If you’re like me, you have a pile of books beckoning to you from your lists. Carole hosts this fun feature where you can share some of those older books and perhaps nudge you to finally read them. If you want to join in on the fun, head over to Carole’s Random Life In Books and leave a link to your post.
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Monstrumologist
by Rick Yancey
Genre: Horror / Historical
Synopsis
These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me . . . and the one who cursed me.
So starts the diary of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthorpe, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.
A gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does man become the very thing he hunts?
This one grabbed me from the synopsis and I ordered a print copy. Just now found it hidden in a pile of books in my guest bedroom. You can bet I won’t be letting it get buried again!
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There are several alternative covers for this one.
In Dianne Freeman’s charming Victorian-era mystery series, Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, finds her sister’s wedding threatened by a vow of vengeance.
London is known for its bustle and intrigues, but the sedate English countryside can host—or hide—any number of secrets. Frances, the widowed Countess of Harleigh, needs a venue for her sister Lily’s imminent wedding, away from prying eyes. Risings, George Hazleton’s family estate in Hampshire, is a perfect choice, and soon Frances, her beloved George, and other guests have gathered to enjoy the usual country pursuits—shooting, horse riding, and romantic interludes in secluded gardens.
But the bucolic setting harbors a menace, and it’s not simply the arrival of Frances’s socially ambitious mother. Above and below stairs, mysterious accidents befall guests and staff alike. Before long, Frances suspects these “accidents” are deliberate, and fears that the intended victim is Lily’s fiancé, Leo. Frances’s mother is unimpressed by Lily’s groom-to-be and would much prefer that Lily find an aristocratic husband, just as Frances did. But now that Frances has found happiness with George—a man who loves her for much more than her dowry—she heartily approves of Lily’s choice. If she can just keep the couple safe from villains and meddling mamas.
As Frances and George search for the culprit among the assembled family, friends, and servants, more victims fall prey to the mayhem. Mishaps become full-blooded murder, and it seems that no one is safe. And unless Frances can quickly flush out the culprit, the peal of wedding bells may give way to another funeral toll. . . .
About Dianne Freeman
Dianne Freeman is the acclaimed author of the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series. She is an Agatha Award and Lefty Award finalist, as well as a nominee for the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award from Mystery Writers of America. She spent thirty years working in corporate accounting and finance and now writes full-time. Born and raised in Michigan, she and her husband now split their time between Michigan and Arizona. Visit her at difreeman.com.
On a summer night in 1932, twelve-year-old Joel Fitchett wanders into an East Texas diner badly beaten and carrying his unconscious brother, Clancy. Though both boys claim they have no memory of what happened, the horrific details are etched into their minds as deep as the scar left across Joel’s face.
Thirteen years later, both men still struggle with the aftershocks of that long-ago night and the pact they made to hide the truth. When they find themselves at the center of a murder investigation, they make a decision that will change everything. A second lie, a second pact and for a time, a second chance.
In 1991 college student, Garrison Stark, travels to Texas chasing a rumor that Clancy Fitchett is his biological grandfather. Clancy has been missing since 1946 and Garrison hopes to find him, and in doing so, find a family. What he doesn’t expect to discover is a tangle of secrets spanning sixty years involving Clancy, Joel and the woman they both loved, Lorraine.
Told in alternating timelines from World War II to 1992, Enemies of Doves is a tale of family secrets, jealousy and deception perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Allen Eskens.
Genre: Historical Mystery Published by: Touchpoint Press Publication Date: March 20, 2020 Number of Pages: 328 ISBN: 1946920916 (ISBN13: 9781946920911) Purchase Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Enemies Of Doves Trailer:
Read an excerpt:
Joel woke up to a white world: white walls, white sheets, a white pitcher of water, and a stranger wearing white. White like Mama’s favorite flowers, white like the coat Daddy wore to work, white like the doves that…
No, don’t think about doves. Don’t think about doves ever again.
The white was better than his last memory: black. Ravenous black. It had swallowed everything.
