Secrets Revealed! Hint: This story is not (primarily) about Mary Russell
347843
The 'homage' title is not the spoiler you expect. In true Laurie King fashion, that giveaway masks a much larger 'reveal' as this dive into Homes history--and the history of his household--unfolds.
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This story is well written, but the subject matter may not be appealing to a vast audience.  I had difficulty getting into the plot, and switching between character narratives and times was a bit awkward in some places.

This is the story of a marriage built on deception and nourished by mutual hatred.  Ray is a cheating, less than forthright detective married to Mary, a disillusioned, cold-hearted nurse.  When Ray is declared a hero after a hurricane hits Toronto in the 1950's, Mary begins to see familiar changes in him--frighteningly similar to when he was having an affair.  Mary comes very close to infidelity herself, with her obstetrician, but manages to pull herself out of that temptation by her conviction that she must create the life she idolizes with the materials she has been given.

The story line switches back an forth between the events surrounding the hurricane and back to present time, where Ray is dying of emphysema and Mary is once again martyred as she cares for him.  She is waiting for him to die so she can enjoy her freedom, and he is hoping to live just a little longer, seeking acceptance. They both loathe each other and blame the other for destroying the life they each had hoped to live.  Ray, according to Mary, has never accepted responsibility for the affair, for causing her miscarriage, or for accepting honors for heroism he did not deserve.  Ray blames the failure of the marriage on Mary's unreasonably high standards and has spent the majority of his time sneaking things and keeping secrets because he was unable to present Mary with his needs with any hope of her accepting him as he really was.

A sad, sad tale.  It certainly speaks of a different generation where divorce was not an option and people learned to live off of hatred and spite.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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Available now: The Murder of Mary Russell, a novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

***3.5/5 stars- I liked it

We dare you to try to get ahead of this Laurie R King mystery.

Recommended readers:

If you like a steady-paced historical mystery
If you're a fan of Laurie R. King or Anne Perry
And if you like intricate plots.

Here's my Rankings:

3.5/5 for characters
4/5 for plot
3.5/5 overall

REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER: [...]
375709
Set in London, 1814. The three Royle sisters are triplets, but they do not resemble each other a great deal. Their father had been a simple country physician, yet was able to set aside a large dowry for each of his daughters. Their Season is about to begin. They reside with their great-aunt, Prudence, who sleeps most of the time and is quite forgetful. When the sisters find a mysterious box from their father, the items within cause a huge stir. If the clues be true, then the three sisters may very well be the secret offspring of the Prince Regent and Mrs. Fitzherbert, his true love. Elizabeth and Anne are excited and eager to believe, but Mary, the reasonable and frugal one, does not believe it at all. Then the sisters are summoned to their guardian's resident. There, within a secret chamber, Lord Lotharian, Earl of Lotharian, and two other elderly gentlemen reveal an amazing story to the sisters. Still, there is no real evidence to prove their blood is even the slightest bit blue. Yet it does not matter. The men had promised their "father" to see them settled with good husbands of High Society.

The sisters are launched into Society by Lady Upperton. As Lady Upperton's protges they automatically have entry to many door that would have been closed to them otherwise. Lady Upperton is thrilled to be a part of it all. Mary is to be the first sister matched by their sponsors. However, Mary already knows the man she wants to wed. It is Quinn, the newly belted Viscount Wetherly. Mary even convinces her sisters to powder themselves into disguise, as garden statues, to sneak a peek at him! That is good for everyone, including Quinn since he already has his eye on Mary as his future Viscountess. The only problem is Quinn's older brother, Rogan.

Rogan Wetherly, Duke of Blackstone, distrusts all women. He believes that all women are greedy winches out to trick unwary men into marriage by proclaiming love and devotion. Rogan has good reason for his beliefs and refuses to let his brother fall into any female's trap, especially Mary's. It is obvious that Mary has tossed out her lure in hopes of reeling Quinn in. So Rogan decides to pursue Mary in his brother's stead, but is the motives honorable?

