Author: joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews

#FamousLastWords #NetGalley

Five stars 🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠

Imagine that you are Cam and that your entire world is turned upside down. You have always found your husband, Luke, to be pretty laid back and so supportive. He cooks! Both of you are exhausted but adore your baby, Polly. And, Luke is so good that you always have some time to have a break and read. Imagine that you are a book agent, ready to go back to work on your first day…AND THEN, the unthinkable happens.

Your husband wasn’t there when you woke up and left a somewhat cryptic note. You soon discover that he is involved in a tense hostage situation. WTF (as the rude might say). How can this be? Why? How do you a piece a life back together after this? Did you ever know your spouse? Where is he? Alive? Not?

Also, imagine That you are Niall. He was the hostage negotiator. The decisions that you made are haunting you.

How will events unfold? Find out in this page turner. I was absolutely glued to it and recommend it highly for those who enjoy suspenseful stories.

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

Pub date: 25 February 2025

From the Publisher

This is the first, but will not be the last, book that I read by this author. Her novels are now being published by the wonderful Poisoned Pen Press, a great place to find new authors and series.
The Rowland Sinclair mysteries take place in the 30s and Rowly reminds me of that great thirties sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey. He is an artist who is surrounded by his communist leading friends including the lovely Edna, a sculptress. This novel picks up where the prior one ended with the group escaping from Germany at a time when the Nazis were rising and brutal. They come to England where they try to alert the government to upcoming perils and to solve the mystery of an upper class man who is found dead. Subsidiary figures abound including H.G. Wells and Evelyn Waugh.
I truly enjoyed this novel and recommend it to fans of historical mysteries. I look forward to reading more. Thanks for this one, Poisoned Press and NetGalley.

Note:  I will now try to add author’s names to the titles of the posts in order to make the site easier to search.

Short Stories by Members of the Detection Club

by Martin Edwards

#PlayingDead #NetGalley

This book of mystery short stories was collected by Martin Edwards in order to honor the popular author Simon Brett. So lucky for the reader that this project was undertaken as there is much to enjoy in these pages.

Following Edwards’ introduction, there are more than twenty stories as well as contributions by Brett himself. Biographical information on the contributors in also included.

This veritable who’s who has entries by so many of my favorite authors. To name some of them: Ann Cleeves, Peter Lovesey, Kate Ellis, Elly Griffiths and Frances Brody. Readers will no doubt find their own favorites here. That said, a short story is an ideal way to find a new favorite author and I now have even more books that I will want to read after discovering the author here.

Sometimes a short story is “just the ticket.” Dip in and out of this title for a bit of mystery refreshment. No story is too long so each is perfect for a brief break in the day.

Highly recommended to lovers of the genre and these authors.

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

Pub date: 04 March 2025

A Novel

by Eva Jurczyk

Visit the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. You will learn a lot about ancient manuscripts, the appearance of a beautiful library and the (not always savory) ways of academia, especially when donations are needed.

Spend time with Liesl who has (finally) moved up from second in command to temporary head of the collection. Her boss, Christopher, has had a stroke and is unable to help Liesl with the many problems that she faces. Those she works with may or may not be trustworthy and one of these employees, Miriam, has disappeared just as mysteriously as the library’s newest acquisition. Will Miriam be found and found alive? Will everything be solved? Read this book by an accomplished first time novelist to find out. The author creates a good story and, at times, skewers university life.

One thing that I liked about the recently published novel, The Maid, was that the main character was so very much herself. I felt the same way about Liesl. She is of a certain age and temperament, deals with life and relationships in her own way. I hope to see her again.

Note that there both a reading group guide and a conversation with the author at the end of the book. These added to my enjoyment and understanding.

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

Close to Death is a take on an AgathaChristie style mystery with the additional spin of this author”s cleverness. It is the latest in the series that features Detective Hawthorne and, yes, the character Anthony Horowitz.

This time the structure of the book is a bit different. Hawthorne, who gives Horowitz case material for his novels, is revealing a past puzzler. Some of the novel is a take on those events and other parts involve the perspectives of the two protagonists.

A close is a kind of dead end street. In this upscale one, a number of neighbors detest the newest family. The annoying, inconsiderate and very wealthy Kenworthy is murdered. The suspects include a GP, a retired barrister, two elderly former nuns, a chess grandmaster, a dentist and those around them. Whodunnit? Why? The pages turn as readers wait to fond out.

Last year I heard the author speak. He was very entertaining, just as he is in his writing. i think that he was enjoying himself here. The book offers a good read.

Note that, although this is part of a series, it can be read on its own.

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

Pub date: 16 April 2024

Joyful, Visionary, Maximalist Design

by Teresa Woodard

#GardentotheMax #NetGalley

True confession…I do not have a garden but I truly enjoy titles about gardens. During Covid, magazines like The English Garden helped me to imagine a gorgeous life in the outdoors. My favorite destination is definitely my local botanical garden. Because of this love, I was delighted to be approved for this title.

The photos in this book are so vivid and beautiful. There are sections including Urban Exuberance, Dramatic Style, Abundant Naturalism, Curated Collections, and Bold Naturals in these pages so lots of variety. The featured gardens are from places from all over the U.S. Learn about them, their creators and get some good gardening tips.

Highly recommended for physical and virtual gardeners both.

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

Pub date: 25 February 2025

by Robell Awake

#AShortHistoryofBlackCraftinTenObjects #NetGalley

I am delighted to recommend this title as we celebrate Black History Month. It is engaging, interesting and enlightening. Plus, I love the illustrations/photos beginning with a quilt and going through all of the twelve chosen objects.

There is everything from the above mentioned quilt and those of Gee’s Bend (I was so lucky to see some of these in an exhibition), to jugs, blacksmiths’ work, couturier Ann Lowe (who was instrumental in making Jacqueline Bourvier’s wedding gown) and more.

This is a terrific title for a personal or library collection. Awake tells the stories of his artisans in a most readable way. There is a lot to learn and appreciate in these pages. I plan to purchase a hard copy of this one.

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

Pub date: 04 February 2025

From the Publisher

I had been meaning to read this one for a long time but was a bit put off by its length. At 1448 pages, that is a lot of reading time. I finally picked up The Ink Black Heart when the latest season of C.B. Strike was about to be aired on TV. I wanted to have finished the book before watching.

The Ink Black Heart tells a somewhat complicated story that features many, many characters. At times, I found it a bit tricky to keep track of all of them; ultimately that did not really matter so do not worry if picking this up.

The tile refers to a character in a comic that takes on a big life of its own with the original, a spinoff game, plans for a movie and more. All of these actions, impact a number of characters and leads to some murders.

Behind all of this is the mysterious Anomie. Who are they? How will all this get resolved? How much will all of the texts actually matter? Who is who when a character has a game name that is anonymous but is a real person.

At the same time, the true fans of the series will be wondering what will happen between Robin and Strike. There will they/won’t they has kept readers going through multiple volumes.

Do I recommend this book? Overall yes but be ready to set some time aside for it.

Have you read this one? I’d love your thoughts.

The best paperback books of 2025 — February’s picks

https://www.thetimes.com/article/0e4c79fc-3e60-4221-9818-3da6ea7b88a1?shareToken=da0e154f6315bb48deac53d1ee2f7e17

#MamaNeedsaMinute #NetGalley

This book felt so true to me that I almost feel that I could have written (at least parts of) it. The situations, feelings and complexities of being in a relationship and being a parent rang so true. I think that this is especially true of the woman/mother’s role as it comes across here.

I think that there is a lot of minimizing what it is like to become a parent; that barrier is broken here. Why do we do this? Would it not be better to acknowledge that, no matter how wanted a child is, the transition can be overwhelming. Not only is there responsibility for a small, helpless being but relationships transition as well…and sometimes there are resentments.

Those who have gone through the stages in life that the author describes will ruefully recognize much in these pages. For those who aren’t there yet, don’t panic but think about what the author says. It might help.

This book has both humor and heart. Highly recommended.

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

Pub date: 11 March 2025