The Sinners All Bow by Kate Winkler Dawson

First Line: Catharine Read Arnold Williams was a fearless woman.

 

When Sarah Maria Cornell was found dead on a small New England farm in the winter of 1832, her death was considered a suicide. But when certain details of her past and a secret correspondence with a popular local Methodist minister were uncovered, people began to wonder if Sarah's death could actually be murder. 

 

Writer Catharine Reed Arnold Williams was determined to uncover the truth and wrote what many believe to be the first American true-crime book. The murder divided the country and inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, but the reverend was not convicted.

True-crime historian Kate Winkler Dawson set a goal to finish Williams' work. Using modern investigative techniques, Dawson fills in the gaps of Williams' research to find the truth.

~

Having read previous books by Dawson, I know she's a master at picking fascinating topics, and-- of course-- I have memories of reading Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter in high school. (I didn't like his writing style, but the story certainly stuck with me.) I've also been known to dive into true crime now and again, so... there's no way I could've ignored The Sinners All Bow.

Dawson's research brings to light a murder victim who preferred the autonomy of millwork and refused to settle down with a husband and children. Her research also brought to light questions about author Catharine Williams. Yes, she was the first author to advocate for the crime victim, but could everything she wrote be trusted to be fact? 

 

Dawson's deep dive into the history of the times and the backgrounds of the major players (Sarah Maria Cornell, Catharine Williams, Reverend Ephraim Avery) brings to light some fascinating facts-- including ones that prove we haven't changed all that much in two hundred years.  

The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne

by Kate Winkler Dawson

eISBN: 9780593713624

G.P. Putnam's Sons © 2025

320 pages

Non-Fiction

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

A Hello, 2025! Weekly Link Round-Up

 

I'm writing this on New Year's Day, and I'm enjoying the peace and quiet after last night when it seemed like the entire neighborhood was trying to blow itself into 2026. Denis and I are both doing well. My leg continues to improve, and Denis's stomach problems have abated. After all those end-of-the-year medical appointments, I'm happy to say that I had my first "all's clear!" mammogram results in three years. (And here I was, expecting to be told that I had to go in to have another chunk of boob excised for tests.)

Many of us are eyeing this new year with trepidation, but at least Denis and I know that March is going to be a good month because our niece Karen will be visiting us from the UK. Yippee!

I'm going to leave you with two movie recommendations before I head off into the links. Before I forget, I'm not including book banning links; I just don't have the heart for adding such a depressing batch of links. We all know what's going on. Try to do what you can to protect libraries, librarians, and the right to read.

Oops! Movie recommendations! Denis and I really enjoyed Jerry and Marge Go Large, a film based on a true story about a man who figured out a flaw in the lottery system and used it to revive their small town. (Paramount+) We enjoyed another true story even more: Tyler Perry's The Six Triple Eight about 855 Black women in World War II who were tasked with fixing the three-year backlog of undelivered mail. (Netflix) Very inspiring!

Enjoy the links!

►Books and Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The curse of the stolen amethyst.
• The real story behind Netflix's The Six Triple Eight, a new Tyler Perry film about the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.
• How an experiment to amplify light in hospital operating rooms led to the accidental invention of the snow globe.
• A 462-year-old Beaufort County (South Carolina) town opened its first public library. Take a look inside a new world.
• How Fyodor Dostoevsky became a social media sensation.
• Book clubs, book bars, and BookTok: examining why everyone suddenly wants to be perceived as well-read.
• As children's book bans soar, sales are down and librarians are afraid-- even in California.
• Title of a romance novel or the name of a nail polish?

