Cleopatra

Saara El-Arifi's Cleopatra is the third historical fiction account of Cleopatra's life that I have read in the past month. Many of the characters were already familiar to me when I opened the pages of this book. While the storylines are similar, all three books are different. In this particular novel Cleopatra is the narrator. Her political skills are focused upon instead of her seductive behaviors. The novel was published in February 2026. 

The publisher's summary:

YOU KNOW MY NAME, BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME.

Your historians call me seductress, but I was ever in love's thrall.

Your playwrights speak of witchcraft, but my talents came from the gods themselves.

Your poets sing of my bloodlust, but I was always protecting my children.

How wilfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful, strategic, and divinely blessed to rule.

Death will silence me no longer.

This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived.

The story is a memoir, but told by Cleopatra while she is in the afterlife. She has been dead for over two thousand years and is aware of the lies told about her over the millennia. I thought this was an intriguing perspective for the author to write from. Much of Cleopatra's narration refutes what historians have said about her, that she was a nymphomaniac. Of course, the male historians would say that. Cleopatra instead tells us how she chose her strategies for success. While she slept with Caesar and Marcus Antonius, we see how she used them for political gain. Truth be told, she did nothing that wasn't for her gain. 

The opening scene of the book was on the day that Cleopatra became queen. She was still a teen but immediately knew how to behave as a queen as well as how to remain as queen and pharoah. Her father taught her well but it seemed that she was born for her future role. Perhaps that's more guessing on what she was like but for a woman to succeed at being pharaoh Cleopatra must have had the goods to hold onto power as long as she had. That's impressive. 

The novel included Cleopatra's relationships with her siblings. In this retelling of her life we read that she loved her brothers and sister and thought they loved her in return. She was generous to them. When each of them tried to take the throne away from her she was stunned. Eventually she had them killed. The only problem she had was her sister Arsenoe. Arsenoe made several attempts to dethrone Cleopatra. After each loss Arsenoe kept coming back. Cleopatra never agreed to execute her until after the third attempt. I loved her villainous character. Arsenoe was awesome. The author's creation of the brothers characters showed them to be weak with no political skills and easy to depose. 

The ending gives us a different perspective on how Cleopatra's life could have ended. I must say that the author was imaginative with her plot. The book was a fantastic read. I believe all readers will love it too. 5 out of 5 stars.

Daughter of Blue City

Daughter of Blue City is a sequel to Mother of Red Mountains which I read and reviewed last month. It is a historical fiction novel that takes place in post-Revolution China and continues the tale of the Zhou family into the next generation.

The publisher's summary:

How do you survive when the world you know is at war with itself? In the unyielding chaos of China's Cultural Revolution, young Lianlian's life is a constant battle against family violence, public shame and brutal poverty. Raised by a resilient mother and anchored by her little sister, she learns to endure, but with a family fractured by divorce a future seems impossible.

When the political climate finally shifts and the nation scrambles for direction, Lianlian discovers her most powerful weapon is her mind. With few options left, she fixates on a single hope: a chance at a university education. Fueled by sheer will and the quiet support of her mother, she fights for her spot at a top university, seeing it as the one true path to building a life of her own.

When the prior book ended, Lianlian's mother Jun was struggling to work and take care of her kids. Lianlian was probably two or three years old. I cannot remember. Mother of Red Mountains ended abruptly and I expected that the sequel would continue her story. However, Daughter of Blue City begins with Lianlian in middle school. The book is Lianlian's story, not Jun’s. She attends the top school in her community and hopes to attend high school and then university. Lianlian's grades were so high that she was later accepted into Peking University which was the best in China. Most of the book centers on Lianlian's educational achievements and her hopes for a top job.

Lianlian and her sister Shanshan grew up in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia which is in northern China. Hohhot is known as the blue city because of its intense blue skies. We read about how their lives were affected by politics. The author does not give us a narrative of the historical events but rather writes how the Zhou family mourned the deaths of Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong. As the politicians changed educational possibilities for the common people, Lianlian benefited and was allowed to try for higher education. Of course, as the top scoring pupil in Hohhot her possibilities were enormous and she applied for acceptance into the top three universities. Lianlian and her sister Shanshan were very close. Shanshan insisted on accompaning Lianlian everywhere. She was not interested in making friends with kids her own age.

