What might have happened if Edward VIII had not abdicated the throne in 1936? In this alternative history a locked-room type mystery occurs when King What might have happened if Edward VIII had not abdicated the throne in 1936? In this alternative history a locked-room type mystery occurs when King Eric reigns in the United Kingdom. The royal family has gathered at Balmoral Castle in Scotland for a traditional Christmas. However, King Eric has given nearly all of the staff Christmas Day off. The only ones remaining are head chef Jonathan “Jon” Alleyne and the head of security, Tony Speck.
A blizzard isolates the castle as Jon works tirelessly to provide a delicious meal for the family. During the preparations, King Eric meets individually with each member of the royal family. As he prepares to make a toast and an announcement after dinner, he dies. Jon believes he was poisoned and is placed in the role of an amateur sleuth. He feels out of his depth, but wants to do what is right by his friend of 33 years. Why would one of the king’s own family members kill him?
There is a helpful character list at the beginning of the novel followed by a short chapter from the unknown killer’s point of view. Much of the story is from Jon’s point of view and starts 10 hours earlier when Jon takes the king’s breakfast to him on Christmas morning. The characters had depth and Jonathan’s character went through a transformation as he responded to events. While floundering, overwhelmed by the task, and unsure of himself, he steps up and experiences growth during his investigation.
The descriptive narrative transported me to Scotland where intrigue and secrets abound in this storyline. There are suspenseful moments as well as moments that seemed to drag. The pacing is uneven; especially in the first two-thirds of the novel. Despite this, the plot is twisty and kept me interested and there are multiple mysteries to be solved as the story unfolds. However, it is never explained how King Eric is descended from King Edward VIII and I kept thinking about this question throughout the book. The conclusion hints at what might happen to the characters, but is very open-ended. I wanted a more definitive conclusion to the book. One of the most interesting aspects was the information around lines of succession as imagined in this alternative history timeline. It was certainly thought-provoking.
Overall, this was an entertaining novel. Other themes explored in the novel were relationships with and between servants, trust, honesty, deception, power, greed, love, family, lies, secrets, and suspicion.
I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was October 25, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine. -------------------------------------- My 3.03 rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon....more
Intrigue, romance, danger, suspense, arranged marriages, and much more contribute to an exciting novel in the fifth book in the Gunnie (Lizbeth) Rose Intrigue, romance, danger, suspense, arranged marriages, and much more contribute to an exciting novel in the fifth book in the Gunnie (Lizbeth) Rose series. All the Dead Shall Weep is a mix of fantasy, western, and alternate history and is mainly set in Segundo Mexia in Texoma which used to include Texas and Oklahoma.
Lizbeth Rose Savarova meets her half-sister Felicia Dominguez Karkarova and her husband’s brother Peter Savarova at the train station. This visit is to get Felicia away from San Diego where her magical powers had grown to the point that multiple kidnapping and assassination attempts had occurred. However, Segundo Mexia doesn’t prove to be much safer for Felicia or Lizbeth as Eli (Lizbeth’s husband) and Peter almost immediately leave without an explanation.
Lizbeth is capable, loyal, brave, even-tempered, and a great shot, but is still suffering from a significant loss. Felicia has a gift for languages, has started to show her true age, and has gained confidence in herself and her abilities. Other characters play secondary roles with varying degrees of depth.
Charlaine Harris is one of my favorite authors and she did not let me down with this addition to the series. The characters are compelling, led by strong and capable protagonists. I enjoyed having Lizbeth and Felicia alternate points of view.
There was always something new happening in this story. Danger, action, and heart-wrenching moments are interspersed throughout it. This well-crafted story hooked me in the beginning and kept me turning the pages as I went on a rollercoaster ride through twists, drama, grief, and intrigue.
Overall, this novel brings thrills, action, family drama, political intrigue, magic, loyalty, romance, communication issues, power and much more making it an engaging and entertaining read. It’s also one that causes the reader to think about life, love, duty, community, trust, and family. The book has a shocking ending that I did not expect. Exceptional characters, intense fight scenes, and family drama made this an entertaining read.
If you like alternate history, action adventure, thrillers and fantasy, then this series is for you. I recommend reading the books in order. The first novel explains the alternative history aspect that is not fully explained in the succeeding novels.
Gallery Books, Gallery / Saga Press and Charlaine Harris provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for September 05, 2023.
---------------------------------------- My 4.59 rounded to 5 stars review is coming soon....more
Intrigue, romance, danger, suspense, and much more contribute to an exciting novel in the fourth book in the Gunnie (Lizbeth) Rose series. The SerpIntrigue, romance, danger, suspense, and much more contribute to an exciting novel in the fourth book in the Gunnie (Lizbeth) Rose series. The Serpent in Heaven is a mix of historical fiction, urban fantasy, western, and alternate history and is set in San Diego which is now part of the Holy Russian Empire.
Felicia is Lizbeth Rose’s half-sister. This novel picks up with Felicia attending the Grigori Rasputin School. No one other than her roommate Anna knows that Felicia has any magic capabilities. Felicia’s father was Russian and her mother was from Mexico. As the granddaughter of Rasputin, she provides blood for transfusions to Tsar Alexei, and is seen as a charity case at the school. However, when Felicia is kidnapped, the facts of her heritage become known as well as her true abilities. As she is attacked multiple times, only her abilities and her courage can save her.
Felicia has a gift for languages, has started to show her true age, and gains confidence in herself and her abilities as the story unfolds. Her friend Peter is good-natured, agreeable, quick-thinking, and clever until she gets jealous and believes rumors about her. Other characters play secondary roles with varying degrees of depth.
Charlaine Harris is one of my favorite authors and she did not let me down with this addition to the series. The characters are compelling, led by strong and capable protagonist. However, I was excepting Lizbeth to play a significant role in the book instead of just a cameo appearance via a telephone call.
There was always something new happening in this story. Danger, action, training, and heart-wrenching moments are interspersed throughout it. Connecting with Felicia was easy. This well-crafted story hooked me in the beginning and kept me turning the pages. Overall, this novel brings thrills, action, family drama, political intrigue, magic, loyalty, romance, power and much more making it a definite page-turner. Exceptional characters, intense fight scenes, and family drama made this an entertaining read.
If you like alternate history, action adventure, thrillers and fantasy, then this series is for you. I recommend reading the books in order. The first novel explains the alternative history aspect that is not fully explained in the succeeding novels.
I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was November 15, 2022.
--------------------------------------- My 4.43 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon....more
Dreidel To The Grave by Yoel Bereket is an alternative history novel that is set nine years after the end of World War II in Vatican City, Israel,Dreidel To The Grave by Yoel Bereket is an alternative history novel that is set nine years after the end of World War II in Vatican City, Israel, and Argentina, with most of the story taking place in Argentina. Israeli agent, David Gal, has devoted his life to tracking down those German officers and leaders who have escaped justice for the atrocities they committed. He was been successful, but the biggest one that has eluded him is the one that didn’t die in the bunker.
There are some heart-breaking flashback scenes to Gal’s childhood that helps the reader understand why he is so driven, but he shows no character development or growth. Additionally, he doesn’t seem to care about causing international incidents or injuries or deaths to innocent bystanders. While I felt Gal’s pain and fury for the atrocities committed by these criminals, he wasn’t very relatable. However, he was definitely impactful and will not be soon forgotten.
The novel is action-packed and kept this reader turning the pages. However, overall, the book is more about revenge and action than character development. The author did a great job of writing the violent action scenes and the world-building was good, but there were no real surprises along the way.
Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy of this novel and the opportunity to read and provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way....more
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