Two cosy mysteries
Apr. 9th, 2024 11:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustStill on the hunt for something to fill the Agatha Christie shaped hole in my heart. Just a few brief notes on two recent reads.
Killed by Clutter (Leslie Caine)
Book 4 of the Domestic Bliss series.
It was the title that grabbed my attention (and made me feel slightly guilty about my own neglected clutter).
Summary: Erin Gilbert is a professional decorator, hired to clean up the home of a widow whose house is a hoard, and who claims someone is out to kill her...
Spoiler: No one is actually killed by clutter. It was buried secrets, as is so often the case.
My favourite part: The loving descriptions of interior design. The main character imagines living spaces as they might be, transformed in beautiful ways, and it makes me understand why someone might be passionate about this.
Comments: It's kind of weird how, in a book with multiple murders, the deaths still feel kind of light? I mean, that's a success, because that's the tone you want to achieve in a cosy mystery, instead of being jarred out of the reading experience by something deeply upsetting. But it's still weird to think about.
Note: Erin Gilbert's professional rival/potential love interest is called Steve Sullivan. Get it? Gilbert and Sullivan? I've seen romance books do this kind of matched naming before, so clearly it must have fans, but it's a bit too cutesy for me.
Death by Bubble Tea (Jennifer J Chow)
Book 1 of the LA Night Market series.
Another cosy mystery with a killer title! They know how to grab your attention - with a good hook or a good pun (or both).
Summary: Yale Yee's cousin Celine is visiting from Hong Kong, and her father persuades them to run a night market stall together. And then one of their customers turns up dead...
Spoiler: No one is actually killed by bubble tea either. The bubble tea was unfairly maligned!
My favourite part: it's about two cousins finding the bond between them! I love the focus on family. And very refreshing to have no romance at all. (I also love the last part of the blurb: "Though the two cousins are polar opposites in every way, they must work together to find out what really happened to the victim, or the only thing they'll be serving is time.")
Comments: I love that this book features Cantonese characters, culture, and food. So many loving descriptions of dim sum! (And also recipes in the back.) The themes and stakes of family felt very resonant, and the main characters went through an emotional journey.
Note: There's a sequel, Hot Pot Murder, but it looks like the author has switched to a new series after that. I've heard that sometimes this is necessary because sales numbers drop off over the course of a series, but it's a shame if true. It's kind of sad to think that all the long series I've read and enjoyed are just survivorship bias.
Killed by Clutter (Leslie Caine)
Book 4 of the Domestic Bliss series.
It was the title that grabbed my attention (and made me feel slightly guilty about my own neglected clutter).
Summary: Erin Gilbert is a professional decorator, hired to clean up the home of a widow whose house is a hoard, and who claims someone is out to kill her...
Spoiler: No one is actually killed by clutter. It was buried secrets, as is so often the case.
My favourite part: The loving descriptions of interior design. The main character imagines living spaces as they might be, transformed in beautiful ways, and it makes me understand why someone might be passionate about this.
Comments: It's kind of weird how, in a book with multiple murders, the deaths still feel kind of light? I mean, that's a success, because that's the tone you want to achieve in a cosy mystery, instead of being jarred out of the reading experience by something deeply upsetting. But it's still weird to think about.
Note: Erin Gilbert's professional rival/potential love interest is called Steve Sullivan. Get it? Gilbert and Sullivan? I've seen romance books do this kind of matched naming before, so clearly it must have fans, but it's a bit too cutesy for me.
Death by Bubble Tea (Jennifer J Chow)
Book 1 of the LA Night Market series.
Another cosy mystery with a killer title! They know how to grab your attention - with a good hook or a good pun (or both).
Summary: Yale Yee's cousin Celine is visiting from Hong Kong, and her father persuades them to run a night market stall together. And then one of their customers turns up dead...
Spoiler: No one is actually killed by bubble tea either. The bubble tea was unfairly maligned!
My favourite part: it's about two cousins finding the bond between them! I love the focus on family. And very refreshing to have no romance at all. (I also love the last part of the blurb: "Though the two cousins are polar opposites in every way, they must work together to find out what really happened to the victim, or the only thing they'll be serving is time.")
Comments: I love that this book features Cantonese characters, culture, and food. So many loving descriptions of dim sum! (And also recipes in the back.) The themes and stakes of family felt very resonant, and the main characters went through an emotional journey.
Note: There's a sequel, Hot Pot Murder, but it looks like the author has switched to a new series after that. I've heard that sometimes this is necessary because sales numbers drop off over the course of a series, but it's a shame if true. It's kind of sad to think that all the long series I've read and enjoyed are just survivorship bias.
