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The Merry Devils
The Merry Devils
Edward Marston | 1802 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
151 of 250
Book
The Merry Devils ( Nicolas Bracewell book 2)
By Edward Marston

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

Bookholder Nicholas Bracewell, fresh from his triumph holding together his volatile players' company during a treasonous plot against Queen Elizabeth, is set to make the galleries of The Queen's Head ring with laughter with a new comedy, The Merry Devils. The lugubrious landlord is sure mischief will result. Nicholas sees only a harmless comedy that will not summon up real devils, but two actors adept at tumbling. How then, during the crucial scene, do three devils appear on stage, one looking disturbingly real? And what of the deviltry that follow? One imp, in fact, soon lies dead beneath the stage…


Again we meet the Westfield players I enjoyed this one a bit more than the first but again it feel a bit rushed at the end! A decent read all the same with a crime solving book master. On to book 3!
  
 The Island (Hidden Iceland #2)
The Island (Hidden Iceland #2)
Ragnar Jonasson | 2019 | Crime, Mystery
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
After reading the previous Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir story (The Darkness) of which I really enjoyed, I was pleased to be offered this book to review by Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) via NetGalley. Here’s my review:
In The Island Ragnar brings back CID member Hulda of the Reykjavik police with another case to solve. One surrounding four young adults who have decided to take a weekend away in a remote and deserted part of of Elliðaey island off the Icelandic coast. Strange because they’d not seen each other for ten years, and even stranger still, one is married with kids and it’s odd that she’d just go on a mini-break with old school friends she’d not seen for years when they hadn’t really kept in contact all that time. Stranger still, once they meet up again, there’s a fatal accident and when they wake up one morning a girl’s missing. She’s only gone and fallen off a cliff and killed herself.
Or was she pushed? *Strokes chin in a very Sherlock way*

What is the connection between these four people? And why did they decide to meet up after ten years? I don’t know about you, but I was dying to find out! Okay, maybe not dying, I don’t want the author to put me in one of his stories only to kill me off – but I was keen!
My thoughts? Ragnar has written an intriguing and clever plot where two stories (past and present) fold into one. Running along beside Hulda’s crime solving antics, there’s a chance to discover more about her private life, her dark past, and her wish to find her own father of whom she’s never known.

I thoroughly enjoyed solving this crime with Hulda. I found the bittersweet ending (of which more than one character received) was brilliantly crafted. How an author writes a book with so much detail, I’ll never know but Jónasson is very good at it!
Nordic fiction can be as bleak as the setting, but that’s the beauty of these unforgiving scenes! I love how the isolated island, along with the terrain and the weather, helps to weave suspense and atmosphere into the story, just as much as the characters involved. What an entertaining, and cleverly crafted Nordic Noir! Looking forward to reading The Mist the third of Jónasson’s Hidden Iceland series. It can’t come fast enough!
  
TS
The Secret, Book, & Scone Society
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mrs. Ellery Adams did it again. Her unique writing has transported us to Miracle Springs, North Carolina. In this unique little village, we get to meet a group of flawed women Nora, Hester, June and Estella, who together form a unique group Secret, Book and Scone Society. With this group, the women find companionship, trust, and friendship and solve a crime or two. In this unique group of women, you will find a little of yourself. Mrs. Adams has brought us another best-selling series. Being a fan of Mrs. Adams other series I was excited about to read her new book and I was blown away. Her writing and storyline are not to be missed. I am excited to see where the Miracle Springs Series goes from here as the ladies grow in their friendship and how they are open to being real and sharing their secrets while solving others hidden secrets to help the ladies heal and a few visitors. Well worth the time to read once, twice or a few more. Learning that is never too late to turn the page and start over... with a comfort scone or two.