Wrap-Up of the 2024 New Release Reading Challenge

This challenge is the easiest for me to complete. For the past several years most of the books that I have read were new releases. In 2024 I read 54 new releases and 29 new, to me, authors. Many of the books could have been my favorite for the year. They were expertly written. It was difficult in choosing just one as the favorite, especially because they come from different genres. I read a lot of mysteries, cozies, historical fiction and graphic novels. Links to the books that I read and reviewed are below.

The Spice Maker's Secret by Renita D'Silva

Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley

The Amish Quiltmaker's Unlikly Match by Jennifer Strickland

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang

Murder in the Tea Leaves by Laura Childs

Peach Tea Smash by Laura Childs

You Only Call When You're in Trouble by Stephen McCauley

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

The Psychology of Secrets by Andrew Gold

Meghan and Harry: Persecutors of Victims by Lady Colin Campbell

The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel

Under Water by Rachel Callaghan

A Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra

The Girl in the Dark by J. M. Cannon

The Champaign Letters by Kate McIntosh

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim 

The Protector by Wanda Brunstetter

Bellevue by Robin Cook

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

Forget Me Never by Susan Wittig Albert

Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Sabari

The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson 

Red Sky Mourning by Jack Carr

A Death in Cornwall by Daniel Silva

The Sins of Our Fathers by Jody Vorra

Shadow of Doubt by Brad Thor

Capture or Kill by Vince Flynn 

The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana Chambers

The Sound of a Thousand Stars by Rachel Robbins

By Evening's Light by Leslie Gould

My Husband's Affair by Ruth Heald

Art Club by Rashad Doucet

An Age of Winters by Gemma Liviero

Pike Island by Tony Wirt

Agony in Amethyst by A. M. Stuart

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

The Butcher Game by Alaina Urquhart

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha

She's Running on Fumes by Dennis Hopeless 

Tender by Beth Hetland

Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang

Tienamen Square by Lai Wen

Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble 

The Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini 

Seoul Before Sunrise by Samir Dahmani 

Oath and Honor by Elizabeth Cheney 

South of Sepharad by Eric Weintraub 

Letters of Wisdom by Wanda Brunstetter 

Where the Body Was by Ed Brubaker 

Neptune by Michael Conrad 

Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly 

The Baku Inheritance by Anne M Kennedy 

White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton 

12 Days of Mistletoe by Jen Atkinson 

Favorite Book:  Tender

Second Favorite Book: Under Water

Least Favorite Book:  Songs for the Brokenhearted 

12 Days of Mistletoe

This novel was selected for the Clock Reading Challenge. I am glad that I completed the challenge but don't want to do it again. It was hard finding books with numbers in the titles and I didn't particularly like most of the books that I read. However, 12 Days of Mistletoe was a delightful story.

The publisher's summary:  

I, Bonnie Miller, am no troublemaker. I’m just an anxious girl trying to keep my emotional support pup in a no-pets apartment building. But my downstairs neighbor is determined to be my personal Grinch and get us both evicted.

Just when I think things can’t get any worse, Elliot Eaton offers me a deal I can’t refuse. Suddenly I’m playing girlfriend and giving mistletoe kisses to my sworn enemy, all to keep my home.

Who knew that breaking one little rule would lead to a fan-mistletoe-tastic holiday?

12 Days of Mistletoe is a closed door, laugh out loud, warm your wintery heart romcom. If you need a book with all the feels, some mistletoe kisses, and lots of holiday spirit, look no further!

I don't usually like romance novels but this one was super cute. It has all the ingredients of my beloved cozies with a meddling grandmother and one of the main characters, Bonnie, uses a service animal; A nice touch in my mind. The story is told in an alternating format, from Bonnie and Elliott's perspectives. The pace is fast and every chapter provides embarrassment for both of them.  

A little more detail concerning plot is in order. Elliott is planning on buying this apartment building from his grandmother and managing it by himself. Bonnie has lived in her apartment for three years and has broken the rule prohibiting dogs. Elliott wants to evict her but his grandmother won't hear of it. She likes Bonnie. Grandma thinks the two of them would make a great couple and gives Elliott an ultimatum: be at her house every day for 12 days with Bonnie or she will not sell him the building. Elliott offers Bonnie a deal: pretend to be his girlfriend for two weeks and he will pay her rent in the next month. She takes him up on the offer. 

Of course, they are attracted to each other but do their best to resist temptation. Their initial meeting was awful and each had built up a hatred for the other. Well, it wouldn't be a romcom if they did not become an item. And they lived happily ever after.

5 out of 5 stars.

White Mulberry

White Mulberry was just published a few days ago on December 1, 2024. It is an Asian fiction story similar to Pachinko. It was inspired by the life of the author’s North Korean grandmother who was living in Japan in the 1930s and in Japan occupied Korea during WW11.

The publisher's summary:

Inspired by the life of Easton’s grandmother, White Mulberry is a rich, deeply moving portrait of a young Korean woman in 1930s Japan who is torn between two worlds and must reclaim her true identity to provide a future for her family.

1928, Japan-occupied Korea. Eleven-year-old Miyoung has dreams too big for her tiny farming village near Pyongyang: to become a teacher, to avoid an arranged marriage, to write her own future. When she is offered the chance to live with her older sister in Japan and continue her education, she is elated, even though it means leaving her sick mother—and her very name—behind.

