Hunted on the Fens - Joy Ellis

Hunted on the Fens by Joy Ellis

First Paragraph(s):

DS Joseph Easter's eyes snapped open.  Instantly he was wide awake and experiencing a rush of automatic reactions left over from his years as a special ops soldier.
     His ears strained for sounds that shouldn't be there.  He sniffed the air for unexpected smells and his eyes systematically checked the moonlit bedroom.  When he was certain that he was still alone, he noted the time on his backlit radio alarm and forced himself to relax.  It would appear that old habits died hard.

My Thoughts:

I've really been enjoying this DI Nikki Galena series.  Hunted on the Fens is the 3rd book and it was quite suspenseful.  Nikki has recently suffered a loss and as she returns to work, she has her hands full.  Her team is trying to solve a difficult case, but soon they find themselves targeted individually.  One ends up in the hospital, one has a fire, one has bank accounts emptied, and it seems the perpetrator is not even close to being through with them.  A quick read that kept me engrossed - definitely looking forward to what's next for Nikki Galena, Joseph Easter, and the characters that are becoming familiar and dear. 

Blurb:

DI Nikki Galena faces her toughest challenge yet. Can she save her team and herself from a cruel and determined adversary who will stop at nothing to harm Nikki and her colleagues? First she must work out who wants revenge against her or one of her detectives.  And what is the connection between the series of attacks on the police and the mystery of a woman found dead in a seemingly impregnable locked room?

Waiting on Wednesday - The Disappearing

I'm posting a 'soon to be released' book on Wednesdays.  These will always be books that I am particularly looking forward to.  I'll be linking up to 'Can't-Wait Wednesday' hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and plan to take part in this each week.

The book I'm sharing this week is by an author that I've had on my TBR for a long time.  And I've still not read any of her books.  Why is that?  She's won two Edgar awards!  Hoping this one is the one that will change that.  This week, I'm waiting on:

The Disappearing

by Lori Roy

Publication Date:  July 17th

When Lane Fielding fled her isolated Florida hometown after high school for the anonymity of New York City, she swore she'd never return. But twenty years later, newly divorced and with two daughters in tow, she finds herself tending bar at the local dive and living with her parents on the historic Fielding Plantation. Here, the past haunts her and the sinister crimes of her father--the former director of an infamous boys' school--make her as unwelcome in town as she was the day she left.

Ostracized by the people she was taught to trust, Lane's unsteady truce with the town is rattled when her older daughter suddenly vanishes. Ten days earlier, a college student went missing, and the two disappearances at first ignite fears that a serial killer who once preyed upon the town has returned. But when Lane's younger daughter admits to having made a new and unseemly friend, a desperate Lane attacks her hometown's façade to discover whether her daughter's disappearance is payback for her father's crimes--or for her own.

With reporters descending upon the town, police combing through the swamp, and events taking increasingly disturbing turns, Lane fears she faces too many enemies and too little time to bring her daughter safely home. Powerful and heart-pounding, The Disappearing questions the endurance of family bonds, the dangers of dark rumors and small town gossip, and how sometimes home is the scariest place of all.

I'll Keep You Safe - Peter May

I'll Keep You Safe by Peter May

First Paragraph(s):

All she can hear is the ringing in her ears.  A high-pitched tinnitus drowning out all other sounds.  The chaos around her has no real form.  Flaming fragments from the blast still falling from the night sky, bodies lying on the concrete.  The shadows of figures fleeing the flames extend towards her across the square, flickering like monochrome images on a screen.
     She can make out the skeleton of the car beyond the blaze, imagining that she sees the silhouettes of the driver and passenger still strapped in their seats.  But how could anyone have survived such an explosion intact?

My Thoughts:

I'll Keep You Safe is Peter May's newest book, published just this spring and it's a standalone.  Set in both Paris and the Isle of Lewis, it tells the story of a couple, Niamh (wife) and Ruairidh (husband), who are struggling a bit and then one is killed.  I listened to this one on audio and Peter Forbes provided most of the narration, with Anna Murray relating the development of the relationship over the years from Niamh's perspective.  Both narrators did an excellent job.  There was a lot of information about the fashion industry and the making of tweed cloth.  That was mostly interesting, but my favorite parts were when the setting was Lewis and the wonderful descriptions of the landscape, the weather, the villages, and the people.  Detective Sergeant George Gunn makes an appearance again as he assists the French Detective in her investigation.

OK, let me say that even though Peter May is a favorite author of mine, this book was not my favorite.  There were parts that I loved - the setting, the descriptions of Niamh and Ruairidh's history together since childhood.  However, other parts were not as pleasing to me.  And there was a twist at the end that I saw coming very clearly.  That being said, I definitely do not want to discourage anyone from trying this book.  It's good, just not his best, in my opinion.  I'll be watching for what comes next and hoping beyond hope that the location will once again be The Outer Hebrides. 

Blurb:

Friends since childhood, and lovers and business partners as adults, Niamh and Ruairidh are owners of a small Hebridean company, Ranish Tweed, that weaves its own very special version of Harris Tweed. Although it's a small company, their fabrics have become internationally sought-after as a niche brand in the world of fashion and haute couture.

But the threads of their relationship are beginning to fray. As they prepare for an important showing at the Première Vision fabric fair, held in Paris every year, Niamh accuses Ruairidh of having an affair with Irina, a Russian fashion designer they work with--a fight that ends with Ruairidh storming off and getting into Irina's car. Moments later, Niamh watches in horror as the car containing her life partner explodes in a ball of flame.

With Niamh a prime suspect in the murder, the Parisian police hound her even after she returns to Harris to bury the pitiful remains of her lover and business partner. Amid the grief and struggles that follow, she begins to suspect that things are not what they seem; and when there is an attempt on her life, she becomes convinced that what looked like a terrorist attack on her lover might be something more personal by far . . .

Let Me Lie - Clare Mackintosh

Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh

First Paragraph(s):

Death does not suit me.  I wear it like a borrowed coat; it slips off my shoulders and trails in the dirt.  It is ill fitting.  Uncomfortable.
     I want to shrug it off; to throw it in the cupboard and take back my well-tailored clothes.  I didn't want to to leave my old life, but I'm hopeful for my next one--hopeful I can become someone beautiful and vibrant.  For now, I am trapped. 
     Between lives.
     In limbo.

My Thoughts:

Let Me Lie is the third book by Clare Mackintosh and, as with her previous books, I Let You Go and I See You, I was caught up in the story.  Anna Johnson has lost both her parents to suicide or so it seems.  First her father and then, some months later, her mother, in exactly the same way.  She now has a child and would like to move on with her life, but she still has niggling doubts about their deaths.  On the first anniversary of her mother's death, Anna receives a card that suggests a closer look is warranted.  She goes to the police and relates her story to ex-detective (now civilian employee) Murray Mackenzie.  Even though he's unofficial, Murray decides to ask some questions.  And what he finds, well, I'll let you read the book and discover for yourself. 

I did like Let Me Lie and actually listened to it on audio, very well narrated by Gemma Whelan.  As I walked my usual daily route of exercise, I was muttering though.  The characters were not completely unlikable, but I was annoyed with many of them.  I'm finding that I talk to characters that bug me (now, that doesn't look or sound odd does it?  Ha!) and say things like - 'Seriously?' or 'That's where your mind went?' or 'How clueless are you?'.  My favorite person was Murray, the ex-policeman, and how he cared for and supported his wife, Sarah.  Oh, I also liked Anna's baby, Ella.  She was a normal baby and really just interested in where her next meal would come from.  And there was a nice little dog named Rita.  There were certainly twists and I had a good time puzzling what they might be.  I was mostly correct, but not entirely.  I'd love to see Murray again in another book.  And, yes, I'll be reading the next one by Clare Mackintosh.  She's pretty much moved to my 'must read' list. 

Blurb:

Last year, Tom and Caroline Johnson chose to end their lives, one seemingly unable to live without the other. Their daughter, Anna, is struggling to come to terms with her parents' deaths, unwilling to accept the verdict of suicide.

Now with a baby herself, Anna feels her mother's absence keenly and is determined to find out what really happened to her parents. But as she digs up the past, someone is trying to stop her.

Sometimes it's safer to let things lie....

Bookish Nostalgia - May 2018

Welcome to Bookish Nostalgia for May 2018.  I've kept records of books I read for over 25 years and I enjoy looking back through my reading journals to see what I was reading 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago.  Let's see what I remember about what I was reading in those years:

May 1998 - The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett - I honestly don't remember a whole lot about this book, but do remember liking it.  It was written long before the author was involved in her Nashville bookstore and a few years before she wrote Bel Canto, which is the only other novel of Patchett's that I've read.  I do recall that this book was about the widow of a magician who had been his assistant for many years.  And she finds that there was a lot about him that she didn't know. 

May 2003 - Practically Seventeen by Rosamond du Jardin - This was the first book in the Tobey and Midge Heydon series that I read as a young teen.  I loved this series, which had 6 books and was originally written in the early 1950's, I believe.  I found that a small press, Image Cascade, had reprinted all this author's works along with several other authors from the same era.  Stories about teens and malt shops and dances and boyfriends - loved them.  They were available again in print and also as e-books.  And I enjoyed rereading the whole series.

 
May 2008 - On Beulah Height by Reginald Hill - This book is the 18th in the award-winning series featuring Superintendent Andy Dalziel and Sergeant Peter Pascoe.  It was one of the first books we read in our Mystery Book Group, which began in 2008.  We paired it with In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson.  Both books featured crimes that came to light when lakes or reservoirs were drained.  It still remains the only book I've read by Hill, but perhaps one day I'll change that.  It was an excellent mystery.

May 2013 - How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny - This is the 9th book in probably my favorite mystery series ever, ever, ever.  And it is a pivotal book.  Whatever you do, if you've not read Louise Penny's books - don't start with this one.  Begin at the beginning.  The title comes from a poem/song written by Leonard Cohen, 'Anthem'.  The verse goes:

Ring the bells that still can ring,

Forget your perfect offering,

There's a crack in everything,

That's how the light gets in.

The book is awesome.  The series is awesome.  The story and writing are awesome.  I love this author and I love her characters, flaws and all. 

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And so we end this month's Bookish Nostalgia.  Have you read any of these books or authors?  Hope you'll join me again next month to see what June books I remember from my journals.

Dear Mrs. Bird - A.J. Pearce

Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce

First Paragraph(s):

When I first saw the advertisement in the newspaper I thought I might actually burst.  I'd had rather a cheerful day so far despite the Luftwaffe annoying everyone by making us all late for work, and then I'd managed to get hold of an onion, which was very good news for a stew.  But when I saw the announcement, I could not have been more cock-a-hoop.
     It was a quarter past three on one of those wretched December afternoons when the day seemed to start getting dark before it had quite made up its mind to be light, and even with two vests and a greatcoat on, it was impossible to get warm.  Sitting on the top deck of the number 24 bus, I could see my breath if I huffed.
     I was on my way home from my job as a secretary at Strawman's Solicitors and looking forward to a sit down before my overnight shift on the fire-station telephones.  I had already read every word of The Evening Chronicle's news pages and was now looking at the horoscopes, which I didn't believe in but thought worth a go just in case.  For my best friend Bunty it said, 'You will be in the money soon enough.  Lucky animal: polecat,' which was promising, and for me, 'Things may pick up eventually.  Lucky fish: cod,' which in comparison was rather a dud.

My Thoughts:

What lovely debut novel this was!  First of all, Dear Mrs. Bird will not be available here in the US until early July, but put this one on your list for sure.  It's already out in the UK, so I decided it was fair game to share my thoughts.  This was the perfect story to slip between thrillers and more 'serious' type reads.  Emmy and Bunty are good friends, best friends in fact.  They live in London during the Blitz and life is crazy and exciting and scary.  One never knows when a night will be spent in a shelter or when more bombs will drop.  Each of them does their part to help out with the war effort.  Emmy's dream of becoming an ace reporter is a bit far-fetched, but taking a job with a women's magazine is a toe in the door of journalism.  The characters she meets are funny or charming or annoying beyond all measure.  Mrs. Bird, the advice columnist, is really something else - like from the Dark Ages.  There shall be no 'Unpleasantness' in the letters that she answers in her 'help' column.  Emmy tries to follow the strict rules, but her heart is touched and she becomes daring and bold and a bit reckless.  And that's all I'll say.  If you like a book that will make you laugh, touch your heart, and take you back to an earlier but not easier era, give this one a shot.  I liked it very much.  Highly recommended for just the right time.     

Blurb:

London, 1940. Emmeline Lake is Doing Her Bit for the war effort, volunteering as a telephone operator with the Auxiliary Fire Services. When Emmy sees an advertisement for a job at the London Evening Chronicle, her dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent suddenly seem achievable. But the job turns out to be working as a typist for the fierce and renowned advice columnist, Henrietta Bird. Emmy is disappointed, but gamely bucks up and buckles down.

Mrs. Bird is very clear: letters containing any Unpleasantness must go straight in the bin. But when Emmy reads poignant notes from women who may have Gone Too Far with the wrong men, or who can’t bear to let their children be evacuated, she is unable to resist responding. As the German planes make their nightly raids, and London picks up the smoldering pieces each morning, Emmy secretly begins to write back to the readers who have poured out their troubles.

Prepare to fall head over heels for Emmy and her best friend, Bunty, who are gutsy and spirited, even in the face of a terrible blow. The irrepressible Emmy keeps writing letters in this hilarious and enormously moving tale of friendship, the kindness of strangers, and ordinary people in extraordinary times.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Death of Mrs. Westaway

I'm posting a 'soon to be released' book on Wednesdays.  These will always be books that I am particularly looking forward to.  I'll be linking up to 'Can't-Wait Wednesday' hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and plan to take part in this each week.

I'm definitely excited about the book I'm featuring this week and the publication date is almost here.  I've read all of this author's other books - In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game.  Though I didn't like The Lying Game as much as the previous books, I'm ready to try the new one - more than ready.  I like the info that the author shared about it on her website and have included it below as a blurb.  This week, I'm waiting on:

The Death of Mrs. Westaway

by Ruth Ware

Publication Date:  May 29th

Dear Miss Westaway,

Your grandmother, Hester Mary Westaway of Trepassen House, St Piran, passed away on 22nd November, at her home. I appreciate that this news may well come as a shock to you; please accept my sincere condolences on your loss.

In accordance with the wishes of your late grandmother, I am instructed to inform beneficiaries of the details of her funeral. As local accommodation is very limited, family members are invited to stay at Trepassen House where a wake will also be held.

Yours truly,

Robert Treswick
Treswick, Nantes and Dean, Penzance

When Harriet Westaway – better known as Hal – receives a letter from the blue informing her of a substantial inheritance, it seems like the answer to her prayers. The loan shark she borrowed from is becoming increasingly aggressive, and there is no way that her job as a seaside fortune-teller can clear her debts.

There is just one problem: Hester Westaway is not Hal’s grandmother. The letter has been sent to the wrong person.

But Hal is a cold reader, practised in mining her clients for secrets about their lives. If anyone has the skills to turn up at a strange woman’s funeral and claim a bequest they’re not entitled to, it’s her.

With only one way out of her problems, Hal boards a train for Cornwall, and prepares for the con of her life. But something is very, very wrong at Trepassen House.  Hal is not the only person with a secret, and it seems that someone may be prepared to do almost anything to keep theirs hidden…

Shadow Over the Fens - Joy Ellis

Shadow Over the Fens by Joy Ellis

First Paragraph(s):

As Detective Inspector Nikki Galena locked the door of her Fenland home, a shiver of anticipation coursed through her.  She gazed across the wide expanse of remote marsh, took a deep savouring breath of the fresh salty air and smiled.  It felt good to be back where she belonged.
     Across Cloud Fen she could see the mist clearing, and a green gold morning slowly waking up the salt marsh with its bright clear light.  She stepped into the garden and wondered what this new dawn would bring with it, apart from the arrival of her new sergeant.  Her smile widened.  She had been waiting for this moment for a while and it was something she both welcomed and dreaded.

My Thoughts:

Shadow Over the Fens is the second book in Joy Ellis' series featuring DI Nikki Galena and her talented colleague, DS Joseph Easter.  I listened to this one ably narrated by Henrietta Meire.  In the first book, the author set up the characters of Nikki and Joseph and we saw how well they worked together.  After an exciting ending, I was happy to see that these two would once again be fighting crime in the Fens.  We have learned that Nikki has some dark spots within her, but in this book we get to explore a part of Joseph's past as a soldier in Special Forces.  I liked the way the author related the tale - a good police procedural.  I guessed who might be behind all the murders, but I completely enjoyed the investigation.  And as there are several more books in the series, well, I'm trying to keep myself from a binge read of all of them.  We'll see if I'm successful.  The third book is called Hunted On the Fens and I can see it appearing on my Kindle in the near future. 

Blurb:

Detective Nikki Galena’s friend and neighbour meets a tragic end but there’s more to his death than meets the eye . . .

And someone terrible from DS Joseph Easter’s past is back . . .

A man is found executed on a piece of wasteland in Greenborough town.

The cold-blooded murder triggers terrible memories for DS Joseph Easter. Just when things seemed to be going well for DS Easter, he realises that the nightmare is coming back, threatening his career, his sanity, and maybe his life.

In a breath-taking conclusion even Nikki begins to doubt DS Easter as he faces a race against time to save someone very close to him.

Sometimes I Lie - Alice Feeney

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

First Paragraph(s):

My name is Amber Reynolds.
There are three things you should know about me:
     1. I'm in a coma
     2. My husband doesn't love me anymore.
     3. Sometimes I lie.

I've always delighted in the free fall between sleep and wakefulness.  Those precious few semiconscious seconds before you open your eyes, when you catch yourself believing that your dreams might just be your reality.  A moment of intense pleasure or pain, before your senses reboot and inform you who and where and what you are.  For now, for just a second longer, I'm enjoying the self-medicated delusion that permits me to imagine that I could be anyone, I could be anywhere, I could be loved.

My Thoughts:

Sometimes I Lie is a book that I think I'll have a hard time talking about without giving spoilers, so...I'm not going to share too much.  First of all, I'll say that I did a read/listen of it.  Narration was by Stephanie Racine.  She did a really good job.  This is Alice Feeney's debut and I'll definitely be watching for what she writes next.  Oh my goodness!  This book is all kinds of crazy.  Told in several different ways - by Amber in a coma in the present, in the recent past just before the accident that placed her in the coma, and also through diaries written over 20 years ago - the reader thinks certain things, but no...thinks other things, no again...and then comes the 'all kinds of crazy'.  Who would have ever thought that a certain phrase would scare the living daylights out of you?  Can't/won't tell you the phrase.  And, yes, that's all I'll say.  If you try this one, be prepared.  All...kinds...of...crazy...

Blurb:

Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?

Malice Domestic 30 - The winners!....and a wrap up...

First of all, thank you so much sticking with me as I revisited my time at Malice Domestic 30.  I've enjoyed putting these posts together and today is the final one.  You may be wondering - who won the the Agathas?  Well, we'll get there.

Let's start with the Awards Dinner.  As an attendee, you get an email telling you the individuals or groups that will be hosting a table at the special dinner.  You get to give them your top 3 choices.  Last year, I sat at Lori Rader-Day's table.  This year, I asked for the table hosted by Laura Oles - one of the new authors nominated for 'Best First Novel'.  Her nominated book is Daughters of Bad Men.  I had not met Laura before, but I knew from the info on her website that she hails from my area of the world.  In fact,  I live north of the Austin area and she lives south, but not that far apart.

This is a picture of Laura (R) and yours truly (L) taken by her husband prior to our meal.  She is just lovely and we got to visit for several minutes.  I told her that I selected her table because I noticed several authors from Texas and thought I would fit right in.  Her book is set in the fictional town of 'Port Alene, TX' (based on Port Aransas, TX) right on the Gulf Coast.  Laura said that she and her family had spent a lot of vacation time in Port Aransas and we talked about how that small area was part of the larger area that was devastated by Hurricane Harvey last year.  The library in that small town was completely ruined and remains closed to this day.  I may have more about that at a later date of possible donation opportunities - books or funds.

This was the very nice bag of 'goodies' each person sitting at Laura's table found on their seat.  Very kind of her. 

Some others at Laura's table were (L to R), Laura's mother (so proud of her daughter), author Terry Shames (writes the Samuel Craddock series set in rural Texas), and author Nancy G. West (writes the Aggie Mundeen series set in San Antonio).  The food was good and then came the awards.

A special toast and remarks by Catriona McPherson, Toastmaster.

Lifetime Achievment Award - Nancy Pickard  

The Poirot Award - Brenda Blethyn

Special Amelia Award given to the late Joan Hess

Remarks by Becca King (Joan's daughter) and Beth Mertz (daughter of Barbara Mertz/Elizabeth Peters - creator of Amelia Peabody and this award)

Louise Penny - Best Contemporary Novel

Glass Houses

Cindy Callahan - Best Children's/Young Adult Novel

Sydney Mackenzie Knocks 'Em Dead

Gigi Pandian - Best Short Story

'The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn'

Mattias Bostrom - Best Nonfiction

From Holmes to Sherlock: The Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon

Kellye Garrett - Best First Novel

Hollywood Homicide

Rhys Bowen - Best Historical Novel

In Farleigh Field

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I guess that's about all I have to tell.  Hope this wasn't too, too long.  If you'd like to see a list of all the nominated books, look here.  Thank you for stopping by and reading about my adventure.  Feel free to ask any questions or make any comments.  And I encourage you to think about attending a mystery conference if this looks fun.  It's amazing and tiring and quite an experience.  And next week, back to our regularly scheduled programming.  Ha!