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• 2,000-year-old RSVP A birthday invitation from the Roman frontier that has the earliest known Latin written by a woman.
• Ancient DNA offers crucial hints to the origin of syphilis, a decades-long mystery that has divided scientists.
• An 1,800-year-old gold ring with "Venus the Victorious" carving has been discovered in France.
• Archaeologists are finding dugout canoes in the American Midwest as old as the Great Pyramids of Egypt.
• Divers discovered a 2,500-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Sicily.
• A new magnetic survey has revealed an ancient Assyrian capital that's been abandoned for 2,700 years.
• A centuries-old floor patched with sliced bones was discovered in the Netherlands.
• In 1577, an English explorer set out to circumnavigate the world. Here's what his groundbreaking journey accomplished.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• A new study has found that hungry sea otters are taking a bite out of California's invasive crab problem.
• The bald eagle just became America's national bird. What took so long?
• Check out 14 hilarious winners from the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards contest.
• Henry the giant crocodile, who has sired 10,000 babies, recently celebrated his 124th birthday.
• Two orphaned Siberian tigers reunited as mates after a 120-mile trek through the Russian wilderness.
• Geneticists have solved the mystery of why some cats are orange-- and why they tend to be males.
• A male humpback whale crossed 3 oceans for sex, inadvertently breaking a distance record for the species.
• Scientists released 5 Hawaiian crows on Maui, giving the imperiled birds a second chance-- on a new island.

►The Wanderer◄

• How setting has come to define great crime fiction-- in Scandinavia, Britain, and the desert of the American Southwest.
• See inside Notre-Dame Cathedral in these breathtaking images of its newly unveiled interior. Here's a sneak peek of Notre-Dame's new stained glass designs. The mysterious "horseman" from the lead coffin unearthed in Notre-Dame has finally been identified.
• 19 places you won't believe exist.
• Nashville-- country music and murder.
• A historic Thomas Hardy building in the UK was damaged by fire.
• Lyon, France-- a world capital of gastronomy and crime books.
• Crews have removed miles of abandoned, lead-coated telephone cables from the bottom of Lake Tahoe.
• Jura: George Orwell's Scottish hideaway.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Jimmy Carter transformed more than the presidency. His lasting legacy.
• Fannie Lou Hamer and the fight for voting rights.
• How Patricia Highsmith, Shirley Jackson, and Leigh Brackett defined a strand of midcentury American literature.
• These 5 trailblazing American women will be featured on quarters in 2025.
• Who was Frances Perkins? Meet the trailblazing workers' rights advocate whose homestead just became a national monument.
• Ike's Girls: America's first women's expeditionary force.
• A new project tells the stories of the women of Route 66.
• Art detective Arthur Brand is like Indiana Jones but with a more elegant wardrobe.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• The award-winning novels of 2024.
• Crochet flower bookmarks designed to look like they're blooming from the page you're reading.
• The best mystery and thriller movies of the 1960s.
• The 21st century's best works of Native American history.
• 18 riveting reads for mystery fans and history buffs alike.
• Jodi Picoult, Kennedy Ryan, and more bestselling authors share their most-anticipated 2025 books.
• 11 rare old words for the heinous and villainous.
• Series and films celebrating Indigenous culture.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

The Drowning Game by Barbara Nickless

 

First Line: Her entire life, Cassandra's father had told her: Trust no one.

The heirs to superyacht-building company Ocean House, Nadia and Cass Brenner, successfully designed a megayacht for a Chinese billionaire. The yacht will soon be commissioned, but Ocean House's entry into the Asian market is cut short when Cass falls from a fortieth-floor hotel balcony.

Her sister's death is ruled a suicide by Singapore police, something that Nadia finds extremely suspicious. When Nadia begins to investigate, she discovers that her sister was involved in some dangerous and illicit activities, and she's soon pulled into the same web. If Nadia uncovers the truth behind her sister's death, it could tear the Brenner family apart-- and cost Nadia her own life.

~

Being a fan of Barbara Nickless' Sidney Rose Parnell series, I looked forward to this new book with a great deal of anticipation. I really enjoyed learning about the cutthroat business of yacht building-- especially when the yacht Ocean House was building contained secret rooms as well as state-of-the-art technology and luxury materials.

Another factor that added to my enjoyment of the book was the author's description of the inner workings of various Chinese government agencies. Yacht building is definitely not the only cutthroat business in the world. 

