Listen for the Lie / Amy Tintera

 

4.5 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

I approached this novel with trepidation, as it's a selection of my RL book club and they have a history of choosing books that don't appeal to me. One of my book club buddies had already read it and advised me to get the audiobook if possible. Her advice was spot on.

Audio is the perfect format for this book. The story is split between our amnesiac possible murderer, Lucy Chase, and the podcast of Ben Owens, a true crime podcast now focused on the murder of Savannah (Savvy) Harper. Lucy and Savvy were tight girlfriends and were together on the evening when the murder occurred. Lucy was found later, covered in Savvy's blood and clearly not in her right mind. Everyone in town assumes that Lucy did the crime. Lucy doesn't remember but doesn't dismiss the possibility. Ben starts to investigate and we get to listen to his results.

Lucy's inner monologue is snarky and entertaining. LaVoy voices her perfectly. She can't remember what happened, but she also realizes that it doesn't really matter. People will believe what they will believe and damn the evidence. Lucy is emotionally tough, and from the podcast we learn that she always has been. But I also had to question her reliability.

I loved Beverly, Lucy's grandmother. She has words of wisdom to impart to her granddaughter. Like men only believe each other. Lucy you need this (male) podcaster to investigate because he will be taken seriously. And I have to say, I was amazed that Lucy's parents would so obviously believe her guilt, completely discounting her head injury. If your parents won't stand up for you, who will? I wish Lucy's situation otherwise seemed unlikely, but honestly it felt all too realistic.

I had a day off and a long to-do list, but I skived off and spent my day obsessively listening to this instead. Totally engrossing and I highly recommend it.

I read this for the Murder Most Foul square of my Halloween Bingo card.

Resonance Surge / Nalini Singh

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

I've been tearing through this series this year. I had to interlibrary loan this volume, but it was worth it. In Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling world, there are three population groups: Humans, the shapeshifting Changelings, and the icy, Silent Psy. Except the Psy's world has undergone a seismic shift—Silence has fallen and Psy are permitted to feel emotions again. It's been revealing the evils of Silence, the crimes committed by those in power. Under Silence, disobedient Psy could be sent to “rehabilitation“ centres to be reduced to a vegetative state as a warning to other restive citizens.

The Marshall Group was a particularly powerful Psy family. This book features Theodora Marshall, a very weak Psy with a remarkably strong twin, Pax. Theo's psychopathic grandfather has been killed and Pax has become the head of the family and their business holdings. It turns out that they are heavily invested in the rehabilitation centres. And there's this one odd Centre with spotty records close to Moscow. Theo agrees to investigate for her beloved brother, which will require liaising with the Changeling Bear Clan.

Now, I adore the intrigue of Psy society, watching them thaw and rediscovering the pleasures of life—food, rest, love. But I am coming to appreciate the Bear shifters almost as much. Singh obviously has fun writing these bears with their enormous hearts, love of life, and relishing of food and drink. They are straightforward, leaning toward blunt. Could any group be more perfect for rescuing damaged Psy?

Yakov Stepyrev may be a Changeling, but he has a Psy ancestor, an F Psy with predictive powers, and he has been “seeing" Theo since he was a teen. When she walks out of airport security, he is stunned. They go to the mysterious Centre together, where Theo has a paralyzing panic attack, complete with partial memory of going there as a child with her cruel grandfather and being strapped to a chair. What else was done to her? Theo must explore her dark family history in order to be able to embrace her bear, Yakov.

This book made me wish I had greater familiarity with the Russian language and customs. I have to admire Singh's willingness to spread her fiction all over the globe. (And those who have read this far will be able to smile with me as the bears speculate about Kaleb Krychek causing earthquakes for some reason. Wink, wink.)

I read this book for the Shifters square of my Halloween Bingo card. 

Grave Expectations / Alice Bell

 

E

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

Claire is a half-hearted medium. She can genuinely see and talk to ghosts, but she's crap at dealing with living people. Sophie is her school pal who was murdered and now haunts Claire. When a school acquaintance asks Claire to do a séance at a family gathering, Claire and Sophie travel to their rundown manor. They are a hit with the family grandma, who is looking forward to the séance. Except she dies the evening before the event and comes to ask for a ghostly favour: find out if a family member committed a murder at the previous year's party.

