THE COMPLETE VIRGINIA HOLMES

ZELDA WHITE

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.

Murder at the Filmore ( Book One)

The Filmore Hotel is in Madison, Wisconsin, overlooking Lake Mendota. Samantha Fox is staying at the Hotel for a brief vacation. During her stay, she notices a couple having tense moments and reconciling at the dining hall. Later, she stumbles upon a dead body of the same man whom she had seen earlier with his girlfriend and screams. Detective Mitchell Johnson investigates the murder of Mr. Jason Temple whose body has been discovered by Samantha Fox, a writer. She notices an older woman in her fifties making an entry into the crime scene much to the consternation of The detective, Johnson. She gets into detective mode and starts poking around.

The woman, Virginia Holmes, points out the murder weapon, Athena statue. The guests at the hotel include Three couples: one clearly retired, the other two middle-aged, one of them being a black husband and his Hispanic wife. Virginia teams up with Samantha Fox to get involved in the investigation. They discover that Jason was seen with a blonde woman called  Valerie Stone and spoke  to Mr.Kennedy before his death. Holmes reveals that Jason was married to her niece, Rachel. She is a suspect in his murder. Will Holmes and Fox nab the actual killer and prove Rachel’s innocence?  Witty, humorous, and thrilling is how I would describe the book.

Vanishing Spy. ( Book 2)

Samantha Fox and Virginia Holmes visit Sarlat-la-Canéda in France to solve the murder case of Francois Delacroix, a sixty-three- year- old house servant. He was employed with Pierre Moreau, founder of Moreau-Klein ( defense contractors dealing in weapons and arms). According to her available information, Pierre’s son, Remy Moreau, heard disturbing noises and came down to witness a dark figure escaping from the crime scene. He saw Francois stabbed with a knife and an antique vase being knocked out. What’s weird about the case is nothing is missing except for a key. Why did someone kill Delacroix over a key? What does it open? There is plenty of historical reference to the German invasion that has important bearing on this case. It’s absolutely thrilling. There is a mystery within the mystery. It’s very impressive. You will be surprised with the tremendous twists and turns.

Deadly Odds (Book 3)

Virginia Holmes and Samantha Fox are hired by Laura Green to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her twin brother, Will. They ( Laura and Will) own Priceless Antiquities dealing with antiques from all over the world and their auction. This time, it’s the priceless antique The Immortal Chalice that has been set for the auction. Holmes and Fox have to find out the missing Will before the auction and why he disappeared. Fox notices an Asian couple following her and Holmes during the investigation. They stumble upon the dead body of Kate Williams, an appraiser and learn about the death of Holly Bloomer, an auctioneer. The case is very thrilling and full of historical references to deception and lies. It’s a must read. Check out this spine chilling adventure of Virginia Holmes and Samantha Fox.

Iced out in Iceland ( Book 4)

Virginia Holmes and Samantha Fox head out to Reykjavik, Iceland to investigate the murder of Kolbeinn Stephensson whose body had been discovered by Henrik Victorsson, hanging over the top rung of the wooden fence. They take a tour bus operated by Kolmar for local sightseeing before reaching the Devil’s Foot. They check into their room at The Puffin, a local lodge where Inspectors Asmundur and Katharina Svavarsdottir greet them. They try to trace the last steps of Kolbeinn and also learn about an unsolved murder of author Leif Ericksson. Kolbeinn had a drink at the Puffin before his death. Ragnar Annmarsson, the manager cum bartender briefs Samantha Fox about Kolbeinn’s habits, his hatred for the tourists visiting the Kristalfoss Valley and his odd jobs in the farm and as a handyman. Who killed Kolbeinn and why? What happened to Leif Ericksson in 2010 when there was a volcanic eruption at Eyjafjallajökull? Are the two murders interlinked?

Virginia Holmes and Samantha Fox are perplexed by the bunch of lies from the people during their investigation. Can they rely on the testimony of any witness? This book is very thrilling and full of action drama.

Scarecrow Calling ( Book 5)

Terror strikes General Mitchell Airport after Samantha and Virginia return home to General Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee, Wisconsin ( USA). Someone had injected Holmes with a poisonous injection of arsenic and Hemlock. It’s the handiwork of the Scarecrow killer who calls her and challenges her to a battle of wits. If she manages to win, she would be given the antidote or succumb to a certain death on her failure. There is a bomb blast and a murder. The killer is leaving clues behind which are complicated to unravel. Will Holmes and Fox win this dangerous game against an unknown criminal who had managed to evade law even after murdering several people? This is one of the most spine chilling stories. I kept chewing my nails in anticipation of the outcome. Excellent book.

Galapagos gone ( Book 6)

A couple, Anthony and Emma Garfield, mysteriously disappear from their sailboat after they violated an Ecuadorian law of visiting a national park without a ranger. There are traces of blood in their cabin with half eaten food on the table. Their nephew, Percinald aka Percy Garfield hires Virginia Holmes and Samantha Fox to settle a land dispute between the Garfields ( represented by him), a couple ( Edward and Constance Wagner) and another couple ( Henry and Mary Johansen).

Percy gives them some documents to scrutinize and then decide on the ownership of the land in dispute. His ancestor, Lawrence Garfield, was a pirate and an early settler at the island of Isabella( Galapagos). Samantha reads his diary. During their explorations of the beautiful islands, they come upon hidden diaries and documents of Jaime Garcia, Father Alex Mera, Helen Johansen ( Mary’s grandma) and Hannah Wagner ( Edward’s ancestor). Each revelation is scary and gives goosebumps. What happened to the present Garfields ( Percy’s uncle and aunt?) Someone tries to throw Holmes Virginia overboard. Will she survive? Read this adventure to find out what happened next. Very thrilling to the core.

The Honeybee Heist ( Book 7)

The detective duo of Holmes and Fox visit a bee farm in Montana to investigate the theft of beehives worth 2 million dollars at the farm of Mr. Kevin Gladstone. He introduces them to his partner, Dave Ruskin, and wife Winnie offers them tea and cookies. Their investigations lead them to question other beekeepers like Stanley Betts, assistant Jeremy, Elena Hart and her assistant Kevin Hill and Liza McCarthy. They also visit Doctor Sally Stross, an expert in rearing queen bees. There are startling revelations to keep the excitement going until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this unique mystery with unexpected twists. Highly recommended for all the cozy mystery lovers.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