Mrs Endicott’s Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen

 

1938 pre war Britain. Ellie comfortably married is blindsided when her husband asks for a divorce. Acting on impulse and totally uncharacteristic of her she persuades her maid Mavis, the toffee nosed and condescending friend Dora to abscond with her to Europe. She takes her husband’s Bentley, in an act of defiance and sets off.

Their adventures end with a breakdown in the idyllic village of St Benet. Continuing in the uncharacteristic vein Ellie falls in love with a derelict villa and sets to restoring it despite misgivings from all. The breakout of WWII the threat of Hitler, even in this remote hamlet, betrayal, death but also love form part of this endearing tale.

Beautifully descriptive this story had lovely vibes!

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

Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl club by Mary Jane Riley

 

One of the best mystery/espionage books I’ve read, set in post WW2. Britain not recovered from the devastation, rationing still going on and women who played a pivotal role at every level, now relegated to home and hearth and the background of political life. 

Beattie was one of the lucky ones. Working for the ubiquitous Civil Service, her official role is training typists in secretarial work. Unofficially she works for Ashley Cooper head of a spy network. Her present task is searching for clues in the under secretary of Foreign Affairs Ralph Bowen, and to this end she develops a friendship with his son Ashley.

The story takes an alarming turn when Beattie discovers a body at the Bowen residence, that of their young housekeeper and it is from here the story takes off in different ways. Beattie's involvement is noticed and she is strongly warned to lay off. Her accidental partner in this the Irishman Patrick is warned, his rooms ransacked and he is roughed up. A young man who gave him some information is found drowned, the reporter who was active on the case was told to cool off and the young woman’s brother Martin was also beaten up.

Undeterred Beattie seeks justice for Sophie, because everyone is involved in a cover up but for who and why seems to be the question. The final coup is very surprising and unexpected. Spies are found in the most innocuous of places and clues lie in the open. One has to connect the dots to come to the final denouncement.

A very good story which kept me fascinated from the first page to the last.

Sent by Allison & Busby for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

St James Park by John Doll

 

Set in San Jose against the backdrop of Prohibition and the Depression,an era of political maneuvering and manipulation, corruption in local government, bootlegging and the enormous profits to be made from the prohibited liquor, we have a kidnapping of a prominent young man - Jewish background but brought up in a catholic college. He was found and then disappeared again.

For convenience two petty criminals were arrested and mob violence prevailed. The two men were beaten, hanged in the town square and one was burnt. Mob violence at its worst. We have the worst that the era represented and it is a factionalized telling of what happened in 1933 long before Silicon Valley came into existence.

Not an easy read but life is sometimes full of horror stories too.

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

My Great Aunt’s Diary by Laura Sweeney

 

The inheritance of the cottage comes at a point in Emily’s life that she knows she must actively seek change from the toxic relationship she is in. Not having been back to this rural village for fifteen years, she is saddened and puzzled why her Aunt left this idyllic place to her.

The story falls into two timelines. Violet’s own life - a struggle coping with a mother who was mentally frail, two brothers evacuated and lost to her and Violet having to cope with being the mainstay for her mother. Violets change of life on meeting Zella, her relationship developing into one which would be unacceptable in society and then the heartbreak when Zeyla chooses comfort and a place in society over love. Violets also meets Hugo after the end of the war marries him and lives as happily as she could.

All this is because Emily discovers zeyla’s diary hidden in the cottage.

Emily fighting her feelings for Will, from fifteen years ago realises her feelings have not abated despite time and distance and the search for Zeyla brings them closer than ever before. Emily feels that the cottage was how she brought closure to Zeyla who is still alive and brought love into her own life.

The story was a peaceful and loving read, despite the harshness of WWII, the restrictions placed on homosexual or bisexual people. The characters were strong willed women who found a path for themselves. This added a depth to the story.

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

Fonseka by Jessica Francis Kane

 

This was the unwritten story that Penelope Fitzgerald never wrote. 1852 she and her husband are almost bankrupt. Two children and another on the way, an invitation to visit Mexico, with the tantalizing treat of a legacy for Valpy, her son and apparently the only male heir to the riches of the two aunts. We see Penelope undertake a perilous journey to the aunts home, but the welcome is not that warm, though they like Valpy well enough. There are lots of other contenders for the legacy and everyone is kept at arms length.

The cast is very varied and interesting. In such a community, a certain cut throat attitude is there and that proves Penelope’s downfall and ouster from the race. Nice outline of good and mean features found in humans as well.

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

The Shakespeare Secret by D J Nix

 

Three women of contrasting social levels meet by chance. The play they watch is mediocre and they think they can do better. But play writing is forbidden for women. They meet in secret but enemies within the Royal circuit read more into the meetings than what is actually happening. Their writings are a huge success, and Shakespeare presents them as his own. Trying to remain secret as well as proving themselves loyal to the Queen is the trouble they have to face and face it they did, in the most ingenious way possible.

