The best part of this book is the twisting turns of the plot - just who are these characters and is what you are seeing what is really there? I wanted to like the characters more than I ended up doing. ( )

A bisexual love triangle with hints of spies and the Manhattan Project. Just say NO! As my 5-year granddaughter would say, "ridinkulous!" I listened to this on audio 10 hrs 15 mins ( )

And despite my promise to myself to not read any more WWII books….but when it comes to an author where I have read previous books and really enjoyed them I often don’t read the synopsis and just accept the book on the author’s name and so here I find myself in WWII.

There is, thank heavens, no focus on the battles other than the battle to build the bomb. Yes, that bomb. The one that effectively ended WWII and now for intents and purposes hopefully keeps us from WWIII but I am not so sure with the way things are going lately.

The Half Life of Ruby Fielding is my least favorite of Ms. Kang’s books and I can say it is not due to the War. I just was not engaged by the characters or the story as fully as I had been with her other books. The book was compelling enough for me to finish – trust me, I have encountered books where I simply could not turn another page – but it was one that I could put down for days at a time. So I would call it a good but not great read.

I’m not even sure I can pinpoint a reason to dislike it and I suspect that is the issue – it was neither awful nor great. It just was. Sometimes this happens with a book and I have noted that others found it fascinating so by all means check it out for yourselves. It might just be what you are looking for at this point in your reading lives. ( )

It's WWII, and we meet Will who is working on the Manhattan Project and Maggie, his sister who finally got a job.

Things were going well for the brother and sister team until they found Ruby hiding and frozen under their back porch.

They don't know what to make of Ruby...she has bruises, seems helpless, kills bugs, and knows a lot about poisons.

They also find a vial with poison in her pocket, learn that she tried to kill her fiancee, and her mother asked Will to keep her hidden.

What is going on? Could Ruby be a spy? Did Maggie hear her speaking German?

You will not know what to make of Ruby either or in fact any of the characters.

THE HALF-LIFE OF RUBY FIELDING has great characters, great writing, an interesting story line, and lot of secrets and surprises.

If you are a fan of historical fiction and mystery, you should enjoy this twisty read. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. ( )

This book weaves together many types of historical knowledge in one place. It provides an account of the Manhattan Project in New York City to develop the atomic bomb. It covers the critical but relatively unheralded role that women played in supporting wartime efforts. It shows cultural gaps in New York elitist life. It spans medical subjects like poisons, plants, and remedies to toxic substances. The narrative also explores gender and sexuality, albeit in a manner more popular in the 2020s rather than the 1940s.

Will Scripps is an interested physics student who lives with his sister Maggie. The rest of their immediate family have all passed away. One day, they find a well-dressed woman outside their home who is semi-conscious and stuporous. They take her in to help her recover. From these well-meaning actions, however, a powerful well is tapped with deceit, violence, romance, intrigue, and other page-turning plot enticers.

The first half of the book engaged in more social and emotional material while the second half of the book took shape as an action-filled mystery. The characters at times bordered on lacking a central essence. Indeed, some psychological profiles – of one character in particular – pivoted so much that they seemed like two separate characters. Further, the second half, filled with action and medical intrigue, did not incorporate much of the emotional material from the first half. While reading, I wanted to know the conclusion, as in any good mystery, but I lost my affection for the individuals. I would have liked for more overlap in the two.

Overall, this is an interesting read that conforms to models of mystery and historical fiction. It lacks the sophisticated weaving of complex themes together that would make it a must read. Good, but not great. ( )