It’s been a quiet week here. If I hadn’t been reading a historical mystery, I would have had a review yesterday. But, it’s not easy reading, so I haven’t even finished. Because it’s been quiet (no complaints!), I don’t have anything to talk about, weather or happenings. You can tell us what’s been happening in your life, and I’ll dive right into books.
I’m reading that debut historical mystery, The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury. It’s set in Oxford at the University during the Cold War, In 1951, England is still dealing with the aftereffects of World War II. Sidney Braithwaite is at university thanks to the ex-serviceman bill. The son of a coal miner, he wouldn’t have been able to go there otherwise. The Honorable Ginerva Bishop is studying German, after concentrating on Romance languages in finishing school. Her mother left her the money to go to Oxford.
An MI5 agent recruits the two students following the death of an agent who was tracking a Russian spy at the university. Ginerva is eager for the experience and the money. Braithwaite has to be pushed. He worked as an asset during the war, and he still has nightmares about his experience. The son of a coal miner and daughter of an aristocrat don’t get along together at all. But, they do have a mutual goal – to find a traitor.
This is an excellent debut that combines espionage and academia with two intelligent characters. I’m enjoying this trip into the past.
What about you? What are you doing this week? What are you reading?
Oh, and a note. I’ll be on the road next Thursday, returning from Evansville where I’m going to visit friends. I’ll catch up before I leave, and after I get home, but it’s a six or seven hour trip, so I won’t be around for much of the day. Enjoy talking books! I’ll catch up when I get home.
I hope you enjoy your trip Lesa. We had a last bit of heat here with a high of 90 yesterday, but the leaves are already changing. I’m headed off this weekend to see some fall colors in the higher elevations of the eastern Sierra. The aspens and cottonwoods turn brilliant yellows and golds.
For reading, I’ve finished two books, and both were well worth the time.
A PAIR OF ACES is a fascinating glimpse into 1935-1936 New York City, written by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray. The story follows an unlikely secret partnership between two trailblazing women, Eunice Carter – Manhattan’s first Black female assistant DA and Polly Adler, NYC’s most notorious high-society madam. On opposite sides of the law, they team up to take down the notorious mob kingpin Charles “Lucky” Luciano.
And the second book I’ve read this year with echoes of The Brothers Karamazov. Set against the chaos of modern Naples, CHILDREN OF THE SAVAGE CITY is a gritty, addictive crime novel. Shaken by betrayal in her last high-profile case, Nikki Serafino has retreated from the relentless vigilance that once defined her work as liaison between Italian police and the US military. Withdrawn and mistrustful, she works her shifts, cares for her aging family and avoids entanglement. But this case threatens her self-imposed invisibility—drawing her into a web of lies and resurfacing old wounds and buried loyalties.
The second book in the Nikki Serafino series, following her debut novel, May the Wolf Die.
A Pair of Aces goes on my wish list MM. Sounds fascinating!
Good morning, MM. Oh, your trip to the eastern Sierras sounds as if it will be gorgeous. Safe travels, and enjoy the changing leaves.
You’re much more aware than I am. I could have read Children of the Savage City, and never known about the echoes. The only reason I understood that Craig Johnson’s latest book was inspired by The Brothers Karamazov is because he said it.
No credit to me Lesa! I haven’t read much Russian literature.
Elizabeth Heider name-checked The Brothers Karamazov (in the original Russian) multiple times as a minor plot point.
That’s funny, MM.
This seems to have been a busy week over here filled with various appointments, errands, and the like. Although we did go to our son and daughter-in-law’s on the weekend for dinner and a hotly contested game of canasta, which David and I won by a tiny margin. Little Evelyn was at a friend’s house for dinner, and when she came back three hours later she said hi, enquired who was winning, then sat on the couch reading her book, the brand new #10 in The Warriors series by Erin Hunter (adventures, fierce warrior cats, and a fantasy world). She read the first nine books in graphic novel form but #10 is only available as a regular novel right now and she was so keen to find out what happens next that she decided she’d like to read the novel. She was about ⅓ through the book the day we visited.
Books this week:
THE PARIS MYSTERY by Kirsty Manning
This mystery was published four years ago (did I hear about at Lesa’s?) but it was new to me.
Set in 1938 Paris, Charlie James, an Australian journalist in the process of getting divorced from her lying cheating husband, and wanting to get as far away from him and Australia as she can, applies for a position at The Times – a London-based newspaper with an office in Paris. The boss is taken aback to discover that Charlie is not the man he was expecting, and is in fact a woman. Still, he will give her a chance to prove herself.
