The Third Note by Virginia King

Last week, I read The Third Note, Selkie Moon Mystery #3 by Virginia King.



Here's what this book is about:

"After returning from her last strange quest, Selkie Moon is more than ready to settle down. So when she receives a parcel from her great grandmother 35 years after her death, opening it seems like such a bad idea.

But curiosity wins and the objects it contains plunge Selkie into long-buried family secrets. Suddenly an old mystery begins to echo with the present and she's wrapped in a spell that won’t let go: frightening visions, deadly encounters and a pull from the past that she can’t ignore. What happened down by the old stone well in 1896 – and why does it matter to Selkie after more than a hundred years? Armed with only her wits and psychic twinges that are hardly reliable, Selkie is drawn into a web of cryptic clues that delve deep into the folklore of Ireland where superstition still weaves a powerful – and fatal – spell.

If you love mysteries with lightning pace, twists and turns you never see coming, quirky clues and a sprinkling of the supernatural, then you’ll love The Third Note.

Join Selkie Moon on a quest that will threaten not only her sanity, but her life."

The Third Note is truly magical. Full of mystery, Irish folklore, and family history, the story of Selkie Moon continues. This is probably my favorite of the three, as the characters have developed more, we find out more about Selkie's past and her "abilities", and Selkie finds out more about herself. All of the Selkies' fun and quirky friends from the first two books are there; Davina, Derek, Coral and of course her romantic interest, Alister. If you are love mysteries with a paranormal flavor, you will love the Selkie Moon books.

Start with the prequel, Laying Ghosts, by getting your free copy here: https://www.facebook.com/selkiemoonmy...

Laying Ghosts sets up the story of Selkie and how she comes where she is in Book One - The First Lie.

The Third Note was just published this week and is available on Amazon.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and volunteered to write this review

Onyx Webb Book 8

Are you reading the Onyx Webb series? I highly recommend it if you like ghosts, serial killers, lifestyles of the rich and famous, different timelines and suspense.



Book 8 is like a ride on the Italian Bobs (see Book 1).

Here is what the series and Book 8 is about:

"The timelines - the web - is more tightened than ever. Although the connections are clear, suspense reigns as always.

Onyx Webb is a complex multi-genre mash-up that combines elements of supernatural suspense, crime, horror, romance, and more. The Onyx Webb series follows the unusual life of Onyx Webb along with a central group of characters in various locations and times.
The billionaire Mulvaney family, piano prodigy Juniper Cole and her brother Quinn, paranormal show hosts Cryer and Fudge, and a few others make up the core of the series. Written like a book version of your favorite tv series (think: supernatural soap opera like American Horror Story) each character’s story moves forward with most every episode. It may appear that the characters are entirely unrelated and yet episode by episode, the connections will become clearer. Like being an inch away from a spider web, with each book, the web will move further and further away revealing the full story of character and most importantly, the stunning conclusion for Onyx Webb herself.  
Onyx and Alistar's grandson Noah grow close as they create a "life" together with exciting new projects. The Mulvaney mansion is crawling with ghosts as a big event looms. Stan Lee continues to make mistakes without consequences, for now."

Here is my favorite part of Book 8:

One (that's right, one of a few) of the ghosts sharing with Declan, the Mulvaney patriarch;

"You don't know, do you? Her name is Juniper. In fact you have quite a menagerie of the dead hanging around the mansion. Let's see: There's Juniper and the one in the bowler hat (Declan's limo driver no less) and the black man with the blind woman. That makes three right there. Oh and now me - four. It's almost as if you're running a bed and breakfast  for the deceased-a dead and breakfast, if you will."

In Book 8, we have some humor and we are led to believe everything is going to alright. The bad guys are going to get theirs' and the good guys will prevail. All of the sudden the roller coaster takes a big dip and our hearts are in our throats. Oh my. 

I will hate for Book 10 to come around and end the story, really.  I could see HBO or Netflix picking the series up. I like it better than the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series. (I love Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagarden series though).

Book 9 soon....

Poisoned Pen Press

What do you get when you have 15+ mystery book enthusiasts all read different books? You get a long list of great books to read.
 
For our March Mystery Book Club (MBC), we read books featured by the Poisoned Pen Press, an independent publisher of mystery novels. The Poisoned Pen Press was founded by Barbara G. Peters and her husband, Robert Rosenwald. Barbara Peters also owns The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale Arizona.
https://poisonedpenpress.com/
https://poisonedpen.com/

One featured series that I find interesting is The British Library Crime Classics. At a glance, it looks like they are books published anywhere from the mid 1800's thru the early 1900's. Here is the cover of one that one of the MBC members read. I love these vintage pictures.



Following, is the list of the books we all read. I felt like Scarlett O'Hara when Rhett took her on the riverboat in New Orleans and she kept grabbing the pastries as the pastry cart went by, while her mouth was full. (Did I mention we also had a pot luck? This is the scene where he tells her she will get fat, or in my case, I will have too many books.) I heard many authors and titles of books I want to read.



There are a few books at the end of the list that are not from the Poisoned Pen Press list. Some of the MBC members read some other books and shared them, so I am including them.

Deadly Descent – Lottie Albright Mystery #1 by Charlotte Hinger

 

Constable Molly Smith Mysteries by Vicki Delany

In The Shadow of the Glacier – Constable Molly Smith Mystery #1
Negative Image – Constable Molly Smith Mystery #4
Unreasonable Doubt – Constable Molly Smith Mystery #8

Alafair Tucker Mysteries by Donis Casey

The Old Buzzard Had It Coming – Alafair Tucker Mystery #1
All Men Fear Me – Alafair Tucker Mystery #8
The Return of the Raven Mocker – Alafair Tucker Tucker #9 Mystery
 

Brooklyn Bones – Erica Donato Mystery #1 by Triss Stein

The Female Detective by Andrew Forrester ( From the British Library Crimes Classics list, originally published in 1864, first detective novel to feature a professional female detective)
Mary Russell’s War and Other Stories of Suspense by Laurie R. King (Mary Russell is Sherlock Holmes wife in this the series by this other. This book has 10 short stories)
The Dead Hand by Michael Kahn
Liar Liar by K.J. Larsen (debut novel)
 

Phryne Fisher novels and Corinna Chapman Mysteries by Kerry Greenwood

Cocaine Blues – Phryne Fisher novel #1
Queen of the Flowers – Phryne Fisher novel #14
Dead Man’s Chest – Phryne Fisher novel #18
Murder and Mendelssohn – Phryne Fisher novel #20
Earthly Delights Corinna Chapman Mystery #1
Cooking the Books – Corinna Chapman Mystery #6
(Did you know that Phryne Fisher is a television series offered on Netflix? Yep I am going to add that to my watchlist.)

Santorini Caesars – Chief Inspector Kaldis Mystery #8 by Jeffrey Siger

Murder Most Unfortunate – Rick Montoya Italian Mystery #3 by David P. Wagner
Dead Weight – The Posadas County Mysteries #8 by Steven F. Havill
The Coffin Trail - A Lake District Mystery #1 by Martin Edwards
 

Kate Turner, DVM Mysteries by Eileen Brady

Muzzled - A Kate Turner, DVM Mystery #1 (2013 Discover Mystery Award Winner)
Unleashed - A Kate Turner, DVM Mystery #1
 

Caught Dead – Rick Van Lam Mystery #1 by Andrew Lanh

 

Books other than from Poisoned Pen Press

Lilac Girls: A Novel by Martha Hall Kelly (a debut novel)
A Beautiful Place to Die – Martha’s Vineyard Mystery #1 by Phillip Craig
Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow (some of her books are featured with Poison Pen Press)

Check out the Poisoned Press' websites. They have lots of really good books featured.