Rebecca_H

A psychological thriller in the vein of Girl on a Train, Clare Mackintosh's novel is a story that is hard to put down. The characters are believable and well-drawn, and the story line grabs the reader quickly and doesn't let go until the final page.

Zoe Walker has two grown children, a new live-in partner, an ex-husband who still loves her, and a job in an estate agent's office, where she is largely unappreciated. One evening as she rides the underground home from work, she sees her own photo in an ad for a dating agency. Soon, she realizes that other women whose picture appears in the same add have been victims of assault and even murder.

There are enough red herrings and twists and turns in the narrative to keep the reader guessing about who is friend and who is foe in this fast-paced mystery. The ending packs a punch at the last minute, and leaves the reader with the message "to be continued...!"

This novel is highly recommended!

This novel tells the story of two protagonists, Roisin, an Irish astronomer, and Francois, a French chef. Themes of longing and loss, belonging and freedom, longing for the past and hope for the future, sound throughout the narrative. The stories of secondary characters whose lives impact those of Roisin and Francois intertwine throughout.
The novel's structure revolves around the appearance, at intervals through history, of comets in the skies. As the book progresses, we see how the stories of all these characters run parallel, touch briefly, and then intersect each other. The reader must pay careful attention to the chapter headings (Halley's Comet, Comet Giacobini, etc.) in order to keep track of the narrative as it shoots between time periods and points of view. The absence of quotation marks when characters are speaking may also be challenging. This novel is worth the attention, though. The writing is graceful and compelling and the quirky characters moving and enchanting.
Romance, magic realism, ghost story, historical novel, fantasy; all are elements that combine to make this book a wonderful read.

Paris, 1918: the long world war is finally drawing to an end, and Opaline Duplessi, a young apprentice to a Russian emigre jeweler, prays for an end to the suffering which she encounters all too closely. Opaline is a lithomancer, whose powers are concentrated through precious stones. She fashions mourning talismans for mothers, sisters and wives who have lost loved ones in battle. After she places something belonging to the departed in a piece of jewelry she creates, Opaline receives messages to pass along to the bereaved. Once the messages are delivered, Opaline hears no more from the dead, until one day she has an encounter with the tortured spirit of a young commander who blames himself for the loss of his entire unit in battle. An enduring connection begins, which leads Opaline into a new realm of adventure, both in the physical world and in the realm of the mind and spirit. Set against the background of the Great War and the Russian Revolution, M.J. Rose's novel will appeal to fans of historical fiction and romance, especially those interested in occult phenomena. The characters are intriguing and well-drawn, and the author skillfully evokes the atmosphere of mystery, danger and romance of the Palais Royal. If the occult aspects of the story seem a bit over the top at times, the story is gripping enough to keep the reader engaged until the final denouement which occurs in the epilogue.

Set in Canada, Ausma Zehanant Khan's second novel, the Language of Secrets, is the story of a Muslim Canadian police detective investigating the murder of his former friend,who, unbeknownst to him, is an undercover agent for Canada's federal intelligence agency, INSET. His investigation is hampered by the politics of the area, INSET agents who are concerned that his investigation will hamper their operation, and by his sister, Ruksh, who has become engaged to the main suspect, a charismatic radical. Khan's novel is fast-paced, with complex,engaging characters and intricate plotting. The subject matter is extremely timely and implicitly warns us of the danger of making facile judgments about a very complicated issue. Above all, the story grabs us from the beginning sentences and doesn't let go until the final resolution. An absorbing read!

A luminous novel about the toll on a family of becoming refugees, When the Moon is Low is the second novel by Nadia Hashimi, author of The Pearl That Broke Its Shell. The story alternates between the viewpoints of Fereiba, a young Afghan widow, and her teenage son Saleem. Along with daughter Samira and baby Aziz, they make the perilous journey from Kabul into Iran, then to Turkey and on to Athens, where Saleem is arrested. The story then follows the separate journeys, perils, friendships and heartbreak of Fereiba and Saleem. Hashimi's writing is spare and poetic, and the story moving and suspenseful. The issue of political refugees is a particularly timely one presently, their plight featuring daily in the news. When the Moon is Low illuminates the human face of the refugee situation, and is also a story of family devotion and courage under terrible circumstances. This is a wonderful novel.

Medieval England has its Brother Caedfael, present-day Venice its Guido Brunetti; now 18th Century China has its Li Du, an appealing and sympathetic librarian/scholar recluse exile wandering through the "uncivilized, dangerous frontier" of the southwest. As the story of Jade Dragon Mountain opens, he is traveling to the residence of the local magistrate in the city of Dayan, who also happens to be his cousin. Unbeknownst to Li Du, the city is preparing for the state visit of the emperor who has ousted him from his position of state librarian in Beijing and exiled him. The occasion is a grand ceremony celebrating the coming solar eclipse. While at the magistrate's estate, Li Du is given the task of solving the murder of an elderly Jesuit scholar residing there. The machinations of the powerful East India Company and the Jesuit and Dominican brothers in China and the politics of the Chinese empire combine in this intriguing mystery. The social and political culture of Li Du's time weaves through the novel, and the whodunit aspect of the mystery is enjoyable. The believable characters, including the emperor's first consort, a traveling storyteller from Egypt, and a mysterious botanist masquerading as a Jesuit brother, add to the enjoyment of this debut suspense novel.

An evocative historical romance about a young wife and mother who is also a perfumer and member of a famous family perfume house. The novel follows her through occupied France and Poland as WWII darkens the fortunes of her family, and on into the Golden Age of Hollywood, as she works to restore those fortunes. An intriguing blend of history, romance, and family saga, Scent of Fortune is well worth reading, not least for its evocation of character, place and history through the medium of fragrance and its impact on our memories.

Sarah Vaughan's Art of Baking Blind is a novel told from the multiple viewpoints of four women and one man who have entered a baking contest sponsored by an upscale supermarket chain. The wife of the supermarket owner, Kathleen Eaden, was the Martha Stewart of her time, 1960's Britain. The contest's winner will become the new "Mrs. Eaden." The novel follows the daily lives, relationships, joys and struggles of each of the five contestants as they practice and take part in the various stages of the contest. Interspersed with their stories are the journal entries of the original Mrs. Eaden, whose life was not as picture-perfect as it appears.

Vaughan does a good job of drawing us into the characters' lives and hearts, and we find ourselves rooting for each contestant as we read about their desires, aspirations and difficulties. Unexpected crises arise for two of the front-runners as the contest's finale approaches, increasing the story's tension. I found the novel very engaging and the characters believable. A very enjoyable read.