110. A Bitter Wind. (Billy Boyle #20) James R. Benn. 2025. 379 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, world war II, mystery, historical fiction]

First sentence: The body was still warm.

Premise/plot: Billy Boyle (and friends) are back for their twentieth mystery. It opens on Christmas Day 1944. With a literal cliffhanger. Billy and a newly deceased man are quite literally in a precarious situation atop a ledge on a white cliff facing the English channel. Soon, Billy has a couple of murder cases to solve. So he is loaned out for a bit. While solving these crimes, he's forced to go to a war-torn Europe in search of one man who may hold the key to the murders he's trying to solve. The man he's in search of was a prisoner of war but has now escaped and is on the run. It won't be easy to find him, to rescue him, to get OUT and back to England. Many close-calls. Many new allies. Same old enemies. Perils abound. 

My thoughts: I didn't love this one as much as I usually love Billy Boyle mysteries. I do like that each one is different, unique, focusing on a little known fact of history. I do like that each book is based to a certain degree on real history--be it a person, a place, a battle, etc. This one has Billy Boyle traveling from place to place. By the time he returns to the original murder mystery, it feels like the pacing is a bit off.

All that being said, I do love the characters. And I do enjoy the series.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

67. The Moving Finger. Agatha Christie. 1942/2007. Black Dog & Leventhal. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, adult mystery, classic, romance]

First sentence: I have often recalled the morning when the first of the anonymous letters came.

Jerry Burton, our hero, has taken a house in the country with his sister, Joanna. He's recuperating from an injury, and his doctor has definitely suggested some rest and relaxation. As for Joanna, she's recuperating from a broken heart. But rural village life isn't as uneventful and peaceful as he expected. For soon after his arrival, an anonymous "poison pen" begins a nasty letter campaign. Which is unpleasant enough, he supposes, but things turn deadly after a woman's "suicide" after receiving a vile letter. The victim leaves behind two young sons, an older daughter from her first marriage, a husband, and a rather pretty governess. Megan, the daughter from the first marriage, soon becomes a major player in this Miss Marple mystery. This "suicide" becomes a bit suspicious when a second death occurs--that of a maid--within the home. The question becomes did this maid--on her day off--see something?

I loved this one. I just LOVED it. It wasn't a purely pleasant read for me. I wouldn't exactly say I was praying throughout, but I was certainly wishful with my repeated pleas, please don't let it be Megan, please don't let it be Megan, please don't let it be Megan. Never have I gotten that involved with a mystery. Who is Megan? For better or worse, she's the young woman our hero described thusly, "She looked much more like a horse than a human being. In fact, she would have been a very nice horse with a little grooming" (17). She's largely ignored not only by the village but by her family as well. But there is something about her that Jerry, our hero, can't ignore. He goes out of his way--time and time and time again--to include her. He even invites her to stay with him and his sister after her mother's death. He is the one person, she's found, willing to listen to her.

While Jerry is making friends with Megan--not always an easy task--Joanna, his sister, is trying to make friends with the local doctor. That is an uphill battle. Joanna has never, ever had to work this hard to get a guy to like her.

So this mystery has a romantic element to it which I just loved. It also stars Miss Marple, though she doesn't enter the case until after the second death occurs. Miss Marple finds Jerry Burton a great help in this one! The details he's observed through his stay, makes solving this one so much easier for her! It gives her quite the lead. But she still has to *prove* it.

The Moving Finger is very compelling! I loved it for so many different reasons.

