This book has a lot of buzz, in part because of the tv miniseries, but in my view, the book fails to live up to the hype. Historical fiction is tricky, and while the concept of the Queen Victoria as a teenager is fresh, I was disappointed in the development of all the characters. Victoria herself seemed a lot more teenage style icon than queen, and it was difficult to understand the fascination that she held for Melbourne. Similarly, the end of one relationship in favor of Albert seemed rushed and unlikely to me. But the London setting, Buckingham Palace, and the clothes all made a positive contribution to the story. All in all, I still prefer "An American Heiress."

There are many things to commend about "A Bitter Truth." The authors have a wonderful ability to create multi-dimensional characters and to evoke the sense of what it must have been like during World War I. And the plot twist at the end kept me guessing whodunnit until the big reveal. But I feel the Bess Crawford character suffers in comparison to Todd's other protagonist, Ian Rutledge. Lacking the Inspector's internal demon, Crawford just comes across as a busybody, and a busybody that happens to be in the right place at the right time, at that. She may be a plucky heroine, but the plot relied upon too many external characters and coincidences to keep my interest piqued throughout the novel.

Original Sin is a clever riff on the espionage novel, with a unique voice, swift pace, great characters and a plot that seems fresh for such a well-plowed genre. While the book's book jacket description seems quite tongue-in-cheek, the fact is that this is a serious spy-turned-Mom story, punctuated by a good spy/bad spy clash at the Point Bonita lighthouse involving her 3 year old son. The author effectively weaves the past and present into a story that pushes the reader to suspend disbelief about how a spy could try to become a regular person. I found the book hard to put down once the story kicked into high gear.

Author Louise Penny has hit a new high with "Bury Your Dead." Always strong with character development, in this book she also proves to be a skillful storyteller, with an intricate plot that comes together beautifully at the end. The author artfully manages to pack an emotional punch in a story where all the characters and their foibles are already well known to the audience. Any devoted reader of Agatha Christie, indeed any reader of mystery books, will likely find "Bury Your Dead" to be an affecting, but satisfying, novel.