A mysterious murder with family connections. A sinister key whose history changed the course of a world war. A cursed chalice that's gone missing in the city of sin. An Icelandic town with a terrible secret. Join retired detective Virginia Holmes on the adventure of a lifetime as she investigates some of the most hair-raising cases in the history of sleuthing! This complete collection is guaranteed to keep you guessing and enjoy a few laughs along the way!
This collection contains:
MURDER AT THE FILMORE A murder has occurred at the Filmore Hotel, one of Madison, Wisconsin's most discreet lakeside resorts. It looks cut and dry: a suspect fleeing the scene, a scorned wife, a mythical murder weapon. But then a retired detective by the name of Virginia Holmes arrives. There's more to this mystery than meets the eye ... and the murderer might still be inside the hotel.
THE VANISHING SPY A murdered French butler. A missing skeleton key. For retired detective Virginia Holmes, this case should be no problem. But when Holmes and her assistant travel to France to investigate, the sleuths find themselves embroiled in a far deeper mystery that leads all the way back to the French Resistance of World War II. Spies. Nazis. Deception. And a town that may hold a terrible secret.
DEADLY ODDS
An ancient chalice. A missing man. A mysterious death ...
Retired detective Virginia Holmes arrives in Las Vegas and quickly finds herself taking on more than she bargained for! With the help of her plucky assistant, she'll need to uncover the mystery of an ancient artifact if she has any hope of finding an important executive who's gone missing in the Sin City. But the closer they get to the truth, the faster the bodies pile up.
And if she's not careful, Holmes will be next!
ICED OUT IN ICELAND When a grisly murder occurs in a remote Icelandic town, it's up to Detective Virginia Holmes to fit together the pieces! But with no leads and only a few clues, she'll have to dig deep into the town's history. What she finds is almost as explosive as the volcano threatening to erupt at any moment ...
This series of stories are told in the first person view of Samantha Fox who, as she should, grows in confidence and ability as the stories progress.
Murder at the Filmore-4 stars: I love Virginia Holmes: smart, accomplished, observant, not one to be intimidated. You get a complete picture of her in just a couple pages. The scene is set by Samantha Fox, wanna be writer who but currently has writers block, who is also observant, and excited about all that is happening. I loved the way Retired Detective Holmes rooked Samantha into being her assistant. The writing is pretty tight; I only found one serious error (chapter 15: Detective Holmes checked his watch. “You sure that’s a good idea? You only have an hour left.”-should be Detective Johnson), a couple of minor word omissions, not enough to be a problem. The Vanishing Spy-4 stars: This story bounces back and forth between present day and WWII, but there is not problem differentiating which time you are in as the writing itself is very clear. Although Virginia Holmes has been hired to find a key lost to a burglary, she becomes much more interested in the mystery that occurred during the war. Both mysteries are solved to the readers satisfaction.
Deadly Odds- 3 stars: I really enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, the mystery, deception, and misdirection. However, I had to reduce this review one star because of the need for someone to edit this story for continuity (which I haven’t found in the other stories). Chapter 3: “Holmes had brought herself a white, wide-brimmed sun hat…”. Brought a white.. or bought a white… but brought herself is awkward and makes no sense. Chapter 16: I’m with another reviewer, “…I could hardly fathom why Laura might disappear her own brother.” No clue what this sentence is trying to say. “ Also, “Daniel, do you remember your brother—” “Half-brother.” If the boy is from his step-father’s first marriage, he is a step-brother, not a half-brother.” Chapter 19: Sam getting so extremely paranoid about being killed seemed so out of character for her. I mean worried, yes. But to this level? Chapter 21: ““Faye’s knowledge is why we are here,” Sun said, rubbing his wife’s hand.” She’s his fiancé, not wife as is mentioned several times.
Iced Out in Iceland- 4 stars: Just like with ‘The Vanishing Spy’ there are two murders to solve, one old and one current. The setting is Iceland (would love to go there sometime) with strong descriptions of the region and lots of mystery and misdirection. A good fun read. The story does end in a cliffhanger (which I typically oppose), however, all aspects of the story itself are satisfactory concluded prior to the cliffhanger-which just sets up for another book and is not necessary to the story itself.
Scarecrow Calling- 4 stars: This entire story takes place in the airport after Holmes and Fox return from Iceland. Holmes is poisoned by an old nemesis and has only four hours to find him and the antidote or die. Fox really comes into her own in this story. She has a bigger part and has become braver and more of a ‘think outside the box’ person, just as Holmes is. There is lots of excitement, red herrings, and chaos. In the end, the killer is caught (duhhh). Some editing errors, minor words left out, incomplete sentences (i.e. “I saw what your little stunt in the Dragon Palace auction hall.” Not enough to ruin the storyline.
Galapagos Gone- 3 stars: Holmes and Fox head for the Galapagos Islands thinking they were to investigate the disappearance of a couple of locals, when instead, the couple’s nephew wants them to settle a land dispute between him and two others. Holmes, of course, is more interested in finding out what happened to the couple who disappeared, leaving Fox to distract and research. The story is interspersed with diary excerpts from the 1500s through the 1900s, which are essential to the storyline. Lots of info on the Galapagos, some tension from the storyline but not much, a happy ending (of course). Not too much in the way of proofreading errors.
Virginia Holmes was a hoot. Ms. Fox was out of her element at first but finally found her notch with Mrs. Holmes. Loved that there was no vulgar language. I have deleted some authors from my Fire due to their constant use of vulgar language. More authors need to realize that they just show their ignorance when the use of in their books. I will definitely read more books by this author.
**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**
The Complete Virginia Holmes Cozy Mysteries is a collection of the three books in the series. Based on the way the stories are written, I would expect more books in this series in the future so now’s a good time to read the first three. According to Wikipedia, cozy mysteries are “a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community.” This is important as I’ve noticed recently many authors using the term cozy mystery for something that is not a cozy mystery. This series, is the epitome of a cozy mystery and I loved that!
The writing of this series is different than many books and took some getting used to. It was almost written like a tv plot, with a narrator to guide you through scenes you’ve missed. The character of Sam Fox is the person telling these stories and acting as narrator. She speaks to the reader directly, filling in holes and catching the reader up on anything missed. Though Sam is a struggling writer with a full-time job, during the first book, Murder at the Filmore, she meets Virginia Holmes and Sam’s life is changed. Virginia, a retired detective, has suddenly appeared at the scene of a murder and decides to take over the investigation. She enlists Sam’s help in uncovering the clues. This leads the two into working together in future cases, brought to you in books The Vanishing Spy and Deadly Odds.
This was very much a whodunit with Virginia following clues and solving crimes and taking her trusty sidekick, Sam, along for the ride. Virginia is very smart, observant and able to see what many others overlook. The characters are likable, the three mysteries are varied, and each story is a quick read that engages the reader. If you enjoy mysteries, and especially cozy mysteries, this is a must read series! I didn’t see mention of a book four, but the ending of book three definitely left the impression there was more to come.
What a great series to binge read during stay-at-home Corona-virus. Five down, one to go but have to give my eyes a break. Number five, in the Milwaukee Airport was suspenseful to the point where I read it straight through (hence the headache from eyestrain). I have really enjoyed all the books. Book 4 I thought I wouldn't be able to get into because it was set in Greenland and I really don't like dark and cold. But I started reading anyway and by the end, I became a convert - at least to the point that I'd entertain going to Greenland. I hope there will be more to this series than the 6. They are creative, suspenseful and very entertaining. I love the 2 main characters with their dry humor and perhaps suggestions of parallel to Sherlock's mysteries. And the change in settings makes it much more fun (and realistic) than a bunch of fictitious murders in one little town. Thank you for some delightful reads!!
A great collection for fans of strong female detectives, and their wacky female side kicks.
Dips a bit into an historical setting as well as modern times - the ladies looking at a World War II adventure inked to a contemporary weapons manufacturer, for example.
Analytical, yet humorous. Amusing, and exciting - not trite.
I enjoyed reading on Kindle Unlimited, and in advance copy - and am happy to share my honest opinion.
These books are much in the spirit of classical adventures and mysteries without most of the creaky anachronisms - except where matters of form are mentioned, and poked at a bit.
