Amy Tector

Best of the series so far. The coroner Dr. Cate Spencer is back, a known entity I could dive right in with. After a brief recap of her investigation into her brother Jason's death in the Congo, she assists at the murder scene outside a Quebec neighbour's home and lends a hand with the investigation. Setting plays a stronger role on this outing, sharing a strong taste of Quebec's eastern townships and a deeper look into Cate's past as she revisits her old stomping grounds. Cate is more self-aware this time, learning to recognize and manage her worst habits without losing her edge. She's also no longer a beginner at murder investigation, identifying and following the clues to unravelling not only a murder but also the mystery of some fabled lost gold. References to Jess Novak and Detective Lemieux from the first book begin to tie the series more closely together. Extra points for bringing Rose back, a side character who isn't dismissed and forgotten after making herself important to the hero. Also have to say (whether or not we see her again), I like Madge a lot.… (altro)

Alice Ahmadis is anxious to impress her American boss, Lily, as an intern at Bonjour Paris magazine. When the lights go out, she goes to the basement of the building accompanied by Alexander, a perfumer from Iceland. While trying to locate boiler room Alice wanders into areas of the Parisian catacombs of the old building. Once she is drawn into the room filled with beautiful gowns and jewels, she imagines the glamorous lives of the previous owners. Alice discovers a green jacket that has an emerald necklace in the pocket which was missing 36 diamonds. She enlists the help of Alice to uncover the history of the found jewels.

Lily turns to her friend Daphne Smythe Baird and her husband Philip to authentic the gems before deciding what to do with them. Alice is optimistic that her “find” could possibly help the struggling magazine. Alice seeks assistance from her college friend, Jacob Myers, who is presently an influential writer. Eventually, they form “the fellowship of the necklace” as they investigate the necklace including the new owner, Luc Seguin, who took over for his mother Olivia, former chief editor. The officer manager, Madame Élise Boucher, has worked for Bonjour Paris for more than 50 years and provides some historical context to life in 1865 France.

Fellowship of the Necklace
“ easy to identify who Louis Napoleon’s mistress was in 1864. Apparently, all of Paris talked about his passionate love affair with the scandalous, low-class, inappropriate, and ill-suited Marguerite Bellanger. Gorgeous and with a pleasingly merry disposition, Marguerite was born Justine Leboeuf in 1838, dirt poor in a backwater village near Saumur.”

The history of the Honeybee Emeralds is one filled with mystery and adventure as it seemed to travel from Madi Hari to famed American singer Josephine Baker during the Roaring Twenties.
There’s still one mystery that remains, how did this prized possession end up in the basement of a Parisian magazine company?

I received a complimentary digital copy of this this from Library Thing Early Readers and Book Funnel.This is my honest and unbiased review.… (altro)

I loved this historical fiction. Listening to this drew me in right away, kept me engaged and hooked throughout the whole story. Listening to this story gave me an itch that made me want to go dig up an unsolved historical mystery and try to solve it, which is easier said than done.
This was so engrossing with each of the characters and their individual stories as well as the story of their group together investigating the mystery of the honeybee emerald necklace. Alice, who works at a magazine in Paris, goes to the neighbors to ask for help and while in the basement finds an old lot of costumes and in a coat pocket, she finds the honeybee emerald necklace, which she presents to her boss and then her boss tells the owner of the magazine about it and how they can use it to save the magazine. This group of friends becomes known as "the fellowship of the necklace" and they each have a part to play as they research and investigate this mystery.
Along the way, they unravel much more than just the secret of the necklace. Lily, Alice's boss, faces unresolved feelings with a long-time friend and the fact that she hasn't been writing like she wanted to years ago. Daphne, Lily's friend, and the Art specialist, who verifies the authenticity of the necklace, faces the issues with her struggling marriage and Alice finds her place where she belongs. There are a couple of lovely and heartfelt moments with romance and finding yourself and realizing/following your dream throughout. The mystery of the necklace is what drives and keeps everything tied together and going until the end when we find out the final key to the mystery of how the necklace ended up in the basement of their Parisian magazine building.
I couldn't listen to this fast enough to find out what the final key was and what happened with everyone.
Part of what kept me going and interested in this so much was the effect of listening to it on audio because I don't know that I would have been as engaged if I had been reading it. The narration on this one was lovely and well-done in my opinion. I was impressed by the fact that the narrator, Lameece Issaq, did all the voices so she sounded like multiple people speaking each part and not the same person. She did great in doing each character so you could tell which person was speaking and in building the world and drawing you into the story. If you haven't listened to or read this yet, then go check it out. It's very intriguing and wonderfully done.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for letting me listen to and review this 5-star story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (altro)

It's ten years after the first Dominion Archives novel and now we're introduced to Dr. Cate Spencer, Ottawa coroner, as she examines the body of a Dominion Archives employee who appears to have committed suicide. Cate has a harder edge than the author's previous heroines, and no wonder: she's a divorced alcoholic threatened by panic attacks if she encounters her ex, while she mourns her recently deceased brother and is combating an emotionally abusive father. But there are just enough oddities to cast some doubt on whether it's really a suicide after all. Cate vows to get to the bottom of things, even if she has to step on police toes to do it.

While almost none of the prior novel's characters are mentioned, it's clearly the same fictional universe and it takes place in the same city. The author brings Ottawa to vivid life once again, including several landmarks I remember from my own visits. Making the coroner the sleuth is an interesting angle, but Cate has a stronger stomach than I do; I had to skim a couple of detailed parts that would appeal to a CSI fan. I was most impressed with Cate's character depth and her personal journey through her struggles, which generates just as much tension as the mystery does. There were a lot of moving pieces in this one, more than I could penetrate to guess who the killer was, but it all fit together in the end.… (altro)