CIRCLE OF STONES – Suzanne Alyssa Andrew

Posted by Daniel on May 5, 2021
Posted in: OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

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This is a story of Nik, an art student, and his girlfriend Jennifer, a dancer. Like many eccentric artists, Nik is obsessive – especially when it comes to painting his dancer girlfriend. On the day Jennifer goes missing, Nik’s world falls apart.

With few clues to Jennifer’s past, Nik begins a cross-country trip to find her and encounters a Dickensian cast of characters and a little Truth about Jennifer, himself, and love along the way.

My first reaction was – this was a fast read! I’m not sure if that’s a good reaction or not, but at least it wasn’t a slow, dragging read.

My second reaction was – I enjoyed this. Author Suzanne Alyssa Andrew’s writing is crisp and gentle and her language just pulls a reader in.

Although Nik and Jennifer are the focus of the story, the book is told from the point of view of the people Nik meets on his journey. Thus, the ‘circle of stones’ are the people we meet.

This is a ‘concept’ book and I generally don’t like concept novels where the unique form is more important to the story, but Andrew keeps the story in focus. Still, there is something almost uncomfortable about this concept.  We’re getting the story from minor characters who come in for a moment, seem important because of what they have to share, but then they’re gone. There becomes too many characters for such a tight story.

While I enjoyed the book and found it a quick read, ultimately it was a bit unsatisfying. I might normally suggest that this is a good beach read, but because of the rotating character/narrators it needs more attention than what a beach read usually gets.  Perhaps this makes a good fireplace read.

Looking for a good book? Circle of Stones by Suzanne Alyssa Andrew is a well-written book but the unusual narrative format makes it just a little harder to recommend.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Circle of Stones

author: Suzanne Alyssa Andrew

publisher: Dundurn

ISBN: 145972934X

paperback, 272 pages

CURTSIES & CONSPIRACIES – Gail Carriger

Posted by Daniel on May 3, 2021
Posted in: YA. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

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Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality is not your ordinary Finishing School.  It is also a secret training ground to turn qualified young ladies into spies. Second year student Sophronia uses the skills she learns to listen in on teachers and sneak into places where she doesn’t belong. But then what 15 year old student doesn’t do that? The difference is she’s highly trained in it.
This year Sophronia will need to work alongside some of our supernatural friends, werewolves and vampires, to help stop a conspiracy taking place in London. And when she’s not fighting she’s honoring her dance card.
I wasn’t particularly keen on the first book in the series (that was a long time ago and all I remember was that I didn’t like it much), but I found this to be an amusing, entertaining quick read. Sophronia seemed more playful, more her age, than I remember previously, and despite her dignified training, she knows how to make the best of a situation.
I didn’t take this very seriously, but I had a good time. It was sort of the literary equivalent to having a    candy bar between meals – a little something to sustain you between more fulfilling reads.
This is not a new series (it was published back in 2013) but if you pick up a copy you may find a fun beach read with a book that you can comfortably leave in a Little Free Library somewhere.
Looking for a good book?  Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger is a high-adventure story, targeted toward teen girls who want to see themselves as high society spies.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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Curtsies & Conspiracies 
author: Gail Carriger
series: Finishing School #2
publisher: Hachette Little, Brown & Co
ISBN: 031619011X
 
hardcover, 310 pages

WITHIN WITHOUT – Jeff Noon

Posted by Daniel on April 30, 2021
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

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If you’ve read any of my other reviews of Jeff Noon’s John Nyquist series, you already know that these books are really unlike anything else.

John Nyquist is a detective who takes on the oddest jobs – or the oddest jobs find him. In either case, Nyquist goes to the most unusual, mind-bending, confusing communities to bring a small sense of order to the disorder around him.

In two of my three previous reviews of Noon’s book, I compare Noon’s worlds with the worlds of Franz Kafka’s work.  In case the comparisons weren’t obvious enough for some, Noon introduces Nyquist to a resident of this new world by the name of Gregor Samsa who is in the process of turning into a beetle.  We’ll also meet Alice Liddell and Mr. Hyde.  If you don’t know who any of these people are, you can just skip this review and this book.

The locations have been every bit as much a character as the people in Noon’s books and that is still true here.  Nyquist is in the city of Delirium and in the center of Delirium is a town called Escher. (“That’s right. Escher is a town within Delirium.”)

