I received this ARC from NetGalley for review purposes and it was so very good. It was so good that I am going to go back and read other books in the series, as well as purchasing copies for my sister and my best friend for Christmas. I have read a few of the earlier books but this one has depth of character, as well as a terrific mystery.Since it is a holiday read, the happy ending should suit everyone just fine.
THIS from the publisher:"Semi-retired private detective Molly Murphy Sullivan is suffering from depression after a miscarriage.. She and her husband, Daniel, are invited for Christmas at a mansion on the Hudson, and they gratefully accept, expecting a peaceful and relaxing holiday season."
So what happened, you might wonder, to change this idyllic picture? Well let me start with some "Class" disconnect in the host family, their neighbors and friends of Molly, as well as long standing grief for their only daughter who disappeared 10 years before.
"Molly can identify with the mother's pain at never knowing what happened to her child and wants to help, but there is so little to go on. No ransom note. No body ever found. But she begins to suspect that the occupants of the house know more than has been divulged."
On Christmas Eve, while they sing carols around the tree a young girl appears and says " I'm Charlotte. I have come home" - and the peaceful planned Christmas becomes a scene of upheaval and complicated intrigue. A very very fine mystery but lighthearted enough in many places ( and the ending) to suit as Christmas reading.
Get your copy right now, it is recently released. I am purchasing two more besides my gifts and plan to finish the series eventually.
This was such an enjoyable book, I quickly went back and found one that I had not read ( The Tudor Bride) and purchased that one right away. I had not read a lot about Jasper Tudor although he does seem to have had two daughters. It is a different way of looking at Margaret Beaufort also- sort of with narrowed eyes.
His life with Jane ( who surely existed in some fashion) was one of legend, as was his birth to an anointed queen. His devotion to his nephew Henry VII was also legendary, but possibly NOT common knowlege how much he taught and protected him.
Reading about this intersection, and the egress between England and Wales, was quite fascinating in this book. The clash of cultures helps us to understand this particular period. Recommended for this reason, as well as explaining how the Tudor kings came to exist.
A 5th book, The Tudor Crown will be published next May and I cannot wait to receive that one.
5 stars- A riveting read that I tried several times to put down, as it was painful with recognized emotions. I must think about this review~
I loved and admired this couple..saw both Carly and JT in concert and played some tapes until they disintegrated. You would think they had always had charmed lives but apparently mostly not so.
But then what was different between we baby-boomers? Not a great deal apparently..
It is a must read for those of my generation who came of age at this same time.
4 + Stars
I really enjoyed this book, I wish Victoria had been a more likable character, but she was Queen Victoria after all. Furthermore, she was a young woman as well as a young queen, and made mistakes.
Her mother the Duchess of Kent either got a bad rap or was very shallow. All in all, the British royal family, as well as those from Saxe- Coburg were also fairly self centered and unaware of how they were perceived by the public.
Lord Melbourne was very interesting and witty ( at least in this novel).Many of the events between he and the young Queen I was not aware of until reading this book.
I intend to purchase or borrow Daisy Goodwin's forthcoming book Victoria & Albert : A Royal Love Story when it comes out next week. I would recommend this author's work completely and will read more of her work.
Roman Britain is a favorite era for me to read about, and this is the best of this series so far. Rosemary Rowe's historical setting is impeccable, and this outing of Libertus rose above the rest. The time period of late in the year in AD193 was one that saw the Roman provinces, and Britannia in particular(being remote and far north) as having drastic internal problems.
In this 17th mystery Libertus, our protagonist, finds himself very much in the thick of this strife. He is tapped by his patron, Marcus Aurelius Septimus to stand for the Glevum council much to his wife, Gwellia's delight. He is transported in style from his Celtic roundhouse to Marcus' estate, another honor as Marcus is a very powerful man in the province.
Internal strife, slavery and Celtic culture are juxtaposed against the Romano British military in this very fine and complex mystery. Libertus, former Celtic noble, former slave and now citizen is housed in military mansios, in what is a continual decline of comfort and increasing danger, as he is sent to attempt to solve a mysterious death.
Eventually he is briefly enslaved with his identity stolen. He is almost sent out of the country to work in salt mines. until his quick wit and his ability to convince others of his plight prevails.
Highly recommended for all those who enjoy mysteries and novels of Roman Britain. I received this advanced copy from NetGalley for an honest review. 5 Stars.
