Jo Thomas is a go to author for me when I want a “good read,” meaning one that will keep the pages turning, has a delightful setting (with yummy food), and characters with whom I want to spend time. All of these are present in A Place in the Sun as I (virtually) traveled to Italy with widow Thea and her two young children.
The house that Thea’s husband had bought needs A LOT of work; will the multi-talented Giovanni, help? The meet cute of Thea and he is indeed cute and he will indeed help.
Readers will hope for good things for Thea as she gets to know the people in her new community. Her husband died too young. Her finances were a mess but perhaps Italy will have the answers. This is what the reader will want.
Spend time with the people in this part of France. You won’t want to leave.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this title. All opinions are my own.
A Murder Unmentioned is the newest novel in the Rowland Sinclair series that is published by the Poisoned Pen Press, a great source for mystery novels.
The cover reflects the period of the novel. It shows some characters in the book including Rowly’s dog, Lenin and his aircraft Rule Britannia. Rowly and one of his friends are inside. As you read the book, this beautiful illustration, is worth going back to for references from the story.
For those who don’t know, this series takes place prior to WWII when Hitler is in the ascendant and Rowly would like to do all he can to show the world the disaster that is coming. This is always a part of the novels. As has been true in other books in the series, some real life characters make an appearance; in this one thet include politician Bob Menzies and garden designer Edna Walling.
The delight of these novels lies in spending time with Rowly and his friends. There is the unconventional artist Edna, the poet Milton and another artist friend. They have communist leanings and are definitely anti-Fascist.
Other prominent characters are Rowly’s conservative brother, Wil, his wife Kate and their two young sons. Master Ernest is featured in this one as a pivotal character. At only age six, he seems destined to follow in his uncle’s footsteps.
In this novel, the reader learns a lot about Rowly’s early life and his relationship with his sadistic father. You will feel for the young Rowly. This part of the book was not easy reading.
When the novel opens, Rowly’s father has been dead for thirteen years. The murderer was not found and the central mystery of this one is finding who killed him.
This is a good entry in a good series. Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this chance to read the e-galley. The opinions are my own.
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.
#AmurderUnmentioned #NetGalley
My review of an earlier entry in the 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 Pen Press and NetGalley.
I have read many WWII historical novels so was not certain that I wanted to read another one. However, as Natasha Lester is one of my favorite authors, I decided to go ahead and am so very, very glad that I did. I recommend this book most highly.
In this novel readers meet Marie-Madeleine Meric who was a true historic personage. Readers follow her in the 1920s in Morocco and later during WWII when, with bravery, she faced unimaginable risks.
Marie-Madeleine married her husband somewhat impulsively thinking that they would have a life of great adventure. He went to Morocco to gather intelligence and relied on MM to translate for him. However, it also turned out that he was quite controlling and MM eventually left him to go to France.
Readers should know that even when Edouard tried to control her, MM had a mind of her own and for example twice took part in a famous road race, had her own friends and helped in a women’s clinic. Also,unlike her husband, MM was compassionate and deeply loved her son and daughter.
When WWII was brewing and came, MM became involved in the intelligence gathering process, eventually becoming the head of the Mademoiselle Alliance. Through this work, readers meet a wide cast of characters with whom she worked. Two of the most important were Leon and Navarre. They and many others faced unimaginable danger and heartache in these pages.
Natasha Lester is a writer who animates history. She vividly describes setting sand imbues her characters with life. This author made me care so much for MM and those she cared for.
Note that some readers may find resonance with present day life in the rising of Hitler as a dictator who used the military to achieve his ends and who persecuted untold millions. This adds extra resonance to this story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for this title. All opinions are my own.
Welcome to Murder Week offered a fun and entertaining read; it’s just perfect vacation (or anytime) reading. Those who pick this up will enjoy the characters and the story.
Cath, in her 30s, has been living in Buffalo, New York where she was raised by her grandmother due to her mother’s frequent absences. The loss of her mother in her daily life had been a cause of much disappointment and sadness for Cath. Despite their seeming lack of closeness, strangely, when Cath’s mother dies, Cath discovers that her mother had booked the two of them for a murder week mystery in England. Why? This will be one of the questions of the novel.
There is a story within the story as a group of characters endeavor to solve the fictional case of a murdered hairdresser in this Peak village. Cath teams up with her two cottage mates, a young gay man named Wyatt whose partner purchased the trip for him, and Amity, a divorcee in her fifties. They are on the case! Follow them, figure out why Cath was sent on the trip and even find a bit of romance. All designed to please readers.
Those who enjoy traditional mysteries will enjoy this one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Perfect for fans of Glass Onion, The Traitors, and Murdle, this immersive, high-concept mystery puts you at the center of a decades-old case. With razor-sharp twists, sly misdirection, and a clever nod to Agatha Christie, THE GAME IS MURDER reinvents the closed-circle whodunit for a new generation.
The setup? A murder mystery party with real stakes: a decaying English manor, an unsolved crime from the 1970s, and a cast of cunning suspects. Your mission: read each account, weigh the clues, and name the killer. But beware—nothing is quite as it seems.
If you love solving puzzles, testing your theories, and outwitting unreliable narrators, you won’t want to miss this one.
More from the publisher on the book:
About the Book:
In this fresh and immersive murder mystery that riffs on crime classics, the reader is put in the role of the Great Detective, reinvestigating an infamous never-before-solved case from 1970s England.
You are invited to a very special murder mystery party. The game is simple: Listen to the witnesses. Examine the evidence. Solve the case. Be careful. Trust no one. All might not be as it seems.
If you agree to play the role of the Great Detective, you must undertake to provide a complete solution to the case. A verdict is not enough. We need to know who did it, how they did it, and why. Are you ready? Can you solve the ultimate murder mystery—and catch a killer?
About the Author:
Hazell Ward lives in Wrexham in North Wales, where she spent many years as an adult education teacher before going on to work for a charitable organization as a mentor to young people. She completed an MA in creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University and is currently juggling finishing her PhD with writing her second novel. She was short-listed for the Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition in 2021 and won the Crime Writer’s Association Short Story Dagger in 2023 for her story “Cast a Long Shadow,” published by Honno Press. The Game Is Murder is her debut novel.
My thoughts:
This is a bold, original and creative story that rewards the reader’s paying attention and thinking. It is rather ingenious in how it borrows from the genre. For example, I noted that the chapters are all named after famous detective novels; to name a few that are included there are A Murder is Announced by Christie; The Documents in the Case by Sayers; Footsteps in the Dark by Heyer; The Daughter of Time by Tey; and Artists in Crime by Marsh. Also, even within the first few chapters, astute readers will recognize names-there is Stanley Gardner, Wilkie Collins and Nicholas Blake. For certain, the more crime stories a reader knows, the more they will exclaim as they read.
The case involved a murder that, at least in the beginning of the novel, seemed reminiscent of Lord Lucan. Readers hear the story of what happened, initially by a family member and the story takes off from there.
This book will be adored by its intended audience.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this title.
Hardcore fans entranced by all those Easter eggs may well turn the last page wondering if they’ve missed even more.
Move over, Anthony Horowitz. First-timer Ward has entered with a whodunit just as playfully meta as yours, though in very different ways.
Back in 1974, banker-turned-gambler Lord John Verreman, faced with financial ruin and divorce, sneaked into the basement of his estranged wife’s home and attacked Lady Antonia Verreman with a lead pipe, only to discover that the woman he’d killed in the dark was actually his sons’ nanny, Sally Gardner. At least that’s the story David Verreman tells the guests assembled at the Berkeley Club half a century later to determine once and for all whether or not David and Daniel’s father, who vanished before he could be brought to trial, was really guilty. The 13 guests include DCI Nicholas Blake; coroner Ronald Knox; pathologist Cameron McCabe; Sally’s husband, merchant seaman Stanley Gardner; Antonia’s sister, Carolyn Keene-Wade; and others whose names, like Ward’s chapter titles, pay tribute to the authors and classics of the detective story’s Golden Age. After kicking off with an elaborate contract between The Author and The Reader, Ward keeps interjecting pop-up games along the way and changing the rules of her big game, so that A.N. Author, King’s Counsel, the prosecuting attorney in one part of the story, turns into a witness for the defense in another part. Clues like the putative murder weapon will be analyzed to within an inch of their lives and all parties in attendance will stand accused, singly and jointly, of crimes and misdemeanors before the author pulls one last rabbit from her hat in a denouement likely to be hailed with both surprise and exhausted relief. Hardcore fans entranced by all those Easter eggs may well turn the last page wondering if they’ve missed even more.
Praise:
“A high-energy mystery, both exclamation point and question mark – like Agatha Christie on amphetamines. Imagine a labyrinth packed with ninety-degree turns and spiralling staircases and art on the walls – and a ruthless guide addressing you directly from the page – and you’ve got a sense of The Game Is Murder, a striking, playful novel for neither the faint of heart nor the slow of wit.” –A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman In The Window
“Move over, Anthony Horowitz. First-timer Ward has entered with a whodunit just as playfully meta as yours, though in very different ways.” –Kirkus Reviews
“A postmodern puzzler that dares to pull apart every trope in the book – literally.” –Antony Johnston, New York Times bestseller and author of Can You Solve the Murder?
