Book Beginnings: The Marlow Murder Club

The Marlow Murder Club,
by Robert Thorogood
Poisoned Pen Press, May 2022

Opening Lines

Mrs. Judith Potts was seventy-seven years old and entirely happy with her life. She lived in an Arts and Crafts mansion on the River Thames, she had a job she loved that took up just enough of her time and no more, and best of all, she didn’t have to share her life with any man.

 

About the Book

Publisher's Description: 

Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper.

One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don’t believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local Vicar.

Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.

When another body turns up, they realize they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…

 

Initial Thoughts

I was originally attracted to this book because of that main character. A 77-year-old woman who lives happily on her own, swims in the Thames, and solves mysteries! How could I not love that? Especially since Judith Potts isn't a great deal older than I am. Not that we're terribly alike otherwise. I'm extremely happy that I do have a man to share my life. I don't drink whisky. And you'll never catch me swimming in the Thames. Still, I found her just really intriguing. 

It's not the book I thought I'd be reading this week, but when I discovered that the author, Robert Thorogood, is the creator of one of my favorite British TV series — Death in Paradise — I just couldn't resist. I'm about a third of the way through the book, and it keeps surprising me. I love that. Definitely enjoying it, so far.  

Have a good weekend, everyone.

And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

Book Beginnings: City of the Dead

City of the Dead
(Alex Delaware #37)

Ballantine Books, February 2022

Opening Sentence

Four fifty-three in the morning was too early for anything.

 

About the Book

At 5am in the upscale neighborhood of Westwood Village, two removal men are making a routine pick-up when they make a fatal hit. It's a man — who appeared from nowhere — naked and with no means of identification.

Not long after, a woman is found dead in a house nearby, which neighbors suspect to be a brothel. Could the man have come from there?

When LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis calls brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware to the scene, the case gets even more complicated. Delaware has met the woman before. She's a psychologist too.

Are the two deaths linked? Or is there a darker force at work? (--Penguin Books UK website)

 

Initial Thoughts

Ah, yes. When I read that first sentence, my first thought was "Amen!" I definitely admire all those people who can start getting things done that early, but I have trouble waking up before ten or eleven A.M. Even back when I was working and had to be in the office by eight A.M., I didn't wake up until ten or eleven. 

This is number 37 in Jonathan Kellerman's super-successful mystery series starring forensic psychologist Alex Delaware. I've only read one other book in the series, but really enjoyed it. And so far, I'm really enjoying this one, too. I had been going through a bit of a reading slump earlier this year, but City of the Dead has helped lift me out of it, at least for the moment. Hope to finish it up over the weekend. 

The first book in the series, When the Bough Breaks (1985) was adapted into a film starring Ted Danson as Alex Delaware. I haven't seen it, and Ted Danson doesn't really match my mental picture of Delaware, but he'd probably be good in the role. I'm not usually enthusiastic about seeing film versions of books I've enjoyed, but I do think this series would be great on screen. 

Have a good weekend, everyone.

And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

Edgar Award Nominees Announced

The Mystery Writers of America have announced the nominees for the 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, commonly referred to as the "Edgars." The annual awards honor the past year's best writing in mystery fiction and nonfiction. There are also awards for television writing, published or produced in 2021. 

Since this is my favorite genre, I always like to see who's been nominated every year. Gives me lots of titles to add to my (already ridiculously long) TBR list, and helps me find new authors I might want to try. This year, I'm embarrassed to admit, I haven't read any of the nominated works, and I've only seen one of the TV shows (the  “Happy Families” episode of the Midsomer Murders series, written by Nicholas Hicks-Beach; available on Acorn TV).

The awards celebration is scheduled to take place on April 28, 2022 at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square, as well as online. I'm not going to include all the nominations here (you can see the full list on the MWA website), but these are a  few of the books I'm looking forward to checking out.

Cold-Blooded Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery #3)

by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Category: Best Juvenile Work

From the publisher:

Myrtle Hardcastle – twelve-year-old Young Lady of Quality and Victorian amateur detective – is back on the case, solving a string of bizarre murders in her hometown of Swinburne and picking up right where she left off in Premeditated Myrtle and How to Get Away with Myrtle.

When the proprietor of Leighton’s Mercantile is found dead on the morning his annual Christmas shop display is to be unveiled, it’s clear a killer had revenge in mind. But who would want to kill the local dry-goods merchant? Perhaps someone who remembers the mysterious scandal that destroyed his career as a professor and archaeologist. When the killer strikes again, each time manipulating the figures in the display to foretell the crime, Myrtle finds herself racing to uncover the long-buried facts of a cold case – and the motivations of a modern murderer. 

 

The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet

by Katherine Cowley

(Tule Publishing – Tule Mystery)

Category: The Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award

From the publisher:

Upon the death of her father, Mary Bennet's life is thrown into turmoil. With no fortune or marriage prospects, Mary must rely on the kindness of her relatives. When a mysterious late-night visit by an unknown relative – a Lady Trafford from Castle Durrington – leads to an extended stay and the chance for an education, Mary gratefully accepts the opportunity.

But even as she arrives at the castle, she's faced with one mystery after another. Who is Lady Trafford really and what is she hiding? Do her secrets and manipulations place the small seaside community at risk of an invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte? Always curious, Mary sets out to discover the truth. But when she discovers the dead body of a would-be thief she outed prior to her father's funeral, Mary jeopardizes her position at the castle and her family's good name in her quest for the truth.

Never underestimate the observation skills of a woman who hides in the background.

Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World

by Mark Aldridge

(HarperCollins Publishers – Harper360)

Category: Best Critical/Biographical

From the publisher:

From the very first book publication in 1920 to the upcoming film release of Death on the Nile, this investigation into Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot celebrates a century of probably the world’s favorite fictional detective.

This book tells his story decade-by-decade, exploring his appearances not only in the original novels, short stories and plays but also across stage, screen and radio productions. The hardback edition includes more than 400 illustrations.

Poirot has had near-permanent presence in the public eye ever since the 1920 publication of The Mysterious Affair at Styles. From character development, publication history and private discussion concerning the original stories themselves, to early forays on to the stage and screen, the story of Poirot is as fascinating as it is enduring.

Based on the author’s original research, review excerpts and original Agatha Christie correspondence, Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World is a lively and accessible history of the character, offering new information and helpful pieces of context, that will delight all Agatha Christie fans, from a new generation of readers to those already highly familiar with the canon.

The Reason for the Darkness of the Night:

Edgar Allan Poe and the Forging of American Science

by John Tresch

(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Category: Best Critical/Biographical

From the publisher:

We all think we know Poe – the most popular American writer around the world, dissolute puzzle-maker, pioneer of detective fiction, and author of haunting, atmospheric verse. But what if there was another side to the man who wrote “The Raven” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”? What if Poe were as well known for his speculations about the birth of the universe or his “Sonnet–to Science”? In The Reason for the Darkness of the Night: Edgar Allan Poe and the Forging of American Science, John Tresch offers a bold new life of one of the nineteenth century’s most iconic writers. By shining a spotlight on a time when the line between speculative endeavors and scientific inquiry was blurred, Tresch reveals Poe to have been much more than a practitioner of science fiction – in fact, he was an avid commentator on scientific developments, publishing and circulating in literary milieux that also played host to lectures and demonstrations by the era’s most prominent scientists, semi-scientists, and pseudo-intellectual rogues. As one newspaper put it, “Mr. Poe is not merely a man of science – not merely a poet – not merely a man of letters. He is all combined; and perhaps he is something more.” Beginning with his study of mathematics and engineering at West Point, and taking us through the tumultuous years leading up to publication of “The Raven,” Tresch shows that Poe nurtured a fascination with science from his earliest days as a writer. In works such as “A Descent into the Maelstrom” and “Mesmeric Revelation,” Poe explored subjects ranging from the physics of vortices to occult psychology, later turning his attention to the origins of the universe in a dazzling lecture that would win the admiration of Albert Einstein and other twentieth-century physicists. Throughout, he lived and suffered for his ideas, and remained a figure of brilliant contradiction: he gleefully exposed the hoaxes of the era’s pseudo-scientific fraudsters even as he perpetrated hoaxes himself. The Reason for the Darkness of the Night is the richest portrait yet of a writer whose life is synonymous with mystery and an entertaining, erudite tour of the world of American science just as it was beginning to come into its own.

............

Book Beginnings: London Bridge Is Falling Down

Bryant & May:
London Bridge Is Falling Down

by Christopher Fowler

December 2021

Opening Sentence

May in Regent's Park could put a spring in the step of a corpse. 

About the Book

When ninety-one-year-old Amelia Hoffman dies in her top-floor flat on a busy London road, it’s considered an example of what has gone wrong with modern society: she slipped through the cracks in a failing system.

But detectives Arthur Bryant and John May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit have their doubts. Mrs. Hoffman was once a government security expert, though no one can quite remember her. When a link emerges between the old lady and a diplomat trying to flee the country, it seems that an impossible murder has been committed.

 

Mrs. Hoffman wasn’t the only one at risk. Bryant is convinced that other forgotten women with hidden talents are also in danger. And, curiously, they all own models of London Bridge.

 

With the help of some of their more certifiable informants, the detectives follow the strangest of clues in an investigation that will lead them through forgotten alleyways to the city’s oldest bridge in search of a desperate killer.

 

But just when the case appears to be solved, they discover that Mrs. Hoffman was smarter than anyone imagined. There’s a bigger game afoot that could have terrible consequences. (Publisher's description)

 

Initial Thoughts

Well, my first thought was that this could be my last book for 2021. I have a couple of others I'm trying to finish up, and I'm not sure I'll be able to fit one more into the mix. But if I can, this would be a good choice to end the year with. 

My second thought was something about the creepiness of a corpse walking. With or without that spring in the step.

London Bridge Is Falling Down is number 18 in Christopher Fowler's Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery series, featuring the delightful investigative team of Arthur Bryant and John May. I read number 17 in the series (Oranges and Lemons) earlier this year; it was my introduction to the books and I loved it. So I'm really hoping this one lives up to my expectations.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

Reading Report: Jerusalem Inn

Jerusalem Inn
(A Richard Jury Mystery)
Written by Martha Grimes
First published 1984

Scotland Yard’s Chief Inspector Richard Jury is spending a dreary Christmas in Newcastle when he unexpectedly meets an interesting woman in a snow-covered graveyard. Helen Minton is beautiful, unhappy and mysterious, and Jury thinks she could easily brighten up his sagging holiday spirits. Unfortunately, the next time he sees her, she’s been murdered. 

Meanwhile, Melrose Plant, Jury's aristocratic sidekick and unofficial assistant, isn't faring much better. Snowbound at a stately mansion owned by critic Charles Sealingham and his wife Grace, Plant mixes with a group of artists and idle aristocrats. There he encounters another lovely lady, romance writer Beatrice Sleight. But shortly afterward he stumbles over her corpse in the snow. She’s been shot while wearing a distinctive ermine cloak belonging to her hostess, Grace Sealingham.

Seeking clues in Helen’s murder, Jury eventually arrives at the mansion, discovers Plant, and the two friends team up for the rest of the investigation. Both murders seem to be linked to a remote country pub – Jerusalem Inn –where the game of snooker, a Nativity scene, some fairly complicated family histories, and an old secret will all play their parts in helping Jury uncover a killer and solve a murder that has come to feel much too personal. 

I’ve heard so much praise for Martha Grimes’s series of Richard Jury novels, I was really expecting to enjoy this one more than I did. It’s number five in the series, but the first one I’ve read and I think I definitely would have benefited from reading at least a couple of the earlier novels first. I was a little lost at first – and while I liked the parts of the book that concentrated on Jury and his investigations, I had a hard time warming up to Melrose Plant and his ditzy Aunt Agatha and all their madcap friends and relations. 

At first, the “Jury” part of the book (which I liked) and the “Melrose” part (which I didn’t, much) really seemed like two completely different tales, one having nothing to do with the other. After they finally came together and I understood what was going on and how they matched up, I warmed to the story and characters a little more and actually enjoyed the last third or so quite a lot. But there’s a lot of needless “drawing room” chatter and more info than I really needed about the game of snooker. It diverts attention away from the mystery and sort of bored me. So, just an "OK" read and not one of my favorites of the year, but it certainly hasn’t put me off the idea of sampling more from the series. 

Rating: ✭✭½

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Qualifies for the following reading challenges:

2021 Category Challenge at LibraryThing. 
2021 Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge. 
2021 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge. 

Reading Report: Nemesis by Agatha Christie

Nemesis (A Miss Marple Mystery)
by Agatha Christie
First published 1971

It's been quite a while since I posted any reviews here on the blog. I've been reading, and posting reviews in other places, but for some reason I've been neglecting the blog. So I thought I might start trying to do a little catch-up work and just say a few words about some of the books I've read during the first half of this year.

And I suppose a good place to start would be at the beginning, with the first book I read back in January. 

In this next-to-last Miss Marple novel by Agatha Christie, Jane Marple receives a posthumous request from recently-deceased millionaire Jason Rafiel to investigate a mystery. If she accepts the job and solves the mystery, she'll receive a legacy of £20,000. She's met Rafiel before — they worked together on an earlier mystery (which you can read about in Christie's A Caribbean Mystery, from 1964), so she knows he's eccentric but reliable.

Problem is, Mr. Rafiel doesn't leave any information about the mystery — no clues, no suspect or suspects, no advice about where to start. All she knows is that he wants her to go on a coach tour of English gardens and country houses, which he has arranged and paid for. Now in her eighties, Miss Marple is a bit reluctant at first, but ultimately can't resist the intriguing challenge.

This was a fun read and a good book to start the year with. And though it's hard to improve on Agatha Christie, I think this would have been an even better read (maybe even 5 out of 5 stars) if there hadn't been so much repetition throughout the book. It seemed like every few pages, we'd get another summary of the story so far, or  recap of the assignment Miss Marple was working on. That got very tedious very quickly. But any Miss Marple is better than no Miss Marple, and I'm very sad to realize that I've almost finished the series! (Well, finished with the novels, anyway.) Guess I'll have to start over from the beginning.

Rating: ✭✭✭✭

📚📚📚📚📚📚

Qualifies for the following reading challenges:

2021 Category Challenge at LibraryThing. 
2021 Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge.
2021 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge.

Book Beginnings: Oranges and Lemons

Bryant & May: Oranges and Lemons

by Christopher Fowler

Random House Ballantine / Bantam, 2021

Opening Lines

Chapter 1: Old White Males

‘Everything I tell you is a lie.’

About the Book

On a spring morning in London's Strand, the Speaker of the House of Commons is accidentally killed by a van unloading oranges and lemons for the annual St. Clement Danes festival. It's an absurd way to die, but the government is more interested in investigating the Speaker's state of mind just prior to his accident.

The task is given to the Peculiar Crimes Unit—the only problem being that the unit no longer exists. Its Chief, Raymond Land, is tending his daffodils on the Isle of Wight and senior detectives Arthur Bryant and John May are out of commission; May is undergoing surgery for a bullet wound and Bryant has been missing for a month. What's more, the old unit in King's Cross is being turned into a vegetarian tapas bar.

Against impossible odds, the team is reassembled and once again what should have been a simple case becomes a lunatic farrago involving arson, suicide, magicians, academics and a race to catch a killer with a master plan involving London churches. (Description from GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts

 

Yet again, I'm starting a long-running series without reading even one of the earlier books. Even though I've actually got a copy of the first book in the series. Dumb, right? But this one sounded so good, I just couldn't resist requesting it when I saw it at NetGalley. I was thrilled to get it. (I'm always thrilled whenever someone gives me a book!) I'm a little late in getting it read, but so far, I'm loving it. Can't wait to finish it so I can start reading the series from the very beginning. Don't you love when that happens?

Have a good weekend, everyone.
Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

 

Book Beginnings: Snow

Snow,

by John Banville

(October 2020)

Opening Lines

WINTER, 1957

I'm a priest, for Christ's sake -- how can this be happening to me?

About the Book

Following the discovery of the corpse of a highly respected parish priest at Ballyglass House — the Co. Wexford family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne family — Detective Inspector St John Strafford is called in from Dublin to investigate.

Strafford faces obstruction from all angles, but carries on determinedly in his pursuit of the murderer. However, as the snow continues to fall over this ever-expanding mystery, the people of Ballyglass are equally determined to keep their secrets.  (Description from GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts

 
I was definitely intrigued by that first sentence, and by the book's description. I've been intending to read something by John Banville for years now, so I was happy to get an ARC of this one (yes, I'm a little late getting it read). So far, I'm liking it a lot — Inspector Strafford is really an interesting character, and as yet I don't have any idea "whodunnit." I like that. 

Hope to get it finished up tonight or over the weekend, if all goes well.

Have a good weekend, everyone.
Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

 

Book Beginnings: A Fatal Grace

A Fatal Grace, by Louise Penny (first published 2006)

Second book in the Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series

Opening Lines

Had CC de Poitiers known she was going to be murdered she might have bought her husband, Richard, a Christmas gift.

About the Book

The falling snow brings a hush to Three Pines – until a scream pierces the air. A spectator at the annual Boxing Day curling match has been fatally electrocuted. Heading the investigation, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache unravels the dead woman's past and discovers a history of secrets and enemies. But Gamache has enemies of his own. As a bitter wind blows into the village, something even more chilling is sneaking up behind him. (GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts

Hmmm?  So now I'm wondering why she didn't buy the poor guy a Christmas gift. Even though she didn't know about her impending demise.

I just finished the first book in this series (Still Life, 2005) last week, and liked it so much that I just had to go ahead and read the second book right away. Actually, that doesn't happen very often for me – I usually allow some time between books in a series. But Chief Inspector Gamache is such an attractive character, I felt like I wanted to spend a little more time with him. From the reviews of this one, it seems to be just as good as the first book (it won the Agatha Award for Best Novel), so I have (as usual) high hopes.

Have a good weekend, everyone.
Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday.  As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

Book Beginnings: The King's Justice

The King's Justice, by Susan Elia MacNeal (Bantam, February 2020).

Ninth book in the Maggie Hope series of historical mystery novels.

Opening Lines

Prologue

March 1, 1943

Each incoming tide of the Thames brought another layer of debris, and, when the waters receded, mysteries could be found buried in the silt.

About the Book

Maggie Hope started out as Winston Churchill's secretary, but now she's a secret agent–and the only one who can figure out how a missing violin ties into a series of horrifying murders. 

Traumatized by her past, Maggie finds herself living dangerously–taking huge risks, smoking, drinking, and speeding through the city streets on a motorbike. The last thing she wants is to get entangled in another crime. But when she's called upon to look into the theft of a Stradivarius, one of the finest violins ever made, Maggie can't resist.  

Meanwhile, there's a serial killer on the loose in London, targeting conscientious objectors. Little does she know that investigating this dangerous predator will pit her against a new evil–and old enemies.

Initial Thoughts

This will be a new series for me, and as usual I'm jumping in at the end without having read any of the earlier books. But the premise is intriguing, and I'm always interested in that World War II period as a setting. So I have high hopes for this one.

I'm actually still reading the same book I've been reading for a couple of weeks now (Still Life, by Louise Penny), but I'm expecting to start this new one in a day or two...if I don't get distracted by one of those other books in one of those many piles of TBR books around here.

Have a good weekend, everyone.
Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday.  As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

Book Beginnings: Still Life, by Louise Penny

Still Life, by Louise Penny (first published 2005).

First book in her series of Chief Inspector Gamache mysteries.

Opening Lines

Miss Jane Neal met her maker in the early morning mist of Thanksgiving Sunday. It was pretty much a surprise all round.

About the Book

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter. 

Still Life introduces not only an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces—and this series—with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny. (—GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts

This is a series I've been meaning to sample for years now. My husband recommended it, which is a little odd since he doesn't read many mystery novels. And I'm doing something that's quite unusual for me, too — starting with the very first book! Instead of starting near the end of the series and working my way back. It's definitely a new experience — but so far, a happy one.

Have a good weekend, everyone.
Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday.  As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

Book Beginnings: And Be a Villain

And Be a Villain (Nero Wolfe #13), by Rex Stout. First published 1948. These are the book's first lines:

For the third time I went over the final additions and subtractions on the first page of Form 1040, to make good and sure. Then I swiveled my chair to face Nero Wolfe, who was seated behind his desk to the right of mine reading a book of poems by a guy named Van Doren, Mark Van Doren. So I thought I might as well use a poetry word. 

"It's bleak," I said.

About the Book:

Madeline Fraser, radio talk show host extraordinaire, had a natural dread of dead air. So when one of her on-air guests "signed off" at the mike after drinking a glass of a sponsor’s beverage, it was a broadcaster’s nightmare come true. Enter Nero Wolfe. He agrees to take the case, with his sizable fee contingent on his solving the murder. But to Wolfe’s surprise, everyone connected to the case now tells lies in unison about it. And as the portly detective soon discovers, the secret worth lying about only hides another worth killing for. (--GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts:

I've been looking for soothing reads lately, to take my mind off the current depressing situation, and what could be more soothing than a Nero Wolfe mystery? I read quite a few of these when I was much younger, but there are so many of them (Stout published 33 Nero Wolfe novels, and 41 novellas and short stories between 1934 and 1975), I've still got a huge selection to keep me occupied and calm.

This one begins, as so many do, with Nero Wolfe's assistant and legman Archie Goodwin lamenting how bad Wolfe's financial situation has become. Not to worry — the great man will come up with some high-profile, high-paying case to pursue very soon. Miscreants will be punished. And readers will be dazzled.

Have a good weekend, everyone. Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday.  As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

Book Beginnings: A Fragment of Fear

A Fragment of Fear, by John Bingham (first published 1965). First paragraph of Chapter 1:

We live in a dangerous age, and this is not only because of the hydrogen bomb and high taxation.

About the Book:

"James Compton, a young journalist and crime writer, becomes intrigued by, and then involved in, the mysterious death of an older British woman tourist apparently on holiday near the ruins of Pompeii. On his return to England he becomes further implicated in what he now knows was a murder, but his efforts to help the police are sabotaged by unknown forces who discredit him to such an extent that his evidence and his theories are devalued. However, so determined is he to bring the criminals to justice that he endangers not only his own life but that of his fiancee Juliet on the very day of their long awaited wedding." (–GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts:

Well, my first thought was something about how very, very true that opening line is — especially with all the craziness we're living through at this moment in time. I guess every era has its dangers, but some just seem more frightening than others. And make you feel extremely helpless. But fortunately, this book has kept me nicely distracted from current events, at least for a while.

Have a good weekend, everyone. Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday.  As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

Reading Report: The Body in the Wake

The Body in the Wake (A Faith Fairchild Mystery)
Written by Katherine Hall Page
HarperCollins Publishers
May 2019; 240 pages

Publisher's Description:

For the first time in years, Faith Fairchild has time for herself. Her husband Tom is spending days on the other side of the island using a friend's enhanced WiFi for a project; their son, Ben, after his first year in college, is studying abroad for the summer; and their daughter Amy is working at the old Laughing Gulls Lodge, now a revamped conference center. Faith is looking forward to some projects of her own. Her friend Sophie Maxwell is also spending the summer on Sanpere Island, hoping for distractions from her worries that she isn't yet pregnant. And the daughter of Faith's good friend Pix Miller is getting married to a wonderful guy . . . with a less-than-wonderful mother. Between keeping Sophie's spirits up and Pix's blood pressure down, Faith has her hands full. And that's before a body with a mysterious tattoo and connections far away from small Sanpere Island appears in the Lily Pond.

[Note: I received my copy of this book free of charge from the publisher, through Library Thing's Early Reviewer program, in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received.]

The Faith Fairchild mystery series is one of the longest-running series around (this book is number 25!), and (obviously) one of the most popular. I haven't read any of the earlier books in the series, so I knew I was taking quite a chance when I requested this from Library Thing's Early Reviewer line-up. And it really wasn't surprising that I felt a bit lost right from the start. So many characters and relationships and past histories to figure out and catch up with — it left me feeling like an unwelcome guest at the party.

The book was a quick and easy read, but confusing. There were several subplots going on and quite a few references to happenings in other books in the series. Or at least, I'm assuming that's what they were referring to. After a while, I found myself skipping around in large parts of the narrative, looking for the "main" sections dealing with the actual crime that had been committed. They were not easy to find — really, there wasn't much of a mystery at all. Well, not one that seemed to matter much to anyone. And even if I were more familiar with this series, I think I'd still find that a little disappointing. Not sure if I could recommend this one, but for anyone tempted to try it, I'd definitely recommend reading some of the earlier books first.

Rating: ★★½

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Qualifies for the following reading challenges:

2019 GoodReads Challenge.
2019 Print Only Challenge.

Reading Report: The Janus Stone

The Janus Stone
Written by Elly Griffiths
First published 2010
337 pages, Kindle edition

Lately I really haven't been very faithful about posting reviews or reading reports here on the blog. I've posted reviews in other places, but not here — for some reason. And I regret that. I like to use my book blog as a record of what I've read and what I thought about it. So I'm going to try to play a bit of catch-up over the next week or so, and write a few words about some of the books I've read during this past year. Probably won't try to keep to chronological order, but I'm starting with one I did read back in January — The Janus Stone, by Elly Griffiths.

In the book, archaeologist Ruth Galloway, a forensics expert in Norfolk (England), gets called in to investigate when builders uncover the bones of a child in an area they're excavating for a new development. The headless skeleton has been buried beneath a doorway, in a fashion that suggests it could have been a ritual sacrifice. DCI Harry Nelson — someone Ruth has worked with in the past — must find out if this was indeed some sort of religious ritual, or straightforward murder. And he asks Ruth to help with the case.

The Janus Stone is the second book in Elly Griffiths' series of Ruth Galloway mysteries, and I should say right away that (as usual) I haven't read the first book of the series. Still, overall I enjoyed The Janus Stone quite a lot, although I definitely would have benefited from having read book number one first. There was a lot of to-do in this book about the goings-on in that earlier book and occasionally I felt a little lost. Not the author's fault, of course — it's always best to start reading a series at the beginning. My bad.

As I said, it was reasonably enjoyable, with a decent amount of suspense and atmosphere. And I liked the fact that Ruth is an adult with some life experiences behind her, and isn't portrayed as a raving beauty. She's quirky and enjoys her relatively solitary existence in a remote cottage with only her cats for company.

The one thing that really turned me off (and kept this from being a 4-star read) was the way Ruth's pregnancy and who the father might be becomes the main emphasis of the book about midway through. (**Sorry, but that's really not a spoiler: her "condition" is announced very early in the narrative.**) Well, that's the trouble with most books about expectant mothers: How can the coming event NOT be the most important thing in their lives? Which would have been OK if this hadn't been a whodunnit. In a thriller you really want the focus on the crime and its investigation. Baby bumps just get in the way.

Rating: ★★★

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Qualifies for the following reading challenges:

2019 Calendar of Crime Challenge.
2019 Cloak and Dagger Challenge.
2019 Good Reads Challenge.

Reading Report: The Mystery of the Blue Train

Written by Agatha Christie
First published 1928
Kindle edition, 278 pages

Description:

After spending most of her life as a paid companion, Miss Katherine Grey is left a small fortune by the lady she's been caring for, and decides to visit some distant relatives at their home on the Riviera. So she boards the famous Blue Train for the trip, and meets both legendary detective Hercule Poirot and millionaire’s daughter, Ruth Kettering. Ruth’s marriage is heading for divorce and she's traveling to meet her lover.

The luxurious train carries its passengers across France to the sunny Riviera. And when it arrives at Nice, a guard attempts to wake Ruth Kettering but finds she's been killed, and a heavy blow has disfigured her features almost beyond recognition. What's more, her precious rubies are missing and her maid seems to have disappeared from the train back in Paris. The French police believe Ruth was most probably murdered by the thief who made off with her jewels. But Hercule Poirot is not convinced, so he asks for Miss Grey's help in staging an eerie reenactment of the journey, complete with the murderer on board.

My Thoughts:

This is the 6th book in Agatha Christie's series of mystery novels featuring Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. I'm very slowly working my way through the series (although not in any particular order), and I enjoyed this one — even though I believe I've read that it was not one of Christie's personal favorites. The book has everything I love in her work — luxurious settings, intriguing characters, great dialogue, lots of unexpected twists and turns. And Poirot exhibiting his amazing abilities, exercising his "little grey cells." How could I possibly not enjoy it? The only thing that might have made it better would have been just a little more time spent on that luxurious Blue Train. (Or maybe if Ariadne Oliver had been on board.)

Rating: ★★★★

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Read in July 2018

Qualifies for the following reading challenges: Cloak and Dagger Challenge, Monthly Key Word Challenge, Mount TBR Challenge .

Tailspin, by Sandra Brown

Grand Central Publishing, August 2018
432 pages (Kindle edition) 

In Sandra Brown's latest romantic thriller, Rye Mallett is a fearless "freight dog" pilot charged with flying cargo to far-flung locations. He'll fly anywhere, in any weather, under even the direst conditions, and he's not big on following rules and regulations that might keep him from meeting a deadline. So when he's hired to fly into a completely fogbound northern Georgia town and deliver a mysterious time-sensitive black box to a Dr. Lambert, he doesn't ask questions. But as he nears the isolated landing strip, his plane is sabotaged and he just barely survives the crash landing.

After climbing out of the hopelessly damaged plane, he's met by the strikingly lovely (well, it's a romance novel, right?) Dr. Brynn O'Neal who claims she was sent by Dr. Lambert to retrieve the black box. Rye is immediately intrigued by the mystery surrounding his cargo, and by the attractive Dr. O'Neal, and before long the two are dodging law enforcement officials and some pretty scary hired thugs in the race to deliver the box before time runs out.

I read this one back in July and it was perfect for summer, although a bit out of my comfort zone — I generally don't read romance novels. But I was offered an advance readers edition by NetGalley, and since I'd never read anything by Sandra Brown I decided to take a chance. And I have to say it was pretty good — a bit formulaic, but I was expecting that. I liked a lot of it, especially pilot Rye Mallett (terrible name, but a really intriguing character). And even the breath-taking Brynn wasn't too annoying. But I could have done with a lot fewer steamy sex scenes. Yeah, I know — that's what Sandra Brown is all about. Just sayin' — after a while, it just gets silly and kind of boring.

But even with all the gratuitous coupling, most of the book was very enjoyable — just not enjoyable enough to turn me into a romance reader. I'm very grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read the book and say what I think.

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(Note: I received my copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, free of charge, in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received, and no one tried to influence my opinion of the book.)

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Qualifies for the following reading challenges: Cloak and Dagger 2018 .

Coffin, Scarcely Used, by Colin Watson

Farrago, February 2018
210 pages, Kindle edition
First published 1958

Description (from NetGalley):

In the respectable seaside town of Flaxborough, the equally respectable councillor Harold Carobleat is laid to rest. Cause of death: pneumonia.  

But he is scarcely cold in his coffin before Detective Inspector Purbright, affable and annoyingly polite, must turn out again to examine the death of Carobleat’s neighbour, Marcus Gwill, former prop. of the local rag, the Citizen. This time it looks like foul play, unless a surfeit of marshmallows had led the late and rather unlamented Mr Gwill to commit suicide by electrocution. (‘Power without responsibility’, murmurs Purbright.)  

How were the dead men connected, both to each other and to a small but select band of other town worthies? Purbright becomes intrigued by a stream of advertisements Gwill was putting in the Citizen, for some very oddly named antique items… 

Witty and a little wicked, Colin Watson’s tales offer a mordantly entertaining cast of characters and laugh-out-loud wordplay.

My Thoughts:

I am so happy to have discovered Colin Watson's Flaxborough Chronicles! Coffin, Scarcely Used is the first book in the long-running series, and I'm a little surprised that I've never even heard of the books before now. It's true, they're a trifle dated today — of course, you could say the same thing about the works of any of the other classic crime writers. But the clever word play and slightly wacky humor are still very fresh, and Inspector Purbright is an absolute delight. I do believe I've found a new favorite mystery series!

(Note: I received my copy of this book from the publisher, free of charge, through the NetGalley website. No other compensation was received, and no one tried to influence my opinion of the book.)

Rating: ★★★★

Notable Quotes:

The waitress drifted near, eyed them with sad disapproval, and retired to lean against the further wall like a martyr turned down by fastidious lions. (Loc.550)

'...The remark stuck in her mind. It's a very narrow mind,' Love explained. (Loc.645)

'...We're rather badly off for crime round here. Nastiness is as much as most of them can rise to.' (Loc.1720)

Since the war, the excitements of the place had dwindled to routine drunkenness at the week-end, the odd fight or two, and a little listless wife-beating in such households where that indulgence could be enjoyed without endangering a television set. (Loc.1865)

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Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge .

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Give the Boys a Great Big Hand, by Ed McBain

Thomas & Mercer edition published December 2011
First published 1960
204 pages (Kindle edition)

About the book:

He dresses in black and stalks the streets of the 87th Precinct. He is a shadow, always searching for his next victim. And when he finds it, all that will be left is a severed hand.

For Detectives Carella and Hawes, this new killer is an enigma. He leaves no trace of his crime—no evidence at all. Even the severed hands have had their fingertips sheared off. With nothing much to go on, the detectives work off the hunch that the black-clad killer has a grudge against the 87th, and begin a frantic manhunt before any more of his handiwork appears on their streets.

One of world-renowned crime master Ed McBain’s most grisly and intense novels in the famed 87th Precinct series, Give the Boys a Great Big Hand is a finely tuned build-up of brooding malevolence and frantic desperation… (--Amazon UK)

My Thoughts:

Give the Boys a Great Big Hand is no. 11 in the 87th Precinct series. It's been quite a while since I dropped in on "the boys" of the 87th Precinct in Ed McBain's fictional city of Isola. I remember reading a bunch of books in the series back in the 1970s and really enjoying them, but didn't know how I'd feel about them today. After all, they are very much of their time, with all those bad old attitudes and assumptions. (In fact, the books are so un-PC now, they're actually sort of refreshing.) But I should have known better than to worry — Ed McBain (a pseudonym of novelist Evan Hunter) was an absolute master of the hard-boiled police procedural and definitely knew how to hold a reader's interest. The books hold up, even after all these years.

In this one, detectives Steve Carella, Cotton Hawes, Bert Kling, Meyer Meyer (yes, that's the name, not a typo) and all the rest of the boys are presented with a seemingly unsolvable case when an airline bag is found, containing just a severed hand with the fingertips removed. Forensics being what they were in the early 1960s, the medical examiner can tell them that it's male and give them a blood type and an approximate height and weight, but that's it. Now they have to find a body to match the hand. And that mission sets them off on one of their most intriguing investigations, including the interviewing of some very intriguing stripper ladies.

All in all, this was a quick enjoyable read. A little gory, of course — but not as bad as some of the more recent crime fiction I've read. I'm only giving it three and a half stars, though — mainly because it doesn't quite come up to the level of some of the other books in the series. Although, that might not really be a fair comparison.

Rating: ★★★½

Notable Quotes:

The diminutive "Meg" did not exactly apply to her because she was five feet seven and a half inches tall with all the cuddly softness of a steel cable. 

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Even conversation seemed to concern itself primarily with the fantasy world, and not the real. Did you see Jack Paar last night? Have you read Doctor Zhivago? Wasn't Dragnet exciting? Did you see the review of Sweet Bird of Youth? Talk, talk, talk, but all of the talk had as its nucleus the world of make-believe. And now the television programs had carried this a step further. More and more channels were featuring people who simply talked about things, so that even the burden of talking about the make-believe world had been removed from the observer's shoulders — there were now other people who would talk it over for him. Life became thrice-removed.

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You are hooked because she can change her face, this woman, and change her body, and all that was warm and tender can suddenly become cold and heartless — and still you are in love. You will be in love with her forever, no matter how she dresses, no matter how they change her, no matter who claims her, she is the same city you saw with the innocent eyes of youth, and she is yours.

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Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge .
Family Tree Reading Challenge .
Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge .

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Miss Zukas and the Library Murders, by Jo Dereske

First published 1994
Avon Paperback edition, 218 pages

(I actually read the Kindle edition, 227 pages.)

First published in 1994, this is the first entry in Dereske's very popular and long-running cozy mystery series featuring librarian Helma (short for Wilhelmina) Zukas. When an unidentified dead body turns up in the fiction stacks of the public library, everyone is amazed and horrified. Murder just doesn't happen in lovely Bellehaven, Washington — and certainly not in the "MO-NE" aisle of the public library! Even after a thorough investigation, the police (led by the charming Chief Gallant) can't seem to turn up any information about the dead man or why the murder took place where it did. Enter Miss Helma Zukas, reference librarian extraordinaire, who just can't let a good question go unanswered. With her talent for tracking down information and her Miss-Marple-like "noticing" abilities, she's definitely on the case.

I had read one of the later Miss Zukas mysteries several years ago and enjoyed it enough to add this first work to my TBR-someday list. Glad I decided to make this year that "someday" — Miss Zukas No. 1 was a cute, fast read. Must admit, I had pretty much figured out "who dunnit" long before the big reveal, but that didn't spoil the fun. And even though Helma is a little prickly, decidedly opinionated, and not always easy to be around (hey, that sounds just like me!), I'll definitely continue with this series.

Rating: ★★★★

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge .
Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge  (February word: "and").
Reading the '90s Personal Reading Challenge .
USA Fiction Reading Challenge (ongoing) (Washington State).

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