Girl in the Dark

J. M. Cannon wrote last year's Blood Oranges novel. I loved that book so much that I could not keep myself from reading his newest novel Girl In The Dark. It was published on February 15, 2024 and it is just as intriguing as Blood Oranges.

The publisher's summary:

On a cold evening in November, Zoey Knight gets a frantic call from her sister. Their childhood home in remote Maine has burned to the ground. Two bodies have been discovered in the basement.

When the FBI suddenly takes over the case, it's clear something more sinister than a random double homicide has taken place.

Rumors go back to The Family--cult or commune, the wealthy enclave of Black Castle, Maine has never been sure. Twenty years ago, after the disappearance of a local girl, the group vanished. Now, signs of them are resurfacing.

Zoey finds this is no ordinary conspiracy. It doesn't just involve strangers, but the very people she loves. And if she wants the truth, she'll have to risk everything to find out.

 

The book opens with a gruesome scene. A woman is in the basement of a house that is on fire. She tells herself to wait until a particular time before going upstairs to get the two bodies that she killed. When it is time to leave the basement she wets two hand mittens and runs up the stairs into the fire. The woman grabs the bodies, drags them to the basement, and dumps them in a well that is in the basement.  She then leaves the house feeling positive that her crime has been covered up.  What a prologue! I am now engaged in the story and cannot stop reading until I have finished the book in one sitting.

The plot was amazing. The only suspicious characters in the beginning are Zoey and her sister Evie. As the story progresses you get an inkling that others could have done the crime. Toward the end every character held secrets about the crime and with all of them being depraved, it was impossible to determine the whodunnit. These characters were pathological liars, thieves, and murderers. The ending was quite a surprise and the reason for the title isn't revealed until the last sentence.

This book is an engrossing page turner. Mystery fans will love it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #31

This meme is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme that spotlights the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. 

This week I cannot wait to read Alex Michaelides' The Fury. The book was published in January but I haven't yet found the time read it. The plot concerns a reclusive ex–movie star, Lana Farrar, and her famous friends whose Easter trip to Lana's private Greek island was interrupted by a fierce storm. The group found themselves trapped on the island overnight. When the storm's fury stopped, a group member was found to be murdered. 

I loved the author's Silent Patient novel and have high hopes for this book.

Cool Tokyo Guide

I have reviewed several other comics from Abby Denson. She writes Japan travel guides in comic strip format. This format makes it easier for me to remember all the information that she offers. In this guidebook Denson gives more detailed information about visiting Tokyo and, boy, am I glad I read it.

In this guidebook Abby, her husband Matt, friend Yuuko and her cat Kitty Sweet Tooth show readers a restaurant where clowns drive robots and mermaids ride on sharks, fantastic shops for lovers of everything from vintage manga to dollar-store treasures, great places to take kids, famous sites both old and new, and must-visit spots and even a few spots outside the city. This guide also helps you navigate everyday life in Tokyo, such as train etiquette, trash disposal, tricky toilets, department store fitting rooms and the surgical mask phenomenon. There is also a special family travel section for those traveling with children, as well as information on ways to prepare ahead of time to make the most of your stay in Tokyo.

However, the information most needed by me has to do with JR Rail Pass. I wasn't considering a rail pass for my Autumn trip. I thought that I would take cabs and buses for places not within walking distance from my hotel. After discovering just how expensive cabs are, I have decided that I need the rail pass. It's a good thing I figured it out at this time because ordering one takes five months and it has to be purchased before your trip. I can pick up the pass upon arrival at the airport in Tokyo. Another line! The author has done a great job of explaining that the train stations have information in both Japanese and English. I wasn't expecting to see English posted on transportation hubs. In addition, I was not aware that the SIM card in my smart phone may not work in Japan. I am worried about being able to take photos and store them on the device but I have never heard anyone talk about this so I don't know what to believe. 

I love that the comic strips have dialogue in a large font.  It is easy for me to read. Also, it is amusing to read that the favorite Christmas meal in Japan is Kentucky Fried Chicken. It's a little weird but Japan does not have many Christian churches.  Most citizens follow the Shinto faith. 

The Cool Tokyo Guide is a fantastic resource and if you are going to travel to Japan, I recommend that you take a look at it.  5 out of 5 stars.

Under Water

I was lucky to receive from Book Sirens a copy of Rachel Callaghan's Under Water. The book was published earlier this year.  It is a historical mystery novel with a dual timeline. The mystery is revealed so slowly that the book reads more like a historical fiction story. The story alternates between the 1860s and the present day.  

The publisher's summary:

Submerged beneath layers of history lies a long-ago buried secret. 

During the pandemic lockdown, Iris Pearl impulsively relocates her dulling marriage across the country in a bid to revive it. But renovating their Prerevolutionary Pennsylvania homestead gives Iris more than she bargained for when she makes a gruesome discovery, one that hurtles her and Benny’s haunted past to the present. 

Iris is desperately consumed by the desire to know what happened on her property over a century and a half earlier. Her search leads her to Irish immigrant Aoife Sprigett, the wife of Union soldier William. The further she digs into the mystery of Aoife’s fate, the deeper she reaches into her own secret history.

While William serves in the Civil War, Aoife struggles to uphold her vow to maintain their livelihood, their farm, during his absence. Aoife’s only companion is their hired help, Thomas Walker, a freeborn black laborer. Aoife and Thomas develop a warm friendship as they toil side by side in the fields. Together, Aoife and Thomas sow deep seeds that bear deep-rooted consequences, which are now coming to light.

Will unearthing the truth behind Aoife’s tragic past, which so closely parallels Iris’s own, free her and Benny from their marriage’s haunted history, or will revisiting that dark time destroy it?

I thoroughly enjoyed this Civil War era story. It was meticulously researched and I was particularly impressed that the story was about the people left behind by the soldiers, instead of being a typical war story. The author obviously did a ton of research on the era. She brought alive the 1860s rural Pennsylvania landscape for both the black and white characters. Callaghan was truthful about life for those left behind. She wrote into the plot the tensions between the black and white characters and the tensions between the wealthy and the serving classes. Callaghan also portrayed the divisions between characters who supported the Union and those who were ambivalent about the war. It was interesting that she did not give us characters who supported the confederates. I don't know much about the history of the Civil War but on my past readings on the subject there were only two sides, those heavily supporting the Union and those heavily supporting the Confederacy. There was no in-between. Perhaps there really were Southerners living in this era who did not support the Confederacy or who just didn't care and wanted to continue their lives without any interference from a war.

Aoife's story was the most compelling. Her husband William volunteered to fight on behalf of the Union and left her to deal with their farm with only one farmhand to help her.  I had to check Wikipedia to determine how to pronounce her name because I knew this was going to bother me.  It is pronounced "eefah."  Aoife went through many changes during her husband's absence but she probably endured them so well because she was a former servant. She knew how to get things done. The mystery about the baby found on Iris's property was also a big part of the plot.  The reveal was not written like the usual historical mystery. There was no investigation by a law enforcement agency but rather by a professional genealogist. The body that was found in the pond was over 100 years old. I will leave my comments at that in order to not be a spoiler.

Under Water was an engrossing read. Historical fiction fans will love it. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Merchant's Tale

P. K. Adams is one of my favorite authors. When I recently discovered that she had published a new book this past November, I couldn't wait to get a copy.  It did not disappoint. In this novel she has returned to the Polish and Russian setting that I love. The book was co-authored with C. P. Lesley.

The publisher's summary:

Karl Scharping, a twenty-eight-year-old merchant from Danzig, has one thing on his mind—the beautiful bride awaiting him in Moscow. A careless leap from his horse derails his plans, confining him to a monastery near the White Sea. Hobbling to the window on crutches, Karl looks out on a vast expanse of water glistening in the dawn light and gasps at the sight of an English merchantman at anchor in the bay. He has no idea how much trouble that ship carries in its wake.

When Richard Chancellor departs his native London to serve the interests of his Tudor king by locating a new passage to the spice-rich Orient, he does not expect to wind up in Muscovy—ruled by Tsar Ivan IV, known as “the Terrible,” and his Romanov in-laws. The Russians welcome Chancellor and his sailors to the Kremlin, although the foreigners’ unfamiliar language poses problems and accidents delay their journey south. Then they reach Moscow, and their problems really begin.

This was an enjoyable read. I loved the Russian court setting as well as memories of Poland that were foremost in Karl and Pyotr's minds. The reader gets to see Tsar Ivan as a young ruler, long before he became Ivan the Terrible. Here "Terrible" means that he was a great ruler. Russian prince Mikhail's home was also prominent as Selina worked there as a teacher for his children. It was an opulent castle so different from Pyotr and Selina's humble home. The customs of the English traders was another part of the setting. They had different clothing and different trading practices than the Russians. However, the harsh Russian weather was the backdrop of most of the story. 

Karl was a sympathetic character until he arrived in Moscow. His rigid personality became apparent in his dealings with his intended bride, Selina, as well as with the Russian court. He was not likable in this setting. Selina was an eighteen-year-old girl with romantic notions of marriage, especially after meeting Englishman Charles Anderson. Charles wooed Selina with poetry and frequently expressed his love for her. Karl had no idea how to do this and Selina did not want to marry him. Her brother arranged marriage to his buddy Karl and Selina tried to talk herself into marrying Karl. Pyotr was also a sympathetic character in the beginning of the story. As the plot moved to Moscow as the setting of the Englishmen meeting Ivan, it was obvious that Pyotr's talent as an interpreter was revealed as somewhat lacking. His biggest challenge here was a lack of confidence in himself. I loved the close relationship Selina had with her employer Vasilissa, Mikhail's wife. Vasilissa behaved as a friend rather than a boss and she was Selina's only female friend.

