In the Blink of an Eye

A Novel

by Jo Callaghan

#IntheBlinkofanEye #NetGalley

I had seen this book on a British bookstore’s website and was quite intrigued. I was delighted when it became available in the U.S. and thrilled to get an early review copy of this series starter.

Jo Callaghan has already received awards and praise for her debut. She is the Winner of the Crime Writers’ Association’s John Creasy New Blood Dagger Award and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. These are huge accomplishments and, in my opinion, well deserved.

Readers will not forget Kat and Aide. Kat is a detective who has been paired with an artificial intelligence device. It is an experiment to see if and how AI might be useful in investigations. Aide can assume bodily form as a hologram, at times causing much consternation. He also can be rather outspoken. There is much interplay between Kat’s intelligence and emotions as compared with Aide’s brilliance and lack of tact.

Kat, Aide, her team and the creator of Aide Lock are tasked with the investigation of two (cold) missing persons cases, both young men. One is a Black student missing from Uni. The other is a white theater graduate who is from a well to do family. Are these situations independent or linked?

In this novel, there is an excellent mystery plot and added to this are the AI elements of the story. Both kept me turning the pages and sad to reach the end of the story. Luckily the sequel, which is out in the UK, will be coming to the U.S. before too long.

The other aspect of the story that I enjoyed was the characters. Each had enough back story to keep them interesting. In the case of Kat, she is widowed and has a teenage son. One of her investigators has a sister who had a bad experience at university while another, Debbie, seemingly lacks confidence. The relatives of the missing young men and others also very much come to life.

This book is easily one of my favorites of the year. I hope Callaghan writes many more titles.

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

Pub date: 06 August 2024

From the Publisher

So many historical fiction titles on WWII have been published.  I think that this has to do with many important anniversaries and commemorations and perhaps also because it was a war in which the right thing seemed clear.  As a result, it seems that some look back on the war almost nostalgically even while noting and recalling its enormous tragedies.

So, I wondered if I wanted/needed to read another title set in this time period.  I will emphatically say yes (!) as I very much enjoyed Dragonfly.  In my opinion, this is by far the author’s bests book.

Dragonfly tells the story of five people who are recruited as spies in occupied France.  The backstory of each character is fully explored and I cared about each of them.  These characters are an athlete from Texas with German roots, a young man whose biological father turns out to be an important fighter in the French resistance, a fly fisherman, a fashion designer and a fencer.  Three are men and two are women.

Each is embedded in Paris and interacts with the main German characters in the story, some of whom are described sympathetically.  Code named Dragonfly, the team gets to work.  There is much suspense as they do so and this aspect of the story is handled beautifully by the author as the plots and characters intersect.  At times, I truly worried for these characters especially as the beginning of the book states that one of them may well have died while on their mission.  The suspense is indeed suspenseful.

I highly recommend this title for those who would like to sink into a long (577 pages) and absorbing story.

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

#Dragonfly #NetGalley

Editorial Reviews:

A Forbes “Best Historical Novels for Summer 2019”

“Gripping…In this fast-paced and enjoyable WWII espionage tale, Meacham takes readers to 1942 Nazi-occupied Paris to follow five American spies as they attempt to gather information to assist Allied and French Resistance forces…. Meacham’s nail-biting tale will please fans looking for an intricate story of spycraft and deception.”― Publishers Weekly

“Complex, epic, and rich in historical detail-an uplifting story of finding friendship behind enemy lines.”― Kirkus

“Meacham ratchets the suspense ever tighter, while providing fascinating backstory on the intrepid five [American spies] as well as delivering a detail-rich portrait of Paris during the Occupation.”― Booklist

Four stars ****

Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott (Bronson and Louisa May)…Margaret Fuller? Most readers of American fiction and essays know the first few names on this list. They may be less familiar with Margaret Fuller. However, by the time that readers close this book, they will fully appreciate her life with its successes, challenges and tragedy.

Young Margaret was a highly intelligent child, whose father took her education most seriously. When he died, Margaret was left feeling that she needed to support her family. She did that while also being part of the transcendentalist movement and more.

One aspect of the book that I really liked was the way in which icons became human. For example, early in the novel, Margaret visits Emerson and his second wife. Waldo, as Margaret is invited to call him, engages in a flirtation with Margaret. It is in moments like this, that readers get to look at great American figures in a new and less iconic way. Similarly, as the story opens, Thoreau is a young man working for the Emersons, and just beginning his writing career. Bronson Alcott is running a school, while Louisa May is still a child.

Pataki has written a number of works of historical fiction. She has another success on her hands here.

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

From the publisher:

Wallaby Lane is part of, what I have learned, is called rural romance fiction. It offered a good read with interesting characters, a good setting, and a mention of some serious issues (although they did not overwhelm the book).

Readers meet Lauren who has moved to a small town. She works at the radio station and has dreams of being a TV presenter. Lauren has many good qualities; she is warm and engages well with most of those whom she interviews. However, she has a serious lack of confidence (which I found a bit repetitive at times in the story line) and has a tendency to focus on her “stuff ups.”

Jack has come to the area as a rural policeman. He wants to be near his sister, Clem, and niece, Harriet (Harri). Clem suffered postpartum depression (as did Linnell) and her partner did not stand by her through her crisis.

Readers meet many other characters as well, including two teens who are tasked with community service, a hoarder and others. Their relationships and interactions are what make the plot in the novel.

This is a romance so readers will have an idea of where the story is going. That is okay though. This is why readers like romances.

I enjoyed this book and will, most likely, read others by this author.

#SpyAgencyPuzzleBookTheRiskyRescue #NetGalley

Just in time for summer travel, here is a title that could keep kids busy while they are en route…and, best of all, no device needed, just a pencil.

Kids will be drawn right in from the first page when some high stakes are revealed. Next, they will pick their spy name. The fun goes on from there in a terrific puzzle book. Kids can try a word search or a hide and seek puzzle or maybe a maze, sudoko, or direction maze, to name some examples.

I love good puzzle books and this is definitely one!

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

Pub date: 17 July 2025

The Gilded Hour is a very long novel coming in at 742 pages.  If your dream is to read an absorbing story that will keep you going for days, this one is worth reading.

The  Gilded Hour is the first of two books with Where the Light Enters also having been published. 

The two main characters of the series are Anna and Sophie Savard.  Anna and Sophie are both physicians in turn of the century New York.  The city itself is portrayed in all its classes, from the poorest immigrants to the ballrooms.  Anna and Sophie are surrounded by a rich cast of characters, most fictional and a few historical.  Their relationships and work form the focus for the story.

Around this structure, there is something happening in New York.  If what I write next offends you, this will not be the book for you.  Women did not have access to much in the way of contraceptives at this time.  This led some to seek help in terminating pregnancies.  Anna and Sophie see that women are dying from procedures done by someone, but who? Who has done this will be a part of both of these novels, though I have only read the first.

I enjoyed The Gilded Hour and plan to read Where the Light Gets In.  Let me know what you think…have you read books by this author?

A good friend of mine recommended Trollope’s Barchester series to me and so this has been, in part, a Barchester summer. I just finished Barchester Towers and found it to be delightful. In this novel, Trollope creates a world and community in which it was easy to spend time.

There are many characters in this story, a number of whom were in The Warden. They felt like old friends when I came upon them. To the mix, Trollope adds a new Bishop, his domineering wife, an oily chaplain, a flirtatious invalid, suitors for a character from The Warden and more.

There are moments in the story that were very funny. At times, it also felt somewhat modern.

There is a lot about the structure of the Church, the politics behind appointments and questions about how things will work out. Readers will hope for the best for those they have come to like.

Trollope is an interesting narrator. At times, he breaks the fourth wall and intrudes into the story. Somehow it works.

Anyone looking to read some classics, give this a look. I plan to move on to the third in the series.

by Monica McCourt

#TinkerbellandtheMagicofRushyMarshFarm #NetGalley

This book tells the story of Tinkerbelle and her rider. It is a conventional story of a horse and girl going to a show with an underlay of mindfulness techniques. Children who dream of riding in shows will enjoy this one. The illustrations are delightful, the story is sweet and the mindfulness suggestions may help young riders who feel a tad nervous.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Rushy Marsh Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 29 July 2025

38 pages

Children’s non fiction