None Left to Tell by Noelle Ihli

 Absolutely devastating and searing historical fiction novel rooted in real events.

It will be a minute before I forget the story of “The Mountain Meadows Massacre.” I was not familiar with this terrible slaughter and its coverup and need to come to grips with the violence perpetrated on the members of the wagon train headed to California from Arkansas in 1857.

The author writes with the authority of someone raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is a descendant of families involved in the massacre. I think this connection makes the book even more powerful. It was many years before most of the truth of that attack was revealed, and there are still attempts to cover up details today.

The story is told from the perspectives of 3 women who belonged to the three main groups involved. The Mormons (under the direction of Brigham Young), a local Indian tribe (it still is unclear which tribe actually was involved), and a wagon train of families from Arkansas. The Baker-Fancher wagon train consisted of approximately 120-150 people. Only 17 children (all under the age of 7) were spared and only because they were thought too young to remember. 

My heart totally aches thinking of all that happened leading up to the moment in the meadow when one man’s voice was the signal to start the carnage. I cannot even imagine the horror. And, I’m so glad that some involved felt enough guilt to come forward with the truth despite the Morman leadership demanding oaths of secrecy. 

As it is based on a true story, it’s hard to stay objective, and the worst part is knowing that only one person was actually punished. Ah the powerful men justifying their deeds in the name of religion. When all the time it was misguided vengeance. 

If you’ve the stomach for it, this was a riveting read. 

I tried to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book, but I did not care for the overly dramatic, breathy voice of the narrator, Lisa Cordileone. Especially when she sang or did the voices of the children, so i finally just deleted it and returned to the library. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre and tags: historical fiction, true event. Meadows Massacre, wagon train, murder, Mormons

How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson

 This debut thriller is so convoluted and twisty that it will take a close analysis for any reader to figure out the whole of it before the final reveals. Definitely a book that can’t be skimmed if you want to understand the whole picture of this book within a book.

DI Samantha Hansen is coming back to her job at Scotland Yard after suffering a breakdown when she’s thrown into a murder investigation. The victim is a 14-year-old schoolgirl with some disturbing items at the crime scene. One of those items is a book titled “How to Get Away with Murder” written by Denver Brady. Sam is assigned to the task of reading the book and finding the author. While Sam and her trainee are tracking down this info, the secondary narrative pops up in this dual perspective novel and it is actually the text of the manual in the voice of the author. It’s not too long in that Sam and TDC Adam Taylor are finding that the book is not exactly a diary, nor is most of it the truth. And what does this book and its author have to do with Charlotte Mathers, the dead girl. Who is Denver Brady and is he the serial killer he claims to be or is there a copycat at work. 

I don’t want to give any spoilers but this was very entertaining and clever. I loved trying to anticipate the answers and put the clues together as the investigation and action ensued. I liked the protagonist, Samantha Hansen, and some of the other characters in the book, particularly Adam Taylor. The writing was good and I had a great time putting the puzzle together. I wonder if we will see more of Sam or if this is the one and only. I’m not a huge fan of endless series so I’m fine with imagining how the rest of Sam’s life will play out. Definitely recommend this one to all crime fiction lovers. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also reading along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. It was refreshing and fun. The narrators, Tamsin Kennard and Michael Geary, were fabulous in their roles and created unique voices and personalities for all the characters. This created a very immersive experience and definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre and tags: meta fiction, book within a book, crime fiction, police procedural, Scotland Yard, murder

Everyone in This Bank is a Thief (Ernest Cunningham #4) by Benjamin Stevenson

 When a small-town bank is held up, the suspects aren’t just the people in masks — it’s everyone inside, each harboring their own criminal secrets. This clever setup serves as a backdrop for a narrator who speaks directly to the reader, dissecting the rules of mystery writing while leading them through a maze of greed and petty local grudges. 

This 4th book in the series features amateur author and crime solver, Ernest Cunningham, and trades explosive action and police procedural for a sharp, cynical wit. The plot is like a logic puzzle and is quite convoluted since every person involved is a thief in one way or another. The moral and psychological weights of theft come into play along with the crimes themselves. And it’s not just stealing, it’s also murder. And crazy stuff like spontaneous combustion. 

