Stolen by Tess Stimson

 

This story has an explosive beginning and a surprise ending.  If you plan to read this book be prepared to ignore everything else as you'll have trouble putting it down.

Alexa Martini faces the worst nightmare of any parent.  Her 3 year old daughter Charlotte is abducted during a wedding celebration in St Petersburg Florida. As you read about Alexa and Lottie you'll find it's hard to like the little girl.  She is so hard to handle, disobedient and quarrelsome. Alexa is a human rights attorney in London and has flown to Florida for her best friend Mark's wedding. Her Italian husband was killed in a bridge collapse years earlier and she is now the sole caregiver of their daughter Lottie. 

The world is watching as news stations report on the abduction and put Alexa in an unflattering light.  Is she a good mother?  Public opinion is strong about "what they would have done" but that's to be expected in this day and age. Alexa has her supporters but she also has those who vilify her character and actions through social media and news outlets.

Days turn to years as Alexa never stops looking for her daughter.  False leads and troubling revelations about family will sway your opinion regarding the kidnapper. Was I surprised? Absolutely!

This is my first book by this author and I will most certainly be looking for more of her work. Great suspense, emotionally moving and fast paced.

Publication date is August 5, 2021 by Avon Books UK.  Genre: Mystery, Thrillers and Women's Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Sharng with Joy's Book Blog for Brtiish Isles Friday.

The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein

The Enigma Game is a historical fiction set in the WW II time period in Scotland and England.  I read the review at Joy's Book Blog and this interested me enough to request it from the library. 

From the book jacket:

Facing a seemingly endless war, fifteen-year-old Louisa Adair wants to fight back, make a difference, do something--anything to escape the Blitz and the ghosts of her parents, who were killed by enemy action. But when she accepts a position caring for an elderly German woman in the small village of Windyedge, Scotland, it hardly seems like a meaningful contribution. Still, the war feels closer than ever in Windyedge, where Ellen McEwen, a volunteer driver with the Royal Air Force, and Jamie Beaufort-Stuart, a flight leader for the 648 Squadron, are facing a barrage of unbreakable code and enemy attacks they can't anticipate. Their paths converge when a German pilot lands in Windyedge under mysterious circumstances and plants a key that leads Louisa to an unparalleled discovery: an Enigma machine that translates German code.

I don't often quote from the jackets but this summed it up better than I could.  The characters are engaging and I loved Louisa and Ellen.  The plot development was perfect, fast paced enough to keep me turning the pages.  Also, the description of Scotland the inn where they are staying is so vivid I could see myself at a table enjoying a pint.

This is the second book by Wein which follows Code Name Verity but it can be read out of order.  Much thanks to Joy for introducing me to this author.

Sharng with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg at The Intrepid Redaer for the 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Watch Her Fall by Erin Kelly

Erin Kelly takes us deep into the world of a Russian ballet company detailing sacrifices and deception in this twisty narrative.  The setting is London and the performance is Swan Lake. 

Nikolai Kirilov is the director and founder choreographer of the London Russian Ballet.  He was once a great dancer and now it’s his daughter Ava who is the star of the company.

One day Ava will take over the company as Nicky is getting old and is ill. Ava will be dancing the lead role of Odette and Odile, both the white and black swans, and it's an emotionally charged role. The story of Swan Lake is a tragedy and the ancers immerse themselves in the roles.

 I'm not sure what my fascination with ballet is but if there is a ballet setting or plot I usually want to read the book. Having said that, it is extremely detailed about the dancers' training and sacrifice, jealousy and pain. Even though I like the ballet aspect I was beginning to tire of that much focus and then....a change of perspective.

As with Kelly's book He Said/She Said, there is a psychological twist introduced which stuns. Many of the characters are not what they seem and identies are are surprising when revealed. To reveal more would spoil the ending.

Publication date September 14, 2021 by Mobius Books. Genre: Mystery, Thrillers. 

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Sharing with Joy for British Isles Friday.

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

How much do I love Lisa Jewell.....she keeps you turning the pages and always has an ending that is satisfactory yet you don't see it coming.

This mystery has three different timelines and narratives. 2017: Twenty year old Tallulah and Zack have a child and they live with Tallulah's mother Kim in an English suburb. You read this from Tallulah's perspective and learn she isn't in love with Zach anymore. Zach had abandoned her after she told him she was pregnant.  After months of handling things alone her feelings have changed when he insinuates himself into her life again.  This tension charged situation is well written.  One evening when the two are out on a "date" Scarlett Jacques appears at their table and invites them to a party at her house.

Tallulah contacts her mother Kim and asks if she minds watching the baby longer as she has been invited to a party with college friends.  By morning there is no sign of them.  Tallulah and Zach have disappeared into thin air. 

In the 2018 timeline Kim is still frantically trying to find her daughter with zero help (or concern) from Zach's mother Megs. A year passes and the disappearance of the two becomes a cold case.  You read about Kim's life handling her grandson, always sad and hoping someone will come forward about her daughter's disappearance.

In 2019 thirty-four year old Sophie, a mystery novelist,  moves into the head master's quarters at Manton College with her boyfriend Shaun.  While Shaun is dealing with the responsibilities of his new position at Manton college, Sophie explores the wooded area around their living quarters. She comes upon a cardboard sign with the message Dig Here and a downward arrow attached to a post.  Sophie does dig and comes up with an engagement ring still in the box. This is the thread which starts the naturally curious Sophie to research the missing couple and leads her to Kim.

There are many supporting characters in this novel and the author fleshes them out so you can visulaize them quite clearly. As you turn the pages and chapters lands you back into 2017 a dangerous game of deception is revealed.

The ending - it all comes together and it most certainly was not what I expected.  Well done.

Publication date September 7, 2021 by Atria Books.  Genre: Mystery, Thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Sharing with Joy for British Isles Friday.

Dead Man's Grave by Neil Lancaster

Detectives Max Craigie and Janie Calder are teamed up to investigate a missing person report.  It's a delicate situation as the missing man is Tam Hardie, the now elderly but dangerous head of an organized crime network in Scotland. 

Tam Hardie is off in a remote area of Scotland looking for a particular grave in what seems to be a genealogical pursuit. The grave has a headstone reading This Grave Can Never Be Opened so I was curious about that right away.  There is something hidden in there or perhaps it a plague grave from centuries back.

Once Hardie disappears and the detectives are called in you get a glimpse of the seedy and violent underbelly of the Hardie empire.  

This police procedural has everything going for it with likeable main characters and lots of intrigue. The desciptions of Scotland immerse you into the scene and the detective work keeps you turning the pages.

This story had me instantly hooked and I look forward to many more books  in this series about DS Max Cragie and DC Janie Calder by Neil Lancaster. 

Publication date July 16, 2021 by St. Martin's Press.  Genre: Mystery, Thrillers and General Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Sharing with Joy for British Isles Friday.

The Green Road by Anne Enright

 

This is the story about the Madigan family and told from the different perspectives of the four children over a course of time. The opening chapter tells of adult son Dan sharing his decision to become a priest and his mother’s reaction of horror.  This is from the 10 year old Hanna's perspective in 1980 in their county Clare home. The 

We read about Dan and his personal problems and predicament a decade later. He is living in New York and his life as a gay man is written about fairly graphically. 

The other siblings are Emmet who becomes a UNICEF worker in Africa. His was my least favorite story and had I started with it, I’d have ditched the book. 

Hanna's adult  story involves an issue with alcohol.

Constance storyline starts as the third chapter in 1997 at Durty Nellie’s in Bunratty, county Limerick. We were fortunate enough to visit around Limerick and saw Durty Nellie’s but didn’t go in. The description of the area brought back memories. As in much Irish literature, there is tragedy in her story.

The mother is Rosealeen and it's interesting to read how each of her children view her and the relationship they have with their mother.  A lovely Irish setting for the most part and a story of an ordinary family and everyday life.

 Linking up with

 Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2021 Historical Reader Challenge 

Joy at Joy's Book Bog for British Isles Friday.

Marg of The Intrepid Reader blog is the host for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge in 2021. T he sign up page may be located HERE so check it out if you'd like to join in.

Happy  reading!

Ther Perfect Family by Robyn Harding

The Adler family appears to have it all. A perfect family living in a beautiful home in a great neighborhood.  Thomas is a successful real estate agent and his wife Viv has a successful business staging homes for sale by decorating.  Their son Eli appears to be on the right track - he is an athletic soccer goalie at a prestigious college.  Tarryn is a surly teenager. 

All four of them have a secrets which I can't reveal without spoilers.  This is important to know because their home is the target of nightly attacks such as egg throwing, feces smeared on  a porch hand rail, tires slashed and more. Who is behind this escalating vandalism and why would their family be targeted?

Thomas, Viv, Eli and Tarryn begin to wonder if the attacks are a result of their secrets and the situations they are dealing with.  I can say  Thomas is being blackmailed and Eli was warned off by his soccer mates about a repulsive incident at college. That's not a spoiler.

I was quite surprised by one of the culprits and found this to be an enjoyable quick read. This is my first experinence with the author Robyn Harding and I think I will keep her on my radar for her previous books.

Publication date August 10, 2021 by Gallery Books.  Genre: Mystery, Thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves

I had been focusing on the Vera Stanhope series and was happy to know Ann Cleeves is developing yet another detective series called Two Rivers.  Matthew Ven is the starring detective and the setting is Devon.

The story starts with a party in Barnstaple hosted by Jenn's friend Cynthia. The detective Jenn is newly single and we learn about the ups and downs of her new life as she adjusts. Jenn is getting into her cups when she meets a nice man at the party, Dr. Nigel Yeo.  He expresses an interest in contacting her later in the week.  Is it to ask for a date or is it related to business? 

Jenn won't find out as she awakens very hung over and called to a murder scene.  Nigel's daughter Eve has discovered him in his studio, dead with a shard of glass embedded in his neck.

In addition to the murder there is a suicide and the connections slowly form as you read on.  The ending was surprising.

I mostly liked the characters but I couldn't get invested in this series even though I can see this series developing into a cohesive team.  It just does not grab me as the Shetland or Vera series does. Certainly I am in the minority about this new series as I see many people love it.  The writing is well done as always - I am simply not connecting with the characters or their personal lives as I did with Cleeves' other series/detectives.

Publication date September 7, 2021 by  St. Martin's Press.  Genre: Mystery and Thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

The Moth Catcher by Ann Cleeves

 

We start this Vera Stanhope mystery in Northumbria in a small community called Valley Farm. Ann Cleeves is such an excellent author, bringing you directly into the scene and allowing you to be the proverbial fly on the wall.  This wasn't as engaging as her other Vera novels but I did enjoy following along with the investigation.  

This time we have two murders straight away, both men killed different ways and with a curious connection.  An older man found stabbed and his identity, at first, was a complete mystery. The younger man called Patrick Randle was found face up in a ditch. Patrick  was a house sitter at a large country house - the same place mystery man was found stabbed. The only connection the two men had was an interest in moths yet they did not seem to know one another. 

When Vera starts the investgation she and her team, DC Holly Clarke and DS Joe Ashworth, start interviews with the residents of Valley Farm. Nigel and Lorraine, Sam and Annie and Jan and her professor husband. All of these couples have secrets, some relative to the investigation.

There were enough clues to set me thinking I absolutely knew what the motive would be and how it would end. Nope!  I was completely surprised.

What I loved was the quick mind and investigative thought process Vera displays in all the books. What I didn't care for was the constant reminders of Vera's weight and her health issues.  If you have read this series in order you will be well acquainted with how fat Vera Stanhope is and her occassional inner thoughts about being alone.  It seemed to be hammered in with this novel.  Lighten up there, please.

I would like to see more development with Holly Clarke's character.  She was quite introspective in this book and I wondered if she would soon be written out. She sounds like she has plenty of personal secrets and it would be interesting to know more about her.

Linking up Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

We begin this story in 1870, Wichita Falls, Texas, with Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd looking over the newspaper stories he will share at his reading in town.  As the DVD is out, and no I have not seen it yet, I do know the main character is played by Tom Hanks.  His is the voice I hear when I read this narrative.

He is approached by Britt Johnson, a freed black man, to deliver a a ten year old white girl to her surviving family.  The U.S. Army recently rescued the girl but they no longer retain responsibility to return those captured to their families. She was taken captive by Kiowa Indians, her parents and siblings slaughtered, and she had lived with them these past six years.  She loved her Indian mother and her life with the Kiowa and has forgotten about her past.  Forgotten her native German language, does not know English and is as feral and fierce as her adoptive indigenous family.

Cicada, birth name Johanna has escaped twice and is hellbent to return to the Kiowa. While Captain Kidd does not know about Indians, he does know about girls as he raised two daughters.  He accepts the undertaking and it's quite a journey between these two. An old Confederate war veteran aged 72 and a 10 year old girl full of mistrust. 

It's quite a journey through northern Texas and Indian country and I hung on to every word.  As a matter of fact, the ending of this book brought tears to my eyes and it's been a long time since a book elicted such emotion at the conclusion. 

I am very much looking forward to the movie now.  It will be interesting to compare the book to the movie. 

Sharing with Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

Marg of The Intrepid Reader blog is the host for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge in 2021. T he sign up page may be located HERE so check it out if you'd like to join in.

Happy  reading!

Wunderland by Jennifer Cody Epstein

The time period for most of this book is WW II, the viewpoint and setting is Germany. Usually I gravitate toward England and occasionally France for novels set in the WW II era. This was, at times, difficult to read.

The first chapter starts in 1989, the setting New York. Ava Fischer sits on her bed crying after learning about her mother's death and past life. Ava had banished her mother, Ilse von Fischer, from her life ten years prior. You'll learn why as you read on.  She receives a box from Ilse's attorney with her mother's ashes and a cache of letters addressed to Renate Bauer.  Bauer isn't a name Ava has ever heard and doesn't know who the woman.  Why would her mother be writing to Bauer?

Ava discovers unsettling things about her mother's involvement with the Ilse BDM (Bund Deutscher madel) in Nazi Germany.  The chapters go back and forth mainly between Ilse and Renate in the early 1930's. Ava's chapters are interspersed.

Ilse and Renate were very good friends. They shared secrets, books, loved one another without question. There was one scene where they defied the German soldiers and went into a Jewish bakery together. The boycott of Jewish businesses didn't bother these two young ladies as they strode past the soldiers in search of sweets. Such boycotts were ridiculous for these headstrong teenagers.

But as you read on there is a sadness that such a wonderful friendship could be severely strained and eventually fractured over one being Jewish. Perhaps it’s the political climate in America today but this book had my mind drifting to the hate crimes and gang mentality I currently see in the news. While it was well written it was at times hard to read.

Reading how Ilse and Renate's friendship was tested because Renate was Jewish was uncomfortable. Reading how relationships could change in a snap because of one's heritage was sad.

Foodie book - no way. There were delectable bakery items and a traditional German meal mentioned.
Buttery poppyseed cakes, stolen, fruit pies, apple cakes, doughnuts, Schweinebraten in a crackling glaze of paprika, mustard and caraway seeds.

Sharing with Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

Marg of The Intrepid Reader blog is the host for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge in 2021. T he sign up page may be located HERE so check it out if you'd like to join in.

Happy  reading!