Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too!

Here are the books that were chosen by Signature: I am starring the ones that I have read.  Which have you read?  Which do you recommend?

Those Bones Are Not My Child by Toni Cade Bambara

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

*The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammet

*Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Talented Mr. Ripley/Ripley Under Ground/Ripley’s Game by Patricia Highsmith

*In the Woods by Tana French

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carre

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

The Shining by Stephen King

A Time to Kill by John Grisham

The Annotated Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Enduring Love by Scott Spencer

The Widow by Fiona Barton

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

Strangers by Dean Koontz

Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

*Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson

Dead Letters by Cait Dolan-Leach

Payment in Blood was the second in the Inspector Lynley series, following A Great Deliverance.   I read this the year it came out, which I think was in the late 80s.  This is a  traditional mystery and one that I enjoyed very much.  The reader gets to know Lynley and his Sergeant Barbara Havers, along with Helen, all of whom are characters with recurring roles in the series.  I highly recommend this one.  I have thought about re-reading it for years.

From Library Journal

This is a charming and delightful book!  The illustrations are adorable and the rhyming text makes for a perfect read-aloud.  This is also a counting book which offers even more fun to young listeners.  There are children, a dog, adventures and a cold, snowy day.  Perfect!  Highly recommended!

On Sale Today for $1.99 for the e-book version.

At first, I had avoided reading this book because of a huge spoiler that deterred me.  I am so glad that I eventually decided to change my mind.  The Frank is Frank Lloyd Wright, the renowned architect.  Think Falling Water among other places.

This historical novel takes place when FLW was a young man.  It tells the story of his first and second marriages in an involving and engaging way.  You might not always like Frank Lloyd Wright when you read this novel but I think that you will find him to be intriguing.  I very much enjoyed getting to know Mamah Borthwick Chaney, a Chicago society matron.  I will let you learn who she was for yourself.  Spoiler alert…The story has some very real tragedy but is well worth the read.

Highly recommended. 5 ***** out of 5.

A Blurb:
“It takes great courage to write a novel about historical people, and in particular to give voice to someone as mythic as Frank Lloyd Wright. This beautifully written novel about Mamah Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright’s love affair is vivid and intelligent, unsentimental and compassionate.”
——Jane Hamilton

Uneasy Lies the Crown follows last year’s excellent, A Death in St. Petersburg.  This time, Lady Emily and Colin are trying to keep the (very) new king safe from possible threats.  There have been several murders with each corpse dressed as an historical king.  Is this meant as a direct threat to Bertie or is there something else going on?

In tandem with this plot is a story set in the 1400s.  This is the tale of a brave knight who fights for his king and his relationship with his wife.  This earlier historical tale is connected with Colin’s ancestors.

This book will be welcomed by those who read each book by Tasha Alexander as it comes out.  That having been said, I thought that last year’s entry was stronger.  I look forward to seeing what comes next. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books.

#UneasyLiesTheCrown #NetGalley

I have watched the first two seasons of Queen Sugar and am in the middle of the third.  The show tells the story of three African-American siblings and those around them.  The story takes place in Louisiana where Queen Sugar is sugar cane.  The show has taken on some tough issues, including police treatment of Black men and the difficulties of being a woman running a cane business, and has done so well.  I was curious to read the book after seeing the series although usually I have read first and watched second.  The book is different from the TV series in some ways.  For example, Charley is a widow, not married/divorced from a professional basketball player and Micah is a girl, not a boy, and not a teen, while Ralph-Angel’s wife died unlike in the TV series where Blue’s mother faces substance abuse issues.  Still, there is a story to tell and Natalie Bazile does it well.

From Booklist

This book is an e-book bargain today.  The Book of Joy recounts the five days that the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu spent together talking about their beliefs and lives.  It is an inspiring and unstuffy read.  Spend some time with these men and know for sure that you will leave with some good takeaways.

