The Last Conclave by Glenn Cooper

 

So much in keeping with the present conclave conducted just weeks ago, this story sounds fantastical but very believable despite the secrecy, the hidden truths, but then that is the Vatican.

Starting with a much loved Pope who dies within two years of being elected, we then go into conclave and this is where the history starts. An entire conclave of cardinals disappears, kidnapped by a group of believers thought to have been erased from eight centuries before, the Cathars, and their demands for female representation as a pope amongst other demands.

The story is riveting, history detailed and very easily understood. The workings of the Vatican, the political wheeling and dealing, the ugly facets of the Church like the paedophile priests being swept under a rug and forgotten but at the same time what the church is trying to do, despite the obstacles it faces within its own community.

I do not know whether the book will appeal to those who do not know much about the catholic faith, but for me personally it was an excellent read.

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

Knave of Diamonds by Laurie R. King

 

I’ve only got to see the names of Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft. Watson and now the Russells to know there is a good story, always long and convoluted but one that will keep you turning pages. This story did not disappoint.

Jake Russell, the shady uncle chequered past reappears with a very strange story. The Irish Crown Jewels which disappeared is now in the news amongst pa small group of men, each of which have different reasons to get hold of them. Their whereabouts are vague and in pursuit of them Jake is able to persuade Mary to join in the escapade. Holmes catches on and follows his intrepid wife. Complicated forays all turn up nothing in this story of family loyalty, hushed up scandals involving royalty, skirmishes with the Dublin and London police till the final twist in the tale.

Very good reading, not so much detection but carries on at a goodly pace.

Sent by Random House Publishing Ballantine for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Carter of La Providence by Simenon

 

Its dull, dreary, isolated and humdrum on the canals and locks in this part of France. No glamorous views, towns or people still a very pretty, fashionable woman is found brutally murdered with no evidence how she came to this isolated spot.

The clever Detective Maigret, the one of quiet thinking and few words is in charge but it’s slow going connecting the dots. The patronizing Colonel his aides Vladimir and Marco are the closest suspects as our victim was married to the Colonel and had been on the yacht till she disappeared. Maigret’s investigations cycling up and down the tow path on a rickety bicycle in really bad weather is typical of the plodding detective who has got the bit between his teeth and will not let go.

Descriptive of how life is lived in mid century France on the canals, this was an excellent read. The end was an absolute surprise and a triumph of writing.

Sent by Farrah Straus and Giroux for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni

 

Schmidt is a psychopath killer. Due to a legal mistake he has once again got released. Tracy is very sure he is connected with her sisters abduction and death and she is now very sure she is in his sights for his next killing. Escaping to Cedar Grove with her family she thought was one way of protecting them. Tracy thought she was safe but she is dealing with a criminal with a brilliant criminal mind who seems to be always one step ahead.

The killer is out for revenge. Tracy killed his hero and he wants her to hurt too. The little hints that makes Tracy realise that he is on her trail is the cat and mouse game he plays before his final denouement. 

The story was a tense one throughout and was not long drawn. It was also a descriptive story detailing both the police environment as well as small town America (very nice for overseas readers).

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

The Curtain Falls in Paris by a Victoria Zackheim

Its the grand finale of a one act drama for a very famous theatre, now scheduled for demolition when one of the actresses is found brutally murdered whilst the play was going on. Aria Nevins, once a Pulitzer nominee in investigative journalism is in disgrace due to a grave misjudgment of a case. She is now in Paris understudying French police procedural, with Noah Roche a top French homicide detective who wishes Aria to anywhere else but on his team.

Roche is suspicious of Aria and thinks she has some ulterior motive for being on his team. He suspects whether leaks to the media are through Aria, or whether she is sneaking information to his nemesis boss who dislikes him intensely and is looking for some way to promote his downfall.

It does not promote for cooperation in the team, but fortunately Aria gets on well with the other two members of the team, much to Roche’s chagrin. Aria makes sure she keeps to the letter of her assignment and follows the rules.

