Paul and Chelsea Tanner are enjoying their honeymoon in Paris, and then everything goes wrong. They are kidnapped by terrorists who contact their families, demanding large amounts of money, with the stipulation that they cannot contact the FBI or police, or Paul and Chelsea will die. This is just part of the story. These men have done this before, and one of them is bent on revenge, and every one of the male hostages has been in the U.S. military.
This is a compelling thriller, and a return to the Grisham of old. I was engaged in the story quickly and finished it in less than a day. The plot is more complex than a simple kidnapping, and there are layers to the story. Waterboarding and other tortures are vividly described, pointing to meticulous research. The kidnapping methods are clever, original, and well thought out, and the ending is worth the wait. The thoughts of the characters, especially Paul and the mastermind Nabid, are believable and intriguing. Fans of Grisham and thrillers will like this one.
I received a free copy of this book from Doubleday via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
My favorite author is back with the second book in her Smallhope and Pennyroyal series, which is in the Chronicles of St. Mary’s world. See my review below.
Book Review
Smallhope and Pennyroyal are back, and the action starts immediately. The title, A Family Affair, is very appropriate, as they are thrown by news relating to Pennyroyal’s sister and rocked by an event that will send them on separate paths. Also keeping with the family theme, Smallhope’s beloved nephew George is threatened, and familiar adversaries find a way to invade Starlings.
This was a twisty, turny, and somewhat shocking ride, as the very trust between Smallhope and Pennyroyal is threatened. I love that we get to see Dr. Bairstow from St. Mary’s, and he is, as always, steady as a rock. Major Ellis from the Time Police also appears, and we even get a little news about Grint!
This is Book Two in this series, and it can stand alone, but I would definitely recommend reading the first and getting the full story of Smallhope and Pennyroyal, with a lot of St. Mary’s and the Time Police thrown in. You won’t regret it. I loved every minute of this book, even though it sometimes broke my heart. As often happens in a Jodi Taylor book, it ends with a bang and a cryptic message loaded with questions. I can’t wait for the next one to find out the answers.
I received a free copy from the publisher via Netgalley. I also purchased the ebook and the audiobook. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
About the Author
Jodi Taylor is the internationally bestselling author of over thirty novels and more short stories than you can shake a stick at. Her Chronicles of St Mary’s series follows a bunch of disaster-prone individuals who investigate major historical events in contemporary time. Do NOT call it time travel! She is also the author of the Time Police books. Set in the same world as St Mary’s, this spinoff charts the highs and lows of an all-powerful, international organisation tasked with keeping the Timeline straight no matter what the cost. Efficient and disciplined, obviously they’re nothing like St Mary’s. Except when they are. And when a short story set in the same world accidentally grew into a full-length novel, the Smallhope & Pennyroyal series was born, following the adventures of two unlikely partners in crime. Jodi is also known for her gripping supernatural thrillers featuring the mysterious Elizabeth Cage, together with the enchanting Frogmorton Farm series – a fairy story for adults. Born in Bristol and now living in Gloucester (facts both cities vigorously deny), she spent many years with her head somewhere else, much to the dismay of family, teachers and employers, before finally deciding to put all that daydreaming to good use and write a book. And then another twenty-nine after that. And she hasn’t finished yet.
As I’ve said on here many times, I have been reading Jodi Taylor’s books since she first published them, and I drop everything when she has a new book out so I can devour it in one sitting. I hope you try them and enjoy them as much as I do.
Thank you to Zooloo’s Book Tours for a spot on the tour, which was supposed to be yesterday. Here is my late review of a special novella.
Book Description
Book Review
In this unique novella, Major League Baseball in 2039 receives a special gift. A young man shows up who looks just like Hall-of-Famer Lou Gehrig. He just wants to play baseball, and when they finally let him, they find out he swings like Gehrig too. He has a message for everyone. Be kind to each other. Appreciate life. Stop staring at your phones and talk to each other. And he has a goal. To win the World Series that year with the Yankees.
Immediately, this book had vibes of Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella, which was made into the hit movie, Field of Dreams. Throughout The Luckiest Man Returns, the magic of baseball and the message of appreciating life and your fellow “teammates” on this earth resounds. The love of the game versus the business the game has become is a major theme too. The major question everyone is asking is, “Is he a fraud, a copycat, or the real Lou Gehrig, returned over a hundred years later?” For the answer, follow Gehrig in this magical story as he pursues his goal of winning the World Series, while reminding everyone, players and fans alike, to appreciate baseball for itself and what it has always been, not just for money or personal glory.
*This is another book that I reviewed for The Historical Novel Society’s May issue. The August issue is coming out soon, and I will share more reviews then. I must note that the German flag graphic I used on the image above is not correct. Back during WWI, Germany used a black, white, and red flag, but I couldn’t find a graphic of it. At the time, the US flag was also different, having only 48 stars.
Book Review
In Fall 1916, prior to America entering The Great War, Josephine Therese Marzynski travels to Germany from Boston to study music. She is met with suspicion and even strip-searched before being allowed into the country, but they never find the American flag sewn into the hem of her skirt. She is living with family friends, the Müllers, who have made it possible for her to pursue a career as a professional opera singer, a dream she thought had died with her father in America. Josephine begins her training, but by April 1917, America and Germany are at war, and Josephine has been summoned to the police station and put under regular monitoring. This is a fictionalized version of Marzynski’s memoir, WithOld Glory in Berlin, which may have been ghostwritten by the author’s grandfather. It is the compelling story of a Jewish American student trapped in WWI Berlin. Josephine’s musical training lasted about a year, but the story is centered less on music and more on Germany’s war-centered culture at the time, including propaganda, oppression, and rationing. The author has blended more music into it by effectively adding snippets of operas that relate to Josephine’s experiences. The chapters are laid out as an opera would be, with an overture, acts, scenes, an intermission, and a finale. After America enters the war, the novel is focused mostly on Josephine’s monitoring by the police and her attempts to leave, using influential contacts. The original work is available in the public domain, and it is interesting to compare the two. The author has taken a simple retelling and breathed new life into it by adding emotion, dialogue, and music. The result is a well-woven tale of a talented young woman attempting to escape a perilous situation. My rating is 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on sites with no half-star option. Recommended.
About the Author
Splitting her time between Cape Cod, NH, NJ, and snowbird destinations, a tablet becomes Janis Robinson Daly’s library and desk, packed for reading and writing, wherever she might land. Inspired by the discovery that an ancestor founded the Woman’s Medical College of PA, Daly’s first novel, The Unlocked Path, celebrates pioneering women doctors at the turn of the 20th century. Its sequel, The Path Beneath Her Feet, honors the work of the American Women’s Hospitals in rural America during the 1930s. Her third book with Black Rose Writing, Under Two Flags, is a retelling of a memoir of a young Boston woman who travels to Berlin in 1916 to study opera. Daly’s grandfather, Eliot H. Robinson, Sr. ghost-wrote the original memoir in 1918.
Daly graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Wheaton College, at the time, a women’s college. At Wheaton, she developed a heightened awareness of female-centric issues. Her annual literary citizenship program, #31titleswomeninhistory, has gained recognition as an innovative way to celebrate Women’s History Month in March.
A presentation of how her genealogy research inspired her to begin writing has made Daly a sought-after speaker for book clubs, women’s groups, libraries, and writers’ groups. Her monthly newsletter includes updates on her writing, book reviews and recommendations, tips for book clubs, upcoming events, and a book giveaway. Learn more at her website, JanisRDaly.
1940. Olivia Belle Ash is a romance writer who has lost her voice. Famous as “Via Belle” for 20 years, she is now faced with a deadline she cannot meet. Awash in grief, she struggles to write again after the death of her husband three years ago. She also mourns the daughter she lost in infancy. Then, after an invitation to a university literary conference, she meets Simon Farrow. Ultimately, she begins a whirlwind relationship with this younger man, but things are not as they seem.
2006. Harper Rayne is a caterer and aspiring screenwriter looking for a story that will make her career. She ultimately decides to research the story of Via Belle, her late mother’s favorite author, who suddenly vanished in the 1940s.
Some parallels to the real life of a famous Christian romance author, Grace Livingston Hill, are present in the story. Hill was happily married to a minister before his death in 1899. She became a famous author in the early 20th century, and then suffered a very unhappy marriage to a younger man. This book appears to be inspired by Hill’s story, and the author also dedicated The Lost Story of Via Belle to Grace Livingston Hill.
