#TheHazelbourneLadiesMotorcycleandFlyingClub #NetGalley

I knew that I wanted to read this novel as soon as I saw the beautiful cover and the name of the author. Many may recognize Helen Simonson from her book Mr. Pettigrew’s Last Stand. In that work and this, Simonson writes with her own distinctive sensibility.

The Hazelbourne story begins not long after WWI has ended. Readers may think that the armistice resolved everything; however, for many figuring out a life post-war was not always easy. In this novel, the author spends time with some of those folks.

Constance grew up somewhat beholden to the family of her mother’s best friend. There were class differences between them but a relationship endured. During the war, Constance managed the family’s estate. Once the war was over, her sense of purpose was taken away since the job was given back to a man.

Poppy is a happily unconventional young woman. She seems to live as she likes. A big part of this is her motorcycle business. Riding along in one of these vehicles when driven by a woman was not expected at the time.

Poppy’s brother served and lost a limb. All he wants to do is fly again but no one will look at him as capable as the story opens.

The lives of these characters come together at a seaside hotel when Poppy asks Constance for a favor. Poppy’s mother, brother and she have seemingly taken up long term residence there While Constance is visiting as a companion to an older woman.

In addition to these main characters, many others are in these pages. In this way, the author creates a broad canvas for her story.

Lots happens as readers get to know the characters in this novel of manners that unfolds at its own leisurely pace. Issues are covered that are reflective of the time period.

Readers will become attached to many in this story and will wait to see how things l turn out. They will enjoy every bit of this over 400 page book.

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

Pub date: 07 May 2024

#EssentialLifeSkillsforGirls #NetGalley

I highly recommend this title that teaches and empowers girls (though it could be useful to boys, adults…). It is nicely illustrated and packed with information.

This title is divided into sections on matters related to home, schoo,l and being out in the world. Just to give a flavor of the title with a subsection from each area…learn how to do laundry, to have difficult conversations with friends, to understand money matters.

This title would make a great gift and I think the recipient may refer to it often.

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

Pub date: 09 April 2024

As many may remember, Radcliffe was once the women’s college affiliated with Harvard University. As such, it was one of the prestigious seven sisters schools.

As this novel, set in the 1950s, opens four young women are enrolled as Radcliffe freshman. They each arrive at school with their own family history. Tess hopes to be a writer and is happy to leave an unhappy home life behind in order to be a scholarship student at the school. Tess’s roommate, Caroline, is a wealthy young woman with a voluminous wardrobe. She seems less interested in academics than in dating and having fun. There are then Merritt and Evie rounding out the group.

A new bookstore has opened in Cambridge. The slightly mysterious owner, Alice, is planning to have a monthly book group with the first selection being Jane Eyre. Our four protagonists join.

I enjoyed this book’s setting and the way that the gracious life of a 1950s women’s school was brought to life. I could completely visualize the common room’s sofas and the dorm dining room where waitressed meals were served. These details accurately reflect the novel’s time period. I also enjoyed and eagerly waited to see which book would be discussed each month.

Many things happen to and around these four young women. They go through some difficult times on their way to adulthood and the story can be quite dramatic.

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

Content warning:

Violence against one of the women

Pub date: 06 June 2023

An e book bargain

#TheBusyBody #NetGalley

The unnamed protagonist/narrator of this book is a ghostwriter. (It was when sitting down to write this that I realized she was never named. Kind of clever since a ghostwriter is a person who is meant to be anonymous when her work is published.) The job requires an ability to seamlessly fit into the subject’s life in an unobtrusive way. This time, the ghost has been asked to write the biography of Dorothy Gibson. Dorothy recently lost a presidential election. A bit like Hillary Clinton, it was felt that she had a low likeability rating. The biography is meant to give a new look at who she is.

The narrator quickly heads up to Maine where Dorothy lives in a gorgeous, somewhat isolated home. There she settles in and meets the staff including Dorothy’s personal assistant and various security personnel, at least one of whom is quite good looking.

Early in the book, Dorothy and our narrator go out to buy some wine. While at the store, they are accosted by a woman with a somewhat unique way of earning money. When she asks Dorothy for a selfie, Dorothy agrees. Most unfortunately soon after, Vivian dies. It emerges that her death was not suicide but…murder! (of course)

Dorothy and the narrator will be on the case. There will be a few twists before all becomes known.

The narrator of this book has her own unique, sometimes snarky spin on the world. She is most likely neurodiverse. She can be funny and seems to know a lot, perhaps from spending time learning so much about her subjects when ghostwriting. Readers will hope that she is a good detective too.

This book will be enjoyed by its readers. They will likely hope for a second book by the author.

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

Pub date: 23 January 2024

Praise for The Busy Body:
A Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books Selection
A January 2024 Library Reads Pick
A February 2024 IndieNext Pick

“Given Kemper’s knowledge and admiration of Agatha Christie—he cohosts the podcast All About Agatha—it isn’t surprising that he displays a similar flair for clever cluing and crafty characterization, not to mention the ability to throw in a killer plot twist at the end that would make Dame Agatha proud. Fans of David Handler’s equally entertaining Stewart Hoag series or those in search of a modern take on classic crime fiction will snap up this stellar mystery debut, which delivers an addictive mix of Dorothy Parker’s waspish wit and Agatha Christie’s deft hand at ingenious plotting.” —Library Journal STARRED REVIEW

#TheWomanontheLedge #NetGalley

By now readers know that a book whose title includes the words ”The Girl” or “The Woman” is going to find a complex, twisty story where it is hard to know who to believe and exactly what happened. That is certainly the case in Mancini’s page turner. Mancini is a British criminal defense attorney so keep an eye on the lawyer in the story.

It starts with a holiday party. A woman who works as a temp goes to this party where, by the way, her married lover also works. When she goes out on the roof for some air, she finds said woman on the ledge. She is threatening to jump. Tate talks the woman, who says her name is Helen, down. Things get increasingly complicated when Helen seeks Tate’s help the very next day. She says that she lost an earring at the party and convinces Tate to return to the London high rise building.

Horrifically a woman dies. Tate is arrested. Helen can’t be found. Was she really named Helen? Stories come and go. As is the case in these novels, that the reader does not know what to make of events and who to believe. Pages turn as readers seek answers.

I first heard about this novel in a British magazine and knew that I wanted to read it. You might want to as well.

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

Pub date: 16 January 2024

by Colleen Cambridge

Those who enjoy mysteries will most likely recognize the name Mallowan in this book’s title. For those who don’t know, Mallowan was the name of Agatha Christie’s second husband. Two facts…He was younger than Agatha and was an archaeologist.

This book is delightful and clever. The Mallowans are characters in the novel but do not dominate the story. It is a take on the English country house murder and is told with warmth and a nod to those who know their mysteries. For example, readers will observe Agatha getting the brainstorm that later results in The Body in the Library.

The book’s conceit is that Agatha’s housekeeper, Phyllida, is an old friend. Because of this, they chat often and do not maintain a strict employer/employee relationship. Phyllida is the amateur detective for the case. She is an astute observer even as she ends up in some trying situations.

The Mallowans host a house party. The murder victim does not appear to be whom he said he was. Photos that he possessed are found and these include all of the guests at the party. What was the victim after? Who murdered him? Why? Read the story to find out.

Both this book and Murder at Greenway were recently published. Each has some connection to Agatha Christie. I preferred this novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Julia Kelly has written a number of historical fiction titles that I have enjoyed.  With A Traitor in Whitehall, she adds a murder mystery into the mix.  The result was an absorbing read.
Readers learn early on that protagonist, Evelyne, has a backstory through her parents' relationship .  She moves forward from this into managing her own life.  When she is tapped by a friend of her father's to work in Whitehall, both in a position there, and also with an eye to reporting to an outside source, little does she anticipate all that will happen.
One of the women who works in the typing pool has been found murdered.  Why?  Who did it?  Readers will try to figure this out even as Evelyne works with David, supposedly a Minister's aide, on the case.  There are many suspects.
In addition to the well conceived plot, I also enjoyed the setting in Churchill's War Rooms.  Readers are given a genuine feel for what it would have been like to work in this deep underground setting during the war years.
One thing that I struggled with a bit, however, was keeping all of the women who worked with Evelyne straight.  I went back a number of times to remember something about each of them.
This minor quibble aside, this was a book that I very much liked.  I hope that Ms. Kelly will add another and make this a series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur for this title.  All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 03 October 2023

#ATraitorinWhitehall #NetGalley

As this book opens, Grace Adams is not feeling so amazing. it would be more accurate to say that she is feeling overwhelmed. Anyone who has ever been stuck in traffic will enjoy reading what Grace does when in this situation. This will be the beginning of readers caring about what happens to Grace.

The novel moves back-and-forth in time, letting readers know about Grace’s early linguistic talents, her marriage, her work, motherhood and more. She is the kind of woman who is trying to manage her life as. anyone who has read a novel by Allison Pearson might recognize.

Readers who enjoy stories with humor and emotion will be happy to meetGrace.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for this title.

This book was published in 2023

Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdóttir-an e book bargain

The story opens in the 1950s with the disappearance of teen, Lara, from her summer position as a maid on an island off the coast of Reyjavik. An inexperienced police officer goes out to investigate but is stonewalled. The couple who live on the island for the summer includes a barrister who calls a higher ranking officer. That one tells the rookie not to press this couple.

Recently, I read a story about the PM of Iceland who had found time to co-author a novel with one of her country’s best known writers. Here is that book and it is one that is easy to recommend.

Flash forward to the year of the capital’s birthday celebrations, 1986. The case has never been solved. A journalist chooses to re-investigate. What happens to him as a result? What will happen from this point? What will be discovered and by whom? Will it be the truth? What really did happen to Lara? Who does not want the facts to come out? For certain, there are secrets! Read this one to suss out some answers.

The book opens with a very helpful list of the story’s many characters. It may take those unaccustomed to the country’s language a little time to get comfortable with these but it is worth the time. It was also fun to look up some of the places that are used as settings, especially the small island of Videy.

The authors have dedicated this title to Agatha Christie. It is, I think, a book that she would have liked. That said, Reykjavik is not a story told in a hurry. If you require fast paced, this title might not be for you. I enjoyed it though.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 05 September 2023

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY GIVES THIS A STARRED REVIEW. IT IS WELL-DESERVED.

Know her name: The Engineer’s Wife A Novel by Tracey Enerson Wood

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviewsApril 7, 2020

When my children were in first grade and studying women’s history, they and I learned about Emily Roebling.  Until then, I had not known abut this woman who followed through on the work that led to the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge.  Both of my children made field trips with their classes and walked over the bridge; one of them continues to walk over the bridge frequently.  It is an iconic site in New York.

So, given this background, I was absolutely thrilled when NetGalley and the publisher offered me this title in exchange for an honest review.  I found this novel to be very engaging  as  Emily was vividly brought to life, from her days in the South to her time in New York.  Emily achieved so much in following through on the bridge but there was more to her life than that as this author ably showed.  Emily’s marriage and other relationships in her life are portrayed as her story is told.

During a time when we are re-examining women’s contributions in so many areas, this book illuminates someone otherwise slightly lost to history.  I highly recommend this title for those who enjoy historical fiction.