What Angels Fear: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery
C.S. Harris
Obsidian Press, 2014 (originally published in
2005)
4 stars
Historical mystery
410 (trade paperback)
It’s 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George III’s England. Then the body of a beautiful young woman is found savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol discovered at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness point to one man: Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experiences in the Napoleonic Wars.
Now a fugitive running for his life, Sebastian calls upon his skill as an officer during the war to catch the killer and prove his own innocence. In the process, he accumulates a band of unlikely allies, including the enigmatic beauty Kat Boleyn, who broke Sebastian’s heart years ago. In Sebastian’s world of intrigue and espionage, nothing is as it seems, yet the truth may hold the key to the future of the British monarchy, as well as to Sebastian’s own salvation.
- Description from jacket
This novel was enjoyable from start to finish. Admittedly,
the description of Rachel York’s rape and murder was a bit jarring, though I
was able to continue reading because the incident happened “off camera” and the
description was from the point of view of other characters. Otherwise the novel
is well-plotted with an interesting cast of characters. The best part about
this novel is that although the mystery of the killer is solved by the end of
the novel, there is so much more to learn. Glimpses of the past and hints at
other, central secrets makes this a series worth reading.
Holy Cow: A Novel
David Duchovny
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux: 2015
4 stars
Fiction
224 pages
A rollicking, globe-trotting adventure with a twist: a four-legged heroine you won't soon forget.
Elsie Bovary is a cow, and a pretty happy one at that--her long, lazy days are spent eating, napping, and chatting with her best friend, Mallory. One night, Elsie and Mallory sneak out of their pasture; but while Mallory is interested in flirting with the neighboring bulls, Elsie finds herself drawn to the farmhouse. Through the window, she sees the farmer's family gathered around a bright Box God--and what the Box God reveals about something called an "industrial meat farm" shakes Elsie's understanding of her world to its core.
-Description from Barnes and Noble
In the vein of Squirrel
Seeks Chipmunk, Duchovny brings us a story of adventure, curiosity, and
absurdity. This not-to-be-taken-too-seriously novel is a charming read and an
even better listen read by the author himself.
The Unraveling of Mercy Louis: A Novel
Keija Parssinen
Harper, 2015
4 stars
Fiction
320 pages
In Port Sabine, the air is thick with oil, superstition reigns, and dreams hang on making a winning play. All eyes are on Mercy Louis, the star of the championship girls’ basketball team. Mercy seems destined for greatness, but the road out of town is riddled with obstacles. There is her grandmother, Evelia, a strict evangelical who has visions of an imminent Rapture and sees herself as the keeper of Mercy’s virtue. There are the cryptic letters from Charmaine, the mother who abandoned Mercy at birth. And then there’s Travis, the boy who shakes the foundation of her faith.
At the periphery of Mercy’s world floats team manager Illa Stark, a lonely wallflower whose days are spent caring for a depressed mother crippled in a refinery accident. Like the rest of the town, Illa is spellbound by Mercy’s beauty and talent, but a note discovered in Mercy’s gym locker reveals that her life may not be as perfect as it appears.
The last day of school brings the disturbing discovery, and as summer unfolds and the police investigate, every girl becomes a suspect. When Mercy collapses on the opening night of the season, Evelia prophesies that she is only the first to fall, and soon, other girls are afflicted by the mysterious condition, sending the town into a tailspin, and bringing Illa and Mercy together in an unexpected way.
-Description from the Publisher
Mercy Louis is going places. But do that, she has to be
disproportionately good--in basketball, in manners, and especially with boys—her
coach and grandmother are counting on it. Told alternately from Mercy and Illa’s
points of view, it’s absorbing to watch as these two girls come together in a
most unexpected way.
The Strangler Vine 
M.J. Carter
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2015
4 stars
Historical Fiction
369 pages
India, 1837. William Avery is a young soldier with few prospects except rotting away in campaigns in India; Jeremiah Blake is a secret political agent gone native, a genius at languages and disguises, disenchanted with the whole ethos of British rule, but who cannot resist the challenge of an unresolved mystery. What starts as a wild goose chase for this unlikely pair--trying to track down a missing writer who lifts the lid on Calcutta society--becomes very much more sinister as Blake and Avery get sucked into the mysterious Thuggee cult and its even more ominous suppression.
- Description from dust jacket flap
Engrossing debut novel that requires a dictionary. Using
spelling, terminology and geography of the time period, Carter transports the
reader to Colonial India. Avery and Blake are paired for a mission to locate a
writing causing the British government some trouble. Various accidents—happy
and otherwise—occur along the way. A second Blake and Avery adventure, The Infidel Stain
, is already available.
Great title for book groups.
All titles listed above were borrowed from the public library.
, is already available.Great title for book groups.
All titles listed above were borrowed from the public library.
