My friends at Smith Publicity sent me an e-copy of EPIPHANY by Nikolae Gerstner recently. This was a fast-paced mystery, centering on a young priest and a murder in his community. Here’s now they describe it:
Description
Philip Rockcastle discovers that an unimaginable crime paved the way for him to become a priest. Now pastor of a neighborhood church, is he doing what he was meant to do or is his life a mistake?
He feels responsible when his counseling efforts drive a mentally troubled parishioner to seek validation for fantasies by making a bogus confession to a murder. Troubled, he visits Tara, a divorced mother of two young boys. The visit is innocent. He is not in love with her. He tells himself that frequently.
When a mysterious young girl finally tells him her name, Philip is too shocked to believe, too hopeful to discredit.
The young girl and Philip’s niece scheme to catch the actual murderer, but he catches them. For once in his life, Philip has no time to reflect. He must act.
Epiphany delivers an intriguing plot with snappy dialogue and unforgettable characters whose efforts combine to solve a murder. More important, Philip solves the dilemma of his life.
About the author:
Nickolae Gerstner (Nicki Baker) served as staff writer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education and began her freelance career writing magazine and newspaper pieces.
Her first book was an historical novel, No Bed In Deseret. After listening to Mary Higgins Clark give the keynote address at a writers’ conference, she became intrigued with the mystery genre and launched a mystery writing career. Her mystery novels have been translated into many languages and Finders Keepers, coauthored with Barbara Pronin, was included in a Reader’s Digest Anthology. Two of her books, Finders Keepers and Dark Veil, have been optioned for film.
A native Chicagoan, she is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana campus. She and her husband, John, divide their time between homes in California and New York. Their traveling companion is a Siamese cat named Pippin.
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This was a fast-paced novel and I enjoyed it. It did remind me a bit of Mary Higgins Clark in the pacing and the fact that it was not overly violent or “gritty”. I am curious as to whether Ms. Gerstner will continue with more Father Rockcastle stories!
I’m happy to be part of the Litfuse Blog Tour for Colleen Coble’s new novel: MERMAID MOON.
Here’s what the tour has to say:
About the book:
Mermaid Moon (Thomas Nelson, January 2016)
Mallory’s mother died fifteen years ago. But her father’s last words on the phone were unmistakable: “Find . . . mother.”
Shame and confusion have kept Mallory Davis from her home for the last fifteen years, but when her dad mysteriously dies on his mail boat route, she doesn’t have any choice but to go back to Mermaid Point.
Mallory believes her father was murdered and childhood sweetheart Kevin O’Connor, game warden in Downeast Maine, confirms her suspicions. But Kevin is wary of helping Mallory in her search. She broke his heart—and left—without a word, years ago.
When Mallory begins receiving threats on her own life—and her beloved teenage daughter, Haylie—their search intensifies. There’s a tangled web within the supposed murder, and it involves much more than what meets the eye.
As answers begin to fall into place, Mallory realizes her search is about more than finding her father’s killer—it is also about finding herself again . . . and possibly about healing what was broken so long ago with Kevin. She just has to stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together.
USA Today bestselling author Colleen Coble has written several romantic suspense novels including Tidewater Inn,Rosemary Cottage, and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series. Her books have sold more than 3 million copies.
This was my first Colleen Coble book, and I know she has quite a following. This book is “romantic suspense” – not my typical genre, but I enjoyed it. Poor Mallory has a lot of issues here and while trying to discover the events leading up to her father’s death (murder?), she uncovers and revisits things from her past that she’d rather leave forgotten. Mallory teams with Kevin, former beau and trusty game warden, to solve the mystery, and ultimately to save her own daughter’s life.
Yes, I will admit to having to suspend disbelief a bit during this story, but the bigger element here for me was that this was a story of redemption and self-forgiveness and if you read my blog at all, you know that I love that theme in books. Mallory has some things in her past that she needs to deal with, and she needs to forgive herself before she can truly move on in her life.
With a wide cast of characters, this novel is number two in a series. It stands alone, but I did want to go back and read number one in the Sunset Cove series.
Several years ago I read OLIVE KITTERIDGE and just loved it. It’s hard to describe why – I just did. I was excited to MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON come up on Net Galley and got it to read.
