My November 2022 Reads

Several highlights from November: I had forgotten how entertaining John Grisham can be and really liked two books about an investigator of judicial (mis)conduct.  I also enjoyed The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren, which I liked best of all her books I've read. And Bleeding Heart Yard was as amusing as all of Elly Griffiths' books!

Mystery/Suspense

The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves (2021). I was mad at Cleeves for killing off a character I liked in her Shetland Island series but this is the second book in a different series about dark, troubled but fascinating Matthew Venn, a police detective in Devon, and his more upbeat husband Jonathan who manages a local arts center. I recommend this series.

Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths (2022). Harbinder Kaur, now a Detective Inspector for the CID, is newly arrived in London and sharing a flat with two strangers when she gets her first big homicide case. It’s lucky I like this series because I just read that Griffiths’ next book about Ruth Galloway will be the last one! My review.

The Whistler by John Grisham (2016) audio & The Judge's List by John Grisham (2021) audio.  I really enjoyed this two-book series featuring Lacy Stoltz, an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct, which pursues corrupt judges. The first book involves a judge being paid off by a casino – if Lacy can stay alive long enough to prove it – and the second is about a judge alleged to have committed multiple murders.

Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (1992). It took me several attempts to begin this popular series set in Venice about Commissario Guido Brunetti. I realize the first book in a series can be slow as the author establishes characters and a setting but I was not overwhelmed. Unsure if I would make an effort to read more.

Historical Fiction

If Love Comes by Gladys Malvern. In this historical novel set in early 19th century California, Magdalena is the innocent cause of her mother's death in childbirth causing her father to think she is possessed by the devil. She is followed by tragedy and shunned by those around her, but she yearns for great love and acceptance. My review.

Contemporary Romance

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren (2021) (audio). Single parent Jess is a numbers person and is very distrustful when a new DNA dating app says she and its founder are off-the-charts compatible. When the company offers to pay her to date River Pena to validate the data, she agrees because she needs the money, with predictable but very entertaining results.

One Month of You by Suzanne Ewart (2023). In this sappy and repetitive story, Jess has been diagnosed with Huntington's disease, which she inherited from her mother, so she is afraid to get involved with handsome bartender Alec.

Set on You by Amy Lea (2022). Fitness instructor Crystal Chen has learned to love her curves and ignore the trolls on social media but when she gets involved with a handsome firefighter she meets at the gym, she is stung by those who wonder what he sees in her.

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox (2021). Identical twins switch places right before Christmas when Charlie, star of a television cooking show in LA, needs help from Cass, managing their parents’ cozy bakery somewhere north where it snows.  I love impersonation stories and this was cute albeit predictable.  My review.

Memoir

The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames by Justine Soames (2021). Justine never understood her mother and their troubled relationship but after her mother died, she learned Dorothy had grown up at London’s troubled Foundling Hospital. My review.

YA Historical

The Silent Stars Go By by Sally Nicholls (2020). After her fiancé left for WWI and was presumed dead, Margot rebuilt her life and no one knows her secret. After several years, Harry has miraculously returned and still seems interested but aren’t they completely different people now? I thought the author did a good job depicting an emotional situation without being too anachronistic.

Juvenile Historical

The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss (1990). This historical novel was based on the author’s childhood experience hiding with her sister from the Nazis in Holland during WWII. My review.

The Black Riders by Violet Needham (1939). A Ruritanian adventure featuring the mysteriously named Far Away Moses, who needs Dick’s help to escape from a troop of Black Riders. Count Jasper is the Governor of the Citadel and leader of the Black Riders, pursuing Far Away Moses and trying to persuade young Dick to betray his friends.  Sentimental but well done!

Juvenile Fantasy

The Grey King by Susan Cooper (1982). Annabel is leading a group read of The Dark is Rising series and this fourth book, set in Wales, is one of the strongest in the series. Spoiler: King Arthur appears! My review.