My latest read wasn’t a mystery, believe it or not. While that tends to be my most read genre, this historical fiction novel came up as a recommendation on Goodreads and it was really just a good story.
The Air Raid Book Club is the first book I’ve read by author Annie Lyons. Unlike many of the World War II stories I have read, this one takes place in London.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
London, 1938: The bookstore just doesn’t feel the same to Gertie Bingham ever since the death of her beloved husband Harry. Bingham Books was a dream they shared together, and without Harry, Gertie wonders if it’s time to take her faithful old lab, Hemingway, and retire to the seaside. But fate has other plans for Gertie.
In Germany, Hitler is on the rise, and Jewish families are making the heart-wrenching decision to send their children away from the growing turmoil. After a nudge from her dear friend Charles, Gertie decides to take in one of these refugees, a headstrong teenage girl named Hedy. Willful and fearless, Hedy reminds Gertie of herself at the same age, and shows her that she can’t give up just yet. With the terrible threat of war on the horizon, the world needs people like Gertie Bingham and her bookshop.
When the Blitz begins and bombs whistle overhead, Gertie and Hedy come up with the idea to start an air raid book club. Together with neighbors and bookstore customers, they hold lively discussions of everything from Winnie the Pooh to Wuthering Heights. After all, a good book can do wonders to bolster people’s spirits, even in the most trying times. But even the best book can only provide a temporary escape, and as the tragic reality of the war hits home, the book club faces unimaginable losses. They will need all the strength of their stories and the bonds they’ve formed to see them through to brighter days.
This was one of those stories that I could see as a movie. It was a nice change for the book to be set in England and see how they prepared for war and still have the German/Jewish elements involved with driving the story along.
I will certainly check out other Annie Lyons books in the future, as I found this to be a nice read.
That book was good enough that I wanted to read more by him. I knew him as a singer, but not as a novelist. I came across a book entitled Swing. As someone who loves a good mystery and big band music, I decided to check this out. I listened to the audio book.
The book had a Film Noir feel to it and it did have a few twists that threw me for a loop. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
“Swing just might be the best historical thriller of the year. Certainly it is the most creative.” –Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In the swinging big band era, jazz saxophonist and arranger Ray Sherwood is haunted by personal tragedy. But when Gail Prentice, a beautiful and talented Berkeley student, seeks his help in orchestrating an original composition slated to debut at the newly created Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, Ray is diverted from his worries and drawn to the beguiling coed. Within moments of their first meeting, however, Ray witnesses a horrifying sight: a woman plunging to her death from the island’s emblematic Tower of the Sun.
Ray soon finds himself trapped in a coil of spiraling secrets in which nothing is certain, including Gail’s intentions toward him and her connection to the dead woman. And as events speed toward the shocking climax, Ray must unlock an ominous puzzle with sinister implications that stretch far beyond anything he could imagine.
As a musician, there were some neat musical things in the book that I liked. Many musical terms, which Rupert defines for you, fit into the story as well. Do you have to be a musician to like this one? Not really, but I really connected to it a bit more.
One interesting thing about the audio book was that on occasion, Ray, the main character might talk about a piece of music he arranged as it begins to play in the background. Sometimes, he talks about singing a song on stage and the song plays before the story picks back up. There is a piano piece that Ray discovers and he describes it and then it plays for you. It was certainly a bit different and unexpected, but it enhanced the story a bit. If you don’t like swing music, you may not care for those bits.
The story had a few spots where it felt like it dragged a bit, but overall, I liked the book. I didn’t know it was set in the WWII era, but it makes sense with that big band music theme. It seems like I have a lot of WWII books on my list, and as of yet, they are not boring me.
As a side note, Rupert Holmes is working on a second story in the “Murder Your ____” series. Murder Your Mate is due out later this year.
I just finished another good book that had been on my “To Read” list. My wife read it before I did and based on her reaction, I chose to read it next. The cover itself was intriguing and I added it to my list before I even read what it was about.
This is the first book I have read by Jeneva Rose, but I liked it enough to want to read more. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
From New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage and You Shouldn’t Have Come Here comes a chilling family thriller about the (sometimes literal) skeletons in the closet.
After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm’s length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn’t been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before.
While going through their parent’s belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen, their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends.
Beth, Nicole, and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave.
I like reading books my wife has already read because then I can bug her about them. I must have asked her about 30 questions about this one. “Is so and so involved?” “What’s the deal with the video tape?” “How does so and so fit into this?” She always has the same answer – “If I tell you that, it will ruin the ending!”
