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Isobel Blackthorn

Teoksen A Matter of Latitude tekijä

17 teosta 92 jäsentä 18 arvostelua

Sarjat

Tekijän teokset

A Matter of Latitude (2018) 21 kappaletta
The Drago Tree (2015) 12 kappaletta
A Perfect Square (2016) 10 kappaletta
Asylum (2015) 8 kappaletta
Clarissa's Warning (2018) 6 kappaletta
Twerk (2018) 4 kappaletta
The Cabin Sessions (2017) 4 kappaletta
The Legacy of Old Gran Parks (2018) 3 kappaletta
A Prison In The Sun (2019) 3 kappaletta
Emma's Tapestry (2021) 2 kappaletta
Lovesick (2017) 1 kappale
The Ghost of Villa Winter (2020) 1 kappale

Merkitty avainsanalla

Yleistieto

Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

I’ve been warned from the very beginning that The Cabin Sessions was a slow book. Other reviewers seemed to confirm it, so I wasn’t expecting anything fast-paced or ripe with action when I dived in.

Thing is, there’s a fine line between ‘slow’ and ‘static’, and uh, the narration sometimes pushes it. It’s a shame because there are engaging parts too, where the rhythm and the flow, albeit still slow, are flawless. The same flawlessness shown by Eva and Delilah as characters—I really liked them!

[Keep reading @ Bookshelves & Teacups]
… (lisätietoja)
 
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TissieL | 1 muu arvostelu | May 3, 2023 |
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Sing Like a Canary

Thank you to Blackthorn Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

When readers are introduced to Marjorie she's grieving the loss of her partner and trying to find her way through life once more. Cast adrift, she searches for closure from her once informant Billy McKenzie. Bad information from him ended her career, and she wants to uncover the truth behind it. But Marjorie isn’t the only one searching for Billy. At one point his information put away a few of his old associates. Ones that are now recently free and out for revenge. But who will find Billy first? And if these associates catch wind of Marjorie, she’ll be next on their hit list.

Readers will slowly reveal how Marjorie ended her career as a detective as the tension builds within the plot. The closer Marjorie comes to finding Billy’s whereabouts, the closer readers come to revealing the full history between the two characters. The pacing for this reveal was so well done and accented the overall story. The anticipation of what will happen if the two characters eventually meet once more will build and readers will be left needing the meeting to occur.

Isobel Blackthorn also tackles the challenges women faced in a predominately male workforce of the 70s. Majorie is met with doubt and sometimes outright aggression when she has information her coworkers are unable to produce. When she’s successful, it makes the situation all the direr for her. While there are a few people that seem to be on her side, they still have an underlying sense of jealousy against Majorie. And there are instances where they try to take advantage of her, causing Majorie to become both ashamed and confused. In some aspects this is a tough read due to the treatment of women. The writing does not shy away from the hardships Majorie faces, but I enjoyed the honesty of it. It takes finesse to incorporate these elements into a story, and Isobel Blackthorn has done a fine job.

If you enjoy detective stories, give Sing Like a Canary a try. While this isn't book one of the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. The characters and settings are brought to life by Isobel Blackthorn’s wonderful writing. Readers will not be disappointed as they join Majorie in her search for Billy and the truth only he knows.
… (lisätietoja)
 
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Letora | Jun 12, 2022 |
I won't go into what the book is about, you can read the blurb for that. What I loved about the book is that it is based on the author's family. I did not know this until I read the epilogue. It made the story so much more believable. I can't imagine what it was like to be whisked along to Singapore and other places that Ernest had Emma going to. To be expected to live under the circumstances she did, because of her origin of birth, being a Mennonite Germans during WWI she was not accepted into the societies that she ended up in.

The hatred and bigotry that the German people endured, a people that abhorred war and were conscientious objectors to war but were shunned because of this. Plus living in Singapore, not knowing the language or customs plus having two children and a husband who only cared about his career. Emma spent years living like that, she did make some friends but she still felt adrift in her marriage. Then the ultimate betrayal by her husband, having her leave Singapore for the American West. Emma's journeys take her from Japan, China, England, the US, and Canada. She dearly missed her family in Canada, her parents had been unhappy with the fact she married outside the Mennonite faith.

She still has to endure the hatred of people who hated the Germans, even though Emma was not a practicing Mennonite she still felt bad when she would see the signs, 'Germans must speak English' in the shops in Colorado. An incident in the boarding house she has been living in has Emma and the girls reunited with Ernest. Life goes on for a while until Ernest just disappears. Never to be seen by Emma and her girls again. What happened to him? What I learned in the epilogue floored me.

The story goes back and forth to WWI and just prior to WWII, where Emma is a caregiver to an elderly lady, Adela, who was a good friend of Oscar Wilde. In the stories from Adela she reminiscences about her friendship and what happened to Oscar, he was a homosexual and was imprisoned for a time because of this.

I loved how the author wrote of Emma's life, and how she coped with insurmountable odds to be a very strong woman. Like I said, I liked the epilogue, it just tied everything together. The words just flowed across the pages. I am not really a fan of stories about WWI or WWII, there are just too many of them. That said, I really enjoyed this book, I almost didn't want it to end, but all good things must come to an end. I will definitely be reading more by Isobel Blackthorn. Gets 5 stars in my book!
… (lisätietoja)
 
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celticlady53 | Apr 18, 2022 |
I don't know much about the world of strippers and lap dancers…but my concept of it has certainly been endorsed. It's a bit seedy, unsophisticated, unglamorous and a bit pathetic. Attended by either men who need company, to forget their unhappy lives or merely just to objectify women. The strippers are women trying to survive financially by earning a quick and lucrative buck: let's face it, their shelf life is pretty short in this industry.

But the thriller set in this backdrop was quite accomplished. Lana is trying to finance herself through law school by working as a lap dancer in the club and finds herself turning into a bit of a sleuth when a rather undesirable regular to the club, Billy, collapses and dies. Amber is Lana's best friend and falls in lust with the paramedic who comes to attend to the dead man. But Lana is concerned. She's not so sure Billy's death is quite so cut and dried. And Amber isn't picking up her calls. And Lana seems to be getting trolled on social media. And her ex-boyfriend is sending her death threats…or is he?

This moves along at a very decent pace and keeps you fully engaged right to the (perhaps a little over-dramatic) end. I could have done without the constant mention of every detail of every song played by the club's DJ, and the present-tense narrative didn't work for me at all, but that aside, this was packed with suspense, darkness, sizzle and drama.

Not for late-night reading, though…and be prepared to be quite a little bit shocked…
… (lisätietoja)
 
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Librogirl | 1 muu arvostelu | Mar 13, 2022 |

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Tilastot

Teokset
17
Jäseniä
92
Suosituimmuussija
#202,476
Arvio (tähdet)
3.9
Kirja-arvosteluja
18
ISBN:t
29
Kielet
2

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