Review: The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks

* Copy courtesy of HQ Fiction *

The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks is about the life of Florence Balcombe, the fiercely intelligent young woman who courted Oscar Wilde but went on to marry Bram Stoker, who famously penned the gothic horror novel Dracula. The novel takes place between 1876 - 1937, and while Dracula was published in 1897 and features heavily in the second half of Florence's life, you don't need to have read it in order to understand or appreciate her story.

Growing up in Dublin, Florence fell in love with the talented and flamboyant Irish writer Oscar Wilde however their relationship didn't last and ended after approximately two years. I thoroughly enjoyed their clever and quick-witted dialogue which continued when Florence met Bram Stoker.

"Well, in that you're wrong. There's nothing more fashionable than outrage - moral outrage especially. And Oscar excels at that - and not just in fiction." Page 319 

Florence is extremely well read and desperate to leave Ireland and Bram wants to be a writer so the two marry and follow their dreams to London. Brooks is able to bring Victorian era London to life so well I could almost hear the hustle and bustle of the city and see the smuts clinging to the curtains.

Going into this, I thought Bram Stoker was a lawyer and writer, but I didn't know he was also a critic and spent the majority of his career working as a theatre manager for famous actor Henry Irving.

Florence dislikes Irving from their first interaction and struggles to accept Bram's loyalty and dedication to the man in the face of his unceasing demands. The relationship between the two seemed to me to be one of devoted and adoring employee ensnared by a selfish and arrogant narcissist who gradually drains the life force from this brilliant man.

This serves as a constant strain on Florence's marriage and the writing was so effective I found my own temperature rising and teeth clenching. In fact, if I wasn't holding the book I think my hands would have been balled up in fists as I willed Bram to quit his post or at least exit Henry Irving's overbearing orbit.

This marital drama is offset by the kind of salons and events you and I can only dream of attending, with plenty of prominent names from the world of literature, music, theatre, art and politics.

"Time is described in a myriad of ways by poets, writers, artists, merchants and even ordinary folk. We're all at its mercy in one way or another. We have too little, or too much. We rush, we loiter; we spend it wisely or foolishly. Too often we neglect to consider its passing until, one day, something happens to draw attention to what we've squandered. Then, all the days, weeks, months and years that have been and gone concertina into a singular terrible moment where time stands completely still. This was that moment." Page 327

Readers hoping for an insight into the creation of classics like The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde or Dracula by Bram Stoker will of course find it here, but you needn't have read either in order to enjoy Florence's role in them both. Oscar Wilde's court case features in Florence's story and I found myself judging her harshly for her lack of support during and following his trial and subsequent sentencing.

Bram only manages to write in scarce snatches of time and I enjoyed the insight into his childhood, learning he spent the first seven years of his life as an invalid. His interest in eerie folk tales - often told to him by his nurse and mammy - were evident and I can't help but wonder what else he would have written if he'd had more time. Florence lived to the age of 78 and we follow her life to the end, so we expect to read about Oscar Wilde's passing but I was disappointed that the death of her dear friend Ellen Terry only warranted the barest mention.

After Bram's death, the film adaptation Nosferatu in 1927 changed Florence's life. I had no idea about the protracted copyright battle over the film and I'll admit this drawn out legal fight became a little tedious to read about for me. Florence Stoker's determined battle for copyright was unwavering and her hard-won accomplishment is still felt today.

"Because of Florence Stoker, from this day forward, an author's copyright will be enshrined in every single deal that's made. Every contract will now include a clause protecting the creator's rights, whether it be for film, theatre, and maybe even for that new-fangled invention." Page 527

The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks is expertly researched and Florence was an interesting and accomplished woman in her own right. She supported her husband despite their intimacy problems and sacrificed her health and reputation to ensure his life's work was protected.

Karen Brooks is also the Australian author behind The Good Wife of Bath set in the 1300s, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading last year. It takes great skill to write about the middle ages and the Victorian era with equal measure and I still have two of her other historical fiction novels - The Chocolate Maker's Wife (set in 1600s) and The Whisky Widow (set in 1700s) - on my TBR to enjoy.

