Book Review: Disturbing the Dead (A Rip Through Time, #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Disturbing the Dead
Series: A Rip Through Time, #3
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication date: May 7, 2024
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Historical fiction/mystery
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley
Rating:

Disturbing the Dead is the latest in a unique series with one foot in the 1890s and the other in the present day. The A Rip Through Time crime novels are a genre-blending, atmospheric romp from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends―and feelings―in this century.

So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn’t that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.

Kelley Armstrong is rapidly becoming a must-read author for me. Disturbing the Dead is the 3rd book in her excellent A Rip Through Time series… and I’ve also been head-over-heels for the A Stitch in Time series (of which I’ve read half so far). While both series have a timeslip/time travel element, they are completely different in tone and focus… and I’m loving them both.

A Stitch in Time has a romantic focus, with a woman slipping through a “stitch” that allows her to travel back and forth between our world and the Victorian era. Each book in the series has a different woman as the main character, but in all cases, travel back and forth is possible, and the characters must learn to fit in and blend in where they land, while also sorting out the complications of love across time.

In the A Rip Through Time series, a different core concept comes into play. 21st century detective Mallory Atkinson accidentally gets pulled through a rip in time during a visit to Edinburgh. When she is attacked and strangled in a dark alley — and the same thing happens to a young housemaid in the exact same place but in the 19th century — Mallory’s consciousness ends up inhabiting the housemaid’s body.

(There’s a lot more to it, so check out my review of the first book for more details).

Fortunately for Mallory, Catriona is employed as a servant in the home of eccentrics, a brother and sister who are devoted to science and social reform. Dr. Duncan Grey is an undertaker and the unofficial coroner of the Edinburgh police force; his sister Isla is a widow known for her independent thinking and her skills in the chemistry lab. Over the course of the first two books, they come to understand that the person they knew as Catriona isn’t actually Catriona any longer. They befriend Mallory, and her knowledge of 21st century police work and forensics quickly makes her an integral part of the household.

Here in Disturbing the Dead, six months have passed since Mallory’s appearance in their midst. Mallory has been promoted and is now officially Duncan’s assistant. Besides Duncan and Isla, police detective (and close family friend) Hugh McCreadie is also in on Mallory’s secret. Together, this group uses Mallory’s advanced knowledge to carry out investigations and apply a more rigorous scientific approach to Victorian era police work.

The action kicks off with an invitation to a mummy unwrapping. Egyptian artifacts and archaeology are all the rage, and Sir Alistair Christie is hosting a party to share his latest find. When the mummy is unwrapped, however, a very fresh corpse is discovered inside, and Mallory and Duncan find themselves once more in the thick of a complicated murder investigation.

The mystery is the driving force of the novel, and it’s a good one, with plenty of subjects, clues, motives, and red herrings. There’s also a very entertaining side plot about a pulp writer who’s started publishing lurid accounts of Mallory and Duncan’s exploits, much to their embarrassment (and Mallory’s annoyance, as the writer portrays her as an empty-headed girl whose main function is to look impressed — and sexy — while Duncan makes all the discoveries).

One of the many delights of the series is seeing Mallory being herself in the 19th century. Unlike the situation facing the characters in the Stitch in Time series, Mallory doesn’t need to make an effort to conceal herself or blend while amongst her friends. Yes, she must adapt to the time by dressing in corsets and adopting the appropriate social customs, but at home, her speech and knowledge are full of 21st century expressions, swearing, and casual sharing of unknown facts.

“Like people in my world who still think you can catch the common cold — or catarrh — by going out in cold weather, despite the fact we’ve known for generations that it’s caused by a virus.”

“Catarrh is caused by… what?” Gray says.

“Whoops. Sorry. Spoilers. Moving right along…”

She’s just so much fun, and scenes of her with Isla and Duncan are always a delight.

He opens his hand to reveal a derringer pistol. I may let out the kind of noise others make on seeing a puppy.

There a shocking development in the latter half of the book that left me gasping and dismayed. I did not see that coming! The author does a fabulous job of making the situation (no spoilers!) vivid and real, and yet also manages to pull off a great resolution to this particular twist.

Overall, Disturbing the Dead is a fantastic addition to a great series, and I can’t wait for more! Highly recommended — but definitely start at the beginning of the series.

24Apr2024

Book Review: The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The River We Remember
Author: William Kent Krueger
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication date: September 5, 2023
Length: 421 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

On Memorial Day in Jewel, Minnesota, the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. The investigation falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn’s murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past.

Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through Jewel are a war widow and her adolescent son, the intrepid publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy, and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom struggle with their own tragic histories and harbor secrets that Quinn’s death threatens to expose.

The River We Remember was my book group’s pick for April, and we were fortunate enough to have a zoom chat with the author. I myself was late in finishing, so I attended the chat having only read half the book… but that’s okay. He was gracious and engaging, the group avoided giving spoilers on the central mystery, and all in all, it was a wonderful event. And then I finished the book the next day!

