Ten years from now if someone asks me if I have read this book I may not remember the characters or the plot or who did what but I’ll be able to say, ‘Oh that’s the book where she-intelligencer Diana Jennings pees into an ale mug under her skirts in the inn.’ I think it will live with me forever. Of course that was at the beginning. There are more references to urinating in public places, from very un-private privies to alleyways and buckets. For someone of my genteel sensitivities this shocked me more than the beheading of the king. What no Andrex?
But I digress. What a fantastic read. This is a period of history I know a little about but not much and I had never heard of she-intelligencers. I had never heard of John Thurloe either, the Spymaster and Postmaster, the latter meaning that he and his cronies opened everyone’s letters looking for secret messages and information. Not to mention torture by burning matches under the fingernails if suspected. Ouch. Basically Thurloe is a supporter of Oliver Cromwell and they are seeking out those who wish to overthrow his government and bring back the exiled Charles Stuart (Charles II) and install him on the throne. No history lesson intended. Thurloe was a real person as were most of the characters so it’s no good thinking ‘I hope the so-and-so gets his comeuppance at the hands (or daggers) of whoever,’ because a bit of research on Google will be full of spoilers as to who does and who doesn’t. The three main female protagonists – the aforementioned Diana, Susan Hyde and Molly – are strong women with a just cause (republicans may disagree here). Men’s chauvinism and misogyny went in the women’s favour because the men just could not believe women capable of such deeds. Little did they know.
There are lots of things to please spy fans – letter locking (Google it – it’s fascinating stuff), invisible ink, women dressed as men – very Shakespearean – and such like.
It is at times a bit confusing. There is so much background to absorb that it does get a little convoluted in the middle, but if you love historical fiction – and even if you don’t – this is a thrilling ride by anyone’s standards.
Congratulations to Peter Langman for giving us such an entertaining read and to the Pigeonhole, Peter and my fellow Pigeons for their wonderful comments and involvement.
I first discovered Rachel Abbott (and DCI Tom Douglas) a couple of years ago. Right Behind You is my sixth of her novels and in my humble opinion the best and most exciting. We have been following Tom for a long time now and his backstory has moved forwards a lot. His teenage daughter lives with him and Louisa – the latter of whom is heavily pregnant. His ex-wife Kate (a right cow) is about to marry someone she met five minutes ago and drag them all off to Australia. And then there’s brother Jack. We all thought he was dead for ages (including Tom). In fact he’s in hiding with his family because of his involvement in tracking down a criminal gang though his involvement was a bit dodgy – and illegal. I missed the book where this happens so don’t know much more.
But now to the main story. Jo is happily at home with wonderful, perfect doctor husband Ash (the love of her life) and beloved daughter Molly. All is tickety-boo until there is a knock at the door. Ash is arrested by two police officers and taken away in handcuffs for abusing his step-daughter. Forgot to mention he’s not her real father. Then a man and a woman arrive and say they are from Social Services and need to take Molly to a place of safety to question her about the abuse. Jo can’t go with them. Suspicious I hear you say. They will bring her back very soon but of course they don’t and the nightmare begins. Jo goes to the police and Tom and sidekick Becky become involved. In the meantime a gang boss is murdered in prison. Is there a connection? Jo starts to doubt her perfect husband. In the words of the just departed Terry Jones of Monty Python fame Ash ‘…is not the Messiah – (in fact) he’s a very naughty boy’. (Sorry couldn’t resist – RIP Terry.) But does that make Ash an abuser? No spoilers here. Just read it. I read it in two sittings. I just couldn’t put it down. You can read it as a standalone as Rachel explains bits of the background as we go along but it’s obviously better if you have read some of the others at least.
The year is 1911 when twenty-year-old heiress Peggy Batternberg is invited to spend the summer in America’s Playground.
The invitation to the luxurious Oriental Hotel a mile from Coney Island is unwelcome. Despite hailing from one of America’s richest families, Peggy would much rather spend the summer working at the Moonrise Bookstore than keeping up appearances with New York City socialites and her snobbish, controlling family.
But soon it transpires that the hedonism of nearby Coney Island affords Peggy the freedom she has been yearning for, and it’s not long before she finds herself in love with a troubled pier-side artist of humble means, whom the Batternberg patriarchs would surely disapprove of.
Disapprove they may, but hidden behind their pomposity lurks a web of deceit, betrayal and deadly secrets. And as bodies begin to mount up amidst the sweltering clamour of Coney Island, it seems the powerful Batternbergs can get away with anything…even murder.
Extravagant, intoxicating and thumping with suspense, bestselling Nancy Bilyeau’s magnificent Dreamland is a story of corruption, class and dangerous obsession
I just loved this book. It’s 1911 and Peggy Battenberg works in the Moonrise Bookstore in New York. But Peggy is no ordinary shop girl. She’s an heiress belonging to one of the countries richest Jewish families. Then one day, while making martinis for an eminent – if rather salacious author – and his agent, Peggy is dragged away by her Uncle David to spend the summer in New York’s illustrious and hedonistic Coney Island with her extended family.
But this will be far from a jolly holiday. They will be accompanied by her younger sister Lydia’s betrothed – Henry Taul – and his mother so they can all ‘bond’. And so the mystery and murder begin. Peggy meets and falls for impoverished artist Stefan, who shows his Futurist paintings at a tiny Gallery inside Dreamland. Stefan is Serbian and therefore hated by everyone who believes him to be an anarchist and trouble-maker.
Dreamland is one of three funfairs on Coney Island and probably the most famous. It really existed. Look it up. I read about it first in Alice Hoffman’s The Museum of Extraordinary Things. Peggy is the most wonderful hero. Naive to the point of simplicity, her eyes are opened during this ‘holiday’ to just how unfair life can be when you are not rich or entitled. Let alone an ‘alien’. I don’t think she realises that even though her family are fabulously wealthy that they will always be persona non grata amongst old money because they are Jewish. I enjoyed The Blue – my first book by Nancy Bilyeau – but this one was way more exciting and the character of Peggy will stay with me forever.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for giving me the opportunity to read along with my fellow Pigeons.
I’m not sure why a number of people have said this was an ‘easy read’. I found it heartbreaking and so sad at times. Poor Colleen being given up at birth and then losing her little sister Bryony. No wonder her life is so messed up. Poor Celia having lost her baby daughter. Poor Anna having given up her baby. I could go on. Poor everyone! But this was a well crafted and superbly written book. So many red herrings we started to suspect all sorts of people. I know it was written by two different authors writing in different ‘voices’ for Ella and Colleen but after a while I didn’t really notice. I was worried it might interrupt the flow but it never did. I had a couple of reservations but I can’t say more due to spoilers. Just curl up with a hot chocolate and read into the night. Fabulous.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for allowing me to read along with the other Pigeons and the authors.
I feel so mixed about this book even though towards the end I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. The problem for me is that both main protagonists are unlikable. Bit like Gone Girl. Charlie is a total prat but I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him when Naomi was upset because they couldn’t afford the 5-bedroom house by the sea she’d told all her posh London friends she was buying. You’re in your thirties with one child! Most people of your age are lucky to get on the housing ladder. She’s greedy and needy and is putting too much pressure on him. They’ve bought a stupid house that needs too much renovation. She doesn’t seem to do anything to help apart from moan about the pigeons. She can’t even spend a day with her daughter without getting in a tizz. Get real Naomi. I almost gave up half way through but then the plot got really clever and twisty and the second half of the book was brilliant. I think the annoying slow start may put people off but stick with it. It’s edge of the seat stuff at the end.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for allowing me to read along with the other Pigeons and the author.
In this haunting short story of loyalty and betrayal, a young woman in early 1900s Massachusetts discovers that in navigating her treacherous coming-of-age, she must find her voice first.
For fatefully observant Adeline, growing up carries an ominous warning from her adulterous mother: don’t say a word. Adeline vows to never speak again. But that’s not her only secret. After her mother takes a housekeeping job at a lighthouse off the tip of Cape Ann, a local woman vanishes. The key to the mystery lies with Adeline, the silent witness. New York Times bestselling author of The Rules of Magic Alice Hoffman crafts a beautiful, heart-wrenching short story.
Alice Hoffman’s Everything My Mother Taught Me is part of Inheritance, a collection of five stories about secrets, unspoken desires, and dangerous revelations between loved ones. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single setting. By yourself, behind closed doors, or shared with someone you trust.
Beautiful, heartfelt, sad, uplifting – everything I expect from my favourite author in the world ever – Alice Hoffman. I don’t really know what else to say. Just read it. And then read her other works if you haven’t already.
I loved this book more than I can say. If I could give it 10 stars I would. I was so engrossed in the story and couldn’t wait for the next stave to be delivered (I was reading through Pigeonhole). At one point I wanted to buy the book so I could read to the end only to discover it had not yet been published. In fact I am still so full of the tale of Bess, Alexandra and Clara/Charlotte that I am struggling to read another book yet. I cannot imagine what it must have been like having to place your new born baby in The Foundling hospital because you were too poor to look after her. But then to save for years to reclaim her only to find that she had already been claimed by someone pretending to be you. Poor Bess. Alexandra’s plight was different. Having myself been brought up by a mother who didn’t leave the house for over 35 years due to agoraphobia (though it was more complicated than just that) I sometimes got mad with Alexandra because I know how damaging it is to instil fear into your child. I understand she couldn’t go out but not to allow her ‘daughter’ to go to the park with Doctor Mead and Eliza and then normalise it isn’t fair. Anyway I could go on. The story is wonderful and the characters rich. Occasionally it was a teeny bit far fetched but hey this is fiction, not real life.
Many thanks to the Pigeonhole for giving me the opportunity to read alongside my fellow Pigeons and the author. We love you all.
A group of thirty-somethings who were all at Oxford University together share a holiday lodge in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands to see in the New Year. Apart from the ‘friends’ the only other people are Heather and Doug who run the place, Iain the handyman who lives off-site and two strange Icelandics who shouldn’t really be there at all. Hats off to Lucy Foley for creating a group of so-called old buddies who are so unlikable that we would be quite happy if more than one of them got bumped off. One does wonder how any of them got into Oxford, especially Miranda – maybe Daddy had some influential friends. Most of us (thanks to The Pigeonhole for giving us the opportunity for reading along with the other Pigeons) guessed (or hoped) who the victim was, but a stunning twist near the end made it much harder to guess who the killer was. I absolutely loved this book. I couldn’t wait for the next stave to be delivered – I woke up at 5.30am and read the last part before I even had a cup of tea. Brilliant. And thanks to the author for taking part in our ‘comments’. We can be a hard lot to please, us Pigeons, but you excelled yourself.
If you are wondering why I gave this book four stars instead of five I will endeavour to explain. Close to Home was the first and it was fab. As well as finding out the truth about what happened to Daisy, we also learnt about the police officers and detectives – Adam Fawley of course, Gislingham, Quinn, Everett and Somer plus a few others less ‘important’. In book 2 In The Dark, we had another crime to solve but also more intrigue amongst the officers and more reveals of their relationships and back stories. But it was Book 3 No Way Out that was the real crescendo – the best story yet plus more about the main protagonists. So Book 4 was always going to be doomed to fade in comparison. I’m not saying it wasn’t good – it was – but we learn very little more about Gislingham, Quinn, Everett and Somer and what we learn about Fawley is more about his wife. Also the plotline wasn’t quite as gripping for me. However, I am still looking forward to Book 5. One thing that was really impressive about the four books is that looking back they didn’t blend into one another as so many series often do.
This book was even more stunning than the last two. I devoured it in two sittings. It was so emotional what with the death of the first child and then wondering whether Matty would survive. Where were the parents? Some of the fire scenes were very upsetting (I have always hated the idea of people dying in a fire since I was a child – I suppose everyone does but it became a bit of a phobia so I don’t like to read about it). The backstory was a really good way of telling us what happened as there were things the police would never know. We even think that Matty might have been involved because of his jealousy of little Zachary (no spoilers but we realise that this is just bravado). At one stage I had to ask my son (he’s 33) if he had ever played Minecraft – I can’t believe kids play this stuff. Now I can’t wait to read the next novel in the series.
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, literature, police drama, police procedural, psycopath, review, writing
In The Dark by Cara Hunter
Another brilliant book from Cara Hunter. I started this book the night before last but then I had a day off work and I literally just sat at home and read to the end. So intricately put together and I love the way the detectives and PCs are growing in character. After a while you start to question everyone and everything. Who is lying? Who is telling the truth? Is anyone telling the truth? Who really are the victims here? I can’t wait to read the next in the series No Way Out. In fact I’ve just purchased it for my Kindle.
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, literature, police drama, Psychological fiction, review, writing
Close To Home by Cara Hunter
This is the first time I’ve given five stars to a book in ages but Close To Home is worth every star. It was absolutely riveting. I read it with The Pigeonhole (many thanks to them and to my fellow Pigeons and Cara who was commenting along with us). I rarely give five stars to any detective novel but this was something else. On a couple of occasions I stayed up till midnight to get the following day’s stave – including the final part. The ending was unexpected but I can’t say more because that would give away spoilers. Poor Adam and Alex (their back story) and poor Leo is all I’m going to say. You never know who’s innocent and who’s guilty but Barry and Sharon are ghastly though I’m not sure Sharon deserves everything that’s coming to her. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
