Cold Grave by Jenny O'Brien{book 6 and the final in the series}

 

I just love Jenny O'Brien.  She writes a great series which brings the characters to life and doesn't overdo the personal entanglements at the expense of the police investigation.

Detective Gaby Darin is a Welsh detective of Italian background, fiercely loyal to her team, job and a woman you'd want in your corner.

After a few DNF books it was a great pleasure to sit back with one of my favorite authors and series. I am sad to see this series end but what a way to tie things up.  Hoping we see the team back together again in the future as I loved watching these characters develop.

Gaby, Mal, Owen, Marie, Jax and Rusty are well fleshed out. I feel as if I know them and can certainly get a mental image of them all. If you are looking for a series which involves police procedurals, a little bit of the detectives' personal lives and is grittier than a cozy - this is your series.  

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

Elly Griffiths books (I'll be taking a break from Ruth and Nelson)

 

The next two books in the Dr Ruth Galloway series may wrap it up for me.  I was very enthusiastic about a series with so many books and the first book grabbed me immediately.  This one was....meh.

Ruth is having a hard time with balancing motherhood and an active career.  She feels relief when someone takes Kate so she could get in the trenches and dig, fully immersing herself in her job. The author writes about Ruth's love of her work, mentioning the constant calling in of a child minder to babysit a few hours longer so she can work, making her feel alive and fulfilled.  Yet, she won't allow Kate's father to take a hand in her upbringing.

This is not a crack at single mothers and the balancing act, it's just that it's mentioned so many times in the books.  

Here is a loose breakdown of the plot separating the police investigation and the personal side stories.  

Investigative storyline: There is a house situated near the sea which is in danger of being overtaken by the rising waters.  Every year more beach is shaved off so it's inevitable the house will tumble in the future. The house is owned by a rich family with deep roots in the community.

A group of archaelogists are roaming the coastline near this house as they research coastal erosion.  They discover six bodies a crevice of a cliff.  The bodies are actually skeletal at this point, hands tied behind their backs and evidence of an execution style death. Ruth is called in as the senior archaeologist and bone expert.

DI Harry Nelson arrives to handle the situation in case as it's clear the remains are not from Roman times.  Lots of suspects and secrets.

Personal side stories:

Detective Sergeant Judy Johnson is about to be married to Darren, a man she's known since childhood.  But then she is attracted to Cathbad (for whatever reason) and goes to bed with him.

DI Harry Nelson is attracted to Ruth and concerned for their baby.  He continues to lie to his wife and wants to take a part in Kate's upbringing. Ruth always refuses, yet she seems to yearn for his attention whilst simultaneously pushing him away. 

Ruth's good friend Shona is seeing another married man and this time, Shona gets him to leave his wife. 

My thoughts on continuing:  The first book grabbed me with the excavations, Roman history and the vividly depicted Saltmarsh in Norfolk. As I mentioned in my review of The Janus Stone, the romantic and personal stories as a subplot was fine but I didn't want it to dominate the series.  I want mystery and police investigations.  Alas,  the relationships are getting an equal share of page time and I think I will take a break from the series.

So many books here at the house as well as on my Kindle so if I get back to this series it might be a while.  It had promise.

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

Paul McCartney is 80! {Sharing my experience at a Wings concert and Beatle memorabilia}

 I have always been a fan of the Beatles but am too young to have been to one of their concerts.  My first experience with them was their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. 

Magazines seem to be a thing of the past these days when you can access just about anything online but I had to have these two publications.   

I have been fortunate enough to have seen Paul McCartney and Wings in concert when they were performing in Germany in 1977.  They performed in the Olympic Village in Munich and it was amazing.  It was also my first laser light show. I was 21 years old and completely besotted.

It's been enjoyable to flip through and read about the early start of their musical careers. I learned that Ringo was hospitalized early in childhood and went into a coma, later getting tuberculosis and admitted to a sanatorium for two years. 

Paul was a scholar winning prizes in Latin and English literature but his love of music sent him down a different a path.  There is quite a bit of information in the magazine to make it well worth the price if you are a fan of the Beatles.

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

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

 

I like the archaeology topics which  are an important part of the plot but I am wondering how many old bones can be discovered in this part of the world.  The series has 14 books so I am looking forward to reading more.

I learned about radiocarbon dating while reading.

“It tests the amount of carbon in the bones. When we’re alive, we take in carbon fourteen. When we die, we stop. By estimating when these bones stopped taking in carbon fourteen we’ll be able to estimate the age of the skeleton.”

Colleagues from the Archaeolgy department at Norfolk  University have been digging on a hill for days.  They have uncovered not only evidence of a Roman villa but also earlier Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements. 

The other side story is about a wealthy family with plans to demolish an old children’s home to build luxury apartments. A child’s skeleton is found beneath a doorway which halts all work. An excavation team is brought in to remove the skeletal remains. It’s discovered the head is missing so this is looking more like a scarification from an early age. Or is it?!

The romantic subplot is fine so far, in my opinion, but I am hoping it won't eventually dominate the mystery and investigative side of the stories. I liked the first book more than this one but will read the next in the series so I can see where our characters are developing.

I am a series addict and love getting to know characters and seeing how they grow personally  and professionally. 

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

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark

 

This is a book I will probably reread years down the road.  There were many twists and back stories which had me invested in Meg's future.

Have you ever watched a movie where you were in support of the bad guy? Meg isn't necessary all bad and her background makes you sympathetic but seriously, don't cross her!

Meg uses different alias - Meg, Maggie, Melody - depending on her situation.  She moves to different towns, develops an identity and smoothly cons her way into someone's life. 

Kat Roberts finds Meg and is determined to expose her but things are not as she imagined, based on her own interactions with Meg ten years prior. Kat blames Meg for a trauma she experienced which temporarily sidelined her journalism career.

This book would be an excellent choice for a book club.  If you haven't read Julie Clark's previous book The Last Flight I would also recommend that one.

Publication date is June 21, 2022 by Sourcebooks Landmark. Genre: Mystery/Thriller 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.

James Herriot's World via books and television

 If you are a fan of BBC or Masterpiece Theater you may have watched a season or two of All Creatures Great and Small.   The wholesome G-rated shows were inspired by James Herriot’s books. I have read all of his books and enjoyed each and every one. He brought the story to life and I could clearly picture the scenes in Yorkshire as he dealt with his patients – cows, sheep, bulls, dogs and you name it.

While I enjoyed the original series with Christopher Timothy and Carol Drinkwater more than the latest adaption, this is still good entertainment.  Love the scenery and the animal stories.

James Herriot's Yorkshire

This book – James Herriot’s Yorkshire – is written by James Herriot (his real name is James Alfred Wight) and it is a wonderful compilation of photos and stories about the Yorkshire dales. The town of Darrowby in his fictional works is actually Thirsk. That is where he practiced veterinary medicine along with Sigried and Tristan Farnon (Donald and Brian Sinclair). Herriot may be surprised that his books are still so popular today as well as the number of visitors he attracted to the area.

This book is copyrighted 1979 and is one of the original printings purchased in England. I treasure this book. I’ve read that people who travel to Yorkshire with the specific intent of visiting the area Herriot lived bring this book along and it’s an invaluable asset. If you like rural areas and have a plan to hike about in Yorkshire, this book is for you. Flip through and enjoy stories and photos about small villages, ruins and history.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

 

I wish I could remember who blogged about the Elly Griffiths' books because I'd like to thank you.  Please leave me a comment if you've recently reviewed the Dr Ruth Galloway series!

British author Elly Griffiths has moved to the top of my list of books I'll be reading in June and July. Love the style, the plot, character development and the Norfolk England coastal setting.

Bones are found near an ancient henge off Norfolk's coastline.  The saltmarshes can be dangerous to negotiate as the sands will swallow you up if you take a wrong turn.  When bones are discovered DI Harry Nelson contacts Dr Ruth Galloway to ascertain if the bones are ancient or the remains of missing child from ten years prior. Dr Ruth Galloway is a forensic archaeologist, university professor and lecturer.

One of Ruth's discoveries is from the Iron Age but a cold case quickly becomes a murder investigation as more information surfaces. I enjoyed reading about Ruth and the growing friendship with DI Nelson. Planning on reading the next in the series titled The Janus Stone. I'm just hoping the Galloway/Nelson relationship doesn't turn romantic as I love the detective work and mystery parts best.

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

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

 

Recently I read Peter Swanson's book Nine Lives and I thought it was terrific.  This led me to request another of his mysteries, Eight Perfect Murders.

When I started reading this one I felt it had too many similarites to the book Nine Lives.  It's defintely a different mystery, not a rehash, but some of the elements made me think about the previous book.

We start with a bookshop owner named Malcolm and a vivid description of the harsh winter snow storm.  A FBI agent calls Malcolm and asks to speak to him, arriving in the storm as he is about to close up the shop.  

She wants to chat with him about a blog post he'd made years ago called Eight Perfect Murders.  Seems someone is taking that list to heart with bodies turning up murdered exactly as the blog post outlined. Is it a serial killer?  Is it Malcolm?

The plot had possibilities but I found it fairly boring.  Not giving up on this author as Nine Lives was very good, IMO.  If you've read any of Swanson's books which would you suggest? If you've read Nine Lives, did you think about some of the similarities between the plot and ending?

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

 

This is a moving narrative about a father's love for his young daughter and the sacrifices he has made to keep her with him.  Cooper has PTSD after several tours in Afghanistan but you won't get that backstory right away. He and his daughter Finch live off the grid without electricity, friends or any connection to the world as we know it.

The story begins when Finch is eight years old and you learn of how Finch is quite a capable young girl.  She has never known any life before this one where they live in the Appalachian Mountains.  They prepare for winter and stock food in the root cellar.  Once a year Cooper's friend Jake arrives with loads of supplies.  Cooper and Finch look forward to that time not just for the supplies but the friendship with Jake.

This is a slow start but I loved all the revelations about Finch's mother, Jake and Cooper's back stories and the reason this father and daughter live in isolation.  Cooper is basically a very good man but circumstances drove him to choose the situation he's in and things are about to take a turn for the worse.

Love, friendship, choices, redemption are themes in this book.  I was very invested with the characters and how things played out.

The No-Show and The Switch by Beth O'Leary

 

I liked this book. The author's first book The Flatshare was a nice easy read, chicklit in my opinion, and I knew I would read another as I like her style. 

This book focuses on two women, both named Eileen Cotton. There's the younger called Leena and her grandmother Eileen. Leena is used ot the fast paced corporate world of London but she is burnt out. After an incident at work she is placed on a two month sabatical so she heads up to Yorkshire to visit her grandmother. Leena has always been close to her grandmother and calls her all the time. 

She is barely on speaking terms with her mother Marion and this puts Eileen (the grandmother) in the middle. This is all a result of Leena's sister dying from cancer and decisions made which Leena couldn't come to terms with. It's all explained.

Eileen is 79 years old but don't think she sits around knitting and is all alone. She is very active and is always trying to get involved in new projects, organizing a festival, helping with crime watch and walking other folks dogs....you get the idea. Leena gets the idea to switch households for the two months as it's obvious both women need a change of scenery. Leena would live in Yorkshire and her grandmother would live in her flat in London.

It's nice to read about older people who had vibrant lives in their youth I was enjoying the parts set in Yorkshire as well and honestly, if I could and I had the physical stamina for those sort of cold winters, I would love to live in that area. 

This is a nice easy read that features love, infidelity, grief and life changes. I would read more by Beth O'Leary as she takes you right into the scenes. Love the descriptive parts about Yorkshire.

The No-Show: This book has quite a few surprises.  It appears Joseph Carter is a scoundrel who is juggling three different women, managing to stand them up on Valentine's Day.  As you start the book you will be supportive of these ladies outing him and possibly getting a bit of revenge. Word of warning, don't make assumptions as this is not a cookie cutter romance template.

This is not a story about a man cheating on his girlfriends.  There is a back story to each of the relationships which the author deftly weaves to a surprising conclusion.

There is heartbreak but I assure you, it won't be a scenario you're expecting. Somehow Beth O'Leary writes a light hearted story while interjecting real life hardships and situations.

There is more than one emotionally significant event to experience here. 

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

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.