Murder at the Castle by David Safier
Calling all cosy crime lovers!
Angela Merkel ex-German Chancellor has finally retired from public life with her husband Achim and their new pug Putin in the quaint village of Kleinfreudenstadt-on-Dumpfsee. However, retirement isn’t all she thought it would be and settling into country life just isn’t as exciting as dealing with international affairs and deranged American presidents.
When local aristocrat Baron von Baugenwitz is found poisoned and dressed in armour in his castle dungeon which has been locked from the inside, Angela finally finds a purpose to her retirement. A mystery that needs solving! With the help of her husband, ever patient bodyguard Mike and of course her beloved dog Putin she undertakes a somewhat dangerous hunt for his killer. Will she be able to solve the crime and find the killer before they try to finish her off first?
What really sets this novel apart, however, is its wit. From the opening pages, Murder at the Castle consistently delights with sharp wordplay and cleverly layered intertextual references, particularly in its playful reimagining of aspects of the real Merkel’s life. Intelligent, funny, and remarkably well realised, this story is a superb achievement.
A wonderful cozy mystery for fans of Richard Osman and Amanda Hampson. This is a light, humorous read featuring the reimagined political figure. A delight for all!
Reviewed by Barbara, Customer Experience Officer
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Happy Ending by Chloe Liese
A perfect slow-burn rom-com for a cold winter’s read!
Meet Thea, recently divorced bookseller fighting with her ex over custody of their dog, and Alex, chef extraordinaire who is devoted to amicably co-parenting his daughter as he navigates his own divorce. When Thea and Alex discover their exes are now dating one other, they impulsively fabricate a back story for themselves pretending to have been each other’s first love and pen-pals, who are happy to be reunited. What begins as a spiteful lie unexpectedly grows into a steady, meaningful friendship. Two years later when their exes invite them to come away on holiday together, all four lives intersect, forcing Thea and Alex to confront a question: could their pretend bond be the start of something real?
Happy Ending is a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance in which readers are sure to enjoy Thea and Alex’s journey from hurtful lie to a connection so genuine you can’t help but root for them.
Thea and Alex feel like real people carrying real-life baggage—divorce, messy exes, emotional ruts, and the longing for a place that finally feels like home. Their friendship is the heart of the story and is written with emotional nuance. You feel the trust building between the two and witness the gradual shift from platonic affection to a deeper longing as they fall for each other but are both hesitant to risk the friendship they’ve come to rely on.
Happy Ending is a warm, funny, and heartfelt romance about growth, healing, and the unexpected joy of second chances.
Reviewed by Khode, Librarian
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Strange Pictures by Uketsu
A strange mystery by an equally strange author.
The mysterious and enigmatic Japanese YouTuber and author, Uketsu, whose true identity remains unknown, has done it again with another chilling murder mystery revealed through unconventional clues.
A series of drawings made by a young woman before her death, posted to an old blog online. A child’s disturbing picture of his home, and the paranoia that follows him and his mama from the shadows. A desperate sketch made by a murder victim in his final moments, studied relentlessly by his former student in a search for the truth. Strange Pictures invites the reader to solve a series of mysteries spanning more than 60 years by finding the clues and oddities in a series of hand-drawn pictures. Each one paints an eerie and horrifying picture that reveals a little bit more of how everything is all connected, culminating into the big reveal of a shocking secret at the end.
Uketsu’s writing style is simple but immersive. Readers will feel as though they are in the room with the characters, nodding along as questions are raised and eagerly studying the drawings to find the clues first. The narrative jumps from different points of view throughout the timeline, giving readers a fresh perspective with each chapter that helps build upon the story. What you will find at the end is a haunting tale that will have you asking how far someone would go to protect the ones they love most?
Strange Pictures is the perfect read if you are looking for something a little less conventional in your mysteries, or something you can curl up and devour in a single sitting, preferably on a gloomy day with a warm drink!
Reviewed by Georgia, Library Promotions Officer
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The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson
An inspirational ode to our profession, based on real historical events.
