Revisiting an Old Friend: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I recently re-read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society,  a book I liked.  Upon second reading, I re-liked it all over again…but even more.  I LOVED it on the second read.
Why?  Well, could it be attributed to growing older (I first read it in 2009)? Or experiencing more loss and pain in life?  Or maybe just being in the mood for a sentimental book?
Well, whatever it was that made me change my GOOD read to a GREAT read, I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this story.  There is something for everyone here…romance, history, sentimentality, friendship, etc.
One of the things I forgot was how immersed you get into the world of Guernsey and the period of the story (post-WWII).  I remember adding Guernsey to my “must see” travel list right after I finished this book the first time.  Well, this time, I wanted to RUN there.  Between the sense of place and the sense of history, I felt like I was right there, in 1940s Guernsey, chatting with the characters and partaking of some potato peel pie.  The characters all jump off the page so it is easy to imagine them conversing with me about books and travel and the hardships of the war.
Told exclusively through letters exchanged from Guernsey natives to Juliet, a writer who is searching for her next story, this book begins in 1946, after the Germans left Guernsey.  Juliet lives in London and somehow, one of Guernsey’s residents comes across a book that has Juliet’s name in it so he writes to her.  This letter strikes up a series of events that leads to Juliet and some of her friends traveling to Guernsey and becoming one of the Guernsey family.
No, it is not one of the finest books ever written.  But, sometimes you just need a book to transport you to another world for a little while…something that takes your mind away from the ordinary and the mundane.  For me, this was that book.  Maybe it will be yours too.

Death in the Floating City by Tasha Alexander

This is my second Tasha Alexander novel featuring Victorian Lady Emily Ashton and maybe because this one is set in Venice, a city I love, I enjoyed it even more than the the first one I read (A Fatal Waltz).  Alexander, like Donna Leon, another author who writes mysteries set in Venice (though featuring a male detective), does a brilliant job of breathing life into Venice.  And Lady Emily is a force to be reckoned with...a kin to Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey (set in Victorian England).  Unlike Raybourn's heroine, who sometimes is too tough and "un-Victorian" for the times, I felt Alexander and her Lady Emily hit just the right tones of passion and passiveness.  Though the ending got a little convoluted (I began to get some of the characters confused because of their titles and their flowery names...not to mention all of the place names), I still highly recommend this series for anyone who likes historical mysteries, female-based mysteries or vivid depictions and/or senses of place.  

Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton

A fire races though a London private school and a mother rushes to save her daughter’s life. How the fire started provides the backdrop for this suspenseful thriller with paranormal aspects and graced with lyrical writing.


This novel with its realistic portrayal of contemporary families is heartbreaking in its tragic elements but appealing in its devotion to the protective instincts that are the core of the love between mothers and children. The twists and turns in the thriller are so well done that the culprit is revealed deftly in the final pages.

Readers of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Broken Harbor by Tana French will devour Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton.

Travel Reads

I recently went on a short trip and with my trusty iPad in tow, I had a decision to make about what to read while on vacation.  I started off reading a book that I’m doing for a book discussion…a literary, dense book that I soon realized would not fly for vacation reading.  Even if vacation is not taken on or at the beach, “beach read” type books are always a must for my travels.  To clarify, a “beach read” is a not a book set AT the beach…but rather a FUN book…a guilty pleasure…a book you would not like to be caught reading by scholarly family or friends.

Some people read romances as their “beach reads,” but I often read “chick lit” on vacation and in that genre, Madeleine Wickham always satisfies.  Her books are not completely mindless (like some chick lit) and she writes strong female characters with enough problems so the reading is fast, but not too many problems to bog down the story.  LIGHT is the key in a beach read and The Wedding Girl did not disappoint.  The characters were superficial (in a good way) and the story was breezy.  Wickham (who also writes under the pen name Sophie Kinsella) is one of my favorite vacation writers.

