Welcome to Litsy!

This second book in the series see Agricola back in Rome with a growing family, before being sent out to Asia Minor. The province is currently under the control of Otho Titianus who turns out to be venal & corrupt but with the ear of the Emperor via his brother. Agricola has to decide what kind of man he is - will he follow his dead father's lead & stand up to corruption?

As a woman, wife, and mother, I will be thinking about this one for a while. The brutal rape of a 14 y/o Mexican girl rocks a community in 1976 Odessa, Texas. It‘s a time where women had few options and not much was expected of them, other than being good wives and mothers. Told from multiple POVs, all strong women and girls, and all great characters. The setting itself is written so strongly that it‘s like a character too.

The synopsis for this book intrigued me from the start, can houses or buildings where murders or other evils take place be 'infected' by the acts that takes place within? The author looks at several different types of buildings including tower blocks, shacks, dolls houses, & even miniature dioramas of crime scenes, using the medium of popular culture (tv, film, & books).

First time mum, Rachael, is persuaded to leave her husband & their infant daughter to winter in Antarctica. The ice shelf is breaking up & this is Rachael & her old boss Guy's only chance to get the data needed to persuade the government to stop drilling. Now weeks or months later, things did not go to plan & Rachael is alone on the Ross Ice Shelf in -70 degree cold, days from base camp. (continued)

When Gillian Charles lost 'The Contest' as a child for doing the right thing, she decided to reject her love of puzzles & logic games. Now she finds herself back at Miscellany a theme park set around puzzles where she swore she'd never go. When Gillian arrives, she realises that the other 3 former contestants all work there in some capacity or other & then one of them disappears.....

'Queen Katherine & the Howards' no, not a Tudor folk singing group but a look at the true stories behind some of the infamous characters of Henry VIII's reign. Was Katherine Howard a forward minx or a young girl who unfortunately caught the attention of the one man she couldn't refuse? Knowing Henry's temper & vengeful nature, & that very little passed unseen in the Tudor court, why were Katherine, Dereham, & Culpeper so indiscreet?

Forty-something single mother, Casey Singleton, works at Norton Aircraft & when a report comes in of an issue with flight TPA 545, Casey is on the team asked to investigate. An initial contact with the pilot has him blaming turbulence but this isn't backed up by external evidence, & the flight crew are suddenly whisked away before Casey has a chance to conduct interviews. (continued)

Short Review: I had high hopes for this one but I feel it just missed the mark for me. I really enjoyed the Egyptian myths side of things & highlighting the conflict between seeking knowledge versus respect for the dead & ancient cultures is well done. I found Clemmie a bit too 'not like other girls' at times & the pace of the first half of the book was quite slow, although the second half was better. 3⭐