Book Beginnings: Antique Hunters and Long time, no see

The Antique Hunter's Murder
at the Castle
by C.L. Miller
Atria Books, March 2026

First sentences

The snow was descending in sheets as Bella turned her rental car down the long drive to Fawside Castle. It blanketed the world around her.

About the Book

Description from the Publisher: 

"Hot on the heels of an art forger, a member of the Lockwood Antique Hunter’s Agency disappears while investigating an isolated castle deep in Scottish countryside. Freya and Aunt Carole race to her last known location and arrive in the wintry, snow-covered Scottish Borders.

At the castle, they discover ... a murdered laird in the vegetable garden and his priceless collection of silverware has been stolen. Local police believe Freya’s missing team member was involved with the robbery and murder...but where is she now?

As a snowstorm descends on the castle, Freya and Carole call in back-up to help uncover what happened that fateful night. As each question is met with more mystery, the clock is ticking to find their friend and the murderer before they are cut off from the outside world."

 

Initial Thoughts

This is the third book in C.L. Miller's Antique Hunter series of cozy mysteries, and I haven't read either of the other two books. As usual, I'm jumping into a series with no background and no experience with the characters or story lines. Most of the time, I don't have a lot of problems catching up. But I think it might have been a mistake with this series. I'm not connecting as quickly as I'd like and I seem to be spending way too much time trying to figure out relationships and back stories. So I'm not enjoying the book as much as I likely would if I'd read the others. 

Of course, that's my fault and not a fault of the book or the author. And I'm only about a third of the way through, so things might change. Freya and her Aunt Carole are interesting characters, and the story is moving along at a nice rapid pace. So, we'll see how things develop as I get further into the book – if I get further into the book. 

One other thought: This is the first time I've posted anything here on the blog in over a year – aside from my annual lists of books I've read. I keep promising myself that I'll start blogging and reviewing again, and I go right on breaking that promise. So, we'll see how things develop here, too. 

Please note: The sentence quoted above comes from an advance reader's copy of the book (yes, I'm a little late getting it read). I've checked it against the US edition which came out earlier this month, but haven't compared it with the UK edition. I notice that the titles seem to be different, so I suppose there could be other things that don't match up. 

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 (or one that's caught your eye), 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 nice chance to connect with other readers and bloggers. 

Book Beginnings: The Queen of Poisons

The Queen of Poisons
by Robert Thorogood
Poisoned Pen Press, June 2024

First sentence

Suzie Harris was on a mission.

About the Book

Description from GoodReads: 

The Marlow Murder Club is on the hunt for a killer... 

Geoffrey Lushington, Mayor of Marlow, dies suddenly during a town council meeting. When traces of aconite—also known as the queen of poisons—are found in his coffee cup, the police realize he was murdered. But who did it? And why? 

The police bring Judith, Suzie, and Becks in to investigate the murder as civilian advisors right from the start, so they have free rein to interview suspects and follow the evidence to their heart's content… which is perfect because Judith has no time for rules and standard procedure. But this case has the Marlow Murder Club stumped. Who would want to kill the affable mayor of Marlow? How did they even get the poison into his coffee? And is anyone else in danger? 

The Marlow Murder Club is about to face their most difficult case yet...

 

Initial Thoughts

Well, my first thought isn't exactly about the book — it's about my reading/blogging life. It's been quite a while since I put up a post for Book Beginnings. Actually, it's been quite a while since I posted anything at all on the blog, aside from my list of books read. More than a year, in fact. During that time I've been through a lot of major life changes, and for a long time I wasn't able to do any reading — so there wasn't really much of anything to blog about. But time moves on, and the books are starting to whisper my name again. And now that I'm back to reading, I want to try to get back to blogging, too. They tell me it's therapeutic. 

So, here goes....

Not the most magnetic opening, is it? I'm not sure that first sentence would draw me in if I wasn't already familiar with the Marlow Murder Club books. 

The Queen of Poisons is the third book in Robert Thorogood's Marlow Murder Club series of mystery novels. The two earlier books are The Marlow Murder Club (2021), and Death Comes to Marlow (2023). 

The "Murder Club" of the series consists of three amateur sleuths — a couple of middle-aged women (Becks and Suzie) and a third member who by now should be nearing 80 (Judith was 77 in the first book). I love finding books that feature older women doing interesting things and not just waiting around for dementia to set in, while letting their offspring and nieces and nephews have all the adventures. Judith lives on her own (well, in the first two books, anyway), enjoys swimming nude in the Thames, and solves mysteries. So, naturally, I fell in love with her immediately. 

