House Number 12 Block Number 3 by Sana Balagamwala

I found the writing in this story the highlight. It draws you in little by little. The story begins at one point in the timeline and moves back and forth before showing us a more recent update (although that is still not contemporary).The house tells the story (which is not a spoiler, given that the…

Murder Under Her Skin by Stephen Spotswood

This is a highly engrossing series. It veers a little away from my more traditional historical fiction reads, which have a sleuthing duo, but they have happier lives (or at least histories).I would not recommend reading this without having read the first. WillowJean has had a non-traditional upbringing, and in this installment we get to…

The Room in the Attic by Louis Douglas

I have read one other book by this author and reviewed it: here Psychological/horror drama is not that high on my to-read list, but this author's previous work (that I read) was quite satisfying. This is what had me interested in picking this up in the first place.It is hard not to compare, and I…

The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller

I am not one who is usually well served by hype. I tend to not 'get' what people are finding exciting from a particular book making its rounds. When I do understand the point and join my voice with all those clamouring, it is a joy all on its own. This is one such book.  I initially…

Speak Easy by Lori Adams

This historical mystery is set in LA in the time between the two world wars. The lead protagonist is a girl wanting to do more than just attend high school. The times are different, and the behaviour of the people around the 'youngsters' to them rather than their own behaviour sets the scene better. It…

Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge

I think this book suffers from the first book syndrome of a mystery series. I begin in this fashion because one of the hangups of this book which stuck out to me from the very beginning was the over explanations.The story is based in the home of Agatha Christie, now happily married to Max Mallowan.…

Front Page Murder by Joyce St. Anthony

We are introduced to a spunky new leading lady in this World War II-era based series. This is a solid start to a series with different segments, each with apparently separate storylines in the beginning. This small town has all the required characteristics to cause unrest, with unknown people moving in to work in the…

However Long the Day by Justin Reed

Despite having read the blurb before, I expected a time slip book when I picked this up. It might be the cover that gave me the impression. I actually paused a few chapters in to reread the blurb, and only then did I put my misconception to the test.This is an intriguing narrative, but I…