Harsh light speared into the room, painting sharp rectangles on the linoleum floor. Joel blinked involuntarily. The lady in the white uniform noticed. “He’s awake!” she called. “Mrs. Fitchett, he’s awake!”
Mama and Daddy charged in, talking at the same time, asking the same questions. “I’m okay,” Joel said. Mama’s hands hovered a few seconds before settling on his arm. “I’m sorry we weren’t here. I told your daddy we shouldn’t both leave but—” “Are you in pain, son?” Daddy rarely let Mama finish a sentence. “My stomach hurts.” Joel didn’t recognize the sound of his own voice, so small and croaky. “Nurse! Bring this boy something for the pain,” Daddy yelled. “A magnesia tablet.” Mama put her freezing hand on his forehead. “He might have a fever too.” The nurse let out a noisy breath. She didn’t bother with his temperature, but the two bone-white pills she handed Joel appeased his parents, got them quiet at least. Joel raised his head, sweat-soaked hair sticking to his forehead. Or was it blood? He touched the bandage covering his face and winced. The details of the night before seeped into his mind. He could think of nothing that wasn’t contaminated by this memory. The pills tasted like chalk and made his throat burn. “Can I have some water?” Before anyone responded, two taps at the door drew their attention away from him, away from that perfect pitcher of water. Mama rubbed her forehead. “Can’t we go ten minutes without a knock on the damn door?” Joel knew Mama must be upset to use a word like that. Nancy Fitchett taught Sunday School and had taken soap to Joel’s mouth for less. “Oh, for god’s sake!” Daddy threw up his hands. “He just woke up. Give us a minute with our boy.” Two figures stepped through the door. A cigarette hung immobile in the mouth of the stubby police officer in front. “I understand, Mr. Fitchett, but the more time that goes by, the more victims forget. It’s vital we speak now.” Forget? Joel knew better. He couldn’t forget, not till heaven anyway, and at twelve, heaven was a long wait. The other officer stepped from the shadows. Like Dick Tracy, he wore a black suit and fedora instead of a uniform. He looked at Joel like he already knew the truth or could figure it out in the same effortless way Detective Tracy did in the comics. “Truth is,” —he reached into the hallway and pulled Clancy into the room — “we can’t get any information from this one. We hope your other boy will be more cooperative.” Joel’s head sank into the pillow. So, Clancy hadn’t told. Even now, he only wanted to protect his little brother. Poor kid looked scared out of his skin. “You all right, Joel?” Clancy’s voice shook. “Don’t you worry about me, Clancy. I’m as right as rain, good as gold.” “Nice as nectarines,” Clancy said. They often played this game, but Joel couldn’t think of another simile, so he offered a smile instead. It hurt like hell, but he wanted to assure Clancy he was okay. Joel was only a year and a half older, but the gap felt wider. Joel had always been mature for his age; everybody said so. “I have nothing to say, sir,” Joel told Dick Tracy. His voice was still high pitched, but he tried to make it boom like Daddy’s. Tom Fitchett had a way of making people listen when he talked. “And why’s that?” The tiny officer lit his cigarette. “I don’t remember what happened.” The bed gave a muffled creek as he adjusted his position. The detective looked at his partner. “Get Clancy out of here, will you? And the folks too.” “We won’t leave.” Daddy pushed his shoulders back. “Have it your way. Look here, Joel; we know who did this to you.” The words made Joel forget his stinging face and terrible thirst. He watched a cockroach scuttle into a floor crack. Did they know? No one was around for miles. He was bluffing. “Then go arrest the bastard,” his father said. “Don’t waste time traumatizing injured and frightened boys.” Had Joel heard Daddy right? Had he demanded these important men, lawmen, stop traumatizing his boys? Something he did for sport? How strange to have Daddy in his corner for once. “You may reconsider your statement when you learn who hurt the boy.” “Impossible!” Daddy slammed his hand on Joel’s tray and knocked over the pitcher of water. Mama grabbed a towel and sopped it up. Even in crisis, her instinct to clean up Daddy’s messes took over. “Who did this?!” Daddy yelled. Joel cringed, but at least this time Daddy’s fury flew at somebody else. Joel took a few deep breaths. Maybe if he stayed calm, everyone else would calm down too. “It was him.” The officer stuck his finger in Clancy’s face. Mama clutched him tighter, her arms a shield against the accusation. The detective knelt in front of Clancy. “You did this. The only question I have is why?” The room spun again. Joel looked for an anchor, but the patterns on the linoleum played leapfrog, and the walls closed in. His parent’s gasps faded into the white surrounding him, and once again, the world went black. *** Excerpt from Enemies of Doves by Shanessa Gluhm. Copyright 2020 by Shanessa Gluhm. Reproduced with permission from Shanessa Gluhm. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Shanessa Gluhm works as a librarian at an elementary school in New Mexico where she lives with her husband and children. It was during her own elementary days when a teacher encouraged Shanessa to write and share stories with the class. She hasn’t stopped writing since. Enemies of Doves is her debut novel.
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!
Giveaway!:
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Shanessa Gluhm. There will be 2 winners of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card each. The giveaway begins on June 1, 2020 and runs through June 16, 2020. Void where prohibited.
Fiction: FICTION / Fantasy / Historical
Format: Hardback
Price: £20.00
ISBN : 978-1-78758-414-3
Pages: 288 pp
Format: 6 x 9 in
BIC codes: FK
BISAC codes: FIC009030, FIC031070
Series: Fiction Without Frontiers
Imprint: FLAME TREE PRESS
Distribution: Marston Book Services
Publication date: May 2020
Synopsis
“Brian Moreland writes with one eye on characterization and the other on
scaring the life out of you.” — Maynard Sims, author of Stronghold and
The Eighth Witch.
Deep inside the tomb exists a hidden world of wonder and terror.
In 1935, British archaeologists vanished inside an Egyptian cave. A year later,
one man returned covered in mysterious scars.
Egyptologist Imogen Riley desperately wants to know what happened to the
ill-fated expedition led by her grandfather. On a quest for answers, she joins
a team of archeologists and soldiers in Egypt. Inside a mountain tomb,
they’ve found a technologically advanced relic and a maze of tunnels. Dr.
Nathan Trummel believes this tomb leads to the most guarded secrets of the
pharaohs. When the explorers venture deep into the caves, they discover a
hidden world of wonder and terror.
FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing.
Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more
established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.
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My Review
Wow. I started reading this and couldn’t put it down. I’m always interested in books about archaeological adventures and this one had such a wicked title and mysterious description, I just knew it was gong to be fun.
There’s quite the cast of characters, and some had differing agendas. I had a feeling things were going to go sideways and they did.The author did a great job of filling in the background on his characters in just the right places in the story.
And there’s also something very strange about the dig. The deeper they go, the stranger and more dangerous it gets. So many things happened and I kept picturing them in my mind. Some times I had to stop and ponder what I would do too. It’s easy to think you’d be calm and cool, but I would probably be the ninny who goes running off screaming into the dark to meet a sticky end. LOL
I’ve enjoyed some of Brian’s other books and this was just as thrilling. And I’m still thinking about the ending. It’s a surprising twist.
4 STARS
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About Author Brian Moreland
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Brian Moreland writes a blend of mystery, actionadventure,
dark suspense, and horror. His books include
Shadows in the Mist, Dead of Winter, The Witching House,
The Devil’s Woods, The Seekers, and Darkness Rising. An
adventure seeker and lover of world travel, Brian is currently
living in various places and writing books and short stories.
Join Brian’s mailing list: http://www.brianmoreland.com/
Follow on Twitter: @BrianMoreland
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrianMorelandWriter
Brian’s blog: http://www.brianmoreland.blogspot.com
Genre: Historical Suspense Published by: Books to Go Now Publication Date: February 28, 2020 Number of Pages: TBD ISBN: 979-8600864139 Series: Bloodstone Series, #3 Purchase Links:
The killer whispered- “A pretty damsel…worth a pretty risk.”