Here’s how Net Galley describes it:
Description
A new book by Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout is cause for celebration. Her bestselling novels, including Olive Kitteridge and The Burgess Boys, have illuminated our most tender relationships. Now, in My Name Is Lucy Barton, this extraordinary writer shows how a simple hospital visit becomes a portal to the most tender relationship of all—the one between mother and daughter.
Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn’t spoken for many years, comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy’s childhood in Amgash, Illinois, seems to reconnect them, but just below the surface lie the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy’s life: her escape from her troubled family, her desire to become a writer, her marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant, deeply human, and truly unforgettable.
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I just loved this story. Again, it’s hard to explain why. Lucy is a typical woman, though you can see that she has had hardships (unexplained) in her past. She is just trying to get through life. She wants to be (and becomes) a writer. Her illness gives her an opportunity to reconnect with her mother (her entire family was very dysfunctional). Throughout there are hints that Lucy is keeping some parts of her past hidden as they are too painful to think about. What I really liked, though, was that there never was a “big reveal”. We never exactly discovered all there was to discover about Lucy Barton (though one could make some guesses). It was one of the things I liked most about this book — it’s ability to keep the narrator slightly unknown.
This book would be an excellent book club book, giving folks a chance to make their decisions about what they think about Lucy and her family and her life. Some might find this book slow or unexciting (no car chases!), but I thought it was just right. It is short but beautifully written. Elizabeth Strout has the ability to craft a sentence that is so right and so true that it stays with you.
Thank you for my review e-copy, Random House and Net Galley! MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON publishes today – 1/12/16.
Now I’m throwing it back to my earlier review of OLIVE KITTERIDGE – for your reading pleasure:
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Have you ever been in a relationship with someone and felt like they knew you stripped bare of your outer facade?
This is how I felt about the characters of Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Olive Kitteridge. Olive Kitteridge is a middle-aged woman, living in the small town of Crosby, Maine, and this novel is a series of vignettes depicting the people of the town, their lives, their hopes, dreams, and disappointments. The common thread running through these short stories is the character of Olive. In each story we see a different side of Olive, and by the end come to know her as multi-faceted and deeply human.
Whenever I pick up a Pulitzer, I’m never sure if I’m going to like it. Will it be too deep to get through? Will I feel compelled to love it, and don’t? Will I be able to read it enjoyably, or have to attack it like a college textbook? I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. It is a gem. Strout’s writing is so beautiful and descriptive. She calls on elements of human nature that, as I read, I found myself shaking my head and saying, “Yes, that is exactly how it is in life, isn’t it?” This book portrayed her characters in such a raw state that at times it was a bit painful to read. Yet, each story had a feeling of redemption in it, too. This was a wonderful book. I picked it up on a whim at a local bookstore and purchased it – and I’m so glad I did!
I recently came across this mystery thriller on Net Galley and read it in two days over the holiday break!
Here’s the description from Net Galley:
Description
A woman uncovers earth-shattering secrets about her husband’s family in this chilling page-turner from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf
Sarah Quinlan’s husband, Jack, has been haunted for decades by the untimely death of his mother when he was just a teenager, her body found in the cellar of their family farm, the circumstances a mystery. The case rocked the small farm town of Penny Gate, Iowa, where Jack was raised, and for years Jack avoided returning home. But when his beloved aunt Julia is in an accident, hospitalized in a coma, Jack and Sarah are forced to confront the past that they have long evaded.
Upon arriving in Penny Gate, Sarah and Jack are welcomed by the family Jack left behind all those years ago—barely a trace of the wounds that had once devastated them all. But as facts about Julia’s accident begin to surface, Sarah realizes that nothing about the Quinlans is what it seems. Caught in a flurry of unanswered questions, Sarah dives deep into the puzzling rabbit hole of Jack’s past. But the farther in she climbs, the harder it is for her to get out. And soon she is faced with a deadly truth she may not be prepared for.
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Okay — this was one story that you had to pay attention to, because things kept changing! There were a lot of twists and turns, with new information being discovered that would change the way you thought about the characters.
