Death in the English Countryside (Murder on Location Book 1) –by Sara Rosett

Fiction / Cozy

420 pages

4 Stars

I was hooked from page one. In fact, I read it in one sitting. Yes, there were a few of places where the wrong word was used (auto-correct?), and a contradiction or two, but those only tossed me out of the story for a couple of seconds and have been commented on in other reviews.

I liked the fact that our heroine, Kate, didn't go all macho, and try to do all the sleuthing herself. She called the cops when she had information, she and Alex did find her boss's car and that led the police to find his body. The romance aspect was fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed Kate and Alex and look forward to reading more of their adventures.

Geographies of Light --Poems by Lisa Suhair Majaj

Nonfiction / poetry

150 pages

5 Stars

Lisa Suhair Majaj has just become one of my favorite poets. Poems need to be read slowly, savored, perhaps chewed, swallowed, digested. I had to force myself not to read this book in one or two sittings. I  had to know what came next.

Anyone who has come from Loss, either personally, or whose ancestors came from Loss, needs to read this book. Though it is by a Palestinian-American, and about Palestine, I think it is accessible, relatable to anyone. Native-Americans will surely be able to relate, possibly Japanese-Americans, Jewish-Americans, and those who are not hyphenated-Americans at all.

These poems will bring memories from the past you never knew you had.  They will give you permission to cry, permission to laugh, permission to heal where you didn't know you were hurt. You will not only see the light, but also revel in the light, and therefore spread the light wherever you go.

Thank you, Ms. Majaj for sharing your truth and sharing your light.

Crime and Poetry (A Magical Bookshop Mystery Book 1) –by Amanda Flower

Fiction /  Cozy 

364 pages / 1746

3 Stars

Other reviewers have mentioned the lack of a good proofread, so I'll ignore that. As to the story, I'm sorry, but it just didn't grab me. I'm a fan of things magical but found it mostly lacking here. With all the great poems out there that could have been used, I found the Dickenson ones overdone. One hint, maybe two, and then go to other poets for further ones.

I think my main issue is that I just couldn't 'see' any of the characters or the village or the river. I finished the book, mainly because I was some curious about who done it, and why. While I didn't really like any of the characters, I didn't really dislike any, though I thought the protagonist is a bit of a twit. I think a good editor could have tightened it up and made a more interesting read.

For a rainy afternoon when nothing is on the telly, it's an okay book. 

Imposter: A World War Two Mystery (Toby Whitby Book 2) --by Eileen Enwright Hodgetts

Fiction / historical

271 pages / 937 KB

5 Stars

Having read and enjoyed the first book, Air Raid, of this two-book series, I immediately purchased Imposter. It was every bit as much fun.

Toby Whitby, the young solicitor who is almost blind without his glasses, finds himself embroiled in another mystery that began during the war and ends in his present, 1952.

He is passionately in love with Carol, the woman he met in book one, but she seems to have distanced herself, but won't tell him what's going on. In the meantime a body of a man washes up on the shore, badly treated by the sea, and his hands have been removed, so no fingerprint identification can be made. 

Miss Clark, the secretary thinks she knows him from and goes to the morgue to identify him. She is fairly certain he is, or was, the young Lieutenant who saved her life during the war, except said gentleman is alive, albeit not well as he's suffering from shell shock, in the home of his mother.

In the meantime, a young mother comes into the office and desires to sue the same young man for child support as they had a one-night stand and nine months later their son was born. 

She ends up kidnapped and placed on a barge to be sold to white slavers. Miss Clark meets the Lieutenant who wasn't. His grandfather meets the boy who might be his great-grandson. And the Duke of Wales makes an appearance. It's all great fun, and I truly hope that although there are two books in this series, a third one will be coming soon.

Paralysis (Dr. Fox Marshal Thriller) --by Jeff D. Copeland

Fiction / Thriller 

461 pages / 1906 KB

5 Stars

Truth to tell, I am in awe of Mr. Copeland's intellect, and the fact this is his debut novel. It did not read like a debut novel, though a few unanswered questions remained at the end.

Paralysis is a fast-paced novel, at times I felt I was on a roller coaster and considered taking Dramamine. I would love to see his original timeline. There are no chapters; each segment (all fairly short) is identified with a time and location. It worked. Except I would have liked a pause now and then to stop and smell the roses. Hell, just to breathe!

Obviously, Copeland has a background in science, and his use of science and viruses seemed good to me. I do not have such a background, but it seemed pretty logical, and he never lost me. 

If you like thrillers complete with car chases on a windy cliff road, a little romance, and travel up the Amazon Basin looking for a "lost tribe" of warriors, and corporate espionage, this is the book for you. Heartily recommend it.