Tag:

Historical

Review

Cold Sunset

by Dodie Ownes

Life is good for travel writer Gabriel Dax—his books are doing well, and he’s enjoying time in London and his country cottage planning his next title. But when MI6 handler Faith Green informs him that he is needed, this time to get a double agent out of Russia, he brushes off his passport and takes orders. Using his artifice skills (he thinks) to avoid confrontations with Russians, or maybe the Mafia or an insider, Dax skips from the UK to the U.S, Russia, and Finland, with some stops in between during Cold War 1964, an intriguing period in international espionage. I fell for Dax immediately—he’s a Gitane chain smoker, a low-key intellectual, and still a bit naive on how all these spying things work. And he doesn’t mind the attention of dangerous women who may or may not be trying to kill him. Boyd builds this smart tale with a delicious push and pull to the storyline, teasing readers who are trying to work out who will be taken out next. We even get to sit in on Dax’s therapy sessions! It’s easy to drop into this thriller, even though it’s the third in the series. After meeting Gabriel Dax, though, you may want to go back to the beginning; Gabriel’s Moon is the first book in the series and after that is The Predicament.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

The Whitechapel Full Moon Society

by Willy Williams

On September 11, 1888, a few days after Jack the Ripper’s second victim was found brutally murdered, a desperate Caroline Foster arrives in London with only a battered steamer trunk and five shillings in her purse. Forced to sell her deceased father’s estate to settle his debts, Caroline is now homeless. Her only hope is to find her estranged brother, Charlie, whose last known address is 212 Montague Street in London’s notorious Whitechapel district. What she finds is a disreputable gentlemen’s boarding house, the Whitechapel Full Moon Society, but no Charlie, who vanished in June. With nowhere else to go, Caroline applies for the open maid’s position. Mrs. Easton, the landlady, gives her three rules: ask no personal questions of the guests, never enter the iron-barred room on the second floor, and, most importantly, remain locked in her room during the night of the full moon. As Caroline adjusts to her daily tasks, she begins to suspect that this strange house and its odd residents might be connected to her brother’s disappearance and the serial killings terrorizing London. Writing with verve and flair, DeLozier, in her sophomore outing (after Eleanore of Avignon), offers a fresh take on the Jack the Ripper mythos and adds a paranormal twist. Following Caroline’s transformation from a sickly, timid young woman into a strong, confident protagonist who discovers her true identity and takes charge of her life is a compelling and delightful journey. Fans of historical fantasy mysteries with a touch of dark romance will adore this one.—Willy Williams

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Review

The Parisian Heist

by Henrietta Thornton

Book of the Week 4.2.26

The catalyst for the action, emotions, and treachery in this book is the desperation of widow Jo van Gogh. Her brother-in-law Vincent’s work is now beloved and fetches millions, but after he and Jo’s husband Theo were gone, Jo was left with little except the determination to make Vincent famous. For years, she begged dealers and galleries to just take a chance on the work they deemed “a bit hectic.” Jo became like the other women who form the backbone of this twisting thriller: underestimated by men but never by one another, while saving their lives by their wiles and willingness to disregard convention. The savvy widow is aided in her work by Claire, a former sex worker with many secrets who’s desperate that Jo won’t find out a truth about her earlier life, and who makes a decision that threatens to destroy her present as well. Those women’s drama intertwines with chapters that take place in the 1990s and feature three young women, Paris art students whose mysterious benefactor has cancelled their scholarship and who also find desperation pushing them toward actions they thought they’d never consider. At the behest of another widow, this one married into a fabulously wealthy but miserable family of art dealers, they risk everything. What a cocktail of art history, determination, and rich people behaving badly, with all capped by an art heist that will have readers holding their breaths.—Henrietta Thornton

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Article

Duel of Beasts

by Jeff Ayers

What starts as a simple mission quickly turns deadly in the Morrisons’ latest chronicle of the life of excommunicated knight Gerard Fox and his wife, Willa. They want to deliver news to noblewoman Madelena about her brother’s death, but others want to keep her from learning the truth as long as they can. Madelena’s sister-in-law, Helvira, plans to seize power once her husband passes away. She’s having a secret affair with the Vizier Nayar, and a letter Gerard and Willa are planning to deliver reveals Nayar’s treachery with Helvira. If the truth of their affair were discovered, it would get them killed, so the two of them will do anything to stop Willa and Gerard from revealing the truth to Madelena. The Vizier has a collection of wild animals he uses to take out his enemies, and if Gerard and Willa are not careful, they will end up on the menu. Spain in the 1350s comes to glorious life in this non-stop action adventure, and the combination of history, culture, and romance will satisfy any reader who enjoys a great, suspenseful read. Though it’s the fourth in the series, it’s not necessary to have read the previous three to dig this one. But you’ll want to get them after finishing Duel of Beasts. Just stay away from the animal cages.—Jeff Ayers

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Review

The Fourth Wife

by Dodie Ownes

Hazel Russon’s life in 1882 Utah territory is defined by three things: the Mormon church, polygamy, and the men, who call themselves priests and bishops, who control both. She knows she’s supposed to suppress her sinful dreams of a monogamous life with her sweetheart and her desire for the freedom to play her beloved piano. But she must, and becoming the fourth wife of Jacob Manwaring, she’s carted far away from her home, family, and civilization. Her new homestead is shared with strangers: Sister Prudence, the most recent; Sister Abby, first wife; and Sister Flora, second wife. Federal agents are pursuing polygamists, so the family must be careful how and where they are seen. When Hazel senses something shifting in the house—the actual building— her fears about being a sister wife ratchet up. Jacob, who promised her a piano, now says they don’t have one—but what about the box piano she finds in the attic? She sees apparitions, but the only one that acknowledges them is one of the children. And who is the seemingly cursed woman, and why will the others not speak of it? And is Hazel really only the fourth wife? Hamilton, a historian specializing in Mormon women in polygamy, drew inspiration from her polygamous ancestors to create this horror story grounded in historical reality. Mormon gothic at its finest.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

