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There is, of course, no easy answers to the question of why serial killers kill. Author Michelle McNamara pondered that for many years before her early death at age 46. Whether or not her research into the Golden State Killer played a role in her death is unanswered. But her…
The Blue, by Nancy Bilyeau, is a book about the search for a perfect shade of blue, to be used on porcelain. It’s an unusual subject, but an intriguing one as the book progresses, all about the porcelain wars of the 18th century between England and France. Magic of History…
Magic of History is the current stop on the blog tour for Temptation Rag, by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard. It’s a remarkable turn of the 20th century story about the price of freedom, the longing for immortality, and the human need to find forgiveness.This richly fictionalized historical saga spans 30 years…
The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker is an engaging tale of German resistance during World War II that centers on an ex-friar who marries and lives a celibate life, all the while actively working against the German government. The friar carries with him a guilt from before the…
That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron is a bit of a slog — unless you enjoy reading multitudinous descriptions of nineteenth century clothing and all about the upper crust of Britain. It’s the story of Churchill’s mother, American Jennie Jerome, who moves to England and marries the son of a…
Little by Edward Carey is the story of Madame Tussaud, a dark and somewhat gory tale of the French Revolution. Marie, also known as Little, is orphaned by the age of seven, and then is apprenticed by Dr. Curtius, a man who has lived in solitude most of his life…
Margaret George, a master at historical fiction, completes her two book series about Nero with the magnificent The Splendor Before the Dark. The first book, The Confessions of Young Nero, takes us through Nero’s life as a child and a young emperor(he became emperor at 16). This book takes up…
I almost gave up on House of Gold, a fictionalized story of the House of Rothschild. I stuck with it and however, and ultimately enjoyed it. It takes place in the 1910s –beginning around 1911 and through the first world war. The Jewish banking family it describes possesses branches in…
So I saw the new flick Papillon, and liked it so much I decided to reread the book, which I had read years before as a teenager. That didn’t disappoint either. So this is blog post about both the book and the recent film. An earlier edition of the film…
Bernard Cornwell’s War of the Wolf is the latest, but still not the final chapter of The Last Kingdom series. Uhtred is still riding against his enemies. He is now over sixty years old and a bit long in the tooth. Nevertheless, he’s still snatching victory from the jaws of…
