News horrible, let's talk books

[rymenhild]

Everything is terrible so I'll tell you about the book I read this morning.

I preordered The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian, #2 in her Page and Sommers mystery series. For reasons having to do with Evil Empire shenanigans, I was able to download the book on Thursday although its listed release date is this upcoming Tuesday.

Anyway, The Missing Page is a totally delightful queer subversion of the cozy mystery genre. In post-WWII Britain, country doctor James Sommers is called down to Cornwall for his estranged uncle's funeral. His variously terrible family members gather there, where they are asked to solve the mystery of a cousin lost two decades before. With the help of Leo Page, spy and also James's lover of two months, James sets out to discover what happened to cousin Rose.

So far, so standard. But Sebastian takes this pile of tropes and turns them all sideways. The romance and mystery plots come together in a story about how, when the family you start with is awful, the family you build can be there instead. Highly recommended. (And talk to me once you read it, because everything I really want to say here is a spoiler!)

Meanwhile, what should I read next?

Comments

[bronze_ribbons]

I'm glad to hear it lives up to the anticipation. I'm hoping to read it a week from now. (I saw some of the drama Thursday night but was in the thick of other things and didn't seize my copy during that weird window.)

Someone mentioned to me that Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle was sparked by The Grey King, so it's on my stack from the library, but I've been whaling through KJC's Magpie world instead in case I get assigned Esther & Dan Gold in an upcoming exchange.

Tangentially, I just read "For the Long Pattern" and enjoyed it.

[rymenhild]

The Raven Cycle really did not work for me, but I know many people who enjoyed it.

Thank you! Wow, that was a long time ago. I don't know how much sense the story makes outside its Milliways Bar context, but I appreciate your reading!