But, this time, I also read a thriller.  I’ve read Joy Fielding in the past and liked her…but The Wild Zone was completely different from her other books.  It is less thriller and more character study.  Not that this was too heavy for vacation…it was just unexpected.  I don’t expect all thrillers to get into the psychological aspects of their characters… especially with authors not known for those deeper character developments.  When I read the other Fielding books (Missing Pieces and Charley’s Web) they were solid thrillers, but not anything too intense or emotional.  The Wild Zone caught me off-guard with its slow-paced storyline, not to mention its surprise twist ending.  For Fielding die-hards, be prepared for an unusual novel.  For those unfamiliar with this author and with thrillers in general, this might be a good book to try and get your toes wet with another genre.

A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller

This debut novel from Chicago Tribune journalist (and Pulitzer Prize winner) Julia Keller is gripping from page one…reeling the reader in with clear depictions of small town life, adolescence, and brutal, senseless violence.  Starting out shortly before a seemingly random shooting, the story introduces us to a mother and daughter who are both at odds with each other.  The mother, Bell, works too much, overly dedicated to her job as prosecuting attorney for a small, impoverished county in West Virginia. And her daughter Carla is knee-deep in full-blown teenage rebellion.  Actually, that rebellion sets the stage for the story…while waiting for her mother to pick her up from mandatory “anger management” class, Carla witness one of the most violent acts in Acker’s Gap, WV.  After this, Carla becomes even more of a problem…not only is she still a behavior problem but now she also has upsetting, conflicting issues with what she witnessed.  Bell, in addition to dealing with Carla and with the hunt for the murderer(s), also has other issues contending for space in her frantic world.  Keller, as in her Chicago Tribune articles, truly does have a way with words… bringing characters, places and scenarios to life with true, vivid imagery.  This was one of the best written mysteries I've read in ages!  Hopefully, Acker’s Gap, along with Bell, Carla and the other colorful characters of this small town, will be back soon. 

London 2012

This year, eyes and TV sets around the world will be focused on London, the capital of what is really a small island between the North Atlantic and the North Sea, also known as the United Kingdom.  London is in England, one of four countries that make up the UK...the others being Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.     What is it about London that makes it such a fascinating city?

Well, for one, unlike many European cities, London is seriously multicultural.  VERY multicultural.  And I'm not talking tourists.  I'm talking residents.  All races, religions, socioeconomic levels are on view throughout most parts of London.  Yes, in some of the swankier sections (Knightsbridge, Mayfair to name two), most of the people have more than their fair share of  Pound Sterling in their pockets.  But, London is a mammoth, vast city with section upon section of diverse areas.  Take Kensington...which borders ritzy area Knightsbridge and is not far from the also ritzy Chelsea.  Kensington has more Indian restaurants than British restaurants it seems.  The Indian dish Chicken tikka masala, not fish and chips, is even London's honorary national meal. When we think British, we think Protestant and white.  In the countryside, maybe...but not in London.

Let's move on to London's fascinating history.  Unlike our cities in this country, London has recorded history dating back thousands of years.  Yes...thousands.  From the Romans who founded the city as Londinium to the Anglo-Saxons to the Tudors, every corner of London bears some history worth repeating.  The formally-walled "City of London" is the present-day financial center of the capital and is one of the 32 boroughs of London.  There are still places within The City, or Square Mile, as it is sometimes called, where you can see some of the London Wall, first built around The City by the Romans.  Just to the east of The City lies Whitechapel, the former stomping grounds of that vicious deviant Jack the Ripper, who killed at least five prostitutes in the late 1880s.  And on the other side of the River Thames (which throughout much of history, was wider than the present-day river running through London today), there is the George Inn in Southwark...a pub that can date it's history back to the 17th Century.  Yes, that's right...the 1600s.  No, the George we see today is not the exact same one from the 1600s, but there has been a pub on that site for almost 400 years!  That's a lot of pints!

Lastly, let's look at London's cultural side.  Most major cities can boast opera houses and a smattering of theaters and maybe one or two concert venues.  But, London is the HOME of the stage production...with its West End surpassing our Broadway in both longevity, history and profitability.  Many famed Broadway productions began as West End productions...and many acclaimed actors and actresses got their start on the London stage.

