A VERY DISTANT SHORE (Jenny Colgan)

This lovely and heartbreaking little novel should actually be read BEFORE The Endless Shore. Of course, even after checking my Amazon orders to confirm that I had actually purchased this book, I couldn't find it anywhere.  Thankfully, I finally came across it!

Said Hassan is a refugee from Syria, a medical doctor whose family remains behind and, hopefully, still alive, in Damascus.  Said is placed by the British government on the island of Mure, Scotland, which has been in dire need of a GP for years.  While he desperately waits for news of his wife, Amena, and his sons, Ibrahim and Ash, he gradually learns the ways of Mure and settles into the old rectory, a dismal, damp building.  He becomes friends with Lorna, whose elderly father, Angus, is seriously ill.  Lorna is Flora's best friend (you'll know who she is if you've read The Cafe by the Sea) and has almost given up on finding love.  She and Said have an undeniable attraction towards one another, but until he hears otherwise, he still holds out hope that he will eventually be reunited with Amena and his sons.

Colgan seems to have successfully stepped inside the head of Said Hassan, communicating the confusion and despair of a man trying to hold onto hope and battling fear on a daily basis while still entertaining the reader with the quirks and foibles of Mure and its people.  I loved this and I think you will, too.

THE ENDLESS BEACH (Jenny Colgan)

This sequel to The Cafe by the Sea was enjoyable from start to finish, as is every novel by jenny Colgan.  Flora, who has moved permanently to the Isle of Mure to run the cafe and help out at the  family farm, was pleased and shocked when her new love (and former boss), Joel, follows her to Mure to work exclusively for one client, who is opening a great resort on the island.  With Joel always away on business and, quite frankly, acting pretty squirrelly, Flora is never quite sure where she stands or what the future will hold.  Joel is notoriously close-mouthed about his past as a foster-child, and upbringing that makes it difficult for him to open up and commit.  Is marriage in their future?  Flora doubts it!

Colgan has added another, charming dimension to this novel with the character of Said Hassan, the Syrian refugee physician who initially appears in A very Distant Shore.  He still hopes to be reunited with his family and is filled with hope and fear when he is informed that two children, thought to be his sons, have been located in Damascus and will be reunited with him after all of the red tape has been cleared.

As always, Colgan leaves us wanting more.  I am looking forward to reading Christmas on the Island, the next installment.  I wish she would write faster!

BY INVITATION ONLY (Dorthea Benton Frank)

Excellent, entertaining novel!  The one cautionary note that I have is that I had a difficult time at first figuring out exactly who was narrating.  The story is told from several different points of view, primarily those of Diane English Stiftel, the low-country farmer whose son Fred has recently become engaged to Shelby Cambria, and Susan Kennedy Cambria, the wealthy Chicago-based mother of the bride-to-be who wants "her" wedding to be the most over-the-top extravaganza the Chicago elite have ever witnessed.  I finally figured out that reading the character quotes at the beginning of each chapter was helpful, so it was only the first couple of chapters that were initially perplexing.

The inevitable culture clash between the down-to-earth South Carolina clan and the denizens of Chicago society makes for a novel that expertly melds humor with humanity.  One thing I would like to point out is that all of the characters are likable for the most part, even the manically insecure Susan and her workaholic hedge-fund manager husband, Alejandro.  Uncle Floyd is hilarious and Diane is down-to-earth, loving, and competent, but afraid that love will disrupt her well organized life. 

Susan enjoys pushing the envelope with Diane and her family, like casually mentioning that the rehearsal dinner in Chicago should accommodate around 200 people (because of course you have to invite all of the wealthy out-of-town guests).  Diane likes pushing back, with the support and encouragement of her family, in a way taunting Susan with their country customs and low country tastes.  When things come to a head with the wedding and with Susan's marriage, Diane is there to offer support and encouragement to all.

I was sorry when this book ended.  Enough said! 

THE GIRL IN THE WOODS (Patricia MacDonald)

When Blair Butler is called to the bedside of her dying sister, the last thing she expects is a confession.  Celina tells Blair that she deliberately lied to avoid the wrath of their mean-spirited, racist guardian, Uncle Ellis, resulting in the conviction of an innocent black man who has spent 15 years in prison for a crime that he didn't commit, the murder of Blair's best friend, Molly.  Blair promises to find a way to free the man, but is met with resistance on every front, even being thrown out by the victim's parents, who refuse to consider that the case may not be closed after all.  To add to Blair's problems, Celina has arranged for her close friends to become guardians to her 10-year-old son, Malcolm, failing to discuss the issue with Uncle Ellis or the boy and leaving it up to Blair to inform them both.

Blair, who is a partner in a successful computer company in Philadelphia. stays on in her home town to look for ways to free the wrongly imprisoned man, unsuccessfully enlisting the help of local newspaper reporter, who was blacklisted after in California after faking a source, and the local police, who refuse to reopen the case.

