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

#ABCDogs #NetGalley

I recently read and reviewed Chin’s book, Ten Happy Dogs, which was adorable. Now I get the chance to see more of the artist’s work in thisalphabet book. Note that this cute title is a board book that is perfect for little ones to hold.

From Akita for A through to Zerdava for Z, kids can learn their letters with a dog for each one. Personally, I thought that the Corgis were very cute.

In addition to the illustrations, each entry includes facts about a breed.

Adults and children can enjoy looking at this book together.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 22 September 2026

Description:

from the publisher

Let’s learn our ABCs—with dogs from around the world! The beloved creator of Dogs of the World and Doggie Language introduces children to the alphabet alongside twenty-six delightful dog breeds in this paws-itively charming board book.

Perfect for kids and dog-lovers, this alphabet board book is both an engaging introduction to the ABCs and a celebration of canine diversity. From the Akita of Japan to the Havanese of Cuba to the Rottweiler of Germany, each illustrated pup is paired with fun facts about their history, traits, and role in human lives.

With its lively illustrations and fascinating details, this dual-learning book supports early literacy while sparking curiosity about the many breeds that make up our four-legged friends. A dog-gone good time for the whole family!

If you love learning ABC’s with these furry friends, you can also learn your numbers with the companion board book Ten Happy Dogs!

I have been wanting to read a book by Tara Moss for quite a while and am very glad that I finally now have. I will be working my way through her backlist, I am sure.

This story has a lot going for it. I loved the main characters (Billie and those around her) and their interrelationships. The plot was involving and I kept wanting to carve out a bit more time to read.

It was fascinating to see how Moss spread this story over three distinct time lines. Time on the cruise ship was also intriguing as was delving into the history of Billie’s father.

When I got to the end, I found myself knowing that I would read whatever this author writes next. She has a terrific series here.

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

Pub date: 02 December 2025

Post first published on 27 December 2025

Description:

An old family secret leads from the streets of Sydney to Italy’s sun-drenched Neapolitan coast, in this immersive historical mystery from #1 international bestselling author Tara Moss

Pacific Ocean, 1907. A girl embarks on a journey to begin a new life far from home.

Naples, 1943. A woman shelters underground from a wartime air raid, praying her husband will return home.

Sydney, 1948. Billie Walker, returned from a stint as a wartime investigative journalist, uncovers a dusty box in her father’s old office whose contents—correspondence with a woman on the other side of the world—just might explain how they all are connected.

Plunged into a perilous search that will take her onto the first postwar luxury passenger ship to sail across the ocean to Italy, Billie finds herself up against a dangerous adversary—someone with a mysterious grudge against her family—as she races to uncover the secrets her father left behind. And as the trail leads her towards two women whose histories may be entwined with her own, she realizes that her father’s Italian secret just might upend everything she thought she knew.

From the Publisher:

A repost

Lisa See has written many works of historical fiction yet this is the first book of hers that I have read. It won’t be the last.

Ms. See tells an absorbing story and one that is filled with historical detail and, numerous characters and aspects of Chinese culture. Her settings come to life so gorgeously. Early in the book, the protagonist is traveling to Shanghai. I could feel her seasickness and claustrophobia. I think I was as eager as she was to get outside for some air. The author’s words made this voyage so vivid.

Characters are a strength of this writer. They are complex, multidimensional, interesting and relatable, despite the fact that they lived long before us. For example, the protagonist’s mother dies very early in the story. I had been admired her and was upset when she collapsed. The why of this was historically accurate and tragic to those of our present day. I could feel the daughter’s grief. Another example… a concubine was living in the home. She, too, was not a cardboard figure but rather a woman with feelings, education and a wish to help this grieving girl.

These are examples from early in the book but so much more follows. This is a long and involving novel. Along the way, readers will learn much about the China in the 1400s.

Readers are introduced to Yunxian and her friend/colleague Meiling . Yunxian has a life in which she tries to balance her love of medicine with the traditional women’s roles of the time. Readers will hope that she can achieve all that she wants.

Highly recommended to fans of historical fiction. I know that I will now read more titles by this author.

