I Must Get Caught Up on My Reviews!

The time has come for another edition of Catching Up on My Book Reviews. Are you ready? 

I have four books that I want to give you my thoughts on. I have included a link to Amazon US if you'd like to read the synopses or find out more about each book. Here we go!

The Program by Charlie Lovett

Standalone Science Fiction set in New York City

Rating: D

My Thoughts: Lovett has written some wonderful books, like The Lost Book of the Grail, but The Program isn't one of them. This tale of a highly popular new weight loss program kept me intrigued, but when how the program really worked was revealed, it completely lost me. 

This one may not satisfy, but as I said earlier, he has written some wonderful books. 

The Restoration Garden by Sara Blaydes

Dual timeline Fiction set in England

Rating: B

My Thoughts: Julia Esdaile, who specializes in historic garden restoration, has been hired to restore the gardens of Havenworth Manor to the way they were in 1940. Many family secrets are uncovered along the way.

I enjoyed learning more about the language of flowers as well as the garden restoration itself. The characters were sympathetically drawn in both timelines, although the modern-day characters were a bit predictable.

An enjoyable, although not particularly memorable, read.

Lost Hills by Lee Goldberg

#1 Eve Ronin Police procedural set in Los Angeles, California

Rating: A

My Thoughts: When I shared how much I was enjoying Goldberg's Ian Ludlow books, I was told that I should give his Eve Ronin series a try. Of course, I had to.

Eve Ronin (AKA Deathfist) found a way to get the job she wanted in the LAPD, and although she has to put up with nonsense from her fellow officers, she doesn't let that stop her. Goldberg shows Eve's mistakes as well as her real talent as she investigates. 

Filled with Goldberg's usual fast pace, vivid descriptions, and laugh-out-loud humor, I thoroughly enjoyed Lost Hills and look forward to meeting Eve again.

The Missing Checkout Girl Mystery by Rachel Ward

#1 Supermarket Mystery set in England

Rating: B+

My Thoughts: I don't remember how this book first caught my eye, but it did. I was surprised by how many good reviews it had received, and I decided to give it a try because, well... I'd never read a mystery with a supermarket checkout employee as a sleuth. (It also brought back memories of the first time I set foot in a British supermarket and saw the checkout employees sitting down.)

After reading The Missing Checkout Girl Mystery, I am no longer surprised by its good reviews. Bea Jordan and her cohorts are so engaging, and I loved getting to know all of them. In fact, I enjoyed the days of our lives in a supermarket so much that I almost didn't care whodunit.

An added bonus was learning a bit more about British retail, as well as a certain slang term that even had my three English nieces a bit puzzled. (Pasta parcels, anyone?)

Okay. Are you sitting down? You'd better be because I am finally caught up with my reviews! 

Did I tempt you with any of these books? Which ones?

The Enigma Affair by Charlie Lovett

 

First Line: It wasn't just the bullet passing by Patton's left ear that concerned her.

 

When small-town librarian Patton Harcourt's early morning baking is rudely interrupted by bullets whizzing past her ear and thudding into her brand-new refrigerator, she has little choice but to trust the mysterious assassin who shows up in her kitchen. 

 

While evading two German killers, Patton and the assassin, Nemo, form an alliance that takes them to Bletchley Park in England and then on a white-knuckle chase through Europe. There is something deathly important about an undecrypted message sent on one of the Third Reich's Enigma machines, and Nemo, Patton, and Patton's former lover, Ruthie Drinkwater, must find out what it says before white supremacist Ingrid Weiss does.

 

What does a message about Heinrich Himmler's research into alchemy have to do with the balance of world power? That's what Patton and Nemo must risk everything to find out.

 

~

 

I've read all of Charlie Lovett's books (except his earliest) and enjoyed them all. He became a must-read author for me when I finished his The Lost Book of the Grail. Lovett is a master of the literary mystery; however, The Enigma Affair is a departure for him-- an out-and-out thriller with whizzing bullets, edge-of-the-seat chases, witty repartee, and loathsome villains. I enjoyed every second of it.

The ensemble cast is excellent. It's soon apparent that Patton Harcourt is not your usual small-town North Carolina librarian, and Nemo (once you get a bit of his backstory) is one of the most sympathetic assassins you'll come across. Then there's Ruthie Drinkwater, who works at Bletchley Park; Alex Lansdowne, the owner of a very large collection of Nazi memorabilia; and Jean Simpson, a librarian who finds herself joining this motley crew after she becomes incensed over some stolen library books. As the cast grows-- each member adding an important element to the group's chances for success-- the witty dialogue between them provides laughs and lightens the darkness of the overall quest... because learning about Himmler's brand of alchemy has the power to suck all the light from a room. (On a personal note, if I thought any of the characters to be unnecessary, it was Ruthie Drinkwater, but your mileage may vary.)

If you're in the mood for a chase across Europe to save the world from chaos, hop aboard The Enigma Affair. It's too much fun to miss, and I certainly look forward to what Charlie Lovett will come up with next!

The Enigma Affair by Charlie Lovett

eISBN: 9781665047098

 Blackstone Publishing © 2022

eBook, 367 pages

Standalone Thriller

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett

First Line: On those rare occasions when Magda thought of the past, she didn't recall the flames and the screams and the rows of bodies; she came here-- to these mementoes gathered in an old shoebox, souvenirs not of tragedy but of happiness.

When his debut novel becomes a bestseller, Robert Parrish's life and his cherished relationship with his girlfriend Rebecca begins to fall apart. Parrish knows that he must confront his secret demons in order to save the relationship, and doing that means diving headfirst into the books that changed his life-- a childhood set of serial novels featuring the Tremendous Trio. 

Guided by twelve tattered books and a tantalizing story fragment, Robert's journey takes him to 1906 Manhattan, but every discovery he makes only leads to more questions.

His quest intertwines with the stories of three young people trying to define their places in the world at the start of a new century. Magda, Gene, and Tom not only write the children's books that Robert will one day love, together they explore the city on their doorstep. One quest becomes four, and readers will want to know what happens to them all.

Charlie Lovett knows how to find literary topics that I can't resist. From book collecting in The Bookman's Tale to Jane Austen in First Impressions to the Holy Grail in The Lost Book of the Grail (my favorite), this man has put a stranglehold on my imagination and my attention. In Escaping Dreamland, he's done it again.

Probably the best thing Lovett has done is to bring back many wonderful memories of the books I loved as a child. A favorite scene in the book is the one in which Parrish visits an elderly collector who tells him about saving his ten-cent allowance for five weeks so that his father would take him to Brentano's Bookstore on Fifth Avenue so he could buy the latest book in his favorite series. I learned so much fascinating history about children's serial fiction in Escaping Dreamland that I'm tempted to make time to read some again. Lovett weaves one memorable scene after another into his story: the San Francisco earthquake, John Singer Sargent painting a portrait, the General Slocum disaster, visiting Dreamland on Coney Island... He brings Gilded Age America (and in particular, New York City) to life, and if you're the type of reader who is concerned about the appearance of historical characters in a work of fiction, read Lovett's notes at the end of the book. 

All the characters in the book except Parrish's girlfriend Rebecca have demons to fight. Only Robert's demon is left unspoken until the end, but it's rather easy to deduce. If there's one thing I don't particularly like about Escaping Dreamland, it is the "magic box" at the end, but at least the entirety of the lives of the three characters from the earlier timeline is not served up to Parrish on a silver platter. Readers know more than he does, and I like that. 

I'm looking forward to Lovett's next book. It's not often that you find an author who knows how to get a grip on both your heart and your mind, and Charlie Lovett is one of those writers for me. If you're a fan, you've got a treat in store. If you've never heard of him before, I highly recommend this man's books. He knows how to tell a tale.

 

Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett

ASIN: B086FG19M1

Blackstone Publishing © 2020

eBook, 323 pages

 

Literary Mystery, Standalone

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

September 2020 New Mystery Releases!

Even though I've been spending most of my summer clearing out closets and drawers, knitting up a storm, and reading, I've still found time to keep an eye peeled for new crime fiction. But then, you knew I would!

Speaking of knitting up a storm, I'm beginning to wonder if I should have winter book giveaways that include an afghan? I'll bet no one else has done that! But I digress.

The following are my picks of the best in new crime fiction being released throughout the month of September. I've grouped them by their release dates, and the covers and synopses are courtesy of Amazon.

Let's get right down to the fun part-- going through my list! Hopefully, I've chosen a title or two that makes its way to your own reading list. Let's take a look!

=== September 1 ===

 

Title: The Deadly Hours

Authors: Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent

Short Story Anthology, 352 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "A stellar line-up of historical mystery novelists weaves the tale of a priceless and cursed gold watch as it passes through time wreaking havoc from one owner to another. As the hours and years pass, the characters are irrevocably linked by fate, each playing a key role in breaking the curse and destroying the watch once and for all.

From 1733 Italy to Edinburgh in 1831 to a series of chilling murders in 1870 London, and a lethal game of revenge decades later, the watch touches lives with misfortune, until it comes into the reach of one young woman who might be able to stop it for good.

As much a book of curses as a book of destinies, The Deadly Hours is a breathtaking anthology rich with atmosphere and intrigue that encapsulates the exquisite destruction, heartbreak, and redemption wrought by fate.

This outstanding collaboration of authors includes:

Susanna Kearsley - New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of compelling time slip fiction.

C.S. Harris - USA Today bestselling author of the Sebastian St. Cyr Regency mystery series.

Anna Lee Huber - award-winning author of the national bestselling Lady Darby Mysteries.

Christine Trent - author of the Lady of Ashes Victorian mystery series."

Title: One for the Books

Author: Jenn McKinlay

Series: #11 in the Library Lovers cozy series set in Connecticut

320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Love is in the air in Briar Creek as library director Lindsey Norris and boat captain Mike (Sully) Sullivan are finally tying the knot. The entire town is excited for the happy day, and Lindsey and Sully's plan for a small wedding evaporates as more and more people insist upon attending the event of the year.   

When Lindsey and her crafternoon pals head out to Bell Island to see if it can accommodate the ever-expanding guest list, they are horrified to discover a body washed up on the rocky shore. Even worse, Lindsey recognizes the man as the justice of the peace who was supposed to officiate her wedding ceremony. When it becomes clear he was murdered, Lindsey can't help but wonder if it had to do with the wedding. Now she has to book it to solve the mystery before it ends her happily ever after before it's even begun...."

=== September 8 ===

Title: Hanging Falls

Author: Margaret Mizushima

Series: #6 in the Timber Creek K-9 police procedural series set in Colorado.

288 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "A deluge has flooded the high ground near Hanging Falls--but heavy rains aren't the only menace descending on Timber Creek. While on a scouting mission to pinpoint trail damage, officer Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo stumble upon a body floating at the edge of a lake. Robo catches human scent, which leads to an enigmatic forest-dweller who quickly becomes suspect number one.

With help from veterinarian Cole Walker, Mattie identifies the victim, and discovers an odd religious cult whose dress and manners harken back to the 19th century. As the list of suspects grows, an unexpected visit from members of Mattie's long-lost family sheds new light on her childhood as they help Mattie piece together details of the fateful night when she was abducted at age two.

The tangled threads of the investigation and family dynamics begin to intertwine--but darkness threatens to claim a new victim before Mattie and Robo can track down the killers."

Title: One by One

Author: Ruth Ware

Standalone thriller set in the French Alps

384 pages

Synopsis: "Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers…each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide.

When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn’t made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit.

As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further…one by one."

Title: The Sleeping Nymph

Author: Ilaria Tuti

Series: #2 in the Teresa Battaglia police procedural series set in Italy

456 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "A decades-old murder investigation has landed on Superintendent Teresa Battaglia's desk. DNA analysis has revealed that a painting from the final days of World War II contains matter from a human heart. Teresa is able to trace the evidence to Val Resia, one of Italy’s most isolated, untouched regions.

