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elemomi's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
aimeejane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
bkdrgn303's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
ink_andivy's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
peachyteachy's review
4.0
Loving this series! Funny, historical fiction, dead bodies, nasty people, nice people, Canadian ...
cbendixe's review
4.0
This second installment in the Lane Winslow mysteries is an improvement over the first- maybe now that the characters are introduced, there's less need to tell and not show? Anyway, I'm on a historical mystery kick right now, and Lane Winslow is just the tough and intelligent heroine I needed.
dreadlockdiva2's review against another edition
3.0
Despite not particularly liking the first book in the series, I wanted to read the next one hoping the author further developed Lane's character and the character of the village--which should play such a vivid role in the book. While I found Lane character a little more interesting and fleshed out with the backstory of her father and her unconventional upbringing, I still skipped over a large number of what felt like filler pages that did not add anything to the story. Or maybe I was simply not interested in what they had to add. Unlike the previous book, Lane was an active participant in solving the case and relegated to a background character who happened to stumble upon some important clues. I still found village life and its characters utterly snooze worthy, these are simply not interesting people and Lane's interactions with her neighbors rang flat. I think that I am going to stop here in the series as I realized I have no interest in learning more about Lane or the people in her life.
Please note, these stories bear no resemblance to the Maisie Dobbs mysteries as Winspear takes a lot more time and care with the development of her characters and her stories.
Please note, these stories bear no resemblance to the Maisie Dobbs mysteries as Winspear takes a lot more time and care with the development of her characters and her stories.
tessisreading2's review
3.0
Atmospheric and well-written; the historical and spy aspects were very well-done. Lane herself was a little too perfect, perhaps, and the interpersonal relationships all moved very slowly, but overall a very pleasant read.
constantreader471's review
4.0
4 stars for book 2 in a series recommended by my Goodreads friend Helio. This book has a body appear almost at the beginning(p.11), unlike book 1, which did not introduce a body until p.60. Lane Winslow is a British expat now living in a small town of 20 people called King's Cove. She and a friend from the town, Angela Bertolli and Angela's 3 boys have driven to Adderly to enjoy their hot springs in Decemberr 1946, when it is bitter cold in the British Columbia mountains.
A dead man is discovered by the man's friend, who only speaks Russian. Lane acts as translator for the police. There is an international connection, a Soviet Union agent, blackmail, and embezzlement of bank money all interacting in this book. Most of the mysteries are solved, but Lane's wartime experiences as a spy promise more adventures in this series.
Some characters besides Lane:
Police Inspector Darling, who is falling in love with Lane, but has difficulty expressing himself to her.
Constable Ames, who is bright cheerful and hard working. Darling treats him poorly, reminding me of the way Morse treated Sergeant Lewis in the Morse series by [a:Colin Dexter|43698|Colin Dexter|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1264197174p2/43698.jpg]
Angela and Dave Bertolli, Americans who have moved to King's Cove from New York city
Robin Harris, embittered WWI vet
I read this book in 2 days.
Thanks to Curtis Samuel at Touchwood for sending this book.
Update 9-26-2022: My wife has now read this book and agrees 4 stars. She says that this book is easier to read than book 1 because the author does not use as many obscure words common in 1946 Britain , but not common in the US today.
A dead man is discovered by the man's friend, who only speaks Russian. Lane acts as translator for the police. There is an international connection, a Soviet Union agent, blackmail, and embezzlement of bank money all interacting in this book. Most of the mysteries are solved, but Lane's wartime experiences as a spy promise more adventures in this series.
Some characters besides Lane:
Police Inspector Darling, who is falling in love with Lane, but has difficulty expressing himself to her.
Constable Ames, who is bright cheerful and hard working. Darling treats him poorly, reminding me of the way Morse treated Sergeant Lewis in the Morse series by [a:Colin Dexter|43698|Colin Dexter|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1264197174p2/43698.jpg]
Angela and Dave Bertolli, Americans who have moved to King's Cove from New York city
Robin Harris, embittered WWI vet
I read this book in 2 days.
Thanks to Curtis Samuel at Touchwood for sending this book.
Update 9-26-2022: My wife has now read this book and agrees 4 stars. She says that this book is easier to read than book 1 because the author does not use as many obscure words common in 1946 Britain , but not common in the US today.