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

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/02/24/books/review/books-screen-adaptations.html

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/books/winter-books.html

They say that you can’t judge a book by its cover but I have to say that, as soon as I saw this one, the visual appeal made me want to read Murder at the Mena House.  This is an historical mystery set in Egypt in 1926.  The author does a wonderful job with the setting, both in terms of the indolent, luxury hotel and the sites, including the pyramids, museums, camel races and more.  There are a variety of colorful characters and some interesting backstory for the majority of them.

I think that this is the author’s first published book.  I enjoyed this read although the mystery itself was the least engaging part for me.  I will read further adventures of Jane as they are published.  She was a good guide to Egypt and those around her.

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

Stephanie Barron has written in several genres. She is the author of the Nantucket based, Merry Folger mysteries which I read and enjoyed. She also wrote the Jane Austen mystery series and novels with JFK and Virginia Woolf as characters. In this book, That Churchill Woman is Jennie Jerome Churchill, the mother most famously of Winston, the wife of Randall and a lover of Charles Kinsky.

The novel moves back and forth in time allowing the reader to understand Jennie’s upbringing in the Gilded Age and her father’s influence on her life. The reader also learns about the traumas of Jennie’s early life, including the profound loss she faced, her father’s affairs, her move to Europe, etc.

Jennie glitters in British society. There are numerous appearances in the book of Bertie, the Prince of Wales and his wife Princess Alix. Other American women who married into the British aristocracy are also characters in the novel.

The reader empathizes with Jennie, especially during a time when a young Winston is quite ill. Further, as Jennie learns the truth about her husband, (I don’t want to include spoilers), one truly feels for her.

I highly recommend this novel for those who like historical fiction, those who are Anglophiles and those interested in the family in which Winston grew up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this absorbing read.

#ThatChurchillWoman #NetGalley

I am a fan of Mason’s Oxford set stories featuring Ray and Ryan. The fourth of these A Killing in November was recently published. All of them have been reviewed on my blog.

This new series has two entries out with a third on tap. It is different from the DI Wilkins title noted above. It is more spare in its style. The reader knows all that they need to in a story that has no extra padding.

Readers will soon know that Alice, who had a troubled home life, was not seen after a last sighting while delivering newspapers. What happened to her? No spoiler so readers will have to pick this one up.

Interestingly the finder of the title spends a lot of time reading a particular Henry James story. Is that significant? Readers can decide.

Mason is a talented writer and I look forward to whatever he next writes.

Mason’s novels

Although I reference an e book bargain, that was only true at the time of posting.

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#PoemsPlease #NetGalley

In these pages readers will find an engaging selection of poems in sections on Nature’s Realm, Travels, Word-Play and, The Beloved. Some poems are a bit more than a page in length while others are just three lines. The poems often are evocative reflecting the keen observations of the author, while some are more humorous, as for example, the Four Variations on Little Miss Muffet.

A few of my favorites in the collections include Dear France, Spring Journey, Cold Night Haiku, and Friends. The latter two are three line entries that I enjoyed for their ability to say something so seemingly simply.

Take a minute or two to dip into this title. Go in order or browse. You might just find a moment of thoughtful reflection or amusement.

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

Pub date: 28 January 2025

This book has already been greeted enthusiastically by many. Among these readers is Oprah Winfrey who has made it her book club pick. It has been reviewed widely and anyone who read (or saw the movie) Brooklyn will want to spend time with this novel.

This is a story of Eilis twenty or so years after the events in Brooklyn. She has found herself a housewife (with occasional work), mother of two and is still married to Tony; his boisterous clan makes their presence in her life rather prominent.

The catalyst for what happens is that Tony has impregnated another woman. Needless to say Eilis is not pleased. One way that she copes is by going back to Ireland. Yes, she does again meet up with Jim while there.

What will happen to this family as they face a crisis? Eilis once left but returned to Tony. What will she do this time?

I found the writing in this book to be deceptively simple. There is much behind what each character says and does. It is a paean to well written prose.

Even if a reader has not yet enjoyed Brooklyn, they can still read this one. I recommend it.

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

Pub date: 07 May 2024

An e book bargain for 04.24.2024

#AfterAnnie #NetGalley

In my opinion, Anna Quindlen is one of the premiere practitioners of the art of deeply felt domestic fiction. In After Annie, she once again goes deep into the heart and soul of a family, one that is facing loss and all that entails.

Annie was a mother to four children, all of whom counted on her, taking her for granted in the ways that children do. Her sudden, seemingly unpreventable death from an aneurysm at a young age, is the catalyst that deeply affects these children, her husband and her best friend.

Readers find out more about Annie as they spend time with those around her. Her daughter, Ali, is forced to grow up, her husband falters, and her best friend faces a renaissance of old issues. Will these folks who were left behind be able to move forward? Will they be okay? How will Annie continue to be a presence in their lives? Find out in this work of literary fiction that is as good as anything the author has written (and that is high praise).

Note: Anyone who has experienced a recent loss may find this book both difficult and worth reading

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

Pub date: 27 February 2024

From the Publisher

#FamousLastWords #NetGalley

Five stars 🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠

Imagine that you are Cam and that your entire world is turned upside down. You have always found your husband, Luke, to be pretty laid back and so supportive. He cooks! Both of you are exhausted but adore your baby, Polly. And, Luke is so good that you always have some time to have a break and read. Imagine that you are a book agent, ready to go back to work on your first day…AND THEN, the unthinkable happens.

Your husband wasn’t there when you woke up and left a somewhat cryptic note. You soon discover that he is involved in a tense hostage situation. WTF (as the rude might say). How can this be? Why? How do you a piece a life back together after this? Did you ever know your spouse? Where is he? Alive? Not?

Also, imagine That you are Niall. He was the hostage negotiator. The decisions that you made are haunting you.

How will events unfold? Find out in this page turner. I was absolutely glued to it and recommend it highly for those who enjoy suspenseful stories.

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

Pub date: 25 February 2025

From the Publisher

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.
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 Press and NetGalley.

Note:  I will now try to add author’s names to the titles of the posts in order to make the site easier to search.