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#BookReview ‘A Cornish Recipe for Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

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A Cornish Recipe for Murder is another reliable instalment from the Nosey Parker series of cosy crime novels by Fiona Leitch. Former Metropolitan Police officer now caterer, Jodie Parker, has been secretly entered by her daughter, mum and boyfriend into a television baking contest. Fiona Leitch The Best of Britain Baking Roadshow has arrived in Cornwall at Boskern House, a stately home near Penstowan. The winning baker will compete in the national televised final. So, no pressure. Although cakes are not Jodie’s strong point, she throws herself into the competition against four other amateur bakers to become the Cornish regional baking champion.
The on-screen and off-screen team includes a complex mixture of personalities which provides lots of possibilities for disputes, injured pride, romance, reprisals, cheating and… murder. When a body is found in the grounds of the house, the local police arrive headed by DCI Nathan Withers, Jodie’s boyfriend. With the distraction of a murder to solve, Jodie finds it difficult to concentrate on her cakes. Each day has a different baking challenge and the contestants are filmed as they bake, followed by drag queen host Barbara Strident/Russell Lang, and two professional bakers Pete Banks and Esme Davies as judges. Every suspect is a stranger to Jodie, so red herring follows red herring. Suffice to say, not everyone is who they say they are. When Jodie’s chocolate custard filling is tampered with, her ingredients didn’t include salt, she realises she must be getting close to the perpetrator.
I really enjoyed this story, a quick read after a more serious historical novel. It’s a nice balance of murder mystery, satire of television baking shows, and more about Jodie’s home life and relationship with daughter Daisy and mum Shirley. And things are getting much closer with Nathan, which raises a different set of questions.
All in all, a fun read. An antidote to everyday life.

Here are my reviews of the first books in the Nosey Parker series:-
THE CORNISH WEDDING MURDER #1NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH VILLAGE MURDER #2NOSEYPARKER
THE PERFECT CORNISH MURDER #3NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH CHRISTMAS MURDER #4NOSEYPARKER

If you like this, try:-
‘Death at the Dance’ by Verity Bright #2Lady Eleanor Swift
‘The Diabolical Bones’ by Bella Ellis #2BronteMysteries
‘Magpie Murders’ by Anthony Horowitz #1SusanRyeland

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview A CORNISH RECIPE FOR MURDER by Fiona Leitch https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-83e via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Ava Glass

#BookReview ‘Nero’ by Conn Iggulden #historicalfiction #RomanEmpire

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Nero, first in the eponymous trilogy, is the first Conn Iggulden novel I have read. Why did I wait so long? I thoroughly enjoyed it and am now awaiting Tyrant to continue the story. Conn IgguldenNero is the title of the book but Nero the person is not named until the end. It turns out that Nero is a Roman nickname. As this is the first of the trilogy there is a lot of background – family, historical, political, emotional – to establish. Nero features three Roman emperors; Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius. The emperor we know as Nero is a child, Julius, throughout this book until he is re-named. The spine of the story belongs to Agrippina, great-granddaughter of Emperor Augustus I, sister of three brothers including Emperor Caligula, and niece of Emperor Claudius. Their line goes back to Julius Caesar. Step by step, through two husbands, threat, fear, poverty and extreme wealth, Agrippina protects Julius, son of her first husband, guarding his right to become emperor.
I am no expert on Roman history, my knowledge of Claudius is limited to the 1970s television series I, Claudius, which I enjoyed when young and am now tempted to re-visit.
AD 37, Nero begins as Agrippina’s husband Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, Barbo the celebrity charioteer and grandson of Mark Anthony, rides into Rome to face punishment possibly death. He is accused of adultery with a senator’s wife. It is the first glimpse of Agrippina’s influence, courage and ambition; if Barbo runs for the hills she and her son will be killed in revenge, if he rides to Rome to face judgement then likely he will die but she and her son may survive. Tension is on every page. Women are key characters; the wives, sisters, daughters and mothers of the Roman male elite, are victims, seducers, allies, murderers and heroes.
Agrippina is formidable, admirable in her protection of her child and of their rights, intimidating in the methods she will use to achieve security, Machiavellian in her tactical flexibility. This is a wonderful character-driven drama with a woman at the core, set within the unpredictable, lethal, cut-throat male world of Roman politics. Being unaccustomed to Roman names, I found some confusing and complicated; a family tree would be helpful. It would also be good to see the viewpoints of other female characters – particularly Agrippina’s aunt Domitia Lepida, and Messalina the wife of Claudius – to deepen the plot and add tension.
Rome at the time of Nero can be summed up in three words: treachery, ambition, danger. And it all happens at the speed of light. I loved it.
Bring on Tyrant.