As an admirer of all things Chinese, I couldn’t put the book down. The plot was riveting and the Zhou family characters were adorable. It would be nice if there was a third novel, maybe highlighting Shanshan or Lianlian's life after university. 5 out of 5 stars.

2026 Edgar Award Winners

On April 28, 2026 the winners of the 80th annual Edgar Awards were announced. The event was hosted by the Mystery Writers of America at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City. I must make a shocking announcement though. I have not read any of the winning or nominated books! Below are the winners:

BEST NOVEL

The Big Empty by Robert Crais 

NOMINEES

Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein 

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami 

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Hard Town by Adam Plantinga 

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha 

Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow 

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR 

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr 

NOMINEES

Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch

All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman 

Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade 

History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook

 

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Backwater by Vikki Wakefield 

NOMINEES

Listen by Sacha Bronwasser

The Sideways Life of Denny Voss by Holly Kennedy

Broke Road by Matthew Spencer 

One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman 

BEST FACT CRIME

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser 

NOMINEES

They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals by Mariah Blake

Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation by Michael Cannell 

Out of the Woods: A Girl, a Killer, and a Lifelong Struggle to Find the Way Home by Gregg Olsen 

Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold 

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard Kopley 

NOMINEES

V is for Venom: Agatha Christie’s Chemicals of Death by Kathryn Harkup 

The Kingdom of Cain: Finding God in the Literature of Darkness by Andrew Klavan 

Cooler Than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C.M. Kushins 

Criss-Cross: The Making of Hitchcock’s Dazzling, Subversive Masterpiece Strangers on a Train by Stephen Rebello 

BEST SHORT STORY

“Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush,” Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine – September-October 2025 by Dave Zeltserman 

NOMINEES

“Reading at Night,” The Strand Magazine by Graham Greene (The Strand Magazine)

“The One That Got Away,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine – January-February 2025 by Charlaine Harris (Must Read Books Publishing)

“Orphan X: A Mysterious Profile,” by Gregg Hurwitz (The Mysterious Bookshop)

“Lucky Heart,” Blood on the Bayou – Case Closed by Tim Maleeny (Down & Out Books)

“The Kill Clause,” Amazon Original Stories by Lisa Unger (Amazon Publishing)

BEST JUVENILE

Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson 

NOMINEES

Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the Museum by Alasdair Beckett-King 

What Happened Then by Erin Soderberg Downing 

A Study in Secrets by Debbi Michiko Florence 

The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell 

Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave by Ally Russell 

BEST YOUNG ADULT

Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray 

NOMINEES

Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron 

This is Where We Die by Cindy R.X. He

The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson 

Codebreaker by Jay Martel 

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

“Pilot” – Paradise, Written by Dan Fogelman (Hulu)

NOMINEES

“End of the Line” – Ballard, Written by Michael Alaimo & Kendall Sherwood (Amazon/Fabel)

“Episode 101” – The Lowdown, Written by Sterlin Harjo (FX on Hulu)

“These Girls” – Long Bright River, Written by Nikki Toscano & Liz Moore (Peacock)

“Ye’iitsoh (Big Monster)” – Dark Winds, Written by John Wirth & Steven Paul Judd (AMC)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD

“How It Happened,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July-August 2025 by Billie Kay Fern 

NOMINEES 

“A Textbook Example,” Sacramento Noir by Luis Avalos (Akashic Books)

“How It Happened,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July-August 2025 by Billie Kay Fern (Must Read Books Publishing)

“Baggage,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, January-February 2025 by Rick Marcou (Must Read Books Publishing)

“Bloodsurf,” Hollywood Kills by Tiffany D. Plunkett (Level Best Books – Level Short)

“Grand Theft Auto in the Heart of Screenland,” Hollywood Kills by Robert Rotstein (Level Best Books – Level Short)

