Stephen King - Revival

In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs—including Jamie’s mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.

Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family’s horrific loss. In his mid-thirties—addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate—Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil’s devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.(synopsis taken from goodreads)

To be honest, hadn't I known this was a Stephen King novel, I wouldn't have believed it was a Stephen King novel at all. 

It is widely known that Stephen King hasn't written any horror books in the past five years or so, and this one isn't one, either, although opinions may vary.
It is more of a coming of age story, though, in which we follow the whole life of Jamie. 

And because it is mostly just that - the coming of age story of Jamie, how he becomes an addict, he visits Jacobs a few times and does research on him. The other parts, though, where he talks about his first girlfriend and his second girlfriend (at least the second one that is mentioned), were skippable. Entirely. 
One thing I love about Stephen King is that he can create believable characters that feel just like real people, but this time it didn't work for me. 
Jacobs did a 180-degree turn from when he was a Reverend in Jamie's hometown to the person he was later on in the novel. This made him seem like entirely different persons, and not a sparkle of what the old Jacobs used to be like was mentioned. 

Another thing that bothered me was that in the course of this novel, he meets Jacobs only two or three times after his childhood, and the reader never really gets to know what Jacobs is up to and what exactly happened during Jamie's treatment. Something happened. Something something happened happened -Yes, but what, exactly? There were so many questions left open. 

I had a hard time getting into the story, and I think I never really did, because only in the last two chapters it is revealed what this book really is about. This story would have been sufficient as a short story, but to make a whole novel out of it was too much, in my opinion. It was slow-paced and boring at times. The only parts that were interesting were the beginning in which the narrator introduces all the persons, and the second-to-last chapter.

There is really not much going on, there are persons mentioned that are being mentioned over and over again, the symptoms they suffer from, how Jacobs was able to help them (or not, in some cases) but there was never anything really new to the story, except for the second-to-last chapter. 
The conclusion, though, left me in tears. Not because I was touched, but because it reminded me so much of a certain (and very grotesque) Pink Floyd album. And I am guessing that was where the idea was taken from. And that made it very cliché and not scary at all.
The last chapter wasn't really a resumé, either, but really, really boring and hard to get through.

I have been a Stephen King fan for the most part of my life, but I have to say that this is my least favourite book by him so far. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to finishing the Bill Hodges Trilogy.

Ransom Riggs - Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's #2)

- Minor spoilers, just so you be warned -

The second Novel to the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series, Hollow City, is about the peculiar children and their headmistress, Miss Peregrine, searching for another ymbryne that can help Miss Peregrine turn human again.

Since I wasn't such a big fan of the first book, I didn't expect to like the second one much, either. But although I've had my prejudices, I tried to be as objective as I could.

Stephen King - Joyland

Joyland - Stephen King

College studen Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark thruths about life - and what comes after - that would change his world forever.

I really liked the premise of this book - a murder in an amusement park, at least that’s what I thought it was about. It was more about Jonesy (that’s what the ‘carnies’ call him) and how he found his place among the Joyland people and what happens after the summer business is over.

What kept me reading was not necessarily the story itself, but I really, really liked the setting and the atmosphere that Stephen King created with this book. The main character was thrown into all that stuff and what was going on beyond the neon lights of the amusement park and I really liked those insights that I got. I also liked the characters, they were well-created and well-described. I just didn’t care for them as much as I did with other characters in other boooks - for example I didn’t cry at the end.

As for the murdered girl - the story didn’t really much revolve around her as I’d thought it would. She was more of a seldom-mentioned character that didn’t necessarily have a great part in the story. Even when her storyline ended (that’s about all I can say without spoilering anything) it wasn’t that big of a deal. Just gone.

Joyland had aspects of a crime/mystery book, I guess, because in the end - you can guess - they found the killer (which isn’t very surprising in a crime novel). And that’s all there was to it.
I’m not sure if I’d read this book again, but if so, I’d read it just for the atmosphere. And for the humour that was brought across. Stephen King did a very good job at this one. All in all, I thought it was a little slow-paced and long at times, but then again I’m not really sure. Let’s just go with this:
Many, many Stephen King tropes (main character from Maine, psychic kid, creepy and wise old men… you get it), but nevertheless it was an original story, although some of the characters had a familiar touch to them.

