The House on Foster Hill

The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright.

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (November 21, 2017)
ISBN-10: 076423028X

 

Amazon Review:

Kaine Prescott is no stranger to death. When her husband died two years ago, her pleas for further investigation into his suspicious death fell on deaf ears. In desperate need of a fresh start, Kaine purchases an old house sight unseen in her grandfather's Wisconsin hometown. But one look at the eerie, abandoned house immediately leaves her questioning her rash decision. And when the house's dark history comes back with a vengeance, Kaine is forced to face the terrifying realization she has nowhere left to hide
.
A century earlier, the house on Foster Hill holds nothing but painful memories for Ivy Thorpe. When an unidentified woman is found dead on the property, Ivy is compelled to discover her identity. Ivy's search leads her into dangerous waters and, even as she works together with a man from her past, can she unravel the mystery before any other lives--including her own--are lost?
 
I really enjoyed this book.  I always like a mystery when the backgrounds of the family are discovered! 

There were 2 mysteries going on in this book:  Kaine Prescott, who moved when being stalked after her husbands death.  And Ivy, Kaine's Great, Great Grandmother.  The book has one or two chapters on Kaine and then one or two on Ivy.  Very easy to follow (that means it's really simple since I get lost easily) The chapters are not long, and the story grows with each chapter!  Hard to put this one down once you get into it!

I would definitely recommend this book if you like mysteries and enjoy learning the hidden secrets of the family lives!

The Face of a Stranger

The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry.

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 30, 2008)
ISBN-10: 034551355X

 

Amazon Review...

In this exhilarating series debut, police detective William Monk must solve the mystery of his own past.
 
His name, they tell him, is William Monk, and he is a London police detective. But the accident that felled him has left him with only half a life; his memory and his entire past have vanished. As he tries to hide the truth, Monk returns to work and is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of a Crimean War hero and man about town. Which makes Monk's efforts doubly difficult, since he's forgotten his professional skills along with everything else.

Without realizing this was such a large series I happened to read "Revenge in a Cold  River" and enjoyed. Especially liking the flawed main character, William Monk.
So I searched and found the first book of the very long series (you do not have to read them all to enjoy them).  ... and I loved it!  A super read with questions in your mind at all times!  Set back in Victorian London, I find it enjoyable to read mysteries that don't have modern means to help them solve the murders!  I do, however, wish some of them were in other parts of England!

This book was so enjoyed I found a used copy on Amazon that is book number 2.  Monk leaves many questions about himself that I need finding out... let alone, another mystery!

City of Bones

City of Bones by Michael Connelly.

Paperback: 408 pages
Publisher: Warner Books (October 2, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0446699535


Amazon Review:

It's a cold case, but for Detective Harry Bosch, it stirs up memories of his childhood as an orphan. He can't let it go. As the investigation takes Bosch deeper into the past, a beautiful rookie cop brings him alive in the present. No official warning can break them apart--or prepare Bosch for the explosions when the case takes a few hard turns. Suddenly all of L.A. is in an uproar, and Bosch, fighting to keep control, is driven to the brink of an unimaginable decision.

This is the third book of Michael Connelly's, using Harry Bosch, that I've read.

It was quite good. Lots of twists and turns as it got closer to the end.   Nice short chapters that certainly keeps you reading.

Mostly I do like that it takes place in Los Angeles near where I lived and so I get to hear towns names and street names that I know of.  Having that makes you picture exactly what's going on, and makes you feel as if you are there.

A good main character (Harry Bosch) and very good writing.  An enjoyable book if you like detective mysteries.

The Essex Serpent

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry.

Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Custom House;(April 24, 2018)
ISBN-10: 006266638X

 

Amazon Review:

An exquisitely talented young British author makes her American debut with this rapturously acclaimed historical novel, set in late nineteenth-century England, about an intellectually minded young widow, a pious vicar, and a rumored mythical serpent that explores questions about science and religion, skepticism, and faith, independence and love.

When Cora Seaborne’s brilliant, domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one. Wed at nineteen, this woman of exceptional intelligence and curiosity was ill-suited for the role of society wife. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space in the wake of the funeral, Cora leaves London for a visit to coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive eleven-year old son, Francis, and the boy’s nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend.
While admiring the sites, Cora learns of an intriguing rumor that has arisen further up the estuary, of a fearsome creature said to roam the marshes claiming human lives. After nearly 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to have returned, taking the life of a young man on New Year’s Eve. A keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, Cora is immediately enthralled, and certain that what the local people think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to local vicar William Ransome. Will, too, is suspicious of the rumors. But unlike Cora, this man of faith is convinced the rumors are caused by moral panic, a flight from true belief.

These seeming opposites who agree on nothing soon find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart—an intense relationship that will change both of their lives in ways entirely unexpected.


In the beginning I became confused with so many characters and it seemed to jump from one to the other...(since I have always had a problem remembering names I get lost easily lol) but eventually it cleared up! 

I did get a feeling that there were things I read before (but knew I didn't read this book before.)  In the beginning it reminded me somewhat of a book I read long ago called Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier.

It was a good study of a Victorian woman finally living the life she wanted rather than what was expected.

The book wasn't what I thought it would be, but I enjoyed it anyway.