The 1940s timeline is compelling, and the secrets and deception are well written. Simon is as unlikeable a character as many of the villains in the books of Grace Livingston Hill, who usually created very clear heroes and villains in her novels. The 2006 timeline is not as gripping at first, but it does grow in complexity by the end of the book. Fans of Christian fiction and of Hill’s books will enjoy this novel.
I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale Fiction via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary, and the opinions expressed are my own.
Additional Comments
This is another review I did for The Historical Novel Society. You can see it on their website here. As mentioned above, it is very loosely based on the life of Grace Livingston Hill, an early 20th Century Christian romance writer. My grandmother started reading Grace’s books to her kids in the 1930’s and 40s, and my Mom passed them on to me. They are very old fashioned–Grace frowned on makeup, for example. But they’re wonderful Christian stories for their time period. My favorite is The Substitute Guest, which I talk about a little bit here.
About Grace Livingston Hill
Grace Livingston Hill (April 16, 1865 – February 23, 1947) was a prolific early 20th-century American novelist best known for her Christian romance and inspirational fiction. She wrote over 100 novels and numerous short stories, often under her own name or the pseudonym Marcia Macdonald (her mother’s maiden name). Her works typically featured young Christian women (or characters who convert to Christianity) facing moral challenges, romance, and redemption, with clear themes of good versus evil and faith restoring lives.
Grace’s Two Marriages
Reverend Thomas Guthrie Franklin Hill: Grace married “Frank” in 1892, and they were married until he died in 1899 from complications of appendicitis. They had two daughters, settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and collaborated on Christian Endeavor materials. After his death, Grace began writing full-time to support her daughters.
Flavius Joseph Lutz: Grace married Lutz, a music teacher for her daughters and 15 years her junior, in 1904, against the advice of others. It was a very unhappy union. Lutz did not contribute to the household financially, not even from music lessons, and was verbally abusive. He often left to stay with his parents, and in 1914, Grace told him not to come back. There was no divorce, but there are rumors that the marriage was later annulled. Grace continued writing into the 1940s and died in 1947.
Indie Spotlight is my attempt to help Indie authors with marketing. It is a daunting task, and if I can help even a little, I’m glad to do it. You can help too by sharing this post with all the readers you know. Below is a review of Pon My Puff by Peter Stark Lansley. It was discovered, edited, and published by his son, Dr. Charles Morris Lansley.
Book Review
This is an autobiographical novel by Peter Stark Lansley about his childhood on the Isle of Wight in the 1920s. It was discovered 60 years later and edited by his son, Dr. Charles Morris Lansley, who also provides notes about the history and background of the era, the location, and the family.
We watch young Peter living an everyday life and celebrating big moments. Peter fondly remembers starting “morning school,” a crush on his teacher, attending horse races, meeting his friend Vicki, and more. I loved the Christmas traditions portrayed, including “stirring the pudding.” There are notes from the editor describing this Victorian tradition and its deep spiritual meaning.
One of my favorite parts of the book was when Peter asked his Gramp what would happen to him when he died. He said, “When I die I’m going to Mount Joy,” and went on to explain that “It’s the Down overlooking Newport…” And on a clear day, …you can hear the angels playing their silver whistle-pipes if you stop and listen.” This appears to be the name of a cemetery, but it became Peter’s euphemism for going to heaven, and he was quite glad when he was told his Aunt Emily had gone to Mount Joy.
“Pon my Puff,” was Gramp’s favorite saying, and is used as an exclamation throughout the book. “Pon my puff,” said Gramp, “You do ask some questions. Now, where do I begin?”
This book reads like a big hug, a look at an idyllic childhood that will put a smile on anyone’s face. It hearkens back to a simpler time, and Peter’s relationship with Gramp is truly a joy. This is a fun, special, well-written, and well-researched autobiographical novel/history.
About the Author
Peter Stark Lansley was born in Portsmouth and died in 1999 on the Isle of Wight after 80 years of a varied and interesting life at sea and in aviation. Between 1938 and 1939 Peter was a radio engineering student at the Municipal College Portsmouth, now the University of Portsmouth. His course was interrupted by the outbreak of war, so Peter joined the Merchant Navy on the staff of the Marconi International Marine Communications Company as Radio Officer and went to sea on board M.V. Port Hobart.
While serving on MV Wandby as Second Radio Officer, his ship was sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Iceland after being torpedoed on 19 October 1940. He survived and served as a radio officer aboard various ships until being released from the Merchant Navy in 1946 on medical grounds. After this, he worked for the Ministry of Aviation as a telecommunications officer based at Eastleigh Airport, now Southampton Airport, completing his aviation career at Heathrow Airport before retiring to the Isle of Wight in 1981.
Peter loved writing and was a member of the Southampton Writers Circle in the 1950s, during which time he wrote numerous short stories and the notes that were to form his book Pon My Puff!
About the Editor
Dr Charles Morris Lansley has strong connections to the Isle of Wight through his father’s side of the family, who lived on the Island, his Stark and Morris ancestors having had grazing rights in 1425 in the reign of Henry VI. He still maintains his connection to the Island through his home in Shanklin and his interest in Island family and social history.
After discovering his late father’s manuscript of his autobiographical novel forgotten in a trunk for almost 60 years, Charles Lansley edited the notebooks by piecing together the stories and by providing annotations to give background information on the villages and villagers in the 1920s.
Charles Morris Lansley’s other research interests are in 18th and 19th-century natural history, science, and literature. He was awarded his PhD by the University of Winchester in 2016 for research into Charles Darwin. His book, ‘Charles Darwin’s Debt to the Romantics: How Alexander von Humboldt, Goethe and Wordsworth Helped Shape Darwin’s View of Nature’ was published in 2018 by Peter Lang. Prior to his research on Darwin, he worked in education and training before retiring. He is a Fellow of The Linnean Society of London.
** The UK version is the current version from Austin MacAuley Publishers. The US version appears to be an older issue.
Before You Go
If you read this book, remember to post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and anywhere else you review books. Your review does not have to be a masterpiece. Just a couple of sentences about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help them immensely.
I usually write a book review of between 200 – 300 words, because I have been reviewing for The Historical Novel Society for about six years, and their word limit is usually 200 – 300. It works well for me. I see a lot of really long reviews on Goodreads and I usually quit reading halfway through, because they are just too long. I don’t find mine either quick or very long.
I reviewed this one for the Historical Novel Society’s May issue. Absolutely loved it, and it was selected as an Editor’s Choice. It’s set in my favorite place–Appalachia.
Book Description
In late 1960s Appalachia, many things loom darkly over June Branham. The Vietnam War is dividing the country, and a strip mine is eating away the mountain at the head of the holler where she lives, threatening the natural landscape and the only way of life she has ever known. While still in high school, June has fallen in love. She is pregnant, and the father may be Ellis Akers. Ellis is the son of Solomon, a mortal enemy of June’s stepfather, Isom. The feud is so old it fuels two vengeful men with the power of long animosity between rival families.
June’s brother, Tom, leaves to enlist in the war, and so does Ellis. Suddenly, June is on her own, at sixteen with a newborn, and is a mother unable to protect her daughter from the wrath of Isom. Without warning, her baby is kidnapped. Guided by her love for the generations of women before her, but now desperately alone, June must carefully navigate the search for her child alongside family and strangers in a wild and disappearing landscape.
In the Fields of the Fatherless Children is a powerful story of love and perseverance, masterfully told by a writer of exquisite care who intimately knows the rural people of this time and place.
Book Review
Appalachia, 1960s. June is pregnant and sixteen, and that is just the beginning of her problems. The young man she loves, Ellis, is of mixed race and is the son of her racist stepfather’s enemy, escalating a longtime feud. Then Ellis and June’s brother Tom are sent to Vietnam, and she just tries to survive. But her infant daughter is taken away right after birth by her stepfather, who will not allow a child with dark skin in his house. With help from this world, and the next, June leaves her small town in order to find her child. She begins a long and difficult journey, pursued by someone who cares little for her life and wants to take her daughter for themselves.
Gorgeous, lyrical writing and authentic Appalachian dialect make the culture of a 1960s coal mining town come alive. Impressive writing intertwines life in a coal mining town with the faraway war. For example: “Up on the mountain, another explosion. June pictured tree roots wrenched from the earth, dirt and rock bursting up from the ridge, peppering back to the ground, the same way the muted explosions of Vietnam came across Rena’s TV.” As June sets out with her own life on the line in pursuit of her child, other mothers are losing theirs to a war in another land.
The story is told mostly from the points of view of June, her mother, Bethel, and Granny Justice, who has passed away, but cannot move on due to “unfinished business.” This bit of magical realism ties into the spiritual side of Appalachian culture. Nuggets of folklore are also woven into the story, making it even more authentic. Compelling and moving, this novel captures the soul of Appalachia. Highly recommended.
About the Author
Pamela Steele received her MFA in Poetry from Spalding University, and her poetry collection Paper Bird (Wordcraft Oregon 2007) was nominated for an Oregon Book Award. Steele is the author of two novels: Greasewood Creek (Counterpoint 2011) and In the Fields of Fatherless Children (Counterpoint 2026). Although she is a native-born Appalachian, she now lives and writes on a ranch in northeastern Oregon.
It’s Release Day for HELLCAT, Book 9 of the Jax Diamond Mysteries series. I’ve read it already, and it’s the twistiest one yet! Click the image below for the Amazon link.
Book Description (Hellcat)
New York City, 1923. PI Jax Diamond and his trusted partner, Ace, are having a hell of a day. It starts with the suspicious death of a salesman and a family’s pleas to find their missing father. It ends with a murdered mob leader marked with red lipstick, proving they have a female killer on their hands.
While Jax works around the clock, Laura, his new bride and Broadway star, helps him on one of the cases. She and her friends try to find the owner of a gold locket found at the crime scene and uncover shocking evidence that points to Jax’s mother as the prime murder suspect.
Jax, Laura, and Ace frantically search for the truth, only to become trapped in a maze of misleading facts, twisted timelines, and dangerous assumptions. All the while, the body count is rising, and time is running out to stop Death Row Dotty before she delivers her final act of ‘justice’.
My Review will come later.
But I urge you to check out Hellcat at a great price right now for release day! Like all the Jax Diamond series, it can be read as a standalone. If you love historical mysteries, you’ll love this one!
Eleanor Fan is completely alone after the death of her mother, Lele. Lele had controlled everything, from doing Eleanor’s taxes to even hand-feeding her when she was studying. Lele even controlled her own death. After Lele’s death, Eleanor is drifting in a sea of grief. The only thing she knows to do is what her mother told her last: Use her inheritance to buy a house. She finds herself following the instructions of a realtor who takes care of everything, much as her mother did. As a result, she ends up alone in a model home of an abandoned housing project. And Lele’s ghost is everywhere.
Vivid descriptive writing enables the reader to instantly picture the scene. For example, the description of the realtor, Matt, tells you his personality: “His thick hair was slicked back, coiffed high off his forehead. He smiled toothily as she approached. He held his hand out for a shake, and a large watch slid out of his jacket sleeve, the band and bezel the same chrome brightness as his car.”
The aftermath of the COVID pandemic is portrayed so well by Eleanor, a mental health counselor, who is still doing her appointments by video long after the pandemic has ended. The house is so vividly described that it takes on a character of its own. Eleanor appears almost locked inside it with her own ghosts. The house’s bright façade and crumbling infrastructure remind the reader of Eleanor, who is slowly unraveling. As the secrets of the house unfold, so do Eleanor’s secrets, and she ultimately has to face them or let them destroy her.
Conclusion
Literary fiction and magical realism combine to paint a portrait of a woman who is lost, alone, and haunted by the past. Highly recommended.
Acknowledgements
I received a free copy of The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts from the publisher, Tin House. My review is voluntary, and the opinions expressed are my own.
Kim Fu is the author of five books, including the 2026 novel The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts, a New York Times notable book for March. This novel received starred reviews from Kirkus and Foreward, and was most anticipated by TIME, Book Riot, and the Chicago Review of Books.
Fu’s story collection Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century (2022) won the Washington State Book Award, the Pacific Northwest Book Award, and the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. It was also a finalist for the Giller Prize, the Ignyte Awards, the Shirley Jackson Awards, and the Saroyan International Prize. Stories in this collection have been selected for Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy and Best of the Net, featured on Levar Burton Reads and Selected Shorts, and optioned for television and film.
Fu lives in Seattle, Washington.
Purchase Link
**Click on the cover below to purchase on Amazon;
My Reviews of Other Books Featuring Magical Realism
