Fire in The Thatch: A Devon Mystery by E.C.R. Lorac ~ British Library #CrimeClassics #PoliceProcedural #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Book Review, British Library Crime Classics, Crime, Historical, Mystery, Police Procedural by Cathy

Author: E.C.R. Lorac

Published: February 2018 by The British Library Publishing Division

Category: Classic Crime, Police Procedural, Historical, Book Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Second World War is drawing to a close. Nicholas Vaughan, released from the army after an accident, takes refuge in Devon renting a thatched cottage in the beautiful countryside at Mallory Fitzjohn. Vaughan sets to work farming the land, rearing geese and renovating the cottage. Hard work and rural peace seem to make this a happy bachelor life.

The first few chapters build characterisations, mostly through dialogue, giving a good indication of people’s personalities and viewpoints. This approach means the main point of the story is reached with fairly well fleshed out characters, which worked well.

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22Aug2019

#ThrowbackThursday ~ Ghost Variations: The Strangest Detective Story in Music by Jessica Duchen @jessicaduchen #BookReview

Posted in Book Review, Historical Fiction, Supernatural, Throwback Thursday by Cathy

***Throwback Thursday this week looks back at Ghost Variations, a story that was based on real people and true events which* occurred *during their lifetimes.***

My Thoughts

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4Jun2019

The Mobster’s Lament (The City Blues Quartet #3) by Ray Celestin #Historical #CrimeFiction set in 1940s New York #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review, Crime, Historical Fiction by Cathy

Author: Ray Celestin

Performed by Christopher Ragland

Published: March 2019 by Whole Story Audiobooks

Category: Historical Fiction, Crime, Suspense, Thriller, Private Detective, Audiobook, Book Review

Fall, 1947. New York City.

Private Investigator Ida Davis has been called to New York by her old partner, Michael Talbot, to investigate a brutal killing spree in a Harlem flophouse that has left four people dead. But as they delve deeper into the case, Ida and Michael realize the murders are part of a larger conspiracy that stretches further than they ever could have imagined.

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series—The Axeman’s Jazz & Dead Man’s Blues—and The Mobster’s Lament was no exception. Set in post war New York where private investigator Ida Davies arrives to help her old friend and mentor, ex Pinkerton Michael Talbot.

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16May2019

#ThrowbackThursday ~ Dead Man’s Blues by Ray Celestin #HistoricalFiction set in 1920s Chicago #Gangsters

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review, Crime, Fiction, Historical, Throwback Thursday by Cathy

Ahead of my review for the third book in the City Blues Quartet, The Mobster’s Lament, I’m revisiting the second instalment, Dead Man’s Blues, a historical novel based on fact. It was released in audio format in August 2016 by Wholestory Audiobooks and narrated superbly by Christopher Ragland.

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25Apr2019

The Inheritance (The Guernsey Novels #7) by @AnneAllen21 ~ Dual Timeline #Contemporary #Historical

Posted in Book Review, Contemporary, Dual Time Line, Fiction, Historical, Romance by Cathy

Author: Anne Allen

Published: April 2019 by Sarnia Press

Category: Historical, Contemporary, Dual Timeline, Romance, Book Review

1862 Young widow Eugénie is left bereft when her husband dies suddenly and faces an uncertain future in Guernsey.

2012 Doctor Tess Le Prevost, Guernsey born though now living in Exeter, is shocked to inherit her Great-Aunt’s house on the island.

The Inheritance is a well written and intriguing story that includes accurate historical details as well as a dual timeline.

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4Mar2019

#Spotlight & #Extract ~ Displaced by Tony Halker ~ Pre #History Literary #Fiction @tonyhalker

Posted in Book Related, Extract, Historical, Literary Fiction, Prehistoric, Spotlight by Cathy

~ About The Book ~

In a landscape of pre-history, a time of ancestor worship, young Druid priests Owayne and Nial, are tasked to travel and learn all they can of rite and rule in a world of competing tribes, unsettling technologies and priest power.

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20Nov2018

A Keeper by Graham Norton ~ Contemporary/Historical Fiction & Family Drama set in Ireland @grahnort #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review, Contemporary Fiction, Family, Historical, Historical Fiction by Cathy

Author: Graham Norton

Narrated by Graham Norton

Released: October 2018 by Hodder & Stoughton

Category: Fiction, Contemporary, Historical, Family Drama, Book Review

The mystery of Elizabeth Keane’s father is one that has never been solved by the people of Buncarragh – not for lack of speculation.

Now, as Elizabeth returns to the village after her mother’s funeral, bringing with her own regrets and wounds, she finds a thin pile of ribbon-bound letters at the back of a wardrobe that may at last hold the key to her past.

It was the first week in January and Elizabeth Keane had flown from New York to Buncarragh after the death of her mother. Someone had to put her affairs in order and, while Elizabeth didn’t have particularly fond memories of Buncarragh, she felt guilty knowing she’d been all her mother had.

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12Nov2018

The Lost Letters by Sarah Mitchell ~ Dual Timeline #Family #Saga reviewed for #RBRT @SarahM_writer @Bookouture

Posted in Book Review, Contemporary Fiction, Dual Time Line, Family Saga, Historical by Cathy

Author: Sarah Mitchell

Published: August 2018 by Bookouture

Category: Contemporary, Historical, Fiction, Dual Timeline, Book Review

Norfolk, 1940: Sylvia’s husband Howard has gone off to war, and she is struggling to raise her two children alone. Her only solace is her beach hut in Wells-Next-The-Sea, and her friendship with Connie, a woman she meets on the beach. The two women form a bond that will last a lifetime, and Sylvia tells Connie something that no-one else knows: about a secret lover… and a child.

Canada, present day: When Martha’s beloved father dies, he leaves her two things: a mysterious stash of letters to an English woman called ‘Catkins’ and directions to a beach hut in the English seaside town of Wells. Martha is at a painful crossroads in her own life, and seizes this chance for a trip to England – to discover more about her family’s past, and the identity of her father’s secret correspondent. Continue reading →

24Aug2018

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris ~ Historical Fiction based on a true story #WWII #Holocaust #FridayReads

Posted in Based on a True Story, Historical, Holocaust, Love Story, WWII by Cathy

Author: Heather Morris

Published: January 2018 by Zaffre

Category: Historical Fiction based on a true story, Love Story, WWII, Auschwitz, Holocaust, Book Review

The incredible story of the Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist and the woman he loved.

Lale Sokolov is well-dressed, a charmer, a ladies’ man. He is also a Jew. On the first transport from Slovakia to Auschwitz in 1942, Lale immediately stands out to his fellow prisoners. In the camp, he is looked up to, looked out for, and put to work in the privileged position of Tätowierer– the tattooist – to mark his fellow prisoners, forever. One of them is a young woman, Gita, who steals his heart at first glance.