OUR LIVES AND the lives of those we love merge to create a river whose current carries us forward from our beginning to our end. Because we are only one part of the whole, the river each of us remembers is different, and there are many versions of the stories we tell about the past. In all of them there is truth, and in all of them a good deal of innocent misremembering.

In The River We Remember, a Minnesota community is rocked by the violent death of one of its leading residents. Jimmy Quinn was not loved — not by a long shot — but as the biggest landowner in the area, he was powerful, connected, and in many cases, someone to fear. Lots of people would have had grudges, resentment, even hostility, but was his death murder, suicide, or just a gruesome accident?

The story unfolds through the eyes of multiple characters living in the small town of Jewel. Chief among these is Sheriff Brody Dern, a veteran of WWII with visible and invisible scars and a complicated personal life. At various points, though, we see through the eyes of many different people — there’s a sense of the community being the true main character. All the people we meet — deputies, a diner owner, teen boys, local farmers, a lawyer, a reporter — are connected and have histories that weave together, with their actions affecting one another in an intricate chain of events.

The mystery of Jimmy Quinn’s death is the central plot thread of the novel, but as this unfolds, we encounter themes around war and survival, guilt, growing up with violence, generational trauma, and the ripple effects of hate, bigotry, and racism. There’s also the concept of home — what makes a community, a piece of land, or even a specific person feel like home? Where do people find belonging?

I won’t go further into plot details, but will sum up by saying that while the mystery has a satisfying resolution, the true beauty of this book is the outstanding character depictions. Each of the people we meet are distinct and have complex inner lives that come into play as they interact. The whole is emotional and evocative, allowing the reader to experience the time and place of the story in a way that feels authentic and powerful.

Simply put, The River We Remember is a beautiful novel. This is my third book by this author (I also loved his two other stand-alones, This Tender Land and Ordinary Grace), and I look forward to starting his long-running Cork O’Connor series.

16Apr2024

Book Review: The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Evolution of Annabel Craig
Author: Lisa Grunwald
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: April 16, 2024
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

A young Southern woman sets out on a journey of self-discovery as the infamous 1925 Scopes Trial tests her faith and her marriage in this moving novel from the author of Time After Time and The Irresistible Henry House.

“Lisa Grunwald is a national treasure. . . . An essential American story from a master craftsman.”—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

I had never questioned a miracle, witnessed a gunfight, or seen a dead body. . . . I had thought I knew exactly what I wanted and what I didn’t. Before the summer was over, all that and much more would change.

Annabel Hayes—born, baptized, and orphaned in the sleepy conservative town of Dayton, Tennessee—is thrilled to find herself falling quickly and deeply in love with George Craig, a sophisticated attorney newly arrived from Knoxville. But before the end of their first year of marriage, their lives are beset by losses. The strain on their relationship is only intensified when John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution at the local high school.

Foreshadowing today’s culture wars, the trial against Scopes is a spectacle unlike any the country has seen. William Jennings Bryan—a revered Southern politician—joins the prosecution, pitting himself and his faith against the renowned defense attorney Clarence Darrow. Journalists descend in a frenzy, thrusting the town and its citizens into the national spotlight. And when George joins the team defending Scopes, Annabel begins to question both her beliefs and her vows.

As the ongoing trial divides neighbor against neighbor, it also divides the Craigs in unexpected ways. But in the midst of these conflicts—one waged in an open courtroom, the other behind closed doors—Annabel will discover that the path to her own evolution begins with the courage to think for herself.

Happy Book Birthday to this wonderful historical novel! The Evolution of Annabel Craig is the story of one woman’s personal awakening (and yes, there are references to The Awakening by Kate Chopin), set in the midst of one of the pivotal societal earthquakes of the early 20th century.

Prior to reading The Evolution of Annabel Craig, I’d had a vague familiarity with the “Scopes Monkey Trial” — I knew it centered around a battle between evolutionists and creationists. Beyond that, though, I didn’t actually know much of anything — not even where the event took place or what the name “Scopes” represented.

In this fascinating novel, Annabel Craig is the readers’ eye and ears in the town of Dayton, Tennessee as their quiet little community gets turned upside down. In 1925, the State of Tennessee passed the Butler Act, making it a criminal offense to teach evolution in public schools. The leading citizens of Dayton realize they had a potential goldmine on their hands — why not challenge the law in their own town, and reap the reward of the inevitable news coverage that would bring them tourism and an economic boom? The town leaders recruit John Scopes, a high school football coach who’d subbed for a science teacher earlier in the year. Since the standard biology textbook included a few pages on Darwin and evolution, Scopes must have taught evolution in the school. The fact that Scopes doesn’t actually remember covering evolution didn’t matter — he agrees to be the town’s test subject, and to be arrested for violating the Butler Act.

