Summary: When Alexandra takes a summer job in Sofia, Bulgaria she thinks that it will be the perfect way to heal the loss of her brother who disappeared on a hiking trip. But things do not turn out the way she had planned. She meets a group of three people outside a hotel but when they go their separate ways she notices that she has kept one of their bags. Inside are human ashes. With the help of the friendly taxi driver, Bobby, she is determined to find the group and return the remains. Everything is not as easy as she expected when threats and warnings start to appear as they dig deeper into whose ashes are in the urn.
Highlights: I love the pieces near the end when you get to look into the life of Stoyan Lazarov. He details his time after the war and living in Communist controlled Bulgaria. The strength that he possesses is astounding. I have read a lot about prisoners during the Holocaust and it always scares me plus amazes me the will power and strength these people have.
Lowlights: The middle is slow moving as they are traveling around Bulgaria looking for the relatives of Stoyan. It was a lot of detail gathering and talking that leads up till the ending but it got long.
FYI: Read her other book, The Historian! Amazing read. But make sure you keep the lights on.
As I was looking through the 200 most popular titles scheduled to be released in March, I realized that March 7 is a huge day for new releases! I could probably have included 30 or more titles in this post. As it was, after much searching, I was able to find two books that will be released on Marcy 14, and one book that is already out. It was released on March 1, a Wednesday, so it’s a little bit of an odd book out. So, with so many great new books that could fill your shelves, here are some titles we think deserve the buzz they are getting.
“In Farleigh Field” is a new story from Rhys Bowen.
Released March 1: “In Farleigh Field” by Rhys Bowen —
From the author of the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness series comes a sweeping new novel of World War II. A pilot’s parachute fails and he falls to his death on the estate of Farleigh Field, the ancestral home of Lord Westerfield and his five daughters. An MI5 operative conducts an investigation into the pilot, while one of Lord Westerfield’s daughters secretly works at Bletchley Park, the British code-breaking facility.
3.99 stars on Goodreads
March 7: “Silence Fallen” by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson #10) —
The latest installment in the Mercy Thompson series finds the coyote shapeshifter alone in the middle of Europe trying to determine who is her enemy and who is her ally. She is unable to contact the werewolf pack at home, including the pack’s alpha werewolf, Adam.
4.45 stars on Goodreads
“Etched in Bone” by Anne Bishop is No. 5 in the Others series.
March 7: “Etched in Bone” by Anne Bishop (The Others #5) —
The fifth book in The Others series by Anne Bishop continues the story of the shapeshifters, vampires and humans that inhabit the Lakeside Courtyard. After the Elders brutally put down a human uprising, the courtyard has emerged relatively unscathed, but now faces tensions and difficulties of its own when Lieutenant Montgomery’s shady brother shows up. Simon Wolfguard and blood prophet Meg Corbyn have their hands full trying to maintain peace. 4.49 stars on Goodreads
March 7: “Exit West” by Mohsin Hamid —
Two young people, Nadia and Saeed, meet in a country that is on the brink of civil war. They begin a furtive love affair and when the city explodes in violence, they decide they no longer have a choice and have to leave. They’ve heard whispers about doors that can whisk people far away, but for a price. Nadia and Saeed find a door and step through into an alien and uncertain future. 4.17 stars on Goodreads
“Never Let You Go” is a new suspense novel from Chevy Stevens.
March 14: “Never Let You Go” by Chevy Stevens —
Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash and her daughter escaped the abusive relationship with Lindsey’s ex-husband and he was sent to jail. Lindsey and her daughter, now a teenager, have built a new life. When Lindsey learns that her ex has been released from jail, she believes all ties have been cut, but now she feels like someone is watching her. Her new boyfriend is threatened; her daughter is followed and her home is invaded. 4.26 stars on Goodreads
A new Maisie Dobbs mystery is scheduled to be released March 14.
March 14: “In This Grave Hour” by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs #13) — It’s September 1939, and Great Britain is bracing for war with Germany. Maisie receives an assignment from Dr. Francesca Thomas to find a killer from the Great War. While Maisie is delving into that, she also has an evacuee from the current war billeted at her home in Kent.
4.32 stars on Goodreads
