The Charity Shop Detective Agency - Peter Boland

When a friend of Fiona Sharp gets murdered, she and her two friends "Partial" Sue and Daisy start investigating their neighbours and acquaintances to find out the truth. But nothing is as it seems and everyone has their motives...

It's been a while since I've read a cozy mystery, but 'The  Charity Shop Detective Agency' was definitely worth it. I especially love the witty and accessible writing style. The characters are well written and fun to follow around. If you are an amateur sleuth like myself and our lovely ladies, you may have found out who the murderer was before it was revealed, but it isn't so obvious as to make it boring. The only minor point of criticism I have, is that you may get a jetlag from switching suspects so fast. This is the first book in a new series and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more. 

Thanks very much to NetGalley, Peter Boland and Peter's team for providing me with an ARC for this book. The fact that I got a copy doesn't affect my review, all I'm stating here are my honest thoughts.

TW: murder etcetera

Stars: 3.5

New words I learned: /

form Peter Boland's Facebook

Murder in an Irish Castle - Verity Bright

Thanks very much to NetGalley and the creators of this book for providing me with an ARC!

This is my first cozy mystery in a while, but I was glad to return with the cold season starting. This really is what it was advertised to be: a funny, comfortable cozy mystery.

I haven't read the previous books (this is the 12th book in the 'Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery' series), but it wasn't necessary at all to be able to get everything you needed to know out of this book. I will be taking a look at the rest of the series however, I think I might enjoy those as well.

I do think it could have been a bit shorter, but I didn't really mind it too much. I like that we get to see Eleanor's thoughts quite a lot. It isn't the most original story ever written, a bit predictable at some points, but I personally don't mind that when reading cozy mysteries. I mostly come for the comfortable and fun read, not for some exquisite plot full of the craziest twists.

The descriptions were very good. The way the food is described in this book just made me hungry. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of Verity Bright's work!

Stars: 3.75

Period of reading: 25/11 - 05/12

via Bookouture

House on Fire - Matt Battaglia

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Matt Battaglia and the publishers for providing me with an ARC. The fact that I received and ARC does not influence my opinion or review at all. I'm providing the creators with honest feedback.

I really liked this graphic novel. The book reminded me a lot of the pandemic of the recent years. It takes place in the near-future in a dystopian world, which is falling apart. There's not a lot in the story, but I still overall enjoyed it. It was emotional, while still being a quick read. Maybe Battaglia could have given a bit more background on the orange zone.

I read in some reviews that it feels a bit too positive for a dystopian novel, and I do understand where these people are coming from, but I personally quite liked it this way. This feels more like a positive approach on a dystopian novel, something I haven't really seen done before. The most important theme of House on Fire is definitely love, which contrast amazingly with the second most prominent topic: violence.

The same goes for the art-style. First of all, the art is just beautiful, which still remains a very important part in graphic novels. Secondly, the orange (the world) contrasts very well with the black (the protagonist). It gives the book a thriller kind of vibe.

Stars: 4

from Matt Battaglia's Twitter