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Just when it seems nothing else can go wrong for Zoe O'Connell—a single mom struggling to keep up with her expensive, stressful life in London—something does.  A "reappraisal" on her crummy flat is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back.  Knowing she'll get no help from her absent mum nor her charming, but always penniless ex, Zoe's at her wit's end.  She wants something better for her non-verbal 4-year-old, Hari, but how can she improve their situation when she has no money, no support system, and no hope that things will ever get better?

Enter Surinder, Hari's aunt.  A friend of Nina Redmond (heroine of The Bookshop on the Corner), who's looking for help with her bookmobile business, Surinder sets Zoe up with two jobs in a tiny town in the Scottish Highlands.  Zoe will help Nina out while also working as a nanny at the local "big house."  Desperate, Zoe has little choice but to accept.  Soon, she's doing her best to keep her three rowdy charges in line, help their father engage with his children, and keep a pregnant Nina from overworking herself.  Hari seems content in Kirrinfief, so Zoe's determined to make it work despite all the challenges she's facing.  Can she make a home for herself and her son out of a backward Scottish village?  When push comes to shove, will she stay or go?

Jenny Colgan is a new find for me.  I read The Bookshop on the Corner in 2017 and loved it, so I was eager to pick up its companion novel, The Bookshop on the Shore.  While the latter is not a sequel per se, it does feature the same town as well as some of the same characters from the former.  I loved dropping in on these old friends and being introduced to new ones.  Like its predecessor, The Bookshop on the Shore is warm, sweet, and funny.  I adored everything about it, from the setting to the writing to the characters, both new and familiar.  As much as I enjoyed The Bookshop on the Corner, I liked this one even better as it has more depth to it.  Colgan writes such fun books.  I definitely plan to keep exploring her backlist while eagerly awaiting her newest offerings.

(Readalikes:  The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a half dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives) and innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Bookshop on the Corner with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

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After her mother dies, London tv producer Ailsa Calder inherits an imposing home in the Scottish Highlands known as the Manse.  Although she lived in the house as a young child, the place gives Ailsa the creeps.  Big time.  Ailsa can feel it watching her, eyeing her every move with sinister intentions.  Even the local wildlife and neighborhood pets refuse to set foot on the property.  The townspeople whisper about the haunted Manse, saying it's a strange, in-between place where time moves differently.  Crazy as it sounds, Ailsa almost believes them.  If she had inherited the entire house, she would sell it without hesitation, but the other half belongs to her father—and he's been missing for 27 years.  Before she can unload her unsettling inheritance, Ailsa has to prove her dad is dead.

For convenience's sake, Ailsa decides to live in the Manse while preparing the paperwork necessary to sell the old pile.  Carrie, the half-sister Ailsa barely knows, becomes her erstwhile roommate.  As the two women get to know each other and the locals—some of whom are kind and welcoming, others of whom view the sisters with suspicion and distrust—it soon becomes apparent that the Manse isn't the only entity that wishes Ailsa harm ...

I'm sure it's more than evident by now that I love me a shivery mystery/thriller featuring an ominous, atmospheric backdrop; an eerie old house; and a dusty old skeleton (literal or otherwise) hiding in a closet, just waiting to be discovered.  The Missing Hours by Lexie Elliott has all this and more.  It's a compelling and engrossing page-turner that offers mystery, suspense, and a hint of the supernatural.  The plot is a teensy bit slow, but I didn't mind that a bit.  The Missing Hours held my attention, keeping me feeling slightly off-kilter (in a good way) throughout.  I didn't love Elliott's debut, The French Girl, but her sophomore attempt is much, much more to my liking.  I very much enjoyed this creepy, entertaining novel.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of books by Carol Goodman, Jennifer McMahon, and Hester Fox)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, references to illegal drug use, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of The Missing Hours from the generous folks at Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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Ten years ago, six university friends from Oxford decided to spend an idyllic week at a quaint farmhouse in the French countryside.  It was supposed to be a relaxing holiday away from books, homework, and college stress.  When the group met Severine Dupas, the beautiful 19-year-old girl next door, things changed.  Some welcomed the novelty of her presence, others resented it.  A big fight ended the vacation, Severine vanished, and none of the friendships were the same afterward.  

