ARC Review: Alice and the Assassin by R. J. Koreto

Alice and the Assassin
Author: R. J. Koreto
Series: An Alice Roosevelt Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (April 11, 2017)

Description: In 1902 New York, Alice Roosevelt, the bright, passionate, and wildly unconventional daughter of newly sworn-in President Theodore Roosevelt, is placed under the supervision of Secret Service Agent Joseph St. Clair, ex-cowboy and veteran of the Rough Riders. St. Clair quickly learns that half his job is helping Alice roll cigarettes and escorting her to bookies, but matters grow even more difficult when Alice takes it upon herself to investigate a recent political killing--the assassination of former president William McKinley.

Concerned for her father's safety, Alice seeks explanations for the many unanswered questions about the avowed anarchist responsible for McKinley's death. In her quest, Alice drags St. Clair from grim Bowery bars to the elegant parlors of New York's ruling class, from the haunts of the Chinese secret societies to the magnificent new University Club, all while embarking on a tentative romance with a family friend, the son of a prominent local household.

And while Alice, forced to challenge those who would stop at nothing in their greed for money and power, considers her uncertain future, St. Clair must come to terms with his own past in Alice and the Assassin, the first in R. J. Koreto's riveting new historical mystery series.

My Thoughts: This historical mystery stars a seventeen-year-old Alice Roosevelt and her Secret Service bodyguard/nanny Sgt. Joseph St. Clair. It takes place shortly after McKinley's assassination. Alice, fearing for her father's safety, begins her own investigation into McKinley's death. Her search leads her and St. Clair into parts of New York that she hasn't seen before as she investigates anarchists and immigrants from various ethnic groups. Soon, clues lead her and St. Clair to the family of one of her childhood friends - Preston van Schuyler. It seems like the van Schylers might be pushing the boundaries of the business practices of the day. They keep popping up in Alice's investigation.

The story is told by St. Clair who started life as a cowboy in Wyoming with side trips as a lawman in Wyoming to becoming a Rough Rider fighting with Teddy Roosevelt and to the Secret Service as Alice's bodyguard. He is a fascinating character who begins by indulging Alice's curiosity out of a sense of boredom but soon becomes intrigued himself. His cowboy persona hides a sharp man who might just have a couple of blind spots where Alice is concerned.

The novel's settings give the reader a grand tour of New York City in 1902. It also gives a good picture of the social structure of the city at that time. I liked the dynamics between the smart, sheltered and spoiled Alice Roosevelt and St. Clair. I'll admit to stopping in the middle of the story for a bit to research Alice since, while I'd heard of her, I knew little about her.

Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy this engaging and well-told tale.

Favorite Quote:

"What's the Secret Service's interest here?"

"They call it the Secret Service," I said. I never get tired of that, but Breen rolled his eyes.

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Alice and the Assassin by R. J. Koreto

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Mariah always said that I'd do anything for a pretty face, and she might be right, but I guess I'm not that different from most other men. And I'd like to meet the one who could refuse Alice when she challenged you.

Friday 56 (from 56% in the eARC):

I thought Alice was going to complain, yet again, about answering questions with questions, but instead she just said, "I find it amusing to visit some of my father's old colleagues in the Tombs, and one of them mentioned an odd case, a figure called the Archangel. We know of at least one worker upstate who was terrified of him."

This week I am reading Alice and the Assassin by R. J. Koreto. I got the ARC of this historical mystery from the author. Here is the description from Amazon:

In 1902 New York, Alice Roosevelt, the bright, passionate, and wildly unconventional daughter of newly sworn-in President Theodore Roosevelt, is placed under the supervision of Secret Service Agent Joseph St. Clair, ex-cowboy and veteran of the Rough Riders. St. Clair quickly learns that half his job is helping Alice roll cigarettes and escorting her to bookies, but matters grow even more difficult when Alice takes it upon herself to investigate a recent political killing--the assassination of former president William McKinley.

Concerned for her father's safety, Alice seeks explanations for the many unanswered questions about the avowed anarchist responsible for McKinley's death. In her quest, Alice drags St. Clair from grim Bowery bars to the elegant parlors of New York's ruling class, from the haunts of the Chinese secret societies to the magnificent new University Club, all while embarking on a tentative romance with a family friend, the son of a prominent local household.

And while Alice, forced to challenge those who would stop at nothing in their greed for money and power, considers her uncertain future, St. Clair must come to terms with his own past in Alice and the Assassin, the first in R. J. Koreto's riveting new historical mystery series.

ARC Review: Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen

Gone Without a Trace
Author: Mary Torjussen
Publication: Berkley (April 18, 2017)

Description: A jaw-dropping novel of psychological suspense that asks, If the love of your life disappeared without a trace, how far would you go to find out why?  

