Eight Days by Jack Benton

 I have talked about the Slim Hardy series here before and have really liked each book alot.

I just finished book 6 in the series. 

This may be the best book in this series and they are all excellent.

About:

"After nearly a year out of the game, former soldier turned private detective John "Slim" Hardy takes what he hopes will be an easy comeback case in the quiet Devonshire town of Launceston. 

The disappearance in mysterious circumstances of local schoolgirl Emily Martin left police clueless. Eight days later, her sudden reappearance left them equally baffled. Apparently unharmed, Emily claimed no memory of her period of abduction, and in time, the investigation faded. The disappearance in mysterious circumstances of local schoolgirl Emily Martin left police clueless. Eight days later, her sudden reappearance left them equally baffled. Apparently unharmed, Emily claimed no memory of her period of abduction, and in time, the investigation faded. Her eight days missing has changed Emily, so much so that Georgia is unsure the girl is even her daughter at all ...

From the author of The Man by the Sea and The Clockmaker's Secret, comes another stunning mystery, one which will keep you guessing to the last page."

Slim Hardy is a "heavy drinker and a disgraced soldier turned bumbling detective". He is actually a really good detective and is hired for cases others cannot solve.

With each Slim Hardy book I read, I say "This is the best one." The truth is they are all excellent and this book is exceptional. It reads quickly. The writing is clear. The story builds. You are sure you know what is going on and then something changes. Slim continues to struggle with his own demons while trying to solve this case everyone else has given up on. He knows someone isn't telling the truth, but he has to figure out who. Full of secrets and hidden agendas, with more than one twist at the end.

I really recommend this entire series.

About the author: "Jack Benton is the mystery writing pen name of British science fiction writer Chris Ward.

Chris Ward is a native of Cornwall, England, but currently lives and works in Nagano, Japan. He is the author of multiple series across several speculative genres, as well as writing under pen names in several more."

His website: http://www.amillionmilesfromanywhere.net/tokyolost

You can join his newsletter through his website. It comes out every two to three weeks and is pretty entertaining. He shares the latest in living and teaching in an elementary school in Japan, the latest on his young daughter cool scenery. He also shares information on his books and other authors. I enjoy it.

https://gbmysteries.blogspot.com/search?q=man+by+the+sea

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

 Just finished listening to The Rose Code in an audio book. It is a historical fiction with a mystery threaded throughout the story.

About: 

"The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.

1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.

1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter--the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger--and their true enemy--closer."

Such an intriguing story! It is a fairly long book. Threaded into the story of the women's work at Bletchely Park, is the story of Beth who has been committed to an asylum. She has smuggled out a message to Osla and Mab in a final act of desperation before something even worse happens to her. 

The ending was incredibly tense and nerve wracking for the reader! Good historical fiction and a mystery. I like all of the tie ins with "real people".  Prince Phillip really did have a girlfriend named Osla who worked at Bletchley Park (different last name). Turing is brought in at one point. Mab and Beth are based on/compilations of women who also served as code breakers. The summary at the end of the audio book gave some information on the current status of Bletchley, specifically that Kate Middleton had reopened it in 2014 and it is now open for tours. Her grandmother worked at Bletchley.

It is hard to find an article that isn't mostly focused on what the Duchess of Cambridge wore, but this gives a bit of information about her grandmother. 

https://www.eonline.com/news/552440/kate-middleton-s-grandmother-was-gorgeous-too-worked-at-britain-s-spy-school-during-wwii-see-the-pic

My thought as I finished it was "this should be a 3 part t.v. series and guess what? They are working on it.

I highly recommend this book.

New Hallmark Mysteries and good news!

Ok, it's true. I kind of don't know what day it is. Between still working at home and working a modified summer schedule (4/10 hour days with a different day off each week), I don't always know what day it is...for a minute. I thought today was Sunday for a bit, because I didn't work. 

Sorry about this first notice.

 If you follow the Hallmark Mysteries, there are two coming up in what is left of June.

You will have to catch this first one on Tuesday June 15 at 7 p.m. cst.

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Til Death Do Us Part

Just days before Aurora’s wedding, a body is discovered, and she fears her father may be a suspect. She and Nick race to solve the cold case before they walk down the aisle. Starring Candace Cameron Bure, Niall Matter and Marilu Henner.

To Catch a Spy: Sunday June 20th at 7 p.m. cst

A travel writer witnesses a murder at a hotel in Malta and becomes ensnared in a web of intrigue and espionage as she tries to find the killer before the killer finds her. Stars Nathalie Kelley, Colin Donnell and Patti Murin.

There will be a follow up Aurora Teagarden movie August 22: Honeymoon, Honeymurder. More to come on that.

The good news is, it looks like our Mystery Book Club can resume meetings in person in August.

Yay! Many of us are very excited. We already have a good and fast response to the news. I have been in a reading slump for whatever reason and this is giving me a needed boost. Just been feeling like this whole thing was going on and on and on.

Hope to have more books to share soon.

My Summer TBR list

 Pulled out my fairly new books that I have not yet read. Some are from the Strand book clubs. I think there are three that I won and a couple more that I purchased on a whim while watching a live video by an author. Looks like there are 14. The book Saviors actually has two books in it. All different mystery types: thrillers, cozies and paranormal. 

I am going to finish up another book I won and and an ARC I committed to, (neither in this pile), and start reading! I am going to refrain from accepting other ARC's for now. I really want to read these, they all look good, but I just haven't gotten a round to it.

Now that I have a Round Tuit, I can get started!

Here are my TBR books. Do you see any you have read and recommend I start with?

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

 We read Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson for our Mystery Book Club this month.

About: 

A chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction’s most ingenious murders.

Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Death Trap, A. A. Milne's Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox's Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain's Double Indemnity, John D. Macdonald's The Drowner, and Donna Tartt's A Secret History.

But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move—a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.

To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead—and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape."

The book is well written, definitely suspenseful. I liked reading about the books that were considered the eight perfect murders. I have only read the A.B.C. Murders and see the movie Strangers on a Train.(Have you seen the spoof movie on that? Throw Momma From the Train with Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito? Hilarious. One of my favorite movies.) The book did make me want to read the other books.  It was a page turner. with a  surprise ending. I did not love the characters.

All of the members of the book club liked it, some loved the book. Many commented on the characters also.  (don't want spoilers). 

In general, I would say it is worth reading.

Hallmark Mysteries, PBS, Woman in the Window, and virtual More Than Malice Domestic

 I hope you caught the recent Hallmark Mysteries this month. There is one more on Sunday 5/23/21 and one in June coming up.

Morning Show Mysteries: Murder Ever After Sunday 5/23/21 7 p.m. central

TV host Billie Blessings finds bones in the basement of an old friend's house, unearthing a dark secret that threatens to unravel the lives of the most powerful people in her city. Starring Holly Robinson Peete, Colin Lawrence and Karen Robinson.

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Till Death Do Us Part 6/13/21 7 p.m. central

Just days before Aurora's wedding, a body is discovered, and she fears her father may be a suspect. She and Nick race to solve the cold case before they walk down the aisle. Starring Candace Cameron Bure, Niall Matter and Marilu Henner.

Good news from Masterpiece on PBS. Filming of the next seasons of Endeavor, Grantchester and Unforgotten are underway!

Last but not least, The Woman in the Window the movie is now  on Netflix. We read this book in out book club and I think most liked it.

Have you ever been to the Malice Domestic conference in the D.C. area? I have never been and probably wouldn't get a chance to go. But our Mystery Book Club leader has gone several times and keeps up with it. Well, they had to cancel last summer of course because of the pandemic and still could not plan it for this summer, so they are doing a virtual conference. That means more of us can attend virtually. While I am sure it would be more fun to attend in person, I am going to take advantage of this opportunity. Here's the info.

https://www.malicedomestic.org/

July 14-17, 2021

More Than Malice is a crime fiction festival designed to fill the void left when the 2021 live Malice Domestic had to be cancelled. More Than Malice is not intended to be a recreation of the standard Malice Domestic in virtual format; rather it is a new entity designed to bring together a unique collection of invited authors exploring every avenue on the crime fiction map.

We will be revealing more confirmed invited authors each week. We are so pleased to welcome (so far):"

I have read books by several of these authors and think it will be great. You can register at the link above. If it is like a genealogy conference I attended online, you can probably choose from a schedule, who you want to "see" and join at that time. 

(Disclaimer: sorry for the irregular fonts etc. Blogger "upgraded" at some point and has a mind of it's own sometimes.)

Zero Island, Malice in Miami, Blind Secrets, Angel Falls, A View Across the Rooftops...

 Gosh, I haven't posted in 15 days. Truthfully, I have been thinking of taking an extended break but will see if I can get back on track. Seems I have been so busy (work is so crazy, that they are actually going to hire another person, very unusual) and I have been so distracted for whatever reason. I have read some books and listened to some books other than what I have posted. Several were ARCs and others recommendations. So I will just list them here and maybe you read some of these authors too and will be interested in them. It is quite a variety of mysteries  and a non mystery thrown in.

First books I read. I received free copies for them.

Zero Island by Chris Bauer - suspense, reminded me of the recent Hawaii  Five-O t.v. show. Fast paced, quick to read because it is pretty exciting but some gruesome parts.

 About: 

"Take a Hawaiian vacation, they told Philo.
Relax. Maybe keep a runaway mob cleaner alive while you’re there, they said.
Try not to get killed while doing it, they said…

The Hawaiian mob isn’t dead; they moved to Philly. And now one of their own has fled.

Hawaiian mob fixer Kaipo Mawpaw is incognito somewhere in the South Pacific, and she wants to stay that way.

A mobster wants her back and is willing to buy a small Hawaiian island that isn’t for sale to make it happen: Miakamii, Kaipo’s birthplace, where seashell jewelry made by the island’s indigenous people are worth small fortunes, where there might be a cure for dementia, and where its inhabitants have been sheltered from outsiders since the 1860s.

But the island’s quiet native citizenry is now under siege as bodies of current and former inhabitants start piling up.

Philo Trout, retired Navy SEAL, current crime scene cleaning business owner, and reluctant tourist, is about to get the vacation of a lifetime."

Blind Secrets by Shawn McGuire - book 12 in the Whispering Pine series - good, a little darker than the other books in this series if you have read others

About: 

"It’s been almost a year since Sheriff Jayne O’Shea arrived in Whispering Pines. Deciding to stay was the best decision she ever made, but the closer the anniversary gets, the gloomier she feels..

It doesn’t help that she and Tripp have been arguing. Neither does the dense fog blanketing the village. Or the group of cranky wedding planners staying at the B&B. Trying to organize an outdoor event when the weather won’t cooperate is understandably stressful, but their constant bickering is pushing everyone to the edge.

It doesn’t help that she and Tripp have been arguing. Neither does the dense fog blanketing the village. Or the group of cranky wedding planners staying at the B&B. Trying to organize an outdoor event when the weather won’t cooperate is understandably stressful, but their constant bickering is pushing everyone to the edge."

Dead in the Water by Jeannette de Beauvior: A Provincetown Mystery. Very good, quick paced mystery with clever use of previous characters. I love the writing of the main character, Sydney - the way Sydney thinks and her dry humor/sarcastic wit. Her mother is a hoot and her dad could be anyone's dad. Great mystery with interesting historical information. 

About: 

"Sydney Riley's parents, ensconced at the Race Point Inn, expect her to play tour guide. Wealthy adventurer Guy Husband has reappeared, seeking help regaining the affections of her best friend, Mirela. And the body of a kidnapped businessman has washed up under MacMillan Wharf.

Sydney is literally at sea (not her favorite place), juggling friends and family to indulge her supersized curiosity. Is the murder the work of a regional gang led by the infamous "Codfather" or the result of a feud within an influential Provincetown family? What's Guy Husband's connection? And why does Sydney's boyfriend Ali suddenly insist on visiting—especially while her mother is in town?"

Here is what I listed to in audio books. 

Malice in Miami by Barbara Venkataraman - Jamie Quinn mystery 6: I like Jamie's character and all the antics that take place. I received a free audio code for this book.

About: 

"Reluctant family law attorney Jamie Quinn is loving life--and why wouldn't she? Her boyfriend Kip is back from Australia, her long-lost dad finally has his visa and she's about to start her dream job at an art foundation. But it all falls apart when Jamie is accused of stealing priceless art from a rare book collection. If she can't find out who framed her, she can kiss her dream job good-bye--and her law license too. Meanwhile, Kip has problems of his own. Now an environmental activist, he uncovers a deadly secret--one that just might get him killed. Jamie's in trouble, Kip's in danger, and Duke Broussard has gone AWOL. How could Jamie's favorite P.I. abandon her at a time like this?"

Angel Falls by Colleen Helme - Sand and Shadows #1.  This is a spin off from Colleen's Shelby Nichols series. Ella was introduced as a nurse in NY in the last Shelby book. She has a real gift to heal. I liked it once it got going.  A few of the characters from the Shelby books made an appearance too. I received a free audio code for this book.

About: 

"Sent away because she let someone die, her burgeoning powers leave her with more questions than answers. Now her only chance for redemption comes at a price... one she may not survive.

As a trauma nurse in a New York City hospital, Ella St. John had no idea that refusing to help a known killer would have such dire consequences. Being sent to the middle of nowhere is bad enough, but when she crosses paths with a handsome stranger, everything changes. She can't deny the attraction blossoming between them, but that is nothing compared to the trouble he brings to her door. Helping him could be the biggest mistake of her life... if she manages to live long enough to regret it.

From the author of the Shelby Nichols Adventures, comes a new series that will plunge a woman with growing powers into the dark world of mystery, murder, and death.

Perfect for fans of Shannon Mayer, Annette Marie, K.F. Breene, and Jennifer Estep."

A View Across the Rooftops by Suzanne Kelman - historical novel. This is not a mystery. It was very good, mesmerizing. 

About: 

"1941, Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. An unforgettable story of love, hope and betrayal, and a testament to the courage of humanity in history’s darkest days.

As Nazis occupy his beloved city, Professor Josef Held feels helpless. So when he discovers his former pupil Michael Blum is trying to escape the Gestapo, he offers Michael a place to hide in his attic.

In the quiet gloom of the secret room, Michael talks of his beautiful, fearless girlfriend, Elke. Michael insists that not even the Nazis will come between them. But Elke is a non-Jewish Dutch girl, and their relationship is strictly forbidden.

Josef sees the passionate determination in his young friend’s eyes. Furious with the rules of the cruel German soldiers and remembering his own heartbreak, Josef feels desperate to give Michael and Elke’s love a chance. But then tragedy strikes, and Josef is faced with an impossible choice.

In the dark days of war, with danger and betrayal at every turn, no-one can be trusted. If Michael is to survive and get back to the woman he loves, it will be down to Josef – to find the hero inside himself, and do whatever it takes to keep Michael alive.

Even if it means putting his own life in mortal danger.

A heartbreakingly beautiful story about courage against the odds, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, All The Light We Cannot See, and The Nightingale."

I currently am reading two books and listening to another while I work for part of the day. So I will talk about those soon...I hope.