Tag: Suspense

Books, Reading

Special Feature and Excerpt: The Murder of Mr Wickham by Claudia Gray

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature and Excerpt: The Murder of Mr Wickham by Claudia Gray

Has there been a more infamous character in Austen literature than George Wickham? Unlikely. When I think of Austen villains he is the first to come to mind! As a huge Austen fan I have often found myself wondering what his back story is? I would have loved to see Austen write his story and really explore his character more but alas that wasn’t in the cards.

Instead, I have to rely on fictionalized stories about Wickham in various other genres. The story of Pride and Prejudice has been remade and reimagined in so many genres ranging from horror to mystery typically casting George Wickham as the villain. When I saw this book come up I was eager as this one focuses on Mr Wickham not necessarily the traditional P & P narrative but rather his actual character. And of course it has a murder twist and I am absolutely here for it!

Today I have a charming excerpt for you guys to check out so be sure to keep reading for that little sneak peak! What I am most excited about though is the supporting characters! Avid Austen readers will recognize names like ‘Tilney’, ‘Knightly’ and of course ‘Darcy’ as part of the supporting cast of this book! I am so excited to check this one out, I think it will please many Austen fans and bring in new readers to discover the excitement of the Austen characters but in a new way. If you love Austen naturally you will find lots to love in this one! Keep reading to check out the excerpt and see if this classic villain can tempt you into reading it!

Continue reading “Special Feature and Excerpt: The Murder of Mr Wickham by Claudia Gray” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: A Perilous Perspective (Lady Darby Mysteries #10) by Anna Lee Huber

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: A Perilous Perspective (Lady Darby Mysteries #10) by Anna Lee Huber

Ten books?! How in the world are we are ten books already in this series?! I cannot believe it! It seems like just yesterday that I found this series and devoured all the books (at that time five) in like one sitting! This series overall has been completely solid. There were books I liked better than others and for different reasons but I would rate this entire series as five stars. SOLID!

I love Anna Lee Huber’s writing style and other books she has written but the Lady Darby books stand out above the others and I cannot say enough good things. Some of the books you can jump around in the series but honestly I think this is a series better read beginning to end. Not only area the characters great and the mysteries engaging, but you really gain a full appreciation for the character relationships and larger narrative.

Yes I know this cover is stunning and maybe you haven’t read the other books and just want to start here, by all means go for it but if you want to fully appreciate Kiera and Gage as well as the nuances of this book (and there are plenty of them and references from other books), then you definitely want to go back and read the other books—-pretty cover or not! For one this book features Kiera’s cousin, Rye, and if you miss the other books you will miss out on fully appreciating their relationship so basically read the other books first!

Continue reading “Review: A Perilous Perspective (Lady Darby Mysteries #10) by Anna Lee Huber” →
Books, Reading

Special Feature: Three Debts Paid (Daniel Pitt #5) by Anne Perry

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Three Debts Paid (Daniel Pitt #5) by Anne Perry

Historical mystery serial killer themed by Anne Perry? Need I say more?! Anne Perry is a rather prolific writer with a large fan following and multiple series under her belt. I have read some of her mysteries and found them smart, well written, and interesting. I wish I had found her books early on in my reading career since there are just so many great ones to choose from!

This latest book is from the Daniel Pitt series which isn’t too many books into the series (only five at this point!). I have skipped around with Perry’s books and series and I always feel like she does a good job catching readers up to speed with the main characters and their relationships as well as other larger plot points in the larger series not just for the immediate book. So I would feel comfortable saying new readers of Perry’s books could likely pick up any book in the series and feel fairly caught up and able to dive in to enjoy a great mystery.

The thing that appealed about this one to me was the serial killer plot. I think serial killer stories are always so fascinating and I am so excited to see how this one plays out in a historical mystery setting. It also sound like there is going to be an interesting character study and room for character growth in this one with the lead protagonist Daniel Pitt having to deal with a potential killer who is also a respected friend. I love when there are stories like this where the main character has to try and remain objective—it always makes for great character building in novels! This one is out now so if you love historical mysteries this might be the book you are looking for!

Continue reading “Special Feature: Three Debts Paid (Daniel Pitt #5) by Anne Perry” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: When Blood Lies (Sebastian St Cyr #17) by C. S. Harris

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: When Blood Lies (Sebastian St Cyr #17) by C. S. Harris

The Sebastian St Cyr mystery series has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. I started off reading the series randomly and our of order and then I went back and started from the beginning and read them all again in order. I absolutely love this series even if at times it feels a little scripted meaning it follows a formula. I still have loved the mysteries and characters so much and every time I see a new book is coming out I absolutely rearrange my calendar for it!

If you like smart historical mysteries with some grit that doesn’t transition over into ‘disturbing’ then this is a great series for you. As I said, I have read the books out of order and was ok, however I did feel like I connected with the characters and the larger narrative much better after reading the series beginning to end. If you haven’t read the series beginning to end but maybe most of the book then you should be ok with this one, however if you haven’t read the other books at all, I would say this probably isn’t the one you want to start with.

This book focuses on Sebastian’s own family history that has been teased through a number of other books in the series. It’s basically what I would call the ‘ultimate’ mystery for Sebastian and the larger narrative. So if you haven’t read all of the books you can probably get by with having only read a few but if you haven’t read any then I think new readers will be lost in this book or at the very least miss all the nuances and significances of the story.

Continue reading “Review: When Blood Lies (Sebastian St Cyr #17) by C. S. Harris” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan

Author Gilly Macmillan is known for writing some darker mysteries so when this one came up for review, I was intrigued enough to check it out. I know that a lot of psychological thriller and mysteries tend to be more twisty and dark and I love reading mysteries like that. For me my favorites are either classic Agatha Christie style mysteries or the dark twisty modern psychological thrillers!

This one actually sounded like it might blend both the classic mystery with the darker twists that more modern thriller are known for so I was super excited see how the two merge together. I haven’t read a mystery in a while that does this and to be honest, the one I did read just wasn’t for me (The Guest List) so I wasn’t exactly sure that this was going to be a perfect match up but I was at least willing to give it a go.

I have Macmillan’s books on my radar over the years and I know that she has had a lot of fans who enjoy her books so that says to me she is a seasoned writer and tried and proven talent with a big fan base. This gave me the assurance that I would be reading a quality mystery an it was that. It actually was a little different than I was expecting but pretty good none the less!

Continue reading “Review: The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan” →