Another book that I read 15-20 years ago but have now revisited in audiobook format. Huge love for Penelope Keith and her mellifluous tones!
Agatha Raisin takes early retirement from her PR job in London and moves to the little village of Carsley. She throws herself into country life including entering the quiche compeition. Except she cheats and buys a quiche before the judge ends up dead…
Agatha Raisin and The Quiche of Death is the first book in a series that now has over 30 books!
Agatha’s life has changed dramatically but she is still quite formidable. She finds friendships a bit tricky due to her forthright nature so is desperate to get off to a good start in her new village. This fails miserably when she cheats in a quiche making competition and the judge is murdered. She becomes the prime suspect and has to prove her innocence which she sets about with gusto.
It is difficult to like Agatha initially as she is quite prickly. However I also admired her determination and think the social commentary about age and gender are important and relevant despite this book now being decades old. The narration by Penelope Keith is wonderful and brings the English countryside and village idiosyncracies to life. There is a lighthearted tone to the writing style and I enjoyed Agatha’s dramas with a wry smile.
I look forward to revisiting and continuing this cosy murder mystery series and reacquaint myself with Agatha and her escapades.
Book blurb
Putting all her eggs in one basket, Agatha Raisin gives up her successful PR firm, sells her London flat, and samples a taste of early retirement in the quiet village of Carsely. Bored, lonely and used to getting her way, she enters a local baking contest. Then her recipe for social advancement sours when Judge Cummings-Browne not only snubs her entry–but falls over poisoned dead!
1945, Tasha is separated from her mother when Lydia is forced to go on the march from Auschwitz. Can the pair reunite against all odds…?
The War Orphan is an historical novel about the situation at the end of WW2.
Auschwitz is set to be liberated and the Nazis force the adults to march away from the site. Children are left behind, including 16 year old Tasha. In the aftermath of the war, Tasha tries to find her mum but is unsuccessful. She is offered, and accepts, the opportunity to move to England but she refuses to identify herself as an orphan.
I have read lots of book about life in the Nazi camps so it was interesting to read a fresh perspective about the situation straight after liberation. The book is written to show the viewpoints of Tasha, Lydia and Alice. Lydia and Tasha are relentless in their search for each other, defying the odds. Alice is a Jew who escaped the Nazi regime and now cares for children in the UK. She doesn’t have a family of her own so this offers her the chance to fulfil her maternal instincts by caring for orphans.
The emotion of families being torn apart and the continued suffering even after liberation was heartbreaking at times. I can’t imagine the mental strength that Lydia and Tasha need to stay hopeful after everything they have faced under the Nazi regime. It is so important that this period of history isn’t forgotten and the long term psychological effects are remembered.
The War Orphan is an emotional historical novel.
Book Description:
1945, Auschwitz: I stumble out of the gates, tightly grasping the hands of two smaller children. Hunger swirls in my stomach and the barren landscape swims before my eyes. I can barely believe it. We’re free. We survived. But what happens now…
Sixteen-year-old Tasha Ancel turns to take one last look at the imposing place that stole her freedom and her childhood. She has no idea how she continued to live when so many others did not. For the first time in months, her heart beats with hope for her future and that of the smaller children who cling to her now.
Tasha was torn from her mother’s arms by an SS guard days before the gates of Auschwitz opened. Now she only has a lock of her mother’s fiery hair. Desperate to be reunited, Tasha asks everyone she meets if they’ve seen a woman with flame-red hair. But with so many people trying to locate their loved ones in the chaotic aftermath of war finding her feels like an impossible task.
Officially an orphan, Tasha is given the chance to start a new life in the Lake District in England. She knows her mother would want her to take the opportunity but she can’t bear the thought of leaving Poland without her.
Tasha must make a heartbreaking decision: will she stay in war-ravaged Europe and cling on to the hope that the person she loves most in the world is alive, or take a long journey across the sea towards an uncertain future?
An absolutely unputdownable and heart-wrenching WW2 story of survival against all odds and learning to live and love again. Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Orphan Train and The Nightingale will be gripped.
