The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley

The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley ISBN-13: 9780345539991 Hardcover: 400 pages Publisher: Delacorte Press Released: Jan. 30, 2018

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Flavia is enjoying the summer, spending her days punting along the river with her reluctant family. Languishing in boredom, she drags a slack hand in the water, and catches her fingers in the open mouth of a drowned corpse. Brought to shore, the dead man is found to be dressed in blue silk with ribbons at the knee, and wearing a single red ballet slipper.

Flavia needs to put her super-sleuthing skills to the test to investigate the murder of the dead man as well as an earlier murder of three gossips in the local church. But what could possibly connect the son of an executed killer, a far too canny police constable, a traveling circus, and the publican's poetically talented wife?


My Review:
The Grave's a Fine and Private Place is a historical mystery set in June 1952 in England. This book is the ninth in a series, but you don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one and this novel didn't spoil any previous mysteries.

The main character is a 12-year-old girl who loves chemistry. She has her own chemistry lab at home and can improvise (with the help of a loyal adult servant, who helps her investigate) when away from home. She also enjoys investigating a murder, and she sees it as a competition with the adults. She's manipulative and lies freely to get what she wants because she feels like, as a kid, that's what she has to do to learn what she needs to know. She has quite the imagination, but she puts it to good use. For example, she imagines what the murder must of looked like as it happened.

She's so enthusiastic that it's hard not to like her. She followed up on various clues and put her mind to work until she discovered whodunnit. The scene where she gathered clues from the drowned body was a little gory. There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of British bad language. Overall, I would recommend this interesting and fun mystery


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble

The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble ISBN-13: 9780718085766 Trade Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Jan. 23, 2018

Source: ARC review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
After her husband, Jack, dies in a climbing incident, Shauna has only her five-year-old son and her helicopter charter business to live for. Every day is a struggle to make ends meet and she lives in constant fear of losing even more than she already has.

When a close friend is murdered, his final words convince Shauna that she’s in danger too. But where can she turn? Zach Bannister was her husband’s best friend and is the person she blames for his death. She’s barely spoken to him since. But right now he seems her only hope for protecting her son.

Zach is only too happy to assuage his guilt over Jack’s death by helping Shauna any way he can. But there are secrets involved dating back to Shauna’s childhood that more than one person would prefer to stay hidden.


My Review:
The View from Rainshadow Bay is a romantic suspense novel. Zach has Shauna stay at his house so that he can protect her and her son. This makes sense logically, but she blames him for the death of her husband, so they have to work through the blame (as he also blames himself) before the friendship they'd previously enjoyed can turn romantic.

The good guys don't know why someone is going around killing people and few clues are left, but it's clear he's willing to kill again to get what he wants. And he thinks Shauna has what he wants. Shauna and Zach follow up a necklace clue that seems to have more to do with Shauna's traumatic past than the present, while the police follow up on the current murders.

The bad guy's identity is hidden until nearly the end, but the reader gets hints about who it is, so there's a bit of "guess whodunit" to the story. I figured out who it was very early on, but I was surprised by the identity of the person he's working with. My only complaint is that there were a few loose ends that I wish had been wrapped up.

The Christian message was trusting God with your fears and safety. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this exciting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Plague Pits & River Bones by Karen Charlton

Plague Pits & River Bones by Karen Charlton ISBN-13: 9781542048392 Paperback: 343 pages Publisher: Thomas & Mercer Released: Jan. 11, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
London, 1812: Treacherous gangs roam the capital, and not even the Palace of Westminster is safe. When Detective Stephen Lavender is called in to investigate a highway robbery and a cold-blooded murder, both the cases take a dangerous and disturbing personal twist.

And when Lavender’s trusted deputy, Constable Ned Woods, finds a mysterious severed foot washed up on Greenwich Beach, they soon realise that these old bones are more sinister than they first appeared.

With Bow Street Police Office undermanned and in disarray, it will take all of Lavender and Woods’s wit and skill—and some help from Lavender’s spirited wife, Magdalena—to unmask the fiend behind the mayhem, restore peace and justice to the beleaguered city and solve the tragic mystery of the severed foot. But will they do so in time to foil a plot that threatens to plunge the country into chaos?


