strange and random happenstance

While I have been very vocal about theatrical releases not belonging on Masterpiece, I feel like The Chaperone is one exception I can make. After all it is adapted from Laura Moriarty's book by Julian Fellowes and it stars Lady Cora herself, Elizabeth McGovern. In fact, because apparently executives who make these decisions think we're dumb and one actor can't play two different characters with the same name, the "chaperone" was renamed Norma from Cora just so Elizabeth McGovern could play the role. I remember when the book came out it made quite a splash, I have a copy around here.... Somewhere. Which is why I was hesitant to watch the movie before I read the book. And in another aspect of my life I've been very vocal about, I eventually just gave up planning to read the book first and watched the movie because of Haley Lu Richardson. Yes, I finally watched this movie because of season two of The White Lotus. Because if there's one thing I was adamant about before watching this movie it was that they had to get Louise Brooks right. Once I saw Haley Lu Richardson on The White Lotus I was no longer worried and it was finally time to watch this movie. It didn't hurt that I was subscribed to the PBS channel on Amazon at the time. I don't know what I actually expected of the movie, after all it's called The Chaperone, not Louise Brooks, but I certainly expected more Louise Brooks. Instead we're following around Cora/Norma in New York City as she tries to solve the mystery of why she was given up for adoption and what this revelation means for her going forward. She doesn't have a loving marriage, she doesn't even know if she knows what love is, but seeing Louise dance sparked something in her and she decides she needs to do a bit of soul-searching. Honestly I found it all rather boring and trite until it ended up being downright unrealistic with her and her husband living together in polyamory with both their male lovers. Because that had to be so realistic for Kansas during WWII right!?! Now I'm not saying that this type of thing didn't happen, I just think the way it's portrayed here with everyone living openly only within the confines of their house is unrealistic. I mean Cora/Norma is passing off her lover as her brother! Hasn't anyone in town noticed they're a little too close? The thing is, this rather radical lifestyle could have been used as a counterpoint to Louise's own life. She didn't play by anyone's rules. She was born to be a star and she became one. She was the torchbearer for sexual liberation and Cora/Norma becomes sexually liberated, and yet there seems to be no connecting the two women's journeys. They are both in the same room but aren't interacting. It's just the weirdest feeling watching this. Because you only get glimpses of Louise's story and I wanted to yell at the screen to follow her. What was she doing while Cora/Norma was in the park being told she was given away just because she didn't fit in with her family's plans and she will never meet her siblings. I know, I know, I was wanting something I was never going to get. On the other hand, if they ever decide to actually make a movie about Louise Brooks I know who I want to play her. 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Dance, Downton Abbey, Elizabeth McGovern, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Haley Lu Richardson, Julian Fellowes, Laura Moriarty, Louise Brooks, Polyamory, Sexual Liberation, The Chaperone, The White Lotus, Theatrical Release

Making Masterpiece by Rebecca Eaton
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2013
Format: Kindle, 320 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Rebecca Eaton was born in 1947 to an English Literature professor and an actress, both of whom where alcoholics, which led to her being a very organized, hypervigilant child working to meet everyone's needs. The show that would come to define her life is, as she sees it, stories about families. And her family circumstances led to her, in essence, producing their lives. She was there to keep everything on an even keel. It's no wonder that she ended up one of the most famous executive producers in television history. Spending much of her childhood in books when not managing her family she received an English degree from Vassar and on August 9, 1969, she left New York for London to begin her job at the BBC, it just happened to be the same day as the Manson murders. She knew nothing about radio, or even that the job was in radio, all she knew was that she could live in London for a year and that's where she wanted to be. This was when her love affair with England truly began. Meanwhile America's love affair with England was also beginning in earnest. With the airing of The Forsyte Saga in the same year Americans couldn't get enough period dramas from across the pond. PBS was officially formed in 1970 and in 1971 Masterpiece Theatre was launched with The First Churchills, a show no one, particularly the host Alistair Cook, who would be on one year contracts the entirety of his twenty-one year tenure, liked. The show was entirely paid for by Mobil, with the first season consisting of thirty-nine hours of already-made BBC drama. Mobil believed in affinity marketing, if Masterpiece Theatre was beloved and classy, they would be viewed the same way. But it was a delicate dance that would end spectacularly after thirty-three years. By the second year of Masterpiece Theatre Rebecca was already in the door at WGBH in Boston. She was producing non-fiction shows and documentaries. She developed a strong reputation and work ethic and when the second executive producer of Masterpiece Theatre died of Cancer Rebecca was offered the position. On the same day she learned she was pregnant. She took the leap and ended up on the journey of a lifetime. When British tastes started to change to modern fare and the backlog of shows that Masterpiece Theatre could buy dried up, Rebecca was the one leading the charge to not just produce shows that were already in the pipeline but to suggest and shepherd new shows. And thus Middlemarch and The Buccaneers were made. Which lead the British to see that there was still an interest in period dramas. But Masterpiece Theatre and Rebecca would again and again come up against changing audiences and expanding markets and, in a rather remarkable show of vengeance, how petty HBO could be. Yet they weathered the storms, they rebranded, and while The Buccaneers was a resounding hit, they were always looking for their next Upstairs Downstairs or The Jewel in the Crown. Which would unexpectedly arrive in the form of Downton Abbey. A show Rebecca initially turned down but everything worked out. Because as she's said, "I've been very, very lucky in my career, in spite of myself."

Historically I have never been a fan of Rebecca Eaton. The reason is twofold. The way her name appears in the credits of the shows she has executive produced makes her seem, to me, and apparently others, above Masterpiece. That she is somehow better than her job title and that she alone should be getting credit for a show she might have had no involvement in other than buying it for distribution. It has never sat well with me and has made me think less of her. The second reason is more to do with my local PBS station, WHA-TV. They are not well run and their practices can be a bit sus. Rebecca Eaton was coming to do a big event for WHA-TV which is located on the UW-Madison campus within Vilas Hall which houses the departments of Comm Arts and Theatre and Drama. I was invited because not only was I a Theatre and Drama alumna but a PBS supporter. I was excited. Then the day before the event they sent out an email saying that the event was free but meeting Rebecca cost extra. I remember it as a hundred dollars, my Dad thinks it was more. I mean, I know they need to make money, but it was badly timed. Why not have a great event with Rebecca and have her ask for donations not demand an entrance fee right before your partygoers head out the door? Needles to say I did not attend and that was the last fuck I had to give with regards to my local PBS station. Therefore I approached this book with mild trepidation. Booked as a biography of someone I don't really like I think the average person would question my sanity. But my love for Masterpiece is so great that I will endure any hardship. I mean, just the lengths I go to to watch old shows is staggering and so much more energy than I expended downloading this to my Kindle. Plus I got it on sale. I was actually expecting it to be more of a autobiography given some reviews I had read. But it's not really her bio, just a bio inasmuch as how her upbringing prepared her for the job and what was happening in her life to frame her state of mind while dealing with Masterpiece. Because that's whose biography this is, this is Masterpiece's. Rebecca just happened to be there for a lot of it and was able to get the stories. She's a plainspoken writer who relies too much on aphorisms and platitudes, but she's willing to admit when she makes mistakes and that she was always constantly learning on the job. She never stopped. She openly admits that they could have had Colin Firth in a wet shirt back in 1996 but she was convinced that viewers wouldn't care. She was wrong and it made her realize that adaptions of classics aren't one and done but cyclical. Each generation wants their own version. But the incident of losing out on Colin Firth just demonstrates how myopic she can be. She never thought Mobil would leave, she never thought that HBO would be a threat, and seeing as this was written before the streaming boom, one can only imagine what that has done to their numbers with so many outlets vying for the same content. But what made me sad reading this book is that it was the introductions of Alistair Cooke and Russell Baker and Diana Rigg and Vincent Price that set Masterpiece and Mystery! apart and that is gone with the changing times. This is true lost media and I mourn its loss. At least Alan Cumming makes up for a bit and that's down to Rebecca. So I guess I can say I've changed my tune with regard to her. But not in regard to WHA-TV.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Downton Abbey, Executive Producer, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Masterpiece, Masterpiece Theatre, Middlemarch, Mobil, PBS, Rebecca Eaton, The Buccaneers, The Foryste Saga, The Jewel in the Crown, Upstairs Downstairs, WGBH

