The Murders at Foxglove Close by Rose Temple (Book 1 in series)

Jemima a police constable, moved to a quiet village seeking peace, quiet, no judgemental neighbours and wanting to live a quieter paced life. She did not expect such nosy neighbours who would monitor her every move, describe all her actions on a neighbourhood Whatsapp group (which she has joined under an assumed name!) and then get dragged into a murder which develops into murders just down the road. Despite the murders, there is a lot of humour and plenty of action of every kind - from the free wheeling marital high jinks in a seemingly conservative village to characters of every kind. It all adds to the interest and expands the story to cover so much of interest that your attention never wavers. It was a light hearted cozy mystery, set in idyllic surroundings but with human elements of greed, bad decisions and very human mistakes. Sent by Hodder & Stoughton for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Dying Day by Vaseem Khan (Malabar House No. 2)

Another book by this brilliant author which takes us into the world of post British India. Persis Wadia is the only woman Police Inspector in India and boy has she got to face discrimination, snide remarks, looks and worse. Persis a Parsee (a small forward thinking minority community) has the support of her father but her Aunt who has looked after her since the death of her mother finds it tough to accept Persis's role in the masculine world she occupies. On the one hand Persis herself knows that she is going to find it singularly difficult to find a partner. But at the same time, her career is important to her and she is not going to allow anything to get in her way. The case of a missing book worth millions starts the case going, with the main protagonist going missing. He is an erudite scholar and it is only through the sheer brilliant workings of Persis's mind that she unravels the cryptic clues he leaves behind. A mix of detection and knowledge of the classics slowly unwinds the puzzle, and with the murder of a white woman (uncommon in post British India) the pressure is on to solve the case. When Italian diplomats also get involved in the case, it is obvious that big money is also somehow involved and it is a running battle for Persis with the reluctant help of her colleagues to prevent more murders and find out who is behind the robbery. A fascinating look at colonial India (post Colonial actually) with all the workings and administration as it were before. I loved this story (my second read of Persis's exploits). With all the inhibitions and difficulties of 1950s India. Sent to me by Hodder & Stoughton for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Murder at the Fair (Lady Eleanor Swift Book No. 6) by Verity King.

Lady Eleanor Swift is not the average aristocrat found in 1921 England. She is kind, just and fair by all. She sees equality is something sadly missing from English society and wants to find a way to fit it into her own life and those who work for her. This makes her stand out, she is known for her quirky and independent views and it does not go down very well with some members of the aristocracy in her county. Lady Eleanor also seems to be drawn into murders, like a magnet and these seem to follow her around. In this episode she is the chief guest at a summer fair, a position her uncle gladly held but when a raft race which was supposed to be fun (and was very competitive amongst the village turned deathly Lady Eleanor was drawn into the investigation despite the local cops marking it out as an accidental death. The story is straight forward but all the characters were so interesting from the Lady herself, to her suitors to the butler, to her varied staff as well as the villagers themselves. It added heaps of interest to the story and made it seem so alive and vibrant. The book though part of a series can be read as a stand alone. I like the series and only hope I will have the opportunity to read the others in this. Sent by Bookouture for a honest review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Master of Measham Hall by Anna Abney

1665 England and the plague engulfs the entire land. Communities are suspicious of any newcomers especially those coming from London. Alethea though she would like to be at her own home, due to her stepmother and her father's inability to stand up for her is at her aunt's house quite safe from the illness. Alethea is awaiting her brother's return after exile and when a message arrives that he is awaiting her, she goes to meet him, not knowing that her aunt in a way to get rid of her has arranged for her to disappear on the journey. Alethea then finds herself penniless, abandoned and needs to find her way back to her family. The adventures of Alethea first with a man she meets at a pub (fortunately not someone who seduced her and then abandoned her) and then meeting up with a group of religious people who were led by Samuel and who went from place to place preaching placed her in care till she fell in love with Samuel and discovered she was expecting a baby. Knowing that she would have to now fend for herself and her child, she and a companion return to her family home, and she now dons the guise of her brother William and does it so well that she hoodwinks practically everyone whom she comes in contact with. The story continues how Alethea (now William) continue with the camoflauge despite William returning to the family home and the ramifications of maintaining this facade throughout. An interesting story dealing with religious divides, a family divided on religious grounds and the constant greed for property which threw families apart. Sent by Duckworth Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

A Family Affair by Julie Houston

The writing was in the style of Joanna Trollope, an author I've always enjoyed. Set in a Yorkshire village, the family of Italian origin has set up a pickles and preserves and jam industry famous all over, branched out even to America and now needs a new infusion of blood. Frankie after having disappeared to Sicily for years after a disastrous love affair now finds herself back home in a niche in the family business, butting heads with her brother Luca who seems resentful of the welcome given to his sister and with a grandfather who does not like innovation and a father who is willing to go along as everything runs peacefully. Frankie wants to contribute her bit to the business, not just be a figurehead in the directorate and she gets down to it right away. An American brought in to contribute does not help either and her former lover appearing on the scene makes her want to put her running shoes on. Her aunt whose retirement from the business, was the reason she came in is also very much part of the story. It is very much a family saga covering three generations, going back and forth because it was the decisions of decades past that is now affecting the grand children of today. Nothing can be changed or rectified, whether mistakes or not but all are determined to go forward. Descriptive of Yorkshire and its inhabitants (something I know little of) was part of the charm of this story. Characterization was varied and added so much interest. Sent by Aria & Aries for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Librarian of Saint Malo by Mario Escobar

France 1939 turbulent, not a very good place to be. Not for those Frenchmen who were loyal to France. Nazis ruled the land and their word was law. Saint Malo was for a time left alone but gradually the infiltration came in. Joceylyn and Antoine were lovers - first blighted by her illness, then Antoine was sent to fight, sent to a camp, came back a broken man. They were very much in love but their happiness was fleeting. Joceylyn was in charge of the library and this was an unusual library - it had many volumes of rare manuscripts and this was what was going to be the catalyst of Joceylyn's life as it attracted the greedy and mercenary eyes of a Nazi Captain who whilst pretending it was for the benefit of Germany, really wanted to grab them for himself as his passport out of Europe. After Antoine's death Joceylyn worked for the Resistance in whatever ways possible, but her main focus was with her books. Joceylyn felt that her entire life's mission was to protect the library to the end, and despite evacuation, hardships and severe testing of the spirit, she did not abandon Saint Malo. Detailing the days of occupation in a series of letter to someone in Paris with the hope that it will eventually get published Jocelyn stayed on till Saint Malo was freed from the Germans, but sadly perished on the final day. One is left pondering whether sacrificing your life for the sake of books is something to be admired, or worried/pitied over. Jocelyn literally sacrificed her life for the sake of the library. An open ended question here. Outlining in detail the history of Saint Malo during German occupation was the historical part of the story. Joceylyn's story was the rest. The book was sent by Thomas Nelson for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Summer I Found Myself by Colleen French

Ellen is not an impulsive person. Everything is thought out through and planned so there are no unpleasant surprises. This was what hit her hard when her husband of twenty years walked out on her - his complaint was that she was predictable, in other words boring. She has also lost her parents and is now trying to come to terms with loss as a thing itself. She wants her life to be better, to be more meaningful and having inherited a beach cottage she decides to go there, clean it out with the intention of selling it. On impulse she invites her friend Lara, now sick with a bout of a recurrence of cancer, needing treatment and a friend. Ellen did not envisage that the flamboyant Lara will gather together like minded souls in the cancer clinic she attends and her little coterie meets at the cottage and though Ellen tries to keep away from the group, she is invariably drawn into their thoughts, their activities and their day to day life. At Lara's insistence Ellen joins a writer's group to try to rekindle the author in her, she knows is buried deep within and also puts Ellen on a dating site (for Ellen this is the worst thing that could happen to her!). Gradually Ellen's barriers come down and she realises that life is for living and for taking what comes your way and making the best of whatever is given. Learning lessons from the group of survivors from cancer, she applies these to her own self. This was a coming of age story, though the character was middle aged and not a youngster. Enlightening read. Sent by Kensington Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.