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tinyviolet's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
margaretpinard's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Very serviceable and able to be read as a stand alone, as I skipped ahead a couple books in the series.
Very close to the feeling I get from a Jacqueline Winspear Maisie Dobbs book, but lacking in the final intimacy/depth, Lane Winslow and Inspector Darling have a bit more of the Phryne Fisher wry cliche to them than Maisie does. Still, a very enjoyable mystery and I love how Whishaw brings in regional historical groups that have been mainly forgotten, like Czech refugees, Displaced Persons, and the enemy alien designation they had to fight.
Very close to the feeling I get from a Jacqueline Winspear Maisie Dobbs book, but lacking in the final intimacy/depth, Lane Winslow and Inspector Darling have a bit more of the Phryne Fisher wry cliche to them than Maisie does. Still, a very enjoyable mystery and I love how Whishaw brings in regional historical groups that have been mainly forgotten, like Czech refugees, Displaced Persons, and the enemy alien designation they had to fight.
emilybordelovewrites's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nonna7's review against another edition
4.0
There's a certain satisfaction in having read every book in a series. With this book - actually the next to the most recent in the series - I've accomplished that goal. The book takes place in the July of 1947 and opens with a man being shot. However, the book moves quickly to Lane enjoying some time on the lake with her friend Angela and Angel's two boys. When one of the boys sees a boat floating on the lake on it's own, they all investigate. Lane and Angela are horrified to find a man who is barely alive and is lying in a pool of his own blood mixed with water that the boat has been taking on. The wound he suffers is very bad and in a few days he dies from sepsis. There is very little to go on until one of Angela's sons finds a Nazi lapel pin on the beach. Lane and Angela are shocked to find something like that so soon after the war, but it turns out that there was a small Nazi party in Canada. The members were jailed during the war but have been released. They regret the outcome and prey on dissatisfaction with the changing face of the Canada to which service members returned. The book echoes today's complaints about the changing face of the United States as well as other countries as non whites come here and to other formerly white countries as refugees from war and oppression as well as seeking economic opportunity. The author's language is certainly not coincidental. There is also some feminist language in the book as Lane struggles with her love for Frederick Darling aka the Inspector and her own need for independence. Interestingly enough, Ames, Darling's sidekick, has the same struggles. He admires Lane Winslow's independence and wants a woman like her.
I'm told by the publisher, thanks to a Facebook message, that Ms. Winslow's next book in the series is coming out April 2020. This is one of a bunch of my favorite authors who have new books coming out next year. In the meantime, I have plenty of books to keep me occupied!
I'm told by the publisher, thanks to a Facebook message, that Ms. Winslow's next book in the series is coming out April 2020. This is one of a bunch of my favorite authors who have new books coming out next year. In the meantime, I have plenty of books to keep me occupied!
chyina's review against another edition
5.0
A perfect outing turned deadly...yet again.
Lane and her friend Angela are out fishing one day when Angela's children see something strange. It was a little rowboat, a boat with only one oar and with a man lying inside although the boat itself had taken on a lot of water. After pulling the boat ashore, they find the man has a pretty nasty wound in his stomach and is as cold as ice.
A young German-speaking refugee, seeking justice for the other displaced families forced to work on farms in terrible conditions, a slick politician who makes Lane's skin crawl, family antiques missing without a trace, Ames' love life, Lane's love life. Whishaw has done it again! "A Sorrowful Sanctuary" is almost a cautionary tale about what happens when you let anger get the best of you. A young man goes missing, a man who hadn't been quite himself lately and then an unnamed person is found barely alive in a rowboat near King's Cove.
Whisaw manages to combine a lot of discordant elements into one amazing story! As I read this, I truly felt for the characters, yelling just like Angela and Eleanor about how Lane, although full of good sense, could be so stupid. I am truly and wholly invested in this story now and cannot wait for book six! (Which comes out in April 2019!)
Lane and her friend Angela are out fishing one day when Angela's children see something strange. It was a little rowboat, a boat with only one oar and with a man lying inside although the boat itself had taken on a lot of water. After pulling the boat ashore, they find the man has a pretty nasty wound in his stomach and is as cold as ice.
A young German-speaking refugee, seeking justice for the other displaced families forced to work on farms in terrible conditions, a slick politician who makes Lane's skin crawl, family antiques missing without a trace, Ames' love life, Lane's love life. Whishaw has done it again! "A Sorrowful Sanctuary" is almost a cautionary tale about what happens when you let anger get the best of you. A young man goes missing, a man who hadn't been quite himself lately and then an unnamed person is found barely alive in a rowboat near King's Cove.
Whisaw manages to combine a lot of discordant elements into one amazing story! As I read this, I truly felt for the characters, yelling just like Angela and Eleanor about how Lane, although full of good sense, could be so stupid. I am truly and wholly invested in this story now and cannot wait for book six! (Which comes out in April 2019!)
cffg's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
amandajeanne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
5.0