Veronika Jordan's Blog, page 5

Murder At The Lunatic’s Ball by R S Leonard

A Victorian asylum. A woman imprisoned. A deadly secret.

England, 1875. London journalist, Harris Mortimer, visits a Hampshire lunatic asylum to investigate society’s treatment of the insane, only to find himself in a fateful encounter with a beautiful woman claiming to be wrongly incarcerated.

Horrified by a series of murders, he soon becomes drawn into the strange world of the asylum and begins to wonder who is truly mad and who is sane.

#MurderAtTheLunaticsBall X/Twitter #RSLeonard  #RandomThingsTours  @annecater 
@RandomTTours #booktwitter 
Instagram #RSLeonard @randomthingstours #bookstagram #blogtour

Back in London, Harris meets Nancy Carter, a young woman striving to become a music hall star. Nancy’s shocking act, based on madness and murder, has uncanny parallels with Harris’s recent experiences in Hampshire.

Is it all just a coincidence? To what lengths will one person go to exact their revenge?

As the fates of Harris and Nancy intertwine, they are about to discover the terrible consequences of uncovering the truth.

Music, madness and murder collide in this thrilling historical mystery for fans of Stacey Halls, Jessie Burton and Elizabeth Macneal. A perfect book club fiction selection, Murder at the Lunatics’ Ball discusses themes of social control, the female lunatic stereotype, and the struggle by women to earn their bread and find their voice in Victorian England.

My Review

I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did, but it was just brilliant. I loved every minute. It’s shocking to discover the things they did in the asylums in the late 1800s (and continued to do so for many years to come).

Women, of course had the worst of it. Any ‘issues’ and they were immediately considered neurotic, suffering from Ophelia syndrome (based on Hamlet’s Ophelia declining into madness when jilted) or from erotomania. The latter could, at the extreme, involve a ‘cure’ called a clitoridectomy that was similar to female genital mutilation – GFM – as we know it today. Oh yes, we did these things as well. Thank goodness it was rarely carried out.

My mother had a lobotomy in the early 1950s (I apologise as I’ve mentioned this before), another horrific practice: “The goal was to reduce the intensity of emotions, calm erratic behavior, and make patients more manageable…..but could lead to personality changes, intellectual deterioration, and even death due to complications.” The practice was discontinued thankfully.

In Murder At The Lunatic’s Ball, young, beautiful, talented Titania Rosetti has been admitted to the asylum. She has chosen this path for reasons that are unknown throughout the majority of the book. When she wants to leave, she says she is being prevented, and throws herself on the mercy of London journalist, Harris Mortimer, who is visiting the asylum to write an article for The Times newspaper. Some of his views regarding women are pretty suspect to say the least. Women have to be clean and pure, yet he spends half his time ministering to a man’s needs, involving prostitutes and bawdy houses.

The action then moves to London, where Nancy Carter, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Titania, is trying desperately to become a music hall star, her shocking act based on the madness and murder at the asylum.

I am fascinated by Victorian Britain, its Gothic mysteries, and the treatment of its women, and read a lot of books in those genres, but Murder At The Lunatic’s Ball is quite unique. I loved it.

PS Made me laugh that Titania Rosetti and her friend Miss Millais are obviously made-up names but journalist Harris Mortimer doesn’t twig.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

R S Leonard was born in Cheshire, England, and after a long stint in London, then Hampshire, now lives back in her home county.

She’s always had a deep love of storytelling and history, inspired, no doubt, by her mum encouraging her to get the utmost out of the public library as a kid. She has a PhD in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture and MAs in Creative Writing and Victorian Studies. These inspired her recently-published second historical mystery novel, Murder at the Lunatics’ Ball, as well as her first, The Body, the Diamond and the Child. 

By day, she works in the non-profit sector.
rsleonardbooks.com | R S Leonard, Novelist
Dr Rachel S Leonard (@drrsleonard) • Instagram photos and videos

Kill Them With Kindness by Will Carver

The threat of nuclear war is no longer scary. This is much worse. It’s invisible. It works quickly. And it’s coming…

The scourge has already infected and killed half the population in China and it is heading towards the UK. There is no time to escape. The British government sees no way out other than to distribute ‘Dignity Pills’ to its citizens: One last night with family or loved ones before going to sleep forever … together. Because the contagion will kill you and the horrifying news footage shows that it will be better to go quietly.

