2 Mysteries to Keep You Guessing

by Donna Huber

I love losing myself in a good mystery - one that keeps me guessing the whole time. I recently read a couple of mysteries with unexpected elements that would be great for a weekend binge read or to toss in your beach bag this summer.

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The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose

April 2025; Ballantine Books; 978-0593875414
audio, ebook, print (336 pages); mystery

The Maid's Secret is the fourth book (if you count the Christmas novella) in the Molly the Maid series. You don't have to read the previous books to enjoy this one, as all pertinent facts are provided, but it will be a richer reading experience if you have read the previous books. 

First thing you need to know about this novel is that it is NOT a murder mystery. I loved this about the book. So many mystery series just have murder after murder, and it starts to be ridiculous that there is so much murder involving a town or individual. 

The next thing you need to know is if you have been reading this series and you've missed Gran, you will be super pleased with this story as we get a lot of her history. This book is a dual timeline story. We have the present with Molly working at the hotel, where the television show Hidden Treasures (kind of like The Antiques Road Show) is taping an episode. And then we have the storyline from the 1950s (I think) of Gran (Flora) as a young girl. In her dying days, Flora wrote her life story in a diary for Molly to read one day.

The story started off a little slowly. I was immediately intrigued by Flora's story, but every time we came back to the present, we just had Molly on the carpet after fainting. That scene dragged on way longer than it needed to - I was all like just tell me why she fainted and move on with the story.

Eventually, Gran's story of the past becomes intertwined with the mystery of the present day. I don't want to tell you too much about what the mystery is, as that will ruin some of the suspense for you.

If you are looking for a mystery to lose yourself in but aren't really wanting a murder, this is the perfect book to pick up.

Buy The Maid's Secret at Amazon

A Most Parisian Murder by Millicent Binks

May 2025; Bookouture; 9781836188032
audio (8h 13m), ebook, print; cozy mysytery

I wasn't really looking to start another new cozy mystery series, but A Most Parisian Murder was offered as an audiobook review, so I couldn't say no. I enjoy Bookouture's cozy mysteries (I think most of the cozy series I'm reading are published by them). I had high hopes for this one.

The main character, Opal Laplume, is a milliner, and if you know me, you know I LOVE hats. I think the description of the hats was my favorite part of the novel.  She is British but her mother sends her to a cousin in Paris. The cousin has a cabaret show that needs a hatmaker and Lady Laplume needs somewhere for her daughter while she goes to her adventurous husband.

It is the 1930s but it is the early 1930s, as there are no hints of the coming conflict. It is noted that Paris is still recovering from WWI and the Great Depression.

I don't know if it was just a young ex-pat living in Paris or the writing, but while reading this book, I kept thinking about Colleen Cambridge's An American in Paris series. It also gave off strong Agatha Christie vibes. I've recently read a few books that have Agatha Christie as a character and Opal embodied many of the same characteristics.

The murder mystery was interesting. If you follow the clues, you can work out who done it. What really got me was I thought the mystery was all wrapped up. Opal had gathered everyone together and revealed the killer. An arrest was made. And then WHAM! There is a second mystery. I won't tell you any details so you can be surprised too.

The audiobook was well done. Antonia Beamish is the narrator. I haven't listened to any other books she's read, and I enjoyed her narration. I didn't have any trouble telling the characters apart. It was an easy story to listen to.

If you are looking for a new historical cozy mystery to read, then this is a great choice.

Buy A Most Parisian Murder at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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