Now, a decade later, Severine's corpse has been discovered in a well near the farmhouse.  Detectives are questioning everyone who knew her and everything that happened during the holiday week prior to her disappearance.  Kate Channing, a 31-year-old London lawyer, stands to lose everything she's worked so hard for if she's named as Severine's murderer.  As suspicion mounts against her, Kate struggles to make sense of what she remembers from the ill-fated holiday.  What really happened during that week in France?  Who wanted or needed Severine gone badly enough to take her life?  Which of Kate's friends became a killer during the vacation Kate desperately wishes had never happened?

The French Girl, a debut novel by Scottish author Lexie Elliott, offers an intriguing premise with a heck-ton of potential.  Unfortunately, the story starts slowly and never really gains momentum.  Its plot and characters are intriguing enough that I kept reading, but not unique enough to make this psychological thriller stand out among its many, many fellows.  In the end, The French Girl left me feeling underwhelmed and confused since Elliott left some story threads dangling. Still, I'm definitely willing to give the author another chance.  Her upcoming sophomore novel, The Missing Years, sounds like the kind of Gothic thriller I adore.  I will for sure be checking it out in April 2019.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a bit of In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware and Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day)

Grade:

  

for strong language, violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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When Ruairidh Macfarlane proposes investing in a small, Hebridean tweed company, his wife balks.  Niamh has business and marketing experience, but still, sinking their life's savings into her husband's dream seems more than a little risky.  Still, the duo manage to make a successful go of it.  When their unique version of Harris tweed catches the attention of some bigwigs in the fashion industry, it seems like everything's finally coming up roses.

Although the business is taking off, Niamh's relationship with her childhood friend turned husband, has gotten a bit rocky.  While on an important business trip in Paris, she accuses Ruairidh of having an affair with Irina Vetrov, a married fashion designer.  Furious, he stomps out of their hotel room.  Moments later, Niamh spies him climbing into Irina's car.  Minutes after that, the vehicle explodes, killing Ruairdh and Irina instantly.  A shocked Niamh soon finds herself the prime suspect in her husband's murder.  Even when she's released and allowed to return to Scotland, she's hounded by police and regarded with suspicion.

While Niamh grapples to come to terms with her husband's violent death, she also searches for answers.  The more she discovers, the more she begins to suspect that the reason for Ruairdh's murder has more to do with local politics than international ones.  When someone makes an attempt on her life, she knows the killer isn't satisfied yet ...

I'm a big fan of Peter May's thrillers, especially those that take place in the moody, broody Hebrides.  May has a keen way of making the locale come alive for me in all its stark, striking glory.  His newest, I'll Keep You Safe, is set mostly off-island, which might explain why I didn't love it as much as some of his others.  Like a true Hebridean, I'm leery of outlanders and prefer an all-local cast.  This novel also seems more graphic to me.  May uses a different format for this novel, which provides an interesting contrast.  Still and all, I'll Keep You Safe remains a tense page turner that kept me riveted from start to finish.  I saw the killer coming, but a couple of the story's twists did catch me by surprise.  So, while this isn't my favorite of May's, I'll still read anything of his, especially if it's set in the always-fascinating Hebrides.

(Readalikes:  Other Hebridean thrillers by Peter May; also books by Ann Cleeves)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, depictions of illegal drug use, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of I'll Keep You Safe from the generous folks at Quercus.  Thank you!

  

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There's nothing 29-year-old Nina Redmond likes more than a swoony, satisfying happily ever after.  Whether that sweeping high comes from her own reading or from helping a hungry reader find the right book, it doesn't matter.  As a London librarian, Nina's greatest joy comes from seeing the perfect HEAs come to fruition.  If only she could find one for herself.

When Nina becomes redundant at work, she's adrift, wondering how to find meaning in her newly unemployed state.  Before she can talk herself out of it, she finds herself traveling to the Scottish Highlands to buy an old bus.  In her mind's eye, she can see what the rusty vehicle is truly meant to be—a mobile bookshop.  London has no need for such a thing, but the folks in tiny Kirrinfief do.  As Nina sets about turning her dream into reality, she becomes more and more comfortable in the tiny Scottish village.  Is it possible she's stumbled upon not just her life's calling, but also a place where she can truly feel at home?  Between her new business challenges, the attention of a handsome Latvian train driver, and the relationship she thinks she might be building with her enigmatic sheep-farming landlord, Nina's once humdrum life has taken some surprising, very intriguing new turns.  What's lurking at the end of that twisty road?  Could it be Nina's long-awaited, much sought-after happily ever after?  

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan is a warm, fun novel about the power of books to transform lives and communities.  It's also about the risk and rewards of taking a chance, even (especially?) a crazy one.  Nina's a lovable heroine whose passion will resonate with anyone who loves books.  Her antics are entertaining and it's easy to root for her happiness.  Perhaps Nina's HEA, especially with her business, comes without enough struggle (as was suggested by my friend Jenny in her recent review of this novel), but that doesn't bother me all that much.  I enjoyed this one, however far-fetched it may be.  This was my first foray into Colgan territory, but it certainly won't be my last.

(Readalikes:  I feel like I should be able to think of a million comparable titles, but nothing's coming to mind.  Help?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a few F-bombs, plus milder expletives), sexual innuendo, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  The Bookshop on the Corner came from my personal library, although I'm not sure how it got there.  #bookhoarderproblems

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A dazed, hypothermic man walks out of the sea on the Outer Hebrides' Isle of Harris with no recollection of his name, address, or occupation.  Gradually, he learns that he's Ian McLean, he lives in a seaside cottage in Luskentyre, and he's a writer working on a book about something called the Coffin Road.  According to his neighbors, Ian moved to the island 18 months ago to write.  It's curious, then, that he can find no evidence of a manuscript-in-progress anywhere in his house.  Has he been suffering from a massive case of writer's block?  Or is something else going on here?  Nothing that Ian has learned about himself feels right.  Who is he, really?  And what's he been doing in the Outer Hebrides?

George Gunn, a detective sergeant from Stornoway, also has a mystery on his hands.  The body of an unidentified man has been found on a tiny, sea-soaked island where a century ago a trio of lighthouse keepers disappeared without a trace.  George doesn't recognize the corpse, but Ian thinks he does.  The details are very murky in Ian's mind, but he believes he might have been the one to kill the man.

Karen Fleming, a 17-year-old Goth girl living in Edinburgh, is also trying to piece together a mysterious puzzle.  Her father, a scientist, vanished two years ago.  His apparent suicide doesn't sit well with her.  The more Karen finds out about the work her dad was doing before he disappeared, the more convinced she is that he didn't kill himself.  But if he didn't, who did?

As these three mysteries unfurl, it's up to the principal characters to figure out what in the world is going on.  When the different threads become tangled together, it's apparent that something very sinister is happening on the Isle of Harris.  Can Ian and George weave it all together in time to save themselves?  Or will they, too, become victims in the dangerous game being played out before their eyes?

Like Peter May's other Outer Hebridean mysteries, Coffin Road is a tense, intriguing mystery set against a broody backdrop that lends an otherworldly eeriness to the story at hand.  This one gets maybe a little far-fetched, but who cares?  It's a twisty, compelling tale that kept me turning pages well into the night.  If you're a fan of intriguing mysteries set in remote, atmospheric locales (which I am), definitely give Peter May a go.  I've read a number of his books over the last year or so and I've enjoyed them all.  Coffin Road is no exception.

(Readalikes:  other mysteries by Peter May, including the Lewis Trilogy [The Blackhouse; The Lewis Man; The Chessmen] and Entry Island)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, and references to illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Coffin Road from the generous folks at Quercus (a division of Hachette Book Group).  Thank you!

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When a suspicious death occurs on a remote island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Sime Mackenize finds himself on a bumpy flight to the Magdalen Islands.  A homicide detective for Montreal's Sûreté de Police, Sime is part of an 8-person investigation team (which includes his ex-wife) taxed with figuring out how wealthy lobsterman James Cowell died.  The answer seems pretty obvious.  Not only was Kirsty Cowell discovered with her husband's blood all over her, but her tale of an armed intruder killing James reeks of falsity.  A homicide has never occurred before on tiny Entry Island—what motivated this one?  If Kirsty Cowell murdered her husband, why did she do it?

No one on the investigative team believes Kirsty Cowell's story.  Even Sime finds it far-fetched.  So why does he want so badly for Kirsty to be innocent?  Still mourning the dissolution of his marriage, Sime is also plagued by insomnia.  Does this explain the visions he's suddenly having of himself and Kirsty living a life together in another time and place?  Or is Sime simply going mad?  

Desperate to clear the widow's name, Sime vows to get to the bottom of Entry Island's first homicide.  What he finds are big secrets on a little island.  As he struggles to solve the crime, decipher his visions, and fight his obsession with a woman he barely knows, Sime must convince his team to look closer at a puzzling, more-than-meets-the-eye mystery.  His subjectivity could cost him his job, but he has to find the truth.  Kirsty Cowell did not kill her husband.  Or did she?

I discovered Scottish mystery writer Peter May this year and have been reading through his books as fast as I can.  Like his other novels, Entry Island features a stark and desolate place populated by complex, intriguing characters.  Sime reminds me a little too much of Fin Macleod (the hero of May's Lewis Trilogy); I would have liked him to have a more distinct personality.  That's a minor complaint, though, since I found the rest of the novel so absorbing.  The back-and-forth in time gave it an extra layer of intrigue, which serves to make the plot even more compelling.  As with May's other novels, I whipped through Entry Island and enjoyed it very much.  Bottom line: I'm a fan.  If May writes it, there's an excellent chance I'll read it.  

(Readalikes: Reminds me of other books by Peter May, including his Lewis Trilogy [The Blackhouse; The Lewis Man; The Chessmen] and Coffin Road)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, blood/gore, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for The Chessmen, it may inadvertently spoil plot surprises from the first two books in the Lewis trilogy.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Having left behind his life as an Edinburgh detective, Fin MacLeod is living on Lewis, the Outer Hebridean island of his birth.  While restoring his parents' croft in Crobost, he takes a job as a security officer at the Red River Estate.  It's while chasing poachers there that Fin encounters a blast from his past.  A childhood friend of Fin's, Whistler Macaskill is still as mercurial and unpredictable as ever.  It's while reconnecting that the two witness a bog burst, a rare natural phenomenon that results in the rapid draining of a loch.  When the water disappears, the men are shocked by what remains; stuck in the mud is a small airplane which is immediately familiar to both of them.

Fin and Whistler are not surprised to find the remains of their former friend and band mate inside the aircraft.  A seventeen-year-old mystery has just been solved.  But how exactly did Roddy Mackenzie die?  And why is Whistler being so cagey?  What does he know about the events that led to Roddy's death?  As Fin digs into the past to find answers, he discovers startling truths about his friends and about himself.    

The Chessmen, the last book in Peter May's Lewis trilogy, offers another compelling mystery set against the bleak backdrop of the Outer Hebrideans.  With interesting characters, a twisty plot, and an atmospheric setting, it's a fitting finale to the series.  I'm sad, though, that the series is over as I feel there's still a lot to learn about all of May's story people.  I guess it's good to keep readers wanting more?  Maybe?  

