The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

October 8, 2021

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

Grace Bennett and her bestie Viv move to London just before the start of World War II. While Viv gets a job at Harrod's, Grace doesn't have the necessary letter of recommendation. She gets a job at a musty old London bookstore with the understanding that if she works there for six months, the owner will give her the required letter. Although Grace isn't a reader, she sets to work cleaning and reorganizing the shop and is soon sucked into the spell of books, with the help of a patron named George. During the Blitz, Grace volunteers as an air raid warden, a job that many feel is unsuitable for a woman, and becomes known for reading aloud in the local tube station during air raids. When a bomb hits the street where the bookshop is located, the community comes together to save the store.

Based on a true story, this is a feel-good novel about World War II and the "keep calm and carry on" attitude of Londoners during the Blitz. The plot is predictable w giveith the expected romance, but that's okay. It gives a look at life during the Blitz without getting too graphic.

London tube station being used as an air raid shelter during World War II

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

October 4, 2021

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

At an exclusive island resort off the coast of Ireland, a magazine publisher and a television star have planned the destination wedding of their dreams. But the wedding party and the guests are more like frenemies than real friends. Things start to go badly wrong shortly after the vows are said and the champagne is opened, when a body is discovered on the grounds.

An homage to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." Like Christie's mystery, it's psychological fiction, slow-burning and slow moving, with many different narrators and everyone suspecting everyone else. Many of the characters are not who the others think they are. The solution to the mystery and the conclusion are satisfying. Pay attention to the change in narrators and the subtle clues that are dropped throughout. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

The Magpie Lord by K. J. Charles

October 1, 2021

The Magpie Lord by K. J. Charles

Upon the death of his father and older brother, Lucien Vaudrey is summoned home from the far east, having inherited the family earldom. He is now Earl Crane. But his family has magical enemies and he needs help fast. He summons a magician from London to assist him. Magician Stephen Day arrives to help but he secretly hates Crane's family, for good reason. But the two are forced to work together to clear the malevolent forces threatening Crane's estate. They also discover a powerful physical attraction to each other.

This was a freebie from Amazon Prime. It's the first book in the Charm of Magpies series. There's nothing wrong with the story or the magic aspect, but I did not like how Lucien treated Stephen. Stephen is a petite man and Lucien bullied and abused him, even/especially during the sex scenes (which were more graphic than I expected them to be). I'm a small person (although female) and I know how threatening it feels to have a much larger person trying to dominate you, just because they can.

Not going to continue with the series.

A magpie

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

September 9, 2022

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

Tesla Crane and her brand new spouse Shal, a retired detective, are on their honeymoon on an interplanetary cruise ship to Mars. But just a few days in, a passenger is stabbed outside their suite and Shal's fingerprints are on the knife. Another body shows up in the ship's recycling plant, but this passenger is unaccounted for on the ship's passenger list. Who is the second victim? Why is someone trying to frame Tesla's husband? With Shal on house arrest, it's down to Tesla and her service dog Gimlet to solve the mystery.

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This is a light witty mystery that is an homage to the Nick and Nora Charles mysteries by Dashiell Hammett. Nick is a detective who marries Nora, a wealthy heiress. They solve mysteries, drink cocktails, exchange witty repartee, and have a little white terrier named Asta. The most popular of the Nick and Nora mysteries is The Thin Man (hence the play on the title The Spare Man). It's a popular trope and they've been spoofed before, most notably in the movie Murder by Death, where they're Dick and Dora Charleston (Dora is played by Maggie Smith).

What I found really annoying was Tesla's MANY ailments. She is in constant pain, has panic attacks, gets flashbacks and seizures from flashing lights or pyrotechnics. At times, Tesla's problems really detracted from the mystery, since there was so much detail about how much pain she was in or descriptions of her flashbacks and panic attacks. Any ONE of her physical problems would have justified bringing her service dog along. But really, Tesla is a mega-gazillionaire, so she could have brought her adorable little dog with her, no excuses required. 

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC.

Nick and Nora Charles with Asta

Murder at the Mayfair Hotel by C. J. Archer

September 27, 2021

Murder at the Mayfair Hotel by C. J. Archer

After the death of her beloved grandmother and guardian, orphaned Cleopatra Fox moves into the luxurious London hotel owned by her uncle, just as they are preparing for the holiday season. But the poisoning of a hotel guest throws everything into chaos. It seems no one can be trusted, not even the handsome and charming assistant manager. With the hotel's future hanging by a thread, Cleo must find the killer before the hotel's famous New Year's Ball.

This is the first book in a series and I didn't like it enough to continue. The main character jumped to conclusions and accused people haphazardly, resulting in two people losing their jobs. The side characters are much more interesting and much more developed than the main character. There is good historical detail about London at the end of the 19th century.

Lucifer's Harvest by Mel Starr

September 25, 2021

Lucifer's Harvest by Mel Starr

Prince Edward (aka Edward of Woodstock, known to us as the Black Prince) is raising an army to go to France to win back English territory taken by the King of France. Lord Gilbert Talbot is required to provide soldiers for Edward's army, and he wants his surgeon, Master Hugh de Singleton, to accompany him and his men. Hugh's old nemesis, Sir Simon Trillowe, is also with the army. When Sir Simon is found dead, Hugh finds himself as both suspect and sleuth as he must work to clear himself of the crime.

Shorter than previous books in the series, but Hugh gets a lot done in fewer pages. Great characters in this series as well as solid historical research. This is the ninth book in the series. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction.

Tomb of Edward of Woodstock

The Five: the Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

September 23, 2021

The Five: the Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

Jack the Ripper's five victims are dismissed as prostitutes and drunks who deserved to be murdered. But that was a 19th century media depiction designed to sell newspapers, not the truth by any means. The five women were daughters, wives, and mothers, not just victims. They were women who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, placed there by circumstances.

Women's fathers and husbands were usually their only source of financial support in the 19th century. If a woman was widowed or her parents died and she was left penniless, there was often no other way for her to support herself and her children than resorting to prostitution. Some of the Ripper's victims weren't prostitutes at all, just forced to sleep rough because they didn't have the means to rent a room for the night. Cheap gin was a way to forget the horror that their lives had become. Poverty, homelessness, and no prospects for employment drove them to the streets and prostitution.

This is a really insightful look at the Ripper's victims as people and not just as horribly mutilated dead bodies. Very well-researched.

The women who were victims of Jack the Ripper

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.