The Anatomist’s Apprentice by Tessa Harris

Lord Crick has died. While convulsing. And turning yellow. And providing his family with a gruesome corpse. Although young Lord Crick had some health issues (i.e. the pox) and a rather nasty disposition, it really was a ghastly and horrific death. Welcome to the world of The Anatomist’s Apprentice by Tessa Harris.

His sister Lady Lydia decides that there must be a further investigation. The gossip against her husband Captain Flynn, who is her brother’s heir, is becoming scandalous. On the advice of her cousin Francis, she travels to London to meet with Dr. Thomas Silkstone, an American physician who is working, studying and teaching with British anatomist Dr. Carruthers. Silkstone, who is quite taken with Lady Lydia, agrees reluctantly to exhume and examine the corpse and answer questions at the inquest.

When he is at the estate, he finds not just a house in mourning, but a household full of secrets. Silkstone uses his primitive forensic and toxicology skills to study the remains, but he finds more questions than answers, and his list of suspects in the household grows.  The tension swells, and the plot twists,  but will Silkstone (with some help from Carruthers) find the answers with his scientific methods before there is another body found on the estate? Harris writes a layered tale of forensic mystery using engaging characters who struggle with the conventions of their time. Silkstone is wonderful as the outsider looking into their society. Can't wait to read the next one in the series!

The Shakespeare Thefts : In Search of the First Folios

I'm a bit of a Shakespeare geek really, and so when I saw this title I had to add it to my 'to read' list.  The Shakespeare Thefts: In Search of the First Folios by Eric Rasmussen is a great book on the book collectors of the first editions of Shakespeare's plays.

Thefts - we got them in spades, destroying folios - it is in here, very strange book collectors - ditto! Rasmussen is a Shakespeare scholar and researcher who led a team of First Folio hunters who have spent years locating and examining surviving copies. And along the way they have acquired stories about the various copies, and which copies have disappeared.

I think one of my favorite stories was the tale of the extreme book collector, Sir Thomas Phillips . He did not like his daughter's fiance who was a scholar but also rumored to be a book thief (probably true) and a scrapbooker who destroyed several rare books. Because his daughter would inherit his collection if it stayed on his estate - he moved it. The transferring of his books to their new home - took two years because he had so many. And later it was noted that his Folio was missing. (See chapter nine.)

This title is written very well and moves quickly (it is not that big a book.) Rasmussen keeps the language clear for the everyday reader, but bibliophiles will enjoy it too. And just incase you don't think that you could ever find a First Folio in your closet - there is a story about that too.

After being a bit giddy (um, book geek) at seeing some of the Shakespheare Folios at the British Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library, I loved how this book complemented those past visits. A great read.

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China

I discovered this book from an excerpt in The Best Food Writing 2008. I was impressed by the writing and thought the concept of going to a university in China was pretty bold for an English girl. But that what was thought I learned from the excerpt. But when I actually got the whole book, it was an even better story!

Fuchsia Dunlop went to China to study Chinese policy on ethnic minorities, on a British Council grant in 1994. She was working at the BBC. She ended up at Sichuan University in the foreign students wing. She wasn't quite sure what she was doing there. Her Chinese was too poor to do scholarly work, and the topic she had chosen was a "subject fraught with political sensitivities." She ended up writing down her impressions of the food. She had thought about being a professional cook, but that is not where her path lead her. But here, she finds herself curious about Chengdu and the region's food, it's cooks and their kitchens and she tours around asking questions, making friends and writing down recipes. And because China was just beginning to open itself up the world, Fuchsia and her fellow students are a curiosity to the locals too.

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China is more than just a book about food. It is a story of finding one's place in the world - even if that happens to be China, and creating a life. It is a traveler's journey and Dunlop writes with insight and humor about a time and place that has changed irrevocably since she has been there. And then there is the food. She writes with such knowledge and discription you will be craving Chinese food there after. Makes you wish you went with her. And after reading the book, I guess I did. A very good read.

Keith Richards - The Man, the Myth, the Musician, and the Junkie

In the age old question which rock group is better : the Beatles or the Rolling Stones - if you answer the Stones - this is the book for you.

Life by Keith Richards with James Fox, gives the Rolling Stone fan a glimpse into the creative and sometimes chemically enhanced mind of a founding member of the band. Richards is very straightforward on some issues (the music, his ex- girlfriend and Brian Jones), and cagey on others (Altamont.) It is amazing he remembers as much as he does and it is fun when he has others in his circle being interviewed about the topics at hand.