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD

All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan 

NOMINEES

Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill 

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku 

No Comfort for the Dead by R.P. O’Donnell 

Last Dance Before Dawn by Katharine Schellman 

THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD

Gone in the Night by Joanna Schaffhausen 

NOMINEES

Cold as Hell by Kelley Armstrong 

Rage: A Novel by Linda Castillo 

Fallen Star by Lee Goldberg 

The Red Letter by Daniel G. Miller 

THE LILLIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL AWARD

A Senior Citizen’s Guide to Life on the Run by Gwen Florio 

NOMINEES 

Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman 

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols 

Murder Two Doors Down by Chuck Storla 

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto 

GRAND MASTER

Donna Andrews and Lee Child

RAVEN AWARD

 Book Passage, Corte Madera CA

ELLERY QUEEN AWARD

John Scognamiglio, Kensington Books

May Armchair Travel Plans

My May reading plans will take me to China in a post-revolution story Daughter of Blue City written by Apple An. This book is the sequel to Mother of Red Mountains which I read earlier this month. White River Crossing is a historical fiction story by Ian McGuire. It takes place in sub-Arctic Canada. The Emerald Affair by Janet MacLeod Trotter is another historical fiction novel but this book is set in post-WWI Scotland and colonial India. 

The rest of my reading will take place in the United States and most of the books will be mysteries or general fiction. American Han takes place in San Francisco and it's a story about immigrants finding their place in a new country. Lisa Lee is the author.

I am going to slow down in May. I have been reading about 15 books per month this year. Just two books are required to complete my reading challenges so I will use the time to either relax or hit the TBR list. 

Where are you traveling to in May?

Book Cover of the Month: April

 

There were several books this month with amazingly beautiful covers. I Am Cleopatra, Girl in a Red Silk Sari and The Ivory City were contenders. All three of these had a striking bright color pallette that attracted me to the books. The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton book cover is different though. It has more elements. One third of the design is the real life oil painting of Elizabeth. The rest of the cover is red with black lettering. I especially like the yellow "X" crossing through Elizabeth’s name. It's appropriate for the story as the church erased Elizabeth from history after she was executed.

This intriguing design was created by Henry Sene Yee. Yee is a New York based freelance designer and illustrator.  Yee earned a BFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His resume is amazing. Yee began his career working in editorial design at Condé Nast and Rolling Stone magazines. He obtained his first job in book publishing working as a Junior Designer for Louise Fili, the Art Director at Pantheon Books / Random House. Yee then joined St. Martin's Press as a Senior Designer, eventually being promoted to Senior Art Director Deluxe. His last position was Creative Director of Picador, a literary trade paperback imprint launched in 1995.

Henry Sene Yee did a fantastic job on this book cover.

Book of the Month: April

I loved this novel so much that I believe it will be one of my top ten books of the year. This historical fiction novel tells the story of the real life nun Elizabeth Barton who lived in the 1500s during the reign of Henry VIII. She claimed to have seen visions of purgatory and hell. Henry demanded to see her twice. Elizabeth was brought to him and boldly warned him of God's wrath if he married Anne Boleyn.

Her story is told in a dual timeline and the setting is primarily located in an English country manor, where an ambitious professor, Alison Sage, offers a paper on her discovery of the long-lost manuscript of Barton. The manuscript had written accounts of her visions. Sage was a participant in a consortium of historians at the manor. Elizabeth’s setting was St. Sepulchre Priory where Elizabeth lived with other nuns unless she was traveling to speak to bishops, archbishops and Cardinals. 

Toward the end there was a murder of one of the scholars at the Consortium and Alison was able to determine the identity of the culprit. That part was interesting but I wish that it occurred earlier in the plot.

The fact that there are many true events in the story does not take away from the intriguing plot. Both timelines were intense and suspenseful. I LOVE this book.

Captivating Character of the Month: April

My captivating character of the month for April is Elizabeth Barton. She is a real life person who is the protagonist of The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown. 

Name of Captivating Character: Elizabeth 

The reason she is captivating: determined, manipulated, consistent, emotional, reliable, steady, bold, flawed

Book and Author: The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N Brown 

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction

Mood: fearful

Content Considerations: graphic depiction of Elizabeth’s execution at Tyburn Tree

Elizabeth Barton lived in the 1500s during the reign of Henry VIII. She claimed to have seen visions of purgatory and hell. Priests and Bishops used her visions to try to reign in Henry VIII and keep him in the Catholic faith. She was presented to Henry twice. Each time Elizabeth boldly spoke her warnings to him concerning his desire to marry Anne Boleyn. She was aware of the risks to her life by making these statements. She did it anyway because she felt strongly about it. A priest wrote a book containing her visions but they were embellished without her knowledge in order to pursue his political desires. This book was widely distributed. Elizabeth was illiterate and was not able to read the book.  She was in her late teens when she received her first vision and was twenty eight years old when she was executed. Elizabeth never wavered in her belief that her visions were true.

