Stuff and Nonsense

And we have a winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:43:00 +0000

The winner of a trade paperback copy of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES is pennyt.
Penny, I'll be emailing you for your snail-mail address.

Congratulations!

Just finished reading...

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

You Might as Well Die by J.J. Murphy (Algonquin Round Table Mystery #2).

If you've ever wished to be a fly on the wall at a meeting of the legendary Algonquin Round Table, your wish has been granted by J.J. Murphy. Murphy wished the same thing, and ended up creating the Round Table mystery series, in which Dorothy Parker and her cohorts play detective in scenarios that just might have been possible.

In this installment, Round Table member Ernie MacGuffin, a struggling illustrator, slips Dorothy an envelope, instructing her not to open it until midnight. When she finally does, she discovers that it holds a suicide note, and that she can't do anything about it because he has already jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge.

All of a sudden, Ernie's mediocre illustrations jump in price, and Dorothy's best friend Robert Benchley is hired to write a profile of him for a new literary magazine called The New Yorker, and self-professed clairvoyant Viola Sweet is holding a séance to speak to MacGuffin's spirit. Smelling a rat, Dorothy enlists her new acquaintance Harry Houdini to accompany her to the séance, hoping to justify her uneasy feeling about Ernie's death.

It's a delightful ride, and makes the reader feel very much like Owen Wilson's character in Midnight in Paris.

Mystery aficionados will recognize "MacGuffin" as a plot device, defined by Merriam-Webster online as "an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance", and will draw their own conclusions about the use of the name.

At the end of the volume is an excerpt from the next book in the series, A Friendly Game of Murder, though no release date is provided.

Just finished reading...

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Cold Call by Dianne Emley. Iris Thorne gave up her teaching job to become a stockbroker in Los Angeles. She loves it, even though the hours suck and the men she works with treat her like a Barbie doll. The only person in the office who she really connects with is the guy from the mailroom, known as Alley. He's deaf and physically handicapped, but having taught the deaf, Iris is comfortable with sign language, and is the only one at the firm who communicates with him.

One day, Alley doesn't show up for work, and it turns out he's been killed while going home from work. The police set it aside as a gang conflict gone awry, but Iris knows that Alley was not part of a gang. He leaves Iris the key to a safe deposit box which turns out to contain over $200,000 in cash. Not only does she suspect that there's something fishy going on at the firm, but the lead detective on the case is her college boyfriend, John Somers, who just makes her confused.

Cold Call was originally released in the late 1990s, and has just been re-issued as an e-book. Set in the 1980s, the story provides a realistic look back on times when females in the business world were still treated boorishly and cell phones were rare. Ms. Emley's first book, this was an enjoyable read, and an interesting comparison to her more recent works.

*Many thanks to the author, who sent me a digital copy of the book for review purposes.

Just finished reading

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

In the world of this book, there are humans and creatures. Creatures are supernatural beings, and there are three types: witches, vampires and daemons. Although there is no open hostility between the three groups of creatures, they do not commingle.

Dr. Diana Bishop is working on a paper at the Bodleian Library in Oxford when she comes across a book which seems to respond to her touch.

The Reading Room of the Bodleian

The last of the Bishops, an august New England family of witches, Diana prefers not to make use of her abilities, maintaining that she wants to succeed as a scholar due to her intelligence and hard work, not magic. Thus, she is somewhat surprised by what happens with Ashmole 728, as the manuscript is called.

She's even more surprised the next day when the library is filled with creatures of all varieties, apparently attracted by the "awakening" of valuable Ashmole 728, which had been missing for centuries. Rushing to escape the magical bedlam, she runs into Dr. Matthew Clairmont, who, though he happens to be a vampire, helps her to elude all those who are suddenly trying to get close to her and therefore, the manuscript.

Diana had returned the book to the stacks, and though she requests it again when she realizes it's importance, it cannot be found. She and Matthew begin to search for it, and as they get to know each other, they fall in love.

Dr. Harkness' universe proves that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to supernatural beings. All three groups are different from each other, and from those described in other literature, though also the same in some respects. The vampires here are quite capable of being in sunlight, although they do survive on blood. Witches (female) and wizards (male) inherit their magic, although they do need to be trained. Not as much concrete information is imparted about daemons here, other than that they can be very powerful, and good or evil (as with all individuals).

Some of the romantic scenes are a bit trite; Diana comes across as a lovesick teenager early in her relationship with Matthew. Once past that, however, Harkness' writing is absorbing, and most of the characters are well-defined. What's important here is the Story, and a compelling one it is.

The ending is something of a cliffhanger, as this is the first volume of a proposed trilogy. The second book in the All Souls Trilogy, Shadow of Night, will be released in July 2012.

The Penguin Group is kindly providing a trade paperback copy of A Discovery of Witches to one of my readers. Please leave a comment below to enter. (Entries from the U.S. only, please.)

*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a copy of the book for review purposes.

Visit me at Crime Fiction Collective

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Hello, readers!

Please drop by Crime Fiction Collective where today I'm reviewing Marcia Muller's latest Sharon McCone novel City of Whispers.

And don't forget that tomorrow, here on Stuff and Nonsense, I'll be reviewing and giving away a trade paperback copy of Debra Harkness' A Discovery of Witches.

