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Book 5 of the Psalm 23 mysteries came out recently, and Daddynificent and I just finished it. This has been a fun series for us to enjoy together, and since we got them in Kindle format, we were actually able to read them at the same time on our phones which was really fun. It was nice not to be sharing a paper copy of the book and both wanting to read it at the same time!

This series is written by Debbie Viguié. She has written a wide variety of books as you can see from her website, and honestly, had I seen her list of works before I picked up the first of this series, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up at all. Anyway, please don’t let her other book topics put you off of this one. I’m so glad I didn’t!

The plots of these books are riveting, in our opinion, and the mysteries engaging. One warning, though: the body count gets pretty high in a couple of them, and some of the crimes are pretty gruesome. I feel like I’m giving a lot of warnings here, but we really, really enjoyed these books, to the point that we were both checking Debbie’s website to find out when the next one would come out for both books 4 and 5.

So what did we enjoy about these books? The characters, the slow burn of some relationships and bigger mysteries, and the creativity of the plots. Debbie has created two great, multifaceted main characters in Cindy, a church secretary, and Jeremiah, the rabbi at the synagogue next to the church. The two of them get embroiled in mystery after mystery together. Both have pasts that are slowly revealed – there are still some tantalizing mysteries about them even after book 5! And both are growing as people moving forward. Sadly, I find this rare in cozy mysteries. Usually, you get one or the other with a character – a mysterious past or forward growth – but to get both, and to have them well-written has been a real treat! The other characters in the book are also well-developed, as opposed to the 2-dimensional sidekicks you often get in cozy mysteries. Some of them even have a mystery or two of their own in their pasts, and there is definite growth for several of them as well. I am also a sucker for intense loyalty in relationships, and quite a few of the relationships in these books have that.

As for the creativity of the plots, I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just tell a small bit. All of the books take place during a holiday and the plot usually has something to do with that holiday. Book 1 happens during passion week, and I found the plot so startlingly creative that I’m not going to tell you any more about it! 🙂 I really do highly recommend these books for all you mystery lovers out there, and if you go right now, the first three are on sale at Amazon for 99 cents each! I don’t know how long the sale will last, so please check the price before you buy. Here are the links for all five.

The Lord Is My Shepherd: Book 1($)
I Shall Not Want: Book 2($)
Lie Down in Green Pastures: Book 3($)
Beside Still Waters: Book 4($)
Restoreth My Soul: Book 5($)

Happy reading!

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