When Teresa’s investigation hits too close to the truth, a fresh human heart is hung at the valley’s entrance, a warning not to cross its threshold. As she hunts a ruthless killer, Teresa must face down her own rapidly deteriorating physical and cognitive abilities, as well as someone she hoped never to see again—a man who has just become her supervisor."

Title: The Darkest Evening

Author: Ann Cleeves

Series: #9 in the Vera Stanhope police procedural series set in northern England.

384 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "On the first snowy night of winter, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope sets off for her home in the hills. Though the road is familiar, she misses a turning and soon becomes lost and disorientated. A car has skidded off the narrow road in front of her, its door left open, and she stops to help. There is no driver to be seen, so Vera assumes that the owner has gone to find help. But a cry calls her back: a toddler is strapped in the back seat.

Vera takes the child and, driving on, she arrives at a place she knows well. Brockburn is a large, grand house in the wilds of Northumberland, now a little shabby and run down. It’s also where her father, Hector, grew up. Inside, there’s a party in full swing: music, Christmas lights and laughter. Outside, unbeknownst to the revelers, a woman lies dead in the snow.

As the blizzard traps the group deep in the freezing Northumberland countryside, Brockburn begins to give up its secrets, and as Vera digs deeper into her investigation, she also begins to uncover her family’s complicated past."

Title: Little Bookshop of Murder

Author: Maggie Blackburn

Series: #1 in the Beach Reads cozy series set in North Carolina

304 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Summer Merriweather's career as a Shakespeare professor hangs by a bookbinder's thread. Academic life at her Virginia university is a viper's pit, so Summer spends her summer in England, researching a scholarly paper that, with any luck, will finally get her published, impress the Dean, and save her job. But her English idyll ends when her mother, Hildy, shuffles off her mortal coil from an apparent heart attack.

Returning to Brigid's Island, NC, for the funeral, Summer is impatient to settle the estate, sell her mom's embarrassingly romance-themed bookstore, Beach Reads, and go home. But as she drops by Beach Reads, Summer finds threatening notes addressed to Hildy: "Sell the bookstore or die."

Clearly, something is rotten on Brigid's Island. What method is behind the madness? Was Hildy murdered? The police insist there's not enough evidence to launch a murder investigation. Instead, Summer and her Aunt Agatha screw their courage to the sticking place and start sleuthing, with the help of Hildy's beloved book club. But there are more suspects on Brigid's Island than are dreamt of in the Bard's darkest philosophizing. And if Summer can't find the villain, the town will be littered with a Shakespearean tragedy's worth of corpses--including her own."

=== September 15 ===

Title: Forging Fire

Author: Lisa Preston

Series: #3 in the Horseshoer amateur sleuth series set in Oregon and California

288 pages

Synopsis: "Days before her wedding, Rainy Dale jumps at a chance to visit the fabled Black Bluff bull sale down in California, but things go awry when she is assaulted and her truck is stolen.

In this twist on the “locked-room” form, more than one mystery is hidden on the ranch where Rainy and her dog, Charlie, end up. Everyone—the owners, ranch hands, angry neighbors, and perhaps even the deliveryman who brings coke coal for the ranch’s old-fashioned forge—is harboring a damaging secret. When Rainy realizes that even her dog knows a grisly hidden truth, the stakes are raised as high as life and death."

=== September 22 ===

Title: The Thursday Murder Club

Author: Richard Osman

Series: #1 in the Thursday Murder Club series set in England.

368 pages

Synopsis: "Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves
A female cop with her first big case
A brutal murder
Welcome to...
THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club.

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it's too late?" 

Title: Escaping Dreamland

Author: Charlie Lovett

Standalone literary mystery set in New York City

352 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Robert Parrish's childhood obsession with series books like the Hardy Boys and Tom Swift inspired him to become an author. Just as his debut novel becomes a bestseller, his relationship with his girlfriend, Rebecca, begins to fall apart. Robert realizes he must confront his secret demons by fulfilling a youthful promise to solve a mystery surrounding his favorite series the Tremendous Trio.

Guided by twelve tattered books and an unidentified but tantalizing fragment of a story, Robert journeys into the history of the books that changed his life, hoping they can help him once again. His odyssey takes him to 1906 Manhattan, a time of steamboats, boot blacks, and Fifth Avenue mansions, but every discovery he makes only leads to more questions.

Robert's quest intertwines with the stories of three young people trying to define their places in the world at the dawn of a new and exciting century. Magda, Gene, and Tom not only write the children's books that Robert will one day love, together they explore the vibrant city on their doorstep, from the Polo Grounds to Coney Island's Dreamland, drawing the reader into the Gilded Age as their own friendships deepen.

The connections between the authors, their creations, and Robert's redemptive journey make for a beautifully crafted novel that is an ode to the children's series books of our past, to New York City, and above all, to the power of love and friendship."

Title: Next to Last Stand

Author: Craig Johnson

Series: #16 in the Sheriff Walt Longmire police procedural series set in Wyoming.

336 pages

Synopsis: "One of the most viewed paintings in American history, Custer's Last Fight, copied and distributed by Anheuser-Busch at a rate of over two million copies a year, was destroyed in a fire at the 7th Cavalry Headquarters in Fort Bliss, Texas, in 1946. Or was it? When Charley Lee Stillwater dies of an apparent heart attack at the Wyoming Home for Soldiers & Sailors, Walt Longmire is called in to try and make sense of a piece of a painting and a Florsheim shoebox containing a million dollars, sending the good sheriff on the trail of a dangerous art heist."

There's no doubt about it-- September is a stellar month for new crime fiction! Craig Johnson! Ann Cleeves! Charlie Lovett! And the list goes on. Which books from my list are on your own Must Read list? Inquiring minds would love to know!

