MysteryCategory Archives

Book Review: The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker

The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker

  • Method of Obtaining: I received an advance copy from the publisher.
  • Published by:  Atria Books
  • Release Date:  9.13.2011
        

Together for over a decade, Kyra and David Winter are happier than they ever thought they could be.  They have a comfortable home, stable careers, and a young son, Michael, who they love more than anything.  Yet because of their complicated histories, Kyra and David have always feared that this domestic bliss couldn’t last – that the life they created was destined to be disrupted.  And on one perfectly average summer day, it is: Michael disappears from his own backyard.

The only question is whose past has finally caught up with them: David feels sure that Michael was taken by his troubled ex-wife, while Kyra believes the kidnapper must be someone from her estranged family, someone she betrayed years ago.

As the Winters embark on a journey of time and memory to find Michael, they will be forced to admit these suspicions, revealing secrets about themselves they’ve always kept hidden.  But they will also have a chance to discover that it’s not too late to have the family they’ve dreamed of; that even if the world is full of risks, as long as they have hope, the future can bloom.

Lyrical, wise, and witty, The Winters in Bloom is Lisa Tucker’s most optimistic work to date.  This enchanting, life-affirming story will charm readers and leave them full of wonder at the stubborn strength of the human heart.

I also recommend:

My Review:

When I picked up The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker I was definitely in the mood for some family drama reading. I got chills with the opening section and felt immediately connected to this small, 5-year old child named Michael. Then, he was whisked away and the story began to unfold.

The Winters in Bloom is a novel that explores not only the disappearance of Michael, but the past histories of his parents. Both are overly cautious for reasons of their own. For David Winter, it was tragedy of one kind, and for Kyra, tragedy of another. And both their pasts intersect in a twisting, winding turn of events that had me guessing until the end of the book.

While I enjoyed very much the “unputdownable” nature of The Winters in Bloom, I do have a bone to pick with it, however. The introduction of the book gave me this awesome, fantastic character in Michael and, aside from a few moments here and there throughout the story, there really wasn’t much more time spent with him. As a result, what time there was spent with him seemed a bit gimmicky – like he was fairly one-dimensional and, as a result, the end of the book came off as a bit fake. I wanted to feel a powerful emotion of some sort when I got to the ending pages, but instead, I found myself speeding up my reading just because I wanted to finish and had lost that momentum of caring about Michael after the big reveal of who did it happened.

With that said, the rest of the book leading up to the reveal? Kept me guessing and was highly entertaining.

Check out what these bloggers had to say!

Teresa’s Reading Corner | Romancing the Book | That’s What She Read

 

 

 

Lydia
19 May, 2013
Contemporary, Mystery, reviews
0 comments
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Book Review: Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley

Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley

  • Method of Obtaining: I received my copy from the publisher.
  • Published by:  Delacorte Press
  • Release Date:   1/29/2013
        

Eleven-year-old amateur detective and ardent chemist Flavia de Luce is used to digging up clues, whether they’re found among the potions in her laboratory or between the pages of her insufferable sisters’ diaries. What she is not accustomed to is digging up bodies. Upon the five-hundredth anniversary of St. Tancred’s death, the English hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey is busily preparing to open its patron saint’s tomb. Nobody is more excited to peek inside the crypt than Flavia, yet what she finds will halt the proceedings dead in their tracks: the body of Mr. Collicutt, the church organist, his face grotesquely and inexplicably masked. Who held a vendetta against Mr. Collicutt, and why would they hide him in such a sacred resting place? The irrepressible Flavia decides to find out. And what she unearths will prove there’s never such thing as an open-and-shut case.

I also recommend:

My Review:

I broke my own rule by picking up Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley – but I just couldn’t help it. You see, I’d seen this series on the bookshelves but never took the plunge, even though I love, love, love the cover art. A young girl detective combined with a mystery (not my normal go-to genre) and all I could think was that it would be cliche and… well, silly.

So was it those things? Yes and no. The first plus was that I was easily able to dive into the book and did not feel as if I was being left out of anything having not read the previous books in the series. The second was that Flavia de Luce is just so dang cute. I couldn’t help but laugh and marvel at her smarts, her wit, and her hilarious way of naming (and treating) her bicycle.

As a mystery, Speaking from Among the Bones was average. There wasn’t any great surprises or revelations and I didn’t walk away feeling as if I’d just had my mind blown by the level of intricate details – but Flavia’s methods of solving the mystery and her hobbies had just enough charm to make me think of this book as a cozy mystery. It was fun to pass the hours with and I felt satisfied when I put the book down. So while I may not be rushing out to read all of the backlog of the series, I am content in knowing I’ve read one and enjoyed it. I think if I was more of a mystery person that feeling of needing to read might be more present – but still, it’s high praise that I enjoyed this book especially when I was uncertain that the insides might be as enjoyable as the cover outside.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Cozy Little Book Journal | You Book Me All Night Long | Mysteries Etc. 

 

 

Lydia
24 January, 2013
Cozy, Crime, Mystery, reviews
1 comment
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Book Review: The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon

The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon

  • Method of Obtaining: I received my copy from the publisher.
  • Published by: William Morrow
  • Release Date:  1/2/2013
        

The summer of 1985 changed Reggie’s life. Thirteen, awkward, and without a father, she finds herself mixed up with her school’s outcasts-Charlie, the local detective’s son, and Tara, a goth kid who has a mental hold over Reggie and harbors a dark secret. That same summer a serial killer called Neptune begins kidnapping women. He leaves their severed hands on the police department steps and, five days later, displays their bodies around town. Just when Reggie needs her mother Vera-an ex-model with many “boyfriends” and a thirst for gin-the most, Vera’s hand is found on the steps. But after five days, there’s no body and Neptune disappears.

Now a successful architect who left her hometown behind after that horrific summer, Reggie doesn’t trust anyone and lives with few attachments. But when she gets a call from a homeless shelter saying that her mother has been found alive, Reggie must confront the ghosts of her past and find Neptune before he kills again.

Reason for Reading:
  • I’ve read Jennifer McMahon before and was interested in seeing what she has coming out.

I also recommend:

 

My Review:

The One I Left Behind is the second of Jennifer McMahon’s books that I’ve read and I have to say that, although I’m not a big fan of the suspense/mystery genre, McMahon does have a way of capturing my attention and propelling me quickly through her stories.

The One I Left Behind has two central themes: the first being that of the suspense/mystery – someone named “Neptune” is out there cutting the right hand off of women and then murdering them shortly after. The second theme is that of the relationship between a daughter and her mother (and aunt). There’s some issues there that, through the course of the book, need to be addressed and resolved.

McMahon continues to do what she does best in this book. She offers a no-frills, romping ride through clues and scary circumstances while offering glimpses into the life of her main character, Reggie, and letting her readers see how that character develops over time. Past and present are both touched and are pulled together in the end to provide a fun, interesting twist of events that (although somewhat predictable) was fun and fulfilling.

While this might prove a bit boring to someone who is thoroughly immersed in the genre, to someone like me who has spent very little time there in the past few years, it was new, fun, and something different to read. Also, I didn’t feel at any point like I was being treated like an idiot – which is why I had veered away from the genre to begin with.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

MarindaRue Can Read | The Book Pod | Minding Spot

Lydia
4 January, 2013
Contemporary, Mystery, reviews, Suspense/Thriller
5 comments
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Broken Harbor by Tana French

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Reason for Reading:
  • I’m a huge fan of Tana French.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

“Scorcher” Kennedy, the brash cop from Tana French’s bestsellingFaithful Place, plays by the book and plays hard. That’s what’s made him the Murder squad’s top detective—and that’s what puts the biggest case of the year into his hands.
On one of the half-built, half-abandoned “luxury” developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children are dead. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care.
At first, Scorcher and his rookie partner, Richie, think it’s going to be an easy solve. But too many small things can’t be explained. The half dozen baby monitors, their cameras pointing at holes smashed in the Spains’ walls. The files erased from the Spains’ computer. The story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder who was slipping past all the locks.
And Broken Harbor holds memories for Scorcher. Seeing the case on the news sends his sister Dina off the rails again, and she’s resurrecting something that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control: what happened to their family one summer at Broken Harbor, back when they were children.

My Review:

Tana French is my go-to gal for mystery, suspense, solid characters, and fantastic story-telling. In Broken Harbor she returns, once again, to tell a gritty, hard story and this time she’s focused on “Scorcher” Kennedy and his rookie partner, Richie.

Scorcher made an appearance in French’s last book, Faithful Place, but you are not required to read her previous books to jump into this one – which is one of the strengths of this series. Each book focuses on a character that is thoroughly explored … but not only is that character development happening, a murder is being investigated as well.

Broken Harbor deals with a particularly brutal case. A family of four was targeted and Scorcher and Richie have their work cut out for them. I got what I’ve come to expect from Tana French, twisting and turning, terse dialogue, unexpected developments, and … something very strange. What I love most about French is that she doesn’t feel the need to answer every question – she understands that some things the imagination should be free to do with as it will, and mine is still running in circles around some of the developments of the case Scorcher was up against.

In a world where we are inundated with books by “big names” churning out a book every 3 months or so (it seems), it’s refreshing to pick up a book like this and know that there will be a quality story inside. And coming from me – someone who really doesn’t read a lot of mystery any longer, that’s big praise.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

The Windy Pages | Because I Love to Hear Myself Type | Cool Books

Lydia
31 July, 2012
Favorites, Mystery, reviews, Suspense/Thriller
1 comment
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The Pigeon Pie Mystery by Julia Stuart

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Reason for Reading:

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Summary from GoodReads:

When Indian Princess Alexandrina is left penniless by the sudden death of her father, the Maharaja of Brindor, Queen Victoria grants her a grace-and-favor home in Hampton Court Palace. Though rumored to be haunted, Alexandrina and her lady’s maid, Pooki, have no choice but to take the Queen up on her offer.
Aside from the ghost sightings, Hampton Court doesn’t seem so bad. The princess is soon befriended by three eccentric widows who invite her to a picnic with all the palace’s inhabitants, for which Pooki bakes a pigeon pie. But when General-Major Bagshot dies after eating said pie, and the coroner finds traces of arsenic in his body, Pooki becomes the #1 suspect in a murder investigation.
Princess Alexandrina isn’t about to let her faithful servant hang. She begins an investigation of her own, and discovers that Hampton Court isn’t such a safe place to live after all.
With her trademark wit and charm, Julia Stuart introduces us to an outstanding cast of lovable oddballs, from the palace maze-keeper to the unconventional Lady Beatrice (who likes to dress up as a toucan—don’t ask), as she guides us through the many delightful twists and turns in this fun and quirky murder mystery. Everyone is hiding a secret of the heart, and even Alexandrina may not realize when she’s caught in a maze of love.

My Review:

The Pigeon Pie Mystery. Look at that name. Now think about it – maybe you will come to the same conclusion I did at first: the mystery must be about who, on earth, would eat pigeon pie?

However, that is not the mystery contained within the pages of this insanely witty, very dry, very British book about the HH Princess Alexandrina (Mink) and her maid from India, “Pooki”. I don’t read a lot of mysteries these days, and when I do I stick to authors that I’ve found through a (very painful) process that I have honed over the last few years. I don’t like sensationalism, but I do like interesting character development – the more quirks the better.

Julia Stuart’s writing reminds me a bit of Alexander McCall Smith’s. But while his writing tends to be about developing the same characters and providing thoughtful insights into life in Botswana, Stuart’s writing veers more toward bringing out the ridiculous in those we see around us. She’s a fantastic mix of the more outgoing of Austen’s awkward situations and McCall Smith’s lovable characters. I don’t know how to describe it better than that.

So, having loved The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise with all its eccentricities and, having been moved to tears more than once (both from laughter and sorrow), I jumped on Stuart’s new novel faster than you can say Victoria and Albert.

For the last two days I have savoured this novel (look at me, spelling with extra vowels now). I’ve giggled and enjoyed every quirk – from ghosts to murder mysteries to monkeys to ill-fitting trousers on amorous doctors. And while I’m a bit disappointed that there wasn’t the same level of bitter-sweetness in The Pigeon Pie Mystery, I hereby deem it a novel worthy to be read – but only by those who appreciate good, dry British humour (and don’t mind picking up an extra vowel or two).

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Coffee Addicted Writer | CMash Loves to Read | Brodart’sVibe Blog

Lydia
25 July, 2012
Mystery, reviews
2 comments
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Never Tell by Alafair Burke

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Reason for Reading:
  • Received an email letting me know about this title and took the bait – it looked good!

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Sixteen-year-old Julia Whitmire appeared to have everything: a famous father, a luxurious Manhattan townhouse, a coveted spot at the elite Casden prep school. When she is found dead in her bathtub, a handwritten suicide note left on her bed, her parents insists that their daughter would never take her own life.

But Julia’s enviable life was more complicated than it seemed. The pressure to excel at Casden was enormous. Abuse of prescription anti-depressants and drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity ran rampant among students; an unlabeled bottle of pills in Julia’s purse suggests she had succumbed to the trend. And a search of Julia’s computer reveals that in the days leading up to her death, she was engaged in a dangerous game of cyberbullying against an unlikely victim.

NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher is convinced the case is a suicide, but she knows from personal experience that a loving family can be the last to accept the truth. When the Whitmires use their power to force a criminal investigation, Ellie’s resistance causes trouble for her both at work and in her personal life.

As she is pressured to pursue a case she doesn’t believe in, she is pulled into Julia’s inner circle—an eclectic mix of overly precocious teenagers from Manhattan’s most privileged families as well as street kids she met in Greenwich Village. But when the target of Julia’s harassment continues to receive death threats, Ellie is forced to acknowledge that Julia may have learned the hard way that some secrets should never be told.

My Review:

Never Tell was my first experience with the writing of Alafair Burke. I decided to pick up this book on a whim, because lately I’ve been craving a bit of good crime fiction – mostly because it’s what I used to read voraciously back in the day and I rarely get to it (although Tana French is fantastic and will always be high on my list).

I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw in this book. Gone is the super-sexy, put-together crime detective that I’d come to expect with these types of books (think Kate Beckett on Castle) – and instead I was given Ellie – a detective with more than just flaws in her background. She makes mistakes, and she has to live with those mistakes and that’s what pushed this book above the churned out crime books that I’ve experienced in the past.

Never Tell is the story of a 16 year old suicide – but was it suicide? Wealth, power, technology, deceit, lies – everything factors into this story, which is, by the way, sectioned into nice headings which let you know which person Ellie is currently after.

I thoroughly enjoyed the ride this book took me on. Honestly, I had no idea “who done it,” and didn’t really care until the end because I was just sitting back and getting a thrill from the ride.

My one complaint is that this book is labeled as a suspense novel and never once did I get that feeling of suspense. There were no real moments when I was thinking of biting my nails, and when I think suspense books – that’s what I think about doing because sadly, I am a nail-biter. Other than that though, I recommend Never Tell – especially if you are a fan of crime fiction … but who am I kidding? I bet you already know about Alafair Burke!

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Wendi’s Book Reviews | Genre Go Round Reviews | Book Reviews & More by Kathy

Lydia
23 June, 2012
Contemporary, Crime, Mystery, reviews
0 comments
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The Technologists by Matthew Pearl

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Reason for Reading:
  • A mystery solved by the first class of MIT looked like it might just be interesting.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Boston, 1868. The Civil War may be over but a new war has begun, one between the past and the present, tradition and technology. On a former marshy wasteland, the daring Massachusetts Institute of Technology is rising, its mission to harness science for the benefit of all and to open the doors of opportunity to everyone of merit. But in Boston Harbor a fiery cataclysm throws commerce into chaos, as ships’ instruments spin inexplicably out of control. Soon after, another mysterious catastrophe devastates the heart of the city. Is it sabotage by scientific means or Nature revolting against man’s attempt to control it?

The shocking disasters cast a pall over M.I.T. and provoke assaults from all sides—rival Harvard, labor unions, and a sensationalistic press. With their first graduation and the very survival of their groundbreaking college now in doubt, a band of the Institute’s best and brightest students secretly come together to save innocent lives and track down the truth, armed with ingenuity and their unique scientific training.

Led by “charity scholar” Marcus Mansfield, a quiet Civil War veteran and one-time machinist struggling to find his footing in rarefied Boston society, the group is rounded out by irrepressible Robert Richards, the bluest of Beacon Hill bluebloods; Edwin Hoyt, class genius; and brilliant freshman Ellen Swallow, the Institute’s lone, ostracized female student. Working against their small secret society, from within and without, are the arrayed forces of a stratified culture determined to resist change at all costs and a dark mastermind bent on the utter destruction of the city.

My Review:

Frankly, if it wasn’t for one nagging thing, I’d give The Technologists by Matthew Pearl a full-on five star review. It was (nearly) everything I look for in a mystery/suspense book – fascinating, documented historical happenings, lively characters, strange and unusual events, unsympathetic treatment of the “bad guy,” twists and turns, and a push against the stereotypical treatment of women of the times.

So what is that one nagging thing keeping me back from full-on ranting and raving? Well – it’s a simple thing really…

The story took forever to gain momentum. Seriously, 150 pages in and I was wondering when something, anything, was going to start to pull together. I understand that a good mystery needs a solid foundation, for all the bare bones to be put together in a way that will make for an explosive ending, but I couldn’t figure out what the heck was going on until the Technologists club was formed.

Now, once that club was formed things began to make sense. Marcus Mansfield was a fantastic lead character. He had a sympathetic background story, set in the Civil War (which makes it doubly interesting). He wasn’t a “rich boy,” rather a guy that was making it on his own. He was inquisitive, insightful, and an all around great character.

Hammie, the clueless rich kid was also great – I never knew where I, as the reader, was supposed to stand with regard to his placement in the group until the end of the story. Bob Richards showed remarkable growth in character, Edwin Hoyt fulfilled his role perfectly, and then there was Ellen Swallow.

Oh people, how I loved this character. A chemist, Ellen Swallow attends MIT in the company of a school filled with men, and she keeps to her own for very good reasons. However, she might just be the smartest one in the group and how I loved the wit and wisdom she brought to the group.

I do recommend this one, but understand that good things take time to mature. The end result is worthwhile (it surprised me, I didn’t see it coming!), and most of all, the afterward by the author about the history of MIT is worth the read in and of itself.

 

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

S. Krishna’s Books | Literary Magic | Under My Apple Tree

Lydia
15 June, 2012
Historical, Literary Fiction, Mystery, reviews
7 comments
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The Unseen by Katherine Webb

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Reason for Reading:

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

England, 1911. The Reverend Albert Canning, a vicar with a passion for spiritualism, leads a happy existence with his naive wife Hester in a sleepy Berkshire village. As summer dawns, their quiet lives are changed for ever by two new arrivals. First comes Cat, the new maid: a free-spirited and disaffected young woman sent down from London after entanglements with the law. Cat quickly finds a place for herself in the secret underbelly of local society as she plots her escape. Then comes Robin Durrant, a leading expert in the occult, enticed by tales of elemental beings in the water meadows nearby. A young man of magnetic charm and beauty, Robin soon becomes an object of fascination and desire. During a long spell of oppressive summer heat, the rectory at Cold Ash Holt becomes charged with ambition, love and jealousy; a mixture of emotions so powerful that it leads, ultimately, to murder.

My Review:

Oh Katherine Webb, what are you doing to me? You take some of the most delicious, fantastic ideas and put them into a story that I cannot resist and then you mix it with the most frustrating, aggravating details. But I can’t stop reading and I struggle with myself because I want to give your story five stars, but then there are so many little nagging elements that drag it down for me!

Okay, now that the rant is out of the way, let me tell you what I loved and what I hated about The Unseen.

First of all – mystery in 1911/2011 England? Yes please. Throw in mildly supernatural elements, prim and prissy Victorian-style husband and wife, maid with a bad-girl vibe, and shyster and it’s the recipe for a delicious, dark, romantic English story.

What Katherine Webb does remarkably well is set her story up. I loved Cat and her addition to the household, I loved the dynamics between Hester and her husband, and the little scraps of letters which served as a catalyst to move the story forward. I loved the romance which flares up and the backbone Cat displays and the slowly unraveling story of what happened in Cat’s background. Everything about each one of these things was perfectly paced and beautifully described. I couldn’t ask for more.

Here’s what I hated though, and though these were BIG things for me during the reading, upon reflection they are just nagging, I really wish she would have done better because I believe she could have! I felt as if Webb was underestimating the intelligence of her reader a bit. The entire 2011 setting was boring, and frankly toward the end of the book I was actually tempted (although I didn’t) to skim or just skip it completely. I felt as if it’s sole purpose was to give us a reason to investigate the story and that the book would have been completely fine without it. There was no real resolution that made it absolutely necessary.

Also I was a bit confused about how detailed a 100 year old corpse could be when it was found. Maybe I just don’t know enough about corpses – so I’ll leave that one be.

I think a lot of the things that bothered me about this book also bothered me in The Legacy by Katherine Webb, so I’m wondering if it’s just her style of writing. If you like authors such as Kate Morton, I think it’s possible you will love Webb’s books as well, just don’t expect the same level of story-crafting that is available in Morton’s books.

 

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Leeswammes | Peeking Between the Pages| S. Krishna’s Books


Lydia
5 June, 2012
Historical, Mystery, reviews
6 comments
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Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear

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Reason for Reading:
  • I’m a huge fan of Maisie Dobbs.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

t’s Christmas Eve 1931. On the way to see a client, Maisie Dobbs witnesses a man commit suicide on a busy London street. The following day, the prime minister’s office receives a letter threatening a massive loss of life if certain demands are not met—and the writer mentions Maisie by name. After being questioned and cleared by Detective Chief Superintendent Robert MacFarlane of Scotland Yard’s elite Special Branch, she is drawn into MacFarlane’s personal fiefdom as a special adviser on the case. Meanwhile, Billy Beale, Maisie’s trusted assistant, is once again facing tragedy as his wife, who has never recovered from the death of their young daughter, slips further into melancholia’s abyss. Soon Maisie becomes involved in a race against time to find a man who proves he has the knowledge and will to inflict death and destruction on thousands of innocent people. And before this harrowing case is over, Maisie must navigate a darkness not encountered since she was a nurse in wards filled with shell-shocked men.

My Review:

I’m not much of a mystery reader – I’ll be the first to admit that, after reading mysteries for years, they become a bit predictable for me.

The exception to that, however, is a well-researched historical mystery, and Jacqueline Winspear offers this decadent, perfect combination of mystery, fantastic heroine, and historical accuracy that is hard to resist.

I’ve only read a few of the Maisie Dobbs stories (and oddly out of order, so don’t let not having #1 stop you from reading them!) and they are really, really easy to get into and very hard to put down. I feel like I’m cheating on my homework every time I picked this book up – even though my homework was done! just because I was enjoying myself so thoroughly.

I really enjoyed the plot of Among the Mad. I’m reviewing this for a book tour, and took a chance and let the tour host pick my title for me, and I am thoroughly pleased with how that Russian Roulette turned out.

If you haven’t experienced the Maisie Dobbs stories, I recommend you do so as soon as possible – even if you aren’t a mystery lover. I think you’ll find there’s a little bit of everything for everyone in these books.


About the Author

For more reviews on The Maisie Dobbs Tour, please follow the book tour.  Follow the #Maisie Twitter chats which are starting on 3/8 with Nancy Pearl

 

 

Lydia
9 March, 2012
Historical, Mystery, reviews
3 comments
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Gillespie and I by Jane Harris

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Reason for Reading:
  • The reviews got me on this one – as well as the description.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

As she sits in her Bloomsbury home, with her two birds for company, elderly Harriet Baxter sets out to relate the story of her acquaintance, nearly four decades previously, with Ned Gillespie, a talented artist who never achieved the fame that she maintains he deserved.

It would appear that I am to be the first to write a book on Gillespie. Who, if not me, was dealt that hand?

Back in 1888, the young, art-loving Harriet arrives in Glasgow at the time of the International Exhibition. After a chance encounter, she befriends the Gillespie family and soon becomes a fixture in all of their lives. But when tragedy strikes – leading to a notorious criminal trial – the promise and certainties of this world all too rapidly disintegrate into mystery and deception.

My Review:

Gillespie and I is one of those rare books where all those raving reviews? They are spot on.

There are so many things I want to praise about this book. So let’s start with the title – it’s perfect. It’s eye-catching, it inspires curiosity, and it’s quirky enough to be completely unique.

Then there’s the cover – perfectly fitting the story, and – frankly, it’s gorgeous. The color palette, the arrangement of symbols, it’s all just plain perfect.

Now.. the insides of this beautiful book..

So many twists and turns, y’all. I loved, loved, loved where this story took me. Instead of a cliche love story, I got a fascinating mystery that involved absolutely no love story at all and it was so incredibly perfect. The style of narration kept me on the edge of my seat, and the twists – I’m not even joking I shivered right now because they are so delicious.

I’m not much of a mystery lover, but I’ll tell you right now – this is a book that would have me converting to reading the mystery genre full-time if more were like it.

About the Author

For more reviews on Gillespie and I by Jane Harris, please follow the book tour.

 

 

Lydia
15 February, 2012
Historical, Mystery, reviews
4 comments
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