Death was not on the guest list by

 

Twenty top socialites gather for a glittering evening. Many of them dislike each other intensely but on the surface it is all full of camaraderie, but the knives are out. During the evening, one of them is dead, and with a snowstorm on, there is no escape for anyone. It also means that someone within the household is the killer. 

With the detectives trying his best to get to the bottom of the mystery - there are many suspects. One has conveniently got rid of four husbands and one is well versed in poisons. The others have secrets they do not want to share. When a second body is discovered, the need for survival is paramount and everyone wonders who is next.

The ending was a good one. A good cozy.

Sent by Thomas & Mercer for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Not My Job Anymore by Margie Benedict

 

Viola lost her mother unexpectedly and this hits her hard. She thought she was close to her mother but going through stuff she has revelations that changes her world. She questions her mothers ethics, her secrecy and then questions herself - realising that she herself is guilty of not facing the unpleasant facts in her own relationships.

Coming back to her late mother’s home opens a new vista for Viola. What could be and the vista is exciting. Her earlier desire to be an artist, find a lover, ignore and later divorce her selfish husband, and finally live for herself. Reaching that goal came with hiccups on the way but Viola didn’t it all.

The elements of grief, lost dreams and new starts are very well expressed in this read. Gives a lot of hope that it is never too late for anything. 

A very enjoyable read.

Sent by Riveting Reads Inc for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

A Wasp In The Beehive by Mary Logue

 

Set in Salt Lake City this has the setting of a Mormon household. Brigid has just got her dream job, working in a bookstore and Mr Cutter has offered her accommodation in his own household. Mr Cutter already has five wives and is trying for a fifth. This is not going down well in the household as Amelia is his step daughter, and no one is happy with the idea.

When Mr Cutter is found murdered in his house, Brigid’s detective eye becomes keener to find out by a process of elimination, who was responsible.  Doctor Kohler is the city coroner and he is anxious too, to get to the actual murderer.

The book is a short one, but it gives one an insight into a typical Mormon household, especially one with plural wives, who somehow live in more or less harmony! 

Sent by University of Minnesota Press for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery by Kate Khavari

 

Part of a series but does well as a stand alone. The covers are always colorful and relate to Saffron Everleigh who is a botanist and in this episode is part of an expedition to Egypt. The only working woman in the group, ridiculed at every point, her fiancé Ashton has his hands tied because he cannot show favour and because Saffron herself demands it.

The pranking seems to have gone too far with rumours of Saffron having a relationship with a young man, and when tge man is found dead, poisoned in fact, Saffron becomes the first suspect and is arrested on suspicion of murder. The Inspector despite any evidence is determined to pin the murder on her and tge death penalty looms large. Investigations behind the detectives back involves large scale smuggling of antiquities, involving people at the top, espionage and a very surprising murderer.

The garbage Saffron had to face was enough to make anyone angry, and the story for one third was about this and how she had to overcome this to get to the job she was assigned to do. Very descriptive of an archaeological site, and the work involved was another dimension. Further enhanced by the relationship between Saffron and Ashton and their sudden marriage and return home. A fair amount of different threads woven into the story.

Interesting read.

Sent by Crooked Lane Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley 

Suppression by P M Emerson

 

Henry VIII in all his flamboyance is infamous and notorious. I was not aware of the extent of his cruelty and greed till I read this book. In his over riding and desperate need for a male heir he rode roughshod over his countryman creating the most amount of destruction and the breakdown of religious life in centuries. The breakdown removed the protection and support system that the churches and monasteries had provided to the poor and destitute.

Henry’s reforms promoted by Cromwell and an inner group of courtiers destroyed the monastic way of life, apart from the breakaway from Rome and establishing the sovereign as the head of the Church. The story centres around the life of William Morland, a young monk steadfast in his faith and in his relationship with God. We see his battles of joining a group of protestors who only wanted to protest against the proclamation of the sovereign being head of the church, but not against the king himself. Sadly it was used against tge protestors which led to the brutal murders of several Lords from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. When events caught up with William, he was dealt in a similar manner, brutally murdered by the Kings orders.

The story was different as it was the voice of this monk who was so faithful to his vocation and his religion, and in the voices of very ordinary folk who believed in the supremacy of the Pope and who were bewildered when they were asked to change their allegiance immediately.

Detailed historical accounts from the turbulent Tudor period, coupled with a deeply spiritual account of the monk William Morland.

I enjoyed the story immensely despite the brutality.

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

Murder on the Cornish Train by J M Hall

 

Jeff boards the train to Cornwall. Jeff is a depressed man, who wants to end it all after his husband abandoned him after quite a long relationship. Oliver, his husband dies in a horrific car crash immediately after tge break up and Jeff believes he murdered Oliver. Jeff embarks on this journey and from the Paddington railway station itself gets involved as a sympathetic by stander in the affairs of another couple travelling to Cornwall.

The journey is tense and delayed by a massive storm but Jeff hits it off with the intense Gore and his erratic and dramatic wife Vee, a former actor. Gore indicates that Vee is unwell not mentioning dementia, but her habit of disappearing occasionally is attributed to the illness. What follows is a rather dreary stay in a horrible hotel, bad weather and one death. Whether Vee’s death is accident or murder is never stated clearly, though the explanation of Jeff is clear and concise, but without corroborating evidence.

The characters are very varied, from the rude and slightly unbalanced proprietor of the hotel, to her son Jago who is doing his best to protect them all, to the receptionist cum Jill of all trades who believes every guest is a pod caster and to Gore and his supporting side kick Alice with their very convoluted manipulation of situations and people, particularly Jeff to suit his needs.

There was no murder on a train, and one missing person was found under disguise as Alice, once the train reached its destination. That was a bit mixed up.

The overall feeling of grief in Jeff’s case and his inability to get to grips with the death of Oliver and accept the finality of his situation is sad. This moving on is not as easy as people imagine it to be.

An interesting read, though somber for the most part.

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

The Villa Matisse by Jane Jennings

 

Set in the descriptively gorgeous French Rivera, it sounded an idyllic story. Alix on a temporary cooking assignment for a family over Christmas is a bit lonely having handed over her son to her ex husband for a skiing holiday. Her parents are visiting her sister and she is alone for the holidays. This assignment seems ideal. But on arrival she finds that she is not really busy and has quite a bit of free time on her hands.

There are complicated relationships at play here. First a bit of tension between her employer Luc and herself, then there is Caroline who sees herself as Luc’s girlfriend and is quite proprietary,there is tge very loud and demanding Susan who is Luc’s mother, his daughter Emma and a few domestics adding to the mixed menagerie over a family holiday period. Lots of stories at play, all interesting and a romance that ends in a happily ever after.

A nice light hearted, happy read.

Sent by The Book Guild for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley 

Santa Monica, Goa and definitely keep out! Bit decrepit but really beautiful buildings from the time the Portuguese were in Goa.