Nyquist’s quest here is to help pop movie star Vince Craven. Craven has lost his image.  Doesn’t quite make sense?  Yeah, that’s a Jeff Noon book. Trust the author – he’ll make it work.

Opening a Jeff Noon book makes me feel like a kid again.  I wasn’t even a full page in when I realized I was grinning widely and absolutely giddy with excitement. Noon puts Nyquist, and the reader, into a unique situation and describes it so completely we feel we are there. He gives us a situation that we can’t help but know we’re in for something unusual. A packed corridor with slow, steady movement but no one seeming to have a destination.

“Wait for it. Wait. It’s almost four o’clock. Wait, wait! Any second now…” an individual in the crowd tells Nyquist. Then:

A great cry went up, all along the line from both directions, every traveller shouting out at once, in one voice: “We are the queue!” … the cry came again, even louder now: “We ARE the queue!” … and then the cry a third time.

“WE ARE THE QUEUE!” …

And then the fellow tells Nyquist, “Every two hours on the hour, we need to assert ourselves, our place in the world, our glory.”

Noon’s writing is just brilliant and we appreciate Nyquist, our Everyman, who takes everything unusual in stride which is why we the reader are comfortable moving forward in this unusual world – if Nyquist can go on, so can we.

And what is it about British authors that they come up with some of the best character names?

Her name was Dandelion. Dandelion Applegood. … Dandelion was a woman with a blue shadow. Sometimes entirely blue, but often speckled with tiny silver stars.

I’d love to go on and share everything I highlighted in the book, but it would be a lot easier if you just go ahead and read it for yourself.

Mr. Noon, to quote John Nyquist: “I enjoyed having you inside my head.”

Looking for a good book? If you pick up Jeff Noon’s Within Without, you’ve found it.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Within Without

author: Jeff Noon

series: John Nyquist #4

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857668986

paperback, 400 pages

THANKSGIVING – Ellen Cooney

Posted by Daniel on April 28, 2021
Posted in: OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Ellen Cooney’s Thanksgiving follows one family through 350 years of Thanksgiving preparations. One family, one house, one room, one meal. Cooney’s book connects generations, shares family joys and sorrows and as family items and heirlooms are handed down and sometimes lost, reminds us what is important in life.

I have to admit that the first time I started to read this (back in 2013) I was bored early and put it away to try again.  I’m glad I waited and tried again because this time, perhaps fueled by my own interest in family history and genealogy, I was more interested in making the connections and following the family.
 
Seeing how little humans change over the centuries is fascinating. Our technology changes, and perhaps our perception of how we fit into the world changes, but at our core we, as humans, have many of the same concerns, loves, fears, and fervor now as we did 350 years ago.
 
Cooney manages to give us a little bit of the historical backdrop to each chapter (which features a new generation in the family line) as well as something that has a family member concerned.
 
One of my problems eight years ago when I tried reading this is that I was that I was not realizing that we were not going to be seeing the same people from chapter to chapter  – that this was not a book about a person, but a book about a family tree. It’s definitely a different sort of read than what I am typically used to.  This is ‘big picture – compare and contract with lots of glimpses at many individual stories’ rather than the more typical ‘one story with maybe a couple of subplots pulled together by one or two individuals.’
 
I liked that each chapter was titled for an item on the Thanksgiving table which helps pull together the metaphor of family gathering around the holiday table – even though the family is separated by time.
 
This is clever, tender, and well written, but ultimately it is a book that pulls together an idea and not a story, which is maybe why I was left just a little unsatisfied as I finished. Still, I give it four stars because I liked the message and the way it was done.
 
