Souvenirs From Kyiv is a series of 6 short stories based on the wartime experiences of the author’s family. Ukraine found itself caught between the Nazis and the Soviets as both battled for control of the people and land.
The book begins with an impressive foreword from the author to give context to the stories and show the relevance in light of current affairs.
I felt that the first story eased us in until the ending which left me shocked. The use of first person narratve makes this one of the more personal stories in the collection.
The partisan stories are interlinked as they focus on different lead characters. There is not a lot of emotion in the partisan stories so the reader puts in their own emotion. They are fraught with danger and fast paced.
I felt an almost physical sadness and dread during the story of the little girl Lida. The story is written in a childlike way. Some of the things she witnesses are incomprehensible yet they happened. Her processing of events forces us to experience them too which generated such an enotional response in me.
Souvenirs From Kyiv in not always an easy read due to the tragedies imposed on the Ukrainian people. However, it is important to understand their past especially as their people and culture are now threatened again by the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Book description
‘Russia has been trying to wipe Ukraine off the world map for thousands of years. They haven’t succeeded yet. Now, I’m picking up my stone and throwing it at Goliath. I want people to understand. I want to save this country.’ Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger, March 2022
Larissa is a renowned embroiderer, surviving in occupied Ukraine during World War II as a seamstress in her ruin of a workshop. Surrounded by enemies, she expresses her defiance by threading history into her garments. But at what cost?
Mykhailo is a soldier on leave, returning to Ukraine from the front on Christmas Eve. As he travels through his country, he is confronted by the hardship the war has brought to his fellow countrymen. Will what he sees this Christmas change the course of his life forever?
Marusia and her family are woken early one morning by the arrival of the Nazis, who have come to search for her partisan brother. As the soldiers move through their house, her family has just moments to make choices that will determine their survival.
Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger’s stories bring to life the true history of her Ukrainian family who fought to survive World War II. Laced with hope, Souvenirs from Kyiv celebrates the endurance and resilience of the human spirit.
Souvenirs from Kyiv was awarded 2nd Place in the 2014 HNS International Short Story Award and the collection won the silver medal in the IPPY Book Awards 2020 for Military and Wartime fiction.
Author bio:
Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger was born in Minnesota in 1969. A first-generation American of Ukrainian immigrants, she grew up in the culture-rich neighborhood of “Nordeast” Minneapolis. Inspired by her second-grade teacher, her writing career began with short stories, then morphed into travel narratives, and eventually novels. She has worked as a journalist and as a managing editor for a magazine publisher before jumping the editor’s desk and pursuing her dreams of writing and traveling. In 2000, she moved to western Austria and established her own communications training company. She has won several awards for her short stories and novels and now primarily writes historical fiction.
The police are given a tip off about a drugs drop off and they spring into action to catch the smugglers. But things take a sinister turn when an informer is found murdered and the lead officers wonder who they can trust…
Deadly Shores is the third police thriller in the Harvey and Birch series. I have read the first book Knife Edge, but missed the second 🙁 The series is set in Northern Ireland.
Asha and Aaron reunite to jointly investigate a drug smuggling case. Meanwhile one of their friends and one of their senior officers are both hiding information that may be relevant. I really enjoyed the strong relationship between the two lead characters and the warm banter between them. Both have a chance for romance in this book which adds an extra dimension to the plot and characters.
The writing style is easy to read and the pace is quite speedy with plenty of action to keep the momentum of the plot going. The main detectives face plenty of drama and danger as the case proceeds. There is one instance of a racial slur which really shocked me but was in keeping with the nefarious character who used it.
Deadly Shores is an entertaining police thriller and I really like the dynamics of the lead detectives.
DEADLY SHORES BY KERRY BUCHANAN
AN ABSOLUTELY JAW-DROPPING CRIME THRILLER FEATURING DETECTIVES ASHA HARVEY & AARON BIRCH.
TWO SHIPS IN THE NIGHT.
ANOTHER DEAD BODY.
