The Fairfax Incident by Terrence McCauley - Novel Adventures Book Club July Pick Review

Overview:

Manhattan, 1933. Charlie Doherty may have been kicked off the force after The Grand Central Massacre, but thanks to a wealthy benefactor, his private detective business is booming. Catering to the city’s wealthy elite, Doherty is making a good living chasing down wayward spouses and runaway socialites when the case of a lifetime lands in his lap. Mrs. Fairfax, a wealthy widow, hires Doherty to prove her husband’s suicide wasn’t actually a suicide. It was murder.

At his benefactor's urging, Doherty takes the case. He expects to pocket a nice chunk of change to prove what everyone already knows: Walter Fairfax walked into his office in the Empire State Building one morning, took a phone call, and shot himself. But Charlie took the widow's money, so he begins to dig.

He quickly finds out there is more to the Fairfax incident than a simple suicide. Before long, he discovers that Mr. Fairfax was leading a double life; running with a dangerous crowd that has a sinister agenda that threatens to plunge Charlie’s city – and his country – into another war.

In an investigation that quickly involves global implications, Doherty finds himself against not only some of the most powerful people in New York City, but against the most evil men in the world.

My Review:

For the month of July, The Novel Adventures Book Club chose to read The Fairfax Incident by Terrence McCauley. In this book, we meet Charlie Doherty, a private detective who has been hired to prove Mrs. Fairfax's husband was murdered.  Charlie is convinced it was a suicide but he's getting paid handsomely so he decides to ask a few questions, feeling sure it will confirm that it was actually a suicide.  Things quickly take an unexpected turn when Charlie gets shot at and he soon finds himself in the middle of something much larger than a murder investigation.

If you've read my blog at all, you know I don't really like to read "historical" books set any later than the early 1880's and actually prefer them in the late 1780's - 1830-ish.  Anything after that is just too modern for my tastes so I was hesitant to pick this book up but the premise was intriguing.  I also had a little trepidation because in my experience, books set during this time period typically focuses on the Depression and prohibition slums of NYC and in my opinion has been done to death and I just couldn't stomach another book like that.

I was very pleasantly surprised when I began reading and learned that McCauley went in a different direction entirely.  It was fun to see a different spin on this time period because people tend to forget that there were still a lot of wealthy people in the Depression and it was refreshing to see this spin.

Having a degree in history, I know that even though it was 1933 and most people in the US were focused solely on survival, there was a huge underground movement to bring Nazis into power - not only in Germany but world-wide.  Hitler had only been in power a few months at this point and he was on almost no one's radar which is why he was able to move so quickly.  McCauley putting all this in the book tells me he understands history and I am really happy he focused on this aspect, rather than the cliche.

The characters are done really well and they feel real - even the minor ones.  A great deal of thought and energy went into the development of each one and it shows.  There was enough back story to bring each character to life while still leaving a little mystery and room for development in future books and I love that.  I want to know enough to get me emotionally invested without knowing every single detail so that I can get to know the character over time, just like I would a real person.

Charlie has a tough-guy attitude but with enough humor thrown in to keep him from being a cliche, run-of-the-mill hard boiled detective.  That isn't an easy balance to strike but McCauley pulls it off perfectly.  I also really loved Mrs. Fairfax and hope she makes other appearances in future books.  I have some suspicions about Mr. Van Dorn and Father Mullins but that's ok.  I'll wait to see how things play out in future books. 

The plot was well paced and intriguing.  It's hard to make a story believable, especially when you throw in a Nazi or two but McCauley has managed to do just that.  As I said before, a lot of people don't know how much was going on prior to the "official" start of WWII and also the eventual involvement of the US and I am glad to see McCauley bring it to life in this book.  It would have been way too easy to go down the typical Depression-era road or even make it over-the-top but he has pulled it off beautifully and it made this book a pleasure to read.  

I know McCauley loves cigars and I thought it was great that he put in a cigar store.  It's a personal touch that makes the story all the more real and I love that. 

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and I certainly hope there will be more to come in this series.  I loved it so much, I read it in just a few hours on a Sunday afternoon.  Not many books do that to me these days so it was a welcome change.

If you've read this book, join the discussion below!

The Light (Morpheus Road #1) by D.J. MacHale

Overview:

Marshall Seaver is being haunted.

It begins with mysterious sounds, a fleeting face outside a window, a rogue breeze—all things that can be explained away. That is, until he comes face-to-face with a character who only exists on 
the pages of a sketchbook—a character Marshall himself created.

Marshall has no idea why he is being tormented by this forbidding creature, but he is quickly convinced it has something to do with his best friend, Cooper, who has gone missing. Together with Cooper’s beautiful but aloof sister, Sydney, Marshall searches for the truth about his friend while ultimately uncovering a nightmare that is bigger and more frightening than he could ever have imagined.

My Review:

I designated 2018 to be the year to finally tackle my out-of-control TBR book case (yes, I have a whole case just for TBR - don't judge) and this book is one that has been sitting there for a couple years.  I have a tendency to pick things up on clearance if they look even remotely interesting and The Light happened to fall into that category, even though it's a departure from my normal genre of historical murder mystery and I'm glad I finally picked it up because it was an enjoyable read.