Author Bio:
Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name. Having studied English literature at Cambridge university, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels. Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers. You can reach her on Facebook @annastuartauthor or Twitter @annastuartbooks.
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Jane and her mother flee to England when the French king dies unexpectedly. The pair are welcomed to the court of King Henry VII and he even assigns Jane to his children’s household, starting friendships that last for decades…
The Pleasure Palace is the first book in the Secrets of the Tudor Court series by Kate Emerson. I believe I have read this book before but decided to listen to the audiobook as the whole series is available via the library.
The Tudor court is brought vividly to life through the eyes of an almost unknown character, Jane Popyncourt. Originally from France, she joins the royal household. I thought the characters and setting descriptions were effective in sending me back in time. The danger and machinations of the Tudor court added tension to the plot.
The style of writing is easy to read. In the audio version I found the voices a little offputting at times. The narrator seemed to do a childish voice at some points.
Jane Popincourt was a real figure at the court of Henry VII and his son Henry VIII but I don’t remember reading about her in my many non fiction books. This meant the book had a freshness of perpective but I also doubted its historical accuracy.
The twist about Jane’s parents’ past seemed obvious from the start, or maybe I did vaguely remember from my previous reading. The ending is a little abrupt and I would have like to know what happens to Jane next (I wonder if we will meet her in later books in the series). I also wish the author had included an historical note to further my knowledge.
The Pleasure Palace is an enjoyable novel and will please Tudor history fans like me!
Book blurb:
Beautiful. Seductive. Innocent. Jane Popyncourt was brought to the court as a child to be ward of the king and a companion to his daughters — the princesses Margaret and Mary.
With no money of her own, Jane could not hope for a powerful marriage, or perhaps even marriage at all. But as she grows into a lovely young woman, she still receives flattering attention from the virile young men flocking to serve the handsome new king, Henry VIII, who has recently married Catherine of Aragon.
Then a dashing French prisoner of war, cousin to the king of France, is brought to London, and Jane finds she cannot help giving some of her heart — and more — to a man she can never marry. But the Tudor court is filled with dangers as well as seductions, and there are mysteries surrounding Jane’s birth that have made her deadly enemies.
Can she cultivate her beauty and her amorous wiles to guide her along a perilous path and bring her at last to happiness? Basing her gripping tale on the life of the real Jane Popyncourt, gifted author Kate Emerson brings the Tudor monarchs, their family, and their courtiers to brilliant life in this vibrant new novel.
1671, Rose Gwyn faces execution for her part in a plot to steal the Crown Jewels. Desperate to save her unborn child, she writes to her infamous sister Nell. Present day, Jess’ life is in tatters as her husband is imprisoned and she leaves her job. She turns to her celebrity sister for a home and job…
The Other Gwyn Girl is a dual timeline novel set in the 1670s and present day.
Poor Rose has not had the easiest start in life and now she is trapped in an unhappy marriage. Her husband coerces her into joining a madcap scheme to steal the Crown Jewels but she is caught. Her only hope of surviving is her sister Nell, the mistress of King Charles II, but Nell has her own fears and needs Rose’s help in return. I loved this timeline and how the life in the seventeenth century was depicted. The characters felt authentic and the danger seemed to really loom over them.
The juxtaposition of the two pairs of sisters is interesting to watch unfold. In the present day Jess’ husband has gone to prison and she feels tainted and guilty by association. Her sister is a celebrity and needs a housesitter for an old manor house she is restoring. Jess agrees to help out as a means of escape and uses her time to explore the house and its contents which establishes the link with the Gwyns.
I was a little less interested in the present day timeline. Jess seems more of a passive character than her sister or the Gwyns. Rose’s perspective had danger and passion and her vivacity brought her character to life. There are elements of supernatural and mystery which develop in the present day as Jess explores the setting.
The Other Gwyn Girl is a fascinating interpretation of life in the seventeenth century and I loved Rose’s character.
The Other Gwyn Girl
1671 – London
The Civil War is over and Charles II, the ‘Merry Monarch’, is revelling in the throne of his murdered father and all the privileges and power that comes with it. Sharing the spoils is his favourite companion, the celebrated beauty, actress Nell Gwyn. Beloved of the English people, Nell has come a long way from selling oranges and a childhood in a brothel, but as her fortunes have turned, her sister Rose has taken a different path. Marriage to a feckless highwayman has left Rose in the grim Marshalsea prison and now she needs her sister’s mercy to help get her out. But Nell needs Rose too. A plot to steal the Crown Jewels has gone tragically wrong, and Nell’s future with her protector King is at risk. If Rose can’t solve the riddle of the jewels both Gwyn sisters will head straight to the Tower.
Present Day
Librarian and history enthusiast Jess Yates has hit rock bottom. With her ex behind bars for fraud, Jess needs to lay low – easier said than done with a celebrity sister. But Tavy has her uses. Her latest TV project involves renovating Fortune Hall, and she needs a house sitter while she’s jetting around the world. The opportunity is too good to miss, especially when Jess discovers that Fortune Hall has links to the infamous Nell Gwyn.
Slowly the house begins to reveal its mysteries, and secrets that have laid buried for centuries can no longer be ignored. Jess hears echoes from a tragic past and as she struggles to understand her sister, Jess feels ever closer to Rose Gwyn, the sister forgotten by history but who had the fate of her family in her hands.
Bestselling author Nicola Cornick is back with a captivating, gripping, unforgettable tale of treachery and treason, love and loyalty, perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Elena Collins and Christina Courtenay.
Author Bio –
Nicola Cornick is a historian and author who works as a researcher and guide for the National Trust in one of the most beautiful 17th century houses in England. She writes dual time novels that illustrate her love of history, mystery and the supernatural, and focus on women from the footnotes of history. Her books have appeared in over twenty five languages, sold over half a million copies worldwide and been described as “perfect for Outlander fans.” Nicola also gives writing and history talks, works as a consultant for TV and radio, and is a trustee of the Wantage Literary Festival and the Friends of Lydiard Park.
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1980, a young woman is killed in a hit and run. 2023, her body is exhumed and left on her mother’s grave while another body is buried in her final resting place instead. 2024, two more bodies are found in the graveyard…
The Graveyard Killings is the 4th book in the Yorkshire Murders series but the first I have read. There are some references to what I assume are events in the earlier books but there are no spoilers.
There are three distinct timelines in this book. I felt desperately sorry for the unsolved cases in 1980 and 2023 and so was eager for the police team to suceed in the present day. It seems abhorrent for the desecration of graves to happen, but respect for the living is also missing as drugs infiltrate the area.
There is a surprising amount of emotion in the book. Dean’s horror, shock and guilt at the death of his daughter in the past was really vivid. Riddick’s passion to avenge a drug dealer’s cruelty and the other reactions of police officers felt authentic. The professional relationships between the detectives is fraught which adds a great tension and dynamic to their characters.
The Graveyard Killings is a tense detective thriller and police procedural.
The Graveyard Killings
A decades old case….
When the body of a young girl is found exhumed from her grave, DCI Emma Gardner knows there’s more to this grisly find than just misadventure. Penny Maiden was killed in a hit and run accident forty years ago, and her killer was never found…Could someone be trying to right an old wrong?
A DI on the rails…
Determined to bring a dangerous gang of drug dealers to justice, DI Paul Riddick is trying hard to play by the rules. After his previous reckless actions, he knows this is his last chance to stay in the job he loves. But when his private life takes an unexpected turn, Riddick begins to lose control again.
Emma needs Paul to help her with her case, especially when more bodies are found in the same graveyard. But hurt badly by Riddick once before, Emma’s not sure she can trust him again.
But as Paul’s behaviour begins to spiral even more, Emma worries she may have left it far too late to save her old friend Riddick from his own destruction…
Author Bio –
Wes Markin lives in Harrogate and is the bestselling author of the DCI Yorke crime novels set in Salisbury. He is also the author of the Jake Pettman series set in New England. You can find out more at https://www.facebook.com/WesMarkinAuthor
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