March Read: Murder Road by Simone St. James

 

Oh, Simone St. James did it again. Managed to fascinate me while giving me the creeps. She is one of my favorite authors, and I have read every one of her novels, all the way back to discovering her first paperback during my bookseller years a loooong time ago. I'm thrilled she's getting the attention she deserves and becoming more popular with every new novel. 

This one will make you unwilling to drive down a dark, empty road by yourself for quite some time. It takes place in 1995, and starts out with April and Eddie Carter; two newlyweds on their way to a resort for a short honeymoon. It's late at night, and April wakes up in the front seat and discovers Eddie has become lost, and doesn't quite know how he got lost. But lost they are, late at night, on a lonely road with no one in sight. 

Until they see a young woman running down the road, begging for help. There is something very, very wrong with the young woman, and the road. A big black pick up truck comes roaring down the road, chasing after Eddie and April and the injured young woman in the back seat. They get to the town of Coldlake Falls just in time to escape from the black truck, but unfortunately the young woman dies at the hospital. The police are looking at Eddie and April, covered in blood, and in a bit of shock. Strangers in a small town; a dying woman in their back seat. They're forbidden to leave town as the police investigate, and that's where things really take off and get interesting. 

Eddie and April's backgrounds are messy and they both have kept secrets from each other. But murderers they are not, and they become determined to figure out what happened on Atticus Line Road that night. It wasn't natural, what they saw in the back of that black truck...

This is a small town with some eerie back story--hitchhikers found dead, murders unsolved, whispers of strange occurrences on Atticus Line Road. So many unsolved murders on that road, and the police are suspicious of anyone who comes through town. 

Will Eddie and April figure it all out and stay safe and out of jail for a crime they didn't commit? As they unravel the pieces of the puzzle, it becomes clear just why they were drawn to Atticus Line Road that night. It's one heck of a twist!

Anyone who loves eerie thrillers with a definite nod to creepy ghost stories will be all on board with this latest from Simone St. James. I love how her characters are always flawed in some way, and find themselves caught up in bizarre and ghostly events that require them to be stronger and braver than they've ever been. To believe and accept the unbelievable, because it's the only explanation. 

Loved it! Not surprised. I'm never disappointed with this author. 

Rating: 6/6 for a novel that will keep you patiently on the journey with Eddie and April as pieces slowly fall into place. A great ghost story about revenge, redemption, family, and leaving the past behind for a brighter future. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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March Read: Murder Road by Simone St. James

We are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman

Oh boy.  I knew when I started this book it was going to make me an ugly crying mess.  And it did.  Thank you Rowan Coleman for having me get all teary while I ate my lunch at work in the cafeteria.  I had to put the book down and grab my pudding cup to try and compose myself before I broke down and cried! 

This is a novel centered around a hospice home in London.  Stella is a night shift nurse who works at the hospice in order to escape her unhappy life at home.  Vincent, her big, gorgeous husband, had returned from fighting overseas with  one leg missing and an overwhelming feeling of guilt for not saving his buddy.  What was once an incredibly happy marriage has ground to a halt, and Stella doesn't know how to fix it.  

The hospice Stella works at is full of people, young and old, who are dying.  All except for Hope.  She's got cystic fibrosis; and yes, she will die sooner rather than later.  But for now, she's 21, has survived a near fatal bacterial infection, and is staying at the hospice to regain her strength before going home.  Her best friend Ben has stood by her through thick and thin since they became fast friends in childhood, and he stays with her now.  Ben pushes Hope to keep living when all she can see is that someday her time will run out.  

