Tag: Historical

Children's, Family, Historical

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry by Anna Rose Johnson

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers—and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking…

Selena Lucy Landry (named for a ship, as every sailor’s child should be) has been frightened of the water ever since she lost her father at sea. But with no one else to care for her, she’s sent to foster with the Martins—a large Anishinaabe family living on a lighthouse in the middle of stormy Lake Superior.  

The Martin family is big, hard-working, and close, and Lucy—who has always been a dreamer—struggles to fit in. Can she go one day without ruining the laundry or forgetting the sweeping? Will she ever be less afraid of the lake?

Although life at the lighthouse isn’t what Lucy hoped for, it is beautiful—ships come and go, waves pound the rocks—and it has one major advantage: It’s near the site of a famous shipwreck, a shipwreck that went down with a treasure her father wanted more than anything. If Lucy can find that treasure—a priceless ruby necklace—won’t it be like having Papa back again, just a little bit? 

But someone else is hunting for the treasure, too. And as the lighthouse company becomes increasingly skeptical that the Martins can juggle Lucy and their duties, Lucy and the Martin children will need to find the necklace quickly—or they may not have a home at all.

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry is a timelessly sweet tale of found family from rising Ojibwe voice Anna Rose Johnson, author of NPR Best Book of the Year The Star That Always Stays. Perfect for fans of L.M. Montgomery and Karina Yan Glaser!

My Thoughts

Reading this lovely book took me back to my early reading days with Laura Ingalls Wilder and Louisa May Alcott and to my early librarian days with the Dear America series. There was definitely that vibe around this. The story is fanciful and features the familiar trope of young child left alone after terrible tragedies who finds a new and fruitful life.

I found the main character appealing as she tried so hard to mask her fears and insecurities with imagination (“I am a Princess of Acadia!”) The quest she set for herself in finding the lost necklace was a good element to move the story along, and the lighthouse setting was wonderful. The star here, though, is the family dynamic. The Martin family is big and loud but also loving and responsible. Readers will want to be a Martin!

There were many touchstones in this story for me (a 61 year old reader), and I hope this will appeal to middle grade readers looking for adventure. This could also spark some interest in Great Lakes history, especially those who live on the shores of those lakes.

“Lucy Landry is a charming and fanciful heroine reminiscent of Anne Shirley, who reminds us that even in dark times, we can be a light for others.”—Alyssa Colman, author of Bank Street Best Book of the Year The Gilded Girl

Publication Date: March 5, 2024
Published By: Holiday House, Peachtree, Pixel+Ink
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Book Tour, Cozy, Detective, Historical, Mystery, Partners In Crime

Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles by Elizabeth Crowens

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

“Sherlock Holmes has lost his dog? We have bigger crimes to solve. Go find him yourself!” That’s what the Los Angeles Police Department told Basil Rathbone. The City Pound ridiculed him as well.

Asta, the dog from the popular Thin Man series, has also vanished, and production for his next film is pending. MGM Studios offers a huge reward, and that’s exactly what young private detectives Babs Norman and Guy Brandt need for their struggling business to survive. Celebrity dognapping now a growing trend, Basil also hires them to find his missing Cocker Spaniel.

The three concoct a plan for Basil to assume his on-screen persona and round up possible suspects, including Myrna Loy and William Powell; Dashiell Hammett, creator of The Thin Man; Nigel Bruce, Basil’s on-screen Doctor Watson; Hollywood-newcomer, German philanthropist and film financier Countess Velma von Rache, and the top animal trainers in Tinseltown. Yet everyone will be in for a shock when the real reason behind the canine disappearances is even more sinister than imagined.

Jump into Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles, Book One of the Babs Norman Golden Age of Hollywood Mystery series, Finalist in the Killer Nashville Claymore Awards for Comedy and First Prize winner in the Chanticleer Review’s Mark Twain Awards for Comedy and Satire.

Get ready for its sequel, Bye, Bye, Blackbird, featuring Humphrey Bogart and the cast of The Maltese Falcon.

My Thoughts

If the madcap detective films of the 1930s had a bookish sister, it would be this book. Crowens dives deeply into the Hollywood that produced those iconic films starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, Nigel Bruce, and Basil Rathbone and overlays them with a clever, sassy mystery featuring as snarky a detective as I’ve ever encountered.