As the Summer Olympics approach (the opening ceremonies are on July 27), we thought everyone might want to get into a LONDON frame of mind to prepare.  Here are some books and authors that might fit the bill:

Books set in London

40 Love by Madeleine Wickham

Abbot Agency series by Veronica Heley

Abdication by Juliet Nicolson

About A Boy by Nick Hornby

After You by Julie Buxbaum

Airs and Graces by Roz Southey

Alan Grant series by Josephine Tey

Amsterdam by Ian Mcewan

The Anatomist's Apprentice by Tessa Harris

Anatomy of Murder by Imogen Robertson

Anna Travis series & Jane Tennison/Prime Suspect series by Lynda La Plante

Anthem for Doomed Youth by Carola Dunn

Arthur and George by Julian Barnes

The Best of Friends by Joanna Trollope

The Best of Times by Penny Vincenzi

Bill Slider series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series & William Monk series by Anne Perry

Detective Stella Mooney series by David Lawrence

Blue Monday by Nicci French

Brock & Kolla series by Barry Maitland

The Brothers of Baker Street by Michael Robertson

Bryant & May Peculiar Crimes Unit series by Christopher Fowler

Chelsea Mansions by Barry Matland

The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey

Dead Beat by Patricia Hall

Dead Scared by S. J. Bolton

The Dog Who Came In From the Cold by Alexander McCall Smith

Eleven by Mark Watson

The English Monster, Or, the Melancholy Transactions of William Ablass by Lloyd Shepherd

