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A LESSON IN SECRETS: A Maisie Dobbs Novel By Jacqueline Winspear

A LESSON 
IN SECRETS


A Maisie Dobbs Novel


By Jacqueline Winspear

 Intelligent, Resourceful, Courageous & Organized

By 

Reading It All "Reading It All"
   

A Maisie Dobbs novel is always an easy read, mainly because the author has developed a character that is intelligent, resourceful, courageous and organized...it's like sitting down with an old friend.

In this latest work, Maisie is enlisted by the British Secret Service to go to Cambridge as a junior professor to find out if post-war unrest is being fomented by communist interests in the university world of teachers and students.

In her usual descriptive way, Winspear draws you in to the college atmosphere of Cambridge with its unique architecture, student hangouts, hideouts, and activities.

Maisie is employed at the College of St. Francis, where students from Europe and England are studying ways to better understand each other and find a way to make peace work. She discovers that it is not only communism that is trying to make inroads into the English way of life. More importantly, she feels that the threat of the National Socialism Party of Adolph Hitler is a more serious problem.

In the middle of all this, there is a murder that revolves around a children's book!

Maisie's careful untangling of this complex story takes the reader along with her to an exciting finish.


Description from Amazon:

Maisie Dobbs' first assignment for the British Secret Service takes her undercover to Cambridge as a professor—and leads to the investigation of a web of activities being conducted by the emerging Nazi Party.
In the summer of 1932, Maisie Dobbs' career takes an exciting new turn when she accepts an undercover assignment directed by Scotland Yard's Special Branch and the Secret Service. Posing as a junior lecturer, she is sent to a private college in Cambridge to monitor any activities "not in the inter-ests of His Majesty's government."
When the college's controversial pacifist founder and principal, Greville Liddicote, is murdered, Maisie is directed to stand back as Detective Chief Superintendent Robert MacFarlane and Detective Chief Inspector Richard Stratton spearhead the investigation. She soon discovers, however, that the circumstances of Liddicote's death appear inextricably linked to the suspicious comings and goings of faculty and students under her surveillance.
To unravel this web, Maisie must overcome a reluctant Secret Service, discover shameful hidden truths about Britain's conduct during the Great War, and face off against the rising powers of theNationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei—the Nazi Party—in Britain.
As the storm clouds of World War II gather on the horizon, this pivotal chapter in the life of Maisie Dobbs foreshadows new challenges and powerful enemies facing the psychologist and investigator—and will engage new readers and loyal fans of this "outstanding" series (Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review).

Tomorrow's Guardian By Richard Denning

Tomorrow's Guardian

By Richard Denning

 Diving in and out of times and realities..., March 13, 2011

By Reading It All "Reading It All - Robyn" (Orange County, CA USA) - See all my reviews

   

This review is from: Tomorrow's Guardian (Paperback)

Tom Oakley is an ordinary 12 year old English schoolboy, except he is plagued with too-real dreams of historical characters where he becomes that person. Then he begins to have day-dreams just as vivid and his behavior become questionable to his teachers and earns the ridicule of the school bully. 

Tom learns from a raffish Welshman that time is not just the hands moving on the clock or the sun in the sky. Time is multi-dimensional; moving in parallel time streams including his own timeline with all of the history that makes up the world he know.  He also learns that he is a Walker, capable of transporting himself through time. Learning to control his gift takes him on adventures that are wilder than his wildest dreams. It also introduces him to people and ideas about doing what is right. 

Denning has handled the confusion, frustration, impetuousness, and anger of a young boy faced with the impossible very well. Working with different timelines and realities takes real imagination and organization, and the book reflects that.

Product Description from Amazon:

Tom Oakley experiences disturbing episodes of déjà-vu and believes he is going mad. Then, he discovers that he's a "Walker" - someone who can transport himself to other times and places. Tom dreams about other "Walkers" in moments of mortal danger: Edward Dyson killed in a battle in 1879; Mary Brown who perished in the Great Fire of London; and Charlie Hawker, a sailor who drowned on a U-boat in 1943. Agreeing to travel back in time and rescue them, Tom has three dangerous adventures, before returning to the present day. But Tom's troubles have only just begun. He finds that he's drawn the attention of evil individuals who seek to bend history to their will. Soon, Tom's family are obliterated from existence and Tom must make a choice between saving them and saving his entire world. Tomorrow's Guardian is a Young Adult Fantasy Novel.

The Attenbury Emeralds: The New Lord Peter Wimsey/ Harriet Vane Mystery

The Attenbury Emeralds: 
The New Lord Peter Wimsey/ Harriet Vane Mystery
By Jill Paton Walsh


4.0 out of 5 stars Deliciously Complicated...


Ms Walsh has written two other "Whimsey" mysteries with the original Whimsey/Vane" author Dorothy Sayers...this was a great foundation to build on.

In The Attenbury Emeralds: The New Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane Mystery, this story, she has kept the feeling of mystery and challenge that permeates previous Lord Peter Whimsey stories.

The characters remain true - Bunter, the resourceful and intrepid manservant; Harriet, Lady Peter Whimsey, nee Vane, a mystery writer in her own right; Lord Peter, tenacious, honorable and as intelligent as ever.

The Attenbury emerald (singular) disappears; is replaced with a genuine but slightly different twin; both are stolen and returned or found, but which is which and "whodunit".

The mystery is deliciously complicated and solved in the quiet conversational way of all Whimsey mysteries, causing the reader to puzzle out the clues along with the protagonists. Great read!


Product Description from Amazon:
In 1936, Dorothy L. Sayers abandoned the last Lord Peter Wimsey detective story. Sixty years later, a brown paper parcel containing a copy of the manuscript was discovered in her agent’s safe in London, and award-winning novelist Jill Paton Walsh was commissioned to complete it. The result of the pairing of Dorothy L. Sayers with Walsh was the international bestseller Thrones, Dominations.

Now, following A Presumption of Death, set during World War II, comes a new Sayers-inspired mystery featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, revisiting his very first case. . . . It was 1921 when Lord Peter Wimsey first encountered the Attenbury Emeralds. The recovery of the gems in Lord Attenbury’s dazzling heirloom collection made headlines—and launched a shell-shocked young aristocrat on his career as a detective.

Thirty years later, a happily married Lord Peter has just shared the secrets of that mystery with his wife, the detective novelist Harriet Vane. Suddenly, the new Lord Attenbury—grandson of Lord Peter’s first client—seeks his help to prove who owns the emeralds. As Harriet and Peter contemplate the changes that the war has wrought on English society—and Peter, who always cherished the liberties of a younger son, faces the unwanted prospect of ending up the Duke of Denver after all—Jill Paton Walsh brings us a masterful new chapter in the annals of one of the greatest detectives of all time.


Disclaimer: this book was chosen from the Amazon Vine Program and I received it free of charge  - this does not change a review for me  - however I choose not to post reviews that earn below a 3 star review.

The Poison Diaries...

The Poison Diaries

by MaryRose Wood

 ...even the most innocent-looking weed can cure...

I loved this book - I picked it up because the whole idea of the ancient art of the Apothecary and Botany are sciences that interest me...but I never expected the magical story this book turn into. 

Based on the The Duchess Of Northumberland, and her famous Poison Gardens at Alnwick Castle, The Poison Diaries (The Poison Diaires) draws you into the world of Jessamine. 

Losing her Mother early, Jessamine is left to herself by a Father who stays busy (and away from home) practicing the healing art of the Apothecary. So Jessamine fills her days among the healing plants in his garden...and then she meets Weed and everything changes. 

The writing in this book is amazing - you become so entrenched in Jessamine's ability to converse with the plants around her that you really want to spend time in the wilderness...this book will seriously change the way you look at the wild life around you. A little slow starting (as is the background building in some books) but it picks up quickly and once Weed comes into the story you won't want to put this down. 


Product Description from Amazon:

In the right dose, everything is a poison. Even love . . .

Jessamine Luxton has lived all her sixteen years in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle, with little company apart from the plants in her garden. Her father, Thomas, a feared and respected apothecary, has taught her much about the incredible powers of plants: that even the most innocent-looking weed can cure -- or kill.

When Jessamine begins to fall in love with a mysterious boy who claims to communicate with plants, she is drawn into the dangerous world of the poison garden in a way she never could have imagined . . .

Countdown: In the words of a 60's News Anchor...You Are There!

Countdown
by Deborah Wiles


I don't know about you - but for me - thinking about the era when I was in school as history is a little painful - but in Countdown author Deborah Wiles does just that. 

This is a new genre for the Children's Market - it is being called a Juvenile Documentary Novel. Basically that translates as historical fiction for kids! 

What an interesting decade to look at - Wiles starts her Historical Trilogy in 1962, the heyday of "Camelot" and through her use of song lyrics, news casts, and period locales - puts you in the shoes of 12 year old Franny Chapman...just as the golden boy of that storybook era gets started and makes a huge misstep with the Bay of Pigs crisis. 

Recent history is sometimes not covered in school and the political nature of the Cuban Missile Crisis has made it a tough nut to crack in an unbiased way. Seeing these life changing issues alongside the issues that are important to Franny and her Middle Grade world is a genuinely unique view of the world in the early 60's and Wiles truly put you there. 

The writing style is compelling and drags you into this look at a generation that lived with the noise of angry voices, political songs, the very real threat of Nuclear Attack and Duck & Cover...I look forward to growing with Franny.


Product Description from Amazon:
It's 1962, and it seems everyone is living in fear. Twelve-year-old Franny Chapman lives with her family in Washington, DC, during the days surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis. Amidst the pervasive threat of nuclear war, Franny must face the tension between herself and her younger brother, figure out where she fits in with her family, and look beyond outward appearances. For Franny, as for all Americans, it's going to be a formative year.

Insatiable: Why couldn't she escape stupid vampires?

Insatiable
by Meg Cabot


With a teaser that blatantly says - "Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper." - how could I resist...add that it is from the all time Queen of ChickLit, Meg Cabot and you have the perfect "beach read"! ...you know the book that you just sit down and devour! 

From the description I thought that this was going to be "Sex & the City" meets "Twilight", but Meena Harper is no Carrie Bradshaw. Meena is the script writer for a popular soap opera looking to up it's ratings by adding a "vampire storyline" to cash in on the huge new trend! ...not something Meena is looking forward to. 

When you open Insatiable you get the television studio, behind the scenes glamour, the crazy neighboor, a dark and brooding prince and you have the basic ingredients - but this is Meg Cabot! Not content to simply bring you yet another tale of Vampires living among us, Cabot throughout pokes fun at and makes reference to the other books and TV shows of this ilk. But this vampire romance has a MUCH different outcome...pick this up and take it on your next vacation. 

Older teens and young adults will love this.


Product Description:
Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper.

But her bosses are making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn't believe in them.
Not that Meena isn't familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you're going to die. (Not that you're going to believe her. No one ever does.)
But not even Meena's precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side. It's a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.
The problem is, Lucien's already dead. Maybe that's why he's the first guy Meena's ever met whom she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena's always been able to see everyone else's future, she's never been able look into her own.
And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.
Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future. . . .
If she even has one.