A veteran, Detective Rudyard Bloodstone has fought a brutal battle and witnessed war horrors that haunt his nightmares. Now one of those horrors has followed him home from Africa.
A vicious predator, the Cape cobra, can kill a man in thirty minutes. A suspect using the snake as a weapon in robberies is terrorizing London.
When the crimes escalate into murder, a victim’s daughter, Honoria Underhill, becomes the focus of the killer. After several attempts on her life, Scotland Yard threatens to take over the high profile case. With few leads to follow, Bloodstone and his partner must now fight department politics and catch the killer before Underhill becomes another murder victim.
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About Author Chris Karlsen
I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.
My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.
I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream. I write three different series. My paranormal romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is Dangerous Waters. The newest is The Bloodstone Series, which is historical suspense with romantic elements. Each series has a different setting and some cross time periods, which I find fun to write.
I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and four wild and crazy rescue dogs.
Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery, Procedural, Historical Fiction Published by: Level Best Books Publication Date: January 14th 2020 Number of Pages: 162 ISBN: 1087857325 (ISBN13: 9781087857329) Series: A Shane Cleary Mystery Purchase Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Synopsis
“Robert B. Parker would stand and cheer, and George V. Higgins would join the ovation. This is a terrific book–tough, smart, spare, and authentic. Gabriel Valjan is a true talent–impressive and skilled–providing knock-out prose, a fine-tuned sense of place and sleekly wry style.”– Hank Phillippi Ryan, nationally bestselling author of The Murder List
Shane Cleary, a PI in a city where the cops want him dead, is tough, honest and broke. When he’s asked to look into a case of blackmail, the money is too good for him to refuse, even though the client is a snake and his wife is the woman who stomped on Shane’s heart years before. When a fellow vet and Boston cop with a secret asks Shane to find a missing person, the paying gig and the favor for a friend lead Shane to an arsonist, mobsters, a shady sports agent, and Boston’s deadliest hitman, the Barbarian. With both criminals and cops out to get him, the pressure is on for Shane to put all the pieces together before time runs out.
About
Gabriel is the author of two series, Roma and Company Files, with Winter Goose Publishing. Dirty Old Town is the first in the Shane Cleary series for Level Best Books. His short stories have appeared online, in journals, and in several anthologies. He has been a finalist for the Fish Prize, shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, and received an Honorable Mention for the Nero Wolfe Black Orchid Novella Contest in 2018. You can find him on Twitter (@GValjan) and Instagram (gabrielvaljan). He lurks the hallways at crime fiction conferences, such as Bouchercon, Malice Domestic, and New England Crime Bake. Gabriel is a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime.
Alan M. Clark’s Jack the Ripper Victims Series is comprised of five novels, one for each of the canonical victims of the murderer. These stories are not only meant to appeal to those interested in the horror that was the Autumn of Terror, but also those interested in the struggles of women in the 19th century. They are well-researched, fictional dramatic stories meant to help readers walk in the shoes of the victims and give a sense of the world as each of the women may have experienced it. The timelines for the stories run mostly concurrently, so it doesn’t matter in what order the books in the series are read. They are simultaneously drama, mystery, thriller, historical fiction, and horror. They are novels concerning horror that happened.
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A Brutal Chill in August
The First Victim of Jack the Ripper
by Alan M. Clark
Genre: Crime Horror
Publisher: IFD Publishing
Publication Date: December 7, 2019
We all know about Jack the Ripper, the serial murderer who terrorized Whitechapel and confounded police in 1888, but how much do we really know about his victims?