NO SAFE HARBOUR.
The tip-off comes just as the Christmas roast is being served. Smugglers coming into a boatyard in Bangor.
Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch are sent in to investigate. It means being pulled away from pulling crackers, but in truth they’re both a bit relieved. Chief Superintendent Yvonne Patterson has been sidelining them lately — and this case could be big.
The illicit cargo is long gone by the time Asha and Aaron arrive, but local man Phil Johnston is caught on the boatyard’s CCTV. The same Phil Johnston who’s broken into and planted a brick of cocaine in the boatyard manager’s house.
But before anyone can declare it case closed, the driver who delivered the boat is found murdered in his hotel room.
Harvey and Birch have found themselves caught in a deadly storm. Will they sink or swim?
Fans of BBC’s Line of Duty, Lynda La Plante, Tana French, Patricia Gibney, Brian McGilloway and Helen H. Durrant will devour this gripping new page-turner by one of Northern Ireland’s hottest talents.
MEET THE DETECTIVES
DETECTIVE ASHA HARVEY
Asha Harvey has always had a powerful sense of right and wrong. She has wanted to be a detective since she was a child, and while she can be a little too trusting, her open manner makes people want to confide in her. She is especially driven to succeed as a woman of colour in a largely white, male police force in Northern Ireland. Her family support her and are ridiculously proud of her, which adds to her internal pressure to succeed.
DETECTIVE AARON BIRCH
Boyish and gangly, Aaron Birch entered the police force as a detective through a graduate recruitment scheme. This makes him the butt of snide remarks by fellow officers, so he always feels he has something to prove. He also has a tendency to stretch the rules to suit himself, which can lead to him getting into trouble.
THE SETTING
A city of contrasts, Belfast is filled with beautiful old relics dating back to a golden age of shipbuilding and wealth, as well as the scars of more recent wounds. The city has an exciting sense of newness and potential, but it can’t quite shed those who lurk in the darker shadows born of its turbulent past.
WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT KERRY BUCHANAN:
“This book had me gripped from the beginning and I am already hoping there is another book to come in the series.” Barbara
“Wow . . . Love these characters and I hope we get many more in the series to come. This book is full of twists and turns all the way.” Booklover Bev
“I read it in one sitting . . . The narrative was good, the characters were well-written and likeable . . . I found it hard to put this down and even read whilst I was eating. It had a suspenseful and mysterious build up that kept me on my toes.” Kirsty
“It’s not often a debut novel is as well written as this. I found myself utterly riveted from very early in the book, and when I wasn’t reading it, I was spending my time wishing I was . . . highly, highly, recommended.” Sean S.
DETECTIVES HARVEY & BIRCH MYSTERIES
Book 1: KNIFE EDGE
2: SMALL BONES
3: DEADLY SHORES
KERRY BUCHANAN
Kerry Buchanan has had numerous short stories published internationally, including some prize-winners, but her heart lies with novel-writing. Her crime series is set in Belfast and in the rolling County Down hills she sees from her window as she writes. She is often invited to perform her work at literary events or to be a member of panels at conventions, and she loves to help new writers by facilitating writing groups and classes in her local community.
Although Kerry is disabled, her hobbies include sailing and attempting to outwit the slugs in her vegetable patch. Generally, the slugs win.
BOOKS BY KERRY BUCHANAN
DETECTIVES HARVEY & BIRCH MYSTERIES
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KNIFE EDGE
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SMALL BONES
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DEADLY SHORES
FOLLOW KERRY ON
Seven years ago Rachel’s estranged husband Tom vanished. She had hoped to rekindle their marriage but instead he disappeared without a trace. Now as she prepares to have him officialy declared dead and finally move on with her life, a note in Tom’s handwriting is delivered. He wants to come back…
The Widow’s Husband is a family drama and psychological thriller set in the UK.