If you like this, try:-
‘Sparrow’ by James Hynes
‘Glorious Exploits’ by Ferdia Lennon
‘The Wolf Den’ by Elodie Harper #1WolfDen

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview NERO by Conn Iggulden https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-84w via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Fiona Leitch

#BookReview ‘Death on a Winter’s Day’ by @BrightVerity #cosymystery #crime

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Death on a Winter’s Day is the eighth instalment in the Lady Eleanor Swift between-the-wars cosy mystery series by Verity Bright. Oh what an emotional ending! Verity BrightWhen a Christmas house party with friends on a remote Scottish island turns out to be less than hospitable, Ellie is a long way away from help. Except of course from butler-cum-personal assistant Clifford and her entire domestic staff, who have travelled with her north of the border to assist in the Christmas festivities. They didn’t expect to be confined to the island when a guest dies, stabbed in the back.
Novice lady of the manor Ellie has to use all her conversational and diplomatic skills at Castle Ranburgh to negotiate the tensions amongst her fellow guests. Already beset by staff problems – hence Ellie’s offer of arriving with her own domestic staff in tow – Baron and Baroness Ashley are struggling to be hospitable hosts. Ellie overhears talk of a business deal in danger of not happening, the usually romantic hosts seem to be at odds with each other, an American guest is rather too fond of the whisky and the Ashley’s begrudging cook is sabotaging the food. Clifford and his team of ladies from Henley Hall try to save the day with Stilton straws and other gorgeous canapes. Then a harmless game of ‘wink murder’ turns into the real thing and the local Inspector removes all boats from the island. The Ashleys, their guests and staff are effectively imprisoned together and squabbles turn into arguments. And there is an armoury, well-stocked with antique but deadly weapons.
At the request of her friend Wilhelmina Ashley, Ellie starts detecting. She and Clifford have already made a few observations of strange behaviour and gossip. An envelope passed to the local inspector. A man with a limp in a corridor he should not be visiting. This is a closed room mystery. The murderer must be one of the people on the island, but though their identities are known their real reasons for being at Castle Ranburgh are not. Why are Lord and Lady Fortescue, cousins of Lord Ashley, attending the Christmas house party when they seem to dislike their relatives so much. Why are Robert Campbell, the local Laird of Dunburgh, and his son Gordon, at loggerheads and is the Laird really the charming genial man he appears to be.
Death on a Winter’s Day includes another discovery for Ellie about her mother, tied in neatly with the sheer beauty and harsh conditions of this part of the Scottish coast. The island sits in a sea loch and can be reached only by boat, rowed over by a local man who appears to wear dead animals strung around his neck. A winter snow storm, a dangerous sea passage and the appearance of a selkie – a mythical creature that can shift form from seal to woman – add to the Scottish atmosphere in an isolated but beautiful corner of the world.
Another fun read, this time with a deadly chase that threatens the lives of all involved. The most touching book so far in this wonderful series.

