The Wrath of Angels - John Connolly                                                                                         (Series)

This is the 11th in the Charlie Parker series. I am surprised that I have stuck with it this long because of the dark beings from the netherworld that John Connolly throws into his novels. And this one had a lot of them.

There were many returning characters along with ALOT of new characters. Some were important to the storyline, while others seemed to be there and then gone. SO many people that I tended to get lost many times.   

It is a well-written book, but I enjoy them better when they are about Charlie, Louis and Angel.   An I have invested 11 books into this series,  you know I can not quit now.!!!!

Goodreads Summary:

In the depths of the Maine woods, the wreckage of an aeroplane is discovered. There are no bodies, and no such plane has ever been reported missing, but men both good and evil have been seeking it for a long, long time. What the wreckage conceals is more important than money: it is power. Hidden in the plane is a list of names, a record of those who have struck a deal with the Devil. Now a battle is about to commence between those who want the list to remain secret and those who believe that it represents a crucial weapon in the struggle against the forces of darkness.

The race to secure the prize draws in private detective Charlie Parker, a man who knows more than most about the nature of the terrible evil that seeks to impose itself on the world, and who fears that his own name may be on the list. It lures others too: a beautiful, scarred woman with a taste for killing; a silent child who remembers his own death; and the serial killer known as the Collector, who sees in the list new lambs for his slaughter.

But as the rival forces descend upon this northern state, the woods prepare to meet them, for the forest depths hide other secrets.

Someone has survived the crash.
Some thing has survived the crash.
And it is waiting 

 

 Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardóttir

Monopoly Book Challenge - Free Parking - Read any book you choose.
"Y" Author

The premise of this book sounded fascinating, but it didn't quite live up to its billing of "A Novel of Suspense".  Quite often the murder plot got bogged down in the details of the history of Icelandic witchcraft and witch hunts and the weird flirtations between the 2 main characters (Thóra and Matthew).

Two interesting facts though: 1. Icelandic witch trials were centered around men - 20 men were executed for sorcery, while only 2 women were convicted as witches; 2. Malleus Maleficarum a/k/a Hammer of Witches (1486) is the leading treatise on witchcraft and for a time sold more copies than any other book other than the Bible.

While the murder mystery neglected to capture my interest, the beauty of Iceland did (pic of lava fields)!

Summary from Goodreads: At a university in Reykjavík, the body of a young German student is discovered, his eyes cut out and strange symbols carved into his chest. Police waste no time in making an arrest, but the victim's family isn't convinced that the right man is in custody. They ask Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, an attorney and single mother of two, to investigate. It isn't long before Thóra and her associate, Matthew Reich, uncover the deceased student's obsession with Iceland's grisly history of torture, execution, and witch hunts. But there are very contemporary horrors hidden in the long, cold shadow of dark traditions. And for two suddenly endangered investigators, nothing is quite what it seems . . . and no one can be trusted.

  The House of Brides - Jane Cockram                                                                                            (Debut)

This debut novel was written in a gothic style with family drama and suspense. So of course, we have the spooky manor house set on a rocky coast in England. Along with the people of the manor who we cannot trust.  Or can we trust some but not others and which ones of them should we trust?    Oh, and family secrets. Would not be a gothic suspense with secrets!!!

Anyway, it was a quick and easy read.

Goodreads summary :

Miranda’s life and career has been a roller-coaster ride. Her successful rise to the top of the booming lifestyle industry as a social media influencer led to a humiliating fall after a controversial product she endorsed flopped. Desperate to get away from the hate-spewing trolls shaming her on the internet, she receives a mysterious letter from a young cousin in England that plunges her into a dark family mystery.

Miranda’s mother Tessa Summers, a famous author, died when Miranda was a child. The young woman’s only connection to the Summers family is through Tessa’s famous book The House of Brides—a chronicle of the generations of women who married into the infamous Summers family and made their home in the rambling Barnsley House, the family’s estate. From Gertrude Summers, a famed crime novelist, to Miranda’s grandmother Beatrice, who killed herself after setting fire to Barnsley while her children slept, each woman in The House of Brides is more notorious than the next. The house’s current “bride” is the beautiful, effervescent Daphne, her Uncle Max’s wife—a famed celebrity chef who saved Barnsley from ruin turning the estate into an exclusive culinary destination and hotel.

Curious about this legendary family she has never met, Miranda arrives at Barnsley posing as a prospective nanny answering an advertisement. She’s greeted by the compelling yet cold housekeeper Mrs. Mins, and meets the children and her Uncle Max—none of whom know her true identity. But Barnsley is not what Miranda expected. The luxury destination and award-winning restaurant is gone, and Daphne is nowhere to be found. Most disturbing, one of the children is in a wheelchair after a mysterious accident. What happened in this house? Where is Daphne? What darkness lies hidden in Barnsley?

 

             Crippen - John Boyne                                                                                                           ("C"book)

#2021MonopolyChallenge - (Penn Ave - Book that involves a trip)

Mr. Boyne introduces us to a Mr. Crippen who is accused of murdering his wife, circa 1860.  Part of the story takes in America in 1860, London 1910 and on a boat 1910.  

This is a slow read but an  interesting one. Mr. Boyne does a great job of bringing life to his characters. 

Goodreads summary::

July 1910: A gruesome discovery has been made at 39 Hilldrop Crescent, Camden.

Chief Inspector Walter Dew of Scotland Yard did not expect the house to be empty. Nor did he expect to find a body in the cellar. Buried under the flagstones are the remains of Cora Crippen, former music-hall singer and wife of Dr. Hawley Crippen. No one would have thought the quiet, unassuming Dr. Crippen capable of murder, yet the doctor and his mistress have disappeared from London, and now a full-scale hunt for them has begun.

Across the Channel in Antwerp, the S.S. Montrose has just set off on its two-week voyage to North America. Slipping in among the first-class passengers is a Mr. John Robinson, accompanied by his teenage son, Edmund. The pair may be hoping for a quiet, private voyage, but in the close confines of a luxury ocean liner, anonymity is rare. And with others aboard looking for romance, or violence, or escape from their past in Europe, it will take more than just luck for the Robinsons to survive the voyage unnoticed.

Wildland by Rebecca Hodge

Monopoly Book Challenge - Virginia Avenue - a book set in one of the South Atlantic states: North Carolina
Once Upon a Book Club - March 2020

Debut

Heart pounding, gripping, heart-stopping are just some of the descriptions of this book and they got it right. Rebecca Hodge's debut is a wonderful drama that has you wanting to stay up all night to finish it!  Characters you will love and adore and others you will want to punch in the face.  I look forward to her next book (due out September 2021!)

Summary from Goodreads: When Kat Jamison retreats to the Blue Ridge Mountains, she's counting on peace and solitude to help her make a difficult decision. Her breast cancer has returned, but after the death of her husband, her will to fight is dampened. Now she has a choice to make: face yet another round of chemotherapy or surrender gracefully.

Self-reflection quickly proves impossible as her getaway is complicated by a pair of abandoned dogs and two friendly children staying nearby, Lily and Nirav. In no time at all, Kat's quiet seclusion is invaded by the happy confusion of children and pets.

But when lightning ignites a deadly wildfire, Kat's cabin is cut off from the rest of the camp, separating Lily and Nirav from their parents. Left with no choice, Kat, the children, and the dogs must flee on foot through the drought-stricken forest, away from the ravenous flames. As a frantic rescue mission is launched below the fire line, Kat drives the party deeper into the mountains, determined to save four innocent lives. But when the moment comes to save her own, Kat will have to decide just how hard she's willing to fight to survive--and what's worth living for.

Quote: "I finally decided to embrace what life handed me, even though it wasn't what I was seeking."

 Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

Monopoly Book Challenge - Community Chest #1 - a book by one of your favorite authors

Oldest Book on TBR

Son of a Witch is the 2nd in the Wicked Years series and chronicles the early life of Liir, Elphaba's son. Traversing the Land of Oz, meeting quirky characters and seeing Liir navigate the complications of being the "Wicked Witch"'s son.

The sequel didn't captivate me quite as much as Wicked did, but I still enjoyed it. The ending was left a bit unfinished but there are 2 more books to go in the series.

Summary from Goodreads: Liir, an adolescent boy last seen hiding in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy did in the Witch. Bruised, comatose, and left for dead in a gully, Liir is shattered in spirit as well as in form. But he is tended at the Cloister of Saint Glinda by the silent novice called Candle, who wills him back to life with her musical gifts.

What dark force left Liir in this condition? Is he really Elphaba's son? He has her broom and her cape -- but what of her powers? Can he find his supposed half-sister, Nor, last seen in the forbidding prison, Southstairs? Can he fulfill the last wishes of a dying princess? In an Oz that, since the Wizard's departure, is under new and dangerous management, can Liir keep his head down long enough to grow up?

Quotes: "I always thought a soul was private, but it appears it can be colonized against your will if you don't watch out."

"It survived for the sole purpose of insuring its own survival."