#KillThemWithKindness X/Twitter @Will_Carver @OrendaBooks
#RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #booktwitter
Instagram @will_carver @orendabooks @randomthingstours #blogtour #CarverCult

Dr Haruto Ikeda, a Japanese scientist working at a Chinese research facility, wants to save the world. He has discovered a way to mutate a virus. Instead of making people sick, instead of causing death, it’s going to make them… nice.

Instead of attacking the lungs, it will work into the brain and increase the host’s ability to feel and show compassion. It will make people kind. But governments don’t want a population in agreement. They want conflict and outrage and fear. Reasonable people are harder to control.

Ikeda’s quest is thoughtful and noble, and it just might work. Maybe humanity can be saved.

Maybe it doesn’t have to be the end. But kindness may also be the biggest killer of all… But Grundleger has been working on something even more radical and is one step ahead, with a deadly surprise in store for them both…

My Review

Once the pandemic was over, I swore I would never read a book about Covid. But this is different. It’s Will Carver, so I made an exception. I’d read the telephone directory if he’d written it.

Not that this book is about Covid per se, but the parallels are there. Carver is obviously not a fan of politicians and is scathing about their greed and self-interest, particularly the prime minister Harris Jackson. Anyone who recognises themselves might be a bit worried. They should be.

This book is about a virus that would be unleashed on the world, and Japanese scientist Dr Haruto Ikeda is working on a vaccine. The vaccine would be ready before the virus takes hold, so governments could show how quick they were to respond, thus controlling the people. It’s about power. But Ikeda has actually mutated the virus to attack the brain rather than the respiratory system and make people nice. He calls it CompX. But the last thing politicians want is for everyone to love each other and be in agreement. Carnivorous chefs turning vegan and the super rich using their wealth to help others rather than buy another island.

But then something else happens and it’s far worse. It’s taken out half of China and is heading towards the UK. No-one knows what it is or how to stop it. It’s so horrific that the government is handing out Dignity pills, so families and friends can choose to die together peacefully.

Kill Them With Kindness is a horrific indictment of the Western world. It’s Noah’s Ark and who should be saved? Are we even worth saving?

And the final question. Would I take the dignity pill? I don’t think I would.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series and the critically acclaimed, mind-blowingly original Detective Pace series, which includes Good Samaritans (2018), Nothing Important Happened Today (2019) and Hinton Hollow Death Trip (2020), all of which were ebook bestsellers and selected as books of the year in the mainstream international press. Nothing Important Happened Today was longlisted for both the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2020 and the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. Hinton Hollow Death Trip was longlisted for the Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize, and was followed by the literary thrillers, The Beresford, Psychopaths Anonymous, The Daves Next Door, Suicide Thursday and Upstairs at the Beresford. Will spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He and his partner run their own fitness and nutrition company, and live in Reading with five children and a tortoise.

About Orenda Books

Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.

Passing Through by Jacqueline Dixon

Olsten Ryder is a successful, affluent and ambitious businessman, his collectable doll manufacturing company being amongst the most niche in the world.

But when he is accused of the murder of Celeste Harrington, a young and beautiful member of his own social circle, his friends and colleagues are left astounded when he disappears from police custody, leaving no trace that he’d ever existed.

Over the years that pass after Olsten’s disappearance, his former colleagues and friends remain in contact and they are all invited to the twenty-first birthday party of Amitola, the adopted daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Defoe, successful architects and friends of James Lambert, who just happens to be Olsten Ryder’s solicitor.

Genre: Speculative Fiction/Crime/Thriller with touch of fantasy
Publisher: Provoco Publishing

Everyone is delighted to meet together again, and even more so when Amitola’s engagement is announced at her party. What could possibly happen to threaten such a happy occasion and does Olsten Ryder’s mysterious disappearance have anything to do with the events that come to pass?

Passing Through is Jacqueline Dixon’s debut novel, a dark and thought-provoking murder mystery with more than a touch of speculative fiction and a bit of fantasy thrown into the mix for good measure. An absorbing and enthralling read.

