Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver

Jumat, 09 Desember 2016

St. Martin's Press | October 2015 | 336 pgs

Source: Library

Murder at the Brightwell is Ashley Weaver's debut and the first book of her Amory Ames series.

Amory Ames is a wealthy young woman who have married Milo Ames for five years. Milo is charming, but he is notorious for his playboy reputation and his carefree behaviour. Amory was supposed to be engaged to Gilmore Trent but being a foolish young girl that she was she chose Milo as she felt he was reckless and exciting while Gil was calm and reassuring. She was attracted by Milo's charming unpredictability but their relationship has turned lukewarm over the years. However, her relationship with Gil remains amicable and they have not contacted each other in a while until he turns up at her house one day unexpectedly.

Gil Trent doesn't want to trouble Amory but he thought she might help change his sister's mind regarding her relationship with her fianc�, Rupert Howe. When Rupert was found dead mysteriously, all speculations point to Gil as he seems to be the person who has something against Rupert. Amory may have accidentally overheard Gil's heated disagreement with Rupert, but she believes Gil isn't the kind who would kill a person out of spite. In order to clear Gil's name, Amory decides to do her own investigation. It is also at this time that Milo turns up at Brightwell unexpectedly and causes a bit of flutter within the group.

Although Amory doesn't like some of Gil's and Rupert's acquaintance at Brightwell, she thinks no one has enough reason for murder but with so many incidents happening thereafter she is not so sure anymore. She decides to seek a little help from Milo; for she finds him useful especially gathering information with his charms and eloquence from the few aristrocrats' wives. When another guest is found dead, Amory is sure there is something more than meets the eye and she is more determined to unravel the truth.

Murder at the Brightwell is a delightful read set in the 1930s amidst the upper class British society. It has a tad of Agatha Christie feel and I found myself immersed in the story quickly due to the smooth flow and that the mystery really intrigued me. Amory is a likeable character full of modesty and courage; and her relationship with Milo fuels up the story and would keep readers rooting for them despite the cool demeanour behind them. All in all it was a satisfying read and I'll be looking forward to the rest of this series.

� 2016 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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Yesternight by Cat Winters

Selasa, 29 November 2016

HarperCollins Publishers | October 2016 | 400 pgs

Source: Purchased

The year is 1925. Alice Lind, a travelling psychologist, travels from her home town in Portland to a rain-soaked coastal hamlet of Gordon Bay, Oregon, to administer IQ tests to a group of rural schoolchildren as designated by her employer, the Oregon Department of Education. Alice has always believes in the science of psychology, and that any psychological issues they face would be explored and treated through treatments and further consultations. However, her views are to be challenged by one girl.

Seven-year-old Janie O'Daire looks like any other girls her age; except she is a mathematical genius and that she claims her name was once Violet Sunday. One of Janie's account includes Violet grew up in Kansas decades earlier and that she drowned at age nineteen. Perplexed by Janie's "stories", Alice wants to believe what she has heard is no more than products of Janie's vast imagination but yet something tells her it is unlikely so. To complicate matters, Janie's parents are divorced and Janie's mother isn't helpful when it comes to seeking assistance for young Janie. She turns down all psychological help and thinks everyone views her Janie as a "nutcase" or worse, trying to get her away for some scientific research. Janie's aunt, who stays with them and is a teacher herself, is more open minded but she does has her reservation when she initially meets Alice.

Aside from Janie's excel in mathematics, Alice also found out that Janie's account tallies with all the events which her parents had jotted down on their journals since she was two; when she started to tell them snippets of who she was or what she had done in Friendly, Kansas. The strangest thing is, Janie has never travelled outside Gordon Bay once. Intrigued by Janie's stories, Alice decides to do some investigations on her own and what she found out not only changes her perspective on reincarnation but also revealing the truth surrounding her own past as well.

Yesternight was a great novel; both in the historical and mystery aspect. The story is packed with that atmospheric and foreboding feel and made me edgy throughout my reading journey. It was also a great character-driven story, given that the characters are well explored and developed, especially Janie and Alice since this book is mostly about them. Aside from this intriguing story, the author has also captured the struggles and the frustrations Alice faced whereby they are living in an era where prized female education and career are far less than we do now. It was extremely sad to see these young women's life being wasted despite their talents. Even if Alice is a successful psychologist, at times she feels small working in a field dominated by men and thus, she is always cautious about her work so that no mistake would endanger her professional reputation.

Similarly, this story reminds me a lot of a non-fiction I read six year ago. The book - Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss, is based on a true story and you can read my thoughts of this book here.

� 2016 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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The Taxidermist's Daughter by Kate Mosse

Rabu, 20 April 2016

ISBN-13: 9780062402158
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: March 2016
Format: Hardcover, 432 pgs
Source: Publisher

"Taxidermy - the art of preparing and preserving the skins of animals and of stuffing and mounting them in lifelike form." ~ Dictionary.com

Constantia "Connie" Gifford witnesses something unthinkable and dark on the eve of St. Mark, the night when the locals of a remote village believe that the ghosts of those fated to die in the coming year are said to materialise and amble through the church doors. While Connie isn't one who is superstitious, she is fascinated by this tradition which has been passed down for more than a decade. But, what most astounded her is seeing her father amongst the crowd as well. What is her father doing there? Crowley Gifford rarely mixes with the residents nowadays ever since their taxidermy museum business had gone down ten years ago. It is like he has become a different person. Gone is his cheerful and charismatic demeanour, the present Crowley Gifford is a man who drinks and keeps things to himself. Although his museum has gone, he had passed on the art of taxidermy to Connie, which she has not only mastered it with ease but also has the capability of capturing the essence of the animals, in particularly the birds. 

As the night falls and the crowd has dispersed eventually, Connie creeps out of her hiding place after all the commotion which has took place earlier. What she sees shook her to the core - for a woman is found murdered with a bloody wire coiled around her neck. Though Connie doesn't recognise the woman, she finds herself deeply affected by her death for there is something familiar about her. Perhaps affected by this ordeal and the feelings of being watched, Connie's long lost memories of her childhood accident begins to tease through her mind slowly. What had happened on that night when she was twelve? Is the dead woman somewhat connected to her forgotten childhood days? As unfortunate events began to happen in the quiet town of Fishbourne, Connie knew she has to find some answers surrounding her past as well as the secrets which Gifford seems to be keeping from her all these years. 

While I have to admit I wasn't really taken in by the art of taxidermy, it is without a doubt a fine art of its own and it was great learning more about taxidermy through some of the descriptions written in this story. Taxidermist seems to be a position dominated by men so I was quite surprised to read about a female taxidermist in this book, never mind it is a fiction and all Connie does is working on birds. Species like jackdaws, magpies, rooks and crows play a significant role in this story and as you read further you will begin to understand the reason of their roles and how the mystery unravels. 

Given the subject and the atmospheric setting of Fishbourne in the 1910s, it is natural to think this story has a dark, gothic feeling and while it is to a certain extent, I actually felt this is more of a story about justice in retribution and righting the wrongs when the victim feels the law is working against them. Despite the subject, I found myself engrossed in this story from beginning to end and like Connie, I was very anxious to find out the mystery and the truth behind it. Although there are some dark elements, there are also some bright, positive ones that show in a person's trait, like Connie and a few people in her life. Her acquaintance and her liking towards Harold Woolston, a man she has encountered while finding the truth might consider to be a bit in haste to some readers but I could feel the chemistry between them through their exchanges and their little gestures. They may be subtle but they are there.   

While I wasn't surprised by the ending (I did make a guess early on and found my speculation to be right), it was still a compelling read in my opinion. 

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The Ballroom by Anna Hope

Senin, 11 April 2016

ISBN-13: 9780857521965
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: February 2016
Format: Hardcover, 352 pgs
Source: Library 

"There are three ways out of here. You can die... You can escape... Or you can convince them you're sane enough to leave." - Pg 135

Let me start off by saying this novel is nothing I had expected, in terms of the premise and the ending. It is a tale about madness and sanity, of obsession and unlikely love. 

Set in 1911 within an asylum on the edge of the Yorkshire moors, this story comprises of three characters and their experiences in the asylum. The first character is Ella Fay, a young woman who finds herself as an inmate after breaking a window in the mill where she worked. The others thought she is distressed but truth be told she wished for an open window so she could look at the sky. Her reckless act leads her to Sharston Asylum and she decides that if she keeps a low profile and works hard she might have a chance of an early release. 

Dr Charles Fuller was the one who had assessed Ella upon her arrival. He is one of the three characters whose story is told and I have to say among the three his character is the one which left me most appalled. It is by no means his intention to work at Sharston Asylum in the first place; his father has expectations of him yet it is music which he loves and one which has gotten him a job at Sharston's. Though his position is First Assistant Medical Officer, his other role is to head a musical band to perform for the patients for their dance every Friday. Not all could attend the dance though, and Charles thought the dances might help with their conditions, since he has noticed a slight change in John Mulligan as he has shown some feelings with a particular music he'd played. However, his obsession for recognition and preparing a paper for the Eugenics Society would soon send him over the edge. 

John Mulligan, the other character in this story, is a quiet man who had lost his wife and their child. Knowing Ella has changed his perspective in life and it is only through the dances that they are able to meet. They began exchanging letters; it is a lovely gesture of some sort as John would tell Ella what he sees while working outside since Ella and the other women inmates are confined inside the building, doing laundries basically. Ella wouldn't know how to read and write, but she has her good friend, Clem, to help her. Clem has an unhappy past and although her story is a short one, it still left a deep impression in my mind. Till now, I was quite bothered by the route she had chosen to escape from an unwanted marriage. 

As the story progresses, we would learn more about these three characters' inner thoughts and what drives them towards a destiny none of them has predicted. At its core this is both a love story and a character-driven kind of story that allows us to think about the past and future life of these characters and that there is a fine line between sanity and madness. Overall, I felt the story to be beautifully written and that this book would make a good book club discussion. 

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The Longest Night by Andria Williams

Kamis, 24 Maret 2016

ISBN-13: 9780812997743
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication Date: January 2016
Format: Hardcover, 400 pgs
Source: Library

Set in Idaho Falls during the early 1960s, The Longest Night tells an emotional and an unforgettable story of the challenges and struggles faced by a military family and how a nuclear accident changes their lives altogether. 

Paul and Nat Collier knew each other when he was a twenty-year-old army lad while she a nineteen-year-old girl who loves nothing more than freedom and the ocean. Paul is quiet and reserved by nature and it is no wonder he was attracted by the cheerful and friendly Nat at first sight. They got married soon and have two lovely young daughters thereafter. Being an Army Specialist, Paul's latest assignment is to travel to a remote military town in Idaho Falls where he would help oversee one of the country�s first nuclear reactors, the CR-1 which needs manual labour and monitoring to keep it running. It is a risky and dangerous job, but the men at the testing station feel that as long as they always stay vigilant they would be fine. 

Paul thinks so too until he discovers that the reactor is compromised while making his rounds one day. He brought this issue up with his superior, Master Sergeant Mitch Richards, and the answer he gets is a new core would be replaced soon and they shouldn't raise too much of an alarm as long as they don't raise the critical rod above four inches high; a safety protocol which every of the operators know by heart. But Paul doesn't think so, and to complicate matters Richards has behaved inappropriately towards Nat during a party and all these has made Paul very displeased with Richards. 

Back at the testing station, the men continue to have problems with the stuck rod and Paul decided to confront Richards about the issue again but his anger got the better of him when Richards doesn't seem to acknowledge the danger of the faulty rod but displaying his authority and throwing off crude remarks. Paul saw red and a punch was landed on Richard's face. Whether if it is intentional or duty bound, Paul is then asked to deploy to Greenland to another station where they need experienced man like him. With a saddened heart, Paul leaves his family and it is also at that time when he learns that Nat is pregnant. 

