Good morning and Happy Tuesday! With travel and vacation, I’ve missed this meme recently, but I am glad to be back. Now, you know the rules: open your current read, pick 2 teaser sentences to share and don’t spoil the story! But do make sure you tell us a bit about the book. This morning, my teaser is from… Read more
Peter Brock is young, handsome and ambitious. He is also a man with a plan — The Plan, actually. He cultivates the friendship of a wealthy businessman, James Campbell, who wants to cut down on the taxes he pays Uncle Sam. To do this, Peter and James devise a way to transfer profits to secret accounts. James doesn’t know that… Read more
Historically, a woman on her own has always been a woman at risk. In some cultures around the world, a woman is still not permitted to own property, to have her own money, to walk along a city street in daylight without fear of reprisals. In 1857, a widowed woman had limited options available to her, but Emma Cunningham was determined… Read more
I really, really hate the phrase “ripped from the headlines.” It ought to be on one of those lists of cliches than can never ever be used again in print. But open a newspaper or click on a news website and you are likely to see a story similar to Megan Gunther’s situation in 212: A Novel by Alafair Burke.… Read more
Julius Fromm was born in Russia in 1883; when he was 10 years old, his parents left Russia for Berlin. At the time, Berlin offered the hope of more economic opportunity and a better life. Fromm grew up feeling like a German, and a patriotic one at that. It all came to crushing end when Hitler came to power, because… Read more
There’s a heatwave in Oslo. Anyone who can’t get out of the city is sweltering in the heat. There are lines at the open-air pool, the city streets are deserted…and there is a killer on the loose. Police investigations are apparently much the same the world over, as I didn’t find a lot of procedural confusion in Jo Nesbo’s The… Read more
I’m not quite sure what inspired this puzzler, but today it’s all about couples – literary couples, historical couples, film couples. Enjoy! (And if you need more help, there are some hints in the comments…) If you see this, you’ll need to upgrade your browser. Click here to play the crossword outside of the blog. Read more
In Raven Stole the Moon, Jenna Rosen walks away from a life that is fractured. Two years ago, her young son drowned in a tragic accident at a resort in Alaska. Her husband seems to have moved on, but Jenna cannot let go of her grief. On the anniversary of their son’s death, they attend a party that turns out… Read more
I have occasionally described books as “a wild ride,” and it’s often a very apt description. Books are like trips we take — some are pleasant Sunday drives, some are fast and bumpy. John Dies at the End is like a ride on a twisting, speeding, swooping roller coaster. On acid. With no seat belt. John and Dave are slackers.… Read more
Historical fiction can be challenging, both for writers and readers. It doesn’t take much — just a word, a name, a description — to bounce you right out of the story. In the Author’s Note at the end of Mistress of the Art of Death, Ariana Franklin says “It is almost impossible to write a comprehensible story set in the… Read more