My favorite quotes:

Emily Barton, I think, has a mental picture of men as interminably consuming whisky-and-sodas and smoking cigars, and in the intervals dropping out to do a few seductions of village maidens, or to conduct a liaison with a married woman.
When I said this to Joanna later, she replied that it was probably wishful thinking, that Emily Barton would have liked to come across such a man, but alas, had never done so. (85)

"The police are doing their best."
"If Agnes could be killed yesterday, their best isn't good enough."
"So you know better than they do?"
"Not at all. I don't know anything at all. That's why I'm going to call in an expert."
I shook my head. "You can't do that. Scotland Yard will only take over on a demand from the chief constable of the county. Actually they have sent Graves."
"I don't mean that kind of an expert. I don't mean someone who knows about anonymous letters or even about murder. I mean someone who knows people. Don't you see? We want someone who knows a great deal about wickedness!"
It was a queer point of view. But it was, somehow, stimulating. (141)

"Yes, it was dangerous, but we are not put into this world, Mr. Burton, to avoid danger when an innocent fellow creature's life is at stake. You understand me?"
I understood. (199)

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

64. Death on the Nile. Agatha Christie. 1937/2007. Black Dog & Leventhal. 352 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, mystery, classic]

First sentence: "Linnet Ridgeway!" "That's her!" said Mr. Burnaby, the landlord of the Three Crowns. He nudged his companion.

Premise/plot: All is not fair in love or war. This Hercule Poirot mystery is set on a cruise of the Nile river. It is the honeymoon trip for one happy couple--or should I say one "happy" couple. For this happy couple is being stalked/followed by a disgruntled (and dramatic) ex. She is not happy to see HER former fiance marry a now former friend. She even introduced them! These three aren't the only travelers with struggles, traumas, and dramas of their own. Poirot picked quite a bunch to travel with. (Not that he had much say in the matter.) But when bodies start to fall, well, he has his work to do.

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. It is such a great mystery, very complex! Hercule Poirot and Colonel Race find themselves on board a ship on the Nile, they are in interesting company. Poirot notices the tension between some of his fellow travelers from the very start. And as he takes the time to get to know everyone, to have personal chats with almost every one, his unease only increases. He fears that before the trip is over, murder will have been committed. But who shall the victim be? And who the murderer? Meanwhile, Race is on a mission of his own before a body is even found. He is on the trail of a killer, a radical. He's not sure WHO his man is, just knows that he is almost certainly on board, that is where his clues have led him. When the oh-so-wealthy heiress, Linnet Ridgeway, is murdered on her honeymoon with Simon Doyle, there are plenty of suspects. For not all of the passengers on board are exactly strangers to her....

The first part of this one is set in England, but the rest is all set in Egypt.

This one had me from the start. It was so thrilling! Not only was the plot interesting and surprising and wonderful, the characterization was so well done!!!

ETA: In June 2025 I listened to this one on audio book. It was narrated by David Suchet. 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

39. Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On A Dead Man). Jesse Q. Sutanto. 2025. 325 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, adult mystery]

First sentence: Vera Wong Zhuzhu should be having the time of her life. She is, in fact, having the most wonderful, lovely, delightful time. Today, like every day, she wakes up at four thirty in the morning and jettisons out of bed like an army general with a new troop of terrified soldiers to scream at. And today, like every day, she puts on her gear, protecting every inch of her skin from the sun, and bustles out of the house to go on her extremely aggressive morning walk.

Premise/plot: Vera Wong is back for her second novel. (The first novel was Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers). Characters from the first novel are present--and play significant roles--in the second. So do read the books in order. In this one, after falling for a phone scam, she meets a troubled young woman outside a police station. She soon finds herself snooping again...not knowing at the start if it is a missing person case or another murder. She soon rounds up a long list of suspects to befriend...and to investigate. 

My thoughts: I LOVE both books. I don't know that I absolutely love, love, love the series. But both books are SO enjoyable, SO fun, SUCH a treat. Highly recommend if you enjoy MYSTERIES with a heavy dose of humor.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

28. Famous Last Words. Gillian McAllister. 2025. 336 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars]

First sentence: It is one hour before Camilla's life changes, though she doesn't yet know it.

Premise/plot: Readers are promised (but does it deliver?!?!) a twisty-turny crime novel. Camilla, our heroine, is returning to work from maternity leave on the day her husband, Luke, commits a crime. Allegedly commits a crime. He never stands trial. He goes on the run. Her life changes forever--as does her daughter's Polly. Most of the novel takes place seven years later. (And to a smaller extent, an additional seven years after that]. This one is told through two perspectives that of Camilla and that of Niall, the hostage negotiator assigned to the case. Though the narration is not even: readers will go [long] stretches without Niall's narration.

My thoughts: It had one job. One job. ONE. To be twisty-turny. To keep *this* reader guessing, guessing again, guessing yet again. To keep me doubting my instincts and delivering punchy surprises. Things that would only supposedly make sense at the end. Did it deliver????

NO. That's the short answer. No, it did not keep me guessing because I guessed correctly essentially about anything where clues were provided. No big thrills. No big surprises. It has me doubting a review by a famous author that uses words like "brilliant" and "blindsided." (How many books has she read?) 

I don't consider myself particularly outstanding when it comes to "solving" crime books or thrillers. So did I just happen to be lucky in my guess? Or is it poorly constructed to make readers feel smart when they guess? 

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So the jacket flap intentionally spoils a lot of the early suspense. That's a choice. For better or worse. It's a way to get a reader, perhaps, to pick up your book. Though with her NAME and reputation, I don't know that it's necessary to spoil that much.

So the big question throughout is *WHY* and to a much lesser degree *how*.

I guessed VERY early on that Charlie was NO GOOD, VERY BAD. I don't know how she could have made it more obvious. So that zaps a lot of suspense out of the book.

I guessed VERY early on that Luke was the true author of her "new book by Adam" that she received in the mail. Was this a lucky guess? Maybe. Maybe not. But the way we were getting excerpts and the fact that it was crime related....it just made the most sense to me.

I did not guess about Luke witnessing the murder of two teens in April---however, that clue was sprinkled so late in the book that it almost doesn't contribute to the suspense in the first place. The only clue for the longest time being that his location was turned off that one night in April. Not any clue with which to build a back story.

I did guess that Isabella was HIDING something big. I was a little suspicious of her husband as well. Though her husband takes up so little space in the story it was easy to forget he existed at all. 

So did I guess that Luke's actions could 1000% be explained away. Yes. Mostly. I guessed that as the most obvious "blindsiding" twist and turn.

I think the book would have been more suspenseful without Charlie's "short" and not-so-subtle perspective.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret. Benjamin Stevenson. (Ernest Cunningham #3) 2024. 161 pages. [Source: Library] [adult fiction, adult mystery, series book] [4 stars]

First sentence: There are quite a few differences between an Australian Christmas and the stereotypical Northern Hemisphere fare seen in most books and movies. For one thing, we don't get snow down under. What we do get, in my specific experience, is more murders. But before the killing starts (or the recounting of the killings, to be more precise), allow me to introduce myself. My name's Ernest Cunningham.

Premise/plot: Ernest Cunningham narrates his third misadventure. He is an author-detective of sorts. He's lived a CRAZY life and has had plenty of opportunities to live out golden-age mysteries. The previous books include: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and Everyone on This Train is a Suspect. 

In this third adventure, Ernest has gone to help his ex-wife who has been arrested for murdering her boyfriend. He is unofficially-officially-unofficially on the case to find out what really happened. And as it turns out, there's more than one dead body...but is there one killer or more?

It is set during the holidays. Most chapters are an "advent door" to open to reveal clues.

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one. I love the narrative style. I've enjoyed all three books. I would love to reread all three books again--close together--to see if it changes my thoughts. It was a fun Christmas-y read. Definitely think you need to read at least book one before reading this one. (Of course to read all three would be ideal.)

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust (Flavia de Luce #11). Alan Bradley. 2024. 298 pages. [Source: Review copy] [adult mystery; series book] [4 stars]

First sentence: The greatest minds in the world are often cranky when they first awaken in the morning, and mine is no exception. If I am to ascend above the ordinary, I require solitude the way a balloon needs helium. 

