Allan Gaw’s novel, The Silent House of Sleep, won the 2024 Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, and deservedly so. The historical mystery introduces Dr. Jack Cuthbert in a story that beautifully entwines Cuthbert’s years in medical school in Edinburgh, his time serving in World War I, and a case in post-war London. Cuthbert is a complicated,… Continue reading The Silent House of Sleep by Allan Gaw
Tag: World War I
A Christmas Witness by Charles Todd
At 212 pages, Charles Todd’s A Christmas Witness is the longest novella I’ve ever read. It’s also tedious, and repetitive. Nothing happens except for a man who swears he sees a ghost and changes his life a la Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Because he’s unmarried and doesn’t have children, Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge is… Continue reading A Christmas Witness by Charles Todd
The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper
How could I go wrong with a novel about dollhouses, miniatures, and a librarian? Elise Hooper’s The Library of Lost Dollhouses has all those elements, along with an artist to root for. Readers who don’t care for alternating timelines will not be happy with that aspect, though. Tildy Barrows is the Head Curator at the… Continue reading The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper
The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear
Jacqueline Winspear, author of the Maisie Dobbs mysteries, takes a break with a riveting standalone involving a young woman during both world wars. The White Lady is a suspenseful novel with some unusual twists at the end that I never saw coming. Elinor DeWitt’s happy childhood in Belgium vanished in 1914 with her father’s disappearance… Continue reading The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear
Die Around Sundown by Mark Pryor
Mark Pryor, author of the Hugo Marston mysteries, kicks off a new series set in occupied Paris with Die Around Sundown. Those of us who are Americans seldom think about the people who lived through or fought in the Great War against the Germans, and then had to face those same Germans occupying their beloved… Continue reading Die Around Sundown by Mark Pryor
The Vineyards of Champagne by Juliet Blackwell
I’ve read most of Juliet Blackwell’s mysteries, and all of her novels. However, The Vineyards of Champagne, a story of grief and love, history and vineyards, is a book with a remarkable, moving voice. Blackwell has dug into her own heart to reveal a painful story of loss and resilience. In 1914, a wealthy Australian… Continue reading The Vineyards of Champagne by Juliet Blackwell
A House of Ghosts by W. C. Ryan
If I was putting together my top ten books of 2019 right now, W. C. Ryan’s A House of Ghosts would be in the top five. The engrossing ghost story/historical mystery is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year. Fans of Charles Todd’s Ian Rutledge mysteries might want to pick up this… Continue reading A House of Ghosts by W. C. Ryan
Secrets of Nanreath Hall by Alix Rickloff
Alix Rickloff has written historical and paranormal romances, but Secrets of Nanreath Hall is her first historical novel. It’s a disturbing, fascinating story of a mother and daughter. But, it’s the daughter’s story, the atmospheric depiction of World War II, that brings the story to life. In alternating chapters, Rickloff tells of Lady Katherine Trenowyth… Continue reading Secrets of Nanreath Hall by Alix Rickloff
In Their Own Words: American Women in World War I ed. by Elizabeth Foxwell
In recent years, there have been a number of books published about women and their roles in World War II. We haven’t seen as much about the women who served, in some capacity or another, during the first world war. Elizabeth Foxwell remedies that situation with her collection of letters and columns, In Their Own Words:… Continue reading In Their Own Words: American Women in World War I ed. by Elizabeth Foxwell