The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks will appeal to fans of historical fiction with an interest in the literary scene of Victorian era London.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel is the second book in the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel and commences in September 1535. Thomas Cromwell is about fifty years old now and holds the title of Master Secretary. I'm reading this as part of the Wolf Crawl slow read and was pleased to discover the superb writing in evidence in Wolf Hall is also present here. The connection between the two books is absolutely seamless, despite the three years between publication.

Cromwell is a formidable man and we are quickly reacquainted with him in the opening pages.

"No one knows where he has been and who he has met, and he is in no hurry to tell them. He never spares himself in the king's service, he knows his worth and merits and makes sure of his reward: offices, perquisites and title deeds, manor houses and farms. He has a way of getting his way, he has a method; he will charm a man or bribe him, coax him or threaten him, he will explain to a man where his true interests lie, and he will introduce that same man to aspects of himself he didn't know existed." Page 7

I love the frequent references to history in the book, a time when the forest stretched ahead for days and the forefathers of England - the giants - left their standing stones. This haunting atmosphere permeates the pages and the present here in Bring Up the Bodies. On every page I experienced the weight of foreknowledge, as Cromwell reflects on the ghosts of the past, while he is a ghost of the past to us, the reader.

This gives the writing a melancholic feeling, given we know who will succeed and who won't and the ultimate fate of the primary characters.

"It's not just the past you think of, as you ride these fields. It's what's latent in the soil, what's breeding; it's the days to come, the wars unfought, the injuries and deaths that, like seeds, the soil of England is keeping warm." Page 9

Cromwell has been an excellent father and mentor and it was interesting to see the qualities and attributes he prizes in his son Gregory and which were important 500 years ago:

"Gregory is a fine archer, a fine horseman, a shining star in the tilt yard, and his manners cannot be faulted. He speaks reverently to his superiors, not scuffling his feet or standing on one leg, and he is mild and polite with those below him. He knows how to bow to foreign diplomats in the manner of their own countries, sits at table without fidgeting or feeding spaniels, can neatly carve and joint any fowl if requested to serve his elders. He doesn't slouch around with his jacket off one shoulder, or look in windows to admire himself, or stare around in church, or interrupt old men, or finish their stories for them." Page 27-28

I've been listening to Lux by VOCES8 while compiling this review over several days and it's an album containing ethereal music covering 400 years of choral music. It perfectly embodies the feeling of history I tried to convey earlier and I can almost imagine I'm standing behind Thomas Cromwell in Westminster Abbey when I listen to it.

In Bring Up the Bodies, Cromwell tries to convince Queen Katherine to obey the king's wishes and the dialogue between them is fascinating. Here's a taste of Katherine's anger whilst speaking to Cromwell.

"There is a pause, while she turns the great pages of her volume of rage, and puts her finger on just the right word." Page 106

That word, in case you're wondering is contemptible. However just as he failed to persuade Thomas More to change his mind and take the oath, Katherine also proves to be immovable.

The king is through with Anne Boleyn after she continues to fail to give him an heir and relies on Cromwell to bring her down to make way for Jane Seymour. Cromwell does so by finding evidence of adultery against her, which is treason and punishable by death. Cromwell needs guilty men, so he finds men who are guilty and in carefully preparing his evidence and witnesses, Cromwell makes use of the opportunity to take out some of his enemies or weaken their houses.

King Henry is just as fearsome and narcissistic as ever, and his tempers shift without notice. Cromwell can read the king's mood better than any man and knows just how to manipulate him to achieve the desired outcome, although still at considerable risk.

"You can be merry with the king, you can share a joke with him. But as Thomas More used to say, it's like sporting with a tamed lion. You tousle its mane and pull its ears, but all the time you're thinking, those claws, those claws, those claws." Page 249

Anne Boleyn's downfall dominates the plot in Bring Up the Bodies, but there's also plenty of time to witness Cromwell's steady rise in power, the expansion of his wealth and family dynamics. He (Cromwell) has carefully mentored his young charges and Rafe is now a trusted man in the king's service. His advice to Rafe though is chilling.

