by Anna Lee Huber

#TheColdLightofDay #NetGalley

I have been following the exploits and relationship of Sidney and Verity since Huber began the series with This Side of Murder. She has mastered the art of storytelling with interesting characters, plots, relationships and an historical period. In my opinion, The Cold Light of the Day is the best entry yet (though readers may want to read the series from the beginning, especially the first book which sets the scene for the main characters).

In The Cold Light of Day, Sidney and Verity are in Dublin at an important historical juncture. It is the time of such notable figures as Eamon de Valera and Michael Collins, among others. Our protagonists are thrown right into the intrigue as they attempt to spy on both sides in the conflict. It is a real strength of the author’s that the history is clearly explained and easy to follow.

A spy/colleague/important person to Verity has been sent to Dublin to infiltrate those seeking Irish independence. He has not been heard from in some time. Will Verity and Sidney be able to locate him? Is he even still alive?

Finding out about Alec is just one of the many situations in which Verity is involved. Readers will turn the pages wanting to know how each storyline plays out. Then, like me, they may be sad to know that it will be at least a year before meeting up with Verity and Sidney again.

I thoroughly enjoyed this title and recommend it highly.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 24 September 2024

Others in the series that I have reviewed:

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber

What happens when it descends: A Certain Darkness (by Anna Lee Huber)

Welcome back, Verity and Sidney! Penny for Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber

A Pretty Deceit

From the publisher:

	Treacherous Is the Night	Penny for Your Secrets	A Pretty Deceit	Murder Most Fair	A Certain Dark

Anne Tyler’s quietly magical new novel — Three Days in June review

https://www.thetimes.com/article/cf7cad1d-3d4b-4d20-a48f-373ad942f659?shareToken=c92094359f8e76e8e04bc9ba25fb1716

The best crime fiction of 2025 so far — our critics’ top books

https://www.thetimes.com/article/a6c1b701-c3bb-4754-89bb-8853ceec05e5?shareToken=f44f42913ee90aaff614aa5c67bb792b

Come to Mure; It is worth the trip: Jenny Colgan

The Endless Beach is one of three novels set on Mure, a fictional town in northern Scotland.  The first in the series was The Cafe by the Sea and the newest entry is Christmas on the Island.

Here are my earlier thoughts on The Cafe by the Sea:

Jenny Colgan is a talented writer of light, humorous women’s fiction. I find that her novels are good reads for when I want to escape. In this book, The Cafe by the Sea, the escape is to the fictional island of Mure in very northern Scotland. The scenery is beautiful, the family life complicated and the romance eventually works out as it tends to in this kind of fiction. Recommended for a relaxing, stressfree read.

My thoughts on The Endless Beach:

This novel picks up where the earlier one left off.  It can be read as a standalone or as part of the series.

In The Endless Beach, old characters are back and the town is as idyllic as ever, although the characters’ lives are not.  Story lines felt deeper and more complex than in some of the other books that I have read by this author.  The story of Saif was especially moving.  A refugee and physician, Saif’s wife and sons were left behind in Syria when he was given asylum in Scotland.  In this novel, his sons are located and the trauma that they experience is explored.  The reader watches as Saif tries to help the boys to adjust.  For a writer of light fiction, this is a story of some depth.

Then there are Fintan and Colton, two gay characters whose relationship forms a key part of the novel.  The author presents their deep love for one another while also making the reader well aware of a major obstacle that they face.  No spoiler so I will not say more.

Flora and Joel are also working on their relationship.  For reasons that the reader comes to understand more fully, commitment is frightening to Joel.  What will happen to them?  Will there be a good next step for them?

I found this to be the best book that i have read by this author.  I was sorry to leave Mure but glad to know that I still have one more book in the series to read. If you have read/plan to read these novels, let me know your thoughts.  Thanks.

Jenny Colgan’s many fans will be delighted by her newest, standalone book. They will literally be in the skies as they spend time with pilot Morag. The descriptions of flights and landscape are a lovely part of the novel.

When the book opens, Morag has had a crisis. There was a most unfortunate incident while she was flying. Although Morag puts up a brave front, she is reeling and a bit frightened of returning to her job. One upside though was the potential for romance with Hayden, a man from HR whom she met in her follow up to the incident noted above. Is he the one or will someone else be?

As Morag is struggling so is her grandfather. He is one of a line of pilots in Morag’s family and he needs Morag’s help. As a result, Morag returns to northern Scotland where he has offered a wonderful flying service to the folks of the islands. The story picks up from there with a big event being an unexpected landing and time spent with a scientist on a very small island. Here is the potential someone else as noted above.

Ms. Colgan offers her readers a lovely story as is her habit. Recommended for summer reading lists and those who enjoy romance/women’s fiction.

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

FOUR STARS ****

A Year in the Company of Trees

by Nalini Nadkarni

#TreeNotes #NetGalley

The publisher notes that this book is from an esteemed National Geographic explorer and forest ecologist making her the perfect companion for these pages. Nadkarni has loved trees since childhood and, by now, has climbed trees on four continents.

Readers will enjoy dipping into this author’s essays which she says are about “celebrating everyday trees and their relationships with everyday people who encounter them.” These encounters can include even simple things like using chopsticks.

The book is organized by seasons. Entries are short, engaging and easy to read. By the end, readers will walk away with a deep appreciation for nature’s gifts and will know that it is important to preserve our natural resources.

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

Pub date: 18 February 2025

#HereOneMoment #NetGalley

What a concept! Imagine you are on a plane. You have your reasons for being there, things that you are thinking about and have settled in. Imagine that in the midst of whatever you are doing, a woman stands in front of you and tells you when you will die and of what. How would you react? How intense would that be? This is the monumental basis for Moriarty’s latest novel. No spoiler-she spectacularly pulls it off.

Get to know many characters. They are of different ages, sexes, experiences. How will they move forward when they have this information? Will it be true? Who is the woman making the predictions? Read this long (500 plus pages) novel that is divided into many short sections to find out. See if it will change you.

Highly recommended.

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

Pub date: 10 September 2024

From the Publisher

Her Majesty The Queen Investigates

by SJ Bennett

#ADeathinDiamonds #NetGalley

A Death in Diamonds is the fourth entry in this most enjoyable series that offers readers Queen Elizabeth the sleuth, and what a talented detective she is. This title can be read on its own but readers will, I think, enjoy every one of the earlier books as well.

This time, a Bishop’s bolthole is the site of the murders of a couple seemingly having an assignation. The woman is wearing a valuable tiara that, it turns out, Princess Margaret had wanted to possess.

Who are these two? Why were they killed? Are their murders related to a series of subtle threats and annoyances that Queen Elizabeth has been facing? Is someone in the Queen’s most inner circle, in fact, unworthy of her trust?

As the Queen cannot do everything (after all, she has many other duties), she looks to help from her newest employee, the formidable Joan, to assist. The two communicate in varied ways, including by sending messages through what others will see as the frivolity of the Queen’s fashion.

What I most enjoy in this series is the reasonably plausible way in which the Queen’s life is portrayed. There are interactions between her and Philip and with Charles and Anne, the two children who are alive at the time that the story is set. The mysteries themselves also offer a fun read.

It is easy to recommend this title to Anglophiles and lovers of traditional mysteries. I look forward to the next in this series.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 21 January 2025

The audio book:

How fortunate listeners are to have actress Samantha Bond read this story. She carries the story along and is a delightful companion throughout the audio. I feel that her British intonation adds a sense of verisimilitude to the novel.

Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this excellent audio title.

All opinions are my own.

Look for reviews of these others in the series on my blog:

Sophie Hannah has been writing novels about Hercule Poirot for several years.  She has had the blessing of the Agatha Christie estate in doing this.  The Monogram Murders was first, followed by Closed Casket.  The third in the series, The Mystery of Three Quarters will be published at the end of August.  Personally, I prefer the original novels but these have gotten good press so I draw your attention to this, in case you would like to get started.

From the Back Cover

 #TheSummerSwap #NetGalley

When I think about what makes me engage with a book, the answer is generally the characters. Setting, plot and other elements of novels are also important but what I most seek is to spend time with the people and to care about them. Sarah Morgan gave me exactly what i wanted in The Summer Swap, a book that I recommend for an engaging spring/summer read.

Who is in the novel? Here are some of the people.

Cameron is an artist who is no longer alive but whose reputation and reach continue following his death.

Cecilia generally became known as Cameron’s wife but she was/is her own person. It was not always easy to be subsumed by her husband and their marriage was complicated. She is now trying to figure out what she wants (as are all the characters).

Kristen and Winston are Cameron and Cecilia’s middle aged children. Kristen is rather controlling, married to a surgeon and flirting with a possible dalliance as the book opens. Winston has a more laidback personality than the tense Kristen. Both Winston and Kristen have young adult children who also feature in the story.

Lily has had the hopes of her family placed on her shoulders. It is difficult when she realizes that she needs to find her own path in life, not do only what is expected. She has connections with Kristen’s daughter and has been in love with Winston’s son.

Watch out too for the journalist who flirts with Kristen. He may have ulterion motives.

As the story opens, readers learn that Lily is finding her way on the Cape. The Cape is also a place to which Cecilia travels when she escapes from the family party she did not want to attend. It is a place with some painful memories. Readers can expect that Lily and Cecilia will meet.

What happens to each of these characters makes up the essence of this very readable story. I enjoyed it so much and now will keep an eye out for a new book by this author. (I also liked her last novel The Book Club a great deal.)

Those who enjoy women’s fiction will, I am certain want to read The Summer Swap. Mark the calendar for its release date.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 07 May 2024