The Green Baize Door by Eleanor Birney

 

Marie’s grandmother works for a rich family as a housekeeper, earning their respect and kindness. Her son and grandson were avaricious, only looking for the wealth they thought she had accumulated over the years. Marie loved her grandmother for who she was and nothing else. When she was found brutally murdered, marie did not want to believe that her family were involved but the facts pointed to them having some kind of role in the murder.

When both her brother, father and her brothers closest friend were found to be suspects, Marie appealed to the family for help to get them out. James Lett was attracted to Marie and believed in her, though he had reservations about her kin.  The green baize door separated the masters from those who worked for them, and the demarcation was very definite. James and Marie had to work together to find the murderer and both had to keep within their boundaries. Class identity, the gap between the two were marked characteristics of the story. The grinding poverty prevalent amongst the working class was another sad commentary of the times. A feature of the story is also the effect of having a coloured ancestry and how it affected your entire life, from finding a job to finding a decent place to live. It did not matter that you appeared white, even the suspicion of being coloured was enough to blight your existence.

The book was a social commentary apart from the murder connotations. A good one.

Sent by Parlor & Dock Press, courtesy of Netgalley.

We were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda

 

A reunion. A celebration for an engagement party. A beautiful house in a fabulous setting almost a luxury hotel atmosphere. That was the setting. The animosity, the resentment, the patronizing attitudes were still there. Amidst it all the story of a girl who died in a similar house years before, not forgotten by any of them, compartmentalised into a small box hidden away till this weekend opens a Pandora’s box from which there is no escape.

Each of the women had an agenda. Each had secrets to hide. One of them was blackmailing one and had her sights set on another. One was very quiet and very much in the background. She was the one to watch. 

Not a single character was likeable. All rotten to the core but the story was a twisted tale which kept you wanting to read another chapter to know where it would go.

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

Mrs Hudson and the Spirits Curse by Martin Davies

 

I am  Sherlock fan so any link to them draws my eye. This did not disappoint.

Sherlock and Watson are setting up house and there are new characters - Mrs Hudson and Flotsam. Both are “characters” in every sense of the word. Mrs Hudson inscrutable, hidden talents, contacts with everyone and Flottie under her watchful eye being trained and educated for higher things. This was a story in itself.

The mystery had many twists including spirits (debunked by both Holmes and Watsonville), though quite plausible at the beginning. Murders galore and detection of the usual sort by the pair, at times bested by Mrs Hudson.

My first introduction to the lady and I hope I get to many more.

Very much enjoyed this read.

Sent by Allison & Busby for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley 

A Very Novel Murder by Ellie Alexander

 

Annie has opened her detective agency, after successfully launching her bookshop. Now she awaits her first client. In a small village she expected to have to deal with missing cats, unfaithful husbands and cases of vandalism. Her first enquiry was an eye opener - someone who thought her partner could be Agatha Christie s own son and brought stuff to support her claim. The other, an elderly lady brought in a full scale murder enquiry with lots of arguments to support her case.

Kelly had been June’s friend and despite being very young had befriended June or that was the story. June despite local police ruling it a death by accident, (Kelly was found drowned in a bath tub), June was suspicious of the boy friend, Kelly’s surfing coach and also the girl who shared the flat. 

Initial investigations supported Annie’s suspicions that everything was not what it seemed and the local police got involved again. What followed was a plethora of crimes, and several suspects. The actual murderer was able to hoodwink two sharp detectives and the local police force almost to the end.

Excellent detective work.

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

The Chateau Murder by Greg Mosse

 

Set in an isolated snow bound setting the first death of an old butler seemed like an accident waiting to happen.. Zoe has been invited by her friends to come. It seems like a desperate summons. When she arrives 

however, the friend is evasive and an occasion for a chat seems almost impossible. Undercurrents run high between the aged twin brothers, and having three ex wives on the premises does not augur well. The only child on the premises is strange as well, moulded and influenced by very complicated adults.

The story is a complicated one and I didn’t see the end or the murderer clearly at all. The setting was descriptive and the characters were very varied. 

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

The Star Society by Gabriella Saab

 

Two sisters both fled Nazi occupied Netherlands and have established careers. One is the bright young star of Hollywood, with a past she has kept carefully hidden, and the other a career woman. An investigator- her job to find out as much as possible about the wave of Communism hitting Hollywood, focussing mainly on her sister Ada.

The story weaves through the lives of producers, agents and stars in Ada’s circuit, along with the focus of Ingrid’s investigation. Intertwined with this is the search for the Nazi who made Ada’s life miserable and who was responsible for the death and disappearance of many Jews in the Netherlands.

With inspiration from the story of Audrey Hepburn, this was a detailed and very factual story of what transpired both during and after Nazi occupation. The story of resilience of survival and the bond of sisterhood makes it a very emotional read.

Sent by Harper Muse for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Revenge of Odessa by Frederick Forsyth with Tony Kent

 

The storyline is eye catching. Fifty years after revealing the secrets of Odessa Peter is now retired from his journalistic beat for the safety of his grandson. Georg however is no shrinking Violet and follows his grandfather in the dangerous hunt. Odessa is alive and well just under another name and playing a waiting game.

The premise was good but the story falls flat and was disappointing particularly when it carries the Forsyth name.

Sent by Random House UK Transworld Publishers.