The Seagull and The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves

 It's been a week of cathcing up with the latest Ann Cleeves book about Inspector Vera Stanhope. 

The Seagull is book eight in the Vera Stanhope series and I hate to say it but, it didn't thrill me.  I found myself skimming after a bit and this is unusual as I love the detective series and have read them all in order.  Maybe that's just me.

Vera is irritated by her new boss as he's given her an assignment for a speaking engagement at the prison.  There she meets up with John Brace, a former detective superintendent, who is serving time for corruption and a death.  Vera had a hand in his arrest and sentencing so no love lost there. Brace is in poor health and in exchange for favors, he is willing to impart information on an unsolved case.  It was plain out hard to like anyone or feel sympathy toward anyone in this novel. The investigation part was great, as always, but the characters lacked a connection for me.

FYI - I had read book nine The Darkest Evening last year as an ARC from NetGalley.

The Rising Tide is book ten in the series and this one has grabbed me completely.  I was fortunate enough to win an advanced reader's copy from Goodreads.  This plot had me reading whenever I had opportunity.  The story involves a group of friends who meet up for a reunion every five years.  This time it's the 50th anniversay/reunion and as you may imagine, all of the former students are close to 70 years old.

They meet on Holy Island, the same place where they first met up for a school function over fifty years ago.  The island and causeway deserve to be considered characters on their own as you are immersed in the atmosphere. There is a murder during the reunion and this naturally brings Vera and her team to investigate. 

Interjected into the plot is the fact that one of the students died on the causeway as the tide came in, dragging her car away and drowning the lovely Isobel so many years ago.  They pay tribute to her memory when they get together.

The end was so very sad for me and without spoilers I will say a scenario about a favorite character brought tears to my eyes.  I did not realize I was that invested with them! 

The Rising Tide will be published September 6, 2022. Much thanks to Goodreads for the ARC.

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

The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy

 

The setting is Lough Glass in Ireland and it's the early 1950s. The story follows Mary Katherine McMahon's life as a child and the approximately ten years after her mother Helen disappears. It's thought her mother drowned but Mary (known as Kit) worried her mother killed herself.  She had a note from her mother but burned it without reading as if it was a suicide note she couldn't have a church burial.

Kit misses her mother very much and leans on friends and distant family to help her. She gets into a pen pal relationship with a woman named Lena Gray who claims to have known her mother.  There is certainly a surprise lurking for Kit in that relationship!

If you want to submerge yourself into 1950s Irish culture this will be a good book for you. It's dated in references but I liked it. The themes are loss and love.  I liked the comparison of English life vs Irish life from Kit's perspective.

 This is another book I am clearing from the shelves in my mission to read more books from the stacks at home.  It's already in the mail to a friend who may enjoy it!

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction challenge.

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

"If you're on the list someone wants you dead."

The beginning of the book starts with a cast of characters and a small biographical introduction.

 For instance: 

Matthew Beaumont - a suburban father stressed by the complexities of family life in Dartford, Massachusettes.

Ethan Dart - a singer songwriter in Austin, Texas.

Caroline Geddes - an English professor at University of Michigan, lives in Ann Arbor with two cats.

Each person receives a letter without a return address and a simple list of nine names, their name included.  The individuals seem to have nothing in common.  They mostly live in different geographical parts of the country from Massachusetts, California, Michigan, Texas, Maine, Connecticut and New York City.  They don't know one another.

One of the characters is Jessica Winslow.  She is a FBI agent and her name is also on this list. Obviously the FBI does a search to see if the names are connected in any way from arrests, previous cases or relationships.  There isn't a connection yet one by one the people on this list are killed.  Some have police protection yet the killer finds a way.  The final few chapters reveal the slim thread of connections and I certainly had not figured it all out.  That's always fun if you're a frequent reader of mysteries and the ending is a surprise.

I would defintely read more by this author.
 

The River and The Guide - two books by Peter Heller

“They had paddled many rivers together in the two years they’ve known each other, and climbed a lot of peaks. Sometimes one had more appetite for danger, sometimes the other. There was a delicate but strong balance of risk versus caution in their team thinking, with the rules often fluid, and that’s what made them such good partners.”

This is the first book I'd read by Peter Heller.  I was initially attracted to The Guide but Beth Fish Reads made the suggestion I start with this one. Great suggestion as you need the background of Jack and Wynn for the followup book.

They are two adventuresome young men, friends with so much in commmon and a bond that makes them feel like brothers.  A disaster happens while they are fishing, away from civilization and phone contact.  There is a possible murder, a missing woman and  a forest fire rapidly approaching their area. Jack has already experienced tragedy in his life and the way his character is written, you can just feel it.  Loss, grief, love and endurance are themes here.  Excellent book. I then grabbed a copy of the next book, The Guide.

The Guide - You can read it as a stand alone novel because the tragedy Jack had experienced is rehashed a little bit.  But, would highly recommend starting with The River.

Jack is contracted as a guide at an exclusive fishing lodge and his assigned client is a famous singer. She is down to earth and grew up in the country fishing and hunting so, no diva behavior from Allison.

It's soon apparent this is a very expensive lodge where the very rich come to relax, be it fishing or enjoying the country setting.  The rules are rather strict about leaving the property and where the boundaries of the property end.  There is a point near a bridge where you could get shot by the adjacent land owner or mauled by dogs.  

Something sinister is going on and Jack unwittingly gets himself caught in the middle. There is quite a bit about fly fishing and descriptions of the natural beauty surrounding the property.  Not a fast paced book until the very end but I enjoyed it.

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan

 I am so happy to have discovered this author as I now have a new-to-me series to catch up on.  Police procedurals and mysteries are one of my favorite genres as are books set in Ireland.

Cormac Reilly was once a detective at an elite Garda station in Dublin.  He transfers and demotes in rank to a police agency in Galway as his partner Emma relocates for her work. For someone with his experience and skills the Galway posting is wasting his talents on cold cases.  One case in particular is a blast from his past.

The prologue tells how twenty years earlier Cormac was young officer sent out to a rural home for a domestic violence call.  What he found was Maude, a neglected thin 15 year old girl who was taking care of her 5 year old brother Jack.  Their mother was dead in an upstairs bedroom, liquor and drugs surrounding her.  

Then chapter one starts us in present time when Jack, now 25 years old, has commited suicide.  His partner Aisling is not convinced Jack took his life. The past has a way of being interjected in this investigation. There are so many facets of this story that are interesting and Cormac is now one of my favorite detectives.  I am very much looking forward to the next few books in the series and seeing the character development.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction challenge.

Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron

 

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The setting is Puffin Island off the Maine coast and I enjoyed reading about the area and the bird colonies. Mike Bowditch is a game warden and investigator but off duty, taking a kayak vacation with his girlfriend Stacy. 

Stacy did an internship on the island and is very careful about docking where the endangered species are nesting.  A friend who works on the island asked Stacy to come see her as the founder of the project is missing. The tension between the volunteers and head of the research project is tangible. Stacy hopes to connect with the founder and mentor who is currently missing.

Camping off another island one night they hear a gunshot and that's when the action begins.  Three researchers are found murdered and posed in odd positions.  (This is not a spoiler but in the description).  Bowditch starts working with a few former coworkers in Marine Patrol, Coast Guard and Environmental Protection and some of those men have secrets. 

I liked the slow reveal on many mysteries and plan to read more in this series.  I did not know this was #13 in the Mike Bowditch series so I have catching up to do.  Publication date is June 28, 2022 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.

The Banker's Wife by Cristina Alger

 

Annabel Werner is/was an art curator and worked at a museum in New York.  She is married to Matthew who is an investment banker for a large bank which "hides" money for wealthy clients.  Some of the clients would not be accepted by other banks as there are rules about doing business with terrorists and drug lords. Obviously there are secrets going on which he does not share with his wife.  

The deal was they'd live in Europe for a few years while he made a boatload of money and then they'd return to the United States.  Annabel could then go back to work in art galleries.

In the beginning pages, Matthew boards a private jet with a Syrian woman and shortly afterwards, the jet disappears from radar.  It's crashed into the alps and there are no survivors. (This in not a spoiler)

The other major character in the book is an investigative journalist named Marina. Her boss gives her the heads up about a criminal they have been seeking for years.  He had ties to the Swiss bank where Matthew worked. Further complicating Marina's desire to pursue this story is her engagement to Grant.  He is the son of a prominent politican. Her future father-in-law is about to run for president so no scandals are needed. Marina knows she can pass on the biggest story of her career and lead a relaxed pampered life, staying home to organize dinner parties, joining the ladies country club  or she can follow her heart.

I found the story interesting but there was something about Annabel which didn't let me feel sorry for her.  I mean, your husband is killed but you have time to follow up possible clues about the crash and a conspiracy?  That was hard to buy yet plausible as a plot line due to suspicious behavior from Matthew's boss, assistant and a close friend at the bank.

There are many secrets revealed in the plot and you don't know who to trust. Good ending. I was vacillating between 3 and 4 stars and since you can't give half stars I rounded up.  I would read more by this author.

Aesop's Animals: The Science behind the Fables by Jo Wimpenny

This is not a book about Aesop’s fables but rather examining animal behavior.  As the author states in the preface, if you are reading for the fables this may not be the book for you.  If you are interested in the science and animal behavior this will be enlightening. 

Dr. Wimpenny starts with the story about a crow who drops pebbles into a container in order to raise the water level, thus allowing it to drink. Doing an experiment with crows and ravens provided different results.  The crow did indeed grab the provided pebbles to change the water level.  With another group of corvids, using larva as a treat, there were different outcomes.  Initially the bird figured out the problem then enjoyed the treat. It declined to particpate the second time. 

Are foxes as clever as the fable suggests?  The tortoise and the hare is included and many other stories.  The research is done in a lab as well as in the field.

The author is a British zoologist and writer with a background in animal behavior. She studied zoology at the University of Bristol and had her PhD at Oxford university. She writes for BBC wildlife and has previously presented at science festivals in Oxford and Glasgow.

Sharing with:

Shellyrae at Book'd Out for the 2022 Nonfiction Challenge - Category Wild Animals

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger

 

This is a nesting doll of mysterious twists.  Just when you think you have a handle on a character a secret is revealed and you see them in a completely new way.

One of the main characters is named Wren Greenwood. She writes a help column for a newpaper and no one, except her room mate and friend Jax Morris, knows her identity. These women are opposites - Wren is reclusive and wary and Jax is a vivacious woman who takes chances.

Jax encourages Wren to try online dating and things go down the rabbit hole from there. Adam is a dorky literary looking type of man and this, to Jax's bewilderment, is who Wren decides to meet up with.

Adam is unconventional and a bit secretive.  Is he a bad guy?  Once you get the bread crumbs of both Adam and Wren's past the story gets very interesting. 

Then enter Bailey Kirk.  He is a private detective who contacts Wren as he is actively searching for Adam.  Apparently Adam's former girlfriend has disappeared.

 Loved the way the back stories were woven in without feeling like you were getting spoonfuls of of hints.

A Few of the Girls by Maeve Binchy

 

As Maeve Binchy died in 2012 I was quite surprised, yet delighted, to see a new book available at the library.  The forward is written by her husband Gordon Snell.  He explains how she would type up a storm and get her thoughts out, never once seeing her staring at a blank page as she searched for inspiration.

As a big fan of Ms. Binchy I grabbed a copy and settled in to read the short stories.  I will say I prefer her novels more than this collection and these stories are dated in the narrative of how women defer to men.

That said, this is a book of stories about friendships and relationships.  Some show how women support one another and others where women stand up for themselves. If you haven't read Binchy before I would not start with this collection as her novels are much better.  I have read all of her books and Light a Penny candle remains my very favorite.

Sharing with

 Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday 

 Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

 

Imogen Clark books

Post Cards from a Stranger is the latest book I've read by Imogen Clark.  

The story shifts from perspectives in 1969, 1976, 1987 and then 2017 within three generations.

In 1969 the Kemp sisters Annie and Ursula are trying to stay out of their father's way when he returns home from work.  Anything can set him off and he becomes violent.  When he isn't angry he is condescending and demeaning.  They dream of the day they are old enough to leave and make a life for themselves far away. Why their mother endures being slapped and mocked is beyond their understanding.

When Annie is old enough to work she mets attractive and fast-talking Joe Ferensby.  She is charmed and accepts his marriage proposal, escaping her hellish homelife and thinks she hit the jackpot.

Joe doesn't hit Annie but his true nature comes out after marriage.  He's passive aggressive and talks down to her.  He isolates her from friends and keeps a tight wallet so she must ask for everything.  Once their two children Cara and Michael are born she knows she'll never leave. Lots more regarding the Feresby household but it's inserted in backstory throughout.

In 1987 we get a glimpse of single father Joe dealing with 2 year old Cara and 7 year old Michael. The children are uprooted from their London home and move to the Moors in Yorkshire.  Cara cries for her mother for weeks and Michael comforts her.  She misses her dead mother but in fact, young Michael is keeping huge secrets from his sister in an effort to protect her.

In 2017  Cara and her brother Michael as adults. Cara is caring for their father who has Alzheimers and her life is difficult.  Cara is still living on the moors while Michael is a barrister in London.  He is married with twin daughters and wants nothing to do with his father. There was a huge falling out when Michael was old enough to discover his father's secrets.

Now, Joe has Alzheimers. When things get bad Cara calls Michael for some input and he he says he knows it's difficult and would help more but..."you know how it is." He has no idea how difficult it is to be there and deal with an Alzheimers patient 24/7 and the rift between him and his father means he certainly won't head north and physically help. You'll discover the secrets much later in the book.

Cara is a wedding dress designer and has a studio where she crafts magnificent original designs. One day she is looking in the attic, a place forbidden by their father when Cara and Michael were children, and she finds a box of postcards.  Right there - her life is upended.

This wasn't my favorite book by Imogen Clark but I wasn't tempted to put it down. It certainly covers quite a bit of territory.  I was weirdly both sympathetic and impatient with Cara as she works her way the secrets her father kept. Imagine finding something you need to confront your parent with but their mind is gone so your opportunity is forever lost. 

Previous books I’ve enjoyed by the author are as follows:

Where the Story Starts

Reluctantly Home 

 On my former book blog Novel Meals I wrote about The Last Piece . I love the cover!

 I am awaiting the author's latest book Impossible to Forget.

Sharing with 

Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the  2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 

 Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.