Death In Paris

Death in Paris by Emilia Bernhard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading so many detective stories and watching all the detective shows, sometimes I wonder – when the opportunity comes, will I be able to play a cool detective myself. When Rachel Levis got this chance – she used all her knowledge and help of her best friend Magda to resolve the murder of a Parisian financier Edgar Bowen. Well, the fact that Edgar and Rachel had a short love affair many years prior also gave detective Levis additional push to hunt down the cold-hearted murderer.

The story begins one lovely winter morning, during the breakfast, Rachel comes across the article that informs her of the passing of Edgar Bowen. She quickly shares the news with her husband, who simply dismisses it. But Rachel is not a person who gives up easily. She decides to pay respect to her old friend/lover by attending his funeral, where she hears more details regarding the state of the room where Edgar’s body was found. And at last, Rachel makes her debut as a detective, lists of the suspects and starts her own investigation. But what our little detective doesn’t expect is another murder (or two).

The ending of the story was quite unexpected. Emilia Bernhard caught me off guard there. A wonderful novel, perfect descriptions of Paris areas and cafes/restaurants. Fantastic set of characters, and the right amount (you know I always complain when there are too many characters that don’t really play a big part in the story). After reading this book – I will definitely follow Rachel and Magda’s future “cases”. The story is short, easy to read and takes you straight to the point with all gripping details to captivate reader’s attention.

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Lincoln’s Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency

Lincoln’s Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency by Dan Abrams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a person who has never heard of Lincoln’s last murder case, I found this book very informative. Not only Abe Lincoln was yet again proven to be a great leader but he had an amazing ability to win a case that was set for failure from the beginning.

For those who do not know the case, Peachy Quinn Harrison had stabbed Greek Crafton during a fight. Days earlier the two had another clash during town’s gathering and both made treats against each other. The night of the horrific incident, Peachy pulled the knife and stabbed Greek in self-defense. Well, that’s what he’s been repeating since that dreadful night. As new evidence regarding fight details came to light together with Greek Crafton’s deathbed confession, Peachy Quinn Harrison was released and Abe Lincoln gained admiration, popularity, and well-deserved recognition.

The story was very well written, short and straight to the point. It was an easy and captivating read. I was lured into the pages of the book and could not get enough of the case. I even did a little research on this case online, and surprisingly, was not able to find any new facts that I have not read in the book. Thank you, Dan Abrams and David Fisher for this phenomenal book and story.

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Jane Seymour: The Hunted Queen

Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a fan of Alison Weir, I just had to get my hands on this book. I’ve always had an interest in Tudor’s dynasty, and I feel that most of the books are being focused on Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. And somehow everyone skips one of the greatest wife’s of Henry VIII – Jane Seymour.

Jane Seymour was the third wife of Henry VIII, and she is mostly known for the fact that she has given the king his long wanted son. However, her life as a Queen was short lived.

As a young girl, Jane wanted to dedicate her life to the church. After one year probation period as a nun, oldest Seymour girl decided to come back home. To her luck, a family friend found a place for her in court, and shortly after young Jane became a maid of honor to Queen Catherine, and after (not by her choice) to Queen Anne. Jane and Anne disliked each other from the beginning, and their rivalry continued to escalate once Jane became Henry’s mistress.

Days after Anne’s execution, Jane was wedded to Henry. Something else has changed at that time… Jane became haunted by Anne Boleyn.

The book is a historical fiction, not all parts of the book are true. Nevertheless, Alison Weir stays very close to the actual facts. That’s the reason I like her books. She does write fiction, however, her facts are always double and triple checked. I admire the way she is able to turn a piece of history into a fascinating story. This book is easy to read and has many interesting facts about Henry VIII’s most loved wife. Bravo Ms. Weir, you’ve created another masterpiece!

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