Filled with loneliness and restlessness, Nat found a new friend in a local cowboy, Esrom. She first met Esrom in a diner and the impression he gave her is he is easygoing, cheerful and kind-hearted. He is also the one who extended help when Nat's car broke down and also offered to lend her his car, since his uncle runs an car auto shop and he always have a spare. However, their friendship invites gossip although they didn't do anything immoral. Nat couldn't explain her fluttering heart whenever she sees Esrom, yet she knows she still loves Paul and her family, too. 

When Paul returns to Idaho Falls, he gives Nat a cold shoulder after hearing Richard had babbled about Nat's close 'relationship' with Esrom. To clear his mind, he went off on a ride and saw several fire engines and ambulance on the highway towards the reactor and he knew something terrible must have happened. What follows is a tragedy and although Paul is officially off duty he still rushes inside the station, hoping to save his mates. Esrom is at the scene too, and by that time he has became a firefighter. What are the chances that they would all be saved from the radioactive and what it would take for Paul to save his own family? 

The Longest Night is a great book filled with emotions and a few thought-provoking issues to ponder about. First of all, it examines the fragility and tenacity of marriage and most of all, the many emotions many military spouses will encounter leaving for a new place and settling in. Finding companionship could be a challenge, and even in today's world where we are more open-minded, we still question ourselves if a man and a woman could remain as platonic friends, let alone the time back then. Ms William's writing is great too and there was never a dull moment as I raced through this book, and did I mention that this is her debut novel? Plot and characterisation aside, what made this book another memorable read is the nuclear incident and that this is inspired by a true story of the only fatal nuclear accident occurred in America on January 3, 1961 (You can read more here and here.) Although this is a grim story, it still paints an inspiring portrait of humanity. Highly recommended.

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The Visitors by Sally Beauman

Senin, 31 Agustus 2015

ISBN-13: 9780062302700

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Publication Date: 7 July 2015

Format: Paperback, 544 pgs

Source: Publisher

Egypt. Valley of the Kings. Tutankhamun's tomb. Do these fascinate you? If they are, then you are in for a good literate ride filled with history, adventures and not to mention a haunting tale of two young girls' journey to Egypt in the '20s and how a series of events have changed and shaped their lives.

Lucy Payne was eleven when she was sent abroad to Egypt to recover from the typhoid that killed her mother. With her father immersed in his academic work at Cambridge college, young Lucy had only Miss Mackenzie, her guardian, for their travels in Egypt. Miss Mack, whom Lucy fondly called, was not only "in loco parentis" (Latin for "in the place of a parent") but was also a great companion and a guide to Lucy.

There, she befriends Frances Winlock, the daughter of an American archaeologist and through her, Lucy learns and witnesses firsthand the intrigue of Egypt, its history and culture. She's heard enough stories about treasure hoards and the excavations in Cairo and Luxor; and that Egyptian antiquities dealers would drive up prices through inventing stories about the things they sell. There is one English archaeologist, Mr Howard Carter, who's in charge of an excavation in the Valley of the Kings and seems to have a wide knowledge when Egyptian history is concerned, Lucy finds him aloof, arrogant and mysterious as well. I found him interesting, but he wasn't really an amiable person in my opinion.

As the story progresses, we see through Lucy's eyes through her youth and her older age how Egypt was during the 20s and the intrigue and mysterious legends surrounding Egyptian history and culture. There, she'd also witnessed how the hunt and the discovery would make some people go to extra lengths to fulfill their desires. 

I was also fascinated (and horrified) to learn about the process of mummification through bits of information mentioned in the book. It goes without saying that the author had done a thorough research writing this book and did a wonderful job in it. I felt I was travelling with Lucy and the others through their journeys; and I liked Miss Mack for her sincere and bubbly personality. 

I've to admit it took me a while to find myself immersed into the story; granted it is about 540+ pages long (and an informative list of historical figures, places and provenance at the end of the book) and a cast of interesting characters who you'll either like or dislike. Some readers might also find the pace a bit slow as the pace is measured as the author seemed to take her time in building the story. However, Ms. Beauman has brought both the historical figures and the fictional characters to life through her storytelling and the Egyptology part is most intriguing. A must-read for fans of historical fiction and Egyptology.  

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