The Long Call (Two Rivers #1) by Ann Cleeves

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For the first time in 20 years, Ann Cleeves—international bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—embarks on a gripping new series.

In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father’s funeral takes place. Once loved and cherished, the day Matthew left the strict evangelical community he grew up in, he lost his family too.

Now, as he turns and walks away again, he receives a call from one of his team. A body has been found on the beach nearby: a man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death. 

The case calls Matthew back into the community he thought he had left behind, as deadly secrets hidden at its heart are revealed, and his past and present collide.

An astonishing new novel told with compassion and searing insight, The Long Call will captivate fans of Vera and Shetland, as well as new readers.

Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review


I’ve been wanting a murder mystery and I got one! Cleeves sets up the story and characters impeccably and I was riveted from the get go. As a fan of British detective shows I could picture clearly this story playing out in my mind. It’s moody, character-driven and suspenseful. Things started taking on urgency by the time I reached about the 70% mark of the book and I knew I couldn’t go another day without knowing the ending. 

I didn’t realize until I started reading that Cleeves is the author of the Shetland book series that the TV show, Shetland is based on. Even though I've only seen a couple of episodes I was excited to find that out. I happen to be a sucker for good mysteries and I especially love it when they're set in small towns or villages, and the story is about exploring the characters and their narratives. It's riveting to me how a suspect's behaviour changes the more they feel scrutinized under the microscope. It's that gradual increase in tension in The Long Call that had me hanging on every page eager to get to the truth. Detective Venn, whose backstory is intertwined with the murder mystery, comes across as methodical, introspective and a bit mysterious in his own way. He's a quiet, unassuming man who when he says something, has purpose behind it. Despite his own reservation about staying on the case because he feels too personally involved with certain aspects of it, he remains professional which demonstrates why he's good at what he does. He's the calm in the storm through the chaos of solving the crimes even if it brings him uncomfortably close to his own unhappy past. I also liked how the story unfolded seamlessly through the other characters' POV. 

The Long Call is filled with all the things I love in a mystery and was exactly what I needed. Of course, now I want to read more so and I’m definitely going to look through Cleeves' impressive catalog of books for more mysteries to satisfy my appetite. 

~ Bel

The Wages of Sin (Sarah Gilchrist #1) by Kaite Welsh

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Sarah Gilchrist has fled London and a troubled past to join the University of Edinburgh's medical school in 1892, the first year it admits women. She is determined to become a doctor despite the misgivings of her family and society, but Sarah quickly finds plenty of barriers at school itself: professors who refuse to teach their new pupils, male students determined to force out their female counterparts, and—perhaps worst of all—her female peers who will do anything to avoid being associated with a fallen woman.

Desperate for a proper education, Sarah turns to one of the city’s ramshackle charitable hospitals for additional training. The St Giles’ Infirmary for Women ministers to the downtrodden and drunk, the thieves and whores with nowhere else to go. In this environment, alongside a group of smart and tough teachers, Sarah gets quite an education. But when Lucy, one of Sarah’s patients, turns up in the university dissecting room as a battered corpse, Sarah finds herself drawn into a murky underworld of bribery, brothels, and body snatchers.

Painfully aware of just how little separates her own life from that of her former patient’s, Sarah is determined to find out what happened to Lucy and bring those responsible for her death to justice. But as she searches for answers in Edinburgh’s dank alleyways, bawdy houses and fight clubs, Sarah comes closer and closer to uncovering one of Edinburgh’s most lucrative trades, and, in doing so, puts her own life at risk…

An irresistible read with a fantastic heroine, beautifully drawn setting, fascinating insights into what it was like to study medicine as a woman at that time, The Wages of Sin is a stunning debut that heralds a striking new voice in historical fiction.

Source: library


Sarah has been sent away from London by her family after a scandal which has unfortunately followed her to Edinburgh. Under the ever-watchful eye of her aunt, she is allowed to attend medical school at the university though they're only doing it to appease her and bide their time until they can get past the scandal and find her a possible suitor. Sarah has no interest in marriage, only her studies. Her ambition to become a doctor will not be thwarted by naysayers, her fellow students who often ostracize her due to the rumours, or even the professors who openly sneer at their female students. As a volunteer at a hospital in the sketchier part of town, she sees a different kind of life that its people lead. One day a young girl named Lucy comes in for assistance but is eventually turned away. Sarah doesn't give her much thought until she shows up as a corpse at her school. She's convinced the girl was murdered and is bent on finding her killer.

