Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg ISBN-13: 9780778389330 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Park Row Released: December 29th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In the heart of London, secret tunnels that exist far beneath the city streets. There, a mysterious group of detectives recruited for Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries use their cunning and gadgets to solve crimes.

Late one night in April 1958, a filing assistant for Miss Brickett’s named Michelle White receives a letter warning her that one of their own is about to commit a crime. She goes to investigate and is murdered by a killer she can’t see—her death the only sign she wasn’t alone. It's clear that the person responsible must also work for Miss Brickett’s, making everyone a suspect.

Almost unwillingly, Marion Lane, a first-year Inquirer-in-training, finds herself being drawn ever deeper into the investigation. When her friend and mentor is framed for the crime, to clear his name she must sort through the hidden alliances at Miss Brickett’s and secrets dating back to WWII.


My Review:
Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is a mystery set in 1958 in an England filled with clockwork gadgets. The story started off with two characters who were not the main character, and I didn't find the story interesting until Marion became the point of view character. This happens quickly enough, but I think I would've liked it better if the story had just started with her. Anyway, Marion has been recruited because of her mechanical skills, but she spent most of her time investigating (so may end up as a detective). She worked with her friend and a detective who's investigating the murder. They listened to gossip, uncovered secrets (including doing things that could get them fired), spied on people, and put together clues to discover what's going on and whodunit.

The main characters were interesting and likable, but not developed very much. It's more of a suspense than a puzzle-mystery, with physical danger to those investigating. While the locked-room mystery aspect was fully explained, a critical element (how it all began) didn't make sense. Even Marion questioned why the World War II secret hadn't simply been destroyed (rather than hidden), and given the answer provided her, one has to question why it still hasn't been destroyed at the end. I also found it odd that these recruits--skilled professionals in their 20s--were being treated (and acted) like teenagers...except for the frequent drinking of alcohol. However, the overall story was an enjoyable, lively mystery with some clockwork fantasy thrown in. There was no sex. There was a fair amount bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting 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.

Dreams of Savannah by Roseanna M. White

Dreams of Savannah by Roseanna M. White ISBN-13: 9780764237478 Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Bethany House Released: January 5th 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Cordelia Owens can weave a hopeful dream around anything and is well used to winning the hearts of everyone in Savannah with her whimsy. Even when she receives word that her sweetheart has been lost during a raid on a Yankee vessel, she clings to hope and comes up with many adventurous tales of his eventual homecoming to reassure his mother and sister.

Struggling for months to make it home alive, Phineas Dun returns to Savannah injured and cynical, and all too sure that he is not the hero Cordelia seems determined to make him. Matters of black and white don't seem so simple anymore to Phin, and despite her best efforts, Delia's smiles can't erase all the complications in his life. And when Fort Pulaski falls and the future wavers, they both must decide where the dreams of a new America will take them, and if they will go together.


My Review:
Dreams of Savannah is a romance set in 1861 in Georgia (and briefly in Cuba). Phineas' family owns a plantation with slaves, though his grandfather had intended to free the slaves at his death. A new law prevented the freeing of slaves. Still, Phineas went off to join the Confederate Navy to defend his home and way of life and in hopes of winning the approval of Cordelia's father. Phineas loved that Cordelia's a storyteller and how she cared for the people around her. When he's wounded, washed overboard, and presumed dead, Cordelia's pressured by her father to marry someone that doesn't respect her and only wants her fortune. Even though Cordelia's world is shattering around her, she bravely stands against the pressure to conform and for what is right.

The main characters were complex, engaging, and reacted realistically to events. I cared about what happened to them. They grew as people as they faced hardship and relationship struggles. I liked how Phineas and Cordelia admired and loved the uniqueness of each other. Events refined that love and showed that they had chosen things more desirable in a marriage partner than power and wealth. The historical details were woven into the story and brought the time period alive in my imagination. There was a lot of suspense from the danger from the war and from those tempted to mistreat Cordelia and the slaves. Blacks (both free and slaves) were major characters with fully developed backgrounds. One major character was a Christian preacher who helped to further shape Phineas' views about slavery. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting, 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.

Active Defense by Lynette Eason

Active Defense by Lynette Eason ISBN-13: 9780800729363 Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Revell Released: January 5th 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
As a former field surgeon in Afghanistan, Heather Fontaine is used to life-or-death situations. She just didn't expect them to follow her home. When she returns from a party to find that someone has broken into her house--and threatened her friends--she assumes it is the stalker who has been following her and creeping her out. She hopes to find safety and peace of mind by leaving the city and hiding out in a small town. But trouble has followed her even there.

Luckily, a stalker isn't the only one watching Heather. Travis Walker has been secretly watching out for her for weeks. As owner of his own security agency, it's what he does. Together, Travis and Heather must figure out who wants her dead--and why--before it's too late.


My Review:
Active Defense is a Christian romantic suspense. This book is the third in a series, but it works as a standalone. Heather grew up in an abusive home and then in foster care, so she's learned to depend on herself and has trouble asking others for help. But she's worried about a seemingly harmless stalker and tells her friends about it. Then someone starts trying to kill or at least kidnap her, and she learns how to accept the help of friends...partly because they're determined to help her. Both Heather and Travis were competent and did a good job of thwarting the bad guys, but Heather had trouble figuring out who hired them. Though it wasn't obvious, I did guess it early on, but there's a good reason why Heather didn't suspect that person.

The main characters were brave, caring people who reacted realistically to events. Heather and Travis built each other (and others) up, helped each other grow and heal, and made a good team. The Christians were motivated by their belief in the value of human life. 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.

Court of Swans by Melanie Dickerson

Court of Swans by Melanie Dickerson ISBN-13: 9780785234012 Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: January 5th 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Delia lives a quiet life as the daughter of an earl in late 14th-century England, but that peace is shattered when her seven brothers are betrayed by their stepmother and falsely arrested. With the Peasants’ Revolt threatening the peace of the kingdom, the king is executing anyone who had anything to do with the uprising. Delia is terrified her brothers will be next, the youngest of whom is only ten years old.

Delia infiltrates the palace as a sewing woman specializing in embroidery so she can be near her brothers in the Tower of London and help them escape. When she runs into Sir Geoffrey, the guard captain who arrested her brothers, she hates him—until she discovers he has been carrying food to her brothers in their prison cell. Trapped into obeying the orders of his king, Sir Geoffrey is the oldest son of an earl whose estate has been seized by the king and his treacherous advisers.

In a court where everyone is eager to backstab anyone else to get what they want, how will Geoffrey help Delia and her brothers?


My Review:
Court of Swans is a romance set in 1381 in England and loosely based on the fairytale. I had thought that this was a young adult story, but the writing was more at a middle grade level. The characters were not complex or very well-developed. Delia was basically told what to do by wise adults, and at least she had the wisdom to (mostly) follow their good advice. It was the adults who investigated the mystery and proved that the brothers were innocent and who was guilty. She just had to go where she was told to go and do what she was told to do.

So the focus of the story was mainly which handsome and seemingly kind soldier should Delia trust: Sir Geoffrey, who treats her with respect and helps her with supplies for her brothers. Or Sir Elliot, who seems so taken by her beauty that he immediately offers to help her brothers escape...but who likes to grab at her and try to kiss her. Delia's main challenge was avoiding being raped by Sir Elliot. I did not find that a particularly interesting story. 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.

City of Schemes by Victoria Thompson

City of Schemes by Victoria Thompson ISBN-13: 9780593197509 Hardback: 320 pages Publisher: Berkley Books Released: January 5th 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Great War is over, and Elizabeth and Gideon are busily planning their wedding and welcoming home old friends now discharged from the army. One of them, Captain Archie Carstens, the son and heir of a wealthy Knickerbocker family, seems less happy to be home than Gideon had expected. While Archie was in France, he fell in love with a beautiful French woman named Noelle. He desperately wanted to propose, but he was already engaged to a girl he had known all his life back in America.

When Archie receives a letter supposedly from Noelle begging for money to help her flee the terrible conditions in France and come to America, Elizabeth is suspicious. There's no way to verify the letter is actually from Noelle, and she fears that a conman or woman might be trying to take advantage of Archie in his vulnerable state. But that's not all Elizabeth has to worry about. Vicious thug Oscar Thornton has gotten wind of her wedding announcement and realizes the woman who conned him is still alive and well. Gideon and Elizabeth have to figure out a way to help their friend while making sure their worst enemy doesn't destroy their future.


My Review:
City of Schemes is a historical suspense/mystery set in early 1919 in New York City. This is the fourth book in the series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this book didn't spoil the previous novels. The historical details were woven into the story to create a sense of the specific time and place as well as bring the story alive.

Elizabeth is a reformed con artist engaged to marry Gideon, an honorable lawyer who refuses to lie. A man she helped con in the past tries to blackmail Elizabeth to get his money back. Gideon realizes that someone might be conning a good friend, so he asks for Elizabeth's advice. And Elizabeth wants to do something about the manipulative, self-centered woman responsible for endangering Elizabeth and making Gideon's friend miserable. So we have three cons going on, and it was very entertaining and humorous to see each of the cons being pulled off. And when things go wrong, just how will they pull everything off? Well-written, funny, wonderful story.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this entertaining historical 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.

On the Run by Valerie Hansen

On the Run by Valerie Hansen ISBN-13: 9781335404954 Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense Released: January 12th 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When a desperate criminal pulls a gun on her in the ER, nurse Janie Kirkpatrick is in deep trouble—until undercover cop Brad Benton saves her life. Now Janie’s a witness with a lethal enemy and on the run with a stranger. She has no choice but to trust Brad. Can they find the criminal mastermind and take down the criminals?


My Review:
On the Run is a romantic suspense novel. I liked that Janie saved Brad's life as often as he saved hers. She's brave and was willing to run into danger if it meant saving someone she cared about. Janie could be irrational, though, when it came to her dog. Brad didn't seem to mind this, so they'll probably get along fine even when not in the middle of danger. However, the story was just to...odd to seem realistic. I can somewhat understand Janie insisting on finding her lost dog even though they know the bad guys (who are trying to kill them) are nearby. But when they arrived, she stormed up the bad guys demanding to know where her dog was. Really? And even though it was obvious to anyone at that point that Brad wasn't loyal to the drug people, he still tried to go back undercover with the same group of people that he'd just betrayed. Why, when at the end, he simply needed to identify the thugs that had been after them? Also, at one point, Janie refused to consider getting on a plane (especially during a storm) even though not doing so would mean death, yet she promptly fell asleep after the plane took off. Finally, though Janie and Brad quickly came to admire each other, getting married after three or four days of knowing each other under extreme circumstances just didn't work for me.

Both Janie and Brad prayed to God for help. 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.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Leave No Trace by Sara Driscoll

Leave No Trace by Sara Driscoll ISBN-13: 9781496722492 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Kensington Released: December 29th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
One arrow through the heart could be a tragic hunting accident. A second one, within days, looks more like a crime. That’s when Meg Jennings and Brian Foster of the FBI’s Forensic Canine Unit head to Georgia to investigate. With their dogs Hawk and Lacey, Meg and Brian are enlisted to follow the scent of a killer. At first, nothing seems to connect the two victims–a county commissioner and State Patrol officer. But the blood sport around the southern town of Blue Ridge is just beginning.

As the body count rises, the compound bow killer becomes even more elusive, appearing and vanishing like a ghost. Meg is beginning to suspect that, at its heart, a tragic event that reaches back nearly two centuries in Georgia’s history is now turning Blue Ridge into a hunting ground. But as Meg gets closer to solving the puzzle, the closer she is to stepping into the crosshairs of an elusive murderer with deadly aim, and motives as deep and dark as the woods.


My Review:
Leave No Trace is a suspense/mystery. This book is the fifth in a series, but you don't need to read the previous books to understand this one. This novel did refer by name to several whodunits in the previous mysteries, though.

The main characters were likable, interesting, and reacted realistically to events. Much of the suspense came from the dangerous terrain that Meg, Brian, and their K9s had to navigate while tracking the murderer. Added to that was the danger that a highly accurate bow hunter could shoot them at any time. They also helped some with the investigation. Part way through, I wondered why they weren't even considering certain people, including one person that seemed worth investigating further to me. Later, someone pointed this out--that they are making certain assumptions that may not be true. As it turns out, I had correctly guessed whodunit, and they quickly figured it out at this point, too.

There was a fair amount of bad language. There were no sex scenes. 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.