The Rayburn Affair by Laurie Petrou

 

Ruth Morgan is desperate to obtain tenure. Struggling mentally and overburdened with questions regarding her future, she fears the worst. Until she teams with the golden couple Oscar a star in his own right and the glittering comet by his side, the darling of the writing world his wife Shelby. Immediately things begin to move for Ruth. The aura enveloping the couple covers her too. Ruth feels confident, feels that she can take on the University and also write again.

Shelby offers a path that Ruth has not even thought about before with her writing dreams. One that she has to keep secret till the big reveal. The story delves into AI with its very wide ramifications. What is real. What is manufactured by a bot. Where does human effort figure in writing? The human element is it getting phased out? Is the human even necessary?

All this and more takes you down a rabbit hole. On the periphery is human envy and jealousies, female friendships when they get too intense and relationships in general.

A read that gets you thinking.

Sent by Verve Books for an unbiased read courtesy of Netgalley.

The Country House Murders by Friday Turner

 

Wartime Britain was a dangerous place to be. Incessant and unexpected bombing raids by the German 

 Fleet made Polly’s life as an air raid warden a trial. Constantly seeing sudden death, destruction of property and the sense of hopelessness and futility would drag anyone down. Polly was stoic and got on with it until she met the charming Freddie, drunk and doddering on his way to a nightclub, when the sirens went off and she dragged him protesting to a half bombed house for safety. The nightclub was bombed, everyone died and Freddie realised that Polly had saved his life.

Offering her a job, they then embark on an adventure to mark out properties suitable for use as field hospitals or convalescent homes. Arriving in a fairly huge state house, where the occupants are known to Freddie was easy. The sudden death of the head of the house was unexpected, particularly because only Polly felt it was suspicious. The local Bobby brushed it off as accidental after too much booze, the widow was nonchalant about the affair and his son after a stint overseas and on Home Leave couldn’t care less. When the second death occurs of a person, closely connected to the first victim, the idea of accident is against mooted.

The detection by Polly and a reluctant Freddie continues, uncovering a black market operation cheating the government on a massive scale involving a very senior government official. The officials have now got to sit-up and take notice of facts.

The story apart from the mystery and murder was so descriptive of wartime Britain. The endless rationing, the distinct demarcation between the classes which the upper class were hanging onto for dear life and the emergence of women going out to work in factories for the first time.  Very good reading.

I hope a sequel would clear the mystery of Polly’s mother.

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

The Bravest Hiur by Anna Lee Huber

 

Verity Kent, is an extraordinary agent working for British intelligence. Escaping the trial in Belgium and Germany, underrated by many of the men working with her, as well as her bosses, her real talents are highlighted in this story.

November 1920 Dublin not the best place to be. She and husband Sidney are amongst enemies, personal ones and Lord Ardmore is treacherous and protected by his title. She has flouted his planned attack by phosgene on an unsuspecting public, and he is not a man to forget. Taken in for questioning, tortured and imprisoned this time at the notorious Castle, she and Sidney have to work through friends on both sides to stop Ardmore.

The Irish Rebellion was harsh. No holds barred. The ordinary man suffered in random attacks of revenge and the death toll was high and destruction of people’s livelihoods was rampant. The Government turned a blind eye and media coverage was one sided. If a publisher decided to be truthful, he was severely dealt with. It was a Nazi style state. One which the average person outside Ireland was unaware of.

The story described as historical fiction is full of facts as well though our chief characters may be fictional. Moving and extremely well written story.

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

Miss Morton Takes tge Waters by Catherine Lloyd

 

Set in Bath, the idea is to help Mrs F improve her health both mentally and physically and Caroline feels that the move is a good one for them both. Her boss is forthright and is not affected by the airs and graces of the ladies who look down on her for her “industrialised” origins. 

A murder in the same block of flats of a Lady who was rude and unpleasant sets the two amateur detectives in full investigative mode, much to the Inspector in charge. He seems ineffectual, unable to look beyond the actual facts to the histories of the various people involved or the nuances of the characters and it is upto the two ladies to connect the dots in what is quite a convoluted case.

Apart from the murders, and the detection there is a lot going on, on the social side and the sulphuric air and steamy baths add to the description of life in Bath. All adding a great deal of interest to the story.

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

The Whitechapel Mystery by Tessa Harris

 

Combining plenty of horrific murders, set in the time of Jack the Ripper, the story brings to life the history of Whitechapel, of how people survived despite the squalor and poverty of the time, and mirrored the terror faced by working women who did what they did to just survive.

There was one more strand which made it different from other Ripper stories. It brought in a genre of spiritual mediums into the story with the very plausible flow of messages from Emily, a teacher to Constance a young girl who was stronger in character and tenacity and who proved to be a conduit as a medium.

Victorian England described well.

Sent by dp books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Murder Stage Left by Verity Bright

 

Lady Eleanor her husband Hugh and Clifford the butler along with their entourage have descended on Stratford upon Avon. Everyone awaits a play of Macbeth with a brilliant new cast. They certainly did not expect the burning of the theatre, a murder and loss of priceless artifacts.

Like most murders, all the suspects have “histories” which they’d like to hide, links between them that they’d also like to keep quiet about. An arsonist amongst the suspects adds to the complications in the case, along with an antagonistic Police Chief who does not like having the trio around.

With lots of humour and plenty of good food, the detectives go to work to solve the murders. Always a bright read despite the deaths around.

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

Sisters at an Exhibition by Claudia Hagadus Long

 

A heist, a forgery of a sketch by Caravaggio and two sisters who pull apart but fiercely loyal to each other. A mystery how the sketch goes missing from a highly secured facility, its appearance and then the forgery. The FBI involvement, amusing the bungling and then everyone appearing in Alsace, where all the villains are.

Fast paced, very interesting and conveying the strong bonds of family over riding everything else.

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

Dramatic rocks called Lovers Leap in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.

Murder in St James’s Park by Vanessa Riley

 

I am trying to vary my reading by going into more modern settings for the detective/mystery genre but I seem to getting into the Regency or Victorian era more and more.

1807 and Lady Abigail wants nothing more than to have her husband out of her life permanently. She did not want to be the one to find his body in the park, murdered. Clues left behind seemingly point to Abigail being the main suspect. No small detective herself, Abigail must use all her wits to find the murderer, especially when the ones plotting her downfall are her own family.

With a regency setting and mixed race ancestry in the story, it features abolitionists, the history of slave plantations and the mystery of what James was actually involved in. Fast paced and quite out of character, the women in the story are very different.

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

Killing in the Countryside by Maria Malone

 

Of all things Sergeant Ali and her help Wilson are being called to help out with a pride of peacocks who have shifted residence and are terrorising a particular household. The small village is divided on the issue with some supporting the animals right to freedom as they have been there for years. But for Gina and her husband it is a deep rooted fear of the birds.

When a vicious murder takes place, the situation changes because there seems to be many suspects who cannot be ruled out and in a small village like Heft, gossip and rumours flourish.

We get the cozy mystery genre and the idyllic English village in equal measure and discover that everyone has secrets that they will like to stay hidden. How much they will go to ensure that those secrets stay hidden is the issue here.

Very comfortable reading of the genre.

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

Death on the Pier by Pauline Rowson

Detective Alun Ryga is an introspective, quiet man. He has survived a gruelling time in a WWII camp and now serves Scotland Yard. A peculiar case of a missing corpse sees Ryga sent to the small coastal town of 
South End On Sea in Essex. A small town atmosphere where everyone seems to know everyone 1951 England is still recovering from the brutality of the War.

The man who calls himself a Commander who discovered the body is shifty, and it is not easy to befriend him. Unraveling the puzzle of the missing body is an even bigger mystery and with Ryga working undercover, it is not possible to have access to navy records or the local police, until the Commander himself is found murdered and then Ryga is forced to divulge his identity.

A slower paced detective story, reminiscent of the times and people and lifestyle of the age, it made for very pleasant reading.

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

The Last Retreat by Marina Palmer

 

Starting in Ukraine with a brutal shooting, and ending in a luxurious manor retreat in England the story is a mix of espionage, journalists getting a little too curious and the complicated and probable (now) world of computer wizardry.

Trying to recuperate at her mother’s home at Belford Abbey Tash was not exactly relaxing. Her mother’s clients include Elliot Drake and his entourage. Tash was also approached by M16 to spy on Elliot and she a novice to the game was going to get double dealt with by someone. 

The story develops from this base and deals with probable scenarios where clever people can eventually with the aid of artificial intelligence dominate the world.  It was a very absorbing theory and made for good reading.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the book, the review is unbiased. Thanks to Netgalley.

A Shroud of Snow by Sarah Hawkswood

 

Set in 1145 Hamelin was found with his head beaten in. A man unassuming, not given to brawls, charitable to the poor, recommended by the poor, his colleagues and the priests.  Who would want him dead?

A mystery murder set in the 12th century contrasts vividly to present times. No instant communications, no hi tech gadgets just very slow tedious questioning and deduction, that has not changed and then a clever detective can connect the dots. The Undersheriff Bradecote and DS George Cross share the same 

meticulous attention to detail and this is what stood out.

Descriptive of the lifestyle of the period, always interesting to see the differences between the haves and the  have nots (particularly bad during this period) this was a very good read.

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

Random picture of Kathakali dancers during one of my trips.

A Betrothed’s Betrayal by Deb Marlowe

 

Lady Lisette is in an unusual position for a single lady. That is for the Regency period. She has ditched her fiancée, a cad of the worst kind but the heartache from the sudden death of her brother is the one reason she feels lost.  He has provided for her amply, and she now finds herself in charge of A beautiful village in the Cotswolds but not without

its share of opposition to any new measures she brings in. Resistance to change is not new and the Lady has to step carefully.

Her position gets compromised almost immediately on arrival when her ex fiancée is found murdered and the local police, headed by former Bow Street runner, the dour Mr Sowerby is deeply suspicious of Lady Lisette and she is his first suspect.

The story dealing with the intrinsic charms of village life, gossip, character assassination and all add to the charm, but does not detract from the fact that a murder has been committed and Lisette is determined to get to the bottom of it and clear her name, mainly to get on with her life.

Interesting and very likeable plot and characters.

Thank you to Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for the book, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Tailor by Tim Sullivan

 

A bespoke tailor with clients from the very upper circles is found murdered in a brutal manner in a train carriage. No ordinary robbery though his luggage is missing. DS George Cross is on the case with a new assistant which he finds hard to handle, with his former Assistant now promoted over him, overlooking matters.

What follows is a meticulously pulled apart detective story - procedurally detailed, sometimes puzzling to everyone else other than to Cross but bringing to light the murderers involved. A tale of betrayal, espionage, a highly improbable code system and the brilliance of George Cross.

I am sad that this is the last book on my kindle from this author. I was hoarding it and keeping it to enjoy at leisure. 

Thank you to Grove Atlantic for sending me this book for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

 

I fell in love with this story. Emotionally charged, very powerful feelings and a love story set in 1900s colonial India, then moving to blitzed England, in the grip of German bombing and two people trying to get on with their lives.

The story of Elsie, torn from the country she loves most, uprooted from an environment like India, directly to aristocratic circles and destined for a marriage within those circles. Tanveer her playmate and his sister, 

also of an ancient lineage, both destined for marriages to shore up financially ruin of their courtesy. Both deeply in love and divided by the social standards of the time, but both not giving up on their deep attachment to each other.

Heart breaking most of the time, it was still a very tender love story. Filled with history of both countries starting from 1900 and going on to the First World War, the story encompasses the best of both genres.

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

The English Bookstore in Bologna by Boo Walker

 

Five expats, all very different come together in a very poignant story of love, relationships and a sense of hope against many odds. Sandy tge owner of the bookshop, almost hell bent to make it fail. Sandy has a sad history and does not want to complicate it with love or even a mild flirtation. Moira her assistant, timid as a mouse and frightened to do anything independently until she decides that she is going to be more progressive. Bianca escaping her rat race of a life and then George her father, the very opposite, wanting and seeking the stability of a permanent job, things to do and the mundaneness of lists and “having a plan”. Finally the mousey lovelorn Harold, spurned by Alice the love of his life and now totally lost and wallowing in self pity.

The story was emotional, tense and humorous in stages. It pointed at all the frailties of human egos and how difficult it is to break old habits. However progressive and “modern” we may be, we have deep decades old beliefs drilled into us and those bonds are very difficult to break free from.

I enjoyed this book, and the beauty of Bologna and the food certainly added to the charm.

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

A Season For Justice by John Pilkington

 

England 1618 was a troubled time. Unrest in Europe affected England even in a remote hamlet ex magistrate Justice Belstrang gets involved in activities far beyond his realm. Visiting an old friend Richard Mountford, Belstrang is told that the death of Mountford’s brother is suspicious and he is begged by Richard to pursue private enquiries.

Visiting the foundries where John met with his death, Belstrang is met with suspicion and downright antagonism. A attempted threat to his life is unsuccessful and he realises that what he is uncovering is a wide scale operation, which is treason.

Painstakingly following clues and connecting the dots all lead back to Francis Mountford, Richard’s own son who will have no qualms to kill even his own father to cover up his operation. Belstrang pursues it to the end because his loyalty is to his country and King (despite the King trying to requisition his family home).

A slow pace, no fast action or gimmicks but still a page turner.

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

Murder in a Yorkshire Village by Helena Dixon

 

Part of the Kitty Underhay series doing very well as a standalone, the story combines the serenity and peacefulness of village life, the routine as it stands of England in 1938, coupled with murder with its unpredictable turns and the detective work that goes with it, a subject not quite in keeping with upper class morals.

Kitty and Matt are inadvertently drawn into a murder investigation whilst watching a bicycle race in the village. Discovering the body Kitty has to testify and is drawn into the subsequent proceedings when it is discovered that it was no accident but murder. When a second body is discovered and the focus turns on getting rid of Kitty and Matt, the investigation has to pick up pace before more accidents happen.

A very charming cozy which I enjoyed very much.

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

The Housekeeper of Worthley Hall by Beverley Bowry

 

1828 Suffolk. A woman in precarious circumstances. Emma after giving loyal services at the Rectory is summarily dismissed when the new Rector takes over. The new rector under the thumb of his pretentious and overbearing mother sees Emma as a threat to her ambitions of getting her son married to someone of “quality”.  Emma does not suit.

Emma falls on her feet when she is offered a job as ladies maid cum assistant to a reluctant housekeeper at the nearest manor and it looked like things will settle down. It was not to be and a series of mishaps including a drunken episode by her brother and the disastrous robbery of Emma’s possessions including documents and jewellery by the Squires brother put paid to any stability for Emma. The final nail in the coffin is when the squire himself faces bankruptcy and eviction because of the fraud and robbery by his own brother. The manor is put up for auction.

The last bit is a fairy story and gives the happily ever after to this read. 

For readers who like to know what it is to live in the early 19th century in rural England, the lifestyle, the rather helpless position of women, the dominance of men - this is good descriptive reading.

Sent by The Book Guild for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley 

Death at a Scottish Halloween by Lucy Connelly

 

Halloween or All Hallows Eve in Scotland is a time of festivity. Dr Emily recently retired, now finds herself in the midst of a murder enquiry, having discovered a body. There are a number of suspects, the problem is to whittle it down. Constable Ewans also the local laird will like Emily, Abigail, Jasper and 

Mara out of the investigation altogether, but that is not going to happen.

Like other readers, I couldn’t guess who the murderer was and this of course is the push one needs to continue reading. A very good cozy, set in descriptive surroundings with a very nice atmosphere as well.

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