A Seaside Murder by Alice Castle

Sarah is a retired GP and Daphne is the owner of a tarot shop. The two ladies are poles apart in temperament and looks but they balance each other very well. They’ve had one stint of solving a crime and think they’d do very well at another.

When Sarah finds the dying Aby on Daphne’s doorstep she is determined to find out who was responsible. Despite firm orders not to get involved, the friends embark on this mission not realising the danger they put themselves into when there is a determined and savage murderer in their midst.

Set in an idyllic English seaside town, the small village atmosphere adds to the charm of the story, apart from a very good cozy story.

Sent by Bookouture for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Paris Understudy by Aurelius Thiele

 

1938 Paris was precarious. Most Parisians thought the Nazi operations was going to be something that would not impact them. By the time it did, it was too late for many of the elite and definitely for the Jews. Madeline Moreau was the current star of Parisian opera, a position she zealously guarded against all newcomers. Her biggest competitor was Yvonne Chevalier, brilliantly talented and poor but kept firmly out of selection for any role, by the powerful Madeline.

When Yvonne does manage to catch the attention of a high flyer in the Nazi regime he promotes Yvonne much to Madeline’s anger and chagrin. The highlight was singing at the Austrian town of Bayreuth for high ranking officials of the regime, including Hitler.  Yvonne sitting down at Hitlers feet was a photograph that went viral, cementing Yvonne’s fate with loyal French who barely concealed their animosity towards her. It also spelt doom for her career post Nazi occupation. It was the final blow in her relationship with her son, who publicly said she was a traitor to her race.

The story is portrayed vividly as the competition for a position. Madeline to maintain her position but for Yvonne it was survival and started as a means of getting her son out of a Nazi prison. Sadly her son never realised the sacrifice she made, but only saw it as a betrayal. The detention and treatment of Jews is also a part of the story, because many artistes were Jewish and those that could not escape, became victims of the Nazi aggression. Madeline helped many, not knowing that her own husband turned informer through jealousy of a former lover. That was another chapter because his denouncement came from Yvonne, not Madeline because Yvonne had proof on paper.

The story was intense and emotional. What else could it be when you are literally dealing with life and death whilst living under circumstances which are precarious and which you know can crumble at any minute.

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

Two Spinsters and a Corpse by Eve Torrington

 

Judith and Miriam are sisters along with their vicar father live in a small village in Regency England. Appearances and respectability are paramount. Judith likes to keep to the rules and Miriam is flighty and very young and resents Judith’s strictures.

The Haddingtons are their benefactors and Judith resents the lavishness of their lifestyle and the manner in which they coddle their daughter. They have bought this estate purely to prevent their daughter entering into an unsuitable alliance.  When Louisa Haddington and Judith unwittingly overhear a murder, they put themselves in danger when they try to track the murderer themselves, because it has to be someone within the family who have gathered for the Christmas festivities.

Detection is hard under the rules applicable to ladies in this era, and some ingenuity is called for. Not an easy task in the circumstances, especially since the families brush their observations away as being fanciful.

The story was a mild cozy.

Sent by Victory Editing for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Murder in the Scottish Highlands by Dee McDonald

 

Ally has realised her dream of opening a small bed and breakfast inn in a small town. She looks forward to her guests but her introduction to the hospitality world was brutal. Her first guest was found brutally murdered in her backyard.

The arrival of first the brother of the deceased followed by the fiancée of the diseased causes confusion to the local police who seem confused enough as it is. The late Wilbur antagonised the entire village by laying claim to the title of Earl plus the extensive acreage he owned. The American wanted to convert the grounds into a pleasure park and practically the entire village would be homeless. It kept the field open for any number of suspects. When the driver of the Earl also dies in a car crash, where his brakes had been cut one feels the tension build up in the village. Ally herself has started her investigation and leans towards different suspects.

The actual plan and suspects were surprising. Ally sorted it out eventually. Detection was slow and any progress was minuscule on the part of the police. The atmosphere, attitude and gossipy nature of the villagers added interest to the story. 

A very nice cozy.

Sent by Bookouture for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Count Their Graves by Jennifer Chase

 

Detective Katie did not expect anything on her morning run. She and her dog Cisco encountered a little girl deep in the forest, terrified and sobbing. Further on a house reveals four murders meticulously and neatly carried out, the entire Banks family gone.

When a second family is discovered also killed in a similar fashion, the entire community and the police force are put on full alert. What are the links between these two families, seemingly very different from each other. Most importantly it is important to rule out a serial killer before he strikes again.

The detection continues and uncovers so many links between these families but was there enough evidence to commit murder. A family in witness protection was the first clue but the final reveal of the murderer was unexpected. (Like all good detective stories it is the unexpected which adds interest to the story).

Sent by Bookouture for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Cause of all Causes by James Marinero

 

Abu Ben-Zhair a terrorist wants to bring the West to its knees. He succeeds with his first attempt which left everyone in disarray. His grandiose scheme is now to attack a fault in our earths structure, near the Canary Islands which will trigger a massive tsunami reaching even the American coastlines.

A mix of unbelievable science experiments, brilliant brains Ben Zhair puts his plan into action. The story is quite unbelievable, which makes it probable and possible! Very tense the story delves into the mindset of a single minded person whose memories of childhood trauma has triggered his hate.

Disturbing but very readable, this was a deviation from my normal reading genres.

Sent by Wavecrest Communications for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Kidnapped Prime Minister & The Tragedy at Marsden Manor by Agatha Christie

 I was lucky enough to download a collection of short stories by Agatha Christie, from Amazon.   

They were both very short, succinct and very much to the point.

In the first at the end of World War II the BritishPrime Minister is kidnapped on his way to an important conference in France. Hercule Poirot is called in (reluctantly)by the British powers that be and in 24 hours, the mystery is solved merely by Poirot using a method of logic to solve the crime. All ends well.

In the second we have a young beautiful widow. Her elderly husband has died in an open and shut case. There is a substantial insurance settlement. Poirot has been called in to check whether it was a suicide which will void the insurance claim. Poirot realises very early on that the case is not straightforward.

There are several others which I look forward to reading.