Category: New Releases

Fantasy, Historical, Magical, Mythology, New Releases, Quest

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

A gifted young knight named Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a spot on the Round Table, only to find that he’s too late. The king died two weeks ago at the Battle of Camlann, leaving no heir, and only a handful of the knights of the Round Table survive.

They aren’t the heroes of legend, like Lancelot or Gawain. They’re the oddballs of the Round Table, from the edges of the stories, like Sir Palomides the Saracen Knight, and Sir Dagonet, Arthur’s fool who was knighted as a joke. They’re joined by Nimue, who was Merlin’s apprentice until she turned on him and buried him under a hill. Together this ragtag fellowship will set out to rebuild Camelot in a world that has lost its balance.

But Arthur’s death has revealed Britain’s fault lines. God has abandoned it, and the fairies and monsters and old gods are returning, led by Arthur’s half-sister Morgan le Fay. Kingdoms are turning on each other, warlords lay siege to Camelot and rival factions are forming around the disgraced Lancelot and the fallen Queen Guinevere. It is up to Collum and his companions to reclaim Excalibur, solve the mysteries of this ruined world and make it whole again. But before they can restore Camelot they’ll have to learn the truth of why the lonely, brilliant King Arthur fell, and lay to rest the ghosts of his troubled family and of Britain’s dark past.

The first major Arthurian epic of the new millennium, The Bright Sword is steeped in tradition, full of duels and quests, battles and tournaments, magic swords and Fisher Kings. It also sheds a fresh light on Arthur’s Britain, a diverse, complex nation struggling to come to terms with its bloody history. The Bright Sword is a story about imperfect men and women, full of strength and pain, who are looking for a way to reforge a broken land in spite of being broken themselves.

My Thoughts

A new Lev Grossman novel? And it’s an Arthurian saga? YES PLEASE!

Grossman is adept at taking well-worn fantasy tropes and turning them upside-down and inside-out to create something completely new. He’s done it very successfully here with a new and imaginative approach to the King Arthur legend, and he’s given voice to the less-than-shining knights, which has great appeal for me. (I love an underdog story!)

Above all, Grossman is a master storyteller, and the story here is magnificent. I was hooked from the very first chapter and hard a hard time putting it down. This is NOT a single-sitting reading experience though. This is a book that requires some commitment (and sturdy wrists if you’re reading the print copy!). For me, it made for an excellent first-book-of-the-summer reading experience and is one I will remember long after I turned the last page.

This is a must-read for Arthurian legend fans and joins The Mists of Avalon on my print shelves.

Highly recommended.

“Grossman, who is best known for his The Magicians series, is at the top of his game with The Bright Sword.” —The New York Times Book Review

“If you love King Arthur as much as I do, you’ll love Lev Grossman’s The Bright Sword, a fresh and engrossing take on the Matter of Britain featuring a colorful cast of Round Table knights who don’t often get as much story time as they deserve. The creator of The Magicians has woven another spell.” —George R. R. Martin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Game of Thrones

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Magicians trilogy returns with a triumphant reimagining of the King Arthur legend for the new millennium.

Publication Date: July 16, 2024
Published By: Penguin Group, Viking
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy & my local indie store for the print!

Books About Books, Family, Mystery, New Releases, Reading, Suspense, Women

Return to Wyldecliffe Heights by Carol Goodman

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Jane Eyre meets The Thirteenth Tale in this new modern gothic mystery from two-time Mary Higgins Clark Award–winner Carol Goodman, about a reclusive writer who is desperate to rewrite the past.

Losing yourself inside of a book can be dangerous. Not everyone finds their way out.

Agnes Corey, a junior editor at a small independent publisher, has been hired by enigmatic author Veronica St. Clair to transcribe the sequel to her 1993 hit phenomenon, The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. St. Clair has been a recluse since the publication of the Jane Eyre-esque book, which coincided with a terrible fire that blinded and scarred her. Arriving in the Hudson Valley at St. Clair’s crumbling estate, which was once a psychiatric hospital for “wayward women,” Agnes is eager to ensure St. Clair’s devoted fans will get the sequel they’ve been anticipating for the past thirty years.

As St. Clair dictates, Agnes realizes there are clues in the story that reveal the true—and terrifying—events three decades ago that inspired the original novel. The line between fact and fiction becomes increasingly blurred, and Agnes discovers terrible secrets about an unresolved murder from long ago, which have startling connections to her own life. As St. Clair’s twisting tale infiltrates Agnes’s psyche, Agnes begins to question her own sanity—and safety. In order to save herself, Agnes must uncover what really happened to St. Clair, and in doing so, set free the stories of all the women victimized by Wyldcliffe Heights. 

