New arrivals
Another quiet week for new arrivals which means I’ve been able to concentrate on ARCs and review copies from authors…
Monsoon Rising by David Lee Corley (review copy courtesy of Sage’s Blog Tours)
Billy Gamble knows how to stay a step ahead of the law. He is a thief on the run, with $4.2 million in his pocket and hiding out in Southeast Asia. But his great escape soon becomes his worst nightmare when his Thai girlfriend is murdered and all clues point to him. If he doesn’t find the real killer soon, he’ll be forced to face the consequences of a murder he didn’t commit and more people may die. Eve Donoghue is the best skip tracer in the insurance business. Her employer wants his money back and has sent Eve to find and bring back Billy. But no sooner has she found him than he drags her into the search for an enigmatic serial killer known as The Nomad. They know The Nomad has fled Thailand, but where in the world should they start looking? It will take all their skill to track down the killer and find enough evidence to prove Billy’s innocence.
War Girl Ursula by Marion Kummerow (review copy courtesy of the author)
Berlin 1943: Compassion is a crime. A prisoner escapes. A guard looks the other way. Why does Ursula Hermann risk her life and brave the Gestapo to save a man she barely knows? Ursula has always lived the law, never broken the rules in her life. That is until the day she finds escapee British airman Tom Westlake and all the right she’s worked so hard to maintain goes wrong… He runs. And she does nothing to stop him. Torn with guilt about what she did, Ursula battles with her decision when suddenly Tom returns, injured and pleading for her help. This is her opportunity to make things right. But shadows from the past tug at her heart, convincing her to risk everything, including her life, in order to protect a man from the nation her country is fighting. As they brave the perils and dangers of the ever-present Gestapo, will Ursula find a way to keep Tom safe? Or will being on the opposite sides of the war ultimately cost both of them their lives?
Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada (ebook, 99p Kindle deal)
Berlin, 1940, and the city is filled with fear. At the house on 55 Jablonski Strasse, its various occupants try to live under Nazi rule in their different ways: the bullying Hitler loyalists the Persickes, the retired judge Fromm and the unassuming couple Otto and Anna Quangel. Then the Quangels receive the news that their beloved son has been killed fighting in France. Shocked out of their quiet existence, they begin a silent campaign of defiance, and a deadly game of cat and mouse develops between the Quangels and the ambitious Gestapo inspector Escherich. When petty criminals Kluge and Borkhausen also become involved, deception, betrayal and murder ensue, tightening the noose around the Quangels’ necks …
On What Cathy Read Next last week
Book Reviews
On Monday I shared my review of The Virgin of the Wind Rose by Glen Craney, an intricately plotted historical mystery/conspiracy thriller. Friday saw my review of The Watch House by Bernie McGill, a wonderful historical novel set on the island of Rathlin at the turn of the century and it got a rare 5* rating from me (I’m stingy with them!). Finally, on Sunday I was thrilled to host a stop on the blog tour for It Was Only Ever You by Kate Kerrigan and to share my review of this stylish historical romance set in 1950s New York.
Other posts
On Tuesday I published a Q&A with Scott Kauffman, author of Revenants: The Odyssey Home, a mystery novel which explores some thought-provoking themes. On Tuesday I did some more clearing out of my To-Read shelf on Goodreads courtesy of the Down the TBR Hole meme. Wednesday is WWW Wednesday, where I and other book bloggers share what we’ve been reading, are currently reading and plan to read next. I also took part in the book blitz for the historical fiction novel, New Caledonia: A Song of America by William McEarchern. And Thursday has become Throwback Thursday so I shared another review from the early days of my blog – the first in a thriller series I’ve enjoyed, Poor Boy Road by James L Weaver. And there was another book blitz as well, for a short story collection about residents of Manhattan – Skyline by William Fowkes. On Friday I was delighted to welcome author Alison Brodie to my blog for a Q&A about all the stories behind her romantic comedy Brake Failure.
Challenge updates
- Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge – 90 out of 78 books read, 3 more than last week. I still need to set that new target….
- Classics Club Challenge– 4 out of 50 books reviewed (same as last week)
- NetGalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2017 (Gold) – 42 ARCs reviewed out of 50 (1 more than last week)
- From Page to Screen 2017– 7 book/film comparisons out of 12 completed (same as last week)
- The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction Shortlist 2017 – Completed
On What Cathy Read Next this week
Currently reading
Planned posts
- Blog Tour/Review: The Thirteenth Gate by Kat Ross
- Blog Tour/Review: The Other Twin by L V Hay
- Book Review: The Sixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting
- Throwback Thursday: Outside the Magic Circle by Heera Datta
- Book Review: In Shadowland by Timothy Ashby
Under an Amber Sky by Rose Alexander (ebook, review copy courtesy of the author)
Rusticles by Rebecca Gransden (ebook, review copy courtesy of the author)
Brewing Up Murder by Neila Young (ebook, review copy courtesy of the author)
What Cathy Read Next... 