#historical fiction mystery author

[shitty-check-please-aus]

I love Martha Wells' books because there has dependably been kickass fight scenes in both the sci-fi and fantasy books (and I do love Murderbot so much), and because every time her worldbuilding seems like it's going to be generic sci-fi or fantasy she throws in an absolutely wild curveball

I love Seanan McGuire books because the worldbuilding is done so deftly and thoroughly, and her books also have a lot of characters in "well shit, I don't know what I'd do here but I can't disagree with your choices" situations

I love Jacqueline Winspear books because I do like historical fiction, and she shows a very interesting perspective on a lot of issues and topics, also the mysteries are all good and I love Maisie Dobbs (I'm so sad the series wrapped up, I need to find something else to fill this niche in my reading)

[bookishpixiereads]

“Rough Pages” by Lev C. Rosen

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5 Stars

Thanks to Tor Publishing Group/Forge Books for the eARC of this book. It dropped last week! All opinions are my own.

“Rough Pages” is the third book in the Evander Mills noir-ish, queer, historical fiction detective series set in 1950s San Francisco. Outside of the murderous plots, the series provides a well-researched look into how queer people lived during that time period. I adore this series. I already had pre-ordered this book before I even read the ARC and I never do that.  

Evander “Andy” Mills is a gay private detective for queer people who can’t go to the police because the police are not friendly to the LGBTQ community. He was a cop for the San Francisco Police Department before he was fired after they found out he was gay. 

A friend of Andy comes to him with a case. The two owners of a queer-friendly bookstore have gone missing. Along with selling queer books from a store front, they have a mail-order service where they mail queer books to subscribers. And the fear, along with the safety of the owners, is that the list of subscribers could fall into the wrong hands and at the worst, those people’s lives could be in danger and at best, they could become the object of blackmail. Also, at this point in history, mailing queer books is a federal crime.

And this list potentially puts people that Andy’s holds dear at great risk. And he wants to do everything he can to keep them and their newly adopted baby safe.

Were the bookstore owners arrested by the Feds? Was this a Mafia hit done out of fear of the possible outing of one of their own? Was there a crime at all and are they just on vacation?

Andy also has to deal with a reporter who is getting a little too close for comfort and his former boss, who is making implicit and explicit threats to Andy’s safety. And is his own romantic life falling apart?

“Rough Pages” comes during the current political climate of banning books. And it has beautiful things to say about representation in books, why books are dangerous (in a good way), and books as a whole.

What’s more important truth or secrets? Especially if the truth puts peoples’ lives in danger. 

[haveyoureadthispoll]

In the summer of 1974 a heatwave blankets Boston and Mary Pat Fennessy is trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors. Mary Pat has lived her entire life in the housing projects of “Southie,” the Irish American enclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition and stands proudly apart. One night Mary Pat’s teenage daughter Jules stays out late and doesn’t come home. That same evening, a young Black man is found dead, struck by a subway train under mysterious circumstances. The two events seem unconnected. But Mary Pat, propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, begins turning over stones best left untouched—asking questions that bother Marty Butler, chieftain of the Irish mob, and the men who work for him, men who don’t take kindly to any threat to their business. Set against the hot, tumultuous months when the city’s desegregation of its public schools exploded in violence, Small Mercies is a superb thriller, a brutal depiction of criminality and power, and an unflinching portrait of the dark heart of American racism. It is a mesmerizing and wrenching work that only Dennis Lehane could write.

[angelicathedaisy]

I’m not a romance book reader it’s just not my thing and I don’t have a problem with people who do like reading romance but what the fuck is ALI HAZELWOOD doing on my cover of my gender bent Sherlock Holmes mystery books

i know this is just to get good press for the book but i don’t think their preaching to the right audience. I’m not saying that romance readers can’t/don’t read or want to read these books but marketing wise this feels WAY out of left field. before they had reviews from Julia Quinn and Deanna Raybourn on the covers which seemed a lot more relevant considering genre but hey if a booktok famous author is going to get people to read this book series why should I complain. I’m probably the only one who noticed the review tbh no one pays attention to them anyways

[bookwormchocaholic]

Author Promo

For those who are interested I have a professional author site on wordpress and tumblr. 

My wordpress is:

http://veronicaleighauthor.wordpress.com

And my tumblr is:

http://www.tumblr.com/veronicaleighauthor

I’d appreciate it if you’d follow me on either, and/or share this. Thanks!

[seven-saffodils]

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[cupofteajones]

Upcoming Author Talks in December

Upcoming Author Talks in December

December is jampacked with author discussions! Looking for something to take your mind off all the holiday shopping and cooking you might have to do? Don’t worry! December is packed with great and compelling author talks that will take your mind off everything! Get an in-dept look into a country house murder, here from award-winning authors and here again from a returning favorite…Cup of Tea…

[annafromuni]

A Queer Bookish Mystery in Rough Pages by Lev AC Rosen

Lev AC Rosen is back with Rough Pages, another brilliant instalment in the Evander Mills historical fiction mystery series. This time, books are at the heart of the story and a little of the history behind queer literature in the 1950s is dabbled throughout the plot. With wonderful prose, extremely relevant themes and messages, and a fabulous cast of characters, Rough Pages is a must-read for…

[danielleurbansblog]

Review: What You Leave Behind

Synopsis: Award-winning author Wanda Morris returns with a powerful, haunting thriller following a lawyer who after the mysterious disappearance of a local landowner and the death of his sister just months before, uncovers a conspiracy that dates back to Reconstruction and persists in half the United States today. Deena Wood’s life has fallen apart in the aftermath of losing her beloved mother,…

[haveyoureadthispoll]

From the attic of Lyntons, a dilapidated English country mansion, Frances Jellico sees them—Cara first: dark and beautiful, then Peter: striking and serious. The couple is spending the summer of 1969 in the rooms below hers while Frances is researching the architecture in the surrounding gardens. But she's distracted. Beneath a floorboard in her bathroom, she finds a peephole that gives her access to her neighbors’ private lives. To Frances' surprise, Cara and Peter are keen to get to know her. It is the first occasion she has had anybody to call a friend, and before long they are spending every day together: eating lavish dinners, drinking bottle after bottle of wine, and smoking cigarettes until the ash piles up on the crumbling furniture. Frances is dazzled. But as the hot summer rolls lazily on, it becomes clear that not everything is right between Cara and Peter. The stories that Cara tells don’t quite add up, and as Frances becomes increasingly entangled in the lives of the glamorous, hedonistic couple, the boundaries between truth and lies, right and wrong, begin to blur. Amid the decadence, a small crime brings on a bigger one: a crime so terrible that it will brand their lives forever.

[jolenes-book-journey]

Wages of Empire by Michael J Cooper

“A Young Indiana Jones–style adventure.” –KIRKUS reviews Title: Wages of Empire Author: Michael J. Cooper Genre: YA Historical WWI Fiction Grand prize winner – 2022 CIBA Dante Rossetti Award for YA fiction First place honors – 2022 CIBA Hemingway Award for wartime fiction #1 Amazon Best Seller—Jan 2024—Historical World War I Fiction In the summer of 1914, sixteen-year-old Evan Sinclair leaves…

[samanthajameswriter]

Supernatural Historical Fiction: A Medium's Peril Series Review

[bookreviewdirectory]

Fire in the Rectory - Editorial Review

  Title: Fire in the Rectory and two more John Nolan detective novellas Author: Stan Freeman Genre: Historical fiction / Historical detective / Mystery   This collection of three short detective stories offers a chronological continuation of John Nolan’s career as a private investigator in New York City from 1915–1918. A recent immigrant from Ireland, he finds himself struggling to make a name…

[rachel-sylvan-author]

"The Bombay Prince (A Perveen Mistry Novel)" by Sujata Massey book recommendation by Rachel Sylvan

Book 3 of 4

[blogthefiresidechats]

Do you ever find yourself stuck?

Do you ever find yourself stuck in a genre/series/author? Do you only read books from a specific genre/series/author? If so, why? Are you happy reading books from that genre/series/author? If not, what have you found that works to get yourself unstuck? I’ve never found myself in this particular situation. Thanks to my ADHD, I don’t tend to linger on one genre or author for very long. Don’t get…

[booksformks]

Book Review: Kenilworth

Kenilworthby Walter Scott 4 out of 5 stars Robert Dudley, the Earl of Lancashire, has a secret marriage with Amy Robsart. He is keeping it hidden from Queen Elizabeth I, hoping to win favor at court and perhaps a crown of his own. His lies are supported by his evil servant, Varney, who schemes on his behalf. Together they keep Amy locked up at Cumnor Place, hiding her from the world. The noble…