Roberta Reads

  Review - 3.5 out of 5 stars: I do love a good historical cosy crime, so when I saw A Most Parisian Murder by new (to me) author Millicent Banks, I leapt on the opportunity. Our sleuth is Opal Laplume, a hat designer and maker who lives in London. When she travels to Paris, she finds herself involved in a set of mysterious circumstances, and naturally decides to investigate. I enjoyed this book. It was great fun getting to know Opal. She isn’t always the quickest to connect things together, but this is her very first case, with no detective training. And she certainly does a better job than the police! Opal is an interesting character, she’s a little naive and unsure of herself (not surprising with her upbringing and age), but easy to get along with. I liked her, and I feel that as she gains experience, she’ll gain confidence and really come into her own. The setting was a very enjoyable one. Behind the scenes at the Casino de Paris (a theatre) is a fascinating place, full  ...

  Review - 5 out of 5 stars: I’ve been reading (and enjoying) Helena Dixon’s books for years now, and (in spite of the war time setting) I loved The Secret Detective Agency. So I couldn’t wait to read The Seaside Murders, book 2 in the series. This story was just as much fun as the first. Arthur, Jane, and Benson already feel like old friends, and it was delightful to spend more time with them. I loved the setting of the seaside village, which seems idyllic, but has a lot going on under the surface. I enjoyed exploring the various possibilities of what might be going on alongside Jane, Arthur, and Benson.  There was an interesting range of characters (and possible suspects) in the village, and I didn’t suspect the culprit until the reveal.  Overall, this was a delightful mystery, with characters that are fast becoming favourites. I recommend getting stuck into this series as soon as possible. I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own. Book Description: A pre...

  Review - 5 out of 5 stars: I have been a fan of Alex Brown’s books for many years now, so I was excited to read Wish You Were Here, the follow on book to Bring Me Sunshine. This time, the three friends are in New York, and the book mainly focusses on Deedee, and how she’s coping with both her grief and her 70th birthday. I really enjoyed reading this book. In spite of dealing with grief and other difficult emotions, it was a positive, uplifting book. I love the three characters, Deedee, Rosie, and Gina. They are all different, and all contribute to the friendship. I enjoyed watching Deedee start to open up a bit more, and the friendship deepening.  My memory isn’t very good, so I didn’t remember much of what happened in Bring Me Sunshine. However, this didn’t impair my enjoyment of Wish You Were Here at all, so you could read this book as a standalone. Though of course you get a longer story if you read both.  The setting was a good one. I’m not a massive fan of cities,...