Premise/plot: What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust is the eleventh book in this historical mystery series. The tenth novel in the series was published in 2019. Flavia de Luce, our heroine, has come of age solving mysteries all the time--ALL the time. Her upbringing is unusual to say the least. The household has shrunk--in some ways--and grown. Though Flavia doesn't see the addition of Undine as a plus. (Though she is down one "annoying" older sister through marriage). Both Undine and Flavia are "strange" "unusual" in their own ways. 

There is a mystery to be solved...but the greatest mystery to be solved does not involve the oh-so-obvious dead body. 

My thoughts: To say that I was absolutely SHOCKED by the twist(s) in this one would be an understatement. I'm not just saying that. I didn't see the reveal coming...at all. And it's the kind of reveal that takes processing and more processing and even more processing. So much so that the actual case of the murder mystery almost seemed inconsequential. There were a few intense scenes for sure. I definitely found it compelling.

The writing is still incredible. It isn't so much the plot itself but the narrative technique itself. I was reminded again why I love(d) the series so much.

The big reveal has left me a little unsettled. I don't know how to best process this and incorporate it with my thoughts on the whole series.

Quotes:

"Why do you insist on following me everywhere?" I asked. "Cause I'm your crocodile," she hissed, snapping her jaws and making a ghastly clicking noise with her throat. "Tick-tock. Tick-tock." 

It's always embarrassing when someone steps over that invisible line and into your private life. Even though they mean well, the line has been broken, and can never again be the impenetrable defense that it once was. I thanked her for her concern but didn't tell her that I wasn't being eaten by loneliness. It was lack of love, and that's no sin either.

"The making of a pot of tea is a blessing," Father once told me in a rare moment of revealing his thoughts. "A blessing upon both the one who prepares it and those who drink it. A small sacrament to be sure, but it must never be done frivolously or unthinkingly."

"They will never be forgotten, Mrs. Skinnett," I said. "They are legends." "I know they are, dear. You don't have to tell me." I looked into her faded blue eyes and recoiled almost physically. I had to brace myself. Their depths were indescribable: beyond compare. In her eyes were other worlds and other times. The past was still alive in her! I could see it! In those pale blue irises were births, deaths, and loves; successes and failures; tragedies and comedies and, yes, hates. I had never seen anything like it, and in a way, I hoped I never would again. 

Feelings are beyond words; beyond action; beyond reason. They are the only true and constant indicators we ever have in this cruel life.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Phantom Patrol (Billy Boyle World War II #19) James R. Benn. 2024. 352 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [adult historical; adult mystery; world war II]

First sentence: The night was cold, cloaked in a deep darkness brought on by a bank of clouds sailing in on the winds and vanquishing the moonlight. Dead leaves, crisp and brittle, swirled in man-sized cyclones on the cobblestones, one so dense that I mistook it for someone sauntering through the graveyard. 

Premise/plot: Billy Boyle and friends return for their NINETEENTH mystery. This one is set in France in December of 1944. This mystery starts out as an investigation of art thieves, and, the body count quickly starts mounting. So in part this one is art-related but also espionage and war-war. It has some INTENSE scenes, for sure. All of the Billy Boyle books feature cameos (for lack of a better word) of real life men and/or women. This one features J.D. Salinger and David Niven...as well as Eisenhower. 

My thoughts: I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the series. I do. If I didn't love the series, chances are I wouldn't still be incredibly eager and excited for each new release. Seriously, I start thinking about "the new Billy Boyle" book in mid-summer. (It always releases in the fall). I ADORE the characters. I am deeply invested in ALL of the characters--and there are MANY side characters. All that being said, I don't love all nineteen books equally. This one wasn't my favorite of the nineteen. However, I do love the characters in general. His writing is always compelling.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

First sentence: Peter heard it before he saw it. A deep, percussive thud from somewhere ahead and to the left.