There's so much story in here and I couldn't help but think some of the social tensions in Victorian Edinburgh of 1892 were similar to that of what's happening today. Sarah and her fellow female students are not accepted by their male counterparts. They're subjected to pranks and crude behaviours and the professors don't defend them. There's very much a boys-will-be-boys attitude and a belief that if these women want to enter the male-dominated medical field they need to learn how to accept hazing from the men. Women are seen as feeble-minded and even Sarah's aunt thinks it's ghastly that women are pushing for social change. Sound familiar? Sarah is also plagued by the rumours dogging her and once again, it's the woman who bears the brunt of any scandal even when the man is the predator or equally to blame. Male privilege is abound throughout and she has to fight it with regularity. But Sarah has carried herself with as much dignity as she can, balancing her own sensibilities with the expectations of her aunt and uncle. Lucy's case tugs at her because she feels a certain kind of kinship with her. They're both women turned away by their families and left to deal with the consequences of the horrors done to them. 

I liked how Sarah is this spunky, inexorable character. She's had to defend herself and/or advocate for herself because so often there's been no one in her corner. She takes that grit and applies it to her studies and to this mystery of Lucy's death. However, she is still young and green so her attempts at detective work go awry several times. For example, she's quick to judge and jump to conclusions, therefore making premature accusations that do backfire on her. But I think she'll develop some finesse in that area and her skills will get sharper as the series continues. I enjoyed this novel and the second book, The Unquiet Heart releases in May, so you know what I'll be reading soon!

~ Bel

The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen

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Three generations of Irish nobles face their family secrets in this spellbinding novel from the award-winning author of the Boleyn King trilogy.

The Gallagher family has called Deeprath Castle home for seven hundred years. Nestled in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland, the estate is now slated to become a public trust, and book lover and scholar Carragh Ryan is hired to take inventory of its historic library. But after meeting Aidan, the current Viscount Gallagher, and his enigmatic family, Carragh knows that her task will be more challenging than she’d thought.

Two decades before, Aidan’s parents died violently at Deeprath. The case, which was never closed, has recently been taken up by a new detective determined to find the truth. The couple’s unusual deaths harken back a century, when twenty-three-year-old Lady Jenny Gallagher also died at Deeprath under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind an infant son and her husband, a renowned writer who never published again. These incidents only fueled fantastical theories about the Darkling Bride, a local legend of a sultry and dangerous woman from long ago whose wrath continues to haunt the castle.

The past catches up to the present, and odd clues in the house soon have Carragh wondering if there are unseen forces stalking the Gallagher family. As secrets emerge from the shadows and Carragh gets closer to answers—and to Aidan—could she be the Darkling Bride’s next victim?

Source: advance e-galley provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

I originally thought that The Darkling Bride was going to be a ghost story, something out of my comfort zone but so tantalizing that I was willing to try. Turns out it's a little bit about a ghostly legend and mostly about bizarre family events that only add to the legend.

There are three timelines and several points of view working in tandem to bring this incredible story to life. I love a good mystery and so happens I love one that involves uncovering family secrets. Carragh takes on a temporary job to archive the Gallagher family's library before the castle is put in a trust. Aidan, the current Viscount, has no desire to hold on to the castle where his parents were murdered. What few memories he has are too painful and since not everyone in his family is in agreement with his plans, their discord grows as time wears on. Carragh gets to be an unwilling witness to the family's drama but doesn't allow that to distract her from doing the work she was hired to do. She's also doing a bit of her own research into one of the family's most famous ancestors and her perseverance leads her to information that could help resolve not only the mystery of Aidan's parents' deaths but another one from a couple of generations back. 

With so many characters and details involved Andersen has paced the story perfectly with concise chapters and just enough breadcrumbs to keep both the plotline and reader moving forward. The only problem I had was with real life constantly interrupting my reading bliss. The Darkling Bride fits a certain kind of mood and I was craving a mystery like this that would remove me to another setting and time period. I was mesmerized by the story and enjoyed the various characters even when they were at their most vulnerable. If I could make a wish, I'd love to see the detective, Sibéal in another story. Strong and skilled at her job, it would be fun to see her work another mystery but as I said, that's just my wishful thinking. 

~ Bel

Picture Source: Goodreads

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Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham

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Some bodies won’t stay buried. Some stories need to be told.

When seventeen-year-old Rowan Chase finds a skeleton on her family’s property, she has no idea that investigating the brutal century-old murder will lead to a summer of painful discoveries about the past, the present, and herself.

One hundred years earlier, a single violent encounter propels seventeen-year-old Will Tillman into a racial firestorm. In a country rife with violence against blacks and a hometown segregated by Jim Crow, Will must make hard choices on a painful journey towards self discovery and face his inner demons in order to do what’s right the night Tulsa burns.


As I get older I find that I don't read YA books as often as I used to so were it not for a venture into a local bookstore where I wound up chatting with one of the booksellers, I wouldn't have been made aware of what has turned out to be one of my favourite books of 2017.

Dreamland Burning is a suspenseful part murder mystery, part history lesson told through dual timelines. How Jennifer Latham connected all the dots still astounds me. Not only was she able to create a mystery that I couldn't get enough of, she also drew parallels between the highly combustible atmosphere of a city on the brink of self-destruction and today's current social climate. The story is split between POVs - that of Will in 1921 and Rowan today. Rowan, who decides to take on the mystery of the skeletal remains found on her property, couldn't have known how uncovering the truth from the past would impact her own life in the present. 

Will's POV was a tough read and honestly, I was unsure about him initially. I thought he was a knucklehead but the fact of the matter is that he was simply naive and inexperienced. He did have the most dramatic character development where his inherited beliefs gradually evolved. His growth from that of a self-absorbed teen to that of someone with a conscience and desire to do that decent thing is perhaps my favourite part of the book. And it all happened because of an unlikely friendship.

Rowan goes through her own growth as well. Being the daughter of a black woman and a white father, she's observant of how people respond to her and her mother. As she's attempting to uncover who the skeleton was, she becomes embroiled in her own controversy. Drawing back the layers of the mysterious skeleton's history makes her reevaluate her sense of social justice.

While Will and Rowan are indeed fictional, Latham does reference the real event that incited the Race Riot that took place in Tulsa from May 31 to June 1, 1921. I looked it up and found disturbing images that made my stomach churn. Not many people know of this horrible event but I am thankful to Latham for bringing it to light in such a bold, engrossing and thoughtful story. 

~ Bel

Slide (Slide #1) by Jill Hathaway

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Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth--her sister's friend Sophie didn't kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn't actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else's mind and experiences the world through that person's eyes. She's slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed "friend" when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie's slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting distant lately, especially now that she's been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

Vee suffers from a condition that sends her “sliding” into other people’s minds where she glimpses snippets of their lives before returning to her own body. It could happen once a day or several times a day. Either way she’s always caught unawares. This inconvenience has dramatically altered her life and relationships. She keeps few friends and keeps her secret well-guarded. Everything changes when her younger sister’s friend is found dead and Vee suspects foul play. Now instead of remaining victim to the sliding, she wants to use it to solve the mysterious death without giving herself away. In the meantime, she has to manage school, a strained relationship with her father, her best friend acting weird and a possible first love entering the picture. All that while not passing out at any given moment.

I was in between books and this evenly-paced suspense with the intriguing premise fit the bill. The sliding element may remind some of David Levithan's Every Day but the two couldn't be more different. Slide is murder mystery and a quick read with the author throwing in a few tricks to sway suspicions. I do have some unanswered questions which I guess seem like plot holes right now, however, I was happy to find out that there’s a sequel, Imposter. Just reading the blurb for it has me fascinated and wondering how many of the events in Slide factor into the next book. 

~ Bel

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

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A debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people’s lives.

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Compulsively readable, The Girl on the Train is an emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller and an electrifying debut.

There’s been so much hype built around The Girl On The Train that I worried that when I finally got to it, it wouldn’t live up to expectations. Then I got sucked in and it knocked me off my feet, leaving me gasping.

I believe the universal sentiment surrounding TGOTT is that none of the characters are likable. It’s true. They’re all severely flawed, some more than others. But the thrill is that they’re all so tangled up in their heads that you eagerly turn the pages to strip away their complicated layers revealing their true personas. For me the intrigue of the plot is that I used to be a commuter on the long train ride into the city for work. Like Rachel, I enjoyed people-watching and would often wonder about the people on the train with me or living in the houses that we’d zoom past. I’d make up stories in my head and draw out fantasy worlds for them. Unlike Rachel, I wasn’t persistently drunk or hung over; neither was I stalking an ex…or anyone for that matter. Rachel is the most pathetic and helpless of the characters involved yet she’s the one I felt the most sympathy for. Dejected and on the losing end of a marriage, she has since made the worst decisions, most of them for selfish reasons but I always gave her leeway. When this mystery surfaces surrounding the couple she's been admiring from afar, she zeroes in on it, thinking she may have the clues but all the while doubting what she thinks she knows. This singular event becomes her sole focus as she muddles through her own pitiful existence. It sounds harsh but ti's true. As for the others, they’re equally messed up though it doesn’t manifest outwardly. I simply shook my head wondering how they got to be that way and curious if they ever recognized how despicable they were. Seriously, you'll find yourself asking, "who does that?" just as I did!

Hawkins deftly connects each character’s story, enlightening us through the progression of the novel. As Rachel battles to find clarity, the pieces fall together. It’s intense, emotional and climactic. It’s been a while since I’ve read a good mystery and TGOTT is exactly the kind I like. Sometimes it can feel as if the plot is way ahead of you but here it’s purely psychological where the reader and character come out of the dark together. And that there was some redemption at the end made it satisfying. 

TGOTT  had me in its tight grip from start to finish. I’m excited to see how the movie adaptation turns out. It boasts an excellent cast and I hope the screen version captures the suspenseful, nail-biting vibe of the book. So my recommendation is to read this now if you’re up for a well-constructed and suspenseful mystery that'll hold your attention through to the end!

~ Bel

Pretty Wanted (Pretty Crooked #3) by Elisa Ludwig

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Available March, 17, 2015

Willa’s string of good-hearted but ill-conceived thefts at her former high school catapulted her into a life she hardly knows. She became a cult hero, but soon afterward, her mom disappeared, leaving only a cryptic message. When Willa hit the California highway to find her, she discovered a dark family secret: Joanne Fox is not who she says she is-and neither is Willa. Now, Willa and fellow trouble-maker Aidan must race to St. Louis, Missouri, Willa’s birthplace. There, they hope to find answers about Willa’s past. But uncovering the truth requires solving a decades-old murder case.

Unfortunately, the perps are still out there . . . and willing to do whatever it takes to keep the case cold. With Willa’s face on the nightly news and the police hot on her trail, it might not matter that Aidan and her friend Tre are there to help. Willa’s only hope is to find the truth before it finds her first.

If I had any worries about being able to catch up with Willa and company in book three, they were quickly erased within the first few pages. Ludwig does a nice job of bringing the reader up to speed on Willa’s exploits – they’re heading to St. Louis to put the final pieces of the puzzle regarding her mother. Aidan, that trusty mischief-maker is with her as they dodge the authorities and make due with what little cash and resources they have.   I can’t believe they’re still at it but Willa’s a stubborn young woman who’s nothing but determined to get to the bottom of all her family troubles.

The story still has plenty of energy with these two on the lam and now Willa and Aidan must put their minds together to solve the latest mystery which means drudging up details from a painful past. It’s a lot that can confuse Willa and there were a few times when she didn’t make the best decision. Still you can hardly blame a fifteen year-old who’s desperate to get at the truth. She and Aidan make more headway than any of the local or federal authorities have in all these years. The problem is that Willa has to accept some unpleasant facts about her family history. And when she’s not thinking straight, she could land herself in a spot of trouble.

It seems that being on the run and in the public eye has cured Willa of any of the adrenaline rush she initially experienced when her sensational Sly Fox persona first began. Now she wants nothing more than to just be normal and not in the middle of whatever mess she’s in. That longing isn’t enough though to change her mind about the direction she’s headed in. Her only guilt is that she has involved Aidan and her best friends Tre and Cherise in her problems.

There were a few moments where I wished Willa would think more clearly but like I said earlier, you can’t hold that against her. This has been a fun, clever series. Each book delivered a different adventure, all of them related. But I never would have predicted that what started out as a way to level the playing field between the haves and have-nots in Pretty Crooked and progressed in Pretty Sly, would ever lead to events by the end. And I think this is what I enjoyed most about the series – it kept me guessing. More impressive is that Willa herself had come very far from the person she was before. You'll be surprised by what she decides at the end. If you haven’t tried this series, definitely give it a go!

