Review: The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths

The House at Sea's End (Ruth Galloway, Book #3)
by Elly Griffiths
Release Date: January 10, 2012
2012 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Ebook Edition; 352 Pages
ISBN13: 978-1-547-50614-2 (Hardcover, 284 Pages)
ASIN: B005CNOHY0
Genre: Murder / Mystery
Source: Review Copy from Netgalley

4 / 5 Stars

Summary

Ruth Galloway has just returned from maternity leave and is struggling to juggle work and motherhood. When a team from the University of North Norfolk, investigating coastal erosion, finds six bodies buried at the foot of the cliff, she is immediately put on the case. DCI Nelson is investigating, but Ruth finds this more hindrance than help - Nelson is the father of her da...moreRuth Galloway has just returned from maternity leave and is struggling to juggle work and motherhood. When a team from the University of North Norfolk, investigating coastal erosion, finds six bodies buried at the foot of the cliff, she is immediately put on the case. DCI Nelson is investigating, but Ruth finds this more hindrance than help - Nelson is the father of her daughter, Kate. Still, she remains professional and concentrates on the case at hand. Forensic tests prove that the bodies are from Southern Europe, killed sixty years ago. Police Investigations unearth records of Project Lucifer, a wartime plan to stop a German invasion. A further discovery reveals that members of the Broughton Sea's End Home Guard took a 'blood oath' to conceal some deadly wartime secret. The more information they uncover, the more elusive any explanation becomes. When a visiting German reporter is killed, Ruth and Nelson realise that someone is still alive who will kill to keep the secret of Broughton Sea's End's war years. Can they discover the truth in time to stop another murder?

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My Thoughts

The House at Sea's End was an entertaining Ruth Galloway Mystery, but I enjoyed it more due to Ruth's anguish over the difficulties of being a working single parent rather than for the actual murder / mystery that was in this novel.  As always, I truly appreciate the sense of atmostphere that Ms. Griffiths is able to bring to these novels as there is always a feeling of tension in the air, whether she is describing the beauty of the aftereffects of a snowstorm, or describing the wonders and dangers of doing archaeological work withing the confines of the sea.
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Because I have read the first two novels in this series, I had the benefit of knowing background information that was often referenced in this novel.  While you could read this novel as a stand-alone, it would definitely help if you had read the first two novels before beginning this one because the author does assume you have read them when making references to the preceding events.  In this one, Ruth Galloway is returning from maternity leave and is dealing with the frustrations of working full-time and being a full-time mom.  She is definitely turning out to be one of my favourite characters in this series, and I love the fact that she is full of imperfections as I can totally relate to her as a mom dealing with both work and motherhood.  I understood her frustrations when people around her were telling her she should be at home with her baby, yet she was conflicted as she really enjoyed her work and wanted to be something more than just a mom.  I found her personal conflicts to be rather more interesting than the mystery, to be honest.
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I also liked the fact that the secondary characters had the benefit of a lot of character development as well, and I got to learn more about their personal lives and some of the problems they were dealing with.  There is one situation in particular I am really curious to see where it goes as it could create a lot of problems, and yet is so common today.  I don't want to give it away, but the situation will carry into the next novel and I am really, really curious, and it was completely unexpected.  All I will say is that it involves Cathbad - the druid who amuses me to no end.
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As for the mystery itself, I found it quite interesting at first, but it sort of petered off for me and although I did not figure out who the murderer was, I did find it to be a bit of a letdown.  It seemed to lack that dramatic twist that it was leading up to and I was a little disappointed.  I do have to say however, that Ms. Griffiths did a great job portraying the time period during the Second World War, the fears, the expectations, the betrayals, and the impulsiveness that would have existed during that time period, and I enjoyed learning what life was like at that time.  The terror and the fear came through, and I couldn't imagine what it was like to have to live like that all of the time.
 

Verdict

The House at Sea's End was an enjoyable third addition to a series that I thoroughly enjoy.  I thought the author did a remarkable job in developing her characters in this novel, and the atmosphere definitely portrayed the English countryside in a way that made me feel like I was right there.  I was not overly impressed with the murder / mystery in this one however, and I didn't really see the purpose of Tatjana's visit other than to show another aspect of war, and Tatjana's attitude irritated me to no end, even to the coincidental "just happen to be around in the nick of time" towards the end of the novel.  While convenient coincidences grate on my nerves, there are enough wonderful aspects to this novel that I still enjoyed it tremendously and am looking forward to book four, A Room Full of Bones.

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2012

Hosted by Historical Tapestry

One of my favourite challenges is always the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.  I am incredibly passionate about history and culture and travel whenever I can so I can learn more about people and their incredible pasts.  The more I learn, the more in awe I am over our achievements, both past and present.  I have passed this love of history to my children and they are both incredibly passionate about history and culture as well.  This challenge reminds me to pick up a historical fiction novel once in a while amongst all of the other fiction novels that I receive and to not forget my love of learning.

Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:

• everyone can participate, even those who don't have a blog (you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish)

• add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please, do not add your blog link, but the correct address that will guide us directly to your review)

• any kind of historical fiction is accepted (HF fantasy, HF young adult,...)

• During these following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:

1. Severe Bookaholism: 20 books
2. Undoubtedly Obsessed: 15 books
3. Struggling the Addiction: 10 books
4. Daring & Curious: 5 books
5. Out of My Comfort Zone: 2 books

I am going to choose Severe Bookaholism and try to read more than 20 books this year.  Hopefully I can achieve this goal.



Holiday Blog Tour & Giveaway Details

Creating Cozy Christmas

by Pepper Anthony

For our family, the best part about Christmas is bringing the special ambiance of the holidays into our house. Since the time my sons were small, we spent many happy hours in November and December making ornaments, wreaths, candy, cookies and center pieces. Pots of potpourri or cinnamon candles burn 24/7, so the first thing you smell when you walk in our door is a promise of cheer and warmth. A big lighted star shines at the end of our driveway; you can see it from a quarter mile away as you come down the dark tunnel of woods toward our home.

The first weekend of December my husband and youngest son are charged with venturing forth to cut a tree. Then a whole day is spent decorating it with white twinkle lights and a collection of homemade and one-of-a-kind ornaments. As we unbox each ornament, we recall another Christmas past. Before long, the memories are strung together like the garland of popcorn and cranberries on the tree. We are present to the poignant sweetness of holiday tradition and an awareness of time passing more quickly than we had realized. We are present to continuity, loss, and love, all at the same time.

There is nothing glitzy or showy about our family Christmas. It’s all about the clay gingerbread men my boys made in Cub Scouts, and the paper chain we all worked on for hours many years ago. It’s about the simple, fragrant Douglas Firboughs and cones in the big red bowl in the center of the coffee table. Martha Stewart would throw up her hands at the mismatched tableware and friendly hodgepodge of red and green placemats we use; she would no doubt blanch at the crumpled edges of the paper snowflakes we unfold each year to tape once again to our windows. We don’t care. We like it this way. Warm. Friendly. Easy. Cozy. Christmas.

In my latest erotic novella, Macy’s Awakening, Macy understands very well the wounds in Jerrod’s heart, and the power that cinnamon candles and fir boughs on the mantle might have to heal those wounds. She knows that nothing is more special than the glowing promise of a family Christmas, and nothing is as enduring as the treasure of love at its core.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Like most writers, Pepper has done a lot of other things along the way—voice actor, artist, bookkeeper, retail sales—but her first, best love has always been writing. Now she’s working toward making that her full time career. She lives in a rural area outside Portland, Oregon with her very supportive husband and younger son, and a small menagerie of furry writing assistants. A firm believer in the Law of Attraction, she likes to remind her friends: we create in our lives that which we focus most upon. So fill your head with positive, sexy thoughts!

You can find Pepper on the web at the following places:

Website: http://www.pepperanthony.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001859508548
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pepperanthony
Spicin’ It Up Blog: http://spicyauthors.blogspot.com/
Romance Mavens Blog: http://www.romancemavens.com/
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BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY:

Beachwalk Press will be sponsoring giveaways at the end of this blog tour. Everyone who comments on a post will have their name placed in a drawing (be sure to include an email address so we have a way to contact you). On Monday, December 19th we will randomly choose four people who will win a Beachwalk Press eBook of their choice from any of the authors who participated on the tour. The more blogs you comment on, the more times you are entered to win! For a list of all the blogs we will be visiting on this tour, click here: http://beachwalkpress.com/2011/11/beachwalk-press-holiday-blog-tour/

BEACHWALK PRESS HOLIDAY SCAVENGER HUNT:

During the month of December, Beachwalk Press will be hosting a Holiday Scavenger Hunt. There will be multiple winners, and the prizes will include gift certificates, Godiva chocolates, and a Kindle Fire! Visit our website for more information. http://beachwalkpress.com/

Gift Card Giveaway Hop

Hello, my lovely readers.  I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Attack of the Book is hosting the Gift Card Giveaway Hop, another fun series of giveaways for us voracious readers who love to enter anything to do with books.  As all of the blogs are linked, this makes it easy to enter any contest that you wish; all you have to do is check out the linky at the bottom of the page once you are finished here.  Have fun hop-hop-hopping, and hope you are enjoying your holiday season so far!!!

