Mailbox Monday

Another week, another Mailbox Monday!  This weekly meme, which allows bloggers to share the books that arrived in their home over the previous week, is being hosted during the month of February by Metro Reader.   

While I'm trying to cut back on the number of books I purchase (really, I am!) this past did see a few new books arrive at my door :-) 

All books are my own purchases.   Synopses courtesy of Chapters.indigo.ca.




The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller

London, 1920. In the aftermath of the Great War and a devastating family tragedy, Laurence Bartram has turned his back on the world. But with a well-timed letter, an old flame manages to draw him back in. Mary Emmett's brother John--like Laurence, an officer during the war--has apparently killed himself while in the care of a remote veterans' hospital, and Mary needs to know why. 

Aided by his friend Charles--a dauntless gentleman with detective skills cadged from mystery novels--Laurence begins asking difficult questions. What connects a group of war poets, a bitter feud within Emmett's regiment, and a hidden love affair? Was Emmett's death really a suicide, or the missing piece in a puzzling series of murders? As veterans tied to Emmett continue to turn up dead, and Laurence is forced to face the darkest corners of his own war experiences, his own survival may depend on uncovering the truth. 

At once a compelling mystery and an elegant literary debut, "The Return of Captain John Emmett" blends the psychological depth of Pat Barker's Regeneration trilogy with lively storytelling from the golden age of British crime fiction.

Cashelmara by Susan Howatch

The rich and mighty saga of a wealthy and titled English family in Ireland during the 19th century.

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

Auction house appraiser Jude leaves London for her dream job at Starbrough Hall, an estate in the countryside, examining and pricing the manuscripts and instruments of an eighteenth-century astronomer. She is welcomed by Chantal Wickham and Jude feels close to the old woman at once: they have both lost their husbands. Hard times have forced the Wickham family to sell the astronomer's work, their land and with it, the timeworn tower that lies nearby. The tower was built as an observatory for astronomer Anthony Wickham and his daughter Esther, and it served as the setting for their most incredible discoveries.

Though Jude is far away from her life in London, her arrival at Starbrough Hall brings a host of childhood memories. She meets Euan, a famed writer and naturalist who lives in the gamekeeper's cottage at the foot of the tower, where Jude's grandfather once lived. And a nightmare begins to haunt her six-year-old niece, the same nightmare Jude herself had years ago. Is it possible that the dreams are passed down from one generation to the next? What secrets does the tower hold? And will Jude unearth them before it's too late?

Secrets by Freya North

A "warm, sexy, satisfying" (Heat) read about the dark secrets that hold us hostage. The most successful novel from a UK author with more than ten bestselling novels to her credit, Secrets will tug at your heart and whisper in your ear. Joe has a beautiful house, a great job, no commitments -- and he likes it that way. All he needs is a quiet house-sitter for his rambling old place by the sea. When Tess turns up, he's not sure she's right for the job. Where has she come from in such a hurry? Her past is blank and she's a bit of an enigma. But we all have our secrets. It's just that some are bigger than others.




What books arrived in your mailbox last week?