Recently reviewed:
Sun Damage by Sabine Durrant
Publication: August 1, 2023; Harper Paperbacks
Genre: mystery thriller, fiction, France, literary fiction
I loved reading the suspenseful events leading up to fugitive Ali's arrival as a cook for the vacationing family in the large house in the south of France. I also enjoyed the chance for romance for the wayward, lost soul that she is.
It was surprising how well Ali carried off her duties as cook, which she is not and only pretending to be, and how fortuitous it was to have a guest to help her with duties in the kitchen.
The ending of the thriller came with a twist that was not a total surprise but it did add more drama to the story. I liked the more or less realistic ending with Ali not totally changed in her ways but much better, enough that we like her and wish her well, even though she is not totally redeemed.
Genre: mystery, historical mystery, cozy mystery, romance
Catherine Tregowyn and Dr. Harry Bascombe, teachers at Oxford, decide to play detective and solve the murder by strangling of Oxford don, Agatha Chenowith.
There are several likely suspects in the world of professors, poets, and their partners, with everything from revenge, jealousy, fear, and secrets for the two amateur sleuths to investigate.
I enjoyed reading about the famed buildings and rooms at Oxford, and of the rivalries between colleagues that can build up. It was an enjoyable if light read and I would like reding the other books in the series of the two would be detectives.
Genre: mystery, thriller, suspense, adult fiction
Setting: an island off the coast of Ireland
About: On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests celebrate two people joining their lives together as one....And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well?
I am very curious as to why I wrote only one short sentence for a review, after rating the book 5/5. And I'm even more curious about what I said:
Great characterization of a villain, which slowly unfolds as the story progresses.
That sentence intrigues me. Now I'll have to go back and reread the book I read in 2020. Anybody else prone to forgetting books they've read two or more years previously?
What are you reading this week?
