No Shred of Evidence

How can you solve an apparent murder without a shred of evidence and the only person who can say for sure what really happens remains in a coma? That is just the case that Inspector Ian Rutledge is called upon to attempt to solve when the original investigator on the case dies of a heart attack and taking all the notes on the case with him. He simply failed to transcribe them before his untimely death and now Rutledge needs to begin piecing the clues of what happened as if he was starting over again. But now time has elapsed and it will simply make the case load that much harder to solve. When four young women come to the aid of a man they know late at night who was going to drown when his boat began to sink, the women realize that he simply weighs too much in the water for them to bring onboard without compromising their own safety of tipping over into the cold dark waters.

A man dives in and swims to help but when he is able to pull the man into the boat, he believes the women were attempting to kill him and not save him as they claim. The fact that there is blood on the oar of their boat and no sign on his doesn't look good for the women when they are immediately taken into custody when they are able to get the boat back to shore. Things get more complicated when Rutledge interviews one of the woman and realizes that she is the cousin of the woman he was going to marry. Conflict on interest or something simply to make the mystery all that more intriguing?

The one thing I have come to appreciate about Charles Todd's Inspector Ian Rutledge series, is that if you are a fan of murder mysteries or a good Sherlock Holmes mystery, you will definitely want to pick this one up and begin the journey. Ian Rutledge is a marked man having survived the Great War and now works at Scotland Yard but not without his flaws. He suffers from PTSD and talks to a former soldier known as Hamish in his thoughts. It keeps the story line moving and as always carries the reader through to the end trying to solve the case before Rutledge does. Just because you have the premise of the story laid out before you, like any good mystery, not everything is as it appears and an investigation must take place to figure out just what is really going on and why.

I received No Shred of Evidence by Charles Todd compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this book in exchange for my personal and honest review of this novel. This is the 18th book in the Inspector Ian Rutledge series and have enjoyed every single one I have read. They remain a favorite because they are set historically in London's past and provide the reader a glimpse of not only a great mystery to solve but also some history along the way. For me, this one rates a 4 out of 5 in my opinion and look forward to many many more in the future.

For more information about No Shred of Evidence, Charles Todd or where you can preorder a copy of this novel that is due in February of 2016, please click on the links below:

No Shred of Evidence by Charles Todd

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To read more reviews on No Shred of Evidence, please visit William Morrow's website. 

A Stitch and a Prayer

I find that in order for a novel to be a great one, you have to find a way to connect with the main character in order to have compassion for what they are involved with. With A Stitch and A Prayer, the latest novel to join the Quilts of Love Series, from author Eva Gibson, I was missing that connection point. I don't know where along the line I might have missed it, but it seemed as if the story was simply too broad for me to gain that connection to either of the characters in the novel.

It is set in the late 1800's in Oregon as a frontier family of Florence and Will Nickerson marry and attempt to create a home for the beginning of their new life together. Florence suffers from chronic joint pain and weakness which she fears will prevent her from becoming the perfect wife for Will. Knowing that her husband will need to provide an income for them, she worries about him being gone from home so long. Even though Will reassures Florence he will always return home, she struggles with finding security even in the scriptures of the Bible. When she learns that she is pregnant, her insecurities increase. Thankfully she isn't alone in the wilderness. She has her Aunt Amelia, Tilly and Faye to help her that are staying nearby, as well as the loyalty of a dog named Vaughn.

In her frail state, she is constantly finding herself falling and waking up back in bed, thanks to the kindness of family or strangers that find her and care for her. Even though she promises to not wander off alone from the cabin, she falls off the porch. Knowing that they are recently married and wanting that initial time alone I can understand why she doesn't have someone living with her at first. I do find it interesting that with so many of her family members knowing her of her illness, she wouldn't have someone living with them to take care of her while Will is working. They do happen by from time to time and I feel that is where I find the disconnect in the novel with wanting to care about Florence and Will. It's only after she wakes one morning and finds a note left behind from Will, telling her that he will be back soon, she has her Aunt Amelia move in to help her.

She passes the time working on a quilt of her own that with each stitch sown offers another prayer for Will's safe return before the birth of their child as well as her own health. It also helps with her health issues as she can stay safe in the cabin and create something that she can show him when he returns. Will has a secret he hadn't shared with Florence before they got married and his disappearance is the result of trying to clear up his past.

I received A Stitch and A Prayer by Eva Gibson compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Abingdon Press for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed are strictly my own. This is the 18th novel in the Quilts of Love Series and for me personally, I just couldn't connect with this one. The story was simply too broad and too fast that you couldn't connect with either Florence or Will. The author did use the account of her grandparent's lives as the background for this novel but I think it missed the intent she might have been trying to achieve. It simply toggles back and forth between daily tasks to quick and doesn't allow time enough for the reader to truly care about the characters. I am a huge fan of historical romances, but this one just didn't work for me. I would rate this one a 3 out of 5 stars.

For more information about A Stitch and A Prayer, Eva Gibson or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Stitch and a Prayer by Eva Gibson

You can also find Eva Gibson on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

You can read more reviews on A Stitch and A Prayer by visiting Christian Fiction Blog Alliances Book Tour page.