I Will Ruin You

Finished July 22

I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay

This novel has lots of twist and turn that will keep you guessing. High school English teacher Richard Boyle looks out his classroom window one day and sees a man with what looks like explosives strapped to him approaching the school. He leaves the classroom abruptly, telling his students briefly to alert authorities and protect themselves and runs to try to intercept the man. He is able to avert a major tragedy, but recognizes that there is still a tragedy, and a motivation that the former student had to act the way he did. 

Unbeknownst to him, his appearance on the news triggers another situation, as he is approached by a man who tries to blackmail him based on supposed acts he did years before. 

As one would expect, this has a big impact on Richard, both in terms of thinking of ways to avert the situation or deal with it, and in terms of what this new accusation might say in terms of the actions of the first man in terms of validation. 

Richard's wife Bonnie, a principal at an elementary school is also dealing with a tragedy, the loss of the mother of one of her students. Bonnie's sister Marta, a police officer was involved with the case of the mother's death, and her investigations lead her towards a drug ring. 

As the two cases begin to connect, all involved will find themselves trying to protect those they care about as well as finding the truth. 

This is a novel that took a while to get me hooked, but that did engage me, both with the intriguing plot, and with the characters. 

A Grave Disturbance

Finished October 31

A Grave Disturbance by D.M. Greenwood

This is the 8th book in the series featuring Theodora Braithwaite, an Anglican deacon. A school friend, Susan Tye, who is the wife of the Provost of Giltchrist Cathedral, calls her for assistance. Susan has noticed her husband behaving suspiciously and want Theodora's assistance in the issue. The same day that she is due to arrive, a workman on the roof of the cathedral falls to his death. 

Lionel Comfret, the Assistant (Lay) Diocesan Secretary, who works for the Archbishop, is thinking about his upcoming retirement. He quite looks forward to it. He has been with the church for ten years, and had been both a soldier and a teacher before this position. Early in the book there is a meeting that includes Lionel, Archdeacon Marcus More, Provost Reggie Tye, and Canon Kate Wale and this gives a good sense of the abilities and limitations of these senior clergy who figure in the plot. We also see the secretary for the senior clergy Mrs. Lure and see her lack of effort in her job. Overall, these early scenes give us a very good idea of why Lionel is looking forward to his retirement. It is during the meeting that the accident occurs, and Lionel is a witness to it, as he watches from the window. 

On the drive back with Theodora, Lionel talks about the accident and about the town, which has three distinct areas. Cray Martyr is the poorer part of town, the part where the victim came from. The parish priest there, Tobias Angel is a strong advocate for his parishioners and a personality in his own right, as we see later. Giltchrist is where the cathedral close is, and between them is Gainshurst a more posh part of town, where both the Archdeacon and the Canon live. 

Kate Wale is married to a developer, Leslie Wale, who has done very well for himself and both of them left behind their Cray Martyr childhoods. The were both acquainted with the Lee family, of whom Mick Lee, the victim, was the middle child. As we discover, there is history between the families, but also a history of distrust between the family and the church to some extent. 

We soon hear about the reason for Susan's request for Theodora's visit and Susan's plans for her during that time. 

I enjoyed the depth of the characters here, especially Lionel, but also Kate to an extent. We see how Lionel finds a possible new future role in an environment that he has more respect for the leadership in, and we see how he spends his leisure time. Theodora is somewhat frustrated by Susan's demands, but falls in to assist Lionel in finding answers. 

A very interesting read, which I got caught up in quite quickly. 

Girl, Forgotten

Finished July 5

Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter

The beginning of this book has a day from the early 1980s, where a young woman, Emily Vaughn, is planning to go to her high school prom. She hasn't been to high school in months, and no one wants her there. The reason for that is her pregnancy. Here we see Emily encounter several young men, classmates as well as a teacher, and defy her parents' wishes to head to the school. She gets there, but never gets back home. 

This novel follows U.S. Marshall Andrea Oliver from her graduation day as a marshall through her first assignment. Andrea grew up in the witness protection program, although she wasn't aware of that until recently. Her biological father is a man who is in jail partly due to her mother's testimony. He was also one of the men suspected in Emily Vaughn death. 

When, on her graduation day, Andrea is offered the job of protecting a judge in Delaware who has been receiving death threats, she finds that the judge Esther Vaughn is Emily's mother, and there is a hidden agenda to her posting. Someone wants her to find Emily's killer, and they think it is Andrea's father. 

As Andrea gets her bearings in the small town, getting to know her partner, an experienced marshall with a quirky sense of humour names, Leonard (Catfish) Bible, as well as the locals, she finds there is more going on than she expected. 

As she learns how Bible thinks, she also learns that many people from Emily's life have secrets, and most of them are still in town. 

This is a book that has a lot going on, and some of the plotlines are eye-opening. Andrea has training, but she is learning her job as she goes, and sometimes, she makes a mistake. A book that will keep you guessing until the end. 

A Royal Affair

Finished November 11 

A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair

This is the second book in a mystery series, but I have not yet the first one. The two characters at the centre of the book are Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge. The two women work together to own and run The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau. Iris Sparks worked in an unidentified, but hush-hush manner in the war, and has a bit of a disreputable reputation in some of the "right circles" for some of her improper romantic experiences. She is also a Cambridge graduate. She is currently in the initial stages of a relationship with a mobster. Gwen Bainbridge is a war widow with a young son, Ronnie. She had a breakdown following the loss of her husband, which necessitated a stay in an institution. She is living with her in-laws and struggling for custody of her son. Gwen is of the upper class, came out, and has all the right connections, but her breakdown has made her former acquaintances slightly wary of her. 

The story is set in 1946.One of Gwen's cousin's, Lady Patience Matheson works for the Queen and has come to them on a delicate matter. A threatening letter was sent to Princess Elizabeth regarding one of her suitors, Prince Philip. Matheson asks Gwen and Iris to look into it and see if they can clear things up. With a case of attempted blackmail, at least one dead body, and a few Greeks involved, the two women look into the situation, but find that it is much more dangerous than it seemed at first.

The office of The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau is quite small and they are hoping to expand to the empty office next door, which comes with some lovely desks, but need more funds to make it work. This could be the opportunity they need, if all goes well. As they handle this unusual request, they also continue to match couples for the agency, and encounter some interesting personal situations. 

I like both the characters, women working in a world that didn't see a lot of independent women, and smart ones at that. There is some very good humour, and some suspenseful scenes. A great read.

Front Runner

Finished January 31
Front Runner by Felix Francis

Our hero for this novel is Jeff Hinkley is a senior investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, the BHA. He has done a fair bit of undercover work, but one of his recent cases has him more in the limelight that he likes. Derrick Smith nearly had one of his horses stolen, an act thwarted by Jeff's work, and now he can't stop singing Jeff's praises. One of the leading jockeys, a man he has become friends with, has called him to talk face-to-face. The conversation is difficult as the jockey wants help, but doesn't necessarily want to admit what he is being blackmailed for. When he calls to continue the conversation the next day, indicating he has additional information, Jeff is put into a position that narrowly misses being fatal. The jockey turns up dead shortly thereafter, an apparent suicide. When this is followed a couple of days later by another attempt on Jeff's life, he begins to dig deeper into the people he has met and the things he has seen, looking for those things that don't look quite right.
Jeff is close to his older sister Faye, who is undergoing cancer treatment and while he doesn't always get on with her husband Quentin, he does respect him and he legal knowledge. Jeff is also still recovering by being dumped by his fiance. When he meets Henrietta Shawcross at a function Derrick invites him to, he can't believe that she would be interested in him. As he begins this new relationship, he also finds himself caught between his investigative instincts and his feelings.
Another great thriller built around the world of horse-racing. Francis never disappoints.

Blood Always Tells

Finished May 11
Blood Always Tells by Hilary Davidson, read by Kirsten Potter

This mystery thriller is a stand alone novel. As it begins Dominique Monaghan, a model turned stylist, has reconnected with an ex-boyfriend that she feels had wronged her. She has plans to get even, but are those plans really her own, or was she influenced by someone with their own agenda? As the evening begins to go horribly wrong and she finds herself the victim of a kidnapping, she begins to question her boyfriend's actions and realize that she is in over her head. She calls the one person she always turns to when things go really wrong, her big brother Desmond Edgars.
Desmond has his own issues, particularly with relationships, but he loves his sister dearly and drops his plans to come to her aid. But he too finds that things are not clear, and with only the small bits of information that Dominique told him on the phone and his own observations and gut feeling, he must convince the police that there is more to the story than what appears to them, and that they must dig into the past as well as looking at those current players to find out the whole story.
There are three families whose lives cross here, and each has their own issues and enemies.
This story has multiple plotlines, intermingling with each other, great characters, and enough action to keep you reading long past your bedtime. I am always pleased with Davidson's work, and this one is no exception.

Audiobook Mystery

Finished May 1
Death of a Maid by M.C. Beaton, read by Graeme Malcolm
This is another tale of the wondrous Hamish Macbeth, a village policeman in the highlands of Scotland. Macbeth is self-effacing, eschewing promotion for the life he loves as the anachronous village policeman. This tale starts with the apparent murder of a local cleaning woman, Mrs. Gillespie. She is not much liked and is a snoop. As Macbeth starts to investigate her death, he is led to believe that she is a blackmailer. As he delves into the lives of the people around her, including her employers, he finds much to take his attention. When his old girlfriend Elspeth takes a vacation in the area, he finds her assistance in the case helpful, but is confused by his feelings regarding her. As Macbeth follows the various paths to unbury the secrets Mrs. Gillespie held, he finds his own life in danger.
An amusing tale, with a lively lead character and lots to interest the reader.