Giveaway:  One lucky reader will win a book of their choice, maximum value of $10, from the Book Depository.  Contest is open internationally, but please make sure the store ships to your country before entering. 

Contest runs from 09 December, 2011 to 11:59 pm on 13 December 2011.

To enter, please fill in the form.

Good luck everyone!!

Check out the other fun contests here:

Giveaway: $50 GC to Novica

Hello, all of my lovely readers!  I was contacted by Rick from Novica again this year and given an opportunity to review another product from this wonderful company as well as offer a giveaway to my readers.  If you are not familiar with Novica, it is a company that was created to give artisans around the world a chance to market their amazing and original artwork, a chance that many would not be able to have on their own.  With a loan program in place that charges the artisans very little to no interest, it is a remarkable way to market hard-to-find treasures for those looking for something original and unusual.  There are products in every category, including women's accessories, men's accessories, women's scarves, men's sterling silver cufflinks, rugs, mirrors, sculptures, jewelry, and even walking sticks.  Prices range from the very reasonable to extremely expensive, depending on your budget and your taste.

Take a look at some of the products you can purchase at Novica:

The silk scarf above is the one I purchased and reviewed and I absolutely love it.  It is the silk batik scarf "Budding Jasmine", and I wear it all of the time.  I came folded in this cute little silk bag, with a ribbon attached to it so if you wanted to give it as a gift it would look cute.  As well as helping with appearance, it also protected the silk from being destroyed during shipping.  I also knew exactly when my parcel was going to arrive as I received regular updates through email as to the whereabouts of my package through their tracking system.  This made keeping an eye out for delivery very easy.  I have ordered several items through Novica over the past year and have been very satisfied wih their customer service and with their delivery system. 

Become a Consultant
Want to make a difference in the world AND enjoy a rewarding career? As a NOVICA Live Home Party Consultant, you can make some good money and support artisans worldwide.  Novica is expanding across the country right now and signing up new consultants every week.

The starter kits are only $199 and have over $400 worth of samples and $150 in business materials.  They have a lot of promotions going on for their early consultants; anyone who becomes a Director this year will go to Bali next year.

If you are interested in becoming a consultant for Novica, check out Novica Live for more information.

Giveaway
Mandatory Entry:  One lucky reader will win a $50 GC to Novica.  Post a comment on this blog with your email address in order to be entered.  Open internationally.  Contest ends 18 December 2011.

Review: The Witch of Babylon by D.J. McIntosh

The Witch of Babylon (Mesopotamian Trilogy, Book #1)
by D.J. McIntosh
Release Date: June 7th, 2011
2011 Penguin Canada
Softcover Edition; 320 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-143-17572-8
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Source: Review copy from Penguin Canada

3 / 5 Stars

Summary
The Witch of Babylon features John Madison, a New York art dealer caught up in the aftermath of the looting of the Baghdad Museum. It includes an elaborate puzzle that must be solved in order to locate a missing biblical antiquity and a spectacular lost treasure, as well as alchemy, murder, and the Mesopotamian cult of Istar. Alternating between war-torn Baghdad and New York, with forays into ancient Mesopotamian culture, The Witch of Babylon takes readers deep inside the world of Assyriology and its little-known but profound significance for the modern world.

My Thoughts
The Witch of Babylon is the first in a planned Mesopotamian Trilogy, and I enjoyed it mainly due to the interesting and fascinating amount of historical information that was included in this thriller.  I am always attracted to long-ago secrets and long-lost treasures and this one definitely had both.  Include a game of puzzles the protagonist had to figure out as he was being chased by his enemies, this one had all the earmarks of a typical archaeological thriller/suspense.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this novel was the author's writing style.  I found it succinct and to the point, and even though it sometimes took on a lecturing tone as these types of novels tend to do, it didn't bother me in the slightest as I really enjoy learning anything I can about ancient cultures, historical and anthropological.  The inclusion of the puzzles that had to be deciphered did have more of a "DaVinci Code" feel to it, but were quite unique to this novel and on a different level altogether, more personal to the protagonist and the victim.  While I didn't find the puzzles as interesting as The DaVinci Code or other novels I have read, but this didn't deter me from the plot or the characters.  And I also tried the puzzles located on the author's website too.  Fun!!!