So, who is your captivating character of the month?

Japanese Gothic

Japanese Gothic was just published on April 14, 2026. It is a horror story interwoven with Japanese mythology. This dual timeline novel is about two people who live centuries apart but discover that there is a door connecting their worlds.

The publisher's summary:

October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the house: no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn't always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.

October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window.

One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.  Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.

I found the beginning to be slow reading. It consisted solely of the inner dialogue of the main character Lee Turner. There was too much of it. It would have been nice to have more action to maintain interest in the book. The next few chapters gives us more of the same from the character Sen. 

There is something about the writing style that turned me off but I can't quite put my finger on what that is. I feel the book fell flat. I never became interested in the story. It was not gothic nor horror as it was advertised to be. It neither is a traditional historical fiction story which is what I expected. In general, I was underwhelmed by the book and DNF'd it. 

No rating.

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror is a 2004 novel by Gregory Maguire that retells the Snow White fairy tale in Renaissance Italy. It features the historical Borgia family, with Lucrezia Borgia as the "evil queen". The story follows Bianca de Nevada, a young girl whose life is upended by the Borgias, and reimagines the classic tale with historical and political intrigue, darker themes, and a focus on the cultural and artistic backdrop of the era. William Morrow published the book in September 2004 and republished it on February 3, 2026.

The publisher's summary:

The year is 1502, and seven-year-old Bianca de Nevada lives perched high above the rolling hills and valleys of Tuscany and Umbria at Montefiore, the farm of her beloved father, Don Vincente. But one day a noble entourage makes its way up the winding slopes to the farm— and the world comes to Montefiore. In the presence of Cesare Borgia and his sister, the lovely and vain Lucrezia—decadent children of a wicked pope—no one can claim innocence for very long. When Borgia sends Don Vincente on a years-long quest, he leaves Bianca under the care—so to speak—of Lucrezia. She plots a dire fate for the young girl in the woods below the farm, but in the dark forest salvation can be found as well. . . .

A lyrical work of stunning creative vision, Mirror Mirror gives fresh life to the classic story of Snow White—and has a truth and beauty all its own.

The writing style of this book is bizarre. I was expecting a traditional Borgia historical fiction novel but what I got was something else. I cannot even describe it because I don’t know what I just read. There was some hope that the plot would pick up speed but it didn't. It was boring. Most of the online reviews are positive but I did not understand why. Am I missing something? Suffice to say I didn't enjoy the book. No rating.

The Local Man #1

I have been wanting to read The Local Man for awhile and finally found time to read it. This volume collects releases one through five of the acclaimed hit series by Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley. Volume 1 has 169 pages of brightly colored comic strip panels. There are several additional volumes that continue to tell this story. The series features many superhero characters. It was published in September 2023.

Jack Xaver is the main character. He was once the star recruit of the media sensation super-team Third Gen and was known as Crossjack. He had it all. However, he lost everything after getting fired. That him crawling back to his parent's basement in the Midwest. Jack struggles to fit into the world he left behind twenty years ago. Everyone in his small town of Farmington, Wisconsin are angry at him and do not want him there. After an adversary dies following a fight with Jack, he is arrested for murder. Jack has  an alibi though, a police officer's wife. 

Each of the five releases contained a main story and a flashback story. This pretty much confused me until I reread the book a second time. Interestingly, the setting is called the Image Universe. There is also a religious element too. I cannot imagine what any of it had to do with the plot and assume it will be explained in future releases. Also note that this comic is for adult readers only. There is alot of foul language, violence and sexy scenes. 

I still don't know where this series is going. Several superheroes were introduced but I didn't catch what their purpose was. Some of them worked with Jack at Third Gen though. Jack's scenes with his parents were the part of the book that I enjoyed the most, probably because they made sense to me. His parents are insisting that he reveal why he lost his job and that he get another job ASAP. They are practicing Christians and Jack obviously is not so there is tension between them.

This volume of the series set up the storyline that will follow. The characters have been introduced and the plot has space to grow. All in all, it was a good read. 3 out of 5 stars.

Icons of Design (Black Lives #2)

I received a free uncorrected proof of Icons of Design from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.  This 128 page graphic novel was written for kids aged 8 through 12 and it will be published on January 5, 2027. Black Lives is a new graphic novel series from award-winning author Tonya Bolden and illustrator David Wilkerson that celebrates the lives of Black innovators and legends and helps bring lesser-known histories to life. 

The publisher's summary:

Learn about the remarkable work of costume designers, toy makers, and architects in award-winning author Tonya Bolden and illustrator David Wilkerson’s exciting new graphic novel series about some of the most fascinating Black lives in history

Ann Lowe (fashion designer). Ed Welburn (automotive designer). Ruth E. Carter (costume designer). These aren’t names that many people learn about in school, but they’re some of the greatest designers that people should know about—and they join the ranks of toy designers, architects, and graphic designers celebrated in Icons of Design.

Each faced challenges as they rose to the top of their professions, but they didn’t back down. They kept creating and experimenting and learning, and they made significant contributions in each of their fields!

The lives of nine African American designers are featured in this informative graphic novel. It covers designers in the late 1800s to the present. The types of design included landscape, fashion, costume, car, toy and graphic design. These nine designers are Gus Williston, Ann Lowe, jewelry designer Art Smith, industrial designer Chuck Harrison, architect Roberta Washington, car designer Ed Welburn, costume designer Ruth Carter, toy designer David Vonner, and graphic designer Gail Anderson.

I particularly enjoyed the life story of landscape architect David Augustus Williston. He was born shortly after the end of the Civil War. Gus, as he was called, loved gardening as a child and eventually was admitted to a teacher training program at Normal School, later known as Howard University in Washington DC. Gus wanted more education and landed a spot at Cornell University, after being forced to take eight entrance exams. He wrote a thesis titled Atmospheric Drainage and graduated in 1897 with a bachelor of science degree in aagriculture. Gus did not stop learning more and more about landscaping. He had steady work throughout his life and opened his own design firm, earning plenty of prestigious clients. 

Another designer I loved was fashion designer Ann Lowe. She experienced many setbacks in her career due to her race but was so good at designing ball gowns that she was hired to design Jackie Bouvier's wedding dress when she married JFK. 

My incorrected proof of this graphic novel did not have any coloring for the drawings. I think it will end up with bold colors though because the book cover is a bright blue. It’s quite striking.  Icons of Design is an inspirational book. I loved reading all of the biographies inside its pages and certainly learned alot. 

5 out of 5 stars.

The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton

 

Jennifer Brown's The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton was just published a few days ago on April 14, 2026. It is a historical fiction account of the life of Elizabeth Barton who lived in the 1500s during the reign of Henry VIII. She claimed to have seen visions of purgatory and hell. The book is a dual timeline murder mystery set in an English country manor, when an ambitious professor discovers the long-lost manuscript of Barton.

The publisher's summary:  

Historian Alison Sage has made a groundbreaking archival discovery—she found a manuscript containing the prophecies of a 16th century nun, Elizabeth Barton. Barton’s prophecy condemning Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn led to her execution and the destruction of all copies of her prophecies—or so the world believed.

With Alison’s discovery, she is catapulted to academic superstardom and scores an invitation to the exclusive Codex Consortium, a week of research among a select handful of fellow historians at a crumbling manor in England, located next to the ruins of the priory where Elizabeth herself once lived.

What begins as a promising conference turns into a nightmare as the eerie house becomes the site of a murder. Suddenly, everyone is a suspect, and it seems that answers lie at the root of a local legend about centuries-old hidden treasure. Alison’s research makes her best-suited to solve the mystery—but when old feelings resurface for a former colleague, and the stakes of the search skyrocket, everyone's motives become murky.

Alison’s cutthroat world of academia is almost as dangerous as Elizabeth Barton’s sixteenth-century England, where heretics are beheaded, visions can kill, and knowing who to trust is a deadly art. The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton is a thrilling novel, crackling with the voices of the past and propelled by a mystery that will leave readers in suspense until the very last page.

I became hooked in the story from its first chapters. Initially I was more interested in Barton’s perspective but that changed as the story progressed. While the beginning chapters were longer in Barton’s timeline, this changed as Alison’s research became more prominent.