"Look, he says: once you have exhausted the process of negotiation and compromise, once you have fixed on the destruction of an enemy, that destruction must be swift and it must be perfect. Before you even glance in his direction, you should have his name on a warrant, the ports blocked, his wife and friends bought, his heir under your protection, his money in your strong room and his dog running to your whistle. Before he wakes in the morning, you should have the axe in your hand." Page 417

The late Hilary Mantel was the first British author and the first woman to win the Booker Prize twice, and I totally get it now. Bring Up the Bodies is an epic character study of Thomas Cromwell and the writing is extraordinary, with a phrase to savour on every page.

I've already started reading the final book in the trilogy The Mirror and the Light and am loving it so far. It's 880+ pages though and the slow read will take us until the end of the year, when I imagine I'll be feeling bereft to have finished.

And now no more for lack of time.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Tudor Fashion by Eleri Lynn

I've had Tudor Fashion by Eleri Lynn on my virtual TBR for - ahem - years but when I started reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel back in January, I thought it was finally time to request it from my local library. Eleri Lynn is the former curator of the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at Historic Royal Palaces and if the name rings a bell, that's because I recently reviewed another of her books Underwear - Fashion in Detail.

During the 1500s, dress was a form of competitive magnificence and was regularly reported on across the continent by ambassadors. And it's thanks to these letters that we have some detailed descriptions of the clothes being worn at court, particularly by the reigning monarch.

During the Tudor period (1485-1603), Sumptuary Laws were still in place and every member of society knew what they were - and were not - permitted to wear, creating clear class divides. However, a book about Tudor fashion is obviously going to focus on the most exquisite fabrics, needlework, embellishments, jewels and accessories of the time as that's where the level of craftsmanship is at its highest.

Much of what we know about fashion in the Tudor period - and earlier - has been obtained by studying the portraits painted at the time. To this end, several artworks are included in the book and serve to complement various descriptions of garments, jewels and accessories. Also included are photographs of several exhibits held by the V&A Museum, Historic Royal Palaces and other Trusts, museums and galleries around the world.

Given my motivation for exploring Tudor Fashion while reading Wolf Hall, I was thrilled to see the portrait of Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex painted by Hans Holbein the Younger. Wolf Hall is about the life of Cromwell and this very portrait features in Mantel's book. Lynn also explains that Cromwell avoided the trappings of his station and instead chose to dress as a simple lawyer in black robes as he was not born into nobility.

I love reading about the Tudor period in particular but was still shocked to read just how enormous the Tudor household was.

"The Tudor household was vast: Henry VIII's numbered 1,500 at its height. The household consisted of three sections: the household above stairs, which fell under the control of the Lord Chamberlain; the household below stairs, which was presided over by the Lord Steward; and the stables, which was overseen by the Master of the Horse." Page 109

Fascinating isn't it? Lynn goes into further detail, outlining which staff were assigned to which areas of the household, who was entitled to wear livery and how it was produced and funded.

I thoroughly enjoyed the detailed section about dressing a Tudor lady or queen and given women didn't wash their hair often, I appreciated this insight as to how they kept their hair from becoming greasy:

"A combing cloth was then placed over her shoulders while her hair was rubbed with a warm cloth to remove grease and dandruff, then combed. A ready-styled and dressed wig would then be put on her hair." Page 137

It was also a nice reminder - for me - to read how crucial pins were in Tudor dress. Pins were the primary means of holding the various layers of clothing together and in 1559, 24,000 pins of different sizes were supplied to Queen Elizabeth I, with similar numbers provided every 6 months. In How To Be a Tudor by Ruth Goodman I learned that pins from this era are still being found in the Thames today and in Mudlarking - Lost and Found on the River Thames by Lara Maiklem, the author explained that pins accumulate and wash together in tangled metallic nests and that they're one of her favourite treasures to find because they're so ordinary.

Tudor Fashion by Eleri Lynn is an informative and enjoyable read and will appeal to those with an interest in fashion, history, conservation, art and the Tudor period.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Five by Ilona Bannister

* Copy courtesy of Harlequin Australia & Harper Collins *

I love a book with an enticing premise, and Five by Ilona Bannister has just that. Five commuters are waiting on a train platform and in five minutes the next train to London is going to arrive and one of them is going to die. The unnamed narrator takes us away from the present so we can get to know the back stories of each of the five characters and how they came to be standing at the train platform that morning.