Claire is a true crime fan and fancies that she and Sophie can solve this mystery. However, she overestimates their talents. Even teamed up with two of the grandchildren, Sebastian (Basher), depressed former police detective, and Alex, a non-binary young adult, it's pretty tough sledding. Especially since Basher keeps reminding them about logic, evidence, and legality of their actions. They are adorably hopeless, as most of us would be.

Out of sheer persistence, unaccountable luck, and a little spectral assistance, Claire finally does break the case. Unfortunately, in the process she estranges Basher and Alex, fights with Sophie, breaks into a church, catches the flu, sets off a home alarm, sprains an ankle, and unearths the body of the victim in the pouring rain. Bell seems to be willing to put her main character through a veritable obstacle course to get to the answer. Still, I can't help but think that this bumbling is more realistic than the smooth investigations of other fictional amateur detectives.

Claire and Sophie have issues that they are going to have to deal with. Why was Sophie killed? Why is she tethered to Claire? If they can resolve her unfinished business, does Sophie want to move on? Especially since she complains that drunk or sleeping humans are very boring. Strangely, their lack of focused investigative technique endears the duo to me. I am pleased to see that the second book is held by my library, so I can check in on this odd couple again.

I read this book for the Genre: Supernatural square of my Halloween Bingo card. 

Last Girl Ghosted / Lisa Unger

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

I am currently a confirmed non-dater, so I am always glad to read about dating misadventures. I'm also pretty iffy about thrillers, so although I liked the premise of this novel, I wasn't sure that it was for me. For the first 20% I was undecided. Wren has been convinced to use a dating app by her best friend. On her third date, she clicks with Adam. Hard. They immediately start to see each other everyday. They walk, they talk, they try restaurants together. One night, feeling secure in the post-coital dark, Wren confesses something from her past. The next morning, Adam says he has a question for her, but he'll ask her at dinner that evening. Except he doesn't show up. He's not responding to texts or calls. Wren goes home eventually and by the next day his dating profile and Facebook page are gone.

So that could have been the end of things. Wren assumes that her confession scared him away. Until the private investigator shows up at her door, shows her a photo of Adam, and informs her that another woman who dated him has gone missing. They go for coffee to discuss this matter and I am HOOKED.

Wren asks, “Are we all just layers of secrets and lies?” It turns out that she has a web of dark secrets, that she has carefully curated her life to hide in plain sight. Is her current situation, abandoned by a man she was learning to love, tied to the past she wants to forget? Is her Adam really the reason that three other young women have disappeared?

I remember the old, old days of dating via personal ad in the newspaper. Two friends and I wrote ads and placed them, just for a lark. One friend ended up married. I got a letter from a man who claimed to be a police officer, warning me that this was a dangerous way to meet people (and giving me his contact info). Those were the days of informing your friends when and where you were meeting someone. “If I go missing, tell the police to start digging close to this place.” Thankfully, my worst date was with a guy whose nose twitched continuously like a rabbit.

I credit the audiobook narrator for getting me through this novel. Her acting ability kept me listening. She gave Wren just the right balance of vulnerability and strength. Left to my own devices and the print version, I think I might have bailed at the halfway point.

I read this book for the Raven/Free square of my Halloween Bingo card.

Bride of Pendorric / Victoria Holt

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

I read a lot of Victoria Holt's novels when I was a teen, long ago now. My mom got me hooked, as she really enjoyed them. It is interesting to reread them as a woman in my 60s—my perspective has changed (not a surprise).

I believe I was initially captivated by these romances because Holt's main characters were young women with limited experience and a lot of naïveté. This describes me at that age and it gave me hope that someday I would find a man who would see my worth. I never did, but I now know that I am far happier on my own than I would be in a marriage.

Holt's plots are very repetitive. Not necessarily a bad thing--after all I love Ilona Andrews and their novels also have many repetitive elements. If you find a pattern you like, it's fine to stick with it. However, the Andrews' heroines are not shrinking violets. They are competent women who love their men but don't need them to survive. I think that's what I react to now when I read Holt. Her heroines are clinging vines, needing a relationship to rescue them and give their lives meaning.

We change as we age. I can still enjoy a Holt novel if I read fast and don't over-analyze, but I much prefer modern, competent women characters.

I read this book for the Gothic square of my Halloween Bingo card.

Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies / Catherine Mack

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

This book reminded me a lot of Benjamin Stevenson’s novel Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. Both novels are very meta: the main character addresses the reader directly and they have distinct opinions on the writing of mysteries. Both authors manage to make murder investigations humorous. Not guffaw level, but light and amusing. The numerous footnotes assisted with that.

I did not guess who dunnit. There were a number of people on the book tour with Eleanor, all with interesting histories and definite personalities. Watching their antics kept me well entertained and I wasn't worried about the perpetrator. There are two more books featuring Eleanor and I think I might just want to read them, and not only because of the very obvious hook in the final chapter of this book.

I read this book for the Gallows Humor square of my Halloween Bingo card.

Dog On It / Spencer Quinn

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this mystery. I went in knowing only that Chet, the dog, played a large role. Well, that's putting it mildly. Chet is the narrator, but sees his human partner Bernie as the star of the tale. Bernie is a private investigator who has been retained to find a missing 15 year old girl.

It's obvious that the author loves dogs and has spent many hours with them. He captures the basics of doggy existence: snacks are always a good thing, any food on the floor is fair game, car rides are the best, cats are not to be trusted. Chet understandably hasn't the best sense of time passing and he leaves the analytical thinking to Bernie. But he is a faithful companion and takes care of Bernie as best he can. He doesn't understand human motivations all the time and quite often finds their behaviour puzzling.

The mystery itself is pretty basic. If the novel relied on it to do the heavy lifting, this would never have been published. It's Chet's adventures that keep the reader engaged. He gets separated from Bernie on a couple of occasions, with harrowing results. Setting an animal up to narrate a story can be hit or miss, but in this case it was an entertaining choice.

I read this book for the Cozy Mystery square of my Halloween Bingo card.

The Curse of Penryth Hall / Jess Armstrong

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

This is a modern version of the gothic suspense novel. I've been reading it beside Victoria Holt's Bride of Pendorric and couldn't resist contrasting the two. Both have a young woman trying to solve a mystery, meeting a mysterious man, and facing danger. But, oh, the contrasts. Holt's heroine, Favel, is sheltered, naïve, and dependent on the man that she has chosen. Armstrong's Ruby is daring, adventurous, very independent, and rather notorious. Ruby would eat Roc Pendorric for breakfast and then go for drinks with her friends. Both books are set in Cornwall and its legends and superstitions feature heavily.

Ruby is sent to a small hamlet in Cornwall to deliver a large box of books. If she didn't love her business partner, Mr. Owen, so much, she would have refused to go. One of her wartime friends, Tamsyn, married the baronet in that community and I rapidly gathered that Ruby had hoped that Tamsyn would choose her instead. Against her better judgement, Ruby visits Penryth Hall, stays overnight, and in the morning Sir Edward is found dead. Still caring about her former lover, Ruby is determined to find out what happened. She refuses to believe in the Curse of Penryth Hall.

Every good gothic has a witch of some variety to provide guidance, advice, or prophecy, and this one has the Pellar, a man with herbal knowledge and a good grasp of psychology. Plus Ruan also has an annoying tendency to read Ruby's mind. Combative at first, their relationship rapidly morphs into a united front as they investigate together. They unravel the tangled local history that seems to have led to murder.

A gothic romance without the romance part. Reading the description of the next volume, I thought, “Well, Ruby and Mr. Owen are headed to Scotland, not Cornwall.” Until I read farther and realized that Ruan gets the call to help them with another investigation. Perhaps I'm wrong and they're just going to be close friends, but I hope not.

I read this book for the Horrid Houses square of my Halloween Bingo card.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil / V.E. Schwab

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

This summer, I attended a special event at my local bookstore. The owners and employees are all dedicated readers and they took turns pitching their favourite books to us, their customers. I distinctly remember one woman holding up this book and declaring, “Three words: Toxic Lesbian Vampires.” That was when I knew that I would be reading it for this year’s bingo game.

The book lived up to that billing. It is the story of three women, from different eras, all of whom experience the change to undead. It isn't obvious at first how they will intersect, but they do collide, with tragic consequences. How many of us could maintain a romantic relationship over centuries? Many of us struggle with mere decades. All three women are surprised when they are turned, one reacting better to the new situation than others. None of them feels the same way about being turned.

Schwab gives the vampire mythos her own spin. Sunlight doesn't kill, but makes them very ill. Graveyards are traps that suck their vitality. And the thirst is never satisfied. One of the women describes herself as a colander rather than a goblet, impossible to fill. Running through it all is the desire to live life in their own way, to be free of societal restrictions. Three of the vampire men are decent people, but the human men are uniformly predatory. The exact opposite of what you'd expect. And, oh, the feminine rage!

Partially an homage, I think, to Carmilla, that great-grandmother of a lesbian vampire tale.

I read this book for The Carpathians square of my Halloween Bingo card.

Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge / Ovidia Yu

 

R

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

I always enjoy a visit with Aunty Lee. She is a busy woman, cooking up delicious food for her café clients, her friends, family members, and the local police force. As this book opens, she has sprained an ankle and must rest it to let it heal. Aunty Lee is a woman who needs something to occupy her mind, so if she can't be up and figuring out what to do with an over supply of mangoes, she might as well think about the murder that is affecting her young friends.

This mystery reminded me strongly of Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced. (That is one of my very favourite Christie novels, so this is a compliment in my opinion.) It was very late in the book when part of the truth clicked into place for me and I realized that I had been an idiot for many chapters! Once I knew who had done what, I kicked myself for not twigging to it much earlier.

Ms. Yu writes a satisfying mystery, although her books always make me hungry. I have never been to Singapore, but I would dearly love to try some of the spicy delicacies cooked up in Aunty Lee's kitchen.

I read this book for the Amateur Sleuth square of my Halloween Bingo card.

Hallowe'en Party / Agatha Christie

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

This was a reread for me. It was the very first Hercule Poirot book that I ever read (9 years ago). I have 36 under my belt now. I know M. Poirot much better, plus I know Ariadne Oliver. I enjoy every book that includes her. I didn't appreciate her on first reading. Now I love her scatty fluttering.

This is a perfect Halloween choice, featuring the party referenced in the title and including a suitably appropriate murder. Teenage Joyce is drowned in the tub used for apple bobbing while the party continues in another room. How could no one notice? Did it have anything to do with Joyce's claim that she witnessed a murder? Mrs. Oliver goes directly to Poirot with her worries and he finds himself interviewing many residents of Woodleigh Common.

Several times in this book, people question Poirot's mental acuity, although not to his face. There have been indications in her previous novels that Christie was concerned about aging. In Third Girl, Poirot worries that a young woman is correct when she pronounces him too old. Tuppence in By the Pricking of My Thumbs muses on a similar theme. When this book was published, Christie would have been in her late seventies. I can't be certain, but it seems that age was a source of worry that she passed on to her characters. It seems to me that she was still very much in control of her faculties at this point. My mother had a fear of what she called “losing her marbles," something I share with her and, apparently, Ms. Christie.

I read this book for the Marauding Corsairs square of my Halloween Bingo card after pouring my bottle of Transformation Potion on it in order to change it to Halloween.

The Inheritance / Ilona Andrews

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

Ilona Andrews is one of my favourite authors, so when my bookshop emailed to say that this book was waiting for me, I abandoned my adult responsibilities and headed out to claim it. The Andrews started this story on their blog as a serial, doling the words out each Friday. I read it regularly and enjoyed it a lot. But, being smart business people, they didn’t provide the ending. For that, purchasing the title was necessary.

Although I had read the available blog chapters (several times, actually), I started over from the beginning. It was lovely torture, but a good refresher. There are two sides to the story: Ada, the Assessor, who is trapped in a breach, a portal to a place with strange, dangerous creatures, poisonous plants, and very valuable resources. Her team is dead, as their protectors abandoned them. Outside the breach, we follow Elias, the head of the company responsible for collecting the resources and protecting the recovery team. He suspects that the snafu is caused by one of his staff—he must find a way to prove it and to recover the bodies of his team.

Ada’s situation is serious, but she has received an unusual gift from a dying woman of an unknown species encountered during the event that caused the disaster. Now she has only the team’s German Shepherd for company. Ada must rely on her Assessor talent, her dog, and her determination to get back to her children to get her back to Earth.

As usual, Ilona and Gordon have polished their prose for the final version. Finding the new bits is always fun. And then that ending! It’s not a cliffhanger exactly, but it definitely leaves unanswered questions. The authors have indicated that this is a duology, so eventually I expect to learn where things will go from here. I know, however, that they have a lot of irons in the fire, so I will not hold my breath for the second half of the story. Since I want their other books too, this is win-win waiting as far as I’m concerned.

I read this book for the Urban Decay square of my Halloween Bingo card.

A Man Lay Dead / Ngaio Marsh

 

R

3.5 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

I’ve been wanting to try something by Marsh for some time and this first Roderick Alleyn mystery was ideal for the purpose of this game. I am quite spoiled by Agatha Christie, so I was unsure how I would feel about this author. My first impression was that the tale was very much like Georgette Heyer’s Envious Casca. I was a bit bored, thinking foolishly that I knew where things were headed. Shortly after this, Marsh seized the plot and turned it in her own direction, reigniting my interest.

Marsh is every bit as good at misdirection as Christie. Unfortunately, she included a bizarre Russian subplot which contributed very little to my way of thinking. However, I did like Nigel Bathgate, reporter and cousin of the murder victim, who rather outcompetes Alleyn for main character status. Marsh is economical with character descriptions, letting their actions tell the reader about them. We are invited to make our own conclusions about them. And of course, my conclusions were cockeyed.

Alleyn reminded me of P.D. James’ Adam Dalgliesh, though at this point I still prefer James’ creation. Nevertheless, I think there will be more Chief DI Alleyn in my future.

I read this book for the Parlour Room Mystery square of my Halloween Bingo card.

Black Ice / Thomas King

 

5 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2025

A surprise entry in the DreadfulWater series. Mr. King has declared himself done writing and yet has produced 2 or 3 books since then. Thank you, sir! Any time you will grace us with more Thumps DreadfulWater I will gladly read it.

As usual, the characters make this book. The usual gang makes their appearances, with a few losses and changes. Everyone is worried about Duke after his wife Macy has died. Thumps is Temporary Deputy Sheriff while Duke grieves and figures out what he's going to do. Moses Blood is showing his age and isn't the spry, wise elder that he was in the early books. Claire is considering a move to Canada to access healthcare for her daughter Ivory.

On the plus side, Deanna Heavyrunner and Cooley Small Elk are officers of the law now (and obsessed with Jenga whenever they are in the office). Wutty Youngbeaver has made good by getting into a qualifying round for the U.S. Open (being held at Chinook) and the community is entranced with golf as a result.

Thumps is dealing with an unusual car theft situation. Cars disappear, only to be returned eventually, with repairs made and interiors detailed. Deanna is considering leaving her keys on the dash to facilitate a car kidnapping. More seriously, our temporary sheriff is called to investigate a dead body who turns out not to be dead. But Thumps knows that the shit is about to hit the fan when Cisco Cruz blows into town. Does Cruz bring trouble or follow it? A bit from Column A and some from Column B, perhaps.

This book has its funny moments, as all King's mysteries do, but it felt a little sadder to me. The dialogue is still snappy, but there's considerably less of Thumps' internal monologue. When he is wearing a badge instead of being a photographer drafted by Duke, he is much more serious. Which is appropriate, but slightly less entertaining (but only slightly). It was good to catch up with the gang again.

I read this book for the Village Villainy square of my Halloween Bingo card.