“A significant achievement, packed with insight and invention, The Game Is Murder presents the reader with a fiction killing that seems to defy explanation. It is witty and remarkable and entirely unpredictable.” –Alex Pavesi, author of Eight Detectives
“Strikingly original, but with nods to Golden Age crime, it’s an ingenious story of constantly changing perspectives. Different, clever, and highly entertaining!” –Guy Morpuss, author of A Trial In Three Acts
“Clever and unusual…What an intriguing start for this author!” –FirstClue Reviews
“Excellent fun, and perfect for anyone who loves Murdle.” –The Bookseller
I enjoyed every paragraph of Keyes most recent book Again, Rachel. Therefore, I was thrilled to be given early access to this title by the publisher.
This is a story about Anna who is one of Rachel’s sisters. (The clan appears in a number of titles including an earlier book featuring Anna.) As the story opens, Anna has been a high achiever with her New York job and income. However with Covid, the end of a relationship and more, it has all become way too much for her. So she heads back to Ireland.
Not sure what she will do there, Anna is contacted on behalf of a friend who needs her help with a big real estate project. Anna hopes that her prior work experiences will be transferable. Will they? One complication is that an old love of Anna’s is also working on this development. Will sparks fly? Watch what happens in this long but enjoyable story that also touches on some issues including menopause.
What I liked about this book:
The characters, the setting, the ability to sink right in, the humor, the warmth-so much to recommend in these pages.
Fans of Keyes and those who like women’s fiction, give this one a look. Perfect for a summer day read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada-Doubleday Canada for this title. All opinions are my own.
One thing that I love about Sulari Gentill is that she never seems to rest on her laurels. I very much enjoyed her novels about Rowly Sinclair and his group of friends. These are historical mysteries, set in the 1930s, in a series that began with A Few Right Thinking Men. There are good characters who are good friends and good stories in each of the entries.
Ms. Gentill then began to write some standalone novels and stories set outside of Australia. These include After She Wrote Him, The Woman in the Library, and now, The Mystery Writer. Each has an intriguing and, perhaps quirky, story.
In this new book, Theo (Theodosia) has decided to leave law behind. She wants to be a novelist. When her mentor is killed and her brother becomes a suspect, the scene is set.
A few things to ponder…who was the murderer, where is Theo’s manuscript, and what secret things are happening? Get ready for the unraveling.
It is easy to recommend this one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
Jennifer Chiaverini wrote her first Elm Creek Quilters title back in 1999. It was called The Quilter’s Apprentice and introduced many of the characters who have continued in the series. I enjoyed that novel and have read many of the books in this series.
Here readers again meet up with the inimitable Sylvia Bergstrom Compson, founder of Elm Creek Quilts and a woman of an age to have a lot of history. Summer, who has been with the group from early on, again features here along with many other characters.
This time the story centers on a quilt that Sylvia and her sister made for the World’s Fair all the way back in 1933. Summer wants to exhibit it and many memories are brought back for Sylvia about the quilt and her relationship with her sister.
Here events unfold that will impact on the future of the society.
Those who enjoy stories that feature crafts and some good people will enjoy this one. I am so glad that Chiaverini is continuing this series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title. All thoughts are my own.
Readers who like the Elm Creek Quilters may want to look at some of this author’s other books, both those that are/not part of the series. Publishers Weekly says “Series fans and newcomers alike will be glad to be in Sylvia’s company.”
Pub date: 01 April 2025
304 pages
Other books by the author:
I have read Jennifer Chiavarini’s quilting novels and enjoyed them all. Of her historical novels, I have read Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival and found the story to be quite interesting. So…I was truly looking forward to reading this book. I found the history to be fascinating. While I knew something about Byron’s relationship with his half sister. I knew less about his marriage. I knew almost nothing about Ada and her complex relationship with her mother. Reading about her life was compelling. I would rate this book more highly except that I wished the narration had been a bit livelier.
The Radio Hour is the most recent book of Australian women’s fiction that I have read. I have recently noted enjoying books by Sophie Green and Sandie Docker. Now, I can add Victoria Purman to the list of Aussie authors whose titles will carry an automatic “I want to read that one.”
There are many things that I loved about this book. The historical post WWII, 1950s look at life for women in Australia was intriguing and involving. Women, who just as in other countries, held significant positions during that war were expected to go back home. While there, they could enjoy listening to radio soaps to break up the monotony. How these soaps were made and the world of radio production were well portrayed in these pages. Readers come to understand how these serials brought a common experience to friends and family who then discussed them.
Women who worked were often “old maids” and not given the best of the jobs. In this story, the 50 year old MISS Barry (why does her new boss keep calling her Mrs? Just one way of not paying attention or showing respect it would seem) is given the job of working with a new (and incompetent) writer of a soap that is meant to rival another highly popular one. Will is succeed and, if so, how or why? Will any radio soap prevail as TV comes to Australia?
Most importantly, the reader of this book will route for Miss Barry. If she can succeed, other women will feel that they might too.
It is easy to recommend this title to those who enjoy stories about this time with good characters and just enough plot to keep the pages turning.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Focus for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 