It's classified as Teen Fiction but it's more paranormal than fiction.  In any event, in the first book in the Morpheus Road trilogy, we follow Marshall Seaver who is still dealing with the death of his mother two years prior.  School has just ended for the summer and he has all kinds of plans to fill it up until his best friend Cooper gets in serious trouble and his parents take him to the lake for the rest of the summer.  Marshall is pretty bummed out until a comic book character he created comes to life and starts haunting him.  On top of that, Cooper has gone missing from the lake so Marshall decides to go to the lake to help search for his best friend.  He also hopes that by leaving his house and concentrating on finding Cooper, the hauntings will stop.  Unfortunately, they only get worse.

The main characters in this book were well done, but I would like to have seen the secondary characters a little more fleshed out.  They weren't bad but they needed a little more substance.  I would also like to have known Marshall's exact age.  It says he's a year younger than Cooper's older sister Syndey who is a senior in high school so I'm guessing he's around 16 but he seems a lot younger.  That changes by the end of the book and I understand what the author was trying to do but it seemed just a tad exaggerated.  Again, just a minor thing and it didn't take away from the story at all but just something to note. 

The plot was well-paced, if a little simple but since the book is geared towards teens, I won't pick on that too much.  The details of the town, lake, and houses were well done - just enough to allow the reader to picture everything but not so much that it bogs down the pacing of the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  It's a quick, easy read that let's you escape to a different world for awhile without overworking your brain.  Perfect for a summer read! 

There are (obviously) two more books in this series so when I get them, I'll let you know.

Have you read this series?  If so, what did you think and do you have any recommendations for similar reads?

Happy Birthday, America!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Independence Day.  Make sure you take some time to reflect on what we are celebrating today and why.

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman - A Novel Adventures Book Club June Review

Overview:

London, April 1812. Lady Helen Wrexhall is set to make her curtsy to Queen Charlotte and step into polite Regency Society and the marriage mart. Little does Helen know, that step will take her from the glittering ballroom of Almacks and the bright lights of Vauxhall Gardens into a shadowy world of demonic creatures, missing housemaids and deadly power.

Standing between those two worlds is Lord Carlston, a man of dubious reputation and infuriating manners. He believes Helen is destined to protect humanity from an unearthly truth, but all he can offer is danger, savagery and the possibility of madness. Not the kind of destiny suitable for a young lady in her first London Season.

Against a backdrop of whispered secrets in St. James’s Palace, soirees with Lord Byron and morning calls from Beau Brummell, The Dark Days Club is a delightfully dangerous adventure of self- discovery and the dark choices of new found adulthood.

My Review:

This is the first book in the Lady Helen Trilogy and I absolutely loved it!  Set against the backdrop of Regency England, this book combines history, romance, fantasy, and mystery in an exciting and enthralling story.  None of those genres are easy to write individually- much less combining them all together - but Goodman is able to do it seamlessly and in a way that makes perfect sense.

In this book, we are introduced to Lady Helen Wrexhall who is preparing for her presentation to the Queen as part of her London Society debut.  She and her older brother Andrew lost their parents when they were very young and have been raised by their aunt and uncle.  Lady Helen has always known she was a little different but her aunt and uncle made sure she never stepped one toe out of line.  When one of the household maids goes missing, however, Lady Helen vows to find out what happened and in the process meets Lord Carlston and learns she is a Reclaimer who must fight demonic forces and save the world.

All the characters are very well developed - even secondary ones - and I found myself caring immensely about what happened to them.  I was more than willing to follow along in their journey, get caught up in the action, and believe everything happening was possible in the real world.

The plot moves a tad slowly at first as we learn about the characters but I didn't find that to be a problem and it only took a few chapters to really ramp up the action and excitement and I found myself turning each page more quickly than the last.

There is plenty of historical detail to keep fans of that genre happy without going overboard, along with adding layers of mystery, fantasy, and light romance (no sex scenes!) into one all-consuming story that reaches audiences across all genres.  That alone makes this book worth the price of admission.  I've been having a really hard time lately with several book series that seem to have lost their way and/or have become static and boring so it was really refreshing to find something that kept me reading long past my bedtime.

This isn't my typical genre and in fact, I wouldn't even know how to classify it.  Barnes and Noble has it in the Teen Fantasy section but it is so much more than that so don't let that label turn you off.  This book doesn't come across as a teen or YA novel (thankfully) and I think fans of multiple genres will enjoy it because none of the elements are too over-the-top or far-fetched.  Every thing is perfectly balanced and well executed.

I can't recommend this book highly enough.  In fact, I loved it so much I finished it only a day or two and went straight out and bought the second one, which I promptly finished the same day.  Book 3 comes out in November. 

Have you read this book?  What are your thoughts?  Did you enjoy the mixing of genres?  Join the discussion below!

July book pick:  The Fairfax Incident by Terrence McCauley

A Magical Match by Juliet Blackwell

Overview:

Witch and vintage store owner Lily Ivory faces her most difficult mystery to date with a case of mistaken identity that hits close to home...

Lily Ivory and her friends are planning a 1950s-themed brunch to benefit the local women's shelter. When a figure from her past shows up unannounced, threatening her unless she returns something that belonged to him, Lily's fiancé, Sailor, steps in to defend her. After the same man is found dead later that day, Sailor is the primary suspect. He swears he's innocent, but multiple witnesses ID him as the perpetrator of the assault. Lily vows to clear his name...only she's not sure where to start with the mounting evidence against him. 

When she sees Sailor in the neighborhood despite knowing he's in jail, Lily starts to wonder if there could be a doppelganger in San Francisco. When she's not busy helping customers find matching outfits for the upcoming event, searching for a vintage wedding dress for her own nuptials, and dealing with an ill-timed magical cold, Lily begins to suspect one of her magical foes is targeting her loved ones in an attempt to weaken her.

My Review:

This is the 9th book in the Witchcraft Mystery series.  In this episode, Lily is trying to prepare for her wedding to Sailor but those preparations are put on hold when he is arrested for murder.  Her grandmother's coven are also on their way (along with Lily's mother) to the wedding but keep getting sidetracked and delayed.  In addition, Lily has come down with a cold (which she keeps swearing she can't get) and her magical powers seem to be weakening.

For the most part, I really like this series but Lily is really starting to annoy.  Nine books in and there is not much character development.  For example, she still refuses to have a cell phone and it takes hours to reach her when Sailor is arrested.  I know it's because she is afraid of the scattered energy but give me a break.  She keeps using everyone else's cell phone without issue so why not just get her own?  Even Maya points out that since Lily is constantly running all over town, she needs to have a cell so that people can reach her in the event of an emergency.  It is beyond annoying at this point.

Also, She still refuses to continue her witchy education, even though she knows she can't take on the coming powerful forces that are trying to take over San Francisco without it.  She's supposedly one of the most powerful witches ever but can't do much beyond advanced brewing and a little spell casting.  

Among the other ridiculous elements is Oscar, her supposed familiar.  He is less than helpful and usually causes more trouble and I would rather he be dropped from the series.  

The good points about this book is that the plot moves at a pretty good pace - even though it's pretty obvious early on who the culprit is and we learn a little more about Aiden.  Sailor is still a complete enigma which is concerning but the rest of the characters are engaging and I would like to see them play larger roles in the stories.

I really like the premise of this series and will continue to stick with it but I need more character development of Lily.   

New Release Tuesday - June 19

Here are a few thrillers released today (and some released earlier this month) that really caught my attention. 

Are any of these on your list?

An Old Betrayal by Charles Finch

Overview:

On a spring morning in London, 1875, Charles Lenox agrees to take time away from his busy schedule as a Member of Parliament to meet an old protégé's client at Charing Cross. But when their cryptic encounter seems to lead, days later, to the murder of an innocuous country squire, this fast favor draws Lenox inexorably back into his old profession.

Soon he realizes that, far from concluding the murderer's business, this body is only the first step in a cruel plan, many years in the plotting. Where will he strike next? The answer, Lenox learns with slowly dawning horror, may be at the very heart of England's monarchy.

Ranging from the slums of London to the city's corridors of power, the newest Charles Lenox novel bears all of this series' customary wit, charm, and trickery—a compulsive escape to a different time.

My Review:

This is the 7th book in the Charles Lenox series and if you read my review on the 6th book, you'll know that I was quite unhappy with the direction the series was going.  I also said that because I had already purchased the rest of the series, I would continue to read them, but they weren't a priority.  Well, I already finished the June pick of the Novel Adventures Book Club (review at the end of the month) so I figured I would give this series another try and I am glad I did.

This book finally gets back (almost) to why I enjoyed this series so much in the first place.  It was a good mystery and Charles spent way more time on it than he did his parliamentary duties.  There was also a significant drop off in his and Jane's ridiculous infatuation with their daughter.  She was more of a very-in-the-background character and I liked that.  She's there but not intrusive which is how it should be at this point.  

Anyway, as far as the story goes, I enjoyed that Dallington played a much bigger role and another character was added that I like very much and hope to see more of in future books.  The plot was interesting but could have been just a bit tighter and the pacing was just a tad too slow, with too much unnecessary detail in some places but overall, it was intriguing.  

The ending happened way sooner than it should have, as there were several chapters afterwards that just went through explaining things.  It would have been much better to have them as part of the action instead.  I understand why it had to be done the way it was, because it was Dallington who had to take care of that particular part but the series isn't written in first person so I don't see why we couldn't have followed him along during that journey but that is really a minor gripe.

Overall, I enjoyed this book much better and if the ending of this one is any indication, I think I will enjoy diving back into this series but I will keep you updated.

And Baby Makes 3

                                                                                 *photo courtesy: www.openclipart.org*

The eldest daughter and I have similar tastes when it comes to books, especially historical murder mysteries.  There are several series that we have read and enjoyed until a baby enters the picture.