Pursued by one demon into the clutches of another, the ordinary life of Mary Ann “Polly” Nichols is made extraordinary by horrible, inhuman circumstance. Jack the Ripper’s first victim comes to life in this sensitive and intimate fictionalized portrait, from humble beginnings, to building a family with an abusive husband, her escape into poverty and the workhouse, alcoholism, and finally abandoned on the streets of London where the Whitechapel Murderer found her.
With A Brutal Chill in August, Alan M. Clark gives readers an uncompromising and terrifying look at the nearly forgotten human story behind one of the most sensational crimes in history. This is horror that happened.
The song sung by the ghost that haunts Mary Ann “Polly” Nichols
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Apologies to the Cat’s Meat Man
The Second Victim of Jack the Ripper
Publication Date: June 9, 2017
This novel is part of the Jack the Ripper Victims Series. Each novel in the series is a stand-alone story.
Annie Chapman led a hard, lower class life in filthy 19th century London. Late in life, circumstances and and her choices led her to earn her crust by solicitation. After a bruising brawl with another woman over money and a man, she lost her lodgings and found herself sleeping rough. That dangerous turn of events delivered her into the hands of London’s most notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper.
Contrasting her last week alive with the experiences of her earlier life, the author helps readers understand how she might have made the decisions that put her in the wrong place at the wrong time
This novel is part of the Jack the Ripper Victims Series. Each novel in the series is a stand-alone story.
An imaginative reconstruction of the life of Elizabeth Stride, the third victim of Jack the Ripper. The beast of poverty and disease had stalked Elizabeth all her life, waiting for the right moment to take her down. To survive, she listened to the two extremes within herself–Bess, the innocent child of hope, and Liza, the cynical, hardbitten opportunist. While Bess paints rosy pictures of what lies ahead and Liza warns of dangers everywhere, the beast, in the guise of a man offering something better, circles ever closer.
In Victorian London, the greatest city of the richest country in the world, the industrial revolution has created a world of decadence and prosperity, but also one of unimaginable squalor and suffering. Filth, decay, danger, sorrow, and death are ever-present in the streets. Catherine Eddowes is found murdered gruesomely in the city’s East End. When the police make their report, the only indicators of her life are the possessions carried on her person, likely everything she owned in the world. In Of Thimble and Threat, Alan M. Clark tells the heartbreaking story of Catherine Eddowes, the fourth victim of Jack the Ripper, explaining the origin and acquisition of the items found with her at the time of her death, chronicling her life from childhood to adulthood, motherhood, her descent into alcoholism, and finally her death. Of Thimble and Threat is a story of the intense love between a mother and a child, a story of poverty and loss, fierce independence, and unconquerable will. It is the devastating portrayal of a self-perpetuated descent into Hell, a lucid view into the darkest parts of the human heart.
A novel that beats back our assumptions about the time of Jack the Ripper. Not the grim story of an unfortunate drunken prostitute killed before her time, but one of a young woman alive with all the emotional complexity of women today. Running from a man wanting her to pay for her crimes against his brother, Mary Jane Kelly must recover a valuable hidden necklace and sell it to gain the funds to leave London and start over elsewhere. Driven by powerful, if at times conflicting emotion, she runs the dystopian labyrinth of the East End, and tries to sneak past the deadly menace that bars her exit.
Although THE PROSTITUTE’S PRICE is a standalone tale, and part of the Jack the Ripper Victims Series, it is also a companion story to the novel, THE ASSASSIN’S COIN, by John Linwood Grant. The gain a broader experience of each novel, read both.
Author and illustrator, Alan M. Clark grew up in Tennessee in a house full of bones and old medical books. His awards include the World Fantasy Award and four Chesley Awards. He is the author of seventeen books, including twelve novels, a couple of novellas, four collections of fiction, some of them lavishly illustrated, and a nonfiction full-color book of his artwork. Mr. Clark’s company, IFD Publishing, has released 42 titles of various editions, including traditional books, both paperback and hardcover, audio books, and ebooks by such authors as F. Paul Wilson, Elizabeth Engstrom, and Jeremy Robert Johnson. Alan M. Clark and his wife, Melody, live in Oregon. www.alanmclark.com Visit his blog: https://ifdpublishing.com/blog
Today S. N. Jones, GenZ Publishing, & Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the GORGEOUS cover for her YA Historical fantasy, EXORDIUM which will release in early 2020! Check out the awesome cover and enter the
giveaway!