My Thoughts

Carol Goodman never fails to deliver a riveting, complicated, and suspenseful story and she has succeeded admirably here. Goodman excels in writing complex relationships, often mother-daughter, that span generations, and the saga of Wyldecliffe Heights certainly provides plenty of family drama. There is the horrifying secret from the past, combined with the damaged younger protagonist, combined with the creepy history of the house as an asylum that all come together to create a story that doesn’t stop.

While there are nods to Jane Eyre and The Thirteenth Tale, this is an original and cleverly plotted story with a great twist at the end. This will appeal to fans of Simone St. James and Eve Chase, but also to Goodman’s legion of readers. Her books just keep getting better! I’ll be adding this to my recommended Spooky Season reads this year for sure.

Publication Date: July 30, 2024
Published By: William Morrow
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Mystery, New Releases, Suspense, Women

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Secrets. Lies. Murder. Let the festivities begin…

The deliciously twisty new locked room murder mystery from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List and The Paris Apartment.

It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.

But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.

It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at…The Midnight Feast.

My Thoughts

Fans of domestic suspense will thoroughly enjoy this riveting story. Foley has crafted an irresistible narrative that blends the present day with a dark, dark past. Her cast of characters, especially Bella and Francesca, crawl out of the pages and into your brain until you can’t stop turning pages just to find out what happens.

What really hooked me here was the dual narrative of the secret-in-the-past plot line that binds Bella and Francesca and the creepy parallel story featuring a local legend of menacing birds. Twists and turns abound and I admit to a couple parts where I wanted to throw the book against the nearest wall because the tension was too much.

This will make a fantastic summer reading experience but I might recommend saving it for spooky season in the fall. It will definitely make my list of haunting reads in October.

Publication Date: June 18, 2024
Published By: William Morrow
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Cozy, Historical, Mystery, New Releases, Romance, Suspense, Women

The Hudson Collection by Jocelyn Green

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Step into the beguiling world of 1926 New York and discover the power of resilience, friendship, and love from award-winning author Jocelyn Green.

Elsa Reisner’s lifelong dream of working as an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History is fading as the job begins to drain her passion. But fate takes an unexpected turn when she is assigned to catalog the bequest of a recently deceased patron whose Gothic country mansion holds secrets and treasures waiting to be discovered.

As Elsa delves into her task, she forms an unlikely bond with the estate’s delightful gardener and her daughter, as well as an architectural salvage dealer who still bears scars from the Great War. Together, they embark on a thrilling treasure hunt for a missing relic intended to safeguard the servants’ futures before the estate is sold. At the same time, Elsa’s body seems to betray her with new symptoms from a childhood disease that isn’t through with her yet.

With the brooding veteran and her handsome colleague joining the search, Elsa must navigate the tangled web of secrets and hidden motives along with the changing state of her health. As her deadline looms ever closer, will she be able to secure a new life for her friends before the estate slips from their grasp?

My Thoughts

Reminiscent of the old gothic romances of the 70’s, The Hudson Collection features a plucky heroine who teams up with a damaged but noble man to aid a young girl and her family in danger of losing their home. Elsa is one of the most appealing heroines I’ve come across recently – smart, vulnerable, and very brave. The story is very well-developed with action starting almost immediately and not stopping until the very end.

The historical elements here are fascinating, with dives into New York’s elite society scene post World War I, the polio epidemic and the far-reaching effects of medical research, and post-war mental health challenges for returning soldiers. If you’re tired of blood-and-gore mystery & suspense novels that focus on the most horrifying aspects of the human psyche, this book is for you. It is a captivating, gentle mystery that keeps your attention page after page.

Recommended.

Publication Date: June 4, 2024
Published By: Bethany House
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Mystery, New Releases, Suspense

The Liar’s Bones by Morag Pringle

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Cold waves surround the woman, soaking her hair before pushing her onto the black rocks at the bottom of the cliff. She should gasp for air, but she doesn’t move at all…

Rachel McKenzie has trust issues. That’s what happens when your father murders your mother and gets away with it for years. Tormented by her past, Rachel seeks justice for others, investigating suspicious deaths in the remote and rugged Scottish Highlands.

