Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too!

This week we left the amateur sleuth behind and moved on to private investigators (P.I.’s).  Time was spend on background regarding the male PIs, as written by Chandler and Hammett. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman features Cordelia Gray, an early female PI; she is smart, independent, a risk taker and a young woman with a back story.  I enjoyed spending time with her in this more literary novel.

Cordelia, whose partner has just committed suicide, is contacted by the father of Mark Callender, who reportedly committed suicide. Mr. Callender Sr. tells Cordelia that he would like to know why.  Her investigation leads Cordelia to Cambridge where she becomes a part of a group of Mark’s friends.  What did they know?  What does Nanny Pilbeam know?  Is the job unsuitable? Was it suicide?

I enjoyed this novel very much.  To me, it felt in some ways like the predecessor to Tana French”s The Likeness.  That is one of my favorite books.

P D James is better known for her Adam Dalgliesh novels.  In fact, Dalgliesh has cameo appearances in the book.  P D James only wrote one more Cordelia Gray novel, even through she wrote many Dalgliesh novels.  According to our professor, James did not like Cordelia all that much.  Reportedly readers wanted a romance between the two but Ms. James was not having it.  So, after The Skull Beneath the Skin, Cordelia disappeared from view.

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman introduces bestselling mystery author P.D. James’s courageous but vulnerable young detective, Cordelia Gray, in a “top-rated puzzle of peril that holds you all the way” (The New York Times).

There were so many female PIs to follow Cordelia; to name a few there are Kinsey Milhone, V I Warshawski, Sharon McCone and more.  Who are your favorites?  Do you prefer the PI to the amateur cozy sleuth?  Let me know.

Look for this issue, mystery lovers. It is full of great reading suggestions. My TBR pile is growing!

This book was written by a grandfather who wanted to be a scientist from a young age. He has also spent time in schools and it shows. He is keyed in to ways to answer kids questions with just the right amount of detail.

In this book, our scientist answers 100 questions that children have posed. Some examples include the following: How does Velcro stick? When did time begin? Why does ice cream melt? How do we get taller? Why does our hair turn grey when we get older? How does the moon affect the tides of the sea?

As you can see this book is encyclopedic in scope. It is broken down by questions in fields including chemistry, the human body, physics, natural science, the earth and space. To help keep the reader engaged there are colorful illustrations throughout.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this excellent resource for young (and older) scientists. I learned a lot!

This is the first in a series on novels that take place in the U.S. National Parks.  In The Road to Paradise, the reader visits Mount Rainier which, from the descriptions in the novel, sounds incredibly beautiful and rich in natural resources.  Overall, this one is an historical romance set in the 1920s.  There is some general Christian religion and spirituality in the novel which is published by a Christian press.  The characters and descriptions are fun and engaging.  This is a light read.

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

I truly enjoyed this author’s novel, How to Walk Away, so immediately requested this e galley when I saw it on NetGalley.  I had a bit of a wait before I was approved but luckily I was!

This book is about Cassie, a seemingly tough, no nonsense, keep all emotion at bay firefighter.  Cassie has been hurt and traumatized in the past.  Her mother left the family on Cassie’s 16th birthday, a high school boy violated her; she does not believe that she wants more than work and routine.

The plot takes Cassie from Texas to Rockport, MA where she agrees to help her ill mother, but only for a year.  Cassie vows not to get close.  She gets a job in a new firehouse.  The antics within in terms of initiations are vividly described.  The author credits her husband, a volunteer firefighter for their authenticity.

Cassie joins the fire station on the same day as “the rookie.”  Their relationship forms the core of the novel, along with Cassie’s evolving relationship with her mother.

The book is a good, quick read.  There is some philosophizing by Cassie’s mother that adds dimension to the novel.  If you are a reader of this author’s novels or enjoy women’s fiction,  give this one a try.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the book in exchange for my honest review.

 

 

Sworn to Silence is just one of the titles that is a bargain today. Many in the series are available.  This is set in Amish Country.  The Anatomist’s Apprentice is the first in an historical mystery series.  The Vanishing Point is a very readable thriller.  I really turned the pages when I read it.

Kudos to Anne Perry! She is not an author who rests on her laurels. Ms. Perry recently started a series with Daniel Pitt, son of long-term series regulars Thomas and Charlotte and now, she has started a series featuring Elena Standish. This novel takes place as Hitler is rising to power in Germany.

The characters in the family…Elena is an aspiring photographer. Her sister Margot was widowed shortly after marrying during WWI. Grandfather Lucas was in MI6 during WWI and maintains his connections. His wife, also was active in the war. Then there are Elena’s parents Charles and his wife Katherine. He is a diplomat; she is American. There are many characters not in the family, from the Jewish population in Berlin to the Brownshirts to those who are busy plotting and to Cordell at the British Embassy.

The settings in the novel are vividly described. The book opens in the shadow of Vesuvius where tourists are creating their reality, away from their daily concerns. It is here that Elena meets Ian, a man who sets her on a perilous mission. Thanks to Ms. Perry, i felt like I was on the train with them, right there in the compartment as the talked about themselves. There are so many equally vivid scenes. To mention a few, a British diplomat goes to lunch with Hitler and t he reader feels him sweating; a book burning takes place and the crowd watching is alive in the reader’s mind, a train hurtles toward Paris from Berlin and the reader feels the anxiety of the characters who need to escape quickly.

There are murders and conspiracies and Elena is clearly in peril. The plot does center on some coincidences but I was willing to accept that. The ending of the novel is a crescendo of events with a clear sense of unresolved issues for future novels or at least that is my hope.

I loved Death in Focus, a novel with rich and vivid characters who are trying to make their way in a world that was for ever changed by WW I and is now hurtling toward another war. There are some parallels to our world today in terms of the author’s description of how people who feel they have nothing, feel better when they have a group to hate.

I highly recommend this novel. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e galley in exchange for my honest review.

 

This gleefully illustrated book offers four interrelated stories. There is one about Cinderella, another about “Sleepy Beauty,” one about Jack and the Beanstalk, and finally a story featuring Snow White. Each tale is centered on a virtue; included are kindness, responsibility, honesty and teamwork. At the end of each story is a section with questions and activities.

The stories here are not really twisted. They are more updates and lessons in citizenship for preschoolers that are told without preaching. I can easily imagine them being ready during “circle time.”

Both children and adults who are familiar with the original fairy tales may enjoy this update. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e galley in exchange for my honest review.

Two examples….

 

In this picture book, a young girl looks all around her and sees the wonder in her world. She uses her lively imagination to expand on what she sees; for example, after noticing a fly on the ceiling, this child wonders what it would be like to be able to walk upside down. At the end of this simple story, our narrator comments that everything that she needs to make her happy is right in front of her…and how uplifting is that.

The illustrations have bright colors and are the perfect accompaniment to the text. Young children will enjoy this story of noticing the amazing things in their daily lives.

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

An interesting mix.  Hope there is something for you.  A word on The Peabody Sisters.  This is a really interesting biography because of, not only the book’s subjects, but the people they knew.  For example, one sister was married to Nathaniel Hawthorne.