The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

This book was a pick for the book club that I help coordinate at work. It was chosen by one of our members and I was looking forward to reading it because it sounds exactly like my kind of book! 

The story is about a female apothecary named Nella from 1790's London who dispenses poisons to women to use on the men in their lives that have hurt them. The apothecary only helps women to hurt men, and she keeps a register that she records the names of the women and their victims, along with what she gave them to do the job. 

We go along with Nella when she meets a 12 year old girl who's been sent on an errand to retrieve one of the remedies. The two form a friendship of sorts, but sets of a series of events that threatens the shop, and everyone who's listed in the register. 

The story also follows present day Caroline as she spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone in London. She comes across an old apothecary bottle on her trip and goes down the rabbit hole researching the shop and the "apothecary murders". 

I liked the premise of the story, of course. After all, I greatly enjoy murder mysteries and everything to do with them. I also enjoyed both of the timelines. I think they meshed well together and it was interesting to see the similarities between women in the 1790's and women today. Many of the same problems still exist, especially when it comes to men!

This book was shorter than I expected and I finished it all in one sitting. I read it so quickly because I wanted more from this story. I was so drawn in by the premise and the idea of a murderous apothecary that I was expecting a much more nuanced and deep book. 

Caroline was not my favourite character by far. She's in London alone on her 10th wedding anniversary because her husband cheated. The author did a good job of creating the husband as someone we all want to hate, but didn't do enough to give us a wife we could really sympathize with. Many of the reasons Caroline's marriage came to this was down to her choices.

I also felt while Caroline was researching the apothecary that in order to keep the story going, the author just made it super easy for her to complete her research. The additional characters the author threw in that help Caroline along, didn't feel like anything other than plot devices. They felt unreal. If you are going to write me a story that can happen today with actual people, then include things that could really happen. 

I am hesitant to go into any more details on the story because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. I will say, there was a moment where I got really angry at the book but my anger was short lived in that instance, for which I am grateful. 

Had this book not beed a pick for my work's book club, I may have skimmed it instead of reading it fully because while I enjoyed parts, there were parts I could have done without. 

Recommendations: This isn't a wow book. It's okay. If you wanted to read this, please do. It's not one I would condemn into the depths of book jail but it's not one deserving of high praise either in my opinion. 

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs is the first book in a historical mystery series by Jacqueline Winspear. The series follows Maisie Dobbs, a former servant turned detective in 1929 London. 

I believe there are/will be soon 16 books in this series. You know I love a big series. When there's more than 10 books in a series in a genre that I love, I HAVE to see what the fuss is about. Knowing that so many love this series, I picked up the first one, expecting to fall head over heels for it. 

That didn't quite happen. 

The series starts with Maisie opening her own business as a detective and lands her first case. 

The writing was different than I was expecting, and in some places I found myself re-reading passages because they were just so beautifully written. I fell for the wording, time and again. 

The mystery was okay. Not as thrilling as I tend to like. It was a bit wrapped up in a lot of emotions, and caused Maisie to reflect on the war. I didn't mind it that much at first, except after a while the story moved away from the mystery and into a historical fiction story. Again, I enjoy historical fiction, but when I'm here for a mystery and I get something else, it changes how I feel about the book. 

I found it hard to connect with Maisie. I wanted more depth, more about her that goes deeper than the war. 

Overall, it was a good book, but I didn't find myself running to the store to buy up all the books. 

I think I will read another one though. I feel like this is a series that if I had come across it at the library, and accidentally picked a book in the middle of the series, I would have fallen in love with it. 

Recommendations: For those who love historical fiction with a bit of mystery. 

9 Dragons by Michael Connelly

This was the second book that I picked up in the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. This one is actually book 14 in the series.

Again, I really need to read these all in order. I was still getting a feel for the series though before I jump in and start over at the beginning.

Honestly, I love detective novels, murder mysteries, all of that. However, this one was really heavy handed on the violence. I think I felt that way because I tend to read a lot of cosy mysteries that might have murder, but never overly violent ones.

This one follows Harry as he's investigating the shooting death of a Chinese liquor store owner. Then, his daughter who is living in Hong Kong with her mother, goes missing so Harry flies to Hong Kong to save her.

The details were pretty interesting. I really liked reading about the journey in Hong Kong, I found that really compelling. No idea how actually realistic it was, but I was still intrigued!

Another easy read, and I enjoyed it but there were some details that I think were lost on me because I haven't been following the character along over the series.

I'm still undecided on my overall feelings about this series. This is the third book I've reviewed in this series and I'm not sure how I feel. I loved the Lincoln Lawyer series which I seem to have forgotten to review on here and I will rectify that very soon.

Recommendation: For the lovers of hard boiled detective novels. For the lovers of easy to read, quick and rough mysteries.