Klaus-Peter Wolf - Ostfriesenkiller (Ann-Kathrin Klaasen #1)

Ostfriesenkiller - Klaus-Peter Wolf [German Review]

“Eine Serie von Morden erschüttert eine kleine Stadt in Ostfriesland. Nach und nach werden mehrere Mitglieder des Vereins ›Regenbogen‹ auf grausame Weise umgebracht. Wer hasst so sehr, dass er sie alle auslöschen will? Für Ann Kathrin Klaasen wird dieser Fall zu einer echten Bewährungsprobe.”

Ich war nie ein besonders großer Fan von Kriminalromanen, wenn sie nicht als Thriler ausgeschrieben waren. Nachdem ich den Papenburger Puppenspieler (Rezension ebenfalls hier zu finden) gelesen hatte, habe ich auch erst einmal die Nase voll von Lokalromanen gehabt, denn dieses Buch hatte mir persönlich - bis auf den grandios gewählten Anfang! - nicht zugesagt.

Ich fand die Erzählweise in ‘Ostfriesenkiller’ sehr spannend gehalten - in den einzelnen Kapiteln wechselt manchmal die Perspektive, aber insgesamt ist der Fokus sehr auf die Kommissarin Ann-Kathrin Klaasen gerichtet. Was ich allerdings daran zu bemängeln habe, ist, dass sie leider etwas stereotypisch gelungen ist - weniger als Kommissarin, sondern mehr als 'Frau’. Sie scheint klischeehaft, wenn sie sich Vorwürfe macht, ihren Sohn wegen ihrer Karriere vernachlässigt zu haben. Ich als Leser habe zwar einen guten Einblick in die Gedankengänge von Klaasen bekommen, was ihren Fall und ihre Ehe anging und sie schien mir gen Ende des Buches auch fast glaubwürdig.
FAST glaubwürdig. Es muss eben einen großen Haken geben. Ich habe selten bei einem Buch vor Erstaunen gelacht. Ohne etwas vorwegnehmen zu wollen, werde ich es folgendermaßen ausdrücken: Es passt überhaupt nicht in den doch sehr gefestigten und pflichtbewussten Charakter der Kommissarin.

Auch die Auflösung, wer die Morde begangen hat, fand ich insgesamt zwar storytechnisch und erzähltechnisch stimmig, aber von der Personifikation der betreffenden Person her ziemlich weit hergeholt und unglaubwürdig. Auch die Auflösung scheint sehr, sehr schwammig, da unklar bleibt, wie der Mörder letztendlich genau gefasst wurde.

Ob ich mir die nächsten neun Bände kaufen werde? Das weiß ich noch nicht. Wahrscheinlich werde ich es tun, weil ich noch höher in den Norden gezogen bin und mir noch ein wenig Lokalkultur fehlt. Für Nordseetouristen und solche, die es werden wollen, ist dieser Krimi nicht nur als Fremdenführer (zumindest einigermaßen gut) geeignet, sondern dient auch der Unterhaltung - auch, wenn ich ihn persönlich eher als ziemlich leichte Kost bezeichnen würde.

Das Buch selbst habe ich an zwei Nachmittagen vollständig gelesen, was nicht unbedingt dafür spricht, dass es so schrecklich gewesen ist, wie meine Kritik hier vermuten lässt. Mal schauen, was die nächsten Bände bringen - wenn ich sie mir denn noch einverleibe.

(originally posted April 2016)

Robert Harris - Lustrum (Cicero #2)

Lustrum - Robert Harris

This novel is about Cicero’s consulship and the years after until he has to leave Rome.
It took me a fairly long time to read this book. First because I kind of had to because of my Latin exam next week, secondly because there’s not a lot going on in this book.

