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Monday, April 22, 2019
Inspiring MG Novel Lauds the Power of Friendship
9:57 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Gabriel Haberlin's life is already pretty great, but when he gets a shiny new bicycle for his 12th birthday it gets even better. He's taking his present for a spin around little Birdsong, South Carolina, when he comes face-to-face (tire-to-tire?) with the town's worst driver. Just as Gabriel starts to fret that his 12th birthday will be his last, someone rushes in front of the speeding car and pushes Gabriel out of the way. The stranger, a black man named Meriwether Hunter, not only saves Gabriel's life but he also fixes up his mangled bicycle so it looks as good as new.
Wanting to repay Meriwether's kindness, Gabriel talks his father into hiring the fix-it man to work at his auto shop. Not everyone in the segregated town is happy with that hiring decision, but Gabriel is thrilled with the opportunity to get to know Meriwether better. When he finds out the black man's intriguing secret, Gabriel becomes even more fascinated with his new pal. If more people knew about Meriwether's war service and heroism, surely they would treat him better. But, even in small, safe Birdsong secrets and forbidden friendships are dangerous things, things that will open Gabriel's eyes in ways they've never been opened before ...
The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA, by Brenda Woods is a touching, thought-provoking novel about growing up and facing the sometimes ugly truths that can exist in even the most placid of places. It's a story about finding hidden depths, both in yourself and other people. The tale, which features an interesting historical setting, likable characters, and tight prose, also teaches many valuable lessons about friendship, family, and forming one's own opinions in spite of what anyone else might think. It's an enjoyable and important book that's easy to read, but difficult to forget.
(Readalikes: Reminds me a bit of Jericho Walls by Kristi Collier)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for violence and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA, from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Sluggish "Thriller" Not Really ... Thrilling
7:38 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Biologist Marian Engström has always been better with animals than humans, so it's no surprise when she finds her life's calling as a dog handler. During training, she falls in love with charismatic Tate Mathias, who regals her with tales of his many adventures. While he's not one to settle down, Marian hopes the two of them will have a bright, happy future together. That dream shatters when 35-year-old Tate dies after being savagely mauled by a bear while on a job in Washington State.
Stricken with grief, Marian ruminates on all her interactions with Tate, only now freeing some of the misgivings she had about her enigmatic boyfriend. One of his stories, very vividly told, had him heroically discovering the body of a murdered woman. With more killings happening since that one, Marian can't help but wonder, did Tate have more to do with the victim than just discovering her corpse? Enlisting the help of a retired forensic profiler/psychologist, Marian vows to figure out just who Tate Mathias really was. Was he simply an adventurer who enjoyed exaggerating his exploits for entertainment value? Or was he a compulsive liar turned serial killer? She will not rest until she knows the truth.
Although The Last Woman in the Forest by Diane Les Becquets is billed as a mystery/thriller, it really ... isn't. It's more of a literary suspense novel, just without a whole lot of suspense. The story unfolds very slowly, weighted down by lengthy descriptions of nature and dog handling. It's a character-driven novel for sure; the plot only really only gets "thrilling" toward the end. As you can imagine, this makes for a sluggish read that gets dull at times. Overall, I found the book compelling enough to finish, but also easy to put down. For all these reasons, The Last Woman in the Forest turned out to be just an okay read for me.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a few F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of The Last Woman in the Forest from the generous folks at Penguin Random House via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Thursday, April 18, 2019
An Artless Demise Newest Installment in an Intriguing Historical Mystery Series
6:03 AM
Back in 2017, Lark mentioned her love of the Lady Darby mystery series by Anna Lee Huber. She always gives out great recommendations, so I immediately bought a copy of The Anatomist's Wife, the series opener. I enjoyed the book immensely and proceeded to read Mortal Arts. Although I've got copies of the next five books in the series, I have not had a chance to read them yet. So, unfortunately, I can't post a review of the newest Lady Darby novel, An Artless Demise, as I was supposed to do today. Instead, I'm going to hit you with a spotlight and encourage you to give this fun series a go. If you like historical mysteries that are well-written, not too graphic, set in intriguing locales, and peopled by likable, interesting characters, this series is right up your alley. Give it a try. You will not be disappointed.
Before I give you the plot summary, be warned that there is a spoiler in the first line. It's a fairly obvious one, but one all the same. Just so you know.
An Artless Demise:
Lady Darby returns to London with her new husband, Sebastian Gage, but newlywed bliss won't last for long when her past comes back to haunt her in the latest exciting installment in this national bestselling series.
