Summer on Lilac Island by Lindsay Macmillan

 

Mackinac Island seems idyllic. A horse and buggy town with scooters for the very few elders, archaic rules no one wants changed but a place Gigi Jenkins wanted to run away from. Her few visits back home to see her mother have only been during winter. Now she is returning in summer when the island is on full display because she is broke, not in a relationship and without a place to stay. Her relationship with her mother is cool, the one with her younger sister warmer and her absent and disinterested father holds her warmest feelings.

Setting her mother on a date because her mother engineered one with the town doctor was a tit for tat response but her mother’s date went from strength to strength, gathering momentum that no one foresaw. Gini’s date fizzled out. Much to her chagrin because Gigi was used to calling the shots.

The story was charming, full of historical detail, typical of small town life where every movement was scrutinized and analyzed but surprisingly still full of secrets.

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

Blood Caste by Shylashri Shankar

 

Set in 1895 Victorian India, the story highlights life during the British Raj for even educated Indians. Mutilated bodies keep turning up and chief inspector Soob is turning up more and more suspects. From the Rulers Son, Ali to Arthur Templeton an editor of a newspaper suspicions run riot, because the murderer is always one step ahead.

The story of palace intrigue, a story as old as time to patricide and fratricide all are part of the story. So many red herrings, blackmail, massive financial losses all found in this fabulous read. Not just a mystery but an outline of life under a British Residency and the need which was galling, for people to kowtow to their invaders. The personal story of a high caste Brahmin was an intriguing addition to the story.

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

The War of the Roses by Warren Adler

 

A 1980s marriage seemingly very strong till the wife decides to end it. Her husband bewildered and then getting progressively angrier by the day, refuses to move out of the home he has painstakingly built from scratch. The retaliation between the couple starts out as trivial until you know it’s a fight to the death, as it becomes vitriolic on both sides till the tragic end. 

The story highlights how much value we place on material possessions and in this case any shred of humanity and goodness are left behind. It is a stark reminder to everyone not to get too attached to anything. The book was harsh to read, and frightening because it is very probable.

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

The case of the body on the Orient Express by Kelly Oliver

 

Starting from Paris in 1938, we have two brilliant authors bound for Constantinople on the glamorous Orient Express. Accompanying them is the competent secretary of Dorothy Sayers - Eliza. Also aboard is Theo, an aristocrat slumming as a laborer on the train. Well known to Eliza, he is madly in love with her, but too frightened to approach her.

Before the journey can start, a sudden violent death takes place, setting Eliza detecting with Theo. The list of suspects keep increasing with each mile including Dorothy, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own. A second death ups the tension and now the search for the murderer is very fast paced.

Very witty and humorous despite being a mystery murder, with nice characterization.

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

The Italian Vineyard by Anita Chapman

 

 

Set in two timelines of 1939 and present times, a family saga set in the English countryside and the vineyards of Verona and the stories of two women and the love they had for each other.

Lady Charlotte lost her husband due to an accident very soon after marriage. It was no great loss to her as he was indifferent, an alcoholic and only married her for her money. Going to Verona with an idea of reviving one of the few vineyards in England was her temporary escape. Falling in love with her head gardener was not on the cards but it happened. Heartache followed with Bertie being killed in the war, and Charlotte pregnant with a baby that she passed off as being that of her husband.

Fast forward to present times and Kate, after a short disastrous marriage returns to Verona to uncover what exactly happened years before. She discovers enough letters and photographs to follow the trail and returns to Copeland Park, determined to prevent its sale, turn the vineyard around and make it a profitable concern. Kate has also in a similar manner like her grandmother, fallen in love with the head gardener and is not giving him up.

The love stories and the family saga spread over two countries was emotional but very good reading. It was descriptive and brought to life the beauty and history of Verona in particular.

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

Martyrs Convent by Jody Brettkelly

 

Isla Johnson is looking for a big story and when she receives a call about an impending drug shipment giving her details of time and place, she knows this is a big one. The informant is strange - a nun. The next day the nuns body is fished from the Thames. The convent is a peculiar one, a closed order and no one is willing to shed any light on the death of a much loved nun.