All of the characters in Barton’s timeline were actual historical figures. Barton’s mentor Father Bocking was hanged along with Barton at Tyburn. Oliver Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer, Cardinal Wolsey, and Thomas More all played a fairly prominent role in this timeline. None of them believed the veracity of Barton’s visions but used her to further their political and religious ambitions. Bocking was the liaison between Barton and his superiors. He told Barton what to say when she was being questioned by them and he is the person who wrote down her visions and compiled them into a book. He was aware the visions were false but he embellished them in an effort to keep King Henry in the Catholic Church. He is one of the villains of the story. Another real life character is Bishop John Fisher who is an ancestor of mine. To complete the characters are Prioress Philippa who housed Elizabeth at St. Sepulchre Priory as well as Lady Vale, owner of the manor house in which the present day story took place.

The present day story featured Dr. Alison Sage, a made up character as were all of the characters in this timeline. All seemed to be possible villains except Sage. Their character descriptions were mysterious which I assume is what the author desired. She did well by these interesting characters. While the book has been described as a murder mystery, the murder didn't occur until 70% into the story. None of the earlier storyline affected my enjoyment of the book. The plot was excellent up to this point. In fact, I forgot the book was a murder mystery. Honestly, I  thought the murder victim was going to be Barton. As the police, along with the other characters, investigated the crime more and more information, fictional, about what the Prioress Philippa and Lady Vale did after Barton’s death was clever. 

I learned a few new to me medieval terms. The hellmouth, the transi tomb and the leper's squint were fully described. A hellmouth is a an artistic rendition of the entrance to hell. It was used to scare people from straying from the fairh. The transi tomb depicts the dead person buried there as a decayed body, instead of the usual lifelike representation of the deceased. The leper's squint is basically a tiny hole in a wall used by leper's to hear the mass. The priest hole was better described than in other books I've read and the word "pursuivants" was new to me. It refers to people who were looking for Catholic sympathizers. 

After finishing the book I looked Barton up on Wikipedia. She was a real life person. I noticed that a painting of her done during her lifetime is part of the book cover. It was interesting to note that every detail of her life shown on Wikipedia was also shown in the book. I am amazed that author Jennifer Brown was able to craft a story with all of this information included within its pages. 

What interested me to get the book? It was the book cover. It was intriguing with its color pallette, an oil painting and the crossed out name of Elizabeth Barton. The cover design convinced me to read the book's summary which also intrigued me. 

The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton is a fascinating portrait of Barton. It may be in my top ten books of 2026! 5 out of 5 stars.

The Girl in the Attic

The Girl in the Attic is my selection for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge for this month. It was published about a week ago on April 8, 2026. The book is a suspense thriller on steroids.

The publisher's summary:

 

Olivia thought she knew darkness. Her childhood. The years in care homes. The fear of abandonment. The fear of loss and failure. Now, as the door clangs shuts behind her – with her captor’s promise ringing in her ears that she’s ‘his’ forever – she realises that nowhere before has been as dark as her attic cell. But, under the eaves, as she shivers in the cold and recalls how she was taken, Olivia starts to make a plan. Because only she knows that the girl in the attic isn’t as innocent as her captor thinks… and that the deepest darkness might just be within her.

Initially I thought the story began slowly. I was really just getting accustomed to the author's writing style. He used Olivia's inner thoughts frequently and after 20 or 30 pages I wondered whether the book had any action. This beginning was necessary though.

Olivia is the main character. She spent most of her childhood in the foster care system. Before beginning high school an accepting, patient couple took Olivia into their home. Edward and Eva's welcoming embrace helped Olivia to become less guarded. When Eva discovers her drawing talent the couple buys her painting supplies. Olivia spends all her free time on her art and she quickly developed her artistic style. She was so good that her foster parents connected her with Ben, a friend of their's who owned a gallery. Olivia signed a contract with him and soon had her own solo exhibition. She felt positive for the first time in her life. Unfortunately, a man who discovered her there was bad news. Eventually Charles Fairfield was holding her captive in one of his homes. The grim reality that she faced took a few chapters to unfold.

Suspense notched up as the plot unfolded. Charles' plans for Olivia were shocking beyond belief. I don't believe that I have ever read a book with this type of frightening story. Charles was obviously the villain. He took his craziness very seriously and expected that Olivia could be trained to be a killer just like him. For most of the story Olivia was chained against a wall with both her hands and feet handcuffed. I could feel the physical pain she endured. It was described in detail. While the horror Olivia found herself in continued throughout the chapters, her predicament never seemed to improve .  . . until the last chapter.

The Girl in the Attic is a dark story but one with so much suspense that I could not stop reading. The darkness did affect me though and I will probably sleep with the lights on tonight. 

5 out of 5 stars.