Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce: a WWII story

In the fourth – and equally delightful as its predecessors – book about Emmy Lake, it is 1944, the war seems endless, and even the upbeat staff of Women’s Friend magazine are exhausted by the need for nonstop positive messaging:

Lost Lorrenden by Mabel Esther Allan

Phoebe Lyndhurst has gone to boarding school since she was nine, spending holidays with her grandparents in London, while her parents work in South America. One rainy July, she falls in love with a painting at the National Gallery:

The picture was of an old, grey stone house, with twisted chimneys and mullioned windows. There was a terrace that dropped to a lawn and brilliant flower-beds, and in a corner under a tree a party of ladies was having tea.

The Far Country by Nevil Shute, for the 1952 Club

The Far Country was published in 1952 and provides a snapshot, albeit a depressing one, of post-war Britain, which made it a good choice for the 1952 Club, hosted this week by Simon at Stuck in a Book and Karen at Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings.

Jack and Angela Dorman have finally paid off the mortgage on their small sheep station in Australia after years of drudgery, reared four children, have money in the bank, and even added electricity two years ago.

Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans

For those of us who read a lot of WWII historical fiction, it is a natural progression to contemplate what happened after the war ended. Perhaps this is why I loved the television show Homefront, set in a Midwest town where everyone is excited to welcome back their menfolk but do not realize how their lives will be affected, especially women who worked outside the home doing war work but are now displaced in favor of the men. 

Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson

When our fellow humans annoy us with their squabbles and predictability, don’t we all fantasize about memorializing them in fiction – to their detriment?* 

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie #ReadChristie2025

Hercule Poirot excels at cold cases so he is intrigued when Carla Lemarchant turns up for an appointment with a murder from the past. When she was 21, she learned that her mother had murdered her father, Amyas Crale, a well-known painter. Caroline Crale was convicted and died in prison, a year later.

Love in a Mist by Susan Scarlett #DeanStreetDecember

This is one of 12 light-hearted novels that Noel Streatfeild wrote for adults under a pseudonym, and the only one I’ve read that wasn’t a romance. Instead, this is more of a Tring family story, a grocery business in its fourth generation as backdrop, and the gentle dictatorship of Dad-Tring and Mum-Tring over their adult sons, especially the two who work for their father. George, the eldest, is a solicitor, married to Anna, who believes she married beneath her and feels she is not sufficiently valued in the community. Andrew, the youngest, is married to Doris, who attended the London School of Economics and could have had a promising career.

The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith by Patricia Wentworth #DeanStreetDecember24

Jane Smith is alone in the world and down to her last two shillings and eleven pence when a strange young man mistakes her for her cousin Renata. Jane and Renata have never met but they are the daughters of identical twins – and are virtually identical themselves, at least in looks. 

Mrs. Hart’s Marriage Bureau by Sheena Wilkinson 18/20 Books of Summer

In this historical novel set between the wars, an outgoing young woman finds a new career as a matchmaker. When April McVey’s father dies, she and her mother are disgraced and practically penniless and leave Ireland to live with an aunt in Manchester. It’s a roof over their head but April knows she needs to establish her independence and applies for a position with Mrs. Hart’s matrimonial bureau, a short train ride away. 

The Serial Garden by Joan Aiken #WitchWeek2024

Those who only know Joan Aiken from the beloved The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and later books in the series or her much admired adult regency historicals may not realize she was also a gifted writer of short stories. This collection contains 24 stories about the quirky Armitage family, not published in one place previously, and includes introductions from Aiken’s daughter Lizza and by author Garth Nix. I am not sure how I missed the Armitages. 

Some Sunny Day by Helen Carey, a Lavender Road novel

It’s 1940, and the women of Lavender Road are trying to cope with bombing, rationing, and other stressful situations as the war continues in the second installment of this appealing six book series but even at the most dangerous times their resilience shines through. Katy Parsons, whose father runs a busy pub, is tired of being treated as an invalid because of her asthma. Now that she is 18, she is applying to be a nurse. 

Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie – #ReadChristie2024

Two years ago, Jacko Argyle was convicted of murdering his adoptive mother, despite his denial. He died in prison. His family is still recovering from the horror of these events when they are visited by Dr. Calgary, a geophysicist who has just returned to England and explains that he was Jacko’s alibi: the young man was innocent! 

Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford

It’s 1926 and Maisie Musgrave is desperately down to one pound, thirteen shillings, and ninepence when she finally gets offered a job. It’s at the new British Broadcasting Company where she is interviewed by the Director General’s dragonlike assistant to provide additional secretarial support to the legendary John Reith. 

Two More Mysteries from My 20 Books of Summer

Gunpowder Plot by Carola Dunn

The Honorable Daisy Dalrymple is now married to Alec Fletcher, whom she (and we) met in Death at Wentwater Court, and is now a Detective Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard. She has not forgotten her first love, who died in the Great War, but she has built a new life with Alec and his daughter. 

The Song of Hartgrove Hall by Natasha Solomons

This dual timeline novel moves back and forth from post WWII to the early 21st century, following the youngest of three brothers over the course of his life as he seeks love and music.

Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie #ReadChristie2024

Gordon Cloade’s family has always relied on his wealth and generosity so they are appalled when he marries an attractive widow less than half his age. Weeks later, he dies tragically in the London Blitz and his new bride, Rosaleen, inherits everything. 

Two Historical Mysteries From My 20 Books of Summer

Many books from the Golden Age of Mysteries involve a detective analyzing all the witnesses’ stories and alibis to determine who is lying (although that does not necessarily mean that person is the killer). I am not very good at this although I read attentively and look at maps, if they are included.

It is helpful if there are characters discussing these issues (this is why Watson and his ilk exist; in The Word is Murder, Daniel Hawthorne refuses to discuss, just tells the Anthony Horowitz character how obtuse he is).

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

Title: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club
Author: Helen Simonson
Publication: Dial Press, hardcover, 2024
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: Seaside England

Description: Recently orphaned Constance Haverhill is staying at the Meredith Hotel at Hazelbourne-on-Sea as a sort of companion to elderly Mrs. Fog (in reality, they are chaperoning each other). Mrs. Fog’s daughter, Lady Mercer, and Constance’s mother had been at school together and continued as neighbors when one married a lord and one a farmer, exchanging favors. During the Great War, Constance did invaluable work running the Mercers’ estate office but has been relieved of her (unpaid) duties once the men returned home.

The Ration Book Baby by Ellie Curzon

Title: The Ration Book Baby
Author: Ellie Curzon
Publication: Paperback, 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: WWII Britain

Description: It is a dark night in West Sussex, 1940, when nurse Annie Russell hears a knock on her front door and finds a newborn baby girl in a hat box on the front steps, with a ration book tucked beneath her.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

Title: How to Solve Your Own Murder
Author: Kristen Perrin
Publication: Dutton, hardcover, 2024
Genre: Mystery
Setting: Britain

Description: In 1965, Frances Adams was at a fair with teenage friends when a fortune teller warns her she will be murdered. Over the years, this changes a lovely, outgoing young woman into a neurotic person who alienates everyone she knows, including her own relatives.