Roberta Reads

  A Fatal Secret - 5 out of 5 Stars: I have been a fan of the Charleton House Mysteries since the first book, so I was thrilled to start reading A Fatal Secret. It was such a joy to be back with Sophie and her friends. This time, a priest’s hole is discovered at Charleton House, and pretty soon a dead person too! I really enjoyed reading this book, a historical mystery made a change from present day ones. In spite of living so long ago, the character of the victim really came through. I thought this was a clever and compelling mystery, and had so much fun watching Sophie & Co solve it. The setting was, as always, a great one. I love that Charleton House is still revealing new things about itself, the sense of character and history of the building and the people who lived there come through even more strongly in the book. As well as the mystery, it was lovely to see some of the characters progressing in their lives (can’t say more without spoilers). I highly recommend this book ...

  Apologies for the shortness of this review - I am ill again! I absolutely loved the first book in this series, so I was thrilled to read A Wedding Date with Death. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It has all the elements I loved in the first - an excellent group of characters who do the investigating and support one another, an intriguing mystery, a collection of people with excellent motives, and is written with humour and excellent pacing. Maeve Haran is the best new (to me) author I’ve discovered in years. Grab yourself a copy asap! I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own. About the Author: Maeve Haran is an Oxford law graduate who had a successful career in television before writing her worldwide bestseller    Having It All , which was translated into twenty-six languages. She has written twenty contemporary novels, two historical novels, and a work of non-fiction in praise of life’s small pleasures. She has three grown up children and four gr...

  Review - 5 out of 5 Stars: As soon as I start a Fiona Leitch book, I feel right at home. As well as a great story, her books are full of humour and great characters. A Cornish Halloween Murder was no exception. This time, a developer is turning a spooky disused convent into housing, and creepy dolls keep turning up. Jodie starts investigating, and so of course a body turns up. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved the Halloween theme, not only in the town’s celebrations, but also in the mystery.  I love the collection of characters in this book, I love seeing Jodie and Nathan happy together (finally) and their friends and family.  The setting was great as always, and the convent added another dimension to the Halloween theme, as well as making an excellent background for the story. Overall, this was another excellent and humorous mystery. I absolutely love this series, and can’t wait to see what Jodie and Co get up to next. I was given a copy of this book, my opinion...

  Review - 5 out of 5 Stars: I’ve been enjoying the Lady Swift series since the very beginning, so I couldn’t wait to read Murder Stage Left. Our favourite detective agency is in Stratford this time, investigating some thefts, when fires and murders start occurring. It took me a little longer to get into this book than usual, though I think that’s more to do with how I was feeling than the book. However, once I did get into it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was great fun to see the Byron detective agency getting into its stride, and Hugh adapting to no longer being in the police. This collection of characters are old friends by now, and I’m loving seeing how they’re getting on in each book. The mystery was an engrossing one. Everyone seemed to be hiding something, which further obscured the truth. I loved trying to figure it out alongside the detectives. Overall, this was another excellent and intriguing mystery, full of favourite characters. What more could you want? I was given a c...