Review: The Broken Hummingbird by Ann Marie Jackson

Synopsis: In the midst of a marital crisis, Jane hatches an unusual plan to avoid a custody battle. She convinces husband Kevin to walk away from the pressures of New York—in particular, her demanding job and an affair she almost had—in the hope that moving to their favorite city abroad will fix their family.

In San Miguel de Allende, Jane and her young sons delight in new adventures, but Kevin still seethes. Jane befriends a circle of intriguing women and helps two girls who remind her of the brother she abandoned when her own parents divorced. After witnessing violence involving the girls’ father, Jane’s vivid dreams, possibly guided by a hummingbird messenger from the hereafter, grow ever darker. When tragedy strikes San Miguel, the community fractures and then rises, and Jane must make a dangerous choice.

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This was not my usual type of fiction reading - however, I decided to take the plunge, and like the main character Jane, opted for new horizons.

The narrative moved between the present and Jane's childhood, which she sees mirrored in her own married life, whilst immersing the reader in the new locale that Jane and her family now reside. Jane finds pleasure and contentment in her home, her kids, and her new found community - however, husband Kevin quietly simmers with resentment and self-righteous indignation, which may soon put paid to Jane's desire for a new start.

The narrative focuses quite a bit on the local community (culture and customs) and in particular the Casa Mia housing project, which at times I found rather .... well ... over-done (ie: too much page time). Some of the characters that formed part of Jane's circle were a little under-done (ie: no depth of character). Finding the right balance is not always easy.

I found the novel, overall, to be a decent read - I think many readers may find that Jane resonates on a more personal level. As mentioned, it was outside of my normal reading, but I am glad I took it on.

Read: December 2025

Review: The Tailor of Riga by Jonathan Harries

Synopsis: I had absolutely no intention of getting into the family business. As I told my father the night he enlightened me on what my ancestors had been up to for over a thousand years, "Sticking a curved dagger into someone's liver ain't quite my cup of tea."

As it turned out, I had no choice. When your family's been assassinating reprobates and other loathsome individuals for seventy generations, you have a certain obligation.

So, while it was a little disconcerting to hear how dear old granny would have become a prostitute if Grandpa Joe hadn't whacked one of Germany's top agents just before the start of World War I, it certainly piqued my interest. Of course, as I discovered, prostitution and murder were pretty de rigueur for my family.

After all, it was my great-grandfather who was hired by the British secret service to kill Jack the Ripper and my mother's cousins who took part in the attempted assassination of Lenin.

My only regret when I finally took up the family sica was not eliminating Jean-Bedel Bokassa just before he crowned himself Emperor of the Central African Empire and ate my two friends.

But we all make mistakes.

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A rather curious (and dubious) tale of the author's discovery of his "real" family history.

"When your family's been assassinating reprobates and other loathsome individuals for seventy generations, you have a certain obligation."

Harries takes us on a journey of discovery - that he is descended from a long line of assassins dating back to Biblical times - and showcases a couple of incidents out of what is no doubt many acts of subterfuge and murderous expediency, de rigueur.

For those who definitely like their humour accompanied by satire, witticisms, anecdotal snippets of questionable historical accuracies and fallacies, then this is for you.

Looking forward to reading more of the exploits in the next books in the series: The Carpet Salesman from Baghdad, The Bodyguard of Sarawak, and The Correspondent of Petrograd.