This is the motto of the clan Kongeorn. In their world of harsh battles and harsher winters
our story begins.
Exordium is a historical fantasy novel that follows the story of Vita, who is thrust into a
position of power and forced to deal with the aftermath of a family tragedy–and an act of war. Along the way, she must confront her own demons and learn that everyone is fighting their own war, their own obstacles. She must learn how to overcome them, to rise higher than ever before. Exordium and its author, S. N. Jones, were awarded with the 2018 National Civic Expression Award
from the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition, funded by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers.
One woman.
One name.
One forgotten legacy.
Excerpt:
“The forest seemed still, as if no creature dared to
move or cry out in my presence. The trees remained static, their branches rigid
and frozen in the cool night air. In the stillness, a burden began to weigh
down upon me, cloaking me like the furs on my shoulders. It sobered me, taking
my attention away from the visions and cynical thoughts, and plopped me right
where I would stay. I could not hide from it, nor—I found—did I want to. My
duty to my people, to my name, bore down on me, and I refused to shake it.”
About S.N. Jones:
Proud author of Exordium, fantasy author, and lover of books!
Christmas of 1899, the world looks forward to new discoveries, new inventions,
and a new century. Wealthy heiress Viola Peery is looking forward to
a new life and a husband, preferably one with a title, since her
father has told her not to return from England without one.
A New Year’s weekend at Aescton Hall holds promise for Viola and
eight other ladies of wealth. There, ten eligible bachelors will vie
for their hearts and hands during dinners, skating parties, and—of
course—balls. Both the charming Cedric Stanhope and the dashing
Rhys Findlay catch Viola’s eye and pique her interest, and through
flirty tea parties and nightly waltzes, she mulls her decision.
But one of the men holds a secret that will change her destiny and haunt
her for the rest of her life.
D.S. Dehel is a lover
of photography, good food, and the Oxford comma. When she is not
immersed in a book, she is mom to her kids and spoiling her rather
pampered feline, Mr. Darcy. She can also be found at the gym training
for her next Spartan race and generally avoiding all adult
responsibility. She adores literary allusions, writing sex scenes,
and British television. Her devoted husband is still convinced she
writes children’s books. Please don’t enlighten him.
If you’re like me, you have a pile of books beckoning to you from your lists. Carole hosts this fun feature where you can share some of those older books and perhaps nudge you to finally read them. If you want to join in on the fun, head over to Carole’s Random Life In Books and leave a link to your post.
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The Monster’s Daughter
by Michelle Pretorius
Genre: Historical / Mystery
Synopsis
Somewhere on the South African veldt, 1901: At the height of the Boer War, a doctor at a British concentration camp conducts a series of grim experiments on Boer prisoners. His work ends in chaos, but two children survive: a boy named Benjamin, and a girl named Tessa.
One hundred years later, a disgraced young police constable is reassigned to the sleepy South African town of Unie, where she makes a terrifying discovery: the body of a young woman, burned beyond recognition.
The crime soon leads her into her country’s violent past a past that includes her father, a high-ranking police official under the apartheid regime, and the children left behind in that long ago concentration camp.
Michelle Pretorius’s epic debut weaves present and past together into a hugely suspenseful, masterfully plotted thriller that calls to mind Lauren Beukes’s The Shining Girls and Tana French’s The Secret Place. With an explosive conclusion, it marks the emergence of a thrilling new writer.
Shanessa Gluhm works as a librarian at an elementary school in New Mexico where she lives with her husband and children. It was during her own elementary days when a teacher encouraged Shanessa to write and share stories with the class. She hasn’t stopped writing since. Enemies of Doves is her debut novel.