My Review:
Plague Pits & River Bones is a mystery novel set in May 1812 in London, England. It's the fourth book in a series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this story did not spoil any previous whodunits.

The vivid historical and setting details made the story feel unique to that time and place yet didn't slow the pacing down. I appreciated that a character got ill after being submerged in filthy river water (which is realistic) rather than emerging from the experience unscathed. I cared what happened to the characters, and they had realistic reactions to events.

This was a clue-based mystery with several matters needing Lavender's attention at the same time. While I wasn't surprised when he uncovered what was going on and who was behind it, I did fully enjoy how the different mysteries unexpectedly touched on each other. I was surprised that Lavender wasn't cautious at the end when someone he didn't trust offered to help him (though his being so likely wouldn't have changed much).

There was a fair amount of bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz

The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz ISBN-13: 9780800726638 Paperback: 416 pages Publisher: Revell Released: Jan. 2, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
When colonial Williamsburg explodes like a powder keg on the eve of the American Revolution, Lady Elisabeth "Liberty" Lawson is abandoned by her father and her fiancé. Former friends accuse her of being a spy for the hated British. No one comes to her aid save the Patriot Noble Rynallt, a man that the British want to capture. Will the Virginia belle turned lacemaker side with the radical revolutionaries, or stay true to her English roots? And at what cost?


My Review:
The Lacemaker is a Christian romance set in May 1775 to Oct. 1776 in Virginia. Very little of that time was spent in Williamsburg or making lace (which, when referred to, was something just finished or something needing to be done). Libby's father was a noble, Tory, and complete jerk, but her mother was outspoken for American independence. Libby was left behind when her father fled due to danger. Her mother was gone traveling. Her betrothed decided he didn't want a Tory's daughter. But Noble will keep her safe!

To me, much of the story felt forced or fell flat. Libby was constantly making foolish decisions that resulted in exciting moments, yet any danger resolved quickly. For example, Libby was handed a letter containing sensitive information when it would have been easy to simply tell her the message. She didn't read the letter, decided to hold it in her hand and walk home alone rather than wait for her father's carriage, walked down a busy street and in front of a cart, was swept up to safety by Noble, all so she could lose that letter to the Independence Men and miss her chance to flee. Yet the Independence Men don't use the information, nor did Libby end up in real danger. Much later, Noble was leading soldiers in a big battle. The entire battle was covered in about a page and was basically Noble thinking about how awful it was to kill and that he didn't want to keep fighting. What a missed opportunity for suspense.

The author appears to have researched some aspects of the book (like the historical building layouts and Welsh food), but I had a very hard time with how the characters acted. For example, Libby's father left her at home while he went to Libby's betrothal ball. The friends holding the ball started the ball without Libby or her betrothed being present, and no one checked up on her. Her betrothed felt it was socially acceptable to send Noble in his place to take her to this ball rather than attend himself. Libby and Noble entered the ball without being announced. And Libby was blamed for not being there on time. Huh?! The characters often behaved with modern values rather than reflecting the attitudes of the time.

Noble and Libby were a good pair in that they cared for and valued each other. There was no bad language or sex scenes (though a married couple does get intimate off screen). If you just want a romance story and care less about the setting, then you may enjoy this story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Oath of Honor by Lynette Eason

Oath of Honor by Lynette Eason ISBN-13: 9780800727215 Paperback: 368 pages Publisher: Revell Released: Jan. 2, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Police officer Isabelle St. John loves her crazy, loud, law-enforcement family. She knows they'll be there for her when things get tough, like when her partner is murdered and she barely escapes with her own life.

Determined to discover exactly what happened and find justice for her partner, Izzy works with her dead partner's handsome homicide detective brother Ryan. Their investigation leads to a criminal organization that doesn't hesitant to kill cops. And they might just have some cops on the payroll--including someone from her own family.


My Review:
Oath of Honor is a Christian romantic suspense. I liked the main characters as they were kind, thoughtful people who acted realistically when stressed but showed grace and forgiveness to others.