Crowens writes with abandon, deliciously describing the naughty and often hilarious goings-on behind the scenes in Tinseltown. I was reminded of one of my all-time favorite series of books by George Baxt which feature mysteries surrounding Hollywood royalty. Those are mostly out of print and hard to come by, so I am happy to see a 21st century author plumbing the depths of Old Hollywood for some fun mysteries.

This is a quick read that will appeal to fans of cozy and historical mystery stories.

Book Details:
Genre: Golden Age of Hollywood Humorous Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: March 2024
Number of Pages: 299
Series: A Babs Norman Hollywood Mystery, Book 1
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Shortlinks:
Amazon – https://pictbooks.tours/mGh0H
Goodreads – https://pictbooks.tours/TsSyN

Author Bio

Elizabeth Crowens has worn many hats in the entertainment industry and has a popular Caption Contest on Facebook. She has three award-winning alternate history novels. Awards include 2020 Leo B. Burstein Scholarship from the MWA-NY Chapter, New York Foundation of the Arts grant, an Eric Hoffer Award, Honorable Mention in the Glimmer Train Awards, and two grand prize and five first prize Chanticleer Awards, including Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles, the first in her Babs Norman Hollywood series, which is also a Killer Nashville Claymore Awards finalist and part of her three-book publishing deal with Level Best Books

Catch Up With Elizabeth Crowens:
www.ElizabethCrowens.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @ECrowens
Instagram – @crowens_author
Twitter/X – @ECrowens
Facebook – @thereel.elizabeth.crowens

Historical, Horror, Magical Realism, Makes You Think, Psychological, Women

Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, Laura receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital, where she soon hears whispers about haunted trenches and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?

November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.

As shells rain down on Flanders and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging – or better left behind entirely.

My Thoughts

I’ve been a fan of Arden’s work since I first read her Winternight Trilogy, which I wrote about here and here. While her previous work has been some of the best fantasy and horror I’ve read, she stretches way beyond those genres here in a book I can only describe as quietly incandescent.

The utter horror of World War I has been documented in so many ways that Arden doesn’t feel obligated to give a history lesson here. Instead, she examines the humanity (and inhumanity) experienced by average people caught up in situations too big and too awful to comprehend without going mad. She beautifully renders the utter heartbreak and the paralyzing fear experienced by soldiers, nurses, and doctors, juxtaposed with love, affection, friendship and the human capacity to just get on with it and worry about details later.

In Winternight, Arden wrote about a place called Midnight and the struggle between Chaos and Order. I recognized some aspects of both those things in some scenes here. The character of Faland reminded me a bit of The Bear – the bringer of chaos, the eater of souls – but the character here was developed in such a way that made me cringe but also want more. The concept that the war was so horrific, that it was murdering the old world and making way for the new, was so carefully balanced with the idea that it was also changing the nature of evil itself is one that has kept me thinking long after finishing the book.

I’m not often completely surprised at twists in a story, but the twist near the end of this one left me entirely nonplussed and drained. Arden’s treatment of relationships – brother & sister, mother and child, friend & enemy – is so intricate and beautiful that some scenes made me cry. That doesn’t often happen.

Despite the chaos and horror, the threads that pull it all together are love and madness. How can humans endure utter madness yet still find their way back to those who love them? How much can one person endure before they give up and what lengths would you go to in order to bring your loved one back from the brink?

This book comes out in early 2024 and I predict it will be on all the “Best of 2024” lists. It is a triumph for Katherine Arden and a gift to us all.

Publication Date: February 13, 2024
Published By: Random House Publishing Group; Ballantine; Del Rey
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

British, Historical, Magical Realism, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Women

The White Hare by Jane Johnson

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

In the far west of Cornwall lies the White Valley, which cuts deeply through bluebell woods down to the sea at White Cove. The valley has a long and bloody history, laced with folklore, and in it sits a house above the beach that has lain neglected since the war. It comes with a reputation and a strange atmosphere, which is why mother and daughter Magdalena and Mila manage to acquire it so cheaply in the fateful summer of 1954.