The Drowning Game is a good, fast-paced story with an interesting investigation into Cass Brenner's death. There are chills and thrills aplenty, but my appreciation of the book was muted by two things: my lack of enthusiasm for the main character and the fact that it had too much spycraft in it-- a genre that I've never really cared for. Nevertheless, The Drowning Game is still another strong entry for Barbara Nickless.

The Drowning Game by Barbara Nickless

eISBN: 9781662510007

Thomas & Mercer © 2025

eBook, 371 pages

Thriller

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley

A Holiday Reading Round-Up

Denis and I tried to do the laundry yesterday, but the washing machine decided to stop working. No available repair time until Christmas Eve, so the laundry will continue to pile up.

 

Speaking of things piling up, I've read quite a few books that I haven't shared with you. Shame on me! Let me haul out my book journal, find the right page, and start telling you about a few of them. I'm just going to give you my thoughts on each one instead of a full-blown review. If you'd like to find out more about one of the books, just click on the link to Amazon US in its title.

The Wiregrass by Adrian Hyland

320 pages

Rating: A

My Thoughts: Adrian Hyland is one of my favorite authors, and this second appearance by Jesse Redpath makes me wish all over again that this talented Australian would write faster, faster, faster. 

Redpath is in new territory and discovers a murder disguised to look as an accident. She also is determined to help Nash Rankin, a former police officer.

I always enjoy Hyland's mysteries and characters, but even more, I love the way he uses landscape and wildlife to make Australia come alive for me. (Did you know Australians call eucalyptus trees "widow makers"? Neither did I!)

Sheer Window by Diane Vallere

93 pages

Rating: A

 

My Thoughts: This short story is perfect when you're in the mood for something light, fun, and holiday-themed.  

Poly Monroe, owner of the Material Girl fabric shop, has severely sprained her ankle and has to stay off it. This is bad timing since she's hosting Thanksgiving dinner for family and friends. 

As dinner preparations commence, Poly (dressed as Grace Kelly in Rear Window) finds herself stationed at her window, convinced she's watching a crime being committed. 

This Thanksgiving tribute to one of my favorite Hitchcock films really hit the spot!

Playing Dead by Peggy Rothschild

299 pages

Rating: A

 

My Thoughts: I found myself in need of cozy comfort reading, and I was very fortunate in my choices of books. In just two books, author Peggy Rothschild has made me a fan of her Molly Madison series.

 

Molly, a former police officer and private investigator transplanted to the California coast, has the knack for taking in dogs and helping the police solve crimes. I really appreciate Molly's background because it means she's not the typical blundering cozy mystery heroine who doesn't have a clue. I also really appreciate that the dogs in this series aren't just a hook to get you to read the books and then you never see them again unless they need to be fed or walked.

 

Playing Dead has Molly continuing Harlow's agility training and Noodle's scent work. She also provides daycare for a French bulldog and takes in a boxer in hopes of finding it a good home.  If you love good mysteries, strong characters, and plenty of dogs, this is the series for you. 

Dagger of Death at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

320 pages

Rating: B+

My Thoughts: This is one of my favorite cozy series because I like the main character, and I love how Dennison weaves threads of antiques, history, and life in a crumbling country house into her mysteries.

This tenth book in the series has a new sixtysomething vicar in town that all the older women are salivating over, as well missing military memorabilia, and Kat's relationship muddles. Either I'm mellowing in my twilight years or Kat's mother is because instead of irritating the stuffing out of me, she actually made me laugh a time or two.

This series has something for almost everyone: a fun cast, an excellent setting, plenty of humor, and learning opportunities for bits of history and antiques.

The Glass Bottom Hoax by Diane Vallere

240 pages

Rating: A

My Thoughts: In this twelfth installment, Madison and Tex go undercover on a cruise ship as a Doris Day impersonator and her manager husband in order to find thieving employees. However, things go haywire quickly when their only contact aboard ship is murdered.

This is another light, fun outing for one of my favorite characters. I sympathized with Madison because she wanted to redecorate the ship so badly, and I found myself being every bit as lost as she as she tried to find her way around the ship.

[You should have seen my face when I opened the book and found not only a Kittling Books blurb, but that the book was dedicated to me. Boy howdy...]

The Hotel Detective by Alan Russell

329 pages

Rating: B+

My Thoughts: I'd previously read two or three book in Russell's Michael Gideon series featuring Gideon and his canine partner, Sirius. I stopped reading because I got tired of Gideon consistently ignoring Sirius when his dog was trying to warn him of danger. I'm happy to say that I was much happier with The Hotel Detective.

Assistant Manager Am Caulfield is "given other duties as assigned" when the Hotel California's security director abruptly leaves. He is quickly overwhelmed when a murder mystery weekend and a Bob Johnson convention descend on the hotel at the same time. 

This is a light, fun mystery that gave me plenty of laughs and smiles. The Hotel Detective is definitely geared towards people who have dealt with the public during their working lives (which I did for over forty years), which means that things I found spot-on and funny might not seem so to you if you've never been on the other side of the counter. 

I'm going to stop at six. I don't want to tucker you out, and I've been sitting here at the computer long enough. Besides... I have a book I have to get back to! 

Here's something from my virtual closet before I go...

Happy Reading!

Howdy!

 

How are you all? Doing well, I hope! I thought it would be a good idea to check in with you all since I didn't post anything last week. 

Denis has been having a few stomach issues. With all that back surgery and the metalwork holding his spine together, he's on some heavy duty pain meds, one of which is known to cause stomach ulcers. He's stopped taking it, but the loss of that one painkiller means that his back is hurting more. If it's not one thing, it's forty-'leven others, isn't it? *sigh* Hopefully, this is straightened out soon.

On the other hand, my leg continues to improve. So much so that I was hoping Denis and I could get out and do something non-medical... like going to the Desert Botanical Garden to see it decked out for Christmas. Alas, December has been a seemingly never-ending round of medical appointments for us both. At least there's something to look forward to in the new year!

I'm going to try to fire up the computer later on in the week to at least keep you posted on what I've been reading, but I can't promise anything. I've been enjoying myself way too much spending time with Denis and mowing through one book after another.

A virtual hug to each and every one of you!

Trouble Island by Sharon Short

 

First Line from Prologue: Loons and gulls arc in the vast, blue-gray sky over the island below.

 

Trouble Island is a stop-off for gangsters as they travel between Canada and the United States on Lake Erie. It's also home to two women: Aurelia Escalante, maid to Rosita, who is the lady of the manor and wife of gangster Eddie McGee.  

In the freezing winter of 1932, Eddie is scheduled to arrive on the island with his right-hand man, a doctor, a cousin, a famous actor, and a rival gangster whom Rosita believes murdered her son. Aurelia, who's been hiding on the island with her own secrets, has been planning her escape and is just about to put her plan into action when Rosita disappears. Deciding to go ahead anyway, Aurelia goes to retrieve her stash of supplies and finds Rosita's body instead. 

Someone went to a great deal of trouble to ensure that Aurelia was the person who found the body. Now more than ever, Aurelia wants to escape, but an ice storm sweeps in, keeping her on the island with more than one murderer.

~

Having loved this author's Kinship historical mysteries written under the name of Jess Montgomery, I really looked forward to Trouble Island, but the book fell flat for me. The setting and the historical detail were excellent, and the winter weather on that remote island kept me frozen to the bone-- especially since Aurelia would actually go swimming in the lake almost daily. 

Where did the book fall flat? I think it was a personal reaction more than anything else. I never warmed to any of the characters. Aurelia seemed a bit too naive and unobservant, and Rosita the high-handed diva was the sort of person I'd walk ten miles out of my way to avoid. Also, I wasn't in the mood to guess the true identities of each person on the island. If I'd read Trouble Island while in a different mood, it's altogether possible I would have liked it more-- which means your mileage will probably vary from mine.