The reason we get irritated is because it completely changes the dynamic of the story and yes, I understand in real life the same thing happens but when it comes to historical murder mysteries, the reader is already being asked to suspend belief and go along with a woman (usually of the upper class) completely breaching the rules of society by getting involved with solving murders.  On top of that, we are asked to believe that in the area of getting married and having babies, she will happily go along with said rules. 

I am fine with the marriage thing but I just can't get on board with the baby thing.  Suddenly, the series becomes all about the baby and the characters spend all their time ooohing and aahhhing over every tiny thing it does and suddenly the series becomes all about that instead of what drew me in in the first place.  Yes, I understand character growth and it adds a layer of tenseness to the story because the characters have to think of the baby but most series just go overboard with it.  There's even one series where the characters have only been married for three months and she is already pregnant.  There wasn't time for them to grow as a married couple and now suddenly there is a baby and the whole story line has now changed. 

In another series, the wife actually forces her husband (the main character) to abandon his job a private detective because it was too dangerous so now the whole series is about him being miserable in his current job as a politician and pining for the days of detecting.  When he isn't wishing for his old life back, he is making a fool of himself over his daughter.  For example, he starts "grinning like a fool" while thinking of her blowing spit bubbles.  Really?  That's what the story has come down to?  I've actually put down the series because I just can't get past the pure silliness of the character.

It seems like whenever a baby is added to the mix, the story then becomes very domestic and tame and less about the suspense of solving murders - the reason I picked up the series in the first place.  If I wanted to read about domestic life and things of that nature, I would read chick lit.  I don't want to read about that which is why I love historical mysteries but the trend now seems to be that they must all include children and I don't understand why.

What do you think?  Are we being too harsh?  Are we the only two who really dislikes that aspect of a series?  Tell us below!

Circe by Madeline Miller - Novel Adventures May Book Club Review

Overview:

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world.

My Review:

For the May Novel Adventures Book Club selection, we chose Circe by Madeline Miller.  It follows the story of Circe during her banishment from the house of Helios to a lonely island where she hones her skill as a witch.  

I have always loved Greek mythology and was excited to delve deeper into a character that I really didn't know much about.  I thought the author did a good job bringing Circe to life but I didn't like how oblivious she was to everything and everyone around her.  She is a god and lives in the palace where there is so much intrigue and back stabbing and she should have been more aware of her surroundings and wise to what was happening.  I understand she is just a nymph but it just didn't ring true to the surroundings she was in.

I liked the story but did not like the way in which it was told.  It was told in more of a memoir-style and I just do not like that.  Unfortunately, that seems to be the trend lately with books and while some may argue that it is artistic, I see it as a cop-out.  It's much easier to tell a story after the fact, rather than in the moment and letting the story unfold for the characters and readers at the same time.  I want to be involved in the action - not reading about it after everything has finished.  The preview said this had "page-turning suspense" but I just didn't get that vibe.  

All that being said, I enjoyed getting a different perspective from some of my favorite mythological characters like Odysseus and Daedalus but would like to have seen them be more than just a foot note.  

There was too much that happened and though the story spans a significant amount of time, there was so much happening that each incident was given just a few pages.  I would like to have seen this book broken down into a trilogy so that I could have had more time with each character. 

Overall, I didn't mind the book.  If it would have been told differently, I would have loved it.

Have you read this book?  Join the discussion below!

June selection:  The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch

Overview:

Charles Lenox is at the pinnacle of his political career and is a delighted new father. His days of regularly investigating the crimes of Victorian London now some years behind him, he plans a trip to his uncle's estate, Somerset, in the expectation of a few calm weeks to write an important speech. When he arrives in the quiet village of Plumbley, however, what greets him is a series of strange vandalisms upon the local shops: broken windows, minor thefts, threatening scrawls.

Only when a far more serious crime is committed does he begin to understand the great stakes of those events, and the complex and sinister mind that is wreaking fear and suspicion in Plumbley. Now, with his protege, John Dallington, at his side, the race is on for Lenox to find the culprit before he strikes again. And this time his victim may be someone that Lenox loves. 

My Review:

It has been quite some time since I last read a book in the Charles Lenox Mystery series by Charles Finch.  I was so disappointed in the last one that I put down the series for several years before finally picking it up again to see if distance would improve my thoughts.  Unfortunately, it didn't.  

In this book, Charles has been chosen to give a key speech in front of Parliament but with all the interruptions from people telling him what to include, he decides to escape with Jane and their daughter Sophia to the country estate of his uncle where he can write and think in peace and solitude.  When he arrives, however, he learns there has been a series of incidents that he initially brushes off as just local boys playing pranks but when a police constable is murdered, Charles realizes there is more going on and decides to help solve the murder.

It sounded like an exciting plot but it was clumsily done and very easy to figure out early on what was happening.  That in itself wouldn't normally be enough to turn me off because I enjoy the escape that reading provides but I just can't get past the character issues.  Charles obviously misses being a detective and it's absolutely Jane's fault that he can't pursue his passion because she thinks it is beneath their station.  That makes her a very ugly person because she has known him from a very young age and knew that he loved detecting just to help those who are considered inferior and have no legal recourse of their own.  She married him anyway and then proceeded to take away the very thing that made him who he was.  He is plainly miserable and that really comes through the pages.  