My Review

Celeste Harrington’s ‘descent into madness’ was interesting to watch. From a high spirited social butterfly to a crazed psychopath, given to outbursts of violence and spite, she quickly becomes a different person. She is obsessed with ceramic doll manufacturer Olsten Ryder and believes that he wants to marry her. She even ditches her fiance and cancels their wedding. But Olsten denies all knowledge of this romance, it’s all in her muddled head.

I was surprised to discover Olsten is only around 40 years old, I thought initially he was at least 50 from the description and the fact that he was so much older than Celeste.

I loved the whole concept of the miniature ceramic dolls, all lovingly designed, dressed in beautiful clothes and wearing real jewels, including diamonds and other precious stones. I dread to think how much they cost. They were created for collectors, not as children’s toys. But my favourite part was Celeste’s murder, which was both original and ingenious. That’s all I’m saying.

Amongst the other characters we meet are Millicent, Olsten’s secretary, Olsten’s best friend and lawyer James, French fashion designer Danielle, jewellery designer Lily, and Roy on reception, to name just a few.

This was a great debut novel, my only reservation being the fantasy part, but that’s just me.

Many thanks to Hygge Book Tours for inviting me to be part of the #PassingThrough #blogtour.

About the Author

Passing Through is Jacqueline Dixon’s debut novel for Provoco Publishing. Signed in 2024, Jacqueline grew up in Gravesend, Kent. After leaving school she ventured into London to work at IPC Magazines as a letter writer for Woman’s Own Magazine, and she later moved to another department where she began training for a short period as a proofreader. For a number of years thereafter she worked as a legal secretary both in London and Gravesend before she relocated overseas to work in Saudi Arabia until she retired back to the UK.

Jacqueline had a lifelong dream of becoming a writer and always had a great interest in writing and feeling excited about creating characters and deciding their fate.She developed a deep love of books at a very young ageand one of her first very favourite books that she could not put down was the The Herries Chronicles by Hugh Walpole. Jacqueline also has a great admiration for the many stories written by Daphne du Maurier and Agatha Christie. She relishes reading novels and feels that getting tucked into a good book is like enjoying a delicious meal.

She has written numerous manuscripts that currently lay dormant, filed away, never having been published, although this may now be about to change. Currently living in Sandwich, a charming small town in Kent, Jacqueline is looking forward to seeing Passing Through on the bookshelves and is looking to delve into that pile of ‘never been published’ manuscripts for her next novel.

Social Media Handles
Twitter/X: 
@jacqueline50024
@hyggebooktours
Instagram: 
@weareprovoco
@hyggebooktours
Facebook:
JacquelineDixon
@hyggebooktours

Twitter: @hyggebooktours
Instagram: @hyggebooktours
Facebook: @hyggebooktours
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/579709950565714

Murder Under the Sun by Faith Martin

Former Detective Hillary Greene and her cold case team are sweltering in their stuffy basement office on the hottest day of the year when they are handed an impossible case.

Fifteen years ago, Imelda Phelps was battered to death in the hallway of her home. The brutal crime shocked the residents of the pretty market town of Chipping Norton. The killer was never caught.

The motive for the murder remains a mystery. Could the happily married mother-of-two’s stunning good looks have played a part in her death?

#MurderUnderTheSun X(Twitter) #faithmartin @JoffeBooks  @ZooloosBT #ZooloosBookTours  #blogtour  #booktwitter
Instagram #faithmartin @joffebooks @zooloosbooktours #bookstagram

Everyone will have to take a hard look in the mirror — and not everyone will like what they see. If Hillary is to crack the case, she must keep an open mind. But one thing is crystal-clear: this crime was personal. It’s up to Hillary and her team to work out which of Imelda’s family and friends is hiding a deadly secret.

A secret lover. A humiliated husband. A vengeful ex-business partner.

A resentful daughter. The list of suspects grows . . .

Suddenly an unexpected lead throws the case wide open. And then a second body turns up.

This cold case is now red hot . . .

My Review

I do love a book that takes place in my area. I decided to read Murder Under The Sun because the murder takes place in Chipping Norton, where my niece lives. But most of it is around other parts of Oxfordshire like Kidlington, and Gloucestershire where I live. When Hillary visits Cheltenham, I tried to recognise Imelda’s mum’s road. It’s described as very posh. I wasn’t too sure though I had a couple of guesses. And I’m not sure Cheltenham is quite as genteel as the author makes out! It was once reputed in the mid-nineties that the derogatory term ‘chav’ stood for ‘Cheltenham Average’.

