Category Archives: Historical (90s)

October 15, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton

Title: The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Historical (60s & 90s), Mystery, Suspense, Slight Occult Elements
Length: 432 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Sharon Bolton returns with her creepiest standalone yet, following a young cop trying to trace the disappearances of a small town’s teenagers.

Florence Lovelady’s career was made when she convicted coffin-maker Larry Grassbrook of a series of child murders 30 years ago in a small village in Lancashire. Like something out of a nightmare, the victims were buried alive. Florence was able to solve the mystery and get a confession out of Larry before more children were murdered., and he spent the rest of his life in prison.

But now, decades later, he’s dead, and events from the past start to repeat themselves. Is someone copying the original murders? Or did she get it wrong all those years ago? When her own son goes missing under similar circumstances, the case not only gets reopened… it gets personal.

In master of suspense Sharon Bolton’s latest thriller, readers will find a page-turner to confirm their deepest fears and the only protagonist who can face them.

Review:

Set in 1969 and 1999, The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton is an intriguing mystery with slight occult elements (witchcraft).

In 1969, WPC Florence Lovelady is the only woman on the Lancashire police force.  She is working in the small village of Sabden where three teenagers have inexplicably gone missing. The latest young woman to disappear is fourteen year old Patsy Wood and Florence comes up with an innovative idea in hopes of receiving tips from the public. Florence takes matters into her own hands when Superintendent Stanley Ruston is slow to act and she makes a gruesome discovery. She is then assigned to work the case alongside DC Tom Devine and the rest of the team and Florence makes some startling findings that lead to the arrest and conviction of coffin-maker Larry Glassbrook.

In 1999, Florence is back in Sabden along with her fifteen year old son Ben for Larry’s funeral. Over the past thirty years, she has periodically visited Larry in prison and she is little troubled by something he said to her during their last conversation. Returning to his house, she makes a chilling discovery that raise doubts about Larry’s guilt. Turning to her old friend Tom Devine, who is still on the police force, they work together to uncover the truth about who might have been responsible for the kidnappings and murders thirty years earlier.

The narrative begins in 1999 then quickly shifts back to the investigation in 1969. Florence is new to the force but she has keen instincts that quickly turn up leads to follow. Not everyone is happy to work alongside a woman so Florence is also dealing with sexism from her older co-workers. She soon learns to not to allow their attitudes affect and she diligently works the case.  Florence hears whispers of witchcraft and learns of a possible connection to the Stonemasons but does this information have anything to do with the missing teenagers?

The Craftsman is a fast-paced mystery with a chilling storyline and fascinating supernatural elements. The characters are multi-faceted and their attitudes are true to the time period.  Florence is a sharply intelligent woman whose confidence in her abilities grows throughout the investigation. The kidnappings and murders are disturbing but this part of the storyline is tastefully handled.  The witchcraft aspect is quite interesting and it is naturally incorporated into the story in a believable fashion.  With absolutely stunning twists and startling turns, Sharon Bolton brings the novel to a jaw-dropping, shocking conclusion.  I highly recommend this riveting mystery to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Contemporary, Historical, Historical (60s), Historical (90s), Minotaur Books, Mystery, Occult, Rated B, Review, Sharon Bolton, Suspense, The Craftsman

August 29, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: Idyll Hands by Stephanie Gayle

Title: Idyll Hands by Stephanie Gayle
Thomas Lynch Series Book Three
Publisher: Seventh Street Books
Genre: Historical (90s), Mystery, Suspense
Length: 303 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

In the small, sleepy town of Idyll, Connecticut, Police Chief Thomas Lynch assists police officer Michael Finnegan to uncover clues to his sister’s disappearance two decades ago.

Charleston, Massachusetts, 1972: Rookie cop Michael Finnegan gets a call from his mother. His youngest sister, Susan, has disappeared, the same sister who ran away two years earlier. Anxious not to waste police resources, Finnegan advises his family to wait and search on their own. But a week turns into two decades, and Susan is never found.

Idyll, Connecticut, 1999: In the woods outside of town, a young woman’s corpse is discovered, and Detective Finnegan seems unusually disturbed by the case. When Police Chief Thomas Lynch learns about Finnegan’s past, he makes a bargain with his officer: He will allow Finnegan to investigate the body found in the woods–if Finnegan lets the bored Lynch secretly look into the disappearance of his sister.

Both cases reveal old secrets–about the murder, and about the men inside the Idyll Police Station and what they’ve been hiding from each other their whole careers.

Review:

Set in 1999, Idyll Hands by Stephanie Gayle is a spellbinding police procedural about the investigations into two unrelated cold cases. This third installment in the Thomas Lynch series is just as outstanding as the two preceding novels. Although this latest outing can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend the entire series.

Thomas Lynch is a former New York detective who is now the police chief in Idyll, CT. Without much serious crime and two detectives on staff to handle investigations, Lynch remains hopelessly bored as he handles budgets and avoids Mayor Mike Mitchell. Nosing around the evidence room, he finds a box containing a human bone and unexpected DNA results. The bone belongs to a still unidentified victim and Lynch’s curiosity is piqued by the DNA test.  When skeletonized remains are discovered close to where the bone was found years earlier, Detective Lewis Wright and his partner, part-time Detective Michael “Finny” Finnegan are assigned to the case. Meanwhile, Thomas begins an investigation into the still unsolved disappearance of Finny’s sister Susan who has been missing for twenty seven years.  With both cases long grown cold, will the investigations lead to justice for the families of the victims?

Wright and Finny have their work cut out for them as they attempt to identify their victim.  They diligently sort through a slew of missing persons cases and their search soon pays off.  After sifting though old case files and  re-interviewing the victim’s parents, Wright and Finny are beginning to zero in on a suspect. But will the passage of time make it impossible for them to find the evidence they need to definitively link the victim to the killer?

Thomas  surreptitiously  enlists Wright’s help with the investigation into Susan’s disappearance. This unexpected partnership is a surprising boon to their uneasy working relationship but this improvement remains fragile.  A surprising insight by Thomas takes the case in a completely unanticipated direction but their progress eventually runs into a brick wall. Lynch continues combing through police reports and with previous witnesses speaking more freely, a break in the case raises hope they will learn Susan’s fate.

Lewis and Thomas are both undergoing a bit of turmoil in their private lives. Now that everyone knows Thomas is gay, he is involved in his first public relationship with FBI Agent Matt Cisco. Thomas is still grappling with the complexities of conducting a romance out in the open so he makes a few mistakes and stumbles that jeopardize his future with Matt. Not everyone under his command is comfortable working for a gay boss and Lewis remains on edge around Lynch. Working together on Susan’s case helps erase some of tension between them, but Wright is extremely stressed due to an unexpected family crisis. Lewis is quick to shut Lynch out but will this put an end to their cordial working relationship?

With an marvelous cast of characters, witty banter and two fascinating cases to solve,  Idyll Hands is an absolutely riveting mystery.  Thomas is more at ease with his quiet life in Idyll but he still misses the fast-paced career he left behind.  Susan’s case provides interesting insight into oft-divorced yet always amiable Detective Finnegan. Lewis is still hesitant to fully accept Lynch’s revelation about his personal life so it is quite refreshing to witness a thawing in his attitude toward his boss. The dual investigations into the cold cases are realistically portrayed as the detectives encounter the expected issues with witnesses and reports since so many years have passed since the victims’ disappeared. This latest addition to Stephanie Gayle’s Thomas Lynch series is another top-notch police procedural that fans of the genre are going to love.

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Filed under Contemporary, Historical, Historical (90s), Idyll Hands, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Seventh Street Books, Suspense, Thomas Lynch Series

January 21, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: Brass by Xhenet Aliu

Title: Brass by Xhenet Aliu
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Contemporary/Historical, Fiction
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

“A fierce, big-hearted, unflinching debut”* novel about mothers and daughters, haves and have-nots, and the stark realities behind the American Dream

A waitress at the Betsy Ross Diner, Elsie hopes her nickel-and-dime tips will add up to a new life. Then she meets Bashkim, who is at once both worldly and naïve, a married man who left Albania to chase his dreams—and wound up working as a line cook in Waterbury, Connecticut. Back when the brass mills were still open, this bustling factory town drew one wave of immigrants after another. Now it’s the place they can’t seem to leave. Elsie, herself the granddaughter of Lithuanian immigrants, falls in love quickly, but when she learns that she’s pregnant, Elsie can’t help wondering where Bashkim’s heart really lies, and what he’ll do about the wife he left behind.

Seventeen years later, headstrong and independent Luljeta receives a rejection letter from NYU and her first-ever suspension from school on the same day. Instead of striking out on her own in Manhattan, she’s stuck in Connecticut with her mother, Elsie—a fate she refuses to accept. Wondering if the key to her future is unlocking the secrets of the past, Lulu decides to find out what exactly her mother has been hiding about the father she never knew. As she soon discovers, the truth is closer than she ever imagined.

Told in equally gripping parallel narratives with biting wit and grace, Brass announces a fearless new voice with a timely, tender, and quintessentially American story.