The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett

First Line: Barchester was not equipped with air-raid sirens, being both beyond the range of German bombers and of no strategic value-- but bomber squadrons could become lost on nights when fog unexpectedly blanketed the south of England, and while the emergence of a cathedral spire from that fog might confirm to the navigator that he was too far off course to return home safely, to the bombardier it would recall the words of the commanding officer: "Some target is better than no target."

In many ways, solitary Arthur Prescott considers the Barchester Cathedral library his home, and he's happiest when he's surrounded by its ancient manuscripts. His job as English professor at the University of Barchester holds very little appeal for him. No, he'd rather spend his time in the cathedral library, researching his unfinished guidebook to the medieval building.

Then a lively and lovely young American named Bethany Davis arrives with the task of digitizing the library's manuscripts, and Arthur's quiet ordered world is turned upside down. However, he eventually learns that Bethany is a kindred spirit-- and a fellow Grail fanatic. Arthur and Bethany join forces to find the lost Book of Ewolda, an ancient manuscript telling the story of the cathedral's founder. When the future of the cathedral itself is threatened, their crucial search leads them to discover secrets about the cathedral, the Grail, and even about themselves.

It didn't take me very long at all to fall head over heels in love with this book, and I believe that any reader who loves excellent characterization and a story filled with ancient books, buildings, and history will, too. If readers also love stories about the quest for the Holy Grail, well, that's just icing on the cake. I qualified on all scores, and I loved The Lost Book of the Grail.

First and foremost are the characters. Arthur is as emotionally hidden as the Grail. He has two good friends and his cathedral library, and that seems to be all he wants-- except for the lost book of Ewolda. Bethany is young and pretty and smart, and she blows into Arthur's life like a blast of fresh spring air, but she, too, has her secrets. Watching these two dance around each other is one of the joys of reading the book.

There's also some code breaking to do, and although I found that part absorbing, I was drawn time and time again to the characters because Lovett provides vignettes of the panoply of people charged with keeping Barchester Cathedral and its library safe. From the cathedral's founder to bombing during World War II to the present day, there are some wonderful characters to meet. My favorite of them all is probably Margret Barlow, a simple woman of wisdom and common sense who discharged her duties with grace and speed during a time of great danger. Character-driven readers are probably going to love this book every bit as much as I did (and do).

If you're worried that the book is going to be buried under King Arthur and his knights along with that Grail, it's not. The Lost Book of the Grail is a feast for readers who love characters and books and history-- and who realize how important they are in this world. What a marvelous reading experience!

The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett

ISBN: 9780399562518

Viking © 2017

Hardcover, 336 pages

Literary Mystery, Standalone

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen. 

The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett

First Line: Wales could be cold in February.

Nine months after the death of his wife, antiquarian bookseller Peter Byerly relocates from North Carolina to the English countryside. He's trying to outrun his grief, but he's also trying to regain the pleasure he once found in collecting and restoring rare books.

While browsing in a shop, Byerly opens a book on Shakespearean forgeries and finds a Victorian watercolor of a woman who bears a striking resemblance to his dead wife. He is now obsessed with learning the picture's origins, and little does he know but the trail of clues is going to lead him all the way back to Shakespeare's day and a priceless artifact that could change what we know about the Bard's identity.

The Bookman's Tale is for book lovers, book collectors, book restorers, book historians, and Shakespeareans with all the knowledge it contains about these subjects as well as the almost fairy tale-like story of Peter Byerly. Peter has been burdened with crippling shyness his entire life. The only person who could make him forget that and start enjoying the world around him was his wife Amanda. His honesty and diffidence make him just the sort of main character for which a reader can grow to care. It wasn't long at all until I was cheering Peter on and wanting him to find joy in living again.

As Peter's obsession with the watercolor and its artist grows, he finds himself becoming acquainted with two eccentric families, the Aldersons and the Gardners-- a British version of the Hatfields and McCoys. In America, the Hatfields and McCoys tended to shoot each other, but the Aldersons and Gardners are much more civilized. Instead of firearms, these two families seem to rely on deception and double-dealing over the centuries to get the upper hand. This puts Byerly at a distinct disadvantage, and he has to take special care as he does his research.

This book was so enjoyable from first page to last that I almost didn't want to see it end. I do have a word of warning, however. The story has frequent changes in time period, setting, and point of view. I didn't find it at all confusing, but that was because I learned very early on to pay attention to the chapter headings that always told me when and where I was.

Charlie Lovett followed The Bookman's Tale with First Impressions which takes readers into the world of Jane Austen. He's shown that he has real talent for combining fascinating facts with spellbinding stories, and I eagerly await his third book.
   

The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett

ISBN: 9780670026470

Viking © 2013

Hardcover, 353 pages

Literary Mystery, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Book Outlet 

Charlie Lovett at The Poisoned Pen!

Sunday, October 26, saw me leaving Denis at home to get ready for work all by his lonesome while I headed to my favorite bookstore, The Poisoned Pen. Everyone was going to be treated to two hours with Charlie Lovett, author of The Bookman's Tale and First Impressions, and I'd been looking forward to it ever since I'd finished reading his second book.

Collecting Books

L to R: Charlie Lovett, Barbara Peters, Patrick Millikin

What made Lovett's appearance so special was the fact that this antiquarian bookseller/author was going to talk about collecting books for an entire hour. Although I don't consider myself a book collector, I'm still interested in the subject, so I didn't want to miss a minute.

Many, many topics were covered in that hour as they tried to answer the question "Why are first printings collectible? Why do we care?" For some collectors, it's all about the binding-- and there are countless types of binding, including human skin. Sometimes it's what was used to pad the boards or underneath the spine. There's been a time or two when the only fragments we have of certain books are the bits of paper found underneath the leather bindings of books. What was waste paper to the binder has turned out to be gold for the collector.

Barbara Peters mentioned the mystery Booked to Die by John Dunning in which the author did a superb job of conveying the thrill of finding a rare first edition. (Any of you crime fiction lovers out there who haven't read Dunning's Cliff Janeway books should really do something about this oversight!) 

Another reason for collecting first editions could be the jacket art-- a certain subject or a certain artist-- but since Gutenberg's day, the first printing was always the best due to the typesetting and inking. When the type had to be  reset (because the printer had to use the type on other jobs), that "reset" became the second edition.  Now with digital printing and huge first runs, a second edition means that there have been significant changes made in the book. (Those huge first printings also mean that a first edition today usually doesn't have a high monetary value.)

Available Now!

Charlie Lovett collects all things Lewis Carroll, and being in the book business, he's learned that the best way to have an extremely valuable first edition is to be famous and make a mistake. "I'm working on that," he said.

Books didn't have colorful dust jackets for a long, long time. In fact dust jackets were originally just the paper the books were wrapped in when they were shipped to the booksellers. The booksellers would unwrap the books, put them out on the shelves, and use the paper for something else. For a long time, what made books stand out were their beautiful bindings. Today the value of first editions has a lot to do with the condition of the dust jackets. In fact, those who collect Agatha Christie firsts know that it's all about those covers.

The Care and Feeding of Books

• Standing books upright on the shelf is the best way to preserve them, unless they are extremely heavy, and then it's all right to lay them on their sides. 
• Don't leave paper (like news print) in the pages of your books because the acids will leech out into the book and cause foxing (spots of discoloration on paper). 
• Dust your books, and keep them out of direct sunlight. 
• Bookplates? Do not use them unless you're really famous! 
• Does having a book personalized for you by the author increase its value? Only if you have a known connection with the author, or if you're famous.
• If you buy books online, beware of forged signatures. The Poisoned Pen used to give authors black Sharpies with which to sign books but stopped when they learned that books autographed with those types of pens are very easily scanned and used as forgeries by unscrupulous sellers.
• Don't clip the corner of the book that has the price printed on it-- even if the book is a gift. It will affect the book's value. Those clipped corners can also disguise the fact that it's a book club edition.
• Beware of remainder marks which also affect a book's value.
• Another online shopping tip: beware the very old book with a price that's too good to be true. Chances are, it's a book that has been scanned by Google and is an on-demand reprint.
• If you want your first editions to be valuable, do not write notes all over the margins...unless you're famous, and then it's perfectly all right to scribble all over your books.

What are "association copies"? Books that show an association between two or more people, such as a book the author inscribed to Janet Napolitano before she became the head of Homeland Security-- or the Lewis Carroll book Charlie Lovett found which T.S. Eliot had inscribed to his cousin. 

There was so much information given in this first hour, that I could go on and on, but instead of writing the first half of War and Peace, I'm going to suggest that if any of you want every single pearl of wisdom, please watch the event on Livestream! 

"That's a whole different ballgame!"

L to R: Charlie Lovett and Barbara Peters

The second hour began, and talk turned to Charlie and the two books he's written. In The Bookman's Tale, one of the questions was in what case would the second edition of a book be more valuable than the first edition, and this actually led Lovett to the subject of his second book, First Impressions. The Bookman's Tale is a literary mystery that centers around an artifact that seems to contain marginalia written by William Shakespeare. "At one point we were thinking of calling the book First Folio, which is that great volume of Shakespeare's plays printed in 1623, in which many of them were printed for the first time," Lovett said. "I didn't really like the title for that book, but I thought if that's the first folio then my next book could be the second something. That in turn made me wonder about second editions. What if there were a book which, in its first printing, was a worthless piece of junk, but in its second printing was absolutely priceless? How could that be? You'll find that out when you read First Impressions!"

Charlie Lovett

Lovett then gave us a brief synopsis of his second book, in which Jane Austen plays a very large part. In First Impressions, Jane becomes great friends with an elderly clergyman, Richard Mansfield. Mansfield has written a small book of allegorical stories meant to be an aid in preaching. Mansfield may not be much of a writer, but in Jane Austen, he sees the seeds of genius, and thus a wonderful friendship is begun. (Lovett showed us a 1797 copy of The Selector, the book he used as the basis for Mansfield's little book of allegories.)

The full title of First Impressions mentions "unexpected love." Lovett was curious and googled the word "love"-- cautioning us to turn our filters on if we wanted to try doing the same thing. He got page after page of images of hearts, flowers, candy, twentysomethings walking hand in hand on a beach at sunset... our modern pictorial version of love. He wanted something different for his book. Although First Impressions does have a more conventional romance within its pages, the two main relationships are not romantic or sexual. One is the relationship between Jane and the Reverend Mansfield. The second is between Sophie Collingwood and her Uncle Bertram "to be played in the film-- if there is one-- by Stephen Fry who I think would be perfect," said Lovett. Sophie is introduced to the world of books by her Uncle Bertram, and it's a world with which she immediately falls in love. "I just wanted to say that there's more to love than beaches and sunsets," Charlie told us.

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"With The Bookman's Tale, I was just trying-- once again-- to write a book that some agent might read. With First Impressions, I was sitting down trying to write a novel for my editor, who's the president of Penguin Books-- and it's a whole different ballgame!"

Barbara Peters then steered Lovett toward talking about Hay-on-Wye, the book capital of the United Kingdom-- one of the settings of The Bookman's Tale. (Since I spent a day in Hay-on-Wye, that's one reason for me to read his first book!)

The Bookman's Tale is deliberately set in 1995 when "antiquarian bookselling was still done in basements, dimly lit backrooms, bookshops, and dusty, musty places" before everything started moving online.

"The whole idea of a signed book being worth more than an unsigned one is an odd thing," Lovett said, "and I think it goes back to this desire we have to be close to the author, to make some kind of personal connection with the author.  And so if we know that the author actually held the book in his hand, we should feel one step closer. It's all about wanting to feel close to the author."

Being an Author in 2014

Charlie Lovett

"I've talked a lot about this on this tour. A lot of people have said that this is a lousy time to be an author because the publishing industry is doing such strange things, and Amazon's being a big meanie, and it's hard to be heard among all the other voices in the world. 

"What I think is so great about being an author in 2014 is that we can get close to readers, we can connect with readers in a way that we've never been able to before. I get emails from all over the world. Some of them are 'I liked your book,' some of them are 'Here's some stuff you got wrong'-- which I'm fine with-- and some of them are 'You changed my life.' I received emails from two different people that said 'I was in library school and I couldn't make up my mind what I was going to do. Then I read The Bookman's Tale, and I decided to specialize in rare books.' And I think it's so cool that for the rest of their lives those two people are going to be able to say, 'If it wasn't for Charlie Lovett, I could be making a decent living.'"

Several fan questions followed, mostly about book collecting, and since I'm still trying to keep this post to a reasonable length, I will refer you again to the red Livestream link in the section labeled "The Care and Feeding of Books." 

This was certainly one of the most informative author events I've ever attended, and I would've loved to have learned even more-- as long as there was a fifteen minute break first so we walk away from the folding chairs for a few!

Just how interesting-- and just how much fun-- was this event? I'm still itching to read The Bookman's Tale, and I will as soon as I finish reading a stack of advance readers copies that I have!

First Impressions by Charlie Lovett

First Line: Fond as she was of solitary walks, Jane had been wandering rather longer than she had intended, her mind occupied not so much with the story she had lately been reading as with one she hoped soon to be writing. 

24-year-old Sophie Collingwood has a degree from Oxford and a deep and abiding love of books. After her beloved uncle's death, Sophie inherits his London flat and takes a job at an antiquarian bookshop where two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book. In searching for the book, Sophie is drawn into a mystery that will not only cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice but will also threaten her life.

I love Jane Austen's novels although I wouldn't call myself a diehard fan, and I do occasionally read one of the books that have proliferated like mushrooms since the BBC and Colin Firth propelled her back into the limelight in 1995. After finishing Charlie Lovett's book, I loved it. I loved Sophie's relationship with her Uncle Bertram and their mutual passion for books. I loved learning about rare books and printers and old documents long forgotten in library archives. I got caught up in Sophie's quest to find out if Jane Austen was a plagiarist. It was only after those first impressions faded that I really began to mull over what I'd read, and that's when my opinion began to change slightly.

Lovett's tale is told in alternating chapters, Sophie's in the present day and Jane's between the years 1796 and 1817. Due to the 200-year differences in the spoken language there is never any difficulty in knowing if you're reading about Sophie or Jane. First Impressions is alive while Sophie's uncle lives. Every bit of Lovett's passion for books glows on the page, and I read that section with a big smile on my face. 

Jane's chapters are strong throughout. The author uses quite a bit from the historical record that anyone even vaguely familiar with Austen will recognize. I enjoyed the friendship between Austen and the elderly clergyman Richard Mansfield-- a kindred spirit who (for the purposes of this book) was Jane's sounding board when she was uncertain about her writing. 

Although in my mind the outcome was never in doubt, I also enjoyed reading Sophie's quest to prove that Jane Austen was not a plagiarist. The problem I found that I did have was with Sophie herself. After Uncle Bertram's death (which happens very early in the book), Sophie soon has two handsome men after her, and her chapters begin to dip too far into chick lit for my taste. It was obvious to me which man she should fall for, so the similarities with Stephanie Plum's inability to choose between Moretti and Ranger were unwelcome. There was also the matter of Sophie's ethics. She has a sense of entitlement that does her no credit, and the first time she steals something, I was flabbergasted.

Fortunately Sophie isn't the only character in the book. Her sister Victoria, her Uncle Bertram, Jane and Richard Mansfield-- thankfully they all outweighed my opinion of Sophie, and they along with an intriguing story line are the reasons why I still found a great deal of enjoyment in reading this book. One questionable apple doesn't always spoil the barrel.

First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen 
by Charlie Lovett

eISBN: 9781925095494

Viking © 2014

eBook, 368 pages

Literary Mystery, Standalone

Rating: A-

Source: Net Galley 

October 2014 New Mystery Releases!

Summer always goes by too quickly for me. I read twice as many books during the summer months as I do the rest of the year. Since my pool season was cut short by flooding, I'm already getting reacquainted with the inside of my house. Normally I wouldn't be, but all the standing water rapidly bred swarms of mosquitoes, and I can't stay outside for any length of time without making involuntary blood donations-- or covering myself from head to toe with some sort of chemicals. Once everything dries out, they'll disappear, but at the moment I'm suffering from the skeeter grumps.

What better thing to do to get my mind off pests than to look for new books? I've pared down my list of intriguing October mysteries to these. I've grouped them by release date, and I've included all the information you'll need to find them at your favorite book procurement locations. All book synopses are courtesy of my favorite online showroom: Amazon.  Happy Reading!

=== October 1 ===

Title: Death in Elysium

Author: Judith Cutler

Series: #1 in the Jodie Welsh series set in rural England

ISBN: 9780727883964

Publisher: Severn House

Hardcover, 224 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "High-flying city career woman Jodie Welsh was prepared for a dramatic change in lifestyle when she met and married the Reverend Theo Welsh, settling down to an entirely new kind of life as the wife of a country vicar in the picturesque village of Lesser Hogben. But if she thought life as a city deal-maker was tough, nothing could have prepared her for the emotional roller coaster of local church and village politics. As a newcomer, Jodie encounters hostility and disapproval from several of the villagers, particularly in her efforts to engage and assist Lesser Hogben’s disaffected youth.

When a local lad Jodie employed to help in her garden disappears, along with Jodie’s expensive camera, everyone around her is inclined to assume the worst. Only Jodie and the missing boy’s friend Mazza are convinced of his innocence. But Burble’s disappearance marks the start of a series of disturbing incidents which escalate in intensity – until the body shows up, and Jodie must use her well-honed negotiating and networking skills to unmask a ruthless killer."

Title: The Question of the Missing Head

Author: E.J. Copperman, Jeffrey Cohen

Series: #1 in the Asperger's Mysteries set in New Jersey

ISBN: 9780738741512 

Publisher: Midnight Ink

Paperback, 336 pages

Synopsis: "Samuel Hoenig answers questions for a living. And as a man with Asperger’s Syndrome, his unique personality helps him ferret out almost any answer there is. But his latest question is a rather odd one—who stole a preserved head from the Garden State Cryonics Institute?

Arriving at the scene of the crime accompanied by his new colleague, Ms. Washburn, Samuel finds that what started out as a theft has escalated to murder. With suspects and motives emerging at a rapid rate, one final question remains—can Samuel’s powers of deduction uncover a killer in the face of overwhelming odds?"

=== October 7 ===

Title: A Demon Summer

Author: G.M. Malliet

Series: #4 in the Father Max Tudor series set in the village of Nether Monkslip in England

ISBN: 9781250021410

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 400 pages

Synopsis: "Agatha Award-winning author G. M. Malliet has charmed mystery lovers, cozy fans, and Agatha Christie devotees everywhere with Wicked Autumn, A Fatal Winter, and Pagan Spring, the critically acclaimed mysteries featuring handsome former-spy-turned-cleric Father Max Tudor.

In A Demon Summer, someone has been trying to poison the 15th Earl of Lislelivet. Since Lord Lislelivet has a gift for making enemies, no one—particularly his wife—finds this too surprising. What is surprising is that the poison was discovered in a fruitcake made and sold by the Handmaids of St. Lucy of Monkbury Abbey. Max Tudor, vicar of Nether Monkslip and former MI5 agent, is asked to investigate. But just as Max comes to believe the poisoning was accidental, a body is discovered in the cloister well."

Title: Desert Rage
Author: Betty Webb
Series: #8 in the Lena Jones P.I. series set in Scottsdale, Arizona
ISBN: 9781464203107 
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Hardcover, 300 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Ferociously ambitious U.S. Senatorial candidate Juliana Thorsson has been keeping a secret. The horrific slaughter of a prominent doctor, his wife, and their ten-year-old son inside their Scottsdale home brings Thorsson to Private Investigator Lena Jones. The slain family’s 14-year-old, Alison, and her boyfriend, Kyle, have confessed to the murders. Thorsson wants to hire Lena to discover if Alison is telling the truth, but before accepting the job, Lena demands to know why a rising political star wants to involve herself with the fate of a girl she’s never met. Desperate for Lena’s help, Thorsson reveals her explosive secret—that Ali son is the candidate’s biological daughter, a fact she’s kept hidden for years. But that’s not all. Thorsson then confides something even more unusual than a mere hidden pregnancy, something that could ruin her political plans forever. Suspecting that Alison’s parents had secrets of their own that could have led to the murders, Lena finally accepts Thorsson’s assignment. But interviewing those who knew the family well soon puts Lena—now a strong defender of the two teens—in danger of her life. Fast-paced, probing, and ¬ filled with the trademark twists of the Lena Jones series, Desert Rage once again shows that Betty Webb is unsparing of her characters yet writes their stories with wit and compassion." 

Title: Off Kilter
Author: Hannah Reed
Series: #1 in the Scottish Highlands series
ISBN: 9780425265826 
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages 

Synopsis: "After the recent death of her mother and the dissolution of her marriage, thirty-something Eden Elliott is seriously in need of a fresh start. At the urging of her best friend, bestselling author Ami Pederson, Eden decides to embark on an open-ended trip to the picturesque village of Glenkillen in the Scottish Highlands, to do some hands-on research for a book of her own. But almost as soon as Eden arrives in the quaint town, she gets caught up in a very real drama…

The town’s sheep shearer is found murdered—clipped with his own shears—and the locals suspect Vicki MacBride, an outsider whose father’s recent death left her the surprise heir to his lucrative sheep farm. Eden refuses to believe the affable heiress is a murderer, but can she prove that someone is out to frame her new friend before she finds herself on the receiving end of more shear terror?" 

Title: Murder Off the Beaten Path
Author: M.L. Rowland
Series: #2 in the Search and Rescue series set in California
ISBN:  9780425263679
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "As a member of a mountain search and rescue team, Gracie Kinkaid routinely volunteers to put her life on the line. But it’s at her new day job at a residential camp in the mountains of southern California where she finds her life is really in danger…

As a volunteer for Timber Creek Search and Rescue, Gracie responds to a call out for a car that’s gone over the side of a treacherous mountain road. The crash, which Gracie quickly suspects is no accident, proves to be one in an escalating and deadly series of events that lead her right back to Camp Ponderosa, a church-owned camp where she works as Program Director. As Gracie probes more deeply into the dark secrets at the camp, she unearths a hidden world of illegal activities, including murder…and finds herself going head-to-head with desperate perpetrators who will do anything to silence her forever." 

Title: Sons of Sparta
Author: Jeffrey Siger
Series: #6 in the Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis series set in Greece 
ISBN: 9781464203169
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Paperback, 250 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Did the warriors of ancient Sparta simply vanish without a trace along with their city, or did they find sanctuary at the tip of the mountainous Peloponnese? That stark, unforgiving region’s roots today run deep with a history of pirates, highwaymen, and neighbors ferociously repelling any foreigner foolishly bent on occupying this part of Greece. Less well-recorded are the Mani’s families’ strict code of honor and their history of endless vendettas with neighbors and with their own relatives. No wonder their farms look like fortresses. When Special Crimes Division Detective Yiannis Kouros is summoned from Athens to the Mani by his uncle, Kouros fears his loyalty to his boss, Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis, is about be to be tested by family pressure on the detective to act in some new vendetta, for this uncle once headed the Mani’s most significant criminal enterprise. Instead, Kouros learns the family is about to become rich through the sale of its property—until the uncle is killed, and thus the deal. Acting swiftly to head off a new cycle of violence, Kouros satisfactorily solves the murder. Or so it seems until, back in Athens, Kaldis’ probe into deeply entrenched government corruption leads straight back to the Mani. Both cops now confront a host of unexpected twists, unanticipated players, unanswered questions—and people yet to die." 

Title: Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past
Author: Sharyn McCrumb
Series: #10.5 in the Ballad series set in Appalachia
ISBN: 9781426754210
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Hardcover, 160 pages (novella)

Synopsis: "When someone buys the old Honeycutt house, Nora Bonesteel is glad to see some life brought back to the old mansion, even if it is by summer people. But when they decide to stay through Christmas, they find more than old memories in the walls.

On Christmas Eve, Sheriff Spencer Arrowood and Deputy Joe LeDonne find themselves on an unwelcome call to arrest an elderly man for a minor offense. As they attempt to do their duty, while doing the right thing for a neighbor, it begins to look like they may all spend Christmas away from home. In a story of spirits, memories, and angels unaware, Sharyn McCrumb revisits her most loved characters who know there is more to this world than the eye can see, especially at Christmastime."

=== October 14 ===

Title: Murder at the Brightwell

Author: Ashley Weaver

Series: #1 Amory Ames mystery set in 1930s England

ISBN: 9781250046369

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 336 pages

Synopsis: "Amory Ames is a wealthy young woman who questions her marriage to her notoriously charming playboy husband, Milo. Looking for a change, she accepts a request for help from her former fiancé, Gil Trent, not knowing that she’ll soon become embroiled in a murder investigation that will test not only her friendship with Gil, but will upset the status quo with her husband.

Amory accompanies Gil to the luxurious Brightwell Hotel in an attempt to circumvent the marriage of his sister, Emmeline, to Rupert Howe, a disreputable ladies’ man. Amory sees in the situation a grim reflection of her own floundering marriage. There is more than her happiness at stake, however, when Rupert is murdered and Gil is arrested for the crime. Amory is determined to prove his innocence and find the real killer, despite attempted dissuasion from the disapproving police inspector on the case. Matters are further complicated by Milo’s unexpected arrival, and the two form an uneasy alliance as Amory enlists his reluctant aid in clearing Gil’s name. As the stakes grow higher and the line between friend and foe becomes less clear, Amory must decide where her heart lies and catch the killer before she, too, becomes a victim."  

Title: The Life We Bury

Author: Allen Eskens

Standalone

ISBN: 9781616149987

Publisher: Seventh Street Books

Paperback, 303 pages

Synopsis: "College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe's life is ever the same.

Iverson is a dying Vietnam veteran--and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home, after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.

As Joe writes about Carl's life, especially Carl's valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict. Joe, along with his skeptical female neighbor, throws himself into uncovering the truth, but he is hamstrung in his efforts by having to deal with his dangerously dysfunctional mother, the guilt of leaving his autistic brother vulnerable, and a haunting childhood memory.

Thread by thread, Joe unravels the tapestry of Carl’s conviction. But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher. Will Joe discover the truth before it’s too late to escape the fallout?"  

=== October 16 ===

Title: First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen

Author: Charlie Lovett

Standalone

ISBN: 9780525427247

Publisher: Viking

Hardcover, 320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice—and ultimately threaten Sophie’s life.

In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie’s quest to uncover the truth—while choosing between two suitors—and a young Jane Austen’s touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books."

=== October 21 ===

Title: Wait for Signs

Author: Craig Johnson

Series: Short stories featuring characters from the Walt Longmire mysteries

ISBN: 9780525427919

Publisher: Viking

Hardcover, 192 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Ten years ago, Craig Johnson wrote his first short story, the Hillerman Award–winning “Old Indian Trick.” This was one of the earliest appearances of the sheriff who would go on to star in Johnson’s bestselling, award-winning novels and the A&E hit series Longmire. Each Christmas Eve thereafter, fans rejoiced when Johnson sent out a new short story featuring an episode in Walt’s life that doesn’t appear in the novels; over the years, many have asked why they can’t buy the stories in book form.

Wait for Signs collects those beloved stories—and one entirely new story, “Petunia, Bandit Queen of the Bighorns”—for the very first time in a single volume, regular trade hardcover. With glimpses of Walt’s past from the incident in “Ministerial Aide,” when the sheriff is mistaken for a deity, to the hilarious “Messenger,” where the majority of the action takes place in a Port-A-Potty, Wait for Signs is a necessary addition to any Longmire fan’s shelf and a wonderful way to introduce new readers to the fictional world of Absaroka County, Wyoming." 

=== October 28 ===

Title: Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas

Author: Stephanie Barron

Series: #12 in the Jane Austen series set in England

ISBN: 9781616954239

Publisher: Soho Crime

Hardcover, 336 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Christmas Eve, 1814: Jane Austen has been invited to spend the holiday with family and friends at The Vyne, the gorgeous ancestral home of the wealthy and politically prominent Chute family. As the year fades and friends begin to gather beneath the mistletoe for the twelve days of Christmas festivities, Jane and her circle are in a celebratory mood: Mansfield Park is selling nicely; Napoleon has been banished to Elba; British forces have seized Washington, DC; and on Christmas Eve, John Quincy Adams signs the Treaty of Ghent, which will end a war nobody in England really wanted.

Jane, however, discovers holiday cheer is fleeting. One of the Yuletide revelers dies in a tragic accident, which Jane immediately views with suspicion. If the accident was in fact murder, the killer is one of Jane’s fellow snow-bound guests. With clues scattered amidst cleverly crafted charades, dark secrets coming to light during parlor games, and old friendships returning to haunt the Christmas parties, whom can Jane trust to help her discover the truth and stop the killer from striking again?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hopefully I managed to include a title or two that made its way onto your own wishlists. There are several favorite authors of mine represented in October, and you long-time readers will recognize them. As far as the new authors go, there's at least one you long-timers will know the reason for its inclusion. (Of course I would want to read a mystery set in the Highlands!)

Of the new authors' books, I have to admit that the synopsis for Allen Eskens' The Life We Bury really spoke to me, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of the book.

How about you? Which titles spoke to you? Inquiring minds would love to know!