"The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris", by Daisy Wood

This fiction goes back and forth between Paris 1940 when the war was closing in on the city and the modern day life with Juliette and her husband on a romantic getaway to the city of light.

The story in a few words:

1940:

In the midst of Nazi occupation, while his wife in hiding, Jacques the owner of the bookshop “La Page Cachée” had to make tough decisions and risk everything to save those persecuted or in need of refuge. The story in time tells us how Jacques managed to rescue many of these poor souls.

Forward to Modern day:

On her romantic getaway Juliette and her husband Kevin realized how far they’ve grown apart. She is craving for a new adventure in Paris while Kevin heads back home. On a walk exploring the city she happens to come across a tiny abandoned shop .....”La Page Cachée” this forgotten bookshop was the answer to her dreams but this little abandoned gem had more than met the eye....

My thoughts:

The dual time narrative works well and is easy to follow. The pacing unravels at a moderate pace and stays that way all through. I enjoy the story but I didn’t find much mystery to it. The “déjà lu” experience kept popping in my mind in fact I know I read something similar in the past. It seems a bookstore during the war was an important place for the résistance to do their exchange...at a risk of evil and betrayal....Nevertheless I liked this detailed and vividly said story, you can picture what is going on, in whole very engaging. Ms. Daisy gives her characters honor roles which they played out beautifully.

In many ways “The Forgotten Bookstore in Paris” is a thought-provoking tale I enjoyed quite a bit.

Thank you Avon UK Books and Netgalley for this ARC

"Hidden Pieces", by Mary Keliikoa

Misty Pines Mystery, book #1

“Hidden Pieces” is an adrenaline fueled psychological thriller set in the fictional small community of Misty Pines. It is an absorbing and expertly plotted story with the loss of a child at its core. Not only did I found it to be a delectable page-turner full of secrets and revenge it also crackles with realism. Ms.Keliikoa expertly weaved the intense search for a missing child with a similar cold case 20 years prior all the while grief shadows the main character’s every moves.

Sheriff Jax Turner (main character) is grieving the loss of his daughter to cancer but when a schoolgirl vanishes and her backpack is found in a sex offender’s backseat he drags himself into action. Soon we are into so many twists and turns it can be overwhelming. When you think you figured out who may be behind.. zap another spin and suspicion shifts from one suspect to the next. This mystery had me on the edge of my seat.

The psychological approach was unique and written with skill. It starts strong and keeps this tempo form the opening page till the conclusion. I like the main character but I admit to have had a bit of trouble keeping track of the supporting ones.

In whole a good, entertaining story

My thanks to the publisher Level Best Books Source and Netgalley for this ARC

"Soldiers of God", by J.F. Penn

An Arkane Short Story

Too short...definitely too short

Archivist Martin Klein aided by scholar Dr. Camara Mbaye , follows the trail to the hidden Templar crypt. In the vaults below Paris they discover something horrific..... a bizarre burial ritual....

No doubts Ms. Penn knows how to give us a mystery that will grab our attention and not let go. Although being a teaser these 30 pages nevertheless give a necessary punch to stimulating our curiosity. Now I want more....for sure.

Love this new adventure featuring Arkane Martin Klein and his side kick Dr. Camara Mbaye. With her enticing prose Ms. Penn has giving her fans an intriguing story featuring two less known Arkane characters.

Some say “Soldiers of God” will make your skin crawl. I loved it.

Well said and well-done

Thank you MS. Penn for the arc

"Body of Evidence", by Irene Hannon

                                                      

Contemporary and romance suspense

“Triple Threat”, book #3

With “Body of Evidence“, the author closes her series in a gripping tale of secrets divulged and romance kindled. In my books, this is the best imagined and written story of the three. What a stunning conclusion.

In a few words:

Dry. Grace Reilly a forensic pathologist noticed a curious pattern in autopsies of elderly residents whose demise appears to be natural. She has suspicions of foul play and brings her concerns to Sheriff Nate Cox. Working together they link pieces of the puzzle together but it came at a cost.....

My thoughts:

I was glued to the suspense from the opening page. The plotline moves at a steady pace and quite riveting from the get-go. Drop by drop the romance between Grace and Nate flourishes and I was inquisitive by this love game all through. Grace and Nate roles flow seamlessly and their attraction towards each other is well played out. They are well-defined characters and the supporting cast is a bonus especially Grace’s sisters, the teasing between them made me smile. This storyline is character driven and well done. Not only do we have romance but also an exciting mystery to follow. Did the elderlies died of natural cause or were they murdered? People being blackmailed or threaten what a suspenseful read...Who was behind this? And what was the reason for doing this deed?....I was kept wondering till the last chapter....what a surprise, the whodunit never came to my mind....

Well-done

I received this ARC from the Publisher Revell via the First Reviewer Program for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.

|The Trophy Room", by Barry W. litherland

This is a character-drive crime/mystery thriller tinged with the paranormal. This creepy and chilling story is written in a mixture of second third person and focuses more on real life crimes than on the ghost aspect. Two families meet through their young kids and become embroiled in a nefarious plot orchestrated by an eccentric man. The details reminding me of the classic Hitchcock works embedded with perfect design clues to confuse us.

We follow the Millers and the Trevalyans as they become entangled in a web of intrigue with the owner of Leybury Hall. The narrative relied on allusion, I really did not know what was going on or even if the characters knew themselves Was the owner of Leybury a ghost or simply mad.

“The Trophy Room” is suspenseful in a gothic way and quite atmospheric. At first I found it spooky and interesting but as the story progressed I lost interest and skipped many passages by the end. Where was the locked room mystery? Why the narrative was so hard to follow and why did the plot line frazzled out by the end?

For some this novel will be a pleasant read for myself I think it was a change in pace from by usual books. Did I like it...yes and no so I stay on the fence on this one and let you decide..

"Dead Like You", by Peter James

Roy Grace book #6

This police procedural mystery follows “Dead Tomorrow”. At this point, Roy is still haunted by the unexplained disappearance of his wife Sandy many years ago and since then he has been consumed with finding out what happened to her, although he seems to be moving on and going to marry his pregnant girlfriend. His professional life is hectic as always this time Roy is faced with sexual attack on a woman at a New Year’s Eve ball and another a week later. These attacks very similar to unsolved crimes back in 1997 where victims shoes where taken...The perpetrator dubbed “Shoe Man” appears to have resurfaced and was believed to have raped four other women and murdering his fifth victim...

The chase is on.

It has been some time since I last read “Dead Tomorrow” and so glad to be catching up with Roy’s personal life while reading that his professional life gave challenging cases for our delight. I find Roy’s character to be pretty good and quite likeable.

The plot is interesting and moved quickly through its twists and turns. The story is intriguing and from the opening page till the conclusion it is not certain who from the long list of criminal characters is the Shoe Man. This is much more traditional crime fiction where we have a rapist, a murderer on the loose and a selection of possible suspects. But.. Always a but: if this book had been half the length it could have been a far more enjoyable police procedural. No doubts the author certainly can write a good, involving storyline.

However, “Dead Like You” is so bloated with voyeurism depicting terrified women and fetishes....shoes. 500 pages around designer shoes......give me a break. This story is hard to follow at times it skips different time frames back to 1997 and then forward and hops between characters. Some may say this creates some cliff-hangers to keeps us going just a tiny bit longer...ok.

Even with the minor niggles it is still a good mystery

"Orphans of War", by Michael Reit

                                                 

Book#1 in the “Dutch Resistance” trilogy

Amsterdam 1941

This is a wrenching tale of resistance and bravery. This fictional story of 3 individuals that in each their ways faced the bone- chilling violence of the Nazi regime. No one is safe: not the Jewish not even the Dutch.

The players:

Christiaan risks everything to help his beloved nation. He is a member of the resistance and his passion for the oppressed as no boundary.

On the other hand his brother, Floris, an official to the Jewish Affairs, is one of the organizers in relocating the Jewish population to Nazi death camps.

Nora, Floris’s wife, defies her husband by joining the fight to recues orphans from the terror and saving them.

The plot and my thoughts:

We are transported back in time where two brothers find themselves on very different sides of the Nazi occupation. Flo does is part by hunting and capturing Jews in hiding while his brother and Flo’s wife secretly help the resistance. As we follow them in their involvement we witness the incredible organization the resistance had across the country and how dangerous their everyday life was. Suspicion and betrayal was a way of life...no one was safe...even from your own brother even your own husband. Beautifully written to give us a sense of apprehension and fear, Mr. Reit gave us characters that expressed those sentiments to a tee.

Although a slow moving story it is nevertheless a page-turner I had no trouble with. Staying with it was not challenging. No graphic scenes although lots innuendos and scary moments. We do become invested in the lives especially when Christiaan escapes Amsterdam. I wanted him so much to succeed. Mr. Reit strikes a good balance describing War time and the personal struggles people had to endure.

This story has more to offer than I am describing. I only give you a snippet of what to expect. I leave it to you to enjoy as much as I did.

This is very satisfying read.

I received a copy from the publisher “The Book Whisperer” via Netgalley