Someone Else's Home by Janet Pywell

Hi all. Just wanted to stop in quick and say happy November. The holiday season begins!

I just finished Someone Else's Home by Janet Pywell. This is book four in the Westbay Romance series. I have read several mysteries written by this author and liked them. So when she offered me the books in this series as ARC's I wanted to read them.

Someone Else's Home

About: "There’s a buzz of excitement when Carmen arrives in Westbay to open a soft furnishing interiors shop.

Once a top model, Carmen is married to Jack Bailey, a footballer, whose previous sporting career as a striker for England has turned him into a celebrity. Their two children are embarking on their own lives but there are secrets.

The family is in debt and about to lose their house.

Carmen is desperate to protect her family as much as herself, but she has to fight to win over local businesses in the town. As she comes to grips with conflicts and challenges in her life, she must consider her future and the changes that face them all.

Will they all be able to come together as a family when it counts? And, will Carmen find the home that they all so desperately crave?

A heart-warming, uplifting, feel-good novel about determination, ambition and honesty that comes together at Christmas..."

Someone Else's Home is a heartwarming story of a family, each at a crossroads in their life, trying to figure out where they fit in as an individual and as part of the family. Carmen was a high fashion model, who gave up her career to get married and have a family. Her children are grown and her husband is on his own journey. She makes a major life change. Jack, her husband, was a famous football (soccer) player. An injury ended his career. He is trying to find a new career. Elena is the daughter who is engaged to be married and has a glamorous job as a stewardess, traveling all over the world. But is this what she really wants? Luis is the their son who is soon to go away to college and is finding their way as a person who identifies as non binary. Luis struggles trying to fit in in the small village Carmen has chosen to start over in, public opinions of them and whether to go to college. This is a story of the family struggling with their decisions on their own and whether the family unit can survive the changes each is making.

Wonderful story. I couldn't put it down. I would say the books are not so much about "romance" as in romantic love. They are all more about individuals and families falling in love with Westbay and what it has to offer, then bringing families together. 

If you have read the other books in the Westbay Romance Series, you will find characters from those books here also.

Currently reading: A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly.

Get your spooky on with these three books!

It is almost time for Halloween and I have read three books recently that were definitely spooky.

Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott was our October book for the Mystery Book Club.

About: "Honey, I just want you to have everything you ever wanted. That’s what Jacy’s mom always told her.

And Jacy felt like she finally did. Newly married and with a baby on the way, Jacy and her new husband Jed embark on their first road trip together to visit his father, Doctor Ash, in Michigan’s far-flung Upper Peninsula. The moment they arrive in the cozy cottage in the lush woods, Jacy feels bathed in love by the warm and hospitable Doctor Ash, if less so by his house manager, the enigmatic Mrs. Brandt.

But their Edenic first days take a turn when Jacy has a health scare. Swiftly, vacation activities are scrapped, and all eyes are on Jacy’s condition. At the same time, whispers about Jed’s long-dead mother and complicated family history seem eerily to be impeding upon the present. As the days pass, Jacy begins to feel trapped in the cottage, her every move surveilled, her body under the looking glass. But are her fears founded or is it paranoia, or cabin fever, or—as is suggested to her—a stubborn refusal to take necessary precautions? The dense woods surrounding the cottage are full of dangers, but are the greater ones inside?"

This was a good spooky read. Jacy and Jed, newlyweds with a baby on the way, go to visit Jed's dad in a remote area of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. It is late fall and the weather can change in an instant. Jed's father, was a physician but quit practicing after Jed's mother died when Jed was a baby. He lives alone and has a housekeeper, Mrs. Brandt, that lives in the cottage nearby. As above Jacy has a complication with her pregnancy and wants to head home. But Dr. Ash warns against the trip. Jacy gets sicker and sicker, Mrs. Brandt is always hanging around. There's whispering about Jacy. Even the local doctor says it's better if Jacy stays, as she seems to be worse and worse. The house is creepy, the people are creepy, there is something unknown going on. 

I liked it and felt it was a good page turner. Something of the medical stuff seemed far fetched, but it is a fiction book. I did want a different ending. The ending left us with some questions but it was an eding you would "see" in a movie. 

https://www.meganabbott.com/

The Ghost of Kali Oka Road by M.L. Bullock

About: " On the Gulf Coast, Things Don’t Just Go Bump in the Night They Terrorize You and Sometimes You Disappear! The paranormal investigators at Gulf Coast Paranormal thought they knew what they were doing. Midas, Sierra, Sara, Josh and Peter had over twenty combined years of experience investigating supernatural activity on the Gulf Coast. But when they meet Cassidy, a young artist with a strange gift, they realize there’s more to learn. And time is running out for Cassidy.