Looking for a good book? Thanksgiving, by Ellen Cooney, is a book about family and history and the coming together, using the American Thanksgiving meal as the common event between the generations.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
 
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Thanksgiving
 
author: Ellen Cooney
 
publisher: Publerati
 
ISBN13: 9780985050474
 
ebook, 248 pages

THE HOUSE OF THE SETTING SUN – Nancy Cole Silverman

Posted by Daniel on April 26, 2021
Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

It’s almost never good news when the telephone rings in the middle of the night. And when you are Misty Dawn, once the ‘Hollywood Psychic to the Stars,’ you can be pretty sure that a midnight phone call will be a call for help.
Former client, and actress, Dorine Witherspoon, is in town on tour with a musical, but the leading lady, Cassie Marx, has disappeared. Now the understudy is going to have to go – for opening night!
Misty heads to the theatre at first light, along with her spirit (ghost) Wilson, and discovers that Cesar Romero – an LAPD detective – is already there and meeting with the cast and crew. And if the circumstances around Cassie’s disappearance wasn’t strange enough, Misty sees Wilson in a new light as the theatre spirits want nothing to do with him. There’s a lot working against Misty, but finding Cassie will save more than a show.
I’ve come to really like author Nancy Cole Silverman’s work – based mostly on her Carol Childs Mystery series. This is the third book in the Misty Dawn Mystery series (the second one I’ve read), and just as with the Carol Childs series, Misty Dawn is improving as it grows. What Silverman does so well is find ways to challenge our main characters as people (or spirits), and not just create obstacles for the mystery. It’s these challenges that help the reader’s perception of the character to grow.
This mystery is an interesting balance between being frightening and fun. There is some danger ahead, but just before it gets too deep, it lightens up just a little bit.
Personally, I’m not sure how much I enjoy another paranormal cozy mystery series. There were times reading this that I flashed on a couple of other cozy paranormal mysteries series’ that had been published by the (now defunct?) publisher that first started publishing this series. There was also a series that I enjoyed quite a bit in which the main character was an actor, so this book, with the paranormal and the stage, kind of meshed in with those other books.
Still, I like what’s happening to Misty as a character, and to Wilson, and I hope we’ll see more of their adventures.
Looking for a good book? The House of the Setting Sun by Nancy Cole Silverman is a paranormal cozy mystery (the 3rd in a series) where the author doesn’t settle for standard-issue cozy characters who stay a little flat, but quirky and instead they are challenged and grow, making the series more interesting to read.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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The House of the Setting Sun
 
author: Nancy Cole Silverman
series: Misty Dawn Mystery #3
publisher: SCLLC
ISBN13: 9798670313759
paperback, 303 pages

THIEF’S MAGIC – Trudi Canavan

Posted by Daniel on April 23, 2021
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

I once thought that I enjoyed reading epic fantasies – you know books with characters (like sorcerer, priests, and thieves) and storylines that could be pulled from a game of Dungeons and Dragons. But the more I read the more I find them seeming all too much the same, as if they were, well, characters and storylines pulled from a game of Dungeons and Dragons.
In Trudi Canavan’s Thief’s Magic, the first book in a series, we find a world just entering its industrial revolution and, like most fantasy books, this revolution is powered by magic. Here we meet Tyen, an archaeology student who uncovers a special book.  Special because it’s a living, intelligent item.
Here in this world we also meet Rielle, raised in a community run by priests. Rielle is taught to wield magic. She is aware that she has the ability to steal from the Angels, and there is someone willing to teach her how to do this, but she’s not certain she wants to risk the wrath of the Angels.
These two come together and … no, wait … these two don’t come together! These are two separate stories. Canavan seems to be setting up the reader by showing different looks at how magic is seen and used in this world.  Why?  Perhaps that’s addressed in another book.
Aside from the fact that the two storylines don’t merge, which is unique, this is a very unremarkable book. In a library full of fantasies there isn’t anything here to make it stand out. It wasn’t a terrible book, it wasn’t a great book.  It’s just yet another fantasy.
I don’t read a lot of epic fantasies like this anymore, though I do have a few in my ARC queue, and this is part of the reason for that. These characters are only slightly unique (an archaeology student was kind of a nice twist) and the world itself could be pulled from or dropped into any one of a dozen similar books and you wouldn’t notice the difference.
Looking for a good book? Trudy Canavan’s Thief’s Magic is a fantasy that reads like many other epic fantasy adventure books and unless you are a fan of Canavan’s other books, there’s nothing here to recommend.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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Thief’s Magic
author: Trudi Canavan
series: Millennium’s Rule #1
publisher: Orbit
ISBN: 0316209279
hardcover, 553 pages

SOUL’D OUT – G.E. Butler

Posted by Daniel on April 21, 2021
Posted in: OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Beatrice Ball loves to sing. She loves it more than anything. When she’s not singing she feels empty at best and, because it means dealing with her controlling mother, angry at worst. Beatrice begins to sneak out at night in order to sing incognito. But one night something happens and she wakes up in a hospital ER and learns that her good friend has been murdered.
Beatrice has been famous – a household name – practically since the day she was born. With suspicion on her now, her mom hires one of the top attorneys in the country to represent her. This elevates her fame to a whole new level and Beatrice experiences the strange world of the ultra famous Hollywood celebrity. But she can’t just live in the circle she’s currently in. She either has to keep climbing or suffer a devastating fall from grace.
There really isn’t much to say about this book. It’s quite poorly written and not worth reading. The characters don’t stand out in any way. We never believe Beatrice Ball is worthy of any sort of attention. She never shows us anything, but author G.E.Butler tells us she’s talented and famous.

The story itself is pointless. If we don’t care about the characters (and we don’t) then why should we care what happens to them? Hint: we don’t.

The book seems to glorify celebrity while trying to tell the reader that celebrity has its own poison and isn’t all its cracked up to be and that there may be other forces at work behind the scenes (yes, we have to get a little conspiratorial here – note some of the symbols on the cover).

I should also point out that the book has an almost excited, infantile attitude toward sex, with the assumption that music celebrity comes with a free pass to perform sex acts on and off the stage.  There is also a pretty vile rape scene included in the book.

I requested this because I’m always on the look out for books that use music in its theme or storytelling, but I’m definitely singing no praises for this one.

Looking for a good book? Skip this and look for another.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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SOUL’D OUT

author: G.E. Butler

publisher: El Marko Books

ISBN: 1621419533

paperback, 488 pages

THE HUMMINGBIRD HANDBOOK – John Shewey

Posted by Daniel on April 19, 2021
Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Hummingbirds.  Is there any other species of bird that so immediately conjures up images of shimmery colors and blurry wings?

Author John Shewey provides a rather thorough look at the group of birds known as hummingbirds, as well as looking at the individual groups of hummingbirds.

This is a coffee-table-style book, meaning that it is rich with photos and relatively large text, making it easy to pick up and look at a photo and read just a little bit. It also implies a kind of veneer quality to the material – covering enough to look good without getting too thorough or in-depth. This is probably a pretty apt description, but I also want to be clear … I liked this book. We don’t always need to get deep into the science of ornithology to enjoy a book.  Those kinds of books are also available to those who want it.

When you pick up a book about hummingbirds, you want to be able to look at a lot of pictures – to see the colorful variety of the species, and this book definitely provides plenty of remarkable photos.

The book is broken down into six chapters. The first chapter is explores “Hummingbird Trivia: Facts, Fictions & Folklore.” I found some of the trivia interesting, specifically the Aztec interest surrounding the birds. The more I watch and learn about hummingbirds the more I realize how appropriate it was that the Aztecs had a hummingbird war god (‘Huitzilopochtli’). Those little birds are very aggressive!

Perhaps because I already have a hummingbird-friendly yard, I didn’t find the third chapter (‘Planting and Landscaping for Hummingbirds’) as useful. Shewey breaks this down quite a bit, identifying hummingbird-friendly plants, which zones those plants thrive in, and why the birds like these plants specifically (with lots of photos, remember).

The chapter ‘Hummingbirds of the United States’ starts with “The Big Eight” – identifying the most common hummers found in the United States and for each bird Shewey provides: Identification; Status Range; Habitat; Voice; Behaviors; and Similar Species. And with each is also a map of the bird’s range for breeding, migration, winter, and year-round.  This section was probably the most helpful to me.

There is also a chapter called ‘Hummingbirds on the Road’ which is more like an appendix as it features a “Viewing Hummingbirds, State by State” guide. I’m not sure how these locations were chosen. In my state, nine parks or refuge centers were listed, but I think many more parks and centers could easily have been included. There is also a listing of hummingbird festivals for the dedicated birder.

The book concludes with a quick look at hummingbirds that don’t make it to the United States. Again, the photos are a delight to look at.

Looking for a good book? The Hummingbird Handbook by John Shewey has a lot of useful information but is primarily a book full of really great photos of an incredible type of bird.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Hummingbird Handbook: Everything You Need to Know about These Fascinating Birds

author: John Shewey

publisher: Timber Press

ISBN: 1643260189

hardcover, 240 pages

A KILLING FROST – Seanan McGuire

Posted by Daniel on April 16, 2021
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Ah, “An October Daye Novel.”  This is a sweet elixir to fans of urban fantasy.
October (Toby) is finally planning her wedding to Tybalt, King of Cats, after a long engagement period. But Toby discovers that there is an archaic tradition in Fairie wedding ceremonies that states that the father of the bride must be invited to the wedding or political turmoil could ruin the kingdom. Nothing is ever simple for Toby, is it?
This custom holds true for Toby’s stepfather (legally her father), Simon Torquill. There are two immediate problems with this.  First, Toby has to find Simon. The two haven’t been close lately, and Simon made a deal with the Sea Witch and has been lost since. Then Toby has to help Simon restore his memory in order for him to recognize October as a child he cares for.
This is not exactly what Toby wanted to be doing as part of her wedding planning.
I really like this series. Author Seanan McGuire is an absolute master. Her storytelling is beyond par and her characters are incredibly real. This is the 14th book in the October Daye series and if you’ve read any of them you are likely already attached to the characters that McGuire has given us.
If you are a fan of some of the other characters, such as Toby, you may find this a little disappointing.  This book really focuses back on October, which I personally really liked. This was more of an adventure story than some of the last couple of October Daye books.
But there’s more than just the fairly obvious adventure. I also felt I learned more about the family history in this book, giving some great perspective on the entire series.
If I’m ever given a choice of reading material, and Seanan McGuire is one of my choices, I’ll choose a McGuire book every time. If you like fantasy, do yourself a favor and start this series.
The book includes a novella at the end (as most McGuire books seem to do) which also reveals some background of additional characters in the series.
Looking for a good book? A Killing Frost by Seanan McGuire is the 14th book in the October Daye series and sets October on a family adventure in a world full of other-worldy beings.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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A Killing Frost
author: Seanan McGuire
series: October Daye #14
publisher: DAW
ISBN: 075641508X
hardcover, 368 pages

ROMULUS BUCKLE & THE ENGINES OF WAR – Richard Ellis Preston, Jr.

Posted by Daniel on April 14, 2021
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Swashbuckling steampunk.  That’s Romulus Buckle.
Romulus Buckle is the captain of a zeppelin which is soaring over the frozen wasteland known as Southern California, where warring clans battle one another for precious supplies. Buckle has worked hard to bring about an alliance between the clans in order put an end to the fighter. But that alliance is tenuous at best and actions taken by the Founders (one of two major organization/factions along with the Imperials) put the peace between clans at risk.
Just as Buckle is gearing up for a war – something he would prefer to avid but he will meet it head on if he must – he learns that his long-lost sister is being held captive at a secret base. That base could also hold the secrets to defeating the Founders in the upcoming war. Buckle has no choice but to infiltrate the base.
This is the second book in the Romulus Buckle series, though only the first one I’ve read. I did feel that there was probably information about Buckle and the world of the book that was presented in the first book that would have been helpful to know when reading this book.
The book was entertaining, but really it was mostly action sequence after action sequence. It seemed as though each time Buckle finished a battle, he was preparing for another one. Sometimes they were mano a mano, sometimes they were via his airship.  About two thirds of the way through I rolled my eyes at ‘yet another battle sequence.’
When Buckle gets word about his daughter, the story of the book picks up.  Prior to this it seemed to be just action, action, action without motivation. Having a viable purpose seriously helped the book.
The read was fine, but it didn’t make me interested in picking up any other books in the series.
Looking for a good book? Romulus Buckle and the Engines of War by Richard Ellis Preston, Jr. is a swashbuckling action/adventure steampunk novel. If this is something you’re looking to read, then you’ll enjoy this book.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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Romulus Buckle and the Engines of War
 
author: Richard Ellis Preston, Jr.
series: Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin #2
publisher: 47North
ISBN: 1477807683
paperback, 486 pages

1973: ROCK AT THE CROSSROADS – Andrew Grant Jackson

Posted by Daniel on April 12, 2021
Posted in: NON-FICTION. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

One of my children is very much interested in music and, because I listened to a lot of what we now call ‘classic rock’, he is also quite fond of this music period. We’ve talked about it quite often and how I always felt that there was a real strength of music and musicians in the early 1970’s. I don’t think I realized quite a how strong that period actually was.
This is an incredibly detailed account of the pop/rock (with some crossover to other genres) music scene in one very specific year. Author Andrew Grant Jackson has selected 1973 for a reason, which he expresses in the book (I won’t spoil the read).
I listened to a lot of music on radio in 1973 (there weren’t a lot of options for a junior high student back then) and I’ve long felt that this was a great period for music and Jackson proceeds, month by month, to show just why this really was a remarkable year. Putting it together like this, really provides a nice timeline for everything that was happening.  More than once I had the thought: “That was in 1973, too?!”
There were moments that I found just a bit dull, but this was specifically only when Jackson was writing about artists whose work I personally didn’t care for or follow. Even so, it was really interesting to note that such music and performers were working at this same time.
I requested this book based on the theme of rock music, but this book works very well as a history book (narrowly focused on music, of course) and as a social studies book of 1973. So many different things were happening in 1973 and music, specifically rock music, was at the forefront of commentary about what was happening.
It was interesting to me that (according to Jackson), “In 1973, AM still garnered more listeners than FM. On many AM Top 40 stations, rock, R&B, pop, easy listening, and country coexisted.” When my small town got their FM station I couldn’t say, but I did listen to it a LOT during my high school years.  Back when live DJ’s and call in shows/requests were common.
Really a great book and easy to recommend.
Looking for a good book? 1973: Rock at the Crossroads by Andrew Grant Jackson is a well-researched, fascinating history of a really important year in rock music.  You should read it.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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1973: Rock at the Crossroads

author: Andrew Grant Jackson

publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

ISBN: 1250299985

hardcover, 448 pages

THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEAR – Jacqueline Winspear

Posted by Daniel on April 9, 2021
Posted in: HISTORICAL FICTION, MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Freddie Hackett is a message runner for a government office in London in 1941. The job is not without its dangers given the German bombings, but what Freddie didn’t expect was to see was an argument ending in murder down at the docks. An air raid delays Freddie, but when he gets to the delivery address he comes face to face with the killer.

Freddie goes to the police but they don’t take him too seriously (there’s no body found in the location) so Freddie seeks out a woman he met once when delivering a message … Maisie Dobbs. Maisie believes the boy but has to tread carefully as she’s currently working, secretly, for a special government agency to assess potential recruits for the French Resistance.
Maisie’s worlds collide when she spots the killer amidst a power struggle between British Intelligence and French agents.
This is the 16th book in the Maisie Dobbs series, but it’s the first one I’ve read.  My wife is a fan of the series and has read them all and has encouraged me to read some, so when this ARC became available I was eager to read this.

First, I really appreciate a series that isn’t greatly dependent on the reader having to have read the early books in the series. I never felt as though I was missing key information about the characters or their relationships. It’s clear that Maisie has a history but i never felt that I needed to know something from her past to understand what was happening in the present. Anything I needed to know was brought to light.

The historical aspects here are quite strong and it probably goes without saying that author Jacqueline Winspear has done a great deal of research to be able to present this historical fiction.  I’m personally not real familiar with the British and the French WWII history, but I do feel that this has given me some better insight, to what it was like to be in Britain during the early days of the war.

There is a relationship between Maisie and an American diplomat, Mark Scott, which plays a key role toward the end of the book. While I never felt I missed anything, the relationship is the one area where I would like to have a little more background information, just out of curiosity.

The mystery (mysteries) are well considered and well delivered and I can see why this series has lasted so long and been so popular.  I’m definitely interested in going back to read more in the series (and my wife has them all).

Because of the way that this book ends, it seems pretty clear that there are more volumes in the works, but I suspect that the next one at least will be a very different adventure for Maisie and I look forward to it.

Looking for a good book? The Consequences of Fear by Jacqueline Winspear is the 16th book in the Maisie Dobbs series. It is a powerful historical story and well-written mystery.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Consequence of Fear

author: Jacqueline Winspear

series: Maisie Dobbs #16

publisher: Harper

ISBN: 0062868020

hardcover, 352 pages