An e book bargain

This book has received a tremendous amount of publicity, and there have been many excellent reviews. Now that I have read this one, I can see why. In these pages readers will find humor, excitement, some heartbreak, good characters, many settings, and some surprises.

Overall, this is a story of two sisters, named Penny and Josephine. As the novel begins, they are in their 90s and about to receive a special honor in France. Readers discover that each of them had an exciting war, meaning World War II.

In addition to learning about their wartime experiences, readers learn about those close to Penny and Josephine. This includes everyone from housekeepers to a special nephew to those that they have loved over the years.

I think readers will be taken by the story and its characters. it is one with a unique flavor

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

This title was published in January 2024.

An e book bargain

#TheWhiteLady #NetGalley

I am a huge fan of this author and have read every title in her Maisie Dobbs series. Here she has written a standalone about Elinor White, a character who has had a life of loss, service, action and contemplation.

Winspear’s authorial voice comes through and felt very familiar to me from having read her other works. That said, it took a little while for me to become fully immersed in this title. Once that happened, however, I loved the book and rate it most highly (as does Publishers Weekly which gave this one a starred review.)

The novel covers a wide time period; it starts before WWI and extends to the post WWII period. As the book opens, young Linni lives with her parents and sister in Belgium. The war brings enormous changes to the family. Linni and her sister become saboteurs and they and their mother must subsequently leave the country quickly.

The book then moves to England and follows Linni’s life there. She has many experiences before being recruited to the SOE in WWII. In the post war period, for complex reasons, our protagonist becomes involved in trying to extricate a couple and their daughter from the clutch of their criminal family. Throughout the book, the time moves back and forth as readers experience Linni’s actions and feelings about the things that she has done.

Readers will be interested to see how Linni fares in each of her tasks and time frames. They will also enjoy getting to know the many characters in this story, some of whom, they really should keep an eye on.

All in all, I highly recommend this novel. Bravo Ms. Winspear.

Many thanks to Allison & Busby for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 21 March 2023

A Novel

by Susan Mallery

The cover really says it all. Here is a novel that is for a relaxing summer day as can be seen in this woman who is relaxing with a beach read. It is the story of three friends and those around them. Readers follow Bree, Mikki and Ashley in their intersecting lives.

The women come together when they rent a common space for their businesses. Bree has a bookstore, Mikki owns a gift shop, and Ashley bakes splendid sounding goods. Each of these women has relationships both past and present that impact them. Bree’s relationship with the older Lewis was complicated and she now does not seem to want to be close to a man. What will happen when she meets Ashley’s brother? Mikki is getting divorced and starting to date again. Ashley seems to have the perfect relationship but is it as good as it seems?

Those who enjoy classic women’s fiction and/or those who have read other novels by Ms. Mallery will want to give this one a look. For myself, I wanted just a bit more from this novel. I am often drawn to books about books but there was not quite as much about the store as I might have hoped for. Also, while I enjoyed spending time with these characters, I never found it hard to put the book down for a while.

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

Pub Date 31 May 2022

This is the penultimate entry in the Maisie Dobbs series. How I will miss her when she is gone! A Sunlit Weapon is an excellent addition to the Dobbs stories.

What I liked most in this book was the way in which Winspear created a world and opened that to readers. There is a fair amount about Maisie’s home life here including her marriage to American, Mark. Readers also see Maisie as a parent to Anna. She is willing to fight for her child and any parent who reads this one will perhaps relate to how painful it is when a child is unhappy. With Maisie on her side though, readers can certainly hope that Anna will soon feel better. Readers will also be glad to again meet up with Priscilla, Billy, Brenda, Maisie’s dad and so many others.

The mystery itself is complex and involving. Who is shooting down planes including some that are being ferried to bases by women? Why were two Americans involved in some dark plans? Will they suvive?

Also in the story is Eleanor Roosevelt. Feelings about her propel some of the plot forward.

There is social history in this book that readers will find of interest. The story of women pilots and the segregation in the U.S. military have places in the novel.

Winspear reminds me of the importance of the people for whom we care. She also continues to show Maisie’s growth. With Maisie on the case, readers can hope that some sort of order will be restored…even during war time.

I highly recommend this title and all of the books in the Maisie Dobbs series.

Some other books about Maisie

The Comfort of Ghosts (Jacqueline Winspear)

It can be so hard: The Consequences of Fear

A good entry in a winning series: The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear

A WWII mystery (and a good one): To Die But Once

A Maisie Dobbs bargain: In This Grave Hour

A Novel

by Jane Harper

The e book is a bargain

Narrated by Stephen Shanahan

Australian author Jane Harper burst on the mystery/suspense world with her very first book, The Dry. She has gone from strength to strength since then. That first book and this one both feature Aaron Falk as the protagonist detective. I like spending time with him. I think my enjoyment was enhanced by hearing, rather than reading, this novel. Aaron and the other characters just came to life for me through the narrator’s voice.

A mother reportedly left her newborn baby at a festival just a year ago. Did she leave her child voluntarily… or not? What about all of the people that she, Kim, left behind? They include a teenage daughter with Kim’s first husband Charlie, and her second husband, as well as those around them.

Harper does an excellent job creating a setting and a story. Are the events of the story linked to the past of these family and friends? Readers/listeners will surely want to know.

I highly recommend this title. Harper is in a group with other deep favorites of mine like Louise Penny.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this title. All opinions are mg own.

Pub date: 31January 2023

The Sentence is Death (Horowitz)

#TheSentenceIsDeath #NetGalley

In The sentence is Death, second in the series which began with The Word is Murder, the author inserts himself as a character in his fiction. Tony, aka Anthony Horowitz, is Watson to Daniel Hawthorne’s Sherlock. Like Watson, he theorizes but is not as clever as his mentor. In the novel, the conceit is that Mr. Horowitz is writing a series of books about Inspector Hawthorne’s cases.

In this entry, a divorce attorney is murdered. There are numerous suspects including clients involved in an acrimonious divorce. But…the murder may also be related to a past friendship and a tragedy that occurred while caving. Characters stories are developed sufficiently to give the reader a good sense of them. Suffice it to say that several plot lines are followed, there are a number of viable suspects and eventually the case is solved.

As a fan of some of the author’s TV work, I enjoyed the references to Foyle’s War. There is also information about publishing which lends authenticity. I enjoyed this book and will most likely go back to read the first in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e=galley. All opinions are my own.

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

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.”

A Novel

by Robert Thorogood

An e book bargain

Soon to be on tv

Readers who devoured Richard Osman’s two mysteries are pretty sure to enjoy The Marlow Murder Club. It has many similar good eccentricities while telling its own story.

As in Osman’s novels, our woman on the scene is a pensioner. Eccentric Judith Potts is in her seventies. She may be a little too fond of whisky. She sets crossword puzzles to earn money, lives in an inherited property and observes everything around her. She is also intrepid.

One night Judith hears a shot. Her neighbor Stefan is dead. It is quickly established that Stefan was murdered. His character is less clear; there are those who saw him as a good and kind man and others who did not. What was the nature of his association/relationship with an antiques business and Elliott, its proprietor? How, if at all, is Stefan’s death connected to another victim, a well-liked taxi driver named Iqbal? And, what about the people Judith gets to know along the way? There are a mysterious redhead, a dog walker and a vicar’s wife among others. It all crescendos in a satisfying story.

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

Pub date: 03 May 2022

This book has received lots of publicity and some excellent reviews.  I would give it three stars.  The story is clever and I especially loved how the novel within the novel was so authentic, with advanced praise and comments about being made into a television series.  I did not find the story as engaging as I had hoped that I would, nor did I find the characters to be especially likeable.  Give this a try though because I think I am in the minority in not rating MPM more highly.