The Last Mrs. Summers and more mysteries

I have been reading mystery stories by Agatha Award winner Rhys Bowen for decades – starting with
the Evan Evans series which is set in Wales. Her latest, THE LAST MRS. SUMMERS, takes place mainly in Cornwall and features Lady Georgiana and her good friend from the Her Royal Spyness series, Belinda. This time, the duo are exploring a poorly maintained cottage that Belinda recently inherited. Desperate for a place to stay, they end up at the nearby estate of a former classmate and find the atmosphere there to be unsettling indeed. In this mystery, Bowen offers numerous references to DuMaurier’s Rebecca, including an unfeeling husband married for the second time, a suspicious and manipulative housekeeper, and a sense of a haunting presence. The story is rather involved with several subplots and some Cornish smuggling, too. While not her best effort, Bowen’s many fans will find THE LAST MRS. SUMMERS to be enjoyably diverting.

COZY CASE FILES, A COZY MYSTERY SAMPLER contains selections by Carolyn Haines, Ashley Weaver, Ellie Alexander, Jane K. Cleland, Donna Andrews, Vivien Chien, Elizabeth Penney, Diane Kelly, Cate Conte, Susan Cox, and Ellen Hart.  If you are looking for a new series for a quick “cozy” read or simply a chance to appraise the writings of these mystery authors, pick it up. Containing the beginnings of new books due out in Fall, 2020, there’s a story for all cozy fans, including one about finding the body of a missing student right before his class’ 20th high school reunion (In a Midnight Wood by Hart) and another which focuses on the aftermath of a car accident witnessed by the owner of a Chinese restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio (Killer Kung Pao by Chien). Both full mystery novels will be reviewed here shortly.  Hopefully, this sampler (10th in the series) will help you to find some new authors to explore in addition to current favorites, too.