Jane And The Unpleasantness At Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron

Read For:
Thriller/Suspense Challenge
Historical Fiction Challenge
RYOB Challenge

Synopsis:
For everyone who loves Jane Austen... a marvelously entertaining new series that turns the incomparable author into an extraordinary sleuth!

On a visit to the estate of her friend, the young and beautiful Isobel Payne, Countess of Scargrave, Jane bears witness to a tragedy. Isobel's husband--a gentleman of mature years--is felled by a mysterious and agonizing ailment. The Earl's death seems a cruel blow of fate for the newly married Isobel. Yet the bereaved widow soon finds that it's only the beginning of her misfortune ... as she receives a sinister missive accusing her and the Earl's nephew of adultery--and murder. Desperately afraid that the letter will expose her to the worst sort of scandal, Isobel begs Jane for help. And Jane finds herself embroiled in a perilous investigation that will soon have her following a trail of clues that leads all the way to Newgate Prison and the House of Lords--a trail that may well place Jane's own person in the gravest jeopardy.


My Review:
I enjoyed this historical mystery featuring Jane Austen (pre any of her books being published) as the sleuth and plan to read the others in the series. A great mystery for those who love the Regency era.
4 stars.

Yesterday's Evil by Dorothy Daniels

Yesterday's Evil
Dorothy Daniels, 1979. 172 pages
Gothic Romantic Suspense
Read For:
ROR Summer Challenge
 Thriller/Suspense Challenge
RYOB Challenge

Synopsis:
A TOWN OF GHOSTLY MEMORIES.

When an innocent man was lynched by the angry people of Arnetville, the local minister called down a devastating curse on his sinful parishioner's. And from that moment the town began slowly, frighteningly, mysteriously, to die . . . years later, lovely Adria Arnet return there as the new owner of the town were she had been born. Adria was determined to discover the truth about its terrifying past so she could start rebuilding Arnetville and reopen the nearby marble quarry. Yet in a to Meridee people only buy a half-crazed old woman, a drunken doctor, and the restless ghost of the dead, Adria found little to encourage her. And least not until a co-owner of the quarry, handsome Owen Sloan, fell in love with Adria and eagerly agreed to help her with her plans. But Adria and Owen couldn't foresee what misfortune awaited those who attempted to stir up long-buried secrets. Nor did they dream of the evil that would soon in danger both their love and their lives. . .


My Review:
Set in Victorian or Edwardian times, Yesterday's Evil was a pretty entertaining old Gothic mystery. Full of "Gothic" treats like an abandoned quarry town, curses, tragedies, unexplained deaths and other things that go bump in the night. The mystery was good enough that I didn't figure out who the villain was and the romance was sweet albeit sappy. 3.5 stars.

A Mortal Curiosity by Ann Granger

Read For:
RYOB Challenge
2010 Historical Fiction Challenge
2010 thriller/suspense challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:

It's 1864 and Lizzie Martin is leaving London for the south coast of England to be the companion of Lucy Craven, a teenager who lives in seclusion with her aunts and has recently lost an infant daughter to illness. En route, Lizzie meets Doctor Lefebre, a slightly off-putting gentleman headed for the same destination. Lefebre, it turns out, is an alienist hired by Lucy's family to determine whether the young woman is mad. And he discloses something shocking: Lucy Craven doesn't believe her daughter is dead; she insists the baby was stolen from her.

In Hampshire, complications mount. Late at night, Lizzie hears furtive voices outside, there's a gentleman farmer whose demeanor with Lucy seems unusually familiar, and, while Lucy proves a bit moody, she hardly seems deranged. The girl's aunts are clearly withholding something. . . . These tensions come to a head when a man is found dead in the garden, stabbed with a knife from the aunts' home.

Lizzie calls upon her beau, Inspector Benjamin Ross. Together, they find themselves entangled in a mystery as bewildering as any they've faced.

My Review:

Second "Lizzie Martin" mystery. 

Another enjoyable Victorian era mystery featuring Lizzie Martin, a paid companion and her "beau", Inspector Ben Ross. This story was about Lucy Craven, a young married woman who's baby dies a day after birth but Mrs Craven insists her baby is not dead. 

A bit above average mystery, good setting and secondary characters, though I wish there had been more scenes between Lizzie and Ben.

Still, a nice easy read. 4 stars.

Out of The Dark by Sharon Sala

Read for:
ROR Spring Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge
Thriller and Suspense Challenge
RYOB Challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:
In the darkness of her memory terror lurks

Street artist Jade remembers little of her childhood except for the time she spent under the ruthless control of a cult leader, a time marked by terrible abuse and suffering. For the fifteen years since she escaped his grasp, she has survived by living on the streets and never putting down roots.

Ex-cop Luke Kelly knows his friend Sam Cochrane wants nothing more than to find his daughter, Jade, who was taken from him as a child. So Luke uses all his connections to make that happen, not knowing that by reuniting Jade with her father he is exposing her to a deadly peril.

In the healing embrace of her father's home, Jade -- with Luke's loving help -- begins to put fear behind her. But somewhere in the darkness, a man is prepared to kill rather than let Jade reveal the secrets of her childhood. And when her story makes the national news, that someone finally knows where to find her.


My review:
Another great Romantic Suspense by Sharon Sala. Be forewarned-story deals with emotional and painful subject matter like child abuse, cults and HIV. The heroine of the story has been severely abused most of her life and has also had to live on the streets in hiding from a cult leader. Story, as can be expected, is very emotional and painful. Do not read this one when you are feeling down in the dumps, wait till  you are in a better mind set to handle the subject matter.


4 stars.

Thriller and Suspense Challenge 2010

Join HERE

Timeline: 01 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2010

Rules: To read TWELVE (12) thrillers in 2010

Details:

• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront then you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• If you decide to participate in this challenge please use the links I have set up below with the buttons to post on your sidebar, this way others can find their way back to this post and join in the fun.

• If you decide to join this challenge be sure to create a post telling others, please make sure you add a link back to this post so others can join in.
• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.
• There will be a place for you to link your reviews, but this is optional.
My List:1-Out Of The Dark by Sharon Sala-4 stars2-A Mortal Curiosity by Ann Granger-4 stars3-Yesterday's Evil by Dorothy Daniels-3.5 stars4-Jane And The Unpleasantness At Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron-4 stars5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-