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Reviews by Bev C. (Latrobe, PA)

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Country Dark
by Chris Offutt

Country Dark (8/24/2018)

"The novel is set in rural Kentucky from the Korean War to 1970." (summary)

Tucker is a young veteran returning to the Kentucky hills from the Korean war.
He marries, starts a family and works for a bootlegger.
There are touching, protective scenes as he cares for his disabled …more

Grist Mill Road
by Christopher J. Yates

Grist Mill Road (8/11/2018)

1982 "There, among the craggy rock cliffs and glacial ponds of timeworn mountains, three friends—Patrick, Matthew, and Hannah—are bound together by a terrible and seemingly senseless crime."
(from book description)
2008 The three meet again.

Christopher J Yates took me for …more

Magpie Murders
by Anthony Horowitz

Magpie Murders (7/12/2018)

This is about the final manuscript of a bestselling crime writer, Alan Conway.

At Cloverleafbooks, his editor Susan Ryeland receives his final Atticus Pund mystery for review.
However, the manuscript is missing the last chapters and the crime writer has been found dead.
Why …more

Our House
by Louise Candlish

Our House (6/3/2018)

I don't feel comfortable saying a great deal about this domestic suspense novel.
I was fine with alternating between Fi's story and Bram's word document. I just didn't find the plot believable nor the characters interesting.
I will say it was imaginative and there were a few …more

The Summer Wives
by Beatriz Williams

The Summer Wives (4/23/2018)

There are 3 time lines in this historical fiction offering:

Summer 1930
Bianca Medeiro dreams of the elusive, wealthy Hugh Fisher.

Summer 1951
" Miranda Schuyler arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island in Long Island Sound as a naive eighteen year old, still reeling from …more

Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions
by Mario Giordano

Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions (1/28/2018)

Auntie Poldi, a Bavarian widow, is a quirky character who survives on "escapades, entanglements" and excitement.

"On her sixtieth birthday, Auntie Poldi retires to Sicily, intending to while away the rest of her days with good wine, a view of the sea, and few visitors." The …more

The Dry: Aaron Falk Mystery #1
by Jane Harper

The Dry (1/28/2018)

This debut is perfectly named. The climatic descriptions are vivid and more than just a backdrop, they are an integral part of the story.

Amid the worst drought of the century, Federal Agent Aaron Falk is summoned to Kiewarra for the funerals of Luke and Karen Hadler and …more

Magpie Murders
by Anthony Horowitz

Magpie Murders (1/18/2018)

This is about the final manuscript of a bestselling crime writer, Alan Conway.
At Cloverleaf books, his editor Susan Ryeland receives, for review, his final Atticus Pund mystery.

However, the manuscript is missing the last chapters and the crime writer has been found dead. …more

Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions
by Mario Giordano

Auntie Poldi (1/11/2018)

As Bright as Heaven
by Susan Meissner

As Bright As Heaven (10/8/2017)

The turbulent 1918 finds the Bright family moving from rural Quakertown to Philadelphia. The father (Tom) will assist Uncle Fred in providing services from the Bright Funeral Home. Mother (Pauline) and girls Evelyn, Maggie and Willa will be given a "chance at a better life." …more

To Capture What We Cannot Keep
by Beatrice Colin

To Capture What We Cannot Keep (8/12/2017)

A focal point of this work of historical fiction is the construction of the Eiffel Tower, 1887-1889.
The novel details the relationship between a young Scottish widow of humble means, in Paris as chaperone to two wealthy Scottish charges, and a French engineer who has a …more

The Necklace
by Claire McMillan

The Necklace (6/16/2017)

"Two generations of Quincy women—a bewitching Jazz Age beauty and a young lawyer—bound by a spectacular and mysterious Indian necklace." (publisher's note)

There are two alternating timelines, 1925 (May Quincy) and 2009 (Nell Quincy).
Ambrose Quincy returns from abroad …more

My Last Lament
by James William Brown

My Last Lament (3/15/2017)

Lament: "a formal expression of sorrow or mourning, especially in verse or song; an elegy or dirge."

Aliki, wizened and dressed in black, is the last lamenting crone in a small village in northeast Greece. Aliki tells us "Actually I don't really compose them (laments). I …more

The Silence of the Sea: A Thora Gudmundsdottir Thriller
by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

The Silence Of The Sea (3/15/2017)

"As The Silence of the Sea opens, a luxury yacht crashes into a Reykjavik pier.
But the boat is empty; no one is on board.
What has happened to the crew?
And what has happened to the family who were very much present when the yacht left Lisbon?" ...(publishers note)
This is a …more

The Barrowfields
by Phillip Lewis

The Barrowfields (3/15/2017)

Henry Aster recalls his brilliant father (also Henry), a small Appalachian town (Old Buckram, North Carolina) and the manse that became their home.
Gothic and terrifying, the old house and property have a malignant history.
I thought I was beginning to understand elements …more

The Typewriter's Tale
by Michiel Heyns

The Typewriter's Tale (1/3/2017)

"typewriter
1. a writing machine...;
2. one who does typewriting, esp. as a regular occupation."
(Oxford English Dictionary)
The above quote is seen in the books preface.

The story begins 8th November, 1907 and concludes around July 1909. Henry James' home in England is the …more

I See You
by Clare Mackintosh

I SEE YOU (11/4/2016)

Fast paced, convoluted, psychological thriller. Our story begins
"When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the classifieds section of a London newspaper, she is determined to find out why it's there. There's no explanation: just a grainy image, a website address and a phone number." …more

A Certain Age
by Beatriz Williams

A Certain Age (8/6/2016)

Let me begin by placing a few key phrases before you.

"hedonism of the Jazz Age" in New York City Captain Octavian Rofrano (BOY)... honorable, devoted war hero, "battle scarred" paramour of the flamboyant Mrs. Theresa Marshall. Miss Sophie Fortescue... naive, charming …more

Karolina's Twins
by Ronald H. Balson

Karolina's Twins (8/6/2016)

"Lena Woodward, elegant and poised, has lived a comfortable life among Chicago Society since she immigrated to the US and began a new life at the end of World War II." (from Amazon synopsis)

There is a particular reason that it is time to honor an unfulfilled promise she …more

News of the World
by Paulette Jiles

News Of The World (8/5/2016)

Wichita Falls, Texas 1870

"A story of courage and honor and the truth that these two things are often the possession of even the unlikeliest people." - paulettejiles.com

Captain Jefferson Kyle Kid is a 70 year old veteran of the War of 1812 (Georgia militia) and President …more

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