Murder on Madison Square by Victoria Thompson

Murder on Madison Square
by Victoria Thompson

ISBN-13: 9780593337066
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: April 26th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Former policeman Frank Malloy is frustrated when a woman requests his private detective services to implicate her wealthy husband in adultery, the only legal grounds for divorce in New York state. Although Mrs. Bing seems genuinely distressed about her marriage and desperate to end it, she refuses to tell Frank the reason she absolutely must divorce her husband and admits she has no legal grounds. Frank explains he won't manufacture evidence for her and sends her on her way.

The following week, Frank and Sarah attend the first ever auto show in Madison Square Garden when they happen to meet the woman's husband, Alfred Bing, who has invested in a company that produces one of the electric motorcars on display. A few days later, the newspapers report that millionaire Alvin Bing has been found dead, pinned beneath one of the wheels of his very own motorcar. But who was driving it? The obvious suspect is Mrs. Bing, but Frank and Sarah find that nothing is as it seems in their puzzling, dangerous search for truth.


My Review:
Murder on Madison Square is a historical mystery set in New York City in 1900. This is the 25th book in the series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this one didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous mysteries.

This was a clue-based puzzle mystery. Frank, Gino, Sarah, and Maeve helped with the investigation and used their unique skill sets. They asked good questions, but they seemed oddly dense about noticing the obvious considering the information they're told. Sarah, at least, should have caught on to what was happening much sooner based on her experiences as a midwife. I caught on from the beginning, so I only strongly suspected two people. Whodunit became clearer as they collected clues and whodunit was guessable based on those clues.

Some interesting historical details about automobiles and divorce laws were woven into the story. The main characters were nice, engaging people and had realistic reactions to events. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical 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.

The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait
by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

ISBN-13: 9781952408151
ebook: 314 pages
Publisher: Little Elm Press
Released: April 27th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Sherlock's mother hasn't been herself for months. Her unrest has put everyone on edge even before they leave for a summer in Paris. When they seek to discover who murdered one of Mrs. Holmes' former suitors, old secrets emerge that endanger the whole Holmes family. Can Sherlock uncover the truth before the past buries them all?


My Review:
The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait is a mystery set in 1868 in France. It's the forth book in a series, but it works as a standalone novel as well. The main character is a teenaged Sherlock Holmes, and the story shows how he learned to be a detective. I felt like the author did a good job of capturing the personalities of Sherlock and Mycroft as they developed toward the adult characters.

The author has deeply researched this time period. Historical details were woven into the story, bringing the setting and manners alive in my imagination without slowing the pacing. The characters were logical, asked good questions, and followed up on clues. Whodunit and the bad guys were guessable from the clues, and Sherlock's ideas about what had happened and why were confirmed after Sherlock was captured by them. The official detective on the case also played a role in capturing the bad guys. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical 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.

Death Valley Hideout by Dana Mentink

Death Valley Hideout
by Dana Mentink

ISBN-13: 9781335554994
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: April 26th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Placed in WITSEC while his brother testifies against a terrifying criminal, Tony Ortega must guard his young niece and nephew from the hit man hunting for them. Death Valley local Willow Duke’s hideout might just be the difference between the little family’s life or death. When bullets start flying, can they thwart a killer long enough to survive and become a family for real?


My Review:
Death Valley Hideout is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the fourth in a series, but it works as a standalone. Tony worked to keep himself and his brother's children safe while a corrupt man tried to capture the children to use them against Tony's brother, who was the main witness in a trial against him. The suspense came from repeated attacks on Tony and his family. Willow wasn't trained to fight, but she's loyal, brave, and resourceful and found useful ways to help Tony and protect the kids. Go, girl.

The main characters were engaging and reacted realistically to events. Tony and Willow worked well together and encouraged each other. (I do wonder, however, where that much water came from since they're in Death Valley.) Tony taught his nephew to pray to God when scared, and both Willow and Tony were Christians. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romantic suspense.


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.

When Blood Lies by C.S. Harris

When Blood Lies
by C.S. Harris

ISBN-13: 9780593102695
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: April 5th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
March, 1815. The Bourbon King Louis XVIII has been restored to the throne of France, Napoleon is in exile on the isle of Elba, and Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, and his wife, Hero, have traveled to Paris in hopes of tracing his long-lost mother, Sophie, the errant Countess of Hendon. But his search ends in tragedy when he comes upon the dying Countess in the wasteland at the tip of the Île de la Cité. Stabbed—apparently with a stiletto—and thrown from the bastions of the island’s ancient stone bridge, Sophie dies without naming her murderer.