We're introduced to mother Emma and her out of control child Gideon, Sonny, a young man who has gambled his life away, a cranky older woman named Mrs Worth who's refusing help even though she's having a medical episode and a successful looking businessman named Liam.

"There are many other mundane but poignant details we could explore in the lives of these ordinary commuters, but we have time constraints. Let's just say that you've seen them before, on some other train platform in some other suburb, weighed down by bags and coats and unmet goals and unrealised dreams." Page 20*

As you can see, the narrator breaks the fourth wall to address the reader directly and I came to see the narrator as the author herself, occasionally breaking into the story to communicate directly with me.

I love people watching and always wonder about the lives of those passing me by; or am I passing them by? Other characters on the platform are given nicknames like Bad Back and To Do List, and while on the periphery of this story, we're also given insight as to their behaviours and choices on the train platform.

Fans of Benjamin Stevenson will love the author's sense of humour and the way in which she foreshadows precisely what will happen, leaving the reader to reach the destination on their own. The thrilling nature of the plot is supported by surprisingly deep character development and the back stories of these five flawed characters really made me sit up and take notice.

This next quote is from a scene where Liam - one of the five main characters - is sitting with his brother and mother watching TV. It's an excellent example of the author's writing style and such a relatable family moment. That moment suddenly becomes shockingly poignant and I found it very moving.

"She sips her sweet, sweet tea and thinks to herself for the thousandth time in twenty years that she really should launder those curtains, and regrets that now she won't have the chance, as a thunderclap no one else can hear explodes inside her head. The pain is immense, but she sees her Liam, so big and muscular and broad and handsome pointing at the screen and making his brother laugh. As the feeling drains from her left side, Doreen regrets that she never had the money to fix the gap between his teeth that she knows secretly bothers him, but that she has always loved. The last thing she sees before her vision is lost and another blood vessel explodes in her brain is her Danny, smiling with the box of biscuits in his lap. As her breath stops, Doreen can still hear his hoarse, gasping laugh as Liam says something rude about the lady on stage impersonating Barbra Streisand. Lads, she thinks, her lads, and the word feels like a smile. And as the mug of tea drops from her hand and her soul leaves the room, she regrets nothing at all." Page 211*

At the end of the book, the death is revealed and the narrator addresses the reader about their feelings on who survived, who died and whether there was any disappointment about the outcome. I certainly had my preference for who was going to survive and who wasn't but this fourth wall questioning was so engaging I felt sad it was all over. I also enjoyed reading about the aftermath for some of the characters and immediately wished Bannister was in a book club to discuss it all.

Five stars for Five by Ilona Bannister, very highly recommended! (Why don't you take five minutes to read a sample, you won't regret it).

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

* I read an ARC so page numbers may vary.

Review: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Intro

The first time I tried to read Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel it was 2010 and I found it completely inaccessible. There were too many characters named Thomas - indeed, Mantel notes in the book half the world was called Thomas at the time - and I couldn't follow who was speaking. Regrettably, I had to set it aside despite my love of historical fiction and interest in the Tudor period.

It wasn't until last year when a book buddy of mine (thanks Andrea!) recommended I join Wolf Crawl with her - a year long slow read hosted by Simon Haisell from Footnotes & Tangents - that I agreed to give it another chance. The challenge is to read the entire Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel over the course of the year and I'm so glad I took the plunge. Check out my sign up post for more about the series and the challenge.

Review

Wolf Hall is all about the life of Thomas Cromwell, servant of King Henry VIII yet it's not told in the first person. Cromwell is hardly ever referred to by name and instead he's referred to as 'he'. Once Simon had explained Mantel's unique writing style it was like a key had been turned and the book finally opened up its secrets to me.

The novel begins in 1527 when Cromwell is in the service of Cardinal Wolsey, although the reader is also treated to a few flashbacks from his youth. If you're at all familiar with Tudor history, you'll know Thomas Cromwell has been portrayed as the villain who drafted the framework for Henry VIII to break with Rome and make himself Supreme Head of the Church of England so that he could annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Cromwell was also responsible for the dissolution of the monasteries, reforming the English government and engineering Anne Boleyn's eventual downfall and ultimate execution.

In Wolf Hall, it's clear early on that the author is going to deliver an intimately refreshing and somewhat favourable view of Thomas Cromwell.