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

Pub date: 06 June 2023

368 pages

From the Publisher

by Kerry Greenwood

An e book bargain

Welcome back Phryne and Dot! A new novel with these beloved characters is always cause for rejoicing. This time, Phryne and Dot make their way to a spa for recovering WWI soldiers. It may sound like a peaceful retreat but series regulars know that mayhem is sure to follow, along with a resolution by the end of the novel.

Readers who enjoy fashion, wit and spas are sure to love this latest entry in the series. After reading this, many will look for other titles by Ms. Greenwood or they may want to watch the Miss Fisher mysteries on Acorn TV. Whichever way readers choose to encounter Phryne, they can’t go wrong.

Also note the gorgeous cover of this novel. The artwork is magnificent and Miss Fisher shines.

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

by Deanna Raybourn

#ASinisterRevenge #NetGalley

Deanna Raybourn enjoys writing series. I have read all of the titles featuring Julia Grey and recommend them. I was very excited to spend time with a title in her series featuring Veronica and Stoker (among others in the rich cast of characters). I can’t wait to read all of the ones that I missed!

Despite not having read other books about Veronica, it was quite easy to become absorbed in this story and its people. It is clear that there were difficulties between the main characters, Stoker and Veronica, at the end of the last book. This one picks up as Veronica and Stoker’s brother search for him in a scenario that recalls The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Tiberius needs the help of these two. Veronica is a lepidopterist while Stoker likes nothing better than dinosaur bones. They also sleuth and that is what is required here.

In a mystery with roots that seem to come from the past, old friends of Tiberius are being killed. This group met at university and became close, even giving a name to their friendship circle. After graduation, the plan was to travel in Europe and spend time in one another’s family homes. When the group was at Tiberius’s family estate an accident (or was it murder?) took place. Now, in the book’s present, others in the group are being killed. Veronica and Stoker need to keep Tiberius from being the next victim as they dig deep into the case.

Raybourn ably brings together her cast of characters, each of whom is a well portrayed individual. The plot crackles. The relationship between Veronica and Stoker crackles as well.

I highly recommend this title to those who love historical mysteries with good characters, especially a strong and atypical woman of her time in Veronica. The plotting was also engaging.

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

Pub date: 07 March 2023

Jennifer Ryan has a talent for writing absorbing historical fiction. She began with The Chilbury Ladies Choir, a book that I very much enjoyed. Next came The Spies of Shilling Lane and then The Kitchen Front. I recommend all of these. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is the next, English set, WWII story by this author. I really enjoyed it and recommend it highly.

This is a story that, to me, was about change and transformation. Do people have to stay in their strictly defined (by them or others) roles or can they move toward the lives that they want? Watch the characters to find out.

Readers follow three women whose lives and circumstances have been impacted by loss, the war and a heretofore acceptance of given roles. First is Grace; she is the daughter of a village vicar. When Grace’s mother died she stepped up to support her father. Grace, who puts her own needs last, is a very kind “do-gooder”. She is scheduled to marry another vicar but is she settling? What will happen when she again encounters the son of the squire who was a childhood friend? Readers will want the best for this good and likeable character.

Then there is Violet. She accepts and relishes her place in society. She is a rather self-important snob as the novel opens. When Violet is called up to do war work, how will she change? What talents will she discover? How will her views of people change? Violet has always wanted to marry a title, maybe even more than the man. What will happen when she meets a brash American?

Last, but definitely not least, there is Cressida. She is a successful fashion designer whose life is upended by the Blitz. Cressida is Violet’s aunt and Grace’s father is an old friend. Will Cressida and Grace’s father let go of their past grief enough to perhaps get together? Even if a reader thinks that they know the answers, there is pleasure in reading this title.

The author, in addition to telling her characters’ stories, provides readers with an interesting take on the period. Through fashion, readers learn about the system of clothing coupons and a contest for making do in a fashionable way with less. Cressida enters this contest. She also helps Grace to refashion her mother’s beautiful wedding dress…and, by the way, what is the history of this dress? And, of course, there is the sewing circle.

I truly loved this book. I enjoyed the people, the setting and the historical context. Even if you suffer from WWII historical fiction fatigue, I recommend that you read this one!

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

From the Publisher

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle

Four stars ****

Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott (Bronson and Louisa May)…Margaret Fuller? Most readers of American fiction and essays know the first few names on this list. They may be less familiar with Margaret Fuller. However, by the time that readers close this book, they will fully appreciate her life with its successes, challenges and tragedy.

Young Margaret was a highly intelligent child, whose father took her education most seriously. When he died, Margaret was left feeling that she needed to support her family. She did that while also being part of the transcendentalist movement and more.

One aspect of the book that I really liked was the way in which icons became human. For example, early in the novel, Margaret visits Emerson and his second wife. Waldo, as Margaret is invited to call him, engages in a flirtation with Margaret. It is in moments like this, that readers get to look at great American figures in a new and less iconic way. Similarly, as the story opens, Thoreau is a young man working for the Emersons, and just beginning his writing career. Bronson Alcott is running a school, while Louisa May is still a child.

Pataki has written a number of works of historical fiction. She has another success on her hands here.

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

From the publisher:

Four stars ****

Ann Cleeves is a true master of the mystery genre. From her early series featuring Inspector Ramsay to her Birdwatcher series, and then on through the Vera and Jimmy Perez novels, she has entertained me for hours. Her latest protagonist is Matthew Venn; here we have the third in that series.

Matthew has a somewhat complex history. His parents were part of a (fringe) religious group that he felt he needed to leave. Matthew was not comfortable with the Brethren’s beliefs and knew that his partner Jonathan might never succeed in being fully accepted by them. Series readers have followed Matthew as he engages in his new life. That said, this book could be read as a standalone.

The Raging Storm is a complex mystery with many characters, relationships and plot threads. The story takes place in the small community where Matthew had grown up. Readers spend time with his team, a sometimes competitive group, and with Matthew and Jonathan. Jonathan, by the way, is a very loving and tolerant spouse.

There are also all of the people in the community and they make for a large group of suspects. The (first) victim was a well-known sailor and a second murder occurs (no spoilers so not naming this person) as well. In addition, there is a disappearance. There are many interrelationships here.

Settings in the book are well described. There are emergency workers on the lifeboat group heading out to sea, members of the yachting club, houses that are falling apart and more.

Why did the first victim, Jem, return to the community? Who did he plan to meet? Why did he choose to spend his time there in a broken down hut? Was there a special reason for the location of his body and the next one?

This book has a slow burn. It is long (400 Pages) and involving. I recommend The Raging Storm most highly (though my heart will always belong to Jimmy Perez of another series).

I toggled back and forth between the print and audio editions of this title, reading when I was home and listening while on the go. This worked perfectly for me. The narration of the audio book was crisp, clear and easy to follow.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this title. All opinions are my own.

Audio Book

Hardcover edition

#TheRagingStorm #NetGalley

Ann Cleeves is a true master of the mystery genre. From her early series featuring Inspector Ramsay to her Birdwatcher series, and then on through the Vera and Jimmy Perez novels, she has entertained me for hours. Her latest protagonist is Matthew Venn; here we have the third in that series.

Matthew has a somewhat complex history. His parents were part of a (fringe) religious group that he felt he needed to leave. Matthew was not comfortable with the Brethren’s beliefs and knew that his partner Jonathan might never succeed in being fully accepted by them. Series readers have followed Matthew as he engages in his new life. That said, this book could be read as a standalone.

The Raging Storm is a complex mystery with many characters, relationships and plot threads. The story takes place in the small community where Matthew had grown up. Readers spend time with his team, a sometimes competitive group, and with Matthew and Jonathan. Jonathan, by the way, is a very loving and tolerant spouse.

There are also all of the people in the community and they make for a large group of suspects. The (first) victim was a well-known sailor and a second murder occurs (no spoilers so not naming this person) as well. In addition, there is a disappearance. There are many interrelationships here.

Settings in the book are well described. There are emergency workers on the lifeboat group heading out to sea, members of the yachting club, houses that are falling apart and more.

Why did the first victim, Jem, return to the community? Who did he plan to meet? Why did he choose to spend his time there in a broken down hut? Was there a special reason for the location of his body and the next one?

This book has a slow burn. It is long (400 Pages) and involving. I recommend The Raging Storm most highly (though my heart will always belong to Jimmy Perez of another series).

I toggled back and forth between the print and audio editions of this title, reading when I was home and listening while on the go. This worked perfectly for me. The narration of the audio book was crisp, clear and easy to follow.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 05 September 2023