Title: Betrayal at Ravenswick
Author: Kelly Oliver
Format: ARC
Publisher: Level Best Books
Publish Date: March 10, 2020
Source: TLC Book Tours
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "Downton Abbey meets Agatha Christie...
What's the best way to purge an unfaithful husband?
Become a spy for British Intelligence, of course.
Desperate
to get out of London, and determined to help the war effort and stop
thinking about her philandering husband, Fiona Figg volunteers to go
undercover.
At Ravenswick Abbey a charming South African war
correspondent has tongues wagging. His friends say he's a crack
huntsman. The War Office is convinced he's a traitor. Fiona thinks he's a
pompous prig.
What sort of name is Fredrick Fredricks anyway?
Too bad Fiona doesn't own a Wolseley pith helmet.
"
My Two Cents:
When "Betrayal at Ravenswick" opens, Fiona Figg's life is in
shambles. Her life, which she thought was so very stable is in shambles.
It's 1914 and the war is in full force throughout Europe. Fiona copes
with her newfound personal chaos by throwing herself into supporting the
war effort by taking a job with the War Office as a spy. England is
working to suss out traitors and Fiona is sent to trail after one. Will
she get her man or will she fail?
This book was a really good
opening to a new cozy mystery series. Fiona is a great character and I
loved how we got to see her grow and become a lot more independent
throughout the book. At first, she is not confident in how she is going
to be able to corner the suspected traitor. We see her methods and
confidence grow as she finds her footing with her new and very exciting
work.
I haven't delved much into cozy mysteries but they are so
very perfect for winter. The book also has some really nice historical
detail. Reading about Fiona's experiences with the war effort on the
home front in England as well as her time in the hospitals were so
interesting and I loved how the author brought those scenes to life.
The
writing was overall good and kept me enthralled. There were some bits
that felt a bit stiff at the beginning but once Fiona commits herself to
a new cause, the book moves along well with nice pacing.
About Betrayal at Ravenswick
• Publisher: Historia (March 10, 2020)
• Paperback: 240 pages
What’s the best way to purge an unfaithful husband?
Become a spy for British Intelligence, of course.
Desperate to get out of London and determined to help the war effort, Fiona Figg volunteers to go undercover.
It keeps her from thinking about Andrew, her philandering husband.
At Ravenswick Abbey a charming South African war correspondent has tongues wagging.
His friends say he’s a crack huntsman. The War Office is convinced he’s a traitor. Fiona thinks he’s a pompous prig.
What sort of name is Fredrick Fredricks anyway?
Too bad Fiona doesn’t own a Wolseley pith helmet. At Ravenswick a murderer is on the prowl, and it’s not just the big-game hunter who’s ready to pounce.
Reader’s Favorite Award for Best Historical Novel
Social Media
Please use the hashtag #betrayalatravenswick, and tag @tlcbooktours and @kellyoliverbook.
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
About High Treason at the Grand Hotel
• Publisher: Historia (January 5, 2021)
• Paperback: 276 pages
Paris. 1917. Never underestimate the power of a good hat… or a sharp hatpin.
Sent by the War Office to follow the notorious Black Panther, file clerk turned secret agent Fiona Figg is under strict orders not to get too close and not to wear any of her usual “get-ups.”
But what self-respecting British spy can resist a good disguise?
Within hours of her arrival in Paris, Fiona is up to her fake eyebrows in missing maids, jewel thieves, double agents, and high treason.
When Fiona is found dressed as a bellboy holding a bloody paperknife over the body of a dead countess, it’s not just her career that’s on the block.
Her next date might be with Madame Guillotine.
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
About Kelly Oliver
Kelly Oliver grew up in the Northwest, Montana, Idaho, and Washington states. Her maternal grandfather was a forest ranger committed to saving the trees, and her paternal grandfather was a logger hell bent on cutting them down. On both sides, her ancestors were some of the first settlers in Northern Idaho. In her own unlikely story, Kelly went from eating a steady diet of wild game shot by her dad to becoming a vegetarian while studying philosophy and pondering animal minds. Competing with peers who’d come from private schools and posh families “back East,” Kelly’s working class backwoods grit has served her well. And much to her parent’s surprise, she’s managed to feed and cloth herself as a professional philosopher.
When she’s not writing mysteries, Kelly Oliver is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. She earned her B.A. from Gonzaga University and her Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She is the author of thirteen scholarly books, ten anthologies, and over 100 articles, including work on campus rape, reproductive technologies, women and the media, film noir, and Alfred Hitchcock. Her work has been translated into seven languages, and she has published an op-ed on loving our pets in The New York Times. She has been interviewed on ABC television news, the Canadian Broadcasting Network, and various radio programs.
Kelly lives in Nashville with her husband, Benigno Trigo, and her furry family, Mischief and Mayhem.
Find out more about Kelly at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
I'm with you, I haven't read a whole ton of cozy mysteries, but I enjoyed both of these! Perfect to curl up with on the couch while it's cold and awful outside. Thank you for being on this tour! Sara @ TLC Book Tours
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