Read my review of other books in the Lady Eleanor Swift series:-
A VERY ENGLISH MURDER #1LADYELEANORSWIFT
DEATH AT THE DANCE #2LADYELEANORSWIFT
A WITNESS TO MURDER #3LADYELEANORSWIFT
MURDER IN THE SNOW #4LADYELEANORSWIFT
MYSTERY BY THE SEA #5LADYELEANORSWIFT
MURDER AT THE FAIR #6LADYELEANORSWIFT
A LESSON IN MURDER #7LADYELEANORSWIFT 

If you like this, try:-
‘A Snapshot of Murder’ by Frances Brody #10KateShackleton
‘The Ninth Child’ by Sally Magnusson
‘Murder at Enderley Hall’ by Helena Dixon #2MissUnderhay

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview DEATH ON A WINTER’S DAY by @BrightVerity https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7E7 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Conn Iggulden

#BookReview ‘James’ by Percival Everett #historical #slavery #HuckleberryFinn

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James by Percival Everett is a road trip, a meandering journey of a slave, Jim, as he flees persecution, afraid of being separated from his wife and daughter. As he travels, Jim sees a different world, a world where slaves are not always treated as chattels belonging to white men. Percival EverettA re-telling of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, James is Jim’s own story. It is wry, sometimes funny, sometimes violent, sometimes poignant. In 1861, when Jim hears he is about to be sold far away from his family, he runs from the town of Hannibal, Missouri and hides on nearby Jackson Island while he decides what to do next. He doesn’t expect to be found so quickly but found he is, by white teenager Huckleberry Finn who has run away from his violent father. And so, familiar from Twain’s novel, they begin a trip down the dangerous Mississippi River, hoping to find the Free States. They encounter friends, foes, tricksters, drunks, runaway slaves, and slaves who are happy to be enslaved. And then they are told there is a war between the North and the South, a war about the end of slavery.
Everett turns on its head the perception of the slave as uneducated, oppressed, a victim. When together, the slaves speak as their true selves, about emotions, love, politics, the natural world, everything that is life. But when with white people the slaves speak a dialect expected by the massas, speech that demonstrates their lack of education, ignorance, subservience, simple-mindedness. Everything the whites assume and expect. But Jim can read and write, he is well-read. In a fever-dream he is visited by the authors of books he has read; Voltaire, Rousseau, Locke. There are some twists; a slave who is so pale-skinned he can pass unnoticed amongst the white folk; a band of minstrels who don blackface to sing badly-composed slave songs; slaves who will betray a runaway to their white masters.
The winding circular structure to the story mirrors their geographical journey, putting Jim in the path of danger many times. Along the way, Everett examines the nature of morality, the hypocrisy of white masters who beat their slaves in the week and go to church on Sunday, the kindness of some strangers, the hatred of others.
James is a fascinating re-telling of a classic novel, at times uncomfortable, lacerating in its irony and punishment of the white owners. A novel I am glad to have read though I can’t honestly say it was enjoyable.

If you like this, try:-
‘My Name is Yip’ by Paddy Crewe
‘A Thousand Moons’ by Sebastian Barry
‘The Last Runaway’ by Tracy Chevalier

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview JAMES by Percival Everett https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-82X via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Verity Bright

#BookReview ‘The Other Gwyn Girl’ by @NicolaCornick #historical

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I loved The Other Gwyn Girl by Nicola Cornick. More specifically, I loved the character of Rose, sister of the more famous Nell Gwyn. Cornick has written a wonderful timeslip novel piecing together the story of the real Rose Gwyn from scarce historical documents and combining it with a modern story mirroring the major themes. Love, celebrity, betrayal, royalty, loyalty and jewellery. Nicola CornickIn 1671, famed royal mistress Nell Gwyn has come a long way from selling oranges. Her older sister however is not so lucky in love. Rose Cassells, nee Gwyn, is in prison for the third time in her life; the first time for stealing a loaf of bread, the second as a debtor. Her third imprisonment is for treason; entangled by her highwayman husband into joining a plot to steal the Crown Jewels. The plot fails. Rose is caught and imprisoned in the infamous Marshalsea prison.
The present day story is about another pair of sisters. Jess Yates, sister of TV reality star Tavy, is newly single again after separating from her boyfriend who is now in prison for fraud. Jess needs a clean break while she works out what to do with her life. She accepts Tavy’s offer of moving to Fortune Hall as housekeeper. Tavy bought this rundown mansion as the setting for her new reality television series. Longing for peace and quiet, Jess steps into a whirlwind of celebrity life. Tavy is filming a new episode and is surrounded by cameramen and hangers-on. Her team includes loyal assistant Ed and physic Francesca, Jess and Tavy’s mother Una, and Tavy’s model boyfriend Hunter. Whilst Tavy broadcasts on social media the smallest intimate details of her life at Fortune Hall where she pretends to live – she dislikes the house, regrets buying it and is away from home as often as possible – librarian and archivist Jess retreats to the house’s dusty old library. Like Nell and Rose, Jess and Tavy are personality opposites.
Connections between the two storylines seem miles apart at the beginning, though some parallels become clear quite quickly, which presents even more possibilities and increases the tension. There are satisfying flirtations and hints of romance, handsome heroes, dastardly villains and at the centre of it all, two impressive mansions.
The spine of the 17th century strand is historical truth. The two Gwyn sisters, unalike in character but bonded by blood and shared childhood, raised by a drunken widowed mother in poverty. The theft of the Crown Jewels in a plot organised by Sir Thomas Blood with the help of thief John Cassells. Blood is later mysteriously pardoned by King Charles II, lover of Nell Gwyn. John Cassells disappears. Little is known of Rose Gwyn and Cornick has used this vacuum to create a page-turning mystery with satisfying tension, betrayals, rescues, love, sacrifices and murder. The historical setting is fascinating and Cornick writes sensitively about grief, loss and regret, but also about the things women had to do at that time to survive.
The ending is surprising, satisfying, with the correct element of mystery and the receiving of just desserts. This is a wonderful read about, for me, an unfamiliar period of history.

Read my reviews of these other novels by Nicola Cornick:-
THE FORGOTTEN SISTER
THE LAST DAUGHTER
THE WINTER GARDEN

If you like this, try:-
‘The Wicked Cometh’ by Laura Carlin
‘Disobedient’ by Elizabeth Fremantle
‘The Photographer’s Wife’ by Suzanne Joinson

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE OTHER GWYN GIRL by @NicolaCornick https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-81n via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Percival Everett

#BookReview ‘The Chase’ by Ava Glass #thriller

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Wow I loved this book, devoured it in three long reading sessions. The Chase by Ava Glass is a classy, non-stop thriller of a chase through London at night. Ava GlassNewish spy Emma Makepeace (not her real name) has been charged with finding a man wanted by the Russians and taking him to a safe place. Her only problems are that Michael Primalov doesn’t want to go with her; London is jam-packed with CCTV cameras; the Russians are ace at hacking cameras; and somehow the men chasing them are second guessing her decisions. Emma’s boss Ripley gives her three rules; no tech, move fast, stay dark. And then he disappears. Emma and Michael are on their own.
Interleaved with chapters about Emma and Michael running, their sparring and arguing becoming less rough-edged as they mould into a team, helping each other to survive, are chapters about Emma’s early life and spy training. This works well as an introduction to Emma, this is the first book of a series, and those who work around her.
There is no one else who can help them and Emma’s escape route is full of risks and unknowns. All she has to rely on are her own bravery, training, wit and risk-taking. Paediatric cancer specialist Michael turns out to be something of a surprise
This is an awkward review to write without giving away the plot. Think of all those adjectives you can that relate to tension, and apply to this book. Unbearable. Nail-biting. Non-stop. Top-speed. Gut-churning. Thrilling. Frightening. An escapist thrill of a read, this is the first in the Alias Emma series, I’ll soon be reading the second The Traitor.

