• Title: The School of Night by Louis Bayard
• Publisher/yr: Henry Holt and Co. 2011
• Genre: Contemporary/historical mystery
• Book #: DNF 7
• Author status: new-to-me
• Series status: NA
• Rating: DNF; pg. 78
• Would I read this author again: No. I snagged The School of Night from the review shelf thinking it would be a story I’d really be able to get lost in. The blurb contained all the elements I was looking for – a blend of contemporary and historical fiction. Lots of mystery with a sneaky plot line. I’d be twisting around one corner and turning around the next. A story to keep me guessing until the very end. As it turns out this one hit the DNF pile at page 78. I really didn’t like the author’s story telling style. I kept waiting for the sentence, paragraph, or chapter that would give me that ‘ah ha’ moment. My ‘ah ha’ moment never came. I like my mysteries to immediately grab me. I want them to make me want more. As it turns out with The School of Night I wanted less.

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An ancient mystery, a lost letter, and a timeless love unleash a long-buried web of intrigue that spans four centuries.

In the late sixteenth century, five brilliant scholars gather under the cloak of darkness to discuss God, politics, astronomy, and the black arts. Known as the School of Night, they meet in secret to avoid the wrath of Queen Elizabeth. But one of the men, Thomas Harriot, has secrets of his own, secrets he shares with one person only: the servant woman he loves.

In modern-day Washington, D.C., disgraced Elizabethan scholar Henry Cavendish has been hired by the ruthless antiquities collector Bernard Styles to find a missing letter. The letter dates from the 1600s and was stolen by Henry’s close friend, Alonzo Wax. Now Wax is dead and Styles wants the letter back.

But the letter is an object of interest to others, too. It may be the clue to a hidden treasure; it may contain the long-sought formula for alchemy; it most certainly will prove the existence of the group of men whom Shakespeare dubbed the School of Night but about whom little is known. Joining Henry in his search for the letter is Clarissa Dale, a mysterious woman who suffers from visions that only Henry can understand. In short order, Henry finds himself stumbling through a secretive world of ancient perils, caught up in a deadly plot, and ensnared in the tragic legacy of a forgotten genius.

On your nightstand now:
CB: I’m working on writing the third book in my American Revolution series, and when I’m writing, pretty much all my reading time is devoted to non-fiction research material. Right now I’m reading A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens by Lawrence E. Babits. It’s a great read on a pivotal battle that I need to know more about.

Favorite book when you were a child:
CB: Other than a set of World Book Encyclopedia, my family didn’t own many books at all, but we did frequent the library. In the Chicago neighborhood I grew up in, a trip to the closest branch library required a bus trip with a transfer. Nonetheless, we went often, bookbags in hand, and there I was drawn into the wondrous world of fiction. I so often had my nose in a book, my mother would have to direct me to, ‘Put the book down!’ I loved classic fables and fairy tales, and novels like the Little House series, Charlotte’s Web, and The Hobbit that would transport me to times and places far from home. When I was in the fifth grade, my mother bought me a grade school world history textbook at a rummage sale. I loved this book! I would pour over the glossy pages, filled with images and timelines, moving from era to era, and civilization to civilization. I now recognize this is the book that sparked my
love for history, and research.

Your top five authors:
CB: In no particular order–
Charles Dickens for characters
John Steinbeck for story
Jane Austen for romance
Alexander Dumas for adventure
Raphael Sabatini for swashbuckling

Favorite line from a book:
CB: One of the first things I did when I began the deep research for this American Revolution series was to read a collection of Thomas Paine’s writing. There were so many lines within his work that spoke to me, I decided to use specific lines from Common Sense as epigraphs to each chapter in The Tory Widow. I continued the practice in this latest novel, beginning each chapter of The Turning of Anne Merrick with a relevant line from the American Crisis. “These are the times that try men’s souls…” or “Tis the business of little minds to shrink…” or “What we obtain to cheap, we esteem too lightly…” – these are the stirring words that forged a nation.

There is a line from Common Sense that so speaks to my personal life philosophy, that it has become a favorite quote of mine: “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”

Where/when is your favorite place to write:
CB: I have a great writing place. Our 100-year old home has a room we call the “library” – probably a grander name than the room deserves, but it is quipped with floor to ceiling bookshelves (where I keep my research materials at hand), a very comfortable ergonomic office chair, and a great big ol’ wooden desk with those side surfaces that slide in and out.

When you’re not researching, writing or reading:
CB: We have a second home on a small lake up north in Michigan. It is a quiet retreat, and a place where I can work with my hands gardening and such. I have recently developed a penchant for haunting antique and flea markets hunting for old cast iron cookware to refurbish. There is something very satisfying in taking a rusty old castaway skillet to clean and season, and bring back it to the point where a pair of over easy eggs slide out as if it were made of some space-age material. Nothing is better for cooking or baking than vintage cast iron.

Another joy in life is travel. I always am reenergized by a far-off trip, where I can tromp around and become inspired by great art, architecture, and culture all accompanied by good food and drink in the company of my best friend and husband, Brian Blevins.

Up north, on the road, or here in Elmhurst, I love spending time with my family. I have four grown kids, and two grandkids. Today my granddaughter Gloria is visiting and we made Valentines.

Serena, Mary Ann and Cindi

Please send your mailing information to agirlandherbooks [at] printedpage [dot] us

• Title: The Turning of Anne Merrick by Christine Blevins
• Publisher/yr: Berkley Trade 2012
• Genre: Historical fiction
• Book #: 12
• Author status: returning
• Series status: returning
• Rating: 4
• Would I read this author again: Yes. For the most part I’ve given up reading historical fiction, the exception being historical mysteries. While it’s a genre I’ve loved for a long time lately I’ve had trouble finding stories that hold my attention for more than a chapter or two. Occasionally I’ll still pick up a HF book hoping for good things. The Turning of Anne Merrick reminds of why I love this genre. Action, adventure, spies, love of country, belief in oneself. And yes, a love story. I first meet up with the Widow Merrick and Jack Hampton while reading The Troy Widow. After finishing I knew I wanted to meet up with them once again. The Turning of Anne Merrick had me turning pages wanting to know how Anne and Jack’s story would continue. I wasn’t disappointed. And if the hints in last pages are anything to go by I’ll be meeting up with Anne and Jack yet again which I eagerly look forward to.

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She spies for General Washington, betrays the Redcoats and battles for America’s independence…

It’s 1777, and a fledgling country wages an almost hopeless struggle against the might of the British Empire. Brought together by a fateful kiss, Anne Merrick and Jack Hampton are devoted to each other and to their Patriot cause. As part of Washington’s daring network of spies, they are ready and willing to pay even the ultimate price for freedom.

From battlefields raging along the Hudson, to the desperate winter encampment at Valley Forge and through the dangerous intrigue of British-occupied Philadelphia, Anne and Jack brave the trials of separation, the ravages of war and an unyielding enemy growing ever more ruthless.

For love and for country, all is put at risk-and together the pair must call upon their every ounce of courage and cunning in order to survive.

• Title: Heart of a Killer by David Rosenfelt
• Publisher/yr: Minotaur Books 2012
• Genre: Legal thriller
• Book #: 21
• Author status: new-to-me
• Series status: NA
• Rating: 5
• Would I read this author again: Yes. From the moment I read the book blurb I knew this was going to be a story I’d enjoy. I wasn’t disappointed. From page 11 I was totally vested with the characters and their stories. Heart of a Killer put Mr. Rosenfelt on my favorite authors list.

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Jamie Wagner is a young lawyer who is happy to be flying under the radar at a large firm. It’s not that he isn’t smart. He is. It’s just that hard work, not to mention the whole legal thing, isn’t exactly his passion. Underachiever? A little. Content? Right up until the firm puts him on a case that turns his whole world upside down.

Sheryl Harrison has served four years of a thirty-year murder sentence for killing her husband, who she claims was abusive. The case is settled—there shouldn’t be anything for Jamie to do—except Sheryl’s fourteen-year-old daughter, Karen, is sick. She has a congenital heart defect and will die without a transplant. Her blood type is rare, making their chances of finding a matching donor remote at best. Sheryl wants to be that donor for her daughter, and Jamie is in way over his head. Suicide, no matter the motive, is illegal. So with Sheryl on suicide watch, Jamie’s only shot at helping her and saving Karen is to reopen the murder case, prove Sheryl’s innocence, and get her freed so that she can pursue her plan on her own.

• Title: Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow
• Publisher/yr: Minotaur 2012
• Genre: Mystery
• Book #: DNF 4
• Author status: new-to-me
• Series status: new-to-me
• Rating: DNF
• Would I read this author again: Most likely; Usually a DNF’d author won’t find their way back into my reading piles. Ms. Stabenow is most likely an exception to this rule. Her Kate Shugak series has been on my wish list for a long time. I don’t usually start reading so deep into a series but this book (#19) was given to me. I like to start reading series with the very first book. And if not the first book then not very far into the series. I like knowing the characters, their history and how they relate to one another. Also it’s helpful to me for enjoyment purposes to know prior story lines in case they pop up in the current one. I enjoyed the mystery itself and liked the author’s writing style which is why I say this series is an exception to the DNF rule. I chose not finish, after reading well over 100 pages, because I was simply missing too much background information to make the reading experience a pleasure.

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Alaska aviation entrepreneur Finn Grant died in the fiery crash of his Piper Super Cub. Someone sabotaged his engine, and virtually everyone in southwestern Alaska has a motive, including his betrayed wife, his bullied children, and Liam’s wife, bush pilot Wyanet Chouinard. With few places to turn, Liam asks his former mentor Niniltna post commander Sergeant Jim Chopin, for help, and Jim quickly brings Kate onto the case.

Working undercover as—of all things—a waitress at Bill’s Bar and Grill, Kate learns over beer and burgers that Grant’s business had expanded meteorically over the last two years. After buying the closed Air Force base south of town from the federal government at a bargain-basement price, he became a fixed-base operator running his fishing, hunting, and flight-seeing business, servicing planes flying through the area, and most interestingly and lucratively, getting into the air freight business. But what kind of freight was he moving, and where?

• Title: A Dark Anatomy by Robin Blake
• Publisher/yr: Minotaur 2012
• Genre: Historical mystery
• Book #: 18
• Author status: new-to-me
• Series status: new-to-me
• Rating: 3
• Would I read this author again: Yes; I thought the book a bit slow going until the last 100 pages or so. The history as woven into the story line was very interesting and adds a good amount of detail not known by today’s readers. The narrator, Titus Cragg, is an attorney and coroner. While today coroners perform autopsies in 1740s England coroners were death investigators as there was no organized police force and therefore no detectives. The actual dissecting was left to doctors. Cragg’s character is much the same as the investigative character on Body of Proof. I found the going slow because I was mired in the language of time and place. I applaud the author for writing in an authentic voice but it does take some getting used to and interpretation skills. While not my favorite in this genre I am looking forward to the publication of book #2 later this year.

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The year is 1740. George II is on the throne but England’s remoter provinces remain largely a law unto themselves. In Lancashire a grim discovery has been made: a Squire’s wife, Dolores Brockletower, lies in the woods above her home, Garlick Hall, her throat brutally slashed. Called to the scene, Coroner Titus Cragg finds the Brockletower household awash with rumour and suspicion. He enlists the help of his astute young friend, doctor Luke Fidelis, to throw light on the case. But this is a world in which forensic science is in its infancy, and policing hardly exists. Embarking on their first gripping investigation, Cragg and Fidelis are faced with the superstition of witnesses, obstruction by local officials, and denunciations from the Squire himself.

• Title: Rizzo’s Daughter by Lou Manfredo
• Publisher/yr: Minotaur 2012
• Genre: Police procedural/crime fiction
• Author status: returning
• Series status: returning
• Rating: 5 stars
• Would I read this author again: Yes… I love this series. Nothing flashy here. No CSI-like fancy crime solving. Just solid detective work. Lou’s stories bring to mind my favorite police TV shows - Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue and Blue Bloods. I love reading Lou’s books and hate finishing them. This is a series that has me wanting the next installment as soon as I finish the current one.

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Brooklyn cop Joe Rizzo is ready to retire and spend the rest of his days with his wife, doting on their grown-up girls. But when his youngest daughter, Carol, decides to follow her dad onto the force, Joe decides to stay on until she’s settled, calling in favors to get her assigned to the easiest house, the best training officer—anything to protect his baby girl.

While there, of course, he’s still working a few cases, though he never would’ve guessed that one of them would be the most sensational case of his career, the murder of mob boss Louie Quattropa. If mob wars were the worst of his problems, he could handle that, but with a daughter on patrol, Joe knows all too well what dangers await her and what little he can do about them.

• Title: Murder Season by Robert Ellis
• Publisher/yr: Minotaur 2011
• Genre: Police procedural/crime fiction
• Author status: returning
• Series status: new-to-me
• Rating: 2-1/2 stars
• Would I read this author again: Maybe… Years ago I read his stand alone novel, The Dead Room, and remember it as being very good. I didn’t find that same spark with the Murder Season. I found the first two-thirds of the book slow moving. Several times I thought about putting it in the DNF pile but didn’t. I was hooked just enough to finish and find out who the killer was. I don’t expect that this is an author I’ll seek out. Rather I’ll read his books if one is given to me.

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Detective Lena Gamble knows how to handle the hottest cases–do it fast and keep her head down because if it all goes south, the department won’t hesitate to make a scapegoat out of her. So when she gets called to the scene of a double murder at Club 3 AM, the A-list hangout for Hollywood celebs, she knows the fun is only beginning.

And she’s not wrong. It’s just much worse than that. As expected, one of the victims is club owner Johnny Bosco, one of the most well-connected men in Hollywood politics. But the shocker comes when Lena sees the other: 25-year-old Jacob Gant, acquitted just days ago of murdering his 16-year-old neighbor, after L.A.’s latest trial-of-the-century. But are these victims of a father’s righteous anger or is something bigger at play?