Read in 2019 - 20, 21, 22

Once again, I have a backlog of book reviews to write and am therefore posting three in one post.


# 20: Wild Grows the Heather in Devon
Michael Phillips 

A family story with a twist - the twist being that the husband "finds God", and along with him, the family fully embrace a new life based on Christian principles and their newfound faith, with the exception of one daughter. Amanda rebels against the drastic changes in how her parents now educate their children, and questions all that has been (and still is) good in her life.

The story is set in rural England and starts in 1896, at a time of great change in all aspects of society; science was taking quantum leaps, and new thoughts and ideas were constantly introduced. Debates and discussions were a popular pastime, and logical-minded Charles Rutherford has never given much thought to religion, seeing it more as an outdated tradition held up by backward country folk than as something that could influence his own life.

A chance encounter in the streets of London on his way to parliament turns out to be life-changing; not only for him, but also for his wife and their three children.

A well written book that works on many different layers - there is even an old family secret lurking in the background plus a political mystery as an undercurrent, and whether one is religiously enclined or not, readers can really care for the characters and want to know what is going to happen to them. This is #1 of a series, and when I finished this one (a freebie from the Kindle shop), I thought about getting the others (but have not done anything about it yet).


# 21: Nachts am Paragon Walk
Anne Perry

I have read several books by Anne Perry before. Her crime stories are usually set in Victorian London (therefore tying in nicely with my previous read) and center around Inspector Thomas Pitt and his wife Charlotte, who together manage to solve crimes.

One review I posted here in 2011; I must say I did not notice what I criticised back then this time around. 

Paragon Walk is a London street lined with the houses of wealthy citizens, many of them living there only "for the season". When a young lady is raped and murdered, it is clear that only one of those respectable citizens can be guilty. But who had a motive? And whose alibi is shaky?
The higher classes are reluctant talking to a humble Inspector, and so his wife infiltrates the closed circles of Paragon Walk (helped by her sister living there, too). Of course they solve the crime in the end, but unfortunately, two more inhabitants of Paragon Walk lose their lives until all is revealed.


I enjoyed this, and did not guess the solution until it was laid open at the end of the book.



# 22: The Case of the Hidden Flame
by Alison Golden

Another freebie from the Kindle shop, and one I read with particular interest as it is set on the island of Jersey, where O.K. and I spent our first holiday together back in May 2016.

It is subtitled "An Inspector David Graham Cozy Mystery" and # 2 in a series, but it was no problem that I have not (yet?) read # 1.

David Graham arrives at his new assignment on Jersey, and before he even has a chance to unpack, a dead woman is found on the beach - murdered! Now, murders have been a rarity on the peaceful island over the last decades, making the police force just a little complacent. But the new inspector manages to make his small team work harder than they have ever done, and of course in the end, they catch the murderer.

The solution is not obvious (at least not to me); the characters are well portrayed and mostly credible in their actions, the setting is described as I remember it, and the extra information about the inspector make it clear that there is enough material for more stories. Also, there are no unnecessary lengths, but it is not too fast-paced to feel rushed, either. A definite thumbs-up.