The setting of French theatre with its inherent drama and in this case a lot of wheels within wheels, French police procedures (a process I find fascinating in whatever country it is portrayed), plenty of secrets, lots of jealousy and finally revenge makes for a very good plot.

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

Silent Retreat by Sally Quinn

 

A love story which started from very different beginnings. Sybilla enters into a silent retreat in a monastery to rethink where her life is going. To get away from a very controlled environment and seek a freer way of life. Romance was not in her sights.

We have James Kelly, Archbishop of Dublin, handsome and charismatic. Outspoken on child abuse in the church and the cover up, celibacy of the priests and though he himself remains celibate has spoken against it. He faces opposition within the church as he exposes faults within the structure and now is being summoned to Rome, for what he feels is a dressing down. 

The slow build up of an attraction between Sybilla and James is intense and something they both fight against. I liked the theological discussions throughout the story very much.

An unusual read, but not for everyone.

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

What We Left Behind by Luisa A. Jones

 

1939 England was on edge. The bombing of London hadn’t started but evacuation of children was being promoted and getting them to safety was important. On such a train five children found themselves left behind in a church hall after the initial selection was made. Three were colored and two were a brother and sister and Olive was determined not to be separated from Peter, who was a vicious, destructive little boy with a very foul mouth.

Olive was a soft hearted woman. She herself had suffered abandonment by her family and it was by their choice. She takes in all five children knowing she is in for a stormy ride. Her home always under the condescending patronizing sister Charlotte is going to be hard. Charlotte has a very low degree of tolerance for misbehavior or anything that disrupts her life.

Into this scenario we have teachers and villagers with attitude who do not take kindly to the evacuees, especially the colored children, taunting them and making life difficult. The saving grace is a teacher who accompanied the children, but again he is looked at with suspicion. Half American half Irish does not help in a very insular English village.

The story of day to day struggles of the children, the adults that surround them, the heartache of being separated from their families and the lack of communication is very emotional. Everyone is quite stoic bearing it up as best as they can. But of course, things do come to a head for everyone of them, and they also get resolved.

A warm, emotional read detailing history as it happened in a quiet English village, during a very bleak period.

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

The Blackbirds of St Giles by Lila Cain

 

This was a heart rending, but fabulous read. Starting from the Jamaican plantations where Daniel and his young sister Pearl escape the burning estates and after a perilous journey first to America where he saves a Majors life, befriends him and his wife till the end of their tragically short lives, and then moves  to London to start a new life, claiming his inheritance. Daniel then faces disaster in the form of the Major’s brother who drugs him, destroys the will and both siblings are on the streets, impoverished as before.

Becoming a part of the underground haven for Blacks in London, Daniel comes to the attention of Elias then faces disaster king of the Rookery. Daniel has no chance to refuse the offer of whatever comes his way and he himself realises he is putting himself in the power of a very vicious, crooked man.

The story of a need for survival, the hopelessness when every card is stacked against you, the bonds of family, and especially the hostile racist element throughout the story. From Jamaica to New York to London the blacks were hopelessly marginalized, although it was their immense work which kept the plantations running and London itself working smoothly. The humiliation that had to be faced were immense and daily in every Black persons life. The hypocrisy of the white men of this generation were unimaginable and there were very few who stood up for the people working under them.

The saga of Daniel his fall and rise is one story, the history of the era covering three countries is another.

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

The Cardinal by Alison Weir

 

Tudor England was rich with history and Henry VIII was bigger and larger than life. He was an enigma at the best of times and the story of Cardinal Wolsey set in this era, is important because the two characters are so intertwined with each other.

The story begins humbly. Thomas Wolsey was just eleven when he entered Oxford. He was ambitious and knew that with his lack of rich and influential relations, he would have to find a connected and powerful sponsor. His ascendancy was very slow at the beginning and he was frustrated at his lack of a quick ascent. With him becoming the right hand of Henry VIIIThomas Wolsey became one of the most powerful men in the land.  Rich beyond his wildest dreams, he had homes, castles and properties galore. The King considered him his best advisor, but with his ascendancy there were many who disliked him and plotted his fall. Cardinal Wolsey fell in love with one woman, and one only. She remained the love of his life till the end. He separated from her and arranged a marriage at the implied order from the King, though it tore him apart especially as it also involved the loss of his children.

