Sophie Lilburn tries to be happy when husband Chris wins a coveted music and teaching position at Westmead Cathedral. Jacquie plans a licentious holiday abroad as a last fling before settling into marriage, which appalls her conventional sister Alison. Sophie cannot achieve pregnancy and sees a fertility specialist, while getting to know the cathedral denizens and hearing of a murdered girl found nearby 11 years earlier. Alison unintentionally ruins Jacquie's wedding and is banished. Years later, their father's last wish is to see Alison, and a now-divorced Jacquie determines to find her.
I gave up on this book halfway through. It was pretty obvious that the mysterious murdered girl would turn out to be Alison, which wouldn't have stopped me reading if the characters or story had been more interesting. But there was too much of an evil feel in the book, neither Jacquie nor Sophie were compelling characters, and switching back and forth between their stories felt awkward and disjointed. This isn't a terrible book, but after reading half of it I wasn't sure what genre it is and I didn't care enough about the outcome to skip to the end.
Corbett is sent to Scotland to secretly unravel the mystery behind the death of Alexander III, but someone is determined that Corbett won't have a chance to report any findings. Lacking authority, he still manages to question the important characters, and discovers the secret that someone used to kill a king.
Interesting speculation on a real event, the sudden, supposedly accidental death of the King of Scotland around the 12th century. The story moved right along as Corbett collects pieces of information. Since he had been a soldier, his almost fanatical fear of assassins didn't ring true but didn't spoil the rest of the story. A historical note from the author enlightened the reader as to the historical facts that formed the basis of the tale. The title bore only a tiny relationship to the book, one of my pet peeves.
A strange man turns up in a small English village, insisting he is the real Sir John Farnleigh, baronet and landowner. One of the two claimants is found dead and Inspector Hadley calls in Dr. Gideon Fell to determine the real baronet and find the killer. But is this murder connected with the death of a village woman a year earlier?
I found this book on a “best locked room mystery” list put together by Edward D. Hoch from recommendations of several mystery authors, including Frederick Dannay (better known as Ellery Queen). I wasn't sure about reading it, because I hated another Dr. Fell tale that presented him as an unbelievable know-all and relied on Fell keeping information from the reader. This book didn't offend me at all, but was still curiously unsatisfying. One critical piece of information wasn't hinted at in any way. The killer is a smug, self-satisfied con man. Fell sets up a logical scenario of the murder to trap another person but never explains why the scenario is wrong. I don't like the "now I've solved it … now I've solved it … now I've REALLY solved it" technique, either. The plot was clever enough, but the title was misleading and the style did not impress me. I found this in an omnibus of four Dr. Fell mysteries, and didn't bother to read the others.
Wealthy spinster Amelia Peabody and her beautiful companion Evelyn are travelling upriver on the Nile when they re-encounter an abrasive archeologist and his charming brother. Initially they delay to help the archeologist over a malarial crisis, but when someone dresses as a mummy to drive them away from the palace site, Amelia and Evelyn determine to stay and investigate. Then Evelyn's suitor Lucas, Earl of Ellesmere, arrives to continue his pursuit and joins the fray.
Since I haven't liked any of the Elizabeth Peters books I have read, I didn't expect to like this one. But it ensnared me almost immediately. Amelia is both educated and interested in learning, and she doesn't suffer fools gladly, yet she is basically kind. And her money gives her options most Victorian women did not have. It was pretty obvious that Evelyn would turn out to be the heir after all, and who the villain would be and why, but I must admit I was surprised by some of the details. The romantic entanglements were equally predictable. However, the story was strong enough that the predictability didn't keep me from finishing and enjoying the book.
Hugh is suspicious when the local beadle is found with his throat torn out, apparently by an animal. The next death is definitely murder, and Hugh's head suffers as he follows a devious trail involving a piece of wood, a possible poacher, several clerics, and a lovely distraction.
Interesting story but could have been better written. Starr sprinkles the story way too generously with "if I had only known" and "I later found" comments, which are distracting at best. There are numerous religious comments, and even though I agreed with most of them, they were irrelevant to the story. However, this is a case of a good story making up for technical flaws. I read until the end and the series stays on my to-read list.
As Napoleon threatens Europe, the King of Prussia calls small-town Magistrate Stiffeniis to Konigsburg, to solve a series of horrifying murders.
I only got 47 pages into this book before giving up. It was a very slow, tedious read - lots of words with nothing much happening. An "introduction" explains that 3 years had passed since the horror he had experienced sent him into "a bottomless black pit." I do not enjoy horror. Since all the characters seemed wooden and one-dimensional, I just couldn't see any reason to keep reading.
At a country weekend, the host dies and two thugs force a forensic physician to sign the death certificate, then prevent the guests from leaving until a mysterious item is returned to them.
I got about halfway through, but the thugs are so unlikable and none of the other characters are interesting enough to keep me reading. This is the 4th Allingham book I have tried and I haven't been able to finish any of them.
In Tiberus' Rome, slave Caenis and noble Vespasian can't marry but can't keep their hands off each other either.
Caenus is so very likable that I had read halfway through before I realized there was no storyline. (Vespasian is pretty likable too, although not very believable.) It was like running into an old acquaintance that you haven't seen in a while, and listening patiently while she tells you about her life and her husband's and kids', and you may even find bits interesting - but it couldn't be called a story. According to the cover, this was "a novel of romantic suspense." Well, it wasn't very romantic and there was no suspense whatsoever by the time I gave up.
On a progress with the Queen, Lady Grace is as horrified as everyone else at three nearly-fatal "accidents." Assigned by Elizabeth to investigate, Grace is distracted by a handsome attendant but also finds someone is misleading her.
Good story, fast read, a bit unrealistic in that Grace keeps tripping over clues but since the book models loyalty as well as brains and courage, I can forgive the lack of realism. I enjoy this series!
Desperate to save his British PR firm from insolvency, Douglas Perkins takes on the task of shepherding an obnoxious American singer and his comic opening act with an even more obnoxious mother through their European tour. But as one dark secret after another comes out, the partners' ability to keep the Client out of trouble may be overtaxed.
I couldn't manage to read more than half the book. There was a story but it wasn't interesting enough to overcome the twin debilities of dislikable characters and "if I had only known" foreshadowing. I had a feeling from the book description that it was supposed to be a murder mystery, but there was no murder in the first half of the book so I have to categorize it as regular fiction.
Pretty Kitty Charing was adopted by a miserly friend of her late father's. Now her guardian is prepared to leave his fortune to her, as long as she marries one of his nephews. Otherwise, he will leave her penniless. When the man she would have chosen is too proud or uninterested to join the parade of poor relatives begging her to marry them, she conspires with the dull but wealthy nephew to fake an engagement.