What most of us turn to Masterpiece for is a good old fashioned period drama. Yes, there have been modern shows here and there, and many quite exceptional, but for most of us it's all about the period drama. Well, watching The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard now, it feels like a period drama. Looking back on a simpler time in politics before Trump and Brexit it feels so long ago that it's a different era. Plus with the cast, Steven Mackintish, Jodhi May, Janet McTeer, Carey Mulligan, Geraldine James, Tom Mison, Siobhan Finneran, and Harry Hadden-Paton to name a few, it is like the best of the best from British period dramas are represented here. Then factor in the Downton-esque music by John Lunn playing over several characters from Downton Abbey, and well, it might be modern but it feels like Masterpiece to me. Though it's an odd little miniseries, written by Sally Wainwright who has gone on to create the procedurals Scott and Bailey and Happy Valley, the feel good Last Tango in Halifax, and the sensational period lesbian romp Gentleman Jack, The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard never really finds it's feet and ends on an abrupt note, and that note was only on the DVD at that. Ros Pritchard is a woman with no political experience who ends up Prime Minister by just telling it like it is and vowing to never lie. While I adore Jane Horrocks, she doesn't have the heft needed for the role and is outclassed by everyone around her. But more importantly, I couldn't figure out the message of the miniseries. What was it trying to say? It is oddly pro-Brexit before Brexit happened with a bizarre streak of British exceptionalism. Also Ros's Purple party is almost all women, is this a commentary on women in traditional male roles and how they succeed or fail based on how much of the traditional female roles they're willing to give up, like motherhood? Also, while this was obviously written about a fake election it seems prophetic. I mean, look what we're living through here in the States! A person entirely ignorant of government being elected to the highest position in the land. Again! But in reality there have tons and tons of deaths and concentration camps instead of everyone banding together and riding a bus. So yeah... it now cuts a little too close to the bone... The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard just doesn't understand the implications of what it's attempting and failing to say. 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Brexit, Carey Mulligan, Donald Trump, Downton Abbey, DVD, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Gentleman Jack, Geraldine James, Jane Horrocks, Janet McTeer, Jodhi May, Modern, Sally Wainwright, The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard, Tom Mison

My mom had a special place in her heart for all things African. Books, movies, photography, anything to do with Africa she would devour. Even excruciatingly long slide shows from friends who had just gotten back from safari. I remember watching Out of Africa with her and her complete and total anger at Denys Finch-Hatton being played by Robert Redford. Her rage was incandescent. Whereas she thought Klaus Maria Brandauer was sheer perfection as Bror von Blixen-Finecke. As you can see, strong opinions run in my family. What she loved more than anything though was The Flame Trees of Thika written by Elspeth Huxley. In fact the 1987 edition published by Weidenfeld and Nicholson was one of her favorite books of all time. So one Christmas I bought her the 1981 miniseries on DVD assuming that she probably hadn't seen it because it aired right when she was pregnant with my brother. I never got to watch it with my mom, but my dad claims they did watch it and she enjoyed it. Personally I wish I could know her opinion on it because I am conflicted. I've now watched this series twice and the first time I saw it through Elspeth's eyes. A continent full of awe and wonder. The second time I watched it the paternalism and sheer theft of land by the British pissed me off. Even as I sit down to write this I'm not sure how to frame my thoughts. The Flame Trees of Thika is interesting in that it is set in Kenya before World War I when it wasn't yet the place to banish problematic relatives who then became known for their swinging lifestyle. Though I have a feeling had anyone brought up the notion to Elspeth's parents Robin and Tilly they might have been game. In fact a lot of my first viewing was how astonished that the scantily clad Robin with his toned muscles, high-waisted pants, and perfect coif was in fact David Robb who is most known for playing Dr. Clarkson on Downton Abbey. I actually got into the habit of taking screencaps and sending them randomly to my friends who are Downton Abbey fanatics and asking them if they could guess who the man in the picture was. My friend Sara literally, after almost giving up, said "Doctor from Downtown Abbey? Can't be…" And yet, she was right! This was just one distraction that made me take this show at face value. I was literally ogling the surface of David Robb, who I might add, is totally not my type. Also, Holly Aird as Elspeth is perhaps one of the best child actors I have ever seen. She's just the right level of intrigued and rebellious. Her awe and wonder at the world around her makes you feel the same way. Plus, she is untainted by prejudice, she takes the world as it is, the Africans are her friends, as are all the animals. She's a pure spirit in a cruel world. Because on rewatching this I was thinking again and again how cruel the British occupation of Kenya was. They just sold land that wasn't theirs to desperate people claiming that they could make their fortunes by growing coffee. The key thing is, this land wasn't theirs to buy or sell. And then the British hire the natives at slave labor wages and this is totally acceptable!?! It so so isn't. The Grants didn't have an easy go of things and they were trying to help all those they believed to be in their care, but for every Grant there are a dozen Palmers, people who build their big house and treat their servants horribly and are there to just go on a constant safari, killing their way across the continent. While I adore the work of John Hawkesworth and all the thought he puts into his shows, this show's British paternalism is too strong for me to wholeheartedly endorse it. As a look back onto another world it is valuable, but we have to take stock that it was wrong in the first place. And The Flame Trees of Thika doesn't do that.  

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Africa, British Empire, David Robb, Denys Finch-Hatton, Downton Abbey, Elspeth Huxley, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Holly Aird, John Hawkesworth, Kenya, Out of Africa, Paternalism, Robert Redford, The Flame Trees of Thika

You know, five years ago when Masterpiece, no longer Theatre, celebrated their fiftieth anniversary and I dedicated several months on my blog to said celebration? Well, spending that year watching old British shows kind of became a habit. In other words, I started watching shows for the fiftieth anniversary and, well, I just never stopped. And now it's the fifty-fifth anniversary and I have watched so many shows in the intervening five years, not all done for Masterpiece, but, well, almost all done for Masterpiece. Or at least PBS. I mean, I had to get Ballykissangel in there somewhere. What this means is that I couldn't let the fifty-fifth anniversary pass without another celebration. I was like a kid in a candy shop searching out old Mobil posters I'd never seen and trying to find just one more series that hadn't been released in any format stateside. YouTube is, surprisingly, my friend now. It might be the biggest shock of the last year. Shows I'd never thought I'd be able to see were available, and shows that I thought I'd hate, well, it turns out I owe the seventies production of Poldark a big apology. Masterpiece helped form who I am, creating a love of literature, art, and England. I have recently made it my goal to somehow watch every show ever aired on Masterpiece. It might take another five years, meaning there's already a sixtieth celebration in the offing, but until I succeed, possibly by bribing PBS employees to help a girl out, let's celebrate what wonderful shows I have watched in the last five years. Are any of them your favorites? I mean, how could you not love All Creatures Great and Small or Downton Abbey? Or are there certain ones that left you cold? For example have you developed an extreme aversion to Ben Cross? Because I know I sure have. Here's to Masterpiece! It's a piece of us all.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: All Creatures Great and Small, Anglophile, Ballykissangel, Ben Cross, Downton Abbey, England, Fifty Years a Masterpiece, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Masterpiece, Masterpiece No Longer Theatre, Mobil, PBS, Poldark, YouTube

Louise Brooks: Detective by Rick Geary
Published by: NBM Publishing
Publication Date: June 1st, 2015
Format: Kindle, 80 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Louise Brooks was once an it girl. A talented and renowned dancer from the age of sixteen and when Hollywood came calling she answered. On the brink of stardom she recklessly failed to renew her contract with Paramount Pictures and took herself off to Germany. The film she made there with G.W. Pabst, Pandora's Box, became a classic of Weimar German cinema but was dismissed when it was first released due to it's frank depiction of sexuality. In 1930 she returned to Hollywood but it seemed that Tinseltown was no longer interested in a girl primarily known for the cut of her hair. In 1940, at the age of thirty-three, she made a "strategic retreat" back to Wichita, Kansas and the home of her parents. She didn't just view herself as a failure, her family did as well. She also lacked the skills to help out around the home. She just wished to disappear into the stories she loved to read in her room. The family wasn't about to let this happen. In the evenings they all listened to the radio. The city was transfixed by a sensational locked room murder. A wealthy widow had been stabbed. In her locked bedroom. The mystery had Louise itching to play detective. But real life was intruding. The times were lean. People came to the door begging for a scrap of food or an odd job. And that's what Louise needed. A job. She opened The Brooks-McCoy Dance Studio. Louise's name recognition was at least bringing customers through the door yet how long could that last? Soon the class sizes where dwindling and the writing was on the wall. Louise Brooks was a failure. Yet again. Soon she took a final, desperate step, into retail. It got her out of her parents house at least, which was usually only achieved when she went out to lunch with her friend Helen who would regale Louise with stories of her improbably named sweetheart, Walden Pond. Though Louise had a friend and a job her life was dispiriting. She decided something needed to be done. Why not become a writer? And she actually knew one, right outside Wichita to ask for advice! Thurgood Ellis and her corresponded back in the day when Louise was just starting out in New York City. He lived in Burden, just an hour's drive southeast. Louise decided to just drive there, and it turned out her friend Helen was also heading to Burden. She thought Walden was finally going to propose at Grouse Creek Falls. They set out separately but would soon be reunited by a police pursuit. As Helen and Walden had helped a man who repaid their kindness with cruelty. Walden is dead and Helen's hopes are dashed. But Louise can't help but think nothing adds up. It's all the details that are wrong. Will she be able to solve the crime or will she perish as Walden did, in a pond?

Rick Geary is no stranger to my top ten list. In my mind he is the definitive graphic novelist for true crime and his telling of the Halls-Mills murders in particular is sheer perfection. When I started delving into his back catalog the only one of his titles I couldn't get through my local library was Louise Brooks: Detective. So I bought it cheap for my Kindle. And then it just sat on my Kindle. My to be read pile is now so unmanageable I should just call it my to be read oubliette. Books go in and never see the light of day again. But then something happened. I watched the 2018 adaptation of Laura Moriarty's book The Chaperone. I did not like the 2018 adaptation of Laura Moriarty's book The Chaperone. I mean, logically I should, so many people from Downton Abbey were involved, it seemed perfect for me. The problem was the film isn't about Louise Brooks, the film is about her chaperone Norma Carlisle. Yes, I obviously should have guessed the focus because of the title, I just didn't realize how much Louise Brooks would be sidelined. I felt bad for Haley Lu Richardson. She was giving it her all as Louise and instead we're dealing with Norma's abandonment issues and how she's handling her sexual awakening. At least Haley Lu Richardson got the break she deserved four years later thanks to The White Lotus. What all this is saying is that I wanted something actually about Louise Brooks and thanks to Rick Geary I finally found it. While Louise solving a crime when she moved back to Wichita for a "strategic retreat" after the collapse of her career didn't happen Rick Geary, with his history of retelling true crime, sets this story up in such a way that you believe it could have happened. There's a propulsive force to the narrative. We have this great backstory, not just Louise's career, but her diminishment on returning home, and then added to this is a day unlike any other. Louise just sets out to visit an old acquaintance and because of one weird coincidence after another she is able to see what the police don't. First she gets lost, then she misses her turn, then she gets a flat, if all these little things hadn't added up she couldn't have definitively told the police that there's no way in hell the chase continued further west. And because of that they find the body. But Rick Geary is able to make this feel real because he's studied so many classic crimes and he sees that it's the weird coincidences, the tiny details, the almost unbelievable yet unassailable facts that are what make up true crime. This might not have happened, but it feels like it should.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Downton Abbey, Film Star, Graphic Novel, Haley Lu Richardson, Kansas, Laura Moriarty, Louise Brooks, Louise Brooks: Detective, Lover's Lane, Norma Carlisle, Rick Geary, The Chaperone, The White Lotus, Top Ten, True Crime, Wichita

Even if you've never watched it all Anglophiles are aware of Death in Paradise, the Caribbean based murder mystery with a revolving door of leads. In fact, the series created by Robert Thorogood is so popular that he has written four books and co-created two spinoffs, Beyond Paradise and Return to Paradise, AKA The Paraverse, and no, I didn't make that up. One of which I will never watch due to my hatred of a certain actor. Which might also be why I've never watched the original show despite Danny John-Jules being in it. When it was announced back in 2020 that Robert Thorogood was writing a new book series it was inevitably going to be a television series. There literally was no doubt. Proven even more by the fact that before season one had even aired a second season had been commissioned. I really wanted to like this show, I mean Samantha Bond was in my favorite adaptation of Mansfield Park and most recently was on Downton Abbey, and Jo Martin is the Fugitive Doctor! I mean, right there, two classy ladies. The problem is this show felt more like it belonged on BritBox or Acorn, not PBS. Now this isn't to slam these two wonderful streaming services, or to point out that most of Robert Thorogood's shows now are through BritBox, this was just a gut feeling I had when watching the show. To be worthy of being on Masterpiece Mystery!, or as I still call it, Mystery!, you kind of have to be a classic. This is the home of Holmes and Rumpole, Morse and Campion, Lynley and Foyle, Lewis and Wallander, Miss Scarlet and Atticus Pünd, and I'm sorry, Judith Potts isn't worthy. Not even going into the fact that she's completely unlikable, because you can connect to cantankerous and churlish detectives, she's just flat. Her character feels like a non-character. She's ostensibly the lead and she just falls short. When her life is in danger I actually wanted her to die. I knew she wouldn't because of the aforementioned renewal, but she and her swimming about in the Thames could have come to a messy end and I wouldn't have cared. And I don't know if it's how she's written, but it felt like Samantha Bond was phoning it in. Like she would just show up and kind of woodenly deliver her performance and call it a day. But it's obvious this show really doesn't care what you think about the characters, because there are several people in Marlow who need to be culled over the coming seasons. Starting with DS Perry. Though really, so much of this could have been overlooked if it was tightly plotted and believable. When the ending is revealed it's so ludicrously bad that I almost couldn't believe it. For awhile I thought that Judith Potts's evil ex was going to make an appearance, but they're apparently saving him for later, instead this was even stupider than what I thought possible. It was Strangers on a Train but with three killers and they all knew each other from school but hadn't seen each other in years. Despite living in the same town. Which has a population of 14,000 people. FFS. They deserved to be caught even if Judith Potts and Co. didn't deserve to catch them.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Acorn, And the Emmy Goes To, BritBox, Cara Horgan, Danny John-Jules, Downton Abbey, Jo Martin, Mansfield Park, Marlow, Mystery!, Robert Thorogood, Samantha Bond, Strangers on a Train, Thames, The Marlow Murder Club, The Paraverse

The Mitford Secret by Jessica Fellowes
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: January 17th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

Deborah Mitford is now Lady Andrew Cavendish and she is determined to make her first Christmas as a newlywed a success. It doesn't matter that menus will have to be creative due to rationing, or that Andrew won't be there to celebrate, or that their hoped for child was stillborn, because her in-laws have given her free range of Chatsworth. Her first house party must be a success, and this is quite the house. Even if it's a bit of a mess what with it being used as a school now and the rest of the house being practically shut up, she's sure she can make one or two rooms comfortable and brimming with Christmas cheer. She needs a win. Even if it's small and might seem silly to anyone else, this is her chance to shine. From the Cavendish side, Andrew's grandmother, parents, brother, future sister-in-law, aunt, and uncle will all be in attendance. From the Mitford side, less of a showing what with Tom in Burma and Diana in prison, but Deborah's parents, Unity, and Nancy are all coming. As is Louisa Sullivan. Nancy, knowing her family, thinks a buffer would be a good idea and this way Louisa and her darling daughter Maisie get away from the constant bombing of London and get to have an actually restful holiday. Or that's the plan. Because as soon as Lord Redesdale sees Louisa he's convinced that a dead body will show up any minute. And while one would hope that he is wrong, he's not. One night before dinner a strange villager shows up at the door demanding entrance. A Mrs. Hoole. She has a message for Lady Andrew from, well, she can't really say from where, but they come to her. And the message is to "look in the vestibule." This is all a bit much and cook will be furious if dinner gets cold, but between them all they figure out exactly where in this enormous house there is a vestibule and there they find a maid's cap with dried blood. But as the dowager duchess points out, the style of the cap is from at least the last war. Intrigued and late for dinner they decide that Mrs. Hoole will return and perform a seance. The next night she puts on quite the show for them all but saves the best for last. She tells Deborah, Nancy, and Louisa, the truth after everyone else has retired for the night. She used to work at the house with her dear friend Joan Dorries who disappeared in 1916. The household and the police weren't interested in investigating. But Mrs. Hoole, hearing that a private detective was staying up at the house, realized this might be her last chance to find out the truth. Sadly Mrs. Hoole will be found dead the next morning. The local doctor can't say if it is suspicious or not. Louisa is convinced it is, Lord Redesdale is resigned. It's just another Mitford occasion with Louisa and a corpse. Everything is bound to work out in the end with some dramatics in the interim.

This is it! This is the book I've been waiting for. And not just because it's the end of the series, but because it's about my favorite Mitford, Deborah. Also, if you are wondering, my Mitford ranking goes Deborah, Jessica, Nancy, Pamela, Unity, and in the depths of hell, Diana. So, no pressure right? Jessica Fellowes, it's your duty to make Debo shine! And honestly, there literally was no pressure because my expectations for this series are so low, and yet this book failed to reach even this low bar. The thing is, back in 2020 I read the first three books in this series and, well, hate is almost too benign a word for what I felt. Though I was determined that I would finish this series. So I girded my loins and just finished the series this year. And yes, it did take me five years to mentally prepare myself for this task. At first I thought that maybe I had been too harsh on the series because the fourth book, The Mitford Trial, wasn't half bad. But the next two books were right back on form, subpar to say the least. From the beginning this series hasn't actually known what to do with the Mitfords. They're there but they add nothing. Which is why I think I actually enjoyed The Mitford Trial, because the Mitfords were integral to the plot not just ambiance. Here they're back to being wallpaper. Yes, we need Deborah because without her we don't have Chatsworth, but seeing as Jessica Fellowes has written so many books on Downton Abbey you think she'd get the dynamic right of the most classic of tropes, a murder mystery at a country house during Christmas. She doesn't. There's no forward momentum. At one point Louisa says that the house is in the dead days between Christmas and New Year's. Now I've never felt that these were dead days, just days to read and recharge, I now view them as dead days. Days that stretch on interminably by an inept author. Why are we supposed to care about a cold case? Why are we supposed to care about a dead woman who may or may not have been murdered? We were given no stakes, instead we were given an unhinged Louisa. She behaves so rashly and out of character that it made me remember why I hated her in the first place. I mean, she just finds the killer by a process of elimination because she has literally blamed everyone else for the crime. And in some cases called the police on them. I mean, this is her job and she is just shit at it. What's more, this running around like a chicken with it's head cut off endangers her child but she doesn't seem to care. But the real kicker is that Jessica Fellowes had a clever idea, I mean, it was bound to happen sometime. The crime scene is a red herring. This should have been played up not left until the end as an afterthought. Though thankfully, this is the end. Right? Don't even think about giving her a contract for a book about Tom!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Chatsworth, Christmas, Deborah Mitford, Downton Abbey, Duchess of Devonshire, Jessica Fellowes, Louisa Cannon, Mitfords, Murder Most Foul, Private Detective, Red Herring, The Mitford Secret, The Mitford Trial

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
Published by: Doubleday
Publication Date: September 27th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
Rating: ★
To Buy

Ma Coker is being released from prison. Detective Inspector John Frobisher sits in his car watching the spectacle of her release. Her children crowd around her for the camera. The notorious Queen of Clubs got locked up for a minor infraction, but Frobisher knows that she is rotten and he will make it his life's work to see her back behind bars for good. His job is to root out corruption and catch the bad guys, even if they're coppers. Because to have avoided prison for so long Ma Coker has to have someone on the inside and Frobisher is seconded to the Bow Street police station to find out just who that is. Which is how he met Gwendolyn Kelling. Miss Kelling is a mild mannered librarian from York. After the death of her mother she has surprisingly come into quite a bit of money. Two girls from York have gone missing; Freda Murgatroyd and Florence Ingram. Miss Kelling is friends with Freda's half-sister Cissy and Gwendolyn agrees to go to London to look for them. Freda is a silly girl with dreams of being an actress and she obviously just dragged Florence along for company. But these kind of girls can get chewed up and spit out by London and they often end up working in Ma Coker's clubs. So when Miss Kelling shows up at the police station asking for help Frobisher is entranced by the young woman. She's so forthright, so put together, unlike his wife, that he will think up any reason to see more of her. Therefore he says he'll get his men looking into the girls disappearance, but that she might want to check out the clubs, and if she's going to go there she could help him. Miss Kelling is up for the challenge. She walks into the Amethyst, the crown jewel of Ma Coker's clubs, on the arm of an undercover cop, and ends up helping out a gang member who's been shot. This brings Miss Kelling to the attention of Ma Coker. She could use someone like Gwendolyn. Someone able to stand her ground and have a cool head in a crisis. Therefore she asks the librarian from York if she wouldn't mind running a night club. It even comes with it's own apartment. Miss Kelling jumps at the opportunity. She claims for DI Frobisher it's so she can help him from the inside, but maybe, just maybe, it's because she's drawn to Ma's oldest son, Niven. There's something about him that is intriguing. With all the clubs and all the people and the seething vast metropolis, anything is possible, but one thing is certain, at this moment in time London revolves around Ma Coker. But with an enemy list as long as hers how long will this last?

Over the past few years historical fiction set during the roaring twenties has undergone a seismic shift. Books about the "bright young things" are no longer the rage, instead the focus has shifted to those of a lower economic class. The shift started by first embracing an Upstairs, Downstairs vibe, the we're all in this together and together we can get through this. But the world has changed, a pandemic, poverty, and political upheaval has worn us all down. The best example to hand is Downton Abbey. When the first movie arrived on screens in 2019 I adored it, the cast of characters pulling together for King and Country. When Downton Abbey: A New Era arrived in 2022 with the characters flaunting their wealth and vacationing on the Riviera, I couldn't help thinking, perhaps Julian Fellowes should have read the room. This wasn't the escape I was personally looking for after two years of hell. In fact it made me hate all the Crawley family for their excesses. How dare they behave this way? And I wasn't the only one who felt this way, the fact the film made $100 million less kind of speaks for itself. Which is why readers are right pointing out that this is the book that speaks to us now, there's pain and suffering after the end of the first world war and we're focusing on the lower classes who are fleecing the parasitic bright young things. Criminals are the new heroes, I mean just look how many books have been written about Alice Diamond in the past few years and you can see the trend that Julian Fellowes was blind to. And Kate Atkinson has a way with creating memorable characters. This book might be said to have a somewhat bloated cast, one of my friends thinks there were twenty-six "main" characters, but when I started to add it up I think it was higher. Because there is no such thing as a minor character in this book. Everyone gets a backstory, everyone has their lives lovingly told in beautiful language right up until the moment Kate Atkinson got bored with them all. That is the only way I can explain how this book ended. She wrote these complex, if very self-centered characters and then just stopped. Did she hit her allotted word count? Because she kills off DI Frobisher in a death that is almost stupider than Dan Stevens's on Downton Abbey and it opened up of the floodgates; jumping all the over twentieth century clinically listing when and how the characters died, but stoutly refusing to solve Florence's disappearance or Vivian Quinn's murder. Though what made me furious with this book, beyond all the unresolved plotlines, is that Gwendolyn and Niven's future and romantic fate is "suspended between coming and going forever." That is where she left the main narrative? Now that is a hanging offense.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: DI John Frobisher, Downton Abbey, For the Love of Book Clubs, Gwendolyn Kelling, Julian Fellowes, Kate Atkinson, Ma Coker, Nightclubs, Niven Coker, Prison, Shrines of Gaiety, Soho, Unresolved, Upstairs Downstairs

Silverwolf by Jacey Bedford
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2017
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
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Will's ghost has been laid to rest and Ross feels like her life with Corwen is about to begin. And when you entwine your life with another you entwine yourself with their family as Corwen well knows after his escapades with Ross's family. Corwen has been estranged from his family, the Deverells of Denby Hall, Yorkshire, for many years. They couldn't come to grips with the fact that he turns into a wolf. Yet he always made sure they could contact him. And they finally have. Though perhaps a little later than they should have. A lot has changed in six years, his little sister Lily and his twin brother Freddie both turned out to be shapechangers as well, and in December their eldest brother Jonathan died resulting in their father having an apoplexy. Freddie should have stepped into the breach left by Jonathan's death but instead he fled to friends in London and now hasn't been heard from in four months. There's been no one to hold the family estate together and there's trouble at the mill. But first things first, the widow Rossalinde Sumner must be introduced to the family as Corwen's fiance. Which is an oddly joyous greeting and homecoming, with only some minor recriminations. Perhaps Corwen's father regrets how they ended things? With very little ability to communicate their problems might never be resolved, but Corwen can at least show his family that he is up to the task at hand. First there's the mill, which is being unscrupulously run, which Lily takes into hand. Then there's the bigger problem of Freddie... He was trying to reject his true nature, a dangerous undertaking. When they arrive at his lodgings in London they can see something bad has happened. With the rowenkind free and wild magic on the loose Walsingham has risen from the ashes to harness this new threat to his own advantage. Can they save Freddie from Walsingham's clutches? And if they do can they then save him from himself?

When the average reader thinks of Regency England they think of Jane Austen. More well read readers might also throw in Georgette Heyer and Julia Quinn. But these women all wrote about a very specific echelon of society. Everyone is, for the most part, financially secure, or at least has the prospects to be secure. In other words, it doesn't really reflect society as a whole it was a very specific slice of Regency life. It would take authors like Dickens and Gaskell to actually shine a light on the working class and the poor. And yet the Industrial Revolution which is so associated with their works was already underway. Which is why I so love this second volume in Jacey Bedford's Rowankind series, because it doesn't just draw on the drawing room aspect of society that was so often written about. In fact I would more associate this book with Elizabeth Gaskell than with Jane Austen. I couldn't help compare Silverwolf to Mary Barton and North and South. Very favorably I might add. We get to see the plight of the workers, the treatment of the rowankind, and an actual effort made to improve the lives of those who are dependent on the Deverell family. This volume is Downton Abbey meets Elizabeth Gaskell, or, because it's all about family drama in Yorkshire, this is Jacey Bedford doing her Barbara Taylor Bradford Emma Harte saga! I never wanted this book to end. But more importantly I could have just stayed at Denby Hall forever. I do love a big country house and a family business and compassionate people, but so many times they are a pale carbon copy of something truly original. And yes, for as much as I love Downton Abbey, it's just Upstairs, Downstairs in Yorkshire with a nicer house that's actually not in Yorkshire. Downton Abbey literally lifts plot points left and right. This world that Jacey Bedford has created is just so original and new. Old themes seen in a different light. And I just think I talked myself into re-reading this volume again. I seriously loved it so much, plus if someone were to ask what I was reading I could respond "trouble at t'mill" which everyone who's anyone knows that that's the start of Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition Sketch. And if there's one thing I love as much as family sagas, it's Monty Python.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Barbara Taylor Bradford, Corwen, Downton Abbey, Elizabeth Gaskell, Georgette Heyer, Jacey Bedford, Jane Austen, Julia Quinn, Mary Barton, North and South, Regency Magic, Ross Tremayne, Silverwolf, Yorkshire

What did I know about The Witcher prior to Netflix's announcement that they were making a TV show? That it was a popular video game. What did I know about The Witcher after Netflix's announcement that they were making a TV Show? That it was a popular video game, there were also books, and Henry Cavill was going to play the lead and was a big fan. The thing about the show is it's actually hard to get into. The first season has I don't know how many timelines and tries to impart the mythology of the world via osmosis. This is not a method I would recommend to anyone trying to impart large chunks of knowledge. It's very confusing. Even to those who are rewatching, so say my friends. I'm not the biggest fan of the info dump, but I wouldn't object too strongly in this instance. In fact I think I might have learned more from The Witcher: Blood Origin about the mythology and history of the Continent than I did from the main show. This all led me to prefer the one-off episodes. Sure, they were mainly monster of the week episodes, but if anyone says anything bad about the creepy incest episode "Betrayer Moon" or the just insane reimagining of Beauty and the Beast "A Grain of Truth" I will fight you. Once I get my hands on a Witcher potion. The thing you have to understand about The Witcher, from what I can see, it doesn't really have any pretensions to be something it's not. It's not trying to be something more like The Rings of Power, it's just trying to be itself, which is Xena: Warrior Princess with an actual budget. You even get the off-the-wall cameos like Molesley from Downton Abbey to Simon Callow who wandered by for two episodes as an eccentric bookseller with a rather fiery end, to Graham McTavish obviously playing the role Simon Callow wanted, nudist talking to owls. In other words all I'm asking for is a Bruce Campbell cameo. Hell, I'd even watch Bruce as Geralt more than I'd watch the least Hemsworth brother take on the role. And serious question, do we think this is a option? Because I am not joking about preferring a Bruce Campbell version seeing as there's no way in hell I'm watching one with that Hemsworth on board. So in a moment of clarity, I will confess that this review is for the final season of The Witcher. Let's face it, it's how we all feel. I even wonder if Netflix feels the same way, there was an odd survey they had me fill out back in July... And given the way it ended, I don't know if I want to give them a second chance. The first half of this season was oddly informative and didn't confuse me in the least, except for the part where like no one told Ciri her father is alive. It's like they realized from The Witcher: Blood Origin that an audience wants a comprehensible story. They also got the memo that Jaskier should be in every episode AND have an adorable love interest AND a rival, bringing on a marvelous bard who so breaks the forth wall. But then "The Witcher Red Wedding" happened. And while it was magnificent, the writers forgot that in the world of Game of Thrones that the "Red Wedding" was quickly followed by the even more spectacular "Purple Wedding." Here we got a grumbling deathbed Geralt and a vision quest Ciri. Oh, and no resolution. Don't forget the fact that they wasted their last three episodes and in particular their final episode on nothing. What a waste of a Witcher. I think that should be one of Jaskier's final songs.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Beauty and the Beast, Bruce Campbell, Ciri, Downton Abbey, Geralt, Graham McTavish, Henry Cavill, Jaskier, Molesley, Netflix, Simon Callow, The Witcher, The Witcher: Blood Origin, Yennifer

Stranger Things: The Flight of Icarus by Caitlin Schneiderhan
Published by: Random House Worlds
Publication Date: October 31st, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two years before the events of Stranger Things: Season 4, Eddie Munson - Hellfire Club leader, metalhead, and Hawkins outcast - has one shot to make it big.

Hawkins, Indiana: For most, it's simply another idyllic, manicured all-American town. But for Eddie Munson it's like living in a perpetual Tomb of Horrors. Luckily, he has only a few more months to survive at Hawkins High. And what is senior year, really, but killing time between Dungeons and Dragons sessions with the Hellfire Club and gigs with his band?

At the worst dive bar in town, Eddie meets Paige, someone who has pulled off a freaking miracle. She escaped Hawkins and built a wickedly cool life for herself working for a record producer out in Los Angeles. Not only is she the definition of a badass - with killer taste in music - she might be the only person who actually appreciates him as the bard he is instead of the devil incarnate. But the best thing? She's offering him a chance to make something of himself, and all he needs to do is get her a demo tape of Corroded Coffin's best songs.

Just one problem: Recording costs money. Money Eddie doesn't have. But he's willing to do whatever it takes, even if that means relying on his old man, Al Munson. His dad just stumbled back into his life, with another dubious scheme up his sleeve, and yet Eddie knows this is his only option to make enough dough in enough time. It's a risk, but if it pays off he will finally have a one-way ticket out of Hawkins.

Eddie can feel it: 1984 is going to be his year."

Poor Eddie, gone too soon.

The Viper's Nest Roadhouse and Cafe by Seana Kelly
Published by: NYLA
Publication Date: November 15th, 2023
Format: Kindle, 358 Pages
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The official patter:
"I'm Sam, the werewolf book nerd owner of The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar. Clive, Fergus, and I are moving into our new home, the business is going well, and our folly is taking shape. The problem? Clive's maker Garyn is coming to San Francisco for a visit, and this reunion has been a thousand years in the making. Back then, Garyn was rather put out when Clive accepted the dark kiss and then took off to avenge his sister's murder. She was looking for a new family. He was looking for lethal skills. And so, Garyn has had plenty of time to align her forces. When her allies begin stepping out of the shadows, Clive's foundation will be shaken.

Stheno and her sisters are adding to their rather impressive portfolio of businesses around the world by acquiring The Viper's Nest Roadhouse and Café. Medusa found the place when she was visiting San Francisco. A dive bar filled with hot tattooed bikers? Yes, please!

Clive and I will need neutral territory for our meeting with Garyn, and a biker bar (and café, Stheno insisted) should fit the bill. I'd assumed my necromancy would give us an advantage. I hadn’t anticipated, though, just how powerful Garyn and her allies were. When the fangs descend and the heads start rolling, it's going to take every friend we have and a nocturne full of vamps at our backs to even the playing field. Wish us luck. We’re going to need it."

It feels like forever since the last Sam Quinn book, which means it's only been a year...

Haunted Echoes and Southern Nights by Peter D. Baker
Published by: Peter Baker
Publication Date: October 31st, 2023
Format: Paperback, 222 Pages
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The official patter:
"Children going missing.

A corrupt police officer.

A drug-dealing motorcycle gang.

A car breaking down on the way to see the Great American Bash.

And Daniel Belascoe deals with it all while trying to impress the woman of his dreams-who is far too smart for him.

Long before Daniel raised his tough-as-nails daughter Bethany Belascoe, he was a rookie Savannah cop trying to do some good despite his rotten partner. When that partner seems guilty of more than just negligence, Daniel begins investigating.

Things get even trickier when Daniel finds himself stranded in a small town with his new paramour, Rebecca Church - and he stumbles upon a mystery involving lost children, a local legend, and the stench of demonic activity.

Can Daniel get to the bottom of these mysteries in time to find a missing child, fix the car, and see Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair fight for the championship inside of a steel cage?

And will Rebecca decide he's worth the trip despite the fact that he's never seen Gremlins?"

I mean, how can you never have seen Gremlins?

When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 31st, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One girl murdered...another one missing...and a medical examiner desperate to uncover the truth in When I'm Dead, the latest Black Harbor mystery by acclaimed author Hannah Morrissey.

On a bone-chilling October night, Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp investigates the death of her daughter's best friend. Hours later, the tragedy hits even closer to home when she makes a devastating discovery - her daughter, Chloe, is gone. But, not without a trace.

A morbid mosaic of clues forces Rowan and her husband to question how deeply they really knew their daughter. As they work closely to peel back the layers of this case, they begin to unearth disturbing details about Chloe and her secret transgressions...details that threaten to tear them apart.

Amidst the noise of navigating her newfound grief and reconciling the sins of her past, an undeniable fact rings true for Rowan: karma has finally come to collect."

I'm getting a distinct Twin Peaks Laura Palmer vibe.

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy
Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: October 31st, 2023
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
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The official patter:
"Nat Cassidy is at his razor-sharp best again with his horror novel Nestlings, which harnesses the creeping paranoia of Rosemary's Baby and the urban horror of Salem's Lot, set in an exclusive New York City residential building.

Ana and Reid needed a lucky break.

The horrifically complicated birth of their first child has left Ana paralyzed, bitter, and struggling: with mobility, with her relationship with Reid, with resentment for her baby. That's about to change with the words any New Yorker would love to hear - affordable housing lottery.

They've won an apartment in the Deptford, one of Manhattan's most revered buildings with beautiful vistas of Central Park and stunning architecture.

Reid dismisses disturbing events and Ana's deep unease and paranoia as the price of living in New York - people are odd - but he can't explain the needle-like bite marks on the baby."

This year is THE YEAR for all the Rosemary's Baby pastiches.

The Night Raven by Johan Rundberg
Published by: Amazon Crossing Kids
Publication Date: October 31st, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mika is not your average twelve-year-old - and she's about to prove it.

It's 1880, and in the frigid city of Stockholm, death lurks around every corner. Twelve-year-old Mika knows that everyone in her orphanage will struggle to survive this winter. But at least the notorious serial killer the Night Raven is finally off the streets...or is he?

Mika is shocked when a newborn baby is left at the orphanage in the middle of the night, by a boy with a cryptic message. Who is he? And who is this "Dark Angel" he speaks of? When a detective shows up, Mika senses something even more sinister is going on.

Drawn in by Mika's unique ability to notice small details - a skill Mika has always used to survive - the gruff Detective Hoff unwittingly recruits her to help him with his investigation into a gruesome murder. Mika knows she should stay far, far away, and yet...with such little hope for her future, could this be an opportunity? Maybe, just maybe, this is Mika's chance to be someone who matters."

Well, everyone matters, but whether that leads to a means of survival is another thing...

What the Rivers Knows by Isabel Ibañez
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: October 31st, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in What the River Knows, Isabel Ibañez's lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt and filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that's been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents - who frequently leave her behind.

When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and a golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there's more to her parent's disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian's infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent's disappearance - or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

What the River Knows is the first book in the thrilling Secrets of the Nile duology."

Oh my, EGYPT! 

The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: October 31st, 2023
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A haunted paleontologist returns to the museum where his sister was abducted years earlier and is faced with a terrifying and murderous spirit in this chilling novel from the author of A History of Fear - perfect for fans of Simone St. James and Katy Hays.

Curator of paleontology Dr. Simon Nealy never expected to return to his Pennsylvania hometown, let alone the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History. He was just a boy when his six-year-old sister, Morgan, was abducted from the museum under his watch, and the guilt has haunted Simon ever since. After a recent break-up and the death of the aunt who raised him, Simon feels drawn back to the place where Morgan vanished, in search of the bones they never found.