“This sparkling, wise, and immediately useful gift to readers from two remarkable spiritual masters offers hope that joy is possible for everyone even in the most difficult circumstances, and describes a clear path for attaining it.”
—Publishers Weekly

I have blogged on a number of books that can inspire children to reach for their dreams. What makes this one special is that each woman featured speaks directly to the reader in her own voice . The scope of the book is broad; for example there are entries by Hillary Clinton, Sheryl Sandberg, Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes, Serena Williams and Gabby Douglas. among others. As you can see the book features contemporary women in politics, business, government service, television and sport, along with other career choices. Each entry includes photos in addition to the text. The book also has a time line of women’s history beginning in 1920 when the 19th amendment was passed. This book deserves a spot in school libraries and on the shelves of girls who want to think about their possibilities in life and plan for their futures.

#SheChangedTheWorld #NetGalley

This is Fiona Davis’s third New York City based historical novel and it is a winner! I have not read her earlier books,The Address and The Dollhouse, but may well do so now.
The Masterpiece has a dual narrative structure, one story is set in the 1920s-30’s and the other in the 1970s. The stories of Clara Darden and Virginia Clay overlap and intersect.
Darden is an illustrator, teacher and painter in the earlier era while Virginia, a divorcee, begins working at Grand Central around the time when the landmark battle was underway. Each woman has a backstory, relationships and challenges, all of which are well depicted.
Did you know that in the 1920’s there was an art school right in Grand Central? Did you know that Sargent was one of the founders? Are you interested in historical preservation? Do you enjoy a story with a plot twist? If you can answer yes to any, or all of these questions, I highly recommend this book.

If you like Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and WWII intrigue, you will certainly like this book. I have read and enjoyed all of the novels in this series, starting with Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. Maggie Hope is a resourceful, smart and spunky protagonist who takes great, and possibly foolish, risks, in order to help with the war effort. In The Prisoner in the Castle, Maggie has been exiled to an island where agents who pose a risk to security are secretly being housed. Over the course of Maggie’s stay on the isolated and claustrophobic island, life goes on with one big exception…Maggie’s fellow agents are being killed at a rapid, daily rate. Why? What danger do they present? Who can be trusted? How will the murderer be stopped? Will Maggie survive or could this be the end of the series? You will need to read the novel to find out.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a fun read in an enjoyable series.

I loved this book! The author speaks to the middle school reader without ever being condescending or talking down. When historical background is needed, it is simply included in the text.

Eleanor Roosevelt comes alive with her bravery, deep desire to do right and also in her doubts and difficulties. The reader learns the basics of Eleanor’s biography; not being beautiful for her mother, having a father who was an alcoholic, being orphaned. There is an excellent chapter or Eleanor’s schooling in England and its impact on her. The joys and imperfections of her relationship with Franklin are acknowledged. The young reader learns of affairs but gently.

The author shows the ways in which Eleanor’s consciousness was raised. She describes the prejudices with which Eleanor grew up and how she began to overcome them and fight for her beliefs.

I have read a number of books on the Roosevelts so felt knowledgeable going in. Yet, I still learned a lot. Of note, too, are the illustrations which make historical personages real and present.

I recommend this book highly for readers from middle school through adulthood.

This is an inviting book for young readers (or those being read to) that adults will enjoy as well. Mini biographies of the well and not so well known are offered along with appealing illustrations, quotes from the personages and funny (at times) but always true award titles. Some examples: The Bad-Tempered Musical Genius Award (Beethoven); The 1,279 Goals Award (Pele); The Most Loved Diary Award (Anne Frank); The Saving Lives Award (Pasteur); The One Voice Award (Malala Yousafzai) and many more. This book is inspiring and wide ranging. It will give children a sense that they can accomplish great things while enjoying the accomplishments of those who came before them. Highly recommended!

Here is a picture book that will appeal to many children, especially those who have felt different for any reason. This short, whimsically illustrated, story is about Maud, who does not fit in with the other dragons but has one very loyal friend, a mouse. All of the other dragons are more darkly colored; they breathe soot into the skies to bring on darkness. However, when Maud needs to take on the job in an emergency situation, her breath matches her colorful appearance. So now you know know why it looks so pretty at sunset…share this knowledge with a child in your life!