#NewBooks – Page 2 – Rosepoint Publishing

The Rector’s Daughter by Jean Grainger #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

The Dunmara Series – Book 2

in Historical Irish Fiction

Book Blurb:

Yorkshire, England / County Clare, Ireland, 1918

Billy DeVere has spent his boyhood in the shadow of expectation — the heir his aristocratic father needs him to be. Then the Great War claims his father and both his brothers, and the life mapped out for him simply vanishes. In its place comes something unexpected: freedom. As Billy comes of age, he dares to imagine his own future — and the path he chooses will leave its mark on Dunmara for generations to come.

Dunmara, County Clare, Ireland

Orla Daly is still finding her footing. Her marriage is over, her children’s lives are unsettled, and the career she’s building feels as precarious as it is exciting. But Dunmara — the house that was the backdrop to her whole life — has revealed a connection she never expected, and she can’t turn away from it now. When she discovers an extraordinary painting hidden within its walls, Orla is pulled into a mystery a century old, and begins to understand that saving this house may be bound up with finding herself.

Two lives, a century apart, held together by one enduring house. As Orla follows the trail the painting has left her, Dunmara slowly gives up another of its secrets.

The Rector’s Daughter is the second novel in the Dunmara Story.

My Review:

The saga includes Orla, a champion of the historic Dunmara House, ring fort and tower in Ireland, as well as several of the characters introduced in installment #1, If Walls Could Talk. There is Safira and Professor O’Reilly also heavily involved in the fight for the preservation of the historic grounds and Jeannie who has personal history with the Dunmara House and her grandson, Chase, among the main characters.

Characteristic of the author’s complex storytelling, there is a solid litany of characters from both this and the split timeline that reverts to the time of the War of Irish Independence, including local British individuals watching the unfolding of the escalating tension sure to lead to an all-out conflict.

There are individuals whose alliances appear questionable as the plot begins a tight weave into conflict politics and the escalating brutality perpetrated on both sides. There is mounting suspicion throughout by unreliable perspectives. Fighting and skirmishes are not wholly inflicted on the military and everyone lives on eggshells waiting for the next shoe to drop.

The main characters are fully fleshed as are many of the support characters whose development heaps additional tension on the present-day plot involving the preservation of the historic building and grounds. I greatly enjoyed the detailed description of the application of historical paints on the paintings, techniques, color origins, and hidden messages within the art. Also, as always, I greatly enjoy the basis of words we use today and are familiar with as well as Celtic lore.

The pace begins rather fast then slows well into half of the narrative which left me easily distracted by continued contemporary arguments. There are times when I have to remind myself of the context of a specific (support) character. Otherwise, the plot gently leads the reader into a hook for the next installment.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Irish Fiction, Historical British & Irish Literature, Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction
Publication Date: June 30, 2026

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Jean Grainger is a USA Today bestselling author with over 100,000 5* reviews of historical and contemporary Irish fiction. She is acclaimed for her authentic portrayal of Irish life and history. Born in Cork, she draws from her experience as a history lecturer, teacher, and tour guide to craft characters that feel like friends, and sometimes foes. Grainger’s works span multiple series and standalone novels, covering significant periods in recent Irish history, but told from the perspective of families, the humans behind the headlines. Her stories often intertwine historical events with personal journeys, exploring themes of family, friendship, and human resilience. Grainger’s writing style, characterized by its warmth and authenticity, has earned her comparisons to renowned Irish authors like Maeve Binchy. Her dedication to research and character development has resulted in a loyal readership who feel deeply connected to her stories and characters.

I appreciate you!

Captain Hope and The Battle of Attu by Neil Perry Gordon – #BookReview #MilitaryHistoricalFiction #NetGalley

The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope

Book Blurb:

At the edge of the world, where the North Pacific collides with the Aleutian Islands, one of the least remembered—and most brutal—battles of the Second World War unfolded.

Captain Hope & The Battle of Attu, the fifth installment in The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope series, brings readers into the frozen fog of the Aleutian campaign through the eyes of a father and son drawn into the same war.

When Percy Hope, a seasoned journalist and Alaskan pioneer, receives a telegram informing him that his son Walter has been deployed to the remote island of Attu, he refuses to remain a distant observer. Securing a place as a war correspondent, Percy travels west into the harshest battlefield imaginable—where wind, ice, and volcanic rock are as deadly as the enemy.

Captain Walter Hope, now leading American soldiers in one of the most unforgiving environments on earth, must guide his men through terrain designed for ambush and survival measured in seconds. On Attu, there are no clear front lines—only fog-covered ridges, frozen ground, and an enemy determined to fight to the last man.

As Percy witnesses the invasion firsthand, father and son move through the same battlefield from different directions—one documenting history, the other shaping it. Between them lies a legacy carried through generations: resilience, leadership, and the quiet weight of hope itself.

Blending meticulously researched history with vivid storytelling, this novel captures the human experience of war in a place where nature and combat merge into a single relentless force.

Captain Hope & The Battle of Attu is a story of endurance, sacrifice, and the bond between father and son—set against one of the most overlooked battles of World War II, where courage was measured not by glory, but by the simple act of continuing forward into the storm.

His Review:

The Aleutian Island chain stretches across the north Pacific Ocean to within sight of the Russian Coastline. The Japanese figured out that the islands’ remote location and nearly zero population made it a perfect location for covert listening posts. The Japanese army took extensive measures to insure that their base was well fortified and entrenched.

Attu Island is a jagged island of volcanic rock and ash often shrouded in fog and icy mist. Retaking this position was not going to be easy. At times men walking on this forbidding landscape could not see someone five feet in front of them. The surface was ash and sand with sharp edges of solid magma poised to destroy the equipment utilized by the unwary.

The Japanese are a proud people with the attitude of the offspring of the proud Samari warriors. They were not going to be removed easily. However, the United States could simply not have that listening post on U.S. territory. Author Neil Perry Gordon paints a horrible picture of the sacrifice and courage it took to wrestle this island back from Japanese hands. The unforgiving landscape and conditions are abysmal and creates an extreme atmospheric picture.

C E Williams The author recreates the dynamic and nail-biting struggle fought in deplorable and often times blinding conditions. Perfect for fans of US military war fiction. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this ebook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Military Historical Fiction, War Fiction, US Historical Fiction
Publication Date: April 14, 2026
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Neil Perry Gordon approaches storytelling as more than a craft—it is both his passion and his calling, a way to explore the extraordinary and render it vividly real. Through his work, he seamlessly intertwines history, metaphysics, and speculative inquiry, creating immersive narratives that reveal hidden truths and resonate deeply on a human level.

The author of eighteen novels, Neil is best known for his acclaimed The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope series, including The Wizard of Hope and his latest installment, Captain Hope and The Battle of Attu. In that powerful work, he brings readers into the stark, unforgiving landscape of World War II’s Aleutian campaign, where courage, sacrifice, and destiny converge at the edge of the known world.

With his newest novel, The Lemurians: A New Testament for the Soul, Neil expands his literary reach into bold new territory—exploring the origins of consciousness, the continuity of the soul, and humanity’s forgotten past. Blending narrative storytelling with philosophical depth, the novel challenges conventional ideas of identity, memory, and creation, inviting readers into a story that feels as much remembered as it is imagined.

Neil’s writing bridges historical fiction and metaphysical exploration, grounded in meticulous research yet elevated by a visionary imagination. His stories do more than recount events—they reawaken them, drawing readers into moments where history and mystery converge.

At the heart of his work is a deep belief in the power of narrative to connect, transform, and illuminate. His novels unfold as rich tapestries where myth, memory, and “what if” possibilities intertwine, opening doors to alternate realities and deeper dimensions of human existence.

For Neil, writing is an act of discovery. Each book becomes a living canvas where the seen and unseen, the temporal and the eternal, meet. His prose carries both intellectual depth and emotional clarity, offering stories that are as thought-provoking as they are deeply felt.

Whether exploring the nature of consciousness, uncovering hidden forces shaping history, or tracing the invisible threads that bind past and present, Neil’s work invites readers to see the world—and themselves—with fresh eyes.

Relax, it's Sunday

Rosepoint Reviews – June Recap – July Heat and Firecrackers

June first ushered in a whole new lifestyle and schedule around here with the sudden emergency we experienced with the CE.

Notified that his Loop (cardiac implant) went off, he was sent to Emergency at our nearby hospital where he ended up with a whole new device. Unfortunately, he proved to be allergic to the wound adhesive and round two occurred one week later. He got his staples out two days before his birthday. Needless to say, I’ve taken a blog sabbatical. His estimated full recovery is expected to be eight weeks.

Now with the heat dome and temps at the century mark, the water garden isn’t looking too healthy and my mosquito fish (the Rosy Red Minnows) agreed it was too much for them. The Mystery snails are quite happy with each other, but it’s a struggle to keep that water temperature below 85^o F and that won’t work for them either, sad to say. We don’t usually experience these temps, so the whole thing must obviously be my fault.

The veggie garden doesn’t need a whole lot of attention except for some water. Going to the YMCA is out for the CE, although I might try to do one or two days a week, including book club next week and Bingo the next. One of our Navy buddies has passed away, a friendship of almost sixty years, so our son will be driving us to Texas. Yes, Texas in July. From the frying pan to the fire.

The CE and I did have six books we struggled to finish and I to post. The links on the titles are to our reviews that also include purchase information.

Rosepoint Reviews - June Recap

eBooks

Abigail Trench by Randy Overbeck (buddy read with the CE)
Mayhem in the Mountains by Jane Loeb Rubin

Audiobooks

Ironwood by Michael Connelly
Still Alice by Lisa Genova (book club)
The Divorce by Freida McFadden
Lorne by Susan Morrison

Favorite Book of the Month

The CE loved Randy Overbeck’s book. It was unique and very timely as well as thought-provoking. I greatly enjoyed it as well and can recommend for our America250 celebration. The favorite book for June:

Favorite for June – Abigail Trench

My Reading Challenges page…I’ve been lucky to turn on the computer. My Goodreads count won’t be accurate anyway but opening page shows 75 books (eleven behind schedule). I think it’s obvious I’ll have to edit the goal. Also, I have several audiobooks finished but not posted.

To my readers and fellow bloggers, I appreciate every open and like, and thank you so much for taking the time to check out my posts and leave your comments.

A little light summer reading.

Abigail Trench: A Novel of Washington’s Spy Ring #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Abigail Trench by Randy Overbeck

A buddy read with the CE. His review below.

Book Blurb:

A vivid, propulsive Revolutionary-era thriller with the spy-craft verve of the streaming hit TURN: Washington’s Spies and the electricity of 1776’s New York that Hamilton lovers will recognize, this story is inspired by the lone female operative in Washington’s spy ring.
In occupied New York, a schoolteacher with everything to lose turns information into a weapon, threading between Redcoats and rebels as plots against Washington gather steam.
After rogue Redcoats assault her and strip her family’s Long Island farm, Abigail Trench fights to survive in New York City—tutoring in a high-ranking British officer’s Water Street household by day, navigating taverns, informants, and soldiers by night. Through Abigail’s keen eyes—and a counter-narrative following a principled British major—the novel renders the moral gray zones of occupation with gritty intimacy. As rumors swirl of a strike at General Washington, Abigail’s vantage inside upper-crust parlors and rough waterfront rooms makes her an ideal courier—and a target.
This historical thriller delivers high tension, textured world-building, and a captivating heroine who put it all on the line for freedom.

My Review:

I always enjoy reading historical fiction, especially those stories using real events and persons. This book is very timely and focuses on the historical Culper Ring and Robert Townsend, one of the main support characters, aka Samuel Culper Jr., or Agent 723.

The protagonist is a young teacher from London seeking employment in New York after she and her father moved there from Long Island. Serendipity had a hand in introducing her to a British officer’s family with two small children seeking a tutor. She meets Molly and Jamie at a hanging. Molly is the antithesis to the Major’s wife and provides great street credibility along with descriptive scenes of 1776 New York City.

Abigail has ample reason to dislike the British but manages to plaster on her “teacher’s smile” when around the officers, conferring with the Major while she is tutoring the children in another room of his mansion. It’s the perfect setup to overhear British plans for war. It’s difficult to play the cloying female around the arrogant British officers, but in the role she accepts—nay—forces upon Robert Townsend, she steps into the treacherous world of espionage as Agent 355.

I love the way Abigail faces the fear, forces herself to calm, then dissolves when it’s safe. This is not a role to be taken lightly and is fraught with danger, intrigue, and suspense.

While Molly and Jamie school her on keeping arms’ length from the soldiers, Robert is heavy on spy craft instruction, and their closeness fosters a romance. He is brilliant in his work, creating a perfect cover while setting up a system of codes and a network of carefully curated contacts.

Depiction of the cruelty and the terror of the people quietly builds throughout the novel, manifesting a quiet tension. Townsend was never caught and, indeed so careful in his position that his name was only linked to the spy ring in 1930. That he might have had a lover who passed him major sources of information is neatly woven into the narrative as the tutor who may have shared vital information. She is portrayed very believably as an eighteenth-century teacher/tutor, strong, principled, but with proper feminine frailty.

I enjoyed the storyline and the recognizable events, familiar and historical facts, and that Agent 355 was a woman—this could have been her—why not? Still, I had a little problem with the romance and the epilogue.

I read Crimson at Cape May, Book 2 of the Haunted Shores Mysteries in September 2020 and greatly enjoyed that ghost mystery. This historical fiction is somewhat of a departure from those books.

My Rating: Four point Five Stars

His Review:

Before the Revolutionary War, the people in “The Colonies” were simply subjects of the King of England. Many had come from London to escape the cold, rainy weather and the diseases that were a constant part of life in England. They had come to escape poverty and fulfill the dream of a better life. The “Red Coats” were their own countrymen working to maintain order.

Their entire life changed after the “Declaration of Independence.” Didn’t the colonials understand that they enjoyed all of the benefits of British rule including the “Red Coats” to protect them? The climate changed as George Washington trained an army that chose to fight those British soldiers and the Red Coats were very angry that they were not shown the respect that they felt was due them.

Revolutionaries were gathered and hanged including Nathan Hale. He exclaimed as they put the rope around his neck on the gallows, “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” Abigale watched in angry silence as he died thrashing at the end of that rope and her first love was gone. The crowd was disbursed.

Most of the people were first-generation Americans or recently arrived people looking for a better living in the “New World.” General Washington had the army of revolutionaries who felt that all of the taxes required of them were going to England without any benefit provided to improve this country. The revolution, which began as a protest, devolved into a fight for freedom from the soldiers who abused them, burned their homes, and conscripted many to military service.

Reading this book will enlighten the reader as to why the war was necessary. Similar to the French Revolution, the people required recognition for their struggle and the thankless taxes sent to the King. A new perspective of the Revolutionary War! 5 stars – CE Williams

Last year, I read Red Shadows at Saugatuck, Book 4 of the Haunted Shores Mystery (a paranormal fantasy), and greatly enjoyed it as well.

His Rating: Five Stars

Many thanks to the author for providing us with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is our own.

Book Details:

Genre: Espionage Thrillers, Historical Thrillers
ASIN: B0G95HW2PN
Print Length: 374 pages
Publication Date: June 9, 2026
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, bestselling author, popular podcaster and speaker in much demand. After serving children for almost four decades as teacher, college prof and school leader, he used those experiences and skills to craft captivating mysteries, thrillers and historical suspense. His novels have earned more than a dozen national awards including Thriller of the Year, Best Book Award, the Gold Award and Mystery of the Year. His titles also have garnered hundreds of five-star reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and BookBub.

His newest novel, ABIGAIL TRENCH, a historical suspense about the Revolutionary War, is released June, 2026 by Diversion Books and distributed by Simon and Schuster.

Dr. Overbeck is also the host of the popular podcast, Great Stories about Great Storytellers, which reveals the little known backstories of famous authors, directors and poets and ranks among the top 50% of all podcasts in the US. When he is not writing or podcasting, he is in much demand as a speaker, sharing informative and entertaining programs to more than 300 groups all over the country.

Five Stars!

Seven Audiobooks – Stories to Hear Anywhere – #BookHaul – #TuesdayBookBlog

Impossible to Pause

Catching recommendations from Goodreads and good buddies, thought it might be time to share some of the wealth. Do you like historical fiction, literary fiction, police procedurals, or perhaps a memoir? Here are audiobooks in the queue from my library with an eye of what might look good to you also. (Book links are to Amazon-US.)

On My Audiobook Shelf

Just Finished:

Lorne by Susan Morrison (scheduled for my review on June 18 – Editors’ pick Best Biographies and Memoirs)

Currently listening to:

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (I also listed this in February then ran out of time. Editors’ pick Best Books of 2025)

Up Next:

The Keeper by Tana French (Editors’ pick Best Books of the Year So Far 2026)

Currently on library hold:

Wait time on these holds is anywhere from 2 weeks to 16 weeks and they represent a few different genres, including two of my favorites, historical and crime fiction.

Four audiobooks

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (Editors’ pick Best Books of the Year 2025 and a Reese’s Book Club pick.) 1^st in line
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke – 4 weeks (second try on this one, too)
Whistler by Ann Patchett – 6 weeks
The Final Target by Nora Roberts – 8 weeks

I’d be willing to bet you’ve read at least one of these! I can’t vouch for those on my hold list, but a wait of two months is down from four and I can’t wait to get into them. Which one have you already read or listened to? Did one of these catch your attention? So what did you think?

Grab those earbuds! — Graphic from Bitmoji

The Divorce by Freida McFadden #AudiobookReview #DomesticThriller

Amazon Charts #4 this week

Book Blurb:

What is a happily ever after really worth?

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family . . . Then—he kicks her out, hires the city’s best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something. It’s a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life. Except, why should she?

Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession—and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger.

But if it keeps her perfect family intact, isn’t it worth it?

My Review:

Okay, pop quiz! Where have I read this plot before?

Pretty much everywhere, and, I think, including another McFadden book, change the names and dates.

And, indeed, this one starts out as the very familiar MC being locked out of her own house. Only this one actually buys a really stupid plan by her husband to get her out of the house and into a nasty NY rat-infested tenement. You’d feel sorry for her if she just weren’t so dumb.

When she finally figures out that she has been truly locked out—from her gorgeous mansion, from her bank account or credit cards, she begins to plot revenge.

Nice she could stumble onto the sweet young thing that caught his attention. Not so nice that she found a truly caring and sympathetic attorney to handle her side. The little boy? Her son? EEK! Maybe that’s where the thriller part comes in, but no, she wouldn’t hurt him.

Would she?

Sometimes the outrageous twists can add up to fun, but when they snowball over each other becoming more preposterous, can you still continue?

The swing from sympathy for Naomi wanes pretty quickly when we get deeper into the support characters. The problem here is that none of the characters elicit a lot of engagement. No one seems to make a sound decision and it all leads to explosive repercussions.

The plot goes from disbelief to insanity. It appears she has hit the final straw when she can justify violent actions and loses that final thread of reality.

So, is it entertaining or fast-paced? As soon as you think you’ve solved one mystery, there’s another signature McFadden zinger…may not make sense…but definitely heads everything in another direction. Throw in some of that barbed, snarky dialogue, short chapters that keep you starting another, the slow descent to madness, and it’s a quick distraction from the heavy stuff.

The epilogue? No. Again, just no.

Is there a genre called psychotic?

Okay, I must admit to having enjoyed Dear Debbie, my last McFadden book, but as I mentioned then, her books are hit or miss for me. Guess which one this was.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Domestic Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Narrator: January LaVoy, Edoardo Ballerini, Marin Ireland
Release Date: May 26, 2026

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: #1 New York Times, Amazon Charts, USA Today, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author Freida McFadden is a physician who has penned multiple bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. Freida is the winner of the International Thriller Writer Award for Best Paperback Original, the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Thriller, and was honored as one of TIME 100’s most influential people in the world for 2026. Her novels have been translated into more than 45 languages.

Freida lives with her family and cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.

To hear Freida talk about herself more in the third person, check out her website freidamcfadden dot com.

Impossible to Pause

Ironwood by Michael Connelly #AudiobookReview #crimethrillers

Amazon Charts #11 this week

Book 2 of 2: Catalina

Book Blurb:

Sworn to protect a scenic island meant to be far from the evils of the mainland, Detective Sergeant Stilwell can feel danger closing in.

Detective Sergeant Stilwell knows that his posting on Catalina Island is no paradise, but to most residents, it seems blissfully separated—by twenty-two miles of ocean—from the troubles of Los Angeles County. But now a threat is coming to his safe haven.

Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, Stilwell and his deputies watch a plane land in the middle of the night at the Airport in the Sky, a remote airstrip in the mountains. A duffel bag of drugs is dropped and the deputies move in, but things quickly go sideways. While Stilwell chases the fleeing pickup man into the mountainside brush, shots are fired on the runway and the plane flies off.

An internal inquiry follows, putting Stilwell on the bench until he is cleared of responsibility for the disastrous operation. But he is determined to find out who brought deadly violence to his island, and begins his own secret investigation into the drug deal gone wrong.

While under orders to remain in the sheriff’s substation, he finds in the lost and found a valuable backpack that was never claimed. He traces it to a woman who disappeared while hiking on the island four years ago. But then why was the pack only turned in two months back? Now thoroughly intrigued, he follows the mystery all the way to the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit and Detective Renée Ballard.

Stilwell and Ballard work the case from both sides of the channel, and soon realize they are on the trail of a criminal who revels in taunting the authorities. Meanwhile, frustrated at being shut out of an investigation on his own island, Stilwell risks his already shaky standing in the department to pursue a case whose reach is wider than he ever imagined.

My Review:

Love this new extended enforcement family Connelly is creating with this new series! Starting with a strong and authentic protagonist, Detective Sergeant Stilwell, is hiding in plain sight on Catalina Island where he’s been sent by a disgruntled Captain. Would not have been his requested location, but he appears to be making the most of it quickly.

Stilwell has been exiled to the Avalon Lost and Found and finds treasure. That officer’s instinct kicks in when he discovers an item that can be traced to a missing person’s case. Oh, he loves the search and bites with the fury of a pit bull.

Connelly’s storylines, however, ramp into complexity when he finds other investigative possibilities.

Ironwood - UK cover — Ironwood – UK cover

His investigation leads him to a cooperative partnership with Detective Renee Ballard back in LAPD’s cold case unit. I love the character of Renee Ballard and applaud the collaboration that manages in a minor manner to include retired detective Harry Bosch. YES! We also love the Bosch series (also successful transition to TV). It’s like old home week and ties that community in a pleasing small world category of best practices of law enforcement—the trading of information for the collective success.

Love the pacing, no chance for middle downtime sag, the intelligence collective matches up clues, often citing and avoiding procedural constraints, necessary run-arounds.

The characters are real, Stilwell exudes dedication to his craft as do the others; their mutual goal always at the forefront, determined and gritty.

“From your gut to God’s ear.”

It’s smart, engaging crime fiction at its Connelly best. Catalina Island continues to lay that unique location solidly in the mind’s eye allowing that all the beauty might very well hide a darker, more sinister layer.

We greatly enjoyed Book 1, Nightshade, and this doesn’t disappoint—allowing my objection to the abrupt cliff-hanger. While Ironwood could be read as a standalone, you might wish to set your foundation for the series and then follow the progression of the character development. Either way, you’re in for a treat.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thrillers, Police Procedural Mysteries
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Narrator: Will Damron
Release Date: May 19, 2026

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of more than forty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty-nine 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 The Waiting (2024), Resurrection Walk (2023), 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.

One you don't want to miss!

If Walls Could Talk by Jean Grainger #BookReview #HistoricalIrishFiction #TuesdayBookBlog

The Dunmara Series – Book 1

in Historical British & Irish Literature

Book Blurb:

Dunmara, County Clare, Ireland

Orla can’t believe the bombshell her husband of thirty years has just dropped. The future she imagined is gone, and she’s forced to redefine her entire life while grappling with something from her past that doesn’t quite add up. An opportunity to attend a wellness retreat with her best friend at Dunmara House seems like exactly what she needs to find her way forward.

Connecticut, USA, 1969

Jeannie is part of the first ever intake of women to Yale University. Her father thinks it’s a waste of money, but Jeannie knows she has what it takes to be a novelist—she just needs a chance. While America is at war in Vietnam, and all over the country people are clashing, her life unexpectedly takes her to Ireland, where a course is set that will ripple through generations.

Standing since 1689, the stately Dunmara House in Ireland has seen life in all its guts and glory. Now, as two women’s lives become entwined across time, the old house slowly reveals its secrets.

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley, and Diana Gabaldon, this evocative time-slip novel weaves past and present into an unforgettable story of love, secrets, and resilience that will stay with you long after the final page.

My Review:

One of the reasons I enjoy Ms Grainger’s novels so much is her obvious love of her country and its ancient history. I’m in awe that you could have a several-thousand-year-old ruin behind your home. There are descriptions of the ancient origins of decaying walls and Celtic traditions throughout.

Another reason would be the witticisms and sense of humor that grace the pages that lighten the load of even a solemn or sad occasion.

“A lack of organization on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.”

“…her face will take her further than her feet.”

“Oh, that guy, honest to God, if there was work in the bed, he’d sleep on the floor.”

This narrative follows several women and trades off chapters between them as they are developed. Orla, Jeannie, and Safira have vastly different life experiences and each harbors a secret which is dribbled out in tiny spoonfuls.

Jeannie wanted to be a writer but her college career was interrupted by an unexpected turn of events that ended with her family sending her to Dunmara House in Ireland and just like that becomes Margot. The time frame around Vietnam held a different moral compass back then.

Orla finds her life upended with the announcement of her husband’s leaving for younger pastures.

Safira, from Bali, is still baffled by many of the traditions of the Irish, but works her heart out over a goal she is secretly working for. It’s to the point where she begins the cleaning process. That, after cleaning at her day job.

There are several other close support characters, but the main character really is the Dunmara House. Once she has it cleaned and positioned for operation, she’ll need help. Not the oily antagonist who also envisions the property.

This book started out a bit slow for me and for some reason I had a bit of a problem really getting into it. The characters become interconnected in a positive way that will easily slide into Book 2, and I suspect there will be further development among the characters but felt moments of déjà vu with the plot. The names may have changed, but I think I recognize these ladies.

The author is quite the storyteller and can weave in elements of family drama, love and betrayal, but the descriptive scenes and that Irish sense of humor keep me coming back. A nice start to a new series.

Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars