Month: November 2026

‘The Lost Souls of Saint Oda’s by Jess Armstrong is the 4th in the Ruby Vaughn mystery series

/ Pamela Kramer

“The Lost Souls of Saint Oda’s” is the latest entry in the “Ruby Vaughn Mystery” series by Jess Armstrong, and it’s riveting to the end. This series features the eponymous Ruby Vaughn, a former New York socialite, who was exiled to Europe after a scandal. She volunteered in the Great War and is now living in Exeter, England, running an antiquarian bookshop with her best friend, Mr. Owen. The past six months have seen her solving mysteries with the help of Mr. Owen and Ruan Kivell, whom she met in the first novel. It’s February, 1923, and while the Great War is long over, the shadows of the tragedies endured in that war are still ever-present in the minds of many, including Ruby and Ruan.

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‘Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?’ a memoir by Judi Dench with Brendan O’Hea

/ Pamela Kramer

Judi Dench’s memoir is imbued with her trademark humor and self-deprecating narrative. The format is unusual; it’s told as a conversation between Judi and Brendan O’Hea. Brendan explains that Judi loves sitting at the kitchen table talking with friends, both new and old, so it seemed natural to tell her story through such conversations. It’s works wonderfully as we feel that Judi is talking to us directly.

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