So, when Rachel hears about a drowned woman on the windswept island where her estranged family lives, she’s driven to investigate. Ellen Hargreaves was a newcomer to the isolated isle, but the locals describe her fondly, especially her love of archaeology and the notebook where she wrote down everything she saw. A notebook that Rachel can’t now find…

The island’s sergeant wants to label Ellen’s death an accident, but Rachel is convinced there’s more to the story. Her instincts prove right when she discovers that Ellen found a human bone before her death. Had Ellen stumbled onto a dangerous secret?

Rachel is determined to find the truth. But then a teenage girl goes missing shortly after talking to her, and Rachel realises that she has exposed an innocent girl to a twisted killer. Heart pounding and wracked with guilt, Rachel works around the clock to find the vanished girl. But will she get there in time?

My Thoughts

Readers who like a blend of police procedural with familial and village drama will surely enjoy this debut series from Morag Pringle. The setting on the remote islands of Uist combined with a complex, well-developed mystery will draw readers in and keep them glued to page after page.

Protagonist Rachel McKenzie has the potential to become a favorite character. She’s smart, resilient, and empathetic, fully determined to speak for the dead and find answers.

Pringle is equally skilled at plot development, dialog, and description. Her descriptions of the remote and sometimes desolate Uist landscape are some of the best I’ve read. As I worked my way through the book, I kept thinking that Ann Cleeves’ successor has arrived.

Very well done.

A compulsively gripping crime thriller set in the atmospheric and stormy Scottish Highlands. Perfect for fans of Elly Griffiths, Rachel McLean and Rachel Caine.

Publication Date: May 20, 2024
Published By: Storm Publishing
Thanks to Netgalley for the book

British, Historical, Mystery, New Releases, Women

Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

London, 1945: Four adolescent orphans with a dark wartime history are squatting in a vacant Belgravia mansion—the owners having fled London under heavy Luftwaffe bombing. Psychologist and Investigator Maisie Dobbs visits the mansion on behalf of the owners and discovers that a demobilized soldier, gravely ill and reeling from his experiences overseas, has taken shelter with the group.

Maisie’s quest to bring comfort to the youngsters and the ailing soldier brings to light a decades-old mystery concerning Maisie’s first husband, James Compton, who was killed while piloting an experimental fighter aircraft. As Maisie unravels the threads of her dead husband’s life, she is forced to examine her own painful past and question beliefs she has always accepted as true.

The award-winning Maisie Dobbs series has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers, readers drawn to a woman who is of her time, yet familiar in ours—and who inspires with her resilience and capacity for endurance. This final assignment of her own choosing not only opens a new future for Maisie and her family, but serves as a  fascinating portrayal of the challenges facing the people of Britain at the close of the Second World War.

My Thoughts

Another of my favorites comes to a close with Winspear’s final entry in the Maisie Dobbs series. As expected, the writing is exquisite and the characters richly drawn and developed. While there’s less of a mystery here and more tying up of loose ends, the story hangs together nicely and is peppered with references to earlier books and events. The last part of the story focusing on James Compton was wonderful to read and full of hope, which has been the red thread tying all of the Maisie books together.

While Maisie experienced some terrible things during this series, she always carried hope with her or found it again. The scenes described here of the devastation the British people faced after World War II are awful to read, but so important to the arc of Maisie’s story. Winspear takes Maisie back to Ebury Place, where it all began in that first book. Everything is different except Maisie’s capacity to believe in the goodness of people.

This series is a masterpiece and is one I will continue recommending for a long time to come.

A milestone in historical mystery fiction as Maisie Dobbs takes her final bow!

The Comfort of Ghosts completes Jacqueline Winspear’s ground-breaking and internationally bestselling series.

“An outstanding historical series.”—The New York Times

“Winspear is a brilliant writer, mixing the history and the mystery with the psychology of criminals and victims.”—The Historical Novel Society

Publication Date: June 4, 2024
Published By: Soho Press
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

British, Historical, Magical, Mystery, New Releases, Romance, Suspense, Time Slip

The Murderer Inside the Mirror by Sarah Rayne

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Another day, another grand scheme! The thieving Fitzglen family are back in this second instalment of the spellbinding Theatre of Thieves gothic mystery series set in Victorian England.

London, 1908. The Fitzglens, one of London’s leading theatre families and part-time thieves, are plotting their next scheme when they receive terrible news about Great Uncle Montague. He’s been killed in a tragic accident at his Notting Hill home.

