Historical mysteries seem to be all the rage at the moment, and fortunately, publishers have yet to monetise and ruin the trend to such a degree that you can't find a selection of well written series to enjoy.  While the quality of cozy mysteries has been abysmal the last several years, Historical Mysteries have filled in the gap nicely for me.

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder is the 3rd in a series I discovered at my first (and so far only) Bouchercon convention.  It's a good series, and this book is a strong 3rd book, moving the characters' arcs along quickly, while presenting an interesting stand-alone plot, with clues easily missed and writing that skilfully misdirected the reader down several false avenues.  As the story moved along, some of the misdirection became obvious, but some of it didn't, rendering a delightful mystery well done.

My only groan over the book was the introduction of Countess Harleigh's mother who was caricatured for most of her page time, only to do the whole mama-lion thing and achieving what to me was an insincere redemption in the final pages.  Fortunately she's not around much in this book and it wasn't enough to really weight the book down.

Title: The Girls of Mischief Bay

Series: Mischief Bay #1

Author: Susan Mallery

Publisher Date: February 24, 2015

Publisher: Mira

Format: Kindle

Page Count: 416 pages

Source: Library via OverDrive

Date Read: May 24-27, 2020

Review

I wanted to read something set in California because I am somewhat homesick for the Golden State. Let's face it, I would rather be quarantining in CA than in KS. I have enjoyed Mallery's works in the past and was eager to try a new series not in the romance genre. Hence, I picked up The Girls of Mischief Bay, a contemporary women's fiction title.

Overall, I really enjoyed this look at female friendship with woman at different ages/stages of life, yet can give each other perspectives that help. Hands down, my favorite MC was Pam. Her character arc was so well done and I was emotionally invested in her story. And her discovering another girl squad to go traveling with was a such a sweet ending, contrasting with the darker parts of her arc. Shannon's arc was second favorite; my one quibble with Shannon was that she forgave her man for doing throwing her under the bus when his daughter decided to play mind games with her divorced parents. I would have made him grovel A HELLA LOT MORE.  My least favorite was Nicole; she came across too much like a doormat. Her divorce should have been a release and she was still too much sulking at the end of the book for my liking. Her ex was an useless asshole - good riddance to bad rubbish. I did like that Nicole was a pilates/yoga instructor and owner of her studio, rather than something cutesy like a baker or party planner. 

I am going to continue with the series after my summer project is over.

So here is my reading wrap up for March, April, and May. 

March

1. Golden in Death (In Death #50) by JD Robb - 4 stars

2. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera - 3.5 stars

3. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - 2.5 stars

April

1. Pox: An American History by Michael Willrich - 4.5 stars

2. A Distant Melody (Wings of Glory #1) by Sarah Sundin - 3 stars

3. The Scandalous Suffragette by Eliza Redgold - 3 stars

4. The Final Days by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein - 5 stars

5. Beauty Queens by Libby Bray - 4 stars

6. The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby - 4 stars

May

1. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty - 1 star

2. Eisenhower 1956: The President's Year of Crisis - Suez and the Brink of War by David A. Nichols - 4 stars

3. War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence by Ronan Farrow - 5 stars

4. Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed - and Why It Still Matters by Andrew Gumbel and Roger G. Charles - DNF

5. Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake #1) by Rachel Caine - 1 star

6. Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh - 4.5 stars

7. The Dead & the Gone (Last Survivors #2) by Susan Beth Pfeffer - 3 stars

8. 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire by Rebecca Rideal - 3 stars

9. The Girls of Mischief Bay (Mischief Bay #1) by Susan Mallery - 4 stars

10. A New Life (West Meets East #1) by Merry Farmer - 2.5 stars

Goals and Challenges:

GoodReads: 40/125 (32%)

Library Love: 17/24 (70%) - I am thinking of moving up my goal to the next level

Participated in BoB28

Participated BL's Snakes & Ladders 2020

Participated in Dewey RAT

Participated in 24 in 48 Stay at Home RAT

Sorry to say, I only got this book to give away via bookmooch.com. I’m not really a fan of this series myself.