THE FORTUNE KEEPER by Deborah Swift @swiftstory

5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: A favourite author, I've read the other two in the series.

In a Nutshell: Murder and astrology in Renaissance Italy.

Delightful book!  The Fortune Keeper is the story of Mia Caiozzi, an aspiring astrologer in 17th century Venice (I was interested to read in the notes at the back that female Venetian astrologers were quite the thing at this time!).  Mia is the step-daughter of the much talked about Giulia Tofana from the first two books of the series.

It's also the story of accomplished fraudster Imbroglio (definitely the most interesting character), revenge, secrets, spies, masks and murder, fear of the Inquisition, love and loss ... for me, though, it was, possibly more than anything, the story of Renaissance Venice.  Not a place or a time I know much about at all, I just loved the intricate day to day detail that showed how people lived then.  I'd swear Deborah Swift has her very own Tardis; her books are always written as though she has actually experienced that time and place.

The novel is a 'stand-alone' so it's not absolutely necessary to read Book #2, The Silkworm Keeper, before this one, though I would recommend doing so, not least of all because it's outstanding!  I read it 18 months ago and was glad I did because it provides the backstory for this book.  Or you could just start at Book #1, The Poison Keeper.  That's the best idea!  An immaculate series.

My Top Ten Books of 2022

...not necessarily published in 2022, but that was when I read them.   This isn't a top ten countdown; I've just listed them in the order they were read. 

If you would like to read my review and those on Amazon/Goodreads, please click the title/author.

Happy Reading!!

We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Dark psychological family drama

An Idle King by Andrew Paterson

Military Drama, Afghanistan

Rizzio by Denise Mina

Novella about Mary, Queen of Scots

What Was Once Home by B K Bass

Post-apocalyptic, alien invasion, set in southern USA

The Last Princess by Shelley Wilson

YA Historical, Vikings and Saxons

Michel The Giant: An African in Greenland 

by Tété-Michel Kpomassie

Memoir - young man from Togo explores Greenland in the 1950s/60s

Sisters at the Edge of the World by Ailish Sinclair

Pre-Christianity Scottish historical drama

Captive of the King by Gemma Lawrence

Book 4 of a series about Lady Jane Rochford, set during the downfall of Anne Boleyn

Tales of Empire by Tom Williams, Penny Hampson, Jacqueline Reiter and Antoine Vanner

Four long-short stories set in the 19th Century

Murder & Mischief by Carol Hedges

Stand-alone Book 10 of a Victorian murder mystery series

 

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MURDER & MISCHIEF by Carol Hedges @riotgrandma72 #RBRT #TuesdayBookBlog

5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.  But I would have bought it anyway ;)

In a Nutshell: Victorian Murder Mystery

This is Book Ten of the series and I have read the other nine; you will, therefore, gather that these books absolutely work for me.  They're linked, in that the same detectives appear in all books, and each story has cameo appearances from characters found in the earlier ones, but they're completely stand-alone.  My advice is to start with #1, though - you'll want to read them all, I promise!

Murder & Mischief, set mostly in London in the mid-19th Century, features a mysterious snow-covered corpse in the garden of a wealthy and unscrupulous land developer, an even more mysterious top hat, two children who have escaped from workhouse drudgery, a clever private detective (female, shock horror!), a community of bohemian artists, and Ms Hedges' trademark supporting cast of grimy folk in dingy pubs and lodging houses, doing what they feel they must to stay afloat ... a prostitute here, a social climber there, all crowded into Victorian London at its best, worst and every level in between.  Then there is the ancient and dilapidated Ships Head down at the Docks, almost a character in itself.  The 'formula' is similar in each one, but it never gets tired, and I always hope there will be more.

It's not easy to review a Book 10 in a series without repeating oneself, so I'll leave it with this: it's great.  They're all great.  Curl up on the sofa with cushions, a blanket, a cup of hot chocolate and a candle or two (to feel like part of the setting!), and you're in for a treat!

CROW COUNTRY by Emily Sullivan

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: freebooksy

In a Nutshell: Bleak post-apocalyptic world in which men are mean and crows are ... huge.

“Everyone was, in one night, made basic again. For when the Lord snapped his fingers, the Devil took the stage. What tremendous music he made”.

A strange book ... highly atmospheric, and that was what kept me reading.  That and wanting to know if the main character, Judge, would make it.

It's almost three decades after some event that caused a blackout across America, a situation never reversed.  Alas, we never find out what happened on October 9th, nearly thirty years before, or why fertility has been affected.  This isn't really a criticism as the book is about the events of the present; I just like to know the full story!  Judge lives in Colorado, in the new town of Genesis, run by a man known only as Law (at first).  Gradually, little bits of information are dropped in to show the reader details about the past.  I liked the way this is done, as by the time this appeared I really needed to know what the backstory between Law and Judge was.

As well as dealing with the usual horrors of a post-apocalyptic world, the inhabitants of Genesis must take cover from the crows, grown huge and predatory.

I found the writing style compelling (in that I couldn't have not read until the end) yet frustrating at times, when something was not explained as much as I would like; at other times, though, this was most effective.  Occasionally there were odd word choices, unusual ways of describing a feeling, the weather, the atmosphere that mostly worked very well but now and again had me thinking, what does she mean?  I noted afterwards that the author writes Westerns, and this book is very much in that vein.  It's raw, bleak, with little comfort for the characters and a dark portrayal of the worst in man.

I liked it.  It's good.  Now I want to read a prequel!

On Giving the Unknown Author a Go #TuesdayBookBlog #RBRT

Recently I've run a poll on Twitter to see how much people are willing to pay for either a debut novel, i.e., one by a writer who has not been tried and tested.  This was sparked by a conversation on the subject with writer Ben Winter.  At the moment, the '1.99-2.99' option is winning.  

This led to chat with others about trying unknown authors, generally, and I commented that something I love about being a member of Rosie Amber's book review team is that I have, on occasion, discovered a real gem that I would otherwise not have known existed.  

As I have no book review ready for #TuesdayBookBlog for the second week running, I thought I'd show some examples of those gems - in many cases, I've gone on to read more of the author's books.  Please note, they are all by authors I had never heard of before I chose their book to read.  I didn't know them from Twitter, I hadn't even seen a passing tweet by them!

The poll is HERE, if you would like to vote - I know it's not a black-and-white question, but you're only allowed 4 options!

...and here are the books.  I've been keeping this blog and reviewing for Rosie for nearly 9 years now, so some of them go a fair way back.  Click title of book for my review and Amazon/Goodreads links.

The Silent Kookaburra by Liza Perrat

I've read almost all her books since this one!  Excellent family drama set in small town Australia.

The Usurper King by Zeb Haradon

A great find indeed.  I've read two more since; his latest, Cousin Calls is one of my favourite books in years.  Genre?  He writes like no one else, and certainly doesn't fit into any neat Amazon box.  Just take a look :)

The World Without Flags by Ben Lyle Bedard

Post Apocalyptic, therefore right up my street, though that is no guarantee I'll love the book!  This, however, was so good I bought the prequel as soon as I'd finished it.

Rizzio by Denise Mina

Historical novella

Singularity Syndrome by Susan Kuchinskas

Actually the sequel; I read the first book via Rosie, too.  Dystopian, scifi

An Idle King by Andrew Paterson

Military Drama

Gone: Catastrophe in Paradise by O J Modeska

Non-fiction, an account of an airplane tragedy.  Bought her next book too - just as good.

Neander by Harald Johnson

Went on to read the whole series (I liked Book #2 best), and also read an earlier book of his.  Time Travel, human drama.

Black Irish Blues by Andrew Cotto

Crime drama set in New Jersey

The Memory Box by Eva Lesko Natiello

Psychological family drama

Obsession by Robin Storey

Human drama/thriller novellas - I've read a few of hers via Rosie's blog

The Unrivalled Transcendence of William J Gyle 

by James D Dixon

Read this years ago but it still sticks in my mind as a terrific book.  Drama about a homeless man.

Tokyo Mayday by Maison Urwin

Dystopian future, England and Japan

Fred's Funeral by Sandy Day

Historical family drama

The Code For Killing by William Savage

Not the first of Mr Savage's books that I've read - I read his first one via Rosie's blog and went on to read about ten more!  Historical mysteries.

The Brazilian Husband by Rebecca Powell

Contemporary family drama

I'm a great one for buying random books via Amazon browsing, or after I've read a great review on a blog.  Perhaps one of these might hit the spot for you, too :)

STOLEN SUMMERS by Anne Goodwin @annecdotist #RBRT #TuesdayBookBlog

 4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: the prequel to Matilda Windsor is Coming Home

For anyone who hasn't read Matilda Windsor is Coming Home, do read this novella-length prequel first.  It centres around how, in the 1930s (and before, and a while after), unmarried girls who became pregnant were often sent to mental asylums - once inside, they would become institutionalised, some to spend their whole lives locked away.  Poor Matilda - the first scene, when she thinks she's going home from the nunnery where she had her baby, but is in fact being driven to Ghyllside Hospital, is heartbreaking.  It made me want to reach out a hand and shout, 'don't go in!  Run!'

The book alternates between the outbreak of World War II, and the early 1960s, when she and her friend organise little escapades.  Alas, Matilda, already emotionally and mentally unstable because of her years at Ghyllside, cannot take on board how much the world has changed.  Finally, there is a chapter set in 1989 which, if I remember rightly, is how the main book starts.  By this time her mind is gone, though she is not unhappy in her fantasy world.

The book is so well-written, and I thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through, even though it made me want to weep for Matilda and the other women like her.  Highly recommended.

SEED by Ania Ahlborn @aniaahlborn #TuesdayBookBlog

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: Amazon browse

In a Nutshell: Low key horror, family drama about demonic possession

This is a solid 4* book (I did contemplate an extra half star).  Jack lives with wife Aimee and daughters Abby and Charlie.  At the age of six, Charlie begins to display some worrying traits - Aimee and Abby are disturbed and confused by this, but Jack knows what is going on - he sees himself in his daughter.

As the story develops we see how Jack uncovered the awful truth that he is the victim of demonic possession.  This is nothing like The Exorcist; it's much more subtle.  The plot moves through Charlie's increasingly erratic behaviour, and is interspersed with tales from Jack's childhood; slowly, slowly, the truth about why he left his childhood home and what happened to his parents, is revealed.  The pace of the book seemed a little slow at points during the middle (one big event would have made all the difference), but I didn't get bored with it, at all.  The last chapters are great, and wrap it all up so well; I was glad the author dared to make the ending all it should have been, and not go with a cop-out HEA.

Ms Ahlborn writes in a most engaging fashion, and Charlie is truly terrifying ... in a subtle, low-key way.  It would make a terrific film or limited series.  I'd read another book by her, for sure; I definitely recommend if you like this sort of story.