Merry Christmas will be back after my Christmas break Have a great time,

Another gripping read from a great thriller writer

I was asked to review by Nudge and have been privileged in that I have reviewed The Man from Berlin and Pale House.

This is series three of the Gregor Reinhardt series. This time Gregor is back with Berlin Civilian police as a detective. This is 1947 and Berlin is in turmoil, the city had been badly bombed, people are hungry. Corruption is rife  Gregor knows he is not wanted here.  Previously he had left as he was fleeing the Nazis.

Post war this city is mostly communist  sympathizers, it appears that a serial killer is on the loose when a man is found dead in rubble of a building.  

There is distrust on both sides from him colleagues and his general uneasiness of the situation.  The Allies and Soviets are involved , Germans who want to carry on world war 2 and a past Gregor does not personally want to be reminded of. 

This author researches his subject with attention to detail, it is atmospheric, based on historical circumstances and a thriller writer up there with the best.

This book can be read on its own but this Christmas treat yourself to the series and enjoy a great read over the long festive period.

Not for the faint Hearted

I was asked to review this book by Librarything.com 

This is the 4th book in the series but was easy to read this book and did not need to read previous books to follow the plot.

This was a paranormal journey and boy did it pull some punches creepy. two people inherit a house with evil and weird happenings. This was a good read which kept you on the edge of your seat or rather for me my sun bed. 

The plot was believable and if you are into haunted houses this is book to read which will scare you- not for the faint hearted..

Something different in the adult colouring book genre

Interesting book, there appears to be a lot of adult "colouring" books around.

I can see people doing this on the long festive break or maybe on a journey.

I tried one or two and were fun and addictive

Definitely for the adult and to set aside time to do this - would make a good stocking filler if readers have not completed their Christmas shopping yet. 

Good YA Novel

I was asked to review this by Inspired by Kathy. Good mix of supernatural and normal. Great story for young adults.

Essentially a fantasy book with so much - magic, supernatural, scary funny and adventure what is not to like like about this book.

Girl who is a loner with a mother who suffers from necromancy (the supposed practice of communicating with the dead, especially in order to predict the future)

Unusual story line, well written and a book I kept on till the end - I wanted to know the ending.

Great Adventure story

I was asked to review this by Inspired by Kathy - this is a great young adult novel- two people find a dusty old journal in an attic along with a baby dragon how many times were we as kids asked to do something and hoped this would turn into an adventure! - the story begins. They are flung through a portal to another world. There is a world of dragons and Norse mythology thrown into the mix. This was some adventure.

This was total escapism and adults too will enjoy this great story. Totally loved it. Well written and will be seeking out this author.

Told As It Was

I was keen to read this as will be visiting Chartwell in 2017.

My question would be what if there had been no first world war or second world war, would Churchill and his wife have been remembered. The other question would be if we had had a different prime minister at the helm during the second world war - would the outcome have been different? we will never know.

The lady herself I felt was born in the wrong time as today she would have gone to university and may have gone into politics herself. I was left thinking she was extremely selfish with her children, wanted to go on long holidays or take her self off to bed to the detriment of her children. Both sadly had been damaged from bad childhoods and that may account for this and it was a different time. 

There had not been a role/job description for the prime ministers wife which she made this her own and changed the way things were run.

Clementine came into her own in the first world war as did a great many women running canteens across London.

During the second world war she did a great deal for the ordinary people, but allowed her female relatives to sleep with the American for the country. 

I found at the end of the war extreme selfishness when they actually had to deal with rationing. I naively thought they were in it with the nation not so.

Interesting and never able to live within their means going from one financial crisis to another. 

Good historical references and well written by the author she told the story warts and all.