I thought The Final Problem (English publication day February 10, 2026) by Arturo Pérez-Reverte was an interesting take on a locked-room mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, without most of the racism, and instead focused on the actor who played Sherlock Holmes to be the sleuth. It was originallyContinue reading “The Final Problem”
Tag Archives: historical fiction
And The Ancestors Sing
And The Ancestors Sing (publication day 2/3/2026) by Radha Lin Chaddah transported me back to 1978 to post-cultural revolution China, to the farm workers and their families and the newly arrived migrants from the country to the city, and all of the issues they had to deal with. From arranged marriages to prostitution, from earthquakesContinue reading “And The Ancestors Sing”
Anita de Monte Laughs Last
The audiobook for Anita de Monte Laughs Last (2024) by Xóchitl González (author of 2022’s Olga Dies Dreaming) completely enthralled me with the alternating stories of both Cuban artist Anita de Monte in the early 1980s and 3rd year art history student Raquel in the late 1990s. There is some controversy that shows up inContinue reading “Anita de Monte Laughs Last”
The Magnolia Sword
The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan (2019) by Sherry Thomas is a satisfying YA retelling of the Mulan story, set in 5th century China. I was introduced to Thomas through her newest novel, The Librarians, which I loved so much that I had to check out her backlist. As the book opens, the protagonistContinue reading “The Magnolia Sword”
The Reformatory
I just about have no words (with reverent awe) for The Reformatory (2023) by Tananarive Due, but since writing about books is the reason for this blog, I have to come up with some. First, this book is an example of my belief that white people need to read books written by black people (andContinue reading “The Reformatory”
All of Us Murderers
I devoured All of Us Murderers (publication day October 7, 2025), KJ Charles’s latest “romance with a body count” (see Death in the Spires). Although most of the characters were extremely unlikable, I loved the participants in the romance–Zebedee and Gideon. Zeb is kind of a mess, as usual, when he arrives at his cousinContinue reading “All of Us Murderers”
A Murderous Business
For an intriguing historical feminist mystery, I recommend A Murderous Business (publication day September 16, 2025) by Cathy Pegau, which I hope becomes book one of a series! It’s 1912, and Margot Harriman is running her father’s business empire after his passing–a canning company on Long Island that also manufactures and sells other prepared foods.Continue reading “A Murderous Business”
If Looks Could Kill
It took a little while for me to get into If Looks Could Kill (publication day September 16, 2025) by Julie Berry, but once I did, I was hooked! I had a hard time figuring out how the storylines could come together, but they did, in spectacular fashion! Fiction about true crime/ historical events mixedContinue reading “If Looks Could Kill”
Blood Caste
Blood Caste (publication date July 24, 2025) by Shylashri Shankar is an absorbing mystery set in 1895, and imagines what could happen if Jack the Ripper hadn’t been stopped in London but starts another killing spree in Hyderabad, India. Most fascinating was the interplay of all of the different royals and officials–both Indian and British–presentContinue reading “Blood Caste”
Wayward Girls
I was completely captivated by Wayward Girls (publication day July 15, 2025) by Susan Wiggs! It’s an epic story of friendship and survival despite the horrific conditions some girls in the United States were subjected to as recently as 50 or 60 years ago. As the book opens in 2020, we know that a fifty-yearContinue reading “Wayward Girls”
Reading While Fat 