In Kyoto, anti-Korean sentiment is rising every day, and Miyoung quickly realizes she must pass as Japanese if she expects to survive. Her Japanese name, Miyoko, helps her find a new calling as a nurse, but as the years go by, she fears that her true self is slipping away. She seeks solace in a Korean church group and, within it, finds something she never expected: a romance with an activist that reignites her sense of purpose and gives her a cherished son.

As war looms on a new front and Miyoung feels the constraints of her adopted home tighten, she is faced with a choice that will change her life—and the lives of those she loves—forever.

White Mulberry is a heartwarming novel about two sisters who were separated by Korean traditions for women as well as the war in the Pacific. Miyoung and Bohbeh enjoyed growing up together and were close. When a stranger arrives in their village, he stays overnight in the family’s boarding house. During that first evening the stranger tells the girls' mother that Bohbeh would make a good wife for his brother who lives in Kyoto, Japan. I was shocked when mom agreed to let her daughter leave home with a stranger and forced her into marriage. I expected that there was no brother and that Bohbeh would be assaulted by this stranger. However, that was untrue.

Miyoung is the protagonist in this story. She was the youngest in the family and wanted to be educated. Tradition dictated that she marry after finishing primary school at 11. Miyoung became betrothed to a boy with pockmarked skin who she disliked. She got lucky when her parents finally agreed to let her travel to Kyoto and live with her sister while she attended middle school and high school. Miyoung was scared to travel the two days to get to Kyoto but Bohbeh helped her adjust to her surroundings. It's amazing that Miyoung excelled in school because she didn't know the Japanese language. The setup for the rest of the story is now complete. 

The setting is essential to the story. There is a huge contrast between the rural Korean village the family lived in and Kyoto. You cannot help but see how these communities impacted the lives of the sisters. Miyoung loved the simplicity of life in her village where she often climbed a mulberry tree. Both experienced discrimination, Miyoung particularly. They accepted their so-called inferiority to the Japanese, fearing retaliation. I couldn't understand why they acquiessed but then again I have never lived in an occupied country. I felt the fear they experienced in my own soul. 

White Mulberry is a wonderful family saga. If you enjoy these types of stories you simply must read this book. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Baku Inheritance

I am thankful to Book Sirens for sending me a free copy of The Baku Inheritance in exchange for an honest review.  It is the first book in the City of Winds Series by Anne M. Kennedy and it takes place in the 1890s Baku, Azerbaijan. Anne M Kennedy is a writer of historical mystery thrillers set in Baku, Azerbaijan. The City of Winds is a series of five novels that span the years 1890 – 1920.

The publisher's summary:  

The shadowy world of nineteenth century Baku, Azerbaijan, is the backdrop to this thrilling tale of oil spies, treachery and a mysterious Faberge egg. Two characters: Anton - bereaved and bankrupt, and Klara - suspicious and secretive. Forced to tolerate each other in a deadly game, both must come to terms with what they are hiding from.

Anton knew something was wrong the moment he stepped ashore…

1890: The ancient city of Baku on the outermost edge of the Russian Empire.

Anton Sabroski has come home. But the once-beautiful mansion on the shores of the Caspian Sea is silent and dark, a decaying relic in a bustling city. Upstairs, his father lies dying, his oil empire in ruins, his friends gone, his only bequests to his son a jewelled Faberge egg containing a coded message and the care of Klara, a mysterious, hostile girl.

Unable to accept that his father was responsible for the loss of his family’s fortunes, Anton begins to investigate. But Baku is a city of many faces.

The story is a historical mystery that moves slowly. The time period is during the first oil boom at the turn of the last century in an oil town along the Caspian Sea. The novel captures the essence of Baku with it's details on architecture, traditional foods and customs. The oil business in Baku was thoroughly described as were the wealthy international oil barons who held sway. During this time period Azerbaijan was a part of the Russian Empire.

It seemed that every other page had someone smoking a shisha pipe. I had to look this up and Wikipedia states that Shisha is the Arabic name for a type of pipe for burning tobacco, in which smoke passes through a container of water before it is breathed in. Many people think that drawing tobacco smoke through water makes shisha less harmful than cigarettes, but that's not true. In a shisha session (which usually lasts 20-80 minutes), a shisha smoker can inhale the same amount of smoke as a cigarette smoker consuming over 100 cigarettes. I was expecting the pipe to be used for smoking opium but I was wrong.

The plot was intriguing but I felt that there was something off in its execution. I was expecting it to be a historical thriller but it's not, which is not the author’s fault. The book is a historical mystery. Despite my genre rumblings I felt that the pace was slow. I read the book in one sitting but cannot say I was riveted while I read it's pages. Given that the mystery to be solved was how Anton lost his inheritance and not the usual murder, I was not too engaged in the plot reveal. 

3 out of 5 stars.

Death at a Scottish Christmas

Death at a Scottish Christmas is the 3rd book in the Scottish Isle Mysteries by Lucy Connelly. I have read the first book An American in Scotland which I adored. I selected this book because it meets the requirements for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge. It also counts for the New Release Reading Challenge and the Cruisin' Through the Cozies Reading Challenge. It's always nice when a book counts for more than one challenge!

The publisher's summary: 

Sea Isle, Scotland, is magical during the holiday season, and Dr. Emilia McRoy can’t wait to enjoy everything her village has to offer. But when the lead singer of a famous band is murdered in the village, just as they were about to launch a world tour, her holiday instantly comes to a halt. 

