A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

Posted on December 27, 2019 by bseat

Did you get some money for Christmas that you are not sure what spend on? ? A gift card from Amazon? Do you have some time now with family and friends gone, to curl up with a good book?  Well, do I have a recommendation for you! The Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny!

I first introduced you to Louise Penny and this series back in December of 2017, but if you somehow missed that post, or just forgot, I am reminding you again.  I cannot say enough good things about these books. they are soulful and connect deeply to the human condition and yet contain all the great qualities of the best mystery and detective novels. Penny is masterful in getting to the essence of her characters, and allows her recurring characters to grow, change and be impacted by their experiences in solving crimes. It is best to start at the beginning with A Still Life , but you will quickly want to read them all!

In this fourth book in the series, Gamache and his wife are on holiday at a resort to celebrate their anniversary. It is a small hotel and the remaining rooms are filled with a wealthy family having a reunion. But as the days pass, Gamache and his wife realize that this family is far from happy. From the stand offish, critical matriarch, to the three adult children who are competitive and resentful of each other, the dysfunction and bitterness just permeates every interaction.

Then something bizarre and horrific happens: the oldest daughter is killed when the statute they had erected in memory of their father, falls on top of her. At first it just seems like an terrible accident, but as Inspector Gamache and his team investigate it becomes clear that some malevolent force is at work.

There is so much more that I could say about these books, but really you have to read them to appreciate their greatness! These really are for everyone; even my husband who is not a fan of mystery novels likes these books, so what are you waiting for?

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend these Books to: Everyone

Book Study Worthy? Sure!

Read in ebook format.

 

Posted in Detective novel, Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Mystery, Series, Spiritual, Suspense | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

Posted on December 20, 2019 by bseat

The Christmas Box was the novella that launched Richard Paul Evans’ career.  Initially he wrote it for his daughters and printed out twenty copies which he gave to family and friends in 1993. It was one of those word of mouth phenomenons that has by now sold more than 8 million copies all over the world!  Evans has gone on to have quite a successful career and several of his books, including The Christmas Box, have become movies.

Although The Christmas Box might have benefited from some good editing, it is probably its very earnestness and “straight from the heart” message that connected it with so many people. Written in the 1990’s when success, wealth, and consumerism were in over drive, this story hearkened its readers back to a time of simplicity and hope, reminding them that the real joy and message of Christmas could not be found or bought on store shelves.  A message that even now, some 36 years later seems very relevant.

Weaving the story of  the nativity with the story of a young family who lives with an elderly woman in her home, the Christmas box reveals long past secrets and new truths to a man who is caught up in achievement and success and has lost sight of the things that really matter. Something we could probably all benefit from hearing, especially at this time of year! I hope that this story will inspire you, as it has so many others, to remember what is true, loving and lasting as we celebrate with family and friends during this holiday season.

Wishing you all a joyous holiday season!

 

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A Long Time Coming by Aaron Elkins

Posted on December 13, 2019 by bseat

Things are not going well for Val Caruso. He just turned forty, his divorce to his second wife is now final and he has just been informed that his promotion to full curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has fallen through since the will which provided the endowment that would pay for his position is being contested. The outlook was indeed  bleak.

So when Val got a call from Esther Lindauer, the director of the Institute for the Recovery of Stolen Art, or IRSA, an organization that helped its clients recover art that had been looted or confiscated or otherwise forcibly taken during WWII, he was intrigued.  Maybe a little sleuthing for a good cause might help ameliorate the bleakness he was feeling.

The story was a familiar one. Mr. Solomon Bezecca of NY, now 90 some years old and in poor health, was trying to recover of two Renoir paintings that had been taken from his great grandfather’s home in Milan during the war. The paintings had dropped out of sight until 2013 when Sol’s niece had seen an article in the New York Times talking about a Milanese art dealer, Ulisse Agnello who now owned them after finding then in a flea market in Hungary. He had bought them for €90 because he liked the frames. The paintings themselves had been over painted and so were of not interest until Agnello had removed the frames and had then noticed that there were older paintings underneath. Bezecca had sued using the services of IRSA, but they eventually lost in the appeals court in Milan. What Lindauer wanted Val to do was to negotiate some kind of deal, so that Bezecca could keep the paintings “on loan” until he died. Val had previously negotiated such a deal for a woman and a Whistler, which he felt was sheer luck, but after hearing Lindauer”s persuasive pitch, Val agreed to try again while on his next business trip to Milan.

