A Stranger in Mayfair by Charles Finch

This is Book Four of the Charles Lenox detective series. Charles is now married to Lady Jane and has been elected to Parliament. Charles & Jane have also combined their two homes into one large home and combined their households. Lots of change for each of them. There is definitely an adjustment period for sure. Charles & Jane have a difficult time sharing their feelings with each other, which doesn't help either of them.

Toto & Thomas have a child, Grace Georgianna, whom they call "George". George's arrival on the scene changes the lives - and marriage - of Toto & Thomas, who are besotted with their baby daughter. (That's the perfect word!) But of course, their insane happiness brings sadness to Charles & Jane. (Oh, if only they would talk to each other!!) Neither Charles or Jane will admit that they do or don't want a child themselves. (But they both do; they just can't admit it.)

With the combining of households, Charles & Jane have two butlers. One has to go. Thankfully, Charles needs a Secretary for Parliament and thankfully, Graham accepts this new unlikely position. He is perfect for the position and Charles, with his constant distractions, should be eternally grateful that Graham keeps him on track! Charles, once again, is completely intrigued by the death of a footman and can't help but investigate this murder which he has been asked to stay out of several times by several people.

Charles is very self-introspective in this book. He is trying to figure out what he wants out of life. He feels a huge responsibility to be in Parliament, but he discovers that it's less exciting than expected and he has less influence than he would like. Plus, he can't seem to give up being a detective. It's really his passion. Unfortunately, even though he is making name for himself with his sleuthing abilities, it's still not a "accepted" line of work in society. So he pretty much agonizes about these two things. And he also spends quite a bit of time feeling depressed about his marriage since they can't seem to talk about the important things.

He does manage to find the time to figure out who murdered the footman, and I thought it was cleverly unveiled. I really didn't know who had murdered him until Charles figured it out. I liked how the story unfolded to a reasonable and plausible ending.

So, moving on to Book Five!

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch

Book three of the Charles Lenox detective series begins with the murders of two journalists. One journalist is corrupt; the other is squeaky clean. Charles can't help but be intrigued, even though he also has other things on his mind in this book. First of all, he is engaged to be married to the love of his life, Lady Jane Grey, and he was asked to run for Parliament for the Liberal Party in a by-election in Stirrington. So, his interests are split three ways for the entire book, which certainly caused some stress in his life.

Charles feels a family responsibility to be in Parliament, and he really wants to fulfill this dream of his. At the same time, he acknowledges that he can't seem to stop playing amateur detective, which is a profession looked down upon in his level of society. He just can't help himself though. So, even though he travels to Stirrington to campaign (he only has two weeks to sway all the local voters away from his opponent who was born and raised in Stirrington), he manages to sneak back to London for some detective work on the side, much to everyone's dismay on the campaign trail.

In addition to all of this, Charles & Jane's best friends, Toto & Thomas, suffer a miscarriage months into Toto's pregnancy. One thing about this time period - or maybe it's the British way - but couples do not communicate very effectively!!  Toto & Thomas have always had their share of marriage troubles, and this is no exception. Toto always relies on Jane for comfort, rather than Thomas, who always turns to drink. It's very frustrating. With the miscarriage, comes a bump in the road for Charles & Jane's pending marriage. Jane wants to slow things down, which sends Charles' into an emotional tailspin. Eventually, they do talk. Thankfully.

I love how Charles' life moves forward in this series. He doesn't just "solve murder mysteries". He lives his life and manages to solve murders in the in-between time of personal events in his life. He is nearly 40 years old, but he is still "finding himself". I guess when you are born wealthy, you are allowed to take your time with that! Ha! One of my favorite characters is Graham, Charles' butler. Graham is so incredibly helpful and smart and loyal. Nothing fazes him in the slightest. Charles is very "eccentric" for his level of society and Graham just goes with the flow, offering his advice in the most respectful way.

I enjoy this series. It's such an incredibly different way of living (wealthy London in the 1800's vs middle-class America in 2021), but I guess that's what I find fascinating. Plus, I love the characters.

Wendy's Rating: ****

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This book was nothing like I expected. At one point, quite late in the book, I was definitely thinking to myself, "What???" At that point, if someone had asked me if I liked it, I would have hesitated before answering. Did I like it? Well, thanks to the last 70 pages or so, I guess I can say yes. It's an odd and confusing story at times though.

I liked the protagonist, Noemi Taboada, a lot. She was intelligent, funny, spirited and confident. Of course it is these same characteristics that caused her "life plan" to veer off course. Noemi is sent to High Place (basically an "English Mansion" in the countryside in Mexico) by her father to check on her cousin, Catalina, who recently married Virgil and moved to High Place. Noemi's father had received a distressing letter from Catalina asking for help. So Noemi travels to High Place, which ends up being an extremely old, cold, dark and inhospitable mansion. No one visits except for the family doctor. No one talks at dinner. Catalina appears delirious and ill most of the time, and it's difficult for Noemi to even spend time with her.

Noemi tries to seek help for her cousin's condition from a local doctor. She also visits a local medicine woman on behalf of Catalina to get a vial of a "sleep remedy" that Catalina had secretly tried previously. Catalina has been diagnosed with tuberculosis by the family doctor, although she doesn't have symptoms of it and Noemi suspects she would be better served by seeing a psychiatrist. Catalina is disturbed by the walls of the house talking to her; nightmares; something in the cemetery, etc. Noemi quickly experiences the same things.

Virgil is extremely strong, healthy & handsome. Noemi can't decide if he can be trusted. He is charming and kind at times; and appears deceitful and evil at other times. The servants are all cold and uncommunicative. The only person who truly treats Noemi with consistent kindness is Francis, who comes across as weak and unattractive, especially compared to Virgil. The most disgusting family member of all is the patriarch, who is dying. He has black boils all of over his body and he reeks of decay.

Noemi finally asks Francis if the house is haunted - and she receives a non-answer. It's hard to know if the house is haunted, or the food/drink served them is tainted with an hallucination-causing drug, or if the mold growing everywhere is making them sick. It is at this point that things get really weird (over 200 pages into the book)! I certainly don't mind "supernatural" stories, but this one goes way outside my normal supernatural box!

The ending is a bit ambiguous as to what happens in the future, but I hope the best for the survivors of this living nightmare.

Wendy's Rating: ***3/4 

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith

Wow! This 5th installment of the Cormoran Strike/Robin Ellacott series is phenomenal. At a whopping 927 pages, which is long for any book much less a detective novel, it expands our knowledge of both Cormoran and Robin's personal histories, provides development of the personal relationship between them, as well as lays out an intricate, multi-character, astrologically-based 40 year old cold-case of the disappearance of a young female doctor that Cormoran and Robin are hired to solve. Of course this cold case, which they are given one year to solve, is certainly not their only case, so we are on the journey of their other cases as well. It continues to astound me how talented JK Rowling/Robert Galbraith is as a writer. I can't even begin to think where she comes up with her ideas - and how long it takes her to lay out the details of each of her stories so that they weave together into a fascinating exploration of human nature at its worst.

Not only does the original detective in this 40 year old case use astrology to try to solve the case, using horoscopes, astrological symbols and stars, but he expands his thought process to include Steven Schmidt's 14-sign zodiac (advocated in 1970). The detective has some mental health issues (of course!), so he is obsessed with fitting all his suspects into the zodiac. Cormoran and Robin spend many hours trying to dissect his astrology ramblings (he left a notebook with his musings and drawings) to help them understand if there is any merit to his discoveries pertaining to the case when he first interviewed all of the interested parties 40 years previously.

In addition to working many, many hours at their agency, Cormoran is also spending time with his dying aunt Joan (who was really more of a mother to him) and coming to terms with the pending loss; intensely avoiding his half-siblings who want Cormoran to join them and their famous Rockstar father, Jonny Rokeby, for a "family photo"; still feeling responsible for Charlotte's mental health and trying to manage his feelings for her; and trying to come to terms with his true feelings for Robin. It's a lot for any man, especially one who doesn't express himself very well - or very often.

Robin is also dealing with a lot. Matthew continues to drag out their divorce proceedings; she has to deal with Matthew & Sarah "sitings" while still trying to absorb their betrayal against her; her own history of being a victim of rape/assault; clients always assuming that she is Cormoran's assistant instead of his partner in the agency; and her own feelings for Cormoran.

