I love to read, recommend books and open the world of reading to others. I tutor to ensure that the next generation of readers will know the joys of a good book because their reading skills have improved. I am an avid reader, especially of mysteries and fiction. I believe that two of the world's greatest inventions were the public library and eyeglasses!
Meg Shaffer’s previous novel, The Wishing Game, was one of my favorite books last year. So, I was incredibly excited to receive an e galley of The Lost Story.
In this title, the author develops an imaginative story that pays homage to CS Lewis. Just as Lewis did, Shaffer creates an alternate and magical world populated by unique characters and situations. As in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, characters lives will be transformed.
Two boys, Rafe and Jeremy, disappeared only to miraculously return six months later. How did their relationship and lives fare after this? What happens to them and a young woman named Emily fifteen years later? No more plot reveals as readers will want to have their own experience while reading this.
Good and evil, many kinds of love, and adventure await in this highly recommended title. BookPage has given it a well deserved star review.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Robert Thorogood is the creator of the popular TV series Death in Paradise. Here is the third of his Marlow Murder Club mysteries. (They are also going to be coming to TV.) It will appeal to those who enjoy Richard Osman’s series.
Here too are a group of friends who play amateur detective (and busybody). Judith, Becks and Susie have distinct personalities and are only to eager to use them to advantage as they poke their noses in.
When the Mayor of Marlow is murdered by the Queen of Poisons (do you know what poison this is?) the stage is set. Follow along with the team as they solve this cozy village mystery. It is perfect for when you need to be pleasantly distracted.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 04 June 2024
From PBS-Masterpiece
About the Show
An all-new adaptation of Robert Thorogood’s novel The Marlow Murder Club is coming to MASTERPIECE on PBS on October 27,. 2024. The thrilling, four part series stars Samantha Bond who is joined by Jo Martin, Cara Horgan and Natalie Dew.
Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey, Home Fires) takes the lead as Judith Potts, alongside Jo Martin (Doctor Who, Back to Life) as Suzie Harris, Cara Horgan (The Sandman, Traitors) as Becks Starling and Natalie Dew (Sandylands, The Capture) as DS Tanika Malik. Steve Barron (The Durrells in Corfu,Mrs Sidhu Investigates) is set to direct.
Author and writer Robert Thorogood said: “After over a decade of working on Death in Paradise, I’m thrilled to be creating a brand-new murder mystery series for TV. I can’t wait for audiences to join Judith, Becks and Suzie on their adventures as they solve a series of fiendishly puzzling murders.”
Death Comes to Marlow is the next in a series, following on The Marlow Murder Club. I enjoyed this title even more than that first book. The author knows how to tell a story; he is also known for TV’s Death in Paradise.
Anyone who enjoys Richard Osman’s series is sure to enjoy spending time with Judith, Becks and Susie. They help the police and specifically Tanika to solve another case in these pages.
Judith is in her 70s and deliberately eccentric. Susie finds it hard not to blurt and has a dog walking business, while Becks is married to the local vicar but…who is she seeing now?
One day, a man named Sir Peter invites Judith to his posh engagement party. He has had an intimation that he will be murdered and indeed he is. There are many suspects in the pages that follow, including his son and daughter, and his new fiancee, or is it someone else?
The plot just rattles along and I liked spending time with Judith and Co. I highly recommend this title to those who enjoy cozy mysteries and women of a certain age. I am eager for the next book by this author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
Five Stars
And, this just in from PBS
New Series: The Marlow Murder Club
A four-part adaptation of Robert Thorogood’s The Marlow Murder Club is coming to MASTERPIECE! Find out all about the new mystery starring Downton Abbey and Home Fires favorite Samantha Bond as retired archaeologist Judith Potts, Jo Martin (Doctor Who) as local dog-walker and empty-nester Suzie, and Cara Horgan (The Sandman, Traitors) as unfulfilled vicar’s wife Becks.
Beth O’Leary definitely has her fans. Her earlier books include The Wake Up Call, The Road Trip, and The No Show. Here she again offers a novel that her fans may want to read. At close to 400 pages it will offer escape for a bit.
Take two people who meet and don’t really expect to spend a lot of time together. They have their differences, starting with their ages as Zeke is almost ten years younger than Lexi. However, what is likely to have been one night together transforms when the houseboat they are on (readers will find out why) goes out to sea. Uh-oh. What will happen as they wait/hope for rescue? That’s the premise here.
Follow Zeke and Lexi over the next twelve days. Imagine what it would be like to spend that amount of time in a confined space with a person that you don’t really know. Will they be swept away both on the boat and by falling in love?
Readers will hope that everything works out for these two. Read the book to find out what happens.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
The Searcher is a standalone novel by Tana French who has also written the marvelous Dublin murder series. Start at the beginning with In the Woods and come up for air when you get to the end.