I also don't like the way Charles acts so stupid over his daughter Sophia.  It's very unrealistic for that time period and while I could forgive that, he just goes way overboard with it.  

I also wish that Dallington was more involved.  I like him and want to see more of him.  Since Charles is no longer allowed to be a detective, perhaps Mr. Finch would continue the series with Dallington.  I want to read about murder mysteries in Victorian England - not about a main character who is clearly miserable with his Parliamentary career and over-the-top enthused about his child.  

I never like my reviews to be so totally negative.  There's usually something I like about every book I review and if not, I generally don't post about it.  That being said, I am seeing a trend that I don't like in the mystery genre and am having a really hard time finding books that are engaging, suspenseful, historically accurate, and worth my time.  

Have you read this series?  What did you think?  Am I being too harsh or not critical enough?  Let me know in the comments below.  Also, I am totally open to suggestions for other books to read.  

Lies That Comfort And Betray by Rosemary Simpson

Overview:

Heiress Prudence MacKenzie is a valuable partner to attorney Geoffrey Hunter, despite the fact that women are not admitted to the bar in nineteenth-century New York. And though their office is a comfortable distance from the violence of the city’s slums, the firm of Hunter and MacKenzie is about to come dangerously close to a high-profile killer across the pond . . .
 
Nora Kenny works in Prudence’s Fifth Avenue house, just as her mother once served Prudence’s mother. As children, they played freely together, before retreating into their respective social classes. Still, they remain fond of each other. So when Nora’s body is discovered in a local park, Prudence is devastated. As other poor, vulnerable young women fall victim, the police are confounded. Has the Ripper crossed the Atlantic to find a new hunting ground? Is someone copying his crimes? A former Pinkerton agent, Geoffrey intends to step in, and Prudence is equally determined. But a killer with a disordered mind and an incomprehensible motive may prove too elusive for even this experienced pair to outwit.

My Review:

This is the second book in the Gilded Age Mystery series by Rosemary Simpson and is quickly becoming one of my favorite series.  I was hesitant at first to start the series because I have never been a fan of historical novels set in the States for some reason.  I have always preferred a Georgian or Victorian England setting so this series being set in New York was a little outside my comfort zone but I am so glad I picked it up because I love it. 

In this book, we rejoin Prudence and Geoffrey as they try to track down the killer who murdered and mutilated Nora - a childhood friend of Prudence.  Before they can barely begin their investigation, another maid is murdered and cut up the same way.  Fear quickly spreads that the London Ripper has crossed the Atlantic and taken up his killing spree in New York.  When a third girl, this time a prostitute, is murdered an mutilated, Prudence and Geoffrey start to doubt they will ever catch the killer.

In this book, we didn't learn very much more about Geoffrey and that left me a little disappointed.  We definitely know a lot more about Prudence simply because the entire first book was about her so we already know her backstory so I was hoping for more about her partner.  Their secretary Josiah played a bigger role this time and I enjoyed that, although he is still rather mysterious and needs to be more fleshed out.

Geoffrey still isn't treating Prudence like an equal partner in the firm and I hope that changes.  He left her out of quite a bit of important things and while I know it's because he thinks she is still too fragile after the events in the first book, it was a little grating.  Again, I understand the time frame that the story takes place in and that women were not seen as capable and were denied entry to most occupations but Prudence isn't the typical woman of her day and I hope that Geoffrey comes around sooner rather than later.  Otherwise, it isn't going to be a successful partnership.

The pacing was good and the plot well thought out but I had a bit of an issue with the ending.  Not really in who the culprit was but how they ended up catching said person.  It didn't make sense and seemed very rushed.  That seems to be a common theme in a lot of books I'm reading lately.

Overall, I enjoyed the book.  I think it's still in the early stages and the characters are still trying to find their way but I will happily follow along while they sort things out.  I can't wait to see where it goes!

Stealing Ghosts by Lance Charnes

Overview:

Dorotea DeVillardi is ninety-one years old, gorgeous, and worth a fortune. Matt Friedrich’s going to steal her.

The Nazis seized Dorotea’s portrait from her Viennese family, then the Soviets stole it from the Nazis. Now it’s in the hands of a Russian oligarch. Dorotea’s corporate-CEO grandson played by the legal rules to get her portrait back, but he struck out. So he’s hired the DeWitt Agency to get it for him – and he doesn’t care how they do it.

Now Matt and Carson, his ex-cop partner, have to steal Dorotea’s portrait from a museum so nobody knows it’s gone, and somehow launder its history so the client doesn’t have to hide it forever. The client’s saddled them with a babysitter: Dorotea’s granddaughter Julie, who may have designs on Matt as well as the painting. As if this wasn’t hard enough, it looks like someone else is gunning for the same museum – and he may know more about Matt and Carson’s plans than he should.

Matt went to prison for the bad things he did at his L.A. art gallery. Now he has a chance to right an old wrong by doing a bad thing for the best of reasons. All he has to do is stay out of jail long enough to pull it off.

