The moment September started, I could hear the Poirot intro song in my mind and I picked up my "first" mystery novel and haven't stopped since lol 



🧩 The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr ★★★★

This is super cozy and sweet! A book about a bunch of retired people living together and building all sorts of puzzles while a young man who lives with them tries to find his biological parents. The book itself is full of puzzles you can try to solve (I did manage to solve a few, it was very fun!) so that's an added bonus.

The book alternates between past and present so you follow Clayton in the present as he tries to find his parents and Pippa in the past and how she built the fellowship. What I liked the most about this book is actually THE FRIENDSHIPS - omgosh I want to be part of the fellowship SO BAD. They are constantly there for each other, building each other up, striving for greatness while also helping others.


🦊 The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman ★★★★★!!

You gotta love this "ragtag" group of retired people and their wacky set of skills! Truly, if there was ever a club I wanted to be a part of, it's this one! ♥

I don't even know how to explain what I loved about this book - from the vibes, the characters, the plot that gives you a lot of theories but manages to surprise you anyways...It's definitely something for people who love "amateur detectives helping the police" types of TV shows and want something just as cozy.

P.S. I also watched the movie adaptation immediately after and honestly, I'd like the movie if I hadn't read the book, but I had...so yeah...The movie changed a lot of things, and I'm not happy about it 😂 Some of the cast was spot on, though!


⛰ The Hike by Lucy Clarke ★★★★

I too would want to murder someone if my friends took me on a 4-day camping trip through the Norwegian wilderness instead of having cocktails on the beach 😅

10/10 for realistic female friendships where one girl never shows up, one has a seemingly perfect family life, one girl bosses too hard, and one is just broke 😂

Honestly, this book was far better than I thought it would be. The beginning was a tad bit slow while we were introduced to the characters but the moment they step on the mountain and the "other POV" shows up...it gets crazy. 

While the plot twists were certainly top-notch, I think the friendships are what carried the story and made it so memorable. You've got these 4 different women, each hiding some secrets, but everyone still cares for one another. Sometimes you'll approve their choices, sometimes you'll scream at the book, and sometimes you'll disapprove but understand. 


☠️ The Couple at Number 9 by Claire Douglas ★★★

These guys live in a small, cozy English village and are surprised to find 2 bodies in their backyard while redecorating...Have they not seen a single episode of Midsomer Murders?? 😂

Jokes aside, this was a fairly nice read. The writing wasn't heavy and the characters are mildly interesting - and I said mildly because by now, I kinda forgot about them lol. The plot was a tad bit predictable, but still enjoyable.

You've got this young couple who finds bodies in their backyard and I think they handled the whole thing pretty realistically. They contacted the right people but also tried to make their own little investigation - which is exactly what I'd do lol. Also, the multiple POVs really make for interesting reading. You slowly get the whole picture of what happened, when and why. 

💬 Have you read any of these books? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 💬