Night Train to Marrakech by Dinah Jefferies

Night Train to Marrakech, Daughters of War #3 by Dinah Jefferies.

                                                                                              

Ebook:  464 pages in Kindle Edition     

Genre: Historical Fiction                                           

Publisher:  Harper Collins June 27 2023

Source: My Kindle

First Sentence: The night train gathered speed, clanking and rattling, and the girl on the cusp of a new life held her breath.

Review Quote: A ‘gripping story of love, betrayal and danger’Woman’s Weekly

Setting: Morocco

Series: Daughters of War (#3) 'Night Train to Marrakech'

My Opinion: 

Dinah Jefferies has been a favourite author of mine, since 2014 when her debut novel 'The Separation'. was published. Over the years she has transported me with her vivid descriptive prose to some wonderful locations, some which I have been lucky enough to visit and other places I now wish to see for myself. This time it was to Morocco, somewhere I have been fortunate to visit and her descriptions are certainly evocative of my time spent there.

The story continues as Vicky, one of the younger generation of the Baudin family, travels to Marrakech to meet her grandmother for the first time. A dangerous place in the sixties, the visit turns out to be quite an adventure. Bringing together protagonists from the earlier books this final volume of the trilogy reveals some long hidden family secrets.

As with the previous volumes in this trilogy, it is a captivating read that transports the reader to Morocco which I can recommend to anyone that enjoys an immersive read. It stands alone but I feel more enjoyable  if you have read the earlier novels.

Links to Previous Reviews:  The Separation.  The Missing Sister. The Sapphire Widow. Daughters of War #1  The Tuscan Contessa Daughters of War#2 The Hidden Palace

Précis Courtesy of Amazon:

MARRAKECH 1966

Vicky Baudin steps onto a train winding through Morocco, looking for the grandmother she has never met.

It’s an epic journey that’ll take her to the edge of Atlas Mountains – and closer to the answers she’s been craving all her life.

But dark secrets whisper amongst the dunes. And in unlocking the mystery of Clemence’s past, Vicky will unearth great danger too . . .

Author Profile:                

                                          

                                               Courtesy of Twitter Profile

Dinah was born in Malaysia and moved to England at the age of nine.

As a teenager she missed the heat of Malaysia, which left her with a kind of restlessness that led to quite an unusual life. She studied Fashion Design and went to live in Tuscany where she worked as an au-pair for an Italian countess. There was even a time when Dinah lived with a rock band in a ‘hippie’ commune in Suffolk.

Although Dinah and her husband spent five wonderful years living in a small 16th Century village in Northern Andalusia, she's happy to say they now live close to her family in Gloucestershire along with two crazy Maine Coon cats.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile  Twitter Profile  Dinah Jefferies - Official Website

Amazon Author Page

The New Wife by JP Delaney

                                             

Hardback:  343 pages                                                                                 

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller, Psychological Fiction

Publisher:  Quercus, July 2023

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

Review Quote: Like Daphne du Maurier he sustains the ambiguity deftly and deliciously - whenever a resolution looks imminent, a new development preserves the enigma ― Sunday Times

Favourite Quote: Did any of us speak a word that day that was true, I now wonder? Perhaps those few words that weren't in English might have been the cold unvarnished truth - a brief instruction to the older woman on how she should respond.

First Sentences:  In rural parts of Mallora, you still come across clusters of carob trees surrounded by high nets, open to the sky. These are es trampes, the songbird traps.

Setting: Mallorca

My Opinion:  First discovered this author thanks to his earlier novel  Playing Nice  being selected as a Richard and Judy Bookclub choice. Since then he has been on the list of authors I select when in the mood for a psychological thriller.

Finn and Jess have just learnt that their father has died in Mallorca.  He has lived there for many years and the farmhouse he lives in with his third wife, is his children's inheritance. Between them they decide that Finn should travel to Mallorca to take control of the situation. It does not work out as simply as the siblings had hoped though. Who is telling lies and who is telling the truth about the situation?

Unpredictable as just when you feel you have worked out what is happening, along comes another twist! If you enjoy being kept guessing then this is definitely one for you. 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

When Finn Hensen gets a call from his sister Jess to say their father has died, neither is heartbroken. Their parents divorced many years ago, after which their father, Jimmy, continued to live a bohemian lifestyle in sun-soaked Mallorca, while his family returned to the UK.

Ownership of his home, a beautiful but dilapidated farmhouse in the mountains, now passes to Finn and his sister. The only problem is that Jimmy recently remarried for the third time, and his new wife, Ruensa, is still living there.

