BOOK REVIEWS (two parts) – Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II (and) Max in the Land of Lies: A Tale of World War II (Operation Kinderspion)

both by Adam Gidwitz (Author), Euan Morton (Narrator), Listening Library (Publisher) Audiobooks  In Adam Gidwitz‘s MAX AND THE HOUSE OF SPIES, Max Bretzfeld is a Jewish boy living in Germany with his parents during the rise of Hitler’s Third Reich. It is very dangerous for Jews, and as a last resort while the atrocities escalate higher, they send their son…

BOOK REVIEW – The Maltese Parrot: A Patricia Fisher Mystery: A Humorous Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery, Book 9

by Steve Higgs (Author), Sheila Daly Payson (Narrator), Steven J. Higgs (Publisher) An Audiobook    I bought THE MALTESE PARROT by Steve Higgs because of the setting. I love Malta. I also like mysteries and cruising. I thought this book would be right down my reading alley. However, Patricia Fisher, a wealthy (with a butler), divorced, 60-something sleuth is not…

BOOK REVIEW – The Girl From Berlin

The Girl from Berlin, by Ronald H. Balson(Author), Fred Berman(Narrator), Macmillan Audio(Publisher) An audiobook Attorney Catherine Lockhart and her assistant (and hubby) Liam Taggart journey to Tuscany, Italy, to solve a land ownership dispute before their Italian friend’s aged aunt is evicted. Gabriella has a beautiful estate and prize-winning vineyard that two large “silent” corporations are attempting…

BOOK REVIEW – The Matchmaker

by Paul Vidich (Author), Jeff Harding (Narrator), Tantor Audio (Publisher) An Audiobook Set in both West and East Berlin just before The Wall came down, this is a suspenseful and personal story of a woman used and tossed aside by a cruel and heartless man called The Matchmaker.  This man ran an East German spy ring “matching” his assets with…

BOOK REVIEW – Death In Berlin

by M. M. Kaye (Author), Kate Udall (Narrator), Audible Studios (Publisher) An Audiobook A vacation with her adopted cousin Robert and his wife (who were to be newly stationed in post-war Berlin) becomes a nightmare of death and suspicion for Miranda Brand. After the traveling group dines in the hotel, a tipsy old army Brigadier tells a story about a…

BOOK REVIEW – It Begins in Betrayal, A Lane Winslow Mystery, book 4

by Iona Whishaw (Author), Marilla Wex (Narrator), TouchWood Editions (Publisher) An audiobook This is the best Lane Winslow book in the series I’ve read so far, even though they all are really good. I’ve enjoyed watching the small romance bud between the totally self-sufficient (ex-WWII spy) Lane Winslow and the capable, no-nonsense Canadian Chief Inspector Frederick Darling. (Yes, I smile…

BOOK REVIEW – A Body at the Grand Hotel: A Marius Quin Mystery, Book 4

by Benedict Brown (Author), George Blagden (Narrator), Storm Publishing (Publisher) An Audiobook    I enjoyed reading this fourth book in Benedict Brown‘s Marius Quin series because it is well-written, it has humor, it’s a “Cozy,” and the mystery is complicated enough that I don’t know the bad guy right off. This series is written by the same author as the…