I must admit it is pretty wild reading about the crazy life on tour with the Stones in the 1970's. And it brings up (for me at least) the question of how much time was wasted on the drugs and how much original music was lost in the process. Keith is such a raconteur that he is even funny during the dark times of his excess. You keeping hoping he's gonna get out of the daze and back into his music. He goes into great detail on this and I will admit most of it was over my head since I'm not a guitarist. I would be curious to hear a musician's perspective on this part of the book. But I can hear the results - and have had his song "Happy" in my head for weeks.

At 564 pages, this is a long read, but Keith's humor and unique perspective make it worth while. Definitely a must read for anyone who is interested in the 60's and 70's music scene in England, and in one of the biggest rock bands of the last century. Just a warning - you might as well get your Stones music out when reading, because you will be hearing the songs in your head!
 
To continue with a Rolling Stones frenzy take a look at the Rolling Stone magazine issue 1105 from May 27th, 2010. There is an excellent article called  "Making of 'Exile on Main Street'"  by David Gates. Put out to coinside with the rerelease of the album (38 years old!) it has a lot of information in it on the creation process behind the album and it is very different from Keith's perspective which is fairly detailed in his book.
 
Get out your albums and CDs and let it bleed. A very good read.

Pick Your Format - Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day

Now here's a case where whichever format you pick - movie, book or audiobook, you are going to get a winner. Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day is a delightful book by Winifred Watson. It also happens to be a good movie - my goodness - they finally got an film adaptation right! And if you want another treat - try the audiobook which is narrated by Frances McDormand who is Miss Pettigrew in the film.

I admit that I saw the film first. And then in the DVD extras, I discovered that the story was based on a book and there were some interesting things about the author. She wrote only six books, all were well received for their time - the 1930's - and Miss Pettigrew attracted much attention when it came out. It was going to be a musical - which is a still a great idea - but World War II started and that stopped that idea.

So knowing that the book is almost always better - and how could you better this movie? - I got a copy of the book. The story is definitely rag to riches. Down ridden governess, Miss Pettigrew has a whirlwind day (there is an hour by hour count down in the book) with an actress, Delysia LaFoss. Besides trying to keep track of Miss LaFoss' many beaus, Miss Pettigrew manages to make a difference. And she discovers this eccentric society life that she has only seen on the silver scene.

The book contains witty dialogue and it is very fast paced. (Gotta be paying attention to who says what.) And that part actually reminded me of another movie - His Girl Friday. And the reader is like Miss Pettigrew - a stranger in a wonderland - trying to figure out whats what and who's who.

Between the lovers and arguments and romantic parings, this book is a whimsical look at a time period that is forever gone. I found it interesting that they showed that in the movie, by having their cocktail party interrupted by overhead flying Spitfires signaling that this fun and fast lifestyle is not going to last. But until then, have another cocktail.

This book and all it's variations are definely fun and frothy. A great read!

Flavia's Back! The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

Our favorite young sleuth Flavia de Luce is back in her next adventure, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley. She has not abandoned her fascination with the study of poisons. But the famous (or infamous) victim in this book is not killed by poison - or is he? And this latest incident seems to have something to do with the death of another villager and what happened during the war. What will Flavia uncover as she digs around in the past?

I just love Flavia's character. Such joli le vive! Well - maybe not - the first scene has her pretending to be dead in the church graveyard and imaging her sisters and family crying. Ah, the dreams and the revenge of the little sister!

Some other fun points, we get to see what Flavia does to the latest of her sister Ophelia's suitors, and we learn more about her mysterious mother from her spinster aunt who comes to visit. And we get to learn more about the village and people of Bishop's Lacey. A fun frothy read and great sequel. I can not wait for the next one!

If you like to listen to audio books, this is one to try on audio. The narrator, Jayne Entwistle, is just perfect and she really brings Flavia's sarcasm and humor to life.

The Burning Lamp

Keeping a long running series interesting to it's readers can be a hard thing for a writer to do. Some of the books will sometimes feel rushed and half finished, but others may be just right. Amanda Quick's The Burning Lamp is book eight in the Arcane series by Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz, and it is a good one.