Izzy's partner is killed while uncovering something big, but they don't fully realize what he uncovered until the end. It turned out to be a lot more complex than it initially appeared. Izzy worked with her partner's brother to investigate the background of the warehouse since they weren't allowed to directly investigate the murder. They were interested in each other before this story and that turned into love as they worked together and supported each other through the danger and grief.

The bad guys believe that Izzy has something they want, so a huge thug kept attacking her. The suspense came from these repeated, violent attempts to get something from Izzy, the danger to people she cares about, and her questions about what, exactly, is going on. Power or money are more important than loyalty to some people, but who is corrupt? There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this exciting story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Troubled Waters by Susan May Warren

Troubled Waters by Susan May Warren ISBN-13: 9780800727468 Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Revell Released: Jan. 2, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Billionaire Ian Shaw can have everything he wants--except a happy ending. Or at least that's what it feels like with his fortune recently liquidated, his niece, Esme, still missing, and the woman he loves refusing to speak to him.

Despite her love for Ian, Sierra Rose knows he has no room in his life for her as long as the mystery of his missing niece goes unsolved. The only problem is, Sierra has solved it but has promised Esme to keep her whereabouts a secret for her safety. Yet Ian will never forgive her for keeping a secret from him yet again.

When the PEAK chopper is damaged and there aren't funds to repair it, Sierra asks Ian if she can use his yacht for a fundraising trip in the Caribbean for his rich friends. But the three-day excursion turns into a nightmare when a rogue wave cripples the yacht and sends the passengers overboard. It will take guts and gumption for the PEAK team to rescue the duo. But it will take a miracle to rescue Ian and Sierra's relationship.


My Review:
Troubled Waters is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the fourth book in a series, but you can understand this book without reading the previous ones. However, certain events from the previous books will be spoiled since there are ongoing story lines in the series (like the missing niece, but also developments in Jess and Pete's relationship).

The first part of the book was about a rescue by the PEAK team going bad. While rescuing injured firefights from a blazing mountain, they're forced to leave Jess behind. But Pete unexpectedly shows up, and he's off to the rescue. Out of control fires have also left Ian in liquid bankruptcy due to government fines. The PEAK helicopter needs repair, but they don't have the funds and neither does Ian. But Sierra is determined to raise the funds from Ian's rich friends by offering a trip on Ian's yacht. Ian can't swim, but he'll face his fear of water to keep his friends' hands off Sierra. Near the end of the book, a freak disaster puts Ian and Sierra on equal footing and working together, but even that might not be enough to rebuild their relationship.

Ian struggled with his fear of not being in control and losing everyone he cares about. Sierra struggled with her fear of being useless and forgotten as well as losing the sense of family she's found with the PEAK team. Both had to trust God as their situation was bigger than either of them could control. All of the characters were complex and likable, and I cared what happened to them (and it was clear that not everyone would survive the disaster). The suspense came from physical danger and the relationship tensions. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this exciting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

A Daring Escape by Tricia Goyer

A Daring Escape by Tricia Goyer ISBN-13: 9780736965149 Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Harvest House Publishers Released: Jan. 1, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
As the threat of World War II looms on the horizon, American Amity Mitchell is living a comfortable life abroad as a tutor in England. Life changes when an urgent telegram arrives from her brother, Andrew, summoning her to Prague. Nazi forces tighten their grip on the country, and Andrew's efforts to help Jewish children escape Czechoslovakia grow desperate. Children's lives are at risk. Amity knows she can't ignore God's call to join her brother's cause.

Amity's boss, Clark, arrives in Prague, urging her to return. Soon, he too finds himself helping prepare kindertransports bound for the safety of England. With the sound of German tanks rumbling over cobblestone streets, Amity and Clark race to save innocent lives. Will their prayers for deliverance be answered?


My Review:
A Daring Escape is a Christian historical set in England and Czechoslovakia from Dec. 12, 1938 to April 13, 1939. This is the second book in the series, but it has different main characters than those in the first book.

Amity's brother asks her to organize the efforts to register Jewish children in Czechoslovakia for kindertransports while he helps find sponsors for them in England. She feels God has called her to this potentially dangerous job. She works to save the children until after the Nazis invade and start questioning her about some of the people who are on those trains. The other point of view characters were: a Nazis who is searching for the wife of a Jewish man he killed so he can discover the hidden treasure her husband left behind. And the wife of the murdered man who has to flee with her children and face the agonizing choice of giving up her children to save their lives.

The characters were likable and acted in realistic ways. The suspense came from the physical danger to the good characters. The historical details and setting were woven into the story. The Christian element was mainly the willingness of various Christians to risk their lives to help Jews escape. There was no bad language or sex. Overall, I'd recommend this exciting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Murder Has a Motive by Francis Duncan

Murder Has a Motive by Francis Duncan ISBN-13: 9781492651734 Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Released: Jan. 1, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
When Mordecai Tremaine emerges from the train station, murder is the last thing on his mind. But he has never been able to resist anything in the nature of a mystery—and a mystery is precisely what awaits him in the village of Dalmering.

A woman involved in a local amateur dramatic production--Murder Has a Motive--is found murdered much like a character in the play. Mordecai's reputation in the field of crime-solving precedes him. It is up to Mordecai to derail the killer’s performance…before the curtain closes on another victim.


My Review:
Murder Has a Motive is a mystery novel that was originally published in 1947 and is set in England. The real murders mimic the murders in a play that the locals are putting on. The play suggests whodunit, but the detective feels that the similarities are misleading.

The amateur detective, Mordecai, snooped around and collected clues. While it was a clue-based mystery, Mordecai seemed most taken by the atmosphere of evil that he felt about the place. While I did correctly guess whodunit and why early on, I was never sure that the author wasn't suddenly going to go in another direction as several possibilities were left open.

There were quite a few suspects to keep track of, and some were so bland that it was hard to remember who they were. However, the more important characters did have more distinct personalities. At the end, Mordecai hopes to end the killing spree by getting everyone together and pretending to know what he was only guessing. There was no sex. There was a minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Shattered Lullaby by Laura Scott

Shattered Lullaby by Laura Scott ISBN-13: 9781335490100 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense Released: Jan. 2, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description:
Lacy calls 911 when she overhears her sister arguing with a man. But when she hears gunshots, she's afraid that the shooter is coming for her sister's baby. She grabs him and runs. She quickly discovers that there's an Amber Alert out stating that she kidnapped her nephew. She can't trust the police because her sister's husband is an officer and was probably the one who put out the Amber Alert against her.

Matthew comes across someone shooting at a woman with a baby. After his K9 partner chases the man away, he realizes the woman is the one that the police are looking for. After hearing her story, he decides to help her. But how can they prove her innocence while on the run for their lives?


My Review:
Shattered Lullaby is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the fourth in a series, but you can understand this book without reading the previous ones.

The heroine was sleeping at her sister's house, helping watch the baby while her sister filed for divorce, when an argument and gunshots wake her. She calls 911, grabs her nephew, and flees the scene. But her brother-in-law is a police officer, and apparently he's put out an Amber Alert on her after killing her sister. Afraid of the police not listening to her and not having positive experiences with men in general, she's reluctant to accept help from the K-9 officer who soon saves her from gunfire when leaving a convenience store. Together, they figure out why the bad guys are after her while dodging bullets.

I liked the hero and heroine, and they were a good team. I can see why they fall in love. The suspense came from the bad guys frequently attacking the heroine and the main characters not knowing who to trust. The hero teaches the heroine to pray when in danger and trust God for protection. They both learn to care for each other (and the baby) as they care for the baby and work together to solve the case. She almost accidentally managed to find critical clues as to who the bad guys were while at the same time some of her assumptions initially led them off the right track.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this suspenseful novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

In the Shadow of Agatha Christie by Leslie S. Klinger, editor

In the Shadow of Agatha Christie edited by Leslie S. Klinger ISBN-13: 9781681776309 Hardcover: 356 pages Publisher: Pegasus Books Released: Jan. 2, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Agatha Christie burst onto the literary scene in 1920, with The Mysterious Affair at Styles; her last novel was published in 1976, a career longer than even Conan Doyle’s forty-year span. The truth is that it was due to the success of writers like Anna Katherine Green in America; L. T. Meade, C. L. Pirkis, the Baroness Orczy, and Elizabeth Corbett in England; and Mary Fortune in Australia that the doors were finally opened for women crime-writers. Authors who followed them, such as Patricia Wentworth, Dorothy Sayers, and, of course, Agatha Christie would not have thrived without the bold, fearless work of their predecessors—and the genre would be much poorer for their absence.

So while Agatha Christie may still reign supreme, it is important to remember that she did not ascend that throne except on the shoulders of the women who came before her—and inspired her—and who are now removed from her shadow once and for all by this superb new anthology by Leslie S. Klinger. Featuring: Mary Fortune, Harriet Prescott Spofford, Ellen Wood, Elizabeth Corbett, C. L. Pirkis, Geraldine Bonner, Ellen Glasgow, L. T. Meade, Baroness Orczy, Augusta Großer, M. E. Graddon, Anna Katherine Green, Carolyn Wells, Susan Glashell.


My Review:
In the Shadow of Agatha Christie is a collection of 16 short story mysteries that were originally published between 1850 and 1917. They were set in France, England, Australia, Austria, and America. Some of the stories were a person talking about a crime after it was solved, so it's more a "crime story" than a "mystery." The stories that followed someone as they solved a mystery were usually pretty straight-forward and involved few clues. Short stories can't be very complex, but some of the authors relied upon the clever crime to hold the reader's interest whereas others developed the main characters as well. I enjoyed about 2/3rds of the stories and thought "Jury of Her Peers" was the best of the collection. There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of bad language.

"The Advocate's Wedding Day" by Catherine Crowe (originally published 1850, set late 1790s)
"The Squire's Story" by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (pub. 1853, set 1769-1775)
"Traces of Crime" by Mary Fortune (pub. 1865)
"Mr Furbush" by Harriet Prescott Spofford (pub. 1865)
"Mrs. Todhetley's Earrings" by Ellen Wood (pub. 1873)
"Catching a Burglar" by Elizabeth Corbett (pub. 1893)
"The Ghost of Fountain Lane" by C. L. Pirkis (pub. 1893)
"The Statement of Jared Johnson" by Geraldine Bonner (pub. 1899)
"Point in Morals" by Ellen Glasgow (pub. 1899)
"The Blood-Red Cross" by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace (pub. 1902, set Nov. 1899)
"The Regent's Park Murder" by Baroness Orczy (pub. 1901)
"The Case of the Registered Letter" by Augusta Groner (pub. 1910)
"The Winning Sequence" by M.E. Braddon (pub. 1896)
"Missing: Page Thirteen" by Anna Katherine Green (pub. 1915)
"The Adventures of the Clothes-Line" by Carolyn Wells (pub. 1903)
"Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glashell (pub. 1917)


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Avalanche! by Terry Lynn Johnson

Avalanche! by Terry Lynn Johnson, Illustrated by Jani Orban ISBN-13: 9780544970397 Hardback: 112 pages Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Released: Jan. 2, 2018

Source: ARC Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
A high-stakes adventure series perfect for fans of the I Survived series and Hatchet. Twelve-year-old twins Ashley and Ryan are skiing with their parents in Wyoming's Grand Teton Mountains where there is a ground-shaking rumble. Unstable snow rushes downhill and buries them in icy white. It will take all of their knowledge and grit to survive. With seventeen years of hands-on experience and training in remote areas, survival expert Terry Lynn Johnson (Ice Dogs; Sled Dog School) creates on-the-edge-of-your-seat storytelling featuring the real skills that kids need to survive a disaster. This page-turner with illustrations includes survival tips from the National Avalanche Center and U.S. Forest Service. You could have a better chance of surviving a real-life avalanche after reading this book!


My Review:
Avalanche! is an adventure story for children ages 7-10. The story follows the 12-year-old heroine and her twin brother on a day when they're caught in an avalanche when out skiing by themselves. The author included real information about how to avoid or survive an avalanche, working it into the story as things the heroine remembers from a survival course they took. The heroine shows great courage while getting her injured brother to help even though she's injured and they face scary situations. I'd recommend this interesting, quick read.

There was no sex or bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.