I have 6 books planned to read in August. Our book club book this month is one I've read before, Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton (see my review here), so I won't be reading it. I feel like I remember enough about it that I don't need to do a reread. Plus I didn't like it enough to read it a second time.
Reading for NetGalley-
A Trade in Blood (Shadow of the Leviathan #3) by Robert Jackson Bennett
Brilliant detective Ana Dolabra must prove a
man's innocence to stop a civil war in the third book of the series that
began with The Tainted Cup, named an Edgar, Hugo, and World Fantasy Award Finalist and one of the best books of the year (New York Times Book Review, NPR, Elle)—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.
In
the canton of Sapirdad, two of the Empire’s most powerful families are
moments away from going to war with each other, their hundreds of
retainers gathered with swords drawn. If blood is spilt, the whole of
the empire may be plunged into starvation and chaos.
To
de-escalate matters, someone must do the impossible: prove that one
family’s eldest son is innocent of a gruesome and unforgivable murder,
despite the incontrovertible evidence against him.
It is with
this undertaking that the great detective Ana Dolabra is tasked, her
assistant Din at her side—and the two find themselves racing with great
speed and little dignity to the scene.
As ever, the impossible
proves little obstacle for the deadly combination of Ana’s intellect and
Din’s keen eye, and mere hours after riding into the dusty town, Ana
glimpses the greater pattern behind the crime. A deeper, subtler web of
death is being woven in plain sight, by a mastermind with an ancient
magical technology at his disposal.
But even Ana's uncanny
insight is of little use when each new suspect she uncovers ends up
dead--with each new killing calculated to bring tensions between the two
rival clans past the boiling point. And as Din pursues their adversary
through the canton's wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking
slaughterhouses, he finds his loyalties divided in unexpected ways.
The Spy Keeper of Marseille by Roseanna M. White
In occupied France, a woman becomes a spy for
the Resistance and rises to lead the largest intelligence operation in
the country in this propulsive new World War II historical novel by
bestselling author Roseanna M. White.
Marseille, France, 1941.
Zelie Bellerose never fit the mold of an army officer’s wife. She was
too passionate in her convictions, too indifferent to societal
expectations. After her husband is killed in the war, Zelie focuses on
securing a brighter future for her children, hoping to help free her
country from the Nazi regime by joining the Resistance. She is soon one
of the most trusted operatives in Alliance, and when their leader is
imprisoned, she takes command, hiding her identity from all but a few.
With enemies closing in, Zelie must earn the trust of her network and
prove herself to those who doubt a woman’s place at the helm of France’s
largest spy ring.
Marcel Laurent was a renowned concert pianist
before joining the French army and being sent to a POW camp. Freed in a
prisoner exchange by a wealthy businessman with ties to the Resistance,
Marcel agrees to spy for Alliance by conducting a youth orchestra,
gathering intelligence from patrons who are loose-lipped Nazi
sympathizers. Marcel’s weekly radio broadcasts introducing the
orchestra’s performances give him the perfect cover to send coded
messages over the airwaves.
As Zelie and Marcel grow closer
through their shared love of music, she begins to rely on him. But
betrayal from within Alliance puts everything they’ve fought for at
risk. When a double agent infiltrates their ranks and the two are
captured, their bond faces its greatest test . . . and any misstep could
jeopardize not only Alliance but the very outcome of the war.
Reading with the Mystery Book Club-
A Bitter Cut (Lady Darby #14) by Anna Lee Huber
Lady Kiera Darby plans to spend the summer
reconnecting with friends and family in anticipation of the betrothal of
her beloved brother. But when a future in-law is implicated in a
murder, the party takes a deadly turn. . . .
July 1833. Lady
Darby and her dashing husband, Sebastian Gage, are settling into their
newly renovated home at Bevington Park in Warkwickshire with their young
daughter. With the breach between them and Sebastian’s father recently
healed, they've agreed to help host a country house party for friends
and family to share in their joy. Kiera is also anxious to help promote a
match between her brother, Trevor, and the woman he’s fallen in love
with, inviting her family to join them. However, Kiera swiftly discovers
that the would-be bride’s family is not without their detractions. Her
brother is unpleasant. Her mother is abrasive. And her father—the
prosperous industrialist Jeremiah Birnam—is brusque, discourteous, and,
at times, downright rude.
So when Mr. Birnam’s secretary is
found murdered with Birnam standing over her body, many are content to
allow him to take the blame. But neither Kiera nor Sebastian believes he
did it, and in spite of his bluster and boorish behavior, they can’t
let an innocent man be hung for another’s crime. Unfortunately, Birnam
had his fair share of enemies at the house party, and any one of them
might have struck out at his secretary in order to get to him. It's up
to Kiera and Sebastian to uncover the truth and salvage Birnam’s
reputation. As the couple slowly inches their way closer to the
truth and threats emerge against their loved ones, Kiera begins to fear
that the price of solving the crime may mean sacrificing her brother’s
future happiness.
Mercy Kill (Cass Leary #8) by Robin James
This time, defense lawyer Cass Leary may be a motive for murder...
Cass
is a force in the courtroom. Determined to keep the innocent out of
jail, the unyielding defense attorney dominates her opponents to balance
the scales of justice. But in a terrible twist of fate, she’s forced to
testify against the man she loves when he’s accused of killing his
estranged wife.
Vowing to exonerate Detective Wray, Cass despairs
at the mounting pile of damning evidence and the prickling fear he may
be guilty. And when she learns of a deadly jailhouse plot, she worries
her failure to win his freedom will cost him his life.
Will Cass’s investigation result in an acquittal or reveal a terrible truth?
Pick it for me Book-
Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher
Healer Anja regularly drinks poison―not to die,
but to save. She is seeking cures for those everyone else has given up
on. One day, a summons from the king interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed
life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox
methods can save her. Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and
a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but
nothing seems to work until she finds a secret world.
Reading at Fantasy Buddy Reads-
The Soulforge (Dragonlance: Raistlin Chronicles #1) by Margaret Weis
A mage's soul is forged in the crucible of magic.
Raistlin
Majere is six years old when he is introduced to an archmage who
enrolls him in a school for the study of magic. There the gifted - but
tormented boy comes to secretly, for they see shadows darkening over
Raistlin even as the same shadows lengthen over all of Ansalon.
As
Raistlin draws near his goal of becoming a wizard, he must first take
the Dread Test in the Tower of High Sorcery. It will change his life
forever.
