Fallen is the thirteenth entry in Ms. Castillo’s long running series of mysteries that take place among the Amish in Painters Mill, Ohio. This case feels personal to Inspector Kate Burkholder as she once babysat for the victim. As is true for Kate, Rachel left the Amish community to live her life differently. What brought her back to her childhood community? Who murdered her? Why? Was it because of some of her unsavory activities or something else? Readers will eagerly turn the page to find out.
Those who already know this series will excitedly fall on this latest entry in which the detective straddles two worlds. New readers may also read this one as their first novel by this author. They may then want to work their ways through the other twelve entries!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
A number of years ago Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote her seminal and most highly regarded work on the stages of grief. In the years since then thinking has evolved. The stages are still seen as apt descriptions of what many experience but it has become clear that progression through them is not a straight line.
It is now known that grieving is both a universal and intensely personal experience. Being inside this universe arouses a multitude of emotions and feelings. They may be overwhelming, sad, comforting or anything else at all that a person finds. This book has been written to help readers when they spend time in this difficult spot. There are many exercises and observations within this journal. It is packed with knowledge and activities.
I found this book to be wise and helpful I wish that no-one would ever need it but, since that cannot be, think of this as a resource for you or someone you know.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
A number of years ago, I read an entertaining mystery series by someone named Kathy Hogan Trochek. The stories featured Callahan Garrity. She ran a cleaning service as I recall but bodies always seemed to be in the way. I recommend the novels. What is relevant here is that KHT and Mary Kay Andrews are one and the same! This meant that I knew that The Newcomer would feature an involving story line, good plotting and interesting characters. I was not disappointed.
The Newcomer in this story could be looked at as several different people, although I think that it principally refers to Letty. Letty and her sister Tanya grew up in less than stable circumstances. Letty, an aspiring actress, has moved to New York. She meets and gets to know Evan. Not long after, Letty’s sister Tanya joins Letty, thus becoming a newcomer to New York. She proceeds to take over Letty’s boyfriend (Evan) and works as an aspiring model. When something happens to Tanya, Letty flees with Tanya’s little girl. Letty then becomes the newcomer at a Florida motel that is run by a very goodhearted woman. Letty got the name of this motel from Tanya’s belongings.
Why did Tanya keep the clipping on the motel? Who was responsible for what happened to Tanya? Will Letty successfully be blamed by Evan? Will Evan track her down?
Around this, also get to know Joe. He is a cop and the son of the motel owner. Will he figure out Letty’s story? If/when he does, will he then help or harm her?
The fun of reading this book is the sense that everything should mostly work out in the end. This lets readers relax and immerse themselves in a perfect beach book that is partially set at a beach.
I read some of this book and listened to some of it on audio. Both ways were involving and entertaining. The narration of the audio book got me through many a walk in the heat.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
Melanie Benjamin has written a number of works of historical fiction. One of my favorites was The Aviator’s Wife which told the moving story of Anne Morrow Lindbergh. I recommend that one highly. I also recommend The Children’s Blizzard.
The novel is based on a harrowing situation that occurred on The Great Plains in the late 1800s. As can be guessed from the title, a huge blizzard took place on a day that had been warm and gave no indication of what was to follow. Decisions had to be made by the teachers about how to best help their students. Should their pupils be sent home or should they remain hunkered down in the school? Each choice had potential and real repercussions.
The novel tells the story of two young sisters who made differing decisions for their classes. How did these choices impact them, their students and their community? What other stories arose from the incident and what other characters were affected? Read this engrossing novel to find out.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
The Hollywood spy is the tenth entry in Ms. MacNeal’s Maggie Hope historical mystery series. I have read all of the novels, starting with Mr. Churchill’s Secretary which was published in 2012. Maggie has had many adventures, relationships and heartaches over the course of the stories as she experiences WWII.
As is obvious from the tile, The Hollywood Spy takes place in California. There are cameo appearances by so many who lived there in the book; to name just a few there are Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Lena Horne, Linus Pauling and many others.
Many locations also are brought to life. There are famous hotels, Disney Studios, Cal Tech, nightclubs, speakeasies and more. Each described location feels very authentic.
Maggie travels to California to help a very close friend (and former love), John Sterling, investigate the death of Gloria Hutton. As readers would expect, there are a number of suspects, everyone from the husband she is divorcing to those with whom she worked
Several other murders follow. Are these deaths connected to Gloria’s? If yes, how and why?
While everything just described is done very well and would be enough to lead me to encourage readers to buy this novel, that is not all that was outstanding. What I feel that the author did brilliantly was to describe the times. Note: they were ugly in many ways and bear a resemblance to some current times in America. (Think of the slogan America First, for one.)
The KKK features prominently in the story. The discrimination against Blacks and Hispanics is graphically portrayed. If readers are not aware of this part of the country’s history, it is something that they need to know about. There is surely much to be proud of in the U.S. but also injustices and they are seen here.
In my opinion, The Hollywood Spy may well be the author’s best book to date. I highly recommend it.
The author has included an extensive list of resources at the end of the novel. It will be most helpful for readers who want to further explore the period in which the story is set.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
I am one of those people who care about grammar. Lately, my pet peeve has been that everyone from Prince Harry on down is using the words me and I incorrectly. So, I was excited to see this ARC on grammar, nerdy though that may be. And, yes, attention is given to that very topic in one of the book’s sections.
This title is densely packed with information. Readers who want to learn more about grammar or those who want some tricky questions answered will both find answers within.
Grammar is described by the author as the principles that guide how words work together. If a reader wants to speak or write more effectively, the rules and practices described in this book will be most helpful.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 