This is a terrific thriller with all of the atmosphere you would expect from a twisted, reluctant guardian, an unhappy childhood reluctantly revisited, and lots of back roads and dark woods.  Blair is a  resourceful but realistic heroine and a cast of supporting characters is interesting and unpredictable.  I enjoyed it from start to finish and found the ending to be both believable and  satisfying.  If you've never read Patricia MacDonald before, try one of her novels.  I think she is very underrated.

TURNING THE TIDE (Edith Maxwell)

I can't say enough wonderful things about this series.  As I finish each book I feel as if I have been educated as well as entertained.  The details of Quaker life in the 1880's, the excellent research into midwifery, and the historical context are all presented so beautifully.  Maxwell manages to make the reader invest themselves in each and every character.  Rose Carroll is a treasure, motivated by her religious faith and her deep sense of justice. 

In this, the third book in the series, Rose discovers the body of Rowena Felch, a lawyer and local leader of the suffragist movement, under a bush in front of the Felch home the morning after a planning meeting attended by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.  At this point the local police have come to recognize Rose's keen powers of observation and welcome her help in solving the case.  She is convinced that the man they have arrested, the intriguingly named Hilarius, is innocent, and she puts herself in danger as she works with the locak police to solve the crime.  On a personal front, Rose's mother comes to Amesbury to attend the suffragist rally on election day (Grover Cleveland would probably have been reelected if women had the vote) and is instrumental in building bridges between Rose and her future mother-in-law, Clarinda Dodge.  Between the Rose's Quaker meeting and her fiance family, Rose despairs of every being able to marry her beloved, Dr. David Dodge.

Rose is likable, intelligent, brave, resourceful, and gentle, and dedicated to her profession, looking forward to building a life with the man she loves.  What more could we ask for in a heroine?

FATAL ENQUIRY (Will Thomas)

I have to admit that, despite my love of mysteries, I had never heard of Will Thomas before.  If you haven't, either, and you enjoy historical mysteries, I would highly recommend this series.  It reminded me a bit of the Nero Wolf series.  Cyrus Barker is both wealthy and quirky and Thomas Llewelyn, his young assistant, is a good-looking romantic.  Their relationship and their wide swath of acquaintances and associates, many of whom become involved in tracking down sociopath Sebastian Nightwine. is reminiscent of how Wolf and Lewellyn operate.

It took me a while to get into this novel because I was on vacation and occupied with helping out with my grandson as his Mom makes the transition from maternity leave to Clinical Psychologist once again.  Once I was engaged in the story, though, I was completely caught up in the incredible plot with its twists and turns, desperate escapes, disguises, and near-death experiences.  The author must be a genius!  To create the characters of Barker and Nightwine, both astoundingly intelligent and creative men who are morally juxtaposed yet with intertwining histories, is a feat of great organization and imagination.  There is much blurring of the lines between good and evil, right and wrong.  Barker is gruff and resourceful, protective and patriotic.  Nightwine is amoral and avaricious, a megalomaniac who craves power and notoriety above all.  Lewellyn in the middle of it all, is intelligent and loyal and sometimes naive and compulsive.

Nightwine has returned to England with promises that he has the means to conquer Tibet so England can add the country to its empire.  The British government has promised him a knighthood and great wealth for his efforts, choosing to ignore his past indiscretions in anticipation of expanding Britain's influence in the world.  Only Barker seems cognizant of Nightwine's true goal, to gain even more power, possibly as king of Tibet.  The result of Barker's efforts is that he and Lewellyn end up as wanted men, overcoming seemingly impossible odds in an effort to survive and, ultimately, defeat Nightwine.

Sound exciting?  It definitely is!

DEVIL'S BREATH (G.M. Malliet)

Rev. Max Tudor spends some time away from his beloved wife Awena and son Owen in Nether Monkslip when he is recruited by his former employer, MI5, to investigate the death of aging actress Margot Browne.  Ms. Browne's body is discovered washed up on shore in Monkslip-Super-Mare, seemingly the victim of a senseless accidental fall from a Hollywood producer's yacht.  Post mortem results, however, prove that Ms. Browne was dead before she hit the water, pumped full of drugs and apparently missed by no one.  Author Malliet leads the reader on a merry chase through multiple motives and suspects, including possible drug dealers, backstabbing Hollywood types, and pseudo aristocrats.  As always, the mystery is appealing and challenging.  In this novel Max spends some quality time with DCI Cotton attempting to solve this "locked room" mystery, for who could be guilty except someone on the yacht?

Max is the perfect man - handsome and strong, highly moral, very intelligent, and just all-around wonderful.  Who wouldn't enjoy this?  No one that I can think of, except for my 93-year-old mother, who prefers that Max stay at home to solve crimes!