The Fourth Queen by Nicola Cornick

 

The Tudors never cease to outrage and frighten at the same time. Henry VIII thought he was invincible and carried out anything he wanted to do, twisting and interpreting the law and religion the way he wanted. In this story Anna of Cleves, bested him, did something that could have changed the course of history with immense sacrifice to herself.

We also have the parallel story of Marris prioress of an abbey, losing it all in the Kings destruction of monasteries and abbeys. Overnight homeless, responsible for two younger sisters Will Sharington was an answer to a prayer when he took her under his wing. Marris became one of the ladies in waiting to Anne of Cleves whilst her husband Will was a lord with the King. When Anne was banished because Henry did not find her pleasing and he was enamoured with the sprightly Catherine Howard, Marris became a confidante of the ex Queen and held her most dangerous secret. Anne was pregnant and was terrified of the news getting out. The secret was kept forever and the baby boy was fostered with a trustworthy family.

The third part of the story is set in present times with three sisters being the reincarnation of Marris and her sisters and with the current excavation of the old priory and hall, the secrets of a five hundred years ago may be unearthed. To complicate matters two of the sisters believe they have found their former partners and navigating between the past and present is more tricky than the sisters realised because their younger sister who betrayed them then, will have no hesitation to do so again five hundred years later.

The story is exciting based on the true story of Anne of Cleves, the time slip adds another dimension to an already complicated story. Excellent reading.

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

Murder In Rome by T A Williams

 

Tamsin Goodfaith is a celebrity and she has approached Dan a former Detective from Scotland Yard, now running a private Detective agency and living in Italy with his very new wife,  because she is suspicious about the circumstances surrounding her uncle’s death. Uncle was a billionaire, there are three sõns and one daughter, but there are hidden tensions within the family.

Dan and his faithful hound Oscar are invited to the castle where the family is staying as a friend of Tamsins. When a second murder occurs, along with an attempted murder of another son and Dan as well, the local detectives have their hands full before the murderer eliminates the entire family. Suspects vary as the days go by but pinning the murder on someone with proof is not as easy as one would think.

The setting of the impressive castle was impressive, with a good dose of history, the excursions to Rome added further topics of interest and the food of Italy is tempting to say the least. 

A well balanced cozy with a very much closed doors mystery murder feel.

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

Junagarh Fort one of the few places with descriptive boards giving the history of these beautiful buildings.

In Bikaner, India.

A Murder in Marylebone by Emily Sullivan

 

The second book in the series involving Minerva Harper, recently come to England after her husband passed away in Corfu. Also in London is Mr Stephen Dorian who collaborated with Minerva and very successfully solved a murder mystery in Corfu. There is also unfinished business between Minerva and Stephen on a personal level.

Minerva has come to make peace with her parents and to settle her daughter in a prestigious girls school. Her intention is to return to Corfu, but life gets in the way. A couple of days in, she finds her younger sister Delia in the midst of a controversy, and the chief suspect in the murder of her lover. Minerva has to protect Delia, who confesses she is pregnant, and protect the reputation of the family. It doesn’t help that the murder victim Charles, was involved in nefarious smuggling and sale of antiquities, blackmail and to top it all was already married.

Stephen Dorian is very much part of the investigation, along with Minerva. He wants to protect Minerva who he feels does not know how dangerous it is to investigate this murder, which involves the aristocracy who will not hesitate to do anything in their power to protect their name and fortune. Stephen Dorian’s brother another Dorian is the detectives in charge of the case and the brother’s relationship is not a cordial one, adding to an already tense situation.

The story was a really good one and characters ( especially the two children with distinct personalities and interests of their own) were all interesting. I also liked the description of the way of life of upper middle class families at the turn of the 20th century and how the aristocracy still controlled society.

Sent by Kensington Publishing for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Opposite of Murder by Sophie Hannah

 

I am trying to read books that I have requested from Netgalley and have slipped through the cracks and I have got embarrassingly late to read and review. This is one of them and I apologise to the author and the publisher for the inordinate delay.

The story is confusion from the word go. Jemma confesses to her wanting to murder someone at the local police station, at the exact moment that the woman was murdered. It takes off from there. The Detectives do not know whether they are dealing with an eccentric woman or a cold blooded killer who thinks she has now developed a cast iron alibi.

A puzzle from the inception, we try to fit the crime to suspects, but that does not quite make it. There are many under currents of emotional, relationships which are skewed, no logic to arguments and the possible becomes unbelievable and one begins to think the implausible and ridiculous to be quite plausible. To the end, one questions each character so that the story remains tightly closed till the end.

This is a story one has to read slowly.

Sent by Hodder & Stoughton for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Hiding in Plain Sight by Marion Kummerow

 

A Roma girl, escaped the horrors of a Nazi camp, almost her entire family murdered, is now married to a Jew living in post Nazi Germany. Their living is precarious, the old antagonisms still exist but David and Roxi are happy. They all live with the scars of Nazi influence, and they do realise that Nazis live amongst them well disguised. 

Goslar was the commander of the camp Roxi was, and he was particularly cruel and erratic and would order the murder of anyone on the most flimsiest of excuses. A chance encounter, over hearing a voice startles Roxi into the pursuit of a man she believes to be Goslar, now even more dangerous than before, as he has somehow inveigled himself under the protection of the presently ruling British. He has just got a job in the civil government department of repatriation , where he is determined to do whatever he can to prevent the just return of confiscated property. Highlighting corruption in the occupation, antagonism and racism very much evident, poverty and the struggle to get by and one woman’s determination to get justice for her family is the basis of the story.

Like all stories set during the era, there is raw emotion and strong feelings that arise when one reads such books, but that cannot be helped. Very intense read.

Sent by Book Whisperer for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

A bay in Thailand. 2025 visit.

Who Knew The Ridpath Girl by Stacy Jones

 

Meander is a small town which saw the death of eleven year old Douggy under very strange circumstances. Confirmed as a suicide her brothers have thought that it was an excuse for a murder that was conveniently forgotten. The remaining children were again conveniently packed away to a grandmother who was very abusive (known by their mother Sheila) who has now made a brand new comfortable life for herself with a new husband and two children.

Gracen is an influencer, a you tuber who does podcasts and who has spoken of his sisters death in detail, with anonymous references to people surrounding the case. No effort needed to find out who handled and buried the details. It has now brought people out from hiding and worried that they will be found out. We have Katie,  Douggy’s closest buddy , now Quinn who is looking for Sheila to get a letter of support for the brother Kade, now in prison for the long term. Its complicated web of half truths, hidden secrets, abuse and a small town mentality. 

I had trouble at times following the various paths Quinn and Gracen took but the story itself is good reading.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for sending me this story, for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Reminiscent of Roman columns somehow, the Venugopalaswany temple in Mysore, India.

Holy Island by L J Ross

 

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan retreats to Holy Island for some peace and quiet. This gets disrupted very fast when the body of a young woman is discovered in the ruins of a Priory. 

When a consultant Dr Anna Taylor, a former local is sent to consult with him, Ryan is irritated at first with what he sees as interference from the higher powers that be. Anna becoming a target herself is not something they accounted for and subsequent murders show the suspects as a local, with a very specific agenda.

It is an atmospheric setting as it is a small island, with very few permanent inhabitants. The main characters are distinct and have strong personalities of their own. Supporting characters in the story are varied and add layers of interest. I did not see the end coming, the way I envisaged which was good too.

Sent by Poisoned Pen Press for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

A colourful and unusual horse carriage outside the vibrant Mysore Palace also beautifully illuminated.