#ssdgm

There is absolutely no shot that Alastor's murders remained a mystery. He was litterally gunned down and was dog chow! Doesn't even matter if the hunter was in the marsh off season, Al had a body with him!

I'd be willing to bet that anyone would have blamed the one black man considering the era it took place as well.

Well they might not have figured out who it was after the mauling...

Bullshit

The man on the radio suddenly disappearing after years of attendance, the black body with a RED VEST, who was also seen with the second victim earlier.... yeah no. Especially when only one body had a gunshot wound and the other full OF STABS. Al probably had the knife on him as well!

Anyone else a murderino? Ok, JUST ME? Cool, cool, cool!

My Favorite Murder’s best/most Fucked up eps!!!

Trying this to track what I read in a month and talk about the books I read!

I will not be doing a star rating system here. That’s for Goodreads.

Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Yes, I did read the entire Empyrean series (as it currently stands) within the month of January. Technically I started Fourth Wing (a present) on Christmas Day 2024, but with the stomach bug that ravaged my family/our Christmas break, it barely counts as a real start. But once I really started, I could not stop. By the time the 21st rolled around, my daughters knew how much I loved them and told everyone in line at Target “we’re here to get Mommy the Dragon Book.”

I have fallen so completely into this series. Violet is one of my favorite main characters—the way her anger is celebrated by those closest to her has honestly been healing for me. A lot of her struggles with her limitations/the spoilery things she is going through in Onyx Storm made me feel so SEEN (spouse of someone with a chronic illness, hi) and every character in here is fantastic.

And yeah, the dragons don’t hurt either.

Rebecca Yarros you are SO good and I hope your break is restorative for you (and passes quickly for the rest of us).

Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

Karen and Georgia from MFM wrote a book awhile back and it was my winter True Crime Sauna Time book. Funny, insightful, and honestly a book early-20s Lindsey could have used. Highly recommend whether you are a Murderino or not.

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion, vol. 1-3

These were a Christmas gift from my husband because the anime remains horribly, infuriatingly unfinished (they say they will, but I am not patient).

As Jill Bearup would say, the plot, it goeth thusly:

A young woman is pushed off a building and wakes up in the world and body of a character from her favorite novel. The only problem? She is now Raeliana MacMillan, whose murder spurs the main character of the novel, Beatrice, to solve the crime and avenge her dearest friend. Determined not to die again, Raeliana forges her own destiny and uses her knowledge of the novel to stay alive, including blackmailing the original novel’s MMC, Duke Noah Wynnight, into becoming her new fiancé so she can escape her original murderer. But Beatrice never shows up and Noah doesn’t seem so keen to call off their charade, even after her murderous original betrothed is caught.

It was a nice read between the high stakes of the Empyrean series because it has some of my favorite things: fake engagement of convenience to lovers (at least I hope so, they better not be teasing me), isekai but make it Period Romance (including the costumes!), and a heroine who is super smart. Will be getting the rest of the volumes, highly recommend.

The Grandmother Plot by Caroline B Cooney

This was a completely random read on Libby; the author is well-known for her Milk Carton series but I knew her better for Goddess of Yesterday (a junior high read I still think of often today). So I was scrolling through her Goodreads and found this.

An elderly woman in a dementia care center dies of a smothering, threatening the secrets of our two main narrators and many others in a small Connecticut town.

The characters here all have such depth and variation, and BITE. The descriptions of dementia and what it’s like to live with a loved one whose own mind is slipping away from them? Unflinching and heartbreaking. It was a dark comfort to me, the daughter of an 82-year-old man who has watched her father’s verve slip away after a series of strokes 6 years ago.

Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

From dark comfort to just plain comfort. This book is like the rom com equivalent of…like imagine Ryan and Shane from Buzzfeed Unsolved were a hetero couple.

Hallie as a character is able to find her voice and confidence with Noah. They support each other and see the best in each other so beautifully. It is a heartwarming book, both in terms of the romance and Noah’s DELICIOUS verbal takedowns of Hallie’s abusive ex.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

This I read aloud to my daughters over several nights in January. It was delightful to watch them fall in love with it, as I did at my eldest’s age.

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

This was actually my first Roald Dahl, so it felt like an appropriate follow up for bedtime reading. And I do not think it gets enough love.

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

This is a novel told entirely through correspondence, including emails and texts.

A local theater group is wrought with strife when the toddler daughter of a leading player is diagnosed with a brain tumor. They pull together to raise funds, but all is not as it (or they) appear. And someone is going to end up dead by opening night.

If you enjoy Agatha Christie, you will love this book. If you like any kind of good mystery, give it a go!

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

My January book for the Read Christie 2025 challenge. I have always loved the David Suchet version and am delighted to be delving into the book at last.

Sixteen years after Caroline Crale died convicted of the murder of her husband, their daughter comes to Hercule Poirot. She requests that he solve the murder and prove, as her mother attested in a letter, that Caroline Crale was innocent.

I will be finishing this book in February but I am loving it so far! (The David Suchet episode is excellent btw)

LOOKING AHEAD: February 2025

I plan to stay on the Read Christie train with The 13 Problems, which is a classic collection of Miss Marple stories. Might just read my entire Miss Marple short story collection.

Husband got me Assistant to the Villain for Christmas, so that’ll be on the docket for sure.

Spy x Family volume 13 is out, which will be a lovely, quick read.

I will also be getting back into True Crime Sauna Time and starting The Devil in the White City (finally). Apparently DiCaprio and Scorsese are reviving the movie project, so I want to have that read before the movie comes out.

HOWEVER, Kate Winkler Dawson recently released The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne.

Historical True Crime? Check. A Victorian-era true crime authoress being the first to investigate the case? A Scarlet Letter connection? I am the target audience.

I am also going to try Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, as my oldest asked about a sequel at the end of Chocolate Factory. I will be doing the audiobook on my own. If I think the girls will like it, then I’ll either check out the book or just finally buy a Roald Dahl set.

Have some spooky little buttons hot off the press!

This is good advice on a whole lot of levels