The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown

 

First Line: Tyburn, 1534. Elizabeth was at first unafraid at the Tree.

When sixteenth-century nun Elizabeth Barton was executed for her prophecy condemning Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, it was thought that all copies of those prophecies had been destroyed-- until historian Alison Sage discovered a manuscript. 

Her find catapults Sage into academic superstardom and earns her an invitation to the exclusive Codex Consortium. For one week, she will be living with other historians in a crumbling English manor house next to the ruined priory where Elizabeth herself once lived.

When a murder occurs, this promising conference turns into a nightmare. Everyone is a suspect, and everything seems to point to a local legend about a centuries-old treasure. Alison's research makes her the logical choice to solve the mystery, and she soon learns that the world of academia is every bit as dangerous as Elizabeth Barton's sixteenth-century England.

~

Debut novelist Jennifer Brown has crafted a strong dual timeline mystery featuring a fascinating bit of English history. Elizabeth Barton, better known as the Mad Maid of Kent, had a vision and became locally famous, drawing pilgrims to the priory where she lived. The resulting monetary windfall gathered men with ulterior motives around this naive, unschooled girl. 

While Elizabeth is navigating a very dangerous time in English history, historian Alison Sage is finding the paths of academia rather murky. Everyone at the conference is outstanding in their fields. Everyone has a degree. Everyone is published... and everyone seems to have their own agendas. But what are those agendas?

The strongest part of The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton is the mystery. What's going on at this conference? Will the Mad Maid of Kent's voice be heard once again? Yes, the history and the mystery are solid, and definitely held my interest. However, I never did fully engage with any of the characters, and since that is what I like most in the books I read, I was a bit disappointed.

Read this book for the history and the mystery, and you should enjoy it. Read it mainly for the characters, and you might find it lacking.

The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown

eISBN: 9781250383600

St. Martin's Press © 2026

eBook, 307 pages

Dual Timeline Thriller, Standalone

Rating: B-

Source: Net Galley

The Monk by Tim Sullivan

 

First Line: George Cross was rarely shocked by anything he came across during his work as a detective sergeant in the Avon and Somerset police.

Detective George Cross likes his life to be ordered and predictable, but with the reappearance of his mother, he's left feeling confused and uncomfortable. That's undoubtedly why, when the savagely beaten body of a monk is found in a woodland outside Bristol, he throws himself into the investigation.

It's a case tailor-made for him. There are no leads whatsoever. No one knows anything about Brother Dominic's past, and everyone seemed to have loved him. But when Cross learns that Brother Dominic was a wealthy man, he may have found the true motive: greed.

~

I normally prefer spacing series books several months apart, but Tim Sullivan's Detective Sergeant George Cross mysteries have proven to be an exception. Each book, like this latest, The Monk, has a strong mystery and a developing cast of characters that can really get its hooks into a reader.

The dead man, Brother Dominic, is a bit of a mystery. Seemingly beloved by everyone who knew him, nothing is known of his past, and it's not until Cross begins digging into that past that the investigation gains momentum. Watching this man's diligent, unstoppable search for the truth is a true joy. 

Readers learn more about Cross from his reaction to monastic life on repeated visits to St. Eustace's, and we also learn more about the others. Detective Sergeant Josie Ottey has a growing fondness for Cross. She realizes that part of her job is paving the way for this oftentimes difficult man so he can "do his thing." Is she becoming Watson to his Holmes?

We also see how each of the major characters spends a weekend away from work. Character-driven readers should sink into the books in this series with a deep sigh of pleasure.

I love this series. Can you read them out of order? Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. As strong as the mysteries are, watching the characters grow is the best part. Now that I've read The Monk, I'm looking forward to meeting with Cross and the others again soon.

The Monk by Tim Sullivan

eISBN: 9780802167729

Atlantic Crime © 2026

eBook, 408 pages

Police Procedural, #5 DS George Cross

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Surprise, Surprise!

Suzanne and Daisy will be here in a few hours, and I'm just about to settle down with a book and relax, but since I don't know when I'll be posting next, I had to share something with you.

I was looking out the dining room window yesterday morning while waiting for the cleaning lady when I noticed a hummingbird that kept coming back to one of the wind spinners hanging from the eaves at the front of the house. (Denis put the wind spinners up to deter the Gila woodpeckers from drilling holes in the house. It worked.)

When I took a closer look, I realized that she had a good reason to hang around that wind spinner. 

Notice how she chose the hummingbird-themed one. I hope a strong wind doesn't come up!

The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris by Mark Pryor

 

First Line: The darkness was complete and, for someone who'd never received so much as a parking ticket, the starless night sky and black leafless trees were a protection greatly valued as The Shadow slipped a key into the front door.

Former head of security at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, Hugo Marston, has retired. It's time to make his lifelong dream of owning a mystery and antiquarian bookshop come true. Then comes the call from J. Bradford Taylor, the U.S. Ambassador. A chocolatier has been targeted for blackmail, and the ambassador calls in Marston to investigate. Hugo must find a way to make the ambassador happy and get his bookshop ready for its grand opening at the same time.

~

A few years ago, I read the first of Mark Pryor's Hugo Marston mysteries, The Bookseller, and although I did like the book's window into Parisian life and its strong mystery, the characters failed to "click" with me. I decided to give Hugo another chance in Pryor's The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris, the first in his new Paris Bookshop series.

Once again, I was transported to Paris. I enjoyed watching Hugo and his assistant, Blake Holmes, talk mysteries while getting the shop ready for business. I learned a great deal about the chocolate business, and the 18th-century chateau and former convent was the perfect location for Eclat de Chocolat. I even learned about what is entailed in being given a Royal Warrant.

The mystery is strong and kept me guessing, but-- once again-- the cast just didn't click with this character-driven reader. Why? It's a mystery to me because I do like Hugo Marston and his friends. It's like real life, I suppose. I've met many people that I've liked, yet had no desire to further an acquaintance with them.

However, don't let my lukewarm reaction keep you from giving this book a try. There's a lot to like about it, and it may just be your perfect cup of tea.

The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris by Mark Pryor

eISBN: 9781496756404

Kensington © 2026

eBook, 272 pages

Thriller/Suspense, #1 Paris Bookshop

Rating: C+

Source: Net Galley

Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh

 

First Line: A young woman has the camera in selfie mode as she goes through a door into a modern apartment and walks into the kitchen area.

Social media influencer Elly Parker thought she had the perfect life until, in the worst way possible, she discovered her husband was having an affair with her best friend. She thought there was no way things could be worse until she stopped to help a stranger in distress. 

Now Elly needs a lawyer who's willing to bend the rules in order to find the truth that will keep her out of prison. Eddie Flynn and his team sign on for the job, but they find themselves hunting a master manipulator who's always one step ahead.

~

It's always a pleasure to watch former con man/current lawyer Eddie Flynn take on the impossible, and his latest, Two Kinds of Stranger, is no exception. 

Even though I have a rather jaundiced view of social media influencers, Elly Parker is such an engaging character that I couldn't help but want her to be saved. Cavanagh does an excellent job in showing her world, her emotions, unraveling right in front of everyone. 

What is unusual in Two Kinds of Stranger is the fact that the master manipulator who's decided to ruin Elly's life isn't your garden-variety criminal. There are twists and turns to his own life that, although you know he must be brought to justice, you can't help but feel a tiny bit of sympathy for him.

Eddie Flynn and his team are at their best here, dealing with two very important cases simultaneously, and I loved watching everything come together. If you're in the mood for a fast-paced tale with plenty of surprises as well as a strong cast of characters, Two Kinds of Stranger may be just what the doctor ordered. 

Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh

eISBN: 9781668093412

Atria Books © 2026

eBook, 400 pages

Legal Thriller, #9 Eddie Flynn

Rating: A-

Source: Net Galley

The Joy of Anticipation Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Mother Nature can be exceedingly cruel. Phoenix is already in the triple digits heat wise... just in time for my nieces to arrive from the UK next Tuesday. Daisy is a bit like me. The two of us sat out in the pool one afternoon reading our books when it was 120°F/49°C. Her mother, Suzanne is the opposite, so I'm really hoping Mother Nature reins it in during the time they are here.

Am I anticipating their visit? Not at all!

They're coming! They're coming!

I don't think you'll be surprised when I say that I doubt that I'll be posting much while they're here. In fact, there are still a few things I need to do, so I'm going to shut up and head on out to the corral. I have some rounding up to do. Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The nationwide book ban bill has moved to the House. Learn how to take action.
• Jane Fonda is set to star in a movie adaptation of The Correspondent.
• Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is being adapted for TV.
• Typos have plagued us for centuries.
• Around 10,000 authors protested the AI commercial research exception with the publication of an empty book.
• Knit one, bomb two: A primer on yarn bombing.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• The brilliant blue paint covering this lavish room in ancient Pompeii may have cost more than half the annual salary of a Roman foot soldier.
• A dark message warning the enemy to "learn your lesson" was found inscribed on a 2,000-year-old sling bullet from the ancient Holy Land.
• Divers found marble treasure from Athens' Acropolis in Lord Elgin's shipwrecked brig at the bottom of the Aegean Sea.
• A Roman military fort has been discovered in Scotland far north of Hadrian's Wall.
• The Egyptians used an ancient version of Wite-Out to correct their mistakes on this papyrus scroll 3,300 years ago.
• The trouble with authentic ancient statues.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Meet the "firefighting" donkeys of Spain.
• These charcoal-eating fungi flourish after fires. Uncovering their genetic secrets could help rebuild burned ecosystems.
• These koalas bounced back from the brink of local extinction extremely fast. Surprisingly, so did their genetic resilience.
• Why has Punch, an adorable baby monkey, struggled to fit in with his troop? Scientists explain the lives of Japanese macaques.
• Learning to live beside endangered tigers may be the key to saving them.
• These California condors might be tending to the species' first egg in the state's northern region in more than a century.

►The Wanderer◄

• Inside the tiny bookshop where Oscar winners shop.
• UNESCO designates Medellín, Colombia, as the World Book Capital for 2027.
• Central Park could have been filled with fussy, fancy gardens.
• Frank Lloyd Wright's vision for the Martin House included everything inside it. See how experts recovered furniture, artworks, and decorative glass.
• A Chicago true crime reading list.
• From sprites to schnapps, take a spirited trip through Germany's Black Forest.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• The real Count of Monte Cristo was Alexandre Dumas' father, a trailblazing Black general.
• Sujata Massey on Indian mysteries, Saradindu Bandyopadhyay, and South Asian cinema.
• High schooler Selina Zhang invented an AI-powered trap that zaps invasive lanternflies.
• America's Christie: How Mignon G. Eberhart helped shape the modern female sleuth.
• Russia's centuries-old bride-shows were the original version of The Bachelor.
• Four forgotten female authors who inspired Jane Austen.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Modern-day Thelmas and Louises: 10 crime novels featuring female duos.
• Five true crime books featuring forgers, fraudsters, and con artists.
• Six mansion cozy mysteries.
• Five common fears that only made sense hundreds of years ago.
• NPR's Books We Love in 2025.
• Eight mysteries and thrillers set in Florida.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

 

First Line: The right book in the hands of the right person at exactly the right moment can change their life forever.

Since the death of her husband, celebrity memoir editor Tilly Nightingale has been in a fog of grief. Unable to enjoy her favorite books and her crafts, she is shocked to receive a call from a local bookshop telling her she has a gift waiting for her there.

The gift is from her beloved husband Joe. With the help of shop owner Alfie Lane, Joe has chosen a year of books for Tilly-- twelve books, each with a handwritten letter from him.

Seduced by her husband's words, Tilly becomes immersed in each book, and each one encourages her to open a new chapter in her life.

~

Like humor, grief is a very personal and very subjective emotion. After reading so many good things about This Book Made Me Think of You, I decided to read it. 

Having lost my own husband for about the same length of time as the main character, Tilly Nightingale, I was naturally drawn in by her situation. For the first half of the book, I enjoyed watching Tilly immerse herself in each book that her husband Joe had chosen for her. These books not only addressed her grief, but also began to help her with other issues in her life. 

Unfortunately, the second half of the book began to drag for me. Why? Because it was extremely predictable. Now... I know that a predictable, feel-good story can be just what the doctor ordered. It can give flagging spirits just the boost they need. I've had this happen to me. However, the magic just didn't work for me this time. Is it because of my own situation? I don't know. But, as I said, grief is a very subjective emotion. Just because this wasn't the right book for me at the right moment doesn't mean that it won't be for you.

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

eISBN: 9798217187003

Berkley © 2026

eBook, 416 pages

Standalone Fiction

Rating: B-

Source: Purchased from Amazon

A Landscapes and Marathons Weekly Link Round-Up

 

It's been a much better week here at Casa Kittling. It always is when government agencies don't have to be dealt with. I finally had the tree folks come in. I'd found the information on the company that Denis and I had used for years and contacted them. They quoted a much lower price than the other places that had given me estimates, and since I knew they did good work, naturally I went with them.

