Carolyn, these arrived today. Thank you so much, for your kindness, and for thinking of me, truly appreciate! ❤️ I hope things are going well with you. 😘
#bookmail
#litsylove
Carolyn, these arrived today. Thank you so much, for your kindness, and for thinking of me, truly appreciate! ❤️ I hope things are going well with you. 😘
#bookmail
#litsylove
A surprisingly tense mystery, with a sweet romance in the background. More of a “whydunnit” than a “whodunnit “. Set in England during WWII, with many period details creating an excellent sense of time and place. Very entertaining, and a creepily delightful departure from Susan Scarlett‘s usual style, making me an even bigger fan of her work!
#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub
#ReadAway2024 @GHABI4ROSES @Andrew65 @DieAReader
#JumpStart2024 @Lizpixie
What stood out for me was the departure from family centered domesticity to outright family dysfunction in this Scarlett novel. The heroine isn‘t a beloved older daughter from a loving family, but a more worldly veteran of bombings, factory work, and trained in nursing on the job. The villain is pure evil. The victims undeserving and vulnerable- which was the hardest part of the book for me to read. Overall, a page turner on a blustery winter day.
More romance than mystery, this novel still had many elements of a good crime novel. I found it quite tense and suspenseful and I enjoyed the characters' sleuthing activities. The romance was charming, as I'd expect in a Susan Scarlett novel.
A disturbing delight. Nick and Judy were a sweet couple, Clara was truly unhinged and her “little horror” Desmond provided some of the most memorable creeptastic moments. And the scene with Clara and Judy post-cocoa—yikes! Really enjoyed.
#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub
This isn't a murder mystery, but a Susan Scarlett romance with a heaping dash of Celia Fremlin-esque domestic peril. It starts off cute then escalates fast 💀 Like @CarolynM says it made me feel sad about the conditions of life for vulnerable older people; it felt contemporary in that it reminded me of pandemic lockdowns & post-pandemic life in terms of isolation & abuse in the home. Quite dark compared to the usual #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub fare!
As smart as Judy was, you‘d think she‘d have known better than to drink cocoa concocted by Clara. 😏
#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub
Fare thee well, Mr. Jones, fare thee well! The title is a clue that murder is part of the plot, yet I was not prepared for the level of menace this book had. 😆
Spunky young Judy goes to work in a munitions factory as part of the war effort. She‘s billeted outside of town with Mrs. Former, her daughter Miss Rose and granddaughter by marriage, Clara. But something‘s not quite right, not the least of which is Clara‘s creepy little boy, Desmond.
A typical Susan Scarlett book - complete with an early meet-cute, a sweet romance, and a cheery, lovable heroine - mashed up with a domestic thriller - complete with sinister off-hand comments, a disturbing child, heaps of tension, and murder. It is rather incongruous, but somehow works. As is usually the case with Scarlett, you know all the bits from the beginning, but there's pleasure in how exactly it all plays out.
#furrowedmiddlebrowclub
Very enjoyable. Hits all of Susan Scarlett‘s usual romance beats while telling the story of a serial killer. It shouldn‘t work but somehow it does🤷🏻♀️ Maybe it‘s just because I‘ve been spending a lot of time with vulnerable old people recently, but I found it quite sad too. #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub
Crikey, #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub ! This was a bit of a departure from our usual Scarletts, wasn‘t it? 😆 We get the “meet cute” of a charming couple that we come to expect from her novels but then she throws in a completely terrifying antagonist with an equally gruesome child. It was propulsively readable and I loved it.
🥹Be careful where you billet!
I think this might be my favorite middlebrow read thus far. The mystery is propulsive and the characters charming & repelling as suits the plot line.
I felt like the end came on a little suddenly - I could have used more just desserts. 😆
#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub
A rollicking read for our first #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub book of 2024! The MCs have meet-cute in the very first pages, we get to know Judy‘s situation at her billet (where she is discouraged from staying by everyone) and meet interesting characters in the wartime factory town. The Who of the dunnit is not in doubt but the How + Why are riveting. The investigation is engaging and the real danger palpable.
Different vibe for a S.Scarlett bk but 👍🏻
Just posting the summary for our next #Furrowedmiddlebrowclub read since Litsy has no info. I have read that this is Susan Scarlett‘s only foray into mystery - that plus the wartime factory setting make this different from our previous Scarlett reads set in department stores and clothing shops! Loading ebook now…
Happy New Year #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub members! 🥳
A quick reminder that we will be reading the tagged book to start our 2024 bimonthly group read in January. As usual, read at your own pace and post as you please. The general aim is to be finished by mid month. Happy reading!
If anyone wants to be added or removed from the list, let me know.
Here it is, #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub : our 2024 reading schedule!
Thanks for all the speedy voting and my apologies if I‘ve missed tagging someone.
Anyone on Litsy is welcome to read along with us any month and join in on the discussion!