Montague will be much missed, not just for his talent in art forgery, but his death provides an unlooked-for opportunity: the chance to search for his infamous iron box. No one knows what it contains – if, that is, it even exists – but Jack Fitzglen is certain it has to be something highly valuable . . . or extremely dangerous. Why else would the grand master of storytelling have refused to even drop a hint?

Jack is amazed when he finds the box – and even more amazed by its contents. An unknown play by one of Ireland’s leading playwrights, entitled The Murderer Inside the Mirror. Jack reads the first few pages, and is struck by a nameless feeling of dread. But even he has no idea what kind of dangerous adventure the manuscript will take him on – one which will tangle him in revenge, madness . . . and murder.

This unsettling gothic historical mystery, following Chalice of Darkness, will appeal to fans of Daphne du Maurier, Laura Purcell, Rebecca James, Sarah Waters and Stuart Turton.

My Thoughts

Sarah Rayne rarely disappoints and in The Murderer Inside the Mirror she has delivered another tense, clever, and engaging mystery featuring the Fitzglens, one of her series families.

Rayne is exceptionally skilled at telling stories that alternate time periods and/or have some sort of time travel or past life connection. Here, the Fitzglen clan of actors and thieves find themselves embroiled in a mystery surrounding a previously-unknown play written by a well-known author which disappears as mysteriously as it was found. The search for the manuscript reveals a complicated web of scandal, betrayal, and love spanning centuries.

Rayne’s books are always well written and this is no exception. The plot will keep readers engaged, and will appeal to fans of mysteries, romance, and history. If you’re new to this author, check out her earlier series. All are terrific reads.

Publication Date: June 4, 2024
Published By: Severn House
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Makes You Think, New Releases, Psychological, Suspense, Women

Lilith by Eric Rickstad

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

From the internationally bestselling author of I Am Not Who You Think I Am—a New York Times Thriller of the Year—comes Lilith, an incendiary powerhouse of a novel that strikes straight at the wounded heart of America.

Mother. Hero. Villain. Killer. 

After her son Lydan suffers traumatic injuries in a school shooting, single mom Elisabeth Ross grows enraged at men in power. If they won’t do anything to help end this epidemic of violence, she will. Believing it’s her destiny, she sets out to awaken the world to the cowards these men are and commits her own shocking act of violence. 

Going by the name Lilith—the first wife of Adam who fled Eden rather than serve a man—she posts a video of her crime that reverberates throughout society.

Praised by some, demonized by others, and hunted by the FBI and vigilantes alike, Elisabeth must keep her identity a secret as she tries to care for her son.

As events take startling twists, Elisabeth begins to question her act of violence and the very roots and mythology of violence itself. Was her act justified or has she become the monster that the original Lilith was accused of being?

As the FBI draws closer, and Lydan starts to display odd, terrifying behavior, Elisabeth plots to avoid capture and keep her son safe at all costs, fearing she’ll never escape what she’s done without losing her son forever. 

Written with Rickstad’s singular command of language, human insight, and unnerving suspense, Lilith is a tale of our times. Tragic and profound, it echoes in the mind and lingers in the blood.

My Thoughts

This exploration of a mother’s response to her son being injured in a school shooting made me feel a lot of things. I don’t think there’s a parent out there who hasn’t thought about how they would respond if their child was injured or killed in a senseless act of violence like a mass shooting. The one reaction that no one talks about publicly is meeting violence with violence and exacting revenge on the people who make these mass killings possible. I’ve seen several reviews call this book a “punch to the gut.”

It certainly is that.

It is also a brilliant story of an anti-hero who does the things others only dream about in their darkest dreams. In the hands of a less-capable author, this would be a melodramatic mess but Rickstad turns this into an Everywoman story that tensely explores the journey of a mother who is hurt, terrified, and very, very angry.

I would describe my reaction to this book as a “hammer to the head and heart.” It challenges the reader’s belief system and prompts serious thinking about how we as individuals and collectively as a civilization respond to horrific violence. I am left conflicted and would welcome discussion with others. That’s saying A LOT because I am a solitary reader. I’ll be recommending this for book clubs for sure.

Publication Date: March 19, 2024
Published By: Blackstone Publishing
Thanks to Netgalley and the Blackstone for the review copy

Books About Books, Fantasy, Magical, Magical Realism, Makes You Think, Mystery, New Releases, Psychological, Suspense

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

A debut novel full of magic, adventure, and romance, The Book of Doors opens up a thrilling world of contemporary fantasy for readers of The Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, The Night Circus, and any modern story that mixes the wonder of the unknown with just a tinge of darkness.

Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers—a lonely yet charming old man—dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading.  

But this is no ordinary book…

It is the Book of Doors. 

Inscribed with enigmatic words and mysterious drawings, it promises Cassie that any door is every door. You just need to know how to open them.

Then she’s approached by a gaunt stranger in a rumpled black suit with a Scottish brogue who calls himself Drummond Fox. He’s a librarian who keeps watch over a unique set of rare volumes. The tome now in Cassie’s possession is not the only book with great power, but it is the one most coveted by those who collect them. 

Now Cassie is being hunted by those few who know of the Special Books. With only her roommate Izzy to confide in, she has to decide if she will help the mysterious and haunted Drummond protect the Book of Doors—and the other books in his secret library’s care—from those who will do evil. Because only Drummond knows where the unique library is and only Cassie’s book can get them there. 

But there are those willing to kill to obtain those secrets. And a dark force—in the form of a shadowy, sadistic woman—is at the very top of that list.

My Thoughts

The early chapters in this mesmerizing book kept me glued to the pages. I was fascinated by the concept of the books, especially the Book of Doors. However, I put the book down after the introduction of “the woman” and the subsequent chapters that described her sociopathic, cruel behavior. The introduction of the woman and particularly what she did with the Book of Despair horrified me and I needed a break.

If you are a squeamish reader, this is your warning. The violence here is V.i.o.l.e.n.t.

When I came back, I waded through chapters that became increasingly challenging to keep straight. Make no mistake, this is a complex plot that requires close reading. The concept of the books was so intriguing that I was able to set aside several instances of irritating and insensitive dialog and description, which could be fixed with some editing. Considering I was reading an ARC, hopefully these things will be fixed in the final version.

There is some insight to the “why” of the cruelty and sociopathy at the end, but that part left me wondering if the final scene in NYC with Hugo and Rachel actually started the whole cycle all over again.

My prediction is that most readers will either love or hate this book. I’m in the middle – I am totally there for the Books, but less so for the humans in the story.

Publication Date: February 13, 2024
Published By: William Morrow
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Mystery, New Releases, Psychological, Suspense, Women

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Instead of presents this Christmas, a true crime podcaster is opening up a cold case…

Madeline Martin has built a life for herself as the young owner of a thriving business, The Next Chapter Bookshop, despite her tragic childhood and now needing to care for her infirm father. When Harley Granger, a failed novelist turned true crime podcaster, drifts into her shop in the days before Christmas, he seems intent on digging up events that Madeline would much rather forget. She’s the only surviving victim of Evan Handy, the man who was convicted of murdering her best friend Steph, and is suspected in the disappearance of two sisters, also good friends of Madeline’s, who have been missing for nearly a decade. It’s an investigation that has obsessed her father Sheriff James Martin right up until his stroke took his faculties.

Harley Granger has a gift for seeing things that others miss. He wasn’t much of a novelist, but his work as a true crime author and podcaster has earned him fame and wealth—and some serious criticism for his various unethical practices. Still, visiting Little Valley to be closer to his dying father has caused him to look into a case that many people think is closed—and some want reopened. And he has a lot of questions about the night Stephanie Cramer was killed, Ainsley and Sam Wallace disappeared, and Madeline Martin was left for dead, bleeding out on a riverbank.

Since Evan Handy went to jail, three other young women have gone missing, most recently a young college dropout named Lolly. Five young women missing in the same area in a decade. Are they connected? Was Evan Handy innocent after all? Or was there some else there that night? Someone who is still satisfying his dark appetites?

As Christmas approaches and a blizzard bears down, Madeline and her childhood friend Badger return to a past they both hoped was dead—to find the missing Lolly and to answer questions that have haunted them both, discovering that the truth is more terrible and much closer to home than they think.

Coupling a picturesque, cozy setting with a deeply unsettling suspenseful plot, Christmas Presents is a chilling seasonal novella that can be enjoyed all year long.

My Thoughts

I picked up this nail-biter of a novel and set it down 2 hours later, absolutely drained. This is a whopper of a story that grabs ahold from the first chapter and doesn’t let you go until the final sentence.

While the story is shorter than others, I found myself feeling a sense of urgency while reading, adding to the tension. Everything works here from the characters to the dialog to the narrative structure and description – it all comes together in this incendiary story that will have you gripping the book, white-knuckled, as you gnaw on your fingernails.

So well done.

Publication Date: October 24, 2023
Published By: Penzler Publishers; Mysterious Press
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy