Monday, March 18, 2024

The Frozen River

Title: The Frozen River
Author: Ariel Lawhon
Published: December 5, 2023 by Doubleday
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 432 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

First Sentence: The body floats downstream.

Blurb: Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

My Opinion: After a slow start with too many characters to keep straight, the Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon turns into a captivating fact-based historical mystery that immerses the reader in the life and times of Martha Ballard, a true-to-life gutsy and clever midwife who solved a murder in 18th-century Maine. Lawhon used her little-known story to expertly weave fact and fiction, creating a rich and authentic portrait of a remarkable woman who defied the norms of her society and left a lasting legacy.

A legacy that not only included the delivering of over 1,000 births without losing a single mother to being the great-aunt of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, and also being the great-great-grandmother of Mary Hobart, one of the first female physicians in the United States.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Fatal Folio

Title: The Fatal Folio
Author: Elizabeth Penney
Published: October 24, 2023 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Format: Kindle, 320 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: The Cambridge Bookshop Series #3

First Sentence: November had arrived in Cambridge, bringing with it crisp, cool air, the emergence of mufflers and wool coats from closets and -- new to me, as an ex-pat American -- Guy Fawkes day.

Blurb: After moving to Cambridge, England, Molly Kimball has found a lot to love, including—of course—her family’s ancestral bookshop, Thomas Marlowe-Manuscripts and Folios. And though she’s not quite ready to use the “L” word when it comes to her boyfriend Kieran, she’s definitely fallen for his intimidating family’s library.

His family is paying her handsomely for an updated catalog when Molly discovers the original manuscript of a Gothic novel, A Fatal Folio by the pseudonymous Selwyn Scott. Kieran’s cousin Oliver, a professor specializing in Gothic literature, is eager to publish a paper on the mystery—especially because a troublesome student, Thad, is threatening to file a complaint against him and prevent his long-awaited promotion.

On Guy Fawkes Night, Molly, Kieran, and her friends set out to enjoy the costumes, fireworks, and fun—at least until a stray firework starts a panic, and the group stumbles upon a prone body, their face covered by a mask. It’s Thad, and he’s been stabbed to death.

It soon becomes clear Oliver isn’t the only one with a motive, and Molly must once again put on a few masks of her own to sleuth out Thad’s killer, prove Oliver’s innocence, and discover what Selwyn’s novel might have to do with this most atmospheric mystery. (GoodReads)

My Opinion: A book, within a book, within a book. The latest edition to the Cambridge Bookshop series by Elizabeth Penney. Set in Cambridge, England, among the historical colleges, Molly Kimball, a bookshop owner, stumbles upon a Gothic manuscript and opens the door to murder and a long-buried secret.

The author weaves together mystery, family legacies, and murder while drawing the reader into the dark atmosphere and showing how the multiple storylines weave in a journey to uncover the truth behind the ancient folio.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Forests, Fishing & Forgery

Title: Forests, Fishing & Forgery
Author: Tonya Kappes
Published: July 31, 2018 by Tonya Kappes Books
Format: Kindle, 174 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Series: Campter & Criminals #3

First Sentence: “Welcome to Happy Trails Campground and to our party.”

Blurb: It's Labor Day weekend in Normal, and if you know anything about camping and RVing, you know it's one of the busiest times of the year. Unfortunately, Daniel Boone National Park is in danger of being closed due to a drought and local businesses are scrambling for ideas to survive a possible shutdown.

Happy Trails Campground is at the center of a murder in which campers as well locals are suspects. It looks likely that a local resident is responsible for the dastardly deed since the victim is the one person who had the power to shut down the national park, which would be devastating to Normal’s small businesses.

My Opinion: The perfect series to jump in and out of between other books. Full of southern charm and lovable characters. Camper & Criminals is a quirky and cozy series set in the charming small town of Normal, Tennessee and the Happy Trails Campground located in the Daniel Boone National Park.

Unfortunately, this outing was slow and then suddenly it was over. For me, the novella needed less middle rambling and more in the conclusion so the tying up wasn’t so abrupt. That doesn’t mean I won’t go back and read the next in the series since everyone needs a little Mae West in their lives.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

What Harms You


Title: What Harms You
Author: Lisa Black
Published: July 25, 2023 by Kensington
Format: Kindle, Hardcover 320 Pages
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Locard #2

First Sentence: Ellie Carr waved her brand-new keycard at the mounted sensor a second time. Still nothing.

Blurb: What happens when a serial killer goes to CSI school?

The Locard Institute is a state-of-the-art forensic research center where experts from around the world come together to confront and solve the world’s most challenging and perplexing crimes. When Dr. Ellie Carr arrives for her first day as an instructor at the prestigious facility, the buildings glimmer amid the brilliant fall foliage on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. But within hours a colleague, Dr. Barbara Wright, is found dead on the floor of a supply closet. Her death appears to be an accident—but Ellie and her new supervisor, Dr. Rachael Davies, suspect a more sinister explanation.

A young woman attending a professional training program then disappears, only to be found in a gruesome tableau. Other than their link to the Institute, there seems to be no connection between the student and Dr. Wright. Although forensic traces are elusive, Ellie and Rachael are determined to find the bizarre link between the violent and diverse deaths.

As reporters shatter the privacy of Ellie’s new workplace, she searches old files and finds evidence of a crime that feels much too personal. But who, among those dedicated to justice, could be the threat? No matter how skilled she and Rachael may be in uncovering the truth, they may not be able to prevent a well-schooled killer from striking again.

My Opinion: I had a hard time getting into this book. The previous book, ‘Red Flags’ was published more than a year ago, and the reader could have benefited from a paragraph or two refresher at the beginning instead of a couple of chapters in.

Read the first third, skimmed the middle, and read the final third. This series is dependent on what you came for. Very high in the science parts, low on the mystery, and the conclusion gathered the bits and parts along the way.

The who in ‘What Harms You’ was obvious from the beginning. The ‘why’ was the basic serial killer stuff.