What’s Ashley Reading?: Hallowe’en Party

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

First line: Mrs. Ariadne Oliver had gone with a friend with whom she was staying, Judith Butler, to help with the preparations for a children’s party which was to take place that same evening.

Summary: At a children’s Halloween party, a young girl named Judith, mentions that she had once witnessed a murder. While no one believes the girl, she is found later drowned in an apple bobbing tub. Famous detective, Hercule Poirot, is called in to find the girl’s murderer as well as to discover who committed the murder Judith claimed to see years before.

My Thoughts: After recently hearing about the upcoming Hercule Poirot movie, A Haunting in Venice, starring Kenneth Branagh I decided it was time to get back into the world of the famous detective. However, the title of the book and much of the plot seems to differ. I will be interested to see how they use the plot of Christie’s novel to create the movie.

Like many of the Poirot novels I have read I found this one filled with twists and suspicious characters. As the detective dives deeper into the dark history of the village he finds a pattern that could easily be tied to the death of the young girl. There were many disappearances and deaths that it was hard to keep some of it straight. Hallowe’en Party was a fun read as most Agatha Christie novels are. While not my favorite Poirot book it is worth a read, especially if you are looking forward to the upcoming movie.

Monica’s Musings: The Woman in the Library

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

“I am a bricklayer without drawings, laying words in sentences, sentences into paragraphs, allowing my walls to twist and turn on a whim…”

― Sulari Gentill, The Woman in the Library

Summary: In every person’s story, there is something to hide…

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet until the tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation, and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

My Thoughts: I loved the idea of this clever mystery within a mystery.

The main character Freddie is an author who is writing a fictional story about what is happening in real life. The way reality played alongside the fictional story in a unique format had me intrigued from the start. There is a lot to unpack in this book. Murder at the library, people bonded by a scream, another murder or two, a manuscript, and many interesting turns!

The whole time it had me double guessing myself and swaying my opinion of the murderer’s identity. I found myself wanting to read more to find out who it was! It was fun to guess along with the characters as they tossed around theories. Overall I enjoyed this one, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a murder mystery to solve as the story develops.

Monica’s Musings: Everything I Never Told You

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

“He can guess, but he won’t ever know, not really. What it was like, what she was thinking, everything she’d never told him.”
― Celeste Ng, Everything I Never Told You

Summary:

Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.

So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos.

A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering how mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.

My Thoughts:

This story starts with the reader finding out about the death of the favorite child, Lydia. I assumed it would just be an emotional book about finding the cause of death, but I was wrong, but somehow also right. This book is beyond what I was first expecting, and it branches off in so many directions as we follow the family before and after the death of Lydia. This book truly hit the nail on the head with the title. It focuses on each family member and their hopes, fears, and dreams. Showing us so many parts of their lives where they never voiced their emotions but should have. Celeste Ng showed the reader the consequences of them not doing so.

Additionally, this book is set in the 1970s and deals with both race identity and gender identity. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I finished the audiobook in a day, and it has stuck with me for several weeks now. I recommend this to anyone looking for a “hit you in the feels” type of read.

Monica’s Musings: Sharp Objects

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

“A town so suffocating and small, you tripped over people you hated every day. People who knew things about you. It’s the kind of place that leaves a mark.”

― Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects

Summary:

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the unsolved murder of a preteen girl and the disappearance of another. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town.

Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming.

My Thoughts:

I have mixed feelings about this book for sure. It touches on a multitude of intense topics. Please check any trigger warnings before embarking on this story. With that said, I thought it was extremely interesting. It had so much going on it was impossible for me to put it down.

Flynn does a fantastic job of challenging the notion that women are weak. In a world where women are always portrayed as victims, this is an interesting look at the other kinds of women who do not fit that stereotype. It is programmed into us to believe that women are safer, kinder, and built with an instinct that makes it difficult for them to be cruel or cause pain without reason. That is not always the case.

I would recommend this to anyone who looks for dark and twisted stories. The topics that are dealt with are heavy, however it was all shocking in an entertaining way.

What’s Ashley Reading?: All the Blood We Share

All the Blood We Share by Camilla Bruce

First line: When we departed the train on that January morning, all I could see was a bleak sky stretching out in every direction.

Summary: Based on the true story of the serial killing family, the Bloody Benders of Kansas. The Bender family has recently moved to the prairie town of Cherryvale where they have opened a small inn for travelers. The town seems to accept the family, especially Kate who uses her skills as a medium to help believers get in touch with their loved ones beyond the veil. However, a few bodies are found along the creek and others have been reported missing. It seems that there may be a band of thieves killing travelers…or is there? How much does the town of Cherryvale know about their newest residents?

My Thoughts: I had heard the name “Bloody Benders” but I really had no idea their crime spree on the prairie. From the beginning I was hooked. This book is a wonderful example of an atmospheric novel. As a Kansan, I’ve traveled over the open expanses of the state and can easily picture what life alone on the prairie must have been like during the time of the Benders. It sets the stage for the dramatic story that unfolds.

The story is told through three different narrators; Hanson, Elvira and Kate. Hanson is the young orphan who lives and works at a neighboring farm who befriends the Bender family. Elvira is the matriarch of the Bender family. She is conflicted about the events on the farm but doesn’t shy away from the rewards of the family’s deeds. And Kate, a self-proclaimed medium who uses her brains and beauty to charm everyone around her. Even though Kate Bender is the dark villainess of the story at times I found it hard to not like her. She was smart, resourceful and charming but with a darkness in her soul.

I really disliked the men of the family. William, the father, believed in Kate’s “visions” and was easily led by the women in his life. John, Kate’s step-brother, is obsessed with her and grows angry when she spends time with any of the men who crossed her path.

As I started reading I had to do a little research about the Benders. I was shocked by the murders but also by the lack of information about the family. Nothing is known about them before arriving in Kansas, it is not even known if these were their real names, but Camilla Bruce does a great job of building a backstory that shows a string of similar activities. And then Bruce gives a possible ending to their story. But since no traces of the Benders were ever found, no one will ever know. Theories abounded at the time about their whereabouts and/or deaths but nothing was ever verified. The author took a story with the barest of details and created a novel that is just as bloody as the real events.

After finishing the novel I went on Newspapers.com and searched for articles about the Bender family in the Wichita papers. It is fascinating to see actual articles about the murders in Cherryvale. It makes the history of it even more real. I wonder if it’s something my ancestors discussed as they read the unfolding story in their local papers.

Monica’s Musings: The Wife Upstairs

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

“One thing growing up in the foster system taught me was to watch people’s eyes more than you listened to what they said. Mouths were good at lying, but eyes usually told the truth.”
― Rachel Hawkins, The Wife Upstairs

Summary:

Jane is new to Alabama, and she is working as a dog walker in Thornfield Estates—a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. No one will even think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently Eddie’s wife, Bea, was in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie—not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, but he could also offer her the kind of protection she has always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea. Can she win Eddie’s heart before her past—or his—catches up to her?

My Thoughts:

I heard all of the talk about comparing this to Jane Eyre, and have decided just to read and review this book on its own with no comparisons.

I am so happy that this is my first read of the new year! It is exactly what I look for in a book. I loved the character’s dark and hidden pasts, and that as the reader, we are kept in the dark about some of their secrets all the way up to the last few chapters!

Besides being a fun thriller, this was also very well-written and perfectly paced. There is some jumping around in time, but Hawkins has the chapters clearly titled and there will not be any confusion. I found this to be a nice touch. Sometimes this annoys me in books, but not in this one. This is the second book that I have read by Rachel Hawkins, and I am a fan of her writing for sure!

*Check out my review of Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins here!

Monica’s Musings: A Very Vintage Christmas

A Very Vintage Christmas by Tilly Tennant

“You should never have to feel stupid sharing the things that matter to you with the people you love.”
― Tilly Tennant, A Very Vintage Christmas

Summary:

Dodie is a hopeless romantic and is absolutely one of a kind, just like the pieces in her shop. When Dodie finds a love letter in the pocket of an old wool coat, she makes it her mission to deliver it to its rightful owner. Following the address, she manages to persuade the handsome but reluctant new tenant, Edward, to help her with her search.

As the story of the letter unfolds, Dodie is there to pick up the pieces and make things right. But who will be there for her when her love story needs a helping hand? Is it too much to dream of a happy ending like the ones in the black-and-white movies she adores?

My Thoughts:

I was hoping for a simple feel-good Christmas read and was not disappointed. Tilly Tennant does a wonderful job crafting this sweet holiday story. The characters have depth, and they all show their good and bad sides. I am not surprised that this was turned into a Hallmark movie, because it fits that genre perfectly! I definitely recommend A Very Vintage Christmas to anyone who enjoys holiday stories, contemporary fiction, or romance.

*Available on Hoopla

What’s Ashley Reading?: A Murder at Balmoral

A Murder at Balmoral by Chris McGeorge

First line: Whenever one desires the attention of those beyond a door, one cannot go wrong with three sharp knocks.