There is SO much more than all I mentioned above as well! And I loved every single word of it. In fact, as I neared the end I slowed down my reading because I didn't want it to end. I love that JKR/RG doesn't spell everything out for the reader. Sometimes, she gives you the means to find the information, and then the reader has to work to find it.

So now I wait for the 6th book of this series. "People" are predicting it will be published in 2022 or so. Apparently she was already writing it in Spring of 2020. I have to wonder how long it will be! Ha! Anyway, love, love, love this author.

Wendy's Rating: *****

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

I am reading my way through all of Ruth Ware's novels. This was my fourth one, with two more to go. I love reading psychological thrillers, even if I figure out some of the "surprise twists" in the story before it's actually revealed. (Side note: if you want to watch a show with a true twist that I did NOT see coming, watch "The Lie" on Amazon Prime!) Anyway, this story is about a 21 year old (Harriet aka Hal) Tarot card reader who has been alone in the world (and extremely poor) since her mother died in a car accident three years previously. Her mother, Maggie, was actually the "psychic" who earned her money reading palms, Tarot cards and giving psychic readings. Hal took over the business after her mother's sudden and unexpected death.

Hal owes money to some not very nice people. When a letter comes in the mail saying that she has inherited money from her wealthy grandmother, she is convinced that the letter came to the wrong Harriet Westaway. But since she desperately needs money, she decides to accept the invitation to the funeral and reading of the Will. Once there, she meets her "Uncles" (Harding, Ezra and Abel) and for the most part, joins the family that she has never met - and who didn't even know she existed. She is introduced as the child of their only sister, Margarida (called Maud), who happens to have the same name as Harriet's mother (Margarida, called Maggie). Of course I can't forget to mention the "setting" of this story: an old, rundown, creepy and extremely cold mansion, called The Trepassen House, that has been in the Westaway family for generations. Oh, and a hateful old miser housekeeper called Mrs. Warren.

The thing I love about these books is trying to figure out all of the secrets that people are hiding. It's difficult to know who to trust. It takes awhile for Harriet to figure out who everyone is and why they all hate their mother, Mrs. Westaway. Hal finds out her mother, Maggie, is actually the cousin of Harding, Ezra, Abel & Maud and used to live at The Trepassen House after her own parents died. Hal has a difficult time with all of the secrets that her mother kept from her since Maggie never once mentioned to Hal anything about The Trepassen House or her cousin and best friend, Maud. And no one seems to know what happened to Maud after she ran away from home as a teenager.

I did manage to figure out some of the secrets before they were revealed, but it might be because I read a lot of these type books. I should say I suspected what had happened. I guess I didn't know for sure until the end. Hal tries to figure out who her father was, and I wasn't sure about that until it slapped me in the face. Ha!

Ruth Ware has written one book a year for the last six years, so hopefully she will continue at this pace. I plan to read them all!

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

I read this book back in 2015, but for some reason I never wrote a blog post on it. So, I decided to read it again since my son was reading it for school. John Green's teenage characters are always so creative and intelligent and quirky. Hazel and Augustus are no exceptions to this. They are talented with their communication skills. They are thoughtful and honest and funny. I actually chuckled out loud a few times while reading. I also teared up a few times.

Hazel and Augustus (Gus) meet in a teenage cancer group that is held at a church every Wednesday. Augustus had previously had one of his leg's amputated due to cancer and Hazel carries oxygen with her at all times so that she can breathe. Gus is in remission and Hazel's cancer is terminal, so she knows she will die young. Their best friend is Isaac, who has lost one eye to cancer and finds out that he is also losing his other eye, which will leave him blind. These three friends love each other and support each other through some terrible things that no one should ever have to go through, especially children.

Hazel is enamored of a book called, "An Imperial Affliction". She has read it many, many times. She gives a copy to Gus to read as well. Her parents read it too. I think this is their way of trying to connect with Hazel, since she keeps people at arm's distance because she is worried about how her pending death will affect them all. The book ends mid-sentence, so there is no conclusion about any of the characters. Hazel likens this to what will happen to herself (she will die mid-sentence, so to speak) and she will never know what happens to the people she loves. But Hazel is also obsessed with finding out what happens to the characters in the book. She has written the author, Peter Van Houten, a few times. Peter Van Houten has become a recluse however, living in Amsterdam. After Gus reads the book, he manages to make contact with Peter. They eventually meet him, but are deeply disappointed (and disgusted) by him.

