Hello, everyone. Today I am reviewing Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

About the book (from the publisher): Before Madeleine Albright turned twelve, her life was shaken by the Nazi invasion of her native Prague, the Battle of Britain, the near-total destruction of European Jewry, the Allied Victory in World War II, the rise of communism, and the onset of the Cold War. Drawing on her memory, her parents’ written reflections, interviews with contemporaries, and newly available documents, Albright recounts a tale that is by turns harrowing and inspiring.

In Prague Winter, Albright reflects on her discovery of her family’s Jewish heritage many decades after the war, on her Czech homeland’s tangled history, and on the stark moral choices faced by her parents and their generation. At once a deeply personal memoir and an incisive work of history, Prague Winter serves as a guide to the future through the lessons of the past – as seen through the eyes of one of the international community’s most respected and fascinating figures.

My review: I loved this quote from the first chapter: Nothing could be more adult than the decisions people were compelled to make during this turbulent era, yet the issues involved would be familiar to any child: How can I be safe? Whom can I trust? What can I believe? And (in the words of the Czech national anthem) “Where is my home?”

I have long admired Madeleine Albright, so I was eager to read this book, which is part memoir, part essential history, as well as as cautionary guide for the future. Though I feel I know a fair amount about World War II, I certainly didn’t know much about it in terms of how it impacted Czechoslovakia and it’s citizens, or the far-reaching effects it had decades later. Finding out later in life that several of her family members were lost to the Holocaust certainly had an influence on her need to learn more about this time in her native country’s history. Albright is a wonderful writer and she has managed to share her very personal story while giving us all a history lesson of the utmost importance.

This should be required reading for any student of history and for anyone who is concerned about our future. I strongly believe that everything that can be put down on paper about World War II, the Holocaust, those who sacrificed their lives and those who quietly worked to save others, must be recorded. Ms. Albright has done that with this moving and powerful book.

Her story, as well as the stories of others that are shared in this book, makes for compelling reading. I recommend this book highly.

About the Author: Madeleine Albright served as America’s sixty-fourth Secretary of State from 1997 – 2001. Her distinguished career also includes positions on Capitol Hill, on the National Security Council, and as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She is a resident of Washington D.C. and Virginia.

If you are interested in being entered for the chance to win a copy of this book, leave a comment on this post. I’ll pick a winner on Thursday, March 14th.

Happy Monday.

Today I am reviewing No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The Story: A woman’s body is found in the Thames by a K9 Search and Rescue Team. The woman is identified as Rebecca Meredith, a former Olympic Rowing hopeful who is working toward a comeback. She is also a Detective at the Met, which adds another layer to this mystery and is the reason that New Scotland Yard Detective Duncan Kincaid is brought in to head the investigation. Kincaid and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, tackle an increasingly complicated mystery with tentacles that reach out to include New Scotland Yard itself.

I will reveal no more plot than that. I don’t want to be a spoiler!

Review: For some reason, Deborah Crombie hadn’t been on my radar system. Since I am a lover of mysteries, I’m not sure how that happened.  Consequently, I looked forward to discovering a new-to-me writer. As I read, I was sure Ms. Crombie was British and it wasn’t until I read the blurb on the back of the book that I realized she’s from Texas. You would never know. She is such an excellent writer, paints such a realistic and vivid picture of London and Henley, has such an ear for a Brit’s turn of phrase, that she might as well be born and bred in the UK. She’s that good.

The novel takes place in London and Henley. Henley is known as a training ground for rowers and the novel is rich in details about rowing and a rower’s life.  Crombie has a gift for descriptive detail that makes every setting come alive. I could see the river, the rowers, the cottages; each piece of the setting vividly came to life. There is a colorful and richly drawn cast of characters, each of them fully realized and each of them integral to the plot.

The plot is complicated and deftly written. Though this mystery is part of a series that includes Kincaid and James, it is fully able to stand on its own. I hadn’t read any of the other novels in the series and, yes, there is some back story that I picked up here and there. Some of it I could figure out, other details remained hidden, but none of that kept me from being fully engaged in this excellently written mystery.

In fact (and this rarely happens for me) I didn’t want the novel to end, yet I did want it to end. You know what I mean? You want to find out who did it, but the novel is so well written and the world you’re living in via the words on the page is so real that you don’t want to leave it. I finished the novel wanting to learn more about the recurring cast of characters. I want to know more about what led them all to this point in time in the series. I promptly ordered the first 6 books in the series from my local library. It’s that good. Crombie writes in the tradition of P.D. James and Elizabeth George, both of whom have written an excellent series of books revolving around a police detective. I can’t wait to read all of the books in the series.

By now I’m sure you’ve realized that I recommend this book highly.

The author:  A native Texan who has lived in both England and Scotland, Deborah Crombie is a three-time Macavity Award winner, an Edgar Award nominee, and a New York Times Notable author. She is the author of more than a dozen novels, including the recent Necessary as Blood and Dreaming of the Bones, which was selected as one of the 100 Best Crime Novels of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. She lives in McKinney, Texas, sharing a house that is more than one hundred years old with her husband, three cats, and two German Shepherds.

I’m not sure, at this moment, if there is an official giveaway with this book. I’m still checking on that. But, if there isn’t, I will donate my copy of the book. So, either way, I’ll give away a copy of this excellent novel to some lucky person. Leave a comment if you want to be entered. I’ll draw the winning name on Friday evening.

Happy Tuesday,

Hi everyone. Today I am reviewing The Expats by Chris Pavone for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The story: Kate Moore, a working mother of two, is married to Dexter who is a financial systems security consultant. When Dexter gets the opportunity to work for a banking client in Luxembourg, Kate jumps at the chance to leave her job and start a new life in a new place far away from their current life in Washington, DC. Kate has a secret that she has been working very hard to keep a secret and she welcomes the opportunity to shed her old life for the new life of being an expat. But Dexter’s new job keeps him away from home for long periods of time and any details as to who he works for and what he does are held close to his chest.  In the meantime, Kate meets a couple, Julia and Bill, who she is increasingly wary of. As we learn more and more about Kate’s past, we see how it shapes her worries and suspicions in the present. As she begins to investigate, she discovers that Julia and Bill are not who they say they are, that Dexter has his own dangerous secrets. That’s all I’m going to say – you know I never reveal too much plot!

My review: What happens when secrets are kept – when, in fact, everyone is keeping a secret? The Expats is all about secrets, dangerous secrets. This is a wonderful book – an international spy thriller with a strong, gutsy female protagonist –  that is filled with suspense. Pavone has used the device of alternating between the past and the present, giving us tantalizing bits of information here and there, allowing us to try to put the puzzle together ourselves. It’s executed brilliantly. The plot is complex, with twists and turns at every corner. Kate’s character is beautifully realized. The other characters are equally well written. Pavone has crafted an intricate plot with layers and layers that are slowly peeled away until the truth is revealed. But not too soon – that wouldn’t be fun! After all, this is a spy thriller of the first order. Pavone writes about life in Luxembourg and Paris and the Alps with great detail  – each international location is richly drawn. Chris Pavone is a gifted writer and I guarantee you will not be able to put this book down.

About the author: Chris Pavone, a book editor for nearly two decades, returned to New York City after a sojourn in Luxembourg. The Expats is his first novel.

Oh you lucky people – one of you will have the opportunity to win a copy of this book! Just leave a comment on this post and I will draw a winner on Wednesday evening. Good luck!

Happy Monday.