Key for a journalist new to Paris is to cultivate connections to members of high society. Charlie’s first assignment is to get in the good books of Lord and Lady Ashford, who know everyone in Paris worth knowing. She is to write two articles; one being a profile of Lady Ashford, and the other one a report on the Ashford’s annual Circus Ball, one of the most anticipated events of the year in Paris.
Charlie gets off to a good start by being invited to attend the ball, but just as she’s beginning to get to know who some of the illustrious guests are, someone is found brutally murdered on the grounds of the villa. And just like that Charlie has a chance to submit a first-hand account of this breaking news and prove to her boss that she has what it takes. She handles it all with aplomb as she skilfully gathers information and confidences from the people she interviews. The victim was not well-liked and from all accounts was not a good person, so there are several suspects. She receives assistance from her new friend Violet and unusual for a journalist, Charlie manages to get local police Inspector Bernard to talk with her.
I enjoyed this book. The writing style elevated it from just a cozy to something more, the characters were believable, and the descriptions of the interior of the villa and of clothing, especially the beautiful gowns all added to the story. Normally descriptions with a lot of specific details of clothes and colours put me off, but I thought in this book they were perfect and created opportunities for me to feel I was part of the scenes I was picturing. Am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD BEACH AND BOOK CLUB by Martha Hall Kelly
This historical fiction book is based on real events in Martha’s Vineyard during WWII. Told in dual timelines of 2016 and the 1940s, (although 95% of it takes place in the 1940s) the book begins in California in 2016, when Mari Starwood is going through the possessions of her mother who died recently, when she comes across a name she doesn’t recognize – Elizabeth Devereaux. Elizabeth turns out to be a painter living in Martha’s Vineyard, and Mari decides to go there for a day, meet Elizabeth and find out why her mother had Elizabeth’s name amongst her things.
The planned one-day visit turns into several days as Elizabeth begins to tell Mari the story of two sisters and a brother during WWII – Cadence, Briar, and Tom – who lived on the very farm where Elizabeth now lives. I became completely engrossed in their story, and that of several others – Tom’s girlfriend Bess, The Englishman Major Gilbert, the wealthy Winnie Winthrop who is part of the publishing world, suspicion of a traitor in their midst, and more.
Most chapters ended on a cliffhanger which was not resolved in the next chapter. The author thereby cleverly ensured that I was thoroughly invested and had to read on immediately.
Interestingly, considering ‘Book Club’ is part of the title, the book club the sisters started wasn’t a big part of the book, and yet books themselves played quite a large part.
I liked that this story was a bit of a different take on WWII fiction as it’s set in a quiet place in the United States rather than in some faraway place in the thick of the action. This made me see how war affected so much of peoples’ day-to-day lives from a perspective I hadn’t come across before. I also learned things I hadn’t known about before, such as the ASE project (Armed Services Editions) which were books published and produced specifically to be small and lightweight so soldiers would be able to carry them in their packs. Over 1.2 million of these books were produced.
With the mystery and danger of a possible spy, and descriptions of army training maneuvers, some romance, the two sisters to root for, instances of unexpected kindness, and the fact that the author has a personal connection to Martha’s Vineyard – this was a light-ish story considering the theme, but still very affecting. I learned things thanks to the author’s meticulous research, I cared about most of the characters, I wished ill on all those I disliked, and very much enjoyed reading about the part Martha’s Vineyard played in WWII.
Good morning, Lindy. I love it that Evelyn was so invested in Erin Hunter’s series that she couldn’t wait for the graphic novel. It’s what we said last week about being absorbed in a book when you’re younger. Good for her!
Yes, you probably did originally hear about The Paris Mystery here. I know I read and reviewed it. As you said about the Martha’s Vineyard novel, it added details about Australia that I hadn’t really known. I liked that aspect of the book.
My youngest granddaughter was enthralled with the Warriors books when she was in grade school and read them all. We took her to a book signing by Erin Hunter which was at tended by every young girl East of the Mississippi. Although the books were signed by Erin Hunter, a number of them were written under her supervision by three additional writers; the Erin Hunter signing that day was the real one. My granddaughter, also named Erin, was thrilled when the author took a few minutes to talk with during the signing (complimenting her on her first name, of course). My Erin was always (and remains) a great reader, but I think her path toward reading was solidified by the attention, respect, and grace shown by the author that day. I hope every child gets to meet their favorite author and have a similar positive experience.
I hadn’t thought of that before Jerry, about the good an author can do at something like a signing. It could make a lasting impression on the right child at the right age. How old was your Erin at the time?
Not quite the same scenario, but when our children were young I worked part time at a small book store and Lynn Johnston, the creator of the comic strip ‘For Better or for Worse’ came in to do a book signing, and all three of our children remember the experience to this day.
I love that, Jerry. I saw the exact opposite once when we hosted an all-day reading festival, and a very well-known children’s author answered a young man who asked “Why do you write”, and he said, “For money”. Parents complained.
On the other hand, I heard R.L. Stine speak once, and no one was more respectful to the young people who asked questions. Others could learn from him and Erin Hunter. Yes, that’s the way to build fans, and readers.
Lindy, I do know about the Armed Services Editions, printed by the millions and given free to soldiers in WWII. When I used to sell old mysteries, I would occasionally come upon one. In fact, there is a fascinating book about them – who had the original idea, how the books were chosen, etc. – that I would highly recommend. It is WHEN BOOKS WENT TO WAR: THE STORIES THAT HELPED US WIN WORLD WAR II by Mollie Guptill Manning. It was published in 2014.
As Lesa would probably guess, it was librarians who had the idea.
Yes, I read that book, When Books Went to War. Good for the librarians!
I would love to be able to see one of those books Jeff! To think I knew nothing about it before reading the Martha’s Vineyard novel. Thanks for telling me about ‘When Books Went to War’. I’ll see if I can find a copy.
The Paris Mystery does sound intriguing Lindy. I missed it the first time around. I also missed when Lesa listed the second book in her August “closet”. Thanks
We got some cooler weather and rain from the remnants of a tropical storm here in So Cal this weekend. But the heat is back and with it some humidity. Not a fan. And it’s not truly humid, either.
Reading wise, I’m half way through OLD HABITS DIE HARD by Melissa Westemeier. It’s the first in a series where a retired nun teams up with a former student who is now a detective to figure out what happened to one of the residents in the senior living center where the nun now lives. Oh, and that center? It used to be the school where the two met. It’s going a little slower than I was hoping for, but I am enjoying it, at least so far.
I hope you made it through the quarterly reports, Mark. As a non-numbers person, that quarterly ending always sounds horrendous to me.
I know you much prefer the heat whereas other people are looking forward to the cooler weather of fall.
I am not a fan of slow-moving books.
Lesa, I hope you enjoy your trip. I’ll be away next Thursday too. We’re spending a few days out near Kennett Square in PA.
I read an ARC of MURDER ON THIN ICE by Laurie Cass, the latest in her bookmobile series. Minnie finds another dead body while she’s out doing her rounds with the bookmobile. The police decide the death was an accident and of course Minnie doesn’t agree. I enjoyed the book even though her encounter with the killer was really over the top.
I’m currently reading UNBEARABLE by A. Lee Martinez. A petty crook who crossed his mob boss is digging his own grave when he digs up a magic sword. Not just any magic sword: the sword that keeps away the apocalypse.
What’s in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Sandy? I’m going to Evansville to visit friends. Are there attractions in Kennett Square, friends, family, or just relaxation? Just curious since you weren’t be here next Thursday to tell us. Of course, you can tell us the following week.
Well Unbearable sounds interesting.
Longwood gardens is there it’s one of the DuPont estates. Also the Brandywine River Museum which has a lot of Wyeth paintings, and if we feel like it there are a couple of DuPont properties right across the border in Maryland: Winterthur, Nemours, and Hagley. There’s also an Iron and Steel Museum that Roger wants to visit on the way home.
Oh, nice, Sandy! Sounds like a fun trip.
One of my favorite areas!
The book that you are reading sounds really good, Lesa! Will look forward to the review. We had beautiful Labor Day Weekend weather. I got in a few bike rides and read books on the deck. Was invited for a cook-out on Monday, so I didn’t even have to cook. It was a perfect weekend.
On to the books that I’ve read:
-Malice (Alex Delaware #42) by Jonathan Kellerman (Feb, 2027): A NetGalley ARC – Alex and Detective Milo Sturgis pair up once again to solve the case of a serial murderer. Bodies are being left in out-of-the-way places after being shot and knifed. The victim’s are all nice, non-threatening individuals who were on the verge of turning their lives around. Figuring out how the connection between these disparate individuals will help solve whodunnit. Alex speculates that the murderer kills those who have dreams of getting ahead. But how did the murderer know these individuals? A real page turner. Bring on the next installment!