When Gulf Coast Paranormal begins investigating the ghosts of Kali Oka Road, they find an entity far scarier than a few ghosts. Add in the deserted Oak Grove Plantation, and you have a recipe for a night of terror."

 

I won a free copy of the audio version of this book. I would describe it as urban legend meets current day ghost hunters. The book starts with a version of a story we all heard as kids. Teenagers parking in a remote area. One leaves the car for some reason or other and meets a violent death. Other versions are teenagers alone in a house and one goes outside and something happens. Jump to current time. Cassidy is a young adult, whose sister disappeared several years ago. Cassidy recently has been having dreams and urges to paint what she dreams. She doesn't know if these are clues or messages about her sister. She finds out there is a local ghost hunter/investigators in town and is invited to their next meeting. They are looking for new cases to investigate and Cassidy seems to be having some dreams related to  what will be their next case.

This is book one of a series. It is a short book so good for getting in the spirit of Halloween. Spooky for sure. I enjoyed it and am intrigued to listen to the next book. I am wondering about Cassidy and her sister.

https://www.mlbullock.com/

The Death of Clara Willenheim by Charlotte Lesemann

About: "Surrounded by family secrets, suspicious deaths, and her own repressed memories, fifteen year-old Clara Willenheim lives as a prisoner in her ancestral estate in 1860s Bavaria. Her only chance of escape is to journey through the castle’s secret passages, unraveling her family’s dark history and its place at the center of a vast web of crime. Driven by the capricious and vengeful ghost of her long-dead aunt, Clara opens doors that threaten powerful enemies, a place where she’s forced to choose between righting past wrongs or losing her own life."

A historical Gothic mystery brimming with suspense and plot twists, The Death of Clara Willenheim is layered in rich, period detail. The novel explores the cost of selflessness and the struggle to choose between justice and vengeance. But at its heart, it’s a story about how, when one part of ourselves dies, something greater can rise in its place."

This book is a debut novel for Charlotte Lesemann and comes out October 29, 2024, just in time for Halloween.

Set in the 1800's, Bavaria, (where all good gothic classic novels take place), a huge creepy old house, full of tunnels, locked rooms, catacombs, ghosts, rain and something evil in the midst. Clara's father has just died from a possible suicide. She lives in this old, old mansion with her mother and grandmother and sinister servants. She is not allowed outside during the day, or outside of her room at night. A ghost of a 15 year old distant cousin, Cora, appears to her and confirms, there is something really wrong going on in this house. Together they try to find out what it is and put a stop to it. There is a lot of atmospheric tension and urgency as Clara explores the tunnels and rooms underneath the house. The descriptions are definitely scary and creepy. There are some disturbing things but you won't be able to put the book down before finding out how it all ends...

https://charlottelesemann.com/

(I received an ARC and voluntarily provided this review.}

There you go. Three spooky stories to get you in the Halloween mood.

Tiggy Jones Mysteries by Virginia King

Hi all. We are having second summer here and I can't wait for it to leave.

I want to share the newest mystery series by Virginia King. You may remember me talking about the Selkie Moon series.  This series has three books with the fourth book coming out 10/18/24. I have read all of them and really enjoyed them.

Tiggy, short for Antigone, is a 30 something young woman from Australia that inherits a boathouse in an English village from a grandmother she never met. As she settles in, she meets Baxter, a teenager who is taking care of the grandmother's dog, Raider. Raider is a Dalmador (dalmation/labrador mix). Baxter is on the spectrum, but becomes an important character in the series. Raider joins Tiggy in the boathouse and is never too far away in all they mysteries that come up. Tiggy writes mysteries, by the way.

A Scrap of Silk is Tiggy Jones book one.

About: "A surprise inheritance. A locked cellar. A shocking secret from her family's past.

When 30-year-old mystery author Tiggy Jones inherits an old boathouse in England from the grandmother she never knew, her shock turns to excitement.
Until she stumbles upon the hidden cellar and can’t find the key.
Soon she’s tangled in a desperate search through mysteries past and present, threats, betrayals and misdirections to uncover a long-hidden secret.
All the time struggling against someone determined to stop her.
As her new life unravels, what horrors will Tiggy discover about her family history?
And will she survive them?"

A Missing Signature (book two)

About: "A friend with secrets. A dangerous painting. A tangle of clues that don’t add up.

When mystery author Tiggy Jones leaves a London auction house, she glimpses a woman who looks a lot like her missing friend, Nessa.
The chance encounter spirals into a complex and deadly mystery that won’t let Tiggy go: coded messages, strange disguises and an old French portrait that she fears is a fake.
Will the unscrupulous art dealer really stop at nothing to get his hands on it?
And why won’t Nessa tell Tiggy the truth about what’s going on?
As the mystery deepens, and a second person is found dead, Tiggy realizes that her amateur sleuthing is not safe.
For others. And for herself."

A Deadly Concoction (book three)

About: A bag of baffling clues. A string of mysterious deaths. A race to expose the truth 

When mystery author Tiggy Jones launches Mystery Week in her local town in Devon, she opens a donated bag of ‘mystery items’ to entertain the audience. But the first thing she holds up has a nasty stain on it. Is it blood? Or is someone playing a trick to embarrass her?
Tiggy rescues the moment and takes the bag home, only to discover it’s full of perplexing evidence. With her curiosity piqued, she begins to untangle the connections between the clues.
Why has the isolated distillery at Larrington Hall on Dartmoor seen so many deaths over the last twenty years?
Does the 500-year-old legend behind its exclusive blue liqueur hide a dangerous secret?
And when Tiggy gets close to uncovering one truth too many, will the purpose behind the bag of evidence turn deadly?
Join Tiggy Jones, with her dog Raider, as she discovers that researching a mystery novel is usually safe but investigating a murder or two is perilous."

A Trace of DNA (book four will be out October 18, 2024)

About: " A glittering reputation. A dogged amateur sleuth. Sinister secrets that won’t stay buried.

When mystery author Tiggy Jones receives an email from a famous forensic scientist, she’s shocked that Dr. Helena Loxton is offering her private life as the plot for her next book. Tiggy’s dangerous curiosity is piqued.
But there's a catch.
In exchange, Dr. Loxton wants Tiggy to research some things she’s forgotten from her past, especially one crucial thing that’s keeping her awake at night.
Wouldn’t she do better with a private investigator?
And after too many real mysteries that have turned out to be crimes, Tiggy has sworn off acting like an amateur PI.
Hasn’t she?"

Don't you love the covers of the books? I would say these books are traditional mysteries. There is a bit more to them than a cozy mystery. Tiggy is an amateur sleuth. They take place in and English village and there are a lot of locals. There is a dog. But the stories are not light and humorous. Tiggy gets into a lot of jams, plenty of danger and thriller type moments. We find out (and so does she) a bit more about her life with each book. They are just enjoyable to read and I highly recommend the series.

As I mentioned, book four comes out next Friday. I found this one very interesting as there is a DNA aspect in the investigation. We see so much of that in crime dramas now and because I dabble in genealogy, I loved that thread in book four. 

Bonus:  A Scrap of Silk will be $.99 on Kindle Daily Deal on October 31, 2024. Good chance to give this series a try.

The Library Book and Expats

 October is here but it still feels like summer here. Looking forward to cooler weather.

After the Mystery Book Club read Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone, I read: 

The Expats by the same author. It is the first book in the Kate Moore series.

About: "Kate Moore is a working mother, struggling to make ends meet, to raise children, to keep a spark in her marriage . . . and to maintain an increasingly unbearable life-defining secret. So when her husband is offered a lucrative job in Luxembourg, she jumps at the chance to leave behind her double-life, to start anew.

She begins to reinvent herself as an expat, finding her way in a language she doesn’t speak, doing the housewifely things she’s never before done—play-dates and coffee mornings, daily cooking and unending laundry. Meanwhile, her husband works incessantly, doing a job Kate has never understood, for a banking client she’s not allowed to know. He’s becoming distant and evasive; she’s getting lonely and bored.

Then another American couple arrives. Kate soon becomes suspicious that these people are not who they claim to be, and terrified that her own past is catching up to her. So Kate begins to dig, to peel back the layers of deception that surround her. She discovers fake offices and shell corporations and a hidden gun; a mysterious farmhouse and numbered accounts with bewildering sums of money; a complex web of intrigue where no one is who they claim to be, and the most profound deceptions lurk beneath the most normal-looking of relationships; and a mind-boggling long-play con threatens her family, her marriage, and her life."

I liked it pretty well. It is a good spy/espionage book. You aren't sure who are the good guys. Plenty of twists. Similar to Two Nights in Lisbon with the hidden identities and sneaking around. If you like Two Nights in Lisbon or other books by Chris Pavone, I think you would like this book. 

There is a second book in the series: The Paris Diversion. Kate Moore book #2. 

I also started The Library Book by Susan Orlean on audio. 

About: "On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?

Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.

In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.

Along the way, Orlean introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and present—from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and polymath known as “The Human Encyclopedia” who roamed the library dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves."

This is a nonfiction/true crime book. I like some true crime and since this is about books and libraries I wanted to give it a try.

I did find the information the author discusses about how libraries work - how books are acquired and processed for libraries, interesting. How many staff it takes to manage a library, especially one the size of the Los Angeles Public library. All the roles a public library plays in a community - besides checking out mystery books for me. :) I found it interesting that the LAPL played/plays an important role in serving the homeless community, helping them use the resources to hopefully better their lives. I also found the history of libraries interesting.

The book also tells the story of the main suspect and his life.

I did not finish it but I thought I would talk about it anyway for people that may be interested in this topic. I think it is a good nonfiction book. I wanted to get to the crime sooner though and ended up not finishing it.  But if this interests you, give it a go. It did win a  Goodreads Choice Award and was nominated for a Best Nonfiction award in 2018. 

Just finished Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott. I will be telling you what the Mystery Book Club and I thought about it.

 

Never Try To Catch a Falling Knife by Skye Alexander

One of my book friends is an acquaintance of Skye Alexander who writes a mystery series about an entertainer in the 1920's turned amateur sleuth named Lizzy Crane. I have had the book on my "TBR" list and read it recently. I enjoyed it! 

About: "In the summer of 1925, ambitious and beautiful New York jazz performer Lizzie Crane and her troupe land a plum job that could give them their big career a week-long engagement celebration for the daughter of a wealthy (and shady) industrialist to a Russian count. But Lizzie barely has time to enjoy her good luck––which includes the amorous attentions of the heir to her employer’s vast fortune––before the group’s saxophonist is stabbed to death. The local police suspect her and her musician friends and place them under house arrest, where they’re at the mercy of the very people who have the most to lose if the murder is solved. As Lizzie delves into her slain colleague’s mysterious past, she discovers secrets worth killing to protect and risks her own life in the process."

The setting of this first book, made me think of Downtown Abby. Although this is set in Ipswich Massachusetts, not England, it is set at the estate of a wealthy family. Everything is very proper and planned. There's fancy dress for the entire week of planned entertainment and fancy food. I liked the time period. There are fun colloquialisms in the conversation of the characters. Lizzie is very much a modern thinking woman for the times, not agreeing with the idea of finding a "suitable" husband for a daughter as in this high society family. She senses there is something off about this engagement and is it tied to the murder of the troupe's saxaphone player? Although the local authorities worn Lizzie off, she of course continues to pry. 

I thought the story moves along well. As I said, I liked the time period. I would call it a historical cozy mystery. There are funny likeable characters. The end sets you right up for book two.

There are three more books in the series: What the Walls Know (sounds intriguing), The Goddess of Shipwrecked Sailors and  Running in the Shadows. Book two takes place at a castle in Gloucester Ma. The third and fourth books take place in Salem. All look like they may have a vibe I may like.

Skye Alexander has written many other books also. 

Find Skye and her books at:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Skye-Alexander/2137649846

Check out Lizzie Crane!

The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci

 Well our "false fall" is over and we are back to summer. Ugh. I was hoping to back here sooner but here I am.

For September, the Mystery Book Club read The 6:20 Man, book one in a new series by David Baldacci. It was published in June of  2022 actually. We have read the first books in two of his other series, The Memory Man and the Mercy series, and those were well liked.

About:  "Every day without fail, Travis Devine puts on a cheap suit, grabs his faux-leather briefcase, and boards the 6:20 commuter train to Manhattan, where he works as an entry-level analyst at the city’s most prestigious investment firm. In the mornings, he gazes out the train window at the lavish homes of the uberwealthy, dreaming about joining their ranks. In the evenings, he listens to the fiscal news on his phone, already preparing for the next grueling day in the cutthroat realm of finance.

Then one morning Devine’s tedious routine is shattered by an anonymous email: She is dead.

Sara Ewes, Devine’s coworker and former girlfriend, has been found hanging in a storage room of his office building—presumably a suicide, prompting the NYPD to come calling on him. If that wasn’t enough, Devine receives another ominous visit, a confrontation that threatens to dredge up grim secrets from his past in the Army unless he participates in a clandestine investigation into his firm.

This treacherous role will take Travis from the impossibly glittering lives he once saw only through a train window, to the darkest corners of the country’s economic halls of power…where something rotten lurks. And apart from this high-stakes conspiracy, there’s a killer out there with their own agenda, and Devine is the bullseye. "

I thought it was a good read. It is very fast paced and kept my attention. Travis is likeable. He is working as an investment analyst but only to please his parents, even at this stage in his life. He is renting a house with three other people, who were unknown to him prior to moving to this house. There are two young women, one is studying to be a lawyer and one is building a "unique" online dating service. The one other man is a person from Russia who is a professional hacker. He actually adds levity to the story. The roommates all plate a part in the story. 

After being approached by a special branch of the government, Travis agrees to help them investigate what is going on at his company. They suspect an illegal money scheme. Oh, and if he doesn't help them, he will be sent to prison for something that happened when he was in the Army. 

Our discussion of the book was good. Everyone at the book club that night, are big fans of Baldacci. Some loved the book and read it in just a few days. Some felt parts of the book were over the top. But as one person pointed out, Baldacci is great at diversions for the reader. Overall I enjoyed it.

There are two more books in the series:

Book 2 is The Edge was published November 2023: "The 6:20 Man is back, dropped by his handlers into a small coastal town in Maine to solve the murder of a CIA agent who knew America’s dirtiest secrets—can Travis Devine uncover the truth before his time runs out?"

Book 3 is To Die For and will be released November 12, 2024. "... the 6:20 Man returns, this time sent to the Pacific Northwest to aid in a complicated FBI case—and he’s about to come face-to-face with his nemesis, the girl on the train. "

Travel Month and Forget Me Never by Susan Wittig Albert

 I can't believe the entire month of August is gone! I am glad though. It is our hottest month here in Central Texas. I guess I got pretty wrapped up with butterflies. Monarchs to be exact. I have some milkweed and hatched 15 monarchs this August. One more waiting to hatch. Here is one. Some flew off as soon as I opened the butterfly habitat. A couple I had to let grab onto a branch and set in a plant. This is one of those I had to coax out. There is a certain amount of daily tasks to make sure all is well. It tasks month from egg to caterpillar to butterfly. With that and trying to keep plants alive and work, I guess I took a break from here.

We did have out monthly Mystery Book Club. For August we traditionally read "vacation" books. Read a book set where you went for vacation or have a vacation planned. Or read a book set in your favorite destination or dream vacation. We had four books set in Texas and three in Hawaii, three in the Navajo nation and seven outside of the continental US. Interesting mix and we learned a lot of history about the settings actually. We went overtime, up to closing!

I chose to read a mystery set in Texas and gave me a chance to catch up on a series that takes place nearby.

Forget Me Never by Susan Wittig Albert

About: 

"Olivia Andrews is locally famous for her blog and podcast, “Forget Me A Crime Victim’s Storyboard,” which is dedicated to telling the stories of victims of crime. Now, she has a stunning story to tell about a decades-old murder mystery involving a prominent citizen of Pecan Springs—someone who isn’t the man everybody thinks he is. But she is killed by a hit-and-run driver while she’s out jogging early one morning. Was it an accident—or something else? Her sister wants to know.

And Olivia’s friend China Bayles also wants to know, urgently. Who is the prominent citizen Olivia was about to expose? How did he manage to get away with murder twenty years ago? Did he kill Olivia to keep her from revealing his secret? What is local lawyer Charlie Lipman trying to hide? And when there’s another murder . . . well, it has to be a part of the same story, doesn’t it? And so does the scrapbook a cousin has compiled to honor the memory of one of the victims and make sure she won’t be forgotten. It might hold the answer—except that the one person whose face China wants to see has been scissored out of every photo.

Forget Me Never asks the compelling questions Who remembers? What do we choose to remember? Why do we forget? Like other novels in the China Bayles series, Susan Wittig Albert’s book is an engaging mix of mystery, murder, and herb lore, past sins and present secrets, and characters who are as real as your friends and neighbors."

This is book 29 in the China Bayles series and brings me up to date. It was a good story. It brought in current times with the young blogger/podcast character. This story title is a reference the the flower Forget Me Nots. China, who is owner of an herb shop, is currently writing a series for the local paper about herbs that can help with memory. I like how the characters have evolved over the years. I like the references to places and terrain that is local. This time, China drives out to Fredericksburg and visits a coffee shop and a diner. The food sounded so good, I looked them up and they really exist! May need to take a road trip.

There are a couple more books I have read or listened to this month and will get them posted. 

Looking forward to Masterpiece Mystery kicking off September 15 with Moonflower Murders and Van Der Valk. 

Currently reading: The 6:20 Man for our next mystery book club.