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Another stunner by the First Lady of riveting historical fiction! We are deep in the frozen forest of Russia - still for hours at a time in a leaf covered trench with your partner. Body cramped, little rest, little food and water until the midnight hour when you train your rifle's scope on the target. In Mila's hands her single shot means death to a German soldier - over 309 kills before she is done. Lyudmila Pavlichenko is the heroine of this story and the latest unsung hero in the long line of fascinating women in Kate Quinn's capable hands. She was a librarian/scholar writing her dissertation before picking up a rifle in sharpshooter training and heading off to the battlefield to save her country from the German invaders. Her skill as a sniper and the novelty of being a woman took her to the U.S. to be paraded around in a media blitz to gain American support for joining the war in Europe. Her unlikely friendship with none other than First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was one of mutual respect and admiration. The story is special in two ways as it shows how the vicious and bloody war was fought on the battlefield but also in the press as Mila and the Russian delegation are paraded around the country. Fascinating both in the battle details at the Russian front and also the back story American dog and pony show that took much trust from both sides to pull off. Mila is an extraordinary character as she is pulled out of the shadows to dazzle us with her courage and brilliant skill as well as the all too human heart behind the diamond eye of a deadly sniper. Fans of WWII unsung women as well as Kate Quinn's fans will be riveted to this one-sitting story. 5 stars 
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A dark Scandinavian thriller with multiple twists and many secrets. Eleanor surprised her grandmother's killer and that should have been her end as well but the killer walked away. Eleanor has an affliction and can't recognize faces. Even now after months in a hospital she is still jumpy and fragile so she and her boyfriend were hesitant to go to her grandmother's country estate along with an attorney and Eleanor's aunt to inventory the house. What should have been a time of quiet mourning and learning of her family's past seems more like living in a haunted house full of shadows, hidden rooms, a diary and now a blizzard. What could go wrong? Fans of Scandinavian noir, creepy family trees and things that go bump in the night like a good Agatha Christie tale should love this. 3 1/2 stars  Three couples gather for a fun weekend in a refurbished barn in the middle of the Northern England farmland. The wives arrive first a bit irritated that their husbands all found an excuse to get there the next day. The couple who own the farm are the only lifeline to these women and the weather is getting worse. No cell phone reception, bad weather, no homes nearby, and no driveable roads - what could possibly go wrong? As they enter the barn there is a creepy note saying that one of their husbands won't be alive when they get home. A variety of narrators, all with issues and one mystery narrator who is clearly pulling the strings make this the type of story to twist your stomach in knots. A long weekend is plenty of time to finish this but you may find yourself looking at your good friend couples a bit differently. 4 stars  A twisted story of abuse and childhood secrets that gnaw away at those children now grown. Sisters Glenn and Natalie are very different but always have each other's back since their traumatic childhood. Glenn is gaining success as a baker and about to publish a book when her daughter uncovers a murder victim and Glenn's husband is then killed. When his secrets start coming to light Natalie, a police detective, gets far too involved. It begins to feel like everyone has secrets, everyone has a motive and almost everyone is in danger of those secrets coming to light. Wild ending but a complicated timeline and identities had me using post it notes to keep everyone straight. 3 1/2 stars  A very satisfying debut that straddles the line between something out of historical fiction from Henry VIII's court and Game of Thrones fantasy. When the Emperor dies he leaves his courtesan with a horrible task - find his killer and decide which one of his son's should take the throne. Lady Charm runs a pleasure palace where wealthy men satisfy their desires and dreams, even when those dreams are nightmares for Lady Charm's children. Whatever their desire even pain and death is satisfied and then it is up to Lady Charm to take the broken bodies and regrow them to serve another day. All the court politics, power plays and manipulations we love plus the brilliant mind of Lady Charm who must outwit and outplay the greatest game of her life. 4 1/2 stars  This story begins with a lonely widow who, while tough as nails, is going blind. She takes on a renter for her house next door who appears to fit all her many qualifications. I didn't think that much of Skyla or her new tenant Teddy but you do feel sorry for her being alone with her illness and you hope Teddy won't take advantage and leave his place a mess. Despite being very different personalities they get on really well and end up convincing each other to reach out and tie up loose ends from past relationships. We follow the main characters in modern day and their past and you think you are reading a sad book about finding lost love. Let's just say you don't always know everything about a person and from here the book gets very interesting. A bit Psycho, a bit Misery with the last half all thriller this will get your heart racing. 3 1/2 stars  A love of mapmaking brings together a group of college graduates for a summer project that will change their lives forever. They have been friends forever with four of them becoming couples and one baby. It seemed like the idyllic time until an accident took a life and pulled them apart. Fast forward and the baby is grown following in her parent's footsteps with a career in cartography. When Nell discovers a secret map in her father's desk at the New York Public Library after his death she is pulled into a very dangerous hunt. With one step down the rabbit hole searching for the map's purpose she sets off a chain of events that will affect everyone she loves. A mastermind of Indiana Jones meets Brigadoon - this is one treasure hunt that will have you seeing maps in a whole new light. A must read for old school librarians, armchair adventurers and treasure hunters of all ages. 5 stars  Caribbean island mythology and culture is pit against the reality of real life violence in the city. Jobs are scarce and his mom's health isn't getting better so Emmanuel knows that cutting off his dreads and taking a gravedigger's job in the city is the only way he can help her. His mother cannot abide by his decision to give up his Rasta roots and taking a job with the dead. Once Emmanuel is in the city he begins to understand the ebb and flow of the giant old cemetery and his role in it. He begins to see ghosts real and imagined as he understands what he has been forced to participate in and the grave he has dug for himself. Yejide comes to understand the old stories shared by the women in the family and her legacy in carrying out those same traditions now that her mom has passed. When she meets Emmanuel at the cemetery their lives will change despite the past and the future others have chosen for them. Colorful verse as vibrant as the islands it represents, this is a love story to the culture and people. 4 stars  The Mexican-American War you have never read about through the eyes of an Irish American who is disillusioned fighting for the Americans and switches sides to fight for the Mexican army as well as a young Mexican woman who stands to lose everything. It is a love story between two unlikely foes who share the Catholic faith, a strong sense of what is right and wrong and the deep love they have for their homeland and each other. War is tragic and brutal and for every victor there are many who lose everything. This story clearly shows the manipulation of power on both sides of the border and the Mexican people were the ones who lost it all. Solid historical fiction that resonates with today's immigration issues as well as enlightening the reader to a period of our history and the very real Irish battalion who fought for Mexico that we don't hear much about. 4 stars  Part medical memoir, part terrifying look at mental health misdiagnoses - Sarah Fay takes us down the rabbit hole of the mental health provider's bible, DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS. She was misdiagnosed six times seemingly from various doctors looking up a menu of symptoms and picking one that they thought fit. With that came drugs that left her more anxious and with less of an idea of what was really going on in her body. Her story will scare you and maybe we should be. We need a wake-up call to the way we treat and approach mental health issues. 3 1/2 stars  |
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