Quirky Whodunits: Jay to the World & Death and Fromage

15 Oct
Cover of Jay to the World: A Meg Langslow Mystery by New York Times Bestselling Author of Five Golden Wings, Donna Andrews. Features a drawing of six jays with Santa hats and red scarfs surrounding and pulling wrapped packages out of a mailbox decorated with Christmas lights and garland.
Cover of Death and Fromage: A Novel by Ian Moore. Features a blue cover with red white and blue stripes around the edge. There is a red hand print and a spilled glass of red wine depicted.

Jay to the World
by Donna Andrews
Jay to the World is the newest book in my favorite Meg Langslow mystery series by Donna Andrews. This story is set during Christmas season, but the mystery has appeal beyond the holiday season. When Meg’s mother is attacked, Meg learns that she has been receiving threatening letters. There are plenty of red herrings and this one of the more action-packed stories of series. Of course, it is still full of the cozy charm long term readers like myself expect such as a sweet storyline about Meg’s blue jay loving niece. The story also involves the local woman’s shelter and though nothing is particularly graphic in the story, those who are particularly triggered by violence against women should be aware. If you haven’t previously read this mysteries series and love mysteries with quirky characters than this is one you should definitely check out.

Death and Fromage
by Ian Moore
Death and Fromage is the second in Ian Moore’s Follet Valley Mystery series about a British ex-pat who is running a B&B in France. Richard is enjoying a gourmet tasting menu at a restaurant in a nearby village when controversy erupts over the use of vegan goat cheese in the chef’s signature dish. When the cheese supplier turns up dead in one of the pasteurization tanks it leads to speculation over whether he chose to end his life or he was murdered. This had been in my tbr list for a while after enjoying the previous novel in the series Death and Croissants. I found this story to also be a funny whodunnit and it will delight fans of humorous mysteries as well as fans of stories about British expats such as Peter Mayle’s memoirs set in Provence.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Genre Defying Science Fiction: Written in Starlight and Prophet

13 Oct
Cover of Written in Starlight by Sloane Brooks. Features a man in uniform holding a woman dressed as a Victorian maid. On the side of the man is a futuristic city and on the side of the woman is an old fashioned town and an open book near her foot.
Cover of Prophet by Sin Blanche and Helen MacDonald. Features two men standing beside a car at night.

Sometimes novels fit easily into categories, but these two Science Fiction novels cross boundaries. Written in Starlight merges space opera with romance, fantasy, and historic fiction. Prophet on the other hand is a technothriller with horror and romance.

Written in Starlight
by Sloane Brooks
Written in Starlight is the new novel by Sloane Brooks. A maid, Della, living in a city similar to Victorian London finds a book about a daring space captain, Ansel, but she soon learns that he also has found a book about her. They soon discover though finding the books was only the start of each other’s stories and they are still being written. Could they be meant for each other even though they are worlds apart? Della and Ansel are engaging main characters and the other supporting cast are also a fun bunch and form a strong found family. This story will appeal to those who enjoy romantic speculative fiction and readers who are fans of metafiction, which is cleverly handled. The ending left room open for future stories and I’d personally love to revisit the world Brooks created. If you love Written in Starlight, you can also check out her previous novel, another portal fantasy, The Underachiever’s Guide to Love and Saving the World. She also has a paranormal rom-com, Every Wish Way, under the name Shannon Bright.

Prophet
by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché
Prophet is an intriguing novel written by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché together online during the global Pandemic. We read it for the Hoboken Public Library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Group for our May discussion in 2026. The group felt even though the book had two authors that it still felt cohesive. While some members loved the book, others were less enthralled, but all had a lot of interesting thoughts on the book which brought some mystery and romance into the mix. The story focuses on two estranged partners who come from vastly different backgrounds, but must come together again when a mysterious substance is discovered that can make people’s fondest nostalgic objects into reality. I found the start and the ending particularly strong and the group agreed that it would make a terrific movie adaptation. If you are looking for a timely novel that merges a variety of genres than check out Prophet and let us know what you think! Helen Macdonald is also the author of the best-selling memoir, H is for Hawk.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Group meets once a month on Mondays. See the library’s calendar for details on upcoming discussions. We also have Mystery, Horror, and more great discussions!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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