Waiting on Wednesday - The Black Loch

 

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy. 

The book I'm featuring this week is one that I am mega excited about.  It is the 4th book in a trilogy - yes, I said trilogy and 4th book - that I read several years ago and loved.  In fact, I've read the first three books more than once.  I was so surprised to find that Peter May, author of The Lewis Trilogy, is returning to the Isle of Lewis and to Fin Macleod.  Starting with The Blackhouse and continuing with The Lewis Man and then The Chessmen, we have visited the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and learned about Fin, a Detective Inspector, who grew up on the island.  I have shared my thoughts about each of the books on this blog.  Have you read any of this trilogy?  Do you enjoy mystery fiction set in wild and amazing places?  The new book will be published in September and so there is time to play 'catch-up'.  I can't wait because it has been 12 years since the last book was published.  I'm ready to return again...  

The Black Loch

by Peter May

Publication Date:  September 12th  

THE RETURN OF FIN MACLEOD, PETER MAY'S MUCH-LOVED HERO OF THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING LEWIS TRILOGY.

A MURDER

The body of eighteen-year-old TV personality Caitlin is found abandoned on a remote beach at the head of An Loch Dubh - the Black Loch - on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. A swimmer and canoeist, it is inconceivable that she could have drowned.

A SECRET

Fin Macleod left the island ten years earlier to escape its memories. When he learns that his married son Fionnlagh had been having a clandestine affair with the dead girl and is suspected of her murder, he and Marsaili return to try and clear his name.

A RECKONING

But nothing is as it seems, and the truth of the murder lies in a past that Fin would rather forget, and a tragedy at the cages of a salmon farm on East Loch Roag, where the tense climax of the story finds its resolution.

The Black Loch takes us on a journey through family ties, hidden relationships and unforgiving landscapes, where suspense, violent revenge and revelation converge in the shadow of the Black Loch.

Waiting on Wednesday - A Ruse Of Shadows

 

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.  

For this week's highlight, I was bit torn.  I have several I want to feature, but I'll get to all of them as the weeks pass.  Anyway, Sherry Thomas writes a series that is a favorite of mine - the Lady Sherlock books.  I have enjoyed all of these and this week's book is the 8th.  And, yes, I am currently caught up on the previous books and majorly looking forward to how the story of Charlotte Holmes (aka Lady Sherlock) and the other characters plays out.  Have you read any of these books?  You could try them before June.  The first book is A Study In Scarlet Women. 

 

A Ruse Of Shadows

by Sherry Thomas

Publication Date:  June 25th

Charlotte Holmes is accustomed to solving crimes, not being accused of them, but she finds herself in a dreadfully precarious position as the bestselling Lady Sherlock series continues.

Charlotte’s success on the RMS Provence has afforded her a certain measure of time and assurance. Taking advantage of that, she has been busy, plotting to prise the man her sister loves from Moriarty’s iron grip.

Disruption, however, comes from an unexpected quarter. Lord Bancroft Ashburton, disgraced and imprisoned as a result of Charlotte’s prior investigations, nevertheless manages to press Charlotte into service: Underwood, his most loyal henchman, is missing and Lord Bancroft wants Charlotte to find Underwood, dead or alive.

But then Lord Bancroft himself turns up dead and Charlotte, more than anyone else, meets the trifecta criteria of motive, means, and opportunity. Never mind rescuing anyone else, with the law breathing down her neck, can Charlotte save herself from prosecution for murder?

Waiting on Wednesday - The Museum Of Lost Quilts

 

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.  

This week's highlight is by an author that has been writing for a long time.  Jennifer Chiaverini started her 'Elm Creek Quilt' series back in 1999 and her latest book in the series, featured here, is the 22nd.  I've read all the previous books, but it has been 5 years since the previous book was published and the one before that one was 7 years before that.  She's been writing standalone historical fiction novels that are about women and those have been very successful.  I loved the whole 'Elm Creek' series and so I'm delighted to see a new entry.  Will it be the last?  Perhaps, but a visit with the 'Elm Creek' gang will be so welcome.  Have you read any books by this author? 

The Museum of Lost Quilts

by Jennifer Chiaverini

Publication Date:  April 30th

Jennifer Chiaverini’s beloved and bestselling Elm Creek Quilts series returns with the first Elm Creek Quilts novel since 2019’s The Christmas Boutique.

Summer Sullivan, the youngest founding member of Elm Creek Quilts, has spent the last two years pursuing a master’s degree in history at the University of Chicago. Her unexpected return home to the celebrated quilter’s retreat is met with delight but also concern from her mother, Gwen; her best friend, Sarah; master quilter Sylvia; and her other colleagues—and rightly so. Stymied by writer’s block, Summer hasn’t finished her thesis, and she can’t graduate until she does.

Elm Creek Manor offers respite while Summer struggles to meet her extended deadline. She finds welcome distraction in organizing an exhibit of antique quilts as a fundraiser to renovate Union Hall, the 1863 Greek Revival headquarters of the Waterford Historical Society. But Summer’s research uncovers startling facts about Waterford’s past, prompting unsettling questions about racism, economic injustice, and political corruption within their community, past and present.

As Summer’s work progresses, quilt lovers and history buffs praise the growing collection, but affronted local leaders demand that she remove all references to Waterford’s troubled history. As controversy threatens the exhibit’s success, Summer fears that her pursuit of the truth might cost the Waterford Historical Society their last chance to save Union Hall. Her only hope is to rally the quilting community to her cause.

The Museum of Lost Quilts is a warm and deeply moving story about the power of collective memory. With every fascinating quilt she studies, Summer finds her passion for history renewed—and discovers a promising new future for herself.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Briar Club

 

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.  

This week's highlight is by an author who has written some books that I really have liked - Kate Quinn.  She writes historical fiction and her latest books are standalones.  Let me know if this one sounds as good to you as it does to me.  This week I'm waiting on:

The Briar Club

by Kate Quinn

Publication Date:  July 9th

The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The Rose Code returns with a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.

Washington, DC, 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital where secrets hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic room, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship: poised English beauty Fliss, whose facade of perfect wife and mother covers gaping inner wounds; policeman’s daughter Nora, who finds herself entangled with a shadowy gangster; frustrated baseball star Beatrice, whose career has come to an end along with the women’s baseball league of WWII; and poisonous, gung-ho Arlene, who has thrown herself into McCarthy’s Red Scare.

Grace’s weekly attic-room dinner parties and window-brewed sun tea become a healing balm on all their lives, but she hides a terrible secret of her own. When a shocking act of violence tears the house apart, the Briar Club women must decide once and for all: who is the true enemy in their midst?

Capturing the paranoia of the McCarthy era and evoking the changing roles for women in postwar America, The Briar Club is an intimate and thrilling novel of secrets and loyalty put to the test.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Burning

 

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event that I used to take part in weekly.  I'm going to try to do this again in upcoming days and will highlight books that I'm extra excited about.  I was highlighting four books at a time monthly, but I think a weekly event will work better for me. 

This week's highlight is the 16th in one of my favorite series.  Set in Amish country, it features Chief of Police Kate Burkholder.  I have managed to keep up with this series and am delighted that usually each July bring a new book.  This week I'm waiting on:

The Burning

by Linda Castillo

Publication Date:  July 9th

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates a gruesome murder that reveals a little-known chapter of early Amish history in this next riveting installment of the bestselling series by Linda Castillo.

Newlywed Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is awakened by an urgent midnight call summoning her to a suspicious fire in the woods. When she arrives at the scene, she discovers a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased, an Amish man named Milan Swanz, was chained to a stake and burned alive. It is an appalling and eerily symbolic crime against an upstanding husband and father.

Kate knows all too well that the Amish prefer to handle their problems without interference from the outside world, and no one will speak about the murdered man. From what she’s able to piece together, Swanz led a deeply troubled life and had recently been excommunicated. But if that’s the case, why are the Amish so reluctant to talk about him? Are they protecting the memory of one of their own? Or are they afraid of something they dare not share?

When her own brother is implicated in the case, Kate finds herself not only at odds with the Amish, the world of which she was once a part, but also the English community and her counterparts in law enforcement. The investigation takes a violent turn when Kate’s life is threatened by a mysterious stranger.

To uncover the truth about the death of Milan Swanz, Kate must dive deep into the Anabaptist culture, peering into all the dark corners of its history, only to uncover a secret legacy that shatters everything she thought she knew about the Amish themselves—and her own roots.

The bluebonnets are coming...not quite yet, but...

 

Hello book friends!  I know I wrote a few weeks ago how ready I was for spring and wildflowers to come in our area.  And, yes, I still am so ready!  The shot above is from a section of our front yard and the greenery around the rock is mostly bluebonnet plants.  One of the things that drew us to this house when we were house-hunting was a shot of the front and a 'sea of bluebonnets'.  I'm really, really hoping that they will appear again this year.  We shall see.  When (and if) they do, I'll share another shot.  It probably won't be for a few more weeks.

This week was busy, but had some fun things.  I was able to attend what I used to call the 'Afternoon Book Group' at the library where I worked years ago.  It was a group that I attended off and on in past years and the very nice lady that took it over as a volunteer is still leading that group.  They had read Kate Quinn's book, The Alice Network, and I had read that one and discussed it with the 'Mystery Group' a few years ago.  I had also talked about it with the 'Historical Fiction' Book Group I attended in Kerrville.  Anyway, it was nice to see old friends in the group and talk about Kate Quinn's writing with them.  I also recommended Quinn's book, The Rose Code, to the group and others recommended additional books by her.  Have you read any of this author's works?  She has a new one coming out in the summer that I will highlight soon on a 'Waiting on..' post.  

I also went to the eye doctor for a check-up and got a thumbs-up report there.  My prescription has changed very little, so I think I'll wait a bit before thinking about replacing my glasses.  I like all the 'bells and whistles' on them (progressive lens, anti-glare, etc.) and so they tend to be a little pricey.  I have some other annual checks coming in upcoming weeks and I'm finally going to get to visit my new primary care doctor.  Changing doctors is just a major pain in my book.  Sigh.  

Reading is going well, but I've been doing some re-reading and so don't really have a lot to share at this point.  Hope all have a good weekend and a nice end to February next week.  Talk soon.    

Waiting on Wednesday - The Grey Wolf

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event that I used to take part in weekly.  I'm going to try to do this again in upcoming days and will highlight books that I'm extra excited about.  I was highlighting four books at a time monthly, but I think a weekly event will work better for me.  The first book I'll mention will not be published until October, but I always get excited for a new Louise Penny book featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.  I will say that a couple of the later books in this series have not been my favorites.  Here's hoping that this one will hit just the right spot with me because I don't plan to ever stop reading this series.  This week I'm waiting on:

The Grey Wolf

by Louise Penny

Publication Date: October 29th

Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning.

That's only the first in a sequence of strange events that begin THE GREY WOLF, the nineteenth novel in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times-bestselling series. A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Gamache reading "this might interest you", a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list—and then a murder. All propel Chief Inspector Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization. Something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching.

Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste can only trust each other, as old friends begin to act like enemies, and long-time enemies appear to be friends. Determined to track down the threat before it becomes a reality, their pursuit takes them across Québec and across borders. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate, even frantic, as the enormity of the creature they’re chasing becomes clear. If they fail the devastating consequences would reach into the largest of cities and the smallest of villages.

Including Three Pines.

Midnight by Amy McCulloch

Midnight by Amy McCulloch

First Paragraph(s):

I watch as he scampers down the gangway, his fists clenched by his side.  He avoids catching the eye of the distracted officer at the door to the ship, racing past the long line of passengers waiting to check in for their voyage of a lifetime.

He looks so small through my binoculars.  A tiny slip of a man.  I wait, but the woman doesn't come after him.  No matter.  I had planned for that.  Besides, this way is easier.

I've been watching them, waiting, biding my time.  Every moment confirms what I already knew: these two deserve everything that's coming at them.

My Thoughts:

I love books set in unusual locations, especially places that I know I'll likely not ever visit.  Antarctica is one of these and I've read several books set there.  I think this might be the first one I've read that uses a voyage to Antarctica in the storyline though.  Wow!  I'm not a cruise-taking person and won't ever be.  I have bad motion sickness tendencies and, in order to not have that, I would have to be drugged to the point of sleeping all the time.  Doesn't sound fun.  I do like to read about ocean voyages and, as I said, Antarctica.  

I've read the previous book by Amy McCulloch, Breathless, and it was set in the Himalayas and dealt with mountain climbing and murder.  Same goes here.  The murder part.  Olivia was raised by a father who was a gifted sailor and learned how to take care of herself on the water.  Her father died accidentally when she was in her teens and now Olivia is an almost-actuary who gets a chance to accompany her boyfriend, an art dealer, on a trip to Antarctica.  The setting will be key to showing and selling the art of a man who used this continent for inspiration in creating his pieces.  They get on the ship and then things start happening - bad things.  Olivia feels like she's being watched.  And she is.  There are a lot of descriptions of the environment and what is happening to the icebergs.  Very interesting indeed.  The thrills were many, though I did get a little irritated with some of Olivia's decisions (or non-decisions).  An enjoyable book.  I'll be watching for Amy McCulloch's next book and curious about where she will take us.     

Blurb:

THE SUN NEVER SETS AND THIS KILLER NEVER SLEEPS

Olivia Campbell has always dreamed of spending a sunlit night on the frigid Antarctic continent. But as an actuary who assesses risk for a living, she never imagined she would have the chance. So when her career takes an unexpected detour, and her boyfriend—a high-powered art dealer with a taste for the finer things in life—decides to stage an ostentatious, career-making auction on a luxury liner to Antarctica, Olivia is thrilled. That is, until things start to feel a bit strange. In addition to the scores of wealthy patrons and potential buyers, they'll also be traveling alongside a small group of beleaguered employees of Pioneer Adventures—the company responsible for managing the ship—and their charismatic, divisive CEO.

When the first bodies are discovered, it's easy enough for Olivia to write it off as a terrible accident. But as the situation heats up and the temperatures continue to plummet, she begins to wonder whether she might have booked a one-way ticket to her own demise.

I'm ready for spring - are you?

 

Hey book friends!  Thought I would stop by and greet everyone - also saying that I am ready for spring.  I know that some really like the winter weather and I appreciate that.  However, our area of Central Texas does not have 'great' winter weather.  If there is significant weather, it's usually windy, extra cold, or even challenging us with snow or worse, ice!  Hate that.  We're just not suited for those things.  And I have winter allergies (cedar) and the wind will insist on stirring up the pollen and even making it look like trees are 'smoking'.  We've had some high winds in the last week and, as I said, ready for spring.

Sharing a bluebonnet picture above from a few years back.  No, the bluebonnets are not here yet, nor are the other wildflowers that we enjoy in the spring months.  I'm ready for them though and will be excited to share pictures of them when they arrive.  Watch for that in coming weeks or months.  

Life is going well.  We've had a couple of things updated at our 'new-to-us' house and have gotten delivery of some chairs and window shades that we ordered.  Still a few things on back order, but that seems to be the way these days.  They will eventually arrive and we're not desperate for them.  I've turned in my paperwork to become a volunteer at my new library and hope to hear from them before long.  We'll see what they possibly need help with.  

Reading is going OK enough.  I wasn't able to attend our recent mystery book group meeting, but I had not been a big fan of the book selected.  That's how it goes though and I decided to put it aside and read something else.  Right now, as opposed to my usual 'read cold books in summer', I'm in the middle of Amy McCulloch's new book, Midnight.  I enjoyed her first book, Breathless, a while back and was eager to try this one.  Where is this new one set?  Antarctica.  Yep, cold indeed.  I'll share my thoughts when I finish with it.  Some really good books on my upcoming list to read as well.  Guess I can keep myself busy while I'm waiting on those spring wildflowers.  Hope you have a good week!  And what have you been reading or looking forward to?      

Holmes, Marple & Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Holmes, Marple & Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

First Paragraph(s):

Last year

The vacant industrial space that Realtor Gretchen Wik was trying to unload was located in a recently gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood called Bushwick.  The area was becoming trendier by the month, but this particular building was cold and dead--and apparently unsellable.  

Gretchen had been sitting at her sales table on the first floor since noon, tapping her nails while she stared out through a grime-coated window.  In five hours, she had not been visited by a single prospect.

The property consisted of nine thousand square feet on two levels.  But it was run-down and needed a lot of work.  At this point Gretchen felt like the worn wood floors and flaking brick walls were mocking her.  She checked her watch.  In exactly two minutes, her open house would officially be a bust.

Then she heard the front door open.  

My Thoughts:

I think I mentioned when I included this book in a recent 'waiting on' post that it had been a long time since I've read a Patterson book.  And I've not ever read anything by his co-writer, Brian Sitts.  Once upon a time, there were several Patterson series that I sort of kept up with, but time passed and other series took their places.  I did enjoy reading The Women's Murder Club and Alex Cross and Michael Bennett books.  I was curious about this one mostly because of the title, which mentions three of the protagonists - Holmes, Marple, and Poe.  So, how did I fare?

It was a quick read.  The story was fast paced.  The three, Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple, and Auguste Poe are private detectives and work together.  The fourth main character is Helene Grey and she's a NYPD detective.  She comes across them during an investigation and then our story progresses.  Each of the detectives has a bit of their namesake sleuth about them, but we honestly don't find out too much about any of them.  There are several cases in the story, but not much character development or not yet maybe.  This is the first book in what I imagine might be a series.  Don't know.

I thought the whole book was OK-ish.  I wasn't overwhelmed with love though.  Short chapters.  Quickly moving from place to place.  I didn't completely approve of the update to our sleuths.  Honestly, I just think I wasn't a good match for the book.  I finished it and thought - well, what next?  Will I read another book if this is a series?  Probably not.  If you've tried this one, let me know what you thought.  Many others are writing glowing reviews, so this was just my experience.  Yours could be completely different.  

Blurb:

Crime! Murder! Who are you going to call?

In New York City, three intriguing, smart, and stylish private investigators open Holmes, Marple & Poe Investigations. Who are these detectives with famous names and mysterious, untraceable pasts?

Brendan Holmes—The Brain: Identifies suspects via deduction and logic.

Margaret Marple—The Eyes: Possesses powers of observation too often underestimated.

Auguste Poe—The Muscle: Chases down every lead no matter how dangerous or dark.

The agency’s daring methodology and headline-making solves attract the attention of NYPD Detective Helene Grey. Her solo investigation into her three unknowable competitors will delight mystery fans.