This was rather entertaining. I love anything in abandoned resorts/theme parks so the setting was a plus. Yes, there was some of the usual YA stuff: two characters not communicating & assuming what the other was thinking, an historic misunderstanding to start off the animosity, & the almost ubiquitous love triangle, but it all worked here. (continued)

The prevailing stories around the sinking of the 'Titanic' revolve around social class, gender, & origin. The overall image is one of upper-class British & American men stoically awaiting death whilst dressed in their finest evening suits & waving farewell to their wives. This book examines first-hand accounts from survivors to show it was more nuanced than that. (continued)

The author grew up considering his great-grandfather a fascinating figure. Siegfried Merzbacher was a German-Jewish chemist who invented radioactive toothpaste & took his family & fled Germany out of the reach of the Nazis in the late 1930s.

However, when Dunthorne read Merzbacher's autobiography (a hefty tome that no-one else in the family had tackled before then) a very different story emerged, (continued)

Abigail is hosting a birthday party for her brother, Benjamin & has invited his circle of close friends. She arrives at the Airbnb to set up the food & drink & also hide the clues for the period murder mystery game they'll be playing later. The party passes without a hitch but the next morning, Benjamin fails to appear for breakfast. His bedroom door is locked & he isn't answering their knocks so they break the door open - Benjamin is dead.

This retelling of 'Romeo & Juliet' had a great deal of promise & it looked like an intriguing read. Unfortunately it didn't quite work. Most of the characters were quite flat including Romeo, whose whole personality was his being in love with Juliet.

Runajo & Juliet were by far the more interesting storyline but even there I don't think the full potential was utilised. (continued)

Two parallel cases in this one but neither of them really mattered (to me anyway). I managed to narrow down the Jellicoe Close case to 2 suspects fairly early on, but let's face it - I'm here for Kerrwent!

Now, I'm not usually one for reading romance but Jane Casey has me in a chokehold with the smouldering attraction between Josh Derwent & Maeve Kerrigan. (continued)

My list for April's #ReadYourKindle

Read 1 from March's list & it turned out to be quite a good read.

@CBee

After a slow start, this one grew on me & I really enjoyed reading it. The MC starts off as someone whom the reader is unsure about whether they can trust her version of events, but as time goes on, the reasons for her anxiety & actions become clear.

It was well thought out & the historic plotline dovetailed nicely with the present-day one. I worked out some of the conclusion but not the full picture of what was actually going on. (continued)

Republished in honour of what would have been Sinatra's 100th birthday in 2015, this is a personal tribute to 'Ol Blue Eyes' himself. Although it obviously centres around the man & his career, it also covers Italian immigration into America & Sinatra's first brush with prejudice, the rise & fall of Prohibition (& by extension the Mob), & the Second World War. (continued)

The story of two real-life yet little-known women who ruled territories in the Merovingian empire in the Early Middle Ages. Brunhild & Fredegund married brothers who were the rulers of their own slice of the empire & whilst Brunhild was a princess who married into power, Fredegund schemed her way from palace slave to queen, & after the deaths of their husbands, both women took control. (Continued)

Police officer Sergeant Chandler Jenkins is manning the rural station in Wilbrook, Western Australia on edge of 100s of miles of unexplored wilderness. It's the usual kind of day until a dishevelled & injured man stumbles into the station. His name is Gabriel & he was abducted whilst hitch-hiking by a man named Heath. Heath had driven Gabriel to a remote cabin before telling Gabriel that he was to be victim no. 55, but Gabriel managed to escape.

A standalone (but also linked to the author's 'Maeve Kerrigan' series) this book gives the reader an update on the life of Rob Langton. Previously a police detective colleague (& lover) of Maeve's, Rob abruptly left without warning, leaving Maeve to pick up the pieces.

Rob is currently undercover as Mark Howell & has infiltrated a notorious crime family by saving the life of patriarch Geraint Carter. (continued)

Memoir from the author about 2 years in a psychiatric hospital in the 1960s. It was a quick read so I finished it but was left feeling a bit nonplussed. I don't feel that I got any insight about the author at all, & I agree with another reviewer who says it all just feels rather empty. Most readers seemed to really like this one but whatever they saw, I just didn't connect with it. 2.5⭐

Nancy Luo's former BF, Jamie Ruan, queen of Sinclair Prep, goes missing & is then found dead. Word quickly spreads that their friend group (Nancy, Krystal, Akil, & Alexander) are considered the prime suspects in Jamie's death thanks to anonymous social media messages by someone calling themselves 'the Proctor'.

'The Proctor' somehow knows the group's darkest secrets & threatens to tell all unless the guilty party admits they killed Jamie.

Anyone else having issues with Litsy?

The app is fine but the PC version won't load review page & I keep getting 'Bad Gateway' message.

I've tried logging out & logging back in but no joy!

There have been eight King Henrys of England & this book examines their lives in detail. Up until Henry VII, a monarch's reign seems to have been one long battle. Kings were forever having to swing themselves up into the saddle & fight some 'Johnny-come-lately' who thought they could do a better job at ruling England. It must have been tiresome & I'm surprised anyone wanted to take on the responsibility in the early centuries. (continued)

When Rex Fortescue falls ill at work, he is rushed to hospital where he unfortunately dies. Inspector Neele is called & tests reveal that Fortescue was killed by taxine poisoning - a poison derived from yew trees. Fortescue's house is called 'Yew Tree House' & there is no shortage of suspects: is it the much younger second wife who is dallying with her tennis coach, or the elder son who has been arguing with his father recently, (continued)

2025 Reread Review: Not really much to add to my review from my first read through of the book. I am upgrading my rating to 4🌟as this time around I appreciate Kerwent's interactions a little more. I've gone from a jaded sceptic to a total shipper.

2024 Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3129123107
Read 12th-14th Mar 2025

Basit Deniau was an architect who designed & built 'Rose House', a house embedded with AI. Since his death, Rose House has been sealed with no-one allowed in apart from Dr Selene Gisil, who is allowed to visit for 1 week per year as per the terms of Basit's will. So it is a surprise when the local PD receive a call from Rose House reporting the presence of a dead body inside the premises. (Continued)

After a rocky childhood, adult Claire has finally found happiness & is engaged to fiancé, Noah Coors. Everything is almost perfect, until the day that Claire decides to take lunch to Noah's office only to find out he no longer works there. Her calls to him go unanswered & he won't respond to her messages - in fact he seems to have disappeared. As Claire looks for her missing fiancé, the truth about him starts to emerge.

The well-known rhyme about the murders gets several things wrong (it was her stepmother & the amount of axe blows are incorrect for a start) but was Lizzie the killer? This book is an uneasy mix of historical fiction & true crime, with the author blending the events & aftermath of Lizzie Borden's trial for the murders of her father & stepmother whilst giving us a look into Lizzie's thoughts, that doesn't quite gel. (continued)

An honest autobiography from Tom Felton - warts & all. From his early start in the film industry (I didn't know he was in the remakes of 'The Borrowers' & 'The King & I' before landing the role of Draco Malfoy in the HP films), to the ups & downs of his personal life afterwards, I found myself rather liking him.

A look at the dark side of London's history by examining the crimes which have taken place there & also the types of justice which have been dispensed. From being boiled alive in a cauldron, 'dancing the Tyburn jig', to lengthy prison sentences, this looks at both sides of the criminal life in England's capital city.

Hastings & Poirot are on holiday in Cornwall (does Hastings ever return to his ranch?) when they make the acquaintance of Nick Buckley, a young woman who lives in End House on the hillside. Nick has had quite a lot of near misses recently & whilst talking to Poirot is shot at, leaving a bullet hole in her hat. Poirot decides that he will find the person trying to kill Miss Buckley, but can he prevent a murder still to occur? (continued)

The author looks at how the misapplication or misunderstanding of the principles behind 'Occam's Razor' has led to unintended consequences in true crime cases. The vagaries of crime & those committing it means that the simplest explanation is not always the correct one.

This reads very much like it was based on a thesis or dissertation which are not always the most scintillating reading. (continued)

When a schoolgirl is killed on a London bus, DC Georgia Shaw in on the case alongside DS Kerrigan & DI Derwent. The bus was full of passengers & there is CCTV, yet no-one noticed a thing.

This a novella of approx 100 pages from the viewpoint of Georgia. The reader gets to know about her life a bit more, including her crush on Derwent & how all he sees is Maeve. (continued)

Not sure when I initially read this (way before I was on Goodreads) but this re-read has not gone well. It's very slow & whilst Lincoln is fine, there's just something about Amelia I don't like. It finally hit me about 10 mins ago that she doesn't come across as an authentic character but very much a male author's idea of a female character. DNF.

Short novella looking at the backstory of Oliver (character from Asylum Book 3: Catacomb) & how he became embroiled with The Bone Artists. It was OK, it also showed how Micah was involved & what led to him moving to New Hampshire.
3.25⭐

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7363556279
Read 28th Feb 2025

20 years ago eight-year-old Marty Grey's younger brother disappeared on the walk back home through the woods - she turned around & he had gone. Now 28, Marty still lives in the same house & keeps watch, waiting for her brother to come home. The search for her brother led Marty to an interest in true crime podcasts & she eventually started 'Welcome to Murdertown' looking at the disappearance of two female backpackers on nearby Ghost Mountain.

A well-researched, but sometimes academically dry, look at those who spent their lives closest to the heirs to England's throne. From Henry VII's formidable mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, to Cat Ashley, Elizabeth I's confidant. The issue for me is that we seem to spend an awful lot of time on Henry VII, Prince Arthur, & Henry VIII, & seemingly whizz through Edward VI, Mary I, & Elizabeth I. (continued)

I never realised Tina Turner had so many health problems towards the end. An inspirational woman! RIP.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4530059046
Read 24th-25th Feb 2025

#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

England, 1543 - Henry VIII is aiming to marry his sixth (& final) wife, Lady Catherine Parr, recently widowed, but perhaps too sympathetic to Reformists for a king who has drifted back towards Catholicism in his old age. The line between acceptable & unacceptable religious practice grows ever thinner & innocent people are being caught in the backlash.

Friends Thomas Beresford (Tommy) & Prudence Cowley (Tuppence) bump into each other in London after the end of WWI. In the aftermath of the war, they are struggling to find work & so they decide to place an advertisement together but before they can do so, they become embroiled in a conspiracy. Important government papers were entrusted to a passenger on the 'Lusitania' (a ship sunk by a German U-boat) who has since disappeared (continued)

List for March's #ReadYourKindle picks. Only managed 1 this month but fewer ARCs due in March so hopefully will manage at least 2.

@CBee

A short story case for DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent sees them arrive at 'Mitchford Bexley', a solicitors‘ office where one of the partners, Diana Bexley, has been murdered. The killer gained access to the company under the pretence of being a motorbike courier then proceeded to kill Ms Bexley & disappear in under 4 minutes.

Sarah Morton returns home to Anglesey for the funeral of her estranged father. His will reveals that their family has ties to the 1859 shipwreck of the 'Royal Charter' & Sarah is pulled into a race to find the stolen treasure.

This is one of those books where the synopsis sounds more exciting than the book proves to be. It has almost every cliché you would expect & nothing is really a big surprise. (continued)

2025 Re-Read:

Not really much I can add to my 2019 review below as it pretty much covers everything. Except the fact that I'd have happily dropped Georgia down one of the septic tanks, never to be seen again.

Link to 2019 review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2731718383
Read 17th-19th Feb 2025

The true story of an American woman who married into Prussian aristocracy in the early 20th century & became a lifeline for those fleeing the Nazis. Muriel White Seherr-Thoss used her connections to send her sons away to prevent them being conscripted into the German army, & also to help Jewish families escape. When the Gestapo finally came for her, Muriel made the ultimate sacrifice to protect others.

A look at female killers in the Early Modern period in Britain (16th to 18th centuries CE), where the plethora of ballads & pamphlets would have had us believe that female killers were fairly common. This book examines the evidence & argues that then, as now, most murders were committed by men & that those committed by women were sensationalised. (continued)

Ten years ago, 6 teenagers went hiking & camping in the Australian bush - but only 5 returned alive. Now Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura, & Jack return to the farm of Ed's parents, the starting point of that fateful trip to attend a memorial for Ed. When they get there, Ed's mother Mary, is obviously still struggling with his death & the more recent death of her husband. None of them want to be there & just want to get through the weekend.

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?

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⭐

When Maya's ex-girlfriend, Alana, is found dead Maya's life implodes. It won't matter that their relationship was toxic & that Alana had been emotionally abusing Maya for years, all that will matter is that after a verbal fight on a remote trail, Maya walked off & left Alana there alone. So Maya lies to the police initially & finds herself in real trouble & flees to the family lake house.

Last review for Jan 2025!

Grace McGill is a cleaner with a difference- she sanitises & makes safe the rooms where people die alone & lie undiscovered for weeks or months. When an old widower named Thomas Agnew dies in bed & is not found for months, Grace is sad that no-one seemed to notice his absence, not even his closest neighbours. (continued)

This informative & interesting book looks back at around 200 London pubs which closed (& were either mothballed or demolished) within the last 25 years. From pubs reputedly dating back centuries to those rebuilt after World War II, this book gives the reader a snapshot of their history & why/when they eventually closed.

This was & well-researched with some great photographs which makes you wish you had had the chance to visit the pubs. (cont'd)