#mystery reads

[whatcha-reading-today]

Death in the Spires | KJ Charles

This was so good. Structured like a Christie novel, which devolves into some wonderful pettiness from our group of characters. Almost gothic at times and certainly maintaining that air of dark academia.

To give you one of those blender summaries, this is 'I know what you did last summer' in 1905, more gay, set to a dark academia backdrop. And it fucking works.

Format: Physical copy

Read in: December 2024

[theshadesofwords]

“Some men are born lucky. Others are born Marcus Didius Falco.” ― Lindsey Davis, The Silver Pigs

[wormspoodle]

saw boomposhpow's awesome fanart of this fic, read the fic, and subsequently felt compelled to make fanart as well

fanfic is by the skin of your teeth by Rev on ao3 !!

[what-am-i-doing-in-this-fandom]

Suddenly, bell bottoms aren't so bad

Bonus sketch, because I had to vv

"Stop checking out my assistant, Stanley."

[ahsokalegend]

One of my favorite choices the Apothecary Diaries made was making the Emperor a “normal guy” (as far as I know as an anime-only). He’s not evil. He’s not hindering Mao Mao’s journey. He respects the concubines.

If anything his lack of autonomy and presence as the most powerful person in the country further enhances the show’s themes of working within the confines of class and gender inequality.

The previous emperor was a horrible, horrible pervert. Okay, then this emperor only weds women of age… Until he’s forced to take his father’s precious wife due to politics. The current emperor reasonably avoids her.

Eunuchs exist? Bam! now the surgery is outlawed, but this will create a reduction in male labor around the palace.

The emperor clearly favors few women. Well, now he must recognize a concubine with a powerful politician father playing the system.

He supports Mao Mao toeing the line of social expectations for women, but hasn’t removed the law against women preparing medicine. It makes one think, if he wanted to, could he make the change at all? For every two steps forward, he’s forced to take one step back.

In this universe even the Emperor is limited by social pressure and the expectations of his station. His life and that of his children is out of his control, and if that isn’t such a compelling piece of world building I don’t know what is.

If that’s how the author twists the narrative of the Emperor you better believe her female characters dealing with women’s issues in this society are even better written.

[ismahanescorner]

Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies | Book Review

Author: Misha Popp

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Magical Realism

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Release Date: 10/05/2022

Rating: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:

Daisy Ellery’s pies have a secret The magical ability to avenge women done wrong by men. But Daisy finds herself on the receiving end in Misha Popp’s cozy series debut, a sweet-as-buttercream treat for fans of Ellery Adams and Mary Maxwell.The first time Daisy Ellery killed a man with a pie, it was an accident. Now, it’s her calling. Daisy bakes sweet vengeance into her pastries, which she and her dog Zoe deliver to the men who’ve done dirty deeds to the town’s women. But if she can’t solve the one crime that’s not of her own baking, she’ll be out of the pie pan and into the oven. Parking her Pies Before Guys mobile bakery van outside the local diner, Daisy is informed by Frank, the crusty diner owner, that someone’s been prowling around the van—and not just to inhale the delectable aroma. Already on thin icing with Frank, she finds a letter on her door, threatening to reveal her unsavory secret sideline of pie a la murder. Blackmail? But who whipped up this half-baked plot to cut a slice out of Daisy’s business? Purple-haired campus do-gooder Melly? Noel, the tender—if flaky—farm boy? Or one of the abusive men who prefer their pie without a deadly scoop of payback? The upcoming statewide pie contest could be Daisy’s big chance to help wronged women everywhere…if she doesn’t meet a sticky end first. Because Daisy knows the blackmailer won’t stop until her business is in crumbles. 

Review:

tw//: murder (duh!)

so in summary, this novel is about Daisy Ellery, a witch, and how her magic manifests itself in her baking. Daisy uses her gift to help women in need stuck in abusive relationships through her “murder pies” venture. however, it seems someone found out about her secret and is threatening to expose her unless she murders three innocent women for them.

this is my first cozy mystery and it won’t be the last!!! i enjoyed every second of reading this!! it was sweet and thrilling and didn’t trigger my anxiety!! AND! i got a couple of pie recipes out of it in the end!! bless!

[writerlunawinters]

Title: Hallowe’en Party

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Published: November 1, 1969

My Thoughts: I think that Christie and Poirot were ready to store away his too-tight shoes and retire in this story.

Joyce, a 13-year-old girl who claims to have witnessed a murder, is found drowned in an apple-bobbing tub at a Hallowe'en party. Hercule Poirot is called to investigate, determining if he is looking for a murderer or a double-murderer!

I read in another review that this book was either the last or second to last book Agatha Christie wrote in the Poirot series. I’m not sure if that is true, but it would make a lot of sense.

This was not what I was expecting from Christie. The mystery was pretty easy to guess, and while the characters were technically different, they all ranted the same (almost word-for-word) conversations. At first, it felt like it was intentional, but the more you read, the more it feels like lazy writing.

The ending was still entertaining, but the middle was hard to get through.

While I didn’t speak well of this story, I do highly recommend Agatha Christie. She has written some of my favorite stories (And Then There Were None is pure genius). If you want to read all of Christie, you could pick this up, but otherwise, this might be one you pass on.

[shisasan]

December 1904 Aleksandr Blok (1880-1921), Selected Poems

[muffinlovingbirb]

Tales of Dungeons and Starvation

[whatcha-reading-today]

Catch Me if You Candy | Ellie Alexander

This is my second Ellie Alexander and is just as much fun as the last book I read from her (A Cure for What Ales You). All her stories are cute mysteries filled with puns and recipes. Really great if you're looking for a cozy mystery.

Read in: June 2024

Format: Physical copy

[heybaetae]

jimin riding the struggle bus all over connecticut feat. jungkook sometimes helping and sometimes not helping

[theshadesofwords]

Politics and palace intrigue add flair to this medieval murder mystery

[phleb0tomist]

tumblr users will have the most inaccessible, unreadable, low contrast, flashing carrd you can possibly imagine, with a dni full of insider acronyms with no translation and numerous link buttons labelled with cryptic captions, and then go ahead and put “ableists dni and kys!” on that carrd

[rebisrot]

they're like if cain killed abel with a squishmallow

[anatomical-puppet]

MYSTERY TWINS BIRTHDAY‼️‼️‼️‼️ time for my own obligatory teen designs yayyy ^_^