As the band’s future hangs in the balance, Emilia discovers that the victim was working on new music that has since disappeared. Were these new lyrics worth killing for? And if so, who is the culprit? It seems more than one person wanted this music star dead. Shockingly, beloved constable Ewan Campbell becomes the prime suspect in the investigation, putting a damper on the town’s festivities.

With an ever-growing list of suspects, Emilia will need all the help she can get to figure out who is framing poor Ewan. Between a secret Santa that wants her dead, stalkers, and killer holiday celebrations, Emilia must see the devil in the details and discover the truth before it’s too late.

When I read the first book in the series I had some difficulty with the Scottish slang terminology. Now I not only understand it but look forward to reading it. The series has become a favorite. The quirky characters are adorable. The banter between Emilia and Ewen is hysterical and I love how they feed off of each other. It's amazing how the townspeople have organized for their needs during the long winters when supplies cannot be delivered to this remote island. Instead of worrying about the situation they got organized but you can tell they are a happy group of people who can slough off the cares of the world.

With Emilia serving as both physician and coroner, the reader sees a viewpoint different from most cozies when she has to investigate a death. Ewen serves as mayor and constable and is the wealthiest person on the island. He has a grumpy persona but makes sure that all of the villagers have everything they need. Of course, this means that he knows everyone's business. 

The howdunit was fascinating. When the band leader's corpse was discovered it was determined that he died from air entering his brain which caused an embolism to form and then burst. How did the air get in the brain? A corkscrew was used to puncture his head. The puncture wound was described as small and I just couldn't picture it as being small. The author was creative in dreaming up this method of killing though. Also, the mystery surrounding the lost notebook with musical scores was entertaining. Resolving this issue was just as gripping as determining the identity of the killer.

I loved this new installment of the series and recommend it to cozy fans. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Fox Maidens

Robin Ha, author of Almost American Girl, is one of my favorite graphic novelists. Her 2024 graphic novel, The Fox Maidens, is based on a famous character from Korean mythology, Gumiho. The story takes place 400 years ago in Korea during the reign of the Joseon Dynasty and it was a fun read.

The publisher's summary:

Kai Song dreams of being a warrior. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her beloved father, the commander of the Royal Legion. But while her father believes in Kai and trains her in martial arts, their society isn’t ready for a girl warrior.

Still, Kai is determined. But she is plagued by rumors that she is the granddaughter of Gumiho, the infamous nine-tailed fox demon who was killed by her father years before.

Everything comes crashing down the day Kai learns the deadly secret about her mother’s past. Now she must come to terms with the truth about her identity and take her destiny into her own hands. As Kai desperately searches for a way to escape her fate, she comes to find compassion, and even love, in the most unexpected places.

Set in sixteenth-century Korea and richly infused with Korean folklore, The Fox Maidens is a timeless and powerful story about fighting for your place in the world, even when it seems impossible.

First of all, I cannot be more excited about a comic's illustration than with The Fox Maidens. The color palette is gorgeous. Most of the comic book strips are drawn and colored with cool tones of every color but with a splash of bright colors such as red. It's very appealing.

Concerning the writing, it is fast paced with compelling characters and an action packed plot. Kai is the main character. She is presented as a feminist by her desire to fight alongside the men in her village. She is fearful of marrying and having children and hopes that her parents won't force her into marriage. At the end of the story we see her love for another female character. Kai's mother, Meorhu, is a physically fragile woman with a surprising past as a fox maiden. She hopes that her daughter will be able to escape the same fate. Then there is Gumiho. Gumiho is the deadly fox spirit who destroys the lives of all the others with her magic. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story but must say that the first half was more exciting. During this part of the story we read about Kai as a human being. Her life in the village depicted the type of life a girl in Joseon Korea would live. In the second half she becomes a fox and here we really see the fantasy aspect of the story. The author’s note at the end explains her inspiration for writing this graphic novel. I found it as fascinating as the story itself.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Last One at the Wedding

The Last One at the Wedding was my choice for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge last month. Due to my trip to Japan, I just got around to reading it this week. The book was published on October 8, 2024 and is a suspense novel about a father trying to save his daughter from a life-altering decision that will put everything he loves on the line.

The publisher's summary:

Frank Szatowski is shocked when his daughter, Maggie, calls him for the first time in three years. He was convinced that their estrangement would become permanent. He’s even more surprised when she invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right.

He arrives to find that the wedding is at a private estate—very secluded, very luxurious, very much out of his league. It seems that Maggie failed to mention that she’s marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. But it’s difficult: Aidan is withdrawn and evasive; Maggie doesn’t seem to have time for him; and he finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners. Frank needs to know more about this family his daughter is marrying into, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie forever.

The title insinuates that the person who was the last guest at a wedding was the main character. This is not so. There was a character shown to be the last guest but she was a secondary character. The reason for the title is unclear to me. Perhaps I am missing something. The main characters were Frank and his daughter Maggie. Maggie did not seem realistic to me. All of the scenes that she was in were with her father Frank and she tried to avoid having any conversations with him, all while demanding that they spend time together. While that does not appear to be any different than other father/daughter relationships, Maggie had an aura of the supernatural. I am sure that the author was trying to create some suspense with Maggie's behavior but Maggie's behavior was off.

Frank, on the other hand, was an excitable person. Every time he spoke with Maggie he shared something negative, or someone, that she needed to avoid. Frank's instincts were spot on but his warnings to her were overkill. I can see people whom I know who have this trait and I try to avoid them just as Maggie avoided Frank, who was a realistic character in my mind.

The Gardner family characters all had something to hide. The mystery of the novel is slowly revealed as we read about their activities. Aiden Gardner, the groom, did not seem to want to marry Maggie and we don't know why until the end of the story. He was an odd ball character with much to hide. Aiden's father Errol is your typical billionaire. He also has a lot to hide and initially I thought that his business activities were the crux of the plot. This panned out somewhat but there is so much more about Errol than meets the eye. These two characters were the villains in the novel. Aiden's mother Catherine was also a mysterious character and I expected this mystery to be key to the plot. Once again, I was wrong but the author did a great job with her red herrings concerning the Gardners.

The setting was the Gardner's estate in Osprey Cove. The estate was hidden behind long roads that seem to go nowhere for several miles before you see the entrance. You did not even see the main house until you drove another mile inside the entrance. There was heavy security at the estate which felt odd to me. It was almost like the security that you would expect at a Middle East terrorist facility. All this security added another measure of mystery. After passing all of this security the reader sees the beautiful buildings, rolling green hills and a private lake. You expect to see perfection in the decor of the buildings and there is some of that. However, Frank's room had a lot of spiders. This dissonance created more mystery. 

All in all, this book was a fun read. I still have some questions about the title, Maggie's character and those spiders and I am still thinking about what they could mean. I am rating this  novel 4 out of 5 stars.

The Butcher Game

The Butcher Game was published in September 2024. It's the second book in a new serial killer series featuring Dr. Wren Muller as the main character. I reviewed the first book in the series, The Butcher and the Wren, here. The story has an alternating format where the reader sees the perspectives of both the serial killer and the medical examiner Dr. Wren Muller, a format I love.

The publisher's summary: 

Destruction follows the ruthless serial killer, Jeremy Rose, the Bayou Butcher, as he heads north to evade capture for his horrific crimes. As he seeks safe harbor with a former friend, he remains focused on unfinished business with forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller, the only target who’s ever escaped him—twice. But not this time. He’s determined to make Wren suffer, and he’s promised to make her play by his own twisted rules.

Still in shock over the harrowing encounter with her old nemesis, Wren is on forced medical leave in New Orleans, attempting to mend the deep scars of her traumatic past. But with growing evidence that Jeremy is leaving a fresh trail of mutilated victims across Massachusetts, Wren realizes the best way to heal is to renew her pursuit of this vicious killer. She sets her sights on Jeremy, only to discover that she may have walked directly into his trap. As their twisted cat-and-mouse game rachets up to a violent clash of good versus evil, Wren prepares to sacrifice everything to bring Jeremy to justice.

With intense true-to-life details from autopsy technician and Morbid podcast cohost, Alaina Urquhart, The Butcher Game is a gripping addition to the New York Times bestselling Dr. Wren Muller series.

As I mentioned above  the story is told from a dual point of view. Every other chapter alternated between Jeremy and Wren's perspective. This format is what made the book a page turner. I had to keep reading to find out what happened at the end of every chapter. Mentally I was telling myself to keep reading just one more chapter until I finished the book. 

I enjoyed reading Jeremy's backstory, how he came to be a killer. Learning what makes these people tick has always been intriguing for me. For Jeremy, his abusive mother affected him deeply. However, there is a clue that Jeremy may have been born a bad seed because his mother used to tell him from a young age that he became too obsessed with things. Can you be born with an obsessive trait? Does obsession drive serial killers?  Beats me. Wren on the other hand had a lifetime of trauma to process. In many ways she and Jeremy are similar. It was interesting that they grew up in the same community and even enjoyed each other’s company. While Wren is not a killer, she seemed more messed up than Jeremy. Even with all the information on Jeremy's backstory, we are not told how his personality split into making him a killer. We read more about Wren's traumatic past and how it made her what she is today.

Wren is a medical examiner. As such I was expecting to receive clues from the autopsies performed on the victims. There weren't any. All of the forensic information came from the scene of the crime. Basically, this amounted to Jeremy's calling cards. He always removed an organ from his victims and stabbed them in a particular manner. The descriptions were graphic. It would have been nice to read what these calling cards revealed about Jeremy and how the police used, or could have used, this information to find him. The information was not part of the reveal so I believe the author made a mistake in not pursuing this avenue.

All in all the book was a great read. It was a little dark in several places but I found it easy to overlook. 4 out of 5 stars.

Agony in Amethyst

Agony in Amethyst is the 5th book in the Harriet Gordon historical cozy mystery series. The series takes place in Singapore during the 1910s. It was a fantastic finale to the series and was published last month on October 28, 2024.

The publisher's summary:

Harriet Gordon, newly settled in her new role as a teacher at a girls' school in Singapore, faces uncertainty in her budding relationship with Robert Curran, who has just returned from months in Kuala Lumpur. Curran's expected promotion turns sour when the position is given to an old adversary from his Scotland Yard days.

The arrival of the Colonial foreign secretary, Sir Henry Cunningham, revives memories of one of Curran's unresolved cases. The death of a schoolgirl at a lavish ball, hosted by the Governor in honour of the visitor, brings Curran into direct conflict with his new superior officer. When he confides his suspicions to Harriet, she inadvertently betrays his trust, threatening his already shaky career.

With their relationship on the brink of irreparable damage, a second death changes the course of the investigation. Can Harriet and Curran bring justice to a grieving family and emerge from this ordeal with their connection intact?

I loved this novel! The past of the new foreign secretary Sir Henry Cunningham is the basis for the three deaths that occur in the story.  The first death is the murder of sixteen-year-old Amelia Hardcastle while at a ball celebrating the coronation of King George and the arrival of the Cunninghams. Amelia was thrown off of a balcony while wearing a beautiful amethyst colored dress and it was initially thought to be either a suicide or an accident. However, the position of the body doesn't show suicide. Her autopsy shows injuries to her head which happened before she fell.

Sir Henry dies in his sleep a few days later. Again, the position of his body shows he probably was killed and poison becomes the leading reason for his death. The powers that be would like these deaths to be swept under the rug but Curran will not let that happen. Then Lady Cunningham's maid is killed, further intensifying Curran's investigation.

There’s also a secondary plot that involves the search for some jewel thieves that will be fraught with personal danger for Robert Curran which is a given in the series. Curran always gets injured at least once in each book in the series. The personal relationship between Harriet and Curran has been developed over the course of 5 books and reaches new heights in Agony in Amethyst. I don't want to be a spoiler but the author gives us a very satisfactory finish for these characters.

The writing is superb as usual. You have to think hard about the evidence as it is presented and wonder how the clues come together. The perpetrators are not obvious until the end of the book, mainly because there are alot of villains to choose from. Through Curran we get to see a thorough police investigation.  There are several intriguing twists to weigh in determining the whodunnit, which I was unable to figure out. 

I am sad that the author has no plans to continue this series. She made this same statement after book number 3 but we are lucky to have received books 4 and 5. She did not say that we have seen the last of the Harriet and Curran characters though. Perhaps we will see them again in the future. The author has left that possibility open. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Pike Island

Pike Island is a political mystery set in Washington DC and Minnesota. It is about a young rising congressman from Minnesota whose shadowy past threatens to end his career and his future shot at the presidency. It was published on November 1, 2024.

The publisher's summary:  

Andrew Harrison “Harry” Leonard is destined for politics. Getting his start on the Rochester City Council, he quickly rose to become the youngest representative in Congress. Now the up-and-comer from Minnesota is on the brink of something big. If all goes well, he’ll be in perfect position to aim for the presidency.

Then a postcard arrives, blank except for the name on the address: Andy Leonard. Harry hasn’t used that name since high school. Krista Walsh, Harry’s chief of staff, recognizes his old moniker, and when he dodges questions about it, she wonders what he’s trying to hide. She soon discovers the lake pictured on the postcard holds secrets too.

Krista’s investigation into Harry’s past uncovers the truth of what happened one fateful teenage summer. But as disturbing details come to light, how far will Krista go to keep Harry’s career—and her own—headed to the top?

This story is told in an alternating format with one plot dated back 20 years ago and the other in the current time period. I must admit the subplot from 20 years ago was more interesting than the present where Congressman Leonard and his staff set about covering up something he was involved in after high school graduation. Shortly after their high school graduation Harry Leonard and his three best friends went on a weeklong vacation to friend Jake Nelson's family lake house on Cedar Lake. Along with Harry, known as Andy at the time, and Jake were Ryan and Seth. This foursome had no real plans for the week other than drinking, boating and sunning. Their curiosity got the better of them when they decided to sail to Pike Island which had been uninhabited during its entire history.

Jake tells his buddies about an old abandoned mansion on the island that had been built by a wealthy man who died before he could move in. The mystery surrounding the home included lore about furniture being delivered there as well as clothing in the closets. One room had several pairs of children's shoes neatly lined up. However, the owner had never married or had kids. The teens' immaturity and drunkeness sent them to the island but they were stopped by a MN Department of Natural Resources cop who questioned them. Officer Schroeder let them go with a warning not to encroach on the island. However, they did just that and regretted it later.  

It seemed like Andy was the main character in the early plot but I feel that it was Jake. The mystery surrounding the island is revealed by him and he was in control of the vacation because the teens were lodging at his family's home. Also, his character brought us the mystery surrounding the hate mail Andy's Congressional office was receiving. Jake is furious with Andy over what Andy did on that island. Andy's actions are the basis of both subplots and it was a riveting tale that kept me reading the story.

Seth and Ryan don't play much of a role in the plot. Jake, Andy and Andy/Harry's chief of staff Krista are the prominent characters that pushed the story forward. The mystery of what happened on the island is slowly revealed by Krista’s investigation into her boss. She did some internet and library research as well as interviewing the other three teens, now adults. Her reaction to what she discovered is classic Washington. I liked her much more at the end of the book. 

I enjoyed reading this novel and am rating it 4 out of 5 stars. While the mystery was entertaining I don't feel that it is a thriller which it is advertised as being. 

An Age of Winters

An Age of Winters is a historical mystery set in Germany in 1625. The plot concerns the witch trials that occurred in Germany and the execution of those found guilty. It was published yesterday. 

The publisher's summary:

In 1625, the Franconian village of Eisbach has been plagued by disease, famine, heinous crimes, and a merciless winter. Katarin Jaspers is the maidservant to the enigmatic Reverend Zacharias Engel, appointed by Rome to cure the village of suspected diabolism and save every God-fearing soul.

Zacharias soon finds his first witch, and the public burning of a local man could spell the end of misfortune. As a sense of peace settles over the village, Katarin finds herself increasingly infatuated with Zacharias, who is a disruption to her predictable existence and a balm for her cruel past. But peace for Katarin is short-lived. Margaretha Katz—the new midwife—is seen as a rival for the reverend’s attention. Fear and recrimination reach a fever pitch when a great tragedy sets the town fully on edge.

With the walls of winter closing in around Eisbach once again, rumours flourish and villagers turn on each other. Now, no one is safe from the pyre.

The book had an interesting plot but the action was low-key. While many residents of Eisbach were accused and executed for witchcraft, there was no overriding concern to find one person responsible for the several child murders that had occurred. Everyone assumed the devil took their lives because their bodies were mutilated. We read about out one wealthy townsperson after another accused of witchcraft by those who wanted their property. Although there was no search for one villain as you would see in a typical mystery, the story kept me interested and reading even though there was no suspense ending the chapters. The historical part of the book was more prominent than the plot. Even so, I enjoyed the book despite it's dark storyline. 

4 out of 5 stars.

Art Club

Art Club Dare to Create was published on February 6, 2024. The story was inspired by the author’s own childhood and paints a picture of an aspiring young artist on a mission to prove that the arts are worth fighting for. The book was written with 8 - 12 year olds in mind and it is a graphic novel.

The publisher's summary:

Dale Donavan has heard the same lecture over and over again: Art will get you nowhere in life. A kid with a creative streak, Dale wants nothing more than to doodle, play video games, and create comics forever—maybe even as a full-time job one day. But between his grandfather pushing him to focus on his studies and a school with zero interest in funding arts programs, Dale feels like his future has already been decided for him. 

That is, until he comes up with the perfect plan: What if he starts an after-school art club, gathers a team of creative students like himself, and proves all the naysayers—his stubborn vice principal in particular—wrong? This might just work, but if the club isn’t financially successful by the end of the semester, the school with shut them down. This may be Dale’s only chance to show the adults in his life that a career as an artist is not just a dream but a possibility! 

The club doesn't get going until the halfway point in the story. The first half sets up the reason it was created as well as all of the obstacles that were put in the kids' way. The main obstacle is Mr. Ruffins, the school vice principal. He tasked the students with researching and writing a paper on a well paying career they are interested in. He hopes students will pursue math or science. Dale only likes reading comics so he takes a risk in writing his paper on the cartoonist field. This backfires on Dale but he convinces another teacher to sponsor an art club to show Ruffins that it can be profitable. If the club fails, Dale will flunk his class. 

The book teaches that there are many choices a student has to make before pursuing an art career. Dale is interested in becoming a comic book creator who does his own illustrations. Other students in the club like creating video games, drawing and fundraising. Their sponsor, Miss Jen'ae, begins with teaching the club members about different types of art and even takes them on field trips to art shows and comic conventions. Dale ultimately hopes that his school will resume teaching art classes.

Of course, there is a happy ending. Art Club is a fun read and is an ideal reading choice for a youngster interested in art. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Sound of a Thousand Stars

I was immediately drawn into this story from the first chapter. The story is about two young Jewish physicists who work at Los Alamos under Dr. Robert Oppenheimer during WWII. The book has an alternating plot that alternates between the perspectives of our heroine Alice in the 1940s and Haruki in the 1960s. Haruki is an old man who survived the bombing of Hiroshima. Alice is a physicist who is working toward a Ph.d Both plots were entertaining. This novel will be published on October 8, 2024 

The publisher's summary:  

Alice Katz is a young Jewish physicist, one of the only female doctoral students at her university, studying with the famed Dr. Oppenheimer. Her well-to-do family wants her to marry a man of her class and settle down. Instead, Alice answers her country’s call to come to an unnamed city in the desert to work on a government project shrouded in secrecy.

At Los Alamos, Alice meets Caleb Blum, a poor Orthodox Jew who has been assigned to the explosives division. Around them are other young scientists and engineers who have quietly left their university posts to come live in the desert.

No one seems to know exactly what they are working on—what they do know is that it is a race and that they must beat the Nazis in developing an unspeakable weapon. In this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, and despite their many differences, Alice and Caleb find themselves drawn to one another.

The book was inspired by the author’s grandparents and is her debut novel. I was expecting a story where the main character's Jewish faith was either prominent or a problem for her. After all, the book summary discusses two Jewish characters. However, just about every character working at Los Alamos was Jewish. The faith didn't have much part in the story other than in the character descriptions. The book is basically a historical romance although Alice wasn't the romantic type. Caleb more than made up for her. He could not stop dreaming about Alice all day and night. Caleb felt inferior to her both because of her family's wealth and her physicist work at the ranch. 

The work of the scientists was not developed. I guess that since the work among them was secret that the author did not write much about their experiments into the plot. It's possible that the actual history of the research they were doing is still confidential and that the author did not find anything specific about it in her research for the book. The reader is only allowed to see the parties the scientists attended and whatever they did in their off hours.

I am rating  novel 4 out of 5 stars. Please note that I received an advanced review copy of this book from Librarything's Early Reviewer's Club in exchange for an honest review.

Capture or Kill

Capture or Kill is the 23rd Mitch Rapp spy thriller. The series was begun by Vince Flynn who died approximately ten years ago. I haven't read any of the books published after his death until now. I selected this book for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge based on its publication month. Capture or Kill was just published a few days ago on September 3, 2024.

The publisher's summary:  

April 2011: On a remote mountaintop overlooking the remains of the Iranian nuclear weapons program, Azad Ashani witnesses a Quds Force demonstration of a capability meant to upend America’s war in the Middle East. Ashani, director of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security and Irene Kennedy’s former back channel to the Iranian government, recognizes the demonstration’s true significance, and the nation-ending conflict it will provoke. Alone, Ashani stands no chance of preventing this rush to madness. But with the help of one man, he just might.

In Washington, DC, CIA director Irene Kennedy briefs the president that the operational window to kill or capture Osama bin Laden at his recently discovered compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan is rapidly closing. But before he’ll authorize a commando raid on Pakistani soil, the president demands irrefutable proof of bin Laden’s presence. 

Proof he trusts just one man to provide. Preventing a looming war in the Middle East while delivering justice for the nearly 3,000 Americans killed on 9/11 would be a big ask for anyone.

The book had a slow beginning and I struggled to maintain interest. I found myself skipping pages of narrative just to get to some action. For example, after reading 10 pages of narrative Rapp contacted his boss Irene Kennedy. After the hellos we returned to another page or two of narrative before continuing the conversation. By this time I had forgotten who had called who and why. Another reason I found the story to hard to follow was the excessive number of acronyms. Within one of the early chapters we had SUNSPOT, HAVOK, TALON, ICE, PETTY, RTO, SIGINT, HENLEY, YUENGLING, and FAIRBANKS. It was too much for me all at once.

I broke one of my rules to stop reading if I do not become engaged after 50 pages. I made it to page 100 but only because Vince Flynn's name was on the book cover. Flynn was a phenomenal writer and I miss his stories. Since this was a DNF novel there is no rating. Please note that I haven't had a DNF in at least 5 years. 

My Husband’s Affair

Ruth Heald is one of my favorite authors. She recently published a new psychological thriller on April 10, 2024. Her books are always mesmerizing with plenty of suspense so I picked up a copy of it. It did not disappoint and, as the advertising says, it is unputdownable.

The publisher's summary:

I thought I had the perfect marriage. But as our beautiful children sleep soundly in the next room, I stare at the messages between my husband Rob and another woman, their promises to run away together bringing tears to my eyes. My heart stops when I see the latest one: ‘Leave my wife to me. I’ll get rid of her.’

My blood runs cold. I know this woman. I’ve let her into my home, where she’s bounced my rosy-cheeked baby on her knee. She could ruin my life in moments – she knows things about me even Rob doesn’t…

They think they can get rid of me so easily. They think they can just tear apart the perfect life we’ve built. But they've made a mistake underestimating me. He doesn't know I've uncovered his secrets. And now I know just enough to destroy him.

I can play the perfect wife for just a little longer. I’ll do anything to protect my children and my life. And he has no idea just how far I’ll go…

The story was one wild ride. The identity of the mistress was easy to figure out but because earlier books by Heald had many uncertainties, I could not be sure. Heald is known for throwing her readers for a loop. I kept thinking about all the female characters as possible mistresses. I didn't particularly like the main character Jen. She was a stepford wife whose only goal in life was to keep a clean home for her husband and cook his dinners, which was always later than when his kids ate. Jen lived to please him. When she finally got sick of that husband Jen sought revenge. She was more likeable as an angry wife.

Jen has two close friends, Natasha and Amy. One is in love with Jen and the other is in love with Rob. Jen doesn't know any of this until at least page 250 of this 350 page novel. Rob is the perfect villain. He not only cheats on his wife but he doles out money for household expenses only as they are needed. Jen does not have any money of her own but isn't aware of it because he always gives her what she needs. Any other woman would see him as controlling and demand access to bank accounts.

Lots of plot twists kept coming and it was hard to tell how this story was going to end because these relationships were weird. I wasn't sure which character was going to come out in top. I hoped Jen would win in the end but, hey, I'm not going to tell you. Read the book. It's awesome!

5 out of 5 stars.

By Evening's Light

I was lucky to receive a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.  It was published on August 20, 2024 by Bethany House and is an Amish fiction story.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel. Treva is the main character. She was raised Mennonite but after her parents died both she and her sisters were taken in by their Amish grandparents. From her grandparents Treva learned about a great-great aunt, Rosene, who suffered under the Nazis. The book alternates chapters between their respective stories. Treva has recently returned to Pennsylvania following a mission in Haiti. While there, Treva broke up with her boyfriend Zeke. Treva had planned to move to Alaska but she missed her expected leave date because her family needed her help. Treva’s quandary is whether she will be able to move to Alaska or whether to stay on the family farm.

I loved that the story was about Amish folks in post WWII Germany. We don’t usually see this topic in Amish fiction. I also loved the contemporary feel of the book and was impressed that Treva had been on a mission. I was not aware that the Amish went on missions. Now that this author on my radar I am planning to read more books written by her.

4 out of 5 stars.

Ash's Cabin

Ash's Cabin is a coming of age graphic novel by Jen Wang. It was published on August 13, 2024 and has been written for young adults in grades 10 through 12. 

The publisher's summary:

Ash has always felt alone. Adults ignore the climate crisis. Other kids Ash’s age are more interested in pop stars and popularity contests than in fighting for change. Even Ash’s family seems to be sleepwalking through life. The only person who ever seemed to get Ash was Grandpa Edwin. Before he died, he used to talk about building a secret cabin deep in the California wilderness. Did he ever build it? What if it’s still there, waiting for him to come back…or for Ash to find it? To Ash, that cabin is starting to feel like the perfect place for a fresh start and an escape from the miserable feeling of alienation that haunts her daily life.  But making the wilds your home isn’t easy. And as much as Ash wants to be alone…can she really be happy alone?  

