Review: The Dark Heart of Florence

The Dark Heart of Florence by Tasha Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I either learn something new or remember something I'd learned in school or add more information to historical events of which I was aware whenever I read one of Lady Emily stories. This one is no different--early Florentine history of feuding sides such as those between guelfs and ghibellines, the rise of the d'Medici and the horrible desecration of art works, books etc by the mad friar Savonarola were not new to me. Tasha Alexander, however, weaves short chapters taking place during Renaissance Florence with its Botticelli era with chapters set in 1903 Florence, when Colin and Lady Emily Hargreaves have been sent by the Crown to investigate the death of one of the Crown's informants. Actually, of course, only Colin is entrusted to investigate along with another agent, Darius. Lady Emily is included in the trip to give Colin's visit the cover of a family holiday to his daughter, Kit's, Pallazzo. To further cover the intent of the visit, Lady Emily is encouraged to include her dear Parisian friend. Celine, in the party.

So, though it sounds confusing and is not, the book has three main mysteries and sleuths going with several minor threads and characters for added excitement. Always delightful and entertaining, the chapters engross the ready in the history, sights and mystery of 15th and early 19th Century Florence before the World Wars forever changed modern history.

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Good To The Last Page !

Murder at the University by Faith Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Good To The Last Page

If you like a mystery to last until the very end, this one's for you. If all leads are dead ends, this one's for you. And, if the final solution is a satisfying surprise, then this one's definitely for you!

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Taken in Nuala

Taken in Nuala by Harriet Steel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eighth book in this mystery series set in 1930's Ceylon--under British rule it is isolated enough that the rise of Hitler in Europe is hardly making an impact on life there. Although any of the eight books can be read as a stand alone novel, this is one series that is best enjoyed by starting with the first book. The author starts each book with the same introduction, explaining her experiences visiting modern Sri Lanka and how much the place and its people appealed to her. Having planned on a detective series she decided to chose to 30's Ceylon as her setting.

This case involves the kidnapping of two young heiresses, one British, the other, American. During the botched abduction of the American she is killed and the persons responsible become the focus of Shanti de Silva and his officers. Hoping to solve the case rapidly and thus averting any further kidnappings they find themselves without any clues and are at a standstill when the second girl is kidnapped.

In each instance, the determination of the distraught families to pay the ransoms and regain their daughters further hampers the investigations. Still, hamstrung as they are Nuala's finest and the British officials are able to work with locals to make headway without alerting the kidnappers to their efforts.

Finally, the perps are caught in one way or another and Billy and Bella are ensconced in a home with roof and food.

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In the Shadow of Vesuvius: A Lady Emily Mystery by Tasha Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lady Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves with a friend, Ivy Brandon are exploring an excavated villa in Pompeii, when Ivy comments on the " sideburns" on one of the plaster-encased victims of the 79AD eruption of Vesuvius. At first, Lady Emily continues talking about the history of the place, until Ivy again states that this particular ancient could have stepped off a London street of the present time, 1902. Romans did not wear sideburns and Colin takes a penknife to the plaster, much to Lady Emily's dismay. What he finds is a very modern dead body encased in plaster to hide it. Needless to say, the authorities are called in, the man identified and his death determined to be murder. And so the Hargreaves embark on their next mystery.

The chapters alternate between the present investigation and the tale of a lady's maid, a slave, given her freedom upon her lady's marriage. Kassandra is a poetess and her former charges new husband entices her to begin secret meetings with him in which she passes him chapters of a poetic epic she is writing. She is torn between loyalty to the woman who has been like a sister to her and her desire to write. Her creative ambition wins out and so her tragedy is revealed alongside the tragedy of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

If you've not been to Pompeii, this book will give you a very good image of the place. If, like myself, you have been there, the memories of the place will become clearer than ever. The history of the Romans and Greeks who lived there and the way of life is as interesting as the details of the archeology digs that have taken place and the wonders they have revealed. Add to that the characters and the mystery of the man's death and this book is a winner!

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Review: Rough Time in Nuala

Rough Time in Nuala by Harriet Steel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse by Christopher Parker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This Kindle edition was provided by BookBrowse to review and discuss. A most unusual read. A most unusual read.The title brings to mind coastal beaches and sundrenched romps in the surf. While there is some sandy beach and dunes and even a Lighthouse Festival, that is not the chief backdrop of this story at all. The Lighthouse does play a significant role in the telling but not at all in any usual way! A young girl's mother has recently died and, not unexpectedly, she is devastated and unable to come to terms with her loss. Her father, too, has been thrown into the depths of grief. Their relationship has always been a bit strained, since he is a Detective in the State Police and has often been away either physically or emotionally from his family. Now, with both in such upheaval, there seems to be no way for them to connect and support each other. Her Uncle Jack, also a State Police Officer, convinces her father to take her to a small seashore town to help them to find a quiet place in which to work their way to peace.

And so Amy finds herself in a small hotel on Oregon's coast with a Lighthouse outside her window. While her father goes to the bar for a nightcap, she finds herself unable to sleep. Grabbing her father's sleeping pills she draws a bath and falls asleep as the tub fills. Suddenly, she is rudely awakened by a young man, who when passing her room, discovers the hall floor covered in water. He goes into the room to discover her. And so, the two central characters of the book meet for the first time.

Ryan, is the son of a ranch owner who lives about five miles outside town. He had come to the hotel bar for a drink as well. The Ranch is being foreclosed within days and his taking loans from the bank has brought this upon the family home. He hasn't told his father and so driven by guilt and anguish, he has tried to escape for a bit.

As Amy and Ryan get closer, sharing their secrets and their grief, it becomes apparent that Ryan has a bigger secret that even he is not fully aware of. What that secret is and how it will change the lives of both he and Amy as well as their fathers is an emotional ride of hope, love,despair and finally happiness.

And is totally unexpected and unlike any novel I've read before. Just wonderful.

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Review: Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Rebus, living alone, sleeping in his easy chair is called out to a squat in a run down housing development where the body of a young man is laid out in a ritualistic pose, a pentagram drawn on the wall, a jar of syringes and burnt down candles at his sides. A drug overdose among the young homeless of Edinburgh or is it?

The investigation brings him in contact with a series of characters and a young constable, Brian Holmes. From other street kids, to rent boys, to fancy private clubs, Rebus tries to piece together pieces of the puzzle, though he doesn't even feel he has ANY pieces. Maybe, he should just let it go--but he has a feeling and it drives him on until the mystery is solved.

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