This is a touching story about the struggle to find normalcy during the horrors of WW11. Based on true events the tale is said from three voices in a very emotional tone. It is mainly about three lives that became interconnected by the War and the friendships that came out of it.
First we are introduced to Ruby Henderson who is swept off her feet by handsome Frenchman and relocated to Paris, till one day the war changed everything. The second narrator is 11 year old Charlotte Dacher, Ruby’s young Jewish neighbor. The war literary ripped apart her world. The third narrative comes from an attractive RAF pilot Thomas Clarke who after being shot down over the sky of France came knocking on Ruby’s door. Fate brought these three together as they fought against the Nazis….
Bring out your box of tissues this story is a tear jerker. It is quite easy to imagine oneself in the shoes of one of the characters. The story is filled with details and heart-wrenching emotion. The words are said with love, selflessness and mainly courage. This story is an absorbing tale of people willing to risk everything for freedom and of the wonderful people that would do anything to help. Even during hard times there is still good in humankind. It is quite easy to be drawn by the characters and what happens to them ……you may have to dip into your tissue box on many occasions……..Well-written, excellent characterization and a unforgettable storyline.
I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalleys for my honest thoughts
Book#3, B.C. Blues Crime series
This 3rd mystery featuring Cal Dion and David Leith is a well created and a haunted tale set against the dark side of Vancouver’s North Shore. “Creep” has also elements of a gothic suspense I loved, some quite spooky making the experience a compelling read I enjoyed immensely. Ms. Greenaway stories are getting better with each outing.
As in the previous novels “Creep” is an exciting wild ride into police procedural with deeply characterized RCMP officers as main players. Dion and Leith are on the hunt for a killer who may be responsible for the death of a hiker and also for the mauled body found in a derelict house. Reported sighting of wolf, werewolf and large dogs….is the perpetrator human or beast……. As the investigation unfolds people are starting to think yes there is a werewolf on the loose….
Mental illness and paranormal, a mix that makes one ponder why some lose concept of normalcy and in which world they live on. Ms. Greenaway brings to her story a keen understanding of frailty and is at her best when she brings us into the forbidding wilderness and plunges us along with her characters into hugely intricate murder cases. Strong narrative all through gives strengths to the investigations inevitably holds us captivated, glued to every word from start to finish.
After 3 books, this author has finally won my heart. Her writing is economical, her plotting taut and her knowledge is sound. Well-done.
I received this ARC from Dundurn Publishers via NetGalleys for my honest thoughts.
Book #1 in the Jack McEvoy series
Not surprising Mr. Connelly is a bestselling author. “The Poet” is an intense and captivating mystery of a reporter’s single-minded pursuit of the serial killer who murdered his twin. This was his first departure from his crime novels featuring Harry Bosch, we all came to know very well. This novel was published in 1996 and won the Anthony Award and the Dilys Award the following year. Why did I take so long to read it? (Too many books on my TBR list).
The story is told mainly in the first person narrative from the perspective of reporter Jack McEvoy and his nemesis the mysterious character named “Eidolon”, Mr. Connelly switches to the third person when the story is told from the view point of Gladden, the pedophile. The transition from one character to the other is professionally done and very smooth. I really like how Michael Connelly takes us into the world of reporting. His experience as a former writer for a newspaper makes the reporter stuff such as deadlines and chasing down leads sound so authentic. Being written a long time ago makes some of the technology outdated but if you were around then you will definitely remember the phone booth, the sound of a modem dialing…a bit of nostalgia…does no harm…
Of course death is at the heart of this novel. A serial killer is at large, his target: homicide cops and the killer’s calling card is a quotation from the woks of Edgar Poe. When Jack decides that the best way to exorcise his grief is by writing a feature on police suicides he soon finds himself involved in an FBI investigation of a serial killer referred to as the Poet….Jack meets Rachael Walling, the lead investigator.
This is a page-turner I had a hard time to put down so captivated I was to see how Jack would manage to pull through the intricate web of conspiracy he found himself in. The mystery has great characterization, a plot line that moves along at a steady pace, rich and colourful narration and strong dialogue. No wonder this was and still is a winner.