The decline of Cardinal Wolsey began with Anne Boleyn entering the life of Henry VIII.  The Cardinals inability to obtain an annulment from Rome for Henry, soured the relationship between the Cardinal and King, aided and abetted by the Boleyn family. 

This story dwells mainly on the man Cardinal Wolsey was. Today he would be called a kingmaker but he was looked at Henry as he would a son, and was heartbroken at the treatment he was meted out. As a lover Wolsey failed because he put his ambition above all else. He died still loyal to his King above all.

The history of the period is well known. The life of the man Cardinal Wolsey was new to me and this was 

Fascinating reading.

The history involving England with France, Spain, Scotland and Rome added another strand to the story. The constant arranging and break up of alliances and marriages going whichever way was advantageous to a country was mind boggling.

Fabulous reading.

Sent by Random House Publishing - Ballantine Group for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Doorman by Chris Pavina

 

Chicky is the doorman at the old but impeccable Bohemia Apartments. The tenants are rich, mainly white in little bubbles of their own. Staff in the form of cooks, nannies and chauffeurs are Hispanic and there is a sprinkling of black Americans working too. From the onset it seems boundaries are clearly marked, and anyone crossing the line is made to feel uncomfortable. Little difficult to get my head around as I always presumed boundaries had got a bit looser. Was I ever wrong.

Tension in the air and protests planned over the deaths of two Blacks in the city. Irrational shootings. A robbery well planned going wrong resulting in the death of two of the tenants. One disliked intensely. A fabulous cover up and all ends very neatly tied up.

Everyone in the story has secrets. All are under pressure of some kind. However wholesome they appear there are imperfections. There is a lot going on but I found the first few chapters slow going. It caught up to speed and became a roller coaster towards the end, bringing all the strands together very fast.

Entertaining and very good reading.

Sent by Farrah Straus and Giraux for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris

 

1888 is not medieval times but it literally could be. Celia working for an ultra rich family in Portland fell in love with the son of the house. It is not a relationship that would be accepted and Celia knew that. When she fell pregnant and was thrown out of the house, into the hands of a brothel, Celia had hit rock bottom. Never giving up on her dream of reconciliation with her lover, she kept her head down and got on with life.

The massacre at Little Rock’s which included the murder of her Chinese father was a catalyst for Celia to do something to get justice. Highlighting the case and bringing publicity was not going to do any good as the Chinese miners were considered by the whites to be subversive and dangerous. That they were murdered in cold blood for no reason other than the fact that they were hard working was not a plus in their favor. Celia was then kidnapped and put on a boat to get her out of the way. Her escape and return to Portland is a story in itself. Her uncovering of the high connections to the brothel trade was another. 

The story of immense courage and a search for identity, a search for justice is the focus of the story. The romance and the happily ever after is secondary.

Descriptive in every aspect from the hypocrisy of the establishment, to the poverty and the brothels of Portland the story was an intense one.  I did not find this an easy or comfortable read, just grateful to be born in present times with no strictures or unfair boundaries.

Sent by Sourcebooks Landmark for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Yellow Dog by Simenon (Inspector Maigret series)

 

Small town suspicions abound in this tiny seaside village where a man is shot, sending the town into panic,  rumors abound and an appearance of a scruffy yellow dog adds to the mystery.

1930s France and the Inspector is pulled from Rennes to solve this murder. Seemingly being at the wrong place at the wrong time or mistaken identity seems to be the general way of thinking. But the strange combo of characters, seemingly very different but very familiar with each other strikes Inspector Maigret as odd and he tries to find the reasoning behind this.

The story moves at a slow pace but the elements of revenge and love and murder are hard to resist.

Sent by Farrah Straus & Giroux for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

A Most Parisian Murder by Millicent Binks

 

Opal sent across to Paris to help out as a lead milliner was too good to be true. Her mother seemed to want to bundle her away from home, and join up with a cousin from the other lower side of the tracks was a puzzle in itself but Opal was determined to make the best use of the time and learn something from the time spent.

