At the Stroke of Midnight

Finished September 7

At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer

This historical mystery is a fun and suspenseful read. It is 1923 and Pearl Glenham lives with her accountant father in a small town in England. He mourns his wife, and is fixated on the time she supposedly died, four minutes past ten, and doesn't seem to be interested in anything but his job. Pearl does all the domestic chores, submitting to his demands, and leads a quiet life. But her best friend Harriet is more adventurous and has always encouraged her to rebel against her father's expectations. Pearl also has a secret, that she also has developed a secret compulsion regarding time, and has a collection of timepieces that she has stolen over many months. She also has an obsession with water, and has taken up swimming, becoming quite competent.

Her father tells her that they have been invited to Highcliffe House, a country house on the Dorset coast for the weekend, and must go. He plans for them to travel there in two days so they arrive fresh, and seems to know how to get to the house, although he claims that it is for business and that he doesn't know the house or the host. The owners of the house, the English woman who grew up there, Lenora, and her husband, an American named Virgil Brockhurst haven't been seen in twenty years. They had spent time traveling when they first married, and had returned with a young child, saying that they intended to stay for some years, but disappeared again shortly after their arrival. 

Pearl had come across the invitation her father received before they left home and suspected that the contents implied blackmail coerced her father to accept the invitation. So she is watching what happens carefully. Once they arrive at the house, it soon becomes apparent that he has met the other two guests, although they all pretend they haven't. Besides the guests, one of them has brought her husband, an Italian man who knows no English, and there are two temporary servants, a young man named Ellery Brown, who is rooming offsite, and an older woman named Mrs. Dawson who is doing the cooking. After lunch, Pearl is able to escape the house and go down to the beach for a swim in the ocean. While there, she sees an unusually dressed man go to a cave she hadn't noticed before and then return to the path to the house. When she enters the cave she notes many odd items, seemingly overflow from the many strange collectables she'd seen in the house itself. As she investigated a curious clock with funnels that seemed to run it, she tripped and fell and a drop of the liquid in one of the funnels spilt and ran into her mouth. She immediately returned to the house and after an uncomfortably tense afternoon and dinner, retired to her room, awakening later to find smoke at her door and unable to escape the fire in the house. But after succumbing to the smoke she finds herself back in the cave in the afternoon, replaying the day she just went through. 

As she goes through this again and again, trying to change the outcome of the day, escape the fire, and make sense of what is happening, she is joined by someone else who gets caught in the same repetitive time period and the two join forces to find answers. 

This is a story of a young woman finding her independence, a story of romance and intrigue, death and second chances. Very enjoyable and I found myself eager to see what each new iterance of the day brought and what the truth of the circumstances was. 

The Hangman

Finished September 2

The Hangman by Louise Penny

This novella is part of a literacy imprint, Good Reads, aimed at adult readers. It also fits into the Chief Inspector Gamache series as 6.5 in the series. 

Set in the village of Three Pines in Quebec, a jogger discovers a man's body hanging from a tree in the woods. Both the jogger and the dead man are guests at the village Inn and Spa, a large older home that has been recently remodelled. 

Many questions arise. Did the two men know each other before coming to Three Pines. Why did either of them come to stay at the Inn and Spa? If the dead man was murdered, why did he write a note? 

This is an interesting addition to the series that I hadn't been aware of until recently and I was glad to come across it. I read it in a single sitting. 

Mourning Gloria

Finished August 31

Mourning Gloria by Susan Wittig Albert

This is the 19th book in her China Bayles series. Here, China's husband McQuaid is away on a case and her stepson Brian is at camp, so it's just her, her niece Caitie, and the dog Howard Cosell around. Caitie is helping China in both her home garden and the shop garden, as well as helping at the weekly farmers' market. She's also doing some supervised babysitting for friends. 

After a backyard party where Caitie is staying on to do some babysitting, China notices a house trailor on fire on her drive home, calls emergency services, and stops to see if she can help. When she hears a woman calling for help from inside, she tries to get in, but is injured before she can. The experience haunts her, and she can't stop thinking about the trapped woman. 

Jessica Nelson is an intern at the local paper and on the story. When she hears China's details, she becomes personally motivated. Jessica lost her parents and sister to a house fire, something she is still dealing with. She is motivated and good at her job, so when she disappears after leaving a truncated phone message for China, China gets worried. Worried enough to start following in Jessica's footsteps, except she's involving both the local sheriff, whose territory covers the trailer location, and the town police chief. 

There is an subplot about the relationship between the sheriff and police chief as it becomes more serious. 

We also see how Caitie is excelling at her violin lessons, and growing more confident after her past trauma. 

As there sometimes is, a plant theme is clear here. This time it is hallucinogenic plants which covers many plants from coffee and tea to the titled reference to morning glory. This theme also relates to the plot in multiple ways. 

A good read, as usual. 

Midnight Storm Moonless Sky

Finished August 30

Midnight Storm Moonless Sky: Indigenous Horror Stories by Alex Soop

This collection of stories by Blackfoot writer Alex Soop begins with his thoughts on what horror is, and a recognition of the indigenous culture of storytelling that he is drawing on. I liked the way he connected horror with everyday life. His tales draw on indigenous legends, indigenous reality, Canadian history, and common horror tropes to build stories that feel real, possible, and tied to their settings. Hauntings along the Highway of Tears, gatherings of ghosts that welcome a stranger, racism, bullying, gang mentality, residential schools, Wendigos and other paranormal creatures, despair, alcoholism, cursed objects, the foster system, and mental illness.

I found the stories captivating, but also thought-provoking. A great read. 

Accidentally Yours

Finished August 29

Accidentally Yours by Alexa Rivers

This contemporary romance is the first in the Little Sky Romance series. Here, New Zealand CEO and developer Eli Lockwood is starting a new project in the small south island town of Itirangi. There is some community pushback on the impact to local businesses and the tourism the town is starting to attract. 

Aria Simons is a local reporter up for a promotion and looking for interesting and newsworthy stories to help her win the senior position. When she writes about the project, Eli notices and fearing negative impact decides to go to Itirangi in person to represent his company. He is a bit gun shy of media attention after a previous girlfriend dumped him publicly through the media.

He finds himself surprised by Aria, and also attracted to her. She's not the type of woman he usually goes out with, but he finds himself pursuing her.

When his parents unexpectedly dump his teenage sister on him for the summer, hoping that his business mindset and hard work will have a positive influence on her, he finds himself asking Aria for help. He hasn't spent much time with his sister lately and doesn't know how to talk to her. He himself rebelled against his parents by starting his own company rather than joining theirs and he knows the pressure on his sister to join the family business. 

Aria is wary of mixing business with pleasure after an unfounded rumour about doing so negatively impacted her at a previous employer, so although she is attracted, and can see beyond his professional exterior, she doesn't want to be seen as using personal relationships for professional gain. 

As the two give in and pull back from each other, they find themselves dealing with classism, family, and unplanned outcomes. 

An engaging read, with interesting characters, and a great setting. 

September Reviews for the 20th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge

This is where you add links to reviews of books you finished in September that meet the requirements for the Canadian Reading Challenge.

I hope that you are finding new authors and great books.