Edna Cowell's life was happy & fairly idyllic at first. Growing up with her parents & a brother, Edna was also close with her cousin Ted Bundy. Intelligent & charismatic, Ted was more of a second sibling to Edna, which is why when he was arrested for several murders, Edna struggled to believe it was true. Edna came to realise that the man she thought she knew had a dark side. This is a memoir which asks: can we ever truly know another person?

Abi & Ben are heading home earlier from their weekend away, arguing about the reason (Ben has unexpectedly been called into work), & driving down foggy country roads in the dark when they take the wrong turn. Having little choice but to carry on, they narrowly miss a man who suddenly appears in front of the car, Abi swerves to miss him but refuses to stop.

A short while later they come upon a broken-down car with a woman & her baby (continued)

Saffy needs a job but whilst waiting to go into an interview, she receives 3 text messages from her bestie, Leona which read “Can‘t speak… “ “don‘t text or call… “ “please just come“. The messages are deleted & leaving the interview pleading illness, Saffy heads to her friend's home but when she gets there, Leona insists everything is fine. Unconvinced but with nothing she can do, Saffy heads home, (continued)

This book looks at the roots of & rise of fascism in the USA before the Second World War. Starting off with the reappearance of the KKK in the 1910s, through the forming of the American-German equivalents of Hitler Youth, to the companies who dealt with the Nazis both before & during the war.

It was an interesting if densely packed read. There's a lot of information here which has obviously been carefully researched but (continued)

Following the events on Reaper Rock in the previous book, Detective Elin Warner decides to take some R&R & holiday with her estranged brother, Isaac. They head to a national park in Portugal but it's not until they get there that Isaac tells her that he wants to look into the disappearance of his friend's sister. Kier Templer has never wanted to settle down & lived her life on the road. (continued)

A biography of Emma Darwin (née Wedgwood), the wife of naturalist & evolutionist Charles Darwin. Both Charles & Emma (they were first cousins) came from impressive backgrounds with Emma being the granddaughter of Josiah Wedgwood of the Stoke potteries fame, whilst Charles was the grandson of Erasmus Darwin, one of the key figures of the 18th century. (Continued)

I really can't shorten my review to fit here so I'm just going to put the link to my GR review. 4🌟

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6649692194
Read 7th - 9th July 2024

#ReadAway2024 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
#ReadYourKindle @CBee

After the events of previous book, The Sanatorium, DS Elin Warner is called to the scene of a death on Reaper's Rock - an island off the coast of Devon. The death might have been an accident Warner is unsure as yet, but the island itself has a dark past as the hunting grounds of a serial killer. The island has recently been developed into an eco-wellness retreat called LUMEN - which just happens to have been designed by Warner's bf, Will. (cont'd)

On a warm evening in July 1994 on a quiet cul-de-sac, two ten-year-olds, Ethan & Billy, go about their usual Friday night routine of camping in Ethan's parents' backyard. They fall asleep but in the morning, only one of them is still there. Ethan wakes up to find their tent sliced open & Billy is gone. Now Ethan will be plagued by nightmares & what-ifs about what could have happened to his friend. (Continued)

DI Ridpath is back & working on a cold case. In May 2020, fourteen-year-old Andrew Golding went out for a walk during the height of the Covid lockdown & was never seen again. Ridpath finds that the investigation was rather shoddy (to say the least), & it all seems linked in some way to unusual deaths at a local care home, but even he is not anticipating where the case will lead him.

List for July's #ReadYourKindle. Read one in June, so hoping for two in July.

@CBee

A memoir from Jo Ward of BBC‘s 'Forensics – the Real CSI' a programme I am yet to watch, therefore, I read this with no preconceived ideas about the author. I was intrigued to read about their experiences seeing as, if things had been different, I would have loved to work in an adjacent forensic field as a Forensic Archaeologist. (Continued)

Following on from the first book, Cameron Prescott (now Jenkins) is living in Tok, Alaska. As well as working as the town's new dentist, Cameron is now neighbours with BF, state trooper Dane. It's a new start but it looks as if the past might be catching up with Cameron once again when a new murder takes place which has similarities to those committed by her late husband, John Prescott aka the Teacher Killer. John is dead though. Isn't he?

Main character is insufferable. DNF @ 30%.

There has been a flurry of new books about the Kennedys recently & I, for one, am all for it. This book is a look at the seamier side of the Kennedys & there's plenty of material. With all the rumoured affairs & trysts, I'm surprised JFK had any time left to devote to Presidential duties! (Continued)

It‘s exactly what you would expect from a slasher read: a group of college kids, a creepy isolated cabin, & a cannibal killer nearby. Mayhem ensues.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4611497148
Read 21st-23rd June 2024

After losing her family in the sinking of the 'Lusitania', American heiress Ruby Vaughn has made a life for herself in Exeter, England running a rare bookstore alongside Mr Owen, her octogenarian employer. When Mr Owen asks her to deliver a box of books to a Cornish village, Ruby finds herself back in the one place she swore she‘d never return to. (continued)

Laura Lochner is always choosing the wrong men & they always leave her. After the breakup of her latest relationship, she goes to her sister, Rosie's, home in the Connecticut suburbs where they both grew up. Rosie is married to their childhood friend, Joe, & they have a young son, & Laura takes up residence in their attic room.

She decides to take a chance on a date with an older man, Jonathan Fields, & borrows Rosie's car. (Continued)

Slow, dull, & the main character is a condescending snob. Couldn't care less what happens to any of the characters tbh. DNF'd at 45%.

2024 Review

Have re-read this one as I'm going to read the follow-up soon. Just over 2 years between reads & there's not much to add to my original review below. 4🌟

Link to 2022 review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4530112566
Read 14th-16th June 2024

#ReadAway2024 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

This is a fictional account of the heart-breaking true story of the disappearance of 14-year-old Rosemarie Doederlein in Montréal, Canada in 1954. Although her family never stopped looking, it took almost 70 years for them to get answers. Written by Rosemarie's younger sister, this book grabs hold of your emotions & doesn't let go. The family's pain in losing their daughter & sister comes off the pages as does the love they had for each other.

ZZ Top were not a band I knew much about but were instantly recognisable for their look. I remember 'Doubleback' being the title song for Back To The Future III (great film), & I've heard their music on classic rock stations but I was too young to be a 'fan'. More recently, Gibbons has become known to viewers, such as myself, of forensic science show 'Bones' as the father of one of the characters where it seems he basically played himself.

The follow-up to the first book 'Come Find Me in the Midnight Sun', set in the wilds of Alaska, this book sees a resolution to the cases from that first book. Officer Louisa Linebach, in a joint operation with the Feds, fakes a move back to Anchorage but really she is hiding out at a remote hunting lodge in Kenai Fjords National Park, Can Louisa get enough information on Mr Drew to shut him down for good?

5 years ago, Ryan's girlfriend, Ali, was kidnapped from their date & has never been found. Ryan has had suspicion hanging over him for all this time, & hasn't been able to put the past behind him. On a summer trip, Ryan gets a call from his father to say that Ali's car has been found submerged in a lake in their hometown of Leavenworth. No sign of Ali, but the car contains 2 dead men & a cryptic note saying “If something happens to me“. (cont'd)

Amelia Ashley, social media influencer, goes missing on holiday with boyfriend, Josh. Josh arrives back home without Amelia & says he had no choice but to leave after she abandoned him during their last meal in Rome & won't answer her phone.

Harper Delgado sees #WhereisAmeliaAshley trending & looks into the case. None of Amelia's bank accounts or cards have been used, there are no sightings, & her social media presence is dead. (Continued)

George Mallory & Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine climbed into the history books when they set off on their attempt to summit Everest on 8 June 1924 - an attempt that was to claim both their lives. It was 75 years before Mallory's remains were found, Irvine has not been located as yet, & there is no first-hand record of what transpired that day. (continued)

In 2154, society is even more fragmented than at present. Virtual reality holds an escape for those privileged enough to afford it, but for people like sixteen-year-old Liv, whose home is a contaminated coastal bay, reality is all they have. Liv's younger sister is desperately ill & needs treatment that only the richest can afford, so Liv applies to do an internship on an island owned by the world's most powerful man, Casper. (continued)

Earth is on the brink of collapse, so when a message from a long-extinct alien race called the 'Undying' is intercepted, it seems like the perfect solution. The message leads to a now uninhabited planet called Gaia where it's rumoured that the temples hold tech worth a fortune. Mia Radcliffe is hoping to make enough money scavenging to buy her sister back from an illegal contract but she will have to compete against faster & stronger competitors.

Read three chapters & guessed who it was as soon as they appeared. Moving on.

The book contains twelve short stories based on Jane Austen's 'Pride & Prejudice' & 'Emma'. There are nine based on P&P, & three for Emma, but I enjoyed the P&P ones the most. They were all rather good, but two stood out to me: the one from the view of 'Hill', one of the servants at Longbourn, & the story based on what happened to Anne de Bourgh following Darcy's rejection.

My June list for #ReadYourKindle. Managed to cross off two books in May, both DNFs but at least it's progress.

@CBee

Self-styled 'Indian Herb Doctor', Francis Tumblety, has long been considered one of the suspect pool of people rumoured to have been Jack the Ripper. This book looks at Tumblety's life in both America & the East End of London, & finds that there is circumstantial evidence that suggests that he may have been involved in both the assassination of Abraham Lincoln & the Ripper killings. (continued)

TWs: infidelity, attempted sexual assault, violence, murder, misogyny, sexual content.

Dr Scarlett Clark, English professor & serial killer. Every year, Scarlett kills the worst man on campus at Gorman University & makes it look like an accident or suicide. With her attention to detail, she's gotten away with several murders, but when something goes wrong with her latest target, Scarlett finds the cops in charge of the investigation closing in.

It's that 'difficult second book of a series' time but the author mostly manages to avoid the main pitfalls. The book is surprisingly light on actual vampires considering the theme, & Sir Percy Blakeney is absent for three-quarters of the book. What we do have is Eleanor's growing frustration that she isn't fully accepted as a member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel & her yearning to play an active part in what is happening. (continued)

I've bailed from both my fiction reads for #ReadYourKindle this month. This one is interesting but too slow moving, & I'm finding myself making excuses not to read it so moving on.

@CBee

These are the true stories of five women living very different lives, under varying circumstances, even living in different decades, but who who all have one thing in common - one moment they were busy living their lives and the next moment … they were gone. From the New York heiress who disappeared in 1910, to a 1940s contemporary of Elizabeth Short (aka the Black Dahlia), five women vanished & were never seen again.

The Hamilton family (Zach, Cara, & teenage daughter Alexa) arrive at the Asana Fushi resort in the Maldives for a luxury holiday. The resort prides itself on being luxurious yet environmentally friendly, & Skye Elliott, a 'Green Influencer' is also there to provide an in-depth review. Add in a professional rival of Zach's & the stage is set. Beneath the gilded exterior, everyone has their secrets & some might kill to keep them hidden.

An informative book about the case that brought together Doctors Joseph Bell & Henry Littlejohn, along with colleague, Dr Patrick Heron Watson, who between them were the inspiration for Conan Doyle's 'Holmes & Watson'.

In 1893 on a Scottish estate called Ardlamont, twenty-year-old Cecil Hambrough was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head. The two men who were hunting with him at the time, 'mentor' Alfred Monson & Edward Scott (continued)

Hastings returns from South America to see his old friend but arrives to find Poirot in the midst of packing. Poirot is about to leave for overseas on a case, but plans change when they both become embroiled in the latest scheme masterminded by a group called 'The Big Four'.

This book is a series of short stories arranged into a narrative which revolves around 'The Big Four'. (continued)

This one wasn't quite as gripping as the first book, but it's still a pacy read with bodies dropping left, right & centre. There's also an enemies-to-lovers subplot & the original survivors pop up in several chapters which was nice as I didn't warm to the new characters in this one. 3.5🌟

TWs: graphic violence, death.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5666283810
Read 10th - 12th May 2024

“To look like a human woman is to be ugly.“

Just think about that sentence from the book for a second. To look how women naturally look is to be viewed as ugly in today's image-obsessed world. What a f***ed up world that is!

This book treads familiar ground but is updated to encompass the additional pressures that girls & young women face from the 'digital gaze.' All I can say is that I am glad I was a teenager before smartphones, & Instagram.

June 1940 & Daphne Devine is working as assistant to stage magician Jonty Trevelyan, aka the Grand Mystique. One evening they are called to a hush-hush meeting with the secret service who ask them to join the war effort. They wish to exploit Hitler's belief in the occult & halt his planned invasion of Britain (Operation Sea Lion) by means of deception & misdirection.

Following the events of 'Nightshade Academy', this novella travels back in time to when boarding school tutor Dr Blimmery Owding was a pupil at the academy. After his uncle wrote a seditious book, Blimmery joined Nightshade Academy to revive his family's fortunes. There he befriends roommate, Wick, whilst competing for the five coveted spots against his fellow candidates including Maelin & Taig.

What links the suicide of an old lady & the death of a charity fundraising manager? That question (& more) is puzzling Det Sgt Washington Poe & analyst Tilly Bradshaw & their investigation leads to Poe being literally on the hook, at a meat packing plant.

Yet another good book in this series. There's not really much more I can say without giving anything away, except that the only thing wrong with this novella is (continued)

Tom Mondrian is just coasting at life really but it suddenly veers out of his control. His worklife as a PCSO is unfulfilling, whilst in his personal life his girlfriend tells him that she has been having an affair & is about to leave him. Later that morning, a stray bullet leaves Tom with a brain injury. Weeks later & back at work, he realises that the injury has given him a new perspective on life including the cases he works on.

At a time when film studios seemed unable to appreciate the future historic value of the film industry, Marc Wanamaker set up Bison Archives which has tracked down & archived thousands of photographs, maps, & records of buildings, sets, & LA hotels, nightclubs, & theatres which no longer exist or have been redeveloped. This book showcases just a few of these remarkable photographs & documents from the old-school days of Hollywood.

When a man is found drowned below a waterfall, it looks like it could be either suicide or an accident until the police search the victim's home. What seemed like a simple case becomes a twisted tale involving paganism, magic, & Nazi history. In nearby Hay-on-Wye, Robin & Betty Thorogood decide to open a bookshop & inadvertently rent a haunted home.

A look at the use of magic in England from the fourteenth century onwards. So-called 'cunning folk' were used throughout these centuries to provide services such as finding missing items or people, providing love or fertility charms, curing illness, & even the odd get-rich-quick scheme. They were viewed as different to witches, as witches were viewed as practising magic to do harm, whilst cunning folk were mainly thought to be trying to help.

As the family & congregation gather together for a funeral, all eyes are on Father Miguel Flores as he starts to perform the funeral mass. All seems normal until he drinks the communion wine & falls down dead. Detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas is on the case & quickly confirms that Flores was poisoned. Who would want to poison a priest?

May list for #ReadYourKindle

@CBee