-Bitterfrost by Bryan Gruley: Definitely one of my favorite books of the year! I listened to the audio version of the book. At first I didn’t think that I would like it. I wasn’t sure if I liked narrator’s voice, and although my husband always has hockey on, it’s not a sport that I am that into. Boy was I ever glad that I stuck with it. I live in Northern MI, so that was a bonus, hearing so many references throughout the book to places and customs that I am familiar with. A local Zamboni drive, with past rage issues that left a hockey player crippled, is brought up on murder charges, supposedly killing two cocky young men he had gotten into a verbal altercation with at the bar. Jimmy can’t remember anything about that night other than leaving the bar and then waking up hours later on the floor in his house with blood on his clothing and a bruised face. Thankfully for him, local lawyer Devny Payne thinks that Jimmy is innocent and leaves no stone unturned as she tries to find the truth behind the killings. Suspenseful, witty, a real page turner. I lost many nights of sleep because I couldn’t quit listening to find out whodunnit.
Have a great week, everyone!
It is a good book, Mary. I have 100 pages left, with no idea who the spy is. Very good.
I’ll pass on your comments to Bryan Gruley. He’ll be pleased to hear that. I hosted him years and years ago when I was in Arizona and he was still writing his first series.
I hope you have another nice weekend ahead.
Mary M, thanks for your review of Bitterfrost. I somehow have it in a Word document that I got for free a while back. It’s a weird way to read a book so I haven’t done it, although I have enjoyed Gruley’s older books. I’ll give it another try!
I agree, Margie. I’m not fond of reading books as Word documents.
First, Bitterfrost is great, as is the sequel. ‘
Second, if you have a Kindle, you can send the word document to your kindle address and put CONVERT in the subject line. That will fix it into the epub deal that kindle uses and make it easier to read.
This also works for PDFs.
Hope that helps.
Good morning, all.
Reading, then. Jackie (who is definitely nervous about her second knee replacement surgery next Tuesday, 13 years after her first knee was done) is reading and very much enjoying (more than I ‘d have guessed) Elizabeth Yarros’s second Empyrean/dragon riders book, IRON FLAME, even though it’s over 800 pages long!
I finished THE TAILOR,the latest Sgt. George Cross book by Tim Sullivan. I liked it, as I have all the others, but I disagree with Lesa about this being the best of the series.
GOLDEN AGE SUSPENSE STORIES (edited by Otto Penzler) is self-explanatory, with “suspense” rather than mystery making the emphasis clear. The last story I read, and my favorite, was a reread for me, the wonderfully atmospheric Depression-era “Dime a Dance” by Cornell Woolrich. It’s told from the perspective of one of the dancers.
I wanted to read Caitlin Mullen’s HEATHER after reading the rave reviews. I mean Sarah Weinman in the NYT said, “I’ve found my favorite crime novel of the year so far, one I’m already recommending to people who love Tana French and Liz Moore…I read HEATHER in a single sitting.”
I only wish I could agree.
A couple of years ago, Liz Moore ‘s THE GOD OF THE WOODS was one of my favorite books. This is no GOD OF THE WOODS.
Rather, I agree with the Amazon reviewer who said, “Too many time characters, too many time shifts, too much complicated plot. Could have been 100 pages shorter.”
Mullen is a very good writer. Her first book won the Edgar Award. This is set in a fascinating area to me, the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Yet, too often I found myself slogging through stuff I’d have cut.
And I spent the entire book saying, why HEATHER? Who was Heather? You don’t find out until literally the last page of the book.
So for me, good but not great.
I hate when I feel I wasted several days on a book I just didn’t like that much.
And, it’s hard to give up, isn’t it, Jeff, when you’ve read Sarah Weinman’s review? Somehow it must get better. Unfortunately, it sounds as if it didn’t. Sorry about that.
I’ll keep Jackie in my thoughts. She already knows what she went through thirteen years attgo. I’m sure that doesn’t make this any better. Tell her I’m thinking of her.
I am glad Jackie found a series to take her mind off her surgery. Give her a hug for me.
Happily, things seem to be much better than they were 13 years ago. Then, they kept her in the hospital for a week, followed by two weeks in an awful rehab place that didn’t help her much ( and gave her opioids!).
This time she is going home the day of the surgery.
Sure hope Jackie’s surgery goes well, Jeff. Will be thinking of you both.
Jeff, I hope all goes well for Jackie. My husband had his knee replaced a year ago in October. We ended up buying the ice machine the surgeon recommended. that helped so much with his recovery.
Thanks for this, Jeff! I liked the writing and how well drawn the characters were but the part in the past with the sisters made me some uncomfortable I just stopped. I know I am a day late and that you might not see this!
We are still having 100 degree weather. I am reading a Dog in Georgia, by Lauren Grodstein. It is about a woman, Amy, whose life is stuck. Her husband has numerous affairs. She lives in New York, and was a talented chef in her husband’s restaurant but gradually gave that up to raise her step son. Now he is off to college and she feels lost. She still loves her husband, she thinks but now has no purpose in her life.