We meet Adelaide Pyne at a young age escaping from a brothel. And taking a mysterious artifact with her. We meet her again as an adult, who has just recently returned from the United States and wearing widow's weeds. She also has been secretly carrying out raids on brothels and rescuing the young girls who are there. She ends up meeting the "Director" of a criminal organization called the "Consortium." Griffin Winters is interested in her because of the raids, but he's even more interested when he finds out that she is a dream light reader and that she has the lamp that was stolen from his murdered parents' home.

Adelaide is not certain what to think of this crime lord, but agrees to help Winters work the lamp to help his paranormal senses and save his sanity. But when their lives are threatened, they must work together to figure out who else wants the lamp and why? Is it another crime lord? Jones and Jones? The Arcane Society?

I think one of the main reasons I like this book is Adelaide's character. It keeps coming out throughout the story that she has had a wilder past (touring with a wild wild west show, etc.) that just being a "social reformer". It makes for an amusing ongoing storyline throughout the book.

Quick/Krentz does a nice job filling in more Arcane lore and filling in gaps from the previous book in the series. I'm looking forward to the next book in the adventure - which she is writing under her Jayne Castle persona. A fun read.

Jack Haldean's Post World War I Adventures

Dolores Gordon-Smith's Jack Haldean mystery series take place in an England that is still shook up from World War I. Polite society still goes on, but beneath the surface there is uncertainty. Veterans who are jobless. War profiteers who have given their fortunes for a peerage. The thousands of missing and dead who never made it home. And the spies who did.

Jack Haldean, former Royal Flying Corps pilot, has managed to eek out a living with his writing skills, contributing to magazines and writing two mystery novels. In A Fete Worse Than Death, he's just trying to relax at his relatives' country house and enjoy the village festival. To his surprise, he sees a former and unpleasant member of his old unit. And it is even more of a surprise, when that nasty fellow is discovered dead later that afternoon. Was it a local who did it? Or is this something left over from the war? Or is it blackmail?

Jack enlists the aid of his cousin and the local police inspector to figure out what happened at the fair and what really happened on a raid on the Somme.

Gordon-Smith has a great character in Jack, and it has been fun following his development and his -sometimes - action adventures. She has a great grasp of the post-war setting. And as a fan of this time period, I'm eagerly awaiting the next one in the series. Lots of fun.

Mad About the Boy (2008)- Jack's aunt and uncle are celebrating their wedding anniversary with a big ball at their country house. One of the guests commits suicide. Or was it murder? With various Russians running about and his cousin Isabelle's beaus hanging around, Jack has more than enough suspects.

As If By Magic (2009) - When Jack finds out an old war chum is in trouble, he comes to the rescue. But his friend's story of seeing a murder, and his tale of a missing legacy, has Jack puzzled. Is this all connected? Or is his friend just damaged from the war?

Adventures in Royalty with Georgie

Lady Georgiana has some problems. She wants to do something with herself instead of mope around the family's cold Scottish estates. But they have no money and she decides to earn some. It's better than waiting around to be married or being a companion to a great aunt in the middle of nowhere. She's not in great demand - she's only 34th in line for the throne and there's a depression on!

So she goes to stay in the London house (for free!) and get a job. The problem is she doesn't know how to cook, set a fire in the fireplace, or take care of herself. She's a bit naive but willing to learn. After getting fired from Harrod's, she starts a business of being a maid who will "open your London house" for you. With the help of her non-royal grandfather, and her best friend Brenda, she is starting to make it on her own.

But her brother Binky gets accused of murder, and then her cousin the Queen wants her to keep an eye on her cousin David, the Prince of Wales. Hmmm. What's a lady to do?

In Her Royal Spyness, Georgie learns to make her way in the world - she's not stupid - just rather sheltered - and discovers that good manners can get you far. And then someone gets murdered in the house. and he turns out to be a blackmailer. She just has to clear Binky of the charges!

Rhys Bowen has another great series on her hands. Lots of fun and froth. And a bit more information on what was really going on behind the scenes of royalty in the 1930's. Great fun, and I am eagerly awaiting the next one.

Others in the series:

A Royal Pain (2008) Georgie keeps us her cleaning business and the Queen decides to have a foreign princess stay with her. Thank goodness the princess seems to like "Bubble and Squeak".

Royal Flush (2009) After Georgie makes a big mistake by putting the word "escort" in a ad, she gets sent back home to Scotland to with orders to keep an eye on a certain Mrs. Simpson. But it seems someone is injuring royals, even lesser ones!

Blind Justice & the Sir John Fielding Mystery Series

Sir John Fielding was famous in eighteen century England as a co-founder of London's first police force - the Bow Street Runners. He was also a magistrate who was known for his intellect and fairness. His half brother was the novelist Henry Fielding. And the most remarkable part of his career was that he did all this and he was blind since the age of 19.

Bruce Alexander has created this mystery series around the great "Blind Beak" as he was known. Blind Justice is the first in the series. The narrator of the stories is a thirteen year old, Jeremy, who Fielding saves from jail. Jeremy becomes Sir John's "eyes" and helps him on his missions of justice.

Alexander has a great feel for the historical period and this will be a grittier read of the Georgian/Regency period than some readers will be used to. This is not the beautiful and fancy Regency of romances novels and the Ton. This world is filled with corruption and villains. Some of them get their comeuppance and some get away because of family connections or wealth. Hmm, kind of sounds familiar.

Join Fielding as he deals out justice - one case at a time. I have enjoyed the first three books in the series and looking forward to reading more. A very fun read.

Blind Justice (1994)
Murder in Grub Street (1995)
Watery Grave (1996)

Candace Camp's Matchmaker series

Candace Camp has finished her fourth book in her Matchmaker series. And I just finished reading them all. (Yes, it was a bit of a marathon weekend.) It is great to read a romance series that:
1.) isn't too long
2.) has some great continuing characters - Francesca and Irene are my favorites
3.) has a mix of the "reality" of the time period with the froth and gloss
4.) and may have a bad guy to mess up the romance - but it's not necessarily an outsider. Nasty relatives were around in history too, folks.

The Marriage Wager is Dominic and Constance's story. Francesca, a lovely fashionable widow, takes a bet from the Duke, that she can make over the dowdy Constance. Constance takes the chance that the season can bring her more than just chaperoning her younger cousins. She doesn't even imagine that she could fall in love with Francesca's brother Dominic. He is supposed to be looking for an heiress. Nice steady lead characters.

The Bridal Quest is Francesca's next task. How can she find a wife for Gideon? He's a long lost heir that was finally found. He grew up on the streets and his relatives are trying to tame him by getting him married. Irene has not had a good view of marriage and is not interested in getting a husband. Her plain speaking has not won her many fans. But Francesca thinks Irene can help her to get Gideon to be more like a gentleman. These are some great characters - fairly unusual for romance and this book has a bit of a mystery element too.

The Wedding Challenge has Francesca finding a husband for her ex-fiance's sister. Callie wants to get married but is tired of all the fortune hunters who want to wed a Duke's sister. She manages to find Bromwell herself, but she doesn't know his family's past history with her brother. But who is telling the truth? Brom or her brother Sinclair? There are some great scenes in this book. While the leads are good, you can tell that this book sets up the next one with Francesca and Sinclair.

The Courtship Dance is finally Sinclair and Francesca's story. And I think the best one in the bunch. We finally get some answers to their early romance, and Francesca's own unhappy marriage. She feels she has let the Duke down and decides she is going to find him a suitable wife. He decides to let her, but he really only wants her. Some great characters who deal truthfully with their past lives and troubles. You will find that you are really rooting for them by the end of the story. A most satisfying read.

And there you have it. A strong romance series. Some great leads, some fun secondary characters - love the great-aunt Lady Odelia - and some good story lines. Some very fun and frothy reads.

Busman's Honeymoon

I have a habit of not reading the last book in a series. I put off the inevitable because I usually want the author or the characters to go on and on. The last book seems so final. (Nowadays it is possible for them to go on and on because the author's estates sell the rights to the name or the character.) But in this case Dorothy L. Sayers concentrated on writing other things and gave us the last Lord Peter Wimsey book entitled Busman's Honeymoon. However in the 1937 version that I read, the book is subtitled A Love Story with Detective Interruptions. And that gives the reader a big clue that this particular Wimsey book is not going to be all about finding evidence.

At the beginning, we find Lord Peter and Harriet Vane attempting to finalize their long romance by marrying. It sounds much easier than it is, with the press hounding them and Peter's sister-in-law making plans that no one wants. How ever they manage to do the deed and slip off to the countryside to their new country home. The new home is not all that is it was promised to be, and with the help of Bunter, Lord Peter's man, the happy couple has a lovely evening just the same. However the following day brings a corpse in the basement and it embroils them in a local mystery that they can not get away from.