There’s Caesar and Pompey and Catiline and all that - but if you knew what was going on in 63 BC you would be well off reading only the last two chapters of part one when Catiline and his followers are exposed to the senate. The second part seems unneccessary at first, but then I think if Robert Harris had written it from Caesar’s instead of Cicero’s POV it would have been more exciting and fun to read. There are a few consequences Cicero has to experience when Caesar finally takes power (which happens in the second to last chapter, I think), but then again Cicero’s point of view seems quite stupid.

Nevertheless, I liked Harris’s style of writing and the way in which he combines fiction and historical facts. The story is told by Cicero’s slave Tiro (who, in fact, wrote his memoir and is the reason this little & exists) who is, of course, quite biased. In the first part Cicero is portrayed as the hero who is going to save Rome - the second part describes him merely as a coward. This antithetic characterisation has its charme, but still, I don’t think the second part was necessary from Cicero’s point of view as it is about Caesar obtaining power.

There are a few storylines that - sadly - are mentioned later in the book but are not adequately taken care of. Like when Tiro falls in love with Agathe - a Greek slave prostitute, I think you could call her - and just can’t get himself to talk to her again on their brief encounters.

All in all, I think Robert Harris did a great job in making the history of Rome interesting to those who have to study it. But that’s about all there’s to it, unless you’re some kind of Ancient-History-Nerd which, sadly, I'm not.

(originally posted April 2016)

Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere

Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere

How do I review this book without spoilering it?
Richard Mayhew gets drawn into the dark side of London - an underside where magic is real and where people can talk to rats and all that stuff. He ends up helping the Lady Door and the Marquis de Carabas fulfill their quest.

This book was truly amazing. This is only the second book I read by Neil Gaiman and I feel he is already becoming one of my favourite authors. His style of writing is just unbelievably great.
There are some fantastic metaphors in this piece. Like darkness being an actual force instead of just being defined as the absence of light. Darkness takes its toll. I loved that about the book.
Even though we’re entering a parallel London here we can still reflect our world with all these dark metaphors and characters that are just plain evil. And there are of course some good people, but you never know.

I have no words for it, guys. It was amazing.

(originally posted March 2016)

Jonathan Kellerman - The Murderer's Daughter

Jonathan Kellerman - The Murderer’s Daughter [Uk Paperback, I think]

Grace leads a two-sided life. At night, she’s the super-sexy woman incognito that makes every man’s heart melt. During the day, she’s a successful psychotherapist in LA. When she finds out that her recent encounter turns up inside her office and is killed just one day after - Grace just has to know why he had been killed and why her life is at stake, too.

This is more of a criminal story than an actual thriller. It had some action in it, for sure, but for the most part it was about Grace’s life and just her story and how it is all connected somehow. What I found remarkable, actually, were the psychological aspects that Jonathan Kellerman brought into his novel. I think I’ve read that he’s a psychologist, too - and you can follow Grace’s logic brilliantly. Although some of the clues don’t make sense at first, it all becomes clear later on.

I liked the style of writing and I loved the stories from Grace’s childhood, but sometimes it got a bit too slow for me and there were so many facts and clues one had to memorize to keep track of the whole story (and I get distracted very fast), but even if I hadn’t read in a few weeks’ time, I was able to get back into the story very quickly. I liked that about the book.

What I didn’t like was the ending. Without wanting to spoil anything - Grace talks to a police officer the day after the murder of her client and that police officer is characterized so carefully and the author really made her seem an important character in the story, but then that was her very last appearance in the whole novel. The story missed kind of a frame, if you get what I’m trying to say, and I think the appearance of the police officer would have been a nice frame to conclude the story. Also note that this is a stand-alone.

I would give the book a 3.5 out of 5 stars, because it was interesting and full of tension despite the lack of action - but the style of writing was great and also Grace was characterised perfectly.

