3D book image of Mrs. Meade and the Schoolboy Prank

| Description

• Historical Mystery | Short Story

When the Wellmans receive a letter from their son’s boarding school informing them that Allen has been accused of stealing from a classmate, they promptly head for Denver to investigate. The situation looks bad, since almost the whole rest of the school have perfect alibis. It’s fortunate that Mrs. Wellman thought to bring along her friend Mrs. Meade to see if she can spot the solution.

| My Thoughts

I believe this is the third Mrs. Meade mystery I’ve read. The more I read these quick and smart tales, the more I like them.

Light and Entertaining

I do enjoy my share of longer and/or darker historical mysteries. But sometimes I just want a light and entertaining pick-me-up. And, given that even the cozy mystery genre is pretty dominated by murder cases, it’s nice to find murderless mysteries like this to mix things up.

This series is worth checking out.

| Content Note

no profanity
no graphic violence
no sexual content

Here’s my review of The Silver Shawl.

A Summertime Web of Intrigue: Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart

October 17, 2025November 8, 2025Leave a comment

Rose Cottage
by
Mary Stewart

| Description

• Historical Mystery

With its pretty thatched roof and rustic English setting, Rose Cottage is the picture of tranquility. But when Kate Herrick returns to her childhood home in the summer of 1947, she discovers a web of intrigue as tangled as the rambling roses in its garden.

| My Thoughts

I’d never heard of this author until a few days before I started this historical mystery.

Creepy Here, Cozy There—and There

Oh, this isn’t a mystery in the sense of a detective or an amateur sleuth trying to solve a murder case or what have you, and it isn’t “edge of your seat” suspenseful reading. Rather, it’s a low-key, thoughtfully paced, small-town story with a heroine trying to figure out some mysterious family matters.

The read involves a somewhat creepy factor, but it’s the “Scooby-Doo” kind. That is, the kind where “the scary monsters” aren’t really monsters. And given the pleasant descriptions of flowers and sunny skies, warm scones and cups of tea, friendly neighbors, gentle hints of romance—and in the edition I read, the cozy little illustrations at the start of each chapter—even the creepy-ish bits couldn’t make this story dark or anything.

Mere Quirks?

Now, what kept this from ever really becoming a comfortable read for me were the expressions of bigotry toward a certain people group. The bigotry in the story doesn’t come off as malicious but shows through several of the characters as fear, certain ignorant blanket presumptions they make, etc. It isn’t fictional characters’ bigotry that necessarily bothers me but rather when those undertones or overtones are pretty much presented like mere character quirks, or like “that’s just the way it is.”

More from This Author?

Hopefully, the issue above isn’t present in all or most of this author’s novels, because I plan on trying at least one more sometime.

| Content Note

brief mention of a past, childhood fight that resulted in bloody noses or something on that level
a couple of uses of “damn” and “hell” in nonliteral senses
no explicit sexual content

Fiery Mystery in the Sky: Wings of Fear by Carolyn Keene

August 29, 2025November 8, 2025Leave a comment

Wings of Fear
by
Carolyn Keene

| Description

• Vintage Young Adult Mystery

Jennifer, a flight attendant, worries that the fatal car accident of one of her coworkers was actually a murder related to a smuggling ring—a ring operating inside the airline. So Jennifer and the airline’s president call on Nancy Drew to investigate.

| My Thoughts

My nostalgic self is continuing my revisit through The Nancy Drew Files series, some of which I read back in my adolescence.

Fire in the Sky

Book 13 here, from the ’80s, is one I hadn’t read before. Admittedly, I won’t be reading all of the 100+ more novels in the series. But it was this book cover’s images of Nancy’s bulky and vibrant cardigan, her wary and dramatic stance that almost looks like a dance move, and the diving airplane on fire in the sky that compelled me to pick this one up.

Fire Under Me

In the middle of this particular case, what especially put a little fire under me while reading? Certain characters’ disparaging comments to Nancy—as if this chick must only be playing at this detective thing. But even at eighteen, Nancy is neither new nor an amateur at her job. There comes a point where she’s not only looking to solve this case, but she’s also looking to prove herself to the naysayers.

So, I was like, “Hey. The proof will be in the pudding. Just do what you do, Drew.”

(Well, I actually said under my breath, “Do what you do, Nancy.” But, well, rhyming that line sounds better.)

Minus a Monologue is a Plus

I liked that this wasn’t one of those mysteries where the bad guys tie up the good guys and explain everything in a monologue or an info-dumping convo in the end. And I must say, I really got into this novel’s rather thrilling climax and the lead-up to it.

Continuing the Series?

I’m looking forward to whatever Files case I’ll pick up next because I’ll either remember reading it back in the day or because it’ll be one with cover art that grabs me.

| Content Note

intended for readers aged 12 years and up

Here’s my review of the first book in the series, Secrets Can Kill.

3D book image of Counterfeit Christmas behind strands of Christmas lights

A Fake Money Menace: Counterfeit Christmas by Carolyn Keene

July 18, 2025November 8, 2025Leave a comment

Counterfeit Christmas
by
Carolyn Keene

| Description

• Vintage Young Adult Mystery

Nancy’s friend Bess has gotten a real surprise this holiday season: two crisp twenty-dollar bills that turn out to be fake. Her aunt unwittingly passed them along, and Nancy’s out to trace the funny money to its source. But that means Nancy must step into a world where greed rules—and where life isn’t worth a plug nickel.

| My Thoughts

I’ve been revisiting this ’80s and ’90s YA series, The Nancy Drew Files, which I first read several books from back in my adolescence. In search of a Christmas theme, I skipped way ahead to Book 102 here and decided to take another crack at this case I got into decades ago (but don’t remember if I actually finished this book back then).

A Lower-Key Mystery—Until

This mystery isn’t on the more action-packed, edge-of-your-seat side of the series. There aren’t explosions or high-speed car chases, and the danger doesn’t really ramp up until near the end.

Not unlike other books in the series, Nancy makes some silly mistakes for a detective with so much experience. And unsurprisingly, the culprits of the crime eventually explain the whole thing themselves.

Oo-la-la? I say no.

I imagine the writers of the series thought to keep Nancy’s social life more “exciting” by throwing in new romantic interests for her whenever. But as it is in some other books in the series, the result here is that Nancy shows herself to be a bad girlfriend, getting involved with yet another guy while her boyfriend Ned is away.

Eeesh.

All the Nineties’ Vibes

Nevertheless, the read did tickle my nostalgia bone with mentions of VCRs and personal CD players, cordless phones and beepers and answering machines. And Nancy has to avail herself of certain resources she wouldn’t have to today; it isn’t like she can just whip out a cell and look up info real quick on a search engine.

Continuing the Series?

Even for the mysteries that aren’t my favorites in The Files, the old-fashionedness of it all still draws me in. And I like gobbling down these fairly quick reads for easy entertainment. I definitely plan on (re)reading more of the series.

| Content Note

intended for readers aged 12 years and up
some violence, including murder

Here’s my review of the first book in the series, Secrets Can Kill.

Prismatic Prospects

Nadine C. Keels, Author and Blogger of Hope and Inspiration

Tag: Mystery

Murderless Mystery: Mrs. Meade and the Schoolboy Prank by Elisabeth Grace Foley

| Description