so-soSet in the 1960s in a small VT town, this mystery introduces a fairly large cast & two main investigators. Franklin Warren has left the city to take a role with the state police & his neighbor, Alice Bellows, misses the excitement of her war work & gets involved in clearing the name of clerk accused of stealing. I liked the setting more than the characters & didn‘t find the ending to be very satisfying. I am curious where the series will go next.
pickHelen is working as an art therapist at a psychiatric hospital in 1964, embroiled in an illicit affair with a colleague, when “the hidden man” is discovered in a derelict house and brought in for assessment. The story then dips back and forth between William‘s present - in which Helen tries to figure out how his life came to this - and his backstory. A gently told, unusual and gripping story, excellent.
so-soI really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the origins of mute psychiatric patient William, but the love life woes of art therapist Helen, who is helping solve the puzzle, were a distraction.
pick4 Stars • In Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers, set in 1960s Britain, art therapist Helen Hansford investigates the mysterious past of a mute patient, William Tuttle, at a psychiatric hospital. Uncovering his reclusive life and a missing woman, Helen navigates her own loneliness, a forbidden attraction, and societal constraints. The novel blends mystery and romance, exploring repression and mental health.
#ShyCreatures #ClareChambers #Bookish
pickRace and civil rights in the early 1960s in LA are the setting for this historical thriller. I found the characters interesting. There were discussions of the Korean War, a photographer and part time server of warrants. Martin Luther King was involved near the end of the book. Harry was the photographer who was capturing history in his pictures. 3.5/5
