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My first KJ Charles, but definitely not my last! A truly excellent historical murder mystery where the killer is revealed but someone else emerges as the true villain. Wonderfully drawn characters and themes, including class, race, disability, abortion, and queerness as they play out in a group of friends attending Oxford in the 1890s. Ten years later, after an unsolved murder, our protagonist Jem sets out to finally find whodunnit. 🔥🍂🌧

Two down! #Swords #WickedWords @AsYouWish

“My mother always says that the sweetest sound in the world is a baby‘s borning cry.”

May Amelia‘s mom is a midwife. Her family lives in a small community in Washington state around the turn of the 19th century, where farming and logging are primary subsistence. Poignant

#Read2025 #LitsyAtoZ #Bookspinbingo #Series2025 #Pantone2025

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today‘s prompt:

#CHARACTERCHARM
@Eggs
@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

TODDAY‘S PROMPT: JUDGE

A high-profile trial, an honest, fair judge, and some undisclosed history of the participants.   All these circumstances resulted in a judge being found murdered in his home office along with a white rose and a Bible.

FULL REVIEW: https://tinyurl.com/4njavjav

#BookHaul Part 2 (with pigeon droppings ?️)
Two Arnold Bennett novels, and an Andre Gide volume of two novellas.
I love the Penguin covers, and initially thought the orange?logo on the 1963 Gide was a recent sticker, it's so vibrant, but it's actually part of the original design ?
"The Grand Hotel Babylon" has lovely Impressionistic cover art by Charles Ginner, and it sounds like it will be something of a satirical farce.

Death in the Spires, by KJ Charles (2024)

Premise: Let go from his job after his employer receives a note calling him a murderer, a man tracks down his old college friends to try to find out who killed one of their own.

Review: Every time I read a KJ Charles book I expect a fun, queer, historical romp, but get something far more interesting. This is a compelling mystery that handles privilege and marginalization really successful. Cont

KJ Charles is an excellent Romance novelist but unfortunately I don't enjoy romance. So I was delighted to discover she had written a historical mystery set in turn of the century Oxford. Enjoyed the characters a lot, there is a little romance but it was well integrated into the plot. Mystery was well done. Overall very solid, strong pick.

Seven students start their relevant courses at Oxford University and become friends then one is murdered. Ten years later a quest by one of the remaining six is started to discover who the murderer was.
Due to its content I wouldn't describe the book as enjoyable but more satisfying. The story is really about friendship, relationships, the realities of life along with the treacherous behaviour of one. A slow storyline but it is still worth reading

Well this was delightful! I have had this in my downloads for years, and just decided to give it a go. What fun protagonists, and unique premise for the series! (A lady spy/detective with her maid who is an expert in martial arts) Their repartee and friendship is so refreshing, and they are terrific sleuths. I‘m going back to start listening to the whole series!