Rachel is ready to move forward with her life after it has been on hold for 7 years. It has been traumatic for her as she had to cope with her husband leaving her for another woman, then wanting to come home and then his disappearance. She has had legal battles with his lover and been in financial difficulties. But now she is thinking of the future and even a new romance. The arrival of Tom’s note stirs up all her emotions and makes her question her past, present and future.
The book is written from various points of view in the past and present. My sympathy was firmly allied with Rachel but the perspectives from Tom and Heidi present a different version of events. This makes the plot more detailed and emotional as we see the personal effects of events on the characters.
I loved the balance of the family drama as well as the psychological thriller elements as Rachel struggles to deal with her personal life while solving the mystery of her absent husband. Her distrust of potential friends or lovers makes us worry about their genuine intentions as well. The mystery was sustained well, with twists coming right up to the end.
The Widow’s Husband was throughly entertaining. I have previously reviewed other books by Lesley Sanderson including The Leaving Party and Every Little Lie.
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Book: The Widow’s Husband
Author: Lesley Sanderson
Pub Day: April 21st 2022
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About the Book:
For seven years I believed my husband was dead – until the note arrived this morning…
The day her husband Tom disappeared, Rachel’s life fell apart. Childhood sweethearts with two young children, they’d done everything together. And then, suddenly, Tom was gone. Without a word, without a note, without a single sign of where he might be, leaving Rachel to survive alone.
Now, nearly seven years later, Rachel has come to terms with life as a single mother, caring for their children who still secretly long for their father’s miraculous return.
But in his absence, Tom’s hidden life started to emerge, and Rachel has discovered things a wife should never have to. A secret life that betrayed everything Rachel thought she knew. Not knowing where he’d gone was no longer the main worry keeping her awake at night – it seemed much more likely he’d been silenced. Forever.
Until today, when – with just one month until Tom is to be declared legally dead – Rachel receives a note in handwriting she recognises with dread:
My darling, I’ve missed you so much. Give me a chance to explain. I’m coming home.
The husband she’d lost is alive.
And so are all his secrets…
A totally addictive and suspenseful thriller that will have you reading late into the night, perfect for fans of Shari Lapena, T.M. Logan and Lisa Jewell.
Author Bio
Lesley attended the Curtis Brown Creative 6 month novel writing course in 2015/6, and in 2017 The Orchid Girls (then On The Edge) was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize.
Lesley spends her days writing in coffee shops in Kings Cross where she lives and works as a librarian. She loves the atmosphere and eclectic mix of people in the area. Lesley discovered Patricia Highsmith as a teenager and has been hooked on psychological thrillers ever since.
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A teenager is found dead on the beach and when Detective Casey White gives the terrible news to her parents she discovers their other daughter is missing. Has the killer abducted the girl or is she already dead…?
The Lighthouse Girls is the sixth book to feature Casey and her team. I have previously reviewed other books in this series but there are no spoilers about events in previous books. However, there is the continuation of Casey’s personal life plotlines, in particular her abducted daughter.
The case is quite complicated as Casey uncovers information about the family of the dead and missing girls. The plot has many twists and turns which kept me guessing. I found the death and disappearance of such young girls to be hugely emotive and was willing Casey to succeed. The personal life of Casey plays a lesser role compared to other books.
There is a lot of forensic information in this book. However, the post mortem details are handled objectively so the emotion comes from Casey’s response to what she sees. Almost all of the book is written from Casey’s first person perspective which fully aligns us with her actions and emotions. The style of writing is easy to read and the plot develops at a reasonable pace.
The Lighthouse Girls is an enjoyable detective thriller.
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Book: The Lighthouse Girls
Author: B.R. Spangler
Pub Day: April 22nd 2022
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About the Book:
The girl shivers in the boat, trying to hold back her sobs as the man silently rows them towards the lighthouse under a dark sky. She thinks desperately of her big sister, how they’d laughed just a few hours before as they rode the Ferris wheel at the funfair. Will she ever see her again?
When the body of a teenage girl is found abandoned on a beach by a lighthouse in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Detective Casey White is first on the scene. Breaking the news to the heartbroken parents, Casey is distraught to learn of a second tragedy: the girl’s eight-year-old little sister Shawna is missing too.
Searching the lighthouse building, Casey soon finds traces that Shawna was kept there: her clothes, a teddy bear. Someone has been keeping her alive, but where have they taken her?
When she learns that the girls were together at a visiting funfair the night they were taken, Casey races to interview the workers, but is only met with silence and turned backs. Digging into old cases, Casey’s blood runs cold as she realises there’s been a murder in the same location as the travelling fair going back years.
Now the funfair has disappeared without trace. Thinking back to a shadowy figure she noticed by the hall of mirrors, Casey is certain when they find the fair, they will find the killer hiding in plain sight. But with the whole town terrified for their daughters, can Casey hunt them down before it’s too late for little Shawna?
An absolutely unputdownable thriller that will have you gasping at the twists and turns. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner and Robert Dugoni will be completely addicted.
Author Bio
B.R. Spangler is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Mysteries and Crime Thrillers.
A resident of Virginia with a wonderful family, including five cats, two birds and a lizard. During the day, the hours are filled with engineering work. Off hours, time is spent writing, editing, and thinking up the next great story.
With too many stories to write, books are split across pen names, writing crime thrillers, science fiction, horrors, paranormal and contemporary fiction.
To keep up to date, sign up for the B.R. Spangler newsletter sign up here: https://brspangler.com/sign-up. No spam will ever get sent, just some random musings or a heads up on when the next book is published
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A series of murders with a link to a camp and a serious accident decades earlier. Detective Katie Scott feels taunted by the killer as well as haunted by her friend who died in her childhood after a visit to the camp.
Silent Little Angels is the 7th book to feature army veteran turned detective Katie Scott and her dog Cisco. There are no spoilers about her previous cases although obviously the characters have developed personally and professionally over the series.
Katie faces plenty of drama and danger as she attempts to catch the killer. She feels a personal connection to the camp due to her childhood memories about her deceased friend Jenny. This adds to her determination to stop the killer before he strikes again. I liked the personal element to the plot as it shows Katie’s vulnerability which contrasts with her usual bravery. Cisco features prominently several times which gets a big thumbs up from me!
The pace is quick and there are bodies discovered in rapid succession to ramp up the tension. There is some forensic detail but it is not overwhelmingly grisly. The action sequences and danger to Katie as well as victims keep the momentum of the plot flowing. I was kept guessing until the end and there are some clever misdirections to sustain the mystery of the killer’s identity.
Silent Little Angels in an entertaining detective thriller and I look forward to the next book in the series.
The water ripples as the girl’s body escapes the reeds and floats silently upwards. Her beautiful face—blue eyes frozen open, skin as white as snow—breaks the surface. But it’s too late, this innocent soul has taken her final breath…
When camp counselor Carolyn Sable’s body is found floating in a lake beside Eagle Ridge Summer Camp, Detective Katie Scott must dig deep to stay focused. As a child, Katie spent many happy weeks at that camp toasting marshmallows on the fire with her best friend Jenny… until the day Jenny disappeared. The loss will always haunt Katie, but Carolyn’s inconsolable family need answers.
Searching the area, the devastating discovery of two more bodies sends the case into a tailspin. Suddenly on the hunt for a serial killer, Katie’s blood turns to ice when she finds newspaper clippings about her own past cases planted near one of the bodies. Was this twisted killer banking on Katie taking the lead? And why?
Carolyn was adored by children and staff at the camp, so Katie thinks her sudden resignation is key to cracking the case. Uncovering a tragic accident involving a group of children the weeks before Carolyn left, Katie knows she’s getting close.
But when the carefully laid trap Katie sets to catch Carolyn’s killer backfires, Katie finds herself in unthinkable danger and unable to even trust her own team. Can she stay alive long enough to crack the toughest case of her career, and how many more innocent lives will be lost before she does?
Author Bio:
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and best-selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells.
In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.
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