I am so happy that I did. It took them all day, but this property no longer looks like the Munsters' house at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. (I know some of you will know what I'm talking about.)

1313 Mockingbird Lane

Forgive me for only giving you a "Before" photo. I'm being lazy today. 

I don't know if I got a widows and orphans discount or what, but the crew did a lot more than what was listed on the estimate. In fact, they've saved me from calling in another company that's done yard clean-up for us for several years. It's so nice to be able to sing the praises of a company instead of lobbing complaints at them.

I'm about to finish up This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page. Although I have been enjoying it, my enthusiasm has waned quite a bit. For me, the story has become too predictable, and although some feel-good, predictable stories hit the spot, I don't think I'm quite in the mood for one now.

In fact, my mood has been rather unsettled of late, and I've found myself doing something I haven't done since I was in my thirties: having nightly marathons of the films of a lusted-after actor. For me, it's been Timothy Dalton, my favorite James Bond and the perfect Mr. Rochester. At this point, I almost have the complete dialogue to Jane Eyre memorized. Not only do I think the 1980s Dalton is gorgeous, I love his voice.

Enough prattling-- I have links waiting to be shared. Virtual hugs to you all!

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The USA Today bestseller list fell under scrutiny. (I don't know about you, but I do tend to view bestseller lists with a raised eyebrow.)
• Here's the memo approving Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot for use in the Senate. (They need all the help they can get, but...AI?)
• Some people keep razor-sharp minds into their 80s and beyond. A new study reveals their secrets.
• I before she: There's been a profound shift in perspective preferences when it comes to romance novels. (Third person? First person?)
• Libraries are feeling the cost burden of eBook popularity.
• The truth behind the endless "kids can't read" discourse.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• A Russian Revolution gold coin hoard worth over $500,000 was discovered during house construction.
• Tudor courtiers exchanged portrait miniatures as love tokens. Centuries later, new research is unlocking the secrets of these intimate artworks.
• A man in the Czech Republic accidentally found a Bronze Age spearhead mold in his backyard.
• This traveler from India graffitied his name on five ancient tombs in Egypt's Valley of the Kings 2,000 years ago.
• They joked about discovering a forgotten masterpiece. Now, experts say they're the unwitting owners of an original Rembrandt.
• A pre-Inca culture acquired Amazonian parrots from hundreds of miles away to use their feathers to decorate the dead.
• The walls of a 15th-century church collapsed, and out fell 12 hidden skeletons.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• "It's nature calling to humans, and humans deciding whether or not to reply"-- why we need to start paying attention to our mutually beneficial relationships with other species.
• The glorious 30-year star-studded past of the Oscars for animals.
• Scientists thought these marsupials went extinct 6,000 years ago. They just found the animals alive.
• Why aren't mammals as colorful as reptiles, birds, or fish?
• When did domestic cats take over the world? New research suggests they arrived in Europe and China centuries later than we thought.
• Octopuses fall for the rubber hand illusion, just like humans, pointing to a sense of body ownership.

►The Wanderer◄

• Vibrant wildflowers are blanketing Death Valley National Park, resulting in the most breathtaking bloom in a decade.
• Crime and the City: Martha's Vineyard.
• The sweat of tourists has covered Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel fresco in a white film. Now, the "Last Judgment" is getting a much-needed cleaning.
• How Dollywood is preserving Appalachian culture.
• Escape the crowds at the lower 48's most remote national park.
• Planting trees in the sea could act as a huge carbon sink and save millions of dollars in storm damage every year. What is stopping us from doing it?

►Fascinating Folk◄

• How women researchers changed our understanding of women's economic lives.
• 10 women who fought wars disguised as men.
• 8 badass librarians we need to celebrate.
• Thirty-four years ago, a British Museum staffer stole more than 300 prints in broad daylight. Historian Barnaby Phillips's new book chronicles the thefts and their fallout.
• The disturbing history of "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary."
• How photographer Robert Landsburg spent his final moments saving the film he shot during the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 7 hit songs you didn't know were written by the Beatles' Lennon and McCartney.
• 6 essential books about birds.
• 16 gripping non-fiction books about natural disasters.
• 15 mysteries and thrillers set in London.
• 5 novels about living near serial killers.
• Time's 100 Must-Read Books of 2025.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!