The Silent House of Sleep

by Danise Hoover

Book of the Week March 5, 2026

It is 1928 when we meet highly respected pathologist Dr Jack Cuthbert. In a deft combination of mystery and history we follow him from his early days as a medical student to his time in the trenches of WWI and on to his present position of respect and authority. He faces a case that’s a true puzzler: two naked bodies buried together, tied facing each other, but with different times and methods of death. The narration takes readers back and forth in time, from Cuthbert’s war and medical-school experience to his present-day 1928, establishing the basis for the nuances of the characters. Cuthbert’s young assistant, Morgenthal, and a contentious-at-first police inspector, Mowbray, form the team that must sort out the murders, with an unlikely clue coming from Virgil. The author gives us an unvarnished view of the trenches, the social constraints of the times, and the early days of forensic medicine. This is the first in a trilogy, which was published in the UK in 2023 and won a Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, is an exceptional addition to the genre. —Danise Hoover

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Review

The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies

by Brian Kenney

A delightful take on espionage fiction, laced liberally with wit, mystery, romance, and a bit of Muriel Spark. It’s 1951, and England is busy putting itself back together, from physical infrastructure to its notorious class system. The setting is Oxford, where we are introduced to two students who couldn’t be more unalike: Honorable Ginevra Bishop (destined to wear red lipstick and earn top marks) and Sidney Braithwaite (from a mining family and now a war veteran who wants a successful career). The two are brilliant at ignoring each other, but M15 has its ways, and soon enough Gin and Sidney are working together to track down a poison victim and seek out a Soviet spy. Who could be next? While there is plenty of antipathy between the two, there’s also quite a bit of romantic tension, which rears itself from times to time. For fans of historical cozies and fun-yet-frightening spy capers.—Brian Kenney

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Review

In the Spirit of French Murder

by Brian Kenney

Book of the Week February 5, 2026

The fourth in Cambridge’s series is a deeply compelling work of historical fiction that’s sure to appeal to a broad range of readers. Set in Paris in the years after the Second World War, these books have 30-year-old Tabitha Knight at their center, living with and cooking for her elderly uncles. She also enjoys occasional visits from her good friend, and Cordon Bleu student, Julia Child (who has just a few cameo appearances, but makes up for that by being loads of fun). In this volume, Tabitha is pulled deep into the world of the Resistance fighters, whose work often went unnoticed after the war, although the differences they made in many people’s lives were enormous. Nonetheless, not everyone is ready to celebrate their work, and when one of the Fighters is murdered, followed by another, and Tabitha’s beloved uncles are threatened, it is time for her to step up and investigate. Fortunately, she has the handsome Inspecteur Merveille on her side, and while he may look critically at Tabitha’s crime solving activities, her bravery and smarts incrementally win him over. Might we be getting close to a kiss?—Brian Kenney

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Review

Thirty Feet Under: A Mystery

by Willy Williams

When an ancient marble sphinx is stolen from a small museum in Italy, the Carabinieri enlist the assistance of the FBI Art Squad in recovering the piece, which may have been smuggled into the United States. Lowly agent Kate Taylor, who has spent the last three years doing dull computer and filing work, is thrilled to be finally assigned to a real case, especially since she’ll be partnering (although via Zoom) with her Italian counterpart, the gorgeous Luca. Meanwhile, failed New York art dealer Paul Krugman has resigned himself to working for his dollar-store-tycoon father until he receives an intriguing call from his British dealer friend, Harry, that will change his life. Both Kate and Paul gradually find themselves involved with an international art-smuggling ring and the lost tomb of Alexander the Great. Ignore the publisher’s blurb; this debut mystery, which was a finalist for the 2024 Crime Writers of Canada Best Unpublished Crime Manuscript, is not the next Dan Brown thriller, and that is a good thing. Wodhams writes with more style and humor than the plodding Brown, and his characters, despite their sometimes irritating and foolish actions, have more appeal than the preachy Robert Langdon. Although the ending feels rushed and a few geographical errors raised this New Yorker’s eyebrows (the 9 subway train was discontinued in 2005), this promising thriller offers an entertaining and insightful look at morally ambiguous art-world trading in looted artifacts. (The book’s title refers to the depth at which significant archaeological findings have often been uncovered).—Willy Williams

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Review

The Spies of Hartlake Hall

by Danise Hoover

The year is 1917, and we begin in a seemingly mundane office of the Admiralty, where a seemingly mundane secretary finds a dead body in a locked room. She is, of course, an agent, as is her supervisor. In the dead man’s possession is a secret coded telegram that belongs in the admiral’s safe. Thus begins an incredibly tangled story of spies and deception with all the players invited to a country-house shooting party. Gallagher, boss of Mrs. Vane, our secretary, has engineered the weekend event at his stepfather’s house with the intent of smoking out the traitors and planting the right kind of misinformation in the correct ears. A greedy underhanded American, a misguided but loyal Armenian, terrible food, and cold drafty rooms liven things up.  Graham pays some homage to Agatha Christie in that members of the group keep dropping off, but there are plenty left to finish up the story. Those with poor name memory will do well to take notes, as this is as convoluted as it is entertaining.—Danise Hoover

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