Just another of Heyer's Regency romances. While she does the form well enough, I don't like the phoniness of incredibly beautiful women and handsome, rich men who magically anticipate their desires to win their hearts, and gave up pretty early in the book.
Collection of short stories set in ancient Greece and Rome, featuring some characters who really lived (although the stories themselves are fiction).
Wildly varied stories, from a moderately funny tale in which Aphrodite investigates the murder of a mortal to a twisted Gordianus the Finder contribution to stories with disturbing elements of horror. (Don't read "The Living Tree" if you are subject to nightmares.) It was a slow read but not because the stories were uninteresting, there were just a lot of them. The only flaw was that too many of the stories featured a "justified" murder of a horrible person, with a sleuth unwilling to see the killer punished. That works for an occasional story but it happens enough in this book to almost be a common theme.
Hired by a baronet to retrieve a pocket-book lifted by a prostitute, Benjamin Weaver has to kill the girl's thug and then is blamed by his employer because something is missing from the book.
I barely got 40 pages into the book before giving up. It was a miserable combination of unlikable characters, heavy-handed "if I had only known" foreshadowing, and tedious narration.
eBook downloaded from Gutenberg.org
Poor porter "Trotty" Veck works as hard as he can and cherishes his daughter Meg. But harsh Alderman Cute shatters his self-worth and challenges Meg's plan to marry Richard, a poor smith. Then MP Sir Joseph Bowley claims to be a "friend and father" to the poor, and to tell them what to do - but if they dare to question him, he blasts them as ungrateful. Seeing himself as one of the unworthy poor, Trotty dreams a future in which Richard abandons Meg before the marriage, and Meg winds up poor and desperate.
Like much of Dickens' work, this was a vicious damnation of how rich people treat the poor. Patronizing Alderman Cute sees Trotty savoring a special dinner of tripe and tells him not to pretend he doesn't have enough to eat, then helps himself to the best morsel. There are also traces of the "ghosts" from A Christmas Carol. Full of Dickensian descriptions but the story isn't as riveting as his best.
Publisher's assistant Elizabeth Jones is thrilled when she has an unexpected opportunity to assist her idol, author Margaret Rosenberg. But then Margaret disappears, and Elizabeth tries to help Margaret's hostile son Christian find her, with dangerous results.
Fast read but an odd story in which nothing particularly made sense and the characters were either unbelievable or obnoxious. I got 3/4 of the way through before I realized I didn't care if I picked up the book again, so I skipped to the end.
A co-worker from Sam's policeman past turns up claiming to be tracking down a massive international conspiracy. His alleged suicide sets Sam on the dangerous trail of the same companies and men, and he may meet the same fate.
Not quite as sharp as the other Sam Holts I've read, and the ending had a feel of "I've written enough pages, let's wrap this thing up" that wasn't really satisfying. But it was still a mostly enjoyable story.
An oil company hires Kate to find out who is selling drugs to their employees. She is appalled to find that she likes the people and the company-sponsored luxurious lifestyle, complete with gourmet meals and a sauna, and that her suspect list includes a former co-worker and a new friend.
A straightforward mystery and a fast read. One of the elements that I particularly like about Stabenow's stories is the blending with native Alaskan culture. Sadly, it was lacking in this book except for a minor thread, but hopefully it will reappear in future Kate Shugak tales.
Girls' school headmistress Louisa Barrett enjoys her unusual freedom in the first decade of the 20th century, and doesn't like her suspicion that the widower of her best friend might be responsible for a murder.
There was nothing really wrong with this book. Louisa is a nice enough character, as are most of the rest. The history was accurate as far as I could tell. But it just never caught my interest. Maybe it was the endless paean to the city of Buffalo. I've been there (although not around 1900) and it's not a particularly interesting place. Maybe it was something else. For whatever reason, I gave up a quarter of the way through an admittedly thick book.
in omnibus The Bizarre Murders
Invited to dine at the home of an acquaintance, Ellery Queen is on the spot when a murdered man is found in his friend's office, and in a very strange condition. As the investigation proceeds, Ellery and his father NYPD Inspector Queen find answers to several mysteries surrounding the suspects, but not who the victim was or who killed him … until Ellery Queen puts the clues together.
I was curious about this book because it made a “best locked room mystery” list put together by Edward D. Hoch from recommendations of several mystery authors, including this one. But there was so much I disliked that I don't intend to read any more by this author. I disliked the blatant "they didn't know what was coming" foreshadowing that makes up most of the first chapter. I disliked the author interrupting the story to issue a "challenge" to the reader to identify the killer. I REALLY detested Ellery's solving the mystery, telling his father, and NOT telling the reader; instead, he pulled a "gathering of the suspects" to reveal the killer. Some of this may be period-specific style, but I think it's patronizing and obnoxious in any era, and there is simply nothing so compelling about the story or the characters as to motivate me to keep reading anyway. I finished the book, mostly to see if the ending justified the many offenses against the reader; it didn't. I'm unconvinced it even met the requirement of giving the reader all the information necessary to solve the murder.
in omnibus The Bizarre Murders
Fleeing from a forest fire onto an unfamiliar road, Ellery Queen and his father Inspector Queen take refuge in the house of a famous physician. But the Queens' sense of something evil in the house is borne out when one of the residents is found murdered. After the sheriff states he cannot come because of the fire and eagerly deputizes Inspector Queen to investigate the murder, the two wade through one disturbing relevation after another to identify the killer.
The feel of the book is dated, but the worst problem was that the Queens blundered from one proposed killer to another, and the author did not always supply reasons or evidence for the Queens' beliefs. The forest fire that supplied the time pressure to solve the murder practically required a deus ex machina resolution, and they are never satisfying. I did finish the book but do not consider it time well-invested.
Diego Alatriste y Tenorio was a soldier in 17th century España until the king made peace. Then he hired his sword out to whoever would pay, for whatever assignment.
Narrated by a young boy who was the son of a friend of Alatriste's, this book tries to justify being an assasin for hire but still paints Alatriste as self-centered and dislikable and the boy as boring and consumed by hero-worship. It didn't help that the boy's name was Inigo Balboa. I know Inigo is a perfectly legitimate Hispanic name, but all I could hear was "You killed my father! Prepare to die!" And I know there was a lot of casual killing in that era, and not just in España. But I don't enjoy reading about it. I got a quarter of the way through the book before giving up.