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Coming on Tuesday!

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:32:00 +0000

Deborah Harkness' popular novel A Discovery of Witches was released as a trade paperback last month.

I'll be posting my review of the book next Tuesday, January 24. Also, The Penguin Group is kindly providing a copy of the book for me to give to one of my readers. So, please, stop by Tuesday and leave a comment!

.

Recently received

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Avalanche Pass (A Jesse Parker mystery) by John Flanagan (Berkley Prime Crime tp, 7 February 2012).
When guests and staff at a snowbound ski lodge in Utah are taken hostage by heavily armed men, Jesse Parker may be their only hope. Jesse has left Steamboat Springs to try to salvage his career after a horrific skiing accident-but finds his refuge has turned into a war zone.
One of the hostages is a U.S. senator, so FBI Agent Denton Colby is sent to Utah to negotiate a ransom. But the head of the hostage-takers is playing a dangerous game. As his demands become increasingly erratic-and half the hostages are mercilessly killed-Colby suspects that money may not be what he's really after.
Unbeknownst to Colby, they do have a man on the inside-Jesse has remained undetected, and with the help of a female security officer he may be able to stop these cold-blooded captors in their tracks...

The Union Quilters (An Elm Creek Quilts novel) by Jennifer Chiaverini (Plume tp, 7 February 2012).
n 1862, the men of Water's Ford, Pennsylvania, rally to President Lincoln's call while Dorothea Granger marshals her friends to "wield their needles for the Union." Meanwhile, Anneke Bergstrom hides the shame she feels for her husband's pacifism; gifted writer Gerda Bergstrom takes on local Southern sympathizers in the pages of the Water's Ford Register; and Constance Wright struggles to help her husband gain entry to the Union Army-despite the color of his skin. As the women work, hope, and pray, the men they love confront loneliness, boredom, and danger on the battlefield. But the women of the sewing circle also forge a new independence that will forever alter the patchwork of life in the Elm Creek Valley.

Lucifer's Tears (Insp. Kari Vaara #2) by James Thompson.
Inspector Kari Vaara has left the Arctic Circle and returned- reluctantly-to Helsinki, where headaches and sleeplessness plague him. But he must work through the pain. He has two cases on his plate: the brutal murder of a Russian businessman's wife, and-more secretively-an investigation into an elderly Finnish national hero who may have played a darker role in World War II than the public knows. Vaara's past has turned him into a haunted man. The questions he's asking now may turn him into a hunted man as well...

Death on Heels (A Crime of Fashion mystery) by Ellen Byerrum (Obsidian mm, 7 February 2012).
When Washington, D.C., fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian's former boyfriend, cattle rancher Cole Tucker, is arrested for murder, she digs her cowboy boots out of her closet and flies to his defense. She is certain of his innocence-unil he abducts her during a daring courthouse escape...

One Book in the Grave (A Bibliophile mystery) by Kate Carlisle (Obsidian mm, 7 February 2012).
Brooklyn's chance to restore a rare first edition of Beauty and the Beast seems a fairy tale come true-until she realizes the book last belonged to an old friend of hers. Ten years ago, Max Adams fell in love with a stunning beauty, Emily, and gave her the copy of Beauty and the Beast as a symbol of their love. Soon afterward, he died in a car crash, and Brooklyn has always suspected his possessive ex-girlfriend and her jealous beau.
Now she decided to find out who sold the book and return it to its rightful owner-Emily. With the help of her handsome boyfriend, Derek Stone, Brooklyn must unravel a murder plot-before she ends up in a plot herself...

Old Haunts (Haunted Guesthouse #3) by E.J. Copperman (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 7 February 2012).
The ghosts haunting Alison Kerby's Jersey Shore guesthouse are sad. Maxie wants to know who murdered her ex-husband, and Paul pines for his still-living almost-fiancee. The only one who isn't missing her ex is Alison-because The Swine just arrived on her doorstep...

Town in a Wild Moose Chase (Candy Holliday #3) by B.B. Haywood (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 7 February 2012).
Cape Willington's annual Winter Moose Fest is in full swing when the sightings of a mysterious white moose-and rumors of a dead body found in the woods-send Candy scrambling to separate fact from fiction before she finds herself in the bullseye of a ruthless killer...

File M for Murder (Cat in the Stacks #3) by Miranda James (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 7 February 2012).
Athena College's new writer in residence is native son and playwright Connor Lawton, known for his sharp writing-and sharper tongue. After an unpleasant encounter, librarian Charlie Harris heads home to a nice surprise: his daughter Laura is subbing for another Athena professor. Unfortunately her old flame Connor Lawton got her the job.

But before Connor finishes his newest play, he's murdered-and Laura is the prime suspect. Charlie and his faithful cat, Diesel, follow Connor's cluttered trail to find the true killer before his daughter is forever catalogued under M...for murderer.

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Recently received

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse (Berkley tp, 7 February 2012).
World War I robbed England and France of an entire generation of friends, lovers and futures. In Freddie Watson's case, the battlefields took his beloved brother and, at times, his peace of mind. In the winter of 1928, still seeking some kind of resolution, Freddie is travelling through the beautiful but forbidding French Pyrenees. During a snowstorm, his car spins off the mountain road. Freezing and dazed, he stumbles through the woods, emerging in a tiny village, where he finds an inn to wait out the blizzard. There he meets Fabrissa, a lovely young woman also mourning a lost generation. Over the course of one night, Fabrissa and Freddie share their stories. By the time dawn breaks, Freddie will have unearthed a tragic mystery that goes back through the centuries, and discovered his own role in the life of this old remote town.

Fadeaway Girl (Emma Graham #4) by Martha Grimes (NAL tp, 7 February 2012).
For waitress and cub reporter Emma Graham, tragedy defines where she lives. Spirit Lake, La Porte, and Lake Noir have been held in thrall by intertwined crimes: the murders of Mary-Evelyn Devereau, Rose Queen, and Fern Queen; the supposed kidnapping of a four-month-old baby from the Belle Ruin hotel twenty years previously; and, most recently, the attack on Emma. And with the arrival of an unexpected visitor and a drifter, it looks like the bad times have only begun...

Clobbered by Camembert (Cheese Shop #3) by Avery Aames (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 7 February 2012).
Cheese store owner Charlotte Bessette is setting up for the town's Winter Wonderland fair. Then, when an old friend is found dead in the cottage of Charlotte's assistant Rebecca, a suspicion falls on Rebecca's boyfriend, a honeybee farmer. While the town buzzes with gossip, can Charlotte catch the culprit without getting stung herself?

Buried in a Book (Novel Idea #1) by Lucy Arlington (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 7 February 2012).
After losing her job as a journalist at the age of forty-five, Lila Wilkins accepts an internship at A Novel Idea, a thriving literary agency in North Carolina. Being paid to read seems perfect to Lila, although it's difficult with the cast of quirky co-workers and piles of query letters. But when a penniless aspiring author drops dead in the agency's waiting room-and Lila discovers a series of threatening letters-she's determined to find out who wrote him off.

The Walled Flower (Victoria Square #2) by Lorraine Bartlett (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 7 February 2012).
If Katie Bonner's late husband hadn't invested all their savings in the crafts fair Artisans Alley, the Webster mansion could have been hers to remodel into a bed-and-breakfast. Instead that dream belongs to another young couple. But that dream becomes a nightmare when a skeleton is discovered sealed in the walls of the mansion. The bones belong to Helen Winston, who went missing twenty-two years ago. Heather's aunt, a jewelry vendor at Artisans Alley, asks Kate for help finding her niece's murderer. The case may be cold, but the killer is very much alive-and ready to go to any lengths to keep past secrets buried...

A Fitting End (Magical Dressmaking #2) by Melissa Bourbon (Obsidian mm, 7 February 2012).
Business is booming at Harlow Jane Cassidy's custom dressmaking boutique-even with her great-grandmother's ghost hanging around the shop. But when a local golf pro is found stabbed with dressmaking shears, the new town deputy suspects Harlow. Now she has to clear her name before the next outfit she designs is a prison jumpsuit...

Cake on a Hot Tin Roof (Piece of Cake #2) by Jacklyn Brady (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 7 February 2012).
Pastry chef Rita Lucero's Mardi Gras party turns funereal when one of her guests is found dead after a public fight with her uncle-leaving Rita no choice but to find the real killer and clear her uncle's name...

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Just finished reading...

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Ghoul Interrupted (Ghost Hunter Mystery #6) by Victoria Laurie.

The last time we saw the Ghost Hunters crew, they were in Ireland removing a phantom from a castle. There is a possible basis for a show in Dunkird, but they have to put aside these plans and head to New Mexico to deal with the death of Heath's Uncle Milton.

M.J.'s spirit guide Sam Whitefeather (who happens to be Heath's grandfather) appears in a dream to warn her of this just before Heath is notified by his cousin. Sam informs M.J. that Milton has been unable to cross over because of the traumatic nature of his death, which was caused by a demon whose mission is to destroy the Whitefeather clan. M.J.'s job is to locate the person possessed by the demon and kill him or her.

Although M.J. is not thrilled about the idea of killing someone, she's prepared to do it if it's the only way to dispose of the demon. While Gopher and the rest of the Ghost Hunter crew return to L.A. to deal with paperwork, M.J., Heath and Gilley fly to Santa Fe to take care of the evil spirit.

M.J. and her crew fight ghost and demons the same way one would fight any battle, by being mentally prepared and having the proper tools and weapons (which include custom magnetized spikes and "grenades"). Laurie's matter-of-fact narration of these astonishing events is what keeps this series from edging into the horror novel category.

At the end of the book is a preview of the next Ghost Hunter novel What A Ghoul Wants, due in January 2013.

*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a copy of the book for review purposes.

R.I.P. Reginald Hill

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Reginald Hill, one of my favorite crime novelist died Thursday 12 January 2012 at the age of 75.

I loved his police procedural series featuring Andy Dalziel and Peter Pascoe. According to his obituary in The Guardian

On the publication of the 21st Dalziel and Pascoe novel in 2007, an interviewer asked Reginald Hill if this was his 48th published novel to date. Hill replied: "That sounds very reasonable. I counted religiously till I got to 10, then in a more secular fashion till I got to 20, and after that I lost interest in keeping a tally. I mean, if 20 doesn't mean you're a real writer, then what number does?"

Many members of the literary community spoke of the self-effacing author with fondness.

Ian Rankin:

I didn't read crime fiction until I was in my 20s,...Hill was one of the first British writers I read. His plotting was elegant and his characters were larger than life – once you read about Andy Dalziel he's never forgotten. I daresay there are shadings of him in my Inspector Rebus – they're both bolshie and maverick and they don't look after themselves.

Val McDermid:

Reg was one of my first friends in the world of crime writing and I counted myself lucky to know him. He was as erudite and witty in the flesh as he was in his brilliant books and there was as much pleasure in his company than in that of any of his creations.

I read somewhere, though I'm unable to locate it now, that Hill wrote Arms and the Women (which is subtibled The Elliad) as a response to her character being written out of the BBC series. Though this story is likely apocryphal, if anyone comes across it, please let me know.

As a Janeite, I was especially impressed by The Price of Butcher's Meat basing the characters and the structure of the novel on Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon.

The Guardian's obituary concluded with these lines:

All who met him thought of him as a gentle man as well as a proper gentleman. Those who knew him well appreciated his generosity of spirit, especially to new writers, and his sometimes wicked sense of humour.

Although I never met him, this is always what I thought of him, and how I will remember him.

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Just finished reading...

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Triple Shot (Maggy Thorsen #7) by Sandra Balzo.*

It's really tough to run a food and beverage establishment when there's a funky smell so strong permeating the space that even the scent of Triple Shot Fully Leaded Espressos can't cover it. Upon investigation, Maggy Thorsen and her partner Sarah Kingston discover a body in a hidden room beneath Uncommon Grounds.

The body happens to be that of Sarah's apprentice Brigid, who had filed a complaint against her boss with the real estate board, giving Sarah the perfect reason to do away with her. Being the good friend that she is, Maggy promises to help prove Sarah's innocence.

Meanwhile, the underground room turns out to have been a private place for members of the mob to wait for the train to arrive at the station next door. A Chicago production company decides to do a television special about the room, and asks Maggy to cater for the crew, putting her in the perfect position to investigate.

Sandra Balzo has created another extremely enjoyable mystery. Maggy is a realistic and genuinely likeable protagonist who'd make a great next-door neighbor. Just a warning: if you believe that the pun is the lowest form of humour, Maggy's adventures may not be for you.

FTC Full Disclosure: The author was kind enough to provide me with an e-book in exchange for an honest review.

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I'm at Crime Fiction Collective today

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Please drop over to Crime Fiction Collective, where I review P.D. James' Death Comes to Pemberley.

I'd love to see your comments.

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Just finished reading...

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

An Appetite for Murder by Lucy Burdette (Key West Food Critic Mystery #1).*

Hayley Snow moved from New Jersey to Key West with Chad Lutz after knowing him for only a few days. But after only a couple of months, she walked into their bedroom to find him with another woman.

Luckily, she was able to move in with her college friend Connie and help out with her housecleaning business. But her real dream was to be the food critic for the upcoming lifestyle magazine Key Zest. The main problem with this plan was that one of the owners of the magazine is Chad's new squeeze Kristen. Hayley is certain that she can work around this, until one morning the police knock on her door.

Apparently Kristen was killed, and Hayley (for some reason the police won't share with her) is the chief suspect. With no money for a lawyer and no way to prove she didn't do it, Hayley's only choice is to find out who really murdered Kristen.

Hayley is a likeable protagonist, and although the reader often wants to stop her from yet another impulsive action, her motives are believable. Just like many sitcom characters, her escapades go awry (not in as amusing a fashion as occurs on television) and she ends up in trouble.

This is a quick read, mostly because of the urge to know what's going to happen next, and the conclusion is a satisfying one.

The second, as yet untitled mystery in this series will be released in September of 2012.

*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a copy of the book for review purposes.

Just finished reading...

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake (Wishcraft Mystery #1).*

When Darcy Merriweather's father dies, her aunt Velma invited her and her younger sister Harper to live and work with her. Eager to make a fresh start, the two young women agree.

Velma lives in Enchanted Village, near Salem, Massachusetts, which specializes in shops focusing on the magical. What visitors didn't realize was that the magic was real. Many of the village's residents were witches, and when Darcy and Harper move in with their mother's sister, she informs them that they have inherited this ability from their mother's side of the family.

Velma owns a business called "As You Wish", which purports to do anything its clients request. This is made easier by the fact that her (and her nieces') particular gift is "wishcraft". Yes, granting wishes. There is a stringent set of rules that they must follow, which takes some time to learn.

At a town meeting, Velma's beau Sylar has a disagreement with an unpleasant woman, and says he wishes she'd go away forever. Later that evening, Darcy discovers her in the alley, apparently strangled, with Velma's scarf around her neck. Of course, Sylar is the prime suspect, and the lackadaisical police chief isn't investigating any further. Certain that Sylar is innocent, Darcy and Harper decide to help Velma prove it.

Heather Blake is a pseudonym for Heather Webber, the author of the Nina Quinn mystery series and the Lucy Valentine series, and she's very good at what she does. Darcy, Harper and the other inhabitants of Enchanted Village are enchanting characters, and it will be fun to get to know them.

The second book in the series, A Witch Before Dying will be published in August 2012.

*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a copy of the book for review purposes.

Just finished reading...

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks.*

In 1665, a young Wampanoag man from what is now known as Martha's Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard. Geraldine Brooks takes this fact and builds a novel around it.

The story is told from the point of view of (fictional) Bethia Mayfield, a Puritan girl growing up on the island, part of a splinter group of Puritans who are not quite as strict as most. Intelligent and fond of learning, Bethia is disappointed when her father tells her she is too old to continue lessons with her older brother Makepeace, and must follow a woman's path.

One day while she's out clamming, she meets a young man whom she calls Caleb. As they become friends, she realizes that he's as intellectually thirsty as she is, even though the English are certain that the indigenous people are dull and stupid.

The map of the island at the beginning of the books is extremely helpful. A glossary would also be beneficial, as having to continually search for meanings of contemporary terms pulls the reader out of the story and Bethia's world.

Ms. Brooks has created an amazingly believable world around Caleb. The story is rich in historical detail. Through Bethia, she makes real the hardships of colonial life: the cold, the hunger, the smell.

Coincidentally, in the spring of 2011, a young woman became only the second Wampanoag from Martha's Vineyard to graduate from Harvard University since 1665.

*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a copy of the book for review purposes.

My favorite mysteries of 2011, continued

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Part One of this list can be found here.

O'Donohue, Clare. Missing Persons.

In my review I said:

... O'Donohue writes from experience as a television producer of several programs for several networks, including truTV, TLC and The History Channel. Writing in the first person from Kate's point of view, the author somehow manages to allow the reader to draw her/his own conclusions rather than accepting what the character believes.

***

Louise Penny. A Trick of the Light.

In my review I said:

Each of Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache novels has been outstanding, and each has seemed better than its predecessor. A Trick of the Light is no exception. As she has in the six earlier books, Ms. Penny draws us into the world of Gamache and Beauvoir and their team, and the isolated community of Three Pines. The policemen's relationship with the villagers doesn't hinder them from being objective, and all concerned are aware of this.

***

Page, Katherine Hall. The Body in the Gazebo.

From the publisher's summary:

Faith has a lot on her plate as she attempts to solve a Depression Era murder while trying to clear her husband’s name after he is accused of a heartless theft. Poignant, suspenseful, puzzling, and all-around marvelous, The Body in the Gazebo is cozy culinary mystery at its very best—complete with scrumptious recipes from Faith Fairchild’s kitchen and a resolution that would make Dame Agatha Christie proud.

***

Stanley, Kelli. City of Secrets.

In my review, I said:

Kelli Stanley is such a master of noir one could swear that she's Raymond Chandler reincarnated, and Miranda Corbie is the epitome of hardboiled.

***

Stanton, Mary. Angel Condemned.

In my review, I said:

... although all the elements of a horror story are here: evil attorneys opposing Bree, mirrors that reflect demons and paintings that portray reality, this is not a frightening tale.
Rather, the philosophy underlying this unputdownable book, that there is someone working to correct divine mistakes, is a comfort.

These books are arranged in alphabetical order by author.

My favorites of 2011, continued

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

(The first half of this list can be found here.)

Myracle, Lauren. Shine.

This is the story of 16-year-old Cat, whose one-time best friend Patrick was murdered in a hate killing in the small town of Black Creek, NC. It's a difficult story on a difficult subject, so be warned.
I reviewed it for VOYA earlier this year.

O'Donohue, Clair. Missing Persons (A Kate Conway Mystery).

From my review of June 28th:

Also the author of the Someday Quilts mystery series, much cozier than this first book of the Kate Conway series, O'Donohue writes from experience as a television producer of several programs for several networks, including truTV, TLC and The History Channel. Writing in the first person from Kate's point of view, the author somehow manages to allow the reader to draw her/his own conclusions rather than accepting what the character believes.

Penny, Louise. A Trick of the Light (Inspector Gamache #7)

From my Crime Fiction Collective review of August 22:

Each of Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache novels has been outstanding, and each has seemed better than its predecessor. A Trick of the Light is no exception. As she has in the six earlier books, Ms. Penny draws us into the world of Gamache and Beauvoir and their team, and the isolated community of Three Pines. The policemen's relationship with the villagers doesn't hinder them from being objective, and all concerned are aware of this.

Rendell, Ruth. The Vault (Chief Inspector Wexford #23).

The retired (and bored) Wexford is asked to consult on a case by a former trainee, and accepts eagerly. But his investigation is interrupted by a family tragedy, casting Wexford in the role of victim for the first time.
Rendell's writing is exceptional as always.

Stanley, Kelli. City of Secrets (Miranda Corbie #2).
From my review of September 21:

Kelli Stanley is such a master of noir one could swear that she's Raymond Chandler reincarnated, and Miranda Corbie is the epitome of hardboiled. Unusual for a female character perhaps, but completely believable nonetheless.

My favorite mysteries of 2011, Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Arsenault, Emily. In Search of the Rose Notes.

In my review I said:

The characters are believable, though not all likeable, and the story keeps the reader eager to learn what happened to Rose. Although this reviewer found the eventual revelation something of a disappointment, many will probably think it perfectly satisfactory. In any case, the prose is a delight to read and the relationships between the younger characters ring true, as do their perceptions of adult behavior.

***

Bell, David. Cemetery Girl.

In my review I said:

Bell's portrayal of Tom as a father made irrational first by his belief that his daughter is alive, and then by his need to know what she was doing during the four long years were gone is compelling. The story is written in the first person, so we perceive everything as Tom would. Despite that, most of the primary characters are portrayed as neither or both good and bad.

***

Cantrell, Rebecca. Game of Lies.

In my review, I said:

Cantrell writes from Hannah's point of view in the first person, describing Hannah's experiences so vividly that the reader can almost identify with her completely. The "almost" is a result of the many instances when the reader wants to caution her against something she's decided upon, but of course this is what makes the narrative into a story.

***

Hamilton, Denise. Damage Control.

In my review I said:

Ms. Hamilton skilfully describes Maggie's reactions to sights, sounds, and smells to increase the already strong empathy the reader has with her through the first-person point of view. We become so attuned to Maggie's senses and emotions that we can almost feel the heat of the sun on her arms, the dizziness caused by watching a record spinning on a turntable.

***

King, Laurie R. The Pirate King.

In my review I said:

... the tale is more humorous than other stories in the series, but that doesn't make it trivial. Trying to keep track of the whole cast and crew of the production is no easy task, but of course Mary manages magnificently. And in the process, she just happens to solve a mystery or two (with some help from her husband).
This book is truly a delight. It will certainly be enjoyed by Mary Russell fans, and might even draw some more into the company.

This list is arranged alphabetically by author.

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My favorite books of 2011, Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

I know there'a still a week left in the year, but I'm going to take a chance and list my five of my ten favorites of all the books I've read this year. (I haven't counted how many I've read in total.) The books aren't all mysteries, there are some YA and other fiction as well.

Here they are, alphabetically by author:

Cantrell, Rebecca. A Game of Lies (Hannah Vogel #3).

In my review of July 5, I said:

Cantrell writes from Hannah's point of view in the first person, describing Hannah's experiences so vividly that the reader can almost identify with her completely. The "almost" is a result of the many instances when the reader wants to caution her against something she's decided upon, but of course this is what makes the narrative into a story.

Diffenbaugh, Vanessa. The Language of Flowers.

From my review of October 25:

Diffenbaugh's prose is astonishing. This is one of those books where the reader is torn between wanting to know what happens and reading slowly in order to appreciate her communication using the written word while she teaches us the language of flowers.

Hamilton, Denise. Damage Control.

From my Crime Fiction Collective review, September 5:

Ms. Hamilton skilfully describes Maggie's reactions to sights, sounds, and smells to increase the already strong empathy the reader has with her through the first-person point of view. We become so attuned to Maggie's senses and emotions that we can almost feel the heat of the sun on her arms, the dizziness caused by watching a record spinning on a turntable.

Harrington, Laura. Alice Bliss.

From my review of June 8:

...mostly we live and breathe through Alice. We empathize with her as she wears one of her father's shirt to a rag, discovers the release of running and yearns to remember [his] voice and image.

King, Laurie R. The Pirate King (Russel and Holmes #11).
On CFC October 3.

I said:

This book is truly a delight. It will certainly be enjoyed by Mary Russell fans, and might even draw some more into the company.

I'll post the remainder of the list next Friday, December 30.

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Recently received

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1) by Deborah Harkness (Viking trade pb, 27 December 2011).

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

The Yoga Club by Cooper Lawrence (Gallery Books trade pb, January 2012).

Chatting it up with bendy WASPs is the last thing on Coco Guthrie’s mind during her 8:30 a.m. yoga class. Having made her fortune as the world-renowned inventor of Butt-B-Gone derriere cream, Coco still doesn’t feel like she belongs among the upper class— until she attends the swankiest Halloween soiree in Greenwich, Connecticut, where three of her fellow morning yogis shared her brilliant idea to appear as Sarah Palin. Soon it’s clear that a love of stretching isn’t all this accidental sorority—which includes a single mom with echolalia, an entertainment reporter who charms the pants off handsome stars, and a drama-prone producer with a taste for drag— have in common.

When the four mischievous Sarahs wander away from the party to sneak a peek at the mayor’s neighboring estate, they are stunned to find him adorned in leather and latex, and rolling up a woman’s body in a Persian rug. To make matters worse, someone has spotted the spying Palins. Someone who threatens to expose their torrid affairs in business and the bedroom. Now the unlikely foursome must use all their wits and wiles to get to the bottom of the kinky crime. But will their budding friendship be strong enough to protect their deepest secrets?

The Trail of the Spellmans (The Spellman Files #5) by Lisa Lutz (Simon and Schuster hc, 28 February 2012).

For the first time in Spellman history, Isabel Spellman might be the most normal member of her family. Mom has taken on an outrageous assortment of extracurricular activities. Dad has a secret. Her brother and sister are at war, but neither will reveal the source of the conflict. While domestic disturbances abound, there is one source of sanity in the Spellman household: Demetrius Merriweather, employee of the month for eighteen months straight.

Things aren’t any simpler on the business side of Spellman Investigations. First, Rae is hired to follow a girl, only to fake the surveillance reports. Then a socialite has Isabel tail her husband, despite a conspicuous lack of suspicion. A man in a sweater vest hires the Spellmans to follow his sister, who turns out to be the socialite. Izzy won’t stop hunting for the answers—even when they threaten to shatter both the business and the family.

Rooted in Danger (Blackthorne, Inc. #3) by Terry Odell (Five Star hc, 11 May 2012).

Foster (Fozzie) Mayhew, Blackthorne’s Intel Specialist, is cocky and arrogant, befitting his Aussie heritage. Put him in a helicopter with his surveillance instruments and he can spot the fleas on a squirrel's balls from five hundred feet. He’s happiest when he’s rescuing hostages, getting them to safety while Uncle Sam is still negotiating. But Fozzie's boss pulls him from the work he loves and sends him to locate Victoria Hamilton, estranged daughter of a rich client.

Torie Stoker, born Victoria Hamilton, is hiding from her father who needs her at home and married. There's no love lost between Torie and her family. They shipped her off to a Swiss boarding school when she was thirteen, and at twenty-nine, she's never looked back. When her best friend, Kathy, dies, Torie settles in Oregon, determined to give meaning to Kathy’s death by continuing the botanist’s quest for rare plants with potential medical applications. When a man shows up with a gun, Torie realizes how badly her father must want her back.

Fozzie wants nothing more than to locate his target, report to his boss, and get back to his real job. When he finds Torie being dragged away at gunpoint, his protective instincts kick in. Soon, they're racing to discover why her father sent armed men after her. Or could it have something to do with Kathy’s pharmaceutical research to cure orphan diseases? The answers threaten to change Torie’s life forever.

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Recently received

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

It Takes a Witch (The First Witchcraft Mystery) by Heather Blake (Obsidian mm, 3 January 2012).

Darcy Merriweather has just discovered she hails from a long line of Wishcrafters-witches with the power to cast spells by making a wish. She's come to Enchanted Village to learn her trade but finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation...

An Appetite for Murder (Key West Food Critic #1) by Lucy Burdette (Obsidian mm, 3 January 2012).

Hayley Snow's life always revolved around food. But when she applies to be a food critic for a Key West style magazine, she discovers that her new boss would be Kristen Faulkner-the woman Hayley caught in bed with her boyfriend! Hayley thinks things are as bad as they can get-until the police pull her in as a suspect in Kristen's murder. Kristen was killed by a poisoned key lime pie. Now Hayley must find out who used meringue to murder before she takes all the blame.

Ghoul Interrupted (Ghost Hunter #6) by Victoria Laurie (Obsidian mm, 3 January 2012).

M.J. Holliday and her crew interrupt the frantic schedule of their reality TV show, Ghoul Getters, and hotfoot it to New Mexico, where a dreadful demon is waging tribal warfare. Same Whitefeather- M.J.'s spirit guide-urgently needs her help to stop this evil spirit from wiping out the descendants of his tribe. It doesn't take a psychic to predict that M.J.'s going to have a devil of a time making New Mexico a demon-free zone.

Sick Rich (Royal Pains #2) by D.P. Lyle (Obsidian mm, 3 January 2012).

The Fourth of July weekend is fast approaching, and Dr. Hank Lawson and his friends have been invited to the only party that matters. But when local kids start exhibit strange symptoms, Hank fears that the fireworks aren't the only things that are about to burn out...

My favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Once upon a time, I was a children's librarian. In the United States, public librarians are supposed to stay away from using books involving religion in any way, shape or form. But we're still allowed to read stories about ethnic celebrations, as long as we're evenhanded about it. (It was somewhat different when I was in Canada.)

In any case, here are my favorite "winter holiday" books for reading aloud:

Climo, Shirley (Jane Manning, ill.) Cobweb Christmas.
Everybody loves Christmas at Tante's. The old lady decorates a wonderful tree and makes certain to have something for all who come to visit, be it the nearby village children or the shy animals of the pine forest. The only creatures Tante overlooks are the spiders she has swept out of her cottage while cleaning. But the curious spiders want to come inside and see Tante's tree, too. When a midnight visitor lets them into the old lady's home, they unknowingly spin Tante the very gift she has longed for--a gift that has inspired the draping of tinsel on Christmas trees ever since.

Ets, Marie Hall and Aurora Labistida. Nine Days to Christmas.
Las posadas are celebrated from December 16 - 24, and re-enact Mary and Joseph's cold and difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of shelter; in Spanish, the word means "lodging."

Henry, O (Lizbeth Zwerger, ill.) The Gift of the Magi.
A young husband and wife each, unbeknownst to the other, gives up a most treasured possession to buy the other a wonderful gift. The gifts, of course, are useless as a result, but the couple's love is all the stronger.

Hill, Susan (Angela Barrett, ill.) Can it be True?
Based on the The Oxen by Thomas Hardy, the author of the Simon Serailler mystery series writes an enchanting poem. Barrett's illustrations are magical.

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Just finished reading...

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman.*

Brothers Tim, Sean and Gordon Halloran played ball in a field near Gwen Robison's house on the outskirts of Baltimore. When Gwen and her friend Mickey see them, Mickey tells them they can't play there unless they let the girls join in. Soon, the five of them are exploring the nearby woods, something that would not be allowed today.

Fast-forward to the present-day. Gordon, the youngest of the five, stumbles out of a bar. Certain that he's not drunk, he gets in the car and heads home. Then he makes a detour to a dead-end stretch of highway where they used to drag race, and drives into the barrier wall at the end.

The remaining four friends, who haven't been close since their early teens, meet for the first time in years at Gordon's funeral. Someone wonders why they stopped hanging around together, and that's when the memories begin to resurface.

Laura Lippman has created another fascinating tale of human nature and its foibles. The narrative alternates between the group's childhood in the late 1970s and the present-day (which requires that the reader pay attention to the chapter headings). As is common in Lippman's novels, the city of Baltimore is almost a character itself.

Lippman uses an unusual technique when chronicling the group's youthful adventures. The narrative is written in first-person plural, referring to the five as "we", but never in the first-person singular. It does provide a feeling of immediacy to events, but unfortunately pulled this reviewer abruptly out of the story. Still, it's a gripping story, and difficult to put down once begun.

*FTC Full Disclosure: This was a library book.

Recently received

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Wild, Wild Death (Pepper Martin #8) by Casey Daniels (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 3 January 2012).

Her job has been cut, she's low on cash, and her detective sometime- boyfriend refuses to even talk about her ability to see the dead and solve their murders. So Pepper is most certainly down for a vacation to get her spirits up. But when her cute scientist friend Dan is kidnapped, Pepper soon stumbles upon another deadly mystery that brings her to New Mexico. And she's after a clever murderer-one whose idea of Boot Hill has nothing to do with Jimmy Choo.

Die Job (Southern Beauty Shop #3) by Lila Dare (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 3 January 2012).

After an attempted murder at a supposedly haunted plantation, the ladies of Violetta's beauty salon unravel secrets that link a high school student, a centuries-old crime, and the roots to a very dark mystery.

Breach of Trust by David Ellis (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 3 January 2012).

On the night his wife and infant daughter died, attorney Jason Kolarich was awaiting a call from an informant. He blames himself not only for the deaths of his family, but for the informant's murder as well. Kolarich can't bring back his family, but he can find the person who killed the informant. And he discovers that his informant's murder was only the tip of the iceberg-and that exposing the truth will drag him into the fight of his life.

Affairs of Steak (White House Chef #5) by Julie Hyzy (Berkley Prime Crime mm,3 January 2012).

White House chef Olivia Paras and her arch nemesis, White House Sensitivity Director Peter Everett Sargeant, must work together to solve the double murder of one of the First Lady's assistants and the Chief of Staff-before they become the next victims of a merciless assassin with a secret agenda.

Blind Sight (Bernadette St. Clare #3) by Terri Persons (Berkley Prime Crime Trade, 3 January 2012).

A deer hunter tracking his wounded prey through Minnesota's Paul Bunyan State Forest makes the grisly discovery of a young girl's body. The condition of the corpse is shocking: She'd been pregnant, but the full-term fetus is missing. She's sixteen-year-old Lydia Dunton, daughter of a high-powered senator who has shut the door on Agent Saint Clare's investigation. Now she has little but dead ends, false leads, and lies to work with-until she discovers a similar crime that occurred in Wisconsin, plunging Bernadette and her boss, Tony, into a circuitous and deadly twist in the case that no one sees coming.

If Fried Chicken Could Fly (Country Cooking School #1) by Paige Shelton (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 3 January 2012).

At Gram's Country Cooking School, Betts and Gram are helping students prepare the perfect dishes for the Southern Missouri Show-Down, the cook-off that draws the first of the summer visitors. Everything is going smoothly until they discover the body of local theater owner Everett Morningside in the school's supply closet, and Everett's widow points an accusatory finger at Gram. Now, Betts has to dig deep into Broken Rope's history to find the modern-day killer-before the last piece of chicken is served...

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Just finished reading...

noreply@blogger.com (Marlyn Beebe) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Love, Lies and Lizzie by Rosie Rushton.

It's been a while since I reviewed a young adult novel here, and I thought this was a great time of year to do it. This is not a mystery, but one of my other passions, an update of a Jane Austen novel.

Rosie Rushton takes on what is probably Austen's best-known work, Pride and Prejudice (she has also written similar books based on Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility and Emma.

She doesn't make the mistake of trying to follow the Edwardian story too closely. For example, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet call each other by their first names, as contemporary adults are likely to do. Nor is it shocking for a young woman to be alone with a young man or speak to him first.

Here, Mrs. Alice Bennet has inherited a large sum of money from a distant cousin, and promptly moves the family to a new development overlooking a golf course. She's still as flighty as Bennet mère. What has remained the same is the class distinctions: James (who would name their child "Fitzwilliam these days?) Darcy looks down at people who went to state schools and the nouveau riche, like the Bennet family.

The book does take place in England, and North American readers may have some difficulty with some of the slang used, but generally it's decipherable by context.

This is a charming, light riff on Pride and Prejudice, barely touching on the secondary plots concerning Mr. Collins and Darcy's aunt. It will most likely be enjoyed by teens who like the Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison or the Girls Quartet by Jacqueline Wilson. But there's always the possibility that some young reader will use this as a stepping-stone to the actual Austen novels.