Author: Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

An avid reader whose current interest lies in mysteries and thrillers. Line 'em up! Also personally love fantasies and any stories to do with magic, and a sucker for the occasional (good) romance.
3.5 star, Uncategorized

Review: A Game of Fear by Charles Todd

Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Inspector Ian Rutledge #24

In this newest installment of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series, Scotland Yard’s Ian Rutledge is faced with his most perplexing case yet: a murder with no body, and a killer who can only be a ghost.

Spring, 1921. Scotland Yard sends Inspector Ian Rutledge to the sea-battered village of Walmer on the coast of Essex, where amongst the salt flats and a military airfield lies Benton Abbey, a grand manor with a storied past. The lady of the house may prove his most bewildering witness yet. She claims she saw a violent murder—but there is no body, no blood. She also insists she recognized the killer: Captain Nelson. Only it could not have been Nelson because he died during the war.

Everyone in the village believes that Lady Benton’s losses have turned her mind—she is, after all, a grieving widow and mother—but the woman Rutledge interviews is rational and self-possessed. And then there is Captain Nelson: what really happened to him in the war? The more Rutledge delves into this baffling case, the more suspicious tragedies he uncovers. The Abbey and the airfield hold their secrets tightly. Until Rutledge arrives, and a new trail of death follows… 

This was my first time (randomly) picking a book from this series to read. I actually didn’t realize it was part of a series, but like many other long series, they can be read as standalones too (I think). I think I said I would pick less books up randomly, but luckily this one did not come back to bite me.

A Game of Fear revolves around our protagonist Inspector, Ian Rutledge, who investigates an interesting murder… a murder with no body. Or really any evidence at all, for that matter. Set in 1921 in the small village of Walmer, we get a historical into the look of what happened to the town during and after war, and how that all may be culminating into the current mystery. Is there really a ghost in Walmer?

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discussion

Let’s Talk Bookish – Buying Secondhand Books

Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.

MARCH 18: BUYING SECONDHAND BOOKS (HASINI @ BIBLIOSINI)

Prompts: Do you buy secondhand books? Why or why not? What are the benefits of buying secondhand? What are the cons of secondhand books? What do you recommend people do to better support secondhand bookstores?

Almost spring, everyone! Welcome to another LTB here at DTRH. Today’s topic is about secondhand books. It’s definitely something I wish I bought more of. I think I need to familiarize myself more with the nearby used books shops.

Do I buy secondhand books? Yes. Have I done it often? No. But I suppose that isn’t for want of trying. Whenever I go into a used bookstore, I definitely walk out with more books than I thought I would get. But honestly, I just don’t know where they all are! Or maybe they’re just getting more rare/I don’t bother to go. And ever since the pandemic…well, going just becomes even more rare.

There’s something appealing about secondhand books. I think it’s the lack of anxiety of keeping it in mint condition (can anyone relate to this?). Another benefit, according to one of my friends, is that sometimes you get to see what people have written in or have found thoughtful. While it is slightly blasphemous for me to write in my own book, it’s not as much of an issue when someone else has done it to their own book? It is nice to read through the eyes of someone else sometimes (unless it’s a textbook, haha), and although I haven’t personally bought a book like this, I know some others enjoy this feature!

There aren’t that many cons to buying secondhand books. They’re cheaper, and technically, the words are all the same as a brand new one. The only real con is that they will often be more worn or battered, and may not match the aesthetics of your bookshelf (totally understandable). There is some charm to an antique collection of books though, so they themselves have their own aesthetic, in my opinion.

I’m not sure I have any “suggestions” per se for supporting secondhand bookstores. But I certainly do suggest supporting them. It’s a nice way for people to share their books without formally having to form some kind of book exchange circle. And for people who like to read random books off the shelf, this can be a more cost-efficient way to do so. Even if the book isn’t that great, that’s okay! I have also found that sometimes books that I had always wanted to read in the past can show up at these shops too, which instantly inspires me to pick it up and finally give it a read.

What do you all think about secondhand bookstores and secondhand books? Too old for your liking? Or perfect cost-efficiency?

4.5 star

Review: The Red Palace by June Hur

Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Joseon (Korea), 1758. There are few options available to illegitimate daughters in the capital city, but through hard work and study, eighteen-year-old Hyeon has earned a position as a palace nurse. All she wants is to keep her head down, do a good job, and perhaps finally win her estranged father’s approval.

But Hyeon is suddenly thrust into the dark and dangerous world of court politics when someone murders four women in a single night, and the prime suspect is Hyeon’s closest friend and mentor. Determined to prove her beloved teacher’s innocence, Hyeon launches her own secret investigation.

In her hunt for the truth, she encounters Eojin, a young police inspector also searching for the killer. When evidence begins to point to the Crown Prince himself as the murderer, Hyeon and Eojin must work together to search the darkest corners of the palace to uncover the deadly secrets behind the bloodshed.

June Hur, critically acclaimed author of The Silence of Bones and The Forest of Stolen Girls, returns with The Red Palace—a third evocative, atmospheric historical mystery perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Kerri Maniscalco.

This was one of my anticipated reads back in January and I finally got around to it. And boy am I glad I did! I was expecting a general historical fiction story, not realizing it was doubling up as a mystery novel. Needless to say, that is an instant win in my book, and I certainly enjoyed this one.

The Red Palace takes place in eighteenth-century Korea. Our protagonist, Hyeon, a lowly bastard daughter of a noble, who has worked her way to enter the palace as a nurse. When one day she is forcibly put into the middle of court drama and becomes entangled in an investigation, how will she leverage her position of (non-)power? Or will she be silenced for her crimes should the King find out?

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