This is book 22 in the Hillary Greene series (I usually avoid jumping into a series part way through, but I made an exception due to the locations). Hillary was a high ranking police officer for many years, with an exemplary record and a high solve rate. She is now in civvies as a consultant. She lives on a houseboat and drives an old Volkswagen Golf she nicknames Puff the Tragic Wagon.

When her boss Superintendent Rollo Sale asks her to reopen a cold case – the murder of stunning mother-of-two Imelda Phelps, who was battered to death 15 years ago – her killer never caught – she is ready for the challenge. I loved her colleagues Claire and ex-soldier Gareth, together they are a brilliant team.

Little did they know what a can of worms they were opening. A cuckolded husband, a not-so-secret lover, an ex-business partner with a grudge and an eccentric daughter who found the body. Throw into the mix a snooty mother and a son who was away at university at the time of the murder, and you have an entertaining read with a cast of memorable characters.

And there is the heatwave. It’s sweltering and there seems to be no let up. Everyone is fed up with it, and feeling uncomfortable.

It doesn’t matter if you haven’t read any of the other books in the series. I found it easy to get into without knowing the background. It’s hinted at, but not essential.

Many thanks to @ZooloosBT  for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Faith Martin was born in Oxford, and has spent all her life within twenty miles of the university city, even working at Somerville College for six years before turning to writing full-time. 

Faith has been writing for nearly 30 years under four different pen names and has had nearly 50 books published so far. She began writing romantic thrillers as Maxine Barry, which Joffe Books are in the process of re-releasing as brand new eBooks. Then she turned to crime, and as Joyce Cato wrote classic-style whodunits, since she’s always admired the golden-age crime novelists.  But it was when she created her fictional DI Hillary Greene, and began writing under the name of Faith Martin, that she finally began to become more widely known.  Her latest literary characters WPC Trudy Loveday, and city coroner, Dr Clement Ryder, take readers back to the 1960’s and the city of Oxford. Having lived within a few miles of the city of dreaming spires for all her life, both the city and the countryside/wildlife often feature in her novels. Although she has never lived on a narrow boat (unlike DI Hillary Greene!) the Oxford canal, the river Cherwell, and the flora and fauna of a farming landscape have always played a big part in her life – and often sneak their way onto the pages of her books.

Her hobbies include walking her now ageing dog, wildlife-watching, reading and (reluctantly) gardening.

Faith’s Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithMartinAuthor/
Twitter: https://x.com/FaithMartin_Nov

Book Links
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231286050-murder-under-the-sunPurchase Link: https://mybook.to/murderundersun-zbt

The Uses of Oppression by Marina Marks guest post

In the mid-19th Century, a generation of Ottoman Greeks were caught up in radical social and political changes, including the period of reforms known as Tanzimat. The Ottoman Greek press was both product and agent of these changes, and in The Uses of Oppression, Lady Marks explores its role.

The Uses of Oppression follows the Ottoman Greek press from its birth in 1830 to 1862, employing the vivid reflections of its editors, correspondents, advertisers, commentators, and readers as a lens through which to view the everyday lives of this generation of Ottoman Greeks—their social aspirations, their reactions to political events, their reception of Western-style norms, and other contemporary issues.

The Uses of Oppression is the first book drawing on the Greek press in the Ottoman Empire as a primary source, and the immediacy of the material allows the reader to feel the vigorous pulse of Ottoman society. Despite oppression by the Muslim state, the book reveals there was room for advancement and the Ottoman Greeks were occasionally able to manipulate the regime to their advantage.

Lady Marks’ extensive research of articles, reports and advertisements published during the mid-19th century, when censorship was minimal compared to later years, sheds new light on the Christian subjects of the Ottoman sultan. Concise and informative, this is a fascinating study of the early years of the press in the Ottoman Empire, focusing on newspapers published in the Greek language between 1831 to 1862.

