January 31, 2023
January 18, 2023
The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner
Seances, spiritualism, murder and Victorian London: how could it get better? Add a young woman who is skeptical of all of this and yet becomes embroiled in sinister paranormal plots with a touch of romance and it all comes together nicely.
January 10, 2023
Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes
An academic institution dedicated to the education of sufferers of oppression and cruelty in the arts of “deletion”. Overbearing and vicious employers who make life miserable for their charges are the targets of these erudite schemes to succeed in murder and avoid retribution for the same. Dark fun.
January 3, 2023
Winter Swallows by Maurizio de Giovanni
For lovers of murder mysteries and literary fiction alike, this atmospheric tale, elegantly written and set in 1930s Naples will satisfy the most discerning reader.
December 22, 2022
My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor
A scheme to smuggle escaped prisoners of war out of wartime Rome by a member of the Vatican clergy, helped by a variety of sympathizers is constantly imperiled by the scrutiny of the Nazi occupiers, the sanctity of the Vatican City’s neutral status notwithstanding. It is a nonstop thrill ride with plenty of Italian flavor, spiced with a touch of the Irish.
December 21, 2022
Galatea by Madeline Miller
A retelling of the classic story of Pygmalion and his unearthly creation, this is a potent bit of literature with the extra benefit of being a beautiful package that would work as a stocking stuffer for any book lover.
December 14, 2022
Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins
A complex and consuming story of personal struggle, history and socio-political strife written with an astonishingly deft sense of language, both written and spoken. One of the finest books of recent memory.
November 21, 2022
Study in Crimson by Robert J. Harris
Using the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce movies as a basis, this updated Sherlock Holmes mystery is set during WWII and features a killer who echoes the grisly crimes of Jack the Ripper.
November 21, 2022
Gilded Mountain by Kate Manning
A dramatic fictional account of early 20 th century mine workers and their oppressive overlords, peppered with social commentary and a history of union struggles.
November 7, 2022