The Searcher is a brooding novel with a strong sense of place and character. French, herself, has described it as being a Western, but one set in Ireland. I think that this is because of the concept of the stranger coming to town.
Cal is that stranger. He is a divorced policeman from Chicago who thinks that he will find a simpler and more satisfying life in the small Irish town where he fixes up his house and gets to know the locals. His existence is upended by Trey, a thirteen year old who wants to know what happened to brother, Brendan. Cal gets involved in what is a sad and somewhat dark story.
Many of the characters in this novel are well portrayed, from Cal’s neighbor Mart to the busybody who runs the local store to Lena (and her dogs) and, most especially Trey, a fully realized, scrappy, vulnerable teen. Other town people blended together a bit for me.
Will Trey find out what Trey wants/needs to know? What will it mean if/when Trey does? These are some of the questions of the novel.
At times, I could imagine this novel as a tv show because the places were so well described. At other times, the sense of menace could very much be felt. The relationship between Trey and Cal was nuanced and is a critical part of the story.
I still prefer the Dublin murder series but truly admire what French has accomplished in this book. Give it a try!
The Madam Secretary of the title refers to Frances Perkins. She was the first female cabinet member, and Secretary of Labor during FDR’s tenure in the White House. (Anyone who collects Social Security is in her debt.) While clearly this was the pinnacle of Frances’s career, she did much before attaining this post and she also witnessed much history.
Frances saw what happened at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company and was deeply impacted. She worked for Al Smith, a veteran New York politician. She was involved in many progressive issues after receiving her education at Mt. Holyoke College and Penn.
Frances interacted with many well know figures of the day, one of whom was Sinclair Lewis. Readers spend time with FDR and Eleanor as well as France’s close friend, nee Mary Harriman. The era in which she lives feels very real.
In addition to her professional life, Frances had a complicated personal life. No spoilers so learn about her husband when reading.
This is historical fiction at its best. I highly recommend this immersive read.
This book has gotten a lot of hype, including being picked for Reese’s book club and receiving a starred review from Library Journal. Based on that, readers may expect a lot from this first novel. In my opinion, it delivers. It is the kind of read where I kept saying that I would return to other things that I had to do when I finished the chapter that I was reading…but then, I just kept on going. All in all, I really enjoyed this one. There are humor, family relationships, a murder…and all of this is well executed in these pages.
Readers meet the three women of the family. Lana has been a real go-getter. A cancer diagnosis has led her to needing some assistance not an easy thing for her. Lana asks her daughter for help and Beth brings her from LA to a quieter community by the water with a slough.
Beth was a teen mother. She is a nurse who lives on the grid but with a homespun lifestyle. She and Lana have a history of not seeing eye to eye. Beth is mom to Jack (Jacqueline), who, when the story opens has been a pretty independent and competent teen. She has led many expeditions on the waters near her house.
What will happen when a body is found? Which of these women will be under suspicion? (Readers find this answer early on.) Who will get involved in finding the truth? Will they succeed? Read this one to find out. Readers will be glad that they did!
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title. All opinions are my now.
Pub date: 05 September 2023
From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Simon’s dazzling debut delivers everything a mystery fan could crave, including a realistically nuanced cast of characters, a vividly evoked coastal California setting, writing imbued with a deliciously desiccated sense of wit, and a perfectly plotted murder with enough red herrings deftly dropped in to confound the most experienced mystery reader. Insightful and frequently funny analysis of family dynamics wrapped up in a cleverly crafted cozy crime novel.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Three women bond while investigating a homicide in Simon’s spirited debut…. Simon stocks her layered plot with plausibly motivated suspects and convincing red herrings, but it’s her indomitable female characters and their nuanced relationships that give this mystery its spark. Readers will be delighted.” — Publishers Weekly
I was intrigued by this book as soon as I saw it. The circle of chairs on the cover gave a hint that it would be about a group as did the title. As someone with a social work background and as a facilitator of support groups, I was curious to see who the group was for, what the sessions would be like, and how Ireland’s story would unfold. I was not disappointed.
The novel opens with a witness transcript. This adds an element of immediate suspense. Why was it necessary to testify?
The story then moves to the four characters who are attending a unique bereavement group run by a therapist named Genevieve. She has the right credentials for the job. The members of this circle have varying degrees of motivation and their own unique stories.
Readers get to know Mischa, Freya, Callum and Victoria in book sections that are titled with stages of grief as, for example, denial. The grief of the four unfolds over the course of the book as do their relationships and interactions with each other.
The story had a feel of authenticity in that first session. Each member was asked, not to talk about their loss, but rather about a happy memory. This is the beginning of getting to know these characters and readers will indeed get to know them well.
Having been specially selected to be in this particular group, will the four get the help that they need or will other forces come into play? Have the four been selected for individual reasons or does something bind them together? Readers will have to pick this one up to find out.
I thought that this book was well written and intriguing. It would make a good book club pick.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 