This was a very good story with three strong women, a lot of history woven into it with court intrigue, and a masterful plot which kept me guessing till the end.

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

A Hollow Death by Colleen Dumaine

 

Set in the 1890s and this time in Adelaide, Australia, we follow the travails of a female detective battling prejudice because she is a woman, not doing what is considered normal for women of the times. Very seldom do I get to read a story set in Australia of that era, so this had a lot to recommend it.

Looking for missing dogs is Beth’s main means of survival because there is a hard mean gang doing exactly that. But then Beth is approached to find a missing husband, and at first with a lover on the side who has a brutish husband, the reasoning is that he has run away.  The story takes several turns with Eric found dead, but Beth is not happy with the accidental death verdict.

The story also highlights Beth’s personal life, her marriage and life in Afghanistan and Ariffs death and her flight to safety in Adelaide and the fear of kidnapping of her son by Ariffs brother, who is determined to take him back to Afghanistan. The dog robbing ring in Adelaide was a violent one and that added another circle to the story.

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

A Ghostwriters Guide to Murder by Melinda Mullet

 

Maeve ghostwrites mystery novels for a living. The Simon Hills series are thriving but she seems to have a writing blank. Living on a houseboat, amicable neighbours, peaceful surroundings doesn’t seem to help. Until the actual mystery hits her personally. Discovering fifty thousand pounds hidden on the boat, followed closely by the discovery of her ex husbands body floating beside the boat, plus the fact that she is the beneficiary of a fat insurance policy. Arrested on suspicion, it seems the detective in charge wants to get a conviction as conveniently as possible and move on.

Maeve has good friends who rally around and set up their own detection to try to unravel the mess which leads to underhand dealings, sub standard construction and the biggest surprise a corrupt detective right at the top.

A very lovely setting, quirky characters made this an enjoyable read.

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

The Women of Arlington Hall by Jane Healey

 

1947 and all the women working at Arlington Hall are brave and adventurous. They are going where the average woman is not going, into a world of crypto analysis, breaking codes, trying to find the Soviet spies that have infiltrated the US to an unimaginable degree.

Cat Killeen is one of them, giving up the conventional, for a life of intellectual adventure and she has found a band of similar women (and men) who will support her. The story goes from the hunt , Cat joining forces with Jonathan, where they put everything on the line, risking reputation and their careers to bring justice for all. 

The work was taxing and repetitive, but the social life compensated! 

Based on real life, this was a story full of suspense.

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

The Alchemy of Flowers by Laura Resau

 

Le Chateau du Paradis seems magical inside, foreboding from the outside. Three employees to maintain the gardens and get the produce but the chatelaine is an unknown quantity with rigid rules which she will not allow to be broken. Anyone who has broken the rules leaves or disappears. 

Eloise takes up a job there leaving her entire past life behind, to make a fresh start. Numerous failures to start a family, and the breakdown of her marriage has made her an ideal candidate for this job, where one of the conditions is that no children can be seen or entertained on the premises. From the beginning, it is obvious that all the rules are going to be broken, and chaos results. 

The story had a mix of magic and realism and the story of many lives - the ones seen and the few hidden all sad and complicated with dark history. Elements of love and romance also part of the story.

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

Murder on platform Four by Irina Shapiro

 

Inspector Bell has been a favourite of mine and I was delighted to read this story. He pairs off with Gemma and I am really hoping for a happy ending there. Penny is now married but a bit restless with the way the world looks at her - a wife, a mother who should leave her journalistic career behind.

When confronted with a body at Paddington Station at the same time he has arranged to meet his long estranged brother, there is no question in Sebastian’s mind about what should take precedence. Following up on clues despite opposition from higher ups who think this investigation of an unknown poorer woman is of no significance as against bigger and potentially cases which will get better publicity for the police. It seems symptomatic of the times, that poorer people got little attention as against the richer strata of society in England.

The constraints on women were irritating to even read about, and how clever intelligent women had to skirt around people in order not to irritate the men and their egos. It was a hard time for women. The book does well as a stand alone but is part of a very good series.

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

The Sanctuary Keepers by Alexandra Barber

 

Carrie has had a double whammy. Her boyfriend ditched her for the glamorous Paloma and also undercut her at work and got the promotion. Unable to bear the sympathetic words of co workers or the tirade from her ambitious parents, she flees to the Isle of Wight to Hideaway House for healing and a chance to reset.

The House is magical with its own set of benevolent ghosts, supportive neighbours and a charismatic man with his own brand of charm. The story proceeds in a nice manner despite villainous boyfriend reappearing on the scene, a series of misunderstandings resulting, but all ends well.

Descriptive of the workings of life on a remote island, the story is a relaxing one.

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