Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...

Book Review: The Codebook Murders (Oakwood Mystery, #4) by Leslie Nagel

book review of the codebook murders by leslie nagel
The Codebook Murders (Oakwood Mystery, #4) by Leslie Nagel is the latest installment of the Oakwood Mystery book series. During a summer storm, Charley Carpenter takes cover in a tunnel underneath Oakwood High School and discovers a journal written in code. With it linked to the most infamous cold case in the city, can Charley crack the code to prove Carter's innocence in the death of his girlfriend Regan once and for all?

Each book in this series keeps getting better and better, and I think The Codebook Murders is my favorite yet. I couldn't wait to see how everything came together and if I was correct in my reasoning of who murdered Regan. There were quite a few red herrings, which I loved because it kept me on my toes and had me second guessing myself at every turn. Because of this, it did take me a while to figure out who the culprit was. I also enjoyed knowing that several of the places mentioned in the book are real life locations. It makes me want to explore the area the next time I visit.

Although this book is technically a cozy mystery, it reads much better than most of the other books in this genre. I sincerely hope that Leslie Nagel writes additional books in this series because I have absolutely fallen in love with several of the characters. The author does a great job with the character development and has them maturing.

Five out of five stars is what I gave The Codebook Murders (Oakwood Mystery, #4) by Leslie Nagel. If you enjoyed this book, I recommend The St. Valentine's Day Cookie Massacre by Elisabeth Crabtree.


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