A short break...

I'm going to be on a short break.  I'll be back in a couple of weeks.  Don't have too much fun without me!

Waiting on Wednesday - The Craftsman

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've read many of this author's books over the years and enjoyed them.  I haven't yet read her last couple of standalone tales, but plan to.  This week's book has already been published 'across the pond', so it's possible (and probable) you'll see a review here before October.  I've already ordered my copy and it's arrived.  However, the US publication is not until the fall and so this week, I'm waiting on:

The Craftsman

by Sharon Bolton

Publication Date:  October 16th

Florence Lovelady's career was made when she convicted coffin-maker Larry Grassbrook of a series of child murders 30 years ago in a small village in Lancashire. Like something out of a nightmare, the victims were buried alive Florence was able to solve the mystery and get a confession out of Larry before more children were murdered.

But now, decades later, he's dead, and events from the past start to repeat themselves. Is someone copying the original murders? Or did she get it wrong all those years ago? When her own son goes missing under similar circumstances, the case not only gets reopened... it gets personal.

The Summer Sail - Wendy Francis

The Summer Sail by Wendy Francis

First Paragraph(s):

Abby slid the invitation into the envelope.  It was a lovely invitation, on sturdy cream card stock with blue script and a jaunty little boat sailing across the top.  She knew it was silly to have ordered special cards in this day and age when everything got sent electronically, but a twentieth wedding anniversary seemed to demand a certain amount of decorum.  And it was the perfect reason to celebrate.  Every year, she and her two college roommates tried to meet up for a reunion somewhere in the States, but this year, she wanted to propose something different: a cruise, an island getaway to Bermuda.  What could be more idyllic?
     She sealed the envelopes, affixed the stamps, and addressed them in her loopy handwriting, one to Ms. Lee Minor in Charleston, South Carolina, and the other to Ms. Caroline Canton in New York.  Abby smiled at the thought of her roommates' spotting the invitation in a sea of advertisements and magazines in their mailboxes.  It was good to try something different every so often, and as she'd said to her husband, Sam, when first pitching the idea, If not now, then when?

My Thoughts:

The Summer Sail is the first book I've read by Wendy Francis and, truthfully, it's a little outside the type of book that I tend to read as a general rule.  However, as you might have noticed from my recent 'Bookish Nostalgia' post, I do read some 'women's friendship' books and thoroughly enjoy them when I'm in the mood.  Lately, I've been in the mood.

First of all, I am very much not a person who takes an ocean cruise.  I can barely be on a boat at all.  Motion sickness is a problem for me.  I did enjoy reading this story of three college roommates and 'forever' friends who take a cruise from Boston to Bermuda in order to celebrate the 20th wedding anniversary of one of them.  Abby, Caroline, and Lee have stayed close and each of them comes to this trip with issues they are dealing with.  Some of the issues are more serious than others, but all deserve some thought by the worrier.  I liked all the characters and also liked the descriptions of not only the cruise, but their time in Bermuda.  A charming book that was perfect for the beginning of summer. 

Blurb:

Three college roommates are celebrating a twentieth wedding anniversary by taking a cruise to Bermuda. As the ship pulls away from the pier, everyone is looking forward to lounging by the pool, sipping sunset cocktails, and reminiscing. Abby, the mother hen of the group, will be celebrating her wedding anniversary in style, even as she and her husband keep a secret from the group. Ambitious career woman Caroline happily anticipates several stress-free days away from her magazine job with her boyfriend, Javier, who may or may not be finally inspired to propose. And single mom Lee (annoyingly gorgeous and irresistibly popular in college) hopes she’ll win back the affections of her formerly sweet daughter Lacey, who after her first year in college, has inexplicably become a little bit of a monster.

As the balmy pink shores of Bermuda come into view, tensions simmer, and old jealousies flare, sending the temperature from soothing to scorching in this engrossing tale of three best friends on a vacation they won’t soon forget—but not for the reasons they expect.

Guppy Book of the Month - As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles - Leslie Budewitz

Guppy Book of the Month

Welcome to the next 'Guppy Book of the Month' post!  I'm very excited about highlighting the books that I'll be receiving as part of my special Live Auction win at Malice Domestic 30.  Each time I receive a book, I'll tell a bit about it and also a bit about the author.  No promises as to when I'll get it read and my thoughts shared, but if it looks great to you, check it out at your local library or bookstore.  Some of these books will be debuts and some will be from authors already established.

As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles

by Leslie Budewitz

5th in the Food Lovers' Village Mystery Series

In Jewel Bay, all is merry and bright. At Murphy's Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily has turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin.

When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he's been robbed, fingers point to Merrily—until she's found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer—and keep herself in one piece—in time for a special Christmas Eve?

Includes delicious recipes!

Leslie is an attorney who practiced in Seattle before returning to her native Montana to live and write mysteries and be a part-time lawyer.  She's the author of both the Food Lovers' Village series, set in Montana, and the Spice Shop series, set at Seattle's wonderful Pike Place Market.  Leslie is very involved in the Sisters in Crime organization and was one of the founding members of the Guppy Chapter.  The first Food Lovers' Village book is Death Al Dente.  And the first Spice Shop book is Assault and Pepper.  That series now has 3 books.  Leslie is also involved in the blog Mystery Lovers Kitchen, where a reader can pick up all kinds of wonderful recipes from several authors.  

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I was excited to meet Leslie at the Malice book convention a few weeks ago.  Both her series are ones that I want to try.  We chatted a bit about my 'Guppy' prize win and I told her that I was planning on sharing the books I received with our mystery book group.  She sent extra bookmarks and recipe cards for them - wasn't that kind?  Thanks for everything, Leslie!  Good luck with your writing and I can't wait to visit Montana and Seattle (which I love) in your books!  

Bookish Nostalgia - June 2018

Welcome to Bookish Nostalgia for June 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:

June 1998 - Summer Sisters by Judy Blume - It's a funny thing - I never read a Judy Blume book until I read this one 20 years ago.  And it's still the only one I've ever read.  I remember liking this story of two friends, first in the teen years and then as adults.  I don't remember a whole lot else.  Have thought about rereading it, but I probably won't.  There are a lot more 'summer' books like this to explore these days.  Are you a Judy Blume fan?

June 2003 - Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik - I've read several books by Lorna Landvik and had to miss a book conference many years ago where she appeared.  Had two friends who did get to meet her.  Anyway, as you might be able to tell, this is a book about a group of friends who live in a neighborhood - 5 of them - and their years together.  The ups and downs and happy and sad.  Isn't that cover great?  I really should reread this one.  Have you read any books by Lorna Landvik?

June 2008 - I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron - This is a short little book of essays by the very funny and snarky Nora Ephron.  The titles are things like 'Blind as a Bat' and 'I Hate My Purse' and, of course, the one about the neck.  I'm pretty sure I've also listened to this book as a reread, narrated by the author.  Not all the essays are hilarious, but some are.  I do know that since I've lost quite a bit of a weight, I feel 'bad' about my neck!  It has more wrinkles and 'stuff' than it used to.  Ha!  A little book for women of 'a certain age'.  I'm definitely going to reread this one soon.

June 2013 - Search the Shadows by Barbara Michaels - Reading Search the Shadows in 2013 - well, definitely a reread.  This is one of my favorite books by an author that I've loved since I was about 15.  As I've shared before, Barbara Mertz (Michaels/Elizabeth Peters) held a PhD from the Oriental Institute in Chicago, which she acquired in 1952.  She was an Egyptologist first and then an author.  That Chicago school features in this book.  Haskell Maloney is an orphan who tries to find out more about her mother, a student at the Institute in her younger days.  Haskell has discovered that she is a carrier for Tay-Sachs, a genetic disease that would be unlikely from an Irish-Catholic father and a Pennsylvania Dutch mother.  Full of dark secrets, this is from the period where Michaels moved away from her earlier 'ghost' stories into romantic suspense.  I thoroughly enjoyed my reread.   

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

Lady of Ashes - Christine Trent

Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent

First Paragraph(s):

I killed a man today, and although I didn't mean to do it, I must confess that it wasn't unpleasant at all.
     I suppose some might call it murder, but is it really murder if the victim deserved it?  If he was especially irritating?
     Unfortunately, most societies frown upon this thing called murder, so I suppose I shall have to reinvent myself.  Again.  If only one could declare the deceased an obnoxious bore or an unrepentant fool and be done with it, there wouldn't be quite so much fuss.

My Thoughts:

After completing Christine Trent's new book, No Cure For the Dead, I decided that I needed to try her series featuring a Victorian era woman who is an undertaker by profession.  Yes, this author does research some interesting and dark aspects of that most famous era.  In Lady of Ashes, we are introduced to Violet Morgan and her husband, Graham.  Actually, these two make a very brief appearance in No Cure For the Dead, which takes place a few years before.  Graham Morgan is the proprietor of Morgan Undertaking, a family business.  And Violet definitely has an affinity for the care and concern that is necessary to work with families who are grieving - plus deal with dead bodies.  I was caught up in the historical detail of Lady of Ashes.  Christine Trent has definitely done her research on Victorian society.  There is an Author Note at the end of the book which points out more info about events and also tells what she changed to fit her story.

I did like Violet Morgan a lot.  Graham Morgan - not so much.  I learned all kinds of things about not only the customs for funerals and mourning in the 1800's, but there was a lot of talk about other historical events at the time.  The reader learns about the American Civil War and how the British government viewed that conflict.  Violet meets Prince Albert at one point and makes a positive impression on him.  After Albert's death, she is summoned by Queen Victoria and required to help with his funeral.  There are also anonymous diary entries included that are written by a killer, but who?  The book was a little long, but I barely noticed.  I'm looking forward to continuing the series which has six books.  The next is Stolen Remains and I suspect it will be appearing on my Kindle soon. 

Blurb:

Only a woman with an iron backbone could succeed as an undertaker in Victorian London, but Violet Morgan takes great pride in her trade. While her husband, Graham, is preoccupied with elevating their station in society, Violet is cultivating a sterling reputation for Morgan Undertaking. She is empathetic, well-versed in funeral fashions, and comfortable with death's role in life--until its chilling rattle comes knocking on her own front door.

Violet's peculiar but happy life soon begins to unravel as Graham becomes obsessed with his own demons and all but abandons her as he plans a vengeful scheme. And the solace she's always found in her work evaporates like a departing soul when she suspects that some of the deceased she's dressed have been murdered. When Graham's plotting leads to his disappearance, Violet takes full control of the business and is commissioned for an undertaking of royal proportions. But she's certain there's a killer lurking in the London fog, and the next funeral may be her own.

Waiting on Wednesday - Wild Fire

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.

This year I've caught up on author Ann Cleeves books featuring Vera Stanhope.  I now need to read her Shetland series.  The book I'm waiting on this week is the 8th (and I understand, the last) in that series:

Wild Fire

by Ann Cleeves

Publication Date:  September 4th

When the Flemings—designer Helena and architect Daniel—move into a remote community in the north of Shetland, they think it's a fresh start for themselves and their children.

But their arrival triggers resentment, and Helena begins to receive small drawings of a gallows and a hanged man. Gossip spreads like wildfire.

A story of dysfunctional families and fractured relationships, Inspector Jimmy Perez's eighth case will intrigue series fans and Shetland Island newcomers alike.

No Cure For the Dead - Christine Trent

No Cure For the Dead by Christine Trent

First Paragraph(s):

Some said I must have been possessed by a demon to take on the position as superintendent at the Establishment for Gentlewomen During Temporary Illness.  On exhausting days like this, I was in total agreement.
     Shaking out my hat and gloves on the stoop outside the Establishment, I determined that the smuts swirling through the London air in a never-ending cloud of ebony flakes were the most repellent thing I'd ever encountered.  They say it's even worse once winter sets in.  I had been out for a mere hour to visit my family's banker, and in my short walk to and fro had accumulated enough coal dust in my hat and on my gloves and shoulders to form a diamond.

My Thoughts:

No Cure For the Dead is the first book in Christine Trent's new series featuring Florence Nightingale and I enjoyed it so much!  You can read about how I acquired it and met the author at the Malice Domestic Mystery Conference here.  I used to read more historical mysteries, but have not picked up very many in recent years.  However, I was quite interested in hearing about them at the mystery conference.  And as I have a daughter who has been a nurse for 13 years, I've heard a lot about nursing as a profession.  This book was fascinating in so many ways.  It also contains an extensive 'author note' at the end to explain more.

I think sometimes we forget how very differently nurses were viewed in the 19th century.  They were considered the dregs of society for the most part and no 'decent' woman would consider calling herself a Nurse.  Florence Nightingale changed all that.  No Cure For the Dead takes place before the Crimean War and before Miss Nightingale changed nursing forever.  In this book, she has recently become the Superintendent of a sort of hospital for women.  Right away, there are problems and a dead body.  As Florence tries to formulate how she will train her staff to measure up to her standards for nursing, she is also investigating that death.  Lots of things happen - accidents - or not.  Christine Trent has included a wealth of info regarding healthcare in the Victorian Age, some of it quite odd.  As I said, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with the characters and the setting.  And I'll be watching for the second book, while also checking out the author's other series - first book is Lady of the Ashes.  Recommended. 

Blurb:

It is 1853. Lady of the Lamp Florence Nightingale has just accepted the position of Superintendent of the Establishment for Gentlewomen During Temporary Illness in London. She has hardly had time to learn the names of the nurses in her charge when she suddenly finds one of them hanging in the Establishment’s library. Her name was Nurse Bellamy.

Florence’s mettle is tested by the dual goals of preserving what little reputation her hospital has and bringing Nurse Bellamy’s killer to justice. Her efforts are met with upturned noses and wayward glances except for her close friend and advocate inside the House of Commons, Sidney Herbert. As Florence digs deeper, however, her attention turns to one of the hospital investors and suddenly, Sidney becomes reluctant to help.

With no one but herself to count on, Florence must now puzzle out what the death of an unknown, nondescript young nurse has to do with conspiracies lurking about at the highest levels of government before she’s silenced too.

The End of Temperance Dare - Wendy Webb

The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb

First Paragraph(s):

They gave her the bed by the window, the one closest to the toy box.  That was something, at least.  But the very fact that she was there at all, away from home, away from her father, her sisters, her dolls, terrified the girl.  Other children were there; she wasn't the only one.  But this did little to soothe her.
     Father didn't tell her he was leaving her here, that she'd be staying.  She thought they were on an outing together, just the two of them, something rare and wonderful.  But it wasn't an outing.  He had brought her here to leave her in this place, with all of these sick and dying people.  She'd clutched his hand as they walked through the foyer to the doctor's office, past patients with sunken eyes and ashen skin, their robes hanging loosely around them, living skeletons who had been nearly consumed by their illnesses.  She watched as one man coughed into a handkerchief, staining it bright red with blood.  She turned her face toward her father's trousers, not wanting to see any more.  Death lived within these walls; she could feel it hanging in the air, as tangible as the fog outside.

My Thoughts:

'Something wicked this way comes...' - that phrase pretty much describes this book.  I've read another book by Wendy Webb, The Fate of Mercy Alban, but it's been several years.  What I can recall about it was Gothic leaning toward horror.  The End of Temperance Dare is much the same.  Eleanor Harper is hired to replace the director of Cliffside Manor, an artist and writer's retreat, upon Miss Penny's retirement.  Soon after, Miss Penny is dead and Eleanor has to figure out what comes next for Cliffside, with very little preparation. 

Wendy Webb provides the reader with a beautiful lakeside setting, an elegant old house (though it did have a former life as a TB sanatorium - rather creepy), an unprepared 'new head of staff' (who by the way is a little clueless in my book for a seasoned investigative reporter), and the 'fellows' - people who were accepted into the artist/writer program for a month of solitude and peace.  Hmmm....not so much peace.  I did like the tale.  And I listened to it on audio, narrated by Xe Sands.  It had a few eye-rolling moments, but I decided to go with them and remember I was reading a Gothic/horror book.  It reminded me a bit of some of the stories told by Jennifer McMahon and it also brought to mind a Stephen King TV mini-series, Rose Red.  That might give you an inkling about Wendy Webb's way of telling a story.  I'll be thinking about reading her backlist and watching for what comes next for her.  I like a good ghostly scare. 

Blurb:

When Eleanor Harper becomes the director of a renowned artists’ retreat, she knows nothing of Cliffside Manor’s dark past as a tuberculosis sanatorium, a “waiting room for death.” After years of covering murder and violence as a crime reporter, Eleanor hopes that being around artists and writers in this new job will be a peaceful retreat for her as much as for them.

But from her first fog-filled moments on the manor’s grounds, Eleanor is seized by a sense of impending doom and realizes there’s more to the institution than its reputation of being a haven for creativity. After the arrival of the new fellows―including the intriguing, handsome photographer Richard Banks―she begins to suspect that her predecessor chose the group with a dangerous purpose in mind. As the chilling mysteries of Cliffside Manor unravel and the eerie sins of the past are exposed, Eleanor must fight to save the fellows—and herself—from sinister forces.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway - Ruth Ware

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

First Paragraph(s):

The magpies are back.  It's strange to think how much I used to hate them, when I first came to the house.  I remember coming up the drive in the taxi from the station, seeing them lined up along the garden wall like that, preening their feathers. 
     Today there was one perched on the frost-rimed branch of yew right outside my window, and I remembered what my mother used to say when I was little and whispered 'Hello, Mr. Magpie' under my breath, to turn away the bad luck.
     I counted them as I dressed, shivering next to the window.  One on the yew tree.  A second on the weathervane of the folly.  A third on the wall of the kitchen garden.  Three for a girl.
     It seemed like an omen, and for a moment I shivered.  Wishing, wondering, waiting...
     But no, there were more on the frozen lawn.  Four, five...six...and one hopping across the flags of the terrace, pecking at the ice on the covers over the table and chairs.
     Seven.  Seven for a secret, never to be told.

My Thoughts:

The Death of Mrs. Westaway is Ruth Ware's fourth book and I've read all of them.  And liked all of them - some more than others.  Each are standalones and each different from those before.  This book is again - different - quite Gothic with secrets and an old creepy house - with a family that doesn't get along or see each other often at all.  Years, in fact.  There is a majorly horrible old housekeeper - ancient and bitter.  Shades of Rebecca and Mrs. Danvers.  There is a death and a will and that's what brings Harriet Westaway, known as Hal, into the story.

I think that's about all I'll say about the plot.  Harriet works as a Tarot card reader on the boardwalk in Brighton.  She owes money.  She's hasn't much.  What will meeting this family bring her?  Well, you'll have to read The Death of Mrs. Westaway to find out.  I was mostly pleased with story.  Hal got a little annoying at times, but she was young and inexperienced and way out of her depth in many ways.  Some of the plot devices were predicable, but I've read a lot of thrillers and Gothics.  There was definitely an ominous feel and the setting in Cornwall and awful weather contributed as well.  I was cold all the time I was reading.  Will I be reading the next book by Ruth Ware?  Oh yes.  Just try and keep me away.  Ha!   

Blurb:

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…