Late this month, but here are the books I have read/acquired over the course of November!
Books I Have Read
Mr Crippen, Cora and the Body in the Basement by Matthew Coniam
A well-researched book exploring the infamous case of the alleged murder of Cora Crippen by her husband in London in 1910. Taking into account recent DNA evidence, this book offers a lot of pause for thought.
The Forgotten Gun by John Reid
I really enjoyed this story of a group of misfit police officers who investigate a seemingly impossible set of murders. The plot moves along nicely and provides some laughs along the way.
The Lost by Simon Beckett
The first in the Jonah Colley series is a fast-paced tale of murder and introduces us to the detective who feels he has nothing to lose when investigating a case very close to his heart. A great read!
Stolen Ones by Angela Marsons
I don’t know how she does it, but every book by Angela Marsons is an absolute joy to read! When a man walks into the police station and confesses that he may have information about a missing girl, DI Kim Stone ends up involved in a frustrating case of murder and abduction. Superb!
Books I Have Aquired
Pembrokeshire, Wales, 2020
Serious illness has forced Eleanor Wilder to leave her life in London, close her antique shop, and return to the family farm in Pembrokeshire. Her instinct is to hide from the world but when her parents bring her to a family reunion at the nearby house, Cliffside, she is transfixed by a set of old family photographs.
One of the images is of a woman in theatrical dress, labelled ‘Esme Blood’ – a name that is familiar to Eleanor through a set of Victorian tarot cards and diaries that she found through her shop. Certain the name is unusual enough not to be a coincidence, Eleanor begins to research the life of this intriguing woman.
London, England, 1875
Born to a teenage mother who couldn’t cope, Esme Blood is adopted by the ebullient Cornelius and Rosie Hardy into a touring theatrical troupe, along with her friend Aaron. When Aaron’s grandparents return to claim him, Esme is devastated and the two promise they will find each other.
Outgrowing her adopted lifestyle, Esme decides to set out to seek her fortune, and she relies on a deck of Tarot cards to direct her. But fate can be a cruel mistress, and before long Esme finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage.
Did Esme find happiness? Was she ever reunited with Aaron?
And will researching her family history bring healing to Eleanor…?
It’s time to solve the murder of the century…
Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. Wanting to know more, he took it to his English teacher Miss Iles, not realising the chain of events that he was setting in motion. Miss Iles became convinced that the book was the key to solving a puzzle, and that a message in secret code ran through all Twyford’s novels. Then Miss Iles disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven has no memory of what happened to her.
Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Iles murdered? Was she deluded? Or was she right about the code? And is it still in use today?
Desperate to recover his memories and find out what really happened to Miss Iles, Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood. But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn’t just a writer of forgotten children’s stories. The Twyford Code has great power, and he isn’t the only one trying to solve it…
Happy reading!
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