The pair agree that Finn should go to Mallorca and tactfully take possession of their inheritance. When he arrives, however, Finn is surprised to find that Finca Siquia has been completely transformed into a chic Mediterranean bolthole by Ruensa - along with her twenty-seven-year-old daughter, Roze. The Spanish police, meanwhile, are asking awkward questions about Jimmy's death . . . Are Ruensa and Roze the helpless victims of circumstance? Or will they stop at nothing to get Finca Siquia for themselves?

Previous Reviews: Playing Nice   My Darling Daughter

Author Profile : 

                                               

                                                      Courtesy of Author Website

JP Delaney is a British writer of psychological suspense. His novel THE GIRL BEFORE was an instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller which sold over a million copies in 40 countries. It was adapted by him for the BBC and HBO Max in 2021. His second thriller, BELIEVE ME, was also an international and Sunday Times bestseller, as were his subsequent books THE PERFECT WIFE and PLAYING NICE. His fifth psychological thriller, MY DARLING DAUGHTER, was published in 2022.

JP Delaney has previously written bestselling fiction under other names. The Carnivia Trilogy, a series of three standalone but interlinked thrillers set in present-day Venice and written under the name Jonathan Holt, was published in more than 20 countries. 

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Author Official Website   Amazon Author Page            

From Venice with Love by Rosanna Ley

                                                

Ebook:  396 pages                                                                                 

Genre:  Romantic Contemporary Fiction 

Publisher:  Quercus 2020

Source: My Kindle

Review Quote: Vicarious travel to Venice is always welcome, especially in these uncertain times. Perfect holiday reading, wherever you go ― The Lady

First Sentences:  Joanna was hardly aware of the train leaving Waterloo station. She supposed she was in shock - if shock was the right word for what she was feeling.

Setting: Venice (Italy), Italy, Lisbon (Portugal), Prague (Praha) (Czech Republic), Dorset, England (United Kingdom)

My Opinion: 

Rosanna Ley has written around twelve novels, I think. Including this one I have read five of them since 2014. Therefore not a regular reader of her work, but when I do read one it is always a relaxing read. I have already added her 2023 release ' The Forever Garden' to My Kindle.

‘From Venice With Love’ is a story of two sisters whose lives have taken very different directions. Harriet has always lived at home on the family farm in Dorset, whilst Rosanna has lived a London lifestyle, until a recent upheaval in her life sent her home to rediscover herself. As a freelance travel journalist she combines an assignment with researching the background story to some old love letters, that have recently come into her possession.  The story is rather fanciful in parts as Joanna’s imagination runs in overdrive at times, but then we all need to dream don’t we.

In conclusion, those who enjoy armchair travel along with some light romance will find this a pleasure to read.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

With her marriage in danger of falling apart, Joanna returns home to the beautiful but dilapidated Mulberry Farm Cottage in rural Dorset, where her sister Harriet is struggling to keep the farm afloat and cope with their eccentric mother.

When Joanna discovers a bundle of love letters in the attic, written by a watercolourist named Emmy, she is intrigued and sets out to discover Emmy's true story. Emmy's letters take Joanna to the picturesque alleyways and bridges of Lisbon, Prague, and the most romantic place of all: Venice - where a whole new magical world seems to unfold in front of her.

Meanwhile, back at Mulberry Farm Cottage, a mysterious prowler adds to Harriet's problems and interrupts her search for a perfect partner. Will she ever find true love? Where will Emmy's mesmerising pathway lead? And more importantly, will Joanna and Harriet be able to rescue the cottage and finally be able to rediscover their sisterly bond?

Author Profile : 

                                                 

Rosanna has written numerous articles and short stories for magazines, and her novels have been published in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Norway, Hungary, Portugal, Lithuania, Denmark, Bulgaria, Turkey, Israel and the Czech Republic. All Rosanna’s titles are also being published by Quercus in the US.

Rosanna has worked as a creative writing tutor for over 30 years. She has led courses for colleges and universities in England, and runs her own writing retreats and holidays in the UK and in stunning locations in Europe. She has worked with community groups in therapeutic settings and completed an MA in creative writing for personal development in order to support this. She has also mentored and appraised the work of new writers.

Travelling and cliff walking are two of Rosanna’s favourite things to do. She also likes tennis, swimming, reading, eating very dark chocolate and drinking Italian coffee (preferably in Italy…) She lives with her husband in West Dorset and her favourite writing place is anywhere with a sea view.

The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing.

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites: 

 Facebook - Rosanna Ley Novels  Author Official Website   Twitter Profile  

Instagram - Rosanna Ley Author   Goodreads Profile    Amazon Author Page