(originally posted February 2016)

JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5)

JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

To be honest - I don’t really get why this is most readers’ favourite book in all the Harry Potter series. Throughout the first part, I’ve been tempted to say that this one was probably the most slow and hard-to-read. Seriously?! We’re almost 250 pages in and they hadn’t even reached Hogwarts yet!
Later on, I was able to get myself to read this book pretty quickly. I just couldn’t get it out of my hands and out of my mind, I found it very interesting, but there are still questions. I could interpret them as cliffhangers for the next two books yet to come, but I’m sure by then I will have forgotten what that was all about. With my finals coming up in two months I’m going to have a hard time reading the remaining books.

Nevertheless, this is yet another magnificent book in the Harry Potter series, but from what I have heard on booktube and other sites, I thought it would be a little more… exciting. Yep, I think that’s the right word.

(originally posted February 2016)

Marlene Röder - In The River Darkness

In the River Darkness - Marlene Röder (Book Review)

It’s been about four days since I have read this book once again - and I have to say I had better left it alone. This book is crazy at foreshadowing things and when I read this at maybe 12 or 13, I didn’t really get the spoilers.

I loved the story, though, and I read it in about 2 days. It was a pretty quick read, though. I liked the main character, but somehow it was quite confusing how the perspective changed constantly. One character had some autistic traits to him when looked onto by another character, but once I got his inside view I found him to be a pretty normal guy,no autistic traits whatsoever. It wasn’t really authentic. And the resolution failed. It sucked balls to be honest - but I won’t tell you that, because you can find out for yourself. I remember having loved this book and now it seems I have destroyed the magic of that book by reading it once again.
The writing style was bad. Really bad. It’s full of those nonsense-y metaphors and similes that just make you cringe, that’s how bad they are. All in all, this book was pretty good when I was young, but now… well.

(originally posted December 2015)

Stephen King - Four Past Midnight

Four Past Midnight - Stephen King [This is the German version]

This is basically two novels put together into one binding. The first one is about a plane that ends up in another time where everyone has vanished and where nothing is ever the same.
The second one is about an author who finds himself confronted with someone who claims he has stolen his short story ideas and tries to prove him wrong.

The Langoliers
I didn’t really like the first novel. Like in so many Stephen King books you get to know each character and each of their stories first. Since there are only six main characters (and next-to-no supporting ones) there’s a lot to it. I thought it was a bit boring and the setting and the time travelling just weren’t my thing. I didn’t feel the urge to read it, actually, but I’m glad I did because..

Secret Window, Secret Garden
…The second novel was the absolute best mental breakdown process Stephen King has ever written. I don’t want to spoil anything but … man.. THAT plot twist. I didn’t see that coming, honestly! I loved, loved, loved it! Why didn’t they put it first in this collection?! Why isn’t this a hyped thing?! Why isn’t this popular!

(originally posted October 2015)

JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - JK Rowling

Sorry, guys! It’s been a while! I finished this book about a week ago, I think, while I was in the middle of taking exams in school and now that I’m on holidays for the next two weeks, I have got too many things on my mind to be reading this month! First, there’s preparation for NaNoWriMo (if you don’t know NaNoWriMo, check it out here!), a trip to Prague and so on.. but, we’ll see!

This novel is the fourth one in the Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling. I’ve heard so many people on Booktube saying this was their favourite book of all in the series, but I have to disagree. This one’s about double in size of the previous three books and I thought them to be much better. Although I still loved the writing style, JK Rowling tends to foreshadow a lot and then there’s scenes I didn’t think to be necessary.. but that’s just my opinion.

(originally posted October 2015)

Jojo Moyes - Me Before You

Jojo Moyes - Me before you

This book is about Louisa Clark who is Will Traynor’s carer. He’s a quadriplegic who wants to end his life in Switzerland. Lou tries to take his mind off the idea. This is a love story.

Spoiler-free review

JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

This is the third book in the Harry Potter series. I have to admit this is the first time I read this series, and sadly, I have watched all the films first.

This book differs (slightly more than the other two that I have read) from the films - but the book was definitely better. Only when in the movie Peter Pettigrew is mentioned on the map I thought this was a great thing to add. But still, I loved this book. JK Rowling’s writing style is just beyond compare - and the story that seems to build up in this Volume 3 is the result of a plotting genius at work. I love how she shows Severus Snape as the antagonist throughout the whole series (up to now), and I’m really hoping to get to the part when he gets even more antagonistic later on. I’m also very fond of the characteristics - I love that she gave Hagrid his own style of talking and pronouncing - when Hagrid talks, I can hear him in my head and it’s just so vivid! Love it! The plot twist was awesome on this one. I was really flashed by the film when I first saw it a few months ago and I think that was the point that made me want to read the whole series.

And I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series! But for now, I’m going to stick with something else because I don’t want to lose interest on the series if I read all the books in a row (which is likely to happen, I’m afraid).

So, for the end of this month, I think I’m going to read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. This is a very personal thing for me to read, but I’ll tell you in my review of that particular book ;)

(originally posted September 2015)

Stephen King - Mr Mercedes (Bill Hodges #1)

Mr. Mercedes - Stephen King

A stolen Mercedes rushes into a crowd - killing eight people and leaving dozens wounded; approximately six months after the incident the killer sends retired detective Bill Hodges a letter….
Another Stephen King book I read, and another one I’ve loved. I didn’t love this quite as much as his other work, though. I think this is the only contemporary novel that I ever read from him without a supernatural aspect. It doesn’t matter which genre Stephen King chooses - he masters them all. This one’s a really good psycho-thriller.

Almost from the beginning, the audience knows who the mysterious Mercedes Killer is. His name is Brady and he lives with his mother and he’s …. well, having issues. Major issues. I’ve always loved how Stephen King portrays his villains, but this one’s perfect! I felt myself shake when reading about his fantasies, he felt credible! Sometimes he was sympathetic, and then he was antagonistic in a way that I wanted him dead.

It even went so far that in the end I didn’t even know whose side I was on. And that creeps me out. It made me question my sanity. And that shows the true quality of Mr King’s work.

(originally posted September 2015)

Neil Gaiman - The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

I have to admit, this is the first book I ever read by Neil Gaiman. And I loved it.
It’s about an unnamed man that goes back to a pond (in his childhood he and his friend used to call it The Ocean) to remember his childhood. It’s about fears and friendship and adulthood itself. This is not a children’s book, though, I’d say!

I loved this book SO much, I had such a bad reading slump afterwards, it was awful. It’s hard to talk about this book without spoiling anything, but I’d like to classify it as a mixture between contemporary and fiction - and I love it. Did I already mention that?!

It taught me so much about adulthood - nobody is ever an adult. We’re all just children grown up on the outside. And I love Neil Gaiman for his words.

(originally posted September 2015)

JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2)

Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets - JK Rowling

It’s been a while, folks! I finished reading this book about three days ago - and I had such a bad book hangover afterwards!

Not long ago, I read The Philosopher’s Stone as well, and I have to say I liked this one better than the first in the series. The friendship between Harry, Ron and Hermione has intensified, and you can actually see that in the second book.

I know, most people wouldn’t mark this book as the best in the whole series, but for now, I’d mark it down as my favourite.

JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - JK Rowling [UK Paperback]

This is an update on my TBR-List for September 2015. It’s September 2nd and I finished the first Harry Potter book in the series! I have to admit, I read it for the first time in my life, but I’ve watched all the movies just two months ago, so I had a really hard time to rationalize.

I loved this book! It took me nearly a day to read it, I just couldn’t put it down! I loved the style of writing right from the start, although I think it could have needed some extra editing here and there, but I’m always picky with my books, so please don’t judge me.

The film is nothing compared to this book, by the way. I couldn’t think of a Young Adult book (and a Coming Of Age story, not to forget) that the reader could adapt to better than this one, although Harry Potter’s life is so different from ours.
If you haven’t read it (like me, just a day ago), you should definitely give it a go! It’s definitely worth it!

(originally posted September 2015)

Jostein Gaarder - Sofies Welt

Sofies Welt - Jostein Gaarder [DE Review]

Wie es im Untertitel schon heißt - Sofies Welt ist ein Roman über die Geschichte der Philosophie. Aber damit nicht genug! Die fast 15-jährige Sofie findet eines Nachmittags geheimnisvolle Briefe in ihrem Briefkasten, in denen ein gewisser Alberto Knox sie in die Geschichte der Philosophie führt.
Dieses Buch ist eines der wenigen Bücher, deren Plot-Twist (ohne jetzt viel darüber sagen zu wollen) mich umgehauen hat. Damit hätte niemand gerechnet und ich kann nur jedem empfehlen - wer wirklich etwas zum Nachdenken haben möchte, der sollte dieses Buch lesen!

Es geht nämlich nicht nur um die Philosophie an sich, denn auch die Verknüpfung von Philosophie und der Haupthandlung ist dem Autor großartig gelungen. Es treten zahlreiche Geheimnisse auf und zum Ende hin, wenn sich der Plot-Twist offenbart, scheint sich alles zu verändern - und gerade das ist das Spannende an dieser Geschichte!

Die meist komplizierten Gedankengänge der Philosophen wie Sokrates, Aristoteles bis hin zu Nietzsche und Freud sind (zwar vereinfacht, aber im Kern doch zutreffend) anschaulich dargestellt, sodass der Jugendbuchcharakter erhalten bleibt. Ich empfehle dieses Buch allerdings für alle Altersklassen, denn es kann nie schaden, ein bisschen über das Leben an sich nachzudenken!

(originally posted August 2015)

Fredrik Backmann - A Man Called Ove

Fredrik Backmann - A Man Called Ove [This is the German paperback version]

Ove is a 59-year old man whose wife has died half a year ago. He constantly tries to kill himself to be with her, but he is always interrupted. He’s a greasy old man who keeps telling people to keep off the grass etc. He’s also very critical concerning any new technologies and ways of living. Ove just wants to keep things in order!

First of all, I loved the concept behind this book. It was so easy to adapt to Ove’s point of view (although I’m 40 years younger than him and definitely in favour of modern technology, but that’s just for your information), because I personally am a critical person - but not as grumpy as Ove!
Although the style of writing is very simple, I enjoyed the jokes and references - they made it seem like Ove was a real person. Well, some parts aren’t really realistic (like when he tries to kill himself multiple times, and by the way I think it’s highly controversial to use such a topic in a humorous book…) and the book lacked a little seriousness when talking about suicide - I don’t think Ove would react the way he does if he was a real person. There are some sad parts in the story that tell us a little more about his background and why he became the man he is - and that is just perfect!
And though the story itself seems to be about nothing at all but a grumpy old man, the development of the characters is such a big deal! I definitely, highly recommend this book to ANYONE!

(originally posted August 2015)

Ray Celestin - The Axeman's Jazz

Ray Celestin - The Axeman’s Jazz [UK paperback Version]

Hello there! Last week I was at my boyfriend’s and didn’t really have time to read as much as I normally do. I haven’t yet finished this book, but still I wanted to give you my review on this one, because I can’t wait anymore!

The story is set in 1919 in New Orleans. The mysterious Axeman keeps killing people and three people, the policeman Michael Talbot, a private detector (who is accompanied by Lewis Armstrong, which I find amazing!) and a former detective who has just been released from prison investigate in the murders, each approaching the solution from a different angle. The solution, however, is entirely fictional. The actual Axeman was never caught.

I really, really loved the style of writing in the first place. Secondly, I love how the reader himself gets to solve the case with all those background information provided by three different people who solve the case piece by piece, but each hast different witnesses and different ways towards the conclusion.

I also loved how music is involved in this novel. I really like Jazz, and most of the time I’ve been reading I’ve been listening to Jazz simultaneously. I really felt dragged into the first decade of the 20th century. I loved it!
If you like detective novels and historic events - this is the book for you!

(originally posted August 2015)