All The Devils Are Here

 

All The Devils Are Here: a novel (Chief Inspector Gamache book #16) by Louise Penny. Macmillan Audio: unabridged, 13 hours and 59 minutes. 2020. Narrated by Robert Bathurst. *****

“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” (Shakespeare) The latest Chief Inspector Gamache novel is set in Paris, the City of Light, providing the backdrop for murder, corporate espionage, and betrayal. The Gamache family is in Paris to await the birth of Armand's granddaughter. After a dinner at a local bistro, Stephen Horowitz, Armand's godfather, is run down and critically injured. A gruesome discovery in billionaire Stephen's apartment and a puzzling hotel key, sets into motion a series of events and questions that lead to the attempted murder of Armand and his son, Daniel. 

I received a copy for a review. This is my first audiobook from start to finish and I thoroughly enjoyed it. (13 hours and 59 minutes)

I have read all 16 of the Inspector Gamache books since March and what an experience it has been. Penny has the ability to write a series of books, each one riveting and spell binding. All The Devils Are Here is the latest and the best so far. I laughed, I cried, and didn't want it to end. The thoroughness of the descriptions in Paris of the places, sounds, and sights adds to the authenticity and horror of the story.  Armand ponders, "Where else would you find darkness except right up against the light?" in the gardens of the Musee Rodin at the Gates of Hell and in the novels of Louise Penny. Good triumphs over evil, but the reader is kept guessing as to who is the light and who embraces the darkness?

Louise Penny (from her website) "I live outside a small village south of Montreal, quite close to the American border. My husband Michael and I have long had dogs, all golden retrievers. Bonnie, Maggie, Seamus, Trudy and now Bishop. Some came as puppies, some were adopted as adults. All beloved.

Michael and I were together for 22 years and married for 20. He was the inspiration for Armand Gamache. Kindly, thoughtful, generous, a man of courage and integrity, who both loved and accepted love.

He developed dementia, and died peacefully at home in September 2016, surrounded by the love he'd put into the world for his 83 years.

So now it's Bishop and me. But we're far from alone. We have the village, and all our friends including My Assistant Lise, and the indomitable, happy spirit of Michael. And, of course, the company of Armand, Clara, Ruth, Gabri and Olivier et al." more information at https://www.louisepenny.com/louise.htm

#allthedevilsarehere

The Little Shop of Found Things

 

The Little Shop of Found Things (Book 1 of 3) by Paula Brackston. New York, St. Martin's Griffin, 2018, 406 pages. ***

 Xanthe and her mother, Flo, buy an antique store in Marlborough to escape their failed relationships in London. With few funds and a love for antiques, they go to an auction to select a few good pieces to sell in the shop. Xanthe has the unique ability to "hear" a piece and something is screaming at her in this auction causing extreme anxiety. It is a silver chatelaine, a clip worn at the waist or hip of the lady of the house. This chatelaine is causing her pulse to race and she can hear whispers of people no longer living emanating from it.  Xanthe has to have it and discover why it is calling to her. While cleaning out the shop and getting ready for the Grand Opening many mysteries surface including a desperate and threatening ghost. An odd shaped building in their yard adds to the mystery when the chatelaine vibrates anywhere near it. Xanthe is soon drawn into a 17th century miscarriage of justice and the hardships in the life of a lady's maid. 

The premise of this story is an interesting one and I love time travel books. This is book 1 of 3 and I hope it is staging the scene for the next two books. It seems repetitive and wordy at times and I wanted to tell Xanthe to get on with it. Given Xanthe's natural curiosity, the inclusion of a threatening ghost is a bit heavy handed. The characters are well-developed and likable, I will read the other two books in the series because I am intrigued as to where the author will go next. Overall, I enjoyed the book and if you like historical fiction and time travel, you will too.

 

I received this book to read for my August book in the Bee Keepers - Book Hive Book Club FB Group.

Paula Brackston lives in a wild, mountainous part of Wales. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University, and is a Visiting Lecturer for the University of Wales, Newport. Before becoming a writer, Paula tried her hand at various career paths, with mixed success. These included working as a groom on a racing yard, as a travel agent, a secretary, an English teacher, and a goat herd. Everyone involved (particularly the goats) is very relieved that she has now found a job she is actually able to do properly.

When not hunched over her keyboard in her tiny office under the stairs, Paula is dragged outside by her children to play Swedish tennis on the vertiginous slopes which surround them. She also enjoys being walked by the dog, hacking through weeds in the vegetable patch, or sitting by the pond with a glass of wine. Most of the inspiration for her writing comes from stomping about on the mountains being serenaded by skylarks and buzzards.

In 2007 Paula was short listed in the Creme de la Crime search for new writers. In 2010 her book 'Nutters' (writing as PJ Davy) was short listed for the Mind Book Award, and she was selected by the BBC under their New Welsh Writers scheme.

 For more information, visit her website http://www.paulabrackston.com/

@flamazing_books #bookhivebookclub #beekeepers #timetravel #historicalfiction

My Name Is Anton

My Name is Anton: a novel  by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Seattle, Lake Union, 2020. 364 pages *****

Book Club Questions.

It's 1965 and saying that Anton "Anthony" Addison-Rice has had a rough year is a gross understatement. His brother died and Anton is still recovering from that loss and the loss of his hand. Emotionally numb and denying what he is going through, he assures his parents that it is okay for them to leave him alone for the Christmas holidays. Opening his Christmas gift before his parents leave helps because it is the telescope and tripod that he wanted. While attempting to set up the telescope, Anton sees into the apartment across the street and realizes that the woman who lives there is in danger. Anton is determined to help Edith leave her abusive husband even though she has no place to go. Anton questions her, "Is there ever a line...like...of hurting you ...that he could cross?" A friendship develops between the two in spite of their 15-year age difference and the holidays turn out differently than anything Anton could have expected. He falls helplessly in love with Edith and realizes that he has to let her go in order for her to be safe. His unselfish act changes his life forever in ways that seem hopeless at the time.

 

Whenever I receive a Hyde book for a review, I know that I have to designate a whole day to read it, because once started I will want to finish it. Grandma Marion advises Anton, "I'll tell you what love is...when you can make the following statement and mean it: 'What's best for her, even if it doesn't include me." What a powerful message! In her writing, Hyde always nudges her reader to be a better person. She shows us the good in humanity and hope for the future. This is not a Pollyannaish type book, Anton's parents are horribly selfish and his mother thinks only of herself and how things will look to others. I am so sorry to see this book end and can't stop thinking about how unpredictable life is and so wonderful at the same time. What's next for Hyde? Her plots and characters are so unique; it's going to be hard to top her last three books.

 

I received an ecopy for a review.

Other Hyde books reviewed by me:

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl

Have You Seen Luis Velez?

Just After Midnight

Heaven Adjacent

The Wake Up

Allie and Bea

Say Goodbye For Now

Ask Him Why

Worthy

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of forty published and forthcoming books. An avid traveler, equestrian, and amateur photographer,  she shares her astrophotography with readers on her website.

www.catherineryanhyde.com

Follow my #bookstagram on IG at www.instagram/flamazing_books

#mynameisanton #comingofagenovel

2020 Monthly Color Challenge - August

August - Flamingo

Happy Birthday to me! What better way to celebrate my birthday than creating a pink block.

Flamingo....Flamingo...Flamingo... Frankie, Charley and Pip are ready to go for this month's block! You can  get the pattern at Patterns by Jen.

Did you know? Fifteen Fascinating Flamingo Facts!

To get this month's flamazing block, go to Jen's blog. The ladies approve of my pink choice, I chose a stronger pink to go with the other blocks.

Look away for one minute and the girls get into trouble.

Why does one person in the Group turn into the Quilt Police...Charley, yes, my points match.

 

I love these blocks together, 4 more to go!

Bloggers this month:
Patterns by Jen
KY Whittaker Creations
Quilts by Joanne
Pamela's Quilts
Anja Quilts
Kathy's Kwilts and More

Don't forget to link your block at the end of the month to win fabulous prizes! Details at Jen's Blog. Join us on Facebook and share your block Quilt and Learn with Patterns by Jen

Follow me on IG at @kathy.nester and Bookstagram flamazing_books

#2020monthlycolorchallenge #augustblock #iloveflamingos

A Question of Betrayal

A Question of Betrayal : An Elena Standish Novel Book 2 by Anne Perry. New York: Ballantine Books, 2020. 304 pages ****

Photographer Elena Standish is given her first assignment for  M16.  Britain’s secret intelligence service has lost contact with its informant in northern Italy.  Elena Standish is the only person who can recognize him because he is her former lover. Aiden Strother betrayed her six years before, causing embarrassment for Elena and her family and she vows not to fall for his charm again.  Elena heads to Trieste to track down Aiden and find out what happened to his handler, who has mysteriously cut off contact with Britain.

This is the 2nd book in the Elena Standish series, I was already a fan of the William Monk and Thomas Pitt series and will add this series to the list. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. In true Perry fashion, the reader is left guessing until the very end. Elena is such a likeable character, I will go back and read book 1 and any future books.

 I received an ecopy for a review.

From Amazon ...

Anne Perry is the New York Times bestselling author of two acclaimed series set in Victorian England: the William Monk novels and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels. She is also the author of a series featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt’s son, Daniel, including Triple Jeopardy and One Fatal Flaw; the new Elena Standish series, beginning with Death in Focus; five World War I novels; eighteen holiday novels, most recently A Christmas Resolution; and a historical novel, The Sheen on the Silk, set in the Ottoman Empire. Anne Perry lives in Los Angeles.

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To find out more about Anne, http://www.anneperry.co.uk/about

All Systems Red

All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries #1 by Martha Wells. New York: A Tom Doherty Associates book, 2017. 152 pages. ***

I received this book as part of a Facebook Bookclub, The Beekeepers - The Book Hive Book Club. This is my first book in Round 2, the second year.  I read it, journal about it and send it on to the next person on the list during the last week of the month. I thoroughly enjoyed the books last year and receiving someone else's choices each month encourages me to read a book outside of my usual choices (mystery, thrillers).

I read the paperback (152 page novella) version of the story. Short, sweet, and setting the stage. I enjoyed it and am glad it was chosen. This is the first book in a 4 part novella series and is a great marketing ploy if you don't mind spending that much on a @600 page book. My only personal issue  is that the owner of the book I read underlined, wrote in it and boxed words. Very distracting for me, if the book hadn't cost 15.99, I would have bought a clean copy to read. The story itself was very entertaining and a quick summer read. I am always impressed by the level of detail that fantasy authors portray in books about alternative universes. Wells does an excellent job of drawing the reader in from the very beginning, "I could have become a mass murderer," the opening statement from the Murderbot. With underlining humor, the Murderbot just wants to catch up on his shows and keeping humans safe doesn't require much effort. (reminds me of binge watching Netflix during the pandemic).

Martha Wells has written many fantasy novels, including The Books of the Raksura series (beginning with The Cloud Roads), the Ile-Rien series (including The Death of the Necromancer) as well as YA fantasy novels, short stories, media tie-ins (for Star Wars and Stargate: Atlantis), and non-fiction. Her most recent fantasy novel is The Harbors of the Sun in 2017, the final novel in The Books of the Raksura series. She has a new series, The Murderbot Diaries, published by Tor.com. She was also the lead writer for the story team of Magic: the Gathering's Dominaria expansion in 2018. She has won a Nebula Award, two Hugo Awards, an ALA/YALSA Alex Award, two Locus Awards, and her work has appeared on the Philip K. Dick Award ballot, the BSFA Award ballot, the USA Today Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List. Her books have been published in sixteen languages. For more information, https://www.marthawells.com/about.htm

#beekeepers #bookhivebookclub #allsystemsred #murderbotdiaries #murderbot @flamazing_books

Lies, Lies, Lies

   

Lies, Lies, Lies by Adele Parks. Canada: Mira, 2020. **** 384 pages.

Daisy and Simon seem to have an idyllic life, both have good jobs and after years of trying to have a child, they now have Millie. Millie is a talented six year old who loves to dance and is gifted in ballet. So what if Simon likes to drink too much? They have a tight group of friends from their university days who tolerate Simon's unpredictable behavior. When Simon pushes to have another baby and visits a fertility specialist, he becomes moody and accusatory. Simon loses his job and his drinking is out of control ending in a horrible car accident which changes all three of their lives forever. 

Told in the alternating voices of Simon and Daisy, their story of lies, secrets, and betrayal is unfolded. Looking from the outside in, it is easy to see how their lives implode and how the lies grow to include everyone close to them. Discerning who the good and bad guys in this story are is challenging until the very end. This domestic thriller has several triggers and a dark side that is unsettling. It seemed to lag at some point and then rush to a finish. If you are a B. A Paris fan, you will enjoy Adele Parks too. I enjoyed it and read it in one day and look forward to future books by Parks.

I received an ecopy for a review.

Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North-East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000 and since then she's had seventeen international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages. She's been an Ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa. She's lived in Italy, Botswana and London, and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, teenage son and cat. For more information on the author, https://www.adeleparks.com/

#domesticthriller #bookstagram @flamazing_books