The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne

Forget Me Not by Sue Margolis

Fraud by Anita Brookner

Free To Trade by Michael Ridpath

Get Maitland by James Patrick Hunt

Gold by Chris Cleave

The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing

Get Me Out Of Here by Henry Sutton

The Good the Bad and the Uncanny By Simon Green

Hannah Wolfe series by Sarah Dunant

Hawkwood by James Mcgee

Helen West series by Frances Fyfield

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffengger

The High Flyer by Susan Howatch

The Honey Trap by Clive Edgerton

The House of Eliott by Jean Marsh

How It All Began by Penelope Lively

I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson

In Office Hours by Lucy Kellaway

In The Kitchen by Monica Ali

India Black by Carol K. Carr

Inglorious by Joanna Kavenna

The Innocents by Francesca Segal

The Invasion Year by Dewey Lambdin

Invisible River by Helena Mcewen

Jack Caffery series by Mo Hayder

John Coffin series by Gwendoline Butler

John McLeish & Francesca Wilson series by Janet Neel

Johnny “One Eye” Hawke series by David Stuart Davies

London Calling by James Craig

London Fields by Martin Amis

Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch

The List by Martin Fletcher

London Holiday by Richard Peck

Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear

Man of the Month Club by Jackie Clune

Mark Tartaglia series by Elena Forbes

A Married Man by Catherine Alcott

The Minority Council by Kate Griffin

Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia Macneal

The Mysterium by P. C. Doherty

Nigel Barnes series by Dan Waddell

No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie

Notting Hell by Rachel Johnson

The Other Side of The Story by Marian Keyes

Park Lane by Frances Osborne

A Parliament of Spies by Cassandra Clark

Past Imperfect by Julian Fellowes

Peter Fletcher series by Simon Shaw

The Piccadilly Plot by Susanna Gregory

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly

Rag and Bone by James R. Benn

The Reckoning by Jane Casey

Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella

Rescuing Rose by Isabel Wolff

Roommate Wanted by Lisa Jewell

Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen

Rumpole series by John Mortimer

Sacrilege by S.J. Parris

Sam Jones series by Lauren Henderson

Second Chance by Jane Green

The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble

Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

The Silent Oligarch by Chris Morgan Jones

A Small Fortune by Rosie Dastgir

The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd

A Special Relationship by Douglas Kennedy

The Spoiler by Annalena Mcafee

Strangers by Anita Brookner

Suzie Mountford series by John Gardner

A Tale of Two Cities by Ralph Mowat

The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman

Thomas Chaloner series by Susanna Gregory

Tides of War by Stella Tillyard

Tom Thorne series by Mark Billingham

The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart

Trish Maguire series by Natasha Cooper

The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss

Waiting For Sunrise by William Boyd

When Maidens Mourn by C.S. Harris

Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath by Kate Moses

The Yard by Alex Grecian

Yoga Teacher by Alexandra Gray

Zero History by William Gibson

British Mystery Authors

Agatha Christie

Ann Granger: Mitchell and Markby series

Anthea Fraser

Antonia Fraser

Arthur Conan Doyle 

Audrey Peterson

Barbara Vine

Bruce Alexander

C.S. Harris

Candace Robb

Carola Dunn: Cornish Mystery series

Cassandra Chan

Cassandra Clark

Charles Finch

Charles Todd

Chris Morgan Jones

Colin Dexter: Inspector Morse series

David Liss

Deanna Raybourn

Deborah Crombie

Deborah Grabien

Denise Mina

Diana Killian

Dick Francis

Dorothy Cannell: Ellie Haskell series

Dorothy L. Sayers

Elisabeth Bastion

Elizabeth George

Elizabeth Peters

Ellis Peters

Fiona Mountain

Gayle Lynds

Gillian Linscott

Graham Moore

H.R.F. Keating

Iain Pears

Ian Rankin (Scottish)

J.M. Gregson: Lambert and Hook series

James Craig

Jane Casey

Jeffrey Archer

Jeri Westerson

Jill McGown

Jill Paton Walsh

Joanna Challis

John Harvey

John Lawton

John Sherwood

John William Wainwright:

Judith Cook: John Latymer series

Kate Atkinson

Kate Charles

Kate Ross

Kenneth Cameron

Laura Joh Rowland

Laurie R. King

Madeleine Robins

Margaret Fraser

Margaret Yorke

Marian Babson

Marianne Macdonald

Marjorie Allingham

Marjorie Eccles

Martha Grimes

Martin Edwards: Hannah Scarlet & Daniel Kind Lake District Mysteries

Martina Cole

Mary Stewart

MC Beaton: Agatha Raisin series

Michael Robertson

Michael Robotham

Minette Walters

Nancy Atherton

Ngaio Marsh

Nicci French

Nicola Upson

P.C. Doherty

P.D. James

Patricia Hall: Michael Thackeray & Laura Ackroyd series

Peter James

Peter Lovesey

Peter Robinson: Alan Banks series

Peter Turnbull: Hennessey and Yellich series

Rebecca Kent

Reggie Nadelson

Reginald Hill

Reginald Hill: Dalziel and Pascoe series

Robert Barnard: Charlie Peace series

Robert Goddard

Robert Harris

Robert Lee Hall

Roberta Gellis

Rosamund Lupton

Rosemary Stevens

Ruth Rendell: Inspector Wexford series

S.J. Bolton

S.J. Parris

Sally Spencer: Monika Paniatowski series

Santa Montefiore

Sheri Cobb South

Simon Brett: Fethering series

Sophie Hannah

Stella Whitelaw: Jordan Lacey series

Stuart Pawson

Thomas Harris

Val McDermid

Veronica Black: Sister Joan series

Will Thomas

General Fiction Authors

Anita Brookner

Barbara Pym

Carla Neggers

Eloise James

Ian McEwan

Isabel Wolff

Jane Green

Jasper Fforde

Jeffrey Archer

Joanna Trollope

Julia Quinn

Julian Barnes

Madeleine Wickham

Marcia Willet

Margaret Drabble

Marian Keyes

Mark Haddon

Martin Amis

Mary Balogh

Mary Sheepshanks

Nicci French

Nick Hornby

Penelope Lively

Peter Carey

Salmon Rushdie

Sophie Kinsella

On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

A moving drama about a tutor and her student who survive a plane crash in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, only to wash up on a deserted island.  TJ missed a year of school while he was battling cancer.  Now that he’s in remission, his folks enlisted teacher Anna to tutor him while the family vacations in the Maldives.  All of that, of course, goes very wrong when their pilot has a heart attack en route to meet up with TJ’s parents already in the Maldives. 

At first, I found the story pretty Cast Away-esque.  Starting the first fire, cracking coconuts and catching fish for the first time were all VERY akin to the 2000 Tom Hanks movie, where Hanks’ character is stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere after a plane crash.  Sound familiar?  But, where this tale deviates is the growing, evolving, changing relationship between Anna and TJ.  Right after the crash occurs, they are very much teacher and student.  But, they soon learn to become partners in their desperate attempt to survive.  They care for each other.  They worry about each other.  And most of all, they learn to help each other survive under the direst of circumstances.  Yes, there are fights and frustrations.  But, for the most part, their mutual survival is aided by their strong and constant rapport.  Both characters grow quite a bit as people, both emotionally as well as physically.  One would think the TJ would do most of the growing here, since he is only 16 when they get stranded, but Anna starts off this story uncertain of her future and her life; she basically is not that grounded of a person.  They both are forced to toughen themselves up in all ways and to grow up fast.   There is no learning curve on the island — TJ doesn’t have high school and college to prepare him for “the real world” and Anna no longer can blame everything on the bad relationship she was in. 

And the relationship between the two of them is the best part of this novel.  I’m not talking about the romance.  I’m talking about the companionship and the friendship and support these two have together.  Each needs the other one to survive and when one’s survival is in jeopardy, the other is not sure they will be able to go on without the other.  And all of this is conveyed with sincerity and honesty in the book.  Garvis-Graves is an author to watch. 

Ian Rankin's Edinburgh

Recently, I ventured to Scotland for “holiday” (as the Brits call their vacations), armed with my iPad, loaded with an Ian Rankin mystery.  Rankin, a Scot, is best known for his Inspector Rebus series, set in the gritty underbelly of Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh. I’ve read quite a few Rankin books, both from his lengthy John Rebus series and his standalone thrillers, and have always been mystified at what drives an author to set story after story in the same town (there are 19 Rebus books in the series, which the author ended in 2007).

Once in the historic city, I began to see what inspired Rankin to write Rebus in Edinburgh for 20 years (his first Rebus novel, Knots and Crosses, was published in 1987).   Edinburgh, like any major city, is chaotic and cluttered and dirty and crowded and on and on.  But, UNLIKE most major cities (especially the ones on THIS side of the pond), Edinburgh is filled with a captivating and fascinating history around every corner.  And, because of its hilly, winding streets and dark gray buildings (the porous stone has absorbed years of soot and dirt), not to mention the pretty regular mist and/or fog that hangs over the atmosphere, Edinburgh lends itself perfectly to the criminal element.  This is not to say I encountered any nefarious sorts in Edinburgh (hardly! -- unless you count men in kilts nefarious) but I can understand why Rankin’s Rebus feels so at home here…fighting crime in a city from another time…feeling almost like another world.  So, if you want to visit Edinburgh, you can either hop a plane at O’Hare or you can pick up a John Rebus mystery by Ian Rankin.  Both give off the same eerie effect, but one will be MUCH easier on your wallet (whether in British Pounds or dollars!).

Oh, and Rebus is also available as a TV series on DVD: the first set with John Hannah as Rebus and the three more sets with Ken Stott as the Edinburgh inspector.

40 Love by Madeleine Wickham

Wickham scores again...this time with a fun, highly biting commentary on the social strata in England.  Not unlike my favorite author Edith Wharton (who wrote about society in early 1900s New York), Wickham here uses her fine writing skills to make sweeping and also pointed gestures about the differences and familiarities between the middle and upper classes.  Not that I would compare Wickham's writing or plots to Wharton, but Wickham's finger is definitely on the pulse of what makes society both tick and falter here.  The story takes us to a fine manor house in English Countryside (but not far enough out maybe).  Caroline and Patrick, the manor house, nouveau riche owners, invite several couples over for a weekend-long tennis party, including a stuffy man and his new rich wife and then former neighbors from their old "poorer" neighborhood out on the outskirts of London.  What transpires is funny, sad but most of all a I'm sure pseudo-realistic view of what goes on behind closed doors of those large stately homes.  LOTS of fun to read and educational as well for those interesting in climbing to social ladder!

One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner

One of the better novels I have read in a while...this one makes you laugh, cry and long for your friends.  Rayner, a Brit, weaves a compelling tale filled with sudden loss, friendship, gradual loss, sexual identity and all sorts of relationships.  The main characters are the storytellers here...Karen who experiences sudden loss right at the beginning of the book, Anna, who is Karen's friend and is in the midst of a doomed relationship with a man with dependency problems, and Lou who enters Karen and Anna's lives through sad happenstance and who is dealing with her own private identity battles.  All of these characters on their own would make compelling fiction, but all three of them create a vivid and dynamic tale that not only holds the reader's interest, but inspires them as well.  An excellent novel!

Doubleback by Libby Fischer Hellmann

From Chicago author Libby Fischer Hellmann, here's a top-notch mystery with a strong female main character, Georgia Davis.  She's feisty, proud, confident and able.  She's a good PI who isn't a "superhero" type...meaning she get afraid and is not ashamed to show it.  In Doubleback, Davis gets involved with a kidnapping/murder/financial malfeasance plot that takes her from Chicago to the Arizona-Mexico border.  Hellmann's writing style is good, though I think sometimes she can be a bit choppy.  But, the great character construction and well-laid-out plot make up for this. Though the plot can be a bit far-fetched (as most thrillers and mysteries can be), Davis also seems believable in her role...meaning she doesn't just happen to "fall" into situations, rather the escapades she finds herself in are essential to the plot.   I would read more tales about Georgia Davis and her sometimes partner-in-crime Ellie Foreman (Hellmann does a series with Foreman as more of a primary character too).

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

Knowing I'm always in the market for a good mystery, especially a good British one, I recently got a recommendation to read the Ruth Galloway series from Elly Griffiths.  And what I discovered is a fantastic new writer who weaves an excellent British mystery with an archaeological spin. Set in the eastern English county of Norfolk, Ruth is an archeologist who gets called in by the local authorities to check the age of a skeleton that was found. This find leads to Ruth getting emerged in a missing person's case and a whole web of mystery and murder. I VERY MUCH liked the chemistry between Ruth and the inspector who works with her...Nelson. And a surprise at the end of the book means that their relationship is only beginning.  Nelson is the kind of "man-you-love-to-hate..." meaning he's gruff and harsh, with a sweet side and a heart of gold.  And Ruth herself is a refreshing female mystery character, who is less amateur sleuth and more "right place, right time" gal.  She never ASKS to be involved in the police investigation...it just sort of happens.  And Ruth is full of spunk and vitality, though she's more than her fair share of self-effacing. I will read more from Griffiths and look forward to where she leads Ruth and Nelson next!

An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd

One of the best beginnings of a mystery (historical or otherwise) I've read in a long while.  I was just literally fixated for the first 100 pages.  After that, we gets a little too convoluted with less-than-necessary characters and too many plotlines that pop up and lead nowhere.  But, it is a must read for those first chapters!  The story revolves around nurse Bess Crawford who is working the frontlines during WWI when she stumbles upon a body that was not shot, but rather had its neck broken.  On her way to report this, she faints and succumbs to the Spanish flu, an epidemic that taking almost as many lives as the war. Once she is better, she finds out that the only people who know of this "mysterious" body are dead, most likely having been killed. Bess is a fabulously feisty character who is almost as good of an amateur sleuth as she is a nurse.  A mother and son writing team work under the pseudonym Charles Todd and their writing is highly vivid and strong and the way they create the mounting suspense leaves the reader craving more.  I could not put this one down.  I will continue to read this Bess Crawford series for sure!

Deanna Raybourn vs. Tasha Alexander

First of all, I don’t want to give the impression I am pitting these authors against each other. Anytime I see “vs.” between two names, I think of an anticipated boxing match. My goal here is to compare, non-violently, these two historical romantic suspense authors and help readers decide if one or both of these authors are for them.
First, Deanna Raybourn, who I have loved since her first book featuring Lady Julia Grey, Silent in the Grave, is an author with an exceedingly light touch. A light touch in writing style…a light touch when it comes to Lady Julia and a light touch when it comes to the story. Nothing ever gets too dark or threatening here. Even when Lady Julia or another character, such as her P.I. husband Nicholas, encounters a dangerous and potentially fatal situation, Raybourn always shines a little air of affability into the mix. Saying that, this does not mean I do not savor everything Lady Julia does. I do and I try my best to wait patiently for her next book. All I’m saying is that there is no sense of continual doom with Raybourn like there are with some suspense writers. She keeps it light…and I keep reading.
Onto Tasha Alexander, who I first discovered at a mystery writer’s conference where I bought a book and had Alexander sign it based on hearing her speak. But, the book sat on my shelves for over a year until Julia Keller, the Chicago Tribune’s Cultural Critic, wrote a piece on Alexander (December 4, 2011, Arts and Entertainment) for Keller’s LitLife column. So, I got the book, A Fatal Waltz, out, dusted it off and began, quite pleased I did. Unlike Raybourn, Alexander’s writing style is a little more refined, a little more literary. I hesitate to say more polished, since I think Raybourn is a good writer, but Alexander’s entire style does enhance the affluent world that her main character, Lady Emily Ashton, lives in. Both Raybourn’s Lady Julia and Alexander’s Lady Emily are wealthy Victorian London crime-solving ladies, but the way Alexander writes her tales includes the required upper-class effect. Does this mean I like Alexander more? No. It means that when I’m looking for something lighter, I will reach for Raybourn and Lady Julia. When I am ready for something more meaty and more challenging, I’ll pull out another Alexander and Lady Emily.
Both writers create fiercely strong ladies who enjoy solving crimes, even though it’s highly unladylike in late 1800s London. Both writers weave compelling stories that hold the reader’s interest from start to finish. Basically, both writers excel in this genre (or is historical romantic suspense a SUBgenre?). Try both and see for yourself.

You're (Not) The One by Alexandra Potter

Lucy and Nate kiss under the famed Venice "Bridge of Sighs" which has years of legend and mysticism about it, saying anyone who kisses under it is sealed for a lifetime.  After the couple loses touch, years later they reconnect.  Can the legend be true?  At first, Lucy thinks it might be, but then things change.  Not deep (it is chick lit after-all), but one of the better new chick lit authors I've read in a while, even though it gets a little silly towards the end.  And when the “mysterious” artist Lucy is trying to win over (she works for a NYC art gallery) is named ARTSY, ala Banksy, I almost lost the faith.  But, my persistence paid off with a rewarding ending.  Overall, this one is LOTS of fun and VERY sweet. 

The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn

OK -- I LOVE this series but some of the more recent ones of the series have been just so-so. As with all of them in the Lady Julia Grey series, Raybourn pairs Grey with her now-husband, private investigator Nicholas Brisbane, who is trying his best to control Julia’s wild and un-ladylike impulses. In this book, Brisbane and Julia find themselves embroiled in a murder inquiry where psychics and séances are par for the course. Naturally, their lives are in perpetual danger as they do their investigating, but that never slows them down much. Since they are now married, the sexual tension has been replaced by a type of fun, bickering tension…Brisbane is always worried about Julia…Julia is always upset he does not include her in his investigating. Yes, it sounds a little tedious, but somehow Raybourn makes it work. The first one in this series, Silent in the Grave, is still the best, but this one is a close second! I’m glad Raybourn is back in top form!

Burning the Map by Laura Caldwell

This is my first novel from Chicago-area novelist Laura Caldwell and I loved it.  It's fun and light, but it has enough oomph to surpass romances and other lighter chick lit fair.  Caldwell's writing style is easy going and breezy, just like the story here, which revolves around three friends who have been pals for years but are going through a "seven-year itch" in their friendship. The storyteller of the book, Casey, has been in a relationship for a while and that has changed the friendships she has. So, all three friends decide to take a trip to Italy and Greece to have fun and re-bond, but things begin to go awry quite quickly.  So, basically, you have the best of both worlds here...travel and light romance.  It's fun and entertaining, while never being too fluffy.  Another author for me to savor!