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

White Feather Killer

by R. N. Morris

Sometimes you can pick up a book in the middle of the series and not feel the need to go back and start at the beginning.  However, when I began The White Feather Killer, I did feel a little lost as to the circumstances of DI Silas Quinn’s current status within the police department.  He returns to New Scotland Yard, after an undisclosed illness to the realization that the Special Crimes Division has been closed.  It is 1914 and war had been declared putting everyone’s nerves on edge.  Anyone with the slightest ties to Germany is instantly suspect.  DI Quinn is now tied to a desk, tasked with ferreting out supposed spies and enemies of Britain while his former team members have been dispersed through out the department.  Felix Simpkins wants to escape his dominant, overbearing mother and join up.  Unfortunately, he’s a coward.  He attends a special service at the church of Pastor Cardew hoping it will give him the courage to enlist. As he leaves the church, he is approached by a young woman who hands him a dreaded white feather.  The sign of cowardice.  A body is soon found with a white feather placed within the mouth of the victim and a policeman is shot during the investigation.  DI Quinn is restless and hopes that the investigation will not be botched by the current investigator who decides the murderer is of German descent and is determined to find someone who fits within his ideas.  I have read many books that take place within the same time period as The White Feather Killer.  This is the first that has really brought forth the underlying doubt and suspect that would have surfaced within Britain against the German population.  Not just those that immigrated from Germany, but the descendants of those immigrants.  He has dug down and showed many facets of prejudice and corruption within services that were put in motion to protect citizens.  As this was my first sojourn into the world of Quinn, I found him to be very human.  He doesn’t drink or depend on drugs, but he is emotional and has self-doubts.  He’s not the hard boiled, gritty investigator of many novels.  He is sure of his methods but when it comes to the fairer sex, he is shy and clumsy.  In this volume, Morris doesn’t muddy up the story with descriptive details of sex and dirty deeds.  He does give us a look at London at a time when the lives of its population were turned upside down and weren’t sure what was going to come their way the next time the sun rose.

I wish to thank the publisher and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me access to the Advanced Reader Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Severn House Publishing

PUB DATE:  August 1, 2019

ISBN:  9780727888853

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Mystery

Killer in the Carriage House

Victorian Village Mystery, Book 2

by Sheila Connolly

Here again, is a perfect example of an author with a talent for developing characters that are realistic and highly relatable.  For me, the mystery takes a side seat.  After reading Murder at the Mansion I recall being very excited about the next installment in the series.  As I picked this one up, I couldn’t recall why I was so excited about it.  Just a few pages in, I began to recall.  Her characters and recurring theme began to work their subtle enticement and I found myself hooked again.  Perhaps it’s the overall theme of working in an old house and digging into the past of a town, that interests me.  It appeals to the explorer in me.  The bonus is a strong female character that, as strong as she is, has doubts in herself.  Bringing her hometown back to life is a big responsibility that will take a lot of time and a ton of money.  Kate isn’t exactly sure how to get the ball rolling on the project.  It doesn’t help matters when she discovers the body of a young man in the library, as she begins the task of moving family papers from the house.  Kate didn’t think there was anything of importance left within the boxes since the Clara Barton letters had been removed.  Was she missing something?   Readers who are looking for a series to make them feel comfortable and at home should try this one.   This would be a good series for teens.  Kate is a young woman, who started in on direction and ended up in another direction.  She is a good example of how you show and talk confidence on the outside, but you’re really scared and unsure on the inside.  That you do and will make mistakes but can learn and move on successfully.  

I wish to thank the publisher and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me access to the Advanced Reader Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  St. Martin’s Press

PUB DATE:  July 9, 2019

ISBN:  9781250135889

Genre:  Cozy Mystery