I've read and enjoyed the first two books, although I thought the second was not as satisfying as the first. That frequently happens in a book series. So I'm hoping this third offering turns out to be as intriguing as the first. 

Please note: The sentence quoted above comes from an advance reader's copy of the book. I've checked it against the UK edition which came out in January. The book is scheduled to be released in the USA in June. 

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 (or one that's caught your eye), 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 nice chance to connect with other readers and bloggers. 

Book Beginnings: The Cloisters

The Cloisters
by Katy Hays
Atria Books, November 2022

First sentence

Death always visited me in August. 

 

About the Book

Description from GoodReads: 

When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination.

Desperate to escape her painful past, Ann is happy to indulge the researchers’ more outlandish theories about the history of fortune telling. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction, and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs. 

 

Initial Thoughts

I've only visited the Cloisters Museum once, but it was an amazing experience, and I'd love to go back someday. And I've always been interested in tarot cards and their history. So The Cloisters sounds like it could be just the book for me! Haven't actually started it yet, but that first sentence is something of a grabber, so I have high hopes. 

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: Stay Awake

Stay Awake
by Megan Goldin
St. Martin's Press, August 2022

Opening Lines

Wednesday 2:42 A.M. 

Starbursts blink from streetlights like they're sharing a secret as I wake to find myself slumped in the back of a cab, without any recollection of how I got here, or where I'm going. 

 

About the Book

Description from GoodReads: 

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers—a stranger who now lives in her apartment and forces her out in the cold. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing, and in its place is a bloodstained knife. That’s when she sees that her hands are covered in black pen, scribbled messages like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE.

Two years ago, Liv was living with her best friend, dating a new man, and thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now, she’s lost and disoriented in a New York City that looks nothing like what she remembers. Catching a glimpse of the local news, she’s horrified to see reports of a crime scene where the victim’s blood has been used to scrawl a message across a window, the same message that’s inked on her hands. What did she do last night? And why does she remember nothing from the past two years? Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn’t remember committing as she tries to piece together the fragments of her life. But there’s someone who does know exactly what she did, and they’ll do anything to make her forget—permanently. 

 

Initial Thoughts

I was attracted to Stay Awake because that storyline reminded me a bit of the movie "Memento" (2000, Directed by Christopher Nolan), which was about a man with short-term memory loss trying to investigate his wife's death. I enjoyed the movie, but I'm happy to report that beyond that basic similar plot device, the stories in the book and film are (thankfully) completely different. 

Following the thoughts and actions of a central character who keeps forgetting what happened to her just a few paragraphs back is challenging. It's an interesting exercise that works sometimes, but sometimes just becomes irritating. 

I'm hoping to stay interested enough in this one to finish it, since I've started and abandoned several other books recently. And I really do hate to keep adding books to that "Did Not Finish" pile. 

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: Small Angels

Small Angels
by Lauren Owen
Random House, August 2022

Opening Sentence

Tell it to the trees.

 

About the Book

Description from NetGalley: 

Lucia and her sisters grew up on the edge of Mockbeggar Woods. They knew it well—its danger, but also its beauty. As a lonely teenager, Kate was drawn to these sisters, who were unlike anyone she’d ever met. But when they brought her into the woods, something dark was awakened, and Kate has never been able to escape the terrible truth of what happened there. 

Chloe has been planning her dream wedding for months. She has the dress, the flowers, and the perfect venue: Small Angels, a charming old church set alongside dense, green woods in the village that her fiancé, Sam, and his sister, Kate, grew up in. But days before the ceremony, Chloe starts to learn of unsettling stories about Small Angels and Mockbeggar Woods. And worse, she begins to see, smell, and hear things that couldn’t possibly be real. 

Now, Kate is returning home for the first time in years—for Sam and Chloe’s wedding. But the woods are stirring again, and Kate must reconnect with Lucia, her first love, to protect Chloe, the village, and herself. An unforgettable novel about the memories that hold us back and those that show us the way forward, this is storytelling at its most magical. 

 

Initial Thoughts

When I read that opening, I couldn't help thinking of the old phrase, "Tell it to the Marines!" Maybe it's all those World War II movies I watched as a kid. 

And no, I wasn't around during World War II. (Well, almost but not quite.)

Not that there would be anything wrong with that. 

I just watch a lot of old movies.

But back to Small Angels. I'm about three-quarters of the way through the book, and it seems like I've been reading it forever. It's not that I haven't been enjoying it, but I do think it's much too long. Hoping to finish it up tonight, although it's one of those books you might not want to read at bedtime. 

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: Dream Town

Dream Town,
by David Baldacci
Grand Central Publishing, April 2022

Opening Lines

It was New Year’s Eve, 1952.

Aloysius Archer was thirty years old, once a decorated soldier, and next a humbled inmate. He was currently a private detective with several years of intense experience trolling the darker side of life.

 

About the Book

Publisher's Description: 

1953 LA. Private investigator and World War II veteran Aloysius Archer intends to ring in the New Year with old friend, aspiring actress Liberty Callahan. Screenwriter Eleanor Lamb interrupts to hire Archer.

After events escalate — mysterious calls, the same car outside her house, and a bloody knife in her sink—Eleanor fears for her life. First a dead body turns up inside of Eleanor’s home . . . and then Eleanor herself disappears.

To find both the murderer and Eleanor, Archer enlists Callahan and his partner Willie Dash. The investigation takes him from mob-ridden Las Vegas to glamorous Hollywood to the darkest corners of Los Angeles—a city where beautiful faces belong to cutthroat schemers, cops can be more corrupt than criminals . . . and powerful people who took his client will kill Archer on their trail. 

 

Initial Thoughts

This is not the book I'm currently reading. Actually, I'm still reading the same book I've been reading for the last couple of weeks. Just can't seem to find much time for reading these days. So I thought I'd preview one of the books I've been planning to read. Or maybe I should say hoping to read. 

Dream Town is the third book in David Baldacci's series of mystery novels centered around private investigator Aloysius Archer, set in the 1950s. I haven't read either of the earlier books, but I've been curious about them for quite a while. I have read other books by Baldacci, and I know he's a great story-teller. So even though I haven't started this one yet, I think it's moving up to the top of my Read-Right-Now! pile. 

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: 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: The Children on the Hill

The Children on the Hill
by Jennifer McMahon

Gallery/Scout Press, April 2022

Opening Lines

The Monster

August 15, 2019

Her smell sends me tumbling back through time to before. 

Before I knew the truth.

 

About the Book

Publisher's Description: 

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Drowning Kind comes a genre-defying new novel, inspired by Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein, that brilliantly explores the eerie mysteries of childhood and the evils perpetrated by the monsters among us.

1978: At her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont, the brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill. But when she’s home with her cherished grandchildren, Vi and Eric, she’s just Gran—teaching them how to take care of their pets, preparing them home-cooked meals, providing them with care and attention and love.

Then one day Gran brings home a child to stay with the family. Iris—silent, hollow-eyed, skittish, and feral—does not behave like a normal girl.

Still, Violet is thrilled to have a new playmate. She and Eric invite Iris to join their Monster Club, where they catalogue all kinds of monsters and dream up ways to defeat them. Before long, Iris begins to come out of her shell. She and Vi and Eric do everything together: ride their bicycles, go to the drive-in, meet at their clubhouse in secret to hunt monsters. Because, as Vi explains, monsters are everywhere.

2019: Lizzy Shelley, the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us, is traveling to Vermont, where a young girl has been abducted, and a monster sighting has the town in an uproar. She’s determined to hunt it down, because Lizzy knows better than anyone that monsters are real—and one of them is her very own sister.

 

Initial Thoughts

Jennifer McMahon has become one of my favorite writers. I've read several of her psychological thrillers, and this one is the best yet. Nice and creepy. I'm about halfway through the book and loving it. Hoping the ending is as good as everything leading up to it!

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.

Book Beginnings: The Christie Affair

The Christie Affair

by Nina de Gramont

St. Martin's Press, February 2022

Opening Sentence

A long time ago in another country, I nearly killed a woman. 

About the Book

Mystery novelist Agatha Christie famously disappeared for eleven days back in 1926. Nina de Gramont's new novel The Christie Affair is historical fiction that centers around the unexplained disappearance, told from the point of view of the woman who was having an affair with Agatha's husband at the time. It's a tale of star-crossed lovers, heartbreak, revenge, and murder — a clever reimagining of one of the most talked-about unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century. 

 

Initial Thoughts

I'm a big Agatha Christie fan, and I generally enjoy a good historical fiction read. So this was sort of a natural choice for me. But I have to admit — the thing that really attracted me to this book was that cover. (Shame on me!)

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: 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.

Book Beginnings: Death in a White Tie

Death in a White Tie

by Ngaio Marsh

First published 1938

Opening Lines

'Roderick,' said Lady Alleyn, looking at her son over the top of her spectacles, 'I am coming out.'

About the Book

A body in the back of a taxi begins an elegantly constructed mystery, perhaps the finest of Marsh's 1930s novels. The season had begun. Debutantes and chaperones were planning their luncheons, teas, dinners, balls. And the blackmailer was planning his strategies, stalking his next victim. But Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn knew that something was up. He had already planted his friend Lord Robert Gospell at the scene. But someone else got there first....(Publisher's description)

Initial Thoughts

 

Coming out? Well, all righty. Coming out of what, I wonder. Have to remember — this is 1938. So...?

I've read a bunch of Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn mysteries, over the years. And I tend to skip around rather than reading them in sequence. So I've managed to neglect some of the earlier books and this is one I'm just now getting to. Hoping it's as entertaining as all the others have been.

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: The Empty House

The Empty House
and Other Ghost Stories

by Algernon Blackwood

First published 1906

Opening Lines

Certain houses, like certain persons, manage somehow to proclaim at once their character for evil.

About the Book

Algernon Blackwood, one of the founding fathers of modern ghost and horror stories, inspired generations of writers from H.P. Lovecraft to Shirley Jackson.... Blackwood's 'The Empty House' is one of the most famous haunted house stories in the English language, with its carefully crafted gathering of tension and dread inference of terrors lurking at the end of every corridor, around every corner, through every half-opened door. This edition includes 'A Haunted Island', 'The Wood of the Dead', 'Skeleton Lake' and several other ghoulish tales.(Publisher's description)

Initial Thoughts

 

Well, I love that opening — the first sentence of this book's first story. Fortunately, I don't think I've ever experienced an evil house, but I do believe they probably exist. Do you?

I was looking around for something spooky to read for the Halloween season, and thought I'd give Blackwood a try. I've read the title story in this collection several times over the years, but not much of his other work. Which is a little odd, since I'm such a huge fan of ghost stories, and Blackwood is one of the masters of the genre. 

So far, I'm enjoying the book, although a couple of the stories are not quite as creepy as I expected. Still, I'm definitely turning all the lights on while I'm reading it, so I'd say that's pretty successful spookiness.

I should probably say something about that cover. It's not the cover of the book I'm reading, and I don't really know what edition it is. Just something I found on the internet. But it sort of grabs attention, don't you think?

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: Smilla's Sense of Snow

Smilla's Sense of Snow

by Peter Høeg

First published 1992

Opening Lines

It’s freezing — an extraordinary 0° Fahrenheit — and it’s snowing, and in the language that is no longer mine, the snow is qanik — big, almost weightless crystals falling in clumps and covering the ground with a layer of pulverized white frost.

About the Book

Smilla Jesperson, who lives in a world of numbers, science and memories, is a stranger in a strange land.  And now Smilla is convinced she has uncovered a shattering crime...

It happened in the Copenhagen snow.  A six-year-old boy, a Greenlander like Smilla, fell to his death from the top of his apartment building.  While the boy's body is still warm, the police pronounce his death an accident.  But Smilla knows her young neighbor didn't fall from the roof on his own.  Soon she is following a path of clues as clear to her as footsteps in the snow.  For her dead neighbor, and for herself, she must embark on a harrowing journey of lies, revelation and violence that will take her back to the world of ice and snow from which she comes, where an explosive secret waits beneath the ice. (Pubisher's description)

Initial Thoughts

 

I've had this one on my TBR list ever since I first heard about it back in the '90s. It caused quite a sensation when it was originally published, and became an international best-seller. Sorry it took me so long to get to it, because I'm really enjoying it so far. And even though I'm not a cold weather lover, it's been sort of comforting to read about all that ice and snow in this triple-digit heat we've been having lately. Snow is so lovely...if I don't have to be out in it.

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: A Body at the Tea Rooms

A Body at the Tea Rooms

by Dee MacDonald

May 2021

Opening Lines

No matter how great a holiday was, it was always good to come home, Kate thought, as she got her first glimpse of the wild Cornish Atlantic coast again at close quarters. It was January and the sea was grey and surly, in contrast to the blue of the Pacific which they’d left behind.

About the Book

In this third book in the Kate Palmer cozy mystery series, Kate has another mystery to solve when a body is discovered in the cellar of the new tea rooms her sister Angie is renovating.

If the village gossip is to be believed, the unfortunate dead man was connected to the wealthy Hedgefield family. Kate is reluctant to get caught up in the investigation but a curious card in the victim’s jacket pocket sparks her interest. Not to mention the worrisome rumor that Angie is somehow involved! 

Keen to clear her sister’s name so she can finally eat cake in the charming tea rooms, Kate teams up with handsome retired Detective ‘Woody’ Forrest to untangle the baffling case. 

Initial Thoughts

 

One of the books I read last month — this was my introduction to the Kate Palmer mysteries, and I enjoyed it even more than I expected to. And now I want to go back and read the earlier books in the series, which means more books added to the already-ridiculously-huge TBR list! But I love that, don't you?

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: The Postscript Murders

The Postscript Murders
by Elly Griffiths
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021

Opening Lines

Prologue

The two men have been standing there for eighteen minutes. Peggy has been timing them on her stopwatch.

About the Book

The death of a ninety-year-old woman with a heart condition should absolutely not be suspicious. DS Harbinder Kaur certainly sees nothing to concern her in the account of Peggy Smith's death given by the woman's carer, Natalka.

But then Natalka reveals that Peggy lied about her heart condition and that she had been sure someone was following her. And that Peggy Smith had been a 'murder consultant' who plotted deaths for authors, and knew more about murder than anyone has any right to. 

Then, after a masked gunman shows up in Peggy's apartment while Natalka is clearing it out, DS Harbinder Kaur begins to think maybe there is no such thing as an unsuspicious death after all.

Initial Thoughts

 

I read The Stranger Diaries — the first book in Elly Griffith's Harbinder Kaur series — a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it, so I was very glad to find that she's written a second one. And so far, I'm enjoying this one even more. Lots of twists and turns, and some wonderfully quirky and appealing characters. Hoping to finish it up and maybe even get a review written (imagine that!) in the next day or two. 

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 Guilty Thing Surprised

A Guilty Thing Surprised
by Ruth Rendell

First published 1970

Opening Sentence

When Quentin Nightingale left home for London each morning his wife was always still asleep.

About the Book

The discovery of Elizabeth Nightingale's broken body in the woods near her home could not have come as a bigger shock. Called in to investigate, Chief Inspector Wexford quickly determines that the Nightingales were considered the perfect couple - wealthy, attractive and without an enemy in the world.

However, someone must have been alone with Elizabeth that night in the woods. Someone who hated - or perhaps loved - her enough to beat her to death.

The case seems straightforward. But Wexford soon learns that beneath the placid surface of the Nightingales' lives lie undercurrents and secrets no one ever suspected. (Description from GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts

 

Well, for many years I would go off to work, leaving my husband either still asleep or just waking up. And I must admit, there were times when I thought I might actually feel perfectly justified in bonking him on the head as I was hurrying out the door. I got over it, but maybe Mrs. Nightingale's hubby just got pushed over the edge?

This is Ruth Rendell's 5th Inspector Wexford mystery, and it's the first one of the series I've read since sometime back in the 1990s, I believe. I read several of them back then, but finally stopped because Rendell's characters are always so completely awful. (With the exception of Wexford himself, of course.) Believable and well developed, but definitely NOT types you'd want to spend a lot of time with. However, I'm really enjoying this book, so maybe I'm finally ready to continue with the series.

Oh, and these days I'm never the first one out of bed.

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: 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: Jerusalem Inn

Jerusalem Inn

by Martha Grimes

First published 1984

Opening Lines

A meeting in a graveyard. That was how it would always come back to him, and without any sense of irony at all — that a meeting in a graveyard did not foreshadow the permanence he was after.

About the Book

A white Christmas couldn't make Newcastle any less dreary for Scotland Yard's Superintendent Richard Jury—until he met a beautiful woman in a snow-covered graveyard. Sensual, warm, and a bit mysterious, she could have put some life into his sagging holiday spirit. But the next time Jury saw her, she was cold—and dead. 

Melrose Plant, Jury's aristocratic sidekick, wasn't faring much better. Snow-bound at a stately mansion with a group of artists, critics, and idle-but-titled rich, he, too, encountered a lovely lady . . . or rather, stumbled over her corpse. What linked these two yuletide murders was a remote country pub where snooker, a Nativity scene, and an old secret would uncover a killer . . . or yet another death. (Description from GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts

 

OK, anything that starts with a meeting in a graveyard is definitely gonna grab my interest. I've been wanting to read one of the Richard Jury mysteries for years now, and found this one when I was looking for a book to read for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge. It has a word starting with "J" in the title, so it's perfect for a January read. Actually though, it'll work for a number of the challenges I've got myself involved in this year. 

Once again, I've jumped into the middle of a long-running series, but so far I'm enjoying it and don't feel too lost. (Well, maybe just a little.) Hoping to finish it tonight.

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.