John Scognamiglio

David Lewis: The Paris Chase

by

The Secret Churchill Files #3

This enthralling mystery is set in 1942 and begins with our heroine, Welsh woman and secret agent Catrine Colline, pondering her future after her woman only spy division, 512, is absorbed into the larger SOE (Special Operations Executive).  Determined to qualify to be sent to France, she’s passed all the physical tests, but can’t manage to speak the language like a native, so is seconded to the dreaded office work. Churchill, however, senses Catrine has something special, and when an SS agent disappears in Paris, he decides she’s the one to find him and bring him to London.  The man, Dieter Silber, had discovered the plans for Hitler’s gruesome “Final Solution,” and can’t stomach it. read more

Paula Sutton: The Body in the Kitchen Garden

by

Hill House Vintage #2

Ninety-six years after Miss Marple made her first appearance in the village of St. Mary Meade, The Body in the Kitchen Garden demonstrates that the gentle English village mystery genre is still going strong.  Like Agatha Christie, the legendary creator of Miss Marple, modern practitioners of the British village mystery- writers like Connie Berry, G.M. Malliet, and most recently Katarina Bivald – find the depths of human emotion and depravity lurking not far below the surface of this seemingly idyllic setting.  Sutton has further updated the formula with the provocative move of having her detective be the only black woman in town. read more

Christina Dodd: Thus With a Kiss I Die

by

Daughter of Montague #2

Thus With a Kiss I Die is the second in Christina Dodd’s Daughter of Montague series, and it loosely follows the plot of Hamlet, complete with a ghostly father. Our protagonist, Rosie Montague, is the eldest daughter of Romeo and Juliet – who the series suggests actually survived the events of that play. Rosie has a hoard of siblings, a strong personality, and a romantic dilemma. In the previous book, Rosie had intended to be caught canoodling with her true love, Lysander, so they would have to be wed. Unfortunately for the pair, the podesta of Verona intervened, and ended up in the dark with Rosie instead. read more

David Lewis: A Beacon in the Night

by

Secret Churchill Files #2

London, 1941. As the Blitz winds down the Nazis begin a series of terror-bombings focused on British churches, stately homes, hospitals, and other emotional landmarks in an attempt to destroy cultural heritage and demoralize the British. Can Caitrin Colline, agent of the all-female 512 counterespionage unit track down the source of the beacons that lead the planes to the bomb sites?

Despite Caitrin’s success in saving the Crown Jewels almost single-handedly in the first book in the series, Churchill is threatening to improve his budget by absorbing the 512 into the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Head of the 512, Bethany Goodman, is determined to prove her unit’s usefulness by sending Caitrin to track down the source of the homing beacons. read more

Paula Sutton: The Potting Shed Murder

by

Hill House Vintage Murder #1

One of the most interesting things about The Potting Shed Murder is that readers get to experience the inner thoughts and perspectives of most of the characters involved in the story. Instead of just experiencing how the detective, in this case a Daphne Brewster, thinks, readers get to see how the other townsfolk view one another and react to the murder. Daphne and her family are brand new to the English county village of Pudding Corner and are thus under a lot of scrutiny from the community. She is also one of the very few black members of this community, and is fully aware that means she is getting perhaps a bit more scrutiny than another new neighbor might. Even so, Daphne is determined to make a life in Pudding Corner after leaving the rather intense and expensive life of London behind. read more

David Lewis: A Jewel in the Crown

by

The Secret Churchill Files #1

Because I’d thought I’d seen it all before, I had low expectations when I picked this book up. WWII, the Blitz, Churchill, feisty undercover heroine, check, check and check, we’ve all been there and read that, right?  But as it turns out in the right hands WWII can still be fascinating, and with a vibrant truly larger than life character like Winston Churchill, Lewis creates a fresh, vivid read that will have you flipping pages quickly.  A policewoman when the book opens, heroine Catrine Colline, a working-class Welsh girl with a socialist bent, is soon recruited by “512,” an undercover outfit composed only of women dedicated to furthering Britain’s war efforts. read more