Young and unconnected, Investigating Judge Bernard Martin knows solving the brutal murder of Solange Vernet can make his judicial career. With the patronizing assistance of a police inspector who wants to share the glory of catching a killer, Martin collects clues that may lead him to the live-in lover or the well-connected painter.
I wasn't sure I would like this story, since I generally don't like stories featuring real people. But this is a wild speculation based on a tiny piece of information about Cezanne, and I guess I don't know enough about the artist to be bothered by this book. Although a slow read, it provides a descriptive portrayal of a society that is ossified in some ways and too liberal in others, and the people simply trying to live their own lives in uncertain circumstances. But the murder mystery part was terribly watered-down by Martin's wafflings about his own capability and his anarchist "friend," a thoroughly dislikable self-centered jerk who used Martin (and spineless Martin allowed Merckx to use him). The mystery part was solid enough for me to want to try the next book in the series, but not to finish this one - I got halfway through and skipped to the end.
Grandmama Ellison is peeved when Emily decides to go to France for Christmas and dumps the old lady on her daughter-in-law. But the unexpected death of an aged but vibrantly alive traveller inspires Grandmama to value living again and find the killer.
Part of Perry's Christmas series focusing on minor characters from her other series. A little trite and predictable, but a fast, uncomplicated read.
Budding writer Aristide Ravel is drafted into police service in pre-Revolutionary France when Inspector Brasseur needs his deductive ability to solve a grisly murder. But Aristide may also smell out information certain high-placed personages will kill to protect.
Well-written and well-organized plot, skillfully misdirecting the reader several times and avoiding all my hot keys: no “now he knew the killer” without sharing the information with the reader, Brasseur’s drafting him into police service gives Aristide a logical reason to be sticking his nose in, and if Alleyn made any errors in French usage, they were too subtle for me to detect. And the ending was logical and satisfactory. Most of the characters were basically good people but had realistic flaws. Aristide’s ability to second-guess not only what was done but why is a little extreme, but stretching my suspension of disbelief was rewarded with a thumping good story. The only quarrel I had was with the title; the “Horseman” of the Apocalypse should be translated “Chevalier” rather than the Anglicized “Cavalier,” but if the title truly came from the apparently real item referred to in the book, Alleyn didn’t have much choice but to use the term Cavalier.
Short-story collection, including several featuring Aird’s characters Inspector Sloan (including the title story) and Henry Tyler, as well as a few historical mysteries set in 16th century Scotland and starring a local sheriff. Most are mysteries and the rest provide a twist ending, such as “A Soldier of the Queen.”
Somewhat mixed bag of stories. There were some stories that were quite clever, such as “Due Diligence” and “Losing the Plot,” as well as a few that were rather weak. But overall, an enjoyable book.
Amanda Pepper’s unsatisfactory life includes teaching at a private school for rich kids without academic ability or interest, and a mother whose goal in life is to see her married. But it drastically worsens when a casual acquaintance is murdered in her house, and everyone thinks they were best friends. Police detective C.K. Mackenzie annoys Amanda as well, first by considering her a suspect and later by telling her to stay out of the case while acting on information she supplied.
I was afraid I wouldn’t like this series, as it’s quite popular and started poorly – I don’t like whiny characters. But it quickly improved, as Amanda whined less even if she froze more. Not someone I’d want around in a crisis, but she’s a moderately interesting main character in a mystery. The resolution was weak but tolerable, and the book kept me reading all the way through.
Book editor Edward Stevens realizes a photograph of an 1860’s arsenic murderess is the spitting image of his wife, and with the same name. Then he learns that a neighbor seems to have died of arsenic poisoning.
I did not get far into this book before giving up. The people are too determinedly unexceptional, and the whole atmosphere too determinedly reincarnation-oriented, to interest me.
Two new college graduates and one new highschool graduate take an apartment in NYC to get away from their families and be independent, but of course they start by mooching money from their families so they can get away from them.
I think this was supposed to be a coming-of-age story, but the characters were so unlikable and what story there was was so boring I barely got a quarter of the way through before giving up. All of them barely managed to graduate their respective schools through bad attitudes and shenanigans. There just wasn't any point to reading further.
A man who specializes in debunking vampire myths is shot in a locked room, apparently by a gaunt illusionist. Dr. Fell assists Inspector Hadley of Scotland Yard in finding the killer, which involved a lot of European history to unravel the victim’s past.
I was curious about this book because it made a “best locked room mystery” list put together by Edward D. Hoch from recommendations of several mystery authors, including Frederick Dannay (better known as Ellery Queen). The story is started from the point of view of someone who heard about it rather than being a part of it, which I disliked. However, once the murder occurred, the main characters were as involved as I could wish. Dr. Fell’s excessive quirkiness distracted me from the plot, and his frequent comments about knowing who the murderer was - without revealing it to the police, much less the reader - are something that ordinarily make me throw a book across the room in disgust. His all-encompassing knowledge, absolutely critical to solving the murder, did not ring true, and his frequent lectures (including one on detective stories!) were simply boring. If Dr. Fell was a recurring character, maybe he would have been more real if I’d read other books featuring him, but as a stand-alone he was not intriguing or believable. I stuck with this very slow read because so many authors had praised it so highly and I was hoping the ending would redeem the rest of the book. It was certainly unusual, and I was struck with how cleverly the author had supplied some of the clues, but it was not fabulous enough to make up for the time I wasted reading it.
Graduate language student William Dougal accepts a well-paid translating commission from the man who murdered his tutor. When the man is reported dead, William receives a letter that the man had been pursuing a treasure and murdered by the other claimant, but inviting him to find and claim the treasure himself. William’s greedy girlfriend Amanda urges him to find the treasure, and they are off.
This book was so full of unlikable characters I barely got into it at all. Dougal doesn’t call the police when he finds the dead body of his supervisor because it would make him late for dinner with his girlfriend. His fellow students are shallow and self-obsessed. And the girlfriend is the stereotypical gold-digger. I can’t evaluate the plot because the characters were so obnoxious I couldn’t force myself to read much. The title refers to a medieval language in which the item is written that Dougal is originally commissioned to translate.
American Jessica Tregarthen is enjoying visiting England when two pursuers scare her into flight. Reluctantly rescued by a Cyrano-esque British writer, the villains manage to kidnap both of them and don’t plan on sharing the treasure to which they think Jess is a threat.
Suspense rather than mystery, which is generally too scary for me, and this had too many "if I had only known" comments which I detest. I got about a quarter of the way through and then skipped to the end.
