Books

Sunday, November 23, 2025

Books 20-24

 Past Transgressions by Dave Sinclair


Retired spy. Trained killing machine. Pacifist.
Retired MI6 spy Mason Nash moved to a sleepy English town so he could leave his former violent life behind.
He soon learns that past transgressions have a way of catching up with you.
When hired killers invade his peaceful new existence Nash is forced to fall back on his old ways to find out who sent assassins after him and why.
What he uncovers sends him on a globetrotting quest involving old friends, a new clandestine spy agency and a world-wide conspiracy where no one is quite who they seem.
Nash finds out how hard it is to adhere to non-violent ways when everyone is trying to kill you.
This was a fast paced book. Lots of shooting and killing which goes against everything the main character is against in his retirement. I enjoyed it.

Sleep by M K Boers & Miranda Kate

A marriage made in heaven, a murder made in hell.
Why kill the man you love?
Lizzy was struggling, everyone knew that.
He shouldn't have done those things.
He shouldn't have pushed her so hard.
And now, her children, her marriage, her hope - gone.
It was all her fault, she knew that, but was there a chance of redemption?
Lizzy Dyson's on trial for her life. She knows she must pay for what she did, even if it wasn't planned, but will the jury believe her?
This is the worst result of someone who constantly forgives a husband that is always having affairs but thinks she can make it all go way.  It's pretty sad.

Final Justice by Jasmine Cresswell


As an operative with the covert government group Unit One, Melody Beecham has made her share of enemies. Her would-be assassin could be any number of criminals she's put behind bars. But when the evidence points to someone who has no knowledge of her connection to Unit One, the pool of suspects suddenly expands to include almost every person she's ever met.
Melody's partner, Nick Anwar, isn't about to let the woman he loves become the victim of a stone-cold killer. As a web of intrigue and danger follows Melody from Mexico to Washington and New York, Nick comes up with a daring plan to trap their elusive quarry. It will take chilling deception, ruthless determination and complete trust. Because although a killer is out for revenge, Nick and Melody are looking for final justice.
This was pretty action packed but it didn't take too long to figure out who was responsible for the assassination attempts.

A Child far from Home by Lizzie Page

England 1939: A heart-wrenching story of a mother and daughter separated by war, and finding hope in the darkest of times.
With the country on the brink of war, single mother Jean embraces her ten-year-old daughter, Valerie, before she puts her on a train to Somerset alongside hundreds of other evacuees. Jean’s heart breaks as she vows they’ll be together again soon, knowing it’s a promise she might not be able to keep.
Wrenched away from her mother and everything familiar, Valerie arrives in Somerset and nervously waits in the village hall to find a host family. When she is the only child left, she is sent to live with Mrs. Woods, a woman so horrible that Valerie is desperate for Jean to bring her home. But as the weeks turns into months, Valerie finally accepts her mother isn’t coming.
Meanwhile in London, Jean’s life has been torn apart by the war. Desperate and with nowhere to live, she turns to someone from her past, someone she has always kept a secret from her daughter. But when Valerie finally visits and discovers the truth, both their worlds come crashing down. Questioning if she can ever be the mother that Valerie deserves, Jean makes a heartbreaking decision that will have consequences long after the war has ended.
I did enjoy this book, although I found it really dragged in parts. I felt so sorry for Valerie as she found herself in a horrible situation when she was first evacuated. Her mother, Jean, was very frustrating at times. She always felt she was doing the right thing but never seemed to take into consideration Valerie's feelings.
 

The Girl from Seaforth Sands by Katie Flynn

Liverpool, 1902. Bill and Isobel Logan scratch a living by selling their shrimps around the streets, but Amy, their youngest daughter, hates the smell, about which their neighbour, Paddy Keagan, constantly taunts her. When Isobel dies, Bill marries Suzie Keagan, a good-looking widow but lazy and selfish. The Keagans move in and tension begins to mount ...Amy is desperate to get away. She takes a room-share in the city centre but Liverpool is in turmoil with strikes and riots, and life is hard for young girls. Furthermore, Amy's visits home are spoiled by the presence of the hated Paddy ...A warm and moving story of young people and their loves and jealousies, played out against the hardship and humour of their Liverpool background.
I did enjoy this book, even though the ending was so predictable.