The Librarians

Just another ordinary day at the Austin Public Library branch where four librarians all harbor their own secrets.  The Librarians (#1,349) by Sherry Thomas is a delightfully twisted work by the author of the Lady Sherlock series.

Nothing seems different the day new parttime page Hazel starts at the busy suburban branch of the Austin Public Library.  Things are gearing up for Halloween and there are the usual problems of not enough money to do everything Director Sophie wants to include in her programming.  Astrid has recently had her heart broken by a patron and it has cast a pall over her normally bouncy personality.  Jonathan tries gamely to help her along but when a body is discovered in a parked car, it sets off a series of events which will put all of the librarians in peril as they try to protect their own secrets.

Who knew the chain of events would bounce all over the globe as the intrepid four try to get to the heart of the matter and save what matters most to them?

Highly recommended!

The Star From Calcutta

The Star From Calcutta (#1,348) by Sujata Massey follows Perveen Mistry and her father as they take on new clients from the growing Indian movie business in the 1920s in the fourth entry in this popular series.

The Mistry Law Firm has an appointment with the owner of a newly opened movie studio and his glamorous wife, the former star of a rival Calcutta movie company.  They are anxious to have their paperwork in order before their new film can be released to the public.  That means passing the British Censor's Office exam.  Since Perveen and her best friend Alice are avid film buffs, Mr. Mistry allows Perveen to take the lead on working out the details.  

Perveen is delighted when her work includes an invitation to an exclusive preview showing at the couples' estate.  It's also a chance for Alice to meet one of her particular film idols.  Their meeting goes so well Alice persuades a reluctant Perveen to spend the night at the estate.  Of course, Perveen is the one to find the body in the morning, and it seems there is a whole cast of characters with motive and means to have committed the crime.  Even Alice is holding onto secrets and shutting Perveen out.  Will she ever be able to get to the bottom of things and prove her clients' innocence?

If you're a mystery buff and haven't come across the Perveen Mistry series set in 1920s Bombay, do yourself a favor and start with the first book in this intriguing series: The Widows of Malabar Hill.  You can read each book as a standalone, but you'll miss the nuances which make this series so special.

The Astral Library

Kate Quinn has said that The Astral Library (#1,347) is the book she has always wanted to write, but that her publishers pushed her to write more of her outstanding historical fiction.  Well, I for one, am glad that they did because I've enjoyed those novels so much.  But, with that being said, this is the novel I've been waiting for her to write!

"Have you ever wanted to live inside a book?"  The Astral Library offers that chance to those who are desperate to escape their lives in the real world.  If you are invited in, sanctuary in your favorite book is possible.  There are, of course, some restrictions, as Alix Watson finds out when she tumbles into the Library from the Boston Public Library Reading Room.

A foster child, Alix is barely eking out a dreary existence with three part-time minimum wage jobs when her roommate tells her she is being booted off the couch in their shared apartment. Desperate to find a place where she can safely stay the night a door opens for her in one of her favorite haunts - the Boston Public Library Reading Room.  Just as the Librarian (with a capital L) is about to help Alix into her chosen novel, warnings arrive that the Astral Library is under siege.  Alix is determined that this final sanctuary will not be ripped away from her and the others who have found refuge there, so she clings to the Librarian's elbow as she sets off to save the Library.  It's Alix's very first quest!  And it only gets better from there.  Once the true enemies behind the Library attack are revealed, it's not surprising that the same forces threaten our own libraries in the real world.

This book has everything: a hero to root for, humor, a quest, a believable Foe, and yes, even a dragon!  Not to mention a champion for all our libraries in the real world in Kate Quinn!  

I know several of my friends did not care for this book; they just want more of the same historical fiction (which I would actually like, too!), but honestly, if I rate those books as 5 stars, The Astral Library gets a 10+ from me.  More, please!

Hole In The Sky

I saw my husband reading Hole In The Sky (#1,346) by Daniel H. Wilson, and the cover intrigued me.  Think alien contact, but from an indigenous point of view.  Dr. Wilson, who has quite the impressive resume and is a Cherokee member himself posits the idea that the Mound Builders who populated the North American continent with many of their strategically located sites had some connection to a race beyond our stars.  Where did they go when an obviously thriving culture to when it mysteriously vanished centuries ago?

There's code breaking, family drama and mayhem enough to keep the reader glued to the book through the last page.  I don't want to give away the book's ending.  Let me just say that I personally am not planning to visit Oklahoma any time soon!  An unexpected find.

The Water Keeper

Two of my book club friends highly recommended Florida-based writer Charles Martin's mysteries featuring Shepherd Murphy.  They were right!  The first in this series is The Water Keeper (#1,345), and if you decide to read these books, this is the place to start.

Shepherd Murphy lives on an island off the north Florida/Georgia border, tending a church built by slaves and its attendant graveyard and citrus grove.  One evening a beautiful young woman comes to the church off a luxurious yacht seeking a priest.  She's clearly high on drugs or alcohol or both, but Shepherd listens to her until she reboards the boat, hoping she will decide to stay on the island.

As he sets out on his own voyage to say goodbye to his past far down in Key West, he encounters another beautiful woman on a mission of her own: to save her daughter.

What follows is a taut chase after some very bad people and a gradual unraveling of secrets in Shepherd's own past.  It makes for a fascinating read.

Plus, it's always fun to read about places you visit every day in a novel!

I can't wait to read the other four books in this exciting and provocative series.

Murder Most Royal

Murder Most Royal (#1,344) is the third book in the delightful Her Majesty The Queen Investigates series by SJ Bennett.  This time Elizabeth is glad to leave Buckingham Palace behind for the rural pleasures of Christmas at her estate of Sandringham in Norfolk.  Neither she nor Prince Phillip are feeling well, so a chance to rest and recuperate amongst family is most welcome.

But of course, nothing goes as planned.  Rozie Oshodi, her Assistant Private Secretary, brings her the news from the local Chief Constable that a severed hand has been found on a nearby beach, complete with a photo.  The unique signature ring on the pinkie is recognized by Her Majesty as being that of a neighboring gentleman and acquaintance.  The hunt is on for the body itself, and for the presumed killer as well, with Her Majesty's name being discretely kept out of things.

As Rozie and Queen Elizabeth track down leads, the noose tightens, imperiling even Her Majesty herself.  The mystery is cleverly done with insights into royal life.  I look forward to more!

If I Stopped Haunting You

Colby Wilkens' novel "If I Stopped Haunting You"(#1,343) is full of such a jumble of ideas, it's hard to know exactly what type of book it wants to be.  Is it a romance?  Is it a ghost story?  Is it claiming a literary spot for indigenous writers?  And to be honest, to me, none of these angles were completely satisfactory.

Two indigenous writers are trapped by a mutual friend at a Writer's Workshop in a remote Scottish castle.  Yes, they had a "meet cute" if you can call being clipped by a book which leaves a lasting scar "cute".  He's a best-selling author of indigenous horror and she has had a sole book published, which she is proud to say represents her culture appropriately.  They wrangle, which of course leads to pages and pages of ultra steamy sex.  Not my choice for reading.  And only the two of them can see the malevolent ghost haunting the castle.  Will they escape with their lives?!  Frankly, I didn't care.  Maybe you will.