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    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

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    Standing Guard for the Vulnerable: CPS and Portsmouth Police Team Up on Child Abuse Investigations 

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    BAD BEHAVIOR

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    Test Drive Turns Terrifying: Man Follows Woman Home, Allegedly Pulls Gun on Her Father-in-Law 

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    Clayton Pender

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    Pitchfork Panic: Officers Step In to Help Elderly Woman in Mental Health Crisis 

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  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    Cathy Coleman

    Scioto County Mourns Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

    🚨TRIAL TWIST! Horton Corruption Case on Ice—For Now 

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    Remembering Scioto County Commissioner Cathy Coleman

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    Cathy Coleman

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    Cathy Coleman

    ‘Praise God!’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Remarkable Progress After Harrowing Weeks

    Cathy Coleman

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    Scioto County Commissioners Cancel This Week’s Meeting 

    Robert Horton

    Sudden Twist: Horton Court Dates Scrapped Ahead of Trial 

    Cathy Coleman

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    Recorder Gary Jenkins

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    Cathy Coleman

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    Scottie Powell

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  • Feel Good

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  • Obituaries
     William Ryan Lee Comer

     William Ryan Lee Comer, 42 of Portsmouth

    Linda Hutchens

    Linda Hutchens, 86 of Portsmouth

    Dr. Steven Wylie Binns

    Dr. Steven Wylie Binns, 64 of Portsmouth

    Beverly Sue Decamp

    Beverly Sue Decamp 85 of Wheelersburg

    Barbara Williams

    Jacqueline Marie Nolan-Hensley, 79 of Portsmouth

    Chester L. Galloway

    Chester L. Galloway, 79 of Stout

    Ted Birkhimer

    Ted Birkhimer, 79 of Portsmouth

    Charles Adkins

    Charles Adkins, 70 of South Shore,

    Christine Elizabeth Danner 84

    Jessica Marie Swick, 31, of Lexington, KY

    Jessica Marie Swick, 31 of Lexington, KY

    Sharon Kay Hannah, 68 of Portsmouth

    Kathy Sturgell, 70 of Waverly

    Kathy Sturgell, 70 of Waverly

    Barbara Williams

    Karen Sue Peyton, 85 of South Webster

    Cathy Elaine Coleman

    Cathy Elaine Coleman, 71 of West Portsmouth

    Everett William Cook

    Everett William Cook, age 62 of Portsmouth

    Kim Gutierrez

    Kim Isabella Guttierrez 74 of Portsmouth

    Jeanne Szura

    Jeanne Szura 95 of Cary NC

    Barbara Williams

    Nancy Anne Sheets 92 of Portsmouth

    James Vernon Hicks Jr

    James Vernon Hicks Jr. 71 of Portsmouth

    Sonya Stapleton

    Sonya Lee Stapleton 66 of Portsmouth

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5 Best Mystery Books To Curl Up With This Month

Cyn Mackley by Cyn Mackley
5 years ago
in National
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I’ve got the 5 best mystery books to curl up with this month and I think you and your Kindle are gonna love all of them. I don’t know about you, but where I am the nights are getting pretty long and chilly. It’s the perfect time to grab a steaming cup of coffee, cocoa, or tea (or maybe a glass of wine) and curl up in front of a fire or under a blanket and get cozy with a good mystery. Mysteries are my favorite genre. I write them, I read them, I love them.

Thanks to COVID, the pickings on TV are slim and there aren’t any new movies in the theaters at all. What better time to stay home and enjoy a good book? The 5 books I’ll share with you are all available either as physical or Kindle books. Two of them I read so many times, the paperback book fell apart. Thank goodness for eReaders!

All 5 books are mysteries but they are very different. One in nearly 100 years old and considered a classic and one has a paranormal twist. There’s a traditional English cozy mystery in there and even a story set on a farm in Ohio. 

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Let’s check them all out.

Tea With The Black Dragon

Let’s start with the best book you’ve never heard of, Tea With The Black Dragon by R.A. MacAvoy. I first read this book in college. I’d never read anything quite like it before, and I’ve never read anything quite like it since. The title sounds like it might be a martial arts movie or an episode of Game of Thrones. I promise you, it’s a straight-up mystery that you won’t be able to put down.

Tea With The Black Dragon

It’s about Martha Macnamara, a 50ish musician in search of her missing daughter in 1980s San Francisco. She meets Mayland Long, a mysterious wealthy Chinese businessman and scholar, who also claims he’s actually a dragon.  This is part fantasy, part mystery, part romance, and completely marvelous. I read my first copy of this into little pieces and was delighted to find that it is finally available on Kindle.

I definitely suggest reading this with a good cup of Oolong tea.

The Thin Man

Up next on my list is The Thin Man. It’s a slim volume, so an avid reader might be able to get through it in a day. But, wow! Even if you’ve seen the movies, this 1934 classic will be a revelation. If you tend to think of the 1930s as a more innocent time, you might be a little bit shocked.

thin man

This dialogue in this book is some of the best ever written. The witty, liquor-fueled, non-sentimental romance is among my favorite love stories. Hard-boiled retired private dick Nick Charles and his young, socialite wife are a force to be reckoned with. And the mystery is a good one, too. You’ll probably want to spike your hot drink with a stiff shot. That’s what Nick and Nora would do.

This is another book, I managed to completely destroy in its paperback version and am not thrilled to have living on my Kindle.

Marriage Can Be Murder

A recent discovery is Marriage Can Be Murder, a sweet and cozy English countryside mystery set at the beginning of WWII.  What makes this delightful read one of the 5 best mystery books available for Kindle? So many things. The attention to historical detail makes this book not only interesting but educational.   The budding relationship between a young doctor who has been severely injured both physically and emotionally and an awkward, eccentric noblewoman is funny and touching.
marriage-murder
It’s an easy, fun read that will make you feel as if you’re watching one of those really great British series on Mystery. And there’s a sequel!  This definitely calls for a hot cuppa.

Midnight Riot

And now for something completely different!  If Marriage Can Be Murder feels like a show from PBS, Midnight Riot feels like a show that might come on after Doctor Who on BBC America. It’s like a cross between Luther and Harry Potter.  It feels like you’re getting a real look at contemporary London and its police force… only there’s magic… and ghosts…and scary stuff.

midnight riot

This book never forgets for one moment that it’s a mystery. This book and its sequels create a compelling, yet believable, world where the paranormal becomes a part of everyday police work. You’ll want a spot of tea with this one or perhaps a pint.

American Goth

And now I’m going to toot my own horn and suggest that you check out American Goth, the first book in my very own Goode-Grace Mystery Series. Why?  It’s an easy, warmhearted read that introduces you to two of my favorite characters, Goth-chick artist Trinity Goode and straight-laced deputy sheriff Bobby Grace.

american goth

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Trinity thought she’d left her small town behind for life as a big-city Goth girl. But when her beloved grandfather dies in a bizarre accident, she heads back to the family farm. A mysterious cult has set up shop next door but it’s Trinity the whole town is gossiping about. When another “accident” claims a life, she’s determined to uncover the truth with the help of hunky Deputy Bobby Grace.

If you enjoy a good series, you’ll be glad to know this is just the first of four books with the fifth in the works. It’s also the only book on this list available for Kindle Unlimited.  You’ll want to have this one with a good hot cup of coffee, just like the coffee that keeps the main characters going in the book.

So, find a cozy spot and get comfy with a hot beverage and one of the 5 best mystery books available for Kindle.

Tags: booksOhio
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