"Thomas Cromwell is now a little over forty years old. He is a man of strong build, not tall. Various expressions are available to his face, and one is readable: an expression of stifled amusement. His hair is dark, heavy and waving, and his small eyes, which are of very strong sight, light up in conversation: so the Spanish ambassador will tell us, quite soon. It is said he knows by heart the entire New Testament in Latin, and so as a servant of the cardinal is apt - ready with a text if abbots flounder. His speech is low and rapid, his manner assured; he is at home in courtroom or waterfront, bishop's palace or inn yard. He can draft a contract, train a falcon, draw a map, stop a street fight, furnish a house and fix a jury. He will quote you a nice point in the old authors, from Plato to Plautus and back again. He knows new poetry, and can say it in Italian. He works all hours, first up and last to bed. He makes money and he spends it. He will take a bet on anything." Page 25

Cromwell's dedication and devotion to Cardinal Wolsey early in the book was touching and admirable. When Wolsey is unable to secure the papal annulment for Henry he falls out of favour with the King yet Cromwell remains fiercely loyal and somehow manages to avoid the scandal and Wolsey's subsequent arrest for treason.

I've read countless books set in the Tudor period - too many to mention here - and each have their own take on these historical figures and I relished Mantel's version of Thomas Cromwell and Thomas More in particular. The depth of Mantel's knowledge of history and the classics is astounding and thanks to Simon's weekly articles, I was able to appreciate her subtle references to ancient and Tudor history that I otherwise would have missed.

Simon always closes each week's challenge update with 'and now no more for lack of time' so I enjoyed seeing it pop up twice in Wolf Hall in letters from Cromwell's son Gregory. What a terrific sign off.

The mere fact the events in Wolf Hall occurred some 500 years ago means we know precisely what's going to happen to each of the characters. This foreknowledge of their inevitable fate imbues the novel with a ghostly sense of melancholy that I found deeply moving.

Here Thomas More is speaking to Cromwell about the death of his father:

"It's strange, Thomas, but since he went, I feel my age. As if I were just a boy, till a few days ago. But God has snapped his fingers, and I see my best years are behind me." Page 230

Each death haunts Cromwell and his grief weighs heavily on his shoulders, painting a sympathetic view of the man. Naturally Henry VIII has a large presence throughout the book, and under Mantel's treatment he comes across as a grandiose narcissist. I've heard this quote attributed to Henry VIII in other historical fiction novels but it's a favourite and I loved seeing it here:

"If I thought my cap knew my counsel, I would cast it into the fire." Page 217

By the standards of Tudor nobility, Cromwell was low-born yet his rise is a direct consequence of his ability, work ethic, ambition and dedication to the King and I was gratified when he was appointed to the position of Keeper of the Jewel House in 1532, where he's able to oversee the King's incomings and outgoings.

Throughout it all, Mantel gives Cromwell some stellar dialogue and I found myself unexpectedly chuckling every few pages. Here Cromwell takes issue with a woman's manner of addressing him:

"If a man spoke to you in that tone, you'd invite him to step outside and ask someone to hold your coat." Page 378

Cromwell comes across as a diligent fix-it man and while he makes a few enemies along the way, courtiers soon show deference to him:

"He, Cromwell, is no longer subject to vagaries of temperament, and he is almost never tired. Obstacles will be removed, tempers will be soothed, knots unknotted. Here at the close of the year 1533, his spirit is sturdy, his will strong, his front imperturbable. The courtiers see that he can shape events, mold them. He can contain the fears of other men, and give them a sense of solidity in a quaking world: this people, this dynasty, this miserable rainy island at the edge of the world." Page 427

Despite his abilities, Cromwell is unable to persuade Thomas More to take the Oath of Succession which recognised the King's marriage to Anne Boleyn, their children as heirs to the throne and acknowledging the King as Supreme Head of the Church of England, thereby denying papal supremacy.

Thomas More explains his predicament:

"You cannot compel me to put myself in hazard. For if I had an opinion against your Act of Supremacy, which I do not concede, then your oath would be a two-edged sword. I must put my body in peril if I say no to it, my soul if I say yes to it. Therefore I say nothing." Page 513

The scholarly debates between Cromwell and More were fascinating and More's eventual execution for treason at the end of Wolf Hall was a harsh blow to Cromwell.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel could be one of the best books I've ever read and is an automatic nomination for My Top 5 Books of 2026. Fortunately I still have two more books to go in the series and up next is Bring Up the Bodies but now, no more for lack of time.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey

This was a brilliant read! The Secret Rooms - A True Gothic Mystery by Catherine Bailey is the result of a tonne of research delivered in a gripping narrative non fiction style that had me telling multiple people about it before I'd even finished.

If you'd asked me if I cared about the life of the 9th Duke of Rutland and his family, I'd have said no. What about the history of Belvoir Castle? I'd probably have given it a Google, marvelled at the impressive architecture, looked at any available images of the interiors and then moved on. So why did I pick this book up? In one word? The blurb! (Or is that two words?) The blurb contained a really good mystery I wanted to know more about and I love when rooms are locked for decades and then re-entered.

In 1940, John the 9th Duke of Rutland was one of Britain's wealthiest men, yet he died holed up in the servant's quarters of Belvoir Castle. Living out his last days secluded in an area comprising five damp rooms, doctors firmly encouraged him to move to luxurious accommodations elsewhere in the castle but John refused.

After his death, John's son closed up the rooms and they remained locked and untouched for sixty years. Author and researcher Catherine Bailey was one of the first to be granted access to these rooms and there she discovered what John had been feverishly working on right up until his death. Of course I wanted to know, don't you?

The Secret Rooms was published in 2012 and it's mentioned in the blurb so it's not a spoiler to say that John was an obsessive collector and had been organising and cataloguing his family's correspondence. The family archive contained hundreds of files spanning nine hundred years of history and contained tens of thousands of documents. On closer inspection, the author discovered that letters for three distinct periods in John's life - in 1894, 1909 and 1915 - had been removed from the collection. Why? Was he trying to hide something? And what was it?

Bailey draws on the contents of the available letters and diary entries in addition to military records and other sources in order to piece together what happened in John's life during these periods that he was trying to conceal.

Belvoir castle is in Leicestershire and built in the Gothic style with 356 rooms and I loved learning about it. It's an impressive looking structure and thankfully the book includes a comprehensive floor plan which was incredibly useful.

"The servants - maids of all descriptions, odd-job men, footmen, the flag man, the hall porter, the telephone boy, the boiler stoker and the stewards' room boy - were seated on the two benches that ran either side of a long table beneath a photograph of King George VI." Page 14

Of course, this wasn't all of the servants, you also have the housekeeper, butler, valet, chaplain, coal carriers, watermen, watchmen, lamp men and more. It's like Downton Abbey on steroids.

"In 1899, the castle had a groom of chambers, a house steward, an usher of the hall, a chef, a pastry chef, a confectioner, a plate butler, a clockman, a steward's room boy - and housemaids, kitchen maids, scullery maids, footmen, odd-job men, and porters galore." Page 169

"In the castle's grounds, there were hundreds more: grooms, stable lads, dairy maids, studmen, brewers, rat catchers, mole catchers, millers, mechanics, gardeners, groundsmen, gamekeepers, river keepers, huntsmen, kennelmen, slaughtermen, stockmen, horsemen, farm hands and woodsmen." Page 169

Bailey explains that in 1914, there were thirty Dukes - the highest honour the Crown could bestow - and they enjoyed privileges that seem scarcely credible to today's reader. This family had ruled over the neighbourhood for eight hundred years and some of the scenes described of family funerals held on the estate were extraordinary.

The astute among you will have noticed that one of the gaps in John's family correspondence occurred during the First World War and it's fair to say that a good deal of the research Bailey relates takes place during the war. This may deter some readers, however the author strings the narrative together so well by including telegrams (damnation!) and letters that keep the pace trucking along and on topic.

Bailey takes the reader along for the ride and has distilled John's life to a ripping tale and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to the bottom of the three 'secrets'.

In the Acknowledgements section of the book, the author thanks her mother Carol for deciphering and typing out the many thousands of letters she found. I have so many questions about this and the book that I'm currently trying to track down the author in order to invite her to conduct an interview with me for Carpe Librum. Catherine, if you're reading this, I'd love to know more about your research for this book so please get in touch.

The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey contains family secrets and cover ups, overzealous matchmaking, military movements and misdeeds, cryptology, pathological behaviour, aristocratic abuse of power and a privileged way of life many of us cannot begin to comprehend.

Highly recommended and an unexpected contender for My Top 5 Books of 2026.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Devil's Wolf by Paul Doherty

Devil's Wolf by Paul Doherty is the 19th book in the medieval mystery series featuring Sir Hugh Corbett, The Keeper of the Secret Seal. It's September 1311 and as the personal envoy of King Edward II of England, Corbett has been sent north to investigate the veracity of an anonymous letter received by the King promising information that could allow England to exit from the war with the Scots.

Finding himself caught up in the events of the north, Corbett - along with his loyal servants Ranulf-atte-Newgate, Senior Clerk in the Chancery of the Green Wax and Chanson, Clerk of the Stables - must get to the bottom of a series of murders in order to find out what's really happening.

Following the same formula as the 18 books which have preceded Devil's Wolf, Corbett interviews informants, allies and foes; gathers clues; organises his observations; eliminates suspects and contemplates all of the information without sharing with anybody before making his big reveal at the end. Naturally his life is threatened a number of times as the villain/s attempt to disrupt his investigation and evade the King's justice.

Despite being extremely well researched, I have started to question my commitment to this series and was curious to know whether I was reading from a place of obligation or pleasure. I decided to go back and look at the star ratings I've given to each of the 20 books I've read by Paul Doherty; noting the first one I read of his was The Cup of Ghosts from the Mathilde of Westminster series. I was actually quite shocked to find that overall, the average rating for the books I've read by this author between 2006-2026 was 3.27 stars.

Given these stats and the fact that my copy of Devil's Wolf has been on my shelf since 2018, I've decided to stop reading any more of his books. Doherty is a prolific author and there are still 6 more books in the Hugh Corbett series - Death's Dark Valley (Book 20), Hymn to Murder (Book 21), Mother Midnight (Book 22), Realm of Darkness (Book 23), Banners of Hell (Book 24) and Immortal Murder (Book 25) published in 2025 - but I think I'm going to leave it there.

There's also the small matter of how much space these books take up on my bookshelf as I've kept them all. Usually when a book is a 3 star read for me I move it on unless it's signed or has some particular sentimental value. If I can, I might try and sell these online as nobody in Australia is offering them as a set like this. At the very least, I'll enjoy freeing up some additional space on my bookshelf.

This is the longest series I've ever read from the beginning and I didn't get to the 'end' which is disappointing, but there are just too many good prospects waiting on my TBR pile to be held captive to a series for nostalgic reasons. Are you continuing to read a series out of a sense of obligation or completionism?

Now that I've made my decision it feels quite freeing, so as I bid farewell to Sir Hugh Corbett, here are the books in order complete with links to my reviews:

(Book 1) Satan in St Mary's
(Book 2) Crown in Darkness
(Book 3) Spy in Chancery
(Book 4) The Angel of Death
(Book 5) The Prince of Darkness
(Book 6) Murder Wears a Cowl
(Book 7) The Assassin in the Greenwood
(Book 8) The Song of a Dark Angel
(Book 9) Satan's Fire
(Book 10) The Devil's Hunt
(Book 11) The Demon Archer
(Book 12) The Treason of the Ghosts
(Book 13) Corpse Candle
(Book 14) The Magician's Death
(Book 15) The Waxman Murders
(Book 16) Nightshade
(Book 17) The Mysterium
(Book 18) Dark Serpent
(Book 19) Devil's Wolf

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware

Published in 2018, The Death of Mrs Westaway is a stand alone mystery novel and my seventh book by Ruth Ware. Like a heroin addict, I'm chasing the high of my very first Ruth Ware novel The Turn of the Key but again didn't manage to reach those giddy, gasp-worthy heights.

Harriet Westaway goes by Hal and when her mother died, Hal took over her job as a tarot card reader in a kiosk on Brighton Pier. Being hassled by a local loan shark, Hal can't believe her luck when she receives a letter advising that her grandmother has died and left her an inheritance. Not knowing much about the Westaway family yet confident it's a mistake, Hal ventures to the Cornwall estate for the funeral, hoping to stay quiet about any mixup and leave with enough to pay her loan shark and outstanding bills.

Needless to say, Hal gets more than she bargained for and the reader is drawn in by the tumbledown estate and fractured family members who don't seem to be mourning the death of Mrs Westaway at all. Secrets abound in this gothic mystery and someone is out to harm Hal.

The setting was gloomy and the atmosphere was tense which kept the pace rolling along however I felt there was too much internalising by our main character as she weighed the ethics of carrying out her deception and then struggled to unearth the truth of her parentage and the death of her mother. This slowed the pace right down and seemed a little repetitive at times.

Ultimately The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware will appeal to mystery readers who love a wealthy family with flawed characters, a neglected family estate in need of repair, a nasty as hell housekeeper and generational secrets that will blow it all apart.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz is a modern whodunnit with a confident nod to vintage crime novels and a tipping of the hat to the golden age of detective fiction. Susan Ryeland is an editor at a publishing house tasked with editing the next whodunnit by bestselling author Alan Conway. An unpleasant man, the book begins with a short prologue from Susan's perspective before we dive straight into Conway's new manuscript.

I felt a little wrong footed in the beginning with the introduction of so many characters in the small fictional village of Saxby-on-Avon, however I needn't have worried. Conway - the author of the manuscript - kept the reader on track with helpful hints along the way. Set in the 1950s, there are a number of murders in the manuscript and when we leave Conway's work and return to Susan Ryeland, a contemporary murder takes her by complete surprise.

"You'd have thought that after twenty years editing murder mysteries I'd have noticed when I found myself in the middle of one." Page 60

Susan is a likeable character and successful editor and I enjoyed watching her step out from behind the safety of her desk and begin investigating in the role of amateur detective.

Horowitz generously gives us multiple layered murders to contemplate and solve and I really enjoyed the meta nature of the murder mystery within a murder mystery. As if this weren't enough, Susan makes mention of real world authors and books in the text which added to my enjoyment and will appeal to other self-proclaimed book lovers.

Susan reflects:

"I've always loved whodunnits. I've not just edited them. I've read them for pleasure throughout my life, gorging on them actually. You must know that feeling when it's raining outside and the heating's on and you lose yourself, utterly, in a book. You read and you read and you feel the pages slipping through your fingers until suddenly there are fewer in your right hand than there are in your left and you want to slow down but you still hurtle on towards a conclusion you can hardly bear to discover. That is the particular power of the whodunnit which has, I think, a special place within the general panoply of literary fiction because, of all characters, the detective enjoys a particular, indeed a unique relationship with the reader." Page 156

You can't help but smile at the likelihood Horowitz is sharing his own love of whodunnits here in the guise of Susan. On a meta level, he's also showing us that the detective enjoys a unique relationship with the reader - and by extension the creator of the detective - and that he cherishes it greatly.

The only part of Magpie Murders I didn't enjoy was the confusing page numbering system. The book begins with a short 3 page prologue, then 219 pages of Alan Conway's manuscript entitled Magpie Murders - An Atticus Pund Mystery. Conway's manuscript is helpfully printed in a different font (possibly Courier) and the author demarcates the transition back to the original text by changing the font again. However the page numbering picks up from the prologue beginning on page 4. Confused yet?

And THEN, on page 196 of the text, when we return to the manuscript, the numbering picks up from page 219 where the manuscript previously left off. This confusing page numbering system swaps at least once more in the book and I'm not sure it helps divide the book between manuscript and narrative. The difference in font style more than adequately distinguishes between the two writing styles and without this poor stylistic choice, this would have been a five star read for me.

Published in 2016, Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz is the first book in the Susan Ryeland series with Moonflower Murders published in 2020 and Marble Hall Murders published in 2025 to follow. Magpie Murders has since been adapted for TV and now that I've finished reading it, I'm looking forward to watching the 2022 drama series later in the year. I also have Moonflower Murders on my bookshelf thanks to a generous friend who let me borrow her copy and as soon as I've read it, I look forward to watching the 2024 TV series adaptation.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz is highly recommended for those who enjoy a clever meta novel with a mystery within a mystery stuffed full of clues, colourful suspects and even the odd anagram.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!