Investigating a death at a remote Scottish castle with a storm setting in and the owner aggressive, rude and overbearing was not how DI Anna envisaged Christmas to be. With a pre meditated, brutal murder at Dumfala Castle, resources limited due to the holidays and many secrets hidden, this is not an easy task.

Robert Fairlie is obsessed with restoring the castle and wants to keep the murder under wraps so that the deal he is negotiating with a TV company is not jeopardised. He is a very harsh man and the list of suspects multiplies by the day. Facing severe blizzards two detectives have to deal with a killer on the loose.

Beautifully descriptive of life in a remote island, this story showcases the best of a British cozy.

Sent by Boldwood Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Writer in Residence by Rhonda McKnight

 

It was the setting of Low Country Carolina, the culture of the Gullah that made this book different. Alexandra is having severe writers block and a forced retreat seems to be an option to get her in a writing spirit. Meeting up with Gabe and the rest of the Gullah community helped her to settle down and be a part of a community, long denied her.

Discovering her roots certainly helped and she had to understand why her mother hid so much information from her. It was not easy to forgive or forget, but Alexandra wanted to move on. Forgiving the omissions of the past helped her to forgive and start writing again.

An almost coming of age story, simply narrated.

Sent by Thomas Nelson Fiction for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Kailasa Temple, fabulous carvings, a three kilometre walk. Here for a couple of days.

The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller

 

1880s Ohio and the harsh but realistic story of Mary, Ida and Anna at Oberlin, indicates how fortunate I am to be born in present times. Three women of colour, the only obvious thing they had in common. Their backgrounds were very different both socially and financially. What they shared was a yearning for education which was just the privilege of a few coloured folk, and the desire to be a catalyst for change.

Following their careers at Oberlin - the blatant discrimination they faced, the racial taunts at every turn, the bias of the faculty who turned a blind eye to what was going on under their noses was a travesty for equality and justice. For those like Anna who had come out of enslavement recently, the changes were hard to follow through after decades of oppression and fear. For Mary, with powerful backing and supportive parents the transition to face danger head on was something Mary enjoyed as a challenge.

I read the book in one sitting, and the Authors Notes were very good reading and explanations of a history that may be forgotten or ignored as part of Black History. The marginalisation of communities in this case by colour was horrific, debased and humiliating. It continues in various degrees all over tge world to this date.

Excellent reading.

Sent by Thomas Nelson Fiction for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley. Thank you to all.

In the Midnight Hour by Darcy Burke

 

Lady Cartwright loves books and has found a personal she considered a kindred spirit in her own neighbourhood. Finding him murdered didn’t do her any favours as she was the last to see him alive, and even more so when his last will left his fortune to her. Lord Northwood, another neighbour is attracted to the Lady but first he wants to help her clear her name. She is the sole suspect so far.

Detection in Victorian England worked on a different method. There were lots of subjects too delicate for the females, despite said females having to face male oppression, improper behaviour and the like.  Uncovering what goes on in the murdered baronets house made one realise that more than one young maid servant would be happy that the man is now dead.

Working with the coroner and Bow street runners, the duo somehow become privy to more information than what is officially known and solve the crime. There is an unusual twist in the tail at the end.

Very well told, and descriptive of Victorian lives.

Thanks to Oliver Heber Books for sending this book to me for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Millionaire Waltz by Anthony Quinn

 

Edie is attracted to the “different”.  She does not fall into the role of debutante, dutiful daughter though tge facade of dutiful fiancée is maintained for some time. Her heart is not in her engagement and her fast approaching marriage, to the confusion of her fiancée, her mother and her annoyed mother in law.

Edie gets involved platonically with several men, who are closet homosexuals ( for the time it had to be) but her sympathies are very much for them. Edie wanted a working life and she found that in the theatre. In small parts but she was happy that she got what she worked hard for. It was not a job that people of the upper classes did, and the story highlights this lifestyle as against the more mundane working middle class. Edie was light hearted and did not come across as condescending but she did not treat people as well as she ought to have.

Embodying 1920s society whirl it was in stark contrast to the aftermath of WWI and the struggle and heartache people were trying to get accustomed to.

Sent by Little, Brown Book Co. UK for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The River Runs Black by Tessa Wegert

 

Alexandria Bay is a small town near the Canadian border. The death of a sixteen year old sent shock waves through this town as this was something not commonplace here. When a massive stocks of drugs was discovered coming over from Canada, it sent the police force into a sense of euphoria, that at last that they were helping to make a dent in the horrific trade. However, when investigations proved that the drugs that killed Drew Fielding were different from the massive haul, Detectives now faced a very difficult fact. That two sets of operatives were working in this town and the fact that they got away with it for so long, rankled with the detectives.

What followed was a painstaking detection programme, uncovering blackmail, trafficking, abduction, murder and cracks within the police force itself. It was no longer a small town affair, the effects were rippling in bigger and bigger circles.

Dark and very tight paced it was a very good read.

Sent by Joffe Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Heiress of Northanger Abbey by Nancy Bilyeau

 

Catherine Tilley is very settled in her life in rural Gloucestershire. Happily married with two young daughters, she wants a similar happy life for her girls. Decades ago her life was disrupted by the Thorpe brother and sister who destroyed her mind but fortunately she found peace with Henry Tilney. Catherine is now horrified when Isabella Thorpe appears in Bath, and her daughter befriends Catherine’s daughter Phoebe. The duo become inseparable much to Catherine’s dismay, but it is only she who suspects Isabella’s motives in befriending her daughter.

When a letter inviting Phoebe to remote Dartmoor is extended, Catherine flatly declines to send Phoebe but eventually gives in accompanying her on this long and arduous journey. Throughout and during the stay, Catherine feels that a plot is in the air, and definitely not for Phoebe or Catherine’s good. When her fears are realised, Catherine must use her limited resources to get them out of danger. 

The story deals with young women at the mercy of greedy men, only intent on the dowry that they bring.  In this story an illicit relationship which already existed between Isabella and Lord Pomeroy, where Phoebe was to be the bait as well as the cover for their relationship to continue. Both parties had no scruples in involving others, and in Isabella’s case even coercing her children in pursuit of her wishes.

The dangers that young women with good fortune faced was very real and that may be the reason for such strict protocols in place. Amply emphasised in the story. A very intriguing story.

Sent by Admiral Field Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Weligama Bay, Southern Coast of Sri Lanka.