Tag: Read

My Week in Books – 29th October ’17

whatcathyreadnext

MyWeekinBooks

New arrivals

BrotherBrother by David Chariandy (eARC, NetGalley)

Michael and Francis are the bright, ambitious sons of Trinidadian immigrants. Coming of age in The Park, a cluster of houses and towers in the disparaged outskirts of a sprawling city, the brothers battle against the careless prejudices and low expectations that confront them on a daily basis. While Francis dreams of a future in music, Michael’s dreams are of Aisha, the smartest girl in their school, whose eyes are firmly set on a life elsewhere.

But the bright hopes of all three are violently, irrevocably thwarted by a tragic event.

The Secret Life of Alfred NightingaleThe Secret Life of Alfred Nightingale by Rebecca Stonehill (ebook, review copy courtesy of the author)

1967 – Handsome but troubled, Jim is almost 18 and he lives and breathes girls, trad jazz, Eel Pie Island and his best friend, Charles. One night, he hears rumours of a community of young people living in caves in Matala, Crete. Determined to escape his odious, bully of a father and repressed mother, Jim hitchhikes through Europe down to Matala. At first, it’s the paradise he dreamt it would be. But as things start to go wrong and his very notion of self unravels, the last thing Jim expects is for this journey of hundreds of miles to set in motion a passage of healing which will lead him back to the person he hates most in the world: his father.

The Tides BetweenThe Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett (ebook, review copy courtesy of the author)

In the year 1841, on the eve of her departure from London, Bridie’s mother demands she forget her dead father and prepare for a sensible adult life in Port Phillip. Desperate to save her childhood, fifteen-year-old Bridie is determined to smuggle a notebook filled with her father’s fairy tales to the far side of the world. When Rhys Bevan, a soft-voiced young storyteller and fellow traveller realises Bridie is hiding something, a magical friendship is born. But Rhys has his own secrets and the words written in Bridie’s notebook carry a dark double meaning. As they inch towards their destination, Rhys’s past returns to haunt him. Bridie grapples with the implications of her dad’s final message. The pair take refuge in fairy tales, little expecting the trouble it will cause.

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Blog posts

Monday – I shared my review of The Summer Springsteen’s Songs Saved Me by Barbara Quinn, a fun summer romance with each chapter linked to a Bruce Springsteen song.

Wednesday – WWW Wednesday is the opportunity to share what I’ve just finished reading, what I’m reading now and what I’ll be reading next. I also published my review of Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore, a dark atmospheric historical novel which sadly was her last book before her untimely death earlier this year.

Thursday – As part of the blog tour, I shared my review of A Sea of Sorrow by the H Team, a group of writers who have collaborated on fascinating stories based on characters mentioned in Homer’s The Odyssey.

Friday – I took part in the blog tour for The Murderer’s Maid by Erika Mailman, a fictionalised account of the Lizzie Borden case.

Saturday – I ventured Down the TBR Hole with a view to pruning my To-Read shelf on Goodreads of books I no longer desire (or can’t remember ever desiring in the first place).

Challenge updates

  • Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge – 128 out of 156 books read, 3 more than last week
  • Classics Club Challenge – 5 out of 50 books reviewed, same as last week
  • NetGalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2017 (Gold) – 52 ARCs reviewed out of 50, 1 more than last week
  • From Page to Screen 2016/7– 7 book/film comparisons out of 12 completed, same as last week
  • From Page to Screen 2017/18 – 1 out of 2 completed, same as last week

On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

  • Review: The Last Hours by Minette Walters
  • Review: Mr Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva
  • Blog Tour/Q&A: The Note by Zoe Folbigg
  • Review: Fires by Tom Ward
  • Review: Dance of the Happy Shades by Alice Munro
  • Blog Tour/Review: The Other Life of Charlotte Evans by Louisa George
  • Review: Cuz by Danielle Allen
  • Review: The Secret of Vesalius by Jordi Llobregat
  • Q&A: The Secret Life of Alfred Nightingale by Rebecca Stonehill
  • Blog Tour/Review: Mystery Tour, CWA Anthology of Short Stories, ed. Martin Edwards

Blog Tour/Review: The Murderer’s Maid by Erika Mailman

whatcathyreadnext1 Comment

The Murderer's Maid_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL

I’m delighted to host today’s stop on the blog tour for The Murderer’s Maid by Erika Mailman, a fascinating fictionalised account of the true story of the brutal murder of Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother.

WinPlus…there’s a giveaway with a chance to win a hardcover copy of The Murderer’s Maid.

To enter, and to check out the other great bloggers on the tour, visit the tour page by clicking here. The giveaway closes 11:59pm EST on November 8th 2017.

TheMurderer'sMaidAbout the Book

The Murderer’s Maid interweaves the stories of two women: one, the servant of infamous Lizzie Borden, and the other a modern-day barista fleeing from an attempt on her life. Trapped by servitude and afraid for her own safety, Irish maid Bridget finds herself an unwilling witness to the tensions in the volatile Borden household. As Lizzie seethes with resentment, Bridget tries to perform her duties and keep her mouth shut.

Unknowingly connected to the legendary crime of a century ago, Brooke, the illegitimate daughter of an immigrant maid, struggles to conceal her identity and stay a jump ahead of the men who want to kill her. When she unexpectedly falls in love with Anthony, a local attorney, she has to decide whether to stop running and begin her life anew.

Praise for The Murderer’s Maid:

‘A complex and riveting parallax view of domestic crimes, decades apart.’ (Kirkus Reviews)

‘Erika Mailman writes a page turner of a thriller that will fascinate as well as terrify.’ (Margaret Lane, New York Journal of Books)

‘Fascinating, mesmerizing, and so darkly atmospheric that you keep looking over your shoulder as you read.” (Diana Gabaldon, internationally-bestselling author of the Outlander series)

‘The Murderer’s Maid is a fascinating and deeply chilling tale. Erika Mailman weaves a story that is by turns poignant, compelling, and murderously suspenseful.’(Kathleen Kent, author of The Heretic’s Daughter)

Format: eBook, hardcover (366 pp.)  Publisher: Yellow Pear Press Published: 30th Oct 2017 (US) 16th Nov ‘2017 (UK) Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com ǀ Barnes & Noble
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

 

Find The Murderer’s Maid on Goodreads

My Review

Through the eyes of Bridget Sullivan, maid to the Borden family, we get a first-hand view of that exceptionally odd household, the events leading up to the murder of Mr and Mrs Borden and the strange dynamics of the fateful day on which the tragedy took place. The author convincingly conveys why economic necessity would have persuaded Bridget, an Irish immigrant desperate to support her family back home, to remain in that unsettling household against her better judgment and in spite of the urgings of her friends.

I was gripped by the way the story unfolded (although the inclusion at certain points of a couple of additional points of views did throw me slightly) and, like many others I suspect, I found it hard to believe the eventual acquittal of Lizzie Borden based on the evidence from the scene of the crime.

I enjoyed Brooke’s story set in the modern day and I’ll freely admit the author wrong footed me at the end with the solution to the mystery of those pursuing her. However, her link to the Borden case felt rather tangential although it did allow the author to introduce some interesting location detail. By the by, what a fantastic man Brooke got herself there in Anthony: rich, handsome, intelligent, witty and understanding. I hope, for the author’s sake, he’s modelled on someone she knows!

Aside from the rhyme, I knew very little about the Borden case before reading this book. The author brought the story to life in convincing detail and with a real sense of the period to create a thoroughly engrossing work perfect for fans of both historical fiction and true crime.

I received an advance reading copy courtesy of HF Virtual Book Tours in return for an honest review.

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Try something similar…The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale

Erika MailmanAbout the Author

Erika Mailman is the author of The Witch’s Trinity, a San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book and Bram Stoker Award finalist, and Woman of Ill Fame, a Pushcart Press Editor’s Book Award nominee. She’s a Yaddo fellow and lives in Northern California with her family.

Connect with Erika

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