This week, we feature a close look at America in the midst of WWII and a cozy mystery in which a detective duo solve a murder case on the high seas.
Mystery
By Edward Marston
George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield are detectives aboard Atlantic liners in the years prior to World War I. This book, the opening in a series of eight, finds Dillman operating undercover among first-class passengers aboard Lusitania on its 1907 maiden voyage. Watching for petty criminals is his brief, but when a passenger is murdered, Dillman is tasked with solving the mystery. Masefield, another first-class passenger, starts assisting him, forming a fun, yet unlikely partnership.
Allison & Busby reprint edition, 2022, 288 pages
History
‘The Year of Peril: America in 1942’
By Tracy Campbell
In 1941, the United States was unexpectedly thrust into war, and appeared to be losing it the following year. Tracy Campbell takes readers through that year. He reveals the fear stalking the American public, especially early in 1942. People expected the attack on Pearl Harbor to be followed by a Japanese invasion of the American homeland. Air raids by long-range German bombers were also expected. An examination of a critical year, it reminds us times of crisis have always been part of the American experience.
Yale University Press, 2020, 408 pages
Political History
‘Whistle-Stop Politics: Campaign Trains and the Reporters Who Covered Them’
By Edward Segal
Politics is a dirty game. Edward Segal’s new work, however, recalls a lighter, much cleaner, and more nostalgic form of politics. This book discusses the speeches and speakers, the mishaps and missteps, and the humorous and honorable moments on the steel-laden campaign trail. Mr. Segal’s political recollections prove to be a real labor of love that will have readers wishing for the days when politicians made their way through small towns to make speeches or simply wave at the crowds.
Rock Creek Media, 2024, 342 pages
Fiction
‘The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story, A War Story, A Love Story’
By Mark Helprin
Given the present conflicts in the Middle East, this novel of war, love, and the sea seems prescient. Iran attacks U.S. Naval forces, and Capt. Stephen Rensselaer, having enraged the U.S. president, is assigned a small ship as punishment, which he then leads into combat. Meanwhile, he has fallen in love with attorney Katy Farrar. Here, Mark Helprin brings his literary magic of vivid description mixed with action, while portraying in Katy and Stephen the virtues of courage and decency.
Harry N. Abrams, 2023, 512 pages
Classics
‘Complete Cheerful Cherub: 1,001 Verses’
By Rebecca McCann
Each of the 1,001 short, light poems in this collection, originally published in newspapers, is accompanied by comic drawings of a cherub and a small dog. The range of topics is broad, running from virtue and vice to romance, leisure, and friendship. Here is an airy gentleness, a sweetness, even, in some of McCann’s satires that fascinated readers then and still appeals today. Though out of print, this delightful book remains readily available from used booksellers for a reasonable price.
Covici-Friede, 1932, 512 pages
For Kids
By Jan Brett
A perfect winter read featuring the recognizable illustrations of Jan Brett. “The Snowy Nap” features Hedgie the hedgehog who decides to forego his hibernation so he doesn’t miss out on all the winter fun his animal friends tell him about. When a big snow storm hits, a kind girl brings him inside where he gets a new perspective on the season.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2018, 32 pages
