en-US Tue, 13 Jun 2017 08:30:19 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 33019745 The Great War is over, but in this captivating new series from award-winning author Anna Lee Huber, one young widow discovers the real intrigue has only just begun . . .

An Unpardonable Sin?

England, 1919. Verity Kent’s grief over the loss of her husband pierces anew when she receives a cryptic letter, suggesting her beloved Sidney may have committed treason before his untimely death. Determined to dull her pain with revelry, Verity’s first impulse is to dismiss the derogatory claim. But the mystery sender knows too much—including the fact that during the war, Verity worked for the Secret Service, something not even Sidney knew.

Lured to Umbersea Island to attend the engagement party of one of Sidney’s fellow officers, Verity mingles among the men her husband once fought beside, and discovers dark secrets—along with a murder clearly meant to conceal them. Relying on little more than a coded letter, the help of a dashing stranger, and her own sharp instincts, Verity is forced down a path she never imagined—and comes face to face with the shattering possibility that her husband may not have been the man she thought he was. It’s a truth that could set her free—or draw her ever deeper into his deception . . .]]> 304 Anna Lee Huber 149671315X Ashley 5 3.70 2017
author: Anna Lee Huber
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/06/13
shelves:
review:
This Side of Murder is everything a mystery should be: suspenseful, atmospheric, and beautifully written, with rich historical detail and a heroine you really want to cheer for. I enjoyed every page, and I can't wait to see more of Verity Kent!
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 In a London shadowed by barrage balloons, bomb shelters and the threat of invasion, within days another former Belgian refugee is found murdered.  And as Maisie delves deeper into the killings of the dispossessed from the “last war," a new kind of refugee—an evacuee from London—appears in Maisie's life. The little girl billeted at Maisie’s home in Kent does not, or cannot, speak, and the authorities do not know who the child belongs to or who might have put her on the “Operation Pied Piper” evacuee train.  They know only that her name is Anna.

 As Maisie’s search for the killer escalates, the country braces for what is to come.  Britain is approaching its gravest hour—and Maisie could be nearing a crossroads of her own.]]> 368 Jacqueline Winspear 0062436619 Ashley 0 to-read 4.07 2017
author: Jacqueline Winspear
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 22313653 That’s how it is for us servants. No one pays you much heed; mostly you’re invisible as furniture. Yet you overhear a conversation here, and add a little gossip there. A writing desk lies open and you cannot help but read a paper. Then you find something, something you should not have found.

Irrepressible Biddy Leigh, under-cook at the forbidding Mawton Hall, can’t wait to settle down with her sweetheart and set up her own tavern. But when her elderly master marries the young, enigmatic Lady Carinna, Biddy is unwittingly swept up into a world of scheming, secrets, and lies.

Forced to accompany her new mistress to Italy, Biddy takes with her an old household book of recipes, The Cook’s Jewel, in which she records her observations. When she finds herself embroiled in a murderous conspiracy, Biddy realises that the secrets she holds could be the key to her survival – or her downfall . . .

AN APPETITE FOR VIOLETS is an utterly compelling story of food, obsession and mystery, introducing a brilliant new voice in historical fiction.]]> 400 Martine Bailey 1250056918 Ashley 0 to-read 3.67 2013
author: Martine Bailey
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2014/07/31
shelves: to-read
review:

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Taking matters into her own hands, the rather over-imaginative countess enlists the help of her pragmatic housekeeper, Mrs. Jackson, to investigate the case, track down the women that vanished the night of the murder, and clear her son's name. As the two women search for a runaway housemaid and a headstrong young woman, they unearth the hidden lives of Lady Montfort's close friends, servants and family and discover the identity of a murderer hiding in plain sight.

In this enchanting debut sure to appeal to fans of Downton Abbey, Tessa Arlen draws readers into a world exclusively enjoyed by the rich, privileged classes and suffered by the men and women who serve them. Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman is an elegant mystery filled with intriguing characters and fascinating descriptions of Edwardian life—a superb treat for those who love British novels.]]> 310 Tessa Arlen 1250052491 Ashley 0 to-read 3.43 2015
author: Tessa Arlen
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2014/07/31
shelves: to-read
review:

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