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The Chocolate Lady (94 KP) rated The Lost Vintage in Books

Oct 5, 2020  
The Lost Vintage
The Lost Vintage
Ann Mah | 2018
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
France and fine wine are practically synonymous, so when Kate needs to study for her Masters of Wine test, where else would she go but to her own family’s vineyards in Burgundy? There she finds there’s much more that’s been corked up than just some delicious drinks. This is the basis of Ann Mah’s newest novel “The Lost Vintage” and you can read my review of this contemporary and historical fiction book on my blog here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2018/07/27/bottling-their-history/
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Dark Angel in Books

May 15, 2018  
The Dark Angel
The Dark Angel
Elly Griffiths | 2018 | Mystery
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Another winning mystery from Griffiths
Ruth is dealing with a lot on the personal front, including the fact that Nelson's wife, Michelle, is pregnant. Ruth and Nelson's daughter, Kate, is six now, and while Michelle knows about Kate, Nelson's older daughters do not. Nelson was very close to leaving Michelle for Ruth, before he found out his wife was pregnant again. So when Ruth is invited to Italy to assist a former friend, Angelo Morelli, in looking at some bones, she is actually a bit excited at the thought of a holiday/work trip. It will give her and Kate a chance to get away. They embark on the trip along with Ruth's friend Shona and her son, Louis. Once there, Ruth realizes how entrenched the people of the Italian village are in the past--including what happened during World War II. Further, Angelo is convinced someone is trying to kill him. Before she knows it, Ruth is immersed in a modern-day murder mystery: something she can't seem to avoid, no matter where she travels.

It's no secret that I love Ruth and Elly Griffiths' series of novels featuring our intelligent, plucky heroine. Despite the fact that I know absolutely nothing about bones, I identify with her (e.g., stepping on a plane with Kate for the first time and feeling nervous flying with her daughter, whose safety "overrides everything else"). Ruth's wit, sarcasm, and sense of humor are always absolutely spot-on, and it's wonderful being back with her and her circle of pals, especially the grumpy yet protective Nelson. The Nelson/Ruth dynamic is its typically complicated yet oddly sweet self, and there's a surprising amount of progress or information regarding the characters' personal lives in this novel.

As mentioned, these books are always just lovely and humorous. The narration style is impeccable and works flawlessly. Each character is so perfectly "them," and I enjoyed that we heard from a lot of characters this time around, even Nelson's elder daughter. Oh, and yes, there's also a great mystery plot thrown in, involving an Italian town, some bones (of course), and a variety of deeply buried secrets. Griffiths introduced us to some new characters with the new locale, and I found the mystery to be interesting and engaging. It was front and center enough to keep us interested, but refreshing to get a little more movement on the characters' personal lives, too.

Overall, another winner from Griffiths. As always, I cannot wait for the next Ruth novel (especially because there is some serious unresolved business by the end of this one!). I think of Ruth, Harry, Kate, and the entire cast as dear friends by now. You can read this as a stand-alone, but as always, I recommend reading the whole series, because it's just so darn good.

A huge thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for a copy of this novel in return for an unbiased review.