The Woman Who Spoke to Spirits (World’s End Bureau Mystery, #1) by Alys Clare (2018)

 

This new Victorian mystery series is set in 1880s London. The World’s End Bureau, an investigation agency, is owned and operated by L.G. Raynor or Lily as she is known to her acquaintances.  Lily lives and operates the business out of the three-story building left to her by her grandparents.  As the story opens Lily is looking to hire a clerical assistant and interviews F.P.D.M. Wilbraham (or Felix) for the job.  Of course Felix thinks L.G. is a man and Lily assumes F.P.D.M. is a woman.

On his very first day Felix is left alone in the office when Ernest Stibbins comes in and assumes Felix is L.G. Unwilling to correct a potential client’s misconception Felix plays along which works out well in the long run. Stibbins claims his wife Albertina has been warned by her spirit guides that someone is out to harm her and he wants the World’s End Bureau to investigate the threat.

With the Stibbins case and the one she is currently working on, Lily needs help. She hands some small tasks over to Felix and soon discovers he has the makings of a skilled private enquiry agent.  Before you know it, Felix and Lily are sharing the workload, although Felix never forgets he is an employee.

Written in the present tense, the reader is drawn into Lily and Felix’s world. The author has such a way with descriptions that you will feel you are walking down the street with Felix and experiencing events alongside Lily. Much is learned about the two main characters and there are hints of tragedy in Lily’s past and hardship in Felix’s which I expect will be ferreted out in subsequent novels. The reader meets many other interesting characters during the course of the book, including the ballerina who refuses to bathe, Lily’s housekeeper with an attitude, an aging actress involved with the young son of an aristocrat, and a river boat captain who appears to be Lily's closest friend.

Book 2, The Outcast Girls, is also available at EPL.

Alys Claire is a pseudonym of Elizabeth Harris.

3.88 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Down Range (Garrett Kohl, #1) by Taylor Moore, 2021

 

Down Range is not only the first in a series; it marks the debut of Taylor Moore as an author. Moore, a former CIA Intelligence Officer, writes about what he knows best, government agents. Garrett Kohl, the hero in this modern day western/thriller, is a deep-cover DEA agent working with the CIA in Afghanistan when the story begins. When on a covert surveillance mission, he can only observe while an entire village is massacred. Although Garrett’s orders are to not to get involved, he rescues the 10-year-old Asadi who somehow manages to escape the bullets. Garret expects to be fired for his actions but instead finds himself charged with protecting the only viable witness to the atrocity.

As a former Green Beret and now an elite DEA agent, Garrett knows he can keep the boy safe. Rather than use a safe house, Garrett takes Asadi back to the family ranch he loves and the family he hasn’t spoken to in years.  Once there Garrett finds that the town is under attack by drug dealers who have infiltrated law enforcement, corrupted local businesses, and are now terrorizing his own brother. When Garret discovers the situation cannot be resolved peacefully, he puts his special skills and his knowledge of the land to good use.  After all, Garrett has spent the better part of his career hunting terrorists.

The book is very well written, and the author’s vibrant and vivid descriptions of the land, horses, homes, businesses, and the characters will take you right into the action. Should appeal to fans of C. J. Box and Jack Carr.

Book two, Firestorm is due out in August when I expect to see Asadi again. His story isn’t finished.

4.21 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

Preludes and Nocturnes (Sandman Vol. 1) by By Neil Gaiman

Preludes and Nocturnes is the first in a series of graphic novels by Neil Gaiman. This volume contains the first eight issues of the series. In the first issue there is an occult group who seeks to summon death, and gain control over life and death. Instead they accidentally summon Morpheus, the ruler of the dream world. Morpheus ends up in their imprisonment for about 70 years, and in the meantime loses control over the dream world. In the subsequent issues he traverses both the land of the living and of demons to reclaim his three possessions which give him power over dreams.

