Book reviews of mysteries, historical fiction and graphic novels with a smattering of non-fiction books.
Saturday, March 4, 2023
The Last Kingdom
Thursday, March 2, 2023
The Porcelain Moon
France, 1918. In the final days of the First World War, a young Chinese woman, Pauline Deng, runs away from her uncle’s home in Paris to evade a marriage being arranged for her in Shanghai. To prevent the union, she needs the help of her cousin Theo, who is working as a translator for the Chinese Labour Corps in the French countryside. In the town of Noyelles-sur-Mer, Camille Roussel is planning her escape from an abusive marriage, and to end a love affair that can no longer continue. When Camille offers Pauline a room for her stay, the two women become friends. But it’s not long before Pauline uncovers a perilous secret that Camille has been hiding from her. As their dangerous situation escalates, the two women are forced to make a terrible decision that will bind them together for the rest of their lives.
Set against the little-known history of the 140,000 Chinese workers brought to Europe as non-combatant labor during WWI, The Porcelain Moon is a tale of forbidden love, identity and belonging, and what we are willing to risk for freedom.
Before reading this book I knew nothing about the Chinese laborers who came to France during WW1. I learned alot about this little known part of history and am glad that the author highlighted it. I was hoping to read more about the porcelain industry but it was merely the backdrop to the lives of the characters.
The chapters alternated between Pauline and Camille's story and toward the end of the book these stories merged into a pleasing ending. Both Pauline and Camille were interesting characters but I was more attracted to Pauline's story. She came to Paris as the illegitimate niece of the Pagoda owner Louis Deng and was able to build the life that she wanted there. She had many more challenges to overcome than Camille so she was my favorite character. There was always the possibility that she could be sent back to China as the bride of someone who she did not know and that's pretty scary. Pauline always knew that if a marriage was arranged for her that she would go along with it to maintain her family's pride. This is heroic.
The Porcelain Moon is a must read for historical fiction fans. It was just published last week and you need to get a copy of it. 5 out of 5 stars.
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Someone Else's Life
Annie Lin’s life crumbles. Her dance studio goes bankrupt. Her mother and beloved dog are gone the same year. Then a terrible accident leaves her young son traumatized. It’s time for a change. Palm trees, mai tais, peace and quiet―Annie should be at ease, safe in her new Kauai home with her husband and son. She hopes proximity to her family can provide them all with a sense of belonging and calm. But soon items from her past start turning up―her dog’s collar, a bracelet that disappeared years ago―and she has the unnerving sensation she’s being watched. Reality begins to fracture, and Annie’s panic attacks return. When, during a brewing storm, a woman appears on her doorstep looking for shelter, Annie is relieved to have the company and feels an unexplainable bond with her visitor. As the night progresses, Annie realizes the woman is no stranger. Their lives are inextricably intertwined―and Annie might just lose everything.
Atmospheric and Hitchcockian. Both of these descriptions of the book are accurate. I couldn't put the book down and was extremely interested in figuring out what was happening. I couldn't believe that Annie let Serena into her home and knew that Serena was going to be the villain. However, some of the red flags that Annie ignored were unbelievable. While Annie knew what was happening was questionable she continued to let it happen. Annie should have trusted her instincts and made her leave. Of course, we wouldn't have a great story if she had and this is a fantastic story. It's always amazing to me when an author's debut novel is so good. I expect nothing but suspenseful stories from her in the future. She has two more novels ready to be published in the next year. Check this book out.
5 out of 5 stars.
Five Steps Beyond
CIA operative Titus Ray took five steps. But not just any steps.They were five steps beyond his expectations, five steps beyond his experience, five steps beyond his past.He took five steps beyond his expectations . . .When Titus is summoned to the White House, he expects to be offered a Top Secret assignment. What he doesn’t expect is where that assignment will take him, and how he’ll survive if he accepts it.He took five steps beyond his experience . . .Even though Titus has been through a lot in his twenty-year career with the Agency, he’s never had to learn about uranium enrichment, he’s never had his appearance altered, he’s never had to be a marriage counselor.He took five steps beyond his past . . .Operation Strike Out finds Titus revisiting his past to prevent the Iranians from developing a nuclear weapon to annihilate Israel. When he discovers the tentacles of his past are reaching into his present, seeking to destroy his future, he realizes he has to act quickly.Will his prayers be answered in time or has his time come to an end?
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Book of the Month: February
The main character, Ellie Hostettler, grew up near an apple orchard that her father owned. Twin brother Evan was expected to take over the business but Evan's interest in the ways of the Englischers has been disconcerting to his family. Evan got caught attending the funeral of an English friend, Jack Herr, who died in Vietnam. Evan has been highly influenced by his friendship with Jack. He is considering joining the army to fight in Vietnam and when he fails to register as a conscientious objector the Hostettler family is devastated. Meanwhile, the ladies are all trying to find husbands which, of course, they find or it wouldn't be Amish fiction.
Friday, February 24, 2023
Book Cover of the Month: February
Sunday, February 19, 2023
New America
Saturday, February 18, 2023
The Vision
The Orchard
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Can't Wait Wednesday #18
Thursday, February 9, 2023
The Apprentice
Naples, Italy 1600: In a desperate attempt to avoid an undesirable fate, “Carlo” dispatches an urgent letter to estranged cousin, Giovanni Balducci, on the eve of the Florentine Maestro's departure to Naples. The deceptive youth convinces Giovanni that he needs an apprentice, so they travel south to complete important commissions, including the adornment of the macabre San Gaudioso catacombs. What began as an adventure takes a perilous turn when the apprentice falls in love with a local monk.Carlo meets the famed nun, Sister Giulia di Marco, and her confessor, Father Aniello Arcieri, a few years later while restoring an altarpiece in a church. The charismatic pair gradually draw the lonely artist into their scandalous Confraternity of Carnal Charity, whose wealthy noble acolytes believe divine glory can be achieved through sexual ecstasy. Unable to continue living a lie, Carlo confesses a big secret to Sister Giulia. The crafty nun wastes no time assigning the novitiate a prominent role within the cult, which soon captures the attention of the Holy Inquisition. To make matters worse, the priest leading the investigation is someone the artist knows all too well.This gripping account of forbidden love and danger revolves around actual historical accounts. The author has spent considerable time researching in Naples, especially within the mysterious and bizarre underground catacombs.
Monday, February 6, 2023
Cor Rotto
Catherine Carey has been dreaming the same dream for three years, since the bloody execution of her aunt Queen Anne Boleyn. Her only comfort is that she and her family are safe in Calais, away from the intrigues of Henry VIII’s court. But now Catherine has been chosen to serve Henry VIII’s new wife, Queen Anne of Cleves. Just before she sets off for England, she learns the family secret: the true identity of her father, a man she considers a monster. One she will shortly meet.
This compelling novel tells the life story of a woman who survived being close to the crown and became one of Queen Elizabeth I’s closest confidants.
I loved Catherine's story. I view her life as charmed given her wealth, loving husband and large family that got along with each other. Serving five queens of England, she had great jobs. She worked for Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Mary 1 and Elizabeth 1. The character who used the Latin phrase cor rotto in a letter to Catherine was Princess Elizabeth who was heartbroken over the death of her mother many years earlier. I also view Princess, then Queen, Elizabeth as having a charmed life. However, the author tells us that both of these characters were heartbroken. We all can agree that Elizabeth's early life was difficult but Catherine had heartbreak too as she lost two of her children and was frequently separated from her husband and children.
Religion plays a big role in the novel as it covers all of Henry VIII's wives, son Edward, and sisters Mary and Elizabeth. Our heroine Catherine, however, does not care how others practice their religion. She accepts whatever faith tradition a person wishes to follow and because of that she never spread gossip either against the Catholic Church or against the reformers. Consequently, everyone liked her. Her conduct was always exemplary. By the way, she was a reformer.
The Tudor setting was exotic. The ladies wore sumptuous dresses and the men of the court wore velvet. In this book the reader gets the full perspective on what it was like to wear these dresses. While beautiful to look at, getting dressed was cumbersome because of all the layers and for Catherine, who was pregnant sixteen times, too heavy to wear. It wasn't all exotic for the ladies who lived during this era as they were required to spend the last three months of pregnancy confined to their rooms and another two months of confinement after the birth until they were churched, that is, allowed to go to church for a purification rite and to thank God for their newborn child.
The writing itself was fast paced as many chapters covered several years and the chapters were short. There is a ton of detail in the novel so it was definitely well researched. Given that the author has, to date, only written about Boleyn family members, she must be an expert on the family. The story begins when Catherine is 15 and ends with her death at age 47. It seemed to me that Catherine lived to be much older because we read about the minutiae in her life as well as the big events. However, per Wikipedia, Catherine died at age 47. She led an incredible life.
5 out of 5 stars.
Sunday, February 5, 2023
Murder on the Beach
Jackson Kelly may have been middle-aged and the vice-president of the exclusive Oceana Resort Hotel, but Jackson loved to surf and he loved the ladies, who were mostly young women he referred to as his “diversions.”When he dies on the beach while surfing with no apparent injuries, the question is: “What happened to him?" Too bad he had an angry looking rash on his leg. And Dani and Arthur were only at the resort to cater a dinner meeting for the resort’s stockholders! When the coroner says, yes, it was murder, they have their work cut out for them – another mystery to solve.The owner of the resort and his family have a lot to gain financially if Jackson’s dead. But maybe it was a crime of passion. His wife or current “diversion” could have done it. A lot of interests to be protected. Greed, revenge, hatred – those are all possible motives.
While cozy mystery writers are known for testing the limits of suspension of belief, I think Ms. Harman went too far. There were two sleuths in the story: Chef Dani and Arthur, her one-time bodyguard and owner of a private investigation firm. While Arthur was hired by the owners of the resort and had a reason to investigate, Dani didn't. I don't know why she questioned some of the suspects and I cannot imagine why anyone would allow themselves to be questioned by a chef about a murder. Since this is the first book in the series that I have read, perhaps how these two characters came to do their sleuthing together would have been explained in earlier novels. It just seemed odd to me that the chef did more sleuthing than the professional investigator.
What I did find interesting was that digital vehicle forensics was supposed to be used in the investigation. I had never heard about this type of forensics before. However, after Arthur brought this idea up with his clients, it should have been used to determine who the killer was. It not only wasn't used, Arthur never even looked into the car owned by one of the suspects that he was interested in. Why was digital vehicle forensics even mentioned?
One more thing bothered me. When visiting chef Dani arrived at the resort, she was given the Presidential Suite. Granted, Dani is a celebrity chef but this still was odd to me.
There were several flaws in the story but it still had some appeal for me. I enjoyed the first half of the book but when Jackson Kelly died at the midpoint, it fell flat. The second half of the novel, which was the investigation, was not plausible.
2 out of 5 stars.