Trouble Island by Sharon Short

eISBN: 9781250292834

Minotaur Books © 2024

eBook, 336 pages

 

Historical Thriller

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley

Perfect Storm by Paige Shelton

 

First Line: "Beth Rivers, you are under arrest for the murder of Travis Walker."

 

Convicted kidnapper Travis Walker, the man whom Beth Rivers barely got away from, has escaped and is on the way to Benedict, Alaska, to exact his revenge. All of Beth's friends in Benedict agree: she needs to disappear.

She and her boyfriend Tex make their way to a camp out in the woods, but when they get close to a small community known as Blue Mine, their plans are upended. When Beth and Tex start to take the widow of a recently murdered man back to Benedict to talk with the police chief, the woman disappears.

Beth and her friends have their hands full. Who else is going to suddenly appear... or disappear... in this remote area?

~

This is a series that I've enjoyed from the very first book. I've enjoyed learning about life in a remote area of Alaska, the customs that have come about due to the land and the weather, and the way the people band together in difficult times.

In Perfect Storm, Beth Rivers learns just how many friends she's made in tiny Benedict. When they learn that the man who kidnapped and almost killed her has escaped and is on his way there, they form a united front to keep her safe. However, when Tex and Beth come across a woman walking to Benedict to bring in the body of her murdered husband, all their planning runs right off the rails. Between trying to find the woman when she vanishes, trying to keep Beth safe, trying to locate a missing man, and trying to figure out what's going on at a tiny place called Blue Mine, all the characters scatter in different directions. Here Beth is, trying to keep out of the hands of the man who kidnapped her, and she can't keep track of anyone there in town. She's trying to herd cats.

But the book truly begins to shine when things get darkest. Beth has had so much trauma in her life. She's felt so frightened and helpless for so long. When all her friends seem to run off and desert her, does she fall apart? 

You're just going to have to read Perfect Storm to find out. What a character Beth Rivers is!

Perfect Storm by Paige Shelton

eISBN: 9781250910479

Minotaur Books © 2024

eBook, 256 pages

Amateur Sleuth/Thriller, #6 Alaska Wild

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

The Cure for Women by Lydia Reeder

 

First Line from Prologue: One afternoon in the summer of 1985, my grandmother and her four sisters, ages seventy-two to eighty-nine, gathered to celebrate their mother, Ellen Babb, who had passed away in 1953.

 

Before the 1850s, abortion was an accepted practice and midwives held valued positions in their communities. Women had to fight to pursue medical professions. Places like Harvard refused to admit women into their medical schools, so women built their own first-rate medical schools and hospitals. 

 

There was bound to be a backlash.

 

Distorting Darwin's theory of evolution, the top male physicians of the day wrote bestselling books which stated women should never be allowed to attend college or enter any profession because their menstrual cycles made them perpetually sick.

 

Through exhaustive research, Lydia Reeder's The Cure for Women shows how gifted women like Mary Putnam Jacobi fought back. Her arsenal of weapons included things that the male physicians' did not: the first-ever data-backed, scientific research on women's reproductive biology. Jacobi fought back with the facts, and the medical profession has never been the same. 

I learned so much from reading The Cure for Women, unfortunately, a great deal of it with my teeth clenched. Men writing "learned" treatises on women's reproductive organs when they wouldn't know an ovary or a uterus if one came up and punched them in the nose. Why? Because they'd never seen any of these organs and had no idea how they worked. You would think that we would have all the misinformation squared away here in the twenty-first century, but we don't. The fight for control over women's bodies is still happening, proving that we need more people like Mary Putnam Jacobi-- and more people to read this marvelously researched book.

The Cure for Women: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Challenge to Victorian Medicine that Changed Women's Lives Forever

by Lydia Reeder

eISBN: 9781250284464

St. Martin's Press © 2024

eBook, 336 pages

 

Non-Fiction

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley