The Mystery of War: "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

Throughout history, humanity has experienced great trial and sadness during times of war.  It is a complete, cold mystery to me how people can choose to be such brutal humans to other humans, but it is a fact that has existed since the beginning of time.  In spite of the turmoil, there are also just as many wonderful stories of people who overcame fear as they courageously fought for what they believed to be true.

As I was searching for mysteries to review during March, I really wanted to share a wide range of authors and plots.  I feel like this was accomplished and there isn't a better book to conclude March than "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse.  This book was, without a doubt, one of the most fascinating books I've read about war-torn Europe during World War 2 and had an intense mystery to solve. This book was a thrifted treasure that I purchased from a dear, local friend whose daughter was selling a bunch of her personal collection.  I scored BIG time for $1/book and this was one of my friend's daughter's favorite books. It's safe to say, she has very good taste in books and I look forward to sharing more reviews of the other books I purchased from her.

"Girl in the Blue Coat" takes place in Amsterdam in 1943. The main character is named Hanneke and she is employed by a local undertaker who has joined the resistance by purchasing scarce items on the Black Market with the ration cards of his deceased clients.  In the eyes of the general public, Hanneke is his secretary, but the majority of her work day is spent purchasing and delivering items to their customers. Each of these customers is also involved in the resistance and they help each other with a number of things, including hiding Jewish people in their homes.  On one occasion, one of Hanneke's customers asks her if she will help her find a Jewish girl who has run away from her hiding place in this woman's home.  Hanneke is not amused that this woman has assumed that her delivering of illegal items automatically means she will help find this girl who had left her home wearing a blue coat. Danger is all around them and attempting to find this girl with a blue coat means she will have to expose herself to another layer of people and run the risk of being outed and killed.

The history research that the author had to do for this book was unbelievable.  She described the mannerisms and behaviors of the Nazi soldiers and the local Third Reich supporters in a way that made me shiver. I've read a LOT of books about Nazi Europe in WW2, but this book really tugged at my heart strings while making me want to spit nails.

One of the events that was described in this book was a local theater which was used as a holding ground for captured Jews until they were transported to one of the concentration camps in Germany.  It was a bleak, smelly and unsanitary environment and Hanneke sneaks in there at one point and nearly passes out from the shock of it all. Across the street from the theater was a children's hospital where a lot of Jewish babies were hid. The staff of the children's hospital were both Jewish and non and they had a smuggling operation set up to send countless babies to homes of people who were part of the efforts to save the Jewish rising generation.  Hanneke is exposed to this operation because one of the Jewish young women who helps smuggle babies is friends with the girl in the blue coat and may have important information to share regarding her whereabouts. The way the author described all of the details of their conversations and interactions while smuggling babies across the city was off the charts.

One of the main themes of the book was the decision a person had to make in order to protect the greater good with the risk of death, if caught.  It is astounding to me the number of people who were willing and passionate about saving as many of their Jewish neighbors as they could.  In the book we are introduced to people who hide their Jewish friends and complete strangers in secret compartments in the wall, under the stairs and in the root cellar.  There were so many characters in the book who felt a deeply-seeded need to join the resistance and save these innocent humans from Hitler and his followers. It was humbling for me to read about a particular character who had devised a way to hide a camera in her bag and baby bassinet so she could take photos of everything she saw the Nazis doing while she was in public.  She explained in the book that she wanted people to see it firsthand someday and know that none of it was a lie. The level of risk in an operation of this nature is incomprehensible.  She could have easily been shot immediately for this kind of behavior.  Her story in particular really made me think about how much risk I would actually take if I was faced with something so horrific as genocide. I'd like to believe I'd be brave enough to hide my friends of a different religion in my home to keep them safe.  So many questions and deep introspection ran through my mind as I read this book.

In the end, the mystery is solved, but it's not without some chapters that you'll have to consciously remember to breathe.  I could NOT believe the intensity I felt from the way the author described the events leading up to the discovery of the girl in the blue coat's identity. It was spectacular writing.

My recommended reading group would be age 16 and above.  It's a PG-13 read with descriptive elements of the Nazi culture, death and great amounts of fear experienced by all ages. It's a bit gruesome at times, but the historical accuracy definitely stands. I think it is a very good book for historical context regarding the holocaust and truly had a satisfying ending for me.

The moral of the story: When faced with the question if we should save and/or stand up for a friend who is different than us the answer should always be YES. Courage and compassion will conquer.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R

 

Other Books by Monica Hesse 

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The Mystery of Love: "The Diary in the Attic" by DeAnna Julie Dodson (Annie's Attic Mysteries)

It goes without being said that falling in love with someone is as complicated as it is wonderful! By complicated I mean alllll the emotion when you meet someone and wondering if they like you. Then there is the task of digging up enough courage to even speak to them in coherent sentences without crying or passing out. Not a single one of us can read minds (damn it) and sometimes the most challenging and complicated part is knowing if it's even worth it to say you like a person to get the ball rolling. Love is a mystery. Men are a mystery. Women are a mystery. But, somewhere in there the moments of happiness seem to make up for it all. So, what if your true love was right there, but had to leave and never came back? How would that change the course of your life? Would it change it at all? All of these questions are presented in "The Diary in the Attic" by DeAnna Julie Dodson and I'm going to share some of my musings on love, mystery and a spot of good luck.

The Annie's Attic Mysteries series is an interesting one and I'm glad I found three of the books in my thrifting adventures.  I really debated if I'd share all three in this post, but I chose not to because "The Diary in the Attic" stands on its own just fine.  In fact, a person could pick it up and read it and not get lost in the characters and their roles in the series.

The entire premise of the series is pretty self explanatory in the title. Each book is solving a mystery about something that Annie has found in her attic of the house that used to be her grandmother's.  They are fun, beachy reads (definition can be found on my other blog) and I keep searching for them because they are great books to read at night before bed.  The one thing that is so very odd to me is the series is written by multiple authors. I have no idea why a franchise would do that to themselves, but alas, that is the fact. When I discovered this after reading the first book I was very skeptical that I would even enjoy other books in the series. Authors are still human (gasp!) and their voice in writing is detectable whether or not they like it.  For me it was very obvious in the second book, but this book was well-written, thus making it a positive experience.

The story is about a mysterious diary that Annie finds while searching for some of her grandmother's linens. Along with the diary is a shoe box of letters from 1943. As she begins to read the letters she starts to put the pieces together and realizes that the two lovers exchanging letters lost touch with each other during World War II. All the items in the attic are connected to Annie's grandmother somehow so she sets out to figure out who these two people are in the letters. As luck would have it (or just, plain cute storytelling) she finds the woman, named Lilly, in a nearby town at an assisted living facility.  She begins to visit with her on a weekly basis and the love story of Lilly and her sweetheart unfolds.

In the midst of learning about Lilly's first love, Annie is wrestling with her own feelings of loving someone new.  She is a widow and has struggled to know if she is capable of loving another man since her husband passed away.  Her love interest in the series is a widower so they share a lot with each other about their deep love for their deceased spouses. They also recognize that they care for each other a lot and it's adorable watching those trains-of-thought develop as Annie visits with Lilly.

This book was a total happy surprise for another reason.....it's written in different POV (point of view) and uses flashbacks to tell the story.  This style of writing is my absolute favorite! I loved that aspect and it kept me on my toes to follow who was talking in present day, who was talking in past tense and how they were connected.  Brilliant portrayal of WWII and the events following it; in addition to fantastic present-day plot line. 

Overall this was a different kind of mystery because it didn't involve murder, espionage or hiding in the forest to catch the suspect. I appreciated a more pleasant mystery centered around family history and young love. This was a great way to lead in to February and my personal focus each year on expressing my love and appreciation to those around me.

My recommended reading group would be age 12 and above.  It's a PG read with a refreshing group of characters and some interesting history of WWII and post-war Germany.

