For many readers, including me, just seeing Katherine Cemter’s name on the cover of a book is enough to make it a must read. Center is a master of writing stories with good characters, plots that keep the pages turning and, most importantly, humor and heart. Readers come to care about her characters and their lives, almost as if they are real people. This book is no exception.

Emma is woman with unrealized dreams and potential. She works freelance on writing projects for her old high school boyfriend. Emma’s father was in a catastrophic accident and requires her to be around full time. Her sister has, in some ways, been living out Emma’s dreams. She has gotten to go away to college and is about to begin a prestigious internship as the story opens.

A plot twist then comes. Logan, the high school boyfriend, offers Emma a ghost writing job with her absolute idol, screenwriter, Charlie Yates. Let’s just say that Emma has an unbelievable crush on Charlie and his films. However, his latest attempt, an update of one of Emma’s favorite movies (It Happened One Night) is an absolute disaster.

So…Emma makes the necessary arrangements for what she thinks will be the job and experience of a lifetime and flies out to L.A. Okay…I’ve set the scene but don’t want to spoil the fun by saying anything else.

This book is a perfect summer read. Anyone who picks it up will be sorry to see it end.

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

Pub date: 11 June 2024

The Audio Version

I both read and listened to this book, enjoying the audio when I was going for walks or doing household stuff. As a real treat, it is partly narrated by the author. The audio is excellent and invites the reader right in.

Either way (or both) that is chosen, here is a book to put on a must read list.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for this delightful listen.

#TheHunter #NetGalley

The Searcher…The Hunter. These linked and simply titled novels by Tana French are highly recommended. While The Hunter can be read without having read The Searcher, they are best as a pair (even if, for any reason, a reader picks up The Searcher second.)

These stories feel different from the author’s earlier Dublin Murder Squad books. I loved those and miss them but these two titles tell of new directions (and welcome ones) on French’s part.

Ardnakelty, the setting, a small, Irish, mostly farming community feels so real that a reader will believe that they could visit. It is a place with a population that includes some quirky characters.

Readers will get to know the most important characters well (although I think that some of the secondary characters sometimes were hard to keep track of). Among these are Trey. To me, she feels like a kindred spirit to Scout in Harper Lee’s book. Both have strong opinions and beliefs. Trey is a teen who has become close to Cal, initially despite herself. Cal is an incomer to Ireland. He has become a kind of mentor to Trey and their relationship has much meaning to both. Lena has become involved in a relationship with Cal though she does not want to marry. She also cares about Trey.

In this novel, Trey’s ne’er do well father, Johnny, is back from England. He has a grand scheme in mind. Readers can find out about this when the pick up the novel…and they should! How will Johnny’s arrival impact Trey who is just beginning to have some stability? Will there be a great deal of destruction?

This book, for me, was kind of a slow burn. I relished its pace however and was in no hurry to turn the last page.

It is very easy to recommend The Hunter. Its characters, setting and story are all memorable.

Many thanks to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 05 March 2024

This book has received lots of publicity and some excellent reviews.  I would give it three stars.  The story is clever and I especially loved how the novel within the novel was so authentic, with advanced praise and comments about being made into a television series.  I did not find the story as engaging as I had hoped that I would, nor did I find the characters to be especially likeable.  Give this a try though because I think I am in the minority in not rating MPM more highly.

A Mystery

by P. J. Tracy

City of Secrets is the fourth title in the Detective Margaret Nolan series that takes place in L.A. This new case involves a carjacking, lots of money, an abduction and even more dark events.

This book will be enjoyed by those who like more gritty mysteries and those who are already fans of this series. The complex part will intrigue readers who will then be eager for the next work by the author.

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

Pub date: 20 August 2024

New English Interiors

At Home with Today’s Creatives

by Elizabeth Metcalfe

What a visual treat this title is! I loved turning the pages and dreaming of all the places where I will (never) live.

This book showcases twenty-two interiors. I only recognized Cath Kidston’s name in that list but no matter. One does not have to recognize the names to enjoy what has been created. I was sold from the introduction where I saw a colorful bathroom. And, color is really featured in these interiors.

In addition to the gorgeous photos, there is also good text. The author notes that the interiors are rich with feeling and mood. I agree. She is a good guide and I enjoyed meeting those to whom she introduced me.

Whether or not a reader is thinking about decorating, this is a title that makes for a wonderful escapist read.

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

Five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jackie and Maria by Gil Paul

The cover of this title shows Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas. In the novel, they are surrounded by those in their lives including Onassis, JFK, RFK, Jackie’s sister Lee and many others. All are brought to life in this excellent historical fiction.
Jackie and Maria had more in common than Aristotle Onassis. According to the book, both had mothers they could not please and both faced terrible losses around pregnancies. In addition, each was involved with a charismatic man who did not believe in fidelity and who did believe in power.
The settings of the novel bring the story to life. Readers will be in many locations including DC, Paris, Greece, the Cape, Aristotle’s yacht and more. The story unfolds in these places in a dual narrative that features the world from both Maria and Jackie’s perspectives.
As in the best historical novels, the world of the characters is portrayed in such a way that I very much wanted the history that I already knew, to somehow magically be transformed for the sake of the people on whom the characters are based. Of course, it could not be.
I enjoyed this title and recommend it highly for those who enjoy historical fiction. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

#AChristmasVanishing #NetGalley

Anne Perry wrote many Christmas novellas, beginning with A Christmas Journey in 2003. Each features a character from one of her book series. This time, the focus is on Mariah Ellison. Readers of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series know her as Charlotte’s grandmother. She is an elderly woman in this title and is reflecting on her life, attitudes and actions. This makes the book feel a bit elegiac and indeed, I think that this may have been Perry’s last book as she died not long ago.

Mariah goes to visit an old friend. She arrives travel worn only to find her friend is not there and the husband far less than welcoming. It takes a bit of time before Mariah finds a comfortable berth in the village where she once lived. She then tries to ferret out her friend’s whereabouts and fate.

What happened to Sadie? Did she go somewhere voluntarily? Why is her husband not more concerned? Has he harmed his spouse? Mariah will try her best to find out.

This book is set in the festive season. I very much enjoyed it. It reminds me of the many reasons that the author’s death was a true source of sadness for those who love historical mysteries.

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

Many Robyn Carr titles are currently e book bargains!

Also many books by Brenda Novak

A WWII Novel

by Sara Ackerman

An e book bargain

Often WWII historical novels take place in France or Germany. However, the European front was not the only location where battles were fought. Novels have also been written about the code breaking that took place at Bletchley Park. However, this is the first time that I have read a WWII novel that involves breaking Japanese ciphers.

In her latest book, Ms. Ackerman has readers enter into the stakes of the war immediately as they meet Isabel. Isabel is in DC where she strives to decode Japanese messages. She is a bright and somewhat quirky young woman. For example, when her brain is humming, she literally wants to hum as well. Isabel’s life has been influenced by deep loss. Readers will viscerally feel the tornado that leads to her first reasons to mourn. Isabel also has lost her brother in the war. She longs to be in Hawaii so that she can learn more about what happened to him.

It is not a spoiler to say that Isabel goes to Hawaii. After all, all of the author’s historical novels take place there. Readers will eagerly follow Isabel’s life there as Pearl Harbor events unfold. Especially intriguing is the male character who enters the story. He is a “hotshot” pilot, a friend of Isabel’s dead brother and a man with his own story. Will he and Isabel come together?

As is often the case in historical novels, there is a dual story and timeline. Lu’s story takes place in the 60s as a luxury Rockefeller hotel is about to open, again in Hawaii. A guest goes missing. Lu links up with her own male counterpart. How will their stories intersect with that of Isabel? Readers will most definitely want to know.

I very much enjoyed this novel. It contains both mystery and romance in each of the time periods. I recommend this one to those who read WWII fiction and are looking for something new.

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

Pub date: 02 August 22

NOTE: There is a book tour blog entry for this title in the archive at http://www.joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews.wordpress.com

From the Publisher

	The Lieutenant’s Nurse	Red Sky Over Hawaii	Radar Girls	The Codebreaker’s Secret
More historical fiction by Sara Ackerman

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Beautifully structured and well-told with authentic historical detail, interesting relationships, and the mystery of two young women who go missing from the same spot 22 years apart, this is another top historical novel by Ackerman.” —Booklist (starred)