The Clockmaker’s Wife

     by Daisy Wood

Ellie discovers a pen for the Fascist party in an old handbag belonging to her grandmother.  She has always had questions about her grandmother, questions her mother can’t, or won’t, answer.  Ellie travels to England where she finds her mother’s stepsister quarrelsome and evasive and offering no answers or help.  But Ellie refuses to give up her search.

 Books that authors take the time and effort to dig deep in their research are extremely eye opening.  Wood takes readers into the small shelters that were shared by neighbors and we experience the suffocating reality of the blitz.  The taught suspense of what Nell Spellman went through to help her husband was toe curling.  The frustration that Ellie experiences while trying to find the puzzle pieces to help her put together the picture that is her family history is palpable.  Good read for history buffs.  Teens looking for historical fiction with strong female protagonists will devour this one.   #NetGalley #TheClockmaker's Wife

 

I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this novel and give my honest review.

 PUB:  Harper 360

PUB DATE:  July 27, 2021

ISBN:  9780008444631

 

 Murder at Keyhaven Castle

By Clara McKenna

Stella Kendrick is looking forward to her wedding to ‘Lyndy’ Lyndhurst.  However, as the day approaches, a few uninvited guests turn up, some welcome, some not.  When the identity of a body is revealed to be that of a criminal known in the horse racing world, details of a horse purchase begin to surface that threaten to reveal a counterfeit transaction that will lead to another murder. 

Having not read any of the previous installments of this series, I must say it was easy to pick this third book up and not have any problems following all the events.  McKenna is gifted with a talent of weaving in important details from previous story lines and making them feel new to this story.  The world of horse racing is a nice change for me, as I learned a few things about racing and sales of horses.  I don’t usually pick up books that center around horses, but this one read differently.  Though the horse racing was a key story line, it wasn’t in the forefront for me as much as all of the characters. 

I thank the generosity of the publisher and NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy for my honest review.

(I wish to ap0l0gize to the author and the publisher for errors in the original review which have since been corrected,) 

PUB: Kensington Publishing

PUB DATE:  June 29, 2021

ISBN:  9781496717795

 

GENRE:  Mystery/Historical Fiction

Dear Mrs. Bird

     By A J Pearce

 

As the bombs fall around London, Emmie and Bunty go about their lives.  Bunty working at the war office and stepping out with Bill, Emmy volunteering at the Auxiliary Fire Service with Bill, dreaming of becoming a war journalist.  When Emmy answers an advertisement for a Junior at a local publishing company, she believes it to be her big break, though she knows her fiancé would not be happy. Edmund believed women belonged in the home, keeping the home fires burning and dinner on the stove.  Emmy wanted more. 

Pearce has written a novel that gives an authentic peek into the realistic lives of those who strived to keep going during the nightmare of the blitz.  I learned so much while reading this book.  So many brave souls worked to keep London on an even keel while fire and thunder rained down from above.  This book has so much heart.  The friendship of Emmy and Bunty and the camaraderie of the volunteers of the Fire Service.   The way the characters attempted to continue with their lives during the horrors of war.  Sweet, determined Emmy who sees a void that needs to be filled and bungles it as she reaches out to those in need.  This book is SO good on so many levels. I can’t wait for August when Yours Cheerfully comes out.

 

PUB: Scribner

ISBN: 978-1501170065 (Hardcover)

 GENRE:  Historical Fiction/WWII

 The Shut-Away Sisters

     By Suzanne Goldring

Told in alternating voices, one in the present one in the past, Golding gives us a peek into the lives of two sisters who survived the horrible years during the First World War.  Florrie, who bears the burden of learning to run a household with minimal supplies and Edith, lost in a world of grief and deep depression.  Kate is tasked with clearing out the remnants of her great aunts lives while floundering with the collapse of her own.  As the story is built, Golding gives us a picture of two strong women who overcome the obstacles that are put in their path and are better people because of it.  The book is a lovely rendering of life before, during and after the war when influenza decimates families even farther.  It’s a lovely read for those who enjoy stories that weave the past and future together.  Teens who enjoy historical fiction with a little romance will enjoy this one.

Publisher:  Bookouture
Date:  June 29, 2021
ISBN:  9781800192355

I wish to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read an Advanced Reader's Copy for my honest review.

 Greetings

I hope everyone has survived being cooped up for a year.  Obviously, I survived and the only thing that kept me sane was my crocheting and reading.  I have been reading a lot but not writing about any of them.  I crawled into my cozy mystery corner and stayed away from anything that was political, dark, or challenging.  I’m still not reading anything dark but I am reading new titles again.  I will try to keep you updated on what’s going on,  However, you know me, I finish a book and I pick up the next one without stopping to write about it.  The writing is a chore for me.  Take care everyone.

The Immortal Prudence Blackwood

by Stephanie Grey

In post war Washington, D.C. the citizens have had enough killing and death. However, someone is leaving dismembered bodies around presidential monuments. The police are struggling to put what clues they have together to find a suspect when Detective Clive O’Reilly receives a call from someone who claims they might have the name of a woman that can give them viable assistance.  O’Reilly listens to the story of Prudence Blackwood with patience, not believing a word of it.  But as the bodies continue to pile up, O’Reilly begins to hope the story of Prudence Blackwood is true.  Stephanie Grey has created a highly entertaining and engaging story that is part paranormal and all mystery.  Though the novel is not overtly long, she packs a lot of details within the pages.  Some of those details are descriptions of the crimes and crime scenes, so if you have a weak stomach you might want to skim those.  The storyline flows nicely, and the characters are well defined and flawed as humans are, even Prudence.  I had a very hard time putting this one down.  I liked Prudence and though this is probably a stand-alone, I wouldn’t mind reading another novel about this interesting woman.

I thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me access to the electronic Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  BHC Press

PUB DATE:  September 12, 2019

ISBN:  9781643970325

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal

The Clockmaker

by Jane A Adams

This is my first leap into the world of DCI Henry Johnstone.  He’s a haunted man whose anchor is his older sister and his sergeant, Mickey Hitchens.  He is approached by Abraham Levy to locate his missing nephew, but the young man has disappeared outside Johnstone’s jurisdiction.  As the story unfolds, so do many the many threads of the case, or should I say cases?  Adams’s talent at bringing threads of a story from many different directions and creating a complete tapestry at the end is pure artistry.  One of her many threads is taken from the headlines of the present.  Those who escape the persecution in their homeland and try to build a new life peacefully in a new land.  She gives us complex characters and intricate plotlines delivering a story of some who are doing the wrong things for the right reasons.

I thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me access to the electronic Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Severn House

PUB DATE:  September 1, 2019

ISBN:  9780727888884

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Mystery