So much fun, adventure, and conventional and unconventional thinking so far - and retirement for Virginia Holmes had only really just begun - so I hope for more adventures ahead!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this wonderful series. Virginia Holmes reminds me of Sherlock Holmes though She is not his descendant. Her methods of deduction are quite unique like Sherlock. I also like her assistant, Samantha Fox. She is brave, intelligent, and has a great sense of humor. All the books in this series are too good to be missed. You have plenty of twists, turns and amazing surprises to keep you hooked to the series. Highly recommended for all the cozy mystery lovers.
Living in Wisconsin I truly enjoyed having the principal characters representing us. Equally glad that the sidekick wasn't named Watson. The two sleuthing females more than adequately accounted for themselves, proving that males are not the smartest humans. I liked the wide variety of locals that were used for the stories, as well as having multiple types of villains. One could not ask for a more stimulating retirement.
Zelda White gives us readers the best of the cozeymystery storeys. She not only gives great caracters life with dazzling murder mysterys full of twists and turns , but also gives us an education into the countries , city's and villages where her storeys take place , as well as the basic morality of keeping mother earth from the evil destruction of mankind 🙄 Kat
I chose this series to distract me from the political circus playing out in the USA. These books helped me to hope for a brighter future,not to dwell on the deception and corruption of the present administration. These reads were contemporary, suspenseful and just plain fun. I wonder if Zelda White has written any more books with Virginia Holmes and Samantha Fox. I would gladly buy and read them.🎯
I very much enjoyed Virginia Holmes and her writer assistant. These cozy mysteries were made twice as interesting by each taking place in a different exotic location. Ms White made the setting of each book enjoyable and beautiful by supplying details through the eyes of a vacationer. I gained appreciation for the locales and for Holmes and Fox
The dynamic detective duo investigates six intriguing mysteries from around the world. Each has several twists which challenge the skills of retired homicide detective Virginia Holmes. Like her namesake, detective Holmes relies on deduction to solve a series of murders
I started reading Galapagos gone and figured out it was actually the last book in the series. I signed up for a free month of kindle unlimited so I can read all 6. I couldn’t put them down and read all six in a month. I love the idea of a retired cop and writer coming together up to make a great woman duo team. I liked how all the murders tied in with history as well.
I enjoyed this collection of well written and intelligent murder mysteries. I suspect that you will enjoy them as well! If not, then we don't have the same tastes in entertainment literature.
I gave this a lower than perfect ratings as there are several mistakes in word usage, but the stories are very well designed. I enjoyed reading them and believe other cozy mystery fans will also.
Enjoyed each book. They were all well thought out plots and I could not put them down till I got to the end. Virginia Holmes was a refreshing character as well as Samantha Fox.
Unusual crimes and villians,. Easy to keep reading and good character, setting descriptions. You actually felt like you were there. Hope there is more in the series.
These books are well written. I was abducted with the first chapter and couldn't quit reading. I love the details and the story's Iocations. Zelda White does an amazing job putting you in the story with just enough humor and fantastic mystery!!!
Six riveting mysteries that keep the reader guessing until the very end. The only disappointment was in The Vanishing Spy when the Author wrote "boring Canada". I am a ground Canadian and did not appreciate the comment.
Unique sherlock story with a female sherlock and a frustrated secretary, turned writer, turned Watson like. Multiple stories covering the globe with interesting true history and local color.
Interesting stories. Plotlines with twists and turns that unexpectedly resolve into logical conclusions. Love the characters, villains as well as heroines. Looking forward to new adventures.
I enjoyed reading the suspenseful stories without all the graphic sex or foul language and I loved the story settings, especially outside the US. The scenic descriptions made me feel like I was there seeing everything for myself. I felt a part of each story.
Using the Lord's name as curse word ruined the book for me.
I really wanted to like this book. The characters were not likeable to me. I agree with another reviewer that it was a cross between Sherlock Holmes with the odd behavior and rudeness, and Murder She Wrote.
I loved the ins and outs of the investigations. The books were recapped at the beginning of each story. Interesting characters and the initial meeting of the two main characters keeps the basis of all the stories.
A retired police detective and her writer sidekick tackle three "interesting mysteries" The second book definitely caught my interest as it has a WW2 backstory
Retired female detective, some female quirky sidekicks and murder. The writing is different, slowing building to the murder. The second one is about W WII weapons. Enjoyable to read one or all three
Lead characters are very enjoyable. Stories have plenty of twists and turns. You also learn a little history geography. READ THIS BOOK IS TIME WELL SPENT