Hannah Monroe's boyfriend, Matt, is gone. His belongings have disappeared from their house. Every call she ever made to him, every text she ever sent, every photo of him and any sign of him on social media have vanished. It's as though their last four years together never happened.

As Hannah struggles to get through the next few days, with humiliation and recriminations whirring through her head, she knows that she'll do whatever it takes to find him again and get answers. But as soon as her search starts, she realizes she is being led into a maze of madness and obsession. Step by suspenseful step, Hannah discovers her only way out is to come face to face with the shocking truth...

My Thoughts: GONE WITHOUT A TRACE was a very unexpected read for me. It wasn't at all what I was thinking it would be.

The story begins with Hannah's live-in boyfriend Matt disappearing along with all his stuff while she was at a day long training. She comes home excited to tell him about the glowing comments her boss made about her to find him and all of this things gone. She can't understand why as all of her memories are of things going well and the two of them being happy.

She determines to find him and her obsessive search causes her to pay less attention at her job and to neglect her personal appearance. She has a best friend Katie who is possibly the most toxic best friend in the history of fiction. Katie's live-in boyfriend is a former boyfriend of Hannah's who she had lost track of for a number of years. Hannah's parents are dysfunctional. Her father has anger issues and abuses his wife who refuses to leave him. Hannah seldom sees them and when she does hear from her father it is mostly when he is angry at her.

I don't think that there was an admirable character in the whole book. Hannah's friend at work is having an affair with her assistant who is busy sabotaging Hannah's career - not that Hannah isn't doing a good job of that herself.

Without spoilers, I will say that the ending was both expected and unexpected. Fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this one.

Favorite Quote:

I started to cry, then, at the thought of that. We'd been together for four years -- how could he just walk out without an explanation? And to put all my things back in their old places; it was as though he'd never been here!

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

WoW: The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. She has a linky widget at her site each week for your post and to make it easy to find posts by other people.

The purpose of the meme is to spotlight books that we are eagerly anticipating. It is fun to take a look at what others are waiting for. I have noticed that it has expanded my wishlist though. Be warned!

The Red Hunter

Lisa Unger

April 25

What is the difference between justice and revenge? In this buzzworthy new standalone thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger, two wronged women on very different paths find themselves in the same dark place…

Claudia Bishop’s perfect life fell apart when the aftermath of a brutal assault left her with a crumbling marriage, a newborn daughter, and a constant sense of anxiety about the world around her. Now, looking for a fresh start with a home restoration project and growing blog, Claudia takes on a crumbling old house—one that unbeknownst to her has an ugly history and may hide long buried secrets.

For Zoey Drake the defining moment of her childhood was the horrific home invasion murder of her parents. Years later, she has embraced the rage that fuels her. Training in the martial arts has made her strong and ready to face the demons from the past—and within.

Strangers to each other, and walking very different paths in the wake of trauma, these two women are on a collision course—because Zoey’s past nightmare and Claudia’s dreams for her future take place in the very same house. As Zoey seeks justice, and Claudia seeks peace, both will confront the monsters at the door that are the most frightening of all.

Teaser Tuesday: Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser (from 10% in the eARC):

We spent the next ten minutes dissecting the conversation I'd had in Oxford, but the fact remained that I'd give up the chance of promotion in heartbeat to have Matt back home and I could tell from the sympathetic looks that Sam was giving me that he knew it, too.

This week I am reading Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen. I got this eARC at NetGalley. Here is the description from Amazon:

A jaw-dropping novel of psychological suspense that asks, If the love of your life disappeared without a trace, how far would you go to find out why?  

Hannah Monroe's boyfriend, Matt, is gone. His belongings have disappeared from their house. Every call she ever made to him, every text she ever sent, every photo of him and any sign of him on social media have vanished. It's as though their last four years together never happened.

As Hannah struggles to get through the next few days, with humiliation and recriminations whirring through her head, she knows that she'll do whatever it takes to find him again and get answers. But as soon as her search starts, she realizes she is being led into a maze of madness and obsession. Step by suspenseful step, Hannah discovers her only way out is to come face to face with the shocking truth...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (April 3, 2017)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Other Than Reading... 

This week saw the end of the third quarter of the school year. I used the workday to plan all the activities that my fourth and sixth graders will be doing until the end of the year. I am almost finished getting everything ready to go for those two groups. I also have Kindergartners and First Graders but they don't require as much planning.

On the home front, I decided what books will be filling out my calendar through June and pulled them onto a bookshelf in my living room. Then I packed all the rest of my TBR room (11 small Uhaul boxes) and a friend and I began to pack my other library getting through authors A - G. I was concerned about piles of boxes all over the place but had a brainstorm and used the closet I had emptied of office supplies for all 24 boxes packed today. The painter will be coming May 22 - 26 but isn't going to be painting inside the closets. I'm glad to find a way to get stuff packed but still out of the way.

We emptied the bookshelf she will be taking when she can corral extra muscle and her dad's pick-up truck. She's hoping to get the shelves one day next week when her son is home to visit. We'll continue packing books next Friday. Meanwhile, I'll continue to work on sorting through other stuff like the buffet in my dining room. A casual glance this evening showed that I had even more Harry Potter stuff than I remembered. I may have to devote a room to displaying all of my Harry Potter memorabilia. It's interesting to unearth the history of my obsessions from Star Trek to Highlander to Harry Potter.

I like this slow packing thing I have going on. I think that I am more thorough and more thoughtful than I would be if I tried to pack everything in just a few days while counting down to the arrival of the moving truck.

Read Last Week

Change Agent by Daniel Suarez was a fast-paced hard science fiction story about a near future Earth where genetic engineering has progressed to such a degree that a person can be totally remade down to the DNA. Our hero wants his DNA and his life back, especially since, he is now genetically one of the world's most wanted criminals. My review will be posted on April 12.

Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton was a cozy set in Kensington Palace where a young American chef gets the job of cooking for the duke and duchess of Cambridge. However, she needs to solve the murder of one of her assistants before she can concentrate on her new job. My review will be posted on April 13.

Currently

Finding Gideon by Eric Jerome Dickey is next on my stack. It will be released April 18.

Next Week

• Echo of Danger by Marta Perry (April 25)
• One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews (TBR Pile)

Reviews Posted

• Gauntlet by Holly Jennings
• The Sight by Chloe Neill

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

I couldn't pass up getting a copy of Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way when it was a Kindle daily deal.

I also added Bad Housekeeping by Maia Chance to my review stack while browsing at NetGalley. It will be released on June 13.

To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

Book Review: The Sight by Chloe Neill

The Sight
Author: Chloe Neill
Series: A Devil's Isle Novel (Book 2)
Publication: NAL (August 16, 2016)

Description: The paranormal war that engulfed New Orleans seven years ago is over.  But the battle for the city is just beginning . . .

Claire Connolly is a Sensitive, infected with magic when the Veil that divides humanity from the world beyond fell. Magic can easily consume and destroy a Sensitive, and if Claire’s secret is discovered she’ll be locked into the walled district of Devil’s Isle along with every other Paranormal left in the city.

Bounty hunter Liam Quinn discovered Claire’s secret, but refused to turn her in. Together they saved New Orleans from the resurgence of magic that nearly destroyed it. But now a dangerous cult is on the rise, and it will take both Claire and Liam—and magical allies within Devil’s Isle’s towering walls—to defeat the growing threat before magic corrupts them both...

My Thoughts: The second Devil's Isle novel adds to the tension in a New Orleans that has already been the epicenter of a war when paranormals broke through the Veil. Now, the war is over and the paranormals who were taken as prisoners of war are being house in Devil's Isle - an internment camp. Some were not contained and some humans were infected with the magic and have become Sensitives who are in danger of being overwhelmed by the magic and turned into wraiths.

Our heroine Claire is one of those Sensitives who is trying very hard to learn to control the magic and keep from being a wraith. Meanwhile, she is running her business Royal Mercantile which used to sell antiques and now sells things like MREs and duct tape. Her boyfriend Liam is a bounty hunter who is tasked with capturing escaped paranormals and Sensitives. He chooses which bounties he'll go after. The possibility that he might someday have to take Claire to Devil's Isle is the one thing that makes him hesitant to grow his relationship with Claire.

But neither of them has much time to focus on their relationship because a man named Ezekiel has been gathering his army of supporters and fanatics to kill all the paranormals and all those who are working in Containment and any other humans they have deemed traitors. There antics began with marches but quickly escalate to bombings and outright battles to destroy Devil's Isle and the paranormals who live there.

This was an action-packed story filled with tension. It was also filled with interesting characters. I love Claire who is brave and loyal and often reckless. I like the way Liam balances her. I also liked the variety of people that make up the supporting characters. I can't wait for the third book in September.

Favorite Quote:

"God," I said, rubbing my hands over my face. "Could you have picked a trainee with more drama? I'm sorry."

"No," Liam said. "Don't ever apologize for who or what you are. A lot of people would have walked away from New Orleans, from Royal Mercantile. You built something, Claire. You are heart and recklessness and fire. The drama just came along for the ride."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.