THE QUEEN MOTHER

This was the fascinating story of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. I confess to knowing very little of her history other than she was much loved by the people of England and that she died when she was 100+ years old. I also knew that she had been born in 1900 like my grandmother. I loved the story of a girl from a priveliged background who caught the attention of a prince and eventually became Queen of England. The story also had some sad times as her beloved husband died in his 50's and the present Queen of England was crowned when she was only in her mid-twenties. From then on, Queen Elizabeth became the Queen Mother.

I must admit that I read 729 pages of the 943 in the book. That doesn't include the family trees or the many, many pages of the index. It was a long, long book but overall it was fascinating and a great overview of England in the twentieth century.

Rating - 4.5 stars

THE CHRISTMAS LAMP

Nativity, MO, is a town that has always loved Christmas. Being close to Branson, tourists used to come during the holiday season and shop in the the little town. After the highway has changed its route, Nativity is no longer a stop off place for tourists. Roni has been in the city administrator's office since she was 18. She can't imagine any of the traditions that she associated with Christmas being changed. Jake Brisco is a consultant who has been hired to help save Nativity even if that means cutting out sacred traditions like the town Christmas tree in the middle of Main Street and the skating pond that costs a fortune.

This is the first book that I have read by Lori Copeland. I thought it was fun. I'm not a huge fan of novellas because it is hard to develop the story with much depth in a short book. Still, this was a fun holiday read and I enjoyed it.

Rating - 4 stars

TRIAL BY FIRE

Ali Reynolds is always up for a new challenge and when she is offered a temporary position as the media relations consultant for the Yavapai sherrif's department, she decides to give it a whirl. Things change quickly though, when a severely burned woman is rescued from a burning house. The victim doesn't know who she is or what happened to her. The hospital has Sister Anselm, a nurse specializing in pallitive care, work as a victim's advocate. Soon Ali is drafted to help the nun figure out the victim's identity and try to save her from whoever tried to kill her in the fire.

J.A. Jance is one of my favorite writers and the Ali Reynolds series never disappoints. I got caught up in this book and hated to put it down.

Rating - 4.5 stars

THE BIG STEAL

Sterling Glass is an antiques appraiser who has been sent to a Virginia estate which has had a burglary. Sterling soon learns that this house is very unusual for Virginia because the antiques and the whole house are more Victorian than southern. The estate also is in danger of being shut down because there are no funds to keep it running. Sterling thinks that some of the items in the home are real antiques and some are reproductions. Her job is to do an adequate appraisal for the insurance company but things at Wynderly are spooky in more ways than one.

This is the second in the series by Emyl Jenkins. This is the first one that I have read. I think that an antiques appraiser is an interesting profession for a cozy mystery. Something in the writer's style bothered me. Things seemed to be rather disjointed at times and I felt I had to fill in parts of the story on my own at times. I liked the story, though, and I think I'll try another soon.

Rating - 4 stars

THE CLEANER

Jonathan Quinn has an unusual job. He is sent in to clean up after someone is killed by "the Organization". He is very good at what he does but one night, his home is invaded and he is nearly killed. He escapes and goes to Vietnam where he seeks out an old friend and fellow cleaner. While there, he is contacted to go to Germany. He thinks this may help him clear up who tried to kill him. In Berlin, he learns that people are after him and they kidnap his friend, Orlando's son. It's a wild chase to straighten it all out and to save the world from bioterrorism.

Brett Battles was the author of this first book in the series. I liked the characters in the book but international espionage is really not my thing. I was ready for this book to be over long before it was. I may pick up the next in the series but I'm not in a big hurry!

Rating - 3.5 stars

MURPHY'S LAW

Molly Murphy is in big trouble. She has left Ireland after killing the landlord's son after he tried to rape her. She knows that no one will believe her so she is on the run. When she gets to London, a woman saves her from the police. She also asks her to take her children to America where her husband is waiting for them. The woman has TB and is too ill to travel but she needs Molly to take the children on the ship. For Molly, escaping to America sounds wonderful. Still, when Molly is a witness to a murder on Ellis Island, she is in danger herself and somehow, she must find a way to make a living in America.

This is the first book that I have read by Rhys Bowen even though I had heard about her for years. I loved Molly Murphy and I thought the book was quick-paced and fun. I'll be eager to read more of Molly and her adventures and I may check out further of Ms. Bowen's books.

Rating - 4.5 stars