Premise/plot: Dr Peter Bannerman is a veterinarian and an amateur detective--much to his brother-in-law's dismay. (His brother-in-law is an actual cop/detective.) This one opens with a bang--literally. An explosion in a pig barn killing fifty-four pigs. Was it an accident? Was it a crime? Well, all chances of it being an accident are put to rest when a body is found in the barn. And it is only the first in a series of crimes--not all murders--in the small Canadian community. Can he follow the clues and solve the crimes? Or will he be the next victim?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I loved getting to know the community. Peter is a bit at odds with the community--because he is a bit neurodivergent (in my opinion) but he is great at what he does. He is a great veterinarian AND a great detective--even if he's not supposed to be putting his life at risk by following clues. I am glad to have discovered a new series. I hope to read more in it soon.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

First sentence: "Your future contains dry bones."

Premise/plot: Frances Adams receives a fortune at a country fair that changes the lives of her and her friends in Kristen Perrin's newest mystery novel. The mystery has dual time periods. Frances' journal/diary is from 1965/1966. The present story is told from the point of view of her great-niece, Annie Adams. It seems that Frances' fortune that she would be murdered was accurate. It is up to Annie (and several others) to solve her murder and possibly inherit her estate. Frances spent most of her life--all her adult life--preparing for the day. She took NOTES and kept files and records on anybody/everybody. So Annie will have a lot of material to work from...but it might just prove dangerous. The person who murdered Frances might not hesitate to murder again...

My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. There were multiple crimes to solve. The characterization was substantive. So MANY characters--all of them quirky/interesting. Plenty of people might have motives for wanting Frances to mind her own business...but who would kill to protect a secret? There are red herrings. But I really enjoyed puzzling this one out. I enjoyed BOTH narratives. Definitely recommend this one. 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

First sentence: Wear your best costume and tell your worst secret....you've been summoned.

My thoughts (preview): This one definitely requires some suspension of disbelief. But if you go with the flow, you might get caught up and forget how unrealistic it is. 

Premise/plot: YOU the reader are being asked to go through the files of a case and make a recommendation to the police on who to arrest for the crime. The files are unusual--hence why you will need to suspend your disbelief. You'll have access to the INTERIOR thoughts of Jane--the sister of the victim of the crime. These are "Jane's Recount." They are not an interview. They are not diary or journal entries. You'll have access to a diary of a woman (another twin) Mary who lived in 1940s at this same house. There are amateur interviews conducted by Jane, and professional interviews conducted by the police. There are physical documents/evidence--notes and letters found on the scene. There is digital evidence as well--text messages, etc. There is a "call transcript" from 911. YOU the reader are being asked to sift through these files and make your best educated guess as to who, how, and why. 

After you have made your recommendation, the author lets you know what really happened and how it all played out. In other words providing the "correct" answer to your amateur detecting. 

My thoughts: Technically, I don't find the premise believable. BUT all that aside, I found it great fun. I did find it an engaging/compelling read. I read through the first file folder in one sitting. I read the other nine file folders in one sitting. I found it that gripping. 

Did I guess right? Yes. Did I arrive at my conclusion reasonably and logically piecing together all the clues and evidence? No. The ending lists out all the clues that point to the right answer. I missed most of them. Because they required a lot of reading between the lines, noticing what was missing or going unsaid; things that should have been present or accounted for but weren't in other words. I wasn't randomly guessing, mine was more of a following my gut.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

First sentence: 
Hi <Redacted>,
It's a hard no on the prologue, I'm afraid. I know it's the done thing in crime novels, to hook the reader in and all that, but it just feels a bit cheap here. I know how to do it, of course, the scene you want me to write.

Premise/plot: A handful of mystery writers board a train on their way to the Australian Mystery Writers' Festival. But not everyone who boards the train exits the train....still breathing. Hence, everyone on this train is a suspect. 