Review:

Brass by Xhenet Aliu explores the relationship of a mother and daughter who both dream of escaping their economically depressed town.

In 1996, Elsie Kuzavinas is working as a waitress at a diner owned by Alabanian immigrants. She has big dreams of earning enough money to purchase a car and leave behind both her dead-end job and hometown.  Entering into an affair with Bashkim, whose wife, Agnes did not accompany him to America, an unplanned pregnancy threatens to derail her plans. With promises to help raise their baby, Bashkim convinces her to continue the pregnancy but he leaves before she gives birth. Now following in the path of her own mother (but hopefully minus the drinking problem),  Elsie barely ekes out a living for herself and her daughter Luljeta “Lulu”.

Fast forward seventeen years and Lulu also dreams of leaving Waterbury for New York where she plans to attend college.  A bit of a social outcast, she is a painfully shy young woman who always follows the rules.  When she receives a college rejection letter, she ends up suspended from school following an altercation with the school bully. Lulu decides it is time to learn the truth about the father she has never met.

The storyline weaves back and forth in time so readers get to see both mother and daughter at the same age as they each attempt to reach the same goal: leave their bleak hometown with hopes of a brighter future.  Elsie and Bashkim are both a little naive about finances but once Elsie gets pregnant, reality strikes rather quickly. Life with Bashkim is not easy and she is planning a way out when he betrays her. Lulu wants to avoid the same fate as her mother and she has worked hard to ensure she makes it into college, but the rejection letter hits her hard and she becomes a little cynical.

Brass is an unflinchingly honest portrayal of life in a financially depressed town.  Xhenet Aliu paints a rather hopeless and depressing future for both Elsie and Lulu as they fail to realize their dreams of escaping the same fate as the previous generations. While the storyline is interesting, the pacing of the story is rather slow. Elsie’s chapters are much easier to read than Lulu’s which are written in second person.  The novel comes to a bit of an unexpected conclusion that is a little heartrending.

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Filed under Brass, Contemporary, Fiction, Historical, Historical (90s), Random House, Rated C, Review, Xhenet Aliu

March 1, 2017 · 11:57 pm

Review: The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis

Title: The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis
Publisher: Hogarth
Genre: Historical (80s, 90s), Fiction
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Penguin’s First to Read Program

Summary:

A richly textured coming-of-age story about fathers and sons, home and family, recalling classics by Thomas Wolfe and William Styron, by a powerful new voice in fiction

Just before Henry Aster’s birth, his father—outsized literary ambition and pregnant wife in tow—reluctantly returns to the small Appalachian town in which he was raised and installs his young family in an immense house of iron and glass perched high on the side of a mountain. There, Henry grows up under the writing desk of this fiercely brilliant man. But when tragedy tips his father toward a fearsome unraveling, what was once a young son’s reverence is poisoned and Henry flees, not to return until years later when he, too, must go home again.

Mythic in its sweep and mesmeric in its prose, THE BARROWFIELDS is a breathtaking debut about the darker side of devotion, the limits of forgiveness, and the reparative power of shared pasts.

Review:

Set in a rural town in the Appalachian Mountains,The Barrowfields is a melancholy yet interesting debut by Phillip Lewis.

After tragedy strikes their family, young Henry Aster reminisces about his father, also named Henry, who managed to leave his rural roots only to return with his pregnant wife, Eleonore, when his mother’s health begins to fail.  Henry Sr is a prodigious reader with dreams of writing of his own novel and works as a lawyer to support his family. After winning a lucrative case, he purchases a rather spooky house that overlooks the town where he works on his novel while drinking heavily.  Following a tragic loss, young Henry eventually follows in his father’s footsteps as he leaves for college only to eventually return to his birthplace where he must finally come to terms with the events that occurred before striking out on his own.

The flashbacks from Henry Jr about his childhood offer a somewhat bleak portrait of his rather dysfunctional family.  Henry Sr spends night after night writing his novel and drinking which leaves Henry Jr. taking on paternal duties with his much younger sister Threnody.  Most of Henry’s reminiscences focus on his dad with only passing mention of his mom, Eleonore, who is apparently quite devoted to her husband.  After Henry’s paternal grandmother passes away, Henry’s family undergoes a few changes that end in tragedy and culminate with Henry Sr.’s continued downward spiral.

The pacing of the novel picks up when Henry Jr goes to college where he also goes on to law school.  He spends a lot of his time drinking and mooning over  Story, the young woman who has stolen his heart.  However, Story has her own drama to contend with but Henry is a willing participant in her quest to attain answers that no one is willing to give.  It is not until Henry returns to face his own past that he figures out the truth she has searching for.  In the process of coming to terms with his family’s history, Henry attempts to repair his long fractured relationship with Threnody.

Although a bit slow paced, The Barrowfields is an imaginative debut novel.  Phillip Lewis brings the setting vibrantly to life and it is quite easy to visualize the rural town and its inhabitants.  The characters are richly developed and life-like with all too human frailties and foibles.  An atmospheric coming of age novel that leaves readers hopeful Henry Jr and Threnody will find a way to avoid repeating the mistakes that took their father down a somewhat dark path.

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Filed under Fiction, Historical, Historical (80s), Historical (90s), Hogarth, Phillip Lewis, Rated B, Review, The Barrowfields

May 16, 2016 · 11:57 pm

Review: Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman

Title: Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Historical (90s), Mystery
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

On Halloween, 1991, a popular high school basketball star ventures into the woods near Battle Creek, Pennsylvania, and disappears. Three days later, he’s found with a bullet in his head and a gun in his hand—a discovery that sends tremors through this conservative community, already unnerved by growing rumors of Satanic worship in the region.

In the wake of this incident, bright but lonely Hannah Dexter is befriended by Lacey Champlain, a dark-eyed, Cobain-worshiping bad influence in lip gloss and Doc Martens. The charismatic, seductive Lacey forges a fast, intimate bond with the impressionable Dex, making her over in her own image and unleashing a fierce defiance that neither girl expected. But as Lacey gradually lures Dex away from her safe life into a feverish spiral of obsession, rebellion, and ever greater risk, an unwelcome figure appears on the horizon—and Lacey’s secret history collides with Dex’s worst nightmare.

By turns a shocking story of love and violence and an addictive portrait of the intoxication of female friendship, set against the unsettled backdrop of a town gripped by moral panic, Girls on Fire is an unflinching and unforgettable snapshot of girlhood: girls lost and found, girls strong and weak, girls who burn bright and brighter—and some who flicker away.

Review:

Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman is a disturbing exploration of the darker side of teenage girls’ friendships.

Hannah Dexter is an ordinary and wholly unremarkable teenager who is essentially friendless until befriended by newcomer Lacey Champlain in the aftermath of popular classmate Craig Ellison’s inexplicable suicide.  Lacey is the quintessential bad girl who easily transforms good girl Hannah into rebellious Dex.  Throw in resident mean girl (and Craig’s girlfriend) Nikki Drummond into the mix and it is just a matter of time before the story takes a very sinister turn.

After suffering an extremely humiliating experience made much worse by Nikki’s involvement, Hannah is bewildered but thrilled when Lacey takes her under her wing.  The two girls are soon inseparable and Hannah, who Lacey renames “Dex”, eagerly follows wherever her new friend leads.  Dex is an enthusiastic participant as Lacey introduces her to underage drinking, encourages her to experiment with drugs and prompts her to explore her dormant sexuality.  Engaging in increasingly risky behavior, events at a party quickly spiral out of control and Dex finds comfort from a very unlikely source.

Worshipping at the altar of Kurt Cobain and his angst-ridden lyrics, Lacey takes the small town of Battle Creek, PA by storm.  Ignored by her alcoholic mother and scornful of her pious stepfather, Lacey challenges authority and takes teenage defiance to a whole new level. Lacey is manipulative and seductive and underneath her rebellious exterior dwells a very troubled young woman.

Nikki is popular but bored and no one wants to get on her bad side since she is also cruel and calculating.  Surprisingly, she is type of girl whose meanness is not easily recognized and her reputation is never damaged by her bullying.  But beneath her sickly sweet persona lurks plenty of dark and menacing secrets that Nikki will go to great lengths to keep hidden.

While the premise of Girls on Fire is certainly interesting, the story quickly becomes bogged down in superfluous details and rambling, repetitive inner monologues. The overall pacing is a little sluggish and although the brief glimpses of an illicit relationship are intriguing, the slow trickle of details is frustrating and tedious.  The time period,  the small town setting and references to the news of the day are absolutely spot on and provide an interesting and perfect backdrop for some aspects of the storyline.

Dark, violent and sexually charged, Girls on Fire is a gritty and sometimes overly dramatic novel that delves into the intricacies of toxic relationships. While not always an easy story to read, Robin Wasserman does an excellent job keeping the storyline unpredictable and the novel’s conclusion is rather shocking and completely unexpected.  An overall unsettling story that I recommend to mature readers.

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Filed under Girls on Fire, Harper, Historical (90s), Mystery, Rated C, Review, Robin Wasserman