Stella has an important, private job at hospice.  Stella writes letters for patients who wish to get one more thing off their conscience before they die. Stella is under orders to only send the letters after death has occurred.  Each chapter starts with a letter from a patient at hospice, and they are by far the best thing about this novel.  The letters are each so very different; some are funny, some are apologetic, some are so full of love and regret they break your heart.  You as the reader never know the authors of these letters; they have already passed on.  Rowan Coleman does such a fantastic job crafting these little snippets of personality that each stands out from the other.  I couldn't wait to reach the next chapter so I could read another letter.  The story of Hugh starts out a bit mysteriously, but his story is tied to the hospice and a letter that changes his whole life.  Both his story and Stella's story provide a continuous thread through the novel and help to keep the plot moving towards a satisfactory ending.

There's much more to this novel, but I don't want to give it all away.  It makes you think about how we live our lives; that sometimes we aren't aware of the wonderful everyday moments that make it all worthwhile. Sometimes we get caught up in so much junk that we forget to stop, breathe, and enjoy what we have and who we have to love. 

That having someone there at the very last to hold your hand is sometimes all that matters in the end. 

 I was painfully reminded of my mom's recent passing. She went peacefully and very suddenly one morning shortly after Christmas. She simply took a deep breath and left.  By the time I got to her apartment, she had been gone for a few hours, but the hospice nurse waited until myself and my siblings were there to spend some time with Mom.  I remember looking at her, and thinking how quiet it was in the apartment, and how small she looked.  The air felt very thick and solid. I held her hand and marveled at how the woman who had made parts of my life so very difficult was now so silent and still.  I thought of all the things we never got to say to each other and now never would.  It truly was a moment that remains crystal clear in my memory.  Rowan Coleman brought all that back to me with her writing, and I'm glad she did because those moments are worth looking at and remembering.  

I've read reviews of this book, and people compare it with JoJo Moyes, who I have read and loved.  Yes, I can see the similarities, but I believe Rowan Coleman brings something extra to this novel that makes it stand on its own.  I think it would make a good book club selection.  There are plenty of subplots and impactful characters to discuss.  Veteran care, alcohol abuse, childhood cancer, and how we treat those who die with compassion and dignity are all themes to explore.  

Thank you to Ballantine Books for a review copy of this novel.  I cried my way through it, but it was worth every tear!  

Rating:  8/10 for characters who grab your heart and don't let go; beautifully written letters that will send some extra zingers right through you, and a beautiful ending that brings it all together.  

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audio book. 

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We are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman

Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James

I have been eagerly waiting to read the latest by Simone St. James.  She's the author of four previous novels, all set in England, all revolving around World War I and the supernatural.  I've reviewed The Haunting of Maddy Clare , An Inquiry into Love and Death,  Silence for the Dead, and The Other Side of Midnight. Just click on each title to find my reviews.  As you can see, I'm a big fan of Simone St. James.  She has the mix that I can't resist:  history, a bit of mystery, and enough paranormal creepiness to keep me glued to the pages but not afraid to turn out the light at night. 

In her latest novel, Simone's heroine, Jo Manders is living in 1921 England.  She's the paid companion to Dottie Forsyth.  This job is all that stands between Jo and poverty.  Her husband Alex was listed as missing in action during World War I after his plane was shot down over Germany and his body was never found.  Jo is alone in the world, except for her mother.  But, her mother is institutionalized and doesn't really know who Jo is, and lives completely in her imagination.  Dottie is Alex's Aunt, and in a roundabout way, the closest thing to family Jo has besides her mother. But that doesn't stop Dottie from taking advantage of Jo's situation.  

Jo travels with Dottie to the family estate in the countryside outside of London.  Wych Elm House is a bit neglected and was the site of the suicide of Dottie's fifteen year old daughter Frances.  Three years previously, Frances had jumped to her death from the top of the Wych Elm House.  Village stories of Frances and her demon dog haunting the woods around the estate cast a eerie miasma around the home and all who lived there.  

It doesn't help that Jo sees Frances sitting in the parlor on her first day at Wych Elm.  Yes, Frances is dead.  And Jo just saw a ghost.  Why is Jo seeing Frances around Wych Elm?  Why is Frances trying to get Jo's attention?  