My Review:

This is the second book in the Dewitt Agency Files series.  I read and reviewed the first one for the Novel Adventures Book Club earlier this week so if you haven't seen that yet, make sure to check it out.  I enjoyed the first one but had some issues with the pacing and lack of details as far as back story goes.  This book explains the circumstances behind the incident which sent Matt to prison a few years ago but let me start at the beginning.

In this book, Matt is again hired by Allyson and paired with Carson to steal back the portrait of Dorotea DeVillardi which is hanging in a museum in England.  To complicate matters even further, Dorotea's granddaughter Julie has been sent by her cousin to watch over the proceedings.  

There was definitely character development in this book but I still found Matt to be fairly weak and Carson to be way too prickly.  We still don't know enough about her to understand her behavior, at least not to the extremes she seems to take things, and that leaves me frustrated.  I want to like her but it's hard.  

As with the first book, the pacing is a little off and there is just too much unnecessary detail about things like dinner. I also don't like that Matt always seems to hook up with the client.  I get that it's been a long time for him but I could do without the James Bond Romeo thing.  

The incident that sent Matt to prison was finally explained and I was glad to have closure on it because it helped explain a lot about Matt and why he is choosing to go into the art-stealing world.  It's not exactly a Robin Hood type theme because he is stealing the art to give it back to the rightful owners but the reader can certainly understand his motivation to do so now.

I do like the series but I hope it picks up the pace a bit.  I want to learn more about the characters and hope Matt grows a backbone soon.

Have you read this series?  What do you think so far?

Novel Adventures Book Club April Selection Review

Overview:

Four years ago, what Matt Friedrich learned at work put him in prison. Yesterday, it earned him a job. Tomorrow, it may kill him.

Matt learned all the angles at his old Los Angeles gallery: how to sell stolen art, how to “enhance” a painting’s history, how to help buyers hide their purchases from their spouses or the IRS. He made a load of money doing it – money he poured into the lawyer who worked a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney. Matt’s out on parole and hopelessly in debt with no way out...until a shadowy woman from his past recruits him to find a cache of stolen art that could be worth millions.

Now Matt’s in Milan, impersonating a rich collector looking for deals. He has twenty days to track down something that may not exist for a boss who knows a lot more than she’s telling. He’s saddled with a tough-talking partner who may be out to screw him and up against a shady gallerist whom Matt tried to send to prison. His parole officer doesn’t know he’s left the U.S. Worse yet, what Matt’s looking for may belong to the local branch of the Calabrian mafia.

Matt’s always been good at being bad. If he’s good enough now, he gets a big payday with the promise of more to come. But one slip in his cover, one wrong word from any of the sketchy characters surrounding him, could hand Matt a return trip to jail...or a long sleep in a shallow grave.

My Review:

For the month of April, our book club chose The Collection by Lance Charnes which is the first in a new series.  In this book, we are introduced to Matt who hasn't been long out of prison where he spent time for trafficking in stolen art and is trying to rebuild his life.  His roommate convinces him to call Allyson, a chick he hooked up with four years ago, to see if he can get a job with her.  She reluctantly hires him on a probationary period to steal a piece of art that is being held somewhere in Italy, most likely by a member of the Italian mob.  He gets paired with Carson who is a hard, no-nonsense, no sense of humor girl who just wants to get the job over with.

I thought the premise of this book was different, but in a good way.  Technically, the characters are criminals but in a George Clooney version of Ocean's 11 kind of way if that makes sense.  Matt and Carson are hired to steal a piece of art that was actually stolen from someone else who wants it back but can't get it through legal means.  It's a little complicated but fun.

I liked the characters, though I thought Matt was a little too weak.  I understand it is because he is afraid of going back to prison so he is doing everything he can to be a model citizen but I would like to see him get a backbone.

Carson is tough-as-nails and that can be grating but we do get to see small glimpses here and there of a softer side which works to make her more human.  I still find it hard to like her, though.  She is too bitter and we don't even really know why - at least not to any great extent.

We know almost nothing of Allyson so it's hard to decide whether or not I like her so I will reserve judgement for now.  We also know nothing at all about her agency.  I know in this book the client hired her team to steal back a painting which belongs to them and there are references to other types of jobs that she does for people but we don't know anything else.  I do know her clients are not always on the right side of the law which makes the premise unique and quite interesting.

My favorite character is Olivia which is strange because we are told absolutely nothing about her.  She is just a voice on the other end of the line who arranges things for Matt and Carson like hotel reservations, car rentals, and relaying messages to Allyson.  She reminds me of Charlie of Charlie's Angels - you never saw him but knew he was the force behind the whole organization and I picture Olivia to be the same.  I am not sure why I liked her best - maybe because of the mystery surrounding her and because she has a very dry sense of humor.

I thought the pacing was a bit slow for a heist and there was too much time spent on description. Having been to Italy myself, I appreciated the obvious love Matt had for the place but it made for too much of a slow down in the story.  I also wish there had been  a bit more back story for him.  He talks a little about his mom but we don't know whether she's even alive or dead and he didn't mention his dad at all.  There's a reference to the case that ended up sending him to prison but not much in detail which I would like to have known.

The characters have potential, as does the series but they are a bit too one-dimensional at the moment and the pacing needs to pick up a bit more.  

Overall,  I liked the book enough that I've already read the second one (review up Thursday) and a lot more is explained in that installment.  

Have you read this book?  Join in the discussion in the comments!

May Pick:  Circe by Madeline Miller

Time, Time, Time

When too much time passes in story lines

Today I want to talk about the passage of time in a series.  I am not referring to publication dates of books but rather the amount of time that passes inside a series.  For example, I just finished the book A Brush With Shadows by Anna Lee Huber.  If you read my review, I talked about the fact that the story takes place a week after the last book and that I really enjoyed that because I always feel like I am missing major events when too much time passes inside the story between books. 

I recently finished the Barker and Llewelyn series by Will Thomas and while I really enjoyed it, I was very annoyed that 1-2 years passed between the events of each book.  The subsequent book always started off by skimming over major events that had happened in the intervening time and I would grab the previous book to see what I had missed, only to find out that those events weren't in the book at all.  I know it sounds a little convoluted but I don't want to give away any spoilers because I do still highly recommend the series.  The most current book in that series started out by mentioning something that was so shocking and such a big deal that it should have been included in either that book or the one previous instead of as just a side note and it left a very bad taste in my mouth.  

I am ok with 4-5 months passing between events but not really anything more than that - especially when you are reading about private detectives.  You can't convince me that a year or more passes between cases.  When you are talking about amateur sleuths, it isn't realistic for them to be involved in more than one or two murder investigations a year but since the reader is already suspending disbelief as it is, you have license to allow the characters to get up to more shenanigans more often.  This is especially true when you are several books in to the series and you're learning more and more about the main characters.  

What is even more jarring is when there is a large gap in time and important secondary plots that run through the series is completely left out. That seems to be the case with the Sebastian St. Cyr series by C.S. Harris.  Sebastian has been trying to find his mother throughout the entire series and things were starting to ramp up but something happened in one of the books and we haven't heard much about that event or the search for his mother since then and it's really disappointing.  There seems to be too much emphasis on the personal relationship between he and Hero and everything else has been forgotten and I don't like that, either.  Again, it goes to the passage of time inside the series.

So what are your thoughts on this topic?  Does too much time between events bother you or am I being too picky?  Let me know your thoughts below.

A Brush With Shadows by Anna Lee Huber

Overview:

July 1831. It's been fifteen years since Sebastian Gage has set foot in Langstone Manor. Though he has shared little with his wife, Lady Kiera Darby, about his past, she knows that he planned never to return to the place of so many unhappy childhood memories. But when an urgent letter from his grandfather reaches them in Dublin, Ireland, and begs Gage to visit, Kiera convinces him to go.

All is not well at Langstone Manor. Gage's grandfather, the Viscount Tavistock, is gravely ill, and Gage's cousin Alfred has suddenly vanished. He wandered out into the moors and never returned. The Viscount is convinced someone or something other than the natural hazards of the moors is to blame for Alfred's disappearance. And when Alfred's brother Rory goes missing, Kiera and Gage must concede he may be right. Now, they must face the ghosts of Gage's past, discover the truth behind the local superstitions, and see beyond the tricks being played by their very own eyes to expose what has happened to Gage's family before the moors claim yet another victim...

My Review:

This is the sixth book in the Lady Darby Mystery series.  It takes place only a week after the events in the previous book, As Death Draws Near, and I really like that.  It bothers me when a year or more passes (setting-wise) in a series because it makes me feel like I have missed a lot.  I have a whole post coming up about that so I won't go into a lot of detail here but because this book takes place immediately after the last one, it feels like a more smooth continuation and I enjoy that.  

In this book, Sebastian is forced to return to his childhood home and face his past which gives us more insight into his character.  He is very closed-mouth about it to Kiera - almost insultingly so - and it was nice to finally be able to learn a little more about it.  I know they have only been married three months but still, he seems to almost want to hang on to the bitterness and that can get a little annoying.  

The story developed nicely and at a good pace and the characters were well done.I also enjoyed the atmospheric details Huber put in that made the setting feel like a character in and of itself which helped to further the story along without getting in the way.  I will be interested to see if Kiera and Sebastian return to Langstone Manor due to a specific event that took place at the end, and if so, how the characters will interact with each other. 

There was one other event that happened at the very end which made me roll my eyes out loud and groan.  I obviously won't say what because I don't want to give away any spoilers but it nearly ruined what was otherwise a thoroughly enjoyable book but I guess I'll have to wait at least a year for the next book to see what happens.

Have you read this series?  What do you like/dislike?

Why Kill the Innocent by C. S. Harris

Overview:

London, 1814. As a cruel winter holds the city in its icy grip, the bloody body of a beautiful young musician is found half-buried in a snowdrift. Jane Ambrose's ties to Princess Charlotte, the only child of the Prince Regent and heir presumptive to the throne, panic the palace, which moves quickly to shut down any investigation into the death of the talented pianist. But Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, and his wife Hero refuse to allow Jane's murderer to escape justice.