Like I said earlier, this book is funny and it's sad. But mainly, these teenagers demonstrate incredible courage as they fight cancer and loss.

Wendy's Rating: *****

I'm Still Here, Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown

I was eager to read this book, simply because I wanted to have a better understanding of the "Black Lives Matter" movement. I have always been leary of this idea, not because black lives don't matter, but in my mind, all lives matter. I really wanted to understand the deeper meaning behind this phrase.  Early on in the book, I was indeed enlightened about the consequence of desegregation. For the first time ever, I realized how desegregation, instead of empowering black people, actually took away their heritage, their culture, their language, their religion. By desegregating, black people were folded into the white world. They were "allowed" in white stores, white churches, white schools. But in doing so, they lost their own "blackness". Black people were incorporated into the white world, therefore losing their blackness. This was an "aha" moment for me. I also have a better understanding of the Black Lives Matter phrase. It's not about black lives being more important than any other lives, but rather stating the fact that black lives matter equally to white lives, or brown lives, or any other lives. So, I was feeling pretty positive about what I was learning.

But then I hit Chapter 7, called "Nice White People". My feelings about this book did an about-face. At one point I didn't even think I could finish it! I actually forced myself to read the rest because I was hoping that the author was proving a point, which would be unveiled at the end of the book. Well, that didn't happen. It became quite apparent that no matter what a white person says, doesn't say, does or doesn't do, it's WRONG in the eyes of a black person. If a white person acknowledges someone's blackness in the room, that's bad. If a white person ignores the fact that a black person is in the room, that is bad. If a white person shares a story at a seminar about racial prejudice about how sorry they are about a prejudice they now realize they had, that is bad. Austin Channing Brown writes, "I don't have much use for white guilt anymore. I used to interpret white guilt as an early sign of a change in heart, a glimpse that a movie, program, or speaker had broken through and was producing a changed mind. While that may or may not be true, for those on the receiving end, white guilt is like having tar dry all over your hands and heart. It takes so much work to peel off the layers, rub away the stickiness, get rid of the smell. Unsolicited confessions inspired by a sense of guilt are often poured over Black bodies in search of their own relief." Seriously?? Apparently there is absolutely nothing that a white person can do that will not inspire disgust. She describes the white person's "need for confession" as a "self-indulgent desire". Then she goes on and on, generalizing about white people. "White people desperately want to believe that only the lonely, isolated "whites only" club members are racist." Or "...I suspect that white people really don't want to believe that we (people of color) know them, too." Or "White people are notorious for trying to turn race conversations into debates." She uses the word, "whiteness" over and over again, like it's a swear word. Disgusting. Racist. Inexcusable. "Whiteness twiddles its thumbs with feigned innocence and shallow apologies." White people don't like being generalized about any more than black people do!

Then she talks about her cousin, Dalin, who was several years older than her but someone she looked up to when she was a young child. I won't explain the entire story, but Dalin demonstrates at a young age that when someone ticks him off, he needs to find a gun. He ends up selling drugs to fund his desire for a rap career because "studio time required a lot of money." Then she writes, "It was a bad time to start that kind of career". Why? Because President Clinton had signed an act that called for mandatory minimums for multiple drug offenses, so they had started cracking down on non-violent crime. So, Dalin got arrested "a lot" and when he received his "third strike" he was sent away to prison for ten years. And apparently, we (meaning white people) are at fault for this as well. This just makes me angry! I totally understand that systemic racism exists in our society. 100% agree. I completely understand that black men are pulled over in their cars simply because they are black. 100% I think it is horrible. What I don't understand is the lack of accountability for unlawful, illegal actions. Dalin ends up dying in prison, but not the way you might think. He gets stuck by lightning. Austin is "angry" about Dalin not getting a second chance; about his daughter being left without a father. Why wasn't she angry that he made some terrible decisions about how to make extra money to fund his career?? Why couldn't he get a legal JOB like other people do when they need money. Honestly. It was just too much. 

So, what started out as a desire for opening my mind about racism in America in 2021, ended up with me being ticked off. And for all her talk about black people "losing the way they talk and write" to "whiteness", why did she write this book like a "white person" would instead of using the dialect of her black culture?? I have to stop. If she wanted to provoke a strong reaction from white people, well this white person is provoked.

Wendy's Rating: ***