This title is the third and last novel that Horowitz is writing about Atticus Pund and Susan Ryeland. It is a corker written by an author who, I think, is just the teeniest bit smug about his talent and expansive knowledge of publishing and other aspects of modern life.

Anyone who has not read The Magpie Murders can read this novel but there are definitely many aspects of that story that are revealed in this one. It may be best to read the series in order or at least catch up on events via the PBS series.

Susan Ryeland is back in England with her trusty MG. She is freelancing and hoping for a more permanent position as an editor when she is invited/lured into working with Eliot Crace. He is writing an entry in the Atticus Pund series, continuing what the original author (SPOILER! and murder victim) had begun.

As is true of others in the series, there is a story in the present (that has roots in the past) along with the manuscript of the new Pund novel. I love how authentic this looks with Horowitz making this look just like others that I have received from Harper Collins. It is quite clever.

It begins to appear that Eliot’s book may be a bit too closely related to his take on events in his family. Where will this lead? Nothing else here so that there will be no spoilers.

Suffice it to say that this read is immersive, long, filled with numerous characters and plots, clever and perhaps a modern classic.

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

Pub date: 13 May 2025

Mystery & Thriller

592 pages

From the Publisher

by Joey Esposito

#SesameStreetGroverLendsaHand #NetGalley

This comic book style title, has engaging graphics and a positive story line. Kids will enjoy seeing the familiar Sesame Street characters interact with each other.

Grover wakes up cheerful but the friends that he meets are not quite as happy. Will Grover be able to save the day? (of course, he will).

Kids get a message that emphasizes helping each other to solve problems. Cooperation is the theme of this book.

This title will make a nice addition to the bookshelves of Sesame Street fans.

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

Pub date: 24 June 2025

Children’s

24 pages

An e book bargain today it is ninety nine cents

#HowtoFindALostLove #NetGalley

We all know that life does not always go to plan. What we choose to do next can make all the difference. This is the situation that Jess is experiencing as this lovely novel opens.

Jess has recently faced some hard times that have made it difficult for her to trust and believe in others. She has been couch surfing at her best friend’s and needs a place to live. This is how she comes to meet Joan who is looking for a lodger.

This device puts one younger and one older person together as Jess rents a room in Joan’s house. Joan is doing this in order to liven up her life. Indeed many things will happen for both of these women over the course of the story. One of the entertaining ones for me was to watch Joan and Jess switch with Jess swearing off her mobile for old fashioned communications just as Joan learns about the internet and more.

Will Jess and her close friends be able to save a vintage theater? What role (for good or bad) will Joan’s son play in this? Will someone from her past get in touch with “Joany?” Will these characters find some happiness? Read this one to find out. It is just delightful.

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

Pub date: 23 May 2024

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/books/best-books-2025-so-far.html

#TheTreasureHunt #NetGalley

This title engages the young reader by talking directly to them. I think that kids will very much enjoy interactive story. The illustrations are lively and I like the way that the text invites the reader to think about the hidden treasures. The reader and the kids in the book will travel while on the trail, going to Italy, France, and Scotland for example. Clues and puzzles are provided for them.

I highly recommend this entertaining book. It is clever, fun and interactive. This would make a great gift for a child.

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

Pub date: 10 June 2025

Children’s Nonfiction

64 pages

The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams is an e book bargain

#TheWhisperedWord #NetGalley

The Whispered Word is the second entry in the Secret, Book and Scone Society series.  The main characters’ secrets were fully described in the first book but a reader can still enjoy this one as a standalone novel.

What I enjoyed most about this book were the characters and the setting.  Yes, belief has to be suspended, but I would love to visit and spend time with Nora and her three closest friends.  Nora’s town, Miracle Springs. attracts people in need of saving and second chances.  Nora owns the local bookstore and is a very astute and well-versed bookseller.  There are many references to both fiction and non-fiction titles throughout the novel.  Nora herself is named for the character in Ibsen’s play.  Just a few of the titles mentioned in the novel include The Witch of Blackbird Pond, A Doll’s House, Harry Potter, One Snowy Day and a number of books on adoption and tidying up.

But of course, there is more than just books in this book.  Abilene comes to town and is a young girl who has had a difficult life and clearly has secrets of her own.  Has she committed crimes including murder?  There is also a shop, Virtual Genie that is offering to consign goods for people in the town.  It looks like a fantastic service but is there more to it?  You can probably answer these questions but finding out the answers is still fun.

The Whispered Word is about friendship, relationships, taking risks…and solving mysteries.  It is an excellent cozy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.  I enjoyed my second visit with these characters and am eager for book three.

by Deanna Raybourn

#ASinisterRevenge #NetGalley

Deanna Raybourn enjoys writing series. I have read all of the titles featuring Julia Grey and recommend them. I was very excited to spend time with a title in her series featuring Veronica and Stoker (among others in the rich cast of characters). I can’t wait to read all of the ones that I missed!

Despite not having read other books about Veronica, it was quite easy to become absorbed in this story and its people. It is clear that there were difficulties between the main characters, Stoker and Veronica, at the end of the last book. This one picks up as Veronica and Stoker’s brother search for him in a scenario that recalls The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Tiberius needs the help of these two. Veronica is a lepidopterist while Stoker likes nothing better than dinosaur bones. They also sleuth and that is what is required here.

In a mystery with roots that seem to come from the past, old friends of Tiberius are being killed. This group met at university and became close, even giving a name to their friendship circle. After graduation, the plan was to travel in Europe and spend time in one another’s family homes. When the group was at Tiberius’s family estate an accident (or was it murder?) took place. Now, in the book’s present, others in the group are being killed. Veronica and Stoker need to keep Tiberius from being the next victim as they dig deep into the case.

Raybourn ably brings together her cast of characters, each of whom is a well portrayed individual. The plot crackles. The relationship between Veronica and Stoker crackles as well.

I highly recommend this title to those who love historical mysteries with good characters, especially a strong and atypical woman of her time in Veronica. The plotting was also engaging.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 07 March 2023

Jennifer Ryan has a talent for writing absorbing historical fiction. She began with The Chilbury Ladies Choir, a book that I very much enjoyed. Next came The Spies of Shilling Lane and then The Kitchen Front. I recommend all of these. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is the next, English set, WWII story by this author. I really enjoyed it and recommend it highly.

This is a story that, to me, was about change and transformation. Do people have to stay in their strictly defined (by them or others) roles or can they move toward the lives that they want? Watch the characters to find out.

Readers follow three women whose lives and circumstances have been impacted by loss, the war and a heretofore acceptance of given roles. First is Grace; she is the daughter of a village vicar. When Grace’s mother died she stepped up to support her father. Grace, who puts her own needs last, is a very kind “do-gooder”. She is scheduled to marry another vicar but is she settling? What will happen when she again encounters the son of the squire who was a childhood friend? Readers will want the best for this good and likeable character.

Then there is Violet. She accepts and relishes her place in society. She is a rather self-important snob as the novel opens. When Violet is called up to do war work, how will she change? What talents will she discover? How will her views of people change? Violet has always wanted to marry a title, maybe even more than the man. What will happen when she meets a brash American?

Last, but definitely not least, there is Cressida. She is a successful fashion designer whose life is upended by the Blitz. Cressida is Violet’s aunt and Grace’s father is an old friend. Will Cressida and Grace’s father let go of their past grief enough to perhaps get together? Even if a reader thinks that they know the answers, there is pleasure in reading this title.

The author, in addition to telling her characters’ stories, provides readers with an interesting take on the period. Through fashion, readers learn about the system of clothing coupons and a contest for making do in a fashionable way with less. Cressida enters this contest. She also helps Grace to refashion her mother’s beautiful wedding dress…and, by the way, what is the history of this dress? And, of course, there is the sewing circle.

I truly loved this book. I enjoyed the people, the setting and the historical context. Even if you suffer from WWII historical fiction fatigue, I recommend that you read this one!

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

From the Publisher

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle

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

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

Sulari Gentill has authored a number of books in an historical mystery series set in 1930s Australia.  It is a time when there is much unrest; on the one side is the New Guard, a Fascist group, while, on the other, there are the Communists, among others.  Historically, WWII is coming and tensions are high.

Ms. Gentill uses this time period to good effect in her mysteries which feature a mix of fictional and historical characters. In this one, the historical figures include a number of politicians, and readers spend time at the new Parliament building. One does not have to stretch very far to find some parallels with our own uncertain times. There is a quote that relates to the story’s title and those (and our) times.  It is “The dangerous language you speak of is the truth.”

The series in general and this novel feature family dynamics, political intricacies, murder, chases, romance and suspense.  Readers familiar with the series will be delighted to spend time with main characters Rowly (a kind of Lord Peter Wimsey if Wimsey were more on the left), poet Milton, painter Clyde and the female sculptor, Ed.  There is a new character as well, a woman with whom Rowly had been in love as a teen;  will she take Edna’s place in his affections? Readers will also find that Wilf, Rowly’s brother, makes an appearance and the two seem as fractious as ever.

A lot happens in this novel.  A communist is killed on the steps of Parliament.  Egon Kisch, an anti-Fascist (a true historical figure) who wants to speak in Australia may not be allowed in the country; how will he and Rowly intersect?  There is an unidentifiable young woman who is found murdered early in the novel; who is she?  There is a famous air race and more.  The novel is busy but it works.

Each chapter opens with a fictitious newspaper account.   These add a sense of veracity to the book and parallel some of what happens.  series.

I enjoy Sulari Gentill’s novels more each time that I read them.  I highly recommend this one.

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

pub date:  June 9, 2020