Magda has grand plans to restore the house to its former glory as a venue for glittering parties, where the rich and celebrated gathered for cocktails and for bracing walks along the coast. Her grown daughter, Mila, just wants to escape the scandal in her past and make a safe and happy home for her little girl, Janey, a solitary, precocious child blessed with a vivid imagination, much of which she pours into stories about her magical plush toy, Rabbit.

But Janey’s rabbit isn’t the only magical being around. Legend has it that an enchanted white hare may be seen running through the woods. Is it an ill omen or a blessing? As Mila, her mother, and her young daughter adjust to life in this mysterious place, they will have to reckon with their own pasts and with the secrets that have been haunting the White Valley for decades.

My Thoughts

This story has all the things that captivate me in a book: magical realism, plenty of folklore, colorful characters, secrets from the past, and complicated family relationships.

In addition, Johnson is an accomplished writer, equally skilled at narrative description, character and plot development, dialog, and scene setting. There are so many wonderful scenes in this book that I keep going back to re-read parts long after I finished reading.

There is a nice balance of good and evil presented here, both between Mila and her mother, who harbors a horrifying secret from her own past, and between Jack and the Vicar who are bound by an equally horrifying experience from their past.

Johnson capably moves the story along through Mila and Janey, who act as the fulcrum for resolution of both storylines. I was reminded of Eve Chase’s work as I was reading, but also of Kate Morton, M.J. Rose, and Kate Mosse.

Highly recommended.

For fans of Alice Hoffman and Kate Morton, The White Hare is a spellbinding novel about mothers and daughters finding a new home for themselves, the secrets they try to bury, and the local legends that may change their lives.

Publication Date: October 2022
Published By: Simon & Schuster

Historical, Mystery

The Human Trial by Audrey Gale

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

In her latest work, author Audrey Gale merges three genres: historical fiction, medical thriller and coming-of-age story, cast with imperfect, relatable characters.

After an agonizing climb to earn his pathology specialty from Harvard Medical, early discoveries in the microscopic realms threaten not only Dr. Randall Archer’s hard-won place in the field of medicine, but his very life.

Dr. Randall Archer has always been a misfit…

 …in the brutal blue-collar home where he grew up

…as a 16-year-old escaping to college, then medical school, on a full scholarship to Harvard.

…in the highest echelons of Boston society, where the woman he marries and the blueblood research partner with whom he shares his laboratory belong.

Archer’s brilliance as a pathologist catapults him into direct and dangerous conflict with the medical establishment he fought so hard to join. As the Great Depression presses down around him, Archer teeters at the edge of a precipice. He must choose between his hard-won career and the sacred oaths he took as a doctor and scientist—before all his choices are lost forever.

My Thoughts

This is a difficult book to classify. There are elements of suspense, mystery, and intrigue but also history and a little bit of romance. For this reader, the suspense, mystery & history worked most successfully; I could have done without the romance. Even with that minor issue, I found the story engaging and well-written.


The rapid pace of scientific advancement in the early-mid 20th century always makes for a fascinating and mysterious topic. The concept of scientific advances being quashed because of profit isn’t a new one, but Gale paints a vivid and gripping picture of one scientist’s story and persecution.

Clocking in at just over 260 pages, this makes a nice rainy afternoon read.

Publication Date: September 26, 2023
Published By: Books Fluent
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy

Historical, Romance, Suspense, Women

Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Next in the #1 Sunday Times bestselling series, New York Times bestselling author Kate Mosse returns with The Ghost Ship, a sweeping historical epic of adventure on the high seas.

The Barbary Coast, 1621. A mysterious vessel floats silently on the water. It is known only as the Ghost Ship. For months it has hunted pirates to liberate those enslaved by corsairs, manned by a courageous crew of mariners from Italy and France, Holland and the Canary Islands.

But the bravest men on board are not who they seem. And the stakes could not be higher. If arrested, they will be hanged for their crimes. Can they survive the journey and escape their fate?

A sweeping and epic love story, ranging from France in 1610 to Amsterdam and the Canary Islands in the 1620s, The Ghost Ship is a thrilling novel of adventure and buccaneering, love and revenge, stolen fortunes and hidden secrets on the high seas.