(Readalikes:  The Blackhouse and The Lewis Man by Peter May)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, and depictions of underage drinking and illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for The Lewis Man, it may inadvertently ruin plot surprises from its predecessor, The Blackhouse.  As always, I recommend reading a series in order.)

After returning to Crobost—a small village on the Outer Hebridean island of his birth—to investigate a murder, Fin MacLeod is back for good.  Leaving behind a broken marriage and his position as a detective in the Edinburgh police force, he's focusing on rebuilding his family's abandoned croft.  Marsaili, the woman Fin has loved since childhood, is a recent widow; their son a new father; Fin longs for connection with them all.  

With so much on his plate already, the last thing Fin expects to grapple with is a suspicious death.  When a body is recovered from a Lewis peat bog, the former detective is called in to help with the investigation.  The only clue to the corpse's identity is an Elvis tattoo and a DNA match to Marsaili's father.  Suffering from dementia, Tormod Macdonald can't give Fin a straight answer about the body.  It's up to Fin and Marsaili to delve into the old man's past in order to solve a cold case, one that will bring some hot new trouble down on them all. 

Taking place on the same island as The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man—the second book in Peter May's trilogy set in the Outer Hebrides—brings back the broody landscape, tight community, and intriguing characters that made The Blackhouse such a compelling novel.  Because of Fin's switch from cop to crofter, this second book isn't so much a police procedural as a complex study of the human psyche, both good and bad.  It delves more into the characters' hearts, minds, and souls.  Which isn't to say it doesn't have an engrossing plot.  It does.  These things, plus the story's focus on redemption, forgiveness, and overcoming the plagues of past generations, makes it a deeper, more meaningful novel than The Blackhouse.  Although I enjoyed this whole series, The Lewis Man is, by far, my favorite installment.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of The Blackhouse and The Chessmen by Peter May)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

With its dark, broody weather and desolate, treeless landscape, the Isle of Lewis makes a fitting backdrop for murder.  And this one's as grisly as they come.  Oddly, the crime bears remarkable similarities to a recent killing in Edinburgh.  Because he speaks Gaelic, Edinburgh detective Fin McLeod is sent to the Outer Hebrides to investigate.  Reared on Lewis, the policeman hasn't been back in almost two decades.  He's less than thrilled to be returning now, especially on such an unpleasant errand.

Fin has no desire to revisit his dark past, but he has little choice as he traverses the land he knew so well as a boy.  Questioning old friends and neighbors doesn't help matters.  The more he investigates the murder, the deeper he's drawn into not just the past but also the secretive presents of the tight-lipped islanders.  It doesn't help that Marsaili, the woman Fin has always loved, still lives on the island—with her husband.  Being on Lewis is seriously messing with his head.  Can Fin sniff out a killer when he can't even sort himself?  With a murderer on the loose, will the detective ever leave Lewis?  Or will his homecoming end with his body buried in the cold, hard ground he vowed never to step on again?  

Although The Blackhouse—the first book in Peter May's Lewis trilogy—begins with a murder, the novel really isn't about the crime.  It's about the journey of a man haunted by his past.  Fin is a complex character; his flaws humanize him in a way that makes it impossible not to empathize with his plight.  As he examines the Outer Hebrides, with its unique scenery, culture, and people, the book's setting comes to life, becoming an intriguing character in its own right.  As for the plot of The Blackhouse, it's tense, compelling, and twisty.  On the whole, the novel is dark, depressing, and sad.  And yet, I found myself totally engrossed by it, so much so that I put the next two books in the series on reserve at the library before I even finished The Blackhouse.  I do like a moody mystery set in a unique locale.  Since I've now finished the series, I can say that all three volumes definitely qualify.

(Readalikes: Reminded me of the other books in the trilogy [The Lewis Man; and The Chessmen] as well as several of May's stand alone novels [Entry Island; Coffin Road; Runaway; etc.].  

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, and depictions of underage drinking and illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find