Jo's intuition tells her that Frances didn't commit suicide, but was murdered.  But by whom and for what reason would someone kill a fifteen year old girl?  Was it her own mother, Dottie?  Or perhaps Martin, Frances' older brother, who is recovering from terrible wounds suffered in battle, and addicted to morphine. Or was it the stranger found dead in the woods the same day Frances died?

To top it all off, Jo is haunted by not knowing what happened to Alex, the love of her life.  She's convinced she doesn't know the whole story, and Alex's role in the military was more than she realized.  This becomes even more complicated in Jo's mind when she finds out Alex was at Wych Elm House the day Frances died, when he never told Jo he was even in England.  Why the secrets?  

I've got to say Frances' presence in this one is a bit creepy only because her appearances seem random and she never says anything.  Frances makes things move around, appear and disappear. The atmosphere at Wych Elm House is cold and unwelcoming, even though it is a beautiful country home.  You read the book and can feel that damp fall weather and bone chilling cold that keeps Jo struggling to stay warm.  Even reading  this in very hot temperatures and uncomfortable mugginess (summer in Iowa!) made me want to grab a blanket for warmth and comfort.  

I've really loved all of Simone St. James' books, but I have to say this was my least favorite.  I can't put my finger on it, but I felt her previous novels had a more solid storyline and were definitely up a notch in the paranormal element.  I will certainly keep reading anything Ms. St. James has to offer in the coming years; I just hope she keeps giving me chills in the middle of  the summer.  

Rating:  6/10 for an interesting story line, but one that could have had more paranormal creepiness.  Historical background was very interesting, and you can tell the author does her homework.  

Available in paperback and e-book.

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Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James

Last Review of the Year: Longbourn by Jo Baker

Jane Austen is like the energizer rabbit:  she just keeps going and going.  She is the ultimate Girl Power!  

School is done for a few weeks, and I've had a little bit of time to begin reading for fun.  And I've managed to buy another six books just to make myself crazy with which one to read next.  The life of a book lover is never dull.  

Longbourn is a novel that had to wait until I was ready to read it.  It has stared at me from the bookshelves and tables at work, first in hardcover, and now in paperback.  I am so glad I waited to read it, and it's a perfect ending to my reading year.  

Longhorn follows the lives of the Bennet household servants:  Mr. and Mrs. Hill, Sarah, and Polly.  Life is pretty dull washing out the underthings of the Bennet sisters, cooking food, and running up and down stairs at the slightest ring of a bell.  Then mysterious James shows up; he is taken into the Bennet household as their latest servant.  Sarah at first loathes him; but the loathing quickly turns into interest.  Just who is James, and why is he so secretive?  

Meanwhile, the storyline of Pride and Prejudice winds its way through the novel, and the author cleverly starts each chapter with a line from P&P, which helps keep you on track with what's going on above stairs.  Tiny details of life as a servant, the day to day life of British gentry, and the complicated relationships between servants and those they serve all bring a richness to this tale that completely captured my imagination.  I don't think I will ever be able to think of Pride & Prejudice again without this book in my mind.  It certainly did make me look at the Bennet sisters in a new light--and not a particularly flattering one at that.  It dented my admiration of Elizabeth just a bit.  Read it and decide for yourself!

Jo Baker did an amazing job creating a whole new addition to the world of Jane Austen.  Not only did she remain faithful to Pride and Prejudice, but she took the reader away from Longbourn and into the private hopes, dreams, and yes, nightmares of the servants that remain always below stairs, and always behind the scenes.  In this novel, the Bennet sisters and their love lives are merely along the edges--what happens to the Bennet servants is just as dramatic and  full of highs and lows as the best soap opera around.  

Rating:  8/10 for a wonderful story that weaves the world of Pride and Prejudice into a new tale sure to appeal to any fan of historic fiction.  And Sarah is a wonderfully strong female character you won't be able to forget. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audio.

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Last Review of the Year: Longbourn by Jo Baker