Lesa's Book Critiques: World News from Waverley High by Linda Kass
Monday, October 19, 2026
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Foreign Correspondent's Wife: A Novel by Jenna Helwig
Cookbook
author and Real Simple magazine food editor Jenna Helwig has combined
her love of food and her love of mysteries in this fiction debut set in
post-war Paris of 1949. Life is slowly coming back to something approaching
normal in the City of Lights. Rationing has finally come to an end but an
influx of U.S. expatriates has contributed to the changes in the city’s
culture. And the war is not so long ago that French citizens have forgotten who
collaborated with the Germans and who was part of the Resistance Movement. The
tension between the two groups is still strong if covert. Being outed as a
collaborator has real consequences in every way.
Committed
journalist Kat Kelley lost her job when the men began coming back from the
front and claimed their pre-war careers. Pushed out of her chosen field, she’s
looking around for something to do while her husband continues as a hotshot
news reporter. She decides to take a French cooking class in order to teach
cooking to the American wives in Paris. About a month into the course, she
finds the bloody body of her classmate in the pantry of the school building.
The French
police do not strike her as capable or dedicated so Kat exercises her
investigative journalistic skills to look into Toby’s death. Then a second
death occurs, seemingly related to the first but maybe not, and the French
police are convinced someone close to her is the killer. Kat’s journalist
husband thinks the two deaths are somehow linked to an unsolved crime ten years
old. He’s being pressured to drop his investigation which only encourages him
and his editor to move forward with the story.
Well researched and written, this book captures the sense of the time. The post-war rebuilding of Europe was an intriguing period full of plot potential. The actual mystery is convoluted and takes awhile to unravel. It would move faster if the text were tightened. As usual with amateur sleuths, a certain amount of happenstance plays a part. Fans of culinary mysteries will want to take a look at this one, as the characters are forever dining out in sidewalk bistros and elegant restaurants.
·
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
·
Publication date: October 20, 2026
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 336 pages
·
ISBN-13: 979-8892427050
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4jrXL82
Aubrey Nye
Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Mystery Fanfare: KAREN PIRIE, Season 3, NEWS
Mystery Fanfare: KAREN PIRIE, Season 3, NEWS: For those of you wondering about and hoping for a new Karen Pirie season..well, there's good news! The TV series Karen Pirie, based on ...
Things Seriously Suck
Halfway through October and things continue to seriously suck.
For all intents and purposes, Scott has been laid off. Having not worked for months now, word has come down that based on the job flow, it would be January, at the earliest before he went back to work for the contractor neighbor.
He continues to apply for anything and everything and can’t even get an interview. A lot of places are using AI chatbots, or AI as a screening tool after the application is submitted, and he can’t get by them. Even for entry level minimum wage jobs.
So, I am flat out begging for help. If you like what we do at Kevin's Corner, please consider making a donation through the PayPal widget on the left side of the blog. We really need the help.
Please and thank you.
Saturday, October 17, 2026
KRL Update
Up on KRL this week we have a review of "Pumpkin Vice Cafe" by Ellie Alexander along with a giveaway of a signed copy of the book & a pumpkin bookmark, and we have a fun pumpkin recipe from Ellie perfect for your Halloween celebrations! https://kingsriverlife.com/10/17/pumpkin-vice-cafe-by-ellie-alexander/
And a review and giveaway of a perfect read for Halloween season, "Summer Coven" a vampire cozy by Kat Hillis and Rosiee Thor https://kingsriverlife.com/10/17/summer-coven-by-kat-hillis-rosiee-thor/
And a review and giveaway of "Murder Like Magic" by Trisha Blanchet, along with a fun interview with Trisha https://kingsriverlife.com/10/17/murder-like-magic-by-trisha-blanchet/
We also have the latest Crime Writers of Color Coming Attractions https://kingsriverlife.com/10/17/crime-writers-of-color-coming-attractions-october-december-2026/
For those who prefer to listen to Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast directly on KRL, here is the latest episode featuring a Halloween mystery short story by John A. Tures, read by local actor Sean Hopper https://kingsriverlife.com/10/17/mysteryrats-maze-podcast-halloween-short-story-kill-your-darlings/
Up on KRL during the week, another special midweek guest post, this one perfect for the Halloween season! Mystery author Mark Leslie talked about his new book "Ghost Stories of the Great Lakes" https://kingsriverlife.com/10/14/the-ghost-stories-that-get-ghosted-along-the-way/
And another special midweek guest post perfect for Halloween season. Mystery author Ed Seaward talks about his new book "London Gothic" https://kingsriverlife.com/10/14/london-gothic/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "Essentials of Homicide" by Kim Davis, https://www.krlnews.com/2026/10/essentials-of-homicide-by-kim-davis.html
And a review and ebook giveaway of "Haunted Homicide" by Kelly Rey https://www.krlnews.com/2026/10/haunted-homicide-by-kelly-rey.html
And a review and ebook giveaway of "Haunted Hula-ween" by Sally J. Smith https://www.krlnews.com/2026/10/haunted-hula-ween-by-sally-j-smith.html
Happy reading, listening, and Halloween!
Lorie
SleuthSayers: Since the Ball's in My Court
SleuthSayers: Since the Ball's in My Court: NOTE: We'll be traveling on the day this is posted, so I'll be late in responding to any comments. In other words, the ball will pro...
Beneath the Stains of Time: She Woke to Darkness (1954) by Brett Halliday
Beneath the Stains of Time: She Woke to Darkness (1954) by Brett Halliday: She Woke to Darkness (1954) is the 25th novel in the Michael Shayne series by " Brett Halliday ," a pseudonym of Davis Dresser, w...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Halloween Picture Book Favorites: Johnston, Williams, Mueller, Boynton
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Halloween Picture Book Favorites: Johnston, Willia...: Years ago, it seemed that Halloween was mostly a holiday for children, one that you outgrew in the teen years. Nowadays, it’s more of an...
Jerry's House of Everything: BING BANG COMICS #30 (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1946)
Jerry's House of Everything: BING BANG COMICS #30 (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1946): Bing Bang Comics was a Canadian title from Maple Leaf Publishing Company in Vancouver and ran from late 1941 to at least mid-1946. As you ...
Scott's Take: Cyclops: Seeing Red by Alex Paknadel, illustrator Roge Antonio, cover art by Federico Vicentini
Cyclops: Seeing Red by Alex
Paknadel, illustrated by Roge Antonio, the cover artwork by Federico Vicentini,
is a short five issue mini-series. In this series, Cyclops, leader of the X-Men,
is alone and without his visor he uses to keep his powers in check. He is also stranded
behind enemy lines with Reavers (mutant hating cyborgs) hunting him. Things are
further complicated because he also has a young girl in tow. He is going to
have to use all his wits and savageness to keep them both safe. Can he?
This is action packed thriller with body
horror. The art is great. The Reaver are
absolutely disgusting.
There is a small plot hole, I think, but
maybe I missed it. It seems they don’t address why he can’t just call for help
telepathically since he is friends with so many telepaths. You would think that
is worth trying.
I read each of the five issues through Marvel Unlimited. The trade version
that has all the issues together will not be released until early November. I
enjoyed this solo Cyclops outing.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3TI2isu
Scott A. Tipple ©2026
Friday, October 16, 2026
SleuthSayers: Book DNA – is it for you?
SleuthSayers: Book DNA – is it for you?: This is my penultimate SleuthSayers post, and I hope you'll find it helpful if you have a book to promote - or if you just like to read ...
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