She started to watch You-Tube videos of a fluffy white dog in Georgia (the country, not the state). The dog is named Angel, and takes the children to school and back everyday. The whole town loves her but one day she disappears.
Amy decides to go to Georgia to hunt for Angel. It is a life changing experience. I love reading about the culture, the food and their language. Seeing the protests in the streets changes her from being politically apathetic, to want to change the things. I am still reading to see what other changes will happen. Georgia briefly was free but now the leaders are all Russian puppets. She loves dogs and cats and all animals, she had rescued many in her life before. Will she find Angel?
That’s a fascinating premise, Carol. A Dog in Georgia sounds like an interesting book.
I see I forgot to include current reading. Of course, I have several short story collections on hand. First is ALL THE CRIME IN THE WORLD, a Crippen and Landru collection edited by Gigi Pandian and Tom Mead, subtitled “Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Puzzles From Across the Globe.” I know half the authors – S. A. Cosby, Martin Edwards, Solaris Gentill, Paul Halter, Vaseem Khan, Josh Pachter and the editors.
As someone who reads obituaries, I could not skip Sam Roberts’s ARE THRY DEAD YET?: The Art of the Obit. Roberts writes obituaries for the New York Times.
I have several mysteries but haven’t decided which to read first.
Your reading list did look a little short, Jeff. I just thought you were busy.
I did start THE MIDNIGHT TAXI by Yosha Gunasekera. The protagonist is Siriwathi Perera, a Sri Lankan American New York City taxi driver. The author is a lawyer with The Innocence Project and former public defender.
Good morning! Last Thursday, after I posted here, I heard from my daughter-in-law that her mother, who has suffered greatly from COPD, had gotten the call that morning that she would have a double lung transplant that night beginning at 9:30 at Stanford Hospital. It turned out that the surgery was a bit shorter than expected, ending at 4:30 a.m. on Friday. Fortunately, Melany and her three sisters were all able to be there throughout the night, along with their father. Doctors said the surgery was successful, with the donated lungs being the right size and inflating instantly. But what a long road she has ahead! Janis was breathing on her own by Friday afternoon and was in the ICU for a few days. I believe she will be transferred to a regular floor today if she passes the “swallowing test.” She’ll be there for two weeks, then has to rent (with her husband) a place to live for the next two months so she can be close enough to Stanford for daily checkups (they live 3 hours away). Wow, I had no idea! The daughters and Janis’s two sisters plan to alternate weekends with her so Dave can go home on the weekends. Dave’s upcoming birthday party on a boat in Sacramento will be postponed, but the family fantasy football draft was held on Saturday as planned.
I was sorry I didn’t sign up to see Come from Away (for the third time) this coming Saturday because after attending my first show (Hairspray) recently at the Sacramento Music Circus (in the round), I knew it would the perfect venue for that show. I was hoping someone would drop out, as often happens, and it did yesterday. So I’m excited about going, especially with the 25th anniversary of the event that inspired it. I was about to watch the filmed version on Apple TV again, but I just watched the opening number last night. In the meantime, I signed up with the Drama Queens for The Outsiders in January.
Here’s what I read this week:
Now this is a Christmas book I can really get behind! In Sarah Morgan’s THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER, the people in two cars that collide with a stone wall in a Vermont white-out blizzard, and the owner of the”fairy tale” house surrounded by the wall, will experience just that, a Christmas beyond their expectations. Brooke and Matt, a couple with two young daughters, have flown in from London to celebrate Christmas with Brooke’s demanding parents. In the other car, coworkers at a real estate company–Izzy, who stages houses for sale , and Jason, who photographs them, were headed out after finishing a job that ran overtime. Jason wants to go home to celebrate with his sister and niece, while Izzy is resigned to her usual solitary holiday in the absence of any family members who care about her. Mabel, the homeowner, hasn’t put up decorations since the death of her husband years ago, but she can’t turn away travelers in need, especially as the storm shows no signs of stopping and no one has a phone signal. The joy of the story starts when these seven strangers work together to figure out the logistics–where each will sleep, what they will eat, and how they will while away the hours until there is some respite. Christmas is only a few days away–will they really have to spend it together? The two men–Matt and Jason–are good guys who adapt quickly and treat everyone well. All three women, by contrast, have issues that need to be addressed. Brooke has never been able to tell her parents she is not planning to relocate back to New England and finds time spent with them unbearably stressful. Izzy and Jason had a one-night affair last summer and Jason would like to pursue a relationship, but Izzy is convinced she is incapable of having a successful romantic relationship, And Mabel has become a recluse after abandoning her career as a successful writer of children’s fiction and has lost touch with an important family member as a result of her own misguided actions. Watching the characters form bonds to help each other achieve what they need and to give the delightful children the Christmas they deserve is an uplifting, emotional experience. The spectacular house itself is a wonderful character, and the special relationship between Mabel and 8-year-old Elsie is inspiring. I loved it! (October)
Many times in romance novels, miscommunication is part of the plot–the reason that romantic relationships are either destroyed before they start or ruined in progress, leading this reader to want to pull out my hair or yell at one or more of the characters because all that agony could have been avoided. But, of course, then there might not be much of a plot. In DINA GETS LUCKY by Uzma Jalaluddin, miscommunication is the overarching plot device, preventing attorney Dina from finding happiness with Lucky (Luqman), her law school crush, leading to her marriage to fellow law student Arshad and ultimately their divorce. Now she is about to attend her younger sister’s extravagant South Asian wedding week in Toronto, and she is worried that Lucky might attend, as he is a friend of the groom. Naturally, it turns out that he is indeed the best man. Neither one knows why the other didn’t care enough to try for a lasting relationship. and Dina doesn’t understand why Lucky had moved from Toronto to Chicago without letting her know. Neither realized that Arshad might have had a hand in it, nor did they question him about it. To further aggravate the situation, Dina decided to wait until after the wedding to tell her family that she and her loathsome husband had divorced months ago. Arshad had agreed but promised there would be a payback. It was fun reading about the over-the-top wedding, but I had a difficult time connecting with Dina, her super-influencer sister Hania, and their wealthy parents. Lucky is sweet but not decisive enough. Arshad knows how to present a charming front but has absolutely no redeeming qualities. And Dina and Lucky shy away from asking the questions that would have been enlightening to both. I would have enjoyed a bit more nuance to be able to root for the protagonists without reservation. On the positive side, it was a quick read that had a pleasing ending and brief epilogue.
Catriona McPherson’s THE EDINBURGH MURDERS is a follow-on to A Place of Fear, which I enjoyed very much a few years ago. In 1948. protagonist Helen works for a pair of doctors as a welfare officer for the new National Health Service in Scotland. The first book was focused on Helen’s responsibilities to provide information and support to a relatively poor and disbelieving community, and the mystery took a back seat. However, in this book, it’s the mystery that dominates the story. It starts with a man who is boiled alive in a cubicle at the public baths, where Helen is helping a rather large woman take a bath in close quarters. And the grisly murders keep coming–a man stuffed to death with food in a restaurant bathroom, another found embedded the ice at an ice skating rink, and a fourth strangled. None of the men appears impoverished, and all are wearing or had clothes nearby that didn’t belong to them. Helen asks her best friend, Carolyn, to accompany her as she looks for clues related to the identities of the four men and those who had contact with them around the time of the murders. The big question is: WHY? As they gather clues, an extremist church, an orphanage, and a streetwalker provide some context. In her personal life, Helen has an unconventional marriage with a WWII veteran and an apparently requited crush on the morgue worker she knows from the events of the previous book. This is a decidedly creepy, book, full of local vernacular from this Scottish author. Fortunately, she has placed the multi-page glossary at the beginning of the book this time, although I didn’t really use it (not so convenient in an ebook). The historical aspect of both books is interesting and revealing, and the mystery is fascinating. At the end, we do find out who and why, but the book concludes with the reader not knowing what will be done about it, which I found frustrating. Happily, McPherson’s excellent storytelling skills are well in evidence, and I hope any future series books will have a more equal combination of Helen’s work and her sleuthing.
Margie, I’m so glad you’re going to see Come. from Away in the round. That should be a great way to see it. Sounds as if it should work well.
I love the sound of The Best Christmas Ever. But, why are the men so nice, and the women always have issues?
I had no intention of reading THE ACADEMY. it just didn’t sound like my cup of tea. i was wrong. i read it and i loved it.
Description from Amazon –
From #1 bestselling author of The Perfect Couple, Elin Hilderbrand, and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, deliver the irresistible, deliciously scandalous story of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school.
It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news arrives: America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. It’s a seventeen-spot jump—was there a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place, and let’s just say Tiffin students are known for being more social than academic. On the other hand, the campus is exquisite, class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by an acclaimed New York chef. And they do have fun—lots of parties and school dances, and a piano man plays in the student lounge every Monday night.
But just as the rarefied air of Tiffin is suffused with self-congratulation, the wheels begin to turn—and then they fall off the bus. One by one, scandalous blind items begin to appear on phones across Tiffin’s campus, thanks to a new app called ZipZap, and nobody is safe. From Davi Banerjee, international influencer and resident queen bee, to Simone Bergeron, the new and surprisingly young history teacher, to Charley Hicks, a transfer student who seems determined not to fit in, to Cordelia Spooner, Admissions Director with a somewhat idiosyncratic methodology—everyone has something to hide.
As if high school wasn’t dramatic enough … As the year unfolds, bonds are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of Tiffin’s students and staff are changed forever. The Academy is Elin Hilderbrand’s fresh, buzzy take on boarding school life, and a thrilling new direction from one of America’s most satisfying and popular storytellers.
You’re right, Kaye. The Academy doesn’t sound like you at all. I’m surprised you even started it, let alone liked it!
I read three books this week.
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel is the story is about one of the most prolific art thieves of all time and his reasoning behind the thefts is not what you would expect. Stephane Breitwieser did not steal artwork for profit. He stole them to enjoy and view in his closed off attic where he lived in France. He wanted to own and possess beautiful things, and he did so for a long time, with up to 300 artistic treasures before he was caught. This was fascinating.
My second book was The Secret of the Orange Blossom Cake by Rachel Linden. Lesa reviewed this one on the blog a while ago. I enjoyed the story of Jules Costa who hosts a vintage cooking show in Seattle. Her partner on the show leaves for greener pastures and her income dwindles. She is offered a lifeline to go to Italy with her half-sister to help her grandmother on the family olive farm. There she reunites with her first love Nicolo. To be honest, I found the story itself rather predictable but the descriptions of the food she makes for her new cookbook were delicious.
My last book was my favorite. The Unforgettable Mailman by April Howells is based on real life events. In 1966, the Chicago post office was backlogged with millions of undelivered letters. Eighty-one-year-old Henry Walton can’t sit by and let that happen. So, he takes it upon himself to break into the post office and still bags of mail to deliver himself. Despite having the onset of dementia and a crippled leg from a WWI injury, he sets about to deliver 283 pieces of mail from Chicago to Kansas and all the way up to Canada. The people he meets along the way as well as the contents of some of the letters he delivered warmed my heart. In the author’s notes, she said Henry was based on her husband’s grandfather which was an interesting story in itself. I loved this.
Safe travels to Evanston, Lesa. We leave to the Chicago area tomorrow to see Come from Away and to visit our daughter.
Happy Reading!
Sharon, That surprises me that The Unforgettable Mailman is based on a real person. It sounds so unlikely, but interesting.
Enjoy your Chicago trip. I think it’s great that a number of us are seeing Come From Away again.
Labor Day weekend was rainy and cold here. No yardwork got done. Instead, I read three books.
Death on the Royal Yacht – S.J. Bennett
As the Queen is sailing the West Indies Islands to meet with her constituents, Joan, her assistant personal secretary (ASP) is involved in a murder. Normally, Joan is helping the Queen solve murders but this time, she is accused of being the murderer. The Queen had recently hired a diary secretary – Pamela, who Joan is suspicious of. After the stop in Tobago, Pamela is found dead by Joan in her stateroom. While the initial cause of death is an overdose, the question remains who gave Pamela the pills. In addition to proving her innocence, Joan is wrestling with the fact that her boyfriend has accepted a job in Washington D.C. and wants Joan to leave a job she loves to marry him and join her in Washington D.C.
In this book which is the 6th one, the Queen takes a bigger role in solving the murder than she has in the previous books. She’s adjusting to a staff who is rather incompetent but that she has faith in. I’m sad to see that Joan will no longer be the Queen’s right hand person but anxious to see who she chooses next. Courtesy of NetGalley
Munich Affair – James Patterson and Dave Ellis
I’m normally a fast reader but I found the Munich Affair, to be a book that had to be read in small doses. Labeled as a thriller, it had so many indirect or direct references to today’s political climate that it was a little frightening.
Thomas Bauer is a policeman in Munich and when Hitler’s niece supposedly commits suicide, he is called to verify it. Only problem is there’s no way, she could have committed suicide. The angle of the gunshot wound is all wrong. When he describes it to his boss, he is told to sign it off anyway. This is before Hitler has taken power and made life miserable. Eventually, Thomas’ boss is found to be part of Hitler’s movement and Thomas is demoted to patrol cop to shut him up.
As Hitler ascends to power, he becomes more erratic in his orders and decisions. Thomas’ wife and children are Jewish, and he knows he needs to protect them for what’s coming. He tries to convince his father-in-law to leave the country but until the father-in-law is attacked, he’s convinced that nothing will happen to him. At that point, they flee to Austria. Once there, Thomas tells his wife that he has to go back and stop Hitler. From there, Thomas and his partner, Erich try to stop Hitler numerous times.
There are two storylines in the book. The first is Thomas’ story and what transpired and the other is a professor of history who receives a call about an artifact related to the niece’s death. The more significant part of the story is Thomas. I won this book through Bookreporter.
