In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce

 

In the Garden of Spite: A Novel of The Black Widow of La Porte by Camilla Bruce. Berkley (an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC), 2021. Adult historical fiction. Biographical fiction.

After a traumatic situation in Norway, Litte Brynhild Storset moves to America to live with her older sister, Nellie. She changes her name to Bella and wants to start a new life. The entire novel tells what happens to Belle Gunness in Indiana. From city streets of Chicago to farms in the countryside, Bella focuses on herself. Murder, arson, greed, and anger fill this well written novel which is actually based on a real person. While the neighbors and even Nellie have their own suspicions about Bella, she seems to be able to avoid any convictions or firm evidence against her. Obviously, the happy life she dreamed about eludes her...or does it?

An author's note tells what is true and what has been added to make the novel move more smoothly. Details about life in Norway in the 1870's is fascinating and makes it easy to see why moving to America was a popular option. Readers who enjoy this novel may be interested in doing their own research to see photographs and read accounts of the real Belle Gunness.

The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett

 

 The Evening and the Morning (The Prequel of The Pillars of the Earth) by Ken Follett. Viking, 2020. Adult historical fiction. 913 pages.

       Many people say that The Pillars of the Earth is their very favorite book. At last, Ken Follett has published a prequel to that book. No one will be disappointed. Barnes and Noble listed this novel as one of the best of 2020.  While it is not necessary to read the Kingsbridge trilogy first, read them in order if you have not read any of them. The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, and A Column of Fire will smoothly follow this medieval adventure. 

      The story begins in 997 and ends in 1007 in England. Three interwoven tales feature Edgar, a smart young man who is good with building things; Ragna, a beautiful aristocrat from Normandy, and Aldred, a religious cleric who longs to build a great library and center of learning and worship. Follett is a master at writing and certainly has done his research about the times, but it is the realistic and appealing characters who make his stories shine. 

The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore

 

The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore. Kensington Books, 2021. Adult historical fiction. 

    Young socialite Mirielle West is living the dream in the 1920's California of early movie making until a doctor finds a small lesion on her neck. She is sent to Carville, Louisiana to the nation's only leper colony as it is known at that time. The transition is swift as Mirielle assumes a new name and new life. The climate is different. The people are different. The disease makes everything different.  Will she ever be able to return to life in California?

    Told with sympathy and understanding, the novel describes patients with Hansen's Disease and the horrible prejudices against them. They were forced to relocate to Carville, stay there, and often were shunned by their own families. They underwent sometimes experimental treatments in efforts to "find a cure" for leprosy.  In modern times, patients take modern medicines and live basically normal lives anywhere.  It is now known that the disease is not spread by touching others. 

    Mirielle indeed has a second life. She is smart and determined and open to love. She learns new skills and makes her own way in helping others. The novel is well written and tells a fictional story about a truly fascinating time and place. Its fictional heroine is based on fact, but deserves a wide reading of her fictional exploits. This is one book that readers will not soon forget.

Castle Shade by Laurie R. King

 

 Castle Shade: A  Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes by Laurie R. King. Bantam Books (Random House), 2021. Adult fiction, mystery.

    Queen Marie of Roumania is worried about her teenaged daughter Princess Ileana. The granddaughter of Queen Victoria herself and also of the Russian Czar Alexander II, Marie knows just the discreet and smart investigator to call...Sherlock Holmes. Of course, his wife, Mary Russell, is on the case with him. Off they go to Castle Bran. It appears someone is trying to scare the locals and that young women are in danger even from perhaps the dreaded local danger: vampires! 

    Readers unfamiliar with King's excellent series of novels of Holmes and Russell should start with the first, The Beekeeper's Apprentice. King is true to the original stories, but gives the tales an update to the 1920's era and makes each her own. A note in the back tells readers about the real Queen Marie. Well researched and full of opportunities for Mary  Russell to show that women can also be action heroes, the writing propels readers through adventures of the dynamic duo. 

Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss by Margaret Renkl

  Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss by Margaret Renkl. With art by Billy Renkl. Milkweed Editions, 2019. Biography.

 Written with love and great detail, the author describes growing up in Alabama and her life as an adult in Nashville. Chapters are short and beautifully tell her family's history, her own reactions to life and loss over the years, and will inspire readers to see details in their own lives. The chapters are easy to read and dip into over and over if readers prefer to pick and choose among them. This will be a book to keep and cherish as Life changes. 

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie: A Novel by Marie Benedict

 

 The Mystery of Mrs. Christie: A Novel by Marie Benedict. Sourcebooks Landmark, 2021. Adult historical fiction and mystery.

In December, 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for eleven days. That is true. But, the world's most famous mystery writer never spoke or wrote about that time. Marie Benedict has come up with her own theory about what happened to Mrs. Christie and it is quite plausible. The novel is divided between  "manuscript" chapters that tell about Agatha's life and chapters that tell of Day 1 After the Disappearance, etc. up to the time she is found safe at a spa hotel in the country. The writing is smooth. The appeal of the story is obvious. A very short author's note and conversation with the author in the back share some resources, but there is no comprehensive bibliography as this is a fiction book after all. Readers may be inspired to do some additional research on newspaper articles and photos of the time. The cover is appealing, but the pages in both front and back of the book that advertise Benedict's other novels do little to advance the reader's enjoyment. 

The Guest List: A Novel by Lucy Foley

 

  The Guest List:  A Novel by Lucy Foley. William Morrow, 2020. Adult fiction, mystery.

Set on a tiny island off the coast of Ireland, this wedding is to be THE event of the year. The bride, Jules Keegan, publishes her own life style magazine and is sure to post photos that will influence others for years to come. The groom, Will, stars in a wilderness survival television show. It appears to be the perfect power couple pairing.

Oh, but everyone has secrets. The bride's sister Olivia is her bridesmaid. The best man, Johnno, does not share the apparent wealthy background of many of the guests. Charley, longtime friend of the bride and his wife Hannah have escaped their children and work-a-day lives for a weekend of fun. The bride's father and his newest young wife are there. And, the whole event is catered by Aoife, a local, and her husband, Freddy. They all alternate chapters and propel the narrative.

Everyone is there. The weather changes. A storm comes in. The lights go out...and, you guessed it, there's a murder. The game is afoot.

The Second Mrs. Astor: A Novel of the Titanic by Shana Abe

 

 The  Second Mrs. Astor: A Novel of the Titanic by Shana Abe. Kensington Books, 2021. Adult historical fiction.

Madeleine Force is eighteen when she marries wealthy John Jacob Astor.  They were real people whose lives are documented in newspaper accounts of the times. They were among the First Class passengers on the HMS Titanic.  And, their Gilded Age story is fascinating. 

The author writes this fictional account largely as a series of letters to their son. The writing is smooth and wraps the reader up in the love story of the Astors. Mr. Astor's previous divorce and quick remarriage still rank as major scandals. But, this is really Madeleine's story as she tells it. Their age difference, their chemistry, and their devotion to each other all blend into an interesting and charming tale. 

The research list is quite short. One hopes that all of the book is based on truth and is well researched. A more complete bibliography would have been helpful and given more heft to the narrative, but it is a book of fiction however.   Readers will have to do their own research to see photographs of the real second Mrs. Astor.