CITY OF JASMINE
Deanna Raybourn
Harlequin MIRA
February 25, 2014
Deanna Raybourn's newest book, City of Jasmine, set in the wide open 1920's, takes us on a quest from Damascus into the Badiyat ash-Sham or the great Syrian desert. Evangeline Starke has gained fame but little fortune as a celebrity aviatrix. Accompanied by her eccentric and adventuresome Aunt Dove, she is embarking upon a flight across the seven seas of antiquity. Just before embarking from Rome she receives a photograph of her husband, Gabriel Starke, marked "Damascus, 1920". However, Gabriel supposedly was lost in the Lusitania disaster of 1915. The two parted company in China after a whirlwind courtship and brief marriage and Evie headed back to England to sue for divorce. The divorce was not finalized before his reported death and Evie has never been quite sure that Gabriel really is dead. The photograph sends her to Damascus to find out what she can about Gabriel.
Evie's search for Gabriel leads her to an archaeological dig in the desert run by a staff that is not what it seems, encounters with bedouin and bandits, some highly questionable Hungarian aristocracy and the quest for an ancient antiquity. The hardships and dangers are very real and life threatening. I really admire Deanna Raybourn's ability to bring the sights and smells of other times and places to life and this may be her best book yet. The characters are vivid and memorable. She has even cleverly woven in characters from other books into the plot. Who would expect to meet one of the "Mad Marches" in the 1920's? There is a prequel, "Whisper of Jasmine", available in ebook and on kindle that covers Evie and Gabriel's first meeting and marriage. Evie has come quite a long way since their meeting at the beginning of WWI!
Now for the not so good- the cover. The cover of City of Jasmine is in no way representative of the book's contents. Raybourn's books have been blessed with some gorgeous covers, but this one misses the mark. Evie was not wearing lace and pearls in the desert. Neither was she sharing playful glances with Gabriel as they picnicked! It's a small thing to some, I suppose, but it bugged me. Not the author's fault I'm sure, as I don't think authors have much, or sometimes any, input into covers.
I highly recommend City of Jasmine to anyone who enjoys adventure, historical fiction and romance.
RATING- 5 Stars
THE MIDNIGHT SIDE
Natasha Mostert
Portable Magic Books
December 2013
Isabelle "Isa" de Witt is awakened early one morning in her Durban, South Africa apartment by a call from her cousin, Alette, who is now living in London. Isabelle is not surprised as the two girls grew up together on a homestead in the Transvaal and were always very close. Imagine what she feels when she learns that her cousin was already dead, killed in an accident, at the time of the call. Isabelle is already in a very fragile state, grieving for the loss of her married lover of thirteen years. She is Alette's only heir. Alette requested that she come to London for at least a month to claim the legacy. When Isabelle arrives in London and meets with Alette's attorney she finds that Alette has a task for her to accomplish, one all about revenge, obsession and murder.
The Midnight Side is a complex psychological thriller with elements of lucid dreaming, African folklore and the possibility of a vengeful woman manipulating events from the grave. It is the kind of book that I kept wanting to flip to the end in order to find out if my suppositions were correct. Instead, I just stayed up late reading. Natasha Mostert writes wonderfully descriptive prose that evokes both South Africa and wintertime London. Filled with mystery, suspense and characters one does not necessarily like, but are completely credible in their obsessions The Midnight Side is a great read. I had not heard of Natasha Mostert, but this debut novel that has evidently been updated and re-issued will not be my last from this gifted writer.
Thanks to netgalley.com and Portable Magic for an advance digital copy.
RATING- 4 Stars
AN OLD BETRAYAL (Charles Lenox Mysteries #7)
Charles Finch
November 2012
Minotaur Books
It's a Spring morning in 1875 London and Charles Lenox is on an errand for his friend, Dallington, Charles' apprentice in the detection business, who has opened his own successful agency. However, Dallington is ill and asks Lenox to meet with a prospective client in a railway cafe. This prospective client has sent a very cryptic note and Charles does not know whether the client is a male or a female. His lack of knowledge leads to his missing the client, to the death of a reclusive country squire and a chase across London from the slums to the highest reaches of imperial power. In the course of the investigation Charles uncovers a plot generations in the making.
The Charles Lenox Mysteries have been a favorite of mine since the first in the series, A Beautiful Blue Death. Lenox is a very attractive character;a real Victorian gentleman with a social conscience and now a doting papa to his new daughter, Sophie. His social conscience has led him away from detection into Parliament. But he is finding Parliament very demanding of his time with his family and not as satisfying as he thought it might be. So the chance to jump into an intriguing and important investigation is just what he has been looking for, even though he did not realize it. I am glad to see Charles so fully engaged in an investigation again.
Charles Finch obviously does extensive research into the era and gets into the "nuts and bolts" of Victorian society and government. These factual gems are seamlessly woven into the narrative, not just dumped. I enjoyed An Old Betrayal greatly and look forward to the next in the series.
RATING- 4 Stars
THE POISONED ISLAND
Lloyd Shepherd
Atria Books
January 2014
The Poisoned Island opens in 1769 on the South Pacific Island of Otaheite (Tahiti) with a young Joseph Banks chasing and ravishing an island princess. This encounter sets off a series of events which come to horrific fruition in 1812 England. Now Sir Joseph, eminent botanist and friend to royalty, Banks has financed a second expedition aboard the Solander to Tahiti. The ship has brought back many specimens; one of which has the potential to destroy the growing Empire. The island has long captivated the imagination of the English, but interaction has brought only death and destruction to the islanders through disease, alcohol, firearms, and civil conflict. Thames River Police Constable Charles Horton is called in when six of the Solander crew are found brutally murdered, all with fixed smiles on their faces. Meanwhile at Kew Gardens, frightening changes are taking place in one of the specimens, both alarming and elating Banks.
Though entirely fictional, The Poisoned Island features many historical figures and events, even references to the Bounty mutiny. One of the things I enjoy most about historical fiction is that it often challenges me to refresh my memory of half-remembered facts such as the career of Banks and my college courses in Botany. There is a wealth of information on life in Georgian England, especially maritime life, empire building and policing. My only difficulty with The Poisoned Island lies in the fact that I have not read The English Monster, which introduces Charles Horton. He is a compelling character whose motivations and tensions I would like to understand better so a reading of the previous book is a must, at least for me. The Poisoned Island can certainly be savored as a stand-alone, however.
I highly recommend The Poisoned Island to lovers of historical fiction with mystery and a dash of the unexplained. Thanks to Atria and netgalley.com for a digital advance copy.
RATING- 4.5 Stars
A STUDY IN ASHES
Emma Jane Holloway
Random House LLC
December 31, 2013
A Study in Ashes brings to a close the new steampunk trilogy starring Evalina Cooper, niece to Sherlock Holmes and powerful magic user. The Empire has been taken over by ruthless "Steam Barons" who have the populace by the throats, controlling everything by sheer might and their strangle hold on all power sources. The use of magic is a burning offence- or even worse, being sent off to what are known as laboratories for experimentation. Evalina has spent her young life hiding her abilities and trying to become part of the aristocracy. When A Study in Ashes opens, she has been forced into the the service of the "Gold King", Jasper Keating, in order to save herself and her friends and family.
Rebellion in the form of aristocrats, plain working men and women and pirates who follow a hitherto unknown heir to the throne is brewing and comes to fruition in A Study in Ashes. Fantastic steampunk machines, characters that leap off the page and rousing battle scenes make A Study in Ashes an absorbing read. As with the first two books in the trilogy I feel that at almost 700 pages it is nearly too much of a good thing. The secondary story involving Evalina's friend Imogen seemed to be an intrusion into the story. Way too many pages were spent on Imogen, slowing down the rest of the action. I was much more interested in the rebellion itself and seeing justice done to Keating and the other Barons. The ending was very satisfactory and leaves openings for further books in the same world which I will be looking forward to.
Thanks to netgalley.com and Random House for an advance digital galley.
RATING- 3.5 Airships
PAGAN SPRING (A Max Tudor Mystery #3)
G.M. Malliet
MacMillan/Minotaur Books
October 2013
Max Tudor, vicar of St. Edwold's (and ex MI5 agent), is enjoying his life in the picturesque village of Nether Monkslip. Church attendance is up and even better, his relationship with Awena Owen, proprietress of the new-age shop in the village, is prospering. At long last the attractive Max has met his soul mate in Awena. His only real problems are getting his Easter sermon written and the murderous streak which has cropped up in the village since his arrival. Max has been involved in the investigation of two murders in rapid succession.
All seems to be going well until Max's invitation to a village dinner party attended by several newcomers to the village. They are the odious Thaddeus Bottom and his downtrodden wife, Melinda; and Gabby Crewe, a popular hairdresser in the village salon. When one of the attendees is murdered with an exotic poison, Max is once again plunged into the investigation. We learn that the roots of the murder extend as far back as WWII France. The "victim" has a long history of victimizing others and the killer has a motive that I think any one could sympathize with.
Pagan Spring is, in my opinion, the best of the series so far. As always, the characterization is excellent and the mystery well-plotted. I did know "whodunnit" well before the end, but hoped that I was wrong. There is quite a surprise at the end for Max and Awena; one that will no doubt give Max's Bishop fits, but I am confident all will be well. I recommend Pagan Spring highly for fans of the traditional British "village" mystery.
RATING- 4 Stars
ROSEMARY AND CRIME
Gail Oust
St. Martins Press
December 2013
Rosemary and Crime by Gail Oust combines three of my favorite things: a plucky heroine, quirky supporting characters and food! Piper Prescott, a transplanted Yankee living in a small Georgia town, suddenly finds herself dumped by her husband of 20 years for a much younger ex-pageant queen. So, making lemons out of lemonade, she takes her divorce settlement and fulfills a longstanding dream, opening her own gourmet spice shop. It's a risky plan, since adventurous gourmet cooking is not exactly the thing in the land of fried chicken and pimiento cheese spread. Piper does, however, have a big plan for her grand opening. She persuades a local well-known chef, known not only for his cooking but his womanizing and temperament, to do a cooking demonstration. Too bad that the chef is found stabbed through the heart on the morning of the grand opening by none other than Piper herself. As the person who found the body Piper is the logical first suspect and the town's new Chief of Police thinks she looks good for it.
As evidence piles up against Piper-some planted- she enlists the help of her flamboyant best friend, Reba Mae. These two very accurately describe themselves as the Lucy and Ethel of crime investigation, getting themselves into trouble and driving Chief McBride crazy in the process. Piper is also dealing with a rebellious teenage daughter, her smarmy ex, the attentions of a charming veterinarian and an unexpected attraction to Chief McBride himself . When someone tries to run her down, she knows she will have to find the killer or face jail or worse.
Rosemary and Crime is a charming beginning to a new cozy series. I am looking forward to spending more time with Piper and the quirky citizens of Brandywine Creek, Ga.
RATING-4 Stars
