"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 son, daughters and wife.
When his family is threatened, we see more than one situation where love and dignity become entangled with violence.

I was excited to do this book in audio and I must say that hearing the dialogue spoken by the characters added so much dimension to my experience of Tucker's story.

4.5 definitely recommended

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 quite a spin with this novel.
I did audio and had a hard time finding a stopping point as
I found myself becoming very involved in the story.
Time lines alternated and just when I was getting a feel for a character, Yates would open a new dimension and the character would morph into a more complicated individual and the story assumed a greater degree of complexity.
One moment I was devastated and the next enriched.

Dark, incredibly intense and I dare you to remain aloof
from this trio.

Audio added a quality that intensified the experience for me.

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 did Conway commit suicide?
Why is the manuscript incomplete?
Is there is a story hidden within the story in the manuscript?

5? British mystery
I found its intricacies intriguing.

Highly recommended

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 interesting twists but all in all "not my cup of tea."
Thank goodness our tastes vary and I'm sure there are others who will enjoy Our House.

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 the loss of her father in the Second World War." (book jacket)
Her beautiful mother is to wed Hugh Fisher and his daughter Isobel will attempt to draw her into privileged circles.
Instead, she finds herself drawn to the Portuguese working class.

Summer 1969
Estranged from her family, Miranda Schuyler Thomas , a now renowned Shakespearean actress returns to the island, scarred by a recent personal tragedy.

The time transitions were well marked but I did stumble a bit in reentering them.
A few events were not totally inconceivable but a bit far out.

And I had a few melodramatic moments but I am a definite Beatriz Williams fan.
This is perhaps not my favorite to date but I do recommend it as a good summer read.

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 disappearance and subsequent murder of her young handyman Valentino, begins a series of adventures imbued with alcohol and Poldi's lusty vigor.

Isolde is not my favorite heroine but she definitely was a unique comedic character. You can't help but laugh frequently and I'm sure her adventures will have a loyal following.

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 their son Billy. A note Aaron received in Melbourne simply said "Luke lied. You lied. Be at the funeral."

Twenty years ago Falk was accused of the murder of mutual friend, Ellie Deacon.
His best friend Luke was his alibi. The alibi held, but Aaron and his father were forced to flee Kiewarra.

This return visit will open Pandora's box of secrets of the town and the people Aaron left behind.

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. Why did Conway commit suicide? Why is the manuscript incomplete? Is there is a story hidden within the story in the manuscript?

I found its intricacies intriguing.

Highly recommended

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 disappearance and subsequent murder of her young handyman Valentino, begins a series of adventures imbued with alcohol and Poldi's lusty vigor.

Isolde is not my favorite heroine but she definitely was a unique comedic character. You can't help but laugh frequently and I'm sure her adventures will have a loyal following. Auntie Poldi and the Fruits of the Lord (Auntie Poldi, #2) follows.

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." As the WWI draft looms to include 36 yr old Thomas, he volunteers in the fall 1918, hoping to serve in the field hospital.
The Spanish flu, subtle at first, then strikes the city with a fury.

With each chapter we find one of the females addressing us and updating life from her personal perspective.

I would recommend this as a vivid, touching historical fiction novel. I found many chances for contemplating life throughout the novel. The book's tapestry was complete (no loose ends) but I did find Evelyn's mode of restoration a bit unsettling.

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 decisive role in the construction of the Eiffel Tower.

" Caitriona Wallace and Emile Nouguier meet in a hot air balloon, floating high above Paris a moment of pure possibility. But back on firm ground, their vastly different social strata become clear."
(excerpt from library summary)

Part of my attraction to this novel is the "beautiful era" in France (La Belle Époque), usually dated from the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 to the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
The novel is a fitting tour of this inventive period, including masterpieces of literature, music, art and theater.
We observe economic prosperity and innovations in science, technology and culture...in retrospect "a Golden Age."
Reading broadened my understanding of the sharp contrast of the opulence/ misery of the time, and provided the enjoyment of improbable yet hopeful love story

"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 bearing a valuable Indian necklace as a dramatic statement of his intention to finally wed May.
Her letters had become infrequent and he returned to find she had married his brother Ethan. The necklace was still given and a love triangle established.

In 2009, Nell Quincy is summoned home upon the death of her great aunt Loulou.
She inherits one item, a valuable necklace that she must locate.

Our story weaves about aspects of the necklace, both past and present and we are privy to the intense family drama in both generations.

With respect to my usual readings, I found The Necklace unique and enjoyable.

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 seem to fall into kind of a state and they really compose themselves and just pour through me like a long sigh."

An American college student leaves cassettes and a request for Aliki to record this fading folk art.
Aliki decides instead to concentrate on her haunting story of three children struggling to survive in post WW2 Greece. So, we're privy to the joys and tragedies of Aliki's personal life from the 1940s to present day. The present day holds not only a look at the art of lamenting but also the unfolding of secrets of the past.

Copy received from Book Browse First Impressions. Thank you. I recommend this unique WW2 story.

"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 thriller not to be missed.
It has elements of eeriness and a haunting flavor throughout.
I was captivated and chilled to the novel's end.
4.5 ?

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 dictating the flow of the story only to find them opening into far richer realms.
This is a complex, intense novel and Phillip Lewis satisfied my need for solid dialogue and a real sense of place.
I could easily see each character evolve and the house, which I regard as the main character, although dark and chilling, had reparative properties.

David Gilbert says it beautifully.
"Elegiac and timeless THE BARROWFIELDS is an unforgettable evocation of a dark American saga. Reading it is like cracking open the tattered first edition of a classic you somehow missed but just pulled from your father's bookshelf"

"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 setting.

The beginning thought, "the worst part of taking dictation is the waiting." is also appropriately the concluding thought.

The story is told by Frieda Wroth, fictional typist of Henry James. We also meet Morton Fullerton who in this particular time frame was involved in an affair with American Pulitzer Prize–winning author Edith Wharton. They met in summer after being introduced by mutual friend Henry James.

As a graduate of Young Ladies' Academy Of Typewriting, Frieda is able to leave home and the courtship efforts of the predictable, boring Mr. Dodds, and pursue freedom. With Remington available, she takes dictation from Henry James and in his pauses and her own quiet time, interweaves imagination and existing fact.

This makes an interesting tale as she becomes caught in a clash of her commitment to Henry James and the antics of his ostentatious friends.

The author's note will effectively discuss the chosen blend of fact and fiction.
Although there were moments when it became an intellectual read, I still would label this good historical fiction that anyone can appreciate.

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."

"Other women begin appearing in the same ad, a different one each day, and...they've become victims of increasingly violent crimes".(publishers notes)

I found this clandestine thriller totally engrossing.
There are twists and turns, dramatic changes in direction and a great deal of watching and waiting.
A well crafted variety of players and the nail biting evasion and pursuit highlighted the suspense.
Nothing could be taken for granted,
The who and why of the advert remained a mystery (to me) til near the novel's end.

I LET YOU GO (Clare Mackintosh) has moved forward on my TBR.

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 ingenue, advancing and retreating on the fringes of "the Roaring 20's."

"As a fateful triangle forms, loyalties divide and old crimes are dragged into daylight, drawing Octavian into transgression…and Theresa into the jaws of a bittersweet choice." (publisher's note)

This is an excellent rendering of the jazz age in NYC and the colorful characters dabbling in conventional and forbidden pursuits.

"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 made long ago. She requests the assistance of lawyer Catherine Lockhart and private investigator Liam Taggart and it's in their presence that this poignant tale unfolds.

I was thoroughly engaged in the life story of Lena Scheinman. Chrzanow, Poland was her birthplace (1924), the earlier years of loving familial covenant are in place and the story develops with fervor as Germany invades Poland in 1939.

Love, survival and resilience are the cornerstone of this novel,
Nazi-occupied Poland and the bond Lena shared with her childhood friend, Karolina are developed in rich detail. There is, of course, specific emphasis on the Jewish population and the injustice dealt them under Nazi occupation.

There is a subplot, which will be successfully resolved. Lena's son Arthur has reason to pursue a declaration of incompetence for his mother.

I found this rewarding historical fiction. Balson successfully transported me to this era and I came away enlightened.

The following is an author acknowledgment:

"Karolina's Twins is a work of fiction.
The story was inspired by the life of Fay Scharf Waldman...Karolina's Twins is not intended to be a biographical account of Fay's life. Lena Woodward is a fictional character. who experienced many of the travails described to me by Fay, but, some of the episodes,mthough authentic in their occurrence to others, did not involve Fay," The author has also drawn upon memoirs, Yizkor Books, museum archives and personal stories conveyed to the author.

I hope I have encouraged you to review the history of World WarII Poland and engage in a heart warming/breaking tale.

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 Tyler's war with Mexico. A former printer, now a solo itinerant reader, the captain buys newspapers and reads aloud in isolated community gatherings in northern Texas. Cloaked in his "reading attire", ten cents a head supplies his livelihood.

Captain Kidd is approached by Britt Johnson (freighter) and his small crew...all free black men. A fifty dollar gold piece was given to the "U.S. Army Agent" and passed on to the freighter to return a ten-year-old orphan to remaining family in San Antonio. The orphan is Johanna Leonberger, who survived a Kiowa raid that killed her parents and sister and has been raised by Turning Water and Three Spotted. She speaks only Kiowa, no English or German. Her aunt and uncle have offered a considerable sum for her to be found and returned to San Antonio.

The Kiowa no longer wanted this "white captive" child that increased their chances of being run down by the cavalry.
She she was sold to the Army Agent - and our story begins.

Cicada (her Kiowa name) begins our journey in deerskin shift, elk teeth and golden eagle feather. Immobile, expressionless, and artificial, the child is initially determined to return to her Kiowa home. But, she is unwanted in the only environment she remembers.

In this sensitive, endearing period piece, we travel with "Kepdun" and "Chohenna" (as she calls him) on a treacherous 400 miles journey to Castroville. Paulette Jiles supplies a territorial map depicting Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd's route from Wichita Falls to San Antonio (1870).

This story satisfies both mind (for historical information) and the heart, as the relationship of elder guardian and young girl evolves. Bandits, Comanche raids and treacherous terrain provide obstacles to survival. Then, the long awaited reunion is hardly as expected and decisions need to be made by the Captain.

Don't miss this rich historical fiction offering!