April Reads: Lots of Magic and Make Believe

 April definitely was the month for me to read books that had an element of the mystical. Whether it was a young woman working to keep her witchy gifts, or a cozy mystery involving a tea house, I found comfort in the magical. I suspect I'll keep reading magical novels all throughout the summer!

It is May 1st (!) and I'm working through the half-begun books that are littering my living room. Vacation is coming up in another week or so, and I've begun thinking about what to take with me to read. I cannot wait to sit on my plane, open a book, and relax!

Here's what I read in April:

Love Sarah Jio. This novel asks the question: how different could my life be if I made other choices? 

A historical novel set in the late 1960's in Ireland, where contraception is illegal and women have no financial rights. Fascinating read!

A cozy fantasy about a young woman who has 30 days to reclaim her magical abilities or lose them forever. 

A cozy mystery set in small town Georgia, centered at a beloved bookstore. 

Second in a series about a family of women, their magical abilities, and the special flower farm in Mexico they call home. 

First in a cozy mystery series set on the coast of California. A young woman inherits a mystical tea shop, but someone wants her gone. What are her ties to the shop? 

As I said, a month of cozy reads. May is shaping up to be a very busy month, but I'll find the time to dive into some of the newer books I've bought, as well as what's waiting on my shelves at home. 

Enjoy the warmer weather, and happy reading!

The Bookalicious Babe

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

April Reads: Lots of Magic and Make Believe

July Read: The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

 

I was itching to read this novel for a few weeks  and I finally snagged a quick pick at my library. It was a good break from my usual summer fun read. It dropped me right into English small village creepiness.

Told through multiple points of view--Bella, Francesca, Eddie, and Owen, this one has a short timeline of events, but also throws you back fifteen years and ahead a few days. The author keeps you on track at the start of every chapter, so pay attention and you won't have any trouble following the storyline. 

Francesca is so proud of her ultra-exclusive resort, The Manor, on the coast of England. It's summer and she's celebrating by having an opening weekend, complete with a summer solstice celebration. Francesca and her twin brothers inherited the land and manor from her grandparents, and she's decided to turn it into a moneymaker. She's also incurred the wrath of the people of Tome, the local village. The woods surrounding the manor and the beach below all belong to the people and not one person. They are special, and when someone disrespects the woods, the birds make it right. Cue the creepy ancient woods/something is watching vibes. Cue the crows gathering in droves, silently watching. 

The build up to summer solstice includes Bella returning to the Manor to confront Francesca about an event fifteen years before that changed Bella's life forever. Owen, Francesca's husband and architect, has a few secrets to keep from his wife, and his ties to the land unfold over the course of the novel. People are not who they seem to be, and this evolves as the weekend progresses, secrets are revealed, and the tension builds. 

The connections and ties between the characters are numerous and some are easy to figure out; others are a bit of a surprise. Revenge, murder, and man vs. nature are all big themes. Respect the woods or else they'll teach you a lesson. 

I enjoyed this dip into English ancient legend, nasty people,  and ooh, the satisfying conclusion. It's a quick read and you'll get sucked in pretty quickly. 

Rating: 4/6 for a thriller that keeps you guessing and reading as the past collides with the present and the local woods teach a few lessons to those who disrespect them. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

July Read: The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

July Read: An Inconvenient Wife by Karen E. Olson

 

I'm a huge fan of novels that put a spin on the epic story of King Henry VIII and his six wives. When this came across my radar I immediately grabbed it. I had just started it when I was leaving for vacation, but couldn't take it with me in hardcover, and I couldn't wait until I got back to read it. Thankful for library resources that got me the ebook, which I immediately devoured. 

This is a modern day mystery set in the world of New York finance and Cape Cod. It all starts with the body of a woman, found on the beach near Hank Tudor's summer home on the Long Island Sound. She's dead; found without her head. 

Who that woman is remains a mystery through most of the novel, but you figure out pretty quickly who it probably is but the motive for her murder remains murky. 

What I found enjoyable about this novel was discovering each wife and how they were written into the modern world. It was pretty interesting! I did find renaming Henry to Hank a bit jarring; he just didn't seem like a Hank to me. He's a billionaire sixty-something handsome man, ruthless and always has an eye for the ladies. Currently he's just married his previous assistant, Kate Parker, following a disastrous marriage to Caitlyn, a young starlet caught cheating with an actor. Anna Klein (Anne of Cleves) runs a successful high-end bed and breakfast with her wife, and takes care of Lizzie and Teddy, Hank's kids. Catherine Alvarez, (Katherine of Aragon) also lives nearby--she never leaves her house and lives alone, except for the assistance of her housekeeper. She's got a few tricks up her sleeves, for sure. She hasn't quite left the corporate world and secretly keeps tabs on all of it, especially Hank's empire. 

The biggest surprise was Anne Boleyn's character. Where was she? Known as Nan, she disappeared one night years before, when Lizzie was a few years old. No one knows where she is and it's just assumed by everyone she's dead. 

I found the characters very interesting, and the machinations between the remaining wives kept me turning the pages. Hank wasn't as much of a prominent character, which was disappointing but makes sense in a novel that focuses on the wives. The ending left me with a big WHAT?? and there were a lot of loose ends that didn't tie up.

Overall, it was an interesting read with a bit of a thud ending. There were surprises, for sure, but what I most enjoyed were the modern versions of Henry's wives. I always wonder what they'd be like as modern women, so anytime I find a novel that puts a fresh spin on the saga, I'm immediately intrigued. 

Rating: 3/6 for a mystery that is more of a thriller, with an ending that left me hanging. However, if you are a fan of all things Tudor, you'll enjoy the modern spin and tangled web of the wives and their relationships to each other. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

July Read: An Inconvenient Wife by Karen E. Olson

The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong

 

I started this in December over Christmas weekend and finished it on January first. Love the cover--it grabbed me right away. I'm all about small English villages, murder, and a possible curse. Sign me up!

This mystery takes place in 1922, after the Great War (World War One in the U.S.). American heiress Ruby Vaughn lives in Exeter, England  with Mr. Owens, an elderly man who runs a rare bookstore. Ruby takes care of delivering the books to clients around England, and after her rather shaky past, it's a place for her to take some time to get a grip on her life and figure things out. 

Mr. Owens gives Ruby a delivery task that brings her directly back to her past in the small village of Lothlel Green, located in the Cornish countryside. There resides her best friend Tamsyn, who is married to Sir Edward Chenowyth and resides at Penryth Hall. It's a good excuse to visit her friend, who had sent Ruby a letter a year previously, stating she had made a terrible mistake and would Ruby please come. Ruby chose not to go, for various reasons you'll find out. Ruby arrives and meets the intriguing Ruan Kivell, the person who is expecting the delivery of books from Mr. Owens. He's something else, is Ruan. He's the local Pellar, which the locals hold in high esteem. He appears to have a bit of magic around him. And strangely seems to be able to hear everything Ruby is thinking in her head. 

Ruby is at Penryth Hall for only one evening when the next morning Sir Edward is found murdered in the orchard. Murdered in a most horrible way--and thus begins the mystery that Ruby and Ruan race to solve, before there are more victims of the curse that claimed Sir Edward. 

But is it a curse, a local legend; or a murder plain and simple? Lots of reasons to see Sir Edward dead--he was an unpleasant man. Did Tamsyn do it? One of the locals? Did Ruby do it and not remember? 

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. I loved the setting, especially the Cornish countryside and the post World War One climate. Ruby is an intriguing character who has a lot of problems and baggage. Ruan--ooh, he's a handsome devil. The two together are dynamite. 

This mystery had a lot of layers to get through, so you never really know who did it until close to the end. I most certainly hope there are more mysteries involving Ruby, Ruan, and Mr. Owens. I would gobble them up. 

Rating: 4/6 for an intriguing mystery with an unforgettable setting, characters that have excellent chemistry, and the possibilities of more collaboration in future novels. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong

November Read: Inheritance: The Lost Bride Trilogy Book 1 by Nora Roberts

 November has been a hot mess for me reading-wise. I'm working on a bit of a project that is taking up a lot of my reading time and I blinked and tomorrow is December first. 

I have read a few of Nora Robert's trilogies over the years and I always enjoy them, and the fact that they are just a trilogy and not a series. I couldn't wait to read this, her newest trilogy that combines a bit of romance, a bit of history, and a bit of the unexpected in a family curse, an evil witch, and a whole lot of dead brides. 

Sonya MacTavish lives in Boston and has just gotten out of a terrible relationship mere weeks before she was set to be married. It turned her world upside down, but she's moving on and making plans. Her plans are disrupted by a visit from a lawyer from Poole's Bay, Maine. He tells Sonya that she's inherited a majestic home and investments from her unknown until now Uncle Collin Poole. Collin and Sonya's father Drew were twins who were separated at birth; neither knew the other existed until Collin found out as an adult, but too late to meet Drew, who died in an accident. Now Collin is dead, and he's left the family legacy to Sonya. She has to move to Maine and agree to live in the home for three years--all expenses paid. Overnight she's become a wealthy woman. 

With nothing to lose, Sonya moves to Maine and immediately falls head over heels for the home. She sets up her freelance business as a graphic artist and starts settling in, but quickly discovers some unsettling things about the home--it is haunted. Not by just one spirit, but by a whole group. And there is one nasty spirit who is determined to push Sonya out by any means possible. 

So who are the spirits? The family history paints a terrible picture of tragedy after tragedy for generations. Once each generation, a Poole woman dies either on her wedding day, or within the first year of marriage. All manner of deaths--but each is a murder, and those murders are done by a woman who was rejected by the first Poole man for his true love. She's still in the house, and at night Sonya wanders the house, looking into the events leading up to each of the seven brides and their tragic deaths. What do they want with her? And why does the evil witch take the wedding ring off each woman as they lay dying? 

This was just a fun read, and classic Nora Roberts. The house is fascinating; the premise of the family curse is interesting, and I have to say I do love the reaction of Cleo, Sonya's best friend, to the evil witch and her attempts to scare the women. A few "F*** You" quotes fly through the air, and honestly, if I was in Cleo's place, I'd probably say the same thing, too. This witch has had centuries to hang around, but she hasn't met any modern women--and she has met her match. 

Sonya gets involved with Trey Doyle, a lawyer in town who has a family history with the Poole family and grew up and around the house. He's well aware of the history and the hauntings. Sonya's best friend Cleo is also a treat--and I suspect her relationship with Owen Poole, Sonya's cousin, will be the second book in the trilogy. 

This one ends suddenly and boom! Done. Not even a teaser for the next book. I surely hope it comes soon, because it definitely left me hanging. So yes, suspend belief; enjoy the little dog named Yoda, the copious amounts of wine drinking between Sonya and crew, and the glorious home Nora Roberts created for us to enjoy. I can't wait to read more and watch Sonya destroy the family curse so she can live happily ever after and not become the next lost bride. Wrench those stolen wedding rings off that hag's hand, Sonya!

I don't see any dates or anything at all about the second book in the trilogy. Stay tuned. 

Rating: 5/6 for sheer entertainment, a clever story, and characters that are easy to get to know and enjoy. The romance is light and sex is tastefully done and exactly what a modern grown up couple would do and say.  I will be trying to wait patiently for the second book. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

November Read: Inheritance: The Lost Bride Trilogy Book 1 by Nora Roberts

Blog Tour for What Would Jane Austen Do? by Linda Corbett

 

I've read a few dark novels in the past couple of weeks so I definitely needed something refreshing to read, and What Would Jane Austen Do? was the perfect solution. 

Maddy Shaw is a huge Jane Austen fan and advice columnist for a magazine in London. She loves her job, and is crushed when she is fired by the new manager. Keeping her commitment to appear on a podcast, she gets into a war of words with mystery writer Cameron Massey over romance novels. He's nice to look at, but a bit of a crab.

Maddy finds out she's inherited the country home of her distant relative Nigel, who has a few stipulations for Maddy: she has to live in the home for twelve months before she can sell it. If she doesn't, the home goes to someone else in the village. 

Maddy, at loose ends and unable to afford living in London, decides to move to the country home and try a new life. And surprise! who lives nearby? Cameron Massey AKA Luke. He's having some remodeling done at his home, and needs a quiet place to write his next novel. Maddy has a huge home and needs some extra income. It doesn't hurt that Luke has an absolutely lovable dog who quickly captures Maddy's heart. 

This was a gentle romance, and if you love English contemporary romances, this will definitely be on your TBR list. Enemies to Lovers, starting over, and a bit of a family mystery concerning Nigel all keep the plot moving along. There's no explicit sex scenes so if you like your romance to build slowly with a  few bumps along the way, you'll enjoy this novel. 

I did enjoy the story of Nigel, who is a big part of the novel, even though his death is the catalyst for Maddy's move. A bit of family history and a lesson in not believing family stories passed down without doing some fact checking. 

Jane Austen quotes highlight every chapter, and Maddy's love for Jane Austen does shine through--she even challenges Luke to write a romance, since he thinks they are so easy to do. He finds differently, of course!

Thanks to Harper Collins for a chance to read this novel. A perfectly lovely contemporary romance that takes you to the English countryside. The book is available on Kindle and in paperback.

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Blog Tour for What Would Jane Austen Do? by Linda Corbett

May Read: Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

 

I recently returned from vacation and decided to try an e-book on my iPad while I was traveling. I had this book on my TBR and was delighted to see it was available on Hoopla. 

Loved this mystery! It takes place in 1949, Paris. American Tabitha has traveled to Paris to visit her Grandfather and honorary Uncle. They are two eccentric, wealthy elderly men who are delighted to have Tabitha visit. Tabitha, who speaks French fluently, is absolutely in love with Paris and has been there for eight months, with no intention of leaving anytime soon.

And best of all, across the street live Julia and Paul Child. Julia has taken Tabitha under her wing, helping her shop at the market and teaching Tabitha to cook. Julia is famous in the neighborhood for her cooking, but her worldwide fame is years away. 

Julia's sister Dot is also living in the same apartment as Julia and Paul, and she's involved in an American theater. Her friends gather at the apartment late at night for drinks, smokes, and a good time. After one such night, a horrible discovery is made: Therese, a young woman who was at the party the night before, is found dead near the garbage area in the apartment building basement. She's been brutally stabbed to death. Tabitha recognizes her, and thus begins her foray into figuring out who killed Therese, and why. 

I was charmed by the setting, the characters, and as the plot unfolded, the mystery. It never lagged or slowed down, but kept a steady pace forward. Tabitha--loved her! Just curious and smart enough to figure things out, but not one to bumble her way forward. Julia's character is big, joyful, and full of life. While the pool of suspects is small, it is not easy to figure out just who was the murderer. Putting the clues together with Tabitha was part of the fun--you don't know any more than she does. 

I absolutely enjoyed the heck out of this mystery, and can't wait for another in this series. Anyone who loves Julia Child will want to grab this one. I liked that she is not the main character who solves the mystery, but is a prominent character who brings a zest to the story. And the food! A great way to travel to post-World War 2 Paris. 

Rating: 5/6 for a mystery that unfolds amongst wine, great food, and the streets of Paris. A mystery that kept me intrigued until the very end. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

May Read: Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

October Read: A Death in Door County (A Monster Hunter Mystery #1) by Annelise Ryan

 

The cover of this mystery caught my eye and led to me checking it out of my library. Then last week, I was at my book group and one of my friends talked about it--I made sure he didn't give the ending away because I wasn't quite done with it!

 I finished it and enjoyed traveling to Door County, WI. I'm putting it on my bucket list of places to visit. It's not terribly far from where I live now, and even though my family took vacations every summer to Rhinelander, WI when I was little, we never got to Door County. 

Anyhow. This was kind of like a cozy mystery, but one with a little more oomph to it. Morgan Carter owns a unique bookshop called Odds and Ends in Door County. Her hobby, inherited from her parents, is the study of cryptids. Crypids are creatures people are sure exist, but just have never had definitive proof: Bigfoot, Loch Ness, Abominable Snowman. New police chief Jon Flanders hires Morgan to investigate the possibility of a cryptid swimming around Lake Michigan, after two men are washed ashore drowned but showing signs of being crushed by something powerful. Could it be a lake creature? 

As Morgan begins to dig into her research, she uncovers more questions than answers. We also get to meet her employees Rita and Devon, her beloved and very protective dog Newt, and see her cautious relationship develop with Chief Flanders. There is some uncovering of Morgan's past that answers some questions of how she is an expert at cryptids, and why she has such an unusual bookstore. 

I was deep into this mystery pretty quickly. It's clear Annelise Ryan knows Door County. It sounds absolutely lovely and she painted a heck of a picture. I deliberately kept away from looking online so I could keep it all in my head. There are a few sad moments, but overall I just let the mystery reveal itself as I read. There's no "ooh, maybe this person did it" as there is in cozy mysteries. I truly had no idea until the end. 

I'm happy to say the last few sentences lead to the possibility of the next mystery in the series and I'll be picking that up--it involves Bigfoot! 

Rating: 5/6 for the vivid writing that brings Door County to life, along with a very interesting main character with a special knowledge unlike any other mysteries I've read. I like the slow development of Morgan and Jon's relationship which leaves something for more mysteries to explore. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

October Read: A Death in Door County (A Monster Hunter Mystery #1) by Annelise Ryan

A Simple Murder: A Kate Burkholder Short Story Collection by Linda Castillo

 

I read the first novel in the Kate Burkholder series Sworn to Silence years ago, and it was unlike anything I'd read before. A former Amish woman who has left the community and Amish life, returns to her hometown as the Chief of Police. It was dark, twisty, and impossible to put down. Since then, this series has grown to over ten novels, but I had only kept to reading the first one, until this week. 

I found this short story collection featuring Kate Burkholder, and decided it was just what I needed to dip back into this series. I also wanted to read some shorter stories, so it was perfect timing. 

I'm of two minds with this collection: you either read it, having read one or more of the books in the series, or read it without having read anything. Having some of the backstory will certainly help fill in some of the spaces in each story; however, I can see a reader becoming intrigued enough not knowing Kate's backstory to read these, then immediately dive into the first book in the series to learn more. It's really a reader's preference. 

Each story is about 100-125 pages long. They range from a vicious hit and run on an Amish teenager to a newborn baby left on the steps of the Amish Bishop's front porch, to the case of a long missing young woman who supposedly haunts a bed and breakfast. Each features Kate and the town of Painters Mill, Ohio-a mix of modern and Amish families and communities. Kate walks the line between both, and uses her knowledge of the Amish community and language to help solve cases. 

The stories were interesting, easy to get into, and while not terribly hard to figure out, a few did have some surprises. An enjoyable short story collection when you just need a little mystery. Perfect for traveling or reading on your lunch break at work. All of the Kate Burkholder mysteries are in print and also available in ebook and audio. 

Rating: 4/6 for a satisfying short story mystery collection that shows the complexities in the Amish-English community, and a woman who must keep one foot in each in order to keep everyone safe. 

Available in mass market paperback, ebook, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

A Simple Murder: A Kate Burkholder Short Story Collection by Linda Castillo

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

 

I first read about the real-life mystery of Agatha Christie's disappearance in 1926 a few years ago and was fascinated by it. What intrigued me the most is that no one, to this day, knows what exactly happened, and why she disappeared for eleven days in December, 1926. This lead to a wave of news media and police searching for her, fearing the worst. And yet after eleven days, she's found staying at a hotel near London, under an assumed name. 

Agatha Christie never explained her disappearance--never talked about it for the rest of her life. Instead, she went on to become the most popular author of all time, writing mysteries that defined the genre and made her so famous she still steadily sells books and has movies based on her works produced 100 years later. Amazing. 

Marie Benedict was also intrigued by this real-life mystery and decided to craft a novel around it, with a possible explanation as to the "why" of it. It's an interesting take on a mystery that will never be solved. 

This novel moves back and forth between the eleven days of Agatha's disappearance, and the years leading up to that December of 1926. The novel starts off in 1912, as Agatha meets Archie Christie at a dance. She's already engaged to another man, but Archie is boldly attracted to Agatha and pursues her. She, in turn, it captivated by this handsome man who clearly wants Agatha. He courts her, and she falls in love. They are married when Archie is fighting in World War I. Agatha helps out taking care of wounded soldiers, and this is where her knowledge of medicine and poisons comes from; her talent at writing is natural and something she has always done but never seriously. Archie starts to show his true colors-he's self-centered, demanding, and falls into depression pretty regularly. Taking her mother's terrible advice, Agatha does everything she can to be the perfect wife to Archie. 

As the years go by, Agatha loses more of herself in the process. She does all she can to keep Archie happy, and gets little in return. Even the birth of her daughter Rosalind is tempered by the knowledge that Archie must always come first. It causes permanent damage in her relationship with her daughter, who doesn't understand why her mother doesn't spend more time with her. Archie is one annoying man! 

Meanwhile, Agatha's stories are gaining in popularity. At first supportive of her writing, it's now just another thing that Agatha does that irritates Archie. She just can't win with her husband. 

And then Archie does the unforgivable, and it sets off a chain of events concluding with Agatha's reappearance, claiming amnesia. This story is just one author's imagining; it seems that Agatha left us with one mystery that we can't ever absolutely solve. 

It took me a bit to read this novel, mostly because i was a bit unsure where it was headed. I'll admit to being a touch disappointed at the final reveal as I read it. However, spending some time thinking about the ending afterwards, I will admit it is pretty clever. 

You may want to do some sleuthing of your own after reading this, and delve into the internet to read up on the real-life disappearance and reappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926. It's pretty interesting; you'll find yourself crafting your own explanation to a mystery that went to the grave with the Queen of Suspense.

Rating: 4/6 for a dive into the marriage and mystery of Agatha Christie. It's also a novel about a women finding her talent and her power to live life her way. Anyone who has read an Agatha Christie mystery or watched a movie based on her books will want to read this. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

 

This mystery has been on my book radar for a few weeks. I keep seeing it all over social media, and kept seeing it coming in and out of the library. I had a chance to grab a copy from my library, and settled down this week to read it and was charmed from the first page. 

The Thursday Murder Club is a group of retirees living at Coopers Chase, a retirement village in the Kent countryside. It's a fairly well set up place, with plenty to do and all sorts of interesting folks. The drinks flow freely and there's gossip aplenty. Converted from a nunnery, it is a stunning spot to retire to and relax in the countryside. Ron, Joyce, Elizabeth and Ibrahim get together on Thursdays to discuss old murder cases. Elizabeth's good friend Penny, a retired detective, lives at Coopers Chase with her husband John. Only thing is that Penny is in a coma, and she's the one who kept all the files of cases she worked on years before. Elizabeth is one interesting woman with a mysterious past and superb detective skills. Joyce is a retired nurse, Ibrahim a retired counselor, and Ron is, well, a retired troublemaker. 

What begins as a look at an old murder case quickly takes off when a local developer is found dead in his kitchen. That developer had a business interest in Coopers Chase, and the man who also owned Cooper's Chase-Ian Ventham, is ready to double cross him and cost him millions. Now he's dead, and Ian is the number one suspect. But did he do it?

What begins as a seemingly simple murder mystery unravels into a much more complicated tale that involves land deals, nuns, drugs, and some of the people at Coopers Chase who have some pretty big secrets to hide. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters-their wit, sense of humor, and relationships kept a smile on my face while I read. These senior citizens are not ready to sit back and take it easy-they are sharp, witty, and ready to use whatever they have to get the answers they need. Detectives are no match for them!

I really enjoyed this mystery, and I could see this as a tv series very easily. Anytime a mystery features a band of rabble-rousing senior citizens, sign me up! I'm ready to climb aboard. 

Rating: 5/6 for a multi-layered mystery that seems fairly straightforward at first, but keeps unraveling into something much bigger. A cast of characters who are delightful, and enough action to keep the story from bogging down. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio.

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

 

This is one of those series of books that I've seen around so many times over the years, and never picked it up. The new show on Netflix (September 23) had me deciding it was finally time to read the first in the series and see just what it was about. I had another one of those "why did I wait so long?!" moments when I finished it this morning. 

Enola Holmes is the younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. Years after her brothers were born, their mother produced Enola, embarrassingly at an older age when respectable women didn't have babies. Enola is now fourteen, and it's her birthday. 

She lives with her mother at the family estate, and she's had a pretty free life since her father died years ago, and her brothers have not visited in all that time. She's smart, quick, and loves to ride her bike. She's corset free, and happy about it. Until the morning of her birthday, when her mother steps out the door and never returns. 

Enola doesn't understand why her mother would leave her, and her confusion and sense of loss are a bit heartbreaking. However, she telegrams her brothers, and they arrive. Shocked by Enola's appearance (she looks a bit like a wild child) they quickly realize all the money Mycroft has been sending for years for clothes, dance lessons, horses and gardeners has been squirreled away by their mother. Enola is in need of a boarding school and proper clothes for a proper young lady STAT. 

Enola isn't having any of that, of course. On the day she is sent away to boarding school, she runs away, having planned to reach London to look for her mother. She's   no slouch in planning and observing, and using codes to figure things out. But, she is only fourteen, and some things go awry in her plan. Can she save herself, or will she be forced to contact Sherlock for help?

I know the movie on Netflix will have a bigger story than the first novel, but I watched the movie clip and it certainly looks like Millie Bobby Brown embodies all the best of Enola Holmes. I can't wait to watch it. And who can say no to Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes?! I certainly can't, nor do I want to. 

I wasn't sure what to expect from this first novel, and I am happy to say it was a delightful read. Not at all what I expected plot wise, so I am eager to read the rest in the series and see where Enola's adventures take her.  This series says middle school, and I would say any child who loves mysteries and is a good reader would enjoy these. Very well written; full of adventure, observation, and putting clues together.

Rating: 4/6 for a great start to a mystery series for kids that was first published in 2011. The series is still in print, and will find new readers as the Netflix movie comes out in the U.S. September 23rd. On my way to buy the rest of the series! 

Available in paperback and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne

It's been many years since I've read Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles series, so I was delighted to see he has returned to that world with this new series. I absolutely love contemporary fantasy that mixes in old magical elements, along with a sense of humor that makes me laugh as I read. 

Set in Glasgow, with a few stints in Edinburgh and other places, this novel stars the charming Al MacBharrais, a sixty-something sigil agent who is caught up in a mystery involving the Fae. 

A sigil agent works between the human world and the Fae world, making contracts that help keep both worlds apart, yet allow for some contact between the two when necessary. Sigils are handwritten symbols of magic, made with specially created inks. It requires years of apprenticeship and there are only 5 sigil agents around the world. Al owns a publishing house, and uses it as a front for his magical work.

I loved the cast of characters and can't wait to read about future adventures. A hobgoblin that loves to steal whiskey, an office manager that has a special talent for fighting, and assorted Fae that keep things complicated. Oh, and did I mention Al has a curse on him? If he talks to people, eventually they hate him--as in turn purple with rage and try to kill him. So he's forced to use a text to speech phone to communicate with anyone he wants to keep in his life. An ongoing theme for future novels is Al's pursuit of whomever cast the curse, and finding a way to remove it. It's cost him dearly over the years, and he's done with it. 

I enjoy science fiction/fantasy, and it's been a bit since I've read anything. It was just what I needed to get me reading after weeks of not being able to concentrate. Pure fun, a good plot, endearing characters and plenty of magic. I look forward to reading more about Al and his associates. 

Rating: 5/6 for a promising start to a new series. Featuring a cast of characters both human and Fae, along with hobgoblins, ghostly dogs, and other mythological creatures, this is an enjoyable romp through a world full of magic mystery, and good whiskey. 

Available in hardcover ebook, and audio.

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne

The Deadly Hours: An Anthology by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, and Christine Trent

So I've spent every night since Sunday coming home from work and reading all night. I find myself falling asleep for a short nap around 7PM and then a few hours later, ready for bed. Except once I shut the light off my mind starts racing a million miles a minute, and I can't sleep. So on goes the light again, and reading again for a little bit. 

I'll admit my vow to start working out again this week didn't even make it past Monday morning. So darn tired in the morning I just can't get up and move. The Sue at 5 PM the night before is ready and willing to workout at 6 AM; the Sue at 5 AM the next morning is not! So I'll try again tomorrow and see if I actually do go to the gym. Even if I fail the next few days, I have chastised myself and made a vow that September 8th I WILL WORKOUT. 

All this coming home and reading had me finishing The Deadly Hours Tuesday night. Made me happy to actually accomplish something! I did enjoy the four novellas, and certainly if you aren't familiar with any of the authors, or just some of them, this anthology will give you a peak at their writing style and characters in their previous novels (and some are part of mystery series). 

The anthology follows a chronological order, from 1733 all the way up to 1944.  Susanna Kearsley is up first, and her tale sets the background of the cursed watch that is the link for all four novellas. The watch, called La Sirene, is a pocket watch fashioned from gold stolen from a church during a vicious, murderous raid by mercenaries. It's a beautifully carved watch, with a mermaid and a ship on storm tossed seas. However, the watch is cursed. Some believe it, some scoff. In 1733 it's just been around a short time, but already has a reputation. A group of people are trapped at an inn during a hurricane, and they are definitely on two different sides: one man is on the hunt to assassinate the Duke of Ormonde, who is the rightful heir to the English crown. Two couples also trapped at the inn are there to ensure the Duke is not assassinated, and must keep their true identities a secret while working to find out just what plan the assassin has...but the watch shows up, and mischief begins. Is the storm caused by La Sirene, or is it just bad luck? Is the watch really capable of killing anyone who has it in their possession?

The next three novellas follow the watch around the world, as it plays a part in a deadly sickness in Edinburgh, a string of murders in London, and the deaths of men who are working on the British side during the closing days of World War 2. In order to break the curse, the watch must endure water, earth, air, and fire. Each novella's characters do their part to break the curse, but you have to read the final story to know if the centuries old curse is finally broken. 

I liked all of the stories; in particular I very much enjoyed Anna Lee Huber's In a Fevered Hour. I had read the first few books in her Lady Darby mystery series, so the two main characters were a bit familiar to me. No, you don't have to have read any of the authors' works to follow along, but I would say you'll get curious and want to check out the series or novels written by each of the authors. Strong female characters are the center of each story, and they all use their skills to solve the mystery presented in each story. 

All in all, a great way to break my Derecho book struggle! 

Rating: 4/6 for an entertaining anthology that is tied together by one cursed watch--beautiful to look at, but terrible to own. The four authors all complimented each other's writing very nicely. If you like a little mystery, mixed with a dash of adventure and history, this will certainly entertain you. 

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

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Deadly Hours: An Anthology by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, and Christine Trent

The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman

I stumbled on this book late last week as I was working at the library and knew immediately it was something I had to read. Lucky for me, no one else was waiting for it, so I took it home and spent a large chunk of Saturday reading it, finally finishing it Sunday morning. 

Author Jon Billman is a writer for Outside magazine, and started the quest that makes up the bulk of this book while working on a story for the magazine. Jon has written about other people going missing in our national parks and vast wilderness areas, but had no idea just how high the number was until he stared looking deeper into it--and found out no one actually keeps track of this disturbing trend. In April, 2017, Jacob Gray takes off on his heavily packed bike to explore the Olympic National Park. He's got plenty of food, a tent, clothing, and survival gear. Yet his bike is found just one day after he takes off, on the side of the road, with no sign of Jacob. What follows is the heartbreaking frustration his family and friends go through as red tape keeps organizations from stepping in and helping in the search that begins with the assumption that Jacob decided to just walk away. He's an adult, after all, so he could have done what many people do--walk away from their life with no word to family or friends. Yet his father and family persist in searching for Jacob, through all sorts of weather, in really rough conditions. Randy Gray is willing to explore every possibility and theory that might lead to his son, no matter how outlandish it may seem.  This story is the framework for many more stories about men and women who vanished with no clue what happened to them. Some were runners going out for a short run; others were at national parks in full view of other people, yet never returned to their cars and simply vanished into thin air. For some families, there is closure, but usually not for quite some time. For others, there is never closure. As long as there is no body found, they remain hopeful. The disappearance of a loved one is something they never move past, and never "get over". The unanswered questions never go away. 

What I found so very interesting is the fact that this is something that happens a lot in national parks and wilderness areas. And depending on where you disappear, there may be a lot of resources to help look for you; or if it's in a county that has little money, it may simply be a few days of looking for you, then it's left to family and friends to continue the search. It's beyond ridiculous that we have no federal or state procedures in place to address these disappearances--and no budgets, either. It's a case of too many agencies, large egos, and not enough money. 

I found this book hard to put down. I did get a bit turned around in the many descriptions of up the mountains, down the mountains, ridges, sight lines, rivers. I would be a classic case of someone lost in the woods who couldn't find their way out. 

Rating: 4/5 for a look at an epidemic of missing people that most of us are unaware of: people lost in the wilds of America. Theories abound around vortex areas, Bigfoot, UFO's, and time slips--but most of the time it simply boils down to being unprepared or a fatal slip on rocks or a slippery slope. For those who never come home, their story has no ending. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio.

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman

The Secrets of Love Story Bridge by Phaedra Patrick

I do enjoy Phaedra Patrick's novels. The best way to describe them is that they are "gentle" reads. That's just what I needed when I picked this one up. No murder plots, no violence; just easy reading that relaxed me at night. 

This novel begins with Mitchell Fisher. He's raising his young daughter Poppy on his own, after his partner Anita died years before. He's still grieving, and the only way he copes with it is to be super organized and to write a letter to Anita every night before he goes to sleep. He keeps the letters tucked in a drawer next to his bed, along with the last letter Anita wrote him just before she died. He hasn't been able to bring himself to open it and read it because he's afraid of what it might say. 

Mitchell works for the city cutting locks off a popular bridge. It's a big deal for couples to put locks on the bridge and toss the keys into the river below. However, this is causing stress on the bridge--there are thousands of locks!-and Mitchell's job is to cut them off and send them away. He's a bit grumpy about all those locks. One day, he sees a woman attaching a lock to the bridge. She loses her balance and falls off the bridge into the river below. Mitchell jumps in and saves her, and becomes a minor celebrity. His mysterious woman disappears soon after being pulled ashore, and he's haunted by the mystery of her. 

His daughter Poppy is taking music lessons from a teacher at her school. Liza is a bright and breezy woman who has an interesting link to the woman from the bridge. As Mitchell gets to know Liza and they work on finding the mystery woman, he's suddenly starting to feel something he wasn't expecting for Liza. He's pretty comfortable in his stuck-ness. And Liza is nothing like Anita. Meanwhile, a reporter has put out a call for people to send letters to the "hero" Mitchell about their lock stories, and he's getting flooded with letters he just doesn't want. Yet when he does start reading them, he's touched by the stories people share about their lock on the bridge. Mitchell's got a whole lot going on emotion-wise. He's just not prepared for all of it. 

I'll leave the rest for you to discover. It's a sweet tale about learning to live and love again, and confronting the past even when it could possibly really hurt you. Mitchell is a bit of an old poop trapped in a younger man's body, but he grows on you. Poppy is a delightful daughter who is patiently waiting for her Dad to wake up. All of the characters in this novel are quite nice, actually. All are working on something in their lives that is holding them back. 

Rating: 4/6 for a sweet tale of love lost, love found, and living life with a whole heart. A charming tale. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Secrets of Love Story Bridge by Phaedra Patrick

The Last Seance: Tales of the Supernatural by Agatha Christie

Well, if I've done anything in 2019, it was to finally read some Agatha Christie. Another author I've admired from afar, but never felt compelled to read. This new short story collection caught my eye, and I'm so glad it did. 

First, I'll say this book isn't a casual, read it in a few hours collection of stories. It's actually quite lengthy--over 350 pages. Just goes to show how prolific Agatha Christie was in her writing career. Only one of the stories had never been published in the U.S.: The Wife of the Kenite. All the other stories had been published multiple times in short story compilations and magazines over the years in both the U.K. and the U.S. The publishing reach of Agatha Christie was astounding. 

There are twenty short stories in The Last Seance, and each was gripping and smartly written. I quickly fell victim to Agatha Christie's style of writing, and I couldn't even begin to pick one of the stories as my favorite. Some were straight out murder mysteries; others had a paranormal bent. People murdered for money or spite, others were frightened to death. Clever killers were outdone by simple deductive reasoning from some of Agatha's prime characters: Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Each story was fairly short, and that made it easy to read a few, take a break, then return for more. I don't read many short story collections, but when I do, I realize how much I enjoy the built in breaks between stories. 

This collection has it all: haunted houses, mysterious characters, marriages gone wrong, and sly con artists. It was a fantastic introduction to Agatha Christie's style of writing and her world of mysteries. She's got me hooked. 

Rating: 4/6 for a solid collection of short stories that keep you trying to figure out the whodunnit before the characters do. Short stories that dive right into the meat of the mystery, and keep you wanting more. I can't wait to read more Agatha Christie! 

Available in paperback and ebook. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Last Seance: Tales of the Supernatural by Agatha Christie

The Trial of Lizzie Borden: A True Story by Cara Robertson

I'm always interested in reading about Lizzie Borden, her life, and of course the infamous murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts on August 4, 1892. Not only was she found not guilty of their murders, but Lizzie and her sister Emma inherited their father's modest fortune, and she never left Fall River. Instead, she bought a large house, named it Maplecroft, and lived the life of a shunned citizen until her death in 1927.  

The Trial of Lizzie Borden is an examination of the murder, inquest, and trial that took place in 1892-93. What I like about Cara Robertson's approach is that she doesn't try to solve the mystery--did Lizzie do it? If not who did? Instead, she presents all the evidence, the trial transcripts, and all of the newspaper headlines and articles of the day. You decide, at the end, whether you believe she committed the murders-and if she did, if she acted alone, or was in cahoots with her sister. 

What I find fascinating about this book are the parallels to today's social media and how we treat people in the news, especially those accused of a crime. Poor Lizzie--newspaper reporters (both male and female) have no problem describing her as plain, unattractive, short, dumpy...you name it, they went out of their way to comment on her looks. The only compliment she got was for her thick hair. At times portrayed as cold and unfeeling, she was  also a delicate female who had unimaginable courage in the face of such a horrible accusation. The papers definitely had no problem deciding her fate before the jury did--the majority of people felt she was not guilty. Of course, they had no explanation for who could have killed Mr. and Mrs. Borden. The evidence shoddily gathered, and testimonies that changed resulted in just a botched mess. People couldn't remember who was where, which door, if any, was unlocked, where Lizzie was while her stepmother lay dead upstairs and her father was being killed in the sitting room. The stereotypes of women-especially educated, upper-middle class women- as creatures ruled by their menstrual cycles, delicate constitutions, and inability to kill in such a brutal fashion made me want to vomit. 

Seriously! A bucket of bloody clothes/cloths were in the cellar. When asked about them, Lizzie said she was on her cycle, and the detective and policemen quickly avoided looking in the freaking bucket. WTH! A bunch of bumbling idiots.   Lizzie was, to some, unjustly accused, and the crowds who came to watch the trial were very large-and often were made up of many women (the newspapers were quick to point out they weren't very attractive women, too). 

Yet after all was said and done, Fall River quickly disowned Lizzie, and she spent the rest of her days isolated in the town where she decided to stay. Some wonder why she stayed, but others think it was simply because she had no where else to go, or because she felt guilty that she'd gotten away with murder. 

It's all pretty fascinating, and this was my first real look at the trial and the circus it created. Photos of the main players, sketches from the actual trial, and detailed accounts of lawyers questioning witnesses on the stand make it all fascinating. And it leaves you to decide for yourself--did she do it?

I think she did. 

If you want to go a step further, watch the show Seeking Spirits on the Travel Channel. They just had a fascinating show about Maplecroft, and the current owner's desire to open it up to tours. Someone is not happy about it...could it be Lizzie? I'll say, it's a pretty fabulous and compelling hour of paranormal investigation. 

Rating:  4/6 for an in-depth look at the Borden murders, Lizzie Borden's trial, and the fascination people found in all of it. It may change your mind about Lizzie, or reinforce your belief in her guilt or innocence. True crime fans will enjoy this one!

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio.

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Trial of Lizzie Borden: A True Story by Cara Robertson

Flowers and Foul Play: A Magic Garden Mystery by Amanda Flower

The theme for January's book club is Mystery.  We can read any mystery we want, and when you think about it, there's an overwhelming amount of mysteries to choose from, and it can be hard to decide. Do you go classic, with Agatha Christie, or Sherlock Holmes? Do you go with historical, or contemporary? Cozy, noir, or police procedural? What if you just want to read a stand alone mystery? Do they even exist anymore, in a genre that is mostly built on series? 

Phew. A lot to think about. I started reading the second in Louise Penny's series, after reading Still Life last year and falling in deep like with everything about her writing and storyline. Then I was perusing through my stacks of books, and found a few cozy mysteries that I had received from a publisher last year and hadn't read yet. So I read Bad Neighbors by Maia Chance and it got me on the cozy mystery bandwagon. I've read them before, but mysteries have never been a huge part of my reading life. I've attempted over the years to dig in, and I always get distracted. 

I have discovered that I do love a good cozy mystery. And yes, it is weird to think of a novel that involves someone being murdered as cozy, but essentially they are pretty cozy. They usually involve a main character who isn't a detective; but generally a female who runs a cafe, a bakery, a quilting shop, a bookstore, an antique shop...you get the picture. They're usually set in a small town or village, and there isn't any graphic violence; there's just a dead body that appears to throw a wrench into the everyday happenings of the main character. I find myself gravitating towards cozy mysteries that involve a bit of magic, and that's how I picked up Flowers and Foul Play. I was checking in returned books at the library one day, and thought it looked intriguing AND it met my mystery requirement for January. 

So, a quick synopsis: Fiona Knox has come to Scotland to claim her inheritance from her godfather, who was killed in an overseas military battle. Duncreigan is a little stone cottage and one interesting garden, a few miles from the village of Bellewick, near the coast of Scotland. Running from a failed flower shop, and an ex-fiancee who ditched her for another woman, Fiona is heartbroken at her Uncle Ian's death, but welcomes the chance to get away from Tennessee for awhile. She's only arrived at Duncreigan and greeted Hamish, the elderly groundskeeper, when she stumbles upon a dead body in the garden. Not the welcome she was expecting!

What follows is a mystery revolving around Alastair Croft, the village lawyer who  was murdered by someone in Bellewick, but who? Chief Inspector Neil Craig has everyone on the suspect list, including Hamish. Can Fiona clear Hamish's name, and find out who killed Alastair and left him in her garden?

Oh--the garden is magical, by the way. As soon as Fiona arrives, what was a garden full of dead plants, trees, and ivy begins to transform into a beautiful, blooming wonder. Fiona is confused, and a letter explaining all sent by her Uncle Ian never arrived, so she's clueless about the magical garden. What's in that letter?

Aside from a few editing boo-boos, this was an entertaining read over the weekend. I will definitely read the second in the series, Death and Daisies. 

I can't wait to see what else unfolds for Fiona at Duncreigan. I've found a delightful series that will keep me exploring cozy mysteries all year long. 

Rating:  4/6 for a fun cozy that was a quick read. The setting, the potential romance between Fiona and  Chief Inspector Neil Craig, and the characters who populate the village of Bellewick all make this a series I'll continue to enjoy. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio.

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Flowers and Foul Play: A Magic Garden Mystery by Amanda Flower

The Winters by Lisa Gabriele

This novel fits into my Halloween reads perfectly: it involves mind tricks, ghosts, and a complicated family dynamic that leads the heroine down a dark path.

The Winters is a thriller that starts off quietly enough: you get foreshadowing from the opening pages; you know something has gone terribly wrong. But then you're introduced to our heroine, who remains nameless throughout the novel. At first I thought I had just missed her name, but no, it never comes up. Hmmmm....

Meeting on the Cayman Islands where she works a drudge of a job for a horrible boss, Mrs. Winters-to-be meets Senator Max Winter, and they quickly fall in love. She's not at all what his first wife, Rebekah, was, and she becomes obsessed with Rebekah. Tall, blonde, beautiful, classy; killed in a car accident on the grounds of Asherley estate, Max's family Long Island mansion. There's Dani, Max's teenage stepdaughter, who is still grieving the death of her mother, and is a handful. She's angry, bitter, and does not like Max's new fiancee. Dani goes to a lot of trouble to make the future Mrs. Winters miserable. 

As our heroine struggles to fit in at Asherley, you sense something just isn't right, and maybe Max isn't the perfect, debonair man she first met. But what is it?! Do we believe Dani, or Max? 

Oh--the last pages are a real kicker. It's like being in a boat, gently riding the waves, and then BAM! Here comes a big one, and it rocks the boat violently. You  feel for Mrs. Winters, because she really is trying to grapple with a new life, a new husband, and the ghost of Rebekah. Will she figure things out in time to save herself? 

This was a great thriller and a big thank you to Viking for sending me an an advanced copy. It takes the domestic thriller and turns it up a notch. It has a modern gothic feel to it that I appreciated and it almost lent a timelessness to it, even though it is firmly set in contemporary Long Island. For those who enjoy thrillers, pick this one up! 

Rating: 4/6 for a novel that leads you down the path, and you know something is wrong...but wow it all happens quickly and you read with baited breath. A very good thriller!

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Winters by Lisa Gabriele