A Beautiful Crime by Christopher Bollen

December 29, 2019

A Beautiful Crime by Christopher Bolen

Nick and Clay, two fledgling con men from New York, concoct a scheme to swindle a retired American expatriate in Venice.  Their plan is simple:  play on the expatriate gazillionaire's obsession with a famous New York family's antiques.  When their first swindle succeeds beautifully, they decide to gamble on an even bigger con.

While the plot was interesting, I found all three of the main characters to be unlikable - the most interesting character in the book was Freddy, who died before the book opens but fortunately appears in a later section.  When I found out that Richard, the expatriate, was one of those super-wealthy Americans who decide that they have to save Venice, I hoped that Nick and Clay would swindle him good (sorry, but if the Italian and Venetian governments don't want to save Venice, it shouldn't be up to a bunch of stupid mega-rich Americans to do it - there are too many causes in our own country that need their help desperately, like wildlife conservation and childhood poverty).  But the plot moves quickly, the writing is quite literary for a thriller, and it's a quick read that will keep the reader interested.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in return for a review.

The Queen's Fortune by Allison Pataki

December 25, 2019

The Queen’s Fortune by Allison Pataki

I managed to hurt my back a couple of days before Christmas and spent most of Christmas Day in bed reading this highly entertaining historical novel.  There are worse ways to spend the day. 

Desiree Clary was the 16 year old daughter of a wealthy silk merchant when she met 24 year old Napoleon Bonaparte (or Napoleone Buonaparte, as he was known at that time), a Corsican soldier.  After a quick courtship, Napoleon asked Desiree to marry him; she agreed and Napoleon told her that he would send for her to join him in Paris to get married as soon as he established himself.  But once in Paris, Napoleon quickly fell for glamorous Viscountess Josephine de Beauharnais and abandoned Desiree to marry Josephine.  But Napoleon’s brother Joseph Bonaparte married Desiree’s sister Julie, so Napoleon and Desiree were destined to be connected for the rest of their lives.  Napoleon became the Emperor of France, but surprisingly Desiree went on to become the Queen of Sweden through her marriage.

Desiree Clary Bernadotte is a fascinating but little-known historical figure.  Pataki’s novel is well-researched and overall historically accurate.  Inaccuracies are mostly in the form of omitting certain details (such as how much time Desiree spent away from her husband, residing in France for most of her married life while he was living in Sweden) and the story is a little over-romanticized.  However, this is a great historical guilty pleasure read:  interesting characters, reasonable historical accuracy, royal gossip, lots of banquets, clothes, and palaces.  The writing is excellent and the story is fast-paced – it’s pretty hard to put down.  And the cover is gorgeous.  I had read about Desiree years ago in Annemarie Selinko’s novel Desiree.  I fell in love with her story then and enjoyed getting reacquainted with her.  Readers who enjoyed Philippa Gregory's Tudor queen series will enjoy The Queen's Fortune.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in return for a review.

Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer

December 19, 2019

Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer

My last holiday book of the season.

Nathaniel Herriard owns a country manor in rural England.  His brother Joseph and Joseph’s wife Maud, both former actors, live off of Nathaniel’s generosity.  Nathaniel tolerates having them live with him until Joseph gets it into his head to organize a Christmas house party consisting of a variety of people who, general speaking, detest each other.  When Nathaniel is found murdered in a locked room, the guests realize that there is a killer in the house.

Envious Casca was written in 1941 and also published under the title A Christmas Party.  This is a perfectly acceptable holiday mystery that ticked a lot of boxes for me:  English country house, locked room murder, Christmas, a clever crime.  It has the usual suspects:  the old rich curmudgeon who hates Christmas and house parties, the meddling uncle, poor relations, the pushy niece, the heir apparent and his airhead fiancée, the put-upon detective.  If you are interested in a little light reading over the holidays, this is a good choice.

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by

December 17, 2019

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal

The three Shergill sisters were all born in England, and only the oldest sister has ever visited India.  The sisters weren’t close growing up and have grown even further apart as adults.  They are shocked when their widowed mother makes a last request on her deathbed:  that her three daughters make a pilgrimage to India to visit the holy sites and spread her ashes.  Each of the sisters feels responsible for their mother’s lifelong unhappiness, and their stories unfold along their travels, bringing them closer together as their mother wished.

I was interested enough in the sisters to continue reading, but disappointed in the repetitiveness of their thoughts and the slow pacing made the story drag. 

(I’m sorry, but the India described in the book sounds like a horrible place:  very hot and humid, crowded, dirty, and dangerous for women.  There are 15% more men than women in India, due to the cultural preference for sons, and the Indian men in the story break into violence very quickly.)

How Quickly She Disappears by Raymond Fleischmann

December 13, 2019

How Quickly She Disappears by Raymond Fleischmann

Elisabeth Pfautz and her family live in a tiny town in Alaska.  Her husband works for the Office of Indian Affairs, and she spends most of her time home-schooling her daughter and waiting for the weekly mail delivery, until a stranger appears one day.  He seems to know a lot about Elisabeth’s sister Jacqueline who went missing 20 years earlier.  He offers information to Elisabeth but wants something in return.  Elisabeth is desperate to know what happened to her sister, but can she trust him?

This is a quick read and I was very interested in the time and place (rural Alaska, right before Pearl Harbor).  I also like books about cold cases and missing people.  However, the story lost its momentum and the ending just sort of fizzled out.  Did the author not know how to end the story or is he planning a sequel?  More character development would have helped, too.  It's unfair to compare this thriller to The Silence of the Lambs or The Dry, both of which are gripping thrillers, since this one isn't in the same league.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in return for a review.

The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey

December 11, 2019

The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey

Seventy-eight year old Missy Carmichael is adrift:  she recently lost her husband, her son and his family live in Australia, and her relationship with her daughter is strained at best.  She decides to attend an event at the local park, just so she can tell her children that she is getting out of the house.  But her decision to go to the park unexpectedly opens up a whole new world for her, filled with friendship, new experiences, and dogs (that's Missy with her dog Bobby on the cover).

Quite a few novels have been compared to A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, but this is one of the few books that actually deserves that comparison.  Missy is a senior citizen version of what Eleanor would have become if her friends hadn’t held an intervention, and there is also a tragic and heartwarming story similar to Backman’s protagonist Ove.

This is another book to add to my favorites shelf.  I found myself reading slowly since I didn’t want the book to end.  The Love Story of Missy Carmichael will be published early in 2020 and I highly recommend it.

A Noel Killing by M. L. Longworth

December 8, 2019

A Noel Killing by M. L. Longworth

Judge Antoine Verlaque does not like Christmas – it brings too many visitors and shoppers to the town of Aix in the south of France.  His wife Marine convinces him to attend the Christmas carol concert at the local church.  To his surprise, Antoine enjoys the service and the dinner afterwards, until a local businessman collapses in the middle of the party.  The congregation is shocked and saddened by the man’s death from a suspected heart attack, until the coroner returns a verdict of death by poisoning.

An enjoyable holiday mystery.  This is the 8^th title in the cozy Provencal Mystery series featuring magistrate Antoine Verlaque and his wife Marine Bonnet, but it can be read as a stand-alone.  Longworth does a good job of filling in any necessary background details from previous titles.  Lots of conversations and settings that involve food and wine, gossip, local color.  Fans of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series will enjoy the Provencal Mystery series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in return for a review.