Author: joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews

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

Michiko Aoyama

#WhatYouAreLookingForIsintheLibrary #NetGalley

I am a great fan of books about books. A favorite of mine is The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, and I recently read Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. Aoyama’s lovely title shares with the others a love of books and reading, an acknowledgment of how books open worlds to readers, and an understanding of how self-knowledge and growth are fostered through reading. A bit like, Wait Until the Coffee Gets Cold, What You are Looking for consists of a series of vignettes about people who are at a crossroads. When they meet a very particular librarian, they may not understand why she gives them certain recommendations (a small felted frying pan, the suggestion of a children’s book when the reader was asking for books on Excel) but readers can trust that all will become clear and that the books’ borrowers will benefit. This book is one that reads in a deceptively simple manner. There is much to think about as well in these pages, however, especially about the meaning of work. This book would make a delightful gift for a book lover. It looks very nice in its hardcover version. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

From the Publisher

Anyone who watches baking shows knows who the inimitable Prue Leith is. However, she has done more in life than spend time with Paul Hollywood as this book shows.

This is a brilliant cookbook. There are the expected sections such as breakfast, etc and many recipes that I would like to try. There are also many tips and “hacks” to help. Even better, there are q codes that link to cooking demonstrations!

I highly recommend this title to home cooks.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto publishing group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 15 October 2024

The best historical fiction of 2025 — so far

https://www.thetimes.com/article/e8af2ef0-6403-490e-b666-74122addbd86?shareToken=de214eb40648caae32815baf83f5d748

It’s among the more playful matters on his mind in “Shattered,” a memoir of the injury that took away his ability to turn pages — but not his hunger to tell a story.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/books/review/hanif-kureishi-shattered.html

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/01/27/books/review/nonfiction-movies-quiz.html

A Novel

by Alexander McCall Smith

#LookingforYou #NetGalley

For me a title by Alexander McCall Smith is a comfort read. Currently, that is the kind of read that I really need so I was delighted to pick up Looking for You.

This title is another in the Perfect Passion Company series about a matchmaker in Edinburgh. For those who don’t know (though there are probably not many), McCall Smith has written several other series. I especially love the Scotland set Dalhousie ones but another favorite is The Number One Ladies Detective Agency. These are worth searching out.

This book speaks to the common wish to find the right relationship, the one where a person feels understood and loved for exactly who they are. Follow Katie Donald as she tries to help any number of people.

With Valentine’s Day upcoming, this book that reminds us of the wonder of love, would make a perfect gift for yourself or a person in your life. McCall Smith writes in a lovely style that displays warmth, understanding and humor.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Vintage for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 11 February 2025

I may be one of very few people never to have read anything by Margaret Atwood.  I am so happy to now have had the chance to spend some time with her poems.

The poems are reflective and often moving.  One of my favorites was called Blackberries.  It is about fruit, growing older and generational connections.   Another elegiac poem called Blizzard is about the poet’s mother getting older and how hard it is to let go.

Ms. Atwood covers a wide range of topics in this collection.  It is definitely worth either reading straight through in order or dipping into.

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

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 starred review.

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

Pub date: 16 July 2024

An e book bargain today

#HowtoSolveYourOwnMurder #NetGalley

It is hard to believe that this is Kristen Perrin’s first novel. She writes with an assured hand and keeps readers turning the pages in her take on a traditional mystery.

The story-Frances Adams was a teen growing up in the sixties when she went to see a fortune teller. She was given a very detailed and particular warning of things to watch out for. Much of her subsequent life was spent trying to evade her own death by nefarious means. On this night, Frances was with her friends Emily and Rose. They have roles to play in the story.

Frances had a niece and grandniece who are living an eccentric London life as the story opens. When Annie is summoned to meet with Frances’s lawyer in the small town where Frances has an estate, off she goes. There she meets Walt, the attorney and his relative, Oliver. She also encounters the annoying Elva and her family.

Not a spoiler because this happens early in the story, Frances is found dead. Who will inherit her money? Who killed her? Find out in this very enjoyable novel.

It is easy to recommend this title. Hopefully, Ms. Perrin will keep writing twisty, fun mysteries.

Many thanks to Penguin Group-Dutton for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 26 March 2024

From the Publisher

“The pace is quick, the red herrings are plentiful, and Annie’s growth from timid wannabe writer to confident sleuth is beautifully rendered. Combining elements of Agatha Christie, Anthony Horowitz, and Midsomer Murders, this is a richly entertaining whodunit from a promising new talent.”—Publishers Weekly

“Perrin juggles characters and clues with aplomb, sketching in the past via teen Frances’ journals and immersing readers in the present through Annie’s determined, good-hearted point of view. Readers will root for her as she gains hard-won confidence in this entertaining exploration of family secrets.”—BookPage