‘The invaluable research of Marina Sakali, Lady Marks, using a remarkable array of Ottoman Greek newspapers as her principle source, throws light on a period of the late Ottoman Empire when creativity, optimism, and a yearning for progress on all fronts was surging among the Ottoman Greeks, despite their inferior civic status.’
Bruce Clark, Author and Journalist

Lady Marks holds a PhD in history from the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies which led to her writing The Uses of Oppression. She is the chairman of the Michael Marks Charitable Trust. She has been awarded the Order of Merit by the Sovereign Order of Malta for her philanthropic work.

The following is an extract from the book:

“What sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom is our unique potential to change our future. From the moment of our birth we are all drawn toward our destinies tied behind life’s constantly moving carriage whether we wish to be or not. However, unlike Zeno’s dog, which only has two choices, we also have a third: we can jump on that carriage and drive it towards a course that is to our advantage. For those of us who decide to take this third choice and set about finding the right direction toward which to steer our lives, we have at our disposal an important asset: the knowledge and understanding of our past; the choices made by billions of people who came before us to change their lives, recorded faithfully by history. 

“This book is the result of an effort, pursued over many years, to increase understanding of the social conditions in the Ottoman Empire during the middle years of the 19th century. At that time the Ottoman sultans set out to improve the plight of their Christian subjects, in an attempt to arrest the decline of the Ottoman Empire and update it in a Western European manner. Over nearly fifty years several reforms were introduced in the Ottoman state, usually referred to as the Tanzimat (“reforms”). 

“My goal was to find first-hand accounts by Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire who were intended to be the chief beneficiaries of the Tanzimat, in an attempt to answer several questions that have not been adequately addressed, such as: 

“What did the Christians think of the reforms, ostensibly designed to improve their life in the Empire?

“How did the Muslims react to the changes brought about by these reforms, which created such a major rupture with the established social and religious order in the Ottoman Empire?

“What were the benefits of the Tanzimat for the economy and society of the Empire and especially for its non-Muslim subjects?

“My research led me to the mass medium of newspapers published by Greeks in the Ottoman Empire. Newspapers, however, are ephemeral in nature and in this case were produced in a region that underwent violent changes over a long period of time; so the probability of their survival was scant. Nevertheless, I decided to pursue the newspaper trail, for I felt certain that the reward, should I find them, would be well worth the chase… “

Extract courtesy of Grace Pilkington Publicity

For further information, interview requests or to see a book, please contact gracepilkingtonpublicity@gmail.com

The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei

A captivating debut novel set in working-class Singapore about the relationship between two sisters over two decades.

Singapore 1996
Before Arin, Genevieve Yang was an only child. Living with her parents and grandmother in a single-room flat in Bedok, Genevieve is saddled with an unexpected sibling when Arin appears, the shameful legacy of a grandfather long believed to be dead.

#TheOriginalDaughter X/Twitter @jemmawei @wnbooks
#RandomThingsTours  @annecater @RandomTTours #booktwitter 
Instagram @jemmawei @randomthingstours #bookstagram #blogtour 

Gen and Arin grow up as sisters in Singapore: a place where insistence on achievement demands constant sacrifice in the realms of imagination and play. As the sister’s struggle toward individual redemption, their story reveals the fault lines of Singaporean society, our desperate need for acceptance, and our yearning to be loved.

Vivid and visceral, The Original Daughter is a breathtaking act of empathy by a new literary star.

My Review

About three quarters of the way through this brilliant book, I was going to give it 4 stars. As a character-led story, it was starting to get overlong, and Genevieve was really getting on my nerves. I needed the story to move forward, and quickly. I wanted to tell her that not everything in the world revolves around her. She seems to think that Arin’s behaviour is all about being more successful than her. That her mother Su prefers Arin (I did), that she is not the centre of the universe.

But in the last part it all changed. We return to where we started in 2015, when we discovered that Su is terminally ill. Gen and Arin are still estranged, but Su wants to see Arin before she dies. At this point I could not believe Gen’s behaviour. I was angry. I cried. I pleaded.

But let’s get back to 1996. When Arin arrives as a six-year-old, abandoned by her family and dumped on the Yangs, Gen is jealous (even though she wouldn’t admit it at that point and why should she – she’s only seven or eight herself). Eventually they become ‘sisters’ and best friends, even having a ‘contract’ sealed in blood. They would always be together. In actual fact, the contract just holds them both back. Until Arin starts to break away.