The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson and Martin Dugard

I have always been a fan of James Patterson. His books are interesting, fast paced, and easy to read.

I have also always been a fan of all things Egyptian.

This book came across my radar totally by accident. I was perusing the shelves at one of the many libraries in my new town and I wandered down the aisle of non fiction books and this popped out at me.

I was so not aware this was a thing before I found it, but it was totally something I wanted to read!

This book is a mix of truth with the story telling mastery of James Patterson.

It takes real known facts around the life of Howard Carter and what little is known about the boy king to come up with a plausible reason for the death of King Tut.

I didn't know that much about King Tut before this, I was aware of him, of course, but I didn't know a lot about the details of those around him and how his life could have possibly gone. I thought this was really, really interesting.

There was enough story magic along with the facts that it worked out to be quite a page turner.

It was a quick read for me, took me about two hours, but I was thoroughly entertained the whole time!

Recommendation: For fans of James Patterson, and fans of Egyptian history. This was a great read.

Inferno by Dan Brown

So I'm a little behind on the hype for Dan Brown as I hadn't actually read any of his work till I read The DaVinci Code way, way after everyone else had. Since then I've watched the movie version and watched Angels and Demons but I hadn't picked up any more of his work.

This book caught my eye on sale and partially because I figured it would be a quick and fun read, and because it was made into a movie, I snapped it up.

Robert Langdon wakes up in Italy with amnesia and with the help of a doctor he meets at the hospital he must race against time to recover his memories and save the world. The only clues are based on Dante's Inferno, the literary masterpiece. He must delve into the history and the past surrounding the man and his work of art to solve the puzzle.

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this book. It was interesting and exciting, but at the same time, I was waiting for it to be over. Like maybe it went on a little too long in parts. I kind of feel like the history and the facts were interesting, but they were really heavy and detailed.

This was not as fast of a read as The DaVinci Code was. This book took me quite a bit longer than I expected. It kept my attention, but I don't know. Something was missing.

The twists and turns weren't nearly as amazing as I hoped, and the ending just didn't amaze me or thrill me like I wanted. It's as if it started out as such an amazing and crazy story and then it just dropped off all of a sudden and I don't know what happened. It fell a little flat and a little dull by the end.

I think I would still watch the movie if I came across it on t.v. or something, but I don't think that I would bother searching it out. I just felt like it wasn't enough but too much at the same time?

Recommendation: For lovers of Dan Brown, for lovers of thrillers that are heavy on history and facts, but perhaps not for the everyday sampler of books.

The Penny Heart by Martine Bailey

This was a total cover grab from the library. I saw the colours of the cover and then the title and upon reading the back, I was determined to read this book.

The Penny Heart is about the lives of two women in1850's England. One was to be put to death for a minor crime and the other was simply to get out from under her father's rule and begin a life of her own. Mary, the woman who was almost hanged but spared death and instead sent away to "the ends of the earth" vowed to return to England and seek revenge on the man who testified and sent her away. Grace is the woman who marries the man that sent Mary to the gallows. I won't say more, but it's a really intricate story.

I liked this book but at the same time, it was a little long for me. It took me a lot longer than some books to get through it, and although I am happy I finished it, it felt very long. There were so many details in the stories of these women and what transpires, that I think at times perhaps it was a little bit more complicated than it needed to be.

There were a lot of interesting and captivating moments, including during the last 50 or so pages. By the end I was glued to the page, and I knew that this kind of thing was coming and I knew that it would be worth the wait to read till the end.

The thing is I found myself feeling for both of these women although I knew that there was vengeance and deceit going on. Grace was often so naive and and silly at times, but yet, I still worried for her. This book was very well written.

Recommendation: I don't know if this book is for the casual reader. This story is long and detailed, and probably should only be read by those prepared to go the distance with it. the story is worth the wait though.

Malice at the Palace by Rhys Bowen

I was in a bit of a hurry the other day while searching for goodies at Chapters. They had a whole deal going on that you needed to buy so many books and get some percentage off or something (like I need a reason to buy books) and I had a gift card, so I grabbed this book. 

I had seen this series before at the bookstore and it had always piqued my interest. It's about a girl whose cousins with the Royal family in England. It's set back in the 1930's and it involves murder, intrigue, spying, and a woman doing things for herself. In this particular story, Lady Georgiana Rannoch is tasked with being a companion to a Princess from Greece who is to wed the King's son George. Prince George has always been a bit of a play boy so keeping the Princess unaware of his past is a big task. When one of the prince's former flings is found murdered, Lady Georgiana searches for the killer while helping out the highest powers that be from having things turn into a scandal. 

This one is the 9th in the series, and I didn't know too much more about it till I grabbed this one. This was the kind of book that catches your eye and you read the back a couple times before taking the plunge one day and reading it. 

Honestly, I confused this one with another series I was planning on reading but it turned out totally okay as I enjoyed this book! The other series had a female protagonist and dealt with spying too but that's okay. I'll get to that one eventually. 

This book felt a little slow going at the beginning. For a cozy mystery, this one was little bit more complicated that I had thought it would have been. It did get into a groove around the half way mark, so I'm happy I kept with it. 

 There were lots of hints at past exploits without giving too much away which I liked because that gives me a reason to go back and read more. I wouldn't say that this is a series that I need to collect and put on my shelves but I do think that if I come across more of them at the library then I would definitely read them.  

Recommendation: For the lover of a good mystery, especially one about England back in the day. Detailed and interesting. Give it a go!

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

This book has been all over Instagram and because it's classified as a young adult book I didn't really look into it too much at first. I still have a bit of a thing when it comes to reading young adult books, but I am expanding my horizons and enjoying it.

This book was no exception. I loved this book! It was fun and easy to follow. Best part was that it was a western, written like a western with the lingo and the mannerisms. It was lovely. I totally wasn't expecting that when I first picked it up and it was a nice surprise!

I hate to admit it, but all the years I spent living at home with my parents and only having one t.v. meant that I watched a lot of western movies with my dad, and I actually kind of enjoyed them. There was another series I read last year that followed two cowboy brothers around that I really quite liked too.

Vengeance Road follows Kate Thompson, a young woman, in her pursuit of the men who killed her father. She must follow them as they travel towards the location of a hidden gold mine that was written in a journal they stole from her father to seek her vengeance. There's murder, intrigue, a bit of surprising turn of events, and a whole cast of interesting characters that take you on a ride through gold mining country back in the day. It was thoroughly enjoyable!

Now, I know what you might be thinking, that since this is a young adult book that it's perhaps something more sweet and innocent then westerns really are, but it's not. There's death and killing without apologies. Yes, there is a little bit of love thrown in there, but it's not a sweet light western following just a regular sweet girl. This is grittier than that, and I loved it!

There is a new book coming out by this author later this year that is in the same western style, but sadly it doesn't feature the same characters. Everything gets wrapped up at the end of this book but there is always more to know! New characters or not, I will be reading it. I love this old western style with which the author uses to add a little something extra to her books.

Recommendation: Read this if you love good stories, if westerns pique your interest,  and if you're looking for something different. This book will not disappoint!

The Black Dove by Steve Hockensmith

This is the third book in the Holmes on the Range series. I've written about the first one here and the second one here.

So far I have been utterly in love with these books. This one though, I didn't love quite as much. Don't get me wrong: its great. I am more than happy that I've read it, and I will continue on with the series. My mixed feelings haven't swayed me that far. It's just... this book left me wanting.

The Black Dove is set in Chinatown and it involves a lot of the same characters from the previous novel. The Amlingmeyer brothers are still on the hunt for a job with some private detectives when they come across an old friend who ends up dead and they need to solve the murder.

This book runs over the course of about a day and a half. There's a whole new cast of characters (and a couple of old ones) that find the brothers heading into trouble without a whole lot of planning or direction. Old Red sniffs out clues and gets to detecting in the way of Sherlock Holmes as he's done since book one, and Big Red stands by to render aide whenever necessary.

It was fun and exciting like the other ones, but it wasn't the same. I think it was possibly because the situations they found themselves in were so crazy and slapped together that it lost plausibility for me. The ending was quite unexpected though, and that redeemed it a bit for me.

Recommendation: Overall, not a bad book, but if you were interested in this series, then I would recommend that you don't start with this one. Read the first two before this one for sure. Then you will know what I really love this series.

In the Shadows of Paris by Claude Izner

I grabbed this one at random at the library mostly due to the title. Once I saw the cover though, I had to read it. It's just so pretty.

Turns out this is the fifth book in a series featuring one of the main characters Victor Legris, a book seller. It's written by two sisters who go by the pen name Claude Izner. This book is about the bookseller who solves crimes occasionally, and when people start dying, he and his protege step in and help solve the mystery.

Let me start off by saying there are 71 footnotes in this book. 71. It feels like there's one on every page and I found that quite annoying. These notes reference language translations. literary references, historical references etc. that I really could have done with out. If you have to explain something after you've said it, maybe you shouldn't have said it?

This one was so hard to get into that I almost gave up twice before I was even 50 pages in. The authors switch characters so fast, and with little warning, that I had to keep going back when they finally gave people names to try and figure out who was who. Right at the beginning they go back in time to an event that, in my opinion didn't even link up the way they thought it would later on. It just seemed like extra information that maybe we could have done without.

Once the characters were fleshed out, I found myself drawn to them. That was the reason I finished the book. I really wanted to know what would happen to them, specifically one of the criminal characters. By the end though, the one criminal character had such a flat ending to his story that it just bugged me.

The whole thing just felt over complicated for nothing. It was just so mediocre in my opinion. I don't think I'll be picking up any of the other ones in the future.

Recommendation: If you are familiar with the history relating to Paris then perhaps this is for you? If you like footnotes and historical fiction that ties back into real places and events, then maybe this is for you? If you are a casual mystery reader, perhaps give this one a pass.

Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith

This book is about two cowboy brothers living out in Montana in 1893. One brother is obsessed with the stories about the great Sherlock Holmes, and even fancies himself a bit of a sleuth. The other brother is the narrator of this fine tale and the two of them find themselves in the perfect position to investigate a murder in the style of their favorite detective. 

It's written in true wild west type of fashion complete with terms and speech patterns right out of the old days. It's heavy on the ranching story lines and lingo that go with it. I loved every second of it. So much so that I couldn't put it down even though the day I read it I had a killer headache. Nothing was going to stop me!

The characters are great, the story was great, I had no complaints with this book at all. I didn't think that linking up the wild west and Sherlock Holmes could be this good! I am happy to report that it totally works and it's totally awesome! 

The mystery itself was hard, I didn't know a darn thing till the very end. I love it when that happens!

This one is the first of 6 I believe, following these two brothers. I came across this one by accident at the library and the title totally pulled me in. I've already taken out the second book from the library and it's going to be my next read. 

Recommendation: This is a western mystery. If that is something you might enjoy, please give this a read. Also, if you like the work of Sherlock Holmes and you would enjoy reading a fictitious case of a cowboy inspired by him, then you must read this!

The BFG by Roald Dahl

If you haven't read this yet, or at least heard of the amazingness that is Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, among others!) then please let this book be a lovely introduction to his work.

This book is short, sweet, and all types of great. As a child I read the odd book or two of his, but I was reading at a higher level pretty quickly and I think that's why I may have missed out on quite a few great children's classics. I think I did read it as a child, but I can't remember so when I found a set of Roald Dahl's books on sale, I grabbed it up.

The reason I'm talking about this book today is because it's coming out as a movie very soon and I am excited!! I'm making my boyfriend read the book too before we go and see it. I have high hopes for the movie and I cannot wait to see it because I'm sure I'm going to love it!

Recommendation: Read this, go see the movie, enjoy the greatness! You won't be disappointed.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

This book was intense. I cried at times, I felt sad, I felt inspired, I felt like what it would have been like to be married to Hemingway back in the day.

I really do enjoy reading about the lives of others especially when it comes to the lives of writers. Doesn't matter if the stories are fiction, I still love them. 

I won't lie, I was left with a bit of an empty feeling at the end. This book took a lot out of me. It was definitely an emotional journey. I won't go into details (as usual) but this book follows the life of one of Hemingway's wives. The good, the bad, the ugly, the great. It's all there imagined how the author, using details from her life, thinks it went. It's all there. 

I find that the same thing that happens with movies happens with books. So often you will hear of a new release of a movie on a topic and right after, or even at the same time, you see another movie just like it come out. This book came across my radar around the same time I heard of Z the book about the life of Zelda Fitzgerald. I have read both, and I think I read both in the same year (though I'm not saying they came out at the same time). It's just interesting how that seems to happen. 

Recommendation: Read this if you enjoy stories about people who lived, life stories, and stories about the lives of writers. It's worth the read. 

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

This is the first review so far of a book that I have just read. I finished this one a couple nights ago.

I am almost certain that I've read a novel by Philippa Gregory in the past, because her name always looks so familiar. I did a little research on the author and it turns out that she wrote the book The Other Boleyn Girl that was made into a movie which I sadly have never watched.

I purchased this novel a week or two ago from the clearance last copy sale section of my local Chapters book store. Combined with another discount I had, the book cost me $1.44. It was a huge steal, cheaper than I find at most used book stores. Of course I had to have it.

This book was a historical fiction book set in the late 1400's in England and it followed the lives of some of the royalty at the time. This author takes real historical facts like people and places, then paints her own picture of what could have happened (especially where there is not really an explanation of what happened in real life.)

I liked how she did it. It was very interesting. I liked that it was set from a woman's perspective living as royalty back in the 1400's. Because it was based in real life, with certain events having been recorded certain ways, she was limited in certain ways. This is why I disliked the ending the story had to have. It was not her fault, she was staying true to history, after all.

I don't think I will be hurrying to pick up her other novels. I liked it, and it kept my interest, but I do not feel like I am going to collect her other books. I think that the stories could get repetitive and although I do enjoy historical fiction, its not my absolute favourite. If I saw another book on a super sale, I would probably pick it up.

Recommendation: If you like historical fiction and you are familiar with her work, then read it. Otherwise, it isn't life shattering if you pass this one by.


Thank you for reading!


Pamela