Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too!

#EssentialLifeSkillsforGirls #NetGalley

I highly recommend this title that teaches and empowers girls (though it could be useful to boys, adults…). It is nicely illustrated and packed with information.

This title is divided into sections on matters related to home, school, and being out in the world. Just to give a flavor of the title with a subsection from each area…learn how to do laundry, to have difficult conversations with friends, to understand money matters.

This title would make a great gift and I think the recipient may refer to it often.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Zeitgeist for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 09 April 2024

Anne Perry is a prolific writer of historical mysteries.  Long term fans have gotten to know the Pitts in two series.  They have also spent time with Monk, Hester and Rathbone and have read seasonal mysteries featuring these characters and those around them.  In addition, Ms. Perry wrote a four book series set in the period leading up to WWI.  In her latest entry in her newest series, Ms. Perry writes yet another most excellent story of intrigue, love, betrayal and loyalty; all these in the build up to WWII.  A Question of Betrayal follows last year’s Death in Focus, the start of a new and fresh series by this author.

A Question of Betrayal may be read as a standalone but will be most enjoyed by those who read the first in the series.  Again, readers watch as (a now wiser) Elena works for the intelligence service, sent with her camera and wits to Trieste to rescue an agent and secure vital information.  The man she is to rescue is someone from her past.  No spoiler here…read the book and you will soon find out.  Although, readers feel secure that Elena should emerge safely as the last page is turned, Perry manages to make the book suspenseful.

Elena’s older sister Margot has a greater role to plan in this title as compared to the first.  What she learns will tie in to the case that Elena is working on and also connects to a close friend of their grandfather.  Her trip to a friend’s wedding in Germany as the power balance is shifting is vividly brought to life.

The story is set as the Nazis build up power.  Many want to prevent this and yet is it possible?  Ideals matter to these characters as readers will see.  They turn the pages as they  spend time in Trieste, Berlin and Britain in this wide ranging story.

Following a long and successful career, I admire Ms. Perry for setting out to do something new.  The result is nothing less than splendid.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

AQuestionofBetrayal #NetGalley

pub date:  September 8, 2020

Stephanie Barron has written in several genres. She is the author of the Nantucket based, Merry Folger mysteries which I read and enjoyed. She also wrote the Jane Austen mystery series and novels with JFK and Virginia Woolf as characters. In this book, That Churchill Woman is Jennie Jerome Churchill, the mother most famously of Winston, the wife of Randall and a lover of Charles Kinsky.

The novel moves back and forth in time allowing the reader to understand Jennie’s upbringing in the Gilded Age and her father’s influence on her life. The reader also learns about the traumas of Jennie’s early life, including the profound loss she faced, her father’s affairs, her move to Europe, etc.

Jennie glitters in British society. There are numerous appearances in the book of Bertie, the Prince of Wales and his wife Princess Alix. Other American women who married into the British aristocracy are also characters in the novel.

The reader empathizes with Jennie, especially during a time when a young Winston is quite ill. Further, as Jennie learns the truth about her husband, (I don’t want to include spoilers), one truly feels for her.

I highly recommend this novel for those who like historical fiction, those who are Anglophiles and those interested in the family in which Winston grew up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this absorbing read.

#ThatChurchillWoman #NetGalley

#TheMademoiselleAlliance #NetGalley

I have read many WWII historical novels so was not certain that I wanted to read another one. However, as Natasha Lester is one of my favorite authors, I decided to go ahead and am so very, very glad that I did. I recommend this book most highly.

In this novel readers meet Marie-Madeleine Meric who was a true historic personage. Readers follow her in the 1920s in Morocco and later during WWII when, with bravery, she faced unimaginable risks.

Marie-Madeleine married her husband somewhat impulsively thinking that they would have a life of great adventure. He went to Morocco to gather intelligence and relied on MM to translate for him. However, it also turned out that he was quite controlling and MM eventually left him to go to France.

Readers should know that even when Edouard tried to control her, MM had a mind of her own and for example twice took part in a famous road race, had her own friends and helped in a women’s clinic. Also,unlike her husband, MM was compassionate and deeply loved her son and daughter.

When WWII was brewing and came, MM became involved in the intelligence gathering process, eventually becoming the head of the Mademoiselle Alliance. Through this work, readers meet a wide cast of characters with whom she worked. Two of the most important were Leon and Navarre. They and many others faced unimaginable danger and heartache in these pages.

Natasha Lester is a writer who animates history. She vividly describes setting sand imbues her characters with life. This author made me care so much for MM and those she cared for.

Note that some readers may find resonance with present day life in the rising of Hitler as a dictator who used the military to achieve his ends and who persecuted untold millions. This adds extra resonance to this story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 08 April 2025

448 pages

Historical fiction

From the Publisher

Other novels by Natasha Lester:

What is hidden? The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester

Where did she go: The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard (Natasha Lester)

Hope that will be the right number: The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester

A repost

Are you a person who finds getting on an airplane to be an adventure or are you a nervous flyer? Either personality type may well be riveted by this thriller in which much of the action centers on a long haul flight from London to Sydney (20 hours in the air!). In some ways, the story is a take on a locked room mystery in that much of the action is confined to the plane and the stories of its passengers and crew. However, there is also backstory so some time is spent on the ground and with other characters.

The book’s protagonist, Mina, is on the flight when…a note is given to her. What does it say? How will it influence what she does? In order for there not to be spoilers, it is not possible to say more except that this is a story that may well put readers on the edges of their seats.

My only quibble with this story is that I did not absolutely love some of the characters and I don’t just mean the “bad” ones.. I do, though, admire Ms. Mackinstosh’s imagination and storytelling ability. Readers, remember that this is fiction!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

Chloe has a lot on her plate. She has taken on the responsibility for her younger siblings and has therefore disrupted her career plans. Rather than being a full blown librarian, she works in a library doing a variety of more menial tasks.

One day, Chloe is asked to clean out the books that are to be discarded by the library. She makes a few finds while there. One is a trove of Harlequin romances that her friend wants for her grandmother (Chloe agrees to sneak them out). The other find is a former banned book that may be worth enough to make a difference for Chloe. She takes it.

Chloe later finds that this book has writing in the margins. Much as in The Book Swap, the messages have significance. Someone offers to buy the book; why does he especially want it?

How will lives change? Will characters grow? Find out in this story that takes place in more than one time frame.

I always am drawn to books about books so I was eager to read this one.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 30 April 2024

Sloane faced an unthinkable loss when her sister died (not a spoiler as readers learn this early in the story). She is engaged to a somewhat pompous fiance who has an over involved family and often make Sloane feel inferior. On top of all this, Sloane’s parents are not the easiest people.

Sloane escapes into her work as a librarian although that also has it challenges. One of these is an older gentleman who enjoys mentally fencing with Sloane. Will these two change each other? Will others also be drawn in? Readers may know the answer but will still, I think, enjoy this book. It gives voice to some of what is important in life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this title. All opinions are my own

This book was published in March 2023

From the Publisher

Regular readers of Jodi Picoult’s novels know what to expect…the unexpected, plot twists, a social issue and lots of information on an interesting topic, in this case bees.

Here is a story in which Ms. Picoult partnered with Ms. Boylan, a fortuitous and successful pairing for this novel’s topic and one about which readers will learn a great deal. As I mentioned in a review of a spark of light, I think that a service is done for readers who are hungry for information and may not have easy access to it; in this instance, the subject is being trans.

Well, yes, as noted above, there is always a bit of a didactic turn in this writer’s works but there is also always a terrific story. Here readers get to know Asher and his bee keeping mom, and Lily, a person of great importance to Ash. Around them flow many other characters.

When something really bad happens, Asher is in trouble. Did he do what he was accused of? How will events play out? What will the impact be on the small New Hampshire town where the novel is set?

Around the central plot, are backstories for many characters. There is a good deal about families and parents who are absent, along with the impact of that on children. Is it ever better not to be with a parent is one of many questions.

As this book opens readers meet two moms are single parents for complex reasons. What happens when this new(ish) ecosystem is messed with? Will it be like it is for the bees when they face disruption?

I, for one, really wanted to know what would happen in this story, not only to Asher, but to many of the people around him. I think readers will feel that way too.

Congrats to the authors. They have written one heck of a book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 04 October 2022

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Jodi Picoult

“Picoult is a skilled wordsmith, and she beautifully creates situations that not only provoke the mind but touch the flawed souls in all of us.”—The Boston Globe

“Jodi Picoult is that rare, one-in-a-million writer whose books both squeeze your heart and expand your mind.”⁠—Emily Henry

Praise for Jennifer Finney Boylan

“Jennifer Finney Boylan is an exquisite writer.”—Augusten Burroughs

“One could not ask for a wiser, warmer, more engaging companion than Jennifer Finney Boylan.”—Mary Roach

#LastOneOut #NetGalley

Jane Harper is one of my favorite Australian mystery authors. As a recent article in the Australian Women’s Weekly noted, she, and others including Dervla McTiernan and Sally Hepworth, are having their moment. For me, a new title by Harper is always welcome. This one did not disappoint.

The setting of this book is an almost ghost town. While reading I could visualize the landscape both in nature and as a place of vanished dreams and unoccupied homes. It is, itself, a major character in the novel in my opinion.

Readers get to know Ro, her husband, her daughter and her missing (dead?) son Sam in these pages. (I won’t say more so as not to give anything away about Sam.) Knowledge about all of them comes from both the present and the past. I so wanted and dreaded finding out what happened to Sam.

I was immersed in getting to know all of those around Ro including family and her friends along with everyone who lived in their small community. Watch for example the story lines about Warren, the teens in the community and many others. Their lives have been disrupted with disregard by a mining company. What it means to hang on or lose/let go of one’s home is a dilemma vividly brought to life in these pages.

As noted, Sam’s story is important but events that affect other characters in the story also very much draw the reader’s attention. This leads to a more complex work.

Anyone who likes Australian crime fiction will, I think, enjoy this book. I recommend it most highly.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 23 April 2026

Post first published on 14 February 2026

Description:

from the publisher

An unforgettable small-town mystery with huge emotional resonance from International No. 1 bestselling author Jane Harper, perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Chris Whitaker and Elly Griffiths.

‘Utterly brilliant . . . I could not put it down’ – Marian Keyes
‘A book to get lost in’ – Ann Cleeves
‘Heartbreaking and wonderful’ Andrea Mara
‘I was glued to it for days’ Jennie Godfrey
‘Jane Harper delivers unbearable tension’ Val McDermid

He had been here, that was clear from the marks in the dust. And he had been alone.

In a dying town, Ro Crowley waits for her son on the evening of his twenty-first birthday.

Sam never comes home. His footprints in the dust of three abandoned houses offer the only clue to his final movements. One set in. One set out.

Five long years later, Ro returns to Carralon Ridge for the annual memorial of Sam’s disappearance. The skeletal community is now an echo of itself, having fractured under the pressure of the coal mine operating on its outskirts.

But Ro still wants answers. Only a few people remain. If the truth is to be found in that town, does it lie among them?

Last One Out is a hugely atmospheric mystery from the author of The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man, The Survivors and Exiles.

From the Publisher

#DeathontheRoyalYacht #NetGalley

Pub date: October 2026

336 pages

Historical fiction-Mystery & Thrillers

Four stars ****

My thoughts:

This is the new title in the series that features Queen Elizabeth as a detective. The stories are all quite enjoyable and it is definitely fun to have a peek at, what seems to be, authentic royal life and relationships.

Those who already know the series will be happy to catch up with their favorite characters. Those new to the detective Queen should know that this is the sixth in the series. I think that it is find to read them in any order.

This time the Queen becomes involved in murder while she is traveling on the royal yacht. This means that there are many places to virtually visit and many potential suspects. The pages turn and I finished this title already eager for the next in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this title. All thoughts are my own.

Description:

from the publisher

Amateur sleuth Queen Elizabeth II investigates on the high seas in the sixth installment of this historical mystery series The New York Times Book Review calls “sheer entertainment,” perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Richard Osman.

1966, Caribbean Sea. The Queen is touring the islands of the West Indies aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. Her schedule is packed with official visits, but when her new diary secretary, young Pamela Sinclair, is found dead in her cabin, the whole trip threatens to be thrown off course. 

Pamela’s death from an overdose of prescription pills is surrounded by details that don’t add up. It looks as though she was afraid of someone on board, and Joan McGraw—the Queen’s loyal sidekick and assistant private secretary—is the leading suspect. 

With the whole world watching, the real circumstances surrounding her death must be uncovered, and quickly. Luckily for the Queen, she and Joan are experts at floating from one engagement to the next as the tour continues and the killer roams free—for now.