Books like The Iris Code — picked by fans

When I picked up The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple, my world-weary soul was in dire need of wonderment, and Joanna Davidson Politano’s pen delivered with this lyrical ode to storytelling and fairy tales.

Set in Edwardian England, this mesmerizing novel features an alluring silent film actress with a secret past and a bespectacled private investigator with a noble heart. I was immediately invested in their tender opposites-attract romance and utterly entranced by the mystery surrounding them.

Yet what I loved most about this novel is how Politano blended her signature atmospheric prose with the winsome enchantment of The Secret Garden to create a whimsical story that sparkled with every turn of the page as though written with pixie dust. 

This book is a love letter to language and the people who wield it. Daphne, a stickler for grammar and its proper usage. Laurel, a kindergarten teacher who falls in love with the beauty of words used in figurative forms. It's also a story of twin sisters and the connection they share, and what happens when life strains that bond. I absolutely loved it, not in part because I'm a word nerd like Daphne and it's fun seeing yourself in a character.

Based in the fictional town of Stirling Mills, Texas, Lexie Lincoln’s history of being in the right place at the right time served her well as a journalist until she is laid-off. When she arrives for an interview at a small town newspaper, she finds the editor murdered and herself as the suspect. To get to the bottom of the mystery and clear her name, Lexie uncovers not only the town’s unusual history but the reality that her luck stems from ghostly interactions.

After thoroughly enjoying Ms. Swendon’s Enchanted, Inc series, I was pleased to hear she was writing a cozy series. With seven books to date in the Lucky Lexie series, the quirky town of Stirling Mills is a great place to visit.

Tori Winters learns she has inherited a house in Granbury, Texas, and the timing is perfect. As a hospice nurse, she is the primary witness in a homicide. To escape the threats, she packs up and heads to Texas, where she finds a house and a family history that she never expected.

Ms. Dickason is a retired Dallas police officer who wove a little-known part of Dallas’ prohibition history into this novel. The characters and plot are believable and well-written. I am looking forward to the second book.

Pastor Matt Hayden is trying to make a new life in the small town of Wilks, Texas, but he has a secret. Once a Miami detective, he is now in hiding from the people who destroyed his family. He can no longer be an officer, but he can assist the local sheriff in uncovering the town’s best-kept secrets.

I’ve truly enjoyed the Pastor Matt series as it’s easy for me to visualize the small Texas town and its people. Rooting for Matt and Angie, as well as the other characters, to find a little faith and happiness in the darkest parts of life keeps the pages turning. This is a series with four books, and the fifth is forthcoming.

Maddy Reynolds returned to her hometown to straighten out her life. She started a business doing odd jobs, including that of a chicken farmer. Discovering the body of her boss in a chicken house wasn’t something she wanted to be added to her list of accomplishments. When a neighboring farmer is arrested, the accused’s mother hires Maddy to investigate.

The stories and people that make up the charm of Small Town, Texas, are well-represented in this book. Maddy’s story and motivations are relatable, as well as her mistakes and missteps. Her need to take care of her family is shown in her willingness to do any work and in her need to survive.

Based in Galveston, Texas, Claire Abelard works as a ghost tour guide as a cover for her real job for The Bureau of Historical Preservation. As a high-level sensitive, her responsibilities are to protect the projections (ghosts) under her care, although she frequently answers the call of rogue projections. While assigned to give a private tour to a ghost-hunting group, she receives reports that rogue projections are disappearing.

Ghost Agents and the subsequent two books were page-turners. I don’t normally subscribe to newsletters for additional materials, but I especially wanted to discover more once the series ended. The projections (ghosts) are entertaining, the historical elements are well-researched and support the plot. I particularly enjoyed the family dynamics and the romance that develops for the main character.