Benjamin Stevenson offers his fans a Christmas mystery. Favorite characters are back and the pages turn.
This time, Ernest’s ex-wife has been accused of murder. Ernest lies to his current partner Juliet in order to help Erin whose explanation for what occurred does not sound all that believable.
A magician becomes central to the case. Interestingly, a relative mentioned him to Ernest as a kind of wedding entertainer. Said magician also will get Ernest ever more deeply involved when Ernest attends his show.
There is murder along with a wry narrator in this very enjoyable entry in the series. Interestingly it is set up like an advent calendar which adds to the fun.
Recommended for mystery lovers and those who enjoy holiday themed stories.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Debbie Macomber has been writing women’s fiction for many years. She has a keen sense for what her fans want; this includes a family story, a romance, something heartwarming and nothing that is rated above PG…and she delivers.
In this story two single moms, Jenna and Maureen, have children who are growing up, leaving home and facing some adult issues…college, leaving college, having a baby. The empty nest looms for both, especially Jenna who struggles as her daughter leaves home.
Jenna, a nurse, and Maureen, a librarian become involved in romances with Rowan, a surgeon and Logan, a plumber/construction worker. Each couple has their ups and downs but the ending of the novel is never in doubt.
If you are looking for a comfort read, nothing too taxing but a gentle escape, Debbie Macomber could be just the author you need.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviews
“This heartwarming story sweetly balances friendship and mother-child bonding with romantic love.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Macomber’s work is as comforting as ever.”—Booklist
Last year I read and reviewed The Hollywood Spy, one of the Maggie Hope stories by this author. It set the stage for this new novel as it opened my eyes to what was happening among the pro German U.S. groups in the lead up to WWII. What I learned was appalling.
In many ways, Mother, Daughter, Traitor, Spy picks up where The Hollywood Spy left me. The difference is that this title is based on the lives of a real mother and daughter. Many other characters are also based upon real people. Here is a story about good and evil.
Readers get to know Vi and her daughter, Veronica. Veronica was set to have a very bright future as a journalist after she graduated from Hunter College. One mistake derailed her. Vi and Veronica subsequently leave New York and move to California at a relative’s urging. This puts the reader right back into a story about anti-Semitism, pro German sentiment and the world of spies. There are many shocking events over the course of the novel.
I highly recommend this title. I even think that it would be a wonderful one for high school students who are studying American history to read. It is, after all, important to know what happened right here in the U.S. In addition, some of the parallels to today’s political landscape are also here-just think about that.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 20 September 2022
From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“A suspenseful page-turner, vivid historical account, and inspiring story of female empowerment all in one . . . Riveting!”—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman with the Blue Star
“A timely, fascinating story about a little-known chapter in American history, one that resonates especially strongly today.”—Jennifer Chiaverini, New York Times bestselling author of Resistance Women
“A fascinating, thought-provoking thrill ride through the fascist underbelly of 1940s Los Angeles, Mother Daughter Traitor Spy will have you glancing over your shoulder and wondering just what you’d dare—and whether you’d make it out alive.”—Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Daughter
“Gut-wrenching . . . This is historical fiction at its best.”—Lauren Belfer, New York Times bestselling author of And After the Fire
“Susan Elia MacNeal is at the height of her powers in this riveting suspense novel.”—Sujata Massey, Agatha Award–winning author of The Widows of Malabar Hill
“Susan Elia MacNeal is outstanding! Her ability to convey a spellbinding story that is realistically rooted in this time period puts her among the best!”—Charles Todd, New York Times bestselling author of the Ian Rutledge series and the Bess Crawford series
When I have the opportunity to both read and listen to a book I am happy. I can read when I am sitting and can listen when I am out and about. This synchronicity worked perfectly while I enjoyed The Murders in Great Diddling.
The cover and title give some sense of this as a British mystery and indeed it is. Great Diddling is in Cornwall. It is a community where the people who live there know one another.
The story begins when there is an outdoor tea party. Owner of a grand (if rundown) estate has invited the villagers to a tea party. This device leads to a rapid introduction to many characters for the reader.
There are the manor owner, Daphne and her assistant Margaret. There is Daphne’s difficult and disliked nephew. There are author Berit and Sally, daughter of her agent, and hopeful employee of Berit. There is a couple; James has a stake in a hotel and Penny has a stake in defending her husband. There are owners of village businesses whose doors are to be closed and others as well.
There is an explosion and in its aftermath a body is found. I will leave it to the reader to find out who the victim is. Suffice it to say, there are many with motives.
This is the lead in to a long, fun and involving story. Take the time to enjoy it. I did. Note how much there is about books, lots of books in this one as you read or listen.
I found the narration to be spot on. The reader was British and helped to create the atmosphere of the story in a delightful way.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Audio for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 13 August 2024
For audio book: #TheMurdersinGreatDiddling #NetGalley
Curtis Sittenfeld is a nimble author whose novels are each unique. I have read her takes on both Laura Bush and Hilary Rodham Clinton; while each had a similar subject in a president’s spouse, the books were definitely not the same kind of story twice. I also read Eligible which was a Jane Austen update. There is always a voice of its own in her works dating back to Prep.
This title is a lighter one in the Sittenfeld oeuvre. Many will think that there is some resemblance to SNL here. There are writers, a comedy sketch show with celebrity guests and other aspects that reference late night television. However, there are also the characters and relationships and they are Sittenfeld’s own. These folks include Sally who has not been lucky in love and has been having “hook ups” instead of commitments. She watches as a co-writer, Danny, who is described as not too well put together appearance wise, become involved with someone “out of his league.” Why do things turn out this way for men more than women?? What happens when guest host Noah comes on the show and what will happen between him and Sally over time? Read this one to find out.
Many have adored this book. I liked it. I could not quite enter its world and pushed a bit to finish it. That said, I think this will be a very popular read this spring and summer.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
The American Agent is the fifteenth title in the Maisie Dobbs series. The first book was published in 2003 with protagonist, Maisie, having been a nurse during WWI. The American Agent takes place in the Blitz during WWII. The perils that London faced remind me that, while facing Covid is our crisis, there have been many others that people have survived as well.
The Maisie Dobbs series is best approached in order as then readers are current with the events in Maisie’s life and those of the many recurrent characters. For me, The American Agent felt a bit like it might be the last book in the series although I do hope that will not be the case.
In this entry, Maisie is tasked with figuring out who has killed an American female journalist and why. In her personal life, Maisie’s best friend has been injured and Maisie’s much wished for adoption plan is not necessarily going to go according to plan. In this latest novel there is also the possibility of a new relationship with Mark, an American with whom she has been working. Around all this, Maisie solves her case.
I highly recommend this series and this title. Have you read the Maise Dobbs series? What do you think?
Editorial reviews:
“Excellent…. In Winspear’s capable hands, Maisie has evolved into a deeply sympathetic character. Readers will eagerly await her next outing.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
“The London blitz is the backdrop to Winspear’s latest as the inimitable Maisie Dobbs investigates the death of Catherin Saxon, an intrepid American journalist determined to document wartime Britain’s hardships for the folks back home. An immersive tale of wartime grit and grief.” (Booklist)
“Everything in this series turns on the psychological traumas of war. That’s what gives Maisie’s sometimes prosaic cases their sturdy backbone and air of urgency—that and Maisie’s own dynamic character. Hang on to your helmet and carry on, girl.” (New York Times Book Review)
“Advances Maisie’s inspiring activities, highlights the bravery of an embattled people during the Second World War, and intimates that lessons from that period have yet to be learned.” (Kirkus)
Lila Dalton is in a bit of a mess. She has found herself in an isolated court where she is meant to defend a killer. There is a big problem though…Lila has no idea as to how she has gotten to be where she is.
Find yourself in a hearing for a multiple murderer. See if you can figure out what is going on before Lila does.
This title offers an interesting twist on a courtroom drama. Those who enjoy legal thrillers, locked room tales, and stories of forgotten memories may want to give this one a look.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
This book has already been published.
Advance Praise
THE GUARDIAN BEST RECENT CRIME & THRILLERS
“The well-constructed account of Lila’s nightmare comes across as a howl of frustration at the state of the British legal system.” —Literary Review
“Remarkable… there are echoes of Kafka, Orwell and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” —The Times, Best Thrillers for February
Those who enjoy reading traditional mysteries will, I think, enjoy this first title in what I hope will be a series. It has a good setting, good characters, an interesting mystery and jigsaw puzzles.
When the husband of Alice’s best friend Ruby is murdered, the stage is set. George was cheating on Ruby but would this be enough for her to murder him? Who was the mysterious wigged woman with George right before he died? Still, all of the motives may not be personal; is it possible that his role in the government with budget power led someone to go too far? Could there be other reasons based on George’s behavior? Find out and enjoy spending time with Alice, her granddaughters and the many others in these pages.
Puzzle Me a Murder offers a good puzzle and a fun read. Recommended for its audience.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
I read Jodi Picoult’s recent release, By Any Other Name, not long ago. This was a fictional, dual time line story about two women playwrights. Picoult posits that of these two main characters, Emilia Bassano, wrote Shakespeare’s plays. She makes a compelling argument.
Anyone who read that novel and was intrigued or anyone who is interested in women’s creative lives during Elizabethan times will want to give this non-fiction title a look. It tells the stories of four women who wrote in an era when most women did not express themselves in this way. The four are Mary Sidney, Aemelia Lanyer, Elizabeth Cary and Anne Clifford. The resulting book is quite interesting.
To help readers, the author has included family charts for each of the women. There are also some illustrations interlaced with the text. The reader is given a sense of what life was like in that time period. They will also learn what it was like to manage typical and expected women’s roles while at the same time wanting and having a creative life.
Recommended to those who are interested in history and literature.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for this title. All opinions are my own.
The American Agent is the fifteenth title in the Maisie Dobbs series. The first book was published in 2003 with protagonist, Maisie, having been a nurse during WWI. The American Agent takes place in the Blitz during WWII. The perils that London faced remind me that, while facing Covid is our crisis, there have been many others that people have survived as well.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 