#Goodreads – Page 43 – Rosepoint Publishing

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn – #AudiobookReview – #WWIIHistoricalFiction – #TBT – #HarperAudio

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

The New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.

The year 1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything – beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses – but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious, self-made Mab, product of East End London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.

The year 1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter – the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger – and their true enemy – closer….

My Review:

Some books are too long; others you hate to see end. This one fell under the category of the latter.

What an amazing immersion into 1940 Britain starring down the barrel of the impending fight with the Nazis!

From two wildly different backgrounds come Osla; debutante, privileged, and beautiful. She’s had the advantage of having had an exclusive education resulting in the fluency in German that puts her square into the sights of Bletchley Park. From the other side of the tracks, East End London poverty comes Mab who is hiding secrets that left scarring on her soul but not her brain and she is called to work codebreaking machines.

The two, finding a rooming house not far from Bletchley Park, are introduced to Beth—spinster, mousy Beth, kept firmly under her mother’s thumb. But she is brilliant with puzzles and both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential for her work at BP as well. It is her chance to be independent, separate from her mother, discover her worth.

The three bond quickly, each in their own niche, and find the work both incredibly difficult and rewarding at the same time. They are part of something big, monumentally big. They do astonishing work under strict secrecy laws that save a lot of lives and they manage to survive the war, their friendship intact until tragedy strikes.

The storyline splits timelines. It is now 1947 and post-war London finds the three still estranged, each having moved on in their private lives. Only Beth remains tied to the years in Bletchley Park—and she is now three years in an asylum facing a radical surgical procedure that will forever alter her life (and her memory) unless she can find the traitor that lived and worked with them in BP (and is responsible for her admission to the asylum). Osla and Mab are the only persons she can trust, who have knowledge of the conditions, and the people they worked with. She absolutely must convince them to help her.

First, the war time conditions, the rations, the bombs, even the music, and the reader is plunked into the middle of it. The three have the kind of bond somewhat experienced by their male counterparts but the rip between them was extreme. Still, something nags at them regarding the details and they all search their memories for significant moments. What if she’s right and there was a traitor? Is he still active in that position?

Was there a traitor?

The three main characters are intensely engaging and their friendship is enviable. The support characters work well, adding depth to the storyline, cementing a complete vision of the time, the area, and the tension. The well-plotted, paced narrative provides twists, snappy 40s dialogue and sensibilities. It’s complex, swinging between the timeline, and thrilling. The writing is punctuated with expressive prose.

Hooked from the beginning, you’ll find yourself lost in this book to the end. The audiobook is deliciously narrated—each of the characters so well developed—easy to visualize. I also enjoyed the epilogue—the explanation of the characters, both fictional and historical, details about the facility. The author had employed untold hours of research to make it so authentic and the narrator is amazing.

I read The Huntress in January and was totally sold on this author’s dedication to writing strong and dedicated women warriors. They are gripping entertainment.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts. Highly recommended.

Book Details:

Genre: World War II Historical Fiction, War Fiction, War & Military Fiction
Publisher: HarperAudio
ASIN: B089WHV9Y7
Listening Length: 16 hrs 2 mins
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Publication Date: March 9, 2021
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Rose Code [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of southern California, she attended Boston University where she earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Classical Voice. She has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga, and two books in the Italian Renaissance, before turning to the 20th century with “The Alice Network”, “The Huntress,” “The Rose Code,” and “The Diamond Eye.” All have been translated into multiple languages. Kate and her husband now live in San Diego with three rescue dogs.

The Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld is an experienced audiobook narrator and voice-over actress based in New York City. Raised in New Zealand and France, she is highly skilled with accents and dialects, and many of her books have been narrated entirely in accents other than her own. In addition to audiobooks, Saskia’s voice can be heard in animation, video games, and commercials. She attributes her love and understanding of reading books aloud to coming from a large family where audiobooks were the only way to get though car rides without fighting! Visit saskiamaarleveld.com to learn more.