This series originally started in the 80’s and the art style is reflective of it. It is also intended for older readers, filled with many dark violent moments, especially the issue taking place in the diner. I would highly recommend this to anyone familiar with Neil Gaiman’s work. I would also recommend this to anyone who wants to read comics without superhero's.

Goodreads 4.23 out of 5, Amazon 4.8 out of 5

This series is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson

A hero set out on a journey to save the world; instead of a being a savior, we see what happens if the hero becomes a tyrant (Lord Ruler). The world in which the Mistborn series takes place in used to be filled with greenery, but is now a bleak ash covered land of despair. These events were set into motion 1000 years prior to the main events of this tale, and much has been lost of the world of the past. After reaching a state of immortality, the Lord Ruler has ensnared the world and has removed any from power who display opposition. However, a group of individuals has gathered to challenge the Lord Rulers claim on the world. They are far from the first group to attempt to overthrow him, but can they succeed and reclaim the world to its former state?

I found this be to an entertaining read, with a likeable cast of characters. The world also has a unique magic system, which is controlled by the select individuals capable of consuming elemental metals. These powers vary, from increasing ones strength, or controlling others emotions. If I were to find a criticism in this first book it’s that, we only find out bits and pieces about how the Lord Ruler came to be, there is still much which is left unknown.  Hopefully this will be fleshed out in the subsequent novels.  This book was originally presented as a trilogy with additional books taking place in the same world but many years after the original story. 

Goodreads 4.44 out of 5, Amazon 4.7 out of 5

This series is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger (2021)

 

Think twice before you swipe (from the book cover).

During the early stages of the COVID pandemic, Wren Greenwood meets the prefect man on an Internet dating app. But just when things are heating up between the two of them Adam disappears - all his online profiles deleted and his phone disconnected.  Was Wren ghosted? She is determined to find out exactly what happened and why. As Wren follows up on the things she knows about Adam, she discovers he is not what he seemed and that she is not the first woman to fall for the man she knows as “Adam”. Four other women have come before her and these four are now all missing. These women have one thing in common with Wren; they are all victims of trauma.

The story is told mainly from Wren's perspective over two timelines; present day and the traumatic childhood she has put behind her. The memories will not stay in the past however and Wren is forced to deal with them as she searches for “Adam. There is also a chapter on each of the missing girls. Readers will find themselves rooting for all the characters, even when they’re not acting in their own best interest.

The last quarter of the book makes a hard left turn and although my analytical mind had a hard time accepting it, it was nice to read something that didn’t end as expected. Be forewarned, this is a dark and disturbing story and you will be sucked into Wren’s world.

3.68 stars on Goodreads, 4.2 on Amazon

The Christmas Journey by Donna VanLiere (Christmas Hope #6) (2010)

 

VanLiere’s beautifully illustrated novella is the retelling of Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem and the birth of the Christ child in a stable surrounded by animals. The author explores in great detail how Mary’s pregnancy has changed both their lives and all the couple experiences during their journey. A very quick read.

Do read the Preface and the Introduction before the actual story.

4.05 stars on Goodreads, 4.4 on Amazon

Comfort & Joy: A Fable by Kristin Hannah (2005)

 

I first came across this book when compiling a list of the Christmas fiction in the library’s collection. The title certainly sounds Christmassy but the first subject heading in the catalog is “Survival after airplane accident”. You might ask, as I did, what that has to do with Christmas.  As it turns out, quite a bit.

Joy Candellaro has always loved Christmas but as the holiday approaches, she finds herself divorced and alone, and doesn’t feel like celebrating. So without telling anyone, she buys a last-minute ticket and boards a private plane headed for the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately the plane crashes in the Olympic rainforest. With no one knowing where she is Joy decides to just walk away from her ordinary life and thus begins an adventure unlike any she could have imagined.

Joy ends up in the small town of Rain Valley where six-year-old Bobby O’Shea is facing his first Christmas without his mother. Unable to handle the loss, Bobby has closed himself off from the world and his father Daniel who is desperate to help his son cope. Yet when the little boy meets Joy, they form a deep and powerful bond. In helping Bobby and Daniel heal, Joy finds herself again.

Not everything is as it seems in quiet Rain Valley, and in an instant, Joy’s world is ripped apart and her heart is broken. On a magical Christmas Eve, a night of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, Joy must find the courage to believe in a love—and a family—that can’t possibly exist and go in search of what she wants and the new life only she can find.

Hannah shows us once again the power of love and that dreams can come true at Christmas and all year round.

3.57 stars on Goodreads, 4.3 stars on Amazon

Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins (2021)

 

Kristan Higgins is well known for her feel good novels so Pack Up the Moon is somewhat a departure for her.  The book follows two journeys, one from diagnosis to death of a young wife and her husband’s from profound grief to living again. At times heartbreaking and sometimes laugh out loud funny, you won’t be able to put this one down.

Lauren and Joshua Park are very much in love and newly married when Lauren is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Lauren knows that Joshua, who is on the autism spectrum, will be devastated once she is gone and not know how to handle things without her.  So she sets out to write a series of letters to Joshua, to be delivered one a month for the first year after her death. In each Lauren gives Joshua very explicit instructions about a tack she wants him to perform. It is by performing these tasks that Joshua meets new people and learns to open up and live again.

Lauren is a letter writer. She also has written a series of letters to her deceased father to keep him up to date on what he is missing. It is through these letters the reader learns how Lauren is dealing with her diagnosis, how she and Joshua met and about their life together. Each chapter centers around one of her letters.

The characters in the book are fully developed, having both flaws and eccentricities. Although the book begins with Lauren’s funeral and her story is told in past tense, she comes alive on the pages.  The secondary characters are just as complex and quirky.

4.34 stars on Goodreads, 4.7 on Amazon

Portrait of a Scotsman (#3 in A League of Extraordinary Women) by Evie Dunmore (2021)

 

Evie Dunmore’s League of Extraordinary Woman is made up of four Oxford students who have banned together in 1880 over their belief that changes needed to be made to the Married Women’s Property Act which gave husbands financial and legal control over their wives along with control of all property owned by the now married woman and that woman deserved the right to vote.

Hattie Greenfield is the heroine of Portrait of a Scotsman, who after being caught kissing her father’s business rival, financier Lucian Blackstone, is forced to marry him. Hattie only knows Lucien by his reputation for being ruthless in business and fears he will be the end of her dream of becoming a recognized artist.

Lucien is a self-made man driven by political ambitions and a need for revenge. He has wealth but no power and marriage to Hattie is his entry into polite society where the power is held.

As in so many romances Lucian has no time for his new bride but things start to change when he takes Hattie to Scotland with him to check out a mine he just purchased. Although the two discover they really do care for one another, Hattie asks for a divorce when they return to England. Divorce was a scandalous thing in 1880 and had to be allowed by the husband. Hattie was not willing to stay with a husband whom she felt had bought and paid for her, she wants to be wooed.

The Married Women’s Property Act was finally changed in 1882. The new law allowed women to own/buy/sell property, keep any income from the property or an occupation, and keep any inheritance. The law also made both parents equally responsible for their children. Under the former law woman had no rights to their children. The women of Britain were granted the same voting rights as men in 1928.

Although it is not necessary to read the books in order, the characters and events from previous novels are mentioned in the books that follow.

Bringing Down the Duke (2019)

A Rogue of One's Own (2020)

The fourth title has not yet been announced

3.96 stars on Goodreads, 4.4 on Amazon

This series is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

A Darker Reality (Elena Standish #3) by Anne Perry (2021)

 

Anne Perry is well-known for her historical mysteries and the annual Christmas mystery she has written since 2004, but A Darker Reality was my introduction to the author. Now I know why Perry has so many dedicated fans.

The Elena Standish series (one of several by Perry) takes place in pre World War II Europe. Elena is a photographer from England in her late twenties but she is a lot more she appears. Her father is a career diplomat and his father once headed MI6. Let’s just say this apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Elena travels to America with her parents for the 60^th wedding anniversary party of her American mother’s parents in Washington, D.C. Her grandfather, Wyatt Baylor, is a very powerful financier who has just been appointed an adviser to President Franklin Roosevelt, who is also attending the party. When one of the guests is found dead after being run over by his car, Wyatt is arrested. He claims he is being framed by his enemies and Elena and her father set out to find the truth. The book also touches on the feelings of many Americans at that time – isolationism and racial purity. The splitting of the atom also has a role to play.

Anne Perry is a master at building the suspense throughout the book until the surprise ending. Although it is not necessary to read the books in order, readers will find this title refers quite often to the events of numbers 1 and 2. I have already checked them out!

The Loyal League Books 1, 2, and 3 by Alyssa Cole

 The Loyal League is a covert organization of spies during the Civil War, many of whom are former slaves. Although each book can be read as a standalone novel, it is helpful to read them in order as the main characters return as secondary characters in books 2 and 3.

An Extraordinary Union (#1) (2017)

Elle Burns, a former slave, is living in freedom in Massachusetts. She possesses an extraordinarily memory for visual images and uses this skill to aid the Loyal League, a covert organization of spies. For her latest mission, Elle agrees to return to the South as a mute slave to spy for the Union Army.

Malcolm McCall is a detective in Pinkerton's Secret Service masquerading as a Union soldier. His mission is to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia. Elle and Malcom join forces when they discover a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy’s favor.

Because Elle is acting as a slave she is regarded as less than human in the South. The members of the Caffrey household she serves, and their visitors, speak freely when Elle is in the room, never realizing they are giving away secrets. The situation is a spy’s gold mine.

Malcolm’s skills lie in his charm which make it very difficult for Elle to trust him, even when they are working together. He is also white but appears to have some understanding of the black man’s world.

The author never loses sight of the black perspective. She freely shares Elle’s thoughts and emotions about how blacks are viewed and treated and the danger of her growing feelings for Malcolm.

The story is based on Mary Bowser, a freed slave who spied for the Union Army.

3.85 stars on Goodreads, 4.3 on Amazon

A Hope Divided (#2) (2017)

Marlie Lynch, a gifted healer, is the daughter of a freed black woman and a wealthy white plantation owner. Her half-sister Sarah, an abolitionist, acknowledges Marlie as a member of the family and the two live together in the family home. Things go south rapidly when Sarah's brother and his malicious, racist Southern-belle wife return home

Unbeknown to Sarah’s brother, Marlie has been aiding the North’s war effort by providing tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, assisting slaves and Freeman escape north and providing the Union with coded messages about anti-Rebel uprisings in the woods near her. When the vicious Confederate Home Guard takes over Marlie's home as their new base of operations in the war against Southern resistors Marlie’s future is in jeopardy.

Marlie soon learns that having a white father will no longer protect her. Although she's a free woman, she can still be sold into slavery and she becomes a prisoner in the house she'd always considered home. Marlie’s fear and uncertainty and the injustice of it all jumps right off the pages.

What the Guard does not know is that Marlie is harboring a wounded Ewan McCall in her laboratory, after his escape from a Confederate prison. When a shocking family secret is revealed and Marlie's freedom is on the line, she escapes the house with Ewan’s help. The pair follow the path of the Underground Railroad and get caught in a battle before they are even out of North Carolina.

4.09 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

An Unconditional Freedom (#3) (2019)

We first met Daniel Cumberland in An Extraordinary Union. Like Elle, he is also free and one of her closest friends. That all changes when he is kidnapped and sold back into slavery. In An Unconditional Freedom a plot to free Daniel is carried out by Malcolm McCall (the hero of An Extraordinary Union) and Daniel is recruited into the Loyal League. Here Daniel finds opportunities to help take down the Confederacy and vent the rage that consumes him.

Janeta Sanchez’s lives in a small Florida town that has been taken over by the Union army. When her father is unjustly imprisoned for treason, Janeta must spy for the Confederacy in order to gain his freedom. Janeta agrees to infiltrate the Loyal League as a double agent, and she finds herself teamed up with Daniel. Daniel has a secret mission of his own to settle a personal vendetta and has no desire for a partner, particularly one with no experience.

Janeta has been brought up in a culture that supports slavery and life in the real world soon causes her to question everything she believes it. Daniel plays a large part in this de-programing.

As in the other two titles in the series, the author does not shy away from the brutality of the Civil War, the injustice of slavery, the invisibility of slaves, and the pain of family secrets, alongside humor and lightness.

4.11 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Murder on Cold Street (Lady Sherlock #5) by Sherry Thomas (2020)

 

Sherry Thomas offers a whole new take on the Sherlock Holmes stories we know and love. Charlotte Holmes (“Lady Sherlock”) is a female detective in Victorian England, a time that doesn’t approve of ladies getting their hands dirty, especially a member of the upper class. Lady Sherlock’s answer to the situation is to create a fictional brother named Sherlock whom she consults with on all her cases.

To advance the charade, Sherlock is always behind a closed door listening to each client’s story and although the investigation is conducted by Charlotte it is at Sherlock’s direction. The role of Dr. Watson is assumed by Mrs. Watson who is Lady Sherlock’s benefactor and assists Charlotte with her caseload. There are also a variety of secondary characters who move from novel to novel. There’s even a role for Moriarty to play.

Murder on Cold Street focuses on Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes’s friend and Scotland Yard detective. He has been found locked in a room with two dead men, both of whom worked with his wife at a manufacturing enterprise she has recently inherited. The game is afoot to find the real murderer.

Descriptions in the book can be lengthy; the author does love her adjectives and the more the merrier. Murder on Cold Street is not a fast read, but enjoyable none the less. Although each novel in the series can stand on its own, it would be helpful to read them in order to keep up with the backstories of the various characters. There are many references to events from past books that I would have liked to know more about.

A Study in Scarlet Women (2016)

A Conspiracy in Belgravia (2017)

The Hollow of Fear (2018)

The Art of Theft (2019)

Murder on Cold Street (2020)

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? is due out in November.

4.22 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

None of the Lady Sherlock books are available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get the book(s) for you from an area library.

Seven Perfect Things by Catherine Ryan Hyde (2021)

 

Seven Perfect Things is a story about growing up (Abby), grieving (Elliott), and believing in yourself enough to go after what you really want (Abby’s mother Mary).

Abby Hubble is thirteen-years old living with a mother she adores and a father who makes life miserable for both of them. On her way home one night Abby witnesses a man tossing a wiggling bag into the river. Abby, who is a strong swimmer, jumps in after it because she knows whatever is in the bag is alive. Once Abby and the bag are back on shore, seven perfect puppies emerge. Afraid to leave the puppies to an unknown fate at the pound, Abby decides to take the puppies to the shed of an abandoned cabin where her abusive father will not find them.

Elliott Colvin is a recent widower struggling with the unwanted changes in his life and the words of well-meaning friends that don’t seem to help. He decides to take some time by himself at his hunting cabin which he hasn’t visited in years. When Elliott gets to the cabin, he discovers Abby and the puppies.

As Abby and Elliot’s friendship deepens, Abby begins to wonder what life would be like if her mother Mary were married to Elliott and not her father. When Abby introduces her mother to both Elliott and the puppies, and her father catches wind of it, he abruptly packs up the family and leaves. They move in with his brother where the Mary and Abby are little more than prisoners. An escape plan is needed, the puppies depend on Abby.

If you enjoy feel-good movies with a somewhat unrealistic plot that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, this book is for you. No tissues needed.

4.41 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.