If you like this, try:-
‘Panic Room’ by Robert Goddard
‘Munich Wolf’ by Rory Clements
‘The Farm’ by Tom Rob Smith

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE CHASE by Ava Glass https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-811 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Nicola Cornick

#BookReview ‘Angel with Two Faces’ by @nicolaupsonbook #JosephineTey #crime #mystery

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Angel with Two Faces by Nicola Upson is second in the 1930s crime series featuring real-life author Josephine Tey. I admit to finding the first, An Expert in Murder, a slow start but I’m glad that I gave the series a second chance. Angel with Two Faces ticks so many ‘mystery’ boxes. The unexplained death of a handsome man. A beautiful setting on a Cornish estate. A community bound by complex relationships going back generations. Secrets, love, lies, jealousy and tragedy. Nicola UpsonNovelist Josephine Tey arrives in Cornwall to stay at the Loe Estate, childhood home of her friend Detective Inspector Archie Penrose. Inspired by the beauty of the lake and the coastline, Josephine hopes to start work on a new crime novel. But the disappearance of an estate worker means Archie is called to investigate and Josephine, despite her best intentions, finds herself curious about the hidden secrets in this seemingly idyllic place. When the missing man is discovered drowned and his death is recorded as an accident, Archie is unsure and asks Josephine for subtle help. As she chats to locals, she finds herself welcomed by some and ignored by others. The variety of snubs, memories, answers and contradictions form an impenetrable knot leaving her feeling guilty at being an outsider with a story she is unable to unravel. Meanwhile the community nurses its grief by continuing with daily life, including the staging of a play in an open air cliff-top theatre. But when another man dies, the original verdict of accidental drowning is questioned.
Like the first novel, I found myself confused at times by the number of characters, the complex truth and lies told that are impossible to differentiate. There are familiar characters from the first novel which bring continuity. Archie’s cousins, the theatrical costumiers Ronnie and Lettice, add a touch of glamour. It felt good to learn more of Archie’s early years and family history, I hope a future novel gives the same treatment to Josephine.
Like all good mysteries, the possible answer to the problem came upon me slowly. But when the truth was revealed, my guess was only partly correct. A satisfying, page-turning mystery with emotional depth, Angel with Two Faces is about the long-term nature of friendships and family relationships, young love, grown in a rural situation throughout times of war, struggle and tragedy. Not one of the characters living on the Loe Estate is untouched by what happens in Angel with Two Faces.

Read my review of these other novels by Nicola Upson:-
AN EXPERT IN MURDER #1JOSEPHINETEY
STANLEY AND ELSIE

And here’s my review of BRAT FARRAR by the real-life author Josephine Tey.

If you like this, try:-
‘The Silver Bone’ by Andrey Kurkov #1KyivMysteries
‘The Guest List’ by Lucy Foley
‘A Death in Valencia’ by Jason Webster #2MaxCamara

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview ANGEL WITH TWO FACES by @nicolaupsonbook https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-82b via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Ava Glass

#BookReview ‘A Necessary Evil’ by Abir Mukherjee @radiomukhers #crime #historical #India

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After thoroughly enjoying A Rising Man, first in the Wyndham & Banerjee Raj-era Indian crime series by Scottish author Abir Mukherjee, I couldn’t wait to read the next. A Necessary Evil doesn’t disappoint. Abir MukherjeeMukherjee has a wonderful way with words that make you smile but also put you straight into the place and time of his setting. Within five pages I’d already smiled three times, starting with the opening line, ‘It’s not often you see a man with a diamond in his beard.’ Other favourites include, ‘If the prince wanted to talk to me, it at least saved me from hanging around eavesdropping like an Indian mother on the night of her son’s wedding’ and ‘The man was bald, bespectacled and nervous – like a librarian lost in a dangerous part of town.’
When Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surendranath (aka Surrender-not) Banerjee accompany His Serene Highness the Crown Prince Adhir Singh Sai of Sambalpore to important government talks at Government House in Calcutta, they do not expect to witness a murder. The small but fabulously wealthy kingdom is thrown into uncertainty at a critical time; the Viceroy is inviting twenty local maharajas to join the new Chamber of Princes, as a sop to Indian demands for Home Rule. Adi’s younger brother, playboy Punit, is now heir to the throne and their father, the Maharaja of Sambalpore, is ageing.
Wyndham suspects the clues to Adi’s killer are based in his homeland and not in Calcutta. As a schoolmate of Adi at Harrow, Surrender-not is invited to the state funeral in Sambalpore and so Wyndham goes along too, ‘on holiday.’ Limited by the Raj’s absence of authority to investigate in the state of Orissa, language difficulties and the inability to speak to women living in purdah in the palace’s zenana, nevertheless Wyndham stubbornly continues to seek the truth. They encounter a maelstrom of politics, religion, ambition, secrets and jealousy with power at the heart.
Mukherjee writes atmospherically of this period towards the end of the Raj, juxtaposing the arrogant authoritarian but sometimes well-meaning nature of the Raj towards the Indians with that of the maharajas towards their subjects. It is a complicated time. The wealth on display is as glittering as the poverty is dirty. There is law and order, tradition and community. But scratch the surface to find cruelty, rivalry, envy and ambition; everywhere.
This is a fast-paced read with the two central characters catapulted into a dangerous political arena in a strange city where they have no back-up and no friends. Everyone comes under suspicion, except each other. Banerjee quite often adds a hand of restraint on Wyndham’s arm as he is about to go dashing off into the fray, whereas Wyndham adds words of encouragement and motivation when Banerjee’s self-confidence is wavering. They make a brilliant pairing.
A Necessary Evil is an exciting sequel to A Rising Man, faster-paced and more intricate. This series is now up and running. Next in the series is Smoke and Ashes.

Here are my reviews of two other books in the Wyndham & Banerjee series:-
A RISING MAN #1WYNDHAM&BANERJEE
SMOKE AND ASHES #3WYNDHAM&BANERJEE

If you like this, try:-
‘Murder at the Dolphin Hotel’ by Helena Dixon #1MissUnderhay
‘The Guest List’ by Lucy Foley
‘A Death in Valencia’ by Jason Webster #2MaxCamara

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview A NECESSARY EVIL by Abir Mukherjee @radiomukhers https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7Zz via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Nicola Upson

#BookReview ‘The Seaside Murders’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #WW2

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The Seaside Murders is second in ‘The Secret Detective Agency’ series by Helena Dixon and has all the benefits of coming after the introductory story. A more dynamic plot, key characters established, interesting newcomers, danger, bravery and surprises. Helena DixonThe first book The Secret Detective Agency took place at Arthur Cilentro’s home in Devon so it is helpful to see detectives Jane Treen, Arthur and his manservant Benson sent to investigate a mysterious death only yards from Jane’s childhood home in Kent. A body has been found on the beach at Ashbourne, the circumstances of death are unknown and there is a strange tattoo on the victim’s arm. Jane’s boss the Brigadier suspects a connection with local looting, theft and black marketeering. We learn more about Jane, making her character more empathetic and less spiky, especially when her actress mother Elsa unexpectedly arrives. Annoying as Elsa is, she acts as a catalyst for the relationship of the investigative trio, making them more of a team.
The parallel investigations get off to a tricky start. There is an unmotivated inspector and an annoying government inspector. Although Jane grew up in Ashbourne, she finds many incomers due to the war. Land girls working on farms, Italian prisoners of war at a local camp, a rich landowner and magistrate plus a recently arrived schoolmistress, an artist and new managers at the village pub.
The deceased is identified as an Italian prisoner, one of a government experiment using approved POWs to help beleaguered farmers produce enough food to feed the population. Antonio Russo and his friend Matteo Gambini, who both grew up on farms in Italy, are imprisoned at the local POW camp and adjudged safe to work alongside land girls on a local farm. Now one of them is dead.
Overall I enjoyed this more than the first. Firstly, there was less smoking by Jane and more gentle interaction and less confrontation between Jane and Arthur. I also confess to being very curious about Benson and am looking forward to learning more about his background. There’s an interesting hint about his previous work with Arthur, so fingers crossed.
This is a new take on the usual wartime setting and I’m curious to see what happens in the third book.

Here’s my review of the first in this new series:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

And my reviews of Helena Dixon’s Kitty Underhay 1930s cosy mystery series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY 
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY

If you like this, try:-
‘A Very English Murder’ by Verity Bright #1LadyEleanorSwift
‘The Various Haunts of Men’ by Susan Hill #1SimonSerrailler
‘Fortune Favours the Dead’ by Stephen Spotswood #1Pentecost&Parker

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE SEASIDE MURDERS by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-85u via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Abir Mukherjee

#BookReview ‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah #historicalfiction #VietnamWar

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The Women is the first novel by Kristin Hannah that I’ve read and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I read it in two days! What an emotional ride, a curious but powerful mixture of wealthy west-coast California 1960s living and ‘in country’ action in the Vietnam War. Kristin HannahPart-romance, part-war story, part-feminist history, The Women is about Frankie McGrath, 21-year old nursing student from a privileged California family, who follows her older brother Finley to Vietnam where he is fighting. Inspired by her father’s heroes’ wall honouring the sacrifices made by their family in the service of their country, Frankie wants to make a difference too. Full of enthusiasm she ships out to Vietnam wearing her smart naval uniform, including girdle and stockings, and a bag containing her work fatigues, pyjamas and a pale blue summer dress recommended by her mother for days off. Her first day, ill from drinking unclean water, she lays on the cot in her ‘hooch’ wishing she’d stayed at home. When she meets her room-mates, Ethel and Barb, they’ve just come off shift, are exhausted, covered in blood and unworried about stripping off in front of her.
This book is not just Frankie’s story but that of Ethel and Barb and all the other women who served in the Vietnam War. Unrecognised, ignored and discounted, except by their hospital colleagues and the men whose lives they saved, these heroic women sacrifice everything. Part One is set in Vietnam as Frankie gains experience, learning how to nurse in a war zone, working in indescribable conditions, long hours, filth, blood and bombs. She falls in love for the first time, sees friends finish their tour of duty and return home, and transforms from a ‘turtle’ to a highly-respected surgical nurse.
Part Two is perhaps even more shocking. Frankie returns home as the anti-war feeling in America is gaining a voice. Spat at and ignored as she arrives at the airport, she returns home to Coronado Island to find her mother still living her country-club life while her father is in denial about Frankie’s war service. Adjustment to ordinary life is difficult and when she does reach out for help, Frankie is rejected by the veterans’ support services because she isn’t a Vietnam vet. Repeatedly told ‘there were no women there,’ Frankie falls between the gaps. She finds a nursing job but soon finds her war experience counts for nothing; she is designated a beginner, on probation and put on the night shift.
This is both a difficult novel to read and also compelling. Frankie is a warm-hearted character, determined and loyal. She gives her heart fully. Because, according to official and popular conception at the time, there were no women in Vietnam, she is unable to get a diagnosis of PTSD. So she stumbles and falters towards help, a heartbreaking path to read.
A powerful story of a horrific time in America’s recent history, The Women shines a light on the role of women in wartime. An immersive, often brutal read, there are also moments of beauty, love and most of all friendship. These women are still in my thoughts.

If you like this, try:-
‘The Warm Hands of Ghosts’ by Katherine Arden 
‘My Name is Yip’ by Paddy Crewe
‘The Pull of the Stars’ by Emma Donoghue

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-800 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Helena Dixon