Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Murder on North Terrace:a Petticoat Police Mystery #2 – Lainie Anderson

    Hachette Australia Sep 30, 2025 | 9780733652097 | RRP $32.99 Around this time last year, I reviewed the first Petticoat Police mystery after thoroughly relishing it, so I was extra keen to get my hands on this one. And it is no disappointment. Equally engaging as the first, cleverly weaving in fact to the fictional aspects, with a little…

  • Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow. Nevermoor #4 – Jessica Townsend

    Hachette Australia April 2025 ISBN: 9780734421029  $18.99 If you saw my recent excited posts regarding Nevermoor and finally meeting Jessica Townsend, you will also realise how mad keen I was to read this. I started it the Friday night after the event and finished it the following Thursday – all 660ish pages of it! I…

  • Manslaughter Park -Tirzah Price

    Harper Collins Australia January 2025 ISBN: 9780062889874 ISBN 10: 0062889877 Imprint: HarperCollins US List Price: 24.99 AUD I very much enjoyed #2 in this series which I reviewed last year and did also like this one very much. Not quite as much, but that was merely a personal preference. It is just as well-written and engaging but I think…

  • Picture Book Month extra: The Death of Dora Black: a Petticoat Police Mystery – Lainie Anderson

    Hachette Australia Aug 28, 2024 | 9780733652066 | RRP $32.99 What a thoroughly enjoyable read this has been over the past few nights! I’m a tragic when it comes to cosy crime and murder mystery books and over the past couple of years I’ve had quite a number of YA titles to review, and also listened to a few…

  • Eleanor Jones Can[‘t] Keep a Secret – Amy Doak

    Penguin Australia ISBN: 9781761342424 Imprint: Penguin RRP: $19.99 I absolutely adored the first Eleanor Jones book and as soon as this one arrived a few days ago, everything else got pushed aside while I binge-read it (which effectively means I’m now book-cheating on 3 different books 😳). I regret nothing! This is every bit as fabulous as…

  • Catch Your Breath – Ravena Guron

    Harper Collins Australia March 2024 ISBN: 9781803705422 ISBN 10: 1803705426 Imprint: Usborne GB RRP: $19.99 I really do love me a good cozy murder mystery, going right back to when I had almost every single Agatha Christie title, so I’m absolutely relishing this trend in YA fiction. This is the second of this author’s books I’ve read [see…

  • The Sea Captain’s Wife – Jackie French

    Harper Collins Australia ISBN: 9781867243489 ISBN 10: 1867243482 Imprint: HQ Fiction AU $32.99 It really is a given, that a new Jackie French book means that all other books are put on hold (even if half-read!) until I have devoured the newest. And that’s exactly what has happened over the past few days. Just under 500 pages flew…

  • This Book Kills – Ravena Guron

    Harper Collins Australia March 2024 ISBN: 9781803705415 ISBN 10: 1803705418 Imprint: Usborne GB RRP: $19.99 I recently read someone ‘predicting’ that murder mystery for teens/YA was going to be a big new trend this year. I have news for them. It has been for quite a few years now as any of the devotees of Karen McManus, Holly…

  • Sense and Second-degree Murder – Tirzah Price

    Harper Collins Australia November 2023 Book #2 Jane Austen Murder Mysteries ISBN: 9780062889850 ISBN 10: 0062889850 Imprint: HarperTeen $19.99 Now that I’ve read this one, I’d really like to get hold of #1 because this is a really top-notch, fresh take on detective stories. Of course, young ladies in Regency England did not pursue business, nor study chemistry…

  • From fellow blogger: Thoughts Become Words.

    I do love me a good murder mystery, and wouldn’t mind the thought of some snow after this week of heat and humidity, so am going to look out for this one as a holiday read!! [Update: put it on reserve at the library, which was temporarily closed for renovations, and picking it up today!]