Lesa's Book Critiques: The Memory of Borrowed Books by Meg Anderson

 Lesa's Book Critiques: The Memory of Borrowed Books by Meg Anderson

Lesa's Book Critiques: Ten Perfect Guests by Jonathan Santlofer

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Ten Perfect Guests by Jonathan Santlofer

Lesa's Book Critiques: The Last Letters of Sally and Walter by Cammie McGovern

 Lesa's Book Critiques: The Last Letters of Sally and Walter by Cammie McGovern

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Other People’s Houses by Clare Mackintosh

  

Other People’s Houses by Clare Mackintosh, the third book in the Detective Constable Ffion Morgan and Detective Sergeant Leo Brady police procedural series, will be released in mid-September by Sourcebooks Landmark. Morgan is a member of the Wales police force and Brady is part of the Cheshire constabulary. Since lawbreakers rarely observe geographical boundaries, the law enforcement offices along the national borders often collaborate on what turns out to be the same crime.

True to the title, the story is all about houses that belong to other people. Morgan has found a house to buy, finally, but her real estate agent suddenly is not responding to her calls to set up a date to complete the transaction. She discovers that the property is still being shown and eventually she learns her agent has in fact accepted a higher offer for the place she thought was hers. Morgan is under notice to leave her current home and is scrambling to find a place to go. She is understandably unhappy with real estate agents in general when she is called to the scene of an overturned kayak with a drowned woman who turns out to be one of a group of estate agents who had been celebrating a bit too much over the weekend.

Brady is investigating a puzzling string of burglaries in a wealthy community known as The Hill. In addition, Brady’s ex-wife, with whom he has a strained relationship, lives nearby and is desperate to become part of the in crowd on The Hill. Her attempts to imitate the high-end décor of these houses with cheap substitutes and designer knockoffs and to ingratiate herself with the residents are pathetic.

The third case that is unfolding in the background has been re-opened after doubt was cast on the verdict delivered 10 years previously. The cold homicide case is receiving an enormous amount of publicity. Morgan is entranced by a podcast that is following the case and listens to each new episode as quickly as it is dropped.

A very good read. Smooth pacing, a cleverly constructed plot with plenty of suspects in the murder, a frustrating lack of leads on the burglaries, and an ingenious resolution hidden in plain sight, my favorite kind. Using social media to progress the third storyline is a novel approach. The questionable antics of some real estate agents, the linguistic challenges of the Welsh language, and wealthy mean girl behavior get a full airing here.

I especially like the dual jurisdiction setup, it gives the reader a look at two contrasting ways of doing the same thing. Plus it adds another element of conflict to the story as the law enforcement officers have to meet the requirements of their respective commands while collaborating with their peers across the border which sometimes demands negotiation. Other series use this technique effectively. The Posadas County mysteries by Steven Havill are set along the border of the United States and Mexico and the county law officers often work with the Mexican police. And in his Chickasaw Nation series, Kris Lackey partners a Lighthorse policeman of the Chickasaw Nation with an Oklahoma sheriff’s deputy. In Dead Man’s Mistress, David Housewright used the differences in gun laws in the United States and in Canada to get his detective out of a tight situation.

Fans of police procedurals will want to look at this series. Recommended.

·         Publisher: ‎Sourcebooks Landmark

·         Publication date: ‎September 16, 2025

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎368 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1728296544

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1728296548

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/41MZrzp

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Second Mother by Jenny Milchman

The Second Mother by Jenny Milchman (Sourcebooks Landmark, 2020) is Milchman’s fifth book in seven years. In that time her work has achieved critical acclaim, winning the Mary Higgins Clark and Silver Falchion awards and being shortlisted for PEN/Faulkner, Macavity, and Anthony awards; receiving starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist; and showing up on Strand Magazine and Suspense Magazine's Best Of lists. She is the co-chair of International Thriller Writers' Debut Program and a member of the Sisters in Crime Speakers Bureau.

Julie Weathers and her husband have been living in an alcoholic haze since the sudden death of their daughter. During an intermittent period of sobriety, she decides to leave the small town in New York State she’d lived in all her life and start over somewhere else. In her fuzzy and grief-stricken frame of mind, she decides a teaching job on an isolated island off the coast of Maine would be just right.

The island and the surrounding ocean are exquisite in their beauty. The lonely house she is given to live in on the other hand is strange. The people who lived there previously still have keys and feel free to wander in without notice. Small items appear and disappear, her dog is let out one day while she runs errands, weird sounds; in short, it’s scary. Then there’s her job. One of the children in her class is an odd youngster. His mother appears to take no interest in him, and his grandmother takes far too much. The grandmother rules the island and wants Julie to know it. She is obsessed with keeping families with children on the island to maintain its centuries old way of life and obviously to keep her power and influence which is waning as families move away. Julie is caught up right away in trying to help the grandson while keeping the grandmother at bay. She’s also unexpectedly attracted to one of the islanders.

Beautifully written, this book is billed as a psychological thriller but I heard echoes of Victoria Holt’s Gothic novels as I read. Young woman trying to escape her past – check; isolated and dangerous locale – check; resentful and powerful older woman– check; troubled child – check; attractive single man who rescues her from danger – check; old creaky house with unexplained noises – check. Pretty much hits all of the right buttons to be considered a contemporary Gothic. The icing on the cake is Depot, Julie’s huge Newfoundland-mix rescue dog, who will appeal to animal lovers everywhere. A fast-moving engaging read.

 

·         Hardcover: 464 pages

·         ISBN-10: 1728226368

·         ISBN-13: 978-1728226361

·         Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (August 18, 2020)

·         Language: English 

 

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Lesa's Book Critiques: Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker

Lesa's Book Critiques: Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker

Buried Under Books Book Review: Wicked River by Jenny Milchman

Buried Under Books Book Review: Wicked River by Jenny Milchman