Untangling the secrets of Jane's world leads Sebastian into a maze of dangerous treachery where each player has his or her own unsavory agenda and no one can be trusted. As the Thames freezes over and the people of London pour onto the ice for a Frost Fair, Sebastian and Hero find their investigation circling back to the palace and building to a chilling crescendo of deceit and death . . .

My Review:

*THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THIS SERIES*

This is the 13th book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series and probably one of my least favorites so let me go through it and explain why.

The first thing right off the bat may seem nit-picky but it was the first thing that struck me and that is the cover.  I understand that the cover is black and white because the setting takes place in the deep freeze of winter and there is a massive snow storm but that isn't what bothers me.  Rather, it's the scale of Sebastian compared to the trees.  He seems so small and like he was just Photo-shopped into the picture and it just seems really off to me.  I know, I know - that shouldn't matter but for some reason it really does.

Second (stop reading here if you haven't read the one before this!!), I thought that the death of Hero's mother would be addressed in this book and it wasn't, other than to say it had taken place four months previous and Hero was still in full mourning attire.  Really?  It was such a major event and there were circumstances that needed to be explained but it was almost like it didn't happen at all.  There was one very tiny scene that hinted at something but nothing we didn't already suspect anyway so that was very disappointing.

Third, the story seemed to just go in circles and things that were given heavy emphasis ended up not really mattering.  I 

I also didn't like that Gibson, Alexi, the Earl of Hendon, and especially Tom and Morley were basically non-existent in this book. I want to see more of a story line with Gibson and Alexi because they seem to be completely stalled and almost cardboard cutouts used as fillers and I don't like that.  They are all interesting characters and their arcs need to start developing more.

Finally, there had been heavy emphasis in previous books about Sebastian's parents and that story line seems to have been completely dropped now.  There was one small conversation Sebastian had that gave a small clue but again, nothing developed out of it.  It almost feels like Harris doesn't know where to go with it so has just let it fade away.  

I don't want it to seem like I hated the book.  I didn't - and in fact finished it in only seven hours but it just wasn't on par with all the other ones. I want more about Sebastian's parents, the other characters, and Hero's mother.

Have you read this book?  What did you think?

New Release Tuesday - April 3, 2018

Here are some new releases today.  They are all part of long-running series that I have been reading and I will be going after work today to pick them up, especially Why Kill the Innocent by C.S. Harris.  That is my favorite series by far!

I have been a fan of Anne Perry almost since she began her writing career and even had the chance to meet her at a rare book signing several years ago.  I must admit, I got a little bored with the characters so I fell way behind on the series but I want to get back into it again.  I definitely enjoy the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series over the William Monk series and it is since Perry is starting a new series with Daniel Pitt (Thomas and Charlotte's son), I definitely need to catch back up.

I have only read the first one in the Gaslight Series but I really enjoyed it, though it moved a little slowly for me.  Murder in the Bowery is the 20th installment in this series and while I'm not in a huge rush to continue on with it, I'm happy to know that with 19 more books in the series, I definitely wont't be running out of things to read for a good long while.

What are you reading this week?  Let me know in the comments of any suggestions you have.  I'm always on the lookout for new authors!

Sleeping Giants - Book One of the Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel

Overview:

 A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.
 
Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved—its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected.
 
But some can never stop searching for answers.
 
Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand’s code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history’s most perplexing discovery—and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result prove to be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?

My Review:

In this book, we follow the members of a top secret team led by Rose Franklin as they put together the pieces of a metal giant and try to figure out what it's purpose is, how it got here, and who originally built it.  

This isn't normally my type of genre but that was the main reason for starting our own book club and while I didn't hate it, it wasn't my favorite, either.  I thought the characters were well done and even though facts are sparingly doled out, I felt I knew enough about them to make a connection which is - to me - the most important aspect of any book.

I did not like that the story was told in an interview style because you keep bouncing from one character to the next and that is distracting and takes one out of the story completely.  It also told the story in such a way that you were learning of events after the fact instead of being right in the middle of the action which would have had a greater impact.  

I enjoyed the concept of the story more than I thought I would but I just couldn't get past the style in which it was written.  I am a firm believer in the "show don't tell" rule because it is the best way to immerse the reader in the world you have created.  The author took a big risk in telling the story in this way and while it probably works for those who are a fan of this type of genre, it didn't really do it for me.  

That being said, it isn't a bad book and if you are really into the sci-fi type genre, or are looking to get into it, I would suggest picking this one up.  Maybe find it at your local library before you invest in purchasing it to see if it is something you enjoy.  

Have you read this book or series?  What are your thoughts?

April Selection:  The Collection by Lance Charnes

New Releases March 25-31

Here is a short list of some new releases that are out this week.  Some of them are series that I have wanted to start but haven't for one reason or another, and some are new authors to me.

The following list is in no particular order:

What's on your list?

Also, be sure to check back on Friday where the new book club the fam and I started will be discussing our March selection:  Sleeping Giants.  If you read the book, make sure you join in!  We'll also be announcing our April pick.