Reading Ireland Month 2023

A Week in Summer-A Short Story by Maeve Binchy- #Audiobook Review – #FictionShortStories – #audiobook – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

After many happy years of marriage and raising a family, Brian and Kathleen suddenly find themselves a bit lost in life. Midwesterners who’ve never traveled, Kathleen decides that what she and Brian need is a vacation, and with the help of an enthusiastic travel agent she plans a trip to Ireland in search of her roots. In beautiful, quaint Lisdoonvarna, to the couple’s surprise, they find themselves in the midst of a joyous yearly gathering dedicated to celebrating the life and work of a late Irish poet, and they rediscover something much more important than evidence of long-dead ancestors: their love for each other and for life itself.

My Review:

Either read (29 pages) or listened to (33 minutes), this short story is so short I’m not really sure we actually get a story. Don’t blink or you’ll miss the whole thing.

My one experience with this author was back in 2020 for #ReadingIrelandMonth20 when the CE and I co-read A Week in Winter. You can’t compare a 418 page novel with a 33 minute audiobook. He loved the former—I balked—and this is apples and oranges so you can’t compare the writing style of the two.

Brian and Kathleen after years of marriage have found themselves at an unhappy crossroads. When Brian’s job leaves him high, dry, and despondent, she decides they need a vacation and researching choose the land of her ancestors. She books a week in Lisdoonvarna where, coincidentally, they are celebrating the work of a late, great Irish poet.

While my heart goes out to Kathleen, I didn’t care at all for Brian. Given his lack of interest in anything, I wasn’t sure how she convinced him to go on the trip. Perhaps Brian wasn’t given enough development, the effort having gone to Kathleen, but he remained an enigma and I never warmed up to him.

Kathleen loves her husband, tries very hard to put some spark back into their marriage. Brian, who’s never been one to do much of anything fun, suddenly participates in various activities, joining the celebration. And what happens in the conclusion leaves me scratching my head.

Huh? I was shocked! She is willing to accept this Brian. I was thinking perhaps he was in need of a psychologist.

So, no, not wholly thrilled with this one either. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Fiction Short Stories, Family Life Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Random House Audio
ASIN: B004Z902DC
Listening Length: 33 mins
Narrator: Maeve Binchy
Publication Date: May 4, 2011
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: A Week in Summer [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

The Author: Maeve Binchy was born in County Dublin and educated at the Holy Child convent in Killiney and at University College, Dublin. After a spell as a teacher she joined the IRISH TIMES. Her first novel, LIGHT A PENNY CANDLE, was published in 1982 and she went on to write over twenty books, all of them bestsellers. Several have been adapted for cinema and television, including TARA ROAD. Maeve Binchy received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Book Awards in 1999 and the Irish PEN/A.T. Cross award in 2007. In 2010 she was presented with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bord Gáis Irish Book Awards by the President of Ireland. She was married to the writer and broadcaster Gordon Snell for 35 years, and died in 2012.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Cold Light of Day (Missing in Alaska Book #1) by Elizabeth Goddard – #BookReview – Christian Mystery and Suspense Romance

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal activity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murders, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community.

Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are–to disappear–when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he’s not sure even Autumn could save him.

As the stakes rise and the dangers increase, Autumn and Grier must rely on each other to extinguish the deadly threats.

His Review:

Shadow Gap, Alaska is the perfect remote getaway in Alaska. Grier Brenner is there getting away from an international group trying to kill him. His problem is exacerbated by rogue CIA operatives who also are hunting him. With federal credentials, they have seemingly endless resources.

Chief Autumn Long has just taken over as Chief of Police for the small town but very large area. She tries to stay aloof but has a problem with Grier, she is falling for him. He captures her heart by saving a drowning girl in the frigid waters of the sound but the rescue puts a big target on his head.

The author unwinds this tale with a master storyteller’s efficiency. Three very well-placed international agents are trying to kill Grier after they extract the location of their prize from him. Autumn works the case while trying to protect Grier from the killers. People keep dying in this small town. More in the last few weeks than in the last 20 years. Grier seems to be a murder magnet.

Autumn’s father was the former Chief of Police of the territory but has been wounded by the killers. The remote location puts Grier more and more in the cross-hairs of the trio’s sights. Can Autumn protect Grier and discover the reason for their vendetta?