~ Bel

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

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Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

I dove into this book late one evening in the hopes of a good read after finishing a less than stellar book.  The plan was to read a chapter and go to sleep.  Fast forward 6 hours later (or 4am) and I have somehow survived the emotional roller coaster that is Breaking Beautiful.  When I say emotional roller coaster, I don’t mean the rapid brutal ascent and fall of emotions that you find in Gayle Forman’s If I Stay.  Think shorter ascents and drops in a dark tunnel and the only thing that keeps you from trying to jump off the ride is the light you KNOW is at the end.

This is one of those books that is hard to review because I really don’t want to give anything away other than what is in the description above.  It’s a bit of a mystery and I would hate to inadvertently spoil it for anyone.   

What I can tell you is that this book is rather dark.  I knew going in that it would be.  The description provided by the publisher prepared me for the subject matter of abuse Allie experienced at the hands of her boyfriend, Trip.  What I wasn’t prepared for was the abuse/bullying that Allie and her friends and family suffered at the hands of the town’s population – both adults and adolescents.   Some of it was intentional and vindictive.  Some of it was just the careless and thoughtless.  Either way, it was hurtful to the characters and upsetting to read.   

But not the entire story was dark.  Some of the brightest parts of this story were Andrew and Blake.  The very first thing that drew me into this book was the relationship between Allie and her twin brother, Andrew.  Andrew and Allie have a bond that is both beautiful and moving and I truly believe is one of the few things that keeps her alive in the beginning.  Then there is Blake.  Even after the way she treated him while dating Trip, Blake still insists on supporting her however and whenever he can and when she lets him.   

Although dark, this book ends with a bit of sunshine and hope.  I truly loved it.  If you love a good emotional read, as I do, then I highly recommend this book.   

Nat

*Breaking Beautiful will be released Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Trouble With Paradise by Jill Shalvis (Non-YA, 18yrs+)

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One phone call has turned Dorie’s dead-end life into an adventure: she’s won a trip on a singles cruise to Fiji. With her cutest outfits packed and the Love Boat theme in her head. Dorie boards – and soon meets two men: a pro baseball player with an irresistible Texas drawl, and the ship’s dark and mysterious French doctor, Dr. Christian Montague. She’s sure to fall head over heels in no time. She just never expected to do it so quickly, or so literally, tripping over her luggage.

With her foot twisted and her ego deflated, Dorie’s dream vacation is about to take the biggest detour yet. A violent storm has wrecked the ship and cast everyone ashore. A deserted island would be the perfect setting for a steamy romance, if something sinister wasn’t lurking. Whose alluring arms will Dorie to? Being stuck never felt so…liberating.

My fellow BiblioJunkies know of my severe aversion to romance novels. When I used to commute to the City for work, I’d notice all these other well-dressed professional women on the train reading those ridiculously cheesy romance novels with the Fabio-like model on the cover holding some dainty damsel in his arms. Seriously? I swore that would never be me. 

Fast forward a few years, a few kids and several dystopian novels later, I felt a change of pace was desperately in order. So when Shel and I went on one of many trips to Borders (RIP) I charged her with the responsibility of  choosing my first romance novel. 

Whatever I thought I was in for definitely surpassed my expectations! Jill Shalvis has such a wicked sense of humor that had me in stitches throughout the book. Dorie is a sweet, klutzy heroine. She may not be able to speak when she’s in front of a hot guy (literally - her tongue swells up which provides for plenty of comedic dialog) but she’s still lovable.

On the cruise around the islands of Fiji, Dorie meets a variety of characters that are so worlds away from the humdrum life she left behind. Almost immediately she finds herself torn between laid-back hottie baseball player, Andy and the very reserved and gruff French doctor, Christian. The story is told from both Dorie’s and Christian’s perspectives. Their reactions to one another are hilarious especially when they don’t want to admit feeling an attraction to each other. In the midst of all the flirting, Shalvis also introduces a murder mystery, cleverly weaving it between the comedy and romance thereby upping the “awesome” factor several notches. Even the absurd situations that Dorie finds herself in are believable because of Shalvis’ outstanding writing.

So my first foray into the world of romance novels was a success. I mean Shalvis had me wrapped up in the story and I have to say that if it weren’t for her, I would never have known that nipples could have so many emotions. Did you? Jill Shalvis, I bow to you and your awesomeness!

I highly recommend The Trouble With Paradise to anyone (18 yrs+) who wants a quick escape, several laugh-out-loud moments, of course the (steamy) romance and may be a little mystery to keep those brain cells working. :-)

~ Bel