I had my hunches throughout the book, and there were were plenty of people who seemed shady to me. There were some unexpected surprises in it as well. Over all, I really enjoyed this book and if you love a good mystery, you might, too!
Growing up, one of the things that is forever etched in my mind was waking up on Sunday mornings and Abbott and Costello movies would be playing on Channel 7 (WXYZ/Detroit). It was on those Sunday mornings that I was introduced to classic films like Buck Privates, Who Done It?, Africa Screams, The Naughty Nineties, and Hold That Ghost. Of course I loved all the Abbott and Costello “meet” pictures, too (Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and more)!
It wasn’t long after I first discovered them that I found one of the other stations played the Abbott and Costello cartoons after school. Even as a child, I could tell that Bud Abbott’s voice was his, and that someone else was voicing Lou Costello. I had no idea at the time that this cartoon was made in the late 60’s and that Lou had passed away in 1959.
In fact, I learned this week that there were a whole lot of things I didn’t know about him! I just finished a truly wonderful book about him, written by his youngest daughter, Chris Costello. A few years back, we became Facebook friends and she had posted that the audio version of her book was now available. I searched for it and got it to listen to on my drive to and from work.
I have had this book for sometime in printed form. It was on my “To Read” shelf for way too long. With all that I had going on in life, I found it difficult to actually sit and read for very long. So it sat on the shelf. When I recently discovered some of the audiobook platforms, I began to go back and search for audio versions of books on that shelf. When Chris said it was available, I was ecstatic.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
This intimate portrait of Lou Costello (1906-1959) offers a rare look at one of the most talented comedians of all time. Starting in the 1930s, Costello attained enormous fame touring the burlesque circuits with straight man Bud Abbott (1895-1974). Their live skits (including “Who’s on First?”), radio programs, and films made comic history. Behind the scenes, however, Costello faced numerous a bout with rheumatic fever that left him bedridden for months, the drowning death of his young son, and constant haggles with Universal Studios over its reluctance to adequately finance productions of Abbott and Costello films. Lou’s on First goes beyond Costello’s clownish persona to explore his Pagliacci, the private demons behind the happy public face, the heartbreaking moments in an otherwise storybook marriage, the business ventures soured by unscrupulous managers, and the true nature of the breakup of his twenty-one-year partnership with Bud Abbott.
I heard one comedian say, “The comedy community has a lot of trauma and pain.” A look at comedians throughout history will certainly show this to be true. Lou Costello had his share of tragedy and health problems.
Chris Costello was around 10 or 11 years old when her father died. She shares her memories of her dad, as well as stories and memories from those who knew him. As I listened to Chris share these stories, I learned about her father’s kindness to just about everyone he met that was in need. I learned that he truly did pay for Dean Martin’s nose job (and was sad to hear that he never really came around after that). I learned about the gambling that went on while making movies with Bud Abbott. I learned on the tragic death of his son and what that event did to Lou and his family. It was such an enlightening book.
I never really knew what brought the duo to their ultimate split. It was interesting to be able to know what was going on during the filming of certain movies as Bud and Lou’s partnership got close to an end. They were certainly professionals, because I would have never known that they were on the outs while some of those films were being made. They never looked like they were at odds with each other.
There are pros and cons to audiobooks. The pros of this one was that there are occasional audio clips from Bud and Lou and even audio from home movies. I don’t care how many times I hear Who’s on First – it will NEVER NOT be funny! It is a masterpiece!
This book made me laugh and made me cry. It is the perfect love letter to a comedic legend from his daughter. The “bad boy” from Paterson, NJ touched many lives, and his memory lives on there with a beautiful statue and memorial park.
Thank you, Chris Costello, for sharing these stories about your dad with me and the world.
I highly recommend this book to fans of Abbott and Costello! 5 stars!
For those who want to listen to the audio book, you can find it on all the major audio book platforms. You can also order through Chris the limited-edition 10-CD Collection with 8-pg “Costello Family Photo Album” which she will gladly autograph. You won’t find this set on Amazon or elsewhere as she self-funded this collection. For more info or to order email: accollectibles@aol.com
As you know, I love a good mystery. I also love a mystery with a great “I didn’t see that coming” moment. My latest read had both, and when the “I didn’t see that coming moment” came I was truly floored.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
“I’ll be dead in three months. Come tell my story.”
So writes Sebastian Trapp, reclusive mystery novelist, to his longtime correspondent Nicky Hunter, an expert in detective fiction. With mere months to live, Trapp invites Nicky to his spectacular San Francisco mansion to help draft his life story . . . living alongside his beautiful second wife, Diana; his wayward nephew, Freddy; and his protective daughter, Madeleine. Soon Nicky finds herself caught in an irresistible case of real-life “detective fever.”