Sophie had been living in Paris under an assumed name as the mistress of Maréchal Alexandre McClellan, the scion of a noble Scottish Jacobite family that took refuge in France after the Forty-Five Rebellion. Once one of Napoleon’s most trusted and successful generals, McClellan has now sworn allegiance to the Bourbons and is serving in the delegation negotiating on behalf of France at the Congress of Vienna. It doesn’t take Sebastian long to realize that the French authorities have no interest in involving themselves in the murder of a notorious Englishwoman at such a delicate time. And so, grieving and shattered by his mother’s death, Sebastian takes it upon himself to hunt down her killer.


My Review:
When Blood Lies is a mystery set in March 1815 in Paris. This book is the 17th in a series. You can understand it without having read the previous novels, and it didn't spoil the whodunits of the previous mysteries.

The historical and setting information was woven into the story without slowing the pacing. It created a distinct feeling of that specific time and place and helped bring the story alive in my imagination. The characters were interesting, complex, and acted in realistic ways. Both Hero and Sebastian were involved in the investigation, though Sebastian was the main investigator. He tracked down leads and asked good questions. He learned that his mother was carrying something that many wanted to have, but which of them killed her and where did the object end up? There were plenty of clues and suspects, but you can't fully narrow down whodunit until the final clues at the end.

There were no graphic sex scenes. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting historical 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.

Facing the Enemy by Paige Edwards

Facing the Enemy
by Paige Edwards

ISBN-13: 9781524420994
Paperback: 376 pages
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Released: April 4th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Lady Elise Henderson lives two separate lives. At home in Scotland, she’s the titled daughter of the Marquess of Roxbury, an heiress in her own right. In London, however, she’s Elise Taylor, a top MI6 operative for the “home office.” But when a devastating accident threatens to end her career, Elise is left with far too much time for self-reflection and the regret of a decision made long ago that features one man: fellow MI6 agent Harry Benson.

Harry Benson, the son of servants, has loved Elise for the better part of a decade. But life took them on separate journeys until their worlds converged once more. An immediate assignment to the Scottish Borders leaves Harry little time to make provisions for his small, rambunctious son, Sammy. Harry knows only one person he can rely on for the boy’s care—Elise. When Elise brings Sammy to her ancestral estate, she never imagines that a nemesis from her past looms in the shadows, hungry for revenge. Stalked at every turn, Elise and Harry discover that fighting their feelings for one another is futile, but can they survive long enough to get another shot at true love?


My Review:
Facing the Enemy is a romantic suspense. Elise has been more interested in making a difference through her job than in marriage and children. Repeated injuries mean she'll no longer be able to do the job or have children. She's attracted to Harry, who admires her abilities and confidence, but he has one son already and surely will want more. Besides, would she even be a good mother? When Harry asks her to care for his son while he's working undercover nearby, his child gets into all sorts of trouble. It gets even worse when a bad guy comes after her to take revenge.

First, the son was eight years old, which is old enough that he ought to have understood the reality of "danger" and have some idea about what could get him hurt. But he didn't, and it was more than just a boy being adventurous. Near the end, he even left hiding to wander off after Elise warned him about the danger and the need to hide until she came back. But he got bored after a few minutes. He also didn't seem to understand that the bad guys weren't playing a game. I couldn't decide if the author was pushing his behavior to create suspenseful situations or if he had metal issues that Harry simply didn't acknowledge.

Anyway, Harry had a mystery to solve, and they all got into plenty of dangerous situations. Harry's and Elise's feelings for each other grew as they worked together. Elise had some character growth in addition to just trying to survive. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable suspense 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 Catch by Lisa Harris

The Catch
by Lisa Harris

ISBN-13: 9780800737320
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: April 5th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After a harrowing attempt on a judge's life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge's wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is in witness protection and the Amber Alert put out for the missing child has put two lives in danger.

Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the men who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.


My Review:
The Catch is a Christian romantic suspense novel. This is the third book in a series and continues the story of US Marshals Madison and Jonas, but you can understand what's going on without reading the previous books. However, this book wrapped up some ongoing events from the previous books (like the mystery of who killed Madison's husband), so it'd be more satisfying to read the books in order.

The main characters reacted realistically to events. Madison continued to struggle with the uncertainty of who shot her and the insecurity that created. Madison and Jonas worked together to find the missing baby and his babysitter before the bad guys. They followed up on the clues to find the missing child and uncover the truth about the murders. They worked well together and trusted the other's skills and instincts. The high level of suspense came from trying to find the targets before the bad guys and the dangers of the job.

Madison and the babysitter talked about how one can trust God when it seems like everything is going wrong and when loved ones died. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I recommend this exciting suspense 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.

Love's Legacy by Natalie Kleinman

Love's Legacy
by Natalie Kleinman

ISBN-13: 9781800556461
Kindle: 225 pages
Publisher: Sapere Books
Released: March 9th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When her father — a countryside reverend — dies suddenly, young Patience Worthington is left with no home and little money. In urgent need of support, she is forced to seek out her estranged uncle, a viscount at the vast Worthington Place. Patience arrives to find that her uncle has died and that the current viscount is her cousin, Gideon. After hearing her plight, he agrees to give her a home on the Worthington estate.

However, when Patience and Gideon learn the cause of the long-standing rift between the two sides of the family, they quickly begin to clash. Too proud to accept the viscount’s charity, Patience soon leaves Worthington Place to seek shelter with her late mother’s relatives in Bath. With her kindness and beauty, Patience is an instant success in Bath society and regularly crosses paths with Gideon. Despite their differences, they enjoy each other’s company when they aren't causing offense to each other.


My Review:
Love's Legacy is a Regency romance. The story was told in a distant point of view, where we're told what everyone is thinking and doing, but we never got inside someone's head. The characters were both bland (with little distinct about them) and superficial. From the moment they met, Patience and Gideon offended each other and would act coldly toward the other until, suddenly, they were all friendly again though usually nothing had been resolved. Each was too proud to apologize or to explain a misunderstanding. For example, Gideon withheld even the most general explanation about why he warned her away from a bad guy. Patience refused to trust his judgment and even though she didn't like the guy, she kept him as a friend to defy Gideon's attempt to 'control' her. We're told that they sometimes got along and managed not to offend the other for a week or two, but the actual scenes mostly showed them in conflict. Then, at the very end, nothing had really changed but one kiss convinced Patience that this was true love and suddenly they're in perfect accord.

Patience had two suitors that she got along with very well, and she went to them when she needed help or advice. But she rejected them because there was no "spark" (um, fighting?). Incidentally, the main characters all had very modern views, which brings up the numerous historical inaccuracies. For example, characters tended to just show up at people's doors without writing to tell them that they were coming. Patience just showed up on her uncle's doorstep (from whom her family was estranged) in the evening, without sending a letter ahead about her visit, and with no plans to stay at an inn. She simply assumed he'd read the letter from her father (though she didn't know what it said) and provide her with a home and financial support. Wow! Then there was a scandal that, um, wasn't a scandal that's at the root of their family conflict. (Her mother pursued her best friend's betrothed before she knew they were betrothed, then immediately backed off when told and wished them happy. She was disowned even though the people who waited to tell her were at fault.)

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.

The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart

The Master Craftsman
by Kelli Stuart

ISBN-13: 9780800740429
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: April 5th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In 1917, Alma Pihl, a master craftsman in The House of Fabergé, was charged to protect one of the greatest secrets in Russian history--an unknown Fabergé Egg that Peter Karl Fabergé secretly created to honor his divided allegiance to both the people of Russia and the Imperial Czar's family. When Alma and her husband escaped Russia for their native Finland in 1921, she took the secret with her, guarding her past connection to the Romanov family.

Three generations later, world-renowned treasure hunter Nick Laine is sick and fears the secret of the missing egg will die with him. With time running out, he entrusts the mission of retrieving the egg to his estranged daughter, Ava, who has little idea of the dangers she is about to face.


My Review:
The Master Craftsman is a suspense novel set in 1917 and in modern day. The sections set in 1904 to 1917 in Russia followed Fabergé, his wife, and those who worked with him to make jewelry, including a designer named Alma. The author wove in setting and historical details that brought this section alive in my imagination. There's a lot of detail about the different Fabergé eggs. The characters were complex and had to make hard choices as the communists came into power.

In the modern day, the characters were not as well developed. Ava certainly noticed things, like clues or when things didn't seem quite right. However, she didn't act on any misgivings. The whole treasure hunt seemed mismanaged considering her father was a renown treasure hunter. He apparently didn't double check his arrangements, think to tell her how to identify her co-workers when they arrived in Russia, and seemed more focused on giving her an experience (dress up in different disguises each day and hack into a museum computer before knowing if the information they wanted was digitalized or even simply asking first if they could look at the documents for research). It was like the father was trying to make it like a movie and, oops, it ended up with an adventure movie's ending (part of which Ava jokingly predicted). I found the real danger in the historical section much more compelling.

There was no sex. There were a couple uses of bad language. I liked the historical story enough to recommend the whole thing, but I wouldn't have minded if the modern section hadn't even been included.


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.

Two-Way Murder by E.C.R. Lorac

Two-Way Murder
by E.C.R. Lorac

ISBN-13: 9781464215780
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Released: April 5th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
It is a dark and misty night--isn't it always?--and bachelors Nicholas and Ian are driving to the ball at Fordings. There waits the charming Dilys Maine, whom all of the single men would love to win for a wife. Nicholas has arranged to give Dilys a ride home, and he barely stops in time to avoid running over a stranger lying in the road. But he's been dead for hours, and with so many people on the road going to the ball, will the police ever narrow down who killed him?

Written in the last years of the author's life, this previously unpublished novel is a tribute to Lorac's enduring skill for constructing an ingenious puzzle, replete with memorable characters and gripping detective work.


My Review:
Two-Way Murder is a mystery set in 1956 or 1957 in England. It really needed a map showing all of the locations and roads. It was confusing at times to know where a certain significant event happened and why that might be important because there was no map (at least, not in my advanced reader copy). The locals instantly knew any significance and could mull over the possibilities.

The characters were interesting, and several people tried to solve whodunit. They weren't necessarily helping the police. Several people lied or were uncooperative with the police to keep people they cared about out of the investigation for various reasons. The likable policeman did solve the mystery, though, by asking good questions and thinking out the possibilities. I guessed whodunit based on some of the clues, but I didn't quite figure out how (though it felt like an "oh, duh!" moment after the reveal). There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this engaging, 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.

Before the Fortress Falls by A. L. Sowards

Before the Fortress Falls
by A. L. Sowards

ISBN-13: 9781524420802
Paperback: 379 pages
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Released: April 1, 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When rumors reach Vienna that an attack by the Ottoman army is imminent, Wilhelm von Schor, one of the emperor’s courtiers, prepares to evacuate his family—including his sister, Katja. But Katja is reluctance to leave the city and the people she loves so well. When she learns that her twin brother, Xavier, is returning to Vienna with his musketeers, she decides to remain behind and face the shadow of war.

Katja soon reunites with Xavier and also with Toby, a dear friend from childhood. As Katja and Toby renew their friendship, an element of attraction builds on the comradery of their youth, and they quickly realize they have found something worth fighting for: love. But all too soon, the Ottomans encircle the city, blanketing its inhabitants in fear. Katja, Toby, and Xavier must each fulfill their new roles if they are to survive. In the overcrowded hospitals, below ground in the countermines, and on the ramparts defending the city walls, the three must fight for love, family, faith, and the survival of their city and everyone inside.


My Review:
Before the Fortress Falls is about a pivotal battle that occurred at Vienna in 1683. There were five point-of-view characters to provide "firsthand" experience of various aspects of the battle: Wilhelm worked as a diplomat to help gather an army of allies to break the siege; his brother Xavier lead a group of musketeers tasked with defending the walls of Vienna; his sister Katja helped with the sick and injured in the hospital; their childhood friend, Toby, used his carpentry skills to shore up the countermines and take the battle underground. Plus brief scenes from the viewpoint of an enemy officer. At first, it felt like the characters mainly existed to allow the reader to experience the major events of the siege. Interesting historical details about the siege were woven into the suspenseful writing and brought the siege alive in my imagination.

About halfway through, I started to care about what happened to them. Toby and Katja managed to spend more time together, renewing their friendship but also supporting each other through the hard times and falling in love. Toby, Katja, and Xavier struggled with the loss of friends and eventually the feeling that it was a hopeless battle. Xavier (and the others) found hope and strength from his Christian faith and his belief in a better life after death. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this suspenseful historical, especially to anyone interested in what it'd be like to be in a siege.


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.