The protagonist in this series isn’t a traditional hero but more an adherent to following the rules of detective fiction. Ernest is a self published author who comes from a family of criminals so he has a bit of a messy heritage. He breaks that fourth wall and talks to the reader by pointing out clues and other observations as he sees them during his investigation or observations. I had no idea where this one was going as it got more convoluted by the page and quite a list of characters to keep straight.

All comes together in the typical parlor room reveal where the logic is laid out and the killer is unmasked. Once again, the author follows the fair game rules. There was no way I could guess most of the revelations much less determine who did what to whom or why. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publisher. The narrator, Barton Welch, did a good job of capturing Ernest’s self aware, witty, and often conversational tone. He’s able to give unique personalities to his cast from the teenage gamer to the female security expert. Definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

This is the 4th book in a series that should be read in order from the beginning.

Genre and tags: mystery, fourth wall, meta, murder, gold, thieves

The Quiet Neighbor by J.D. Barker and Adam Roach

 The price of a past you can’t outrun.

Successful lawyer, Cynthia Burrows, sees her life unravel when her 18-year-old daughter, Tori, disappears. Alerted when the school sends an excused absence text, Cynthia becomes alarmed and tries to find out why Tori is skipping school. Thinking it has to do with a boy she’s dating, Cynthia goes to where the boy works only to find that he hasn’t shown up for his job. Now on high alert, Cynthia checks the coffee shop’s camera feed and sees Tori leaving with an older man linked to a name from Cynthia’s past. The name is Alexander Beaufort, a serial killer, who forced Cynthia into witness protection decades ago.

Cynthia races to find Tori, aided by (how convenient) her best friend, FBI Agent Gabby, the only person who knows about Cynthia’s past. This is where the book starts to require an immense measure of suspension of disbelief. As Cynthia races from place to place trying to find Tori, the story flips back and forth in time to her childhood when she was Samantha. To save her daughter, she has to confront and reveal all of her buried trauma and the secrets she hid from everyone. 

The authors deliver a fast paced thriller, but the reader has to accept a lot of extraordinary coincidences and unbelievable allowances given to Cynthia who somehow is provided access to every crime scene and all of the investigation details. Journal entries written by an unknown person confessing homicidal urges are interspersed and, come on, I’d be amazed if someone did not figure out immediately who the author was. I had the twists and shocking revelations sussed out almost from the beginning. Also, I didn’t care much for the main characters and there were some questions unanswered at the end. 

It was a quick read over the course of an evening, and I have liked a lot of this author’s books in the past, but this one wasn’t as good. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Morgan Halley, did a good job of voicing the characters who were mostly female so she changed her tone and accents enough to make them distinct. I always find that a good audio production enhances my enjoyment of a book, and this was no exception.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre and tags: suspense thriller, serial killer, witness protection, missing daughter, murder

All in Her Hands (Nora Beady #3) by Audrey Blake

 This third book completes the story arc in this historical fiction novel about Dr. Nora (Beady) Gibson in London in the 1840s.

It’s 1849, London, and Dr. Nora Gibson faces a dual struggle as she fights for midwives to gain professional recognition while battling a devastating cholera epidemic. As society and the medical establishment push back against her, Nora risks her reputation and personal safety to honor her oath to save lives. 

What a powerful and immersive conclusion to Nora’s journey! It perfectly blends medica history with Nora’s personal stakes. It focuses on Nora’s continued resilience as she fights both personal and professional battles. The medical details are authentic and the story is deeply moving. This book functions as a poignant capstone to Nora’s story as it shifts focus from her quest for credentials to the grittier reality of trying to practice medicine and surgery while facing gender bias. 

It’s obvious that the book was meticulously researched and, late to the party, I just discovered that Audrey Blake is a pseudonym for the two true collaborators, Regina Sirois and Jaima Fixsen. They used several real life women doctors as a guide for the character of Nora and the treatments that she performs are straight from clinical studies, case reports, and research articles published in that time period. I found it all extremely interesting and I was riveted by Nora’s story. I loved all the characters and I will miss them. Surely there’s still another adventure that can be told? 

I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Susan Lyons, did an exceptional job voicing all the characters. Her ability to create unique voice prints for all the different characters was phenomenal and it produced a truly immersive experience. She has a way with accents as well and no trouble pronouncing medical terms. 

Great series, I highly recommend it.

This is the third and final book in the trilogy that should be read from the beginning in order.

Genre and tags: historical fiction, London, 1840s, female doctors, cholera, midwifery, medicine, surgery

The Surgeon’s Daughter (Nora Beady #2) by Audrey Blake

 Breaking barriers in medicine and surgery

A compelling fusion of meticulous medical history and a defiant coming of age narrative. 

The second in the series follows Nora Beady as she navigates the transition from a clandestine surgical prodigy, trained by the prominent man who took her into his home and made her his daughter, to a formal medical student at the University of Bologna in Italy in 1840. In a time where women are not welcome in roles of doctor and surgeon in most countries, Nora has to leave her home in England to study there. She comes under the tutelage of a brilliant surgeon, Dr. Magdalena Morenco, who helps her prove her worth in a field designed to exclude her. As Nora becomes more proficient in delivery of ether anesthetic and in surgical techniques, especially the C-Section, there are those who wish to see her fail. Meanwhile, her foster father, Dr. Horace Croft, is beset with financial woes along with his worsening health. Nora’s romantic interest, Dr. Daniel Gibson, who works with Horace, is experiencing heartbreak treating the children dying of diphtheria. 

I enjoyed all the historical details though also railing at the injustice of Nora’s situation of being held in a legal limbo as the establishment wants to deny her the opportunity and ability to practice. In a time where women were constrained by the opinions of laws of men, she had a lot to overcome. Their egos and belief in their own superiority were terribly frustrating and Nora had to navigate the situation very carefully. It was also interesting to read about the perception differences between England and Italy as far as women in the medical field. I loved the medical descriptions of the operations and the diseases and conditions of the patients. I can’t help but be amazed at how far advanced the treatment of care of patients evolved through research, trial, and error. The needless suffering and death that has been eradicated by procedures we now take for granted including antibiotics and surgical techniques. How lucky we are to be alive in these times. I am looking forward to the next installment.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book. The narrator, Susan Lyons, did an excellent job voicing the characters with her masterful command of languages and accents. Her ability to differentiate voices made the listening experience such an immersive experience. 

This is the second in a series featuring Nora Beady.

Genre - historical fiction, 19 century, England, Italy, surgery, women in medicine

Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davis

 A gripping drama and thriller wherein the legal procedure provides the structure while Judge Mary Stone’s personal resilience provides the heart. 

In Union Springs, Alabama, respected Judge Mary Stone faces a devastating moral dilemma when a high profile case involving a minor’s abortion and a criminalized doctor lands in her courtroom. Balancing her role as a local farmer and a judge, she must navigate a volatile legal battle that forces her to choose between rigid statute and profound compassion, risking everything she holds dear to define justice in a deeply fractured community beset by protestors on both sides. 

Mary Stone really anchors the novel as a uniquely grounded protagonist. Her dual identity creates someone easily identified with as her personal history, family connection to the land, and her sharp legal mind make her extremely compelling. The courtroom scenes, the various characters and players, as well as the other events surrounding this huge case kept me absolutely riveted and I couldn’t put this book down. The drama was very high stakes as the topic of abortion is so very controversial and timely. The town and people are caught up in this firestorm both politically and legally. Definitely polarizing and the story demonstrates the high cost of legislation and rulings that make no exceptions. I felt all the emotions going through this traumatic ordeal. 

As usual, the pacing was excellent and the collaboration is so well done. I don’t know if this is being considered as the first in a series featuring this memorable character, but I welcome any future installment. I’m addicted to legal dramas and thrillers. 

I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Viola Davis, is perfection. Her voice, her dramatic flair, and her talent just amplify the personality and gravitas of the main character. She transitions easily to voicing other characters as well and created a truly immersive experience that made me enjoy the book even more. Don’t miss this production! 

4+ stars

This is a standalone and is not part of any series. Yet. 

Genre and tags: legal dramas and thriller, rape, abortion, racial tension, trial, law