Lucci's List: September 2021

Waltham MA

30 August, 2021

6:32 AM

Description

This month we ease into cooler weather with some chilling tales. Enjoy! "The Girls With No Names" by Serena Burdick is page turning, heartbreaking, and full of surprises. It's New York City in the 1910s, and loving sisters Luella and Effie share a joyful secret that eventually leads to their greatest pain. When Luella disappears, Effie sets out to find her, and winds up at the House of Mercy. This is like a prison run by nuns. The girls who live there are horrifically used and abused. Effie makes some friends who might not actually be friends. She doesn't know who to trust anymore, when she can't even trust the truth. She must choose to dare, or choose to die. The latter seems more probable. This book shows different points of view very clearly in various chapters, and this is done in an easy to follow way. Breathtaking, awe-striking, heart thumping reading the whole way through. I highly recommend this book to lovers of good fiction. The fact that this book is based on the real historical House of Mercy makes it even more chilling. "Witch's Brew" by Morgana Best is a wholesome cozy mystery that is appropriate for all fans of small town sleuths. When Valkyrie, also known as Pepper, moves in with her three aged aunts to help run their bed and breakfast establishment, she has no idea of the adventure about to engulf her. As a witch, she is prepared for spells and magic, but the paranormal forces unleashed upon the tight-knit community shock her. She discovers family secrets, and helps solve a strange murder that seems to have an inhuman offender. Light romance and a trip to the occult make this story a wonderful easygoing murder mystery. "From Garden to Grave" by Rickie Blair is a cozy mystery with a murderous twist. Verity is a young widow who has kept herself isolated since her husband's death. Only the disappearance of her beloved aunt coaxes her out of her comfort zone. She rushes to aid the search of her aunt and winds up overseeing her aunt's home and landscaping business. She becomes friends with the bubbly and gossipy owner at the local bakery, where she indulges in all sorts of sweetness. Then, then murders begin, and Verity is the prime suspect! In order to clear her name, find her aunt, and maintain her sense of self, she endeavours to find the true killer. This is a fun tale of friendship and small town politics that cozy mystery fans will want to add to their to be read piles. "The Eleventh Hour" by Anina Collins is a cozy mystery set in a growing small town. Poppy is a writer for the local gossip paper. She starts her days at the local coffee shop. When an unsolved murder horrifies the community, she decides to use her journalistic skills to find the killer. She teams up with newcomer Derek, a recently retired police officer. At times moody, while others sweet, Derek himself is a mystery to Poppy. Is their burgeoning friendship more than that of professional partners? Or is it destined to remain platonic? The surprise ending was a great twist to a fun read.