Safely on dry land after an eventful sea voyage, murder included (see my review of The Case of the Missing Bride), Alyssa Chalmers must negotiate the new direction her life is taking. The group of brides head towards their new potential husbands and Matron weds her onboard love.
Rosie made her decision on board and runs off with her lover only to be abandoned days later. She follows the group to the town and secures a job at the inn but soon the publican is found dead and she is their prime suspect.
Alyssa feels sorry for Rosie despite the antagonism she has experienced during their voyage together. Can she find the true killer and keep Rosie safe?
Alyssa’s relationship with Mr Kendrick and Dr Bryson continues to take centre stage throughout the story. I won’t give away the ending but she does choose between them…
This book seems surpringly modern despite the setting in 1862. Alyssa is very self-aware of her own limitations in society based solely on her gender. Stereotypes of the time are explored and rejected with characters seen in the modern context as individuals rather than a consequence of their social status.
Despite being a history graduate, I know little about the gold rush era in the USA and really enjoyed seeing this personal account. The book seems well researched and a careful balance of fact and fiction.
The characters are all well developed and most are likeable. Themes of social class and gender are approached within the plot. The tone and narrative is easy and enjoyable to read. I had no idea on the murderer, will you?
I really hope there is another book soon to see how Alyssa fares with her chosen husband…
GLITTTERING DEATH – Blurb
1862: A group of brides from Australia have arrived in British Columbia, and love is in the air – until their new-found happiness in the prospectors’ town “Run’s End” is shattered when the hotel-owner is murdered. To make matters worse, something is wrong with the stored gold at the hotel, and an epidemic makes it impossible for anyone to leave town.
The brides set all their hopes on their friend Alyssa Chalmers to find the murderer and restore peace in their new home. But the killer is cunning, and desperate …
Carmen Radtke has spent most of her life with ink on her fingers and a dangerously high pile of books and newspapers by her side.
She has worked as a newspaper reporter on two continents and always dreamt of becoming a novelist and screenwriter.
When she found herself crouched under her dining table, typing away on a novel between two earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, she realised she was hooked for life.
“The Case of the Missing Bride” is a former Malice Domestic finalist, inspired by a true event. Its heroine Alyssa Chalmers will soon return in “Glittering Death”.
When Carmen is not writing, reading or dreaming of travel, she is busy acting as resident cat servant.
She’s currently working on her first contemporary crime novel.
Or on Twitter: @carmenradtke1
Her website (very much a work in progress) is carmenradtke.com
Sloane and Myles are ready to have a baby and are creating their dream house. But all is not well in their relationship and Sloane suspects that Myles is cheating…
Sloane is a vulnerable character, desperate for the love that she missed out on from her estranged mother. Her gradual realisation of the selfishness of Myles is at odds with her longing to be married to him.
Sophie Ranald really makes us care about her characters but also despair at the mistakes they are making. Like with her previous books, there are serious threads of plot involving alcoholism and miscarriage: this makes the book deeply emotional to complement the humour.
The first person narrative is witty and chatty, with the odd Americanism or US spelling to remind us that she is from the States.
Possibly my all time favourite quote from a book and I simply have to include it here: ‘He’s an utter wankpuffin, Sloane. A twatbadger, a cockwomble, a dickbiscuit.’ Sums up my opinion of Myles pretty accurately!
We catch glimpses of the lead character from another book as the PR company is that used by Gemma in Out With The Ex, In With The New.
Media Kit:
Title: No We Can’t Be Friends
Author: Sophie Ranald
Publication Day: 10/01/2020
Buy Links:
Description:
He was perfect. Denim-blue eyes, a dazzling smile. And he hadn’t sent me a picture of his junk. Which is about as rare, these days, as a Dodo.
When Sloane met Myles, everything fell into place. He loved a Martini almost as much as she did, shared her passion for four-cheese pizzas, and made her laugh harder than any episode of Friends. She’d found The One at last and she could finally delete Tinder, forgetting all those waste-of-space men she’d never have to date again.
But then she finds out that Myles has a secret. A very big one.
The fairytale is over. Her heart is blown to smithereens. Drowning her sorrows in Ben & Jerry’s can only get Sloane so far before she has to decide… Can she learn to love herself more than she loved the love of her life? And what if, after everything, she’s got Myles – and his secret – all wrong?
No, We Can’t Be Friends is a brilliantly relatable, hilarious and feel-good novel that every woman with a waste-of-space ex HAS to read! If you’re a fan of romantic comedies by Sophie Kinsella and Lindsey Kelk, and TV shows like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin, pick up this laugh-out-loud book – you won’t regret it.
Author Bio:
Sophie Ranald is the youngest of five sisters. She was born in Zimbabwe and lived in South Africa until an acute case of itchy feet brought her to London in her mid-20s. As an editor for a customer publishing agency, Sophie developed her fiction-writing skills describing holidays to places she’d never visited. In 2011, she decided to disregard all the good advice given to aspiring novelists and attempt to write full-time. After one false start, It Would Be Wrong to Steal My Sister’s Boyfriend (Wouldn’t It?) seemed to write itself. Her second, third and fourth novels followed. Sophie also writes for magazines and online about food, fashion, finance and running. She lives in south-east London with her amazing partner Hopi and Purrs, their adorable little cat.
To find out about Sophie’s forthcoming releases and get access to free books and special offers, sign up to her newsletter at sophieranald.com
Author Social Media Links:
Jealousy Is Murder is the fourth in the River View crime series from Jeanette Taylor Ford. There are many references to previous cases so I believe it would be beneficial to have read those first.
The main detectives are DI Dan Cooke and DS Graham Grant who have a gentle cameraderie. They both have successful homelives and relationships which is quite unusual for police characters!
The case itself revolves around the murder of a young woman leaving her 12 year old son Charlie an ophan on the run to avoid going into care. Charlie’s plight is heart wrenching to read and you’ll be relieved to know he has a happy ending! The recent murder is soon linked to an old murder case that resulted in the conviction of a criminal who swore his innocence.
Mainly set in Hereford, the case developments involves several other areas of the UK including Portsmouth and Scotland. Dialogue is written in a style to represent the accent of the speaker and this helps to establish them as individuals.
I enjoyed this book but was a little confused by the references to past events in books that I had not read. There were also lots of characters, almost too many for my liking. I expect that most of them had been introduced previously and then there were the new ones specific for this murder investigation.
Jealousy is Murder (River View #4) by Jeanette Taylor Ford
When a young woman is found strangled in her camper-van and her twelve-year-old son goes missing, DI Cooke and DS Grant have a dual problem on their hands. And what does this murder have to do with the fatal stabbing of a young man in Portsmouth several years before? And how on earth are residents of Sutton-on-Wye involved?
Jeanette Taylor Ford – author bio
I’m a lifetime bookworm! From reading to my children to now creating stories of my own, books have always been a large, important part of my life. Those who have read my stories have enjoyed them, so I finally decided to inflict them upon the world in general. Some of them are ghostly tales, combined with loveable characters and interesting situations which make them ghost stories with a difference. However, I also write children’s stories, the first of which, ‘Robin’s Ring’ is published and I’m working on another Robin story. My new series, The River View Series, presents mild mysteries with a difference – and are set in my beloved Herefordshire.
Much to our youngest daughter’s disgust, I love old buildings, castles, mansions, historical places, especially ruined buildings and they are often the inspiration for my stories.
My retirement from my job as a teaching assistant has given me the opportunity to indulge my love of writing and I ask for no more than to give pleasure to my readers. When not writing, I’m making cards, singing in a ladies’ choir, doing Family History and all sorts of other things. I am married to Tony, a retired teacher, and we have six children and seven grandchildren. We live near Nottingham, England.
LINKS
Curry time again! I have had a bag of lentils in the cupboard and wanted to finish them up so tried something completely new: a dhal! I love chickpeas so added them too – have you tried my chickpea and spinach curry? – then I had the bonus of aquafaba to bake with (cake recipe coming next week…)
Ingredients (serves 3-4 as a main or 5-6 as a side dish)
oil for frying
150g dried red lentils
1 onion, finely chopped
400g can chickpeas, drained (keep the liquid aquafaba for baking!)
1 teaspoon each ground cumin, ground coriander and turmeric
1 tablespoon garlic puree
1 pint boiling water
fresh coriander and rice for serving
Instructions
Heat the oil in a pan then fry the onion for 3-4 minutes until soft.
Add the lentils and stir to coat with oil.
Add the drained chickpeas, spices, garlic puree and boiling water.
Stir well and bring to the boil.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve with rice and coriander (I am addicted to fresh coriander and use it in everything!)
This dhal is super simple and deliciously tasty.
If you like curries slightly spicy, then add a bit of cayenne or chilli. The aquafaba could be used for meringues, cake or mousse, yum!