A mysterious note from Letty’s godfather Daniel, written just before he was murdered, sends Letty and guardian vicar William Gunning to Burgundy to unearth his killer. Warned away from the violent Count by both William and the dig archaeologist, Letty is astonished to discover he claims to have been Daniel’s friend.
This book didn’t start as well as The Tomb of Zeus, which I really liked. Letty is just an spoiled, headstrong rich girl rather than a real archaeologist, and her false name fools no one in the little French country town. I slowly waded through half the book before giving up because I didn’t even care enough about the story or the people to skip to the end. The title had nothing to do with the story, another pet peeve of mine. It referred to one sentenced in an admittedly important but still short scene just before the denouement.
Supposedly an narration of the author’s association with justice Sir John Fielding, it immediately deteriorated into a long, boring flashback of the “I was born” variety. When the narrator finally got back to Sir John, he wandered through his impressions as a London newcomer and Sir John’s pledge to find him a printer to apprentice to.
I require a story in order to enjoy a book. When I got a quarter of the way through this book without finding any kind of orderly plot, I quit.
History professor Vicky Bliss finds herself in a race with her English-professor boyfriend Tony and greedy art collector George to find a priceless medieval relic.
I wasn’t wild about this book to start. None of the characters qualify as likable: Vicky is temperamental and self-centered, Tony is a self-obsessed wimp, and George is the stereotypical rich man who gets everything he wants and wants everything he sees. But when the story deteriorated into ghosts and seances, I quit in disgust.
A young woman in peril, with a brother-in-law ruining her father’s business in his absence and trying to force her to marry his friend.
If there was a story here, I couldn’t stick with the book long enough to find it. None of the characters were likable and every other page had an “if I had only known” foreshadowing that I despise. I barely managed to get ten pages into it.
Emily is heartbroken when George’s fancy settles on the lovely granddaughter of their hostess, but she determines to win him back. A horrifying development ends her marriage and puts her own life at risk.
I think this is the end of the series for me. Each book has been gloomier and less interesting than the one before. I wasn’t even interested enough to finish this one.
After a glorious Christmas Eve service at Sherebury cathedral, sixty-ish widow Dorothy trips (literally) over the body of a church canon. Although she has largely withdrawn from life following the unexpected death of her husband, she finds herself determined to identify the killer to save the primary suspect, a troubled young student.
The only thing wrong with this book is that it just didn’t hold my attention. Dorothy is likable enough, the canon was universally disliked, and there are lots of suspects. But I didn’t particularly care what happened next when I put the book down. I finally gave up about 3/4 of the way through.
When an expelled graduate student threatens to sue the University to return its property to the Indians, Roger and Philip are assigned to provide evidence the student participated in illegal activities such as kidnapping the chancellor.
Not at all up to the standard of previous books in the series. The book jumped around in time so much I absolutely could not tell what happened before or after other events. The only likable characters were Roger and Philip. And the story was boring as well. When I got a quarter of the way through and still couldn’t either figure out or care about the plot, I gave up.
Reluctant soldier William Boyle is counting on being the nephew of General Eisenhower to keep him out of danger during WWII. But Ike has Boyle assigned to his London staff to use his policeman’s skills in delicate situations, such as a German spy in the Norwegian royal household and a questionable suicide.
Boyle started out badly, presenting himself as a Boston Irish cop dedicated to preserving Irish control of his home district and taking care of his Irish neighbors and family first. But his moral sense grows as he realizes what the British are fighting for. Then Benn ruined the story again with a totally unbelievable action section, and I thought he was headed for an unsatisfactory ending, but he redeemed both with a convoluted but believable resolution. This was not an easy or simple plot, as much philosophy as action, and intensely reflects the dilemmas faced by commanders in wartime. Not for those who require a happy ending, but would be a good introduction to the historical mystery for those who prefer action plots, in fact I'm going to try to get my son to read it.
A bright but neglected girl meets Sherlock Holmes during WWI.
I didn’t think I’d like this book. The basic concept of a young woman out-Holmesing Sherlock Holmes struck me as wrong. Then King compounded the offense with an “introduction” insisting she was just the “editor.” Phony posing really irritates me. I kept reading, hoping there would be a great story that would make up for the awful concept and cutesy comments, but when I got a quarter of the way through and there was still no story at all, just backstory and snide comments about Mary's aunt, I gave up.
Lady Grace finds herself way over her head when she tries to rescue Lady Sarah from a forced marriage to a wily ship captain.
Another fast-moving and interesting story, although my suspension of disbelief was strained when a pampered Court lady was able to climb ratlines in a swaying ship. Trees are not the same! I also have been very pleasantly surprised at the portrayal of Elizabeth I. She is not a major character in the story but an important one, and demonstrates well-known characteristics: liking for young people and handsome men, excessive kindness to her friends (and, in Grace’s case, the children of her friends), and a strong temper. Her words and actions are fictional but ring very true.
Short-story collection, some murder mysteries, some thrillers.
I prefer the short-story format in many cases, partially because with the shorter length the story rarely has the dragging-in-the-middle problem. And I found Lutz’ short stories initially not nearly as scary as his books (most of which I haven’t been able to finish), but by the time I neared the end, most definitely earned the sobriquet “chilling.”
When her friend Rock hires unemployed journalist Tess to follow his fiancee Ava, Tess arranges for Ava to “confess” her own version of her affair to Rock. Then Ava’s paramour is found murdered and Rock is arrested.
Moderately interesting story of some nice and some vicious people, all doing fairly stupid things, but it dragged quite a bit in the middle (as many books do). I gave up halfway through but I was curious enough to also read the ending.
U.S. Senator Jerry Andrews’ life is so busy that he can put up with his sham marriage. But when a psychiatrist friend is found dead after discussing with Andrews that a famed multiple-personality may be leaving his institution, Andrews’ investigation may put his own life at risk as well.
Lutz writes thrillers with convoluted plots that are just too scary for me. As usual, I got a quarter of the way through and then had to skip to the end.
Annie discovers she is pregnant by her almost-ex-husband Gary while trying to start a new business as a mural painter with her first client Sam.
I could not get into this story at all. Annie is whiny, Gary is sleazy, Annie’s client Sam is impossibly wonderful, none of them were real enough to care about. I barely for a quarter of the way through and I wasn’t even curious enough to skip to the end.
Erlendur and the team try to find the killer of a 10-year-old boy, with a secretive mother, traumatized brother, and translator of questionable loyalty hindering their investigation. After the mother spirits the brother into hiding and refuses to identify her boyfriend, a hint from a child molester sends Erlendur hunting for an unknown pedophile who lived nearby. Meanwhile, Eva Lind reappears and wants to talk to Erlendur about the rumors concerning his brother’s death.