Gen’s academic success at school was initially based on her ability to memorise whole chunks of facts and regurgitate them on paper. But as she moves up to A levels, she discovers that it’s now about disseminating that information and analysing it (remember compare and contrast). I know this, because I was the same. When I started my OU degree I struggled in the beginning.

Unfortunately for Gen, she resents anyone who is now doing better than her. Though she has made it into a prestigious Junior College, she is struggling to keep up. Eventually, having failed her A levels (by her standards), she drops out. In Singaporean society in the 1990s, academic achievement is so competitive, and only good exam results and a top degree get you a career. Otherwise you end up working in a photocopy shop like her mother, or an ice cream parlour.

But even now, Gen doesn’t understand the trauma Arin must have gone through, being abandoned by her family. My dog has more empathy. I accept that Arin did some pretty nasty things, but Gen, it was about HER, not about you. One day I hope you understand.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Jemimah Wei was born and raised in Singapore and is currently a 2022-2024 Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. She is the recipient of fellowships, scholarships and awards from Columbia University, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Singapore’s National Arts Council, and more.

Her fiction has won the William Van Dyke Short Story Prize, has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and has been published in Guernica, Narrative, and Nimrod, among other publications. She was recently named one of Narrative’s ’30 below 30′ writers, was recognized by the Best of the Net Anthologies, and is a Francine Ringold Award for New Writers honoree.

For close to a decade, prior to moving to the US, she worked as a host for various broadcast and digital channels and has written and produced short films and travel guides for brands such as Laneige, Airbnb, and Nikon.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Summer 1924: On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life.

The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.

Winter 1999: Grace Bradley, 98, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet’s suicide. Ghosts awaken and memories, long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace’s mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge; something history has forgotten but Grace never could.

Set as the war-shattered Edwardian summer surrenders to the decadent 20s, The House at Riverton is a thrilling mystery and a compelling love story.

My Review

This is my third Kate Morton novel and I enjoyed it as much as the other two. I listened on Borrowbox. I will say though that it is very long, especially as an audio book and I had to renew it twice.

I did like Grace, though I preferred the parts of the book set before, during and after WW1. She did frustrate me at times, never saying what she thought to anyone, particularly to Hannah, when she was her lady’s maid. Hannah sought a response, but all Grace would ever say was yes and no. I understand that she felt it wasn’t her place, but still….

Grace first starts at Riverton House as a housemaid when she is only fourteen or fifteen, following in the footsteps of her mother who was in service there a number of years before, but now takes in sewing. We meet the family – too many to mention all of them – but the most important are the visiting son Frederick and his children David, Hannah and Emmeline. Grace is fascinated by them. Hannah and Emmeline will become the focus of the novel which is told mainly from Grace’s point of view.

The war takes many of them and the young, rich aristocrats in the family’s circle soon realise that it’s not something to be joked about. Grace’s ‘friend’ Alfred, also in service at Riverton, is given a white feather and is coerced into joining up. He comes back totally changed.

As 98-year-old Grace reflects on everything that happened to her, she makes tapes for her grandson Marcus, who she is desperate to see one last time.

A lovely book with some really interesting twists at the end.

About the Author

KATE MORTON is an award-winning, New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author. Her novels – The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours, The Secret Keeper, The Lake House, The Clockmaker’s Daughter, and Homecoming – are published in over 45 countries, in 38 languages, and have all been number one bestsellers around the world.

Kate Morton was born in South Australia, grew up in the mountains of south-east Queensland, and now lives with her family in London and Australia. She has degrees in dramatic art and English literature, and harboured dreams of joining the Royal Shakespeare Company until she realised that it was words she loved more than performing. Kate still feels a pang of longing each time she goes to the theatre and the house lights dim.

“I fell deeply in love with books as a child and believe that reading is freedom; that to read is to live a thousand lives in one; that fiction is a magical conversation between two people – you and me – in which our minds meet across time and space. I love books that conjure a world around me, bringing their characters and settings to life, so that the real world disappears and all that matters, from beginning to end, is turning one more page.”

You can find more information about Kate Morton and her books at https://www.katemorton.com or connect on http://www.facebook.com/KateMortonAuthor or instagram.com/katemortonauthor/

To stay up-to-date on Kate’s books and events, join her mailing list here: https://www.katemorton.com/mailing-list/ 

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper

When a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures.

Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco, is meticulously dedicated to the century’s worth of inventory housed in her beloved Beaux Art building. She loves the calm and order in the shelves of books and walls of art. But Tildy’s life takes an unexpected turn when she, first, learns the library is on the verge of bankruptcy and, second, discovers two exquisite never-before-seen dollhouses.

#TheLibraryofLostDollhouses X/Twitter #elisehooper @harper360uk #RandomThingsTours @annecater  @RandomTTours #booktwitter 
Instagram @elisehooper @harper360uk @randomthingstours #bookstagram #blogtour

After finding clues hidden within these remarkable miniatures, Tildy sets out to decipher the secret history of the dollhouses, aiming to salvage her cherished library in the process. Her journey introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Époque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney’s bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s. As Tildy unravels the mystery, she finds not only inspiring, hidden history, but also a future for herself—and an astonishing familial revelation.

Spanning the course of a century, The Library of Lost Dollhouses is a warm, bright, and captivating story of secrets and love that embraces the importance of illuminating overlooked women.

My Review

I wasn’t too sure when I started this, but by the end I knew it would become one of my favourite books of the year.

It’s set over two timelines – Head Curator Tildy Barrows at the beautiful, archival Belva Curtis LeFarge Library (known as the ‘Bel’) in San Francisco, in 2024, and artist Cora Hale from her arrival in Paris before the Great War until her death in the 1970s. Seventeen-year-old Cora fled the United States to escape a possible scandal and criminal investigation. She knows she can never go back. But instead of painting portraits under commission as she intended, she finds herself creating a dollhouse for Belva LeFarge, as a testimonial to her life.

In the meantime, Tildy makes an exciting discovery – two huge dollhouses in a locked secret room. It’s a mystery that needs solving – it could save the Bel from closure – and Tildy is determined to put on an exhibition to draw in the crowds. But who created these masterpieces? She only has the initials CH on the dollhouses to go by, until things take an unexpected turn.

There is so much here to unravel, and how does Tildy’s mother fit into the picture?And why is there a miniature of her in one of the dollhouses? Because everything in the dollhouses reflects real life and carries the secrets of its patrons.

I absolutely adored this book. I’ve seen reviews saying there wasn’t enough historical background – I think the author assumes we know enough about the two world wars not to need it – and others that say there is too much description. I feel that nowadays many readers want action to move the story forward like a film, but if that’s the case, then this wonderful book won’t be for you. It needs to be savoured and read with love. As for the comments about not having ‘warnings’ about the ‘sapphic’ relationships, please, it’s 2025, get over it.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

A native New Englander, Elise Hooper spent several years writing for television and online news outlets before getting an MA and teaching high-school literature and history. Her debut novel, The Other Alcott, was a nominee for the 2017 Washington Book Award.

More novels—Learning to See, Fast Girls, and Angels of the Pacific—followed, all centered on the lives of extraordinary but overlooked historical women.

Hooper now lives in Seattle with her husband and two teenage daughters.

Passing Through by Jacqueline Dixon cover reveal

Olsten Ryder is a successful, affluent and ambitious businessman, his collectable doll manufacturing company being amongst the most niche in the world.

But when he is accused of the murder of Celeste Harrington, a young and beautiful member of his own social circle, his friends and colleagues are left astounded when he disappears from police custody, leaving no trace that he’d ever existed.

Over the years that pass after Olsten’s disappearance, his former colleagues and friends remain in contact and they are all invited to the twenty-first birthday party of Amitola, the adopted daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Defoe, successful architects and friends of James Lambert, who just happens to be Olsten Ryder’s solicitor.

Genre: Speculative Fiction/Crime/Thriller with touch of fantasy
Publisher: Provoco Publishing

Everyone is delighted to meet together again, and even more so when Amitola’s engagement is announced at her party. What could possibly happen to threaten such a happy occasion and does Olsten Ryder’s mysterious disappearance have anything to do with the events that come to pass?

Passing Through is Jacqueline Dixon’s debut novel, a dark and thought-provoking murder mystery with more than a touch of speculative fiction and a bit of fantasy thrown into the mix for good measure. An absorbing and enthralling read.

About the Author

Passing Through is Jacqueline Dixon’s debut novel for Provoco Publishing. Signed in 2024, Jacqueline grew up in Gravesend, Kent. After leaving school she ventured into London to work at IPC Magazines as a letter writer for Woman’s Own Magazine, and she later moved to another department where she began training for a short period as a proofreader. For a number of years thereafter she worked as a legal secretary both in London and Gravesend before she relocated overseas to work in Saudi Arabia until she retired back to the UK.

Jacqueline had a lifelong dream of becoming a writer and always had a great interest in writing and feelingexcited about creating characters and deciding their fate.She developed a deep love of books at a very young ageand one of her first very favourite books that she couldnot put down was the The Herries Chronicles by Hugh Walpole. Jacqueline also has a great admiration for the many stories written by Daphne du Maurier and Agatha Christie. She relishes reading novels and feels that getting tucked into a good book is like enjoying a delicious meal.

She has written numerous manuscripts that currently lay dormant, filed away, never having been published, although this may now be about to change. Currently living in Sandwich, a charming small town in Kent, Jacqueline is looking forward to seeing Passing Through on the bookshelves and is looking to delve into that pile of ‘never been published’ manuscripts for her next novel.

Social Media Handles
Twitter/X: 
@jacqueline50024
@hyggebooktours
Instagram: 
@weareprovoco
@hyggebooktours
Facebook:
@hyggebooktours

My review will follow on 23rd June as part of the #PassingThrough #blogtour.

Twitter: @hyggebooktours
Instagram: @hyggebooktours
Facebook: @hyggebooktours
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/579709950565714

The Death Sculptor by Chris Carter (Robert Hunter #4)

‘Good job you didn’t turn on the lights …’ A student nurse has the shock of her life when she discovers her patient, prosecutor Derek Nicholson, brutally murdered in his bed.

The act seems senseless – Nicholson was terminally ill with only weeks to live. But what most shocks Detective Robert Hunter of the Los Angeles Robbery Homicide Division is the calling card the killer left behind. For Hunter, there is no doubt that the killer is trying to communicate with the police, but the method is unlike anything he’s ever seen before. And what could the hidden message be? Just as Hunter and his partner Garcia reckon they’ve found a lead, a new body is found – and a new calling card.

#TheDeathSculptor X/Twitter #ChrisCarter @simonschusteruk @Tr4cyF3nt0n #booktwitter
Instagram @chriscarterbooksofficial @simonschusteruk  @thebookdealer  #CompulsiveReaders #blogathon #blogtour #bookstagram

But with no apparent link between the first and second victims, all the progress they’ve made so far goes out of the window. Pushed into an uncomfortable alliance with the confident Alice Beaumont, Hunter must race to put together the pieces of the investigation …before the Death Sculptor puts the final touches to his masterpiece.

My Review

Welcome to post number four on this fab #blogathon. I will be reviewing one book per month.

This is definitely my favourite of the series so far. We learn a lot more about Robert Hunter’s childhood – turns out he was a child prodigy – though we always knew he was highly intelligent. He went to a school for those with an exceptionally high IQ, which is where he met one of the other characters, but I’m saying nothing!

In this book, The Death Sculptor, we have a rather vicious murderer (that’s putting it mildly), with an unusual calling card. Let’s just say, the killer is very creative, and also likes to make the victims suffer. Unfortunately, I can’t say much more without giving the plot away.

The more I read of Carter’s novels, the more I find the stories so intriguing that I could almost say that I love them in spite of the blood and gore, not because of it. You could water it down (the goriness not the blood) and they would still be brilliant. The characters are well rounded, and the writing moves the story forward at a cracking pace.

As I said in my last review, Hunter and Garcia are becoming more real and likeable with each book, but I want to see some romance for Hunter now. And no pets please – in case they get killed.

Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogathon.

About the Author

Born in Brazil of Italian origin, Chris Carter studied psychology and criminal behaviour at the University of Michigan. As a member of the Michigan State District Attorney’s Criminal Psychology team, he interviewed and studied many criminals, including serial and multiple homicide offenders with life imprisonment convictions. He now lives in London. Visit his website www.chriscarterbooks.com