Guest Review: A Fatal Mistake by Faith Martin

Summer 1960, Oxford

In the glorious sunshine of Oxford, on a day when everyone should be celebrating, tragedy strikes when a university student is found floating in the river, dead.

Probationary WPC Trudy Loveday finds herself paired with coroner Clement Ryder to investigate and it soon becomes clear that this case is not going to be easy.

The witnesses all refuse to give a straight answer, each new lead sends them in a new direction and tales of other missing youngsters add further mystery to the investigation.

One thing is certain though, something doesn’t seem quite right about the university’s most popular student….

Review: This is book 2 in the Ryder and Loveday series by this author, in which Oxford coroner Clement Ryder joins forces with probationary WPC Trudy Loveday to investigate suspicious deaths. The books are set in the 1960s, when the role of women in the British police force was very different from what it is in present times. Although this book is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

In this story, the coroner suspects that the drowning of a university student that appears to be a tragic accident could be far from that. When the inquest ends with an open verdict, Dr Ryder jumps at the chance to investigate further, and again requests the help of Trudy Loveday. As they delve into the evidence presented by people acquainted with the dead man and anyone in the area at the time the body was discovered, a picture of the victim emerges. Possible connections between him and both a missing girl and another girl who committed suicide come to light. What they uncover is shocking to everyone involved.

I thought this was another excellent mystery in this series of books. The writer wove quite a web for the reader to attempt to untangle, with many red herrings along the way. There is quite a cast of characters, many of whom seem to have had cause to murder the victim, and many of whom are extremely unlikable. It was nice to see the relationship between Ryder and Trudy developing beyond professional towards friendship and to see Trudy gaining more confidence. I shall certainly be looking out for the next book in this series.

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Book vs Movie: To All The Boys I've Loved Before 3 (Always and Forever Lara Jean)

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Guest Review: Treasures of World History By Peter Snow & Ann MacMillan

A spirited examination of world history, told through 50 key documents, by two celebrated historians and journalists. With a wealth of experience between them on political, social, cultural and military history, and today's current affairs, Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan are the perfect guides to appreciating the significance of each document.

Chapters are devoted to each of the 50 documents across the political, military, artistic, and scientific spheres, and supported by additional contemporary images. The documents themselves have been researched from the collections of national archives, museums, libraries, and private collections around the world. The authors explain their criteria for selection and provide the pertinent details of each one, taking us on a journey from the scripts of the earliest civilizations through to momentous speeches and papers of today.

Review:The sub-title of this book is: The Story of Civilisation Told Through its 50 Most Important Documents. Married couple and journalists Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan have selected 50 original documents, spanning a period of approximately 4,000 years, that played a significant role in the development of civilisation. These documents have been sourced from various archives and cover a range of fields of human endeavour in politics, religion, music, science and sport.

The book is divided into four sections, namely: the Bronze and Iron Ages; the Medieval and Early Modern Periods; the so-called Age of Revolution, covering the late 18th to the late 19th centuries; and the 20th century and beyond. Hence, the documents range from a stone plaque inscribed in approximately 1750 BC with a series of edicts known as the Code of the Babylonian king Hammurabi, to the Map of the Universe created by a team of astronomers in 2013. Hence, a wide range of documents are described, including: Magna Carta; the American Declaration of Independence; Anne Frank’s Diary; and the final draft of Francis Crick and James Watson’s letter to the scientific journal “Nature” proposing a double helix model for the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Each document is accompanied by a summary, illustrations, a description of the circumstances under which it was created, and the consequences following its dissemination.

In an introduction to the book, the authors describe their difficulty in narrowing down their list to just 50 documents (and indeed what constitutes a document). In the end, those documents included reflect their personal choices. I found this lavishly illustrated book to be a fascinating way to explore the development of human civilisation throughout the ages. It would also be a useful exercise for readers to think about what their selection of documents would be.

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What Do I Do When I'm Reading Audiobooks?

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Review: Admission by Julie Buxbaum

 Lie. Cheat. Bribe. How far would you go to get into your dream school? How far would your parents go? Inspired by the recent college admissions scandal, this ripped-from-the-headlines YA novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things sees one teenage girl's privileged world shatter when her family's lies are exposed.

It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer--she has it all--money, privilege, and a ticket to the college of her dreams. Or at least she did until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her B list celebrity mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal, and Chloe might be the next one facing charges. The public is furious, the headlines are brutal, and the US attorney is out for blood.

As everything she's taken for granted starts to slip away, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. How much did she really know-or guess? Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat? And what does it really mean to be complicit?

Bestselling author Julie Buxbaum takes on the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country in this timely tale of the hyper elite and the hyper competitive, and the lengths they go to stay at the top.

Review: Oh wow Julie Buxbaum has done it agin. Her first couple of novels were wonderfully romantic, the tension in those books was just achingly beautiful but her last novel dealt with 9/11 and now we have the college admission scandals, this writer is just genius and she does these topics such justice. 

I feel like I didn't know an awful lot about the admission scandals and what went on withe them, most of my facts come from weekend update on the real life admission scandals but the way it is explained and the way it plays out in this novel is wonderfully true to life. The books is structured such that the scandal breaks right at the beginning of the book and then we switch back and forth between then and now so we get to see how it was before and what the consequences are now. I loved that because it meant that I listened to this in one big chunk because at the end of every chapter I would be brought back to present time or what things were like when it was all being conceived-brilliant!

Chloe is a great character to spend the book with because in many ways she is very average and so easy to relate to. She definitely has a more privileged up bringing and hasn't wanted for a lot in her life so we can envy her a little for that but they are a pretty average family. Her mom is also a minor celebrity and so we have that kind of juicy side to her family life to enjoy. What I loved so much about this family though was Chloe's sister, she is the real star in all of this. No spoilers here but if you are thinking of picking this one up, definitely pay attention to Chloe's sister, she deserves more credit and was wonderfully written. 

Although this book does contain a lot of drama, it isn't a book that is scandal and drama all of the time; there is a whole lot of heart and humour in this novel. There is a very quick and sly Felicity Huffman reference in this book without actually mentioning her by name but if you know, you know and that is what make Julie Buxbaum such a favourite writer of mine. I really loved this book, the audio was great and I highly recommend!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: Dolly Parton, Songteller

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics is a landmark celebration of the remarkable life and career of a country music and pop culture legend.

As told by Dolly Parton in her own inimitable words, explore the songs that have defined her journey. Illustrated throughout with previously unpublished images from Dolly Parton's personal and business archives.

Mining over 60 years of songwriting, Dolly Parton highlights 150 of her songs and brings readers behind the lyrics.

- Packed with never-before-seen photographs and classic memorabilia

- Explores personal stories, candid insights, and myriad memories behind the songs

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics reveals the stories and memories that have made Dolly a beloved icon across generations, genders, and social and international boundaries.

Containing rare photos and memorabilia from Parton's archives, this book is a show-stopping must-have for every Dolly Parton fan.

Review: I listened to this book on audio from my library. I think if I had bought the audiobook it would have come with some supplementary material including the photos mentioned in the blurb but I didn't experience those. However when you do this one on audio you get to hear Dolly recalling each memory and each story from her life in her own words since it is narrated by her and you get to hear her signing her songs, sometimes from a live concert recording. 

This book taught me so much about Dolly Parton, someone I thought I already knew a lot about. I had no idea how hands on she was with all of her projects and it was great to learn about what she has done for reading, her heartstring series in her Netflix partnership and just how involved she still is with Dollywood. 

I also got to know about her past, her relationships and her family and Dolly is open and candid about each of those things. I really didn't expect to discuss alcoholism in those she was close to, how relationships don't always work or be just so open about the lack of money in the household growing up. Because each of those stories is accompanied by a song and she explains the meaning behind each song I really feel like I got to know her on such a deep level.

This was one of those books that didn't have to be read in chronological order, you could jump to the song you're interested in and hear the story behind it and it was very soothing to hear her talking and then hear her singing the song she was talking about. I really enjoyed this one and even if you just have a passing interest in Dolly I think you will gain a lot from this book.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Review: Hot to Trot by M.C. Beaton with R.W. Green

Private Detective Agatha Raisin immerses herself in the glittering lifestyle of the fabulously wealthy when Sir Charles Fraith is accused of murder - and Agatha is named as his accomplice!

A high-society wedding, a glitzy masked ball, and an introduction to the world of international show-jumping where the riders are glamorous, the horses are beautiful, and intrigue runs deep, leave Agatha with a list of suspects as long as a stallion's tail.

Sinister evidence then emerges that appears to seal Sir Charles's fate and Agatha must uncover the truth before a net of skulduggery closes around him and he loses his ancestral home, his entire estate, and his freedom. And if events weren't complicated enough... Agatha's ex-husband James Lacey is back in Carsely and back in Agatha's heart...

Review: This is the 31st book in the Agatha Raisin series from M. C. Beaton. Since she tragically passed away in 2019, this story was co-authored with her blessing by her friend R. W. Green. I have read a number of the books in this series and feel I have got to know many of the recurring characters; I was interested to see how they would be treated by a different writer. I am pleased to say that, in common with other Agatha Raisin mysteries, this tale had me captured from the start.

This story finds Agatha facing up to the fact that her old friend Sir Charles Fraith is about to be married to someone she considers totally unsuitable, and under strange circumstances. When Sir Charles and Agatha are named as the main suspects in a murder, she and her team set out to investigate and uncover the real culprit. Her sleuthing leads her into the world of horse riding and even on a glamorous trip to France. As the murder victim was so disliked by practically everybody, it seems that the list of suspects gets longer and longer the more Agatha digs. However, with Sir Charles looking ever more likely to end up penniless in prison, she is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and clear his name.

I very much enjoyed this book and would recommend it to Agatha Raisin fans. However, having read a review by somebody who was new to the series and was confused by people and events in the story, I’m not sure that it works as a standalone; there is a lot of history between Agatha and other characters in the book that is obviously not explained, so I could sympathise with that reviewer. Personally, I found the number of potential murderers in this story quite difficult to keep up with, and I couldn’t work out who the culprit would turn out to be until near to the end, which I considered a positive aspect. It was good to see all the characters that I have enjoyed meeting in previous books popping up again. Agatha’s ex-husband, James, was back and seemed interested in rekindling their relationship; I could see that forming the basis of a future story in this series, if, indeed, there are to be any further additions.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US