Beyond the details of the Scopes trial itself, The Evolution of Annabel Craig is truly Annabel’s story. The daughter of strawberry farmers who were very much in love, Annabel finds herself orphaned as a teen, with only her faith and the kindness of her community to sustain her. A steady churchgoer, Annabel never questions the Bible or her religion, and her belief in God is central to who she is as a person.

When Annabel marries the handsome young lawyer who sweeps her off her feet, she finds partnership and love, even though George isn’t as committed to church attendance as Annabel is, and has even been seen to doze off a time or two. Their perfect marriage begins to show strain after a disastrous court case leaves George distraught, and cracks between the couple start to grow larger.

The tensions are only exacerbated when George is offered a place on the Scopes defense team, where he’ll work alongside the illustrious Clarence Darrow, a well-known agnostic. Annabel can’t understand how George can stand against faith like this, but she also finds herself swept up in the town’s excitement, especially once a journalist — a woman! — is housed with Annabel and George, and once Annabel’s photography hobby shows promise of becoming a profession.

The trial itself is fascinating. I loved the chapters showing the developing split in Dayton, as the devout Christians and the followers of science square off and stake their claims. The arrival of expert witnesses adds another layer of interest, and I particularly enjoyed a brief scene showing Annabel in conversation with a visiting rabbi.

Beyond the historical context and the details of the trial, Annabel’s journey is wonderful, heartbreaking, and empowering. She’s devastated by the breakdown of her marriage, left at sea once she’s forced to question the absolutes she’s been raised to believe, crushed to have close friends turn on her for being on what they see as the wrong side. Through it all, Annabel starts to question her place in the world and to ponder what she truly wants, while also refusing to be cowed into abandoning the faith that’s sustained her.

Author Lisa Grunwald crafts a story that weaves together the personal and political, as we see the unfolding courtroom drama while getting to know a seemingly ordinary woman whose life is much richer and deeper than others might assume. Annabel is a wonderful character, sympathetic and strong, but also very much a flesh-and-blood, flawed person who tries to find the right way forward.

I highly recommend The Evolution of Annabel Craig. The historical details are fascinating, and so are the people — especially Annabel — at the heart of the story. Don’t miss it.

Note: Lisa Grunwald’s previous novel, Time After Time was one of my favorite books of 2020. If you haven’t read it, drop everything and grab a copy! Now I need to explore even more of her books…

28Mar2024

Travel reading wrap-up: A batch of mini-reviews — March 2024

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Laundry is done and (almost) put away, suitcases are stored, and I’m settling back into being home after a terrific week away with family.

And of course, I have book reviews to share! The idea of writing individual posts for all of these is way too daunting, so once again, here’ a wrap-up of what I read on my vacation.

The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain: At a slim 159 pages, this was a quick but absorbing little novel that was a perfect choice for beachside reading. When a bookseller finds a discarded handbag on the streets of Paris, he feels compelled to find its owner. Her ID is missing, but the odds and ends inside provide clues that he follows, not really understanding why he feels drawn to this mystery woman or why it’s so important to him that he find her. Meanwhile, the bag’s owner has her own set of experiences, and seeing how the two inch closer to discovering once another is fascinating.

Beautiful written and thoughtful, this is a moving and lovely reading experience.

Rating:

The Bookseller of Inverness by S. G. MacLean: My book group’s pick for March is this immersive historical novel, set in Inverness in the 1750s. There’s a mystery to be solved, which introduces us to the dangerous world of Jacobites and spies in post-Culloden Inverness. The central character is a bookseller, (and how could that not be awesome?), and I really enjoyed the intricate plotting, the danger and intrigue, and the cast of characters.

Rating:

The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson: I adored this riches-to-rags-to-riches story of a lovely Russian Countess whose family loses everything when they flee the Russian revolution. Anna is a delightful character with a sparkling personality. Her quest to support her now impoverished family by working as a housemaid on a grand estate is the stuff of fairy tales and has a Cinderella-esque flavor, while also being uniquely its own story. The dialogue and writing simply glow. It’s sweet, funny, and utterly charming. And now, I must find more of this author’s books to read!

Rating:

Camp by L. C. Rosen: Loved, loved, loved this adorable, funny, touching YA novel about a boy in love… who decided that this summer at Camp Outland will be the summer the boy of his dream finally falls for him — even if he has to change everything about himself to make it happen. There’s so much more to it than preaching a lesson of never change yourself to get a boyfriend or if you lie about who you are, then how he can he actually love the real you?

I’m not the least bit surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, since this author is just so consistently great. (Also, any book set at a summer camp immediately has an edge when it comes to winning my nostalgic heart.) Camp includes memorable characters embodying many different facets of a supportive and loving LGBTQIA+ community. Beyond the hijinks and central romance, the characters are given room to talk about themselves and issues of identity and belonging, and I just loved them all so much. Plus, there’s oodles of awesome musical theater… so a big win all the way around!

Rating:

What do you know? I loved every book I read on this trip!

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17Mar2024

Book Review: Disappearance of a Scribe (Eye of Isis, #2) by Dana Stabenow

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Disappearance of a Scribe
Series: Eye of Isis, #2
Author: Dana Stabenow
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: January 18, 2022
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

The second in the trilogy of Ancient Egyptian crime novels that began with 2018’s Death of an Eye.

Two Alexandrian fishermen come across a horrifying sight – the body of a skeleton floating upright at the bottom of the sea, anchored in place by a cement weight around his feet. In Alexandria’s rough-and-tumble construction trade they call that ‘being fitted with a pair of Rhakotis sandals’ and what’s worse, he’s the second such victim in two years.

Queen Cleopatra is busy rebuilding her city after the Alexandrian War and these murders are not to be allowed to interfere with this primary task, so she charges Tetisheri, her new Eye of Isis, with the task of finding out who these men were, when they were murdered, and, above all, why.

Dana Stabenow’s fascinating Eye of Isis historical mystery series continues with Disappearance of a Scribe… and it’s just as intriguing as the first book!

Main character Tetisheri, whom we met in book #1, is the Queen’s Eye, the secret investigator who reports directly to Cleopatra and acts on her behalf. She’s also a member of Alexandria’s upper class, partnering with her uncle in a lucrative import business, and as such, is well connected throughout the tangled layers of Alexandrian society.

The mystery in Disappearance of a Scribe circles around two bodies found at sea, anchored by what we’d consider “cement shoes”. Who these people are, who killed them, and why, are Tetisheri’s focus, and as she digs into this shocking crime, she uncovers corruption among the city’s influential builders and ends up in danger herself.

The mystery is unraveled piece by piece, and it’s quite exciting to see Tetisheri chase down leads in a time and place where modern forensics and detective techniques are unknown. If you’d told me ahead of time that a major piece of the story centers on construction materials, I probably would have responded with a very rude yawn… but actually, the story is very interesting, and I appreciated seeing how differently the priorities and rules of this society work in contrast to our own.

I would have liked to see a little bit more happening on Tetisheri’s home front — I do enjoy the brief glimpses we get of her personal life — as well as more with Cleopatra herself directly involved. Still, the scenes we do get with Cleopatra are wonderful, and I love how her power and charisma shine through with every sentence she utters.

In some ways, I was able to enjoy Disappearance of a Scribe even more than I did Death of an Eye, since this time around, I was already familiar with many of the names and places in the story, and felt more comfortable with the basic structure of the politics and alliances of Alexandria at that time.

Tetisheri is a terrific character, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for her. I shouldn’t be the least bit surprised that I enjoy these books — the author’s Kate Shugak series is an absolute favorite, and I read these Egyptian mysteries secure in the knowledge that as a reader, I’m in very good hands.

Next up: Book #3, Theft of an Idol:

15Mar2024

Book Review: The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Ladies Rewrite the Rules
Author: Suzanne Allain
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: January 9, 2024
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

From the author of Mr. Malcolm’s List comes a delightful romantic comedy set in Regency England about a widow who takes high society by storm.

Diana Boyle, a wealthy young widow, has no desire to ever marry again. Particularly not to someone who merely wants her for her fortune.

So when she discovers that she’s listed in a directory of rich, single women she is furious, and rightly so. She confronts Maxwell Dean, the man who published the Bachelor’s Directory , and is horrified to find he is far more attractive than his actions have led her to expect. However, Diana is unmoved by Max’s explanation that he authored the list to assist younger sons like himself who cannot afford to marry unless it’s to a woman of means.

She gathers the ladies in the directory together to inform them of its existence, so they may circumvent fortune hunters’ efforts to trick them into marriage. Though outraged, the women decide to embrace their unique position of power and reverse the usual gender roles by making the men dance to their tune. And together… the ladies rewrite the rules.

What a delightful little gem! This comedy of manners is an utterly fun treat about women taking back control of their destinies at a time when society tells them they’re powerless.

A woman needs a dowry to attract a man, must marry “well”, must remain virtuous at all times, must avoid the thousand and one ways she can be “ruined”, must kowtow to the powerful matrons who control social standing… the restrictions on young women of the Regency era go on and on.

Diana Boyle is lucky, all things considered. She married a much older man at age eighteen to save herself and her mother from poverty. When she finds herself a widow at age twenty-five, she’s finally able to live peacefully in the grand estate left to her by her unpleasant late husband, and for once has no pressure to do what others want. And mainly, Diana just wants to be left alone. She’s not a social butterfly, has no interest in remarrying (her unhappy first marriage was plenty, thank you), and doesn’t need balls and visits and endless society obligations.

All this changes when a pair of gentlemen show up at her estate — uninvited — and proceed to attempt to ingratiate themselves with her. Her observant butler manages to discover the reason — they’re carrying a copy of a directory that lists the wealthiest widows and unmarried women of London, and Diana is listed! She’s outraged, enough so that she overcomes her normal shyness to seek out the author of the directory and give him a piece of her mind.

Maxwell Dean is not quite the villain she’d expected. Rather than a fortune hunter, he’s a man who’s seen more than one friend fall in love, only to have it come to naught when the couple realize that neither has any money whatsoever. For a younger son, the only hope is to marry a woman of means — so why not provide some guidance in advance? Maxwell doesn’t realize how mercenary his guide might set men up to be — he honestly just thinks he’s helping people find love in a more practical way. (He’s a very special — and sweet — snowflake, to be honest).

The fun takes off when Diana makes it her mission to inform other ladies of their inclusion in the directory. While initially upset and offended, the women soon discover more than one silver lining. They band together, forming strong friendships and allyships, and realize that given the situation, they’re actually the ones with the power.

Somehow the very thing that had been the symbol of their helplessness, that directory which listed them as no more than a commodity, had now become a way for them to exert their independence, to rewrite the rules in their favor.

With all these men seeking them as marriage partners, they have a freedom never before experienced — to waltz with abandon, to decline a dance if they don’t feel like dancing with the man asking (and still dance with others!), to say no if they’re so inclined in any situation. The women of the directory find a new sense of liberty and strength, and they intend to enjoy it to the hilt.

For it’s an indisputable fact that when a person no longer seeks acceptance, they immediately become irresistible.

Of course, there’s also a budding romance between Diana and Max, and it’s quite sweet to see the two of them come together, tentatively at first, as they discover friendship, trust, and attraction. As Diana’s connections to the other women grow, and her fondness for Max strengthens too, she’s able to rethink her position in life and for once, make her own decisions about who she wants to be and how she wants to live.

The writing in The Ladies Rewrite the Rules is oodles of fun. There are plenty of funny and silly moments, but the women also share stories that are more painful and illustrate how strongly the odds are stacked against them. I especially loved seeing Diana’s friendship with Lady Regina, a wealthy heiress whose reputation had been tarnished as a much younger woman. Through their new sense of confidence and empowerment, Regina is able to right some old wrongs and realize that she is in fact as entitled to happiness as anyone else.

I picked up this book with a little bit of hesitation, as I didn’t love Mr. Malcolm’s List quite as much as I’d hoped to… and so I was incredibly happy to discover how much I enjoyed spending time with Diana, Regina, and the Ladies of the Registry.

I tore through The Ladies Rewrite the Rules in a little more than a day, and found myself smiling and laughing throughout. If you enjoy a good Regency tale with a slightly unconventional twist, be sure to check this book out!

10Mar2024

Book Review: A Grave Robbery (Veronica Speedwell, #9) by Deanna Raybourn

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: A Grave Robbery
Series: Veronica Speedwell, #9
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: March 12, 2024
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Veronica and Stoker discover that not all fairy tales have happy endings, and some end in murder, in this latest historical mystery from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Lord Rosemorran has purchased a wax figure of a beautiful reclining woman and asks Stoker to incorporate a clockwork mechanism to give the Rosemorran Collection its own Sleeping Beauty in the style of Madame Tussaud’s. But when Stoker goes to cut the mannequin open to insert the mechanism, he makes a gruesome discovery: this is no wax figure. The mannequin is the beautifully preserved body of a young woman who was once very much alive. But who would do such a dreadful thing, and why?

Sleuthing out the answer to this question sets Veronica and Stoker on their wildest adventure yet. From the underground laboratories of scientists experimenting with electricity to resurrect the dead in the vein of Frankenstein to the traveling show where Stoker once toured as an attraction, the gaslit atmosphere of London in October is the perfect setting for this investigation into the unknown. Through it all, the intrepid pair is always one step behind the latest villain—a man who has killed once and will stop at nothing to recover the body of the woman he loved. Will they unmask him in time to save his next victim? Or will they become the latest figures to be immortalized in his collection of horrors?

Veronica Speedwell is back! This outing — another potentially deadly investigation with her lover and partner Stoker — provides everything fans of this series love: Dastardly deeds, scheming scientists, Victorian scandal, and lots of sexy bantering.

As she and Stoker happily work on their ongoing commission to catalog and restore their patron Lord Rosemorran’s vast collection of natural wonders, a new challenge comes their way. Lord Rosemorran has purchased a waxwork of a lovely young woman, and to entertain his rambunctious youngest daughter, wants Stoker to add a mechanical element to give the illusion of breathing, as seen in a famous attraction at Madame Tussaud’s.

The promise of a new case to investigate becomes apparent once Stoker starts his work and discovers that this is no waxwork, but the meticulously preserved body of a young woman who was once very much alive. But who was she, and how did she come to be in this condition?

The more Veronica and Stoker learn, the more questions arise. It appears that this may be the body of a young woman who was found drowned in a river some fifteen years earlier, but that fact does not provide clues to her identity or shed light on the mystery of how such an impeccable work of preservation was carried out.

The details of their investigation are as delicious as readers can rightfully expect in this series, as we descend into worlds of mortuaries, mad scientists, and questionable examples of *ahem* anatomical study aides.

Through it all, Veronica and Stoker remain as wonderfully intertwined and perfectly in tune as ever, enjoying their restorative bouts of “congress” (as Veronica calls it) while also engaging as equal partners at a time when women are expected to be submissive.

It has been my experience that the male of the species, though often thoroughly illogical, can — when encouraged to sit quietly and think hard — be guided into a position of sense.

Veronica defers to no one and never backs down. She’s a smart, confident woman of science, and demands to be treated as such at all times. She never hesitates to call Stoker out, including his tendency toward anti-social behavior:

“Thanks to you, I speak to entirely too many people, entirely too often.”

“Exactly. You were practically a hermit when I met you.

“I was not a hermit,” he said through gritted teeth. “I was a professional man with work that I was actually permitted to do rather than being dragged into murder investigations because I had not yet met a woman whose very raison d’être seems to be falling over dead bodies.”

Author Deanna Raybourn seems to be having oodles of fun with these stories and characters. Her descriptions sparkle, and the quips, insults, and banter fly with zingy style. Even little throwaway lines are pure delight:

“That is the most preposterous load of plangent poppycock I have ever heard.”

I do hope she’ll continue writing Veronica Speedwell stories for many years to come. Each year’s new installment is something to savor… but sadly, they’re such fast, absorbing reads that I come to the end almost too quickly. And now, it’s another long year of waiting for the next adventure!

I’ll wrap up with words borrowed from my reviews of earlier books in the series:

If you haven’t yet had the pleasure, start with book #1, A Curious Beginning. There’s a very good chance you’ll want to continue!

This series has become one of my favorites. Don’t miss it.

22Feb2024

Book Review: On the Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: On the Rooftop
Author: Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
Publisher: Ecco
Publication date: September 6, 2022
Length: 304 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

A stunning novel about a mother whose dream of musical stardom for her three daughters collides with the daughters’ ambitions for their own lives—set against the backdrop of gentrifying 1950s San Francisco

At home they are just sisters, but on stage, they are The Salvations. Ruth, Esther, and Chloe have been singing and dancing in harmony since they could speak. Thanks to the rigorous direction of their mother, Vivian, they’ve become a bona fide girl group whose shows are the talk of the Jazz-era Fillmore.

Now Vivian has scored a once-in-a-lifetime offer from a talent manager, who promises to catapult The Salvations into the national spotlight. Vivian knows this is the big break she’s been praying for. But sometime between the hours of rehearsal on their rooftop and the weekly gigs at the Champagne Supper Club, the girls have become women, women with dreams that their mother cannot imagine.

The neighborhood is changing, too: all around the Fillmore, white men in suits are approaching Black property owners with offers. One sister finds herself called to fight back, one falls into the comfort of an old relationship, another yearns to make her own voice heard. And Vivian, who has always maintained control, will have to confront the parts of her life that threaten to splinter: the community, The Salvations, and even her family.

In On the Rooftop, the world of 1950s-era San Francisco — specifically, the city’s Fillmore District — is brought to life through a family of talented women. Sisters Ruth, Esther, and Chloe range in age from 20 – 24, and they’re on the cusp of stardom. Singing in three-part harmony, moving through their perfect dance steps, they’re the main attraction at the top clubs of the Fillmore, but their mother Vivian wants more. LA, New York, everywhere — her girls are destined for greatness.

Yet as we learn through chapters told from each sister’s POV, Vivian’s dreams aren’t necessarily her daughters’ dreams.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood around them is on the verge of change as well. The Fillmore is the family’s safe haven — it’s where Vivian and her husband landed twenty years earlier after fleeing Klan violence in Louisiana. In the Fillmore, every building and block and the people who live there represent a piece of a tight-knit community. Everyone knows everyone’s business; everyone looks out for one another… or if not, is ready to carry tales when someone steps out of line.

But white businessmen having been showing up more and more frequently, and soon their goal is clear. The neighborhood has been identified as one suitable for redevelopment, and that means its current residents and businesses have to go. At first, the approach is more of a sales pitch — home and business owners offered a buyout to relocate. But persuasion turns into coercion, and evictions due to public domain eventually threaten every member of the community.

On the Rooftop is both a family story and a community story. The sisters and Vivian are well-drawn, distinct personalities, each with their own hopes, sorrows, and intentions. Through their separate POV chapters, we get multiple perspectives on the turning points in their lives, and come to understand the women’s options and limitations in that time and place.

As a portrait of a community, On the Rooftop shows the devastation of gentrification and displacement, as it illustrates the dismantling of a community who have no say or voice in the matter.

It took me until close to the end of the book to realize that the story beats were reminding me of a story that at first glance might seem like something completely unrelated — Fiddler on the Roof. But once I made the connection, I experienced a huge “aha moment” as the pieces came together. Sure enough, in the author’s notes at the end of the book, she lists Fiddler on the Roof as one of her inspirations.

Themes of (yes) tradition, children choosing paths different from their parents’ expectations, community dispersal and forced exile — all are integral to the story of the these sisters, their mother, and their neighborhood. The author beautifully incorporates these elements so that the Fiddler motifs are subtly part of the story — this isn’t a retelling, and we’re not hit over the head with obvious comparisons. The commonalities enhance the reading experience, but the story is strong enough to stand on its own even without noticing these elements.

Overall, On the Rooftop is a powerful, emotional, lovely book about family and community. This book is our library’s “On the Same Page” book for February, and it’s also the group read one of my in-person book groups has selected for Black History Month. I look forward to the various discussions and events for this book coming later in the month — and meanwhile, highly recommend this terrific book.

18Feb2024

Book Review: Death of an Eye (Eye of Isis, #1) by Dana Stabenow

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Death of an Eye
Series: Eye of Isis, #1
Author: Dana Stabenow
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: December 6, 2018
Length: 254 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

ALEXANDRIA, 47 BC. For three centuries, the House of Ptolemy has governed the Kingdom of Egypt. Cleopatra – seventh of her name – rules from Alexandria, that beacon of commerce and learning that stands between the burning sands of the desert and the dark waters of the Middle Sea. But her realm is beset by ethnic rivalries, aristocratic feuds and courtly intrigues . Not only that, she must contend with the insatiable appetite of Julius Caesar who needs Egyptian grain and Egyptian gold to further his ambitions. The world is watching the young Queen, waiting for a misstep …

And now her most trusted servant – her Eye – has been murdered and a vast shipment of newly minted coin stolen. Cleopatra cannot afford for the coins to go unrecovered or the murderers unpunished, so she asks childhood friend, Tetisheri Nebenteru, to retrace the dead Eye’s footsteps. Tetisheri will find herself plunged into the shadowy heart of Alexandria . As she sifts her way through a tangle of lies and deceit, she will discover that nothing can be taken at face value, that she can’t trust anyone – not even the Queen herself .

As a devoted fan of Dana Stabenow’s Kate Shugak series, I was curious to see what her non-Kate/non-Alaska books were like. Fortunately, my book group selected Death of an Eye as our February read, which was the perfect opportunity for me to finally read a book I’ve had my eye on for quite a while.

In this historical novel, the main character is a young woman named Tetisheri, the niece and business partner of a successful merchant in Alexandria at the time of Cleopatra’s reign. Tetisheri was close to Cleopatra as a child, and when the queen finds herself in need of a trusted ally, she calls on Tetisheri.

Cleopatra’s “eye” — a person unknown to any but the queen herself, authorized by her to carry out investigations on her behalf — has been murdered while investigating a crime that could spell disaster for Cleopatra. The queen asks Tetisheri to take on the role of Eye and track down both the murderer and the solution to the earlier crime. As she does so, Tetisheri is herself subject to danger, and must also contend with the slippery politics of Alexandrian and Roman nobility.

Once I began wrapping my head around the people, places, and culture, I was quickly immersed in both the historical setting and the crime story. I really know next to nothing about this time period or the society of Alexandria, apart from film and TV depictions and classic dramas (yes, I’ve read both Caesar and Cleopatra and Antony and Cleopatra, but both were a very long time ago).

The Cleopatra we meet in Death of an Eye is not the Elizabeth Taylor version. Here, she’s a young, strong-willed, and incredibly intelligent ruler, struggling to maintain her throne despite the machinations of her co-ruler and brother Ptolemy XIV and his minions, while also pregnant with Julius Caesar’s child and making every effort to stay in his favor. Cleopatra is interested in science and logic, and cares for her people, but has very few whom she can actually trust.

Tetisheri is not a historical figure; rather, she’s a citizen of Alexandria who, as a monetarily secure merchant, has access to many levels of society, but doesn’t personally wield much power. Having survived a cruel marriage, she makes it her mission to rescue enslaved women and give them the means to start new lives. Tetisheri is smart and dedicated, and while she’s not entirely happy about her assignment from Cleopatra, she’s loyal to the queen and determined to see the investigation through.

I really enjoyed Death of an Eye. As I mentioned, it’s not a setting or period that I’m very familiar with, so there was a pretty steep learning curve at the beginning, and all the way through I found myself confusing people and place names. (Helpfully, there’s both a map and a cast of characters list at the front of the book — and I used both quite a lot). The plot is intricate but not hard to follow, and I found myself more and more interested in the mystery as the various pieces came together toward the end of the book.

While the central mystery of Death of an Eye is solved by the end, Tetisheri’s involvement with Cleopatra is by no means concluded, and her personal life — including a love interest — is left very much open-ended. Fortunately, there are two more books in the Eye of Isis series currently available, with a 4th book planned for 2025.

15Feb2024

Book Review: The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Warm Hands of Ghosts
Author: Katherine Arden
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication date: February 13, 2024
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that suggest otherwise, in this hauntingly beautiful historical novel with a speculative twist from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?

November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.

As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.

After reading and loving Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy, I expected great things from her new novel, The Warm Hands of Ghosts. Those expectations were met, and then some.

In The Warm Hands of Ghosts, we’re plunged into the nightmare of war through the experiences of Laura Iven, a Canadian battlefield nurse, and her brother Freddie, a soldier on the frontlines in Belgium. As the novel weaves their stories together, we’re given an up-close look at the horrors of World War I.

As the book opens, Laura is back home in Halifax in early 1918, having been discharged from the army after suffering serious injury when her hospital in Belgium was bombed. But life in Halifax is not peaceful either; shortly before the book opens, the ship explosion of 1917 (a devastating historical event — read more here) kills thousands in the city, including Laura and Freddie’s parents.

When Laura receives a package containing her brother’s bloody uniform and his ID tags, she’s thrust into even more severe grief, but feels that something’s not right. No one she writes to can tell her about his final days or provide information about what might have happened to him. When she meets a woman heading back to Belgium to organize a hospital, Laura volunteers to go along, desperate to learn more about Freddie’s fate.

Meanwhile, through alternating chapters, we learn that Freddie did survive… barely. After being trapped in a collapsed pillbox on the battlefield, he and a German soldier, Hans Winter, save one another and navigate through the hellscape of the battlefield back to the relative safety of the Allied hospital. But saving Winter makes Freddie a traitor, and he finds shelter with a strange, eerie man whose violin-playing and eerie, ornate hotel promise oblivion and escape from the war.

Soldiers exchange stories of someone called “the fiddler”, whose music both captivates and repels, and who is rumored to steal men’s souls in exchange for relief from their worst nightmares. Freddie falls under the spell of the fiddler, but as he loses bits of himself, he doesn’t find the peace he seeks. Meanwhile, Laura refuses to give up on finding the truth about her lost brother, and the siblings endure greater and greater dangers in their quest to discover one anothers’ fates.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts incorporates an other-worldly element as it examines the toll of war and horror on people’s inner selves. We see wounded and shell-shocked soldiers, people maimed or whose minds have been destroyed. Is it any wonder that they embrace the idea of a supernatural presence that feeds off souls and promises ease? As Laura ponders:

Was remembered agony better than feeling nothing at all?

That’s the crux of the dilemma facing the characters who encounter the fiddler. Life amidst the hell of war promises pain and suffering, and even out of the warzone, as Laura experienced back in Halifax, there’s no escape from the torment of memories. The characters, again and again, face this impossible decision: Give in and forget, or hold on and suffer?

They all drank. The wine was glorious. Like getting hit in the face by an ocean wave; it was a shock, then a pleasure, then a numbness.

There’s so much more to the story, of course. Underneath the horror of it all, there are strong threads of love running throughout the lives of the characters we come to know. The bonds between Laura and Freddie, Freddie and Winter, and Laura and the women she befriends are all strong, forged in a shared experience that those who haven’t been to war will never be able to fully comprehend.

Laura is a marvelous characters. As a nurse, she’s extremely brave, competent, and compassionate. She’s also damaged, both physically and emotionally, and makes decisions following her heart, even when logic would dictate otherwise. Freddie is fascinating as well — wounded to his core, suffering in his psyche from the horrors he’s both seen and inflicted, and unable to envision any sort of future for himself.

The battlefield scenes are vivid and terrible and utterly visceral. The terror and butchery are shown plainly, and the psychological toll is clear and awful to read about.

Despite the disturbing nature of reading about World War I battlefield experiences, I was struck over and over again by how beautiful Katherine Arden’s writing is. Little phrases and moments would catch my attention from time to time, just because I so admired the words and sentences.

London felt like limbo to her, the glittering center of the modern world become merely the war’s antechamber.

I would imagine that the supernatural element might not work for every reader, particularly for those who pick up The Warm Hands of Ghosts looking for a more traditional historical fiction reading experience. (Then again, the title does have the word ghosts in it, so it’s not like the supernatural piece is hidden in any way.) For me, I found The Warm Hands of Ghosts a powerful, sad, evocative book, and it’s fully deserving of a 5-star rating. Highly recommended.