My Thoughts

Kate Mosse is one of those authors who could write the alphabet and I’d gladly read it. She is one of the best builders-of-worlds writing today, and her historical research is impeccable. She tends to focus on women’s roles in various historical periods, throwing bright light on the horrible conditions and restrictions women endured. However, Mosse’s female protagonists are always those who rise above or go right through the patriarchy and she has outdone her previous characters with Louise.

There’s action, there’s adventure, there’s love all wrapped up in Mosse’s gorgeous prose. This one is a winner for sure and is one I’ll be adding to my print collection.

Publication Date: July 11, 2023
Published By: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Fantasy, Historical, Horror, Magical, Magical Realism, Witches, Women

Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

From bestselling author Alex Grecian comes a folk horror epic about a ragtag posse that must track down a witch through a wild west beset by demons and ghosts—and where death is always just around the bend.

Sadie Grace is wanted for witchcraft, dead (or alive). And every hired gun in Kansas is out to collect the bounty on her head, including bona fide witch hunter Old Tom and his mysterious, mute ward, Rabbit.

On the road to Burden County, they’re joined by two vagabond cowboys with a strong sense of adventure – but no sense of purpose – and a recently widowed schoolteacher with nothing left to lose. As their posse grows, so too does the danger.

Racing along the drought-stricken plains in a stolen red stagecoach, they encounter monsters more wicked than witches lurking along the dusty trail. But the crew is determined to get that bounty, or die trying.

Written with the devilish cadence of Stephen Graham Jones and the pulse-pounding brutality of Nick Cutter, Red Rabbit is a supernatural adventure of luck and misfortune.

“Impossible to put down.” —Kelly Link, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist Get In Trouble

My Thoughts

Imagine if Stephen King wrote The Sisters Brothers; you would have this unexpectedly bewitching yet unceasingly horrifying story. Truly unlike anything I’ve read recently, author Alex Grecian blends an American Old West posse story with witch-hunters, demons, ghouls, ghosts, shapeshifters, and witches to create one of the best horror stories I’ve read in years.

The premise is basic to the genre – suspicious and frightened townspeople put out a bounty on the local witch with disastrous consequences. Everything else is completely off the rails, making this oddly refreshing.

The success here lies in the excellent character development that Grecian weaves throughout. From the mail-order-bride Rose who is made of sterner stuff than anyone imagines, to the apparently mute girl-child who is so much more than she seems, to the variety of cowboy caricatures who appear throughout – all elicit some level of pity or admiration from the reader. I was especially drawn to The Huntsman and would love a follow up book about him!

The narrative moves quickly and is filled with remarkably visceral description and dialog, and more than a few surprises, all leading up to a spectacular ending. Fans of horror and history will enjoy the ride.

This one will make my “Best Of” list for 2023.

Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Published By: Tor Publishing; Tor Nightfire
Thanks to Netgalley & the Publisher for the review copy

Book Tour, Historical, Mystery, Mythology, Partners In Crime, Women

In the Shadow of the Bull by Eleanor Kuhns

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

In the Shadow of the Bull
by Eleanor Kuhns
July 17 – August 11, 2023 Virtual Book Tour

Ancient Crete, 1450 BC. In a world of Goddess worship, sacred snakes and sacrifice, human jealousy, resentment, and betrayal still run wild . . .

When her sister Arge drops to the floor in convulsions and dies at her wedding, fifteen-year-old Martis, a young poet and bull leaper in training, is certain she was murdered. The prime suspect is the groom, Saurus, from the Greek mainland, but when Arge’s shade visits Martis, swearing Saurus is not the murderer, Martis vows to uncover the truth.

As Martis begins asking questions, she discovers that while Arge may have had no secrets, many of the people around her certainly do.

My Thoughts

Years of reading mystery novels have taught me one thing – people are the same, no matter the time period. Strong emotions such as love, hatred, and jealousy have caused humans to behave in terrible ways for centuries, and Eleanor Kuhns skillfully demonstrates her understanding of the human psyche in this well-constructed novel.

The characters here are especially well drawn. Martis is a headstrong young woman who chafes at the restrictions preventing her from following her dream of bull leaping, even though she is good at it. She doesn’t understand her sister’s eagerness to marry, and also does not appreciate her other sister’s rough treatment.

