If I Were You by Lynn Austin

If I Were You by Lynn Austin

464 pages / 13 hrs, 35 mins

"1950. In the wake of the war, Audrey Clarkson leaves her manor house in England for a fresh start in America with her young son. As a widowed war bride, Audrey needs the support of her American in-laws, whom she has never met. But she arrives to find that her longtime friend Eve Dawson has been impersonating her for the past four years. Unraveling this deception will force Audrey and Eve's secrets--and the complicated history of their friendship--to the surface."  --from the publisher.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I've read other books by Austin, but this one is far and away her best yet. It did drag a bit for me in one spot, but it didn't last long. I loved the characters, and Austin's exceptional presentation of complicated moral decisions, relationships, and extending grace to others. The ending was a bit simplistic, but I do love a happy ending. I give it five out of five stars.

Curtain by Agatha Christie

 Curtain by Agatha Christie-231 pages


This was actually a donation, and I could not believe that I had never read it!  Agatha Christie is the author who got me hooked on Mysteries.  This is Hercules Poirot's last case; and in true Dame Agatha's fashion she pulls it off again!  We do not know (though you think you know) until the very last page what Monsieur Poirot has accomplished. 

In his final case, Poirot and Hastings find themselves back at Styles, where they had their first case together some 20 years previous.  Poirot's mind is as sharp as ever, but he is now confined to a wheel chair.  Hence, Hastings is conscripted to be his eyes and ears. Even Hastings thinks he has this one figured out.  I guess you will need to read it to see if you think you have too!

It was an absolute delight to read and try to put the puzzle together.  I highly recommend.

A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer

A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer
512 pages

"If Danny Cartwright had proposed to Beth Wilson the day before, or the day after, he would not have been arrested and charged with the murder of his best friend. But when the four prosecution witnesses are a barrister, a popular actor, an aristocrat, and the youngest partner in an established firm's history, who is going to believe your side of the story?

"Danny is sentenced to twenty-two years and sent to Belmarsh prison, the highest-security jail in the land, from where no inmate has ever escaped.

"However, Spencer Craig, Lawrence Davenport, Gerald Payne, and Toby Mortimer all underestimate Danny's determination to seek revenge, and Beth's relentless quest to pursue justice, which ends up with all four fighting for their lives..."  --from the publisher

Strong story with solid characters and several plot twists!  Is Jeffrey Archer a modern day Charles Dickens?  I love happy endings!  I give it four out of five stars.

Nothing Ventured by Jeffrey Archer

Nothing Ventured by Jeffrey Archer-320 pages

I enjoyed the "Clifton Chronicles" by Jeffrey Archer so I was looking forward to the launch of his new series "William Warwick".  I was not disappointed.  This follows a young man who since the age of 8 had always wanted to be a detective.  He achieves his dream and is on the fast track to Scotland Yard.  There are several cases going on at once and through many twists and turns he seems to always come out on top.  I highly recommend.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
(Harold Fry #2)
491 pages / 10 hrs, 35 mins

"When Queenie Hennessy discovers that Harold Fry is walking the length of England to save her, and all she has to do is wait, she is shocked.  Her note had explained she was dying. How can she wait?

"A new volunteer at the hospice suggests that Queenie should write again; only this time she must tell Harold everything.  In confessing to secrets she has hidden for twenty years, she will find atonement for the past.  As the volunteer points out, 'Even though you've done your travelling, you're starting a new journey, too.'

"Queenie thought her first letter would be the end of the story.  She was wrong.  It was the beginning."      --from the publisher

I loved "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" so I was excited to hear the story from Queenie's perspective.  The premise and writing style are wonderful, but I thought it dragged a bit in places.  The colorful characters in hospice with Queenie are a hoot, though, and the humor is very welcome in such a sobering setting.

Memento Mori by Ruth Downie

Memento Mori: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie --- 410 pages including Author's Note, Further Reading, and Acknowledgements.

Memento Mori is the eighth installment in Ruth Downie's historical mystery series set in 2nd Century A.D. Roman Britain that began with Medicus. Her sleuth is a Roman doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso, who was born in the Roman province of Gaul (France), trained as a medicus, and served with the Roman legions in Britain. At the start of the series he rescues a British girl from a brutal slave dealer, and winds up marrying her. Part of the appeal of the series is the very different ways that Ruso and his wife, Tilla (whose British name is Darlughdacha), see the world and the people around them. This very often puts them at cross-purposes, and contributes to the humor of the series.

Tilla is stubborn, independent, and impulsive, and her behavior is definitely not what's expected of a respectable Roman wife. But Ruso is equally unable to maintain the role of the stern and stoic Roman paterfamilias. Now retired from military service, Ruso and Tilla have tried living with his family in Gaul, seeking their fortune in Rome, and are staying with Tilla's family on a farm in the northern wilds of Britain near where Hadrian's Wall is under construction.

In Memento Mori Ruso responds to an urgent plea from his former colleague and best friend, Valens, who's been accused of murdering his estranged wife, Serena, and dumping her body in the sacred hot springs of Aqua Sulis (modern Bath). This is  not only a crime but a dreadful sacrilege, and could destroy the town's prosperity, as many Romans and Britons seek healing in the sacred waters. Tilla of course will not allow Ruso to go alone, and so the entire family travels  to Aquae Sulis to exonerate Valens.

They discover that Valens is hiding because his father-in-law, (retired) Centurion Pertinax, is  determined to track Valens down and see him tried and executed. Ruso learns that there was also a disastrous fire the night of the murder that destroyed a lodging house and left three guests dead in their beds.  There are rumors that the fire was deliberately set, and that the local veterans' association lost a lot of money they had invested in the project to build a second shrine and healing pool on the site. The engineer for the project, Terentius, has gone missing.  To make matters even more complicated, Terentius was also Serena's lover, and she was asking Valens for a divorce so that she could marry Terentius.

Ruso finds his friend, but to his dismay cannot entirely believe Valens' protestations of innocence. Events escalate rapidly, but Ruso survives to solve the puzzle. Another entertaining outing with Ruso, Tilla and Company.

Click HERE to read the review in Kirkus Reviews.

Click HERE to read the review from the Italophile bog.

Click HERE to read the review from Open Letters Review.