“You and I might even solve an old mystery or two.”
Twenty years earlier—on New Year’s Eve 1999—Sebastian’s first wife and teenaged son vanished from different locations, never to be seen again. Did the perfect crime writer commit the perfect crime? And why has he emerged from seclusion, two decades later, to allow a stranger to dig into his past?
“Life is hard. After all, it kills you.”
As Nicky attempts to weave together the strands of Sebastian’s life, she becomes obsessed with discovering the truth . . . while Madeleine begins to question what her beloved father might actually know about that long-ago night. And when a corpse appears in the family’s koi pond, both women are shocked to find that the past isn’t gone—it’s just waiting.
Online reviews of the book are mixed. I had to laugh when one complained that it had 100 chapters. Some of the chapters were short, so I wonder why that reviewer even mentioned it!
The book had me asking questions throughout the read. Was it him? Was it her? Do they know more than they are saying? Why are they acting that way? Even in the slower moments there were things that made me think. When it all falls into place, all of those questions had answers.
A few weeks back, I was a lucky winner of a Goodreads Giveaway. I received Under The Paper Moon by Shaina Steinberg and I have just finished it.
My first thought when I saw the cover was “Film Noir.” It had that 1940’s look about it and after reading the synopsis, I was excited to read it:
Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets The Thin Man ’s Nick and Nora Charles in this intrigue-filled debut from film and television writer Shaina Steinberg, as two former spies who shared more than just missions during WWII reunite in 1948 Los Angeles. Can they let go of heartbreak long enough to team up for one last operation?
It’s 1942, and as far as her father knows, Evelyn Bishop, heiress to an aeronautics fortune, is working as a translator in London. In truth, Evelyn—daring, beautiful, and as adept with a rifle as she is in five languages—has joined the Office of Strategic Services as a spy. Her goal is to find her brother, who is being held as a POW in a Nazi labor camp. Through one high-risk mission after another she is paired with the reckless and rebellious Nick Gallagher, growing ever close to him until the war’s end brings with it an act of deep betrayal.
Six years later, Evelyn is back home in Los Angeles, working as a private investigator. The war was supposed to change everything, yet Evelyn, contemplating marriage to her childhood sweetheart, feels stifled by convention. Then the suspected cheating husband she’s tailing is murdered, and suddenly Evelyn is back in Nick’s orbit again.
Teaming up for a final mission, Evelyn and Nick begin to uncover the true nature of her case— and realize that the war has followed them home. For beyond the public horrors waged by nations there are countless secret, desperate acts that still reverberate on both continents, and threaten everything Evelyn holds dear…
It really did have that “Film Noir” feel to it at times and wasn’t really a bad read. I enjoyed how the author gave us a look at the present and some events in the past that helped to move the story line and the mystery along. It all fits together by the end.
Honestly, whenever I read a spy novel set in this period of time, it is hard for me to not read the dialogue like something out of a movie. That being said, I always read the character of Nick like a Humphrey Bogart sounding guy. Evelyn was Veronica Lake-ish to me. The character, Katie, I read like an annoying school girl because that what she reminded me of.
The story took a minute to get going, but when someone is killed it begins to move at a pretty decent pace. There were some twists in the story that I didn’t see coming and I probably would have rated it a bit higher if I hadn’t been put off by some “over the top” and almost unbelievable things that happen toward the climax of the story. That was the only downfall to the story for me.
Over all, it was a nice Historical Fiction read. The overall rating on Goodreads is 4 stars, I gave it 3.5 stars.
Thanks to the folks at Kensington Publishing for choosing me as a winner on Goodreads and sending me a copy.
I finally got my hands on a new release by an author I have come to really enjoy – Anthony Horowitz. I stumbled on him because of a couple Sherlock Holmes themed books he wrote. From there, I stumbled on his Hawthorne and Horowitz series. You can read about those a bit here:
For those keeping track, the Hawthorne/Horowitz book series is now up to five.
The Word is Murder (Book 1), The Sentence is Death (Book 2), A Line to Kill (Book 3), The Twist of a Knife (Book 4) and now the latest in the series:
I have said before that I sometimes got bored with a series featuring the same character because the books tend to recap the previous books I had read. While Horowitz will elude briefly to bits from past books, it isn’t so bad that it takes away from the one you are reading.
I really do enjoy this series a lot and this book was a bit different then the previous ones. In the first four books, Horowitz is following Hawthorne and writing a book about a case he is on. This time around, he is writing about a case from the past. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
In New York Times–bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s ingenious fifth literary whodunit in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, Detective Hawthorne is once again called upon to solve an unsolvable case—a gruesome murder in an idyllic gated community in which suspects abound.