The moral of the story: Never give up on love. It may feel like the most unsolvable mystery ever, but if you're meant to be together it will happen.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R

Other Annie's Attic Mysteries

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Vintage Mysteries Rock: Nancy Drew's "The Mystery at Lilac Inn" by Carolyn Keene

It wouldn't be a true month of mystery without including one the most well-known and beloved mystery book series, Nancy Drew Mystery Series. I grew up reading my Dad's collection of the Hardy Boys series, but we also loved the Nancy Drew Mystery Series. My late paternal grandmother loved giving us books for Christmas and often she would include some awesome vintage books as well.  When I decided to feature mysteries in March, I told my sister (super cool librarian chick) that I really wanted to include a Nancy Drew book.  She lives in a city with an awesome Goodwill so I asked her to go scope out their book section to see if they had any copies from the series.  As luck would have it, they totally had two! She purchased both and sent them my way last week.

I've decided to share my musings on "The Mystery at Lilac Inn" by Carolyn Keene. This is book four in the mystery series. It was a fun read with a great plot and legit suspense as they solved the mystery at hand.

It's been a long time since I read a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mystery so I decided to look up some of the history to refresh my memory.  I actually learned some new fun facts! The Nancy Drew Mystery Series was created to be a female counterpart to the Hardy Boys. The original creator was  Edward Stratemeyer, a successful publisher. The author Carolyn Keene was actually a pseudonym for a collective group of authors including Edward Stratemeyer's daughter, Harriet Adams.  The books were first published in the 1930s and have since been reprinted multiple times over the years.

I, along with generations of female readers, enjoy the strong character and willpower of Nancy Drew.  She may dress pretty and act prim and proper when necessary, but she has a brain and she uses it to solve each of her mysteries.  In terms of the era in which these books were published, that was something out of the ordinary for female fictional characters. As a result, many women were inspired to blaze their own trails and make a name for themselves because of Nancy Drew's example.

In The Mystery at Lilac Inn, Nancy is presented with a list of suspicious events that continue to occur at her friend's Inn.  One of the main events is several sightings of a ghost woman who looks very similar to Nancy Drew.  One event after another finally leads them to the root of the mystery and I will admit, it wasn't the person I thought it would be. For me that is the true sign of a good mystery. As I mentioned in last week's review, I love it when I'm left guessing until the last few chapters. A good author isn't going to give away the suspect half-way through because then the reader doesn't have to finish the book.

I finished this book quite quickly because the story flowed really well and it was short compared to the other books I've been reading.  It was a great book to read and reminded me why I thoroughly enjoyed both Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys as a youth.

This book would be a really fun book to read with the little humans in your life who may need some extra practice with chapter books. When I announced I was reading this book on my social media platforms, many of my friends and family shared that they had either read these as kids or read them to their own children when they were younger. The author does a great job at describing scenes and events so it's a book that a person can easily get lost in reading silently or aloud.

My recommended reading group is all ages! As previously mentioned, it's great for kids through adults and is just a good, clean mystery.  There is still a solid dose of suspense, but it doesn't get crazy gory or scary. It's fantastic.

The moral of the story: Nothing beats a classic, vintage mystery.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R

Other Nancy Drew Mysteries

Missed last week's book review? Click here to read it!

Glamour & Mystery: The Marjorie McClelland Mystery Series by Amy Patricia Meade

I often wonder if I was born in the correct era. If I could wear fancy dresses, hats and mandatory red lipstick every day I totally would.  But, not just any kind of fancy dress. I love a dress with fluttery sleeves, fringe and sass. When I swoon over fashion of years gone by, I'm always drawn to the fashion of the 1920s and 1930s. So, when my sister (a super cool librarian chick) presented me with The Marjorie McClelland Mystery Series by Amy Patricia Meade, I was elated! The best part? They were freeeee because she went diving in the discard bin at work and found three of the four books from the series.  As soon as I looked them up on Amazon I knew they were going to be a total hit and I was right.

As I said, these books came from the discard bin at the library where my awesome sister works.  Previous to finding the books she was unaware that employees could take books from the discard bin home. One day I got a text message from her informing me she had found a mystery series that I was sure to love. She also sent photos of the covers and I was hooked on the cover art alone. That's nothing new.....I'm always a sucker for good cover art. The only catch was book two of the series was not included.  I decided to read the first book to see if I liked the series at all before I committed to buying a used copy of book two on Amazon.  As you may have guessed, book one went very well, and here we are talking about the series as a whole.

First of all, you have to read all four books in the correct order to capture the entire story.  Each book has a different mystery, but the ongoing story line is not tied up until book four.  These books reminded me of "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries," a wonderful Australian TV series on Netflix. I've watched all three seasons multiple times and still love to figure out who was the mysterious murderer.  Really fantastic series with impeccable costumes that fit the historical period perfectly.

Our characters in the Marjorie McClelland series are: Marjorie McClelland, a published authoress-turned detective (in her mind anyway); Robert Jameson, the actual police detective; and Creighton Ashcroft, the dashing English millionaire who has recently moved to town and becomes Marjorie's unofficial, but official-when-needed book editor. Creighton also has feelings for Marjorie, but Marjorie has feelings for Detective Jameson, so things get interesting....to say the least.

In book one, "The Million Dollar Baby," Creighton discover a human skeleton on his newly-purchased property. He also knows the house experienced a suspicious death of the previous owner many years prior and he is determined to get to the bottom of it all.  In the midst of this, there are a number of people who are out to destroy evidence in all its forms.  We are also introduced to Emily Patterson who is the boarding house owner where Creighton stays while his home is under investigation. Mrs. Patterson's boarding house is a few doors down from Marjorie's home so they frequently spend time together.  Marjorie is an orphan so she looks to Mrs. Patterson as a motherly figure.  The mystery in book one is gripping.  One thing I seriously loved about these books is how well the author desguised the guilty party. This is one of the main reasons why I love "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" as well. Both have guilty suspects who are most unexpected. I was totally blindsided with the guilty party in every single one of the books!

Book two, "Ghost of a Chance," was my absolute favorite mystery of the four. It was ultra complicated and when everything was revealed, I sat on my couch and yelled, "are you kidding me?!" The nice thing about books two through four is they are much shorter than book one.  Not sure why the author did that, but I was glad the other three books didn't take as long to read. Even though these books have to be read in order, book two was just fantastic. The mystery is pretty creepy, if I do say so myself, and was very difficult to pin point who did it.  The way the author describes every detail is so great and I could see the settings and costumes in my mind.

Book three, "Shadow Waltz," was probably the most gnarly of mysteries. I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to blood and guts being overly described and this mystery included a dismembered human. The mystery itself and the identity of the guilty party was totally crazy and I was dumbfounded when all the pieces came together. In the midst of the gnarly mystery, the love interest between Marjorie and Creighton is in its cutest moments. This element totally offset the details that made my stomach turn a bit.

Book four, "Black Moonlight," is the only book with a different location.  If I give toooo much away you won't look them up to find out more.  Suffice it to say, Marjorie and Creighton find themselves in the middle of a mystery that now includes some of Creighton's crazy family members! This book felt like an adaptation of the board game, "Clue." In the book there were lots of suspects due to it being a large family gathering, there were plenty of prospective murder weapons laying around and ample rooms to commit a murder. I thought that it might make it more challenging to keep the mystery interesting with a secluded location and only family members, but I was happily wrong.  The guilty party was still someone I least expected and I loved it! After I finished each book (sometimes in the middle of the night) I would text my sister and share my delight on how fabulous the book had been.  When I finished book four I was kind of sad that it was all over because it was like I was transported to 1939 with Marjorie and Creighton and I loved it.

My recommended reading group would be age 16 and above.  It's a PG read with some graphic descriptions of dead bodies and some suspenseful elements.  One of the best parts of these books, other than what I previously shared, is the sex is briefly implied and that's it. I thought it was totally appropriate with the social customs of the era and I appreciated that the author stuck to that instead of sexualizing the story prematurely for the sake of captivating readers.

The moral of the story: Never judge a book by its cover and never judge the neighbors by their outfits, fancy car or number of house staff member. Murderers exist in every class.  Oh, and never travel without red lipstick. It makes a damn good statement when needed.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R

Missed last week's book review? Click here to read it!