The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful book filled with memorable characters. I must thank this brilliant author for helping me to realize that the French did not fold under the German boot, their government did. The people remained chained and terrorized by their German captors while they waited for their allied friends to come and save them. I had always believed that the people of France were cooperating with their captors, from this book I see that they were unwilling participants in their captivity.
Many brave and selfless people were part of the resistance, and from this book one might guess that it was a greater number than we might imagine.
Thank you Siobhan Curham for sharing this story. You are what we call nice people in Yiddish, a mench!

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May Books

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

William Kent Krueger is a great author. His books are filled with wonderful imagery and the characters are rich and three dimentional. This book is no exception. The story is sad and the reader has a feeling of melancholy all through the book. This is not surprising as the whole world was in the midst of a great depression and almost everyone was hungry and grimy.
I am glad I read it and stuck it out to the end, even though I had retty much guessed the ending. Getting a glimpse of the depression was the saving grace of the story for me.

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Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it. I loved the characters, the plot, the resolution, all of it.
What is it like to be old. Deanna Raybourn got it nailed. What could be more interesting than four delightful assasins. Their personalities don't always jive but they work well together.
This is a fitting book to follow Veronica Speedwell. The author does a masterful job of moving to a different era. Read it!

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April Books:

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Quite a good mystery... A little too atmospheric. I'm sick of looking at sun setting over this river that is only attractive under just the right moonlight. (I'm asleep)
The plot was well structured and Krueger leaves us guessing, and guessing until the end. So many characters that at times I was confused. In his defense the main characters stood out and were well developed.
I finished this book in a seven hour reading session. That may be why I thought the ending, or the post ending, where he wrapped up the characters was not needed and a bit corny.

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Vienna at Nightfall by Richard Wake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Without a doubt, Wake is a great writer. He has forged a great character and I look forward to seeing how he copes in the later episodes. He has the sort of naive oblivious personality but a very quick mind.
This pre-WWII era in Germany is fascinating. The political situation in Austria might be compared with the Canadian dilemma right now. I hope it end differently.


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Miami Purity by Vicki Hendricks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I chose this book from a NY Times review. It is from 1995 and I thought it might be interesting. It was described by the reviewer as a very sexy novel that exposed how women see things. Maybe some women but not many that I know. It did make for some interesting reading and the characters were fascinating. I so many people could make so many bad decisions. All in all I liked the story. It was an iteresting change of pace.

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Time Lost: A Time Travel Novel by Elyse Douglas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a routine not too exciting time travel story. The author had a lot to work with. Woman transported to another time. Without spoiling anything, I thought the story and characters were too simplistic. I have got to stop reading books because of advrertising blurbs. It almost always dissappoints me.

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March Books

Mazeltov by Eli Zuzovsky
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I felt as though I was wandering through this book. I never quite found my way until the end. About half way through I thought of putting it down but I pushed through to end and then the nature of the story came through.
An interesting book about coming of age in Israel. Felt real, Israel is not the same culture as the rest of the world. Living on the edge of war is their norm. This book passed that feeling on.
Would I recommend it. Probably not.

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Blackout by Simon Scarrow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great book. This is not a traditional crime novel. It has all the trappings of a murder mystery but it is cloaked in an interesting character. I'm reminded of Bernie Gunther.
The story is somewhat complex and frankly, I didn't figure it out. So well spooled out to the reader with just enough suspense to keep you reading.
The author paints a picture of Germany slipping farther down the Nazi rathole and taking the whole German society with them.
Like historical mysteries, this is for you.

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Across Seward Park: A Novel by Gail Lehrman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ok, so you need to know that I am a first generation American. I was steeped in stories and anecdotes about those early years in this country. I was born a birthrite citizen and haver always been proud of this country, warts and all. I served in the USAF, not to prove my patriatism, but to suppoert my country in times of strife.
That being said, this story held a warm place in my heart from page one until the end. (I was actually sorry that there was no more to read.) I'd request a sequel but I would hate to stifle Gail's creative juices. Please get started on another book.
The plot, characters and writing style was perfect for me. I was able to see beyond mere descriptions to understand some of the emotions that they were feeling. The plot, though simple family saga, never felt trivial or elxpected.
A masterlpiece, imagine what her third book will be like....
Start writing.

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Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From another goodreads review:
Oh my gosh, how I loved this book. The five-hundred-plus pages practically turned themselves. The premise was so unique and I devoured every word from the banging prologue to the surprising epilogue.
I expect little from book club books. When I started this one I noticed it was dissappointingly long. When I got to the end I wished there was more.
I will give away none of the book. The author has created a true masterpiece of interwoven storytelling. The characters instantly develop in a way the makes the reader panting for more. She leaves us with just enough to want more and more.
It is a frantic page turner.
Have you ever loved someone so much it hurts? There are parts of this book that truly reminded me of that experience.
Read this book, if nothing else, read chapter 101.


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Books Read in February

Shadows of Tokyo by Matthew Legare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an exciting book. First of all, you will learn more about Japan in te 1920-30's than you everr imagined. Japan was a fascinating society that was poised to to attack Pearl Harbor. We should have known more about their society so we could have mitigated their displeasure.
This is a book about the interaction between the police and army. The main character is a police inspector. He is highly moral and remarkably skillful. His sidekick is a Geisha/modern girl who becomes an informant and eventually a spy. The story unwinds slowly while teaching the reader more and more about Japan.
It seems that the characters are quite believable. The ending is also believable. I am looking forward the second of the trilogy.


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Books Read January, 2025

Night Train to Paris by Fliss Chester
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book has a lot to say for it. When there is action it is wonderful. I just felt there was a lot of walking around and talking that did not enhance the really excellent murder mystery. I worked it out well before the end but the details were clever. Will I give Fen a third chance? Possible but not for a while.

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A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not sure about this one. I really fell for the main character, a feisty WW1 nurse. The opening of the book is a gripping tale and then the story seems to meander a bit before it gets going as a full blown murder mystery.
A few times I thought there was a bit too much dialogue but as the story progressed, I realized how completely complex and devious the story and plot were. Bravo Mr. Todd for keeping it all together and keeping me interested until the screeching end. The final action was explosive and I could not put it down. This is our first experience with Bess Crawford, I might try another.


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After Oz by Gordon McAlpine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did not want to like this book.... I was sure it was just another "Wicked" spin off and I wanted a little more. This book is for my book club and I look forward to the book discussion.
For me this turned out to be a first-class murder mystery. The author has the benefit of having the reader know a lot of the backstory. The story of Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, is baked into American psyche. The author was able to use this to bind a pretty good story together.
Had enough “Wicked” hype? This book might be fun. In the end I liked it a lot.


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