But along with the mystery, Sayers gives the characters time to figure out some things about their marriage. How will they go on? Will Harriet accept that Peter will always have to have his hand in a case? Will Peter remember to keep her involved? They are trying to figure out their new roles and how Bunter, the man of all trades, fits into the mix.

Sayers gives us a realistic ending. Lord Peter has never been very good with the end result of a case. In those days, they hung murderers. It usually brought back memories of the war (WWI) for him. But this time he has Harriet to help him. A very good read.

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

When the dead body of a stranger lies in the garden of an disheveled ancient family home, what's an eleven year old girl with a passion for chemistry (and a unnatural knowledge of poisons) supposed to do? Solve the mystery of course. Welcome to Flavia's world.

Flavia de Luce is 11 going on 4o. She's the neglected youngest daughter of an absent minded stamp collector in Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. With her trusty bicycle Gladys, Flavia is determined to solve this crime. When her father is charged with the murder, it becomes even more important. She doesn't realize that the investigation will lead her to finding out more about her father's past.

Bradley does an excellent job showing us an eccentric dysfunctional family and manages to make it seem "normal" to Flavia. And when her older sisters lock her up in a closet or tell her she was really brought home as a baby from a store, she does what any normal youngest child does. She takes revenge. She just does it a little differently, with poison ivy in a lipstick.

I'm excited that this is to be a series. There are too many de Luce family secrets that have been hinted at and need to be uncovered. As a reader, I am looking forward to seeing Flavia and her sisters growing up in this odd environment. A very fun read!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

A chance encounter with a book by Charles Lamb, leads to a inquiring letter written to an author, who just happens to be looking for her next project, and her curiosity leads her to the island of Guernsey in the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows have written a book that is full of characters that we want to get to know - right away- and the format that the authors use - personal letters between characters - gives us the opportunity to be eager (and inquisitive) for the next missive.

Their letters give us the chance to examine the relationship between the characters, as it grows from being formal strangers, and moves to becoming beloved friends. They contain a lot of the minutia of life, and give the reader a bit of the background of the main writer - Juliet and what her life has been like during the war. All of the characters are experiencing the recovery of Great Britain from the war, but those on Guernsey have a special reason to be grateful after the sorrowful years of occupation.

The Literary society came about because of a special pig dinner. Special because it was being hidden from the Nazis. And as the islanders bonded over dinner and being in trouble, the society grew to be more than just a group of people talking about books. And one person, Elizabeth, seems to be the catalyst that brings them all together. When Juliet learns about their stories, she wants more than ever to bring their tale to light in a book because she is falling in love with the island too.

Filled with war stories, book references, British slang, and good humor, the authors have a definitely created a great story to tell. If you don't like the style of the book - personal letters - you might have trouble with it. But I think it is splendid! A very good read.

Ruby in the Smoke

Phillip Pullman's Ruby in the Smoke is an exciting adventure and mystery story geared toward a young adult audience. Sally Lockhart has just lost her father at sea. But she recieves an unusual note and when she goes to his partners to ask about it, one of them drops dead, and she manages to set in motion a ripple in sea of conspiracy. Sally is not your average heroine, she has pluck and her father raised her more like a boy than girl. She starts to investigate these questions and accuires along the way some trustworthy friends and pals.

What really happened when her father died? Did it have anything to do with the nightmare she has been having since she was a little girl? How does the opium trade play a role in this? And who is the puppet master controlling things behind the scenes?

Pullman takes the reader on quite a roller coaster ride and provides a unique view of the grittier side of Victorian England. A fun thrilling mystery. I look forward to reading the sequels.

Gardens Can be Murder

The Garden Plot by J.S. Borthwick is a book in the Sarah Deane mystery series. And it has a great concept. Sarah is going on a gardening travel tour with her Aunt Julia. Aunt Julia got the trip for free because someone else could not go. A free trip to England to visit the famous gardens - what a deal! Sarah could use a rest after teaching this last semester in Maine. And she is curious to see her colleague Ellen lead the group as the gardening expert.

But on the way to airport to catch their flight - things begin to happen. Ellen doesn't make her flight. When they arrive in England - no one can get in touch with her. Where is she? When her stabbed body is found on the side of the road, Sarah starts to get a bit nervous. It is beginning to look like the murderer made the flight and is on the tour. So just who is it? Just try to enjoy your vacation with that hanging over you!

Borthwick deftly takes us to England, Maine and back again as the investigation becomes trans-Atlantic. Sarah and Aunt Jane are great characters and bring us into the story. The author makes the English trip come alive - if you have been there - it will bring you back. And you definitely will look at gardening tools a little different from now on. This was a great introduction to a series I was not familiar with. I am looking forward to reading some more books from the series. A fun read.

It Happened at Christmas

First of all - yes, I am stilling reading Christmas stories after the holiday. So sue me. Sometimes one needs the extra lift. And some Christmas romance stories are not like the others. The anthology, It Happened at Christmas with pieces by Penny Jordan, Helen Brooks and Carol Wood is a great collection of different stories.

One can read romances set completely in the houses of the high and mighty and the folks go from one gala to the next. Don't get me wrong, those can be fun to read too, but these tales are set in out of the way places from the typical romance spot. One story is set on the Isle of Dogs in the East end of London. A new doctor comes to help out his uncle's practice with the poor in the neighborhood. The nurse and the doctor do not see eye to eye on remedies. Another story is set in a mill town where a girl needs to find out if a mill owner with a bad reputation - is really the ogre he is said to be. The other story is a about how a factory girl with a family to support gets a new job as a tenant on a farmer's land.

Definitely different Christmas stories. Take a look. A fun read.

It Is Gruesome, Morbid and Macabre - But a Real Good Read

Do you have the right stuff to read about something gruesome? Have you read true crime and murder mysteries? Have friends claimed you are a bit morbid in your tastes? Then I have the book for you - Necropolis: London and It's Dead by Catharine Arnold.

There is one certainty for most of us - death. And Arnold takes us on a tour of the death rituals and burial grounds of one of the world's most populous cities - London. She takes us from the pagans to modern day, with many side trips along the way.

Some interesting facts:

1) The Romans feared their dead and buried their deceased outside of the town limits. They are the first ones to wear black for mourning "as black garments were thought to confer invisibility upon the bereaved, protecting them from vengeful spirits."

2) "The custom of burying within the church derived from the concept of martyrdom. Christians revered those who had died for their faith, turning their tombs into shrines. The faithful clamoured to be buried alongside the martyrs, as close as possible to the venerable remains..."

3) During the Restoration when there was plague - they ran out of burial grounds, so open pits had to be made - a couple near the Houses of Parliament.

4) During Victorian times, the funeral procession and extravaganza was at its peak. There were even whole warehouses "devoted to the sale of mourning costumes and all the paraphernalia necessary for the funeral."

So do you think you will have the stomach for this? Try it. You might get weird looks from people on the train, but it is an excellent read. Not for the faint of heart.

Get Out or Die - a Roman Britannia mystery

Did you ever wonder what life was like during Roman Times in Great Britain? Have you ever taken a look at the Roman ruins in Bath or London, and have seen just how permanent they are constructed? Those buildings were build to last. The Romans were there to stay.

Take a look at Jane Finnis' book Get Out or Die. It features a traveler's inn on the Roman roads to the city that would become York. Aurelia and her Roman family own the inn and stables, which is hard enough to keep going with the transportation costs of hauling wine from Gaul, but now someone is trying to kill Roman travelers. Not good when your livelihood depends on a frequent supply of guests. And each traveler that has been murdered, has the words "Get out or Die" on them.

Just who is trying to start a uprising of the natives? Most of the nearby town is pro-Roman or is it? Who can they trust? Which locals are friends and which are enemies? Aurelia is not some ninny - she's a centurion's daughter and she is not leaving her land with out a fight.

Finnis has a great sense of the early Britannia, but since there are only bits and pieces known about that time period - she fills in the holes skillfully. Aurelia and her hotel family are great characters, and it is an exciting story, as the danger keeps getting closer and closer to them. A great read.

Jane's World - Everything You Wanted to Know About Jane Austen's Books But Were Too Busy to Ask

Are you a Janite? Do Jane Austen's novels rock your world? Can't get enough of Mr. Darcy and Anne Elliot? I have the book for you. Deirdre Le Faye's book Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels is a great study of Austen's works. And she goes in depth and manages to be entertaining in the process.

Even if you only have one favorite Austen novel, you can go into this book and see the detail about the time period of the book, where it might have been set - what were the styles of houses, clothes and people during that time. It gives the average reader an peak into Jane's influences while writing and what references her readers of her time would have caught and appreciated. And Le Faye does this all in an engaging but serious style.

This may not be for everyone - she does go into enormous detail, book by book, but it is a must for the Austen fan. A great compact book to add to your literary reference shelf. I'm going to have to get this keeper.