A Novel

by Sarah Morgan

#TheHolidayCottage #NetGalley

Sarah Morgan has a knack for writing involving stories with good characters. In her latest book, I enjoyed getting to know Imogen (even if she exhausted me) and Dorothy. Their lives change over the course of the novel and readers will always be hoping that these changes are for the better. Readers will also hope that each is able to be honest about their backstories.

Imogen works hard, really hard, like all the time hard. She is very good at the event planning that she does until…

Dorothy has experienced sadness with the death of her husband. She feels fortunate to have a daughter and granddaughters even if her daughter feels that Dorothy is too close to Imogen.

What brings these women together? How do their stories intersect? Find out in a book that kept me wanting to read more. Now, I will wait impatiently for what this author writes next.

Recommended to readers who like holiday stories and women’s fiction.

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

Pub date: 24 September 2024

From the Publisher

A Mystery

by Rosanne Limoncelli

#TheFourQueensofCrime #NetGalley

If the names Agatha, Ngaio, Dorothy and Josephine are instantly known to you, then this is a book to add to your reading list. To anyone who doesn’t know, these women with last names Christie, Marsh, Sayers and Tey are among the most beloved writers of crime fiction ever. They are indeed the Four Queens of Crime of this book’s title.

One of the very fun things about this book is having the sense of eavesdropping on these four and learning more about each of them. For example, Agatha Christie notes that Max Mallowan was the better husband for her as compared to her first spouse. Readers learn that Dorothy Sayers’s husband was an invalid and so on.

At the same time, readers are treated to a classic country house mystery. The four writers are there for a fundraiser and thus are present when a murder occurs. There is a full range of suspects including the victim’s children and their significant others or friends, political figures, servants and more in this historical mystery set in the late 1930s.

An extra bonus is that a woman DCI, Lilian Wyles, based on the first woman to fill that role is also on the scene. She questions suspects and is a full participant in the investigation.

Lovers of traditional mysteries will, I think, very much enjoy this title. It is fun to observe the interviews and see who the murderer is.

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

Pub date: 11 March 2025

Water, Water

Poems

by Billy Collins

Several years ago, I listened to a Master Class featuring Collins. I enjoyed learning about his writing process in a series of insightful episodes.

Following this, I read the poet’s collection Whale Day. Now, I have spent time with Water Water, reading a poem a day so as to savor this collection of sixty poems.

Some people veer away from poetry fearing that it is too highbrow or that they won’t understand a verse. Collins is not like that. His poems are written in, what I find, to be a direct and clear style. Readers can choose those that they prefer but they will not feel bewildered overall. The poems often reference every day life and end with something to ponder. So many are worth the reader’s time.

It is easy to recommend this collection.

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

Five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the Publisher

One Night on the Island-an e book bargain

A Novel

by Josie Silver

Josie Silver has a knack for writing contemporary women’s fiction that has both humor and heart. In this novel, those talents are showcased once again.

Ms. Silver sets up her story nicely. Both Cleo and Mack come on a visit to a very small island that has few tourist accommodations. Through an error, each is booked into the very same one room cottage. Neither wants to be the one to compromise or leave and, even if one would, the boats come to the island only weekly. Even worse, someone thought it was a honeymoon that was the reason for the booking. How will these characters work things out? What will evolve in their relationship?

So, the people:

Cleo is about to turn thirty. She is a dating columnist whose love life has not gone to plan. Her editor sends her to the island to make a commitment to herself in a ceremony similar to a marriage. (very Emma Watson seeming). Cleo, over the course of the novel, will begin to sort out her future as will Mack.

Mack thinks that he was given the cabin to visit by a relative. He is a photographer who is separated from his wife but not by his choice. Mack has two sons whom he dearly loves. He is looking for some peace and a chance to think about what comes next He has traveled all the way from Boston to do this.

These characters are surrounded by other islanders. They are also in a beautiful locale.

One thing that I liked in the book was the author having each character tell the other three important things most days. Not a bad idea for any couple. There was also some humor and ingenuity around sharing the cabin.

Overall, I liked this novel. It did feel just a bit slow to me at times, however.

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

From the Publisher

#TheShellHouseDetectives #NetGalley

This is the first in, what appear to be, three Cornwall set mysteries featuring two characters with complex pasts. They are Ally and Jayden. Ally was widowed and misses her police officer husband deeply. Her daughter would like Ally to leave Cornwall to be with her in Australia; Ally is very ambivalent. Ally is an artist who creates works from the detritus that she finds on the beach. (She makes a relevant find there).

Jayden worked as a police officer who left the force after a tragedy. He is biracial and not sure if he fits into his wife’s community. Both of these characters are trying to keep their lives moving forward. Will solving a case help them to achieve their goals?

Ally’s husband Bill was haunted by one person’s death. When he arrested this man’s son, Bill offered to help him in the future. When this young man comes knocking on Ally’s door, she (regretfully) turns him away.

Events move forward and this young man is now in the hospital, gravely wounded. His grandmother and only support was not there for him when he got out of prison. Lewis Pascoe has an interaction with the couple that built a new home where his grandmother had been. These events set the scene for the novel.

I enjoyed the main characters in this book and was also interested to meet the people around them. There are many community members in the story so there is no lack of suspects. For example, there is the coffee shop worker and a recently divorced man who is trying to write a novel.

In addition to the mystery and the characters, Cornwall is also a strong presence in the book. Readers will be able to smell the sea, see the cliffs and walk along the shore.

All in all, this was a most enjoyable read. I recommend it to anyone who likes cozy mysteries.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 01 July 2023

The Crime Movie and TV Lover’s Guide to London

by Brian Billington, Charlotte Booth

Those who enjoy TV and movies, London, and crime stories will delight in this book that offers a glimpse of the locations for many productions. Dip in anywhere or look at this one in order. Some of the chapter headings include Murder, Espionage, TV Dramas, Church Tour and more.

Enjoy the photos, read the text and learn about places familiar and/or new. There are over 650 locations featured covering 76 movies and 12 TV shows. This book’s intended audience will, I think, love this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for this title. All opinions are my own.

Four stars ****

Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World

by Donald J. Robertson

In this book, the author not only helps readers to think like Socrates, he also invites them into Socrates life and times. Robertson notes that some of what is seemingly known about the philosopher may be fictional. Of course, this does not diminish his teachings. There are many things that we, in the present day, can learn from Socrates as this title amply shows.

Recommended to those who enjoy history, philosophy and taking a bit of time to contemplate.

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

Pub date: 19 November 2024

A Maisie Dobbs Novel

by Jacqueline Winspear

Pub date: March 23, 2021

I have loved the Maisie Dobbs series since the very first named title that was simply called Maisie Dobbs. That first in the series took place during WWI. By the time of the newest novel, Britain is heavily involved in WWII and Maisie is involved in her sixteenth investigation. Over the course of the books, all of which are excellent, Maisie evolves and grows. She goes from being a very bright housemaid to an independent woman who investigates a wide variety of cases, both those that are private and those that are for the government. While most of the books take place in England, Maisie has also been to Gibraltar and Germany. Her relationships deepen and grow and this is one facet of the stories that always brings me back. There are also love, loss and a little girl called Anna as one makes their way through the series.

In this entry, a young boy witnesses a murder. However, he is not believed by everyone. Maisie becomes involved in trying to determine what exactly happened. The concept of honor becomes important to the solving of the case. At the same time, Maisie is interviewing potential agents who, if approved, will be dropped into France as saboteurs and intelligence agents. How will she make decisions when some of the candidates are people she knows? How strained will she be by the constraints of the official secrets act? What will happen with the romantic relationship that has more recently come into her life?

Ms. Winspear has a talent for creating engaging characters. The setting of wartime London also is quite evocative. These are just some of the pleasures that are here for the reader.

This title will be eagerly welcomed by fans of Ms. Dobbs. New readers can jump in too but they may then want to go back to the beginning to see how Maisie evolves and to fully enjoy and engage in her life.

I very much enjoyed this novel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The 19 best books of 2024 — chosen by our critics

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