https://randomhouse.box.com/s/t3sgfg7hpaurx0fuaomq9xjwllafeswy

The above should link to a book club kit for this title.

This title is the third in the series following on the earlier Can’t Judge a Book by Its Murder and A Murder Between the Pages. I have not read these by may go back to them.

A Murder Like No Author is a southern set mystery. I was interested to read it when I saw that a book store is a part of the story.

Readers of cozies will enjoy this story. The plot has to do with a new movie production of GIrl Missing. The author is no longer alive but a stranger has appeared questioning her authorship of the novel.

Of course, there is a murder. There are suspects. There are recurring series characters. And, there are the elements that readers hope for in cozies.

Those looking for a light read may well enjoy this title. The author has a very readable style. Give it a peek.

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

Kirkus Reviews says “the book club ladies make a winning team in an amusing tale replete with down-home atmosphere and romance,” and Mystery and Suspense Magazine calls Murder Like No Author “well-crafted and unique. Passages throughout the book reveal an author who understands the south and what living in a small southern town is like.”   

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is free.

The fairy tales are free.

www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/books/review/best-books-2021.html

Whether you have watched the TV show or not, this is a great bargain for fans of Sidney! See my review of The Road of Grantchester.

The Road to Grantchester (Runcie)

As soon as I saw this title on NetGalley, I desperately wanted to read it. Many thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for granting my request. The opinions below are my own.

I read the first Sidney Chambers novel, Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death, when it was first published. I was captivated by the character of Sidney and wanted to know more about him. I have continued to read the stories and have adored the Grantchester series on TV. For me, James Norton has personified Sidney in a most satisfactory way.

The Road to Grantchester tells the story of Sidney before he was the TV character or the man in SC and the Shadow of Death. I was so pleased at the prospect of learning how he became himself.

The beginning of the book was not easy. After a brief prelude, Sidney is immersed in the horrors (and I mean horrors) of WWII in Italy where he serves with Robert Kendall. Robert is the brother of Amanda, a key character in the series.

What Sidney and his fellow soldiers witness and participate in is truly unspeakable. James Runcie has written about war in a way that will make the reader long for peace. Survival in his circumstances is kind of a miracle for Sidney. However, not everyone important to him makes it home safely.

As a reader, because of how awful it was, I was relieved to move to the part of the novel that was post war. Sidney comes home to a world that has changed and yet he has changed even more. He tries to understand what he is meant to do with the gift of his life. After much reflection, he decides to join the church. The reader follows Sidney on his on-going faith journey.

This book is about those important to Sidney. There is Robert his best friend and war compatriot…no spoilers here so I will not say more. As in the TV series, there is prickly Amanda whose relationship with Chambers (as she calls him) is complex but important.

I left this book wanting to reread all of James Runcie’s books. This is an excellent read if you are a fan of Sidney, want to remember why war is a mess or if you want to understand a protagonist’s wish to live a meaningful life.

This novel may not be for everyone but for me it was a five star read.

This book is an excellent compendium of stories for “rebel girls” but also for anyone interested in learning more about a variety of accomplished women immigrants.  The book can be read in order or at random.  For each woman her area of interest is listed.  To name just some of the women included, there are Lupita Nyong’o, an actress; Madeleine Albright, politician; Frieda Belinfante, cellist and conductor;Burke Harris, pediatrician and so many more, all the way to the end of the alphabet.  Each short, engaging entry includes an illustration, a quote and a short biography.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this inspiring collection that will remind girls that they can be anyone they choose.  All opinions are my own.

pub date:  October 13, 2020

Are you a person who finds getting on an airplane to be an adventure or are you a nervous flyer? Either personality type may well be riveted by this thriller in which much of the action centers on a long haul flight from London to Sydney (20 hours in the air!). In some ways, the story is a take on a locked room mystery in that much of the action is confined to the plane and the stories of its passengers and crew. However, there is also backstory so some time is spent on the ground and with other characters.

The book’s protagonist, Mina, is on the flight when…a note is given to her. What does it say? How will it influence what she does? In order for there not to be spoilers, it is not possible to say more except that this is a story that may well put readers on the edges of their seats.

My only quibble with this story is that I did not absolutely love some of the characters and I don’t just mean the “bad” ones.. I do, though, admire Ms. Mackinstosh’s imagination and storytelling ability. Readers, remember that this is fiction!

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

Good Company is an absorbing novel that follows four intertwined lives and the lives of those around them. The title refers to an acting company in which some of the protagonists are involved and, of course, also could refer to who enjoys spending time with whom.

Flora and Margot met when they were both starting their careers. They know a good deal about one another but there is also at least one big secret waiting to be revealed. Margot, for much of the novel, is a doctor on a long running tv series, while Flora has opted to spend more of her time doing voice overs so that she can spend more time with her precious daughter Ruby.

Flora is married to Julian an actor and one of the company managers. Margot is married to David. His medical career was upended and reinvented.

The novel covers a number of years and moves back and forth seamlessly. The story unfolds on both coasts and also in Europe for a bit.

As the blurbs for this book note, Julian’s wedding ring takes on a great deal of importance in the novel. Its history and whereabouts becomes a theme that involves the primary characters.

This novel offers a well told story and nuanced characters. The lives of the actors, their choices and stresses, feel authentic. I definitely recommend this title.

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

A Novel

by Kate Quinn is an e book bargain for 11.29.21

#TheRoseCode #NetGalley

Pub date: March 9, 2021

To say the most important thing first…I LOVED this book and highly recommend it. Yes, there are many, many novels currently being published that are set in WWII. I have read and enjoyed many of them. Still, even if you feel WWII fiction fatigue, give this one a chance.

The Rose Code’s main setting is Bletchley Park. As most know, this was an important location for those who broke codes and helped to win the war. Into this setting come three women:

Osla: She was a debutante before the war took her to BP but she has always wanted to do more and to be seen as more than this. Osla had a haphazard upbringing by a neglected mother but she moves in society’s highest circles; her godfather is Mountbatten and she knows a certain Phillip very well.

Mabel, renamed (by herself) as Mab: She grew up in Shoreditch where expectations for her were low. Coming to BP allows her to do and become more.

Bethan/Beth: She has lived in the shadow of a domineering mother but BP allows her particular genius and talents to flourish. She has a laser like focus and a great talent for the work she does.

What happens to these three and the events and people around them form the core of this immersive read. There are romance, joy, friendship, traitors, hardship, mystery and more contained in the pages of the story. It will engage readers who will wish that the book were even longer than its hefty length.

I listened to the audio of this title. The narrator was fantastic. She created each of the characters with their own voice.

Whether you like to read or listen, put this one on your TBR list.

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