime. The novel opens with a chilling scene: Detective James Corstorphine returns home to find his wife’s clinic in chaos, her receptionist has been taken, and her words send a cold shiver through him: “He’s taken your wife.”.

But this abduction is only the beginning. Greig weaves a disturbing thread when human remains are discovered in a Highland field dressed as a scarecrow. This vivid image sets the tone for what follows: ritualistic, cryptic, and deeply unsettling. It’s not just a murder investigation it feels like a twisted obsession, and the stakes climb steadily as Corstorphine races to decode macabre messages tied to an ancient festival.

The plot carries real urgency. The abduction, the cryptic book of clues, and the looming Samhain festival all contribute to a story that’s part crime procedural, part thriller. While the atmosphere is rich, there are moments when the narrative slows, especially between key revelations. The buildup takes time, and not every scene lands with the same intensity.

One thing I genuinely appreciated and had to smile at is the title itself. Murder of Crows is such a clever pun: playing on the collective noun for crows while hinting at the ritualistic, symbolic killings at the heart of the story.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

Title: The Perfect Murder (Goodreads link)
Author: Amanda McKinney
Genre: Fiction
Publication: Sep 2025
My Rating: 3 on 5

Amanda McKinney’s The Perfect Murder opens with a chilling and unmistakably clever premise: Savi Portman, a bestselling cozy-mystery writer, pens what she thinks is the perfect crime … only to discover that someone is staging a real murder straight out of her own work. What makes it compelling is how McKinney blurs the lines between creation and reality – the very thing Savi imagines for her fictional characters begins to leak into her life.

The “book within a book” format is handled smartly: chapters alternate between Savi’s real life and the thriller she’s writing. This gives the narrative a layered tension, because you’re never quite sure which version of events is “real” and whether Savi is the perpetrator or its victim. McKinney builds momentum fast. There’s a constant undercurrent of paranoia: surveillance cameras, witnesses, mounting evidence. All of it ratchets up, chapter by chapter, until you feel like you’re sprinting toward the final twist.

The book uses multiple first-person perspectives, which is a double-edged sword: on one hand, it deepens the mystery. On the other, it occasionally becomes confusing, and the shifts pulled me out of the moment instead of drawing me further in.

If you love quick reads, this one is for you, even if this is not the best book in this genre.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

Title: Murder on a Bus Tour (Goodreads link)
Author: Dawn Brookes
Genre: Fiction
Publication: August 2025
My Rating: 3 on 5

Murder on a Bus Tour (Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe Mystery, Book 7) takes what should have been a relaxing trip along Cornwall’s dramatic coastline and turns it into a cozy mystery with teeth. The setup: a group of tourists, a guided bus tour, and then the history expert takes a fatal plunge from Tintagel Castle. Lady Marjorie and her companions refuse to accept the local police’s ruling that it was an accident. A second near-drowning makes it clear: someone among them is dangerous.

Lady Marjorie is both shrewd and relatable, still grieving her late husband while being drawn into yet another murder case. Her friends bring life to the story: Edna’s sassiness, Horace’s affability, and Frederick’s steadiness flesh out the group dynamic. Their banter injects humor and warmth, even as the mystery takes darker turns.

The mystery unfolds at a steady pace. There are enough suspects with plausible motives -from a vengeful ex-wife to resentful students- to keep things guessing. The attempts on lives (like the near-drowning) raise the stakes just when things might plateau.

“Murder on a Bus Tour” is a lighthearted, enjoyable mystery ideal for weekend reading or cozy afternoons.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

Title: Murder at Somerset House (Goodreads link)
Author: Andrea Penrose
Genre: Fiction
Publication: September 2025
My Rating: 3 on 5

There’s something about a good historical mystery that draws you in: the rustle of silk skirts, candlelit drawing rooms, the unspoken codes of society, all wrapped around a slow-burning whodunit. Murder at Somerset House does just that, setting its plot against the intriguing backdrop of Napoleonic Europe, yet with a decidedly modern voice.

A murder occurs at a stately English manor, and the ensuing investigation unearths secrets, betrayals, and unexpected alliances. But what makes the book stand out isn’t the crime – it’s the setting, both in time and place. The English countryside adds an unmistakable charm to the story – foggy mornings, ancient stone manors, and the quiet tension of lives lived under social scrutiny.

What surprised me, though, was how progressive the world is portrayed. The book presents a version of Regency England where women casually weigh in on matters of the stock exchange over breakfast and noblemen adopt former street urchins as wards, with barely an eyebrow raised. It’s a deliberate and idealized world – less bound by historical accuracy, more aspirational in tone.

And then there’s Napoleon – a looming presence, never quite stepping into the frame, but casting a long enough shadow to give the story a layer of political urgency. It adds weight to what might otherwise have been a quaint countryside mystery, grounding it in a broader world on the brink of change.

If you enjoy history softened with a touch of imagination and characters who are a little ahead of their time, this may just suit your taste.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

Title: The Liar I Married (Goodreads link)
Author: D.K. Hood
Genre: Fiction
Publication: August 2025
My Rating: 2 on 5

The Liar I Married opens with the protagonist waking up in a hospital after a car crash, piecing together memories that don’t quite add up: Jessie awakens with blurred memories, tape masking over yesterday’s certainty, and the uneasy presence of her husband, John, whose reassurances only deepen her mistrust. The core question of whether the the crash was an accident, and can she trust anyone, propel the narrative forward at a relentless pace.

The narrative shifts between Jessie’s fractured post-coma perspective and flashbacks from before the crash, all quietly planting seeds of suspicion that bloom into chilling potential. Hood builds the suspense very well. The dual timeline structure works well too. It allows the story to unfold like a jigsaw puzzle: memories leaking in, flashbacks resetting our assumptions, keeping us guessing.

Although the book is enjoyable, elements of the plot such as the amnesia trope are not really unique. Even the unreliable husband, the whispered warning note, the predictable suspects contribute nothing unique to the book.

Despite these drawbacks, the book is a quick, enjoyable read.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

Title: Fair Play (Goodreads link)
Author: Louise Hegarty
Genre: Fiction
Publication: April 2025
My Rating: 2 on 5

Louise Hegarty’s Fair Play begins with all the makings of a great mystery. A birthday celebration at a grand country house, a playful murder-mystery game among friends, and then the shocking discovery of a real death the next morning. The build-up to the murder and the introduction of Detective Bell had me completely hooked.

But after that strong start, the novel begins to falter. For me, the problem was that the book couldn’t quite decide what it wanted to be. At times, it veers toward humorous self-awareness, poking fun at classic crime tropes. In other moments, it leans into serious detective work. And woven through all of this is Abigail’s grief at losing her brother. Each of these threads could have been powerful on their own, but together they made the story feel scattered and unsure of its own identity.

The last section of the book, in particular, was a struggle. Each chapter presents a different suspect, laying out in painstaking detail how and why that person could have committed the murder. Instead of heightening the suspense, this repetition drained the momentum. By the time the real murderer was revealed, the ending felt less like a clever twist and more like a let-down.

The set-up was promising, and I wanted to love where the story went. But in trying to juggle grief, parody, and detection, Fair Play lost some of its coherence. For me, it ended up being more confusing than compelling.