The involvement of an aristocrat who is the nuns brother adds to a strange mix. He appears to Isla as being supportive and distraught over his sisters death, but he has lied over many things that Isla begins to realise he is manipulating her for his own ends.

The whole story right from the start was tense with many loose ends which did not seem to connect at all. Declan who was Isla’s partner was also at times not supportive torn between his need to protect his daughter and the need for his partner. The widely contrasting characters of nuns, gang members, the aristocrat brother, the police were brought together very skillfully in the final telling of the story. The story is emotional but quite dark with a slight gothic twist.

Sent by the author for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Death at a Paris Hotel by Verity Bright

 

We follow the escapades of Lady swift, her beau now her husband, Clifford the suave butler and Gladstone the fat pug on their journey in Paris. Just married but with butler and pug in tow, they start sampling the delights that Paris has to offer, when murder literally falls into their laps.

Despite this being a murder mystery story, with two victims, suspects galore and our heroine and heroes being incarcerated, it is a light and refreshing read. Descriptive of Paris, its food and even police procedures and practices in France, overall a very comforting read.

You know it will end well and justice will prevail.

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

The Dark Library by Mary Anna Evans

 

Estella has come back to her ancestral home, a grand and much talked about house. Her father dead, her mother has disappeared and everyone wants to know what is going to happen. Her mother’s disappearance seems suspicious, but Estella wants physical proof of her mother’s death and so far there is none. The police feel that Estella is hiding family secrets (as she is). Her father’s library uncovers several clues as to what actually transpired in her parents life.

On top of it all Estella was treated badly in her professional life and one she is finding hard to deal with. Ignored by her boss for even small requests, and more importantly put on a lower pay grade than her male counterparts. Her boss himself commits suicide minutes after talking to her which adds to the pressure Estella has to face.

With only two friends to turn to, the entire town apparently hated her father and are quite happy he dead. Her mother with her condescending, patronizing ways is equally unpopular with the women so Estella is not give a warm welcome. The seemingly popularity has been just a facade hiding a history of fear of her father’s hold over people. Uncovering all this adds to the mystery surrounding her parents life and discovering her mother’s whereabouts which was unbelievable.

A Gothic mystery set in fairly modern times. Very interesting family saga.

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

French Windows by Antoine Laurain

                                     

Nathalie does snapshots of people’s lives. Those she can see from her own flat, going up the entire five floors and puts together a real life peep vicariously into what is going on, including a murder. The book is very French in flavor though that is not an apt description on my part. The stories are very different in both the telling and the listening to, and seem somehow different.

Dr Fabre is the therapist but one never knows whether the stories are true or not or whether Nathalie is maneuvering the older man for reasons of her own. The final story is the quirkiest and the end.

Entertaining and a quick read.

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

A Deceptive Games Ensues by Sophie Barnes

 

Adrian Croft escaped being executed by a whisker. But he has been warned that any future transgressions will not be tolerated. Bent on revenge for the murder of his sister, he is very sure that the Duke of Wrengate is behind his sisters death. Recently married to Samantha, a former spy herself, Adrian knows that his actions could have repercussions on his wife.

Drawn into the disappearances of several young people over a period of one year Adrian and Samantha see a pattern in the choice of people who have disappeared and convince the Chief Constable and his Runners that this has to be further investigated. This brings them straight away against a select group of medical doctors, part of a select cult, determined to find a way to anasthize patients using Chinese herbal medicines and folklore. How many people die in the process is not their concern. Their concern is only the progress of medicine.

New enemies surface before the old enmities can be laid to rest. There are several strands in the story which are distinct from each other. A quiet, peaceful life for the newly weds is far from happening right now.

Sent by an Independent Publisher via Book BuzzNet, courtesy of Netgalley.

A Daughters Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman

 

Frances and George enjoying a quiet interlude in Paris, away from family for much deserved leisure time. Cut short with an enquiry re a young man, a potential suitor for the daughter of family friends.

This was the beginning of the story where Carlson Deaver, master of the double life is slowly uncovered, a dead wife miraculously reappears, complicated liaisons under the pretext of respectability, and all the hypocrisy of double standards of the Victorian age are uncovered.

Very nicely told as a story, several strands of the lives of diverse people are brought together in a tale of murder and mystery galore.

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