I've greatly enjoyed Catriona McPherson's previous books a great deal, but Go to My Grave didn't appeal to me as much.
Description: Donna Weaver has put everything into The Breakers, a Bed and Breakfast that she and her mother are opening on a remote stretch of beach. Now it waits - freshly painted, richly furnished, filled with flowers.
But as the guests arrive, they feel like they've been here before. Amid home-baked scones, gorgeous guest rooms, and lavish dinners fit for a king, the feeling of menace grows.
Someone has broken their vow. Someone is playing games. And then the games turn deadly
This book felt more manipulative than McPherson's previous books. The characters were stereotypical and not really engaging, not even Donna. I suspected the big twist and did not find it especially believable.
Read in September.
NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Mystery/Suspense. Oct. 23, 2018. Print length: 304 pages.
Alys Clare's The Angel in the Glass continues the adventures of Dr. Gabriel Taverner in his small Devon village. Characters from the first novel (Taverner's sister Celia, Theophilus Davey, local coroner, and Jonathan Carew, local vicar) begin to take on more personality in this dark mystery. Description: June, 1604. When the emaciated body of a vagrant is found on the edge of the moor, it's the verdict of physician Gabriel Taverner that the man died of natural causes - but is all as it seems? Who was the dead man, and why had he come to the small West Country village of Tavy St Luke's to die cold, sick and alone? With no one claiming to have known him, his identity remains a mystery.
Then a discovery found buried in a nearby field throws a strange new light on the case ... and in attempting to find the answers, Gabriel Taverner and Coroner Theophilus Davey unearth a series of shocking secrets stretching back more than fourteen years.
Members of the Fairlight family are all creepy and twisted. Fairlight would certainly not have been a Dickensian name choice. He would have chosen a name more in keeping with the character's personality: Malafide, Pedark, Blackmere, Blackquill.
read in july
NetGalley/Severen House
Historical Mystery. Oct. 1, 2018. Print length: 240 pages.
Young men are being attacked and their expensive designer clothing items stolen and resold. Hybird X street designs fetch thousands of pounds and stolen resale items fetch even more. When one of these attacks results in the unintentional death of a young man wearing Hybird X street clothes, Jackman's team is all in. At the same time an influx of illegal steroids has become a problem in the area.
There are many strands woven into this latest Saltern-le-fen installment: the above two investigations, the Fagin-like use of young people as both spotters and thieves, human trafficking, a resurgence of enthusiasm to locate Alistair Ashcroft, and the addition to the force of an old enemy of Marie Evans. Somehow it all works.
As usual, Ellis makes the most of her characters. Members of the Jackman team, no matter how minor, always feel genuine. Minor characters like Tommy, Mossy, and Daisy Cotterhill are fleshed-out and engaging, and make you worry about their fates.
Joy Ellis is one of my favorite mystery/detective fiction writers for both this series and her series featuring Nikki Galena. Both are set in the fens which always becomes a minor character.
NetGalley/Joffe Books
Mystery/Thriller. Oct. 12, 2018. Print length: 305 pages.
Another round of interesting reads...except maybe for that first one. :)
ReplyDeleteI have liked McPherson's books so much, and I regret this one didn't work for me.
DeleteI'm a bit sad to hear your reaction to the new McPherson book. However, I'm going to try it anyway before long. We'll see how it goes. And I am definitely planning to read Ellis' Jackman/Evans series. I'm making some plans to consider next year a 'year of series' (among other things) and this one is on my list. I've loved the Galena series, as you know. Thanks so much for talking about both of them because that's what piqued my interest.
ReplyDeleteYou may like the McPherson than I did, Kay. I'll be interested in your response. I always look forward to a book by Joy Ellis in either series!
DeleteI finally read Joy Ellis first book in the Nikki Galana series and really loved it so good to hear she's also got another series to consider. The other books also appeal to me even fi the McPherson book wasn't as stellar.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the first book in the Nikki Galena series. I love the way you get attached to Ellis' characters and the setting. :)
DeleteI really like the sound of the Joy Ellis book. She's not an author I have read before. Nor Alys Clare for that matter. I do want to read McPherson's novel, and am disappointed to hear it wasn't better.
ReplyDeleteJust because I was disappointed in Go to My Grave, doesn't mean you will be. :) Do try the Joy Ellis books, though!
DeleteInteresting selection! I can see why the Joy Ellis was your fave, but I am curious abt Go to my Grave too for some reason
ReplyDeleteAll mysteries, but very different times and settings!
DeleteI haven't try reading a Joy Ellis book so I'm going to check out her books. Hope she has some standalones as well.
ReplyDelete