November 1831. After fleeing London in infamy more than two years prior, Lady Kiera Darby's return to the city is anything but mundane, though not for the reasons she expected. A gang of body snatchers is arrested on suspicion of imitating the notorious misdeeds of Edinburgh criminals, Burke and Hare—killing people from the streets and selling their bodies to medical schools. Then Kiera's past—a past she thought she'd finally made peace with—rises up to haunt her.
All of London is horrified by the evidence that "burkers" are, indeed, at work in their city. The terrified populace hovers on a knife's edge, ready to take their enmity out on any likely suspect. And when Kiera receives a letter of blackmail, threatening to divulge details about her late anatomist husband's involvement with the body snatchers and wrongfully implicate her, she begins to apprehend just how precarious her situation is. Not only for herself, but also her new husband and investigative partner, Sebastian Gage, and their unborn child.
Meanwhile, the young scion of a noble family has been found murdered a block from his home, and the man's family wants Kiera and Gage to investigate. Is it a failed attempt by the London burkers, having left the body behind, or the crime of someone much closer to home? Someone who stalks the privileged, using the uproar over the burkers to cover his own dark deeds?
Purchase your copy of An Artless Demise here or wherever books are sold:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Indiebound
Have any of you read the Lady Darby series? What do you think?
Before I give you the plot summary, be warned that there is a spoiler in the first line. It's a fairly obvious one, but one all the same. Just so you know.
An Artless Demise:
Lady Darby returns to London with her new husband, Sebastian Gage, but newlywed bliss won't last for long when her past comes back to haunt her in the latest exciting installment in this national bestselling series.
November 1831. After fleeing London in infamy more than two years prior, Lady Kiera Darby's return to the city is anything but mundane, though not for the reasons she expected. A gang of body snatchers is arrested on suspicion of imitating the notorious misdeeds of Edinburgh criminals, Burke and Hare—killing people from the streets and selling their bodies to medical schools. Then Kiera's past—a past she thought she'd finally made peace with—rises up to haunt her.
All of London is horrified by the evidence that "burkers" are, indeed, at work in their city. The terrified populace hovers on a knife's edge, ready to take their enmity out on any likely suspect. And when Kiera receives a letter of blackmail, threatening to divulge details about her late anatomist husband's involvement with the body snatchers and wrongfully implicate her, she begins to apprehend just how precarious her situation is. Not only for herself, but also her new husband and investigative partner, Sebastian Gage, and their unborn child.
Meanwhile, the young scion of a noble family has been found murdered a block from his home, and the man's family wants Kiera and Gage to investigate. Is it a failed attempt by the London burkers, having left the body behind, or the crime of someone much closer to home? Someone who stalks the privileged, using the uproar over the burkers to cover his own dark deeds?
Purchase your copy of An Artless Demise here or wherever books are sold:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Indiebound
Have any of you read the Lady Darby series? What do you think?
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
A Cozy Mystery Featuring a Genealogist Uncovering Long-Buried Secrets? Count Me In!
5:16 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Lucy Lancaster loves her job as a professional genealogist. Not only does digging into people's family histories keep her research skills sharp, but it also keeps her in tacos. Especially when she's working for wealthy people like her newest client, Gus Holloran. The Austin billionaire wants to know the real cause of his great-great grandfather's untimely death back in 1849. He offers Lucy a large sum to solve the mystery. Which she does. Kind of. She knows Great-Great Grandpa Halloran was murdered by someone with the initials "C.A."; however, she's got two suspects who could fit the bill. When Lucy accidentally announces the identity of the murderer without having absolute proof, she sets more dastardly deeds in motion. Soon, she's running from a killer who will do anything to keep the secrets of the past hidden away forever.
Although I managed to keep the plot summary of Murder Once Removed—a debut novel and the first in the Ancestry Investigations mystery series by S.C. Perkins—to one paragraph, the story actually gets fairly complicated and confusing. I found myself lost on more than one occasion just trying to keep track of who was who and what was what. It's a wordy, overwritten tome as well, which drove me a little nuts, truth be told. That being said, though, I enjoyed the book's fun Southern setting, quirky cast, and genealogy theme. Although I saw a few of the tale's twists coming, I didn't guess the killer until the very end. Overall, then, I enjoyed Murder Once Removed and will give the next installment a try. I'm banking on the series getting better as it goes along.
(Readalikes: Um, nothing's coming to mind. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and mild innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Murder Once Removed from the generous folks at St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
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