One of the things I thought was done very well in this novel was showing how isolated John Madison really was in this world, especially after his brother, who had taken care of him after his parents died, was killed himself in a horrific car crash.  As his world crumbled, and he became suspicious of everyone around him, he became more introspective about his life, and really questioned who was in his life and why.  This aspect of the novel I enjoyed very much, and it really showed how spoiled John really was and the changes he needed to go through in order to get on with his life and become a mature, confident man.  Despite all this, I found it difficult to connect with him on an emotional level and wanted to shake him sometimes for his complacency in certain situations.  He seemed to always want to let others do the work for him, and even though he cared for others, he did seem to care for himself first and foremost. 

With all of that being said, I do see potential in John and in a lot of the secondary characters and I really hope to see them again in future novels as with development, these characters can become quite interesting and intriguing.  There seems to be some background information we have yet to discover and I am interested enough to want to learn more about all of them.

Having read quite a few archaeological thrillers / suspense, I did find the plot to be somewhat predictable and formulaic, and even the ending which I suspect was supposed to be a 'surprise ending' didn't really come as much of a surprise to me.  While I really enjoyed the first-half of the novel, I did find the second-half to drag somewhat, despite the interesting archaeological information, and I had to push myself to finish it.  I am really impressed with the amount of research that went into this novel however, and I can't even imagine the hours that must have been spent doing that task.  Kudos to the author for a very interesting, and well documented, historical background, some of which I suspect is a set-up for the next two novels.

Verdict
The Witch of Babylon is an interesting first novel in a planned Mesopotamian Trilogy and while I enjoyed most of it, there were some parts that I had difficulty with, and I did find it a bit predictable.  I do however, see a lot of promise in the main character, John Madison, and even though he wasn't my favourite character in this novel, I would love to see him grow and develop and see where his character ends up.  I will definitely read the next novel in this trilogy just to see what happens next and to clear up some questions that came up in this one.

New Reading Challenges for 2012

I like to participate in reading challenges and am definitely more successful at some than at others.  I also tend to be extremely loyal to a couple of challenges as I really enjoy them.  Here are a couple of challenges that I have been doing since they first started and I am signing up again this year.  For more information on any of these challenges, check out Book Chick City.

http://www.bookchickcity.com/

Challenge Details

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012

• Rules: There are TWO LEVELS you can choose from: Read 12 or 24 mystery & suspense novels in 2012.  I am opting for the 24 novels this year.
• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.
• Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.

http://www.bookchickcity.com/

Challenge Details

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012
• Rules: There are FOUR (4) LEVELS to choose from:
- One Chomp: Read 6 Zombie books in 2012
- Two Chomps: Read 12 Zombie books in 2012
- Three Chomps: Read 18 Zombie books in 2012
- Four Chomps: Read 24 Zombie books in 2012
I am choosing ONE CHOMP, but am hoping to actually get to TWO CHOMPS as I have developed this huge interest in zombie novels this year.
• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.
• Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.
• Only fiction, no non-fiction.

http://www.bookchickcity.com/

Challenge Details

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012
• There are two levels:  Read 24 or 48 horror & urban fantasy novels in 2012.  I am opting for the read 24 horror & urban fantasy novels in 2012.
• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
• You can join the challenge at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.
• Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.
• No non-fiction - only fiction.

http://www.workadayreads.com

Challenge Guidelines:

1.This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
2.Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format.
3.You can move up levels, but no moving down.
4.Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.

Levels:
1.Floppy disk - 5 ebooks
2.CD - 10 ebooks
3.DVD - 25 ebooks
4.Memory stick - 50 ebooks
5.Hard drive - 75 ebooks
6.Server - 100 ebooks
7.Human brain - 150 ebooks

I am opting for the Memory Stick but will probaby hit Hard Drive as so many of my novels are not on my ereader and I find I am reading more and more off my ereader. We shall see!!

Book Lover's Holiday Hop

Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Kid Lit Frenzy, is a fun way to kick off the holiday season and get into the holiday spirit.  With snow on the ground, and kids running around throwing snowballs and building snowmen, I find myself looking forward to two weeks of holidays and a blissful, somewhat relaxing time where I can hopefully catch up on my reading.  And where else to begin than by joining in some holiday giveaway hops and perhaps winning some goodies.

Giveaway:

$15 Book of Choice from Book Depository

Rules:
1)  Use the entry form HERE.
2)  Open internationally to wherever Book Depository ships.  Check the site to see if Book Depository ships to your country.
3)  Contest closes 06 December 2011 at 11:59 p.m.

Check out the rest of the wonderful contests at these sites: