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Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folley by Agatha Christie is the Harper Collins, UK publication of 2014 and is #47.5 in the series about Hercule Poirot.
Poirot is summoned by detective novelist Ariadne Oliver, to Greenshore House in Lapton to assist her. Ariadne is arranging a «murder hunt» as part of the entertainment at the planned fête. Guests are encouraged to follow clues around the estate to solve a pretend murder. It goes terribly wrong and someone really ends up dead. Poirot helps the police investigate the real murder of a young girl.

True to form Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folley is set at an estate in the English countryside in the 1950s. Main characters are rich people of leisure arranging entertainment and games to pass the time and have fun. I enjoy the lifestyle descriptions a lot and would guess inspiration was taken from Agatha Christie’s own life. I am a great fan of fictional historical settings in Britain, so my favorite part of the story was descriptions of the fête. I also thoroughly enjoyed the surprise ending. So thrilling and complicated I could not possibly have seen it coming.

Main character Hercule Poirot is per usual using his skills to gather information. I find it funny how he tries not to express his lack of regard for Ariadne Oliver’s less than methodical investigative skills, while he himself is all about method. He is my absolute favorite in this and every other story about him as he seems so quirky and funny.

Secondary character Mrs. Folliat is the previous owner of Greenshore House. She acts as kind of a gardener and hostess around the house, while she lives in a small cottage on the estate because the family has fallen on hard times. Having been demoted from lady of the manor, I found it strange how she seemed so at peace with the situation. She seemed a strange and suspicious character who appeared everywhere and knew everybody.

I really loved the old fashioned vibe I got from the writing. It was like going back in time to a beautiful place where you could not really imagine something terrible happening, and yet a murder occurred. There is something about the contrasts between the beautiful scenery and the brutal murder that made this story come alive for me. The writing style is simplistic which helps carry the message through so brilliantly.

Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folley is a thoroughly exciting, quick read with a great twist and a surprise ending, so thrilling and complicated I could not possibly have seen it coming. As I am a great fan of Hercule Poirot, I am always on the lookout for stories I have not yet read or seen TV adaptations of. They work like a charm as standalones, so I don’t feel I need to follow any particular order.

Fans of Agatha Christie will love Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folley. Anyone who enjoys crime fiction will probably already have The Queen of Mystery on their radar and thoroughly enjoy her work too.
Similar authors to explore might be Arthur Conan Doyle.
All opinions in this review are completely my own.

My rating: 5 stars / 5
Main reasons: great plot, excellent characters, surprise ending

Saving Prince Regent’s godson on the battle field Evan Eldridge is knighted, given an estate, land and money. Duke’s daughter Diana Seaton is also selected by the Prince Regent to marry the new Earl of Whitelock, wildly against her father’s wishes. The married couple hides serious secrets, but is forced to trust each other when life threatening events occur.

The Lost Lieutenant is first installment in the new (Serendipity & Secrets) by Erica Vetsch which is set in London and Berkshire 1813. It’s about War Veteran Evan Eldridge who is knighted for bravery in the Peninsular War. I find this book to be interesting and unusual as it focuses on a male main character. In all similar stories I have read the main character has been female, which makes this a novelty.

Main character Evan Eldridge is a traumatized ex sharpshooter. Following the Prince Regent’s gratitude he has to suddenly learn how to be a gentleman and. I like him a lot as he seems a well rounded character with good values who is a believer in God. He is my favorite of this story.

Secondary character Diana Seaton is pressured to do her father’s bidding to marry someone chosen by him. She seems assertive and strong despite the way her father treats her.
I felt sorry for her trying to deal with an impossible situation.

There is some impressive character building in The Lost Lieutenant (Serendipity & Secrets #1) by Erica Vetsch. The characters seem to be built from a combination of the most problematic character traits of the time.

Evan suffered memory loss related to events on the battle field. My favorite part of the story was clues to the mystery of what happened. This part of the plot included a surprising development.

Plenty of complications prevented Diana and Evan from getting close. Nothing much happened in the way of romance until the second half of the book, which I found in keeping with the development of the plot. It made room for other dramatic elements to remain in the foreground.

I enjoyed that some of the spiritual message was conveyed through song (or poem) and that both Evan and Diana prayed for strength throughout the story.

The Lost Lieutenant (Serendipity & Secrets #1) by Erica Vetsch is excellent entertaining in an interesting plot with captivating character building and enjoyable, vivid writing. The ending is exciting as well as satisfying and ties up loose ends while still leaving enough to build a plot for the next book. I will eagerly be watching out for the next installment in Serendipity & Secrets Series by Erica Vetsch.

Fans of Erica Vetsch will love this new series. Readers of historical romance fiction might enjoy it as well. Similar authors to explore might be Julie Klassen, Carolyn Miller, and Kristi Ann Hunter.

Thank you to publisher Kregel Publications and NetGalley for this eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review.

My rating: 5 stars / 5
Main reason: interesting plot, excellent character building, great writing

Jeg synes boka ble for omstendig og hadde lite handling, den var likevel interessant ut i fra et historisk sagn.

Sinne er mye mer enn "bare" en ungdomsbok selv om noen av temaene er typisk for en bok i denne sjangeren. Hovedpersonen Synne har diagnosen ADHD og dermed har hun ikke helt den samme impulskontrollen som andre har og havner ofte i konflikter. Forfatteren er flink å skildre frustrasjonen hennes over å føle seg misforstått.

Forfatteren skriver i et nydelig og lettlest nynorsk språk og er forfatterens debutbok.

Du kan lese hele omtalen min her om det er ønskelig.

Aged 13 Sherlock is taken out of Eaton because his mother is accused of murdering the town midwife. Sherlock’s mother has complete trust he will find the evidence to exonerate her. Towns-women seem to end up dead and Sherlock has to find out what’s going on.

The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife (The Early Case Files of Sherlock Homes #1) by Liese Sherwood-Fabre is the first installment in The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes and is the story about Sherlock Holmes as a young boy trying to find out why the town midwife was found dead in the Holmes’ back garden and why Sherlock’s mother is imprisoned for it.

The story seems to be based on Sherlock’s childhood memories of what happened. As the original Sherlock Holmes stories were written from 1887 onwards, it might set this story roughly in the beginning of the 1870s at the family estate Underbyrne. Sherlock is brought up as the son of a country squire with a lot of focus on manners and maintaining his family’s status. This seems to influence his decisions a lot.

Elements of Sherlock’s home life seem to explain his skills as an adult. His brother, parents and uncle are all well educated and impressively skilled people interested in research and investigation. In this story Sherlock’s mother, Mrs. Holmes, is in the center of the plot as she is suspected of using her knowledge of herbs for criminal activity.

Main character Sherlock Holmes is 13 in this story. It’s amusing how he gets into the habit of using a spy glass to investigate and starts to wear his special cap, which is actually part of his hunting outfit. He is brought up to “not be seen or heard” when adults talk. I worried throughout the story that this might hold him back when investigating, but he found a way to make it work.

Secondary character Constance Straton is a very poor, but gutsy, pickpocket with serious survival skills. I find it both sad and impressive what she has to do to provide food for her young siblings. She is a nice girl at heart and, in my opinion, a well crafted character and my favorite of this story.

The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife by Liese Sherwood-Fabre included description of an interesting way to prove Mrs. Holmes’ innocence without the forensics we rely on today. Some seriously gory details was included, but my favorite part of the story nonetheless

I enjoyed The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife by Liese Sherwood-Fabre. I found the plot interesting and exciting. The clues were carefully placed throughout the story and from today’s perspective I found the motive for murder absolutely mind boggling. Exiting to see what other adventures Sherlock Holmes might get up in Liese Sherwood-Fabre’s next story.

Readers of crime fiction would enjoy The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife by Liese Sherwood-Fabre. Other authors to explore might be Leonard Goldberg or Charles Veley.

Thank you to the publisher Little Elm Press and NetGally for the opportunity to share my honest review of The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife by Liese Sherwood-Fabre. All opinions are completely my own.

My rating: 4 stars / 5
Main reasons: interesting plot, good writing, very surprising ending

While fiercely independent Lizbeth Trethow is moving steadily towards spinsterhood, she is totally unprepared for what happened when she meets traumatized recluse Sebastian, Earl of Roddam. Inspite of herself she is drawn to him and helps him deal with his past.

The Earl and The Enchantress (The Enchantresses #1) by Paullett Golden is set in London and Northumberland 1790, and is the first installment in The Enchantress Series of 4 books. The story is about Lizbeth Trethow who wants to avoid being trapped in a marriage of convenience. She is very surprised to find a kindred spirit in Sebastian Earl of Roddam. He has no interest in getting married because he tries to hide traumatic experiences in his past.

Main character Lizbeth, Liz, Trethow is the bookish and self-proclaimed spinster material that refuses to be told what to do by a man. It’s nice to see she goes through a positive character development throughout the story as she takes some of Sebastian’s values to heart. She seems a strong and well rounded lead character who carries the story well.

Supporting character Sebastian, Earl of Roddam is the slightly paranoid recluse who is being weighed down by traumatic events of his past. I felt sorry for him and think he might have needed professional help and therapy if such health care system had been available at the time. I found him to be a realistic character whose life experiences provided food for thought.

The Earl and The Enchantress is set in the opulent life of titled families in London in late 1700s. In The Earl and The Enchantress Liz takes enormous risks to her own and her entire family’s reputation. I thoroughly enjoyed the detailed environments and lifestyle descriptions of their extreme opulence. Plenty of room was given to fascinating descriptions of interiors. It felt like a pretend trip to a museum.

The Earl and The Enchantress (The Enchantresses #1) by Paullett Golden was not what I expected at all. The plot was different in that it had a mix of historical romance and mystery which I found new and interesting. The mystery part was enjoyable and entertaining and was my favorite part of the story. The progress of the plot was unusual as the romance part seemed to get resolved earlier than I expected for a historical romance, while the mystery part got room to develop in the second half.

I am a reader who prefers Sweet/Clean Romance historical fiction. As this story contains some rather graphic scenes, these parts were my least favorite.

Anyone who enjoys romance stories with a mystery element would enjoy The Earl and The Enchantress (The Enchantresses #1) by Paullett Golden. Fans of Paulett Golden would love The Earl and The Enchantress it too. Other authors to explore might be Erica Ridley or Tracy Sumner.

Thank you to author Paullett Golden and Book Sirens for this eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

My rating:
3 start / 5
Main reasons: Good plot, mystery part, good writing

When Rugby Keen, a young professional dancer is found murdered in St. Mary Mead, Miss Marple steps up to find out what happened to her. With patience, knowledge of human nature and observational skills she manages to carve out information to solve the crime.

I listened to the CD Audio edition of The Body in the Library (Miss Marple #3) by Agatha Christie. I found it a great option to listen to The Body in the Library as an audio book.

Miss Marple is the famous Agatha Christie character who aids police investigators with her gossipy ways, yet with a keen eye for complexities in human nature. This is story #3 about her. The Miss Marple character seems to vary slightly from story to story, but mainly she keeps to her gossipy, shrewd sleuthing manner which I so much enjoy and which makes the story work so well as a standalone.

Main character June (Miss) Marple, is famous for sleuthing out information while under some kind of unsuspicious cover. In this story she raises money for a good cause locally in St. Mary Mead. I find it impressive the way she gets access to people and manages to get them to open up and give her information they would be too afraid to give the police.

Secondary character, Basil Blake, is the party boy connected to film industry that seems very rude and has a dodgy attitude. I find him to be a very unsympathetic person who is easy to suspect of having committed some kind of criminal offence. I don’t think he would be anyone’s idea of a hero. -Certainly not mine. He is my least favorite character.

My favorite part of The Body in the Library (Miss Marple #3) by Agatha Christie was the setting of the plot. I really enjoyed the parts describing village life in St. Mary Mead and the feeling that Miss Marple very much enjoys living there.

The plot consists of all the well tested elements. The plot was intricate. Plenty of suspects, and well laid out clues for Miss Marple to investigate. The identity of the murderer was so well disguised. It felt like a surprise, as I had been looking in a completely different direction.

The writing is excellent in the trademark way of The Queen of Crime. Readers get pulled into life in a sleepy little English village where nothing much happens.

The Body in the Library (Miss Marple #3) is the exiting story of Miss Marple set in her home town St. Mary Mead. The writing is excellent and the plot expertly crafted in the way of Agatha Christie. Fans of Agatha Christie will love The Body in the Library (Miss Marple #3) with all the trademark ingredients. As will readers of crime fiction. Similar authors to explore might be Arthur Conan Doyle.
All opinions in this review are completely my own.

My rating: 4 stars / 5
Main reasons: Expertly crafted plot, interesting characters, surprise ending

US First Lady’s secretary Caroline Delacroix is struggling with her twin brother Luke’s serious problems while working night and day. Secret Service agent Nathaniel Trask is suspicious of her, but has a hard time focusing because he is intensely attracted to her. As danger intensifies for the First Couple, Caroline and Nathaniel co-operates to deal with challenging and threatening situations.

A Gilded Lady is Book #2 in the Hope and Glory Series by Elizabeth Camden set in 1900s White House life. The series focuses on siblings Grey, Caroline and Luke Delacroix. While book #1 The Spice King focused on Grey, book #2 is about Caroline who serves as secretary to the US First Lady. Caroline and Nathaniel get to know each other better while on the adventure of a lifetime as well as a security nightmare.

The plots with elements of technical inventions mixed in very enjoyably stand out and have made Elizabeth Camden one of my go-to authors for years. Reading A Gilded Lady as a standalone would work perfectly, but picking up book #1 The Spice King would give you a great background and details of the story running through the series.

Main character Caroline Delacroix comes across as a stubborn, entitled and manipulating character. She irritated me all through book #1 The Spice King, but I was pleased to see she goes through an impressive personal development throughout A Gilded Lady. She becomes stronger both in faith and character as she develops from a girl into a woman. She is my favorite of this story.

Secondary character Nathaniel Trask, US Secret Service agent is honorable and rule-conscious but maybe slightly boring. He carries his very own secret that constantly weighs on his mind, and I kept wishing he could ease up a bit in between all the stress of his work. He has a good influence on Caroline as he encourages her to make good decisions.

There is a distinct faith element to the A Gilded Lady. The characters pray for support throughout. Caroline particularly expresses her faith in her dialogue with Nathaniel. Theirs is a slow burn romance totally in keeping with the intensity of the plot. I really enjoyed the balance of it all, where drama was allowed to take center stage while the romance part was made room for in the more quiet parts.

A Gilded Lady is the exiting and entertaining new work from Elizabeth Camden set in the 1900s life in and around the White House. The writing of A Gilded Lady I found vivid and captivating as it expertly drew me into the plot. My favorite part was the exiting separate story line carried through from book #1 The Spice King, and I can’t wait to see what happens next for Luke.

The ending of A Gilded Lady I felt was well crafted in a way that solved a bit of the most immediate problems of the plot with a surprising twist, while still leaving enough loose ends to be dealt with in the next installment. Fans of Elizabeth Camden’s other work will love A Gilded Lady, as will readers of historical romance fiction. Similar authors to explore might be Rachel Hauck or Michelle Griep.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for this eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

My rating: 4 stars / 5
Main reasons: Exciting plot, excellent research and vivid writing.

WWII in Oslo, Witch hunts in Norway

Charlotte & Thomas Pitt Series, William Monk Series, Daniel Pitt Series

Anne Perry Christmas Novels

Nettopp hørt denne og Frostgraven av samme forfatter, fungerer utmerket som lydbok og begge har gode historier.

Takk for det, og takk for tips om Sigrid Finne. Hun er ukjent for meg.