 

The publisher's website states that this graphic novel tackles the topic of gender identity. I was not aware of this until the ending and I looked up the book. A classmate places her hand on Ash's hand and Ash's face lights up. I feel a little stupid for not picking up on the new masculine name but in my defense let me say the reader doesn't know what Ash's name originally was. In fact, in the first chapter I thought Ash was male. Her desire to learn survival skills didn't cause me to suspect anything either. It just sounded like a great adventure. Her withdrawal from her high school classmates didn't make me suspicious either. Half the kids in school are withdrawn. My only clue that she was gay was that hand.

I would not categorize the book as LGBTQ fiction. It's about Ash's six month long plan to camp in the wilderness and then her execution of the plan. She takes her beloved dog Chase with her and, as an animal lover, I enjoyed their exploits. She was only supposed to be gone two weeks but Ash lasted 42 days in the wilderness. After Chase became injured Ash should have taken him home. She didn't and that upset me some.

All things considered, Ash's Cabin was a fun read. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Secret War of Julia Child

I have always loved Julia Child. I learned how to cook from her TV programs on public television. When I  saw this ARC on Net Galley, I immediately requested it. The book did not disappoint. It was fantastic.  The book will be published next month.

The publisher's summary:  

Before she mastered the art of French cooking in midlife, Julia Child found herself working in the secrets trade in Asia during World War II, a journey that will delight both historical fiction fans and lovers of America's most beloved chef, revealing how the war made her into the icon we know now.

Single, 6 foot 2, and thirty years old, Julia McWilliams took a job working for America's first espionage agency, years before cooking or Paris entered the picture. The Secret War of Julia Child traces Julia's transformation from ambitious Pasadena blue blood to Washington, DC file clerk, to head of General "Wild Bill" Donovan's secret File Registry as part of the Office of Strategic Services.

The wartime journey takes her to the Far East, to Asia's remote frontlines of then-Ceylon, India, and China, where she finds purpose, adventure, self-knowledge – and love with mapmaker Paul Child. The spotlight has rarely shone on this fascinating period of time in the life of ("I'm not a spy") Julia Child, and this lyrical story allows us to explore the unlikely world of a woman in World War II spy station who has no idea of the impact she'll eventually impart.

Before starting my read, I was aware of Julia's WWII work for the OSS. This part of her life was included in a biography, Appetite for Life. I was interested in finding out if this historical fiction account of her life had more information. It didn't. The author stated on her website that she spent months doing research but many details could not be confirmed. If you have never heard of Julia Child that should not affect your enjoyment of the novel. It reads like any good spy novel with some romance thrown in. 

As the grand-daughter of a railroad tycoon, Julia grew up wealthy in Sacramento, CA. When WWII broke out many kids from wealthy families were able to obtain these plush jobs with the OSS. Julia was one of them. She wanted some adventure before marrying and bearing children. She initially traveled to India but was soon sent to nearby Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. It was here where she met her future husband Paul Child. After a tumultuous six months, Julia was reassigned to China where she worked under Louis Mountbatten. You can't make this stuff up! While not hired to be a spy, it was soon evident to her bosses that she had talents and she managed to ferret out a double spy. While in China Julia found that two compatriots were double spies also. One was executed for treason and the other spent the rest of her life in prison. It is around these facts that the author spun her tale. The story ends with the conclusion of the war in Japan when she and Paul become engaged. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Tender

Tender was published on March 12, 2024. It is a psychological thriller in comic format and is the author's debut graphic novel.

The publisher's summary:

Carolanne wanted a perfect wedding, a perfect husband, a perfect family. She carefully performs her own roles (gal pal, bestie, girlfriend, wife, and expectant mother) and manipulates those around her to try and get the results she wants. Her desire to control the uncontrollable ultimately becomes her undoing. When things don't go her way, she exerts dominance over the one thing she does have total control over: her body; until that "betrays" her. After suffering a horrible loss, Carolanne spirals into a literal, all-consuming delusion causing her body to produce symptoms of a hysterical pregnancy ― as a result of her slicing off bits of her own flesh and eating them.

Chicago cartoonist and educator Beth Hetland’s graphic novel debut is a brilliant psychological thriller that tears down the wall of a genre ― body horror ― so often identified with male creators. Heady and visceral, Tender uses horrific tropes to confront women’s societal expectations of self-sacrifice despite those traditional roles often coming at the expense of female sexuality and empowerment.

 

I won't lie. After finishing the book I had to read the summary above in order to figure out what I just read. The story alternates between time periods as you would see with any psychological thriller. However, I was not expecting it and was confused as to what happened in Carolanne's life. A re-read helped me understand.

The horror aspect of the book is from Carolanne's self mutilation. We only have illustrations to know she was doing this to herself. Some of the illustrations were so jarring that I couldn't look at them. It's only apparent that Carolanne was trying to have a perfect life from these drawings and that the pressure she put on herself had to come out somewhere. We read about her striving for the perfect relationship, perfect wedding and perfect motherhood. Unfortunately none of that actually happened.

The ending was unexpected. I am still thinking about it a week after reading the novel and have a sinking feeling in my stomach. The author deserves accolades for writing the usual date, wedding, baby story from the horror genre. It works.

Not recommended for kids. The drawings have nudity and self-mutilation. 5 out of 5 stars.