Voices of the Elysian Fields by Michael Rigg

 

Set in New Orleans, we move into a more rarefied atmosphere of people of importance and power in the city. Johnathan Grays mentor of forty years has died unexpectedly, and in somewhat suspicious circumstances. Following this the apparent murder suicide of an elderly rich, well established couple seems too much of a coincidence.

Coupled with his Coroner skills, Johnathan moves into the world of detection, working closely with detectives to uncover a web of unexplained disappearances of young women, coupled with murder of a young man within the same family and attempted murder of several other people connected to the enquiry.

Full of proper police procedural and step by step detecting, trying to bring differing stories and people together, set against a city that is vibrant and one which bounced back after Katrina. The story was well thought out and it all came together very nicely at the end.

Sent by Level Best Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley 

After Paris by Mary Ellen Taylor

 

With a dozen books to review, I picked this one up. I think too much of mystery murders and I was looking for something else.

Ruby has lived through a lot for her twenty five years. A cancer survivor with the specter hanging over her head, she returns to America, with a relationship in smithereens when her partner could not cope with the trauma of cancer treatments.  Ruby has embarked on research into the lives of Cecile, a fabulously beautiful French actress who had a bright career during the 1940s during the Paris occupation. Acting in films owned and run by the Germans, made her in the eyes of the French, a despicable collaborator. Only she knew how much information she obtained and forwarded to Emile her sister who worked in the Resistance. With Cecile was Sylvia, her seamstress and confidante, also a refugee and one with a chequered background.

The workings of both women were fascinating. One in plain sight, the other nondescript and hidden and the conduit for information. The manner in which people worked for the underground movements were so clever. Undermine the enemy, sabotage at every turn from massive destruction to simply puncturing the tyres of vehicles, the ordinary folk kept a facade of minding their own business, being strictly good citizens and led double lives. 

Written in two timelines, the unraveling of the story was meticulous.

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

Splintered Justice by Kim Hays

 

My reading is taking me around the world in just a few days. Set in the city of Bern, Switzerland we go back and forth within two timelines and two generations.

Giuliano and Renzo are two detectives who worked together amicably. Renzo very recently separated has feelings for his fellow detective which he feels will be reciprocated though she is married. He steps away and goes into this investigation single handed. A young man badly injured when another young man deliberately shakes the scaffolding he is working on, causing him to fall. Crashing into the suspect by accident, Renzo is able to pull the history of the antagonism between the young men. He then begins to unravel a death which took place years ago, and what was once deemed suicide is now a suspicious death, with plenty of suspects.

There are many points of interest - the small Croatian community in Switzerland, connected to each other closely. Then the very complicated subject of assisted death. Different from euthanasia, this was a subject examined closely in the story in connection with an investigation. The pros and cons of this controversial subject and the very professional workings of the organization called Exit - assisting people with decisions concerning their death, meticulously tabled. Very good subject anyway.

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

A Lesser Light by Peter Geye

 

I’ve been reading somber books in a row. I have been wanting a change from the mystery murder genre but did not expect to get philosophy and so much to think about.

1910 and Theodor has got a commission that he deems worthy of his status. He has also acquired a wife who is a total misfit for the isolated island, who is not fearful of him much to his dismay and one who has a mind of her own. A rough fisherman and his clairvoyant niece adds interest to Willa’s life with their interest and compassion, totally at variance with Theodor who having been brought up in a rigid, authoritarian household, does not know to act different.

The politics of an insular society - only a couple of families and the harsh, unrelenting weather makes for an environment stifling for Willa, but one with no escape.

The story with just a few characters, mainly all strong and determined in different ways, the lighthouse a focus and character of its own and one man not knowing how to adapt or handle different circumstances are the focus of this story. The story is slow but that befits this story.

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

The Wandering Season by Aimee K. Runyan

 

An unexpected present of a DNA test from her younger sister reconfirmed what Veronica had always known. Her adoption was never spoken of and kept a secret but she’d always known. Her parents were wonderful people and Veronica certainly did not want to open a can of worms. The present of an European trip highlighting places where her ancestry was most dominant led her to an adventure, which was strange and wonderful.

Fate, or coincidence played a part also the “fey” part of Veronica, gave her a bigger insight into her history and people who may have been her ancestors centuries before. The story interspersed with culinary wonders in the regions she visited added another strand to the story.

A coming of age story this was a book I finished in one go. I also learnt of a new profession - a food broker. 

Sent by Harper Collin’s Focus for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Stars and their Light by Olivia Hawker

 

1947 and the setting is a cloistered order of nuns. Sister Mary Agnes is joining a group of nuns and after twelve years is going to be an external- the person who will be the face of the convent, allowed to interact with outsiders and the community at large. The town of Roswell is a military base and almost every family has links of some kind to the military.

A crash of an aircraft brings the attention of the military who swoop in. Strangely there is no media hype and it is classified as a weather balloon. But the farmer on whose land it crashed knows that it is something else, and so does the officer sent to investigate. Sister Mary Agnes’s involvement starts with a young girl displaying signs of stigmata, after the incident. Inexplicable and incomprehensible, the church itself is dismissive of the affair. With no support from anyone Sister Mary Agnes is the only support for the Campbells as she does believe what she sees. A good bit of historical fiction, a touch of romance and a look into the lives of a cloister, so far removed from modern life. The fact that some things are beyond human understanding is also a feature of this story.

The authors note at the end of the book was an interesting addition to what is anyway a very unusual story.

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