Summary: The royal family of England have gathered at their home of Balmoral in Scotland for a family Christmas. The staff have been dismissed for the day except for the chef and the head of security. The day starts as any other with the chef, Jonathan, delivering breakfast to the king. However, a blizzard is moving into the Balmoral estate as the king welcomes his family with a traditional Christmas speech. But as he takes the first drink of whiskey, he suddenly drops dead. Someone has killed the king and it appears to be a member of the royal family. Jonathan is given the task of trying to deduce who could have poisoned the monarch and do it before anyone else ends up dead!

My Thoughts: I don’t normally pick up something like this. Cozy Christmas mysteries are not what I gravitate towards but I liked the cover and the plot sounded interesting. Plus I wanted something a little different for the last month of the year. I am glad I gave this a chance. It was quick, fun and perfect for the holiday season.

I liked that the royal family is a fictionalized one based on the idea that Edward VIII did not abdicate and married as the government wanted. These are his descendants. I enjoyed the story with its little twists and secrets. Each member of the family has something they are hiding or having held against them. Life is not perfect, nor is this family.

Nothing in the book was incredibly shocking but it was a cozy little read that kept me interested. I cannot say that I liked many of the royal family but that was probably intentional. The main character was the only one who had more of a backstory than anyone but he still felt a little flat. But rather than letting this bother me I just enjoyed the story and feeling of a Christmas murder mystery. The only thing that would have made this more enjoyable would have been a cold and wintery day to read it on.

Monica’s Musings: We Are All the Same in the Dark

We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin

“We are all the same in the dark. My mother said that to me when she kissed me good night. She meant that in the dark, all that’s left is our souls.” – Julia Heaberlin, We Are All the Same in the Dark

Summary:

It has been a decade since Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving only a bloody handprint behind. Her pretty face still hangs like a watchful queen on the posters on all of the walls in town. They all promise the same thing: We will find you. Meanwhile, her brother, Wyatt, lives in the desolation of the old family house. Although he was found not guilty by the police, he is seen as a killer by the public.

When Wyatt finds a lost girl dumped in a field of dandelions, he believes she is a sign. The youngest cop in town, Odette Tucker, believes this girl will be the flame that will ignite a seething town. Desperate to solve both cases, Odette fights to save the lost girl in the present and digs up the shocking truth about the night her friend disappeared, the night that inspired her to become a cop and the night that wrote them all a role in the town’s dark, violent history.

My Thoughts:

This is a slow-burn kind of dark mystery, which is creepy in places. It is the kind where you hold your breath in fear because the atmosphere is so intense you could cut it with a knife. It portrays ghostly images and biblical references. The characters are flawed and are far from perfect. With traumatic backgrounds and disabilities, all the characters are well depicted and feel realistic.

The book is full of powerful imagery, and is beautiful in places. The end is unpredictable and not what I expected, which I really like. My only negative is that sometimes the pace drops off. Thankfully, the tempo builds again, and we race towards the conclusion, which ponders on the title and poses further questions about the perpetrators.

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Kind Worth Killing

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

First line: “Hello, there,” she said.

Summary: On a flight from London to Boston, Ted meets a young woman named Lily. As they talk Ted begins to discuss his marriage which he feels is not as happy as he hoped. He suspects his wife of having an affair and he lets slip that he would like to kill his wife. But rather than being turned off by the talk of murder, Lily offers to help Ted with the task. Once back in Boston the two conspirators continue to meet and discuss the details of Ted’s wife’s murder. However, there is more to Lily than Ted ever could have imagined. Including her own experience in the art of murder.

My Thoughts: This book was one twist after another. I was shocked so many times that I thought there was nothing else that could be revealed but I was wrong! I have read several of Swanson’s books but this one is his best. At the beginning it seemed to be following the plot lines of Strangers on a Train but that went out the window pretty quickly.

Even though Lily has such a dark past and did some rather dastardly things I really liked her. Her chapters were always my favorite because of how twisted her thoughts were. She was able to think herself out of situations and justify any of her actions. Her character was truly scary but easily the best part of the book.

I have wanted to read this for years but never got around to it. But when I saw and requested the next book on Netgalley, it moved up the list. And I am so glad I picked it up. I sped through it. I loved the narrators and the pacing of the novel. If I was reading it I can see it easily being a book I could have finished in a day. It was that good!

FYI: The Kind Worth Saving is coming out in March 2023.