Ernest Cunningham is the main character "author" who wrote the book Everyone In My Family Killed Someone based on a horrific family reunion. He's working on a second novel, hopefully a book not based on his personal life, but events of the train are proving challenging. If he survives the trip, then a second book has conveniently unfolded right when he needs it. (Though is that a motive for crime???)

Most all of the characters are new in this one--with the exception of his love interest. 

My thoughts: I absolutely loved Everyone In My Family Killed Someone. I thought Ernest Cunningham was a delightful narrator. I liked the gimmick of it, the premise of it. In theory, I like the premise of this one as well. In theory. I didn't quite love this one. I'm not sure if I just wasn't in the right mood for it, or, if the first book was just better. I still like the main character, and, sometimes with detective novels, each mystery has a little bit of hit or miss to it. Some you just enjoy more than others all the while loving the detective character at the center of the novel.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

First sentence: Craddock House stands at the end of one of those streets which run between the Kings Road and the Embankment. 

Premise/plot: This one is the first in the Ernest Lamb mystery series by Patricia Wentworth. It was my first time--to my recollection--reading Patricia Wentworth. This one is, in many ways, your typical classic British mystery. It involves a murder....and a dysfunctional [extended] family is at the center of the drama. Though not every suspect is a [distant or near] relation.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I would probably have enjoyed it a LOT more if the library due date had not made me rush through the last hundred pages. There's nothing quite like the feeling of having to race through a book because it is due at the library. I enjoyed it enough that I would reread it again at some point and possibly continue on in the series. 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

First sentence: Barcelona, 1195 CE "How beautiful you have grown, Rebecca." Uncle Carlos, my father's younger brother, had rushed to greet us when, after a long, harrowing voyage from England, our feet at last touched land in Barcelona. "But you, Isaac, you have only grown older."

Premise/plot: Rebecca of Salerno was written to be the sequel to Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe. Most of the novel is set circa 1205--give or take a year or two. Rebecca, our heroine, is leaving apart from her father (and rest of her family). She's settled in the Jewish community of Salerno. She's gone to medical school. She's a practicing physician and a teacher. She, for the most part, enjoys the community where Jews, Muslims, and Christians can coexist together. Perhaps not always equitably and friendly. But there's some amount of normalcy in coexisting. But this peace is shattered when a crusader is murdered. Rebecca teams up with Rafael, the man who has proposed dozens of times, to solve the crime. I honestly can't remember if Rafael is a fellow doctor, or, if his "job" is more academic. I know there's always talk of them working together to translate various texts--some medical, some not. A rabbi--a visiting rabbi with somewhat radical views, unpopular views--has been arrested and charged with the crime. Rafael and Rebecca believe that he is innocent of the crime, or, at the very least should be considered innocent until proof can be found. The powers that be--a duke, I believe???--just want this bother to be over and done with. Execute already. Who cares who's guilty and who's innocent??? Just kill the person you've already got locked up.

Rebecca and Rafael--but especially Rebecca--believe in justice even when it is uncomfortable and dangerous. What is best for the community at large cannot justify injustice for the individual.

MY thoughts: I don't often read in this time period. I have read Ivanhoe. I'm not sure I'm perfectly convinced that this Rebecca is THE Rebecca from Ivanhoe. Though I will say that I was interested in this Rebecca. She is essentially flawless. Essentially. Her flaw being that she's blind and a bit stupid when it comes to matters of the heart. I have a hard time believing that THE Rebecca would cling so fiercely to the idea of remaining true to Ivanhoe, the so-called love of her life, that she would lock her heart away and never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever marry. I would imagine that after a year or two, she'd start realizing that there is life out there to be lived. I also think this may be more of a LATER notion. I could be wrong, but I think at this time it was a LOT more common for arranged marriages and matchmaking to happen. That parents would be more likely to choose for their children instead of "love matches" and this idealized notion of "romantic love." Culturally and socially, I imagine that marriage and children would have been fundamental and foundational. Again, I could be wrong. I'm no expert in Jewish communities of the thirteenth century. I think readers can see the fact that she will eventually fall in love with Rafael by the end of the novel coming from the start.

I do wish we'd not jumped from 1195 to 1205. The immediate years following Ivanhoe are jumped over completely. Readers have to wait until the last few chapters for Rebecca to begin talking about her time in England and Ivanhoe. 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

First sentence (from the prologue): It began as a glow in the night sky, a faint flicker barely visible in the swirling, low clouds and the pelting rain. Stephen Elliot saw it as he shut the door behind him and made for his automobile. 

Premise/plot: Billy Boyle, our soldier-detective protagonist, returns for his eighteenth mystery in Proud Sorrows. In this one, set in November 1944, Billy Boyle (and his friend, Kaz) are on leave and visiting the home/manor of his girlfriend, Diana Seaton. They are guests of her father, but not the only guests. Kaz's sister is a guest as well and recovering from her injuries gotten at a concentration/detainment camp. She was experimented on. (Also a guest, her full-time nurse, a long-time resident of the village.) Diana herself is home on leave at this time. It should make for a lovely holiday--even for war times. Surely the end is near--at least on the European front, right? But this holiday seems doomed...

It isn't too long before Billy Boyle is back hard at work on a case, drawn into a complex mystery involving several dead bodies. A BODY has been found--washed up in the Wash--in a German war plane. Not so mysterious until they realize--almost right away--that it is not the German pilot in the pilot's seat--but a long-missing resident of the village, Stephen Elliot of Marston Hall. HOW did his body get in the plane? What happened to the German pilot? Elliot's death was obviously murder--based on the evidence of his skull--but was the German pilot murdered too? WHICH of the village residents are suspect? 

The case keeps getting more complex as he begins to question everything and everyone....there are MANY secrets in the village. Not all relate to the murders, of course, but all must be investigated to sort out WHO had the motive and opportunity to commit what might have been a near-perfect crime.

My thoughts: I loved this one. I ABSOLUTELY loved, loved, loved it. I loved the small ("quaint") British village. I love how the village was peopled--the characterization was marvelous. I love how substantive the mystery was. I love how it hinted at history. (The victim was researching King John and how he lost his treasure when attempting to cross the Wash). I love all the side characters that we've come to know throughout the book series--Kaz, of course, Big Mike, Diana, etc. But I also love all the villagers. (Well, most of them.) The book had a WONDERFUL quality to it. This presents a different element of the war mystery. This isn't so much front-lines and battle zones (as some have been) but more home-front and behind the scenes. This doesn't mean that Billy is safe and that there are no dangers....after all the village has at least one murderer....

Highly recommend the whole entire series.

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Premise/plot: Historical fiction set in New York City in the 1950s. This historical novel has a framework. It is set in 1992--December--and in 1956. Marion, the protagonist, is a dancer who auditions and becomes a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall. Her father (and boyfriend) object strongly. She defies them both and goes for her dream anyway. Her sister, unfortunately, gets caught up in the drama. During one of the shows, her sister is the victim of a mad bomber. (A bomb left in the seat next to her). Marion catches sight of this "Big Apple Bomber" who has been setting off bombs for over fifteen years--since the early 1940s. The police don't take her eyewitness account seriously. But Marion is convinced that she can help solve this case--with or without the support of the police. She recruits a psychologist who is experimenting with something brand new--psychological profiling. Can they profile the type of man likely to commit these crimes and give the police an idea of who to look for?

My thoughts: Do not expect romance. Do expect drama. I enjoyed the mystery. I'm not sure I support the ways in which Marion and Peter (the psychologist) went about solving the crime. I could be wrong, but the way they "gather evidence" seems to violate all the rules and guidelines for what would be admissible in a court of law. (That is not addressed. And what do I know for sure about 1950s New York police departments or the court systems?)

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

First sentence: The children were playing while Holston climbed to his death; he could hear them squealing as only happy children do. While they thundered about frantically above, Holston took his time, each step methodical and ponderous, as he wound his way around and around the spiral staircase, old boots ringing out on metal treads.

My thoughts: I first read this one in 2013. I loved it so, so, so much. I never went back to reread it, however, until now. I saw that it was being adapted into a show/series. I may never see the adaptation, but I am so glad that I took this chance to reread it. It's been long enough that it was like reading it for the first time--which was glorious for the horror-mystery bits. I love the tension of this one.

Premise/plot: Set in the future. What remains of humanity is living underground in a silo--or silos, as the case may be. Generations have come and gone, hundreds of years have passed, those that live in the silo have only ever known the silo. It functions or malfunctions, as the case may be, by following or "following" rules and guidelines put into place. But what happens when little things trigger chain reactions? 

So this one is titled, "Wool." Those trouble-makers, those "law-breakers," if you will, are "punished" by being sent OUT. And one of their last responsibilities is cleaning. Cleaning cameras, viewers, windows? But one woman sentenced to this fate refuses to clean....and subsequently....well life in Silo 18 will never be the same.

Further thoughts: I definitely recommend this book. It's a little bit of everything--dystopia, mystery, suspense, horror, science fiction. It alternates points of view. But this is an instance where that is a great thing--used for building suspense.

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Premise/plot: James R. Benn's The Refusal Camp is a collection of short stories. It's a blend of history, mystery, and war--for the most part. Not all stories fit into a neat category. The stories span centuries. The stories are as follows:

• The Horse Chestnut Tree
• The Two Neds
• Glass
• Red Christmas
• The Refusal Camp
• Irish Tommy
• Billy Boyle: The Lost Prologue
• The Secret of Hemlock Hill
• Vengeance Weapon

The Refusal Camp, the title story, features the girlfriend of Billy Boyle in her undercover identity. Irish Tommy features Billy Boyle's father and uncle. The Lost Prologue to the novel Billy Boyle does not feature Billy Boyle. It does tie into the first book, but, Billy Boyle himself is not present. The other stories are definitely stand-alone stories. (I think ALL of the stories can be read that way.)

My thoughts: I would rate the story "Glass" to be FIVE STAR all the way. It is one of the BEST, BEST, BEST short stories I've read in years. I highly recommend seeking out this story. Even if it's your own story to read from this collection, it's worth a check out from the library.

Plenty of the stories I would rate as four stars. The characterization is there. Many are oh-so-human. It's hard not to get attached to the characters and their stories. The stories can be a little dark and gritty. Not for shock value, at least I don't think so, but because war is horrifying and traumatic. 

My least favorite story is probably The Secret of Hemlock Hill. I didn't personally want to read about over-enthusiastic "archaeologists" or "historians" dig up graves to see if they can find Civil War era stuff to sell.

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Premise/plot: Joanna Oliva has a choice to make--a big one. She's been followed home from the bar--or she thinks she has. Someone is in pursuit, she can hear his steady footsteps, getting closer, closer. What happens next is quick, fast, and life-changing. He falls--she pushes? Should she flee the scene? stay and help? Report the crime? Or try to cover it up? The novel alternates between her choice(s). One set of chapters is the 'reveal'--what happens when she reports the accident. The other set of chapters is the 'conceal'--what happens when she flees the scene and does not tell anyone about the accident. The facts do differ in the two stories--a bit. Because her choice will have consequences on the guy in question...

The book is told in first person narrative. The readers get to know Joanna's friends and family through both choices...

My thoughts: It is compelling without a doubt. I had to keep reading to figure out which choice--if either--was better or better for her. I don't know that the ending was ultimately satisfying to me. (The two choices lead to the exact same ending as the two Joanna's merge, if you will). But if you are looking for a book that's hard to put down to read in a single weekend, or perhaps even a single sitting, this one may satisfy. It is set in the UK. It's format is unique, I think.

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews