eyes.2c Reviews

The Devil Stone  (DCI Christine Callan #1 ) by  Caro Ramsay         ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Detective Chief Inspector Christine Caplan has just been slotted back to Detective Inspector. A review of lost material had her demoted temporarily. She carried the card for someone else, a member of her team she’d trusted. Part of her punishment is to go up north to Otterburn near Cronchie to take a secondary lead on a bizarre murder—five members of the one family with satanic ritual overtones. Only when she arrives one of the lead detectives is missing. Things are not as they seem. Back home she’s also being looked at for police brutality when she stopped a young thief who’d knocked a pensioner out of her wheelchair in an effort to steal her bag. And n ow the three eyewitnesses have all mysteriously turned against her. The thing is the thief was high. A new drug’s in town that’s diabolical! Snapdragon! People are dying! Who to trust, at home and up north? Those above her seem to be intent on making her the

Bombay Monsoon  by James W. Ziskin         ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Danny Jacobs, a journalist caught up in Bombay as Irandi Ghandi declares an Emergency to help save her party and her power.  Democracy in India is at a standstill. Ghandi rounds up her opposition as the whole country faces upheaval A beautiful young Indian woman, Sushmita leaves him breathless Her companion, a Belgian it turns out, Willy Smets, takes to Danny like father to son An ugly American, Russell Harlan Jr., a gorgeous German Lufthansa hostess, and Danny’s manservant of a few days, Ramu and Police Inspector Lockhande. Then there’s his boss Frank’s secretary, Janice. All form a nexus around which we, along with Danny, are whirled. One of Danny’s first stories, still on the back burner, was an interview with a bomb maker and terrorist. An unfortunate photo leaves Dan in a precarious position. A dive into Indian and European society and culture in 1975 India where n othing is as it seems, cultural differences aside. An intriguin

Into the West  (Founding of Valdemar #2) by  Mercedes Lackey     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Having passed through a gate into a new land,   Baron Kordas Valdemar’s people  and those who accompanied them, including the “Dolls” were eager to move forward. Kordas is trying to move over fifteen thousand people, their equipment, livestock and barges, in the hunt for unoccupied land. First he has to deal with someone whose brutally attacked on of the Dolls, vrondi elementals trapped in a human shaped body that they animated. That he would not put up with! As the tale progresses we see the remarkable development of the elements. And remember, what one knows they all know. What they become eventually will I’m sure be remarkable. Delia, Kordas’ sister-in-law, who’s been besotted with him, finally makes the break and comes into her own as a member of the scouting group. Kordas leads his people along the waterways, beside a dangerous brooding forest, with inhabitants that looked like they’d been part of a change

Picture in the Sand   by   Peter Blauner               ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazing piece of writing that brings together a radicalised young Muslim from the US post 911 and the story of his Egyptian Muslim grandfather in Egypt in the 1950’s during Nasser’s rise to power, coinciding with Cecil B. DeMille’s filming of the Ten Commandments. Alix’s grandfather, Ali Hassan writes to Alix  (now Abu Suror meaning ‘father of joy’)  about his fate, his journey during those years. How he regained a faith he’d lost, not through radicalisation, but through circumstances that lead from a step away from repudiation of his religion to an acceptance of things. The miracle of love during this time comes slowly. His grandfather had been writing about his life over the years and he was now sharing it with Alix.  A family drama that has legs and captures a vast array of reasons why people do things, people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time, the power of belief and commitment, the disappointment of being

A Winter Wedding at Bletchley Park  (Bletchley Park Girls #2) by Molly Green              ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I can’t help it! Anything to do with Bletchley Park grabs me. A place of secrets and mystery. The British War machine well and truly in gear. Rosemary Frost’s  travails and hurts are put aside as she turns to joining the WRNS (Wrens) as part of her war effort. Only that becomes a bitter disappointment. But she wasn’t forgotten and a friend, John Palmer,  had a word in the right ears. Rosie is good at math and speaks Italian. She signs the Secrets Act and ends up at Bletchley Park. Just as she’s becoming comfortable, a new CO, Lieutenant Commander Hugo Garfield turns up. A man she has HISTORY with. Can she push down her feelings, feign the consummate professional, and work with him? A winningly woven novel of spycraft and personal history. Very enjoyable. An Avon ARC via NetGalley.                                               Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Christmas in Newfoundland—Memories and Mysteries (Sgt. Windflower Christmas Mystery #2) by Mike Martin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another Christmas treat from Mike Martin. A feast of “memories and mysteries”. We all could use a little love and laughter in our lives and Martin does just that with his writings, giving wings to the delights of this special season in Newfoundland. I must admit to treasuring the growth of Windflower’s daughters, his loving relationship with Sheila, and the development of other characters we’ve grown close to. Like Eddie Tizzard, Herb Stooley, Ron Quigley—valued old friends. The peeks at Christmas Day with these characters, the opening of presents are enchanting, the traditions, some just beginning, others tried and true. Memories of Windflower’s life as a child are a precious addition. An uplifting and very enjoyable trove of stories for this time of the year. A Mike Martin ARC Many thanks to the author.

Mr. Clarke's Deepest Desire  (Enterprising Scoundrels #2) by  Sophie Barnes   ⭐️⭐️💫 Mathew Parker is a modern Victorian man, a man devoted to locomotive engines. He’s also a man with a grudge. Lady Rosamund Parker is a thoroughly modern woman with an independent spirit whose interest in engines matches that of Matthews.  Her father, the Earl of Stoneburrow has died and his joint wills have placed constraints on her. Rosamund’s only way out is to marry or invest. Rosamund chooses the latter. Unfortunately the works of her choice, A&C Locomotives, or rather Matthew, have refused her approaches regarding investment. That’s how she finds herself at Earl of Westhaven’s country house party with men of like mind. It seems Rosamund’s scientific views on engines are quite insightful.  Matthew is there too. He confronts her with her father’s wrong doing towards his mother—the upstairs maid in her home years ago. A maid her father had dallied with and thrown out when things became diffi

The Politician  (DS Cross Mysteries #4) by   Tim Sullivan       ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It’s a definite! I’m absorbed by DS Cross, a detective who has Asperger’s, his shortcomings in everyday relationships, his lack of social awareness and his dogged pursuit of a case are marvellous.  I’m reminded a tad of Stellan Skarsgard’s performing in the tv production River, although Cross and John River are so different. A high profile activist and counsellor is found dead in her bedroom. Presumed to have been killed by an intruder, a thief. Then comes a later discovery that valuable family jewellery is missing. Most see the two connected. Cross doesn’t. The case becomes more complicated as layers upon layers are uncovered, including a link through two sources to an Albanian crime family. On the personal side Cross is starting to question why his mother disappeared so long ago. His partner DS Josie Ottey is both annoyed by Cross and yet pleased to be partnered with him. The whole driving aspect was amusing.

The Laran Gambit  (Darkover) by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Deborah J. Ross  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Deborah J Ross has written a Darkover tale that has no trouble fitting seamlessly into the arc of novels created by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Terran child psychologist, Bryn Haslund is fleeing the star alliance with her Senator father Ernst and her teacher and mentor Felicity Sage. Her father has had a mind control device inserted into his brain and Bryn’s research has found allusions to a lost planet world out on the galactic arm that mentions psychic abilities and telepathy. Bryn herself has strange precognitions about danger, enough to evade capture by the Alliance dictator’s heavy, Black. The fight for freedom continues and Bryn has a dangerous part to play. She meets Desiserio a matrix technician whose help is essential. It was warming to once again tread the literary ground of Darkover, bathe in the light of the four ? moons and have Darkover come to life. Very enjoyable and prompted me to go to my pap

A Christmas Deliverance  by Anne Perry      ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ At last a story about our favourite medico in the poor areas around the docks—Dr. Crowe, and  how he gains a family in spite of the dangers he finds himself in. After all family comes in all shapes and sizes and maybe a chosen one has other special qualities. Will Monk (known as Scuff), Hesta and William Monk’s son, is studying medicine and being mentored by Crowe. He realizes that he now thinks of Crowe’s practice as his home. We meet a small girl with no name, a survivor on the streets who pays Crowe with a kitten. Oh, and helps him eat some soup! This was all so loveable, sweet and tragic at the same time. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. A young woman, Ellie Hollister, whose life Crowe saved a year ago comes back into his life, and now it looks like Crowe’s trying to save her again. This time from a fiancé she doesn’t want. A Christmas story that gives new hope as Crowe finds a family forming around him, despite the unsav

Some Dukes Have All the Luck  (Synneful Spinsters #1) by Christina Britton     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ash Hawkins, Duke of Buckley and owner of the premier gaming hell of London has a problem. Three tearaway wards who need taming. A marriage of convenience is not off the cards! Preferably someone who can interest the girls and later steer them through the traps of society. Miss Bronwyn Pickering, resident of the Isle of Synne is being pushed into a titled marriage she doesn’t want by her parents upwardly mobile dreams. All Bronwyn wants to do is study her beloved insects. Maybe even have a paper accepted on her research by the Royal Society. Her only joy is a weekly gathering for tea with like minded young wome who call themselves the Oddments. What she didn’t expect was an invitation to marriage—of convenience! A truly delightful story spun into being from the magical pen of Christina Britton. All the ingredients are present; over reaching parents disapproving of their daughter’s pursuits, a Duk

Never Rescue a Rogue (Merriwell Sisters #2) by  Virginia Heath  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Giles Sinclair, the future Duke of Harpenden,   has kicked against his father’s harshness all his life. That is until he discovered the Big Secret about his legitimacy. His father wouldn’t let him step aside however. Complicated laws about knowingly being his fathers heir stymied him. All he wanted was enough time to put the estates businesses in order before he declared himself illegitimate. But time ran out! Miss Dianna Merriwell strolled through high society finding out gossip about the ton. But that’s just a cover for her true passion—writing! Penning investigative pieces under the name of the Sentinel about various nefarious persons. Revealing their greed and venality. Scandalous and illegal secrets have been revealed from major scams to illegal pursuits by the Sentinel. No one must know her identity, no one! Giles turns his attentions to Diana as a worthy camouflage for his father’s perchance to try to ma

  My Dearest Duke  (Cambridge Brotherhood #2) by Kristin Vayden   ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Whilst I rather liked the characters of Rowles Haywind, Duke of Westmore, and Lady Joan Morgan, I felt the storyline meandered far too much.  A nobleman whose mother’s mental illness makes him wary of ever marrying in case he passes the illness onto his children. He was at his best at Cambridge. When his older brother died he had to ex-chance Cambridge for a Dukedom. His love of challenging conversations has never left him and that’s what Joan provides, stimulating discourse, and maybe something more. A young noblewoman who hides considerable talents for detecting, exposing forgeries and works secretly for the war office, Joan wants a normal life, but how much will her secret make a husband shudder. There’s a hint of presence but didn’t fully develop. Joan also wants a world where the freedom to be equal and have the same opportunities as men is normal. Mental health conditions of the time and the addiction to la

Her Last Betrayal (Her Secret War #2) by   Pam Lecky    ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Imagine finding out that your father’s an IRA lead officer working with the Germans. A father who’s deserted you and your sister for the greater cause. Who had you believe he was dead! Who did you bury in his stead? Now your sister’s dead and you want Revenge. Sarah Gillespie is working with MI5 and when the chance to capture her father comes up, she takes it.   That necessitates having an American, Lieutenant Tony Anderson, as her partner. An American,  she doesn’t trust. He calls her Irish all the time and generally acts like a cad. They are off to Wales to locate her father and find out what the IRA is up to there. Of course things go somewhat pear shaped what with neither Sarah or Anderson communicating with each other.  Somehow Sarah’s presence comes to her fathers notice. And this is just the beginning of a torturous time for all concerned. There are moles in the Wales office, and in Whitehall. The chemistry between

The Inconvenient German  (Willi Geismeier Thriller #3) by Peter Steiner     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this! I thought I heard some echoes of Phillip Kerr and Bernie Gunther.  Here we meet a sacked investigating police officer completely fed up with the Nazi regime.  Willi Geismeier “had been a troublesome policeman, even before Hitler had come to power, and had been kicked off the force.” He’s now the leader of the Flower Gang. Al l the agents have a flower name.   The Gang provided “false papers for Jews, resistance operatives, Allied pilots, anyone who needed their help, hiding them, escorting them to the border. No one knew how many they were, but they were all over Bavaria. Even Willi had no idea who they all might be.” Captain Charlie Herder’s mustang is shot down behind enemy lines. His theft of various items as he tries to escape is like a line on a map for his pursuers.  The Flower Gang are to help him to get out of Germany. However the organisation is compromised. Things do not play

Dark Waters Rising (An Abbess of Meaux Mystery #12) by   Cassandra Clarke                  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1394—the religious sector and the secular world have their problems. As Hildeguard puts forth, a “schism caused by two men claiming to be the true pope is a contagion. And even our own realm is riven in twain. At least two of our barons see themselves as king in place of their young nephew.” And it seems a catastrophic flood is about to engulf the area that includes Swyne Priory, Haltemprice Priory, and the Abbey of Meaux,  or so Josiana the mathematically knowledgeable novice has decided. She’s done all her calculations. Josiana goes to to Haltemprice to return an astrolabe she’s been using. She fails to return and Hildegard cannot find her, nor the serving girl who went with her. The girl will be discovered down in the salt marsh, the saltings, dead.  A stranger turns up during the night looking for sanctuary and succour with wild tales of being pursued by an assassin. At first Hild

A House Divided (Harriet and Matthew Rowsley Mystery #4) by  Judith Cutler                    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved everything about this not so cosy Murder mystery. The relationship between husband and wife, Harriet and Matthew Rowsley is quite lovely. The newly married couple have been asked to a country house party by Matthew’s cousin. Harriet is not enamoured. There will be those who will look down on her as she was once the housekeeper, and now the custodian of the lovely property, Thorncroft House, it’s library and Roman ruins. But go they do and Harriet is rather put on what with a murder, a young girl being accused of theft, then another murder, attempted murder. Not to mention her treatment by her host Hortensia. Grrr! As the time progresses some shattering truths are revealed about the various members of the party. I loved the way the author takes chapter about giving us the position of seeing events from Harriet’s side and then Matthew’s. I fumed at the polite put downs Harrie