To Chase the Glowing Hours by Katherine Kirkpatrick

 

1922 England. The Lady Eve was not a run of the mill aristocrat. She was bold and wanted to follow her father the Earl of Carnavon on his adventures through Egypt.  She accompanied her father and Howard Carter, a reputed archaeologist acting as a curator and hostess for her father and also watching out for her father’s health and safety. Working in such close proximity to Carter, she fell in love with him, and though he reciprocated her feelings, he knew this relationship would never be accepted by society, a fact that Lady Eve blithely ignored.

Discovering Tutankhamen’s tomb, handling the delicate balance between the Egyptian government, who themselves were in the midst of a rebellion was not easy and the story also highlights an area that is sometimes ignored. The robbery of artifacts and jewels belonging to one country by another. The English in this case, financed the expedition for vast sums of money and expected an equal share of the finds (which the government ignored when it came to actual division) of the spoils.

The story of this family and the part they played in the excavations of the period are meticulously detailed. We are also dealing with a young woman who exceeded the boundaries set for ladies at the time, acting with an independence far exceeding expectations. She did not have much support from her mother who was involved with an affair of her own. Her relationship with her father was intense and very close. 

The story deals with a young woman’s coming of age and how naive the young Eve actually was. Historical fiction fans will like the story of the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb set against Egypts rebellion and search for independence against British rule.

Thanks to Regal House Publishing for sending me this book. The review is unbiased and my personal review.

End Game by Jeffrey Archer

 

London 2012. The Olympics are here but the envy and hatred from others is very apparent. Outwardly democratic, old enemies plot London’s downfall hoping to mar the process and create chaos and death at its closing.

The story evolves from the first electrifying announcement to its climatic closing ceremony. Espionage, sabotage, precise planning and implementation of orders, the power of money and how corruption at every level can be most dangerous for any kind of society fill this story. William Warwick designated top dog of security for the London Olympics has the unenviable task of keeping the scores of visitors, athletes, visiting dignitaries safe and this he does meticulously.

The story is intense and you cannot put the book down.

Sent by Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

A Plattering of Murder by J C Eaton

 

World renowned authors are coming to a small town library event. It will bring publicity, much needed for  this library. Katie has been asked to supply her famed charcuterie boards and she knows she has to do her best. She also has to take into account Edith, the ghost that seems to hover around her at the most inappropriate times, and forces her into conversation which can make Katie look odd. Edith with her friend Rosalind can also intervene at awkward moments making sometimes things clearer for Katie, creating diversions that help, and sometimes making a bad situation, worse!

Cozies are fun reads, but in this one it is very humorous. The body count starts with an author found dead in a waterfall, Katie’s aunt Regina interfering and rude stays with Katie, seems to antagonize all, and ends being the prime suspect. It is up to Katie to work with Ian, her boyfriend behind the actual detectives handling the case to bring it to a conclusion.

An easy read. 

Sent by Level Best Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Ripeness by Sarah Moss

 

The story set in the 1960s starts with Edith being sent from rural England to Italy, to people whom she has never met to keep an eye on her pregnant, enigmatic, sophisticated sister who seems totally indifferent to Edith or her efforts to make her comfortable.

The subject of the baby and its adoption, sight unseen by the mother itself but deeply felt for by Edith despite her being a very young teenager was poignant. Edith with no experience of love felt deeply for this child abandoned so blithely by its mother. Fast forward to Edith’s life as an older woman who has now found a good life for herself in Ireland and her best friend has discovered a brother in America, whom no one knew about.

The story is about community and particularly if one has moved and is an immigrant and has tried to find a niche for oneself in a different home from what is familiar with. A common enough topic nowadays. Not easy either. A sense of belonging and whether one can ever fully belong to the country you try to adapt to.

The story written by Edith is a emotional one for the nephew who was abandoned, and who may one day come looking for his roots.

Sent by Farrah, Straus and Giraux for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Feast for the Ravens by Sarah Hawkswood

 

September 1145 a Templar knight found murdered in a thicket in the forest of Wye is not something the Sheriff is happy about. It brings untold focus on the area, his control of the region and also has set the local populace into a flutter. They believe it i the work of a Raven Woman, a spirit that lives in the forest.

The story was a mix of the usual story of greed for prominence and power within a family, the sadness because one member was treated so unfairly and a very cunning killer who has to be brought to justice. The Undersheriff, the Sergeant and Undersergeant have to pick their way very carefully as their main suspect is a man of influence and medieval law always looked after the aristocracy, however horrific the crime was.

The mix of the medieval with solid detective slogging was very well detailed and descriptive. It added a dimension to the story. A very different historical fiction read.

Sent by Allison & Busby for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

How to get murdered in Devon by Stephanie Austin

 

Juno was familiar with death in suspicious circumstances. It was well known to the local police too that Juno will be in the midst of unaccountable deaths so when a body is discovered in a car she bought for a boyfriend, it was not such a big deal. Except for the victim and how he came to be in the boot of her car.

The story has a lot of ups and downs, false starts, family disputes going back a long time and of course the greed for money overwhelming always and the cause for so many deaths. The power of money and with it the control that comes. Investigations continue and the story unfolds in different directions, hiding the true murderers till the end.

Very well told with wily characters.

Sent by Allison & Busby for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Empress of Cooke County by Elizabeth Bass Parman

 

Set in the 1960s in a small town with typical small town gossip Posey Jarvis always thought she was a cut above everyone else. Avoiding her husband at all costs, the long suffering Vern, Posey lived in a fantasy world of meeting CJ her former lover and father of her daughter and riding into the sunset with him. She stalked CJ and was determined that she would achieve her dream.

Everything else was secondary, and when she inherited her Aunt Milbrays house, along with a secret stash of money, she was determined to be the Empress of the town. Hosting a reunion was one way to boast of her talents and good taste. That her daughter was unhappy with her almost forced engagement and Vern having a love affair was nothing to Posey. 

The characters were varied - you could loathe all of them, even Vern for his lack of determination, despite being a loving father and husband, Posey who was hard and a devil to live with, thinking her drinking was a secret, and Callie Ann who had to try very hard to decide on how her life should go. 

This typifies life in the 1960s and was an interesting read in retrospect though I’d hate to live that life now!

Sent by HarperMuse for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.