Book Review: The Runaway Bride (The Bride Ships book 2) by Jody Hedlund

Summary: The Runaway Bride (The Bride Ships #2) by Jody Hedlund

Wealthy Arabella Lawrence flees to British Columbia on a bride ship still wearing the scars of past mistakes. One of the few single women in the boom town, she immediately has suitors, but she is determined not to find herself trapped again by a poor choice.

Vying for her hand are two very different men. Lieutenant Richard Drummond is a gentleman in the Navy and is held in high esteem. Peter Kelly is the town's baker and has worked hard to build a thriving business. He and Drummond not only compete for Arabella's affections, but clash over their views of how the natives should be treated in the midst of a smallpox outbreak.

As Arabella begins to overcome her fears, she discovers someone in dire need--a starving girl abandoned by her tribe. Intent on helping the girl, Arabella leans on Peter's advice and guidance. Will she have the wisdom to make the right decision or will seeking what's right cost both her and Peter everything?

Book Review: The Runaway Bride (The Bride Ships #2) by Jody Hedlund

The Runaway Bride is installment #2 in The Bride Ships Series and I knew from the first chapter that I would love this book. It has a theme and a plot that interests me as I have not read any work set in British Columbia before.

Gentlewoman and banker’s daughter Arabella Lawrence has run away from her family in London, who has tried to marry her off to a violent man old enough to be her father. She has to adjust to new dangers and challenges trying to carve out her new life in British Columbia.

The plot contained descriptions of the appalling conditions the native population suffered. They were callously treated by the immigrants during smallpox outbreak. I found this part of the story very hard to read. I did, however, enjoy the native characters I got to follow as part of the plot.

Main character Arabella Lawrence I found to be a well rounded, if not exactly skilled, woman. Two very different suitors are competing for her hand in Victoria, and I feel for her when she gets very confused.

Baker and rebellion Pete Kelly is really punching above his weight trying to woe Arabella, as she wants to court a gentleman of her own social standing. I found his character to be realistic, with plenty of shortcomings. He seems a hot-head with a good heart who doesn’t shy away from a bit of a brawl, especially if he is trying to defend someone. I think he is a very likable character and my favorite who adds great interest to the plot.

Lieutenant Drummond I really disliked. While he knows and lives by all the intricate rules of English society, he has no problem manipulating and stops at nothing to get what he wants. Lieutenant Drummond is my least favorite character who makes my skin crawl. I found him an excellent scoundrel character.

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Absolutely hilarious when Arabella tries to attend to kitchen duties and makes a total mess of it. As a gentlewoman she is used to having servants and is clueless with any kind of practical work. These parts of the story put a constant smile on my face.

I found the writing of The Runaway Bride absolutely captivating as it contained vivid descriptions of the Vancouver area of 1862. I absolutely loved the vivid descriptions of nature and wildlife adding depth to the plot. I appreciated the clear faith element running through the story,.

The Runaway Bride is the first work I have read by Jody Hedlund. While I would have preferred to read The Bride Ship Series #1 first, I jumped right into installment #2. Reading The Runaway Bride as a standalone was no problem at all, but as I loved it so much I will definitely go back and read #1 in The Bride Ships Series. I’m confident there is a story line I may pick up from the beginning.

Fans of Jody Hedlund will love this work, as will readers of historical romance fiction.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for this eARC, which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

My rating: 5 stars / 5

Book Details

Print Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (March 3, 2020)
Publication Date: March 3, 2020
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B07VPL25T2

About The Author

Jody Hedlund is the author of over twenty historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award.
Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. Although Jody prefers to experience daring and dangerous adventures through her characters rather than in real life, she's learned that a calm existence is simply not meant to be (at least in this phase of her life!).
When she's not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate. Author website: http://jodyhedlund.com/

Book Review: Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen

Summary: Above the Bay of Angels

A single twist of fate puts a servant girl to work in Queen Victoria’s royal kitchen, setting off a suspenseful, historical mystery by the New York Times bestselling author of The Tuscan Child and The Victory Garden.

Isabella Waverly only means to comfort the woman felled on a London street. In her final dying moments, she thrusts a letter into Bella’s hand. It’s an offer of employment in the kitchens of Buckingham Palace, and everything the budding young chef desperately wants: an escape from the constrictions of her life as a lowly servant. In the stranger’s stead, Bella can spread her wings.

Arriving as Helen Barton from Yorkshire, she pursues her passion for creating culinary delights, served to the delighted Queen Victoria herself. Best of all, she’s been chosen to accompany the queen to Nice. What fortune! Until the threat of blackmail shadows Bella to the Riviera, and a member of the queen’s retinue falls ill and dies.

Having prepared the royal guest’s last meal, Bella is suspected of the poisonous crime. An investigation is sure to follow. Her charade will be over. And her new life will come crashing down—if it doesn’t send her to the gallows.

Book Review: Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen

Above the Bay of Angels is the first novel I have read by Rhys Bowen, and I found it a pleasure to read. It features Isabella Waverly who, by a series of incidents, takes another woman’s identity, gets her job as under-cook at Buckingham Palace and gets to be on the queen’s cooking team travelling to Nice. When a member of the party dies of poisoning, Bella is suspected of the crime.

To recover from a nasty cold after her stay at The Isle of Wight Her Majesty goes to Nice. As the pastry chef is indisposed, Bella gets to go as the only female on staff.

While in Nice there is an attempt on Her Majesty’s life which goes wrong. Instead a member of the queen’s entourage is graced by the bullet. Later he dies of poisoning. While Bella is harboring the secret of her real identity, she tries to aid the police to make them too busy with the poison investigation to focus on her.

I loved the parts of the book with descriptions of life in Buckingham Palace, which gave me a vibe of the TV-series Victoria. I loved the descriptions of the splendid interiors of the Palace. The descriptions of the grand entryways and hallways with marble, paintings and cases resemble footage I have seen of how it looks.

Coming from aristocracy falling on hard times, Bella has worked as assistant cook in a nouveau-riche household where she has discovered her talent for cooking.
I found Bella to be a nice girl, but she has some personality traits and an attitude which brings her into trouble in this story. Instead of telling the truth and take her chances, she decides to steal another person’s identity, lie and cheat her way into the position at Buckingham Palace. But I’m pleased to see her conscience is bothering her, which shows she has a good heart and it’s in her character to do the right thing. I very much appreciate the crafting of what I found to be a  multi-layered and realistic character.

While the queen was trying to remain anonymous, she would travel with the Highland Pipers who attracted masses of attention in France with their kilts and their sturdiness, which I found thoroughly amusing.

I enjoyed the easy flow of the writing with all the vivid descriptions of royal life from the downstairs perspective. I appreciate the research conducted to present a work like this.
The ending felt somewhat predictable and rushed, as the clues were leading in a certain direction throughout the plot. While the story was entertaining, I would have appreciated a few surprises and twists along the way. It was a very quick and easy read. As a lover of English historical fiction, I found the setting of the plot right up my alley.

Above The Bay of Angels is recommended for fans of Rhys Bowen and readers of historical fiction.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC, which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

My rating: 4 stars / 5

Book Details

Print Length: 323 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1542008255
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (February 11, 2020)
Publication Date: February 11, 2020
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B07T6KS3QH

About The Author

Rhys Bowen is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of two historical mystery series as well as three internationally bestselling stand alone novels. Her books have won multiple awards and been translated into over twenty languages. A transplanted Brit, Rhys now divides her time between California and Arizona, where she escapes from those harsh California winters. https://rhysbowen.com/bio/

Book Review: Murder on the Serpentine (Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #32) by Anne Perry

Summary: Murder on the Serpentine (Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #32) by Anne Perry

In the history of Anne Perry’s bestselling Victorian mystery series, the stakes have never been greater than now—as a mission for queen and country places the future of the British Empire squarely in Thomas Pitt’s hands.

It is not the custom for the commander of Special Branch to receive a royal summons—so Thomas Pitt knows it must be for a matter of the gravest importance. The body of Sir John Halberd, the Queen’s confidant, has been found in the shallow water of the Serpentine in Hyde Park, bearing the evidence of a fatal blow to the head. At Her Majesty’s request, Sir John had been surreptitiously investigating Alan Kendrick, a horse-racing enthusiast who seems to have had an undue amount of influence on her son, the Prince of Wales.

Now Commander Pitt must navigate the corridors of power with the utmost discretion and stealth, for it seems certain that Sir John’s killer is a member of the upper classes. Aided by his wife, Charlotte, and her social contacts, Pitt seeks out the hidden motives behind the polite façade of those to the manner born—and uncovers a threat to the throne that could topple the monarchy.

With Murder on the Serpentine, Thomas Pitt nears a crossroads in his brilliant career—one that promises new challenges, both professional and personal, still to be met. But first, he and Charlotte must conquer the twists and turns of suspense master Anne Perry’s most cunningly crafted plot yet—to achieve their finest hour, or suffer their darkest.

Book review: Murder on the Serpentine (Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #32) by Anne Perry

Head of special branch, Commander Thomas Pitt, is summoned to Buckingham Palace by Queen Victoria for a secret mission, as his new job is to deal with threats to the safety of the nation.
The queen’s close friend and confidante Sir John Halberd is found dead in a rowing boat on the Serpentine. She asks Pitt to discreetly investigate. He must investigate persons of interest very closely indeed, which leads him to information he feels uncomfortable having. Nevertheless, it seems vital to a successful outcome, which is exactly what The Queen expects of him. Connections to the royal family, horse racing and politics within the country and abroad broadens Pitt’s investigation.

The plot develops through social connections, family, friends, acquaintances, people who know people in Society. Pitt’s superior believes he has both the skill and the stomach for the job as Head of Special Branch, if not the breading or the social background to go with it. But Pitt feels out of his depth. He worries that as he is not born into aristocracy, he will not be able to do his work well. I find his insecurities very human and relatable.

Commander Pitt goes about gathering information and dealing with what he learns in a compassionate way I feel he should really be prouder of. I wish he was more relaxed about his character and abilities. The thorough understanding of people’s nature is probably a result of his experience as a police detective. I enjoy following his thought process throughout the story as it seems to include a mix of ethical and philosophical deliberations probably adjusting him to his new position at Special Branch.

Charlotte Pitt is born into High Society and understands the intricacies, mannerisms and codes of behavior among the upper crust. She helps her husband gather information he would otherwise not have been privy to, and doesn’t want him to carry the burden of what he finds out on his own. Charlotte doesn’t want to look the other way faced with tough and dangerous issues and has helped her husband with investigations before. She wants to contribute to justice for whoever needs it, and makes sure her husband doesn’t get too daunted by the enormity of his job. Does Thomas Pitt have the perfect wife or what? I find her totally admirable.

Emily Radley, Charlotte’s younger; sister takes part in the investigation when information from Society is needed. Together they sift through all the gossip for snippets of information that may be useful to the investigation and passes it on to Pitt. They go to parties and social gatherings where they conduct verbal fencing worthy any politician.

With every book I read by Anne Perry, I enjoy new aspects of her writing. There are such detailed local descriptions of London at the time, which I find totally fascinating. Murder on the Serpentine gives vivid descriptions of people’s reactions and feelings as well as how they looked and dressed. We get glimpses into the way the characters lived, both the affluent and the working-class, like The Pitt family. All this makes the writing come alive in a unique way very few authors can replicate. I’m so drawn into the plot, I’m lost to this world for hours while I find out who the culprit is.

There is an unexpected learning experience about human relations and communication skills from reading Murder on the Serpentine. I would so much have enjoyed a few conversations with Commander Pitt in person, if indeed he were real. Enormous amounts of research must have gone into crafting his and the other characters for this series as they seem so multi layered and real.

There is this impressive, whole universe of reoccurring characters who make larger or smaller appearances in every book, and who are all fascinating. I really appreciate that the plot includes small background stories to complement the main plot, so new readers may catch up on what part characters have played in previous installments. Ideally, I should have read the series in order, but I first happened upon Anne Perry’s Christmas novellas. After that I seem to have jumped back and forth a bit. It is great to read them as standalones, but I have decided to go back and start with #1 in order to fully appreciate the story line running through the whole Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series.

Murder on the Serpentine is recommended for a fan of Anne Perry’s other work. -There really is plenty to choose from. Readers of crime fiction or historical crime fiction will enjoy Murder on the Serpentine too. All opinions in this review are completely my own.

My rating: 5 stars / 5

Book Details

Print Length: 289 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 21, 2017)
Publication Date: March 21, 2017
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B01HA4LFW0

About The Author

Anne Perry is the bestselling author of two acclaimed series set in Victorian England: the William Monk novels, including Dark Assassin and The Shifting Tide, and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels, including The Cater Street Hangman, Calandar Square, Buckingham Palace Gardens and Long Spoon Lane. She is also the author of the World War I novels No Graves As Yet, Shoulder the Sky, Angels in the Gloom, At Some Disputed Barricade, and We Shall Not Sleep, as well as six holiday novels, most recently A Christmas Grace. Anne Perry lives in Scotland.
To learn more about Anne Perry, visit: http://www.anneperry.co.uk/books

Book Review: The Brightest of Dreams (Canadian Crossings book 3) by Susan Anne Mason

Summary: The Brightest of Dreams (Canadian Crossings #3) by Susan Anne Mason

Quinten Aspinall is determined to fulfill a promise he made to his deceased father to keep his family together. To do so, he must travel to Canada to find his younger siblings, who were sent there as indentured workers while Quinn was away at war. He is also solicited by his employer to look for the man's niece who ran off with a Canadian soldier. If Quinn can bring Julia back, he will receive his own tenant farm, enabling him to provide a home for his ailing mother and siblings.

Julia Holloway's decision to come to Toronto has been met with disaster. When her uncle's employee rescues her from a bad situation, she fears she can never repay Quinn's kindness. So when he asks her to help find his sister, she agrees. Soon after, however, Julia receives some devastating news that changes everything.

Torn between reuniting his family and protecting Julia, will Quinn have to sacrifice his chance at happiness to finally keep his promise?

Review: The Brightest of Dreams (Canadian Crossings #3) by Susan Anne Mason

Dealing with tough and sad issues involving children, I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I ended up doing. To be fair there were parts of the plot describing appalling conditions for the children working on Canadian farms, which I found thoroughly disturbing, but other parts were about how a close relationship between Julia and Quinn got room to develop in the middle of all the drama as well as descriptions of their life in Canada. We also got to follow Julia when she dealt with her very own problems. Secrecy, pride and stubbornness seemed to be at the core of the entire plot. I found descriptions of all the restraints society put on women of the time interesting. 

War veteran, family man and Earl’s of Brentwood’s personal valet Quinten Aspinall – Quinn, has made a very big promise to his father before his death to keep the family together. He has made it through the war with minor injuries and seems a level headed and well put together man who believes in the guidance of God and generally trying to do the right thing.

He is asking for leave of absence to travel to Canada in order to bring siblings Becky, Cecil and Harry, 18, 16 and 12, home. The earl hires him to find his niece and bring her home with them.

I enjoy following his though process as he is dealing with the tough experiences of this story. He gets very concerned along the way when he is told appalling stories of children having been gravely mistreated as free labor on farms. Quinn has to get creative to get information about his siblings whereabouts. He trusts God to guide him and keep him safe on his quest. His faith helps him through his hardships and descriptions of this runs strong through the story. Throughout the story he is met with experiences that challenge his view of life as well as his values, and he needs all his strength and down-to-earth personality traits to carry him through the events he encounters. I found him a thoroughly nice guy. He impressed me. Well done for creating such a likable and well rounded up character.

Julia Holloway, earl’s niece, went off to Canada as personal caregiver to Private McIntyre. Following his suicide, she lives in dire straits in Toronto. When Quinn inquires after his “fellow soldier”, he finds Julia scrubbing floors at the military hospital for a pittance.
She harbors secrets she feels vital to keep from Quinn and the earl. She expects to feel even further disgraced, so she refuses to speak to him. The earl has dangled a very tempting «carrot» in front of Quinn, making it essential for him to keep Julia safe and bring her back to England. I was relieved to see the relationship between Julia and Quinn develop in spite of all the constraints within themselves and in society.

I enjoyed the writing a lot as it managed to draw me into the plot and make the reading quite captivating. It was probably not the best idea to jump right into installment #3 of Canadian Crossings. I anticipated encountering some short comings in my knowledge about a storyline running through all the books, but felt there were no issues at all reading this as a standalone. It was a quick and easy read I was sad to see end, but still there is the option of reading books #1 and 2, which I look forward to.

I recommend The Brightest of Dreams in the Canadian Crossings Series for fans of Susan Anne Mason and for readers of historical romance fiction. Thank you to publisher Bethany House and NetGalley for this eARC, which gives me the chance to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

My rating: 5 stars / 5

Book Details:

Print Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (February 4, 2020)
Publication Date: February 4, 2020
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B07VPL4J7Y

About The Author

Susan lives in a suburb near Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she works part-time as a church secretary. She is a wife and the mother of two amazing kids, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). In addition to writing, she likes to scrapbook and to research her family history on-line. You can connect with her on Facebook or on her website www.susanannemason.net.

Book Review: The Body in the Garden (A Lily Adler Mystery book 1) by Katharine Schellman

Summary: The Body in the Garden

London 1815. Though newly-widowed Lily Adler is returning to a society that frowns on independent women, she is determined to create a meaningful life for herself even without a husband. She's no stranger to the glittering world of London's upper crust. At a ball thrown by her oldest friend, Lady Walter, she expects the scandal, gossip, and secrets. What she doesn't expect is the dead body in Lady Walter's garden.

Lily overheard the man just minutes before he was shot: young, desperate, and attempting blackmail. But she's willing to leave the matter to the local constables--until Lord Walter bribes the investigating magistrate to drop the case. Stunned and confused, Lily realizes she's the only one with the key to catching the killer.

Aided by a roguish navy captain and a mysterious heiress from the West Indies, Lily sets out to discover whether her friend's husband is mixed up in blackmail and murder. The unlikely team tries to conceal their investigation behind the whirl of London's social season, but the dead man knew secrets about people with power. Secrets that they would kill to keep hidden. Now, Lily will have to uncover the truth, before she becomes the murderer's next target.

Review: The Body in the Garden

Recently widowed Lily Adler is at a party at her friend’s house when she overhears a quarrel between two men and a gunshot is fired. In this exciting story of murder, blackmail and bribery, Lily is shocked to find who is involved.

The police get bribed and the case is put off because of «insufficient evidence». Large sums of money change hands and suddenly they are unable to identify the victim because they don’t want to try. The magistrate, himself is in receipt of 300 £ from the host of the party where the murder took place. Lily secretly witnessed this. As the police are instructed not to investigate, Lily takes it upon herself to do it, with the help of Capt. Hartley and Miss Oswald. She hasn’t the first idea how to investigate a murder case, but sees no way around it if she is to bring about justice for the victim.

The scene of the crime is in a large mansion, so the party goes on unawares while the investigation is kept secret. Pretty difficult to do, I’m sure, but the hosts of the evening seemed to go to extremes to avoid scandal, which seemed the crucial concern for people of “Quality” at the time.

In this plot the victim discovered something worth killing to keep secret.  I found the circumstances around the murder interesting as well as exiting. Difficult to find out who the culprit might be as the murder victims kept piling up. I felt the West Indies connection added extra interest to the plot. I have read some books set in the West Indies before, but not murder mysteries, so this was a new angle for me which I enjoyed a lot. As I like stories with multi cultural dimensions, this felt like a win. There seemed a bit of a Sanditon feel about the part of the plot which contains the West Indian heiress, Miss Ofelia Oswald, who is launched into London Society to find a wealthy husband. Miss Oswald is, however, slightly less rich and therefore slightly less aggressively chaperoned compared to Miss Lamb in Sanditon.

I found the progress and exiting intensity of the plot more than made up for a slightly wordy start. I enjoyed the writing a lot. Added bonus, I think, were the funny parts of the story, particularly relating to the budding friendship between Lily and Capt. Hartley as they were knees deep in trying to solve the murder. With a mix between light hearted banter and the serious issue of murder, this was a story I was unable to put down even well past midnight. I found it highly entertaining as well as a quick and easy read. No shortage of suspects here, I can assure you. Well done to the author for creating such a wide variety of realistic “good guy” characters as well as the unsavory ones that both angered and unsettled me.

The Body in the Garden is recommended for readers of historical fiction as well as readers of crime fiction. Thank you to publisher Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this eARC in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: 5 stars / 5

Book Details:

Print Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (April 7, 2020)
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B07TY7NPQ1

About The Author:

Katharine Schellman lives and writes in the mountains of Virginia in the company of her husband, preschooler, and the many houseplants she keeps accidentally murdering. The Body in the Garden is her debut novel.
To learn more about the author, visit: http://www.katharineschellman.com/about/

Book Review: A Banquet of Consequences (Inspector Lynley #19) by Elizabeth George

Summary:  A Banquet of Consequences (Inspector Lynley #19)

 

The unspoken secrets and buried lies of one family rise to the surface in Elizabeth George’s newest novel of crime, passion, and tragic history. As Inspector Thomas Lynley investigates the London angle of an ever more darkly disturbing case, his partner, Barbara Havers, is looking behind the peaceful façade of country life to discover a twisted world of desire and deceit.

 
The suicide of William Goldacre is devastating to those left behind who will have to deal with its unintended consequences—could there be a link between the young man’s leap from a Dorset cliff and a horrific poisoning in Cambridge?
 
After various issues with her department, Barbara Havers is desperate to redeem herself. So when a past encounter gives her a connection to the unsolved Cambridge murder, Barbara begs Thomas Lynley to let her pursue the crime, knowing one mistake could mean the end of her career.
 
Full of shocks, intensity, and suspense from the first page to the last, A Banquet of Consequences reveals both Lynley and Havers under mounting pressure to solve a case both complicated and deeply disturbing.

Review of a Banquet of Consequences

When well known feminist, author and lecturer Clare Abbott gets poisoned, Lynley and Havers have to investigate both in London and Dorset. There seems to be connections to the suicide of William Goldacre. Dark and disturbing secrets within his family come to light.

Following William Goldacre suicide, there is a series of consequences. Dysfunctions in his family come into a glaring focus impossible to ignore. They all seem to suffer. The mother Caroline Goldacre works as PA to the murder victim. Controlling behavior and paranoid thinking is severely interfering with her work. She acts more like a gate keeper than assistant. Clare acts very forgiving about this. People wonder why she doesn’t simply fire Caroline but she keeps her on, even gives her more responsibilities.  

Through a combination of coloring outside the lines and taking advantage of connections, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers lands herself in the murder investigation. But she is not too chuffed with having Detective Sergeant Winston Nkata watching her every move and reporting to Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley the very moment she gets creative.

Reads like a combination of several timelines related to the plot, which my methodical self really appreciates a lot. There is a really thorough introduction leading up to the actual crime taking place. The sheer size of this work allows for detailed descriptions which I enjoy a lot.

The hilarious interaction between police secretary Dorothea Harriman and Barbara Havers I find beyond entertaining. Dorothea wants to contribute to Barbara meeting men, which in turn is supposed to help make her relax more and be a better police sergeant.
It’s funny and entertaining in the middle of this serious plot the way she is portrayed as a loose cannon who has a history of interpreting her orders, bending the rules and sidestepping police regulations. She achieves good results, but in the end there have been so many problems that she ends up on superior’s transfer list.

Di Lynley: seems to be all business for most of this story, having been instructed by his superior to keep DS Havers on the straight and narrow at all times. He is occupied with the London end of the investigation as well as closely and carefully managing DS Havers to make sure she goes by the book. But I enjoyed the parts where there are descriptions of his feelings and thoughts about his personal life, having been a widower for18 months.

The writing itself I find a wonderful use of the English language. Very few comes to mind that manage to express themselves in super enjoyable writing like this. The development of the plot is balanced out with funny dialog and interactions between characters.
I really enjoy when DS Haves jokes about Inspector Lynley having such a posh car. She thinks it’s so expensive; he keeps a teenager to polish the dust from the bonnet.
I also really enjoy that the plot is set in London and British countryside, with environmental descriptions to match.

The clues were so carefully laid out that I felt completely in the dark as to who the culprit might be. Expertly done I think. This work contained a large number of elements. So many, in fact, it muddied the waters for me. I was unable to distinguish the important clues from the less important ones. When the culprit was found and I thought the case was solved, yet another surprising twist was sprung on me. That made for an unusual end to the story.

There is an interesting story line about DS Havers continuing to book #20, which I think readers will enjoy. I have read it, and I certainly did. It feels like reading a teaser for the next book. It’s on my radar partly because I’m curious how DS Havers will get on in future.

This book is highly recommended for fans of Elizabeth George’s other work and readers of historical fiction.

All opinions in this review are my own.

My rating: 5 stars / 5

Book Details:

Print Length: 577 pages
Publisher: Viking (October 27, 2015)
Publication Date: October 27, 2015
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B00L9B7CGE

About The Author

Elizabeth George is the New York Times bestselling author of fourteen novels of psychological suspense, one book of nonfiction, and two short-story collections. Her work has been honored with the Anthony and Agatha awards, the Grand Prix de LittÉrature PoliciÈre, and the MIMI, Germany's prestigious prize for suspense fiction. She lives in Washington State.
To learn more about the author, visit: http://www.elizabethgeorgeonline.com/biography.htm

Book Review: Pies before Guys (Pie Town Mystery book 4) by Kirsten Weiss

Summary: Pies before Guys (Pie Town Mystery #4)

Val’s crime-solving club digs into a piping hot new case!

A poetry slam at a bakery? Why not! Even though Pie Town proprietor Val Harris would rather be spending time with her newfound half-brother, she knows her employee, Abril, is beyond excited to be hosting the event. Especially since it stars the apple pie of Abril’s eye, poet and professor Michael Starke. But the evening ends on a sour note when Professor Starke is found murdered mere moments after being accused of plagiarism.

Just like that, Pie Town is at the center of another criminal inquiry. At Abril’s request—and much to Detective Carmichael’s consternation—Val and Charlene decide to investigate Starke’s death. But the case is as tough as an overworked crust and the Baker Street Bakers are only coming up with scraps. If they don’t pinch the cultured killer soon, Pie Town’s reputation could crumble. 

Book Review: Pies before Guys (Pie Town Mystery #4)

When a brutal murder takes place close to family restaurant Pie Town, restaurant owner Val Harris sets out to solve the case in her amateur-sleuthing way, which gets her in serious danger.

English professor Michael Stark is invited to Pie Town for a poetry reading event. He chooses to read a rather strange poem, which gets him into a heated argument with another member of the local college English department. He is accused of plagiarism. Soon after he is found dead, stabbed with a saber.

Worried about the reputation of the restaurant, Val finds it crucial to solve the case. Her boyfriend, Detective Gordon Carmichael, risks being kicked off the murder investigation for the third time because of Val’s interfering. He makes her promise to keep all talk about the case to Pie Town. Charlene and Val invent new and creative ways around that promise. She tries to make sure her business isn’t in jeopardy being connected to a murder case again.

I like Val Harris. She seems a sweet, sensible girl who is building a successful pie business. She may come across as somewhat of a pushover at times, but for the most part she seems to find it important to keep her promises and be reliable. But being close friends with Charlene, she is sometimes “forced” to color outside the lines a bit, which gets her into trouble with her local police detective boyfriend.

Charlene McCree is the second main character who adds a funny and interesting spin to the story. She is a creative and industrious busy-body with a vivid imagination that enjoy coming up with antics supposed to have favorable outcomes. She stops at nothing to make her ideas happen, but has a good heart. She is a firm believer in UFOs and the use of social media, which creates vital and enjoyable additions to the plot.

Charlene’s social media activity plays a crucial role in the development of the plot as she tries to draw crowds to Pie Town. While I found it entertaining and interesting, I felt it took up a lot of space in the plot and might have been shortened a bit.
I really enjoyed the vibe of small-town living where everybody knows everybody else.
In spite of all the craziness, the plot seems to progress steadily, which I am pleased to see. There seem to emerge useful clues for the investigation, which became interesting elements to the story.

Pies Before Guys is recommended for fans of Kirsten Weiss and for readers of cozy mystery. Thank you to Kensington Books via Netgalley for this eARC in return for my honest review.

All opinions are completely my own.

My rating:

4 stars / 5

Book Details:

Print Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington Books (March 1, 2020)
Publication Date: February 25, 2020
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B07RBMXGKY

About The Author

Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn't like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.
Now based in San Mateo, CA, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.
If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town, Paranormal Museum and Wits' End books. If you're looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle, Riga Hayworth and Rocky Bridges books a try. And if you like steampunk, the Sensibility Grey series might be for you.
Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you'd like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter at kirstenweiss.com