Mit acht Jahren bekam ich zu Weihnachten von meinen Großeltern eine Kamera geschenkt. Eine kleine Kompaktkamera, die nur quadratische Bilder produzierte. Von da an war mein Leben anders.

Smite Turner is renowned for his single-minded devotion to his duty as a magistrate. But behind his relentless focus lies not only a determination to do what is right, but the haunting secrets of his past—secrets that he is determined to hide, even if it means keeping everyone else at arm’s length. Until the day an irresistible woman shows up as a witness in his courtroom.

Miranda Darling isn’t in trouble—yet. But she’s close enough that when Turner threatens her with imprisonment if she puts one foot wrong, she knows she should run in the other direction. And yet no matter how forbidding the man seems on the outside, she can’t bring herself to leave. Instead, when he tries to push her away, she pushes right back—straight through his famous self-control, and into the heart of the passion that he has long hidden away.

Letztens brauchte ich aus diversen Gründe Comfort Food in Form von Lesestoff (das macht total Sinn, ehrlich). Irgendwas mit einem gut lesbaren Stil, wunderbaren Figuren, einer ordentlichen Portion Feels und einem garantiertem Happy End. “Perfekt”, dachte ich. “Ich muss wieder Courtney Milan lesen.” Und dann fiel mir ein, dass es da ja noch die Turner-Brüder gibt, und ich nach “Unveiled” brav geblieben war und mir die anderen Bücher nicht gekauft hatte.

A killer is strangling young women in Cater Street, leaving their swollen-faced bodies in the dark shadows of this genteel neighbourhood. When the Ellison family’s maid becomes the murderer’s third victim, young Inspector Thomas Pitt is assigned to the case. He must break through the walls of upper-class society to get at the truth, and his investigation gradually peels away its veneer, exposing secrets and desires until suspicion becomes more frightening than truth.

Outspoken Charlotte Ellison, struggling to remain within the confining expectations of Victorian manners, has no trouble expressing herself to the irritating policeman. As their relationship shifts from antagonism to something more complicated, Thomas and Charlotte must work together to solve the mystery before the Cater Street hangman strikes again.

Manche Bücher stehen jahrelang im Schrank, ohne je gelesen zu werden (was nicht zuletzt Sinn und Zwecks dieses Blogs ist – lies die verdammten Bücher, Romy). Und am Ende fragt man sich dann, warum man das Buch nicht schon viel, viel eher gelesen hat.  Anne Perrys “The Cater Street Hangman” (auf Deutsch “Der Würger von Cater Street”) ist eines dieser Bücher.

Thor’s hammer is missing again. The thunder god has a disturbing habit of misplacing his weapon–the mightiest force in the Nine Worlds. But this time the hammer isn’t just lost, it has fallen into enemy hands. If Magnus Chase and his friends can’t retrieve the hammer quickly, the mortal worlds will be defenseless against an onslaught of giants. Ragnarok will begin. The Nine Worlds will burn. Unfortunately, the only person who can broker a deal for the hammer’s return is the gods‘ worst enemy, Loki–and the price he wants is very high.

Eines Tages werde ich nach Hause kommen und meine Familie und Freunde vorfinden, die ein “Intervention”-Plakat in meiner Wohnung aufgehängt haben und mit mir reden wollen. “Wir machen uns um dich Sorgen”, werden sie sagen.  “Du liest in letzter Zeit fast nur noch Jugendbücher über Halbgötter. Das muss aufhören. Wir wollen dir nur helfen”

“Ja, aber”, werde ich antworten. “Woher kriege ich denn sonst meine Elf!Feels?”

For a family with four kids, two dogs, assorted cats, and a constant stream of family and friends dropping by, life in the Austin family home has always been remarkably steady and contented. When a family friend suddenly dies in a plane crash, the Austins open their home to an orphaned girl, Maggy Hamilton. The Austin children―Vicky, John, Suzy, and Rob―do their best to be generous and welcoming to Maggy.

Vicky knows she should feel sorry for Maggy, but having sympathy for Maggy is no easy thing. Maggy is moody and spoiled; she breaks toys, wakes people in the middle of the night screaming, discourages homework, and generally causes chaos in the Austin household. How can one small child disrupt a family of six? Will life ever return to normal?

“Meet the Austins” hat mich in meine Kindheit zurück versetzt und die Bücher, die ich in der fünften und sechsten Klasse gerne gelesen habe. Das Buch stammt wie “A Wrinkle in Time” aus der Feder von Madeleine L’Engle, und ist ebenfalls der Auftakt einer ganzen Serie. Im Gegensatz zu “A Wrinkle in Time” ist “Meet the Austins” allerdings keine Genre-Literatur, sondern erzählt die Familiengeschichte der, erraten, Austins.