The It Girl by Ruth Ware

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

432 pages

Published July 2022 by Gallery/Scout Press

Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review, through Netgalley

Publisher's Summary: 

April Clarke-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.

Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the year, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder.

My Thoughts: 

Kirkus Reviews: "...the mystery disappoints." 

The Wall Street Journal: "...may well be her best book yet." 

Guys, I'm sad to say that I fall closer to that first comment than the second. What I've come to expect from Ware is a book with a fish out of water heroine, a constant sense of danger, and a book that keeps me spellbound from maybe 100 pages in on to the ending. 

This one has the first. 

But, I'm sad to say, I didn't feel much of a sense of danger until nearly the end and the suspense only arrived, for me, about one hundred pages before that. And, in the end, the "why" of April's murder fell flat. 

I didn't care much for April or Hannah. Oh, heck, I didn't care much for any of the characters but that just called to mind Donna Tart's The Secret History which is the predecessor of all murders/college setting thrillers. Tart pulls that off better. 

And I'm really sort of over dual timeline stories. 

And yet...

I still raced through this book. Because Ware writes terrific settings and the question of who can you trust was compelling. Every one of Hannah's friends seemed to have some potential motivation for killing April and you couldn't be too quick to write any of them off. So, for me, not Ware's best work (that still remains The Turn of the Key) but it was worth the reading and just what I needed in a book when I read it. 

A Highland Christmas by M. C. Beaton

A Highland Christmas: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery by M. C. Beaton
Narrated by Graeme Malcolm
Published November 1999 by Grand Central Publishing
Source: my audiobook copy checked out from my local library

Publisher's Summary:
In the dark, wintry highlands of Lochdubh, Scotland, the spirit of Old St. Nick is about as welcome as a flat tire on a deserted road. The Calvinist element in Lochdubh has always resisted what they view as the secular trimmings of the holiday, so for most of the townspeople, there's no pudding, carols, banquets, gifts, or even whisky for Christmas.

Nor is crime taking a holiday, as Hamish soon finds himself looking for a missing cat belonging to a lonely spinster. Confrontational and curt, the unfriendly woman insists her pet was stolen. Looking into her eyes behind her heavily bolted door, Hamish can see her true problem-she lives in great fear...but what is she afraid of?

Then some thieves make off with a Christmas tree and lights in nearby Cnothan and Hamish must investigate. As if that isn't enough on his holiday plate, Hamish's romance of the new schoolteacher is going fine, until she mentions a perfect little girl whose family abhors Christmas...and whose behavior has recently become very imperfect.

Now it's up to Hamish to make things right. He has to protect an unhappy girl, unlock the secrets of a frightened old woman, and retrieve some stolen holiday goods. And he had better do it quickly, for the church bells will soon toll, and all of Lochdubh will be forced to face another dreary winter without the warm embrace of A Highland Christmas.

My Thoughts: 
This being a Christmas tale, this is even more of a cozy mystery than usual - no dead bodies, no concerns for danger. I mean, a stolen kitten and some missing Christmas lights are hardly as exciting as a dead body on the moors. It's a bit boring, honestly; but at only two hours listening time, it went by quickly enough.

But it's Hamish, so you know I liked it, right? He can be cranky and a little self-centered, but he's right where he belongs and he's happy there. As ever, he's surrounded by the usual kinds of people: a boss who doesn't appreciate him, a cranky old woman, some uptight wealthy people, some colorful locals, and a woman who has the hots for him. And, of course, you know that he's going to solve the mysteries. This time, though, Hamish gets to do some real good - making people happy, pulling people together, and bringing Christmas to Lochdubh.

Graeme Malcolm is perfect as the narrator, as always, adding an extra layer of warmth to the story.

Fans of Hamish will probably like this one, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for someone who isn't already invested in Hamish's life.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey
Published January 2012 by HarperCollins

Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher and TLC Book Tours for this review


My paternal grandmother's people were Scottish; one of my favorite books is Jane Eyre. How could there ever have been any doubt in my mind that I would read this book?


Gemma Hardy is an orphan who has been taken in my her uncle and his family. When her uncle dies, her aunt (who has never cared for her) ships Gemma off to a boarding school where she is a "working girl." Certainly Gemma spends more time working than she does studying and even among the other working girls, Gemma is unable to make friends. Eventually, Gemma is forced to find her own way in the world, taking on a job as an au pair for the niece of a Scottish gentleman. When a secret comes to light, Gemma runs only to find that she is not the person she thought she was but also finding that she can be loved.


As the book began, I worried that I liked the book because it was so very much like Jane Eyre and I knew that I would soon lose interest if things continued that way. I'm not a fan of derivative works; they really have to be able to stand on their own.

Much to my delight, things were enough different to keep me interested and then things really took a turn that veered well off the source material. Livesey has kept enough of the story so that those who have read Jane Eyre will recognize the essentially the same plot. She has also brought in enough new characters, altered the existing characters, and added enough plot elements to allow this book to stand on it's own.

Margot Livesey

For other thoughts on this book, check out the full tour.  You can also learn more about Margot Livesey and her other books at her website, "Like" her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter. Thanks to the ladies at TLC Book Tours for including me on this tour!

Now I might have lost interest in the book during Gemma's wanderings a bit except of two words: Castle Menzies. Gemma finds herself talking refuge in the small town of Aberfeldy, Scotland and at one point, when she is out walking in the hills, Livesey has Gemma overseeing Castle Menzies. Which, of course, means nothing to most readers. Unless you happen to have ancestors who were of Clan Menzies. Oh yes, Gemma was wandering in the lands that my ancestors had roamed hundreds of years ago. I knew where she was at then - could picture the castle, the surrounding lands. I guess an author can never really know what will hook a reader!

Castle Menzies

Death Of A Village: A Hamish MacBeth Mystery by M. C. Beaton

Death of a Village: A Hamish MacBeth Mystery by M. C. Beaton
272 pages
Published January 2004 by Grand Central Publishing

Hamish MacBeth is a constable in the small Scottish Highland village of Lochdubh. He's content there and does everything in his power to avoid being transferred. He's got a reputation as a maverick and his immediate superior would like him to move on, in no small part because MacBeth keeps showing him up.

 In this book, MacBeth first solves an insurance fraud scheme and then, with help from a neighbor, the killings for profit of nursing home patients. But the big case in this book is that of the mysterious goings on in the village of Storye. The people suddenly aren't talking to anyone, they've taken to attending church at all hours, and strange things are happening in the village.

M. C. Beaton has been recommended to me often, both the Hamish MacBeth series and Beaton's other series featuring Agatha Raisins. So I was excited to find this on audio in my library. Turns out that Beaton makes a great book to listen to while I work. This one, at least, is mystery lite. There are not a lot of clues dropped that you have to pay attention to, not a lot of depth in general. But the characters do come alive, as does the countryside. I'll definitely look for more works by Beaton, particularly on audio.