There is an air of mystery toward the end of the story when Charles died. It was determined that he was murdered and Mikhail did an investigation but came up with nothing. He thought Pyotr might be the killer but there was no proof. Selina, though, traps the killer into exposing himself when she questions the men when they are together. Selina is an incredibly strong person. For most of the story we are told that she is a submissive woman. We get that from Pyotr and Karl's conversations but they have not seen her in several years. What a surprise when they arrive in Moscow!

The Merchant's Tale is an entertaining story and historical fiction fans will love it. 5 out of 5 stars.

The President’s Wife

The President's Wife is a historical fiction account of the life of Edith Wilson. She married President Woodrow Wilson three years into his first term as President. She is most known for taking over his job after he suffered a stroke during his second term.  

The publisher's summary:

Edith Bolling Gault was widowed, preferring to fill her days with good friends and travel. But the enchanting courting of President Woodrow Wilson wins Edith over and she becomes the First Lady of the United States. The position is uncomfortable for the fiercely independent Edith, but she's determined to rise to the challenges of her new marriage—from the bloodthirsty press to the shadows of the first World War.

Warming to her new role, Edith is soon indispensable to her husband's presidency. She replaces the staff that Woodrow finds distracting, and discusses policy with him daily. Throughout the war, she encrypts top- secret messages and despite lacking formal education becomes an important adviser. When peace talks begin in Europe, she attends at Woodrow's side. But just as the critical fight to ratify the treaty to end the war and create a League of Nations in order to prevent another, Woodrow's always-delicate health takes a dramatic turn for the worse. In her determination to preserve both his progress and his reputation, Edith all but assumes the presidency herself.

Now, Edith must contend with the demands of a tumultuous country, the secrets of Woodrow's true condition, and the potentially devastating consequences of her failure. At once sweeping and intimate, The President's Wife is an astonishing portrait of a courageous First Lady and the sacrifices she made to protect her husband and her country at all costs.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It has alot of minutiae surrounding Edith's role in her husband’s administration. However, I  wondered whether readers who are not interested in politics would like the book. In the past, I always assumed that Edith was falsely accused of being acting president. After reading this book I am not so sure. She definately wanted to know how Woodrow came about making his decisions. Early on in their relationship she asked to be part of all of his meetings so that she could advise him. While there was a physical attraction between them, I think Edith sought out the power she would be able to gain from her association with Woodrow. 

The President's Wife is a well written historical biography that reads more like history than a fiction story. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Phoenix Bride

The Phoenix Bride was published in March 2024. It is a passionate tale of plague, fire, and forbidden love in seventeenth-century London. The novel has a few explicit sex scenes so that old adage, buyer beware, applies here.

The publisher's summary:  

It is 1666, one year after plague has devastated England. Young widow Cecilia Thorowgood is a prisoner, trapped and isolated within her older sister’s cavernous London townhouse. At the mercy of a legion of doctors trying to cure her grief with their impatient scalpels, Cecilia shows no sign of improvement. Soon, her sister makes a decision born of desperation: She hires a new physician, someone known for more unusual methods. But he is a foreigner. A Jew. And despite his attempts to save Cecilia, he knows he cannot quell the storm of sorrow that rages inside her. There is no easy cure for melancholy.

David Mendes fled Portugal to seek a new life in London, where he could practice his faith openly and leave the past behind. Still reeling from the loss of his beloved friend and struggling with his religion and his past, David is free and safe in this foreign land but incapable of happiness. The security he has found in London threatens to disappear when he meets Cecilia, and he finds himself torn between his duty to medicine and the beating of his own heart. He is the only one who can see her pain; the glimmers of light she emits, even in her gloom, are enough to make him believe once more in love.

Facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, David and Cecilia must endure prejudice, heartbreak, and calamity before they can be together. The Great Fire is coming—and with the city in flames around them, love has never felt so impossible.

I loved The Phoenix Bride. I am not usually a fan of romance stories but this one has enough historical elements woven into the plot that it doesn't read like a romance nov­el. The story is more of a historical fiction novel. This is also a book about persevering through tough times. The title is a big clue here as to what is inside the pages. 

I enjoyed reading about the heal­ing meth­ods for phys­i­cal and men­tal health of the era. David used the herbs from the garden that he planted in order to mix poultices that will heal his patients. He was also attuned to how the body is affected by psychological trauma and was able to heal Cecilia with what we now call talk therapy.

I learned alot about Jewish tra­di­tions as well as the way of life of conversos, Jewish converts to Christianity. David gave up those Christian traditions upon his arrival in London and once again began practicing Judaism. His arrival in London was only possible after a 400 year old edict expelling Jews from Britain was scrapped by the British government. Several circumstances kept David separated from Cecilia, such as their respective faith traditions and the familial expectations that they marry other people. Facing these seemingly insurmountable challenges, David and Cecilia have had to endure prejudice, heartbreak, and calamity, the Great Fire of London, before they can be together. 

There is a hint of gay romance in the story. David's relationship with Manuel, who died early in the story, makes the reader wonder if there was any romantic feelings between them. The plot doesn't dwell on this but the idea has been planted by the author. 

The Phoenix Bride is an engrossing read. I highly recommend it and am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.