There were a few things here that I had to suspend my disbelief for — (SPOIER ALERT) for instance, there was a lot of upset about needing a lawyer and the person couldn’t afford one (I may be wrong, but I’m pretty sure a lawyer is provided for you by the courts if you can’t afford one – it’s part of the Miranda rights, right?). Also, this woman found out some things about her husband and her first impulse was “wow – he kept this a secret for 20 years? I can’t be married to him anymore”. If I discovered my husband had a secret past I think I would say “We need to sit down and talk about this” long before I’d start planning to divorce him. My biggest issue was that there was a prior murder in the story and an assumed murderer who was just that: assumed to be the murderer – to the point where everyone felt the case was closed. Of course that murderer was missing, there was only circumstantial evidence, etc. but everyone – even the law enforcement – referred to him as the murderer until he ends up dead and decayed. I really think in real life that police officers don’t just say “well, it must be that guy we can’t find” — or at least I HOPE they don’t do business that way!
All criticisms aside, I really did like this story. It was fun and kept me guessing and I couldn’t put it down. The bottom line is – if I don’t like a book, I don’t finish it, and if I don’t finish, I don’t review. I definitely finished this one!
Thank you, Net Galley and Harlequin, for my review copy!
I was drawn to this book when I saw it on Net Galley, but I must admit that I waited to request it. I’m a tad sensitive about the topic of dementia and I thought that I would be too disturbed/upset/anxious if I read it. However, I just couldn’t let go, and so I put in for it and I’m so glad I did.
This is a touching and memorable book about a woman with early onset Alzheimer’s and her experience in a residential care facility. Most poignant is her relationship with another young patient there, a man with whom she forms a bond.
Here’s the description from Net Galley:
Description
Anna Forster, in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease at only thirty-eight years old, knows that her family is doing what they believe to be best when they take her to Rosalind House, an assisted living facility. She also knows there’s just one another resident her age, Luke. What she does not expect is the love that blossoms between her and Luke even as she resists her new life at Rosalind House. As her disease steals more and more of her memory, Anna fights to hold on to what she knows, including her relationship with Luke.
When Eve Bennett is suddenly thrust into the role of single mother she finds herself putting her culinary training to use at Rosalind house. When she meets Anna and Luke she is moved by the bond the pair has forged. But when a tragic incident leads Anna’s and Luke’s families to separate them, Eve finds herself questioning what she is willing to risk to help them.
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I can’t say too much without giving a lot away, but I just loved this book and its sensitive portrayal of Alzheimer’s patients. I loved the other residents at Rosalind House. I loved Anna’s tenacity and spirit and her relationship with Luke. I could completely relate to the concerns and fears that their families had for them. This story didn’t leave me feeling bewildered or frightened. It left me feeling touched by their experiences.
Highly recommended.
Thank you, Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press, for my review copy.
From New York Times bestselling author Kristina McMorris comes an ambitious and heartrending story of immigrants, deception, and second chances.
On a cold night in October 1937, searchlights cut through the darkness around Alcatraz. A prison guard’s only daughter—one of the youngest civilians who lives on the island—has gone missing. Tending the warden’s greenhouse, convicted bank robber Tommy Capello waits anxiously. Only he knows the truth about the little girl’s whereabouts, and that both of their lives depend on the search’s outcome.
Almost two decades earlier and thousands of miles away, a young boy named Shanley Keagan ekes out a living as an aspiring vaudevillian in Dublin pubs. Talented and shrewd, Shan dreams of shedding his dingy existence and finding his real father in America. The chance finally comes to cross the Atlantic, but when tragedy strikes, Shan must summon all his ingenuity to forge a new life in a volatile and foreign world.
Skillfully weaving these two stories, Kristina McMorris delivers a compelling novel that moves from Ireland to New York to San Francisco Bay. As her finely crafted characters discover the true nature of loyalty, sacrifice, and betrayal, they are forced to confront the lies we tell—and believe—in order to survive.
“Kristina McMorris evokes such a strong sense of place that to open her books feels less like reading and more like traveling. Her absorbing new novel..[is an] epic, deeply felt tale of struggle and second chances… a transporting piece of historical fiction.” — BookPage
“McMorris’ gripping immigrant saga sweeps from Dublin to New York, through Prohibition and vaudeville, from New York to San Francisco and Alcatraz. It is a young man’s battle with hardship and tragedy, but it is also a portrait of America during a turbulent time and a quest that ends in triumph. Readers will be caught up in this well-told story.” — RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
“Compelling, resonant and deeply moving, The Edge of Lost is an absorbing tale of deceit and self-deception, survival and second chances, the ties that bind and the lure of the unknown.” — Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author ofOrphan Train
“The story will grab your heart on page one and won’t let go until the end—and if you’re like me, not even then. I absolutely love this book, and so will you.” — Sara Gruen, #1New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants
“A beautifully told story about a young man’s journey through adversity and loss with an exhilarating ending that I couldn’t put down and stayed up well past my bedtime to finish.” — Charles Belfoure, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Architect
“In The Edge of Lost Kristina McMorris takes us on a thrilling ride . . . I found myself thoroughly immersed in her richly evocative settings, just as I was captivated by the pure humanity of her characters as they struggled for redemption. This book is a wonderful read!” — David R. Gillham, New York Times bestselling author of City of Women
“The Edge of Lost takes readers on an enthralling journey . . . right up to a tense, edge-of-your-seat ending that left me breathless. An absorbing, addictive read.” — Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Violet Grant
“With prose as lyrical as the music woven through its narrative, and boasting impeccably observed historical details, The Edge of Lost is a thoroughly mesmerizing novel. I adore everything that Kristina McMorris writes and this book is no exception.” — Jennifer Robson, international bestselling author of Somewhere in France
About the Author
Kristina McMorris is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and the recipient of more than twenty national literary awards, as well as a nomination for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, RWA’s RITA® Award, and a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. Inspired by true personal and historical accounts, her works of fiction have been published by Kensington Books, Penguin Random House, and HarperCollins. The Edge of Lost is her fourth novel, following the widely praised Letters from Home, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, and The Pieces We Keep, in addition to her novellas in the anthologies A Winter Wonderland and Grand Central.
Prior to her writing career, Kristina hosted weekly TV shows since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program, and has been named one of Portland’s “40 Under 40” by The Business Journal. She lives with her husband and two sons in Oregon, where she is working on her next novel. For more, visit www.KristinaMcMorris.com. You can also follow Kristina on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
To win a signed copy of The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris please enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form below.
Rules
– Giveaway starts at 12:01am EST on December 14th and ends at 11:59pm EST on December 21st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to residents in the US and Canada ONLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. The Edge of Lost Book Blast Giveaway
Everybody clap your hands, because Kate Morton has a new book out!
I am so very thrilled to be part of this tour today because I absolutely love her books and when I saw this opportunity I was almost overcome with excitement. THE LAKE HOUSE is Kate Morton at her finest; it does not disappoint.
From the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Secret Keeper and The Distant Hours, an intricately plotted, spellbinding new novel of heart-stopping suspense and uncovered secrets.
Living on her family’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented sixteen-year-old who loves to write stories. But the mysteries she pens are no match for the one her family is about to endure…
One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest child, eleven-month-old Theo, has vanished without a trace. What follows is a tragedy that tears the family apart in ways they never imagined.
Decades later, Alice is living in London, having enjoyed a long successful career as an author. Theo’s case has never been solved, though Alice still harbors a suspicion as to the culprit. Miles away, Sadie Sparrow, a young detective in the London police force, is staying at her grandfather’s house in Cornwall. While out walking one day, she stumbles upon the old estate—now crumbling and covered with vines, clearly abandoned long ago. Her curiosity is sparked, setting off a series of events that will bring her and Alice together and reveal shocking truths about a past long gone…yet more present than ever.
A lush, atmospheric tale of intertwined destinies, this latest novel from a masterful storyteller is an enthralling, thoroughly satisfying read.
Kate Morton grew up in the mountains of south-east Queensland and lives now with her husband and young sons in Brisbane. She has degrees in dramatic art and English literature, specializing in nineteenth-century tragedy and contemporary Gothic novels.
Kate Morton has sold over 7.5 million copies in 26 languages, across 38 countries. Her novels include The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours, and The Secret Keeper.
Me again — Oh my goodness, this book has SO MUCH of what I love: mystery, old English country houses, hidden passageways, forbidden love, tragedy, happy endings, reconciliation, self-forgiveness — the list goes on and on! Ms. Morton’s writing flows easily and her books read quickly. I get engrossed in the characters and have read several where they move back and forth through time in the same setting. I always can’t wait to get to the next chapter.
In this story, I really connected with the character of Eleanor (surprisingly) and how she went from being a happy child to being in love to having the world come down on her and dampen her zest for life. Sadie was another sympathetic character. I thought I had the mystery figured out (more than once) and was mistaken. There are lots of twists and turns with this one!
If you have never read her books, start with this one. Or get thee to the library and find them all!
Thank you for making me part of the tour and for my Net Galley copy to review.
Here is a lovely picture of Kate Morton. I just want to shout: “Kate! I want to be your friend and we can talk about books and old English country houses!” But of course she might find that odd…
Here’s a You Tube book trailer:
Here’s a You Tube video of Kate reading the first chapter — you can pretend she’s your friend and reading to you!
Here she is discussing her inspiration for the book (via You Tube). I was wondering about how she got her idea and voila – questions answered!
When I was at BEA in the spring, I stood in a very long line (I was number 3 though!) to see Alice Hoffman and to get her new book, The Marriage of Opposites.
First, I must say that Ms. Hoffman is one of my fave authors. I think I’ve read everything she’s written. She is quite gracious in person and was a delight in our albeit very brief meeting (where I tried not to gush). I was later interviewed by Simon and Schuster for something on camera, gushing about how much I love her writing (thankfully I have never found that video clip online, as I’m sure I’d be horrified at my lack of composure and disheveled appearance, being interviewed on the fly during a huge event in NYC).
Anyway – I digress. This story is about the parents of Camille Pissarro, the great French painter. I have to say that I knew absolutely nothing about his background, and while I am sure that he is fascinating in his own right, Hoffman’s story focuses on his mother, Rachel, and her life as she grows up among a community of refugee European Jews, who are living in the Virgin Islands during the early 1800’s. Rachel is married off to an old widower while she is quite young, and she comes to love his children and to respect him. When he dies suddenly, his younger nephew arrives to take over the business. He and Rachel fall deeply in love – even though she is substantially older and their union is forbidden as they are seen as “family”. Out of their relationship comes Camille.
I loved this story — the characters, the setting, the writing. Rachel’s story was fascinating to me and I loved the subplots and “supporting characters” with their stories along the way.
Historical Fiction at its finest!
To get you in the mood, here’s a picture by Pissarro that I got via Google Images:
When I was at BEA this spring, I received a copy of GEORGE by Alex Gino. Actually, the young man from Scholastic who was presenting the book to us gave an emotional appeal for people to read it and love it and support them as they felt the story would come under controversy.
GEORGE is about a 4th grade named George who, while a boy on the outside, is a girl on the inside. George wants to be Charlotte in the class’ upcoming production of Charlotte’s Web, but only girls can audition. George hides the fact that internally she is female, especially from her family, but ends up telling her best friend.
This is a very touching and sensitive story about a child struggling with their gender identification. I absolutely loved George. I felt the story was written from the heart and sensitively portrayed a young person in the midst of establishing their identity.
My challenge with GEORGE was when I think about what age to recommend it for. It is written for middle grades (3-6) but I’m not sure that age could appreciate and understand it (reading it on their own) unless it is something in their own experience. It’s more of a middle school read in my opinion. That said, I have several adults that I will recommend it to.
I’m sure some will take issue with this story. I’m sure some won’t like it. But I think it’s a lovely and sensitive portrayal that deserves to be read and shared.
Another great Thomas & Mercer find via Net Galley was THE HEIRESS OF LINN HAGH by Karen Charlton.
In this historical mystery, which is the first in the Detective Lavender series, a young woman disappears from her bedchamber, even though the door is locked from the inside. Her (half) brother and sister seem to detest her and want her out of the way. Her young house maid is heart-broken because Helen is so kind. And her “wild” brother (who literally lives ferally) is lost without her. Has she been taken by the gypsies? Is there murder afoot? Did she escape by magic? Lavender and his trusty sidekick Constable Woods are on the path to find out.
I really enjoyed this novel which is reminiscent of my beloved Holmes and Watson (though, I have to say, easier to read than Conan Doyle). I love the setting — England, moors, estates, grey misery. I loved the characters, including the mysterious woman with whom Lavender is quite taken. I loved the plotting of the mystery. I look forward to more in this series!
If you enjoy a good, British, historical mystery, pick up THE HEIRESS OF LINN HAGH.
About the author: 
Beth's Book-Nook Blog 