In the summer of 1936, a group of young women form a special bond as they attend a six-week preparatory course ahead of sitting their Library Association exams. Calling themselves the Secret Society of Librarians (SSL), the women successfully keep their promise to travel annually from their disparate homeplaces from Devon to Jersey and meet up in London, where they continue to share experiences and lend professional support to one another. All except one of their members that is, for Dorotha has returned to her homeland and is living in Lodz in Poland. Dorotha keeps in touch via letters.
With the eruption of WWII, the SSL are determined to uphold their newly created motto: “If people can’t get to the books, we take books to the people”. In the midst of the London Blitz, Clara Button establishes an underground library at the Bethnal Green tube station shelter, (the source material for the author’s previous title The Little Wartime Library), while Joyce Kindred battles the powers that be to successfully launch the Camden Mobile Library. In the middle of the Nazi occupied Lodz Ghetto, Dorotha Berkowicz, with much less fanfare, launches her secret resistance library.
When the Berkowitz family take the heartbreaking decision to send Dorotha’s younger sister, Adela, away to England for safety, Joyce volunteers to act as guarantor. It is hardly any time before news of the plight of the Jews in the ghettos reaches their ears and correspondence from Dorotha dries up.
The Secret Society of Librarians follows on in the same vein as Thompson’s previous work depicting the inspirational impact of books, reading & libraries on the populace during the second world war. I found this to be her best work yet – thoroughly researched and reflective of truly inspirational people. The photographs and interviews included in the comprehensive notes at the end of the book help to bring home the facts behind this thoughtful work of historical fiction.
Review by Christy, Collection Development Librarian
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The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Roots of Chaos: Book 1
A fantasy series of epic proportions!Samantha Shannon’s Roots of Chaos series began in 2019 with the publication of The Priory of the Orange Tree, and the latest volume, Among the Burning Flowers has just been released—much to the excitement of fans. While all three volumes take place in the same world, they can be read in any order, each one adding layers to the history and mythology of Shannon’s worldbuilding.
Priory begins in the kingdom of Inys, where the House of Berethnet has ruled for a thousand years – each queen having one daughter, near identical to herself and burdened with the task of keeping her realm safe from dangerous wyverns. Unbeknownst to the current monarch, Sabran the Ninth, she is being watched over by one of her ladies-in-waiting, who possesses knowledge and powers that only those from the priory of the orange tree are privy to. Meanwhile, in an eastern land across the water, a young woman named Tane is working hard to become a dragon-rider, believing that dragons, and not a sacred bloodline, are the last defence against the wyrms and wyverns that the people fear. As the stories of these three women intertwine in this 800-page epic fantasy, the result is a thrilling epic fantasy novel to rival that of George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones.
The brilliant worldbuilding really sets this series apart, and while two of the books are quite long, they are quick and engaging reads. I think they’d make a great tv series too.
Review by Emily, Librarian
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Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory
The Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory is a historical fiction novel that revisits the Tudor court through the eyes of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford. Known for her role in the downfalls of both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, this novel reimagines Jane not just as a villain, but as a survivor in the dangerous, tyrannical court of Henry VIII.Often looked at as a villain accused of conspiring against her husband George and sister-in-law Anne, this story is a revised look at Jane Boleyn’s life, portraying her as an intelligent, ambitious woman who uses her wit and secrets to navigate the treacherous Tudor court.
To survive King Henry’s court, Jane must play many parts. Informer and spy for Thomas Crowmwell, lady in waiting for four of Henry’s queens and informant for the Boleyn family.
Jane needed to outthink her peers and sometimes her queens as the King became more of a tyrant as the years passed. This was a time where to put one foot wrong, to say one wrong word, could so easily lead to the scaffold, whatever one’s station in life!
Jane speaks to us through the mists of time to bring the Tudor court during Henry VIII’s infamous reign vividly to life, framing her actions as a desperate attempt at survival rather than pure malice. This is a historical novel of ambition, betrayal and survival and the powerlessness of women during this time.
An enthralling historical thriller which has Philipa Gregory returning to this period with a deeper focus on the potential of women and the dangers of tyranny during this era. A wonderful page turning read!
Review by Barbara, Customer Experience Officer
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