Imagine Martis’ heartbreak when Arge dies on her wedding day, then imagine her confusion as it becomes clear the death was not a natural one. The route to a solution is not an easy one for Martis or for the former bridegroom, Saurus, who is the prime suspect. Martis perseveres, leading up to an even greater emotional reveal of the murderer.

Kuhns delivers a readable, engrossing mystery full of vivid narrative depicting Ancient Crete, along with a set of memorable characters who will stay with you even after you turn the final page. I’ve not read Kuhns’ work before, but will be looking for it now.

Praise for In the Shadow of the Bull:

“This complex, character-driven mystery is loaded with fascinating historical details” 
~  Kirkus Reviews

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Mystery
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: July 2023
Number of Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781448310869 (ISBN10: 1448310865)
Series: An Ancient Crete Mystery (#1)
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Severn House

Book Links:
Amazon -https://amzn.to/3oKwrrw
Barnes & Noble -https://bit.ly/3OI8bAX
BookShop.org – https://bit.ly/3qe6LUK
Goodreads – https://bit.ly/3qlhJYp
Severn House – https://bit.ly/3OLwC0p

Author Bio:

Eleanor Kuhns

Eleanor Kuhns is the 2011 winner of the Minotaur/Mystery Writers of America first mystery prize for A Simple Murder. That was the first in the Will Rees series. She went on to write ten more.
In the Shadow of the Bull is the first in the Ancient Crete Mystery series.

Catch Up With Eleanor Kuhns:
www.Eleanor-Kuhns.com
Goodreads
BookBub
Instagram – @edl0829
Twitter – @EleanorKuhns
Facebook – @writerkuhns

Links:
www.Eleanor-Kuhns.com – https://bit.ly/3N2ZOPd
Goodreads – ttps://bit.ly/3OMOXdI
BookBub – https://bit.ly/42fvmG7
Instagram – @edl0829 – https://bit.ly/3N4v9Bk
Twitter – @EleanorKuhns – https://bit.ly/3BZWq1p
Facebook – @writerkuhns – https://bit.ly/3ouDwg5

Historical, Mystery, Suspense, Women

Woman in the Castello by Kelsie James

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Set in 1960s Italy, this stylish, atmospheric debut spins a bewitching web of ruthless ambition, family secrets, and the consequences of forbidden love, as an ambitious American actress snags the starring role in a mysterious horror movie shooting on location in a crumbling medieval castle outside Rome…

Rome, 1965: Aspiring actress Silvia Whitford arrives at Rome’s famed Cinecittà Studios from Los Angeles, ready for her big break and a taste of la dolce vita. Instead, she learns that the movie in which she was cast has been canceled. Desperate for money, Silvia has only one choice: seek out the Italian aunt she has never met.

Gabriella Conti lives in a crumbling castello on the edge of a volcanic lake. Silvia’s mother refuses to explain the rift that drove the sisters apart, but Silvia is fascinated by Gabriella, a once-famous actress who still radiates charisma. And the eerie castle inspires Silvia’s second chance when it becomes the location for a new horror movie, aptly named The Revenge of the Lake Witch—and she lands a starring role.

Silvia immerses herself in the part of an ingenue tormented by the ghost of her beautiful, seductive ancestor. But when Gabriella abruptly vanishes, the movie’s make-believe terrors seep into reality. No one else on set seems to share Silvia’s suspicions. Yet as she delves into Gabriella’s disappearance, she triggers a chain of events that illuminate dark secrets in the past—and a growing menace in the present . . .

My Thoughts

2023 is shaping up to be an awesome year for books and this one is no exception. A riveting and rambunctious historical mystery set in a dilapidated castle in 1960s Italy, it has everything – a resourceful but flawed heroine, a sick mother, a feisty and mysterious aunt, a handsome leading man, and a boatload of family secrets.

The writing is neat and engrossing, with plenty of attention to descriptive narrative that beautifully evokes the eeriness and creepiness of the castello, and the character development is spot on. Silvia is a strong, resourceful, realistic protagonist and immensely likable. Her tenaciousness is admirable! The relationship between Silvia’s mother and aunt is also fraught with tension and emotion. Such a good story! Add this one to your summer reading pile.

Advance Praise

“The 1960s in Rome, a crumbling Italian castle on the edge of a volcanic lake, a glamorous aunt she’s never met, and a starring role in a horror movie that begins to feel a bit too real…Kelsey James’s debut novel is a delicious Gothic filled with atmosphere, twists, romance, and dark secrets. Readers will devour it.” – Megan Chance, bestselling author of A Splendid Ruin

“Cinematic and spooky…Readers will be swept up in the glamorous—and sometimes grungy—1960s movie scene” – Nicole Baart, bestselling author of Everything We Didn’t Say

“Like Jess Walters’s Beautiful Ruins, the glamour and heady indulgence of the era take center stage in this captivating, multilayered story.” – Susan Wiggs, # 1 New York Times bestselling author

Publication Date: July 25, 2023
Published By: Kensington Books
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Book Tour, Cozy, Ghosties, Historical, iRead Book Tour, Mystery, Women

Pryce of Conceit by Kari Bovee

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Book Description

Someone’s trying to frame this ambitious theater performer for murder. Can she get back to her adoring public and escape the noose? 

1885. Arabella Pryce is struggling with heartbreak. And with her recently deceased husband’s will demanding she leave her celebrity behind and refurbish her namesake hotel in Colorado, the distressed actress is forced to board a westbound train. But she’s barely arrived at the haunted, broken-down lodge when the town beauty shows up dead in one of the rooms… and Arabella is named the prime suspect.

Already feeling the sting of the community’s disapproval, she grits her teeth and works with a mischievous ghost to help prove her innocence. But with blood-stained evidence, handsome sheriffs, and libelous journalists turning her investigation into a dangerous drama, this determined thespian fears she’s missed her cue for survival. 

Can she shine the spotlight on a killer before more than her reputation dies a horrible death?

The Pryce of Conceit is the suspenseful first book in The Arabella Pryce Historical Cozy Mystery series. If you like driven heroines, atmospheric settings, and dashes of humor, then you’ll love Kari Bovée’s lighthearted twists and turns.

My Thoughts

This is a solid start to a new series described as an “historical/ghost/cozy mystery,” which seems to be a new favorite type among mystery readers. The “history” here is 1885, a time when independent women were rare and the West was still relatively unknown. The “ghost” is the deceased partner of the main character’s late husband, and the “cozy” is evident in the absence of the more grisly aspects of murder.

It took me awhile to connect with the main character, Arabella Pryce, since she is the kind of person who typically irritates me – supremely self-centered and entirely focused on her “adoring public.” However, she soon emerges as a strong, sassy, and very smart woman who cares deeply about those closest to her. She navigates a completely unfamiliar landscape in Colorado – although not without some humorous mishaps – and most certainly rises to the challenge set for her by her late husband.

Bovee is clearly a skilled writer, delivering wonderful narrative descriptions of Colorado. I was especially drawn to her description of Arabella’s first sight of the aspens and the Colorado skyline as she steps off the train. Her characters are nicely drawn, especially Arabella’s progression from the vain, petulant diva to a caring, capable woman. The mystery is clever and will keep the reader guessing to the end.

This is a series I will follow and recommend. I hope the author delivers #2 soon. Recommended.

Book Details

Book Title: The Pryce of Conceit – An Historical Ghost Cozy Mystery by Kari Bovee
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 270
Genre: Historical Ghost Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Bosque Publishing
Release date: May 23, 2023
Content Rating: G – Book has no bad language, sex, or violence on the page

Meet the Author

When she’s not on a horse, or walking along the beautiful cottonwood-laden acequias of Corrales, New Mexico; or basking on white sand beaches under the Big Island Hawaiian sun, Kari Bovée is escaping into the past—scheming murder and mayhem for her characters both real and imagined in her award-winning historical Annie Oakley Mystery series, Grace Michelle Mystery series, and Pryce Murder series. 

​In her past life, Bovée worked as a technical writer for a Fortune 500 Company, has written non-fiction for magazines and newsletters, and has worked in the education field as a teacher and educational consultant. 

Connect with the author: Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram
~ Pinterest