104. Lying in the Deep

Lying in the Deep. Diana Urban. 2023. 384 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I didn't realize there'd be this much blood.

Premise/plot: Lying in the Deep is greatly influenced/inspired by Agatha Christie's classic mystery, Death on the Nile. Jade, our protagonist/narrator, has been looking forward to her semester at sea for years. She always thought she'd do this with her best friend, Lainey, but, the pair have fallen out. That's an understatement. Her best friend, Lainey, and her boyfriend, Silas, have gotten together. She was dumped via text message. Both have blocked her. Zero communication. She's angry and hurt and confused. She daydreams about bad things happening to both of them. She was NOT expecting to see both of them on board. She assumed that Lainey had changed her mind...and this was never Silas' dream. 

All the college students on board seem to have something against Lainey--either something in the recent past, the more distant past, or the present. Lainey isn't always the most likeable in her scenes. It seems plenty of the students on board are clashing with one another--petty things really. 

But after Jade accidentally stabs Silas with a letter opening--she lost her balance not having grown quite accustomed to life at sea--Lainey comes up missing. Lainey's room is covered in blood. There's no body, but, a splash was heard in the middle of the night.

Silas and Jade look a little guilty--in the eyes of the others on board. (Everyone has secrets. Jade and Silas' possible motive is just a little more obvious. As Jade tries to play detective and interrogate her classmates/shipmates, it seems the murderer may come back and strike again...

Will Jade know who to trust in the end? 

My thoughts: So many things are similar to Death on the Nile. One big difference, however, is the point of view. We don't have an outsider-detective processing the scene. Jade plays the role inspired by Jacqueline de Bellefort. Silas plays the role inspired by the Simon Doyle character. Lainey plays the role inspired by the Linnet Ridgeway Doyle character. While Death on the Nile gives us Hercule Poirot's perspective, Jade is our narrator. She's either a super unreliable narrator (a possibility to a certain point in the novel) or Diana Urban's story has gone a whole other direction (definitely a possibility). 

For those unfamiliar with the original, Jade might come across as jaded, unhinged, toxic. But for those familiar with the original, Jade seems much more relaxed and put together. All a matter of perspective, I suppose. 

The changes made to the original murder mystery mostly work for me. It can still be a tribute to the original AND have a different story to tell.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

72. Sad Cypress

Sad Cypress. Agatha Christie. (Hercule Poirot #22). 1940. 256 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: "Elinor Katharine Carlisle. You stand charged upon this indictment with the murder of Mary Gerrard upon the 27th of July last. Are you guilty or not guilty?"

Premise/plot: Harriet Vane had Lord Peter Wimsey, and Elinor Katharine Carlisle has Peter Lord. Though her hero is not an amateur detective, but a country doctor. Still, Peter Lord, who fell in love with Elinor at first sight, has the wisdom to seek the best of the best to clear her name: Hercule Poirot. He wants Poirot to find evidence that will acquit her of murder. Is love blinding him? Is the woman he loves guilty of murder? It seems that she had opportunity to kill her aunt (supposedly out of greed) and Mary (supposedly out of jealousy). But Lord and Poirot doubt the supposed motives. They see other possibilities.  

My thoughts: I loved this one. I just LOVED it. I loved the characterization! I loved the story! While Peter Lord is no Lord Peter, I did enjoy him very much! I was quite surprised by how pleased I was that Elinor had someone on her side. Not that Elinor was completely lovable. She was flawed--very flawed. But still. By the end, I was seeing her through Peter Lord's eyes, I was seeing her with love.

"One does not practice detection with a textbook! One uses one's natural intelligence." (196)

"One must understand with the cells of one's brain before one uses one's eyes."(196)

"One always likes to know exactly what lies have been told one."
"Did Welman tell you a lie?"
"Definitely."
"Who else has lied to you?"
"Everybody. I think: Nurse O'Brien romantically; Nurse Hopkins stubbornly; Mrs. Bishop venomously; You yourself--"
"Good God!" Peter Lord interrupted him unceremoniously. "You don't think I've lied to you, do you?"
"Not yet," Poirot admitted.
Dr. Lord sank back in his chair. He said, "You're a disbelieving sort of fellow, Poirot." (198)

ETA: I first read this one in 2011. So it has been quite a while. I haven't reread many Christie novels. So it's always tricky for me to match plot points and characters with titles. I don't always even remember if it's Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot. I read this one for the 1940 Book Club. As soon as I realized it was THIS MYSTERY, I was so excited. I remembered loving these characters! 

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

42. Lost in Time

Lost in Time. A.G. Riddle. 2022. 455 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: On the anniversary of his wife’s death, Sam Anderson visited her grave. It was a crisp spring morning in Nevada, with dew on the grass and fog rolling through the cemetery. In one hand, Sam carried a bouquet of flowers. In the other, he gripped his son’s hand. Ryan was eleven years old and strong-willed and introverted, like his mother. After her death, he had withdrawn, spending even more time alone, playing with LEGOs, reading, and generally avoiding life.

Premise/plot: Sam and Adeline Anderson find themselves in quite the mess. This father and daughter are suspects in a murder investigation. There is video evidence that they were the last [last to be seen, at least] to enter the victim's home. Nora and Sam were in a relationship together. Now Sam may just be exiled...forever...to save his daughter from being implicated as well.

Exiled means EXILED in Lost in Time. Criminals/prisoners are sent to the FAR, FAR, FAR, DISTANT past in an alternate universe. Convicts won't get the chance to appeal, they'll be alive as long as they can survive the elements: dinosaurs, earthquakes, volcanoes, meteors, etc. 

What makes it worse for this father of two, is that he is one of SIX scientists who invented the Absolom time machine. It was meant to be a quick new way to "ship" stuff. They didn't know it was a time machine, but not a time machine to their own past, but a multi-verse time machine. 

Adeline will do just about anything to save her father [after the fact] even if it means working/living with the enemy.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, loved, crazy-loved this one. I wish I could find more science fiction like this one. For #lawnerds who also love sci-fi, especially time travel, this one is a dream read. 

I enjoyed the complexity of this one. I loved the world-building and puzzle-building. All the pieces, all the clues, are there to be found. But it takes a while for everything to come together. (I was not expecting it to play out quite like it did.)

I really loved the characterization in this one. In particular, Adeline's character. She is our main narrator....

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

15. The Case of the Careless Kitten

Perry Mason: The Case of the Careless Kitten (Perry Mason #21) Erle Stanley Gardner. 1942. 211 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: THE KITTEN’S eyes, weaving back and forth, followed the ball of crumpled paper that Helen Kendal was waving high above the arm of the chair. The kitten was named Amber Eyes because of those yellow eyes. Helen liked to watch them.

Premise/plot: Helen Kendal's kitten, Amber Eyes, is poisoned (but survives) shortly after she receives a phone call from her missing (long thought dead) uncle. Her uncle, Frank Shore, wants her to meet with the lawyer, Perry Mason, and go to a super-shady hotel later that evening. He's arranged for someone to meet them (just them, only them) and take them to a second location where he'll be waiting. She's not to tell anyone--especially her aunt, Matilda. (She ends up talking with her (other) uncle Gerald). The meet-up does NOT go as planned. They find a NOTE not a man. And the man they were supposed to meet up with (to find the uncle) is found DEAD. And so it begins...

My thoughts: I do love Perry Mason. I am more familiar with the television series than the actual novels the show is based upon. However, I do enjoy both. It's been years since I last read a Perry Mason novel. (Or it could have been 2020-ish. Which feels like years ago).  

How does this one compare to other Perry Mason novels? Well, I can't compare it to each and every one, but, I'll do my best to compare it with your typical Mason mystery.

First, the KITTEN, Amber Eyes, truly steals the show. This kitten stars in several scenes of the book. Often her antics make for the best bits of dialogue. And literally, Mason solves the case because of the kitten! She's key to putting all the pieces together...

Second, this Perry Mason novel was written and published in 1942. One of the suspects (though not high up on the suspects list) is a "houseboy" who works for Aunt Matilda. She claims--and he claims--that he is Korean, not Japanese. Everyone--including Mason and company--are suspicious of him. Is he lying about being Korean? Is he Japanese? Is he loyal to Japan? Is he a traitor to the United States? If this was written in ANY other year/decade, it would feel definitely cringe and super-regrettable. (I'm not saying it is justifiable. Just that the context makes sense of WHY.) There are probably half a dozen scenes where characters slur his race/ethnicity (in general). Again, not justifying the behavior, but during the war, the propaganda machine was going full force. And even before the war, Americans were VERY divided on if ANYONE of Asian descent should be allowed to emigrate. There were strict immigration laws. It was UGLY. I highly recommend Days of Infamy by Lawrence Goldstone. The novel captures a moment in American history. Seen in light of actual history, I think you can understand how/why this bias, this prejudice makes its way into a mystery novel (set in California). This could be a good opportunity to take a moment or two to reflect and dig a little deeper.

Third, while there is a BIG reveal, it takes place OUTSIDE the courtroom. Perry Mason has had enough. Like he's ALL DONE. He does not solve the D.A.'s case for him. He clears his client of the so-called crime (it's complicated), but does NOT fill in the blanks for the prosecution.

Fourth, the courtroom case we do see is NOT the murder case. But I hate to spoil who his client is and what the charge is...

Quotes:

But Perry Mason had a mind which was only content when it was detouring the technicalities of legal red tape. He not only regarded each case as a venture studded with excitement, but became impatient with the delays of routine procedure. More and more, as his practice developed, he became interested in personalities. More and more, his methods became dazzlingly brilliant, increasingly dangerous, and highly unorthodox.

“A cat usually picks at its food. That kitten must have been terribly hungry to gulp down those balls of meat.” “This kitten was just careless, I guess. Hurry up.” “Very careless,” nodded Della. “I think when I open the file for this case I’ll call it ‘The Case of the Careless Kitten.’ ”

 

“It’s high time for citizens to wake up to the fact that it isn’t a question of whether a man is guilty or innocent, but whether his guilt or innocence can be proved under a procedure which leaves in the citizen the legal rights to which he is entitled under a constitutional government.

 

 Hamilton Burger said to the Court, “I am asking leading questions on some of these points which are not disputed, but which I want to get before the jury.” “No objection,” Mason said. “What did your uncle say to you over the telephone?” “Objected to,” Mason said, “as hearsay. Incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial.”

 

“I’m going out to buy a cat so I can study him and learn about some of the important facts of life.”  

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

108. Death on the Nile

Death on the Nile. Agatha Christie. 1937/2007. Black Dog & Leventhal. 352 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: "Linnet Ridgeway!" "That's her!" said Mr. Burnaby, the landlord of the Three Crowns. He nudged his companion.

Premise/plot: All is not fair in love or war. This Hercule Poirot mystery is set on a cruise of the Nile river. It is the honeymoon trip for one happy couple--or should I say one "happy" couple. For this happy couple is being stalked/followed by a disgruntled (and dramatic) ex. She is not happy to see HER former fiance marry a now former friend. She even introduced them! These three aren't the only travelers with struggles, traumas, and dramas of their own. Poirot picked quite a bunch to travel with. (Not that he had much say in the matter.) But when bodies start to fall, well, he has his work to do.

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. It is such a great mystery, very complex! Hercule Poirot and Colonel Race find themselves on board a ship on the Nile, they are in interesting company. Poirot notices the tension between some of his fellow travelers from the very start. And as he takes the time to get to know everyone, to have personal chats with almost every one, his unease only increases. He fears that before the trip is over, murder will have been committed. But who shall the victim be? And who the murderer? Meanwhile, Race is on a mission of his own before a body is even found. He is on the trail of a killer, a radical. He's not sure WHO his man is, just knows that he is almost certainly on board, that is where his clues have led him. When the oh-so-wealthy heiress, Linnet Ridgeway, is murdered on her honeymoon with Simon Doyle, there are plenty of suspects. For not all of the passengers on board are exactly strangers to her....

The first part of this one is set in England, but the rest is all set in Egypt.

This one had me from the start. It was so thrilling! Not only was the plot interesting and surprising and wonderful, the characterization was so well done!!!

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

57. Death on a Deadline

Death on a Deadline (Homefront News #2) Joyce St. Anthony. 2022. [November] 304 pages (guess). [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: "Clark Gable is coming to Progress and will be appearing at our war bond drive," Ava Dempsey said. "I have it on good authority."

Premise/plot: Irene Ingram is back for a second adventure in Death on a Deadline. In this murder mystery, the town is getting ready to have a fair, and not just any fair, a fair combined with a war bond drive. Several "stars" from Hollywood will be coming for the multi-day event. But not all the stars will be leaving town with a pulse. Is the murderer one of the town's own??? Or is it one of the other Hollywood stars? (Or "stars" as the case may be.) Irene finds herself right in the middle of another mystery... working side by side with her future father-in-law the chief of police.

My thoughts: I really LOVED both books. I love the small town setting. I love getting to know all the residents of the town. I love the sense of community, sense of place, and sense of time. Both books are set in 1942. This second book being set in June/July of 1942. I would recommend the series if you enjoy war fiction, cozy mysteries, historical fiction, or books with strong character development.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

27. Caves of Steel

The Caves of Steel. Isaac Asimov. 1953. 270 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Lije Baley had just reached his desk when he became aware of R. Sammy watching him expectantly.

Premise/plot: The Caves of Steel is BOTH a classic science fiction novel and a classic mystery. Lije Baley is a New York City detective tasked with solving a murder. Of course, this is futuristic New York City and Lije Baley's new partner for the case is, well, a robot. 

[Humans still have a phobia about robots; and perhaps rightly so. Most robots are filling jobs previously filled by human beings. But the Spacers (who live in their own settlement and NOT in the (overpopulated) cities) feel differently. Robots and humans work and live (or should I say "live") side by side.]

Lije brings home his new partner, R. Daneel Olivaw, and, it doesn't exactly go as well as he hoped. His wife, Jessie [aka Jezebel], is suspicious that Daneel is a ROBOT. And she fears that if the public finds out that there is a humanoid robot "passing" as human in the city... and living in their apartment, well, it could lead to a riot. 

So Lije has to balance solving the case and following the clues with pacifying his wife. 

My thoughts: I do have thoughts! It was interesting to read a book that is attempting to be both science fiction and mystery. It has elements of both. There is a murder case. There are suspects. There are red herrings. There are actual clues. There are moments of brainstorming. But the setting is all sci-fi. The world needs a lot of info-dumping. And these info-dumps come through dialogue.

I was not at all expecting Asimov to bring up the Bible, Bible characters, and Bible stories. Elijah (our hero) and Jezebel (Jessie) his wife. When they meet there is a long discussion (in the scheme of things, long) about how they both happen to have names from the Bible. They talk about their Bible character counterparts. Jessie takes pride in being named Jezebel and wants to live up to that name--be as "special" and "memorable" perhaps. He talks his wife out of her need to be Jezebel 2.0. But he does it in an odd way saying that Jezebel is misunderstood. She wasn't wicked, bad, evil. She was faithful and loyal to the old ways; committed to protecting the "old ways" from those demanding "newcomers" the Hebrews. She was the portrait of a good and faithful wife who stood up for what she believed in. Jessie settles down--literally and figuratively--but they decide not to name their own child after a character in the Bible.

I was expecting this to be premise-driven and not character-driven. I wasn't wrong. The characters come across a bit clumsy in terms of development. In my opinion. There are characters that "represent" ideas and concepts. The dialogue is very un-clumsy--polished--when it comes to building up philosophies and world views and establishing the world. But when the book is not "selling" the future: explorations of new planets and worlds, new settlements with robots and humans living together in harmony, discarding the problems of earth and forging ahead with new ways of doing things...well, it can be a bit awkward and clumsy. 

The book is fascinating and charming in its own way. I did get attached to the robot Daneel. I liked the developing relationship between Lije and Daneel. It was interesting to see this story unfold. Together they solved the case. It wasn't a smooth, easy case. There were a lot of fumbles and stumbles. But the process of solving the case...well...it proved that humans and robots don't have to be enemies.

While I definitely liked it, there were so many red herrings. In my opinion. I have been binge-watching House lately, and it reminded me of that. I knew there was no way that the detective had solved the case when the book wasn't even at the halfway point. 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

4. Road of Bones

Road of Bones (Billy Boyle #16) James R. Benn. 2021. [September] 312 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: "Number four's on fire!"

Have there really been sixteen books????? Road of Bones is the newest in James R. Benn's Billy Boyle historical mystery series. The series is set during the Second World War. Each book tends to take us somewhere different in the war. Road of Bones, for example, for the most part takes place in Russia. Billy Boyle (and his team) are investigating two murders--one Russian, one American. The murders were set up to look like executions, but just who killed them...and why???

Big Mike and Kaz star in this one as well as Billy Boyle. There is a COMPLEX mystery to solve. It will take the two countries working together to solve....

I really enjoyed seeing the Night Witches in action in this one!

Road of Bones is not my favorite and best in the series. But as far as I'm concerned the series can't really go wrong. At this point having followed these characters (and their circumstances) for so many books--I am 1000% invested. I care so deeply about these characters that the mystery almost doesn't matter. (Almost.)

I wholeheartedly recommend the series overall. Read them in order.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

148. A Surprise for Christmas

A Surprise for Christmas And Other Seasonal Mysteries. Martin Edwards, Editor. 2021 (US) 2020 (UK). 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Love mysteries and suspense? Enjoy holiday/winter themed short stories? I recommend Martin Edwards' newest collection for the British Library Crime series. The series includes novels and short story collections. (I have read several in this series, but not all by any means!)

The stories included in this collection are as follows:

The Black Bag Left On a Doorstep by Catharine Louisa Pirkis
The Hole in the Wall by G.K. Chesterton
Death on the Air by Ngaio Marsh
Persons or Things Unknown by Carter Dickson
Dead Man's Hand by E.R. Punshon
The Christmas Eve Ghost by Ernest Dudley
Dick Whittington's Cat by Victor Canning
A Surprise for Christmas by Cyril Hare
On Christmas Day in the Morning by Margery Allingham
Give Me a Ring by Gilbert Lucy Malleson
Father Christmas Comes to Orbins by Julian Symons
The Turn-Again Bell by Barry Perowne

I found the collection to be a blend of familiar authors and new-to-me authors. Most of the stories stayed within the mystery/suspense genre. A couple, however, flirted with other genres or sub-genres. For example, stories that focused on crimes from the criminal point of view. One story is definitely ALL thriller. (Give Me a Ring was a LONG thriller-esque story that kept me turning pages.)

I enjoyed almost all of the stories within this collection. (Perhaps with the exception of Father Christmas Comes to Orbins. I don't know WHERE I've read the story before. Perhaps in another Christmas-themed collection. But I didn't enjoy it the first time around. A few paragraphs in, I was THAT STORY AGAIN??? 

Still for the most part I can wholeheartedly recommend this collection for those that enjoy this genre. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

147. The Last Daughter of York

The Last Daughter of York. Nicola Cornick. 2021. [November] 368 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence (of the prologue): Snow spattered the windows of the old hall, carried on the sharp north wind that spun it into fierce spirals before battering it against the diamond mullions.

First sentence (of chapter one): Serena stretched out on the sun lounger, relishing the sensation of the last heat of the day against her skin. 

Premise/plot: The Last Daughter of York is a time slip novel. It is set in the present day (presumably) and during the 'War of the Roses.' Serena Warren, our modern day heroine, is still traumatized by her [twin] sister's disappearance. It's been YEARS--over a decade--since that night. But her memories are just as elusive as ever. So when Caitlin's body is found in a grave that seemingly has not been disturbed since 1708, well, it's shocking, disturbing, intriguing. It doesn't change things--dead is dead is dead. But HOW did her sister's body travel back through time? For that is indeed what it looks like--there is a diary entry from the period that describes in detail the finding of a dead body and giving it a proper burial in a proper grave. Anne Lovell, our historical heroine, is married to Francis Lovell who has sworn allegiance to Richard III. (Long before Richard III assumed the crown. Lovell served Edward as well. Despite some of Anne's own family playing around with treason. (Anne is related to the Nevilles, to the Kingmaker himself.) This story involves Anne's determination to do ANYTHING and everything she can to protect the young Prince Richard. Of course, there's some 'magic' involved--a lodestar that connects the stories.

My thoughts: I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this time slip novel or not. It is not--I repeat not--a traditional time travel story. The lodestar isn't so much a "time machine" as it is a complete and total mystery. History and mystery--two of my favorites. This book doesn't--to my recollection--seek to answer the question if Richard III ordered the deaths of the princes in the tower. So much as it provides a way of escape for one of them.

I found the story intriguing. However, I always wanted just a little more from it. Like, for example, WHAT it would have been like for Richard as a fifteenth century boy to SUDDENLY show up in the nineteenth century. We get glimpses of his story--and it sounds SO INTERESTING and amazing. But these are tiny, tiny glimpses of what his experience was like. The characters of the past, in my opinion, were definitely more fleshed out than the ones in the present. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

139. The Red Horse

The Red Horse. (Billy Boyle #15) James R. Benn. 2020. 336 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Something was wrong. The wind bit at the back of my neck, and I hunched my shoulders as gray clouds scudded across the sky, outpacing me as I trudged along the gravel path. I stuffed my hands into my pockets, thankful for the warmth. Thankful I could hide the tremor in my right hand. Because they were watching. I couldn't let them see how bad it had gotten.

Premise/plot: So because the book is part of a LONG series and I am just not clever enough to summarize it keeping it spoiler free for all previous books, I'll just say Billy Boyle is an American soldier who specializes in solving murder cases for the Allies. Before becoming a soldier, he was a police detective--just getting started, but part of the police force. This fifteenth book takes place in 1944. 

My thoughts:  I consider the discover of the Billy Boyle historical mysteries series to be one of my all time happiest discoveries. But. The books HAVE to be read in order. They just have to. Yes, the mysteries--the cases, usually murder cases--are contained. But there is an unfolding story that carries over all the books. I think it would be confusing to read them out of order.

I can't believe the series is up to fifteen books!!! I never want the series to end. Not really.

The Red Horse was INTENSE and interesting. Plenty of murders to solve and plenty of history to explore. I found the author's note fascinating. Don't skip it. I know it might be tempting to think the book is over. But don't miss out on finding out what was true and what was fiction with the story.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

117. Miss Kopp Investigates

Miss Kopp Investigates. (Kopp Sisters #7) Amy Stewart. 2021. [September] 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: That Fleurette emerged from her first assignment unscathed, her dignity intact, her virtue unassailed, and her pride in place was, she felt, a triumph, and a sign of further good fortune to come. Having carried out the job in secrecy, with her sisters knowing nothing of her whereabouts, her success tasted all the sweeter.

Premise/plot: Miss Kopp Investigates is the seventh book in Amy Stewart's historical mystery series. Constance, Norma, and Fleurette star in the series. This seventh book opens in the winter of 1919. The war is over. But life is far from settled. Francis, their brother, has died. The women feel responsible for helping his widow, Bessie, and their children: Lorraine, Frankie, and one on the way. Though all three sisters had plans, dreams, hopes of their own, they are dutiful and compassionate--mostly.

Financial problems abound in this one!!! As the problems worsen--or come to light--tensions within the family increase as well. Fleurette especially is feeling stressed. She's a grown woman who is tired of being bossed around by her two older (much, much older) sisters. She doesn't want to be told how she can and cannot earn money to support the family.

While previous books have focused more on the others--this one focuses primarily on Fleurette. And it is HER investigation. There is a mystery or two to be solved in this one....

My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. I've enjoyed the series throughout. I have. But something about Fleurette being the protagonist in this one...it worked really well for me. I loved learning how the fictional Kopp sisters are finally aligning with the real-life Kopp sisters of Stewart's research. The fact that the REAL Kopp sisters did start their own detective agency...well...it was just a gleeful moment. Now there is still plenty that is fictional in this one...but still.

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

33. Pride, Prejudice, and Poison

Pride, Prejudice, and Poison. (A Jane Austen Society Mystery #1) Elizabeth Blake. 2019. 330 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: “‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a husband,’” whispered Farnsworth Appleby.

Premise/plot: When one of the members of the Jane Austen Society is murdered--POISONED--the small village of Kirkbymoorside in Yorkshire is turned upside down. Erin Coleridge, the owner of a used bookstore, takes it upon herself to do her own investigating. It's not that she doesn't trust the police inspectors or detectives, but, with almost all her friends and acquaintances present at the scene of the crime--she herself was present--she wants to catch the murderer and protect her closest friends.

My thoughts: I enjoyed Pride, Prejudice, and Poison. It was a well-fleshed out mystery, in my opinion.

What did I like about it? Well, I liked the characterization and the plotting. I LOVED getting to know the characters. Blake has peopled a small village or community. And it feels lived in. The relationships seem complex--the work of years, decades, of knowing one another. Erin has lived there for years--but even she doesn't know *everything* there is to know about her neighbors, friends, and acquaintances. I loved the focus on genuine friendships among women. And it was lovely to see all the Austen quotes woven into the dialogue.

The plotting/pacing. I really enjoyed this one. I LOVED that I was kept guessing and that the list of suspects was LONG. I didn't feel the murderer was super-obvious from the get go, from the moment the body is found. (I *hate* when I guess who did it before the body even has a chance to cool.) I loved the steady-supply of clues and the increasing suspense that builds because everyone knows the murderer is still on the loose. There were times when Erin was about to eat or drink something and I was like ARE YOU SURE YOU REALLY WANT TO DO THIS?! WHAT IF THIS PERSON SMILING AND OFFERING YOU FOOD IS REALLY THE MURDERER?

I did guess the murderer--in the last seventy-five pages or so. But even then I wasn't 100% sure--just mostly-mostly sure. So she kept me hooked throughout. I didn't find this mystery tiresome.

I would say that I did feel it was a little tricksy to put a cat on the cover of this one when cat(s) didn't really play any role in the book. (One character did own multiple cats, I believe, but the cats weren't really present for most of the book. There were a few scenes maybe? And if I remember correctly the cats had Austen-related names.)

This one offers a little romance. But the romance never takes center stage. (Not really.)

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2. The Abbey Mystery (Jane Austen Investigates #1)

The Abbey Mystery (Jane Austen Investigates #1). Julia Golding. 2021. [April] 192 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: It had to be acknowledged that the life of a clergyman’s daughter in deepest rural Hampshire was disappointingly full of duties.

Premise/plot: Jane Austen, our heroine, is thirteen and spunky. In this, her first adventure, she goes to be a lady's companion to Lady Cromwell for a few weeks--as birthday celebrations are in high gear--and stumbles into her first (but presumably not last) mystery. Southmoor Abbey is rumored to be haunted; she first hears from her older brother who almost dares her to search out the ghost for herself. But it isn't a ghost--mad or not--that brings danger and excitement into her life: it is the master and mistress of the estate....

There are multiple mysteries to solve and lives do hang in the balance...though this is NOT a murder mystery. 

My thoughts: I really loved this one. The novel opens in 1789 and stars the Austen family. If I use the word though, I don't mean it in a derogatory or condescending way... THOUGH it is a middle grade title and certainly appropriate for readers 9+ I think it holds appeal for readers of all ages. I enjoyed it as an adult. I could easily see myself enjoying it as preteen and teen. (Granted I loved HISTORICAL FICTION and reading in general.) Austen makes for a lively, spunky-quirky heroine. And THERE'S A DOG who plays a significant role in the story. In fact, would Austen have solved the mysteries WITHOUT the dog????? I'm not sure! 

 I think adults who have read all of Austen might enjoy this one especially. 

Quotes:

“And if I see a ghost, Henry, I’ll tell it to get on to heaven–or the other place.” “I do believe you would. Prove there’s no such thing as a ghost at the Abbey and I’ll give you half a crown.” He patted his purse. Jane thought of the writing paper she could buy with such riches. “You have a deal.” 

“I think Henry [XIII] guilty of crimes and cruelties too many to mention,” agreed Jane–she had strong opinions about the monarchs of the land. “I believe he was a man of no religion and little can be said in his defence.” “Oh, bravo, Miss Austen. I wish you had the task of writing the history books. I admire plain speaking.” Jane decided that Annette was all right–like Fitzwilliam, Deepti, and Luke, rather than the Cromwells. 

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

155. A Christmas Carol Murder

A Christmas Carol Murder (A Dickens of a Crime #3) Heather Redmond. 2020. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: They hadn’t found the body yet. Old Sal was surely dead. Feathers had caught on candles, igniting the blaze. Maybe a yipping dog had some part in the fiery disaster. The marchioness’s advanced age had surely contributed to the fatal misadventure.

Premise/plot: A Christmas Carol Murder is the third book in Heather Redmond's mystery series starring Charles Dickens as an amateur detective. This one opens in December 1835; Dickens is engaged to be married but not yet married. Soon after the novel opens, a baby is thrust into Dickens' arms--the woman is claiming that the babe is Charles' son. The mother (the woman's sister) is dead--or so it's thought--in a recent fire. Dickens feels sorry for the poor looking baby who'll surely starve without some intervention and care. So Timothy, the baby, is taken back to London and given to some of Dickens' friends. (Characters from earlier books, I'm presuming.) A few days later--or maybe just the next day--Dickens is out Christmas caroling with his friends--including his fiancee--when a DEAD BODY falls from an upstairs window. Thus the caroling gang meets Emmanuel Screws and household. Screws and the dead man--a Mr. Harley--were business partners. Catherine, Charles' fiancee, feels that Mr. Screws though a bit cranky--okay a LOT cranky--is no murderer. Can Dickens solve the murder before another occurs???

My thoughts: I knew this was part of a series, but, I didn't realize it was the third. (The previous books are A Tale of Two Murders and Grave Expectations.) I liked it. I did. I know that I'm missing out on some of the characterization by starting with the third book. But it was easy enough to follow *this* story and focus on this mystery. Dickens is 'Boz' at this point--he's writing and publishing sketches of London life. He has not begun writing (proper) novels just yet. He's also a parliamentary reporter/journalist in this one. I know little enough about this period in Dickens' life so I'm not sure how historically accurate the books may be. (I'm assuming/presuming that a lot of liberties are being taken even if real names are used. I'm relatively sure his wife, for example, didn't get special thrills from coming across dead bodies and working up murder cases.)

 

 

© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

92. Arsenic with Austen

Arsenic with Austen. Katherine Bolger Hyde. 2016. 312 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: A gentle late-spring breeze ruffled the tender leaves of the maple and cherry trees on Reed College's front lawn, flirted with the skirts of the graduates' robes and tugged at the edges of their mortarboards, then swirled up three stories to tease Emily's upswept hair as she stood at her open office window.

Premise/plot: Emily Cavanaugh, our heroine, inherits a LARGE fortune and estate from her great-aunt Beatrice. (It includes a large house, a HUGE book collection, and many, many, many properties about town.) She takes up residence in Stony Beach, Oregon, and begins her new life by embarking to solve a few mysteries. Did Beatrice die of natural causes? Could she have been poisoned? Who would want her dead? Why is the town so divided on what is in its best interest moving forward?

My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. I loved it in spite of its almost obnoxious first sentence. Fortunately, the writing doesn't really keep on like that!!! I read this one quickly and found it a satisfying book. There's quite a few mysteries to solve, and a side dish of romance with an old summer love. I appreciated the fact that our heroine isn't all that young--in her mid to late fifties. It's not all that common to have romances starring an older couple. It was nice.

© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

79. Better Off Read

Better Off Read. (Bookmobile Mystery #1) Nora Page. 2018. 325 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: In all her seventy-five years, Cleo Watkins had never harmed another human being.

Premise/plot: Cleo Watkins is a librarian without a working library--since the big storm. But while she may lack a traditional library, she does have a bookmobile. She is determined to keep the folks in her town supplied with the books they want and need. Even if she doesn't exactly understand their preferences! Such is the case with one of her cranky patrons who is very obsessed with true crime and books about murder!

The book is set in a small (probably fictional) town in Georgia. It is peopled with all the types you'd expect...including some lovely pets. This cozy mystery has a lovely charm to it.

My thoughts: I definitely liked this one!!! I don't know that I love, love, love it. I would definitely pick up other books in the series if I was at the library--if the library was open. I could easily see myself spending more time with these characters...at some point. But I haven't quite become hooked enough to proclaim it LOVE. It is the first in a cozy mystery series.

© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

77. The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope

The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope. C.W. Grafton. 2020. Poisoned Pen Press. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: My secretary said that there was a Miss Ruth McClure to see me and I said that she could come on in. The girl who stood in the doorway a moment later was small and lovely but she was obviously very unhappy and looked as if she were not sure she wanted to come in after all.

Premise/plot: As adults we don't really have D.E.A.R scheduled into our days, well, most don't. D.E.A.R. if you don't know means Drop Everything And Read. But this vintage mystery should be a must-must-must read for all mystery lovers.

Originally published in 1943, it stars an amateur detective, Gilmore "Gil" Henry, a lawyer. A young woman, Ruth McClure, comes to him--as a lawyer--seeking his services. She has a couple of questions about some stock she has inherited after her father's death. Henry takes the case, and, well a lot more comes with that--than he was expecting! His close encounters with death start piling up!!!! Somebody does not want him helping out Miss McClure. But why?!?!

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, loved, LOVED this vintage mystery. It perhaps isn't perfectly perfect. It is very much a product of its time. It was written and published during the second world war. But for adult readers with an appreciation for context that don't find offense at the drop of a hat, I think it would prove a delightful escape.

I love the narrative! I love Gil Henry. It's not often you get pudgy, chubby detectives that are way out of their element but super stubborn. I love the description as well.

As I reached the city limits I turned on the radio and caught a hot swing band with one of these women crooners who sounds as if she has gallstones. It was starting to rain a little and the black-top road was shiny like seals in the circus.

I was about halfway down the steep hill when there was a sharp explosion and the car jumped and twisted under me like a hula dancer. I went down that hill in a wild zigzag, keeping to the road for fifty or seventy-five yards by pressing my hundred and eighty pounds against the wheel and trying to anticipate each move. Then I went into a spin and the last thing I heard was the high whine of the tires skidding sidewise. I ought to be dead. How many times the car turned over I don’t know but when I came to, I was hanging halfway out of the door by the driver’s seat and the car was upright some thirty feet off the road down a slight incline.

I began to get a pretty good idea of what Tim McClure might look like when I tried to put on the suit I found on the bed. It may not have been a zoot suit6 but the way I wore it, it certainly had a drape shape. I rolled up probably eight inches around my ankles and the overlap at my waistline was something to look at. The shoulders of the coat hung down almost to my elbows and, of course, my hands were clear out of sight up the sleeves. No wonder Miss Ruth McClure laughed when she saw me. I was a dead ringer for the smallest of the seven dwarfs and sure enough she called me Dopey.

Every person has some cross to bear. Mine is that I am not shaped like people who are intended to get their clothes in ready-to-wear shops. If clothes are to fit me in the middle, they have to be too long at the ends and if they are to fit me at the ends, they hurt me in the middle.

I didn’t want to take the time to wait while alterations were made so I took a suit which hurt when I buttoned it at the waist. Mr. Silverstein had on a black skull cap and a measuring tape hung around his neck. He patted and smoothed and pulled at things to make them hang right and appeared to approve in every particular although he finally said that maybe it was a little snug. I thought snug was hardly the appropriate word since my belt was almost out of sight and I could tell that I would not want to sit down very often.

I regretted my decision when I crawled in under the wheel of the car. They say when you cut earthworms in two, the halves go about their own business and supply whatever it takes to carry on, but I am no earthworm and I had no faith in my ability to do the same.

I wondered if there was any way to grow a new tooth, remove bruises, reduce thirty pounds or grow eight inches taller in a few minutes, but decided there wasn’t. I thought about buying a new suit and incidentally giving my tortured stomach a rest, but with the other details so accurately reported, I thought it would be a waste of time and money. There wasn’t any water at the newsstand so I took two tablets out of the box and munched them disagreeably as I walked down the street wondering how long it would be before I was on the inside looking out.

People who fix things to eat like to see other people eat them, especially when they are hungry and say so, and I was so hungry it must have been shining out of my eyes for anybody to see.

Well, you can’t stand in one spot forever. Acorns do it and get to be oak trees and leaves grow all over them and by and by they can’t move at all.

© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

61. Murder Once Removed

Murder Once Removed. (Ancestry Detective #1) S.C. Perkins. 2019. 319 pages. [Source: Review copy] [Mystery; Thriller]

First sentence: The knife had pierced Seth Halloran’s heart, exactly at the spot that would stop it cold. Poor guy would’ve dropped right where he stood. I hit speed dial and tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder. “Got a report for me yet, Lancaster?” Gus asked. “Our witness,” I said, not taking my eyes off the body. “The portrait photographer. He heard yelling and ran to investigate.” “Tell me something I don’t know,” Gus said. “I’ll do you two better,” I replied. “One, the witness finally has an ID. His name’s Jeb Inscore.” “Inscore, huh? Not a name you hear often.” I agreed. “Secondly, Jeb hid in a nearby alley, where he saw two unknown men standing over the victim. One of them was holding a knife. Jeb saw blood on it.” “That’s not what said he said the first time.” “Nope,” I said. “At least not on the official record. Gus, this wasn’t an accidental death. Seth Halloran was murdered.” Gus snorted, though I knew he was intrigued. Murder had certainly been the rumor. “How do you figure that?”

Premise/plot: Lucy Lancaster, our heroine, is a professional genealogist and an amateur detective. Solving mysteries--particularly murder mysteries--isn't part of her day to day routine. In fact, this may be her first temptation to be an amateur detective. But the crime, well, it was committed in 1849...and she discovered it while researching for a client. She was just wanting to find out MORE about Gus Halloran's ancestors...but what she discovered was a dead body and a crime that might carry over into the present.

It soon becomes clear that SOMEONE is out there and posing a very real danger to those closest to the case. Even the FBI is involved...Lucy doesn't want to follow any modern, contemporary clues...but how can she stop researching the past, the families involved?!

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I can't say that I loved, loved, loved it. I didn't quite. I loved the Texas setting. I really liked Lucy. I really liked Ben. There was good tension throughout the book. I enjoyed the genealogical aspects of this one. Though it really TRULY annoyed me when she referred to finding people in the 1890 census!!! (There is NO 1890 census. Leaving many mysteries behind for family researchers to this day.)

I can't say that the characterization was especially deep and amazing. But it was light and though not beyond the surface, it wasn't unpleasant. 

© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

47. The Butcher Bird

The Butcher Bird. (Somershill Manor Mystery #2) S.D. Sykes. 2015. 342 pages. [Source: Library] [adult mystery; adult historical]

First sentence: It was the tail end of the morning when the charges were laid before me and I would tell you I was tempted to laugh at first, for the story was nonsense.

Premise/plot: Oswald de Lacy is still settling into his new position as Lord of Somershill and Versey. While he’d hoped that things in the village would have calmed down, he is soon solving another murder or two. This time someone is targeting newborn babies. It’s gruesome and cruel. Can he solve the crime or will he be beguiled by a temptress?

My thoughts: I am liking this series. I like the continuation of the story and recurring characters. I am finding the plot to be more compelling than not. In fact the tension had been so strong that I have resorted to cheating with both books.

Quotes: Nothing can be counted upon in this world. Nothing at all. You might see the future as a progression of the past, but this is a fool’s notion, a delusion—for the future is as mixed up and unpredictable as a stew of leftovers. It could taste of anything. (43)

© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews