I keep finding it harder to write book reviews these days, as I mostly listen to audio books, which makes it difficult to go back and check on details. And to be honest, I also often miss bits and pieces nodding off... (mostly listening when I'm resting, or awake in the night!)
I do listen quite a lot, though - and also often re-listen to books, some of which I may already have written reviews of in the past.
Lately I've been thinking that I should try and get back to making some monthly (or so) notes on my blog about what I've been reading/listening to recently, even if not necessarily writing detailed reviews. If nothing else, I might find it helpful for my own memory! ;)
In February I wrote about the first two books in a series called The Home Sleuth Cozy Mysteries: (1) The Blackout Murders and (2) The Spectre of Hawthorne Manor, which I found as free bonus titles with my current Audible membership.
It turned out that I could continue to listen for free to even more titles in the same series... So I did! (...not knowing for how long I'll be having free access to them...)
Without writing detailed reviews of my own, I'll just copy the cover images together with the introductions given on the Audible website.
No 3 - The Spitfire Murders
England, 1941: When a factory security guard dies under suspicious circumstances and a Spitfire test flight ends in disaster, the quiet village of Crofter’s Green is abuzz with questions. With the local police stretched thin by the war effort, it’s up to the Homefront Sleutha to uncover the truth.
Leading the charge is Evie Harris, village tea shop owner and amateur detective, who bravely goes undercover at the aircraft factory—despite a cryptic warning from a shadowy German spy. Watching out for her are:
Harry Jenkins – A retired detective with a sharp eye for trouble.
Alice Greenleaf – A no-nonsense herbalist with a knack for noticing what others miss.
Blake Collins – A clever schoolteacher who sees patterns no one else does.
Dorothy Baker – A quick-witted young mother whose instincts never fail.
As they untangle a web of sabotage and secrets, another worker turns up dead. Can they uncover the saboteur before disaster strikes again?
No 4 - The Judas Monk Murders
The peaceful village of Crofter’s Green buzzes with questions when a young commando trainee is found dead at the ruins of St. Swithin’s Abbey. The military calls it an accident—but is it? And what does it have to do with the legend of the Judas Monk, a tale of betrayal that has haunted the abbey for centuries?
Harry Jenkins and the Homefront Sleuths must untangle a web of wartime deception before the truth is buried for good.
As the investigation unfolds, each of the Sleuths has their own challenges to face. Evie faces a new threat from an old enemy, while Alice must find a way to delve into a murder mystery dating back to the middle ages. Harry must press on with his investigation despite a military commander determined to stop him at all costs. Dorothy and Tom are busy with the renovations of their cottage—and Blake… well, let’s just say Blake may have the biggest adjustment of all.
Meanwhile, Bonzo the Pomeranian is about to prove that sometimes the best detective work is done on four paws.
With danger lurking in the shadows and secrets hidden beneath the ruins, Harry and his friends must navigate military red tape, hidden tunnels, and village gossip to uncover the truth—before some very, very serious damage is done.
No 5 - The Murders at Clarion Castle
July, 1941. When Evie Harris vanishes after visiting her late fiancé's parents, the Homefront Sleuths of Crofter's Green vow to find her. But their investigation takes a bizarre turn when Nigel's police superiors send him to nearby Clarion Castle.
There, the first under-butler has just taken his final bow in the castle's wine cellar.
Could there be a connection with Evie's disappearance? Or with a hush-hush VIP visit to the castle?
The Sleuths must navigate a maze of deception, and nothing is easy. Harry finds the murdered butler's journal, but it's in a code, Blake knows codes, but he and Katherine are busy unlocking secrets in the castle library, hampered by her still-fragmented memory, Alice dons pilgrim garb to infiltrate suspicious travelers (her herb basket now doubling as spy gear), and Dorothy must size up mysterious tea shop visitors and give her friends at the castle a warning.
Not to mention Evie, who must discover where she is and then find a way to escape.
With time ticking louder than Harry's pocket watch, Evie and the Sleuths must reunite to unmask a master spy before a the course of the war is changed forever.
No 6 - The Harvest Festival Murders
The Homefront Sleuths thought their biggest challenge would be planning Blake and Katherine's perfect autumn wedding. But when a mysterious government inspector turns up dead at the Harvest Festival, their cozy village celebration becomes the scene of something sinister.
What starts as a puzzling murder quickly becomes a race against time. Missing microfilm, coded messages, and suspicious "diplomats" suggest this case is far more dangerous than anything the Sleuths have faced before. With potential Nazi spies lurking behind familiar faces, no one in Crofter's Green is above suspicion.
Between wedding preparations and investigating clues, the beloved team finds themselves busier than ever. Katherine balances bridal duties with mystery-solving, Dorothy's sewing circle provides the best village intelligence, and Bonzo the Pomeranian proves once again that four paws beat two feet when sniffing out trouble.
But as a second murder rocks their community and Evie's partnership with Detective Inspector Nigel grows complicated by unprofessional feelings, the stakes have never been higher.
Can the Sleuths unmask a killer before their village—and their hearts—pay the ultimate price?
No 7 - The Scrooge Conspiracy
Christmas comes early to Crofter's Green—but so does murder.
When a charming American actor arrives to direct a Christmas production of A Christmas Carol for evacuee children at a grand country manor, it seems like the perfect holiday treat. But on the very day Pearl Harbor is attacked, the actor is found murdered—and he's been carrying mysterious coded messages that suggest this "Christmas spirit" hides something far more dangerous.
As snow blankets the English countryside and Christmas approaches, the Sleuths must unravel a web of theatrical deception, wartime espionage, and long-buried secrets. With a houseful of vulnerable children and a killer still at large, can they solve the mystery before the final curtain falls?
Packed with holiday atmosphere, wartime intrigue, and all the cozy charm you love about Crofter's Green, The Scrooge Conspiracy delivers the perfect blend of Christmas magic and mystery mayhem.
- - -
While preparing this post, I discovered that yet another installment in the series has just been released, which I haven't listened to yet. But as that one too turned out to be available for me for free, I soon will - so I'll include it here with the others:
No 8 - The Valentine Cipher
Crofter’s Green is abuzz with excitement. Seven young couples are preparing to say their vows at a Valentine's Day celebration—an event made even more thrilling by the expected arrival of a very important (and very secret) guest: the most famous woman in the world.
But when the beloved village curate is found dead just days before the ceremony, Harry is called in to investigate what looks suspiciously like murder. Then, in London, Evie and Nigel intercept a Norwegian spy’s cipher—and the dead curate’s name is hidden within it.
As the Homefront Sleuths race to uncover the truth, they're forced to ask: Which of the blushing brides is hiding a deadly secret? And can they stop a plot that could change the course of history—before vows are spoken and lives are lost?
Meanwhile, as love hangs in the air, Evie and Nigel must confront a question that’s far more personal—and one only Valentine’s Day may help them answer.
- - -
The authors behind the series are Anna Elliott and Charles Veley. When I looked them up, I learned that they are a father & daughter team - and a very productive one. (These are not the first series they've been writing.)
Another thing to be noted, which I find a bit unusual, is that events in the first seven books all take place (in chronological order) in one and the same year: 1941. With No 8, it seems we'll be moving on into 1942, though. If they intend to go on with 6-7 books per year throughout the whole WWII, it's going to be a very long series...
So far (apart from all the unlikely mysteries concentrated to one little village) my general feeling is that the books probably do reflect a British WWII atmosphere pretty well, though. But then of course, most of my previous concepts about that have also been collected from similar books, films and TV series...
