⭐⭐⭐☆☆ I’ve always appreciated Marie Benedict’s mission to spotlight the untold stories of women throughout history. Some of her books are hits, others are misses—Agent 355 lands somewhere in the middle. It’s a quick novella that I whipped through in no time, but it left me feeling unsatisfied. The premise is compelling: a mysterious female spy working within the Culper Ring during the American Revolution. There are moments of intrigue, particularly in the espionage scenes and political maneuverings, but they’re buried under repetitive inner monologues and uneven pacing. Readers hoping for a vivid, pulse-pounding spy thriller may find this more subdued and speculative than satisfying. The story feels underdeveloped, and the […]
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Golden Age Crime Queens Unite to Solve a Murder Mystery
Marie Benedict’s The Queens of Crime brings together five legendary female mystery writers—Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy—as they set out to solve a real-life murder. Set in 1930s London and France, the novel follows this fictionalized version of the Detection Club as they investigate the death of May Daniels, a young nurse whose body turns up months after she vanished. What begins as an effort to prove themselves equal to their male counterparts turns into a dangerous pursuit when Sayers herself becomes a target. The historical setting is richly drawn, and Benedict’s research shines through, especially in her portrayal of these literary […]
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Amy’s Picks and Pans, Issue 32
Welcome to issue 32 of my monthly Picks and Pans newsletter. This time I dive into an array of genres to bring you some of the best reads out there! Whether you’re into gripping mysteries, spy thrillers, epic historical sagas, or middle grade novels, you’ll find a diverse collection of books to spark your interest. I craft each review to help you discover your next great read, providing thoughtful insights and personal opinions on both books that are getting loads of press and hidden gems. Grab your favorite reading spot, settle in, and let’s explore the wonderful books I read this month! Simon (Sort of) Says By Erin Bow Middle […]
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Science Novel Critique
Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict tells the story of Rosalind Franklin, an unsung hero of science who braved the storm of gender bias to map the structure of DNA, despite constant harassment and undermining in the late 1940s and 1950s. As an X-ray crystallographer, Franklin battled not only the complexities of scientific discovery but also the demeaning attitudes of her male colleagues in academia. Despite her pivotal contributions, the theft of her work shadowed her achievements by other scientists who later won a Nobel Prize. Benedict, who has a knack for bringing the stories of overlooked women in history to light, paints Franklin as a tenacious and intelligent trailblazer. […]
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November 2022 Picks and Pans
Another month of reading came and went, and so did my deadline for writing this post! Oh well, I hope you find something to love here. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid “We live in a world where exceptional women have to sit around waiting for mediocre men.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, Carrie Soto is Back I’ve never been much of a tennis fan, although I took the obligatory tennis lessons at Wesley Park several summers through community ed and then married into a tennis crazed family of jocks. Despite my lack of athleticism, Carrie Soto is Back was engrossing from start to finish. When Carrie Soto retires […]
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The Mystery of Mrs. Christie
In December 1926, novelist Agatha Christie and her husband Archie have a vicious argument about his unfaithfulness. On that frigid night, she vanishes. Investigators find her abandoned car on the edge of a deep pond, her fur coat still inside. Her daughter and unfaithful husband have no idea where she is. English officials unleash an unprecedented manhunt to find her and are joined by people all over the country. She reappears eleven days later, claiming amnesia. Marie Benedict wrote the book in a dual narrative: one story line is from Archie’s point-of-view as he contends with the media circus, the other from Agatha’s as she describes their relationship in […]
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November Reads – Lots to Enjoy
Here you go fellow travelers, the books I read in November. It’s a lighter list than is typical for me, but Thanksgiving with the family is a more about food and fun than reading, right? This month I discovered many new authors—Karin Slaughter, Sunjeev Sahota, Erin Bartels, Alison Gaylin, Steve Pope, Emma Brodie, David R. Boyd, and Adele Myers—the advantage of receiving advance reader copies. Some of them I will definitely read again, but there were a couple clunkers. Read on to find out which ones. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to […]
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J. P. Morgan’s Personal Librarian
In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps build a world-class collection. But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a […]
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