***** A fabulous story that begins with a shock before morphing into one of the most intriguing reads I've had in a while! Are the three Royle sisters really princesses? It makes for an interesting sub-plot, that is for sure. Don't expect ME to tell, and you will have a wonderful time reading to find out. Author Kathryn Caskie may win awards for this novel. I eagerly await the next sister's tale. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
3753597
The title says it all! Connect with a dynamic mover and shaker of the early 1900s through her most private confessions, only recently released. Lois Palken Rudnick articulates how secrets behind doors shaped the life of her muse, Mabel Dodge Luhan and very much - the world around her. Mabel's life reveals real juicy details about the Victorian-Modern transition in America, and I recommend this book highly! Are you compelled to read it?
3817966
The most compelling character of this book is NOT Corrie. But I'm not going to spoil it for you.

What is the Hiding Place? Well, after reading this book, I think I found it.
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Warning! Spoiler!

The secret that motivates reading this book is that Mary has given the world a message from God and the Catholic Church has kept it hidden.  The secret: Gays are okay, abortion is okay, priests should be allowed to have sex, and women should be allowed to be priests.

I seldom burn books but I burned this one.
4574065
A really good book about people's lives and the secrets that they cover up!
2320813
This is the fifth non fiction book pertaining to presidents from the late 1800's that I've read recently and it is a good one! It's not quite of the thriller ilk, but it's close. This book stays with the facts gathered by Charles Lachman's extensive research, but still leaves the reader feeling like he is reading fiction. That's the main criterion I look for in the genre I call non- fiction thrillers. The main authors in this category are two of my favorites: Candice Millard and Erik Larson. This book does leave the reader with some doubt as to who is lying about the supposed rape or non rape of Maria Halpin by Grover Cleveland, thus qualifying as an exemplar work of labyrinthine narrative storytelling. Well done Charles Lachman!

The main theme of the book is about the sexual encounter between ( at the time ) private citizen Grover Cleveland and store clerk Maria Halpin. The liaison results in a child born nine months later named Oscar Folsom Cleveland, later changed to James E. King, Jr. The child is bounced around between Maria, an orphanage, back to Maria and finally to Dr. James E. King, a friend of Grover Cleveland's. All of these actions orchestrated by Buffalo New York's foremost lawyer, Grover Cleveland and opposed vehemently by Maria.

The secondary topic is how this sexual abuse, or consensual sex affected Grover Cleveland's bid for: Mayor of Buffalo, Governor of New York and President of the United States. Grover, a democrat, was trying to break years of republican rule dating back to Abe Lincoln. News papers backed either Grover or his counterpart with many lies and innuendos provided by both sides. I found this part of the book very interesting since this was the start of what we know as 'dirty politics'. The mud slinging in the 1884 presidential race between Grover and James G. Blaine set the acrimonious standards we see currently.

The third salient motif I got out of this book was the love affair between the 48 year old President Cleveland and the 21 year old daughter of his deceased best friend Oscar Folsom. Frances Folsom and Grover became the only President and First Lady to be married in the White House. Frances stayed loyal to Grover during their marriage even with all the muckraking from the Republican Party. This is a must read for any historians out there who are interested in presidential lore. I still haven't fully made up my mind on the the alleged rape because Grover Cleveland was noted as the most Honest and forthright president of all previous incumbents.
3164902
This book should have been called Just Debts.  It is a book not about identifying who of seven men are Ruperts sonsrightful heirs-- but about what Rupert owes and to whom in order to settle his just debts.  Of course, because Rupert is dead, the book is also about his widows opinion on how to accomplish such a settlement.  Eleanor and Rupert have kept secrets from each other, making his last wish more complicated than it first seems to be, both to us readers and to Rupert and Eleanors five sons.  Since we are not privy to Eleanors thoughts, we do not know if she frets and fusses over what she may discover.  Her sons are sure she should have known about Ruperts mistress Vera and her sons, but by the time Eleanor says she didn't know, we have come to trust her word.  Whether she knew or not, she is insistent that Vera and her sons be provided for, presumably for Ruperts sake but also for her own inherited obligation to settle his debts.  Money being no problem, she does what she wants to do.

The best part of The Heirs is the characters and the perfect quotations at the opening of each chapter.  I enjoyed meeting Sam and Susanna, Harry, Jim, and, of course, Eleanor.  Dont all women hope for  wise responses to childrens pranks, successful  offspring, the admiration of an old beau, and a certain mystery even from their husbands?  The book is a wonderful read!
2701454
This book is very detailed about the possible lineage of Jesus and Mary-----it was not what I was looking for exactly but I learned numerous details that were unknown to me like he traveled to Tibet and studied at one of the Mystery schools there. Also, the relationship between Jesus and Mary and their heirs. According to Gardner he had children after his days at Jerusalem ---he did not die on the cross as stated in the conical Bible states and has led numerous people to believe this myth. According to Lawrence Gardner he also traveled to England where he established some other teaching schools with Mary and his Jewish uncle who had business interest in England.

Fascinating book that really makes one reevaluate their faith in Christianity since at the Council of Nicaea (325AD) many books of the bible where omitted. Why? The answer lies within the book. Its sad that Mr. Gardner's is no longer with us but his numerous scholarly books are here for us to study and accept or reject his assertions and ponder! Anybody who is a true theology enthaustic will be enlightened when this book is read and perhaps spur one to other ancient research for better or worse!

"The First Council of Nicaea (/na'si:/; Greek:  /'ni:kaja/ Turkish: Iznik) was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. This first ecumenical council was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom.

Its main accomplishments were settlement of the Christological issue of the nature of the Son of God and his relationship to God the Father,[3] the construction of the first part of the Creed of Nicaea, establishing uniform observance of the date of Easter,[6] and promulgation of early canon law.[4][7]"
1132219
Please keep in mind this book is a work of fiction. With that said, I must warn you that Christians may prickle a bit at the premise. That's why I want you to know this is not Christian literature by any means. With Author Peters excellent style of storytelling weaving historical facts into the background of the thriller, one may be fooled into believing it could be a true story. Nick is a three-dimensional character who deals with big questions concerning his faith, his relationships, his purpose. The author has to let you in on some history and background and he does so in a conversational way. For me, there was a lot to absorb, but pay attention, because all that information has a purpose so you can understand the why of the action. Conspiracies are not one of my favorite reads, but Author Peters offered such an amazing puzzle, I had to keep reading to find the answers to solve it. You will too.
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I did not realize this was a biography when I picked it up and was so shocked. I loved the story and Mary sounds like she was an amazing person that anyone would be fortunate to know. But the writing was just okay for me. I didn't feel attached to Will as much as I think I should be. But, it was still a beautiful story.
1916755
Like nearly everyone of my generation, I soaked up a good deal of cinematic royal lore through films like Anne of a Thousand Days (whose title role was memorably played by Canada's own Genevieve Bujold) or TV series such as "The Six Wives of Henry VIII,"to name only a couple of many popularizations inspired by a truly fascinating period in history.

But was Anne Boleyn's elder sister, Mary, ever mentioned? Was she a barely noticed bit-part? A whispered voice from the wings? Honestly, I don't know. If a Mary Boleyn was spoken of, her name passed by me and 99 percent of the rest of the world.

Fortunately, Mary did not miss being noticed by acclaimed British historian and novelist Alison Weir. In MARY BOLEYN: THE MISTRESS OF KINGS, Weir spares no expense of scholarly effort to turn over and scrutinize every available detail on a woman whose influential family spanned many generations in and around the corridors of monarchic power.

I was half expecting Weir to bring out a narrative approach to Mary Boleyn's life and times, one that would weave pragmatic facts within a tapestry of imaginative and emotive prose recounting what it might have been like to be part of life at court in the 16th century. I wanted to know things like the color of Mary's hair and eyes, whether she had any hobbies or owned any pets, or what her childhood was like. But made-up "facts" or romanticized speculations are not what this book is about.

This time, the author's academic hat is firmly positioned. The challenge (well worth it) is to follow her through an intricate but elegant structure of investigative inquiry that not only engages the mind, but celebrates the importance of questioning so-called "common knowledge." And Weir is tirelessly serious about her cause: her copious endnotes are supported by a bibliography of nearly 400 entries, of which fully one-quarter are listed as primary sources.

While the duty of cross-checking each and every reference is best left to academic readers (whose needs are served outstandingly well here), I couldn't resist taking a random detour to the back of the book once in a while to find out a bit more. In persuading an interested lay reader like me to do so, Weir has achieved the enviable skill of blending the necessary forensic and analytical tasks of academia with the passionate engagement that avocational history lovers crave.

This densely-written volume (a superb graduate-level textbook, to be honest) is one meant for many returns, not to be remembered after one reading as an easily digested storyline --- something it was not meant to deliver. Yet, for all its myriad details and focused probing into the intimate life, social adventures, tragedies and familial relations of one undeservedly obscure figure in history, MARY BOLEYN: THE MISTRESS OF KINGS is surprisingly accessible. You don't feel like you've been through literary bootcamp when the final page is turned, nor do you feel the book should have been any longer.

Mary Boleyn may never be the subject of a movie or television series, but Alison Weir's unflagging respect for one woman's contribution to history as an important supporting presence is indeed praiseworthy.

Reviewed by Pauline Finch
2075214
One of the best in the Mary Russell series! If only Laurie R King could double her writing output, and live another 100 years! This series is phenomenal, and fascinating - well worth the read.
4161453
The story of Anne Boleyn has been told numerous times over the years in various formats, so I was intrigued by this book and discovered it is just as much Mary's story as it is Anne's.
Anne Boleyn's younger sister Mary catches the eye of King Henry VIII of England at the age of 14 and, at the direction of her family, becomes the king's mistress.  No matter that the girl is already married, her family sees Mary's relationship with the king as a way to advance their social status - if only Mary could bear the king a son, the family's future would be secure.
Mary bears the king a daughter and later has a son (whose parentage is, to this day, in dispute) and the king soon tires of her and turns his attention to Anne, whose story we all know from high school history classes.  Yet, it was interesting to see the story told from the viewpoint of Mary in the first person, rather than a narrative or an historical book.
Sadly, Mary was the only of the three Boleyn siblings - Mary, Anne and George - who did not have a date with the executioner.  She was also the only one to marry for love, and not to advance her family.  This single act caused her to be disowned by her family, although it is believed she lived a happy life.
I'm a sucker for those crazy Tudors.  I have read Alison Weir's "Six Wives of Henry VIII," Elizabeth I" and "The Children of Henry VIII," all of which I count among my favorite books on the Tudor period.  "The Other Boleyn Girl" has joined them on that shelf.
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Frame 232
A Jason Hammond Novel
By Wil Mara

When Margaret Baker cut work so that she could watch President Kennedy as he made his way through Dallas, she had no idea that she would become a small part the assassination mythology.  But fear keeps her from revealing her involvement to anyone.  Years later when she examines the film she shot years before she sees something she shouldn't have seen much less captured on film.

Upon her death Margaret's secrets are left to her daughter Sheila.  The burden of truth that Margaret has left behind may cost Sheila her life, but can Sheila did as her mother asked shortly before her death?  Can she just destroy it, when some many over the years have wanted the truth?

Unsure what to do Shelia searches for someone to help her reveal the truth brings her to billionaire Jason Hammond.  With reports of his integrity and his interest in unsolved mysteries, Sheila reaches out to him for help.  When Jason first hears from Sheila he isn't convinced of what she says until she reveals her mother's identity - the Babushka Lady!

But someone wants to keep the truth hidden and they will do whatever to destroy anyone or anything that gets in their way.  And the truth they uncover is more shocking than anyone could have imagined.

This is an exciting-keep-you-guessing-til-the-very-end read.  Based on a historical event, speculation, and some inventive writing on the part of Wil Mara you will enter a reading experience that could truly be factual with his engaging writing style.  Danger lurking around any corner.  Conspiracies that as so complex that killing off those who have knowledge of them should assure the perpetrators of lifelong anonymity if not for a hidden home movie.

I am looking forward to future Jason Hammond adventures!