Jane and the Year Without a Summer

by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Year Without Summer is the latest in Ms. Barron’s long running series that features Jane Austen as a solver of mysteries. I enjoyed this newest title.

The book is slow moving but for me this was in a good way. It felt as if this was intended to keep pace with Jane’s world. Other efforts to add historic authenticity include using archaic spellings, as for example, spelling sofa, “sopha.”

The joy of this book for me lies in spending time with Jane and her sister Cassandra as they enjoy/cope with the events in a spa town. I also was interested to read about Jane’s acquaintance with Raphael West, a painter in his own right and the son of Benjamin West.

The story itself has sufficient plot. There is a runaway bride and her friend/protector. There are dead rodents and a dead dog; were they deliberately poisoned? And, later in the book, there is a fire and a murder.

Those who enjoy an historical mystery that takes it time will enjoy this title. Readers unfamiliar with the series may then want to go back to read the earlier entries.

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

Faith Martin is a prolific author of mysteries; she has written more than thirty books. This title is part of the DI Hillary Greene series. It was first published in 2006 and is the third in a series of about twenty books. It was originally published as Narrow is the Way. If a reader enjoys this title, they can follow DI Greene on many cases.

DI Greene is a woman in her 40s. She is an experienced detective who works in Oxfordshire and lives on the water. This time she has a case with many suspects and motives. The murder victim was dressed as a bride. What was her story?

There is a lot to detect here. As an added intrigue there may be a connection to a significant person from Hillary’s past.

I enjoyed spending time with Hillary. She opens the book in such a human way by being irritated by a bad driver. She feels like a real person all the way through.

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

This is the first of the Brunettis. I really enjoyed it.

Robyn Carr is a prolific writer of women’s fiction; to name just a few there she has written the Virgin River, Grace Valley and Thunder Point series. Her many fans will pretty much always read what she writes.

This title is a standalone. It tells the story of Justine (in her fifties) and Addie (in her thirties), sisters who, due to their age difference, were not especially close. Addie, for reasons that the book makes clear, left her degree program to care for her parents while married mother Justine went from success to success with the support of her house parent husband.

However, as we all know, novels often have an arc. Characters have experiences, struggle, grow, learn and, if they are lucky, find themselves in a better place. As Justine’s marriage implodes and Addie tries to figure out what to do with her life, what will happen? At the end of the novel, will the sisters be closer and happier? (Readers will hope so).

In following the Justine and Addie’s stories, Ms. Carr explores social issues including women who return to the workforce insecure after years away and men who face partner abuse. The author clearly wants her readers to know that there is help for those who suffer.

This book is an easy read that fans of the author will welcome. The small town setting is very appealing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

#StillLife #NetGalley

Still Life was published in early November but I was not ready to review this title until now. That is because I chose to read the novel very slowly as, for me, it was one to savor. This novelist has a unique voice and that comes across loud and clear in this beautiful work.

The title had multiple meanings for me. As there is much about art in the book, it can refer to a classic form of painting, the still life. However, to me, it refers to still, as in on-going, life or still, as in quiet and unmoving. In part, I mean, how people go on when they have faced all that life has to bring to a person, everything from war, to love, to loss, to aging, to relationships to art, to travel, to home and more.

Ms. Winman has her very own authorial voice and this led me to need a bit of time to fully enter the world of the novel. At first, I was distracted by the absence of quotation marks for example. The story also goes through time and a number of locations.

The characters are quirky and unique. I enjoyed getting to know everyone and their connections to one another. Just a few of these folks include:

Ulysses: He survived WWII. What leads him back to Italy?

Evelyn: A gay woman who also survives the war. She is a professor who first met Ulysses on a significant night.

Peg: She was the woman for Ulysses except….

Alys or kid: She is Peg’s child but Ulysses is the one who parents her.

Spend time in this novel. Read it slowly but with enthusiasm. It is special.

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

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