The Observer
The acknowledgements didn’t make a lot of sense when I read them before starting The Observer by Marina Endicott. Neither did the author photograph on the back jacket flap. Both…
West Country Trilogy
I’d heard of the Battle of Jutland, but that’s it. No idea of who, when or where. Now I know, thanks to The Redeemed, third in Tim Pear’s West Country…
The Wolves of Winter
Novel by Tyrell Johnson, The Wolves of Winter, 2018 Simon & Schuster A young woman and her family had headed north from the United States, ending up in the Yukon.…
The Birthday Lunch
Maybe it's because Sussex NB is now my hometown. Or maybe it's because Joan Clark wrote an amazing book about family and place. Whatever, I read her 2015 The Birthday…
Jump!
I've wondered what real jockeys think about horse racing novels. Especially those where newcomers - human and horse - manage against all the odds to win THE BIG RACE. It's…
A Great Reckoning
Usually I read an author's acknowledgement page first, even if it's at the back of the book. But when I started A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny, for some reason…
King’s Curse
The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory is about Henry VIII. It was published in 2014. Despite knowing this, I kept checking the publication date because of passages like this: Dear…
Your Blues
If you want to do some social research on the USA of the latter half of the 20th century, read Your Blues Ain't Like Mine. It is a first novel…
Who’s Kitten Who?
In the mood for a fluffy book, I wondered if Cynthia Baxter's Who's Kitten Who? might be a bit too fluffy based on the cover and title. Still, give it a…
Water for Elephants
(from 2011*) In the past week, I’ve been sent two Facebook requests to boycott the film Water for Elephants. ADI (Animal Defenders International) says that Have Trunk Will Travel, trainers…
Dog Gone
In Dog Gone, a 'Feather Duster Mystery' by Eileen Key, dogs are disappearing from a boarding kennel. Cleaning lady Belle wants to help her friend, the kennel owner, keep her…
Dog On It: Review
Dog On It is the first in a mystery series by Spencer Quinn, aka Peter Abrahams. The protagonists are Chet (dog) and Bernie (human). Set in the US Southwest, the…
Lab Mysteries
If you like dogs and mystery novels, or even just one or the other, have a look at J. F. Englert’s Bull Moose Dog Run series. There are three so…
Reading History
Well-written and well-researched historical fiction gives the reader a two-fer: a good story and a history lesson that you may have slept through during school. Recently, I’ve been living in…