But as soon as Val arrives in Milan complications and danger seem to stalk him. The paintings are now owned by several people, the restoration of the paintings is taking much longer than expected and meetings after meetings are scheduled but for one reason or another the paintings’ stake holders never seem to show up together. Then while inspecting the paintings at the art restorer’s studio, thieves break in, steal the paintings and hit Val on the head knocking him unconscious. Shortly thereafter the original owner, Agnello, disappears and Val begins to realize that he must untangle the twisted web ownership while trying to avoid whoever is trying to stop him from uncovering the true story of the paintings.

Fun and different from the usual “who done it,” this story commanded your attention and kept you guessing to the very end!

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to? Marian and Sharon

Book Study Worthy? Sure.

Read in ebook format.

 

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The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre

Posted on December 6, 2019 by bseat

In 1973, Oleg Gordievsky, a Soviet intelligence agent became a double agent working for the British intelligence service, MI6.  Gordievsky was an unlikely spy since his parents were both KGB agents and he had lived a fairly affluent life with access to all the best education and opportunities the Soviet Union could provide. But after his first posting in London in 1968, he began to see through the lies he had been told about the West and disillusioned by the pervasive criminality in the Soviet system and decided he would do something about it.

After approaching the British in 1973 to convey his intetions to spy for them he begin to live a double life, never revealing his true identity to anyone. For the next ten years he worked himself up to the top position at the Soviet Embassy in London, privy to much important information regarding Soviet diplomatic strategy and military information which he passed onto the British. He was even responsible for creating briefing documents for Prime Minister Thatcher  and President Reagan to use in their preparations to meet Gorbachev!

Although the British carefully guarded the infomation garnered from Gordievsky sometimes they had to share information with their allies, like Finland or the Americans and their intelligence service, the CIA.  Soon the CIA became obsessed with finding out the identity of the British source so they could better assess the reliability and context of where the information originated. They assigned this task to none other than Aldrich Ames, who had just begun spying for the Soviets!

Completely unknown to the British or to the CIA itself, Ames begins to make inroads into determining the identity of this double agent and planned to reveal it to the KGB in order to prove his worth. Meanwhile, Gordievsky begins to suspect that all is not well and he must quickly decide whether to try and ride out any suspicion or whether he has actually been exposed and must now defect to the West.

Based on real events and interviews with the main actors, Macintrye has created what  John Le Carrè calls, “[t]he best true spy story I have ever read.” Alternating between vivid descriptions of  the risks Gordievsky took to get information and the high risk plan that the British agents implemented in order to rescue him, this book keeps you riveted to the very end!

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Sharon and Ken

Book Study worthy? Yes!

Read in ebook format.

 

Posted in American History, History, Non Fiction, Spy/Covert Operatives, Thriller | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Posted on November 29, 2019 by bseat

On the island of Jeju in S. Korea there are female divers called the haenyeo. They support their families by free diving, holding their breath between 1-2 minutes and diving 20 to 40 feet below the water, to harvest seaweed, fish, abalone, sea cucumbers, starfish and other delicacies from beneath the sea. They do this for 6- 7 hours a day when the ocean and weather is favorable, approximately 18 days a month.

Young-sook is a Jeju Island haenyeo, and in her eighties she is one of the oldest and  most experienced divers on the island. When she was young Jeju Island was isolated and remote from the mainland. Now however, in 2008, it has become a tourist destination and haenyeo and their way of life are considered a cultural heritage to be protected. So Young-sook is not surprised when a tourist family approaches her. What is surprising, however, is that they ask her about a woman named Mi-ja. When she rebuffs them, they show her pictures of a haenyeo, displaying her catch to the camera. Young-sook is shocked to see this women in the photograph, but she shakes her head and acts like she doesn’t know anything. The tourist woman claims that the woman in the photograph is her grandmother but Young-sook refuses to talk with them any further and walks away. But she does know the woman in the photograph. It is her best friend Mi-ja and the memories that she had tried so hard to forget now come flooding back.

Mi-ja and Young-sook had been best friends, had joined a diving collective together and learned their skills together. Although Mi-ja was the daughter of Japanese collaborator, and was ostracized by many in the village to Young-sook it did not matter and they formed a close bond as they traveled to Russia and China to work as divers in the off season to provide for their families. But then everything changed in an instant and a betrayal so great with horrific consequences shattered their friendship.  Now Young-sook must confront this painful past and to open her heart to a part of the story that she had not known or understood.

This is a story of friendship and betrayal and of redemption and reconciliation. It is also cautionary tale about the dangers of being too certain about how right we are without trying to understand the other side of the story.

See is a great story teller and she weaves the history of Jeju Island and Korea into this fascinating story of the culture and lives of the haenyeo. Young-sook is an especially vivid character, spirited and yet grounded, growing from a young girl in to a stalwart matriarch of her clan. See is able to deftly weave the history into the lives of Young -sook and her family as they deal with Japanese colonization, WWII, the US occupation, and the growing fears of communist influence which led to the Korean War and the horrific war crimes perpetuated on Jeju Island and its inhabitants all in the name of preventing communism from gaining a foot hold in Korea. Along with this historical narrative, See also gives us insight into the daily lives of the haenyeo and their semi-matriarchal culture and the unique shamanistic beliefs and rituals that guided their lives. I was mesmerized by this rich and beautiful story!

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 Out Of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian, Ken and Keith

Book Study Worthy? Yes!

Read in ebook format.

 

 

 

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Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Posted on November 22, 2019 by bseat

Deep in the marshes and bayous near Barkley Cove, North Carolina is where the “Marsh Girl” lived. The people of the town knew of her-the abandoned girl named Kya Clark, who lived in a ramshackle hut that was only accessible by water. They tried to “do the Christian thing” and get her into school but she resisted these efforts mightily until they too abandoned her to her own devices. She grew her own food, going into town only for necessities and lived off the abundance of the marsh and fish rich waters of the bayou. She traveled by boat to get where she needed to go and she taught herself about the land, the water, the flora and fauna of the bayou. It was a rich if somewhat lonely life.

Only a few people ever cracked that hard shell of Kya’s independence. One was Tate Walker who taught her to read, and shared her enthusiasm for the natural world. They spent countless hours together and he brought her numerous books on science and biology for her to read as she became more entranced with the ecosystem all around her. She used her natural talent for drawing to catalogue and capture the inhabitants of the marshes and waterways she loved. And then Tate left for college and seemingly abandoned her.

Into that void stepped Chase Andrews, the scion of one the richest families in the area. He and Kya spent time together as well until he married a more suitable young woman and Kya was abandoned again.

Then in late 1969 Chase Andrews’ body is found at the bottom of the large watch tower in the middle of the marsh and immediately the town and the police are convinced that the Marsh Girl must have killed Chase. Now, for the first time Kya must depend on others to save her own life while learning to recognize that she is not alone.

Brenda’s Rating:***** (5 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Everyone!

Book study worthy? Yes!

Read in ebook format.

 

Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, Legal Procedural, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Prize Winner, Psychological Mystery | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Fever of 1721: The Epidemic That Revolutionized Medicine and American Politics by Stephen Coss

Posted on November 15, 2019 by bseat

I love history when original documents are used to tell the story, letting us see what people were thinking, saying and letting us see how those thoughts played out in their actions. In The Fever of 1721, Coss does just that. Using diaries, news papers, pamphlets, letters, and government documents, Coss weaves a startling narrative about the fever of revolution that began to burn brightly during that year and the fever of small pox which hit Boston with such devastating force came together and fostered the fever of and American revolution.

The key players in our story are Cotton Mather, a Puritan minister, forever tarnished by his involvement with the Salem witch trials some 30 years earlier, Zabdiel Boylston, a doctor who having been convinced of the safety and efficacy of inoculation began using the procedure, first on his own children and slaves, and then on the general public to the consternation of more conservative doctors and government officials and James Franklin, who with his brother Ben Franklin were struggling to establish their printing business by creating a weekly newspaper that documented the struggles of the colony of Boston as they defied their English appointed governor even while suffering the devastating affects of the small pox epidemic.

The small pox epidemic highlighted the dysfunction of royal governance in the colony of Boston. England would send a governor to Boston and the colonists were expected to pay him, (mostly through a tax on tea, thus the Boston Tea Party was not only a revolt against taxes, but a revolt against having to pay the governor’s salary) but the governor whose loyalties were to England would often take positions that were contrary to the interests of the colony. Elisha Cooke, a savvy politician and a heavy drinker, began building a coalition, a voting block that would oppose and vote against the power of the governor, thwarting the governor’s efforts to create a docile and money making operation for England.  Cooke’s ability to create a block of voters, giving them more political power, would eventually culminate in the group known as the Sons’ of Liberty who would ultimately spearhead the revolt from English rule.

James Franklin also contributed to the political climate by writing philosophical pieces advocating freedom of thought, the right to disagree with those who hold political office. While Franklin was ultimately on the wrong side of the inoculation debate, his paper published accounts of the small pox epidemic, called out government officials who had tried to hide the fact of the contagion and in other ways used the power of the press to hold officials accountable. His vigor in defending the right of the colonists to decide their own political fate without oppression and his feverish defense of the free press laid the groundwork for the demands that were later incorporated into the Declaration of Independence.

This was a fascinating book, filled with the seeds of ideas that we now recognize as the basis of our Constitution but which at the time were radical and new. Sometimes we forget that 1776 did not just happen overnight, but that many people contributed, engaged, stood up and spoke out, often at great personal cost and we are now the beneficiaries of their articulated longings and courage.

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Everyone!

Book Study Worthy? YES!

Read in ebook format.

 

 

 

Posted in American History, History, Non Fiction | Tagged | 1 Comment

The William Marshall Series by Elizabeth Chadwick

Posted on November 8, 2019 by bseat

William Marshall is known historically as England’s greatest knight. A skillful swordsman and warrior who was able to elicit unwavering loyalty from the men who followed him, Marshall was an acknowledged leader of his time. He also became a skillful statesman who served and was the power behind five English thrones.

When John FitzGilbert, William’s father, made the fateful choice to back Empress Matilda rather than King Stephen, life became very difficult for his family during what become know as The Anarchy. When King Stephen finally asserted control of England, Matilda’s supporters were considered traitors to the crown, and at age six, William was taken hostage by King Stephen as surety for his own father’s good behavior. His father ever defiant is famously quoted as saying that he had the “anvil and iron” to forge even better children as William is led away. Those were some of the last words William ever heard his father say.

From that ill fated beginning, William begins to forge his own life. Although penniless, William was able to be come a soldier of some repute and when, by chance, he saves the life of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, his life takes a dramatic turn. Grateful for his help, Queen Eleanor appoints William to tutor the heir to the throne, Prince Henry. this should have been an easy time for William but Prince Henry became impatient and defied  his own father, King Henry II. William, despite his reservations, continues to serve Prince Henry loyally and faithfully honoring his oath until the prince’s untimely death.  King Henry, is furious and heartbroken at his son’s defiance, but does not seem to hold William to blame and instead is grateful for William’s faithful and honorable service to his son. Escaping what might have been certain death for treason, William Marshall lives on to become one of the most powerful men in England.

This ability to see what was required by honor and rather than follow what seemed  expedient seems to have been William Marshall’s special gift. Throughout his remarkable life William was presented with numerous opportunties to choose between  honor, wealth or power and somehow he was able to remain faithful, loyal and honorable  throughout his life.

Elizabeth Chadwick, is a well known author in England whose books are now becoming more readily available here. Like Sharon Kay Penman, Anya Seton, Phillipa Gregory or Jean Plaidy, her books are remarkably well researched and are full of the most interesting details of  daily life and culture in the 13th century. Her characters are vibrant, and over the course of these six books we see William Marshall grow from childhood, manhood and on into full maturity and old age. Her ability to hold his personality and essence intact throughout the scope of his life is quite remarkable.

William Marshall left an indelible imprint on the world. Not only was he partially responsible for the Magna Carta, his descendents included the Stuart kings of England and Scotland and also George Washington and Winston Churchill!

If you love historic fiction then I highly recommend these six books, A Place Beyond Courage, The Greatest Knight. The Scarlet Lion, For the King’s Favor, To Defy a King, and Templar Silks, as well as many other books by Chadwick.

Brenda’s Rating ****(4 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon and Marian

Book Study Worthy? Yes!

Read in ebook format.

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The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen

Posted on November 1, 2019 by bseat

Joanna Langley returns from London to her family home in the countryside to arrange for her father’s funeral.  Estranged for many years, Joanna realizes there is much about her father that she does not know. Among his effects she comes across an unopened letter addressed by her father to a woman named Sofia Bartoli in Tuscany. Joanna knows that her father’s plane was shot down over Italy during WWII and that he always walked with a limp from the injury he sustained in the crash, but she had never heard him mention a woman named Sofia. The letter had been returned to her father, as “addressee unknown,” but the message inside galvanizes Joanna into postponing studying for the bar exam and instead go to Tuscany so she can find out more about her enigmatic father and what happened to him during the war.

When she finally arrives in the tiny remote village indicated in the address on the letter, Joanna is transported to a quieter, more gentle world than London. Here people tend their gardens, savor their food, drink wine and press their own olive oil.  She finds a room where she can stay and begins to ask questions about an Englishman whose plane crashed nearby and about a woman named Sofia Bartoli.  She soon finds that her innocent questions are disturbing to the villagers who are unwilling to talk about what happened during the war  while she is viewed with suspicion for dredging up a painful past. But Joanna persists, for she knows the cost of painful secrets and she is determined to find the answers she was never able to ask for while her father was still alive.

This was a lovely read, with mouth watering descriptions of simple Tuscan food! I wish the author had included recipes of the food she so lovingly described.  Although somewhat predictable, the characters were nicely developed and the descriptions of Tuscany and its countryside were lovely.

Brenda’s Rating: ***1/2 (3/1/2 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian and Sharon

Book Study Worthy? Sure, as long as you have some great Tuscan food to serve!

Read in ebook format

Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Girl In The Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz

Posted on October 25, 2019 by bseat

I loved Steig Larsson’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series with Lisbeth Salander as the incredibly broken but strong and smart heroine. When the dust finally settled after Larsson’s sudden death and a new writer was chosen to continue the series, I was skeptical.  It is an incredibly risky and tricky thing to ask another writer to take on another author’s vision, tone and style. But recently I broke down and read the first book by Lagercrantz and was pleasantly surprised.

Salander is on a mission to find her father, a Russian mobster and all around brutal misogynist, who tormented Salander, her mother sister. To follow his trail she penetrates the super secret computers at the headquarters of the NSA in Fort Meade Maryland, setting off alarms in the farthest reaches of the US government.

Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist is trying to save Millennium, the news magazine that he began. In spite of the magazine’s award winning journalism, it is now struggling financially and the new owner wants to change the focus towards fluffy celebrity focused stories rather than the hard hitting journalism that Blomkvist has staked his career on. One evening while he is mulling over what to do, Blomkvist gets a call from a reclusive scientist who is concerned that his artificial technology has fallen into the wrong hands. He asks Blomkvist to come to his home so they can talk, but before Blomkvist  can speak to him the scientist is killed by an intruder right in front of his autistic and disabled son.

Intrigued by his conversation, Blomkvist begins investigating and realizes that the scientist had been in contact with Salander and in fact it was she who had concluded that the scientist had been hacked and his AI technology stolen. Soon Blomkvist and Salander are working together to save the scientist’s autistic son and to protect the technology from falling in to the wrong hands. With the US government trying to track the hacker who breached their system and a beautiful but deadly woman getting in their way, Salander and Blomkvist must evade and distract as they try to untangle this deadly web of violence, corruption and deceit.

Lagercrantz does a fine job of carrying on the legacy of  Larsson. He has treated the main characters with care and respect maintaining their integrity while allowing them to grow and develop. Although I missed the soulfulness of Larsson, Lagercrantz has the potential to grow into his own voice and may, in the future, be able to offer a depth of his own. I look forward to reading Lagercrantz and his vision for this unique series.

Brenda’s Rating: ***1/2 (3 1/2 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian and Sharon

Book Study Worthy? Sure

Read in ebook format

 

 

 

Posted in Fiction, Mystery, Series, Suspense, Thriller | Tagged , | 1 Comment