This novel has no downtime. I found it difficult to take a break for supper because every page magnified the tension. Enjoy the read, you will not be disappointed! 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Book Details:

Genre: Christian Mystery & Suspense Romance, Christian Suspense
Publisher: Revell
ISBN: ‎ 0800742729
ASIN: B0B6Q6PXBQ
Print Length: 331 pages
Publication Date: February 7, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Elizabeth Goddard is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than 50 novels, including Cold Light of Day, the Rocky Mountain Courage and Uncommon Justice series. Her books have sold nearly 1.5 million copies. She is a Carol Award and Reader’s Choice Award winner and a Daphne du Maurier Award finalist. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry. For more information about her books, visit her website at http://www.elizabethgoddard.com.

To get book news sign up for her newsletter at her website: http://elizabethgoddard.com

Follow her on Bookbub! https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-goddard

You can connect with Elizabeth on Facebook: http://facebook.com/elizabethgoddardauthor

or Twitter: http://twitter.com/bethgoddard

©CE Williams – V Williams

#RosepointPub

Desert Star (Renée Ballard Book 5) by Michael Connelly – #Audiobook Review – #mysteryactionfiction – Little, Brown & Company

in Mystery Action Fiction

Book Blurb:

LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch team up to hunt the brutal killer who is Bosch’s “white whale”—a man responsible for the murder of an entire family.

A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralization, and endless red tape. But after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her own ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving “the Late Show” to rebuild and lead the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come volunteer as an investigator in her new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his “white whale” with the resources of the LAPD behind him.

First priority for Ballard is to clear the unsolved rape and murder of a sixteen-year-old girl. The decades-old case is essential to the councilman who supported re-forming the unit, and who could shutter it again—the victim was his sister. When Ballard gets a “cold hit” connecting the killing to a similar crime, proving that a serial predator has been at work in the city for years, the political pressure has never been higher. To keep momentum going, she has to pull Bosch off his own investigation, the case that is the consummation of his lifelong mission.

My Review:

Okay, wait…what is Connelly telling us with Book 5? COME ON! We are talking Ballard and Bosch here! I particularly enjoy it when these two get together.

Read most of his books, I’m a fan; watched all the Netflix episodes. While Welliver sells Bosch in the title role of the TV series, he reinforces Titus Welliver in the audiobooks—makes him real! So what’s with the ending in this installment?!

This installment, though, where Ballard brings Bosch in to help her with her cold case, it also renews his interest in solving a cold case of his own. I was quite surprised when the two so quickly handled her cold case, almost too soon. But Bosch’s “white whale” (that of the odious murder of an entire family) kept the two working.

Yes, Harry had quit the force—hasn’t gotten any younger. Ballard, of course, is eyeing a successful partnership again—they work well together. Have cases to solve. She is eager to keep her funding, her new department active. Ballard has grown in character depth, but there is still a lot to learn about her while we are quite familiar with Bosch.

Connelly is preparing us though—things are going to change—hopefully not in the next episode, but Ballard appears to be gaining in her position. She’s done well under the mentoring of Bosch. Out of left-center field comes a psychic. I’m not at all sure if she is to remain part of the Open-Unsolved Unit and I’m not sold on her yet.

Fast-paced, well-plotted, packed with technology—something new to learn. Always suspenseful, building tension as Bosch navigates treachery and Ballard handles personnel, the department, the funding and budget, the direction, the clues, and dispenses appropriate action. Perhaps this is not the installment to break into this series.

Something’s afoot!

I’ve enjoyed previous episodes, the last Dark Sacred Night and the CE’s review of The Dark Hours. Hopefully, there will still be more.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library and again recommend the audiobook with Welliver’s narration. My only reservation with the audiobooks is that it sounds sometimes like he read his parts at some other place or time and it was fitted with the other two narrators. Can’t put my finger on it—but it’s an obvious change in timbre. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery Action Fiction, Crime Action Fiction, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
ASIN: B09X295Y68
Listening Length: 9 hrs 37 mins
Narrator: Titus Welliver, Christine Lakin, Peter Giles
Publication Date: November 8, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Desert Star [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

The Author: Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly’s 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include Desert Star (2022), The Dark Hours (2021), The Law Of Innocence (2020), Fair Warning (2020), and The Night Fire (2019). Michael is the executive producer of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee. He is the executive producer of The Lincoln Lawyer, streaming on Netflix, starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, “Sound Of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story’ and ‘Tales Of the American.’ He spends his time in California and Florida.

Titus Welliver - actor, narrator — Titus Welliver–Compliments of Wikipedia–thank you!

The Narrator: Titus B. Welliver is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of the Man in Black in Lost, Silas Adams in Deadwood, Jimmy O’Phelan in Sons of Anarchy, and the title role in the television series Bosch. Wikipedia Born: March 12, 1962, New Haven, CT.

Cheers

Retribution (Koa Kane Hawaiian Mystery Book 5) by Robert McCaw – #BookReview – #TerrorismThrillers – Oceanview Publishing

Book Blurb:

As people around him come under attack, Chief Detective Koa Kane wonders if he might be the real target

In the back alley of a bar on Hawaii Island, a young man is found stabbed to death. When Hilo Chief Detective Koa Kane begins investigating the crime, the murder weapon is recovered only a few feet away from the body. Crime scene technicians find fingerprints on the knife¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ — they are a perfect match for Koa’ s younger brother, Ikaika.

As the brothers scramble to prove Ikaika’ s innocence, another crime sends shockwaves through the Hilo police force. A sniper tries to take out Makanui, Koa’ s closest colleague. As Koa tries to figure out whether these crimes are linked, the sinister force continues their killing spree, threatening Koa and his loved ones at every turn.

Could Koa be the real target? If so, who is behind this trail of retribution? With his own secret criminal past, Koa confronts an all-out offensive against those closest to him and his police force to which he has devoted his life. As the bodies pile up, Koa finds himself the ultimate target of a ruthless adversary and must risk it all to survive.

His Review:

Something is amiss at the police department in Hilo. More murders are happening on the big island than have ever been witnessed before. Koa Kane is the Lead Detective and he is determined to find the killer.

His good friend Ikaika has been tagged for the killings but Koa knows that is not possible. Ikaika was on the volcano for a getaway with Maria when the crime occurred. The problem is that Ikaika has a criminal record and is the prime suspect.

International intrigue and espionage are woven into this tale with the culprit’s true identity carefully camouflaged. The person seems to be rising quickly through the ranks despite little actual experience in law enforcement. Money seems to be a prime prerequisite for advancement in the police department! Cliques within law enforcement make solving crimes a personality test.

Robert McCaw has developed a very twisted narrative of deceit within the Hilo Police Department. The novel is entertaining and at times frustrating, but certainly engaging. Enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Terrorism Thrillers, Vigilante Justice Thrillers, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
ASIN: B0B922ZDXZ
Print Length: 334 pages
Publication Date: June 6, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Robert B. McCaw is the author of Death of a Messenger (2016) and Off the Grid (to be published July 2, 2019).

He grew up in a military family traveling the world. After graduating from Georgetown University, he served as a lieutenant in the US Army before earning his JD degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. Upon graduation from law school he spent a year as a judicial clerk for Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black. He practiced law in Washington, DC, and New York City, representing investment banks, lawyers, directors, and other clients in complex civil and criminal cases, including many that generated significant press coverage.

For a number of years, Bob maintained a home on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, studying its history, culture, and peoples. Archaeology and astronomy are among his many interests. In researching his books, he talked story with Hawai‘i County cops and walked the streets where his stories take place. He and his wife live in New York City.

robertbmccaw.com

Facebook: RobertBMcCaw

Twitter: @RobertBMcCaw

March!

Molasses Murder in a Nutshell: A Nutshell Murder Mystery (Book 1) by Frances McNamara – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog – #LevelBestBooks

“…convict the guilty, clear the innocent, and find the truth in a nutshell…”

Book Blurb:

In January 1919 tank bursts in Boston’s North End, flooding the neighborhood with molasses. When a woman is found murdered in the wreckage, Frances Glessner Lee asks her old friend, medical examiner Dr. George Magrath to help exonerate a young serviceman. He’s a resident at the home for returning soldiers on Beacon Hill that Fanny has come from Chicago to manage. Frustrated by her lack of education and skills, she wants to clear the young man’s name and find the killer. Will creation of a miniature crime scene lead to the truth? It’s the best she can do.

This is the first in a series of fictional stories roughly based on the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. Over twenty miniature crime scenes were used from the 1940s to the present to train police detectives. Set in the 1920s, these stories imagine Frances Glessner Lee working with Dr. George Magrath to learn about “legal medicine” as forensic science was known at the time. Working with Magrath provided the foundation for the miniatures for which Frances Glessner Lee has become known as the Mother of Forensic Science.

My Review:

This historical fiction story features a real-life event back in 1919 when a huge molasses tank in Boston exploded, literally burying the immediate area in molasses. I had no idea that molasses, which I enjoyed in childhood in various homemade concoctions, was used to make industrial alcohol for munitions during WWI. The explosion released two million gallons of molasses on the Boston wharf.

I appreciated the way the author took a true event and weaved a mystery into a story, creating characters both fictional and those developed from persons involved at the time, including the local medical examiner, Dr. George (Jake) Magrath. A man ahead of his time.

The main character centers around Frances (Fanny) Glessner Lee, a privileged socialite who decided she needed to do something for the boys returning from the war and is engaged in a halfway house to assist them in their return home. It is Fanny’s housekeeper who discovers her sister in the muck—not a victim of the molasses—but something even darker.

It’s a volatile period of political unrest, alarm at the numbers of foreign anarchists creating chaos, as well as abusive police power, the coming of prohibition, and women suffragists.

Fanny must work hard to circumvent the police chief (whose wife died under suspicious circumstances) to get to the hard truth of her death and possibly uncover what might have been catastrophic negligence.

I really liked the character of the medical examiner—staunch in his efforts at remaining outside the influence of powerful politicians or wealthy businessmen. He was not one to jump to any conclusion.

“If the law has made you a witness, remain a man of science: you have no victim to avenge, no guilty or innocent person to ruin or save. You must bear testimony within the limits of science.”

Fanny had a sheltered and privileged upbringing, bringing naiveté to her investigation and collaboration with Jake. These two were childhood friends and Fanny being divorced, I expected somewhat of a background romance. Fanny’s expertise was in “miniatures” which she used to help her housekeeper envision the discovery scene of her sister.

I enjoy reading historical fiction, particularly based on real life, and the author’s imagination created a well-plotted and paced narrative. The sensibilities of the time appear well described, although there were instances of impatience with Fanny as she tried to separate social privilege from her escalating independence.

While I’m not wholly sold on Fanny (or her miniatures), I did enjoy Jake. He’s smart, science-driven, and exhibits a caring heart. I’ll be looking for Book 2.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Mysteries, Historical Mystery, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Level Best Books
ASIN: B0BRL9CP13
Print Length: 283 pages
Publication Date: January 10, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Author of the Nutshell Murder Mystery series set in Boston

#1 Molasses Murder in a Nutshell (set January 1919)

Author of the Emily Cabot Mysteries set in Chicago

#1 Death at the Fair (set in summer 1893)
#2 Death at Hull House (set in winter 1893-94)
#3 Death at Pullman (set in spring/summer 1894)
#4 Death at Woods Hole (set in late summer 1894)
#5 Death at Chinatown (set in summer 1896)
#6 Death at the Paris Exposition (set in spring 1900)
#7 Death at the Selig Studios (set in spring 1909)
#8 Death on the Homefront (set in spring 1917)
#9 Death in a Time of Spanish Flu (set in fall 1918)

Frances McNamara is a former librarian who lives in Boston and Cape Cod. Like her protagonist, she was born in Boston but spent some years in Chicago at the University of Chicago Library.

March!

The Strange Courtship of Kathleen O’Dwyer by Robert Temple – #BookReview – #Westerns – Five Star Publishing

Book Blurb:

“What would drive a woman in 1828 to head west across the Great Plains into the Rocky Mountains, risking death among hostile Native Americans, brutish mountain men, and wild animals? Why, the same reason as a man, of course–freedom. Like fur trappers of the early western frontier, Kathleen is a misfit. Growing up in the Irish slums of Boston and watching her mother die giving birth to a dozen children, Kathleen has decided to escape into a career as a school teacher, free of men; but when she sets out along the Santa Fe Trail for distant Nuevo Mexico, she finds that dry powder and steady aim are as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic.”

His Review:

A woman alone in the western territories is a dangerous endeavor. Kathleen O’Dwyer has ventured out west to pursue a teaching career in Taos. Romantic is not a word to describe the adventure. Wild animals, Apache, other tribes as well as lawless men all looked at Kathleen with admiration. At 5 feet 9 inches, she is tall for a woman and well-built.

Colson is a drifter who helps her along the way. He is a true western gentleman who does not take advantage of his size or looks. Kathleen is smitten but holds back her admiration feeling it may show weakness. She regrets being standoffish later. Her post at the schoolhouse in Taos was meant for a man. The town treasurer tries to bully her out of her salary and signing bonus. She will have none of it!

The environs around Taos and Santa Fe are wild with Osage and other Plains Indians the primary citizens. The Apache are particularly fierce and feel that dying in battle is a badge of honor to take into the afterlife. They take no prisoners except young girls and children. The others are simply killed, and their bodies left to the wild creatures and buzzards.

This story is well-written and contrasts the life of a married woman with that of a single woman. Survival is a constant struggle and the town’s people expect Kathleen to turn and run back to the east from whence she came. They do not know the real Kathleen! I enjoyed this book immensely and the comparison of her life to our lives today is remarkable. Enjoy the story and the read. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Westerns, Action & Adventure Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Five Star Publishing

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1432895664
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1432895662

Print Length: 228 pages
Publication Date: December 21, 2022
Source: Author request

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: (No info on this author)

The Book Woman’s Daughter (The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek-2 by Kim Michele Richardson – #Audiobook Review – #TBT

Award Nominee

Book Blurb:

Revisit the packhorse librarians of Kentucky with this stunning companion to the New York Times best seller The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

In the ruggedness of the beautiful Kentucky mountains, Honey Lovett has always known that the old ways can make a hard life harder. As the daughter of the famed blue-skinned Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian, Honey and her family have been hiding from the law all her life. But when her mother and father are imprisoned, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good.

Picking up her mother’s old packhorse library route, Honey begins to deliver books to the remote hollers of Appalachia. Honey is looking to prove that she doesn’t need anyone telling her how to survive. But the route can be treacherous, and some folks aren’t as keen to let a woman pave her own way.

If Honey wants to bring the freedom that books provide to the families who need it most, she’s going to have to fight for her place, and along the way, learn that the extraordinary women who run the hills and hollers can make all the difference in the world.

My Review:

The sophomore novel released in 2022 following The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek that I read and reviewed back in 2020 for the book club found a slightly less enthusiastic audience than did the debut. This review, also for the newly formed online book club at my library, generally confirms my view.

The follow-up focuses on Honey Mary Angeline Lovett, aged sixteen, and suddenly alone following the arrest of her parents for violation of the mixed races law. Her mother Cussy being a “Blue” sent to prison as was her father.

While Honey contends only with blue hands (and feet), she is still considered part of the race and at sixteen, a minor. In 1953 in Kentucky, Honey is abruptly staring at the possibility of being sent to a juvenile work facility.

She is not without a guardian who will provide for her though, shielding her from the courts, until the old woman dies—which isn’t long into the narrative.

Honey has resources of her own, however, having her folk’s cabin and quickly finding work as her mother did, being a book woman delivering books to the outliers.

The patriarchal society in which she lived left the men mad at her for taking a job they might have had. From one hardship to another, she manages to surmount each, finding supporters and a strong friend in the process, but another woman filling what would normally be a man’s position.

Honey solves one loggerhead only to confront another and each time finds a solution or one finds her.

I enjoyed the atmospheric descriptions of life in the mountains in that still sheltered and remote area. Her experience as a packhorse librarian has her meeting and dealing with many characters, the women hungering for any conversation or communication, books from the outside world, while the men are generally begrudging the time and interest of their women.

There are themes of domestic violence, religious fervor, racism, herbal medicine. For some reason, I just couldn’t seem to get into this one; had difficulty engaging with Honey, found my attention wandering, jumping to the next obvious direction, and was usually correct. Too predictable? Honey too good, too sweet? I’m sitting somewhere in the middle with this one. If you thoroughly enjoyed the first, you may very well enjoy this one. The narrator did a terrific job and will recommend the audiobook over an ebook.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Small Town & Rural Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
ASIN: B09HY61WGX
Listening Length: 10 hrs 29 mins
Narrator: Katie Schorr
Publication Date: May 3, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Book Woman’s Daughter [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

The Author: NYT and USA TODAY and L. A. TIMES bestselling author, Kim Michele Richardson resides in her home state of Kentucky. She is the author of the bestselling memoir The Unbreakable Child. Her novels include Liar’s Bench, GodPretty in the Tobacco Field. The Sisters of Glass Ferry and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Kim Michele latest novel, The Book Woman’s Daughter, is both a standalone and sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.