Sisters of tge Midnight Sun by Fiona Valpy

 

Told in two timelines 2005 and the 1940s both stories carry grief and the trying by both women to survive a wave of sadness. 

Ruby has come to Scotland in the aftermath of losing a beloved twin sister. She is trying to come to terms with her loss and believes a change of scene will help. Hanna a survivor of the Nazi regime, also lost a sister in the dreaded camps, but before that lost her parents. Hanna a member of the Resistance is sent to Scotland for training and meets someone whom she is attracted to, but their paths get diverted because she has to move back to the Shetland Islands, where she does the dangerous work of being a radio operator. 

The stay in Scotland is healing for both women. Nurturing a small Croft which was a a small holding, was not easy under the constant threat of a neighbours expansion plans but the two women are determined to carry on.

Initially starting as a story of survival under an oppressive regime, it evolves into a story of friendship and care which was very touching to read.

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

Secrets of the Penny University by Amanda Roberts

 

Amy and Gareth are so excited to open a coffee shop, all complete with the bells and whistles needed for a 2025 modern coffee shop. It has been in the Cowper family for generations starting from 1656 so it really has history. Discovering a mural set off a voyage of discovery for Amy who was wanting to get to the whole story. When Amy suddenly began to see people and sense tension in the room, much to the cynical dismay of Gareth, her determination to get to the whole story is part of this story.

1656 we have Tilly, pregnant with a lover gone to Jamaica and she sent to a relationship to wait out her pregnancy. Adept at figures, she settles into life at the Cowpers, befriending Bertie, the Cowpers little boy, ignored by his parents. Jane resents her presence despite her help, but Lawrence Cowpers appreciates the work she puts in. Jane Cowpers sickly but dies at the hands of a murderous man and Tilly has her baby son, purportedly dead but actually given for adoption. Tilly marries the widower Lawrence but Nat her former lover appears and this causes a rift between Tilly and Lawrence.

The story is full of a lifestyle of Oxford 1656 and present day Oxford which for me was very interesting to read. Amy deciphering the whole history of Tilly, Nat, and the Cowpers brought to life history of 1656, turbulent times in England under Cromwell. The entire read was fascinating.

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

The Harlot of St Cecelia’s by Darcy Graves

 

England 1923. The war over but not forgotten. Hundreds of soldiers who have returned suffering trauma. Not recognised for what it actually is and most people do not know how to deal with it. Eden an American librarian looking for her brother works at St Cecelias. Unexpectedly gets drawn into a family drama. Getting locked in overnight with Simon Cross was unexpected, and finding Isabelle Jalbert murdered in the library while they were locked up added to the problem, worse since Isabelle was married to Simon long years ago.

The immediate suspects are Simon and Eden, and the Detective’s boss wants Simon taken into custody as quickly as possible and the case wrapped up. Inspector Garrett prefers to follow the rules with evidence and motives his guidance. He is not sure that Simon is the murderer and so the cat and mouse investigation begins.

A nicely written debut mystery novel and an author I will be looking out for.

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

The Victims of St. Just by Sally Rigby

 

Detective Lauren and Matt have their work cut out for them. A body found in a commercial freezer, definitely a murder not an accident and in a high profile TV Chef’s kitchen was going to get a lot of publicity, especially because the victims was the chef’s husband.

An isolated manor,  just a few clients following a cookery course, a handful of employees. Clues begin to emerge fast because employees and clients all have secrets to hide and the enforced stay after the murder, means that tempers flare and tensions rise. A lot of twists and turns and good detection involved.

A good mystery.

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

The Case of the Christie Honeymoon Murder by Kelly Oliver

 

Agatha Christie is on her honeymoon on an Egyptian cruise. She is not amused to find Eliza and Theo, sleuths independently on the same cruise, though they are friends. Jane, Eliza’s sister has asked them to watch out for espionage because M15 feels that Christie’s last book and this cruise has too many coincidences. They want to find the spy in the midst of all these very rich people.

Set on the cruise itself, this closed box mystery is a mix of all that is interesting in this genre. Murder plus a touch of romance makes for a happy ending.

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

The Housekeeper by Rose Tremain

 

Set on the coast of Cornwall, reimagined story of Daphne du Maurer and her illicit relationship with Mrs Danowski aka Danni, tge capable housekeeper of Lord Grenville Withers is full of strong emotions, tense relationships and unrequited and unbalanced love.

Both women knew there was no future for their love story and Danni particularly had to deal with the aftermath which was hard and which changed her life. Daphne used this as the basis of her novel Rebecca, but painting the housekeeper in the story as malevolent, so different from Danni. It was a sad end for both women but the era was so very different that one knew the outcome would be hard.

Apart from the two women’s lives, it is full of life in the 1930s, the class differences and how everything and everyone was given a specific role and place in society. Very few could break the mould. This added a great deal of detail and nuance to the story.

Sent by Random House UK Vintage for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Marine Drive in Bombay covered in a haze. Back in Colombo now.

Investigating a death at a remote Scottish castle with a storm setting in and the owner aggressive, rude and overbearing was not how DI Anna envisaged Christmas to be. With a pre meditated, brutal murder at Dumfala Castle, resources limited due to the holidays and many secrets hidden, this is not an easy task.

Robert Fairlie is obsessed with restoring the castle and wants to keep the murder under wraps so that the deal he is negotiating with a TV company is not jeopardised. He is a very harsh man and the list of suspects multiplies by the day. Facing severe blizzards two detectives have to deal with a killer on the loose.

Beautifully descriptive of life in a remote island, this story showcases the best of a British cozy.

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

Writer in Residence by Rhonda McKnight

 

It was the setting of Low Country Carolina, the culture of the Gullah that made this book different. Alexandra is having severe writers block and a forced retreat seems to be an option to get her in a writing spirit. Meeting up with Gabe and the rest of the Gullah community helped her to settle down and be a part of a community, long denied her.

Discovering her roots certainly helped and she had to understand why her mother hid so much information from her. It was not easy to forgive or forget, but Alexandra wanted to move on. Forgiving the omissions of the past helped her to forgive and start writing again.

An almost coming of age story, simply narrated.

Sent by Thomas Nelson Fiction for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Kailasa Temple, fabulous carvings, a three kilometre walk. Here for a couple of days.

The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller

 

1880s Ohio and the harsh but realistic story of Mary, Ida and Anna at Oberlin, indicates how fortunate I am to be born in present times. Three women of colour, the only obvious thing they had in common. Their backgrounds were very different both socially and financially. What they shared was a yearning for education which was just the privilege of a few coloured folk, and the desire to be a catalyst for change.

Following their careers at Oberlin - the blatant discrimination they faced, the racial taunts at every turn, the bias of the faculty who turned a blind eye to what was going on under their noses was a travesty for equality and justice. For those like Anna who had come out of enslavement recently, the changes were hard to follow through after decades of oppression and fear. For Mary, with powerful backing and supportive parents the transition to face danger head on was something Mary enjoyed as a challenge.

I read the book in one sitting, and the Authors Notes were very good reading and explanations of a history that may be forgotten or ignored as part of Black History. The marginalisation of communities in this case by colour was horrific, debased and humiliating. It continues in various degrees all over tge world to this date.

Excellent reading.

Sent by Thomas Nelson Fiction for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley. Thank you to all.

In the Midnight Hour by Darcy Burke

 

Lady Cartwright loves books and has found a personal she considered a kindred spirit in her own neighbourhood. Finding him murdered didn’t do her any favours as she was the last to see him alive, and even more so when his last will left his fortune to her. Lord Northwood, another neighbour is attracted to the Lady but first he wants to help her clear her name. She is the sole suspect so far.

Detection in Victorian England worked on a different method. There were lots of subjects too delicate for the females, despite said females having to face male oppression, improper behaviour and the like.  Uncovering what goes on in the murdered baronets house made one realise that more than one young maid servant would be happy that the man is now dead.

Working with the coroner and Bow street runners, the duo somehow become privy to more information than what is officially known and solve the crime. There is an unusual twist in the tail at the end.

Very well told, and descriptive of Victorian lives.

Thanks to Oliver Heber Books for sending this book to me for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Millionaire Waltz by Anthony Quinn

 

Edie is attracted to the “different”.  She does not fall into the role of debutante, dutiful daughter though tge facade of dutiful fiancée is maintained for some time. Her heart is not in her engagement and her fast approaching marriage, to the confusion of her fiancée, her mother and her annoyed mother in law.

Edie gets involved platonically with several men, who are closet homosexuals ( for the time it had to be) but her sympathies are very much for them. Edie wanted a working life and she found that in the theatre. In small parts but she was happy that she got what she worked hard for. It was not a job that people of the upper classes did, and the story highlights this lifestyle as against the more mundane working middle class. Edie was light hearted and did not come across as condescending but she did not treat people as well as she ought to have.

Embodying 1920s society whirl it was in stark contrast to the aftermath of WWI and the struggle and heartache people were trying to get accustomed to.

Sent by Little, Brown Book Co. UK for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The River Runs Black by Tessa Wegert

 

Alexandria Bay is a small town near the Canadian border. The death of a sixteen year old sent shock waves through this town as this was something not commonplace here. When a massive stocks of drugs was discovered coming over from Canada, it sent the police force into a sense of euphoria, that at last that they were helping to make a dent in the horrific trade. However, when investigations proved that the drugs that killed Drew Fielding were different from the massive haul, Detectives now faced a very difficult fact. That two sets of operatives were working in this town and the fact that they got away with it for so long, rankled with the detectives.

What followed was a painstaking detection programme, uncovering blackmail, trafficking, abduction, murder and cracks within the police force itself. It was no longer a small town affair, the effects were rippling in bigger and bigger circles.

Dark and very tight paced it was a very good read.

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

The Heiress of Northanger Abbey by Nancy Bilyeau

 

Catherine Tilley is very settled in her life in rural Gloucestershire. Happily married with two young daughters, she wants a similar happy life for her girls. Decades ago her life was disrupted by the Thorpe brother and sister who destroyed her mind but fortunately she found peace with Henry Tilney. Catherine is now horrified when Isabella Thorpe appears in Bath, and her daughter befriends Catherine’s daughter Phoebe. The duo become inseparable much to Catherine’s dismay, but it is only she who suspects Isabella’s motives in befriending her daughter.

When a letter inviting Phoebe to remote Dartmoor is extended, Catherine flatly declines to send Phoebe but eventually gives in accompanying her on this long and arduous journey. Throughout and during the stay, Catherine feels that a plot is in the air, and definitely not for Phoebe or Catherine’s good. When her fears are realised, Catherine must use her limited resources to get them out of danger. 

The story deals with young women at the mercy of greedy men, only intent on the dowry that they bring.  In this story an illicit relationship which already existed between Isabella and Lord Pomeroy, where Phoebe was to be the bait as well as the cover for their relationship to continue. Both parties had no scruples in involving others, and in Isabella’s case even coercing her children in pursuit of her wishes.

The dangers that young women with good fortune faced was very real and that may be the reason for such strict protocols in place. Amply emphasised in the story. A very intriguing story.

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

Weligama Bay, Southern Coast of Sri Lanka.

The Shadow Friends by Tess Gerritsen

 

Ingrid and her former co workers now live a quiet retired life in a small town in Maine. The death of a former defector cum world famous authority on infectious diseases from Ebola, is not of concern especially as he has just returned from Africa. Investigations show he was murdered and when a waitress nearby is found murdered in a particularly brutal manner the former band of spies are alerted that maybe a Russian killer is amongst them and targeting Ingrid in particular.

The story goes back to Amsterdam so that is where Ingrid and a former colleagues (former lover) goes. Tracing a minute clue with no apparent links but in the absence of any other clues, they start the pursuit of whoever is behind the killings. 

The pursuit is relentless on both sides and the entire group joins in pursuit of Ingrid, to help out and safeguard the entire club. Their retirement is put on hold and they are all back in the
game.

Very good look at how espionage works today. Another good read from this author.

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

The Case of Bingley’s Missing Aphrodite by Emma Aubrey

 

I like almost all variations of the Pride & Prejudice theme. This was different and it was such a lovely read.

Mr and Mrs Bennett are deceased, the property has been entailed and three of the Bennett girls are living with a distant cousin in London, in respectable but impoverished conditions. Elizabeth is up north, working as a governess. Bingley has lost a very valuable statue and through a series of coincidences, reaches out to Mr Bennett to help him find the statue. The change in scenario, came when Darcy joins Bennett in the Sherlock Holmes style of detection, with many twists and a murder thrown in for good measure.

A further twist and a very pleasant one also happens and readers will be surprised how the tale turns.

A must for Pride & Prejudice fans.

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