On the blog last week
Monday – I published my review of The Assassin of Verona by Benet Brandreth.
Tuesday – This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was Books I Think Will Be Future Classics.
Wednesday – As always WWW Wednesday is a weekly opportunity to share what I’ve just read, what I’m currently reading and what I plan to read next… and to take a peek at what others are reading.
Thursday – I published my review of thriller The Forgotten Daughter by Joshi.
Friday – I shared my review of The Matchbox Girl by Alice Jolly
New on my shelves
Divination: A Conspiracy of Blood by J. A. Downes
Cambridge University, 1547. Young scholar John Dee’s quiet academic life takes an unexpected turn when a visiting Polish astronomer is found dead just hours after sharing revolutionary astrological secrets.
Suddenly thrust into a world of Tudor court intrigue, Dee must navigate the treacherous politics of Hampton Court Palace while unraveling the astronomer’s cryptic final prediction about a Midsummer coup.
The Cracked Mirror by Christopher Brookmyre (Abacus)
FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW. THIS IS NOT THAT CRIME NOVEL
You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed.
You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes.
Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer.
Love Lane by Patrick Gale (Tinder Press via NetGalley)
A reunion. A journey. A longing for a place called home…
When veteran Canadian wheat farmer, Harry Cane is obliged to sell up and sail home to an England transformed by two world wars, his arrival triggers unwelcome self-examination for the family he abandoned, and for whom he has never been more than a distant myth.
His daughter feels duty bound to take him in but is riven with doubt and ambushed by a long buried anger she has never before expressed. Harry’s effect on the next generation is less predictable, and enables his granddaughter to deal with an unspeakable trauma, while her gentle husband feels seen for who he truly is.
Can Harry stay and make a new life before it’s too late, or will he find himself cast out again, punished for having witnessed and understood too much?
The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall (The Borough Press via NetGalley)
Cambridge, 1942. Twins Tessa and Theo had always shared everything – until the summer Tessa spent studying in France. She hasn’t been the same since. But before Theo can find out why, he is recruited by the RAF and disappears into the skies.
Determined to carve her own path, Tessa joins the clandestine Special Operations Executive, slipping into the shadows of occupied France. It will be dangerous work, but France is the home of her greatest love – and her darkest secret. Tessa has many reasons for wanting to return.
Two years later, Theo comes home. Tessa does not.
Small Acts of Resistance by Anita Frank (HQ via NetGalley)
May 1915. When his aircraft crashes in Northern France, British airman Henry finds himself stranded behind enemy lines. His survival depends on the courage and compassion of a local family who risk everything by hiding him in their farmhouse.
With her village already suffering under Occupation, Marie knows sheltering Henry will put her in family in grave danger, and that peril only increases when two German officers are unexpectedly billeted with them. Forced to live cheek by jowl with their occupiers, it takes all their cunning to keep their deadly secret.
As the shadow of war spreads, loves blooms, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness.
But before long love is put to the test as everyone’s loyalty is called into question. The ramifications of the choices they must now make will be felt long after the war is over.
What I’m currently reading
I’m alternating between Ravenglass from my TBR pile, Seascraper for Novellas in November and The Cracked Mirror, my book club’s pick for November
Look out for…
- Book Review: Commander (Agricola #3) by Simon Turney
- Book Review: Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
- Book Review: The Cracked Mirror by Christopher Brookmyre
What Cathy Read Next... 
The Cracked Mirror sounds interesting
Wishing you a happy reading week
LikeLike
Hmm, ‘interesting’ is one word for it! I didn’t really get on with it but ploughed through it anyway – all 500 pages – as it was a book club pick. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go to the book club meeting so it was all for nothing in the end 😦
LikeLike
Ooh, I must get a copy of ‘Love Lane’. ‘A Place Called Winter’ was so good!
LikeLike
Yes, A Place Called Winter is one of my all-time favourites and I was thrilled to see this on NetGalley.
LikeLiked by 1 person