House in the Pines by Ana Reyes and a break

 Happy Spring! Our weather is so up and down this month. Summer one day, winter the next.

I did listen to a book you may like. House In the Pines by Ana Reyes. Pretty good psychological thriller.

About: "Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her friend's sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed....

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they'd been spending time with all summer.

Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can't account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer--the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.

At her mother's house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father's book that didn't stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank's cabin.."

I will say that I kept thinking Maya did some really dumb things but we find out why in the end. The last third is a pretty good thriller and I imagine a fast read. I wasn't that happy with the ending. It kind of left me hanging and the excuse would be if there is going to be a sequel.

On that note, I am taking a break from blogging for a few weeks. Seem to be having a lot ot time constraints. Also the kerfuffle with Google/Blogger left me with a bad taste. I did hear of a couple of similar experiences of having post deleted for no apparent reason: either bots, hackers or smut snatcher.

Will see how I feel in a few.

:}

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

 Our Mystery Book Club read The Lost Apothecary for our March meeting.

About: "A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them - setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.

Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose - selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate - and not everyone will survive."

This book was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction 2021 and Best Debut Novel 2021.

The story goes back and forth between Nella's story in 1791 and Caroline's story set in the present. I like books that go between two time periods. I liked both story lines.  They kept my interest and certainly had some suspenseful moments. Nella and Caroline were both strong female characters, trying to make it on their own after being wronged by a man. But their options were different. It was also interesting to read something about apothecaries. I actually looked up additional information on apothecaries. Apothecaries were an option for people who couldn't afford doctors in the 18th and 19th century but went out of business as medicine became more regulated in the 19th century. There were accidental poisonings from apothecary remedies. 

The MBC members all like this book alot. We had a really good discussion about the two women, their options and their choices. One person read an interview with the author and found Sarah Penner may do a sequel with Eliza, Nella's accidental apprentice. Everyone liked that idea and wants to know more about her story. 

All and all, we gave it two thumbs up!

March Mystery Releases

Happy March everyone. I know some are still buried in snow. We are actually having some very nice weather, temperatures a bit above normal which sound good but makes me wonder what summer will be like.

Yes I have been missing from here. We had quite an ice storm at the end of January, first of February, which I think I mentioned before. We spent most of our free time cleaning up all of the broken tree debris over three weeks. It is all lined up curbside in our neighborhood waiting to be picked up and hauled away. It was a cut and drag operation. Husband cut branches, I dragged them to the curb.  

I also had an issue with "Blogger". Not sure it I was hacked or some links on some older posts no longer were valid, but I had to do some sleuthing to correct several posts. Will see how it goes from here.

There are some mysteries coming out this month (March 2023) that I am really interested in.

1. The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner (March 21, 2023)

We read The Lost Apothecary by this author for this months Mystery Book Club. I will share our thoughts this week.

About: 1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. But as the women team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves…

2. The Kind Worth Saving by Peter May (March 7, 2023)

We read A Kind Work Killing by this author in our MBC a few years ago and really liked it. 

About: "In this spectacularly devious novel by New York Times bestselling author Peter Swanson—featuring the smart and complex Lily Kintner from his acclaimed novel, The Kind Worth Killing—a private eye starts to follow a possibly adulterous husband, but little does he know that the twisted trail will lead back to the woman who hired him.

There was always something slightly dangerous about Joan. So, when she turns up at private investigator Henry Kimball’s office asking him to investigate her husband, he can’t help feeling ill at ease. Just the sight of her stirs up a chilling memory: he knew Joan in his previous life as a high school English teacher, when he was at the center of a tragedy.

Now Joan needs his help in proving that her husband is cheating. But what should be a simple case of infidelity beco2mes much more complicated when Kimball finds two bodies in an uninhabited suburban home with a “for sale” sign out front. Suddenly it feels like the past is repeating itself, and Henry must go back to one of the worst days of his life to uncover the truth.

Is it possible that Joan knows something about that day, something she’s hidden all these years? Could there still be a killer out there, someone who believes they have gotten away with murder? Henry is determined to find out, but as he steps closer to the truth, a murderer is getting closer to him, and in this hair-raising game of cat and mouse only one of them will survive."

3. The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear (March 21, 2023)

This author writes the Maisie Dobbs series which I like. This is with a new sleuth.

About: The White Lady introduces yet another extraordinary heroine/sleuth from Jacqueline Winspear, creator of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series. This heart-stopping adventure follows the coming of age and maturity of former wartime operative Elinor White—veteran of two wars, trained killer, protective of her anonymity—when she is drawn back into the world of violence she has been desperate to leave behind.

A reluctant ex-spy with demons of her own, Elinor finds herself facing down one of the most dangerous organized crime gangs in London, and exposing corruption from Scotland Yard to the highest levels of government.

Post-World War II Britain, 1947. Forty-one-year-old “Miss White," as Elinor is known, lives in a village in Kent, England, so quietly and privately as to seem an enigma to her fellow villagers. Well she might, as Elinor occupies a "grace and favor" property, a rare privilege offered to faithful servants of the Crown for services to the nation. But the residents of Shacklehurst have no way of knowing how dangerous Elinor's war work had been, or how deeply their mysterious neighbor continues to be haunted by her past.

It will take the child of Jim Mackie, a young farmworker and his wife, Rose, to break through Miss White's icy demeanor—but Jim has something in common with Elinor. He, too, is desperate to escape his past. When the powerful Mackie crime family demands a return of their prodigal son for an important job, Elinor assumes the task of protecting her neighbors, especially the bright-eyed Susie, who reminds her of the darkest day of her life.

Elinor’s wartime training and instincts serve her well, but as she endeavors to neutralize the threat to Jim, Rose and Susie Mackie, she is rapidly led along a tunnel of smoke and mirrors in which former wartime colleagues – who know the truth about what happened in 1944, and the terrible event that led to her wartime suicide attempt – are compromised by more powerful influences.

Ultimately, Elinor will hold a gun to the head of a Mackie crime lord to uncover the truth behind the family's pursuit of Jim, and in doing so, reveal the far-reaching tentacles of their power—along with the truth that will free Elinor from her past."

4. 48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister by Joyce Carol Oates (March 14, 2023)

Joyce Carol Oates? Really? One in the same. I remember reading some things by her many many years ago, so I think it will be interesting to take a look at this book.

About: "Marguerite, a beautiful woman, has disappeared from her small town in Upstate New York. But is foul play involved? Or did she merely take an opportunity to get away for fun, or finally make the decision to leave behind her claustrophobic life of limited opportunities?

Her younger sister Gigi wonders if the flimsy silk Dior dress, so casually abandoned on the floor, is a clue to Marguerite’s having seemingly vanished. The police examine the footprints made by her Ferragamo boots leaving the house, ending abruptly, and puzzle over how that can help lead to her. Gigi, not so pretty as her sister, slowly reveals her hatred for the perfect, much-loved, Marguerite.

Bit by bit, like ripping the petals off a flower blossom, revelations about both sisters are uncovered. Subtly, but with the unbearable suspense at which Joyce Carol Oates excels, clues mount up to bring to light the fate of the missing beauty."

5. The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell (March 7, 2023)

Since I watch a couple of those baking shows/competitions, I think I would like this book.

About: "A killer is on the loose when someone turns up dead on the set of a hit TV baking competition in this darkly beguiling debut mystery that is perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Nita Prose, and Anthony Horowitz. Soon to be a limited series on Hulu.

Production for the tenth season of Bake Week is ready to begin at the gothic estate of host and celebrity chef Betsy Martin, and everything seems perfect. The tent is up, the top-tier ingredients are aligned, and the crew has their cameras at the ready.

The six contestants work to prove their culinary talents over the course of five days, while Betsy is less than thrilled to share the spotlight with a new cohost—the brash and unpredictable Archie Morris. But as the baking competition commences, things begin to go awry. At first, it’s merely sabotage—sugar replaced with salt, a burner turned to high—but when a body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.

A deliciously suspenseful thriller for murder mystery buffs and avid bakers alike, The Golden Spoon will keep you guessing until the very last page."

I will leave you with the link for the full list here: https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2440-2023-s-most-anticipated-mysteries-thrillers

I will be sharing The Lost Apothecary and The House in the Pines this week!