But from the moment he arrives, things aren't what he expected. The Hawthorne is a crumbling ruin, still closed amid the ongoing pandemic, and plummeting toward financial catastrophe. Worse, Simon begins seeing and hearing things he can't explain. Strange animal sounds. Bloody footprints that no living creature could have left. A prehistoric killer looming in the shadows of the museum. Terrified he's losing his grasp on reality, Simon turns to the handwritten research diaries of his predecessor and uncovers a blood-soaked mystery 150 million years in the making that could be the answer to everything.

Are these the ravings of a madman? Or is there something supernatural at play? And what does this have to do with Morgan's disappearance?

Another atmospheric mystery from Luke Dumas, The Paleontologist is a ghost story unlike any other that will haunt you long after you turn the final page."

It's like Michael Crichton decided to write a ghost story!

The Costumes of Downton Abbey by Emma Marriott
Published by: Weldon Owen
Publication Date: October 31st, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An Official Companion to the Downton Abbey Films and TV Series: An exclusive inside look at the intricate and glamorous costuming of the popular PBS series, with complete historical detail and beautiful imagery.

An inside look at the intricate costuming of the popular PBS series, including character costume choices and the historic fashion trends characteristic of the aristocracy during the Edwardian era.

Appealing to Anglophiles, costume and sewing aficionados, and fans of the hit series, The Costumes of Downton Abbey presents - with comprehensive historical detail and beautiful imagery - the design decisions and wardrobe intricacies that shaped the glamour and elegance of the characters of Downton Abbey.

Featuring the fashion of both upstairs and downstairs cast members, this title explores the unique daytime, evening, special occasion, and wedding wardrobes that led to a 2011 Emmy and several Emmy nominations for Outstanding Costumes for a Series. Detailed photographs, fan-favorite stills from the television series, and designer notes and insights make this a delightful and informative guide to the role costumes played in the character portrayal, story development, and art direction of the series."

The touring exhibit of the costumes was so amazing, if this book is even a fraction of that experience it will be worth it.

Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond by Henry Winkler
Published by: Celadon Books
Publication Date: October 31st, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Emmy-award winning actor, author, comedian, producer, and director Henry Winkler, a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole.

Henry Winkler, launched into prominence as "The Fonz" in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny, and widely-regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood (though he would be the first to tell you that it's simply not the case, he's really just grateful to be here), Henry shares in this achingly vulnerable memoir the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia, the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own, and the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you.

Since the glorious era of Happy Days fame, Henry has endeared himself to a new generation with roles in such adored shows as Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, and Barry, where he's been revealed as an actor with immense depth and pathos, a departure from the period of his life when he was so distinctly typecast as The Fonz, he could hardly find work.

Filled with profound heart, charm, and self-deprecating humor, Being Henry is a memoir about so much more than a life in Hollywood and the curse of stardom. It is a meaningful testament to the power of sharing truth and kindness and of finding fulfillment within yourself."

I never liked Happy Days, but always admired Henry Winkler, especially for his work in Scream, Arrested Development, and most recently, the amazing Barry. He's a nice guy with an amazing ability of reinvention.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Barry, Downton Abbey, Hannah Morrissey, Henry Winkler, Isabel Ibañez, Johan Rundberg, Laura Palmer, Luke Dumas, Nat Cassidy, Peter D. Baker, Rosemary's Baby, Sam Quinn, Seana Kelly, Stranger Things, Twin Peaks

A Good House for Children by Kate Collins
Published by: Mariner Books
Publication Date: July 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The dazzling debut novel from Kate Collins - a feminist Gothic mystery spanning decades, in the vein of Mexican Gothic and The Essex Serpent.

Once upon a time Orla was: a woman, a painter, a lover. Now she is a mother and a wife, and when her husband Nick suggests that their city apartment has grown too small for their lives, she agrees, in part because she does agree, and in part because she is too tired to think about what she really does want. She agrees again when Nick announces with pride that he has found an antiquated Georgian house on the Dorset cliffs - a good house for children, he says, tons of space and gorgeous grounds. But as the family settles into the mansion - Nick absent all week, commuting to the city for work - Orla finds herself unsettled. She hears voices when no one is around; doors open and close on their own; and her son Sam, who has not spoken in six months, seems to have made an imaginary friend whose motives Orla does not trust.

Four decades earlier, Lydia moves into the same house as a live-in nanny to a grieving family. Lydia, too, becomes aware of intangible presences in the large house, and she, like Orla four decades later, becomes increasingly fearful for the safety of the children in her care. But no one in either woman's life believes her: the stories seem fanciful, the stuff of magic and mayhem, sprung from the imaginations of hysterical women who spend too much time in the company of children.

Are both families careening towards tragedy? Are Orla and Lydia seeing things that aren't there? What secrets is the house hiding? A feminist Gothic tale perfectly suited for the current moment, A Good House for Children combines an atmospheric mystery with resonant themes of motherhood, madness, and the value of a woman's work."

Sometimes people forget that the Gothic is all about the woman's POV.

The House Keepers by Alex Hay
Published by: Graydon House
Publication Date: July 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The night of London's grandest ball, a bold group of women downstairs launch a daring revenge heist against Mayfair society in this dazzling historical novel about power, gender, and class

Mrs. King is no ordinary housekeeper. Born into a world of con artists and thieves, she's made herself respectable, running the grandest home in Mayfair. The place is packed with treasures, a glittering symbol of wealth and power, but dark secrets lurk in the shadows.

When Mrs. King is suddenly dismissed from her position, she recruits an eclectic group of women to join her in revenge: A black market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs. King's predecessor, with her own desire for vengeance.

Their plan? On the night of the house's highly anticipated costume ball - set to be the most illustrious of the year - they will rob it of its every possession, right under the noses of the distinguished guests and their elusive heiress host. But there's one thing Mrs. King wants even more than money: the truth. And she'll run any risk to get it...

After all, one should never underestimate the women downstairs."

Downton Abbey meets Ocean's Eight!

The Devil's Flute Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
Published by: Pushkin Vertigo
Publication Date: July 4th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An ingenious classic locked-room murder mystery about the feuding family of a composer that's perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, and Anthony Horowitz.

Featuring the scruffy sleuth Kosuke Kindaichi - the most famous Japanese detective - created by one of Japan's greatest crime writers: Seishi Yokomizo, the "Japanese Agatha Christie"

Locked room mysteries are hot again, and this classic from the golden age of crime presents a mind-bending Japanese mystery from the great Seishi Yokomizo, whose fictional detective Kosuke Kindaichi is a pop culture phenomenon akin to Sherlock Holmes.

This time the beloved scruffy sleuth Kosuke Kindaichi investigates a series of gruesome murders within the feuding family of a brooding, troubled composer, whose most famous work chills the blood of all who hear it. Readers will be totally engrossed by one of Yokomizo's most clever guessing games, in which everyone has something to hide..."

Have locked room mysteries ever not been hot? Asking because I seriously always love them.

Into the Pines by Ryan Lill-Washington
Published by: Ryan Lill-Washington
Publication Date: July 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Up-and-coming podcast host Eyvette has spent the last few years of her life trying to put her rural Southern upbringing behind her. And she's just about managed it - she's got a snazzy Los Angeles apartment, a talented actress girlfriend, and a growing online following of her own.

Then, Eyvette's comfortable new world comes crashing down around her. She learns that her childhood friend and first love, Charlene, has been named the second woman to go missing in the woods surrounding her tiny hometown. Eyvette can't help herself - she packs her things and heads back home to the foothills of South Carolina in search of answers.

It's not long before Eyvette realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew. There are no leads into Charlene's disappearance, and the once-familiar woods now seem wild and menacing. As she ventures farther and farther into the pines in search of answers, Eyvette begins to realize that she's not alone in the woods - and she may be running out of time to find her friend before someone, or something finds her first.

What lies within the pines that surround Traveler's Rest? Where do all the missing girls go? Who can you trust in the woods? Do people truly disappear without a trace?"

Oh, where do all the missing girls go!

Wolfsong by T.J. Klune
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: July 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 528 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Bennett family has a secret:
They're not just a family, they're a pack.
Wolfsong is Ox Matheson's story.

Oxnard Matheson was twelve when his father taught him a lesson: Ox wasn't worth anything and people would never understand him. Then his father left.

Ox was sixteen when the energetic Bennett family moved in next door, harboring a secret that would change him forever. The Bennetts are shapeshifters. They can transform into wolves at will. Drawn to their magic, loyalty, and enduring friendships, Ox feels a gulf between this extraordinary new world and the quiet life he's known, but he finds an ally in Joe, the youngest Bennett boy.

Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his heart. Violence flared, tragedy split the pack, and Joe left town, leaving Ox behind. Three years later, the boy is back. Except now he's a man - charming, handsome, but haunted - and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

The beloved fantasy romance sensation by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, about love, loyalty, betrayal, and family."

And shapeshifters, don't forget the shapeshifters!

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: July 4th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A ghostwriter and a struggling actor help each other on the page and in the bedroom in this steamy romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Talk.

Chandler Cohen has never felt more like the ghost in "ghostwriter" until she attends a signing for a book she wrote - and the author doesn't even recognize her. The evening turns more promising when she meets a charming man at the bar and immediately connects with him. But when all their sexual tension culminates in a spectacularly awkward hookup, she decides this is one night better off forgotten.

Unfortunately, that's easier said than done. Her next project is ghostwriting a memoir for Finn Walsh, a C-list actor best known for playing a lovable nerd on a cult classic werewolf show who now makes a living appearing at fan conventions across the country. Chandler knows him better from their one-night stand of hilarious mishaps.

Chandler's determined to keep their partnership as professional as possible, but when she admits to Finn their night together wasn't as mind-blowing as he thought it was, he's distraught. He intrigues her enough that they strike a deal: when they're not working on his book, Chandler will school Finn in the art of satisfaction. As they grow closer both in and out of the bedroom, they must figure out which is more important, business or pleasure - or if there's a way for them to have both."

I am really drawn to this because of the whole culture of C-list actors at conventions who have so much bravado and the fact that one would be bad in the sack is hilarious. At least he's willing to learn...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alex Hay, Conventions, Downton Abbey, Ghostwriting, Gothic, Kate Collins, Locked Room, Ocean's Eleven, Podcast, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Ryan Lill-Washington, Seishi Yokomizo, Shapeshifter, T.J. Klune

Silverwolf by Jacey Bedford
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2017
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Will's ghost has been laid to rest and Ross feels like her life with Corwen is about to begin. And when you entwine your life with another you entwine yourself with their family as Corwen well knows after his escapades with Ross's family. Corwen has been estranged from his family, the Deverells of Denby Hall, Yorkshire, for many years. They couldn't come to grips with the fact that he turns into a wolf. Yet he always made sure they could contact him. And they finally have. Though perhaps a little later than they should have. A lot has changed in six years, his little sister Lily and his twin brother Freddie both turned out to be shapechangers as well, and in December their eldest brother Jonathan died resulting in their father having an apoplexy. Freddie should have stepped into the breach left by Jonathan's death but instead he fled to friends in London and now hasn't been heard from in four months. There's been no one to hold the family estate together and there's trouble at the mill. But first things first, the widow Rossalinde Sumner must be introduced to the family as Corwen's fiance. Which is an oddly joyous greeting and homecoming, with only some minor recriminations. Perhaps Corwen's father regrets how they ended things? With very little ability to communicate their problems might never be resolved, but Corwen can at least show his family that he is up to the task at hand. First there's the mill, which is being unscrupulously run, which Lily takes into hand. Then there's the bigger problem of Freddie... He was trying to reject his true nature, a dangerous undertaking. When they arrive at his lodgings in London they can see something bad has happened. With the rowenkind free and wild magic on the loose Walsingham has risen from the ashes to harness this new threat to his own advantage. Can they save Freddie from Walsingham's clutches? And if they do can they then save him from himself?

When the average reader thinks of Regency England they think of Jane Austen. More well read readers might also throw in Georgette Heyer and Julia Quinn. But these women all wrote about a very specific echelon of society. Everyone is, for the most part, financially secure, or at least has the prospects to be secure. In other words, it doesn't really reflect society as a whole it was a very specific slice of Regency life. It would take authors like Dickens and Gaskell to actually shine a light on the working class and the poor. And yet the Industrial Revolution which is so associated with their works was already underway. Which is why I so love this second volume in Jacey Bedford's Rowankind series, because it doesn't just draw on the drawing room aspect of society that was so often written about. In fact I would more associate this book with Elizabeth Gaskell than with Jane Austen. I couldn't help compare Silverwolf to Mary Barton and North and South. Very favorably I might add. We get to see the plight of the workers, the treatment of the rowankind, and an actual effort made to improve the lives of those who are dependent on the Deverell family. This volume is Downton Abbey meets Elizabeth Gaskell, or, because it's all about family drama in Yorkshire, this is Jacey Bedford doing her Barbara Taylor Bradford Emma Harte saga! I never wanted this book to end. But more importantly I could have just stayed at Denby Hall forever. I do love a big country house and a family business and compassionate people, but so many times they are a pale carbon copy of something truly original. And yes, for as much as I love Downton Abbey, it's just Upstairs, Downstairs in Yorkshire with a nicer house that's actually not in Yorkshire. Downton Abbey literally lifts plot points left and right. This world that Jacey Bedford has created is just so original and new. Old themes seen in a different light. And I just think I talked myself into re-reading this volume again. I seriously loved it so much, plus if someone were to ask what I was reading I could respond "trouble at t'mill" which everyone who's anyone knows that that's the start of Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition Sketch. And if there's one thing I love as much as family sagas, it's Monty Python.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Barbara Taylor Bradford, Corwen, Downton Abbey, Elizabeth Gaskell, Georgette Heyer, Jacey Bedford, Jane Austen, Julia Quinn, Mary Barton, North and South, Regency Magic, Ross Tremayne, Silverwolf, Yorkshire

Feel the Bern by Andrew Shaffer
Published by: Ten Speed Press
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 256Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Who knew fighting for a living wage could be so deadly? Bernie Sanders and his Gen Z intern are drawn into a murder investigation in a small Vermont town in this hilarious spin on cozy mysteries from the New York Times bestselling author of Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery.

Fall is bursting out all over Vermont, and while the rest of the Congress enjoys its recess, Senator Bernie Sanders has returned to his beloved home state for a weekend of events in Eagle Creek, "America’s #1 Leaf Peeping Destination." It's up to intern and Eagle Creek native Crash Robertson to keep the senator on schedule - and out of trouble.

Crash's hopes for a quiet homecoming are dashed, however, when the lifeless body of a community banker with ties to "Big Maple" is found in Lake Champlain. While the sheriff's department closes the case as an accident, a leaked autopsy indicates foul play...with a trail of syrup leading directly to one of the senator's oldest friends. Bernie, taking a page from the cozy mysteries he's addicted to, enlists Crash in a quest to uncover the killer’s true identity.

If Crash allows the senator to go too far off-script, it will be the end of her yet-to-begin political career. But as the suspect list grows to include a tech bro set on "disrupting" the maple syrup industry, struggling small-business owners, and even Crash's own family, she realizes there's more on the line than her own future. If the unlikely duo can't solve the mystery of the Maple Murderer before they strike again, Bernie's life-long fight for justice may come to an unplanned end.

This (totally fictional!) mystery also features recipes from Eagle Creek's Vermont Country Shed, including Vermont Cheddar Mac and Cheese, "Feel the Bern!" Maple Sriracha Hot Sauce, and more!"

I needed this Bernie book in my life so bad. I also really hope that in some universe he is addicted to cozy mysteries.

Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Renaissance Faire is on the move, and Lulu and Dex are along for the ride, in the next utterly charming rom-com from Jen DeLuca.

A high-powered attorney from a success-oriented family, Louisa "Lulu" Malone lives to work, and everything seems to be going right, until the day she realizes it's all wrong. Lulu's cousin Mitch introduced her to the world of Renaissance Faires, and when she spies one at a time just when she needs an escape, she leaps into the welcoming environment of turkey legs, taverns, and tarot readers. The only drawback? Dex MacLean: a guitarist with a killer smile, the Casanova of the Faire...and her traveling companion for the summer.

Dex has never had to work for much in his life, and why should he? Touring with his brothers as The Dueling Kilts is going great, and he always finds a woman at every Faire. But when Lulu proves indifferent to his many plaid charms and a shake-up threatens the fate of the band, Dex must confront something he never has before: his future.

Forced to spend days and nights together on the road, Lulu's interest in the kilted bad boy grows as he shows her a side of himself no one else has seen. The stresses of her old lifestyle fade away as she learns to trust her intuition and follow her heart instead of her head. But when her time on the road is over, will Lulu go with her gut, or are she and Dex destined for separate paths?"

I love anything Ren Faire, and I would totally see The Dueling Kilts if they came to my faire.

Witcha Gonna Do? by Avery Flynn
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An unlucky witch and her know-it-all nemesis must team up in the first of a new, spicy romantic comedy series from USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn.

Could it possibly get any worse than having absolutely no magical abilities when you're a member of the most powerful family of witches ever? It used to be that I'd say no, but then I keep getting set up on dates with Gil Connolly whose hotness is only matched by his ego. Seriously. I can't stand him. Even if I also can't stop thinking about him (specifically kissing him) but we're going to pretend I never told you that part.

So yeah, my life isn't the greatest right now, but then it goes straight to the absolute worst hell when I accidentally make my sister's spell glitch and curse my whole family. And the only person who can help non-magical me break the spell? You guessed it. Gil the super hot jerk.

Now we have to work together to save my family and outmaneuver some evil-minded nefarious forces bent on world domination. Oh yeah, and we have to do all that while fighting against the attraction building between us because I may not be magical, but what's happening between Gil and I sure feels like it."

Because you need your cute witchy fix and Charmed was canceled.

Enola Holmes: The Graphic Novels Book Two by Serena Blasco
Published by: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Book 2 of the series, Enola is back on the case, deciphering clues and developing leads in each of three new mysteries. What she doesn’t know is that she, too, is being pursued - by her own brother! Once again, Sherlock Holmes' brilliant, strong-willed younger sister takes center stage in this delightfully drawn graphic novel based on Nancy Springer’s bestselling mystery series.

London, 1889. A woman is being held prisoner while she awaits a forced marriage. Another has been kidnapped, and yet another disappears...

As Enola seeks to rescue the three women, her brother embarks on a quest of his own. When Sherlock receives a mysterious package, he knows he'll need Enola's help to decipher its meaning. In the end, the three Holmes siblings will have to work together to answer the question that started it all: What happened to their mother?

Book Two contains three engrossing mysteries: The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan, The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, and The Case of Baker Street Station."

Interesting that they've renamed the sixth book yet again...

Bryant and May: Peculiar London by Christopher Fowler
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 496 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Thinking of a jaunt to England? Let Arthur Bryant and John May, London's oldest police detectives, show you the oddities behind the city's façades in this tongue-in-cheek travel guide.

It's getting late. I want to share my knowledge of London with you, if I can remember any of it.

So says Arthur Bryant. He and John May are the nation's oldest serving detectives. Who better to reveal its secrets? Why does this rainy, cold, gray city capture so many imaginations? Could its very unreliability hold the key to its longevity?

The detectives are joined by their boss, Raymond Land, and some of their most disreputable friends, each an argumentative and unreliable expert in their own dodgy field.

Each character gives us a short tour of odd buildings, odder characters, lost venues, forgotten disasters, confusing routes, dubious gossip, illicit pleasures, and hidden pubs. They make all sorts of connections - and show us why it's almost impossible to separate fact from fiction in London."

You've always wanted a rather "peculiar" tour of London, right?

Murder in the Basement by Anthony Berkeley
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When two newlyweds discover that a corpse has been buried in the basement of their new home, a grueling case begins to trace the identity of the victim. With all avenues of investigation approaching exhaustion, a tenuous piece of evidence offers a chance for Chief Inspector Moresby and leads him to the amateur sleuth Roger Sheringham, who has recently been providing cover work in a school south of London.

Desperate for evidence of any kind in the basement case, Moresby begins to sift through the manuscript of a satirical novel Sheringham has been writing about his colleagues at the school, convinced that amongst the colorful cast of teachers hides the victim - and perhaps their murderer.

A novel pairing dark humor and intelligent detection work, this 1932 mystery is an example of a celebrated Golden Age author's most inventive work. This edition includes an introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger Award–winning author Martin Edwards."

For Golden Age Detective enthusiasts many haven't heard of Roger Sheringham, and let me tell you, you are in for a treat. I was delighted when I first discovered Anthony Berkeley's creation almost a decade ago! 

The Earl and the Pharaoh by The Countess of Carnarvon
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bestselling author the Countess of Carnarvon tells the thrilling behind-the-scenes story of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun on its centennial, and explores the unparalleled life of family ancestor George Herbert - the famed Egyptologist, world-traveler, and 5th Earl of Carnarvon behind it - whose country house, Highclere Castle, is the setting of the beloved series Downton Abbey.

In November 1922, the world was mesmerized by news of an astonishing historical find in Egypt's legendary Valley of Kings: the discovery of the tomb of the Egyptian Pharoah Tutankhamun. George Herbert, himself a famed amateur Egyptologist and noted antiquities collector, financed the expedition and excavation headed by lead archaeologist Howard Carter, and accompanied him inside this sacred space that had remained untouched for centuries.

Inside the tomb, the explorers found King Tut's sarcophagus and a treasure trove of astonishing artifacts: chariots and model boats, board games and paintings, a coffin made of pure gold. But these objects were more than just beautifully crafted works of art; they shed new light on Tutankhamun world and this fabled period of history, and changed our understanding of how the ancient Egyptians had lived - transforming overnight what had been formed through centuries of history and myth.

Drawing on Highclere Castle's archives, the Countess of Carnarvon pays homage to her ancestor on the 100th anniversary of this extraordinary event. In vivid and dramatic detail, she brings into focus the larger-than-life characters and lustrous settings - as well as those twists of luck and tragedies that shaped Herbert's life. Across the early 1900s, Highclere saw no less drama than the fictional Downton Abbey, with early tragedies for the Earl and love affairs, as well highs of exorbitant wealth and trials of punishing debt. But above all there was adventure. While Herbert first went to Egypt for his health, this mysterious, romantic land would become a second home; the beloved place where he funneled his attentions over a period of decades, never quite realizing how great the fruits of his labors would prove."

Two of my favorite things, Egypt and Downton Abbey!

A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley
Published by: Knopf
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author of A Thousand Acres: a rollicking murder mystery set in Gold Rush California, as two young prostitutes follow a trail of missing girls.

Monterey, 1851. Ever since her husband was killed in a bar fight, Eliza Ripple has been working in a brothel. It seems like a better life, at least at first. The madam, Mrs. Parks, is kind, the men are (relatively) well behaved, and Eliza has attained what few women have: financial security. But when the dead bodies of young women start appearing outside of town, a darkness descends that she can't resist confronting. Side by side with her friend Jean, and inspired by her reading, especially by Edgar Allan Poe's detective Dupin, Eliza pieces together an array of clues to try to catch the killer, all the while juggling clients who begin to seem more and more suspicious.

Eliza and Jean are determined not just to survive, but to find their way in a lawless town on the fringes of the Wild West - a bewitching combination of beauty and danger - as what will become the Civil War looms on the horizon. As Mrs. Parks says, "Everyone knows that this is a dangerous business, but between you and me, being a woman is a dangerous business, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise...""

This sounds just like my favorite arc on season two of Deadwood. Who doesn't want to watch prostitutes inspired by Edgar Allan Poe to solve crime?

A History of Fear by Luke Dumas
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Devil is in Scotland.

Grayson Hale, the most infamous murderer in Scotland, is better known by a different name: the Devil's Advocate. The twenty-five-year-old American grad student rose to instant notoriety when he confessed to the slaughter of his classmate Liam Stewart, claiming the Devil made him do it.

When Hale is found hanged in his prison cell, officers uncover a handwritten manuscript that promises to answer the question that's haunted the nation for years: was Hale a lunatic, or had he been telling the truth all along?

Unnervingly, Hale doesn't fit the bill of a killer. The first-person narrative that centers this novel reveals an acerbic young atheist, newly enrolled at the University of Edinburgh to carry on the legacy of his recently deceased father. In need of cash, he takes a job ghostwriting a mysterious book for a dark stranger, but has misgivings when the project begins to reawaken his satanophobia, a rare condition that causes him to live in terror that the Devil is after him. As he struggles to disentangle fact from fear, Grayson's world is turned upside-down after events force him to confront his growing suspicion that he's working for the one he has feared all this time - and that the book is only the beginning of their partnership.

A History of Fear is a propulsive foray into the darkness of the human psyche, marrying dread-inducing atmosphere and heart-palpitating storytelling."

Read this to find out if Grayson's satanophobia was justified!

A Arranged Christmas by Mary E. Taylor
Published by: Independently Published
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 90 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Can Bain bring forth a Christmas miracle and prove his love to his reluctant bride-to-be?

Not if she has anything to say about it.

Her family faces financial ruin, but Lady Adalyn can't accept that the only way to save them is to marry for money, not love. When her parents arrange for her to wed a stranger despite her objections, she flees her childhood home. Just when she thinks her daring escape has been a resounding success, she finds herself in more trouble than ever.

When her knight in shining armor sweeps in like a fairytale, Adalyn can hardly believe it. He's charming and dashing, with the most beautiful green eyes she's ever seen. She's completely smitten with her handsome stranger. That is, until she realizes who he is...

Viscount Bain Cooke can't believe his luck. His future bride is witty and beautiful, with a strong mind and delightfully sharp tongue. She's less than thrilled with their engagement, but he couldn't imagine a better fit. He only has until Christmas Day to change her mind, and time is running out.

Can Adalyn open her heart to the possibility of love in her arranged marriage?

If you enjoy sweet, regency romances with strong heroines, sweet gentlemen and a touch of Christmas spirit, you'll love An Arranged Christmas."

Because I have to vary up my holiday reading. I can't read ALL murder mysteries...

The Princess Bride: The Official Cookbook by Jenn Fujikawa
Published by: Smart Pop
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""As you dish!"

Few films have captured the hearts and imaginations like The Princess Bride. Based on the book by William Goldman, the 1987 film, directed by Rob Reiner and starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Billy Crystal, Andre the Giant, Carol Kane, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Guest, Fred Savage, and Peter Falk is as universally beloved as it is quotable.

Now, for the first time, The Princess Bride Cookbook: The Official Cookbook features more than 50 recipes for dishes seen in, and inspired by, the film, including:

Buttercup Buttermilk Scones
Hash You Wish
Farm Boy Breakfast
Six-Fingered Sandwiches
Chips of Insanity
MLT
The Grandson's Soup and Sandwich
Vizzini's Sicilian Meatballs
Fezzik's Stew
The Spaniard's Paella
Bread Pirate Roberts
Twu Wove's Kiss Cookies
Iocane Powder Punch
Inigo Montoya's Taste of Revenge

Perfect for fans, families, and Brute Squads, The Princes Bride: The Official Cookbook is the ultimate way for home cooks to plate up the adventure, comedy, and romance of everyone’s favorite film."

Because why not? Also the MLT makes total sense.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Andrew Shaffer, Anthony Berkeley, Avery Flynn, Bernie Sanders, Bryant and May, Christopher Fowler, Downton Abbey, Enola Holmes, Jane Smiley, Jen DeLuca, Luke Dumas, Mary E. Taylor, The Princess Bride