Not so long ago, I was transported to Paris and the world of Shakespeare & Co. in Ms. Maher’s last novel. This time, readers are placed firmly in the Chicago area in the early 1970s.
It is a time of upheaval and change, even as some cling to a more 1950s lifestyle. Readers are introduced to several main characters who live in the time period.
Veronica is a bit of a free spirit and a person who is involved in the social movements of the time. Most significantly, she becomes a part of the Jane network, providing safe, but illegal, abortion services.
Patty, a friend of Veronica’s growing up years, is more conservative. She is a traditional wife and mother who is concerned about her doctor husband’s recent lack of interest in her.
Siobhan is a newer friend of Veronica’s. The story opens as Veronica accompanies Siobhan to her illegal abortion. Siobhan is an artist who is separated/divorced from her professor husband Gabe. She is active in the Janes.
Margaret is a new Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago. She is finding her way and becomes friends with Phyllis. She also becomes involved with Gabe.
This is a rich historical novel that will remind readers of what life was like in the days before Roe v Wade, a time that we have now reentered. The author tells her story well and readers will become immersed in the lives of these fictional characters and the decisions that they make.
I highly recommend this one. It is being published at just the right time.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
The timing of this book’s publication makes it just perfect for taking on a trip with the family (or for playing at home). It should keep a child occupied for a while in a fun, non-screen dependent way; this is something that I always love.
Kids can solve word and number puzzles, mazes and more in these pages. The puzzles are tucked around a story line that includes many watery settings.
Young readers/solvers are immediately invited in. The initial setting is a rainy one. Children are invited to follow Dottie the cat as they take on the challenges.
I highly recommend this book. Brain games are one of my weaknesses.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Collins Reference for this title. All opinions are my own.
Barbie…just the name is enough to form the picture of this her in the reader’s mind. She is a doll that has both been embraced and vilified, perhaps even both at the same time for some. Now, she is so much a part of popular culture, it is difficult to remember that once there was no Barbie.
Author Renee Rosen has written a detailed, intriguing and complex story about Barbie and her creators. She has brought the historical people to life, especially Ruth and Jack (more below), Elliot and Charlotte, to name a few. She also has created fictional characters including Stevie who interacts with all of the historical figures.
I learned so much about the toy industry, how toys go from plans to reality and how this applied specifically to Barbie, in these pages. Ruth had a vision and it took her and engineer Jack much work and many years before Barbie was brought to the market. It is intriguing that Ruth saw Barbie as a source of freedom for girls. She wanted them to have a doll that offered more to them than imagining becoming a mother and wife.
It was intriguing to think of the real fashion designers who made the clothes and why Barbie has her dimensions. It was fascinating to find out how many tries it took to get Barbie just right.
Both Ruth and Jack were quite complex individuals. Readers learn that Ruth’s mother did not want to raise her. They find why work was so critical for Ruth and the ways in which this impacted her children and husband. Jack, also was complicated. Readers learn that he had some mental health issues with which to struggle.
Over the course of the novel, readers learn about both the triumphs and lows of these characters so that is there is no fairy tale. All of this is part of the characters’ life stories.
In her afterword, Rosen notes that she had wanted to write this novel before the Barbie movie was released. The movie will undoubtedly bring readers to this novel but, in my opinion, this excellent book stands very well on its own.
Highly recommended to readers of historical and women’s fiction. Of course, those who are already interested in Barbie will flock to this but, even if a reader is not a Barbie aficionado, there is much in these pages.
I was so delighted to be asked to read and review this title. Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group this title. All opinions are my own.
I am excited to share The Queen of Fives with readers. This author’s last book was so enjoyable and this new one will, I think, also offer readers a good escape.
Many thanks to the team at HTP for this opportunity.
The book:
The Queen of Fives
Author: Alex Hay
Publication Date: January 21, 2025
ISBN: 9781525809859
Graydon House Hardcover
About the book:
“Bridgerton meets The Sting in this effervescent offering…. Hay has conceived of a wholly original take on Victorian London and populated it with a gallery of colorful underworld types. The plotting will have readers on the edges of their seats as one twist after another sets the stage for a series of jaw-dropping revelations. This literary confection is a delectable treat.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A confidence scheme, when properly executed, will follow five movements:
I. The Mark II. The Intrusion. III. The Ballyhoo. IV. The Knot. V. All In.
There may be many counter-strikes along the way, for such is the nature of the game; it contains so many sides, so many endless possibilities…
Nothing is quite as it seems in Victorian high society in this clever novel set against the most magnificent wedding of the season, as a mysterious heiress sets her sights on London’s most illustrious family
1898. Quinn le Blanc, London’s most talented con woman, has five days to pull off her most ambitious plot yet: trap a highly eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England.
Masquerading as the season’s most enviable debutante, Quinn puts on a brilliant act that earns her entrance into the grand drawing rooms and lavish balls of high society—and propels her straight into the inner circle of her target: the charismatic Kendals. Among those she must convince are the handsome bachelor heir, the rebellious younger sister, and the esteemed duchess eager to see her son married.
But the deeper she forges into their world, the more Quinn finds herself tangled in a complicated web of love, lies, and loyalty. The Kendals all have secrets of their own, and she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception…
Try it:
THE QUEEN OF FIVES
By ALEX HAY
A confidence scheme, when properly executed, will follow five movements in close and inviolable order:
I. The Mark.
Wherein a fresh quarry is perceived and made the object of the closest possible study.
II. The Intrusion.
Wherein the quarry’s outer layers must be pierced, his world peeled open…
III. The Ballyhoo.
Where a golden opportunity shall greatly tempt and dazzle the quarry…
IV. The Knot.
Wherein the quarry is encircled by his new friends, and naysayers are sent gently on their way…
V. All In.
Where all commitments are secured, and the business is happily—and irrevocably—concluded.
A coda: there may be many counterstrikes along the way, for such is the nature of the game; it contains so many sides, so many endless possibilities…
Rulebook—1799.
Day One
The Mark
1
Quinn
Five days earlier
Here was how it began. Four miles east of Berkeley Square, a few turns from Fashion Street and several doors down from the synagogue, stood a humble old house in Spitalfields. Four floors high, four bays across. Rose-colored shutters, a green trim to the door. A basement kitchen hidden from the street, and a colony of house sparrows nesting in the eaves, feasting on bread crusts and milk pudding scrapings.
On the first floor, behind peeling sash windows, stood Quinn Le Blanc.
She changed her gloves. She had a fine selection at her disposal, per her exalted rank in this neighborhood—chevrette kid, mousquetaire, pleated gloves for daytime, ridged ones for riding, silk-lined, fur-edged. All shades, too—dark, tan, brandy, black, mauve. No suede, of course. And no lace: nothing that could snag. The purpose of the glove was the preservation of the skin. Not from the sun, not from the cold.
From people.
She pulled on the French kid—cream-colored with green buttons—flexed her fingers, tested the grip. For she was the reigning Queen of Fives, the present mistress of this house; the details were everything.
“Mr. Silk?” she called from the gaming room. “Have you bolted the rear doors?”
His voice came back, querulous, from the stairs. “Naturally I have.” Then the echo of his boots as he clumped away.
The gaming room breathed around her. It was hot, for they kept a good strong fire burning year-round, braving incineration. But now she threw cold water on the grate, making the embers hiss and smoke. She closed the drapes, which smelled as they always did: a tinge of tobacco and the sour tint of mildew. Something else, too: a touch of cognac, or absinthe—one of the prior queens had enjoyed her spirits.
Quinn examined the room, wondering if she should lock away any valuables for the week. Of course, she had no fears of not returning on schedule, in triumph, per her plan—but still, she was venturing into new and dangerous waters. Some prudence could serve her well. The shelves were crammed with objects: hatboxes, shoeboxes, vinegars, perfume bottles, merino cloths, linen wrappings. But then she decided against it; she despised wasting time. The most incriminating, valuable things were all stored downstairs, in the bureau.
The bureau contained every idea the household ever had, the schemes designed and played by generations of queens. It stood behind doors reinforced with iron bolts, windows that were bricked up and impassable. It was safe enough, for now.
“Quinn?” Silk’s voice floated up the stairs. “We must be punctual.”
“We will be,” she called back with confidence.
Confidence was all they had going for them at the Château these days.
The Château. It was a pompous name for a humble old house. But that was the point, wasn’t it? It gave the place a sense of importance in a neighborhood that great folk merely despised. There were tailors and boot finishers living on one side, cigar makers and scholars on the other, and a very notorious doss-house at the end of the road. Quinn had lived in it nearly all her life, alongside Mr. Silk.
Quinn descended the creaking staircase, flicking dust from the framed portraits lined along the wall. They depicted the Château’s prior queens, first in oils, later in daguerreotype, with Quinn’s own picture placed at the foot of the stairs. Hers was a carte de visite mounted in a gilt frame, adorned with red velvet curtains. In it, Quinn wore a thick veil, just like her predecessors. She carried a single game card in one hand, and she was dressed in her inaugural disguise—playing the very splendid “Mrs. Valentine,” decked in emerald green velvet, ready to defraud the corrupt owners of the nearby Fairfield Works. She was just eighteen, and had already secured the confidence of the Château’s other players—and she was ready to rule.
That was eight years ago.
Quinn rubbed the smeared glass with her cuff. The house needed a good spring clean. She’d given up the housekeeper months ago; even a scullery maid was too great an expense now. Glancing through the rear window, she caught her usual view of the neighborhood—rags flapping on distant lines, air hazed with smoke. The houses opposite winked back at her, all nets and blinds, their disjointed gardens tangled and wild. She fastened the shutters, checking the bolts.
Silk was waiting by the front door. “Ready?” He was wearing a bulky waistcoat, his cravat ruffled right up to his chin. His bald head shone in the weak light.
Quinn studied him, amused. “What have you stuffed yourself with?”
“Strips of steel, if you must know.”
“In your jacket?”
“Yes.”
“For what reason?”
“My own protection. What else?”
Quinn raised a brow. “You’re developing a complex.”
“We’re living in a violent age, Le Blanc. A terribly violent age.”
Silk was forever clipping newspaper articles about foreign agitators, bombs being left in fruit baskets on station platforms.
“Stay close to me, then,” Quinn said, hauling open the front door, squinting in the light.
Net curtains twitched across the road. This was a quiet anonymous street, and the location of the Château was a closely guarded secret, even among their kind. But the neighbors kept their eyes on the Château. Nobody questioned its true ownership: the deeds had been adulterated too many times, sliced out of all official registers. In the 1790s, it was inhabited by an elusive Mrs. B—(real name unknown). Some said she’d been a disgraced bluestocking, or an actress, or perhaps a Frenchwoman on the run—a noble comtesse in disguise! She caught the neighborhood’s imagination; they refashioned her in their minds. B—became “Blank,” which in time became “Le Blanc.” Her house was nicknamed le Château. Smoke rose from the chimneys; queer characters came and went; the lights burned at all hours. Some said Madame Le Blanc had started a school. Others claimed it was a brothel.
In fact, it was neither.
It was something much cleverer.
The Queen of Fives. They breathed the title with reverence on the docks, down the coastline. A lady with a hundred faces, a thousand voices, a million lives. She might spin into yours if you didn’t watch out… She played a glittering game: lifting a man’s fortune with five moves, in five days, before disappearing without a trace.
The sun was inching higher, turning the sky a hard mazarine blue. “Nice day for it,” Quinn said, squeezing Silk’s arm.
Silk peered upward. “I think not.” He’d checked his barometer before breakfast. “There’s a storm coming.”
Quinn could feel it, the rippling pleasure down her spine. “Better and better,” she replied. “Now, come along.”
They made an unassuming pair when they were out in public. An older gentleman in a dark and bulky overcoat, with a very sleek top hat. A youngish woman in dyed green furs, with a high collar and a sharp-tilted toque. He with his eyes down, minding his step. She with her face veiled, gloves gripped round an elegant cane. Always listening, watching, rolling dice in their minds.
Silk and Quinn had a single clear objective for the day. Audacious, impossible, outrageous—but clear. He showed her his appointment book: Three p.m.—Arrive in ballroom, Buckingham Palace, en déguisé.
“In disguise? Doesn’t that go without saying?”
“You tell me. Has your costume been delivered?”
“Not yet. But we have a more serious impediment.”
“Oh?” he asked her.
“I’ve still not received my invitation card to the palace.”
They turned into Fournier Street. Silk tutted. “I’ve dealt with that. Our old friend at the Athenaeum Club will oblige you.”
“You’re quite sure? We’ve never cut it so fine before.”
“Well, you might need to prod him a little.”
“Just a little?”
“The very littlest bit, Quinn.”
Unnecessary violence was not part of their method. But persuasion—well, that was essential. Let’s call a spade a spade: the Château was a fraud house, a cunning firm, a swindler’s palace ruled by a queen. It made its business by cheating great men out of their fortunes. In the bureau stood the Rulebook, its marbled endpapers inscribed with each queen’s initials, setting the conditions of their games.
And this week the Queen of Fives would execute the most dangerous game of her reign.
Quinn paused outside the Ten Bells. “Very well. We can’t afford any slips. I’ll go to the Athenaeum now. Anything else?”
Silk shook his head. “Rien ne va plus.” No more bets.
They gripped hands. He gave her his usual look: a fond gaze, then a frown. “Play on, Le Blanc.”
She grinned at him in return. “Same to you, old friend.”
ALEX HAY grew up in the United Kingdom in Cambridge and Cardiff, and has been writing as long as he can remember. He studied history at the University of York, and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector and lives with his husband in London. His debut, The Housekeepers won the Caledonia Novel Award, and was named a Best Book of the Summer by Reader’s Digest, The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, and others. His second novel, The Queen of Fives, publishes in January 2025. Alex lives with his husband in South East London.
Anyone who enjoys reading, and who likes to plan ahead, will want to spend some time with this 37th edition of Buzz Books. There are so many ideas for fall/winter reading that my TBR list is overflowing. Yours will be too.
New titles are listed in a variety of categories. Among these are several fiction categories and young adult titles. In fiction, find The Notables (for example, John Irving), those that are Highly Anticipated (for one, Jane Hamilton), Emerging Voices, Debuts, and Commercial Fiction (for instance, Ace Atkins). I did not include examples in EV or Debuts because I have no first hand knowledge of these writers.
Nonfiction is also grouped by categories. These include Essays, Criticism, and More (Nikki Giovanni for one), Biography and Memoir (for example, Margaret Atwood), Politics and Current Events (Amy Coney Barrett for one), Social Issues (Hoda Kotb for instance), History and Crime (Joseph Ellis-a college professor for me), and Business, Science and Technology (don’t know what to choose here).
As if all this were not enough, there are many excerpts from forthcoming titles. I am excited about many of these including novels by Susie Dent, Jane Hamilton, Catherine Newman and Ann Packer. For each readers will find covers, summaries, an excerpt and info on the author.
There is too much to keep writing so I will leave it for readers to explore on their own in a title that rates five stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Buzz Books-Publishers Lunch for this FREE title. All opinions are my own.
This title is the third and last novel that Horowitz is writing about Atticus Pund and Susan Ryeland. It is a corker written by an author who, I think, is just the teeniest bit smug about his talent and expansive knowledge of publishing and other aspects of modern life.
Anyone who has not read The Magpie Murders can read this novel but there are definitely many aspects of that story that are revealed in this one. It may be best to read the series in order or at least catch up on events via the PBS series.
Susan Ryeland is back in England with her trusty MG. She is freelancing and hoping for a more permanent position as an editor when she is invited/lured into working with Eliot Crace. He is writing an entry in the Atticus Pund series, continuing what the original author (SPOILER! and murder victim) had begun.
As is true of others in the series, there is a story in the present (that has roots in the past) along with the manuscript of the new Pund novel. I love how authentic this looks with Horowitz making this look just like others that I have received from Harper Collins. It is quite clever.
It begins to appear that Eliot’s book may be a bit too closely related to his take on events in his family. Where will this lead? Nothing else here so that there will be no spoilers.
Suffice it to say that this read is immersive, long, filled with numerous characters and plots, clever and perhaps a modern classic.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper for this title. All opinions are my own.
This comic book style title, has engaging graphics and a positive story line. Kids will enjoy seeing the familiar Sesame Street characters interact with each other.
Grover wakes up cheerful but the friends that he meets are not quite as happy. Will Grover be able to save the day? (of course, he will).
Kids get a message that emphasizes helping each other to solve problems. Cooperation is the theme of this book.
This title will make a nice addition to the bookshelves of Sesame Street fans.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
We all know that life does not always go to plan. What we choose to do next can make all the difference. This is the situation that Jess is experiencing as this lovely novel opens.
Jess has recently faced some hard times that have made it difficult for her to trust and believe in others. She has been couch surfing at her best friend’s and needs a place to live. This is how she comes to meet Joan who is looking for a lodger.
This device puts one younger and one older person together as Jess rents a room in Joan’s house. Joan is doing this in order to liven up her life. Indeed many things will happen for both of these women over the course of the story. One of the entertaining ones for me was to watch Joan and Jess switch with Jess swearing off her mobile for old fashioned communications just as Joan learns about the internet and more.
Will Jess and her close friends be able to save a vintage theater? What role (for good or bad) will Joan’s son play in this? Will someone from her past get in touch with “Joany?” Will these characters find some happiness? Read this one to find out. It is just delightful.
Many thanks to Headline and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.
This title engages the young reader by talking directly to them. I think that kids will very much enjoy interactive story. The illustrations are lively and I like the way that the text invites the reader to think about the hidden treasures. The reader and the kids in the book will travel while on the trail, going to Italy, France, and Scotland for example. Clues and puzzles are provided for them.
I highly recommend this entertaining book. It is clever, fun and interactive. This would make a great gift for a child.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 