Riverside Close is a picture-perfect community. The six exclusive and attractive houses are tucked far away from the noise and grime of city life, allowing the residents to enjoy beautiful gardens, pleasant birdsong and tranquility from behind the security of a locked gate.
It is the perfect idyll until the Kentworthy family arrives, with their four giant, gas-guzzling cars, a gaggle of shrieking children and plans for a garish swimming pool in the backyard. Obvious outsiders, the Kentworthys do not belong in Riverside Close, and they quickly offend every last one of their neighbours.
When Giles Kentworthy is found dead on his own doorstep, a crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest, Detective Hawthorne is the only investigator that can be called on to solve the case.
Because how do you solve a murder when everyone is a suspect?
It has characters that make you wonder just what they are up to, the atmosphere of a “locked room mystery” except its in a gated community, deep dark secrets, and a lot of twists and turns!
I’ve been waiting on this book for sometime and it finally became available. It’s another murder mystery and while it was not as good as the last one I posted about, it is good just the same. The book has plenty of suspects who have the motive to murder, and surprisingly, I guessed the killer about half way through (which didn’t ruin it because I wasn’t 100 percent sure).
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
Nothing brings a family together like a murder next door.
A lighthearted whodunnit about a grandmother-mother-daughter trio of amateur sleuths. Gilmore Girls , but with murder.
High-powered businesswoman Lana Rubicon has a lot to be proud her keen intelligence, impeccable taste, and the L.A. real estate empire she’s built. But when she finds herself trapped 300 miles north of the city, convalescing in a sleepy coastal town with her adult daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack, Lana is stuck counting otters instead of square footage—and hoping that boredom won’t kill her before the cancer does.
Then Jack—tiny in stature but fiercely independent—happens upon a dead body while kayaking. She quickly becomes a suspect in the homicide investigation, and the Rubicon women are thrown into chaos. Beth thinks Lana should focus on recovery, but Lana has a better idea. She’ll pull on her wig, find the true murderer, protect her family, and prove she still has power. With Jack and Beth’s help, Lana uncovers a web of lies, family vendettas, and land disputes lurking beneath the surface of a community populated by folksy conservationists and wealthy ranchers. But as their amateur snooping advances into ever-more dangerous territory, the headstrong Rubicon women must learn to do the one thing they’ve always done – depend on each other.
“Gilmore Girls, but with murder,” is enough to make you want to pick it up, right? As I listened to the audiobook, I could see this being a great movie.
Back in the day, there was an old radio show called I Love a Mystery. It’s no secret that I do, too. A mystery can take many forms – the cozy mystery, the whodunnit, the locked room mystery, courtroom mystery, etc …
I just finished a book that has many of the things I love in a good mystery. First, there are plenty of suspects. There’s an earlier murder that may or may not be connected to the first one. There are characters you like and dislike right from the get go. There are twists and turns, and some great suspenseful moments.
I added this book to my “to read” list simply because of the title – How to Solve Your Own Murder. I was hooked right from the beginning and loved every minute of it.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate… Now it’s up to her great-niece to catch the killer.
It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.
In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?
As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.
This was such a great read. If you love a good mystery that is a mix of Agatha Christie and Perry Mason, you will love this one!
I’ve had this book on my “To read” list for some time. I added it for a couple of reasons. First, I have always loved hearing stories about “old Hollywood” and hoped that this would kind of fall into that category. Second, everyone kept talking about it. When my wife read it recently she said she thought I would enjoy it.
Side note: I had no idea that the author, Taylor Jenkins Reid, had also wrote Daisy Jones and the Six. That’s another one that everyone seemed to be talking about, but I’m not sure I want to read it. My wife said it was “just ok.”
Before I offer up my thoughts on this book, let me share the Goodreads synopsis:
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
To quote my wife, the book to me was “just ok.” Don’t get my wrong, it wasn’t bad. As a matter of fact, there were quite a few surprises in the story. As the synopsis implies, Monique and Evelyn’s life have some sort of connection and I never put it together. This was a big surprise to me. Actually, the connection really made the book worth reading for me. Especially since there were a few times I was ready to put it down.
As you might expect in a story of old Hollywood, there is plenty of scandal, secrets, jealousy, lying, manipulation and deception. I have often used this description, but it read like an episode of Desperate Housewives or a bad soap opera. “Who’s sleeping with who?” kind of thing at times.
Again, it wasn’t a bad book, it is just not really my kind of book. Not to sound chauvinistic, that is not my intention at all, but I felt like the book might appeal more to female readers.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 