As always, I loved it even though it is exactly the type of book I normally avoid: a gritty police procedural with mostly unlikable characters. I wouldn’t want to sit in a coffee shop and chat with any of them. Less of Eva Lind in this book was a Good Thing and let Indriason concentrate on the main story. The translator should be put through some suitable torture for all the Britishisms jarring my focus on the story. British and American English have so many words in common that there is no need to use those that are clearly one or the other and present an incongruity. (Iceland isn’t England, you know. Nor is it the U.S., and I would have found Americanisms just as jarring.) Although a slow read, Indriason continues to hold me enthralled in the story.
Forced to choose among three suitors selected by Her Majesty Elizabeth I, 13-year-old heiress Lady Grace Cavendish is later horrified when one of the rejected suitors is found dead and her fiance is charged with the murder.
I’ve found two types of “juvenile” novels. The more common type focuses on the silliness of young people, with lots of emphasis on slang and texting, and I have no interest in those at all. The wonderful “Chronicles of Narnia” best represent the second type, which offers straightforward but logical and involving plots and unsubtle but accurate characterization, and can be read and enjoyed by all ages. I am happy to report this series starts as the second type. There are a lot of convenient plot devices, such as Grace and Ellie happening to overhear a substitution plot and Grace’s uncle being the court physician, but the plot moves along as such a spanking clip that I didn’t realize it until afterwards. There is even a critical piece of information that is not given to the reader and I didn’t throw the book against the wall. Very fast read (only took me 2 hours) but thoroughly enjoyable.
Beautiful parson’s daughter Arabella looks forward to a “season” in London to snag a rich husband and help her younger sisters. Forced to seek shelter at a nearby house when her borrowed coach breaks down, she is so offended when the rich bachelor host assumes she staged the accident to try to “catch” him that she impulsively presents herself as also rich and desperately pursued. Impressed by her (but not by her obvious-to-him deception), he lets drop a few words to ensure she is accepted and admired by London society. He eventually proposes and Arabella, desperately regretful at having started the deception, feels she must refuse.
Usual Regency romance, completely obvious as to what would happen. I got a quarter of the way through and then skipped to the end.
Former archer Owen is sent to investigate two possible poisonings that occurred at a monastery.
I just don’t like PI stories, whether they are set in New Orleans or 1920’s Hollywood or ancient Rome or, as here, medieval England. I got 1/3 of the way through and realized I didn’t even care enough about the story to skip to the end.
Lily and her brother Robert are among the nouveau-poor following the Crash of ’29. So when they learn they will inherit a late great-uncle’s house and a million dollars if they live in the house ten years, there is no real choice. They discover that the uncle was murdered and determine to track down the murderer with the help of a hungry reporter, but everyone seems to have a secret to hide.
It was a pretty interesting story (even though most of the developments were obvious well in advance) until Churchill pulled a “now they knew the murderer” trick near the end of the book. I think she was trying to mimic Agatha Christie but it was still very annoying to have Lily and Robert discussing it with Mr. Prinney but hiding the information from the reader. I certainly can’t complain that the reader wasn’t given the information to identify the killer, I had the murderer pegged halfway through the book. The title had nothing to do with the story, one of my pet peeves. Lily and Robert are both very likable people who have become stronger through adversity, so I’ll check out the next in the series to see if Churchill has learned to avoid these irritating problems.
Collection of the “best” locked-room and otherwise impossible mysteries.
I’m not sure what criterion Hoch used to select these stories, but if not the “best” they’re certainly very good. I found them intriguing and well-written. The short-story format is wonderful for a locked-room mystery, which basically requires the detective to determine only how the suspect who cannot have done it actually did it. There were even a couple of science-fiction mysteries by two greats in the field, Poul Anderson and Isaac Asimov.
A group of pilgrims travelling to Thomas a Becket’s shrine in Canterbury decide they should entertain each other with stories each evening. A knight volunteers to start with a tale of Satan-worshippers committing grisly murders in Oxford.
I wasn’t thrilled with the series idea, and the frequent interruptions of the knight’s story by comments from the other pilgrims was terribly distracting. But the clincher was that I really dislike Satanists-based stories, so I barely read this one at all. But I'll still be checking out the rest of the series.
Psychologist Peter Zak is asked to help a man accused of murder solely on the basis of his brain-injured ex-wife’s recollection that he did it.
I really thought I would like this series as I like psychobabble and stories in which a psychological element is critical to the resolution. But the main character was too far gone to hold my interest, and none of the others were particularly interesting to start. Zak is practically crippled by the murder of his wife a couple of years earlier and unwilling to go back to working with criminals. Ephron neatly avoids dumping tons of backstory on a not-yet-interested reader, but Zak is so clearly obsessed with what happened that it is the elephant-in-the-corner problem. Sylvia reminded me too much of various people I've known who refused to grow up and relied on some aspect of their personality to keep their lives pleasant and undemanding. I got about 1/3 of the way through before giving up.
When a critical witness is killed, newly-elected DA Chris Sinclair watches his case fall apart against a criminal mastermind with a perfect public persona.
As soon as I realized this was a legal thriller rather than a murder mystery, I quit. Legal thrillers are just too scary for me.
When Kate’s newly-ex-husband Craig’s fiancee is killed at a spa, he calls her for comfort and to find the killer, to prevent the sheriff arresting him. But none of the other guests even knew Suzanne … or did they?
After reading a quarter of the book, that’s all I can say about the plot. None of the characters were particularly likable or even real. I wasn’t even interested enough to skip to the end.
Unsuccessful actress Rita Farmer accepts a top-secret job to coach a murder suspect to appear more likeable at her trial. Meanwhile, an insurance investigator wants to find out if the suspect’s husband was really killed.
I didn’t think I’d like this book, partiallly because I don’t like anything involving harm to children, and partially because coaching someone to fool a jury is just wrong. I was fooled by a back-cover review that called it “hilarious” and I didn’t realize until later that was a review from a different book. This was not a funny book at all and I disliked it just for the reasons I had expected. Also, Sims kept switching POVs, from first-person with Rita narrating to third-person following the investigator. I’m not wild about dual main characters, although I couldn’t think of a better way to manage the separate plotlines, but the POV switching was just distracting. I quit forcing myself to read a quarter of the way through.
Jill Francis comes to Lydmouth to visit friends after quitting her newspaper job. Richard Thornhill is new to Lydmouth CID and trying to cope with a critical, micromanaging boss. Charlie Meade is much more interested in his criminal activity than his fussbudget boss. The only element remotely connecting them is the discovery of the skeleton of a baby.
Bouncing between three seemingly unrelated stories makes it hard for the reader to figure out what is going on, but I would have stuck with the book if any of them had been interesting. They weren’t. Jill is running from some unspecified grief, Thornhill has an unsatisfactory marriage, and Charlie is just a typical thief. I only made it through the first 50 pages before I gave up.
Perpetually-drunk Semerket is assigned by Vizier Toh to find the killer of a priestess. Resisting the lure of drink, he focuses on the priestess’ village of tomb carvers and decorators, and finds well-rehearsed lies and powerful protectors. When he eventually uncovers a horrifying plot, how can he counter it when those he would trust appear to be involved?
Slow read but interesting. Geagley incorporated the characters’ deep-seated religious beliefs very nicely, but so many situations were resolved after prayer to the Egyptian gods that it felt like true deus ex machina, which is a lazy and unsatisfying plot device. Even so, the characters were believable combinations of good and evil, and the storyline held my interest to the end. Geagley’s resolution involved Semerket’s brother and a court physician telling him what had happened while he was unconscious, a bit awkward but probably more efficient than having Semerket himself experience them all. And the title was only contrivedly related to the story.
Agatha and the latest gorgeous-man-next-door, computer programmer Paul Chatterton, briefly investigate a reported ghost haunting the cottage of a feisty old woman. But when she dies under suspicious circumstances, Paul and Agatha make several dangerous discoveries while hunting for the killer.
Agatha’s obsession with any attractive man continues to irritate, but fortunately there is enough going on in the story to keep me reading. Beaton’s villains are never the most realistic characters but the story moves at a fast pace.
Prissy Canon Hubert, fighter Ralph Delchard, and half-Saxon clerk Gervase Bret come to investigate Bedwyn in the Savernake Forest, but find their informant killed by a wolf. The examiners take on the local abbey, which may have helped itself to a rich tract of land. Meanwhile, Ralph pursues a new paramour and Gervase counsels a reluctant novice.
Complicated plots intertwine around major and minor characters, with an outstanding presentation of the Norman/Saxon conflict underlying all relations between conquerors and conquered. The story itself was a slow read and not as compelling as some I’ve read, but I did finish it.
Filomena Buscarsela was born in Ecuador but is now a NYC beat cop with a jerk partner and desperately working towards promotion to detective. She figures a mysterious but fatal insecticide leak may be her ticket and hunts for the perpetrator with a crime reporter.
I actually think there was probably a pretty good story in this book, but I couldn’t wade through Filomena’s complaints and the large number of obnoxious police and criminals to follow it. I only managed to get a quarter of the way through the book.
Fascinated by a small circus spending the off-season on her neighbor’s land, Dandy strengthens her acquaintanceship with overprotected Ina Wilson to be able to visit the circus people. Then the owner’s wife asks Dandy to speak to a performer with problems. But a suspicious death starts Dandy and Alec ferreting in earnest.
Rather slow-starting and with several seriously unlikeable characters, but with enough plot twists to keep me reading.
Vicar Bloxby’s gorgeous new assistant puts the ladies of Carsely in a lather. But when he is found murdered in the vicar’s study, Mrs. Bloxby asks Agatha and her writer-neighbor John Armitage to find the murderer and lift the suspicion from her husband.
Solid workmanlike mystery with even more twists than usual.
It is the Middle Ages in England. Newly-appointed prioress Eleanor of Wynethorpe has to contend not only with resentful nuns and brothers who don’t think a woman should rule them, but with a murdered and mutilated resident and a young priest with his own agenda.
Interesting story but with two serious flaws. One is the alternating third-person POV between prioress Eleanor and young priest Brother Thomas. While it allowed Royal to present both characters sympathetically, I found it distracting. And since it is third-person rather than first, there is no change in the narrator's voice to help the reader remember who is center-stage at the moment. The second flaw is the heavy-handed preaching/praising of homosexuality. It is extremely difficult to preach and still maintain an involving storyline, and Royal fails miserably. However, by skipping the pro-homosexuality rants, I did finish the book.
Collection of mystery/detective short stories published in 1981.
Like any collection, of varying quality and themes. None impressed me as thoroughly terrible, and I particularly enjoyed “The Problem of the Octagon Room” by the editor and “The Absence of Emily” by Jack Ritchie. “A Token of Appreciation” by Donald Olson was cleverly vicious.
Adulterous widow Philippa hires attainted knight Crispin Guest to find a mysterious relic in her house, but he is more interested in finding her husband’s killer … and in her.
Finally, a medieval PI who doesn’t sound and act like Sam Spade. He is a bit too tormented for my taste, with endless grieving over his lost status. And I got tired of him being beaten up halfway through and skipped to the end. But the plot was moving along logically and the characters were true to their era.
People sharing bodies and magical powers with legends of history like Merlin and Modred fight against ancient evil necromancers.
It is unusual for me to abandon a book because of my Christian beliefs, but I had no other choice with this book. Reincarnation and astral planes are just so wrong I could not continue reading.
in omnibus Take Two at Bedtime
Beautiful Margot Robert visits her adopted mother Zoff to explain that she has broken the engagement to Zoff’s son, and discovers Zoff fears for her life at the hands of her other son.
I couldn’t get into this story either, it just held nothing to interest me. Zoff is a drama queen and Margot a bit of a wimp.
Matthew Jenkyn narrates his uninteresting life in tedious detail.
Yet another “when I was born” boring autobiography. I don’t know what Doherty was thinking.
in omnibus Take Two at Bedtime
Nouveau-poor Gillian Brayton is flattered when a famous schoolmate offers her a job attending to her husband. But is Rita looking for a helper, or a dupe?
Since after the first few pages it was painfully obvious where the story was headed, I skipped to the end.
When mage-attacks start breaking through Valdemar’s borders, Heir Elspeth decides she should recruit a mage to protect Valdemar and teach the Heralds magic as well. Meanwhile, Tayledras scout (and former mage) Darkwind works at keeping k’Sheyna Vale safe, in spite of the scorn of his father.
Some of Lackey’s books are just too scary for me, and this was one. I gave up about halfway through, as soon as the story revealed why Starblade was acting so oddly.
Old and rich Sir Roger Shallot recollects his life.
No more interesting than most books that start with the narrator’s birth. I waded through 30 pages of boring life details intermingled with poisonous and probably libellous comments on historical persons from Richard II through Elizabeth I before I gave up. Especially annoying because Doherty knows how to write an interesting story, he apparently just didn't bother here!
Included in omnibus The Complete Uncle Abner
Second collection of short stories about the narrator’s “Uncle Abner,” who fights for right and uncovers dark deeds.
A shorter book with only four stories, but otherwise more of the same. Abner has had a change of heart and now stands for letting the law judge.
Included in omnibus The Complete Uncle Abner
Collection of short stories about the narrator’s “Uncle Abner,” who fights for right and uncovers dark deeds.
I was curious about a very early example of historical mysteries, but I enjoyed these stories more than I had expected to. It was obvious in most cases what the solution to the mystery would be, but the people and situations were intriguing enough that I didn’t mind. Abner’s self-righteous attitude that he is above the law got old, however.
Collection of short stories with a mystery/murder theme.
Well-written, with layered plots and logical if sometimes unexpected endings, but I didn’t like it. Many of the stories were closer to horror than mystery.
Sequel to Waiting For Summer’s Return
After graduating from college in Boston, Thomas has to choose between casual labor in Hillsboro and a newspaper job in Boston. Complicating his decision is a beautiful but shallow Boston girl who does not share his devotion to God.
I enjoyed both the previous book and this one. The people seem real (except for a few of Thomas' decisions) and their desire to serve the Lord seems an integral part of their personality. Even the fact that I could predict the course of the story didn't detract from my enjoyment.
In 1700, a destitute countess and her former maid agree to work together to collect gossip for a tabloid, but when Countess de la Zouche is found fallen onto a bloody corpse and arrested, Alpiew must find the real killer alone.
I couldn’t get into this story. The countess is a self-obsessed bore and Alpiew (what a horrible name) is a breast-obsessed slut. Since I wouldn’t want to spend time with them in real life, I didn’t care what happened to them in a book.
During the sixth century A.D., Sister Fidelma is part of the pro-Columba delegation to convince a Saxon king he would be wrong to ally with the Roman Church.
Authors need to remember that it’s their job to interest the reader in their characters instead of acting like it’s the reader’s privilege and obligation to sop up lengthy explanations. I waded through 50 pages of who Sister Fidelma’s fellow travelers were, and who made up the Archbishop’s party, and who was arguing for Rome and who for Columba, and who was the king and his three wives and the children of each before I gave up.
John suspects the simultaneous fiery deaths of three stylites were engineered by a new self-proclaimed messenger from God, who expects his followers to force him in as co-emperor with Justinian. But the malicious Empress Theodora charges John’s friend with the murder of his annoying house guest, distracting him from the dangerous Michaelites. And Justinian makes his own contribution to John’s difficulties.
A complicated storyline with heavy doses of court intrigue. I’m not sure I understood what happened, but I did read it all the way through. I also didn't see any connection between the title and the story, one of my pet peeves.
Letty arrives in 1930’s Crete to run an archaeological dig, but finds a former crush there as well. Then a questionable suicide distracts her from the promising dig site and she must defend herself against a powerful enemy.
Rather slow-starting with a heavy dose of unlikeable characters, but it kept me reading anyway. Much better handling of the romance than most writers manage. I wasn’t totally happy with the resolution but it was believable.
Worried about her husband’s long absence on a supposed business trip, an incredibly stupid 17th century Scottish woman insists on traveling to Edinburgh to find him, even though Edinburgh is full of Edward Longshanks’ English troops and his cousin was just killed on the same errand.
Maybe the author thinks ignoring the realities of war is supposed to show courage and independence of mind. I think it just shows stupidity and I had no sympathy for Margaret, so I had no interest in her trials.
A newspaperman during Detroit’s Prohibition heyday testifies before a grand jury investigating police corruption, recalling the killings and the gangsters he interviewed.
I ordinarily detest, despise, and abhor flashbacks. But I have to admit this was different. The introduction established that this newspaper reporter was in front of a grand jury, and then it follows the story he tells. However, to someone who isn’t a fan of gangster stories, it just wasn’t very interesting. The story wandered and didn’t seem to have a point. I tried to make it at least halfway through before giving up, but I couldn't.
Young and dreamy British barrister Julia visits Venice and is accused of killing a fellow traveler.
Why do some writers feel obligated to start their books so as to make the characters seem as unlikeable as possible? This one starts with Hilary praising her own detective and authorship abilities in such an obnoxious way I almost gave up on the second page. I might as well have; by the time I got a quarter-way through the book, I’d suffered through a couple of Julia’s letters, written in a decorative style that would have shamed Dickens, and a number of other “by then, although we didn’t know it” diversions. And none of it was particularly interesting. I gave up.
Young-adult novel about three high school seniors involved in a school shooting.
This book lost me in the first 30 pages. First there was a diatribe about the girl putting her gun in a backpack, then a scene where a teacher notices the fat arms of a school secretary … for several pages. I threw the book down in disgust. Lippman seems to specialize in unlikable characters, which removes my interest faster than anything.
Shakespeare “confesses” to getting mixed up in something that left a loved one dead.
I absolutely could not get into this book. First, I don’t like fiction featuring real people. Second, this book started with an “if I had only known” foreshadowing that I detest. It’s pure laziness on the author’s part to avoid having to work to foreshadow events in a more subtle way. After 20 pages or so of this heavy-handed breast-beating, I gave up. If there was a good story in this book, it was hidden too well for me.
Amilou finds the body of her philandering soon-to-be-ex-husband in a flowerbed the night after he returned to town and she threw him out of their house. She and the homeowner, one of Greg’s questionably former paramours, accuse each other of the murder. But Amilou is hiding something, and her partners Janey and Korine want to know what before Janey’s police-chief husband arrests Amilou for Greg’s murder.
Very layered story, and a great example of how to provide backstory without slowing down the main storylines. All three women have family problems and Herman takes her time in revealing the details, piquing the reader’s curiosity for more. However, the three main characters ran together in my mind, I had trouble keeping all the different stories straight, and the storyline was moderately interesting rather than compelling.
It is the 15th century in Spain. Called to a convent to care for the ill niece of a bishop, Isaac and his new helper Yusuf find themselves in a web of deceit surrounding the missing crown prince as well as a plot to overthrow the king.
Complicated but interesting plot, and real-enough characters up to the end, which I found rather unbelievable. But Roe absolutely nailed the tensions between Christian, Jew, and Moslem in medieval Spain.
In this “sequel” to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, “Feste” learns of Orsino’s death and travels to Illyria to find his killer, who he suspects to be Malvolio.
I really wanted to like this series, as the idea of fools influencing history was so attractive. But the uninteresting people and uninvolving plot left me with no reason to keep reading, and I gave up halfway through. However, hoping that it simply depended too much on the Twelfth Night tie-in, which is arguably my least favorite Shakespeare, I’m going to try the next book in the series anyway.
Collection of short stories featuring Darcy and Sean as criminal investigators in an alternate universe where the Plantagenets still rule over a unified Europe. Includes “The Napoli Express.”
Another collection of engaging stories, solidly plotted. Great for those who enjoy a literate story that makes demands on the reader, such as Dorothy Sayers. For instance, if the reader does not know that Richard the Lionheart died besieging a castle called Chaluz, the he will not understand the references to Richard surviving “the siege of Chaluz” and becoming a much better king. Likewise, unless the reader knows “sherry” was an English corruption of the town where it was originally made, Jerez, she won’t realize what they are drinking when they ask for “Xerez,” although hopefully she can still figure out “oporto” and “ouiskie.”
Lord Gilbert calls in surgeon Hugh de Singleton when a decomposed girl’s body is found in his cesspit. After Hugh is able to identify the girl, Lord Gilbert asks him to find the killer.
This book started well, with the finding of the skeleton, but then deteriorated into a LONG flashback revealing far more than I cared to know about how Hugh became a surgeon, and I almost gave up right there. But the book concept intrigued me, and I read to the end. As a story, it was adequate. But as a historical mystery, it committed terrible errors. I can’t go into details without giving away the plot, but Kathy Emerson made the point in her excellent “How to Write Historical Mysteries” that murder wasn’t the most heinous sin in medieval times, treason was (which included almost any act other than complete cooperation with a social superior). So this book was not true to the period. The story held my interest enough that I’ll read the next book in the series, but if Starr continues to ignore the rules of the period, I will lose interest fast.
Master Sean is arrested for the murder of a fellow sorcerer who had been researching the same topic as Sean. Lord Darcy, of course, is determined to free Sean, even if he has to find the real killer. Darcy and Sean eventually must unravel a Polish plot to steal a top-secret magic device and identify a dangerous traitor.
After enjoying a book of Lord Darcy short stories, I wondered how it would hold up as a full-length novel. I was pleased to find it held up very well, with an involving story featuring mostly likable characters and lots of red herrings as well as the information needed to identify the guilty parties (although I didn't manage to). The only annoyance was a longer explanation of the alternate universe history than Garrett put in the short stories, but it was just a few paragraphs and quickly over.
Old Silas Kane is found dead the morning after his 60th birthday party. Was it an accident? Or did someone want him out of the way?
So full of unlikable people I couldn’t make myself care whether any of them had killed also-unlikable Silas and gave up less than a quarter of the way through.
Collection of short stories featuring superthief Nick Velvet, most of which first appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Nick only steals items of no particular value, such as all the water in a swimming pool or a cheap toy being used on a motion picture set.
I was somewhat lukewarm about the idea of a clever thief who never gets caught. I prefer to see justice win. But Velvet has his own sense of justice and I found myself enjoying the stories, even through my distaste for his casual live-in relationship that keeps being dragged into the stories for no particular reason.
Collection of short stories by various authors about the “deadly sins” of lust and greed.
Chilling tales, especially the first one, closer to horror than what I consider murder mysteries. Well-written, though, and avoided too much description (one of my pet peeves). I got about halfway through but gave up because I don’t like horror.
This short story collection is set in a unified Europe ruled by a Plantangenet king. The Duke of Normandy sends his chief criminal investigator Lord Darcy and Darcy’s sorcerer assistant Master Sean to the scene of crimes ranging from missing royal agents to murder.
The short story format works wonderfully for mysteries! I suspect it’s harder on the author to make sure the information is there for the reader, but the stories themselves move right along and avoid the dragging plot problem all too common in longer fiction. The only slight flaw is that the author had to repeat in each story how this Europe was different from our Europe, but it only took a paragraph. Alternative history always arouses my suspicion, but this is fantasy-logical and I didn’t have any trouble suspending disbelief although I disagreed with some of the details (like all of Europe still being part of the Roman Catholic Church).
Genre: historical romance/mystery
Sir Tristram agrees to marry young Eustacie to satisfy his dying uncle’s wish. But Eustacie stuffed herself full of romances and decides her mysterious cousin Ludovic sounds much more interesting. Can the cousins find the missing talisman ring and prove Ludovic didn’t commit murder?
Interesting combination of Regency romannce and murder mystery, but it palled on me halfway through and I skipped to the end.
Ageless and undying priest Nicholas Segalla is sent by his master Archbishop Beaton to protect Mary, Queen of Scotland, from plots to dethrone her. With two of Beaton's agents posing as his wife and servant, Segalla is unaware that his own service is being watched by Elizabeth I's spymaster Walsingham, who is also curious about Segalla's failure to grow older.
This book lost me for several reasons. First, I'm not overfond of rewriting history, period. Second, adding the fantasy element of an immortal who managed to be present at crucial moments of history was even more jarring. Finally, there was an awkward introduction in which Segalla, still alive on the cusp of the 21st century, conveys his nature and story to historian Ann Dukthas. I kept reading, thinking maybe the story would be involving enough to overcome these flaws, but gave up 1/3 of the way through.
Daisy’s brother-in-law Lord John asks her help in finding the person who has been sending him poison-pen letters about a one-night stand during the War, years earlier. She finds he is not the only victim … and then she finds the dead body of one of her suspects.
Not quite as much fun as usual at the start, as Dunn takes us into the minds of the people receiving poison-pen letters, most of whom whine to themselves that their ill deeds were justified. Fortunately it didn’t last long, and then the story moved right along at Dunn’s usual fast pace. Daisy acquires another fan in the police department (to Alec’s chagrin) and Belinda shows to great advantage again, a charming but realistic little girl who loves her father and is delightedly anticipating Daisy taking over as her mother. My only other complaint is that the book ended too soon.
When the Duke of Mersham’s political dinner party is shockingly interrupted by a death, his brother Lord Edward teams with a Daily Worker reporter to identify the poisoner. His aristocratic status and her politics thoroughly muddle the waters, while he considers the scheduled inquest as his deadline for finding the killer.
Set in the 1920’s, this book is technically adequate and with fairly likable people, and providing the information needed to identify the killer, but curiously unsatisfying. Verity’s choices seem determined by the author to advance the story rather than natural, and the book ending doesn’t seem a resolution.
No idea if there was a story to this. The book lost me in the first 10 pages of cutesy but boring backstory about her parents’ different outlooks and why they saddled her with her name as supposed explanation of why she went to Arizona for the summer. I don’t know why some authors think they have to drown the reader with backstory at the start of the book, when the main character has done nothing to make us care about him/her, but it puts me off completely.