Clues to You - Claire Huston

 

Description

One murder mystery weekend. Two rival sleuths.
They’re looking for answers. But will they find love?

Kate Brannon is delighted to be attending her first murder mystery weekend in a movie-worthy Victorian manor house. Still getting over being dumped, cracking the case would be a welcome boost to her flagging confidence. And the prize money wouldn’t hurt either.

But Kate’s dreams of victory become a nightmare with the arrival of Max Ravenscroft. Smart, enigmatic and annoyingly handsome, Max is Kate’s sleuthing nemesis.

When she and Max are forced to work together, Kate despairs. But, as the investigation brings them closer, she finds being his partner in solving crime isn’t all bad.

With growing suspicions that the game is rigged against them, can Kate and Max beat the odds to find the killer? And, as their partnership deepens, can they find romance too?

A sweet romantic comedy with a cosy mystery at its heart. Perfect for fans of Kathryn Freeman, Laura Jane Williams and Katie Fforde.

Book Three in the Love in the Comptons series. These are standalone romcoms with recurring characters and locations and can be read in any order.

1. Art and Soul (Becky and Charlie)
2. The Only Exception (Lucinda and Alex)
3. Clues to You (Kate and Max)

Review

Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie.

I've always wondered what a murder mystery weekend would be like, so I was eager to read this fictional account of one. 

Kate Brannon has attended many murder mystery events, but this is her first weekend one. She's annoyed her friend Bella didn't say her nemesis Max would be attending and on her team. In fact she seems annoyed about a lot of things, and so to begin with I really didn't warm to Kate. Despite her having recently broken up with her long term partner my sympathy for her wasn't too high.

The plot to this book is so clever, as really it is two books in one. When the "murder" happens and the sleuthing begins set back in the 1930s, the modern day romcom world is forgotten - almost. Her lovely bubbly friend Bella livened the book up as did some of the actors playing in the murder mystery. There are a few modern day interruptions which actually made me warm more to Kate. In the end I was team Kate!

I loved the murder mystery aspect of the book, but couldn't quite figure it out for myself. It's such an intriguing book and idea, that to say more would give too many clues to you!

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Claire for the ARC to review. You can pre-order on Amazon - the book is out on 19 September 2023.

About the Author

Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire, UK, with her husband and two children. She writes

uplifting modern love stories about characters who are meant for each other but need a little

help to realise it.

A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as

eating them. You can find recipes for all the cakes mentioned in Art and Soul, her first novel,

at clairehuston.co.uk along with over 150 other recipes. This is also where she talks about and

reviews books.

Social Media Links

You can also find Claire on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Goodreads and Pinterest:

https://linktr.ee/clairehuston_author

Wednesday's Child - Yiyun Li

Description

‘One of our major novelists’ Salman Rushdie‘One of our finest living authors’ New York Times

A dazzling new collection of short stories, spanning 15 years of writing, from Yiyun Li, the prize-winning author of The Book of Goose and Where Reasons End

A dazzling new collection of short stories written over a decade, spanning loss, alienation, aging and the strangeness of contemporary life – from Yiyun Li, the prize-winning author of The Book of Goose

A grieving mother makes a spreadsheet of everyone she’s lost. A professor develops a troubled intimacy with her hairdresser. And every year, a restless woman receives an email from a strange man twice her age and several states away. In Yiyun Li’s stories, people strive for an ordinary existence until doing so becomes unsustainable, until the surface cracks and grand mysterious forces – death, violence, estrangement – come to light. And even everyday life is laden with meaning, studded with indelible details: a filched jar of honey, a mound of wounded ants, a photograph kept hidden for many years, until it must be seen.

Li is a breathtakingly original writer, an alchemist of opposites: tender and unsentimental, metaphysical and blunt, funny and horrifying, omniscient and yet acutely aware of just how much we cannot know. Beloved for her novels and memoirs, she returns here to her earliest form, gathering short stories and a remarkable novella never before published in the UK. Taken together, the stories in Wednesday's Child articulate the true cost of living with all Li’s trademark unnerving beauty and searing wisdom.

Review

The stories may be described as short but each one is varied and rich in content and writing.

I found I had to take my time to read these stories. I couldn't finish one and start the next straightaway as there was so much depth to the writing that the story lingered with me. It made it impossible for me to concentrate on another story so soon afterwards.

Each story has a twist of sorts. Some unexpected and even comical. My favourite was about a lady in her late 80s who had only recently stopped ice skating. She had a live in carer and the two of them began to discover so much about each other.

The writing is quite extraordinary and unlike anything I have read before. Each story stands alone and is not connected by characters but at the same time there is a bond with each story.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Three Card Murder

 

Description

One sister is a cop. The other a con artist. Both are suspects.

When DI Tess Fox arrives at her first murder scene there are already two big problems. First, the victim was thrown from the balcony of an apartment locked from the inside. Second, Tess knows the victim, and a clue left at the scene means the killer knows that too.

Only one person knows about Tess’s link to the victim and has the skills and criminal background to mastermind a locked-room murder. But Tess’s half-sister Sarah is a con-artist, not a killer. And Tess is going to need her expertise if she’s ever going to crack the case.

Soon two more bodies turn up in equally mysterious circumstances and also known to the sisters. Tess now has three locked room mysteries to solve and even more reason to be suspicious of Sarah. Can she trust someone who breaks the law for a living, even if she is family?

Review

A great fast paced read.

I just love a locked door mystery and this was certainly a page turner for me. The words seemed to just flow so well that I was a quarter way through the book before I realised it. I couldn't put it down as more and more intrigue was unveiled. What made it all the more intriguing was the good sister (cop) bad sister (con artist).

DI Tess Fox is on the brink of promotion. So when she gets a murder case of her own to head up it's not ideal that it's apparently been committed by an invisible person and she knows the victim. She can't reveal that she knows the victim, or she probably wouldn't be in the Police Force anymore. Little by little her past is catching up to her and there is no one she can tell, or can she? What makes it worse is that two more "impossible" murders happen and only Tess knows the link.

Sarah is Tess's half sister and a very clever and skilful con artist. With a link to the first victim Tess decides to confide in her even though she's been estranged from her for many years. But is Sarah going to be a help to the case or the undoing of Tess's Police career?

It could be said that some of this book was unbelievable. I can do unbelievable if it is also clever, and this was very clever. My only disappointment was the ending. I never saw it coming and maybe we have to wait to find out what happens next?

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Invisible Women's Club - Helen Paris

 

Description

Readers have fallen in love with this beautiful, heart-warming and uplifting story about one woman's journey from invisibility to being seen once more...

'A heart-lifting and thoughtful read, that gives a huge shout out to the power and strength of women'
'This book is all heart and soul ... and just the right amount of humour'
'A story of courage and strength that's witty, warm and filled with wisdom'
'Helen writes so sympathetically about characters who may not fit into the 'normal' bracket but are so likeable and instantly relatable'

-------------------------------------------------

Ignored.
Seventy-something Janet Pimm is invisible. Spending most of her days alone, she tends her beloved allotment with the care and love she doesn't receive from people. Plants, Janet thinks, are more important than friends.

Overlooked.
Janet's neighbour, Bev, has reached the age when a cloak of invisibility threatens to descend. Her friendly advances are rebuffed by Janet, but when the council threatens to close the allotments, Janet must swallow her pride and enlist Bev's help.

But they're about to prove everyone wrong.
As the two join forces, Janet realises that she isn't happy to be a wallflower after all. And that maybe there's more to Bev than she thought. As the bulldozers roll in and they fight to save Janet's treasured allotment, both women find their voice again. And no one can silence them now...

Review

Amazing story.

This book began a little slowly and I was wondering if I had made a mistake to read it. I decided to keep reading and I am so glad I did because I would have missed one heck of a story.

Janet is retired and lives alone, she loves the plants at her allotment more than anything. She doesn't need anyone she thinks, least of all her neighbour Bev.  Bev appears to be making Janet a charity case by offering her help and looking out for her which Janet definitely doesn't need. All that changes when Janet decides to take a trip to Windermere to seek help to save her beloved allotment being bulldozed. 

Whilst Janet is waiting for the bus to the train station Bev offers her a lift. It was really from the moment that Janet got into Bev's car that this book changed for me. I couldn't put it down. As Bev unlocked Janet's character on the journey, it also unlocked the book for me. There was so much to Janet that had lain hidden for years.

With wonderful descriptions of plants and their traits and uses, the book is not only a story about invisible women but a delight to read. The ensuing camaraderie at the allotments and the cloak and dagger exploits of Janet were wonderful as were the straight talking delights of Bev. Janet and Bev become two unstoppable forces with a trail of minor crimes and a rage against the establishment. I would love to read a follow up book. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars despite the slow start, because once it got going this book was on fire. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Ghost Cat - Alex Howard

 

Description

Early morning, 1902. In a gloomy Edinburgh tenement, Eilidh the charlady tips coal into a fire grate and sets it alight. Overhearing, a cat ambles over to curl up against the welcome heat.

This is to be the cat's last day on earth. But he is going to return... as The Ghost Cat, a spirit-feline destined to live out his ghostly existence according to the medieval proverb of "The Cat with Nine Lives" - For Three He Plays, For Three He Strays, For Three He Stays.

Follow The Ghost Cat as he witnesses the changes of the next two centuries as he purrs, shuffles and sniffs his way through the fashion, politics and technological advances of the modern era alongside the ever-changing inhabitants of an Edinburgh tenement.

As we follow our new spirit-feline friend, this unique story unearths some startling revelations about the mystery of existence and the human condition and provides a feel-good read full of charm for any fan of history, humour and fur-ridden fun.

Review

This is a must for cat lovers.

Grimalkin the cat is our guide through over 100 years of a residence in Edinburgh and it's changing residents and decoration. We also get to witness the discoveries and achievements of those living at the time, such as the discovery of penicillin and the Coronation and demise of Elizabeth II.

Despite his passing Grimalkin gets granted nine lives as the proverb goes "For Three He Plays, For Three He Strays, For Three He Stays". Only they are as a ghost cat which at times I felt so sorry for him as he could see everyone but they couldn't see him.

I found out about this book through the author's tik tok account. I was intrigued by the idea of retelling history from a different point of view, and through a time travelling cat. I wasn't disappointed as history was brought to life and also seen from the viewpoint of a cat who didn't really appreciate the changes of societal values through the decades.

My favourite moment was when Grimalkin learnt to use a laptop! Albeit in a haphazard but effective way.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Look Both Ways - Linwood Barclay

 

Description

They think as one. They act as one. They kill as one.

‘Look Both Ways is devilishly good – exciting, thrilling – Barclay at his best!’ SHARI LAPENA, No. 1 internationally bestselling author

The residents of Garrett Island are part of a ground-breaking experiment. For a month, their cars will be replaced by self-driving vehicles – voice-controlled, comfortable and safe.

Single mum Sandra is prepping for the huge media event, and she’s ready for a driverless future. Widowed after her husband fell asleep at the wheel, she’s relieved that her kids may never need to drive themselves.

But as the day gets underway, disaster strikes. A journalist vanishes, possibly murdered. And before long, it’s clear something is very wrong. The cars are no longer taking orders from their passengers. They’re starting to organise. They’re starting to hunt. And they’ve got the residents of Garret Island in their sights.

Review

Different from the author's other books. This was not the usual read from Linwood Barclay, but that was no bad thing for me.

I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator took a little getting used to I found. He had some very dramatic pauses which were not warranted. At first I thought the player was stuck as the pause was so long. Once I settled in to his nuances I was ok with listening. 

This is an 8 hour read, after I reached 4 hours of listening I began to wonder what else could happen for there to be that long left. I thought everything that could happen more or less had happened and pretty good it was too. I couldn't have been more wrong as there was plenty of action to come and twists.

The story is told from the perspectives of several of the residents of Garrett Island and their interaction with the AI Arrival cars. I liked all of the characters, which turned out to be a little misguided, but that was the beauty of the writing. Once things begin to happen with the Arrival cars there's a lot of descriptive action which I found better being read out on the audio. I think I may have scan read some of it if I had been reading. For that reason I think it would make an excellent film.

It's certainly food for thought with the driverless car future we are headed for. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the audio file to review.

The Seven Year Slip - Ashley Poston

Description

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

Six months ago, Clementine West had the worst day of her life. So, she came up with a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, take no risks. And it’s been working.

That is until one day she finds a strange man standing in her kitchen. A man with kind eyes, a crooked smile, and a recipe for the perfect lemon meringue pie. The kind of man that, before everything, she could have fallen for . . .

He’s perfect but for one thing: he lives in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact.

Review

Loved that this is a time travel novel, about a book publicist, set in NYC!

Clementine has inherited her late Aunt's apartment on the Upper East side. She had lots of travel adventures with her Aunt who she misses dearly. Her Aunt also had what seems to me a lot of sensible advice which Clementine shares with us. 

Her Aunt had told her the apartment was magical - but that was just when she was little - surely? Except for the day Clementine arrives home from work and finds a strange man in the apartment. He doesn't know her Aunt is dead. In fact he says she has invited him to stay while she's away travelling. 

This was a cute romantic story and a little escapist read into the publishing world and NYC. Falling for a man 7 years in the past when time travelling is hit and miss obviously proves a little difficult for sustaining a relationship. It doesn't hurt though that Iwan is a wannabe chef and cooks some amazing food. 

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.