Double Dicey by Deborah Archer
This is the last book in the Bellissimo Casino mysteries. I love this series. Davis works for the casino’s security department. In many ways, Davis is like Stephanie Plum. The messes she gets herself into are so funny. I hope the author continues to write them. It didn’t sound like this was the end but you never know.
Well, a rainy weekend does have its benefits, Bev. I’m looking forward to reading Death on the Royal Yacht, for the descriptions, the mystery, and the Queen. So many reasons! Thank you for mentioning the book.
Enjoy your next books!
Hello from the Chicago airport, where I’m waiting for a flight to Minneapolis to see my cousin Bob and his wife for the first time in at least 15 years. I started this morning in Bern at 4:45am, bus to the train station, train to Zürich airport, long plane flight to Chicago, and now a layover. I’ll be here in the US visiting family and friends for a month, and I’m typing on my phone with my finger, so you won’t here much from me until mid-October.
Two books to report on, CITY OF VENGEANCE, the first in a mystery series about Renaissance Florence by DV Bishop, which was good enough that I’ll definitely read the second one. I also listened to THE CALAMITY CLUB, byKathleen Stockett, who wrote THE HELP. Well written and narrated, very likable characters, and lots happening. I liked it–but it is too long and gets repetitive. If only a good editor had cut it! Still, I’m glad I read it.
Welcome back, Kim. Of course, we’ll miss you, but I suspect you might at least find time to read here on Thursdays, even if you won’t be writing to us for a month or so. Enjoy your time with family and friends, and whatever reading you find time for. We’ll miss your reviews. You’ll have to save them up for a Thursday after you get back. You’ll also have to tell us what you did while you’re here.
We had a very cool Labor Day Weekend, but now the temps are 105! Talk about a shock to the system.
I watched this movie called Lobster Cop. It was a big hit in China, but to this American, it wasn’t that great. The movie switches gears about every 15 minutes, a character disappears, and subplots don’t get tied up. There were some entertaining parts, but a lot of the entertainment value went right by me, I gues..
This week I read:
The Longest Walk by Kirk Marty; A baseball fan is offered a deal from death: Make up a baseball team of any dead stars you choose, and beat my team, and a kid with cancer lives. I found myself in paralysis by analysis just thinking about it.
Choke Point by Brad Thor: China is building up near Taiwan. Everyone thinks they’re going to invade, but Scot Harvath finds out differently, and depopulates a large part of Thailand stopping them. Thor is mostly back in the groove.
Malevolent Intent by RS Hampton; A soldier comes back from duty 3 days early to surprise his wife. How he thought that was a good idea, I don’t know. His wife and daughter are missing. The police are more interested in putting the soldier in jail and covering up than anything else, so a lawyer has to investigate.
The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda; Years ago, a party thrown by the most influential family in a small town endied when 17 people died from poisoning. Someone wrote a book about it, and now comes the inevitable podcast. The most disappointing Japanese mystery I’ve read in a long time.
Colossus by Michael Hiltzik; A history of the Hoover Dam. Almost from the start it veers into other topics the author really wants to talk about, but there are some facts.
Global Empire by Martin McHugh; A history of how The British assembled an empire. Interesting, but too many sidebar really interrupt the flow of the book.
A Pictorial Encyclopedia of Railways by C Ellis; A really great resource for the train lover.
Hotel Lucky Seven by Kitaro Ishigo; Third in the Assassins series. Ladybug, the unluckiest (or is he?) operative, is given a simple assignment: Deliver a painting to a room. It goes sideways immediately, and there turns out to be thirteen assassin in the hotel, trying to kill various people and each other. Funny, strangely endearing, and exciting, but there’s so much going on, it takes longer to read than you’d think.
Talk about whiplash, Glen. From cold to 105, wow!
There will be a good number of people happy that Brad Thor is back. It doesn’t sound as if most of your other books were up to snuff, though.
Well, 4 out of 5 ain’t bad. I’ve really enjoyed all the Ishigo books I’ve read.
Well, that is good, Glen. I misinterpreted.
Last week I really enjoyed WHEN YOU LOVED ME by Beatriz Williams. It has a story within a story that stops with a cliff hanger most chapters and a complicated contemporary plot with lots of twists and turns that I thought were well done. Now I am reading A THOUSAND PAINTED HOURS by Barbara O’Neal. It is very different from her usual books and so far I like it a lot.
Jeff – my second knee replacement surgery is scheduled for the end of the month. Seven months since the first. I am hoping for an easier recovery this time.
Good luck with your knee surgery, Cindy. Two good books in the week. That’s a good reading week.