What she didn’t envisage was becoming lead detective on murder in this most fascinating part of Paris - the theatre, the chorus girls, the machinations of many striving to be top dog. There are love interests, glamour, history - it is 1930 after all and lots to recommend this as a cozy.

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

The Keeper of Lost Art by Lelita Baldock

 

Rome pre 1944. Siena works in an art gallery, working for a man she has come to care for as a grandfather and who has inculcated in her a love for art, and the need to protect what they have against the foreboding shadows of Nazi Germany. When the inevitable happens Siena flees to Bari seeking safety for one book containing details of paintings.

What follows is the death and deprivation that followed wherever the Nazis went. It also highlights the resistance displayed by ordinary citizens who against the odds, worked in insidious ways to hinder the enemy progress. Books written about this period of history are stark and destructive and it never fails to unnerve because it happens again and again.

The three timelines were difficult to follow (at times) but overall the story was a good one, well told.

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

Death on the Island by Eliza Reid

 

I do like to ring in changes in the books I read and especially change the country settings. Sitting here in tropical Sri Lanka amidst sweltering heat amidst monsoonal showers, the change could never be more different to Iceland.

The novel itself is atmospheric, never mind the land. Nine people getting together, all with diverse interests and aims with a surface bonhomie which does not fool anyone. Everyone is aware that tensions simmer beneath the surface and when one is poisoned in full view of everyone at a public dinner, one knows the scene is set for a lot of deep feelings, animosity and anger.

Secrets abound amongst all and the weather the one thing that cannot be controlled, corals all within a narrow area that endangers all. A second brutal death in a fire shows that the killer is getting desperate and it is only after a departure from the island and then a resummons, where perhaps the killer is lulled into a sense of complacency that he is free, that the final renunciation is made.

A very intense story, culturally diverse, fabulous setting.

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

The Hanged Man of Saint Pholien by SIMENON

 

My first read of a Simenon book and it was an eye opener.

The story on the surface deals with a furtive man on a railway platform and ends with his self inflicted death. The detective Inspector Maigret brings another depth to the story. One of conscience, and whether inadvertently through the inspectors actions he caused the man to actually take his own life. Because the man was suspicious, the Inspector followed him, exchanged one shabby suitcase for another, and when this was discovered, the man shot himself in despair. Did the Inspector by substituting the suitcases do an illegal act? The other man was just furtive. Being furtive isn’t a crime?

The dead man shabby as he is has a history. He is also actively being followed by eminent people and Maigret is keen to know how and why. To the extent that Maigret becomes the pursued over what happened a decade ago.

Interesting take on detection, on guilt and how to solve a puzzle.

Sent by Farrah, Straus and Giroux for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Beast of Littleton Woods by T E Kinsey

 

I am sorry that I have not come across this series before. I enjoyed the village setting, the era, the determination of the two ladies who were brilliant in their detection, and brought such a genteel and a lot of understated humor typically British to the story.

Set in Littleton Cotterell it all starts with a sheep mauled to death. The stories start with the brutality of the hilling and when Sid Hyde is found mauled to death, the stories of a panther let loose in this English village abound. When Sids death is confirmed as murder, followed by another similar death, people in the village are in turns terrified and in a frenzy. 

The story was intriguing and one knew the solution lay within the village itself. I will be looking out for more of Lady Hardcastle.

Sent by Amazon Publishing UK for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley 

A Fashionably French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

 

Tabitha Knight has firmly entrenched herself in her grandfathers and uncles house. She loves her work, her life and has no intention of returning to America. Becoming friends with Julia Child, introduces fabulous cuisine into the story, along with haute couture. What Tabitha did not think was that she will stumble over corpses and be the first person to encounter them. Her sort of on off attraction to n dashing Inspector helps.

In this story Tabitha establishes herself as a promising sleuth. There is a lot of history during this era in Paris, including the brutal treatment of women collaborators some of whom just got into it to survive. It didn’t turn out well for them. Julia Child was just coming into her own and the food descriptions are exquisite.

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