Posted on by Maureen

Death of an Unsung Hero by Tessa Arlen

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Death of an Unsung Hero is a historical mystery by Tessa Arlen. It is the fourth book in her WWI era Lady Montfort mystery series. I have read the first book in the series, so I was excited about the opportunity to read this latest addition.

WWI has brought some changes to the Montforts- their manor house now serves as a rehabilitation center for officers affected by “neurasthenia”, more commonly known as shell-shock. Everyone seems to be making wonderful progress, but then one of the officers is found dead in the garden and all signs point to murder.

There are many in the village who think poorly of the men staying at the house; they believe they are cowards who are shirking their duty, and that diseases of the “nerves” don’t exist. Could one of them have killed the officer? Or perhaps one of the other men staying at the house imagined that he was back in the trenches and lashed out, with deadly consequences. It is up to Lady Montfort and her housekeeper Mrs. Jackson to figure out what happened before the medical board closes down the manor house. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman by Tessa Arlen

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Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman is the first book in Tessa Arlen’s Lady Montfort mystery series.

Lady Montfort loves planning her annual summer party. She is happy to have her son home from Oxford, as well as his childhood friends. However, things take a nasty turn when her nephew Teddy is found dead- gruesomely murdered, it seems. Lady Montfort saw her son arguing with Teddy and even shoving him. She knows that her son is not capable of such a heinous crime, but she is also afraid that the investigation will lead back to him. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Murder Between the Lines by Radha Vatsal

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I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Murder Between the Lines is the second book in Radha Vatsal’s Kitty Weeks mystery series. These books take place during World War I- but before the United States has entered the war. Kitty is a young woman who works as a newspaper reporter for the Ladies’ Page of The New York Sentinel. She doesn’t intend to become a detective, but her dedication to discovering the truth compels her to pursue irregularities until victims receive the justice they deserve.

In this book, a routine story about a girls’ boarding school places Kitty back in investigator mode. At the school, Kitty meets a bright girl named Elspeth. They arrange to get together when Elspeth returns home for Christmas vacation. She is excited about something she wants to tell Kitty, but the next morning, Elspeth is found outside- dead. The death is labeled a tragic accident, a side effect of Elspeth’s childhood sleepwalking. Naturally, Kitty is suspicious, and as she probes deeper, she realizes that she has every reason to feel that way. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

A Pinch of Poison by Alyssa Maxwell

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I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading Alyssa Maxwell’s Murder Most Malicious, so I was excited about the opportunity to read the next entry in her Lady and Lady’s Maid series.

A Pinch of Poison takes place a few months after the events in Murder Most Malicious. Lady Phoebe does not intend to make a habit of engaging in detective work, but this changes when the headmistress of her alma mater dies unexpectedly during a school function. When signs point to a poisoning, Lady Phoebe knows that she needs to assist the investigation in any way possible. After all, she is an alumna of the school and her sister is a current student. Perhaps she can speak to the students in a manner in which the male police officers cannot. Likewise, the household staff at the school might be more comfortable speaking to lady’s maid Eva. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Geronimo Stilton #18: First to the Last Place on Earth by Geronimo Stilton

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I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My daughters love reading the Geronimo Stilton books, as do many of their classmates. We are also very fortunate that our town library has a lovely collection of the Geronimo Stilton graphic novels published by Papercutz. I was very excited about the opportunity to read the newest graphic novel- First to the Last Place on Earth. 

This is the 18th entry in the series, and it follows a familiar formula: Geronimo is summoned by the Professor to travel back in time to thwart the Pirate Cats’ attempt to disrupt a major historical event. This time, the Cats are trying to prevent Roald Amundsen and his Norwegian expedition team from being the first to reach the South Pole. It’s up to Geronimo and his friends to stop the Cats, and ensure that Amundsen and his team reach the South Pole! Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Buckingham Babylon by Peter Fearon

71qgt050qzlI found Buckingham Babylon by Peter Fearon at my town library. I was looking for some British history books, and this book was in the same section. I love books/movies about the Royal Family, so I was pleased to have discovered it.

Buckingham Babylon is subtitled “The Rise and Fall of the House of Windsor”, and it was published in 1993. There are some major Royal Family life events that have happened since the early 1990s, so in some respects, this book is woefully out of date. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad

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I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is eight years old, and her little sisters are six. They love reading books, and when I received the opportunity to read When Mischief Came to Town, I knew that they would like it as well. We read a chapter or two every night for a couple of weeks, and they were absolutely enthralled.

When Mischief Came to Town was written by Katrina Nannestad. This is the story of a little girl named Inge Maria, who leaves her life in Copenhagen behind to travel to the island of Bornholm to live with her grandmother following the death of her mother. Inge Maria is a spirited girl, who looks for whimsical moments in her everyday life. This is a stark contrast to the quiet and predictable routine that her grandmother is used to, and at first, it doesn’t seem like Inge and her grandmother are a good match for each other. But as Inge adjusts to life on Bornholm, her joie de vivre proves to be contagious and affects everyone she encounters. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz

51vr3c-zwplI have been a big fan of Laura Amy Schlitz since listening to the audio version of her novel Splendors and Glooms. So when I saw her latest novel- The Hired Girl– on the young adult news release shelf at the library, I was very excited.

This is the story of Joan Skraggs, a fourteen-year-old girl living in rural Pennsylvania in 1911. She is heartbroken at having to leave school to work on her father’s farm. She feels that her efforts are not appreciated, and inspired by an article she read in a newspaper, she goes on strike. Her father retaliates by burning her books. Joan runs away from home; she also read in the newspaper that people are paying $6 a week for hired girls. She makes her way to Baltimore, and ends up in the home of the Rosenbach family. She lies and claims to be 18, and is hired to assist Malka, the aging housekeeper. Joan- who has taken the name Janet- has never met anyone Jewish before, but she is eager to learn. Read more