Death of a Gentle Lady

Death of a Gentle Lady by M.C. Beaton


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another of the Hamish Macbeth mysteries, this one has a lively cast of suspects. Mrs. Gentle, who has snowed many of the village’s members, has not fooled Hamish Macbeth. She is anything but gentle and her family members are almost as appalling. She mistreats her illegal immigrant Russian maid leading Hamish, in a fit of kindness, to offer to marry her. He is not quite as altruistic as he seems. If he has a wife, then Inspector Blair will be thwarted in his attempt to close the Lockdubh police station.

From that point on, things start to unravel. It seems that everyone has something to hide and the suspects are thick on the ground. Inspector Blair is becoming almost unhinged in his determination to get rid of Hamish and he comes close to succeeding.


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The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Man Who Knew Too Much by G.K. Chesterton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was harder to read than most of Chesterton's work. His sleuth, Horne Fisher, is not as compelling as Father Brown and most of the mysteries are very short and end without the lawbreakers being brought to justice formally, although in many cases, justice ends up being served anyway.

The other problem I had with the book was the amount of British politics in it. Since I don't recognize the titles for various political offices, it was often hard to get an understanding of the issues. That being said, the stories did make sense and the solutions of the mystery were amazingly clever, especially the one about Prince Michael and the tower.

As usual, Chesterton writes beautifully and has such a wonderful power of description that most of the characters became very real with the exception of Horne Fisher. For most of the stories, he is more of an observer, so the lack of personal details makes some sense, but I would have liked it more if he had been better drawn.
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The Cincinnati Red Stalkings

The Cincinnati Red Stalkings by Troy Soos

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Troy Soos writes a great story for baseball fans, of which I am one. I love the stories about the earlier days of baseball when the salaries weren't so high and players weren't so removed from the fans. This mystery takes place in 1921, the year that the Chicago "Black Socks" were supposed to have thrown the world series. I had always heard about it and felt that Shoeless Joe Jackson got a raw deal, but I never understood all the mysteries surrounding the scandal. While that isn't the the major theme in this book, a great deal of information is given, especially about the extreme actions of the Commissioner of Baseball and the feelings of the fans.

I also enjoyed the cameo appearances of Eppa Rixey who was from Rixeyville, just up the road from where I lived in Virginia. I had heard about him and saw a plaque dedicated to him, but never had any other information. Troy Soos fleshes out his character and gives some details about a few games he played in.

This book centers around the murder of a man who was gathering memorabilia from the earliest players and games. It is how the Baseball Hall of Fame must have started. Unfortunately, this young man was murdered and Mickey Rawlings is determined to find out how and why after his own house is broken into. Mickey was given some of the material that wasn't going to end up in the museum and he figures that the killer did not get the thing he sought when he broke into the museum.


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The Art of Detection (Kate Martinelli, #5)

The Art of Detection by Laurie R. King

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't know how it happened, but I have read two books in a row in which the gay/lesbian secondary theme in the book has been heavy handed and off putting. I am getting very tired of it. The detective, Kate Martinelli has her perfect little lesbian family with her partner's all too perfect and wise 3 year old child. About half the book is devoted to these side issues and, predictably, all the gays are wonderful, misunderstood, and discriminated against and the rest of the characters are either wildly supportive of their lifestyle or complete jerks. There is preaching, dogmatism and intolerance on the alternative lifestyle proponents that is every bit as nauseating as the morality plays of the past. Kate has an attitude that is every bit as prejudiced, bigoted and sanctimonious as the people she demeans. Please, authors, give it a rest!! This has nothing to do with a fairly decent mystery so why include it?

The setting involves a group of people who are Sherlock Holmes aficionados and the murder of one of their members. When his body is found in a gun emplacement on the Marin headlands Kate and her partner, Al Hawkins, believe the murder has been committed elsewhere and the body has been staged. They trace the murder victim to his home which is awesome as well as eerie. On the bottom two floors, the house is a replica of a San Francisco home at the time of Sherlock Holmes even down to the gas lights and heat. On the third floor, where Philip Gilbert mainly lives, he has a computer, security system with a nanny camera and even an elevator, but the rest of the house allows him to immerse himself in the life and times of Sherlock Holmes.

The crux of the story involves a newly found manuscript supposedly written by Arthur Conan Doyle while he was visiting San Francisco and it involves a complicated murder which was similar to the staging of Philip Gilbert's murder. The detective work is quite good and the solution is interesting and plausible. The addition of all the Sherlock Holmes information makes the book work slogging through despite all the gay/lesbian posturing.
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Folly

Folly by Laurie R. King

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a very compelling look at madness and healing. I found it different from anything else I have read by Laurie R. King. The main character is a woman, Rae Newborn, in her 50's, who has been subject to severe depression and several suicide attempts, and who has come to a deserted island in the Juan de Fuga straits. She was attempting to reconstruct the house left by her mysterious Great Uncle Desmond. The house burned and Desmond disappeared many years before and for some reason, she has an odd connection to both the house and her Uncle Desmond. Rae had been a successful artist whose worked with wood brought her fame and wealth, but after the tragic death of her husband and small daughter, and the madness it drove her to, has turned to building as a form of healing and finding herself again.

The most interesting aspect of this book is the intersection between paranoid madness and the possibility of actual physical danger from a real person who is stalking and intent on killing her. Rae struggles to differentiate between the two and to heal herself by reacting appropriately to the very real danger she is in.

Laurie R. King's skill at creating characters is never stronger than in this novel. The complexities of Rae, her daughter Tamara, and their relationship is the best of all her books. In Rae, she has given a window into madness and the struggle to reach beyond the chaotic thoughts of the insane to sanity. I have a relative who is mentally ill and I found real insight into the self-destructive impulses that can not be controlled despite a true desire to be sane.


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The Body Snatcher and Other Tales by Robert Louis Stevenson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a collection of three very different short stories by Robert Lewis Stevenson. The first is a story about medical students and the grim work of the resurrectionists. It is set in the 1800's in Scotland and involves the action of young medical students and their secret work of digging up fresh graves to provide corpses for dissection. The very action of learning often compromises their own morality when the cause of death is suspiciously opportune and the identity of the corpse is known. It reminds me of Burk and Hare trials in 19th century and I think it has been the basis for several movies.

The second tale is completely different and reminds me of something out of Grims' Fairy Tales. It deals with the greed of an old woman and the results of her choices for her family. Like most old tales, there is a strong sense of morality and justice in it.

The last is also a folk story about a shaman/magician and the greed of his son-in-law. The old shaman needs his son-in-law's help and reveals the source of his wealth to be a magic island. The son-in-law returns to the island to steal the money and becomes ensnared in the magic of the island. Again, there is a strong sense of morality and revenge.

All of these tales are similar to those of Hawthorne and feel like they are based in true legends and morality tales. Each is complete and I could feel like I was sitting around a fire listening to an old sage reveal the legends of the ancestors.







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A Darker Place

A Darker Place by Laurie R. King

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't like this as much as the other books by Laurie King. The premise wasn't as interesting and there were long periods of soul searching by the main character that I found to be very boring. Still, it did have some very interesting twists and turns and was worth reading. King is just such a good author, I think I was expecting too much.

The story is about Professor Anne Waverley, a university religion teacher and expert at infiltrating cults for the FBI. As a young woman, she and her husband and small daughter were in a cult and when she left for some soul searching, all the members committed suicide leaving her with tremendous guilt that has been somewhat assuaged by working with the FBI. She adopts a different persona and infilterates the cult giving the FBI information that helps to establish if the cult is dangerous or not.

Several times throughout the book there are exerpts from books or lectres she has written for the FBI for their training in understanding cults. To me this was the most interesting part of the book. There was a fascinating discussion as to what makes a cult leader explode with violence and what are the danger signals. She also talks about the difference between a small break-away religious group and what we know of as a cult.


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Deception on His Mind (Inspector Lynley #9)

Deception on His Mind by Elizabeth George

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I just finished this for the second time. I couldn't remember all the details of the end, so I decided it was time to enjoy it again. I love the books in this series that involve Taymullah Azar and his delightful daughter. They are both very good characters.

The plot of this book, like most of her work, is pretty complex. A Pakistani man was murdered on the beach and the Pakistani community is up in arms because they feel that a white person has done the crime and that the local police will try to pin it on someone from their own community. They call in Taymullah Azar from London, who is a relative of the slain man's brother in law. Barbara Havers is on leave because of a beating she took and she follows Azar to the seaside town thinking the University Professor won't be able to take care of himself. When she gets there she finds a friend is leading the investigation and leads Emily to believe she has been sent from Scotland Yard to give some help. She neglects to mention that she knows Taymullah Azar. Emily gives her the job as liaison between the police and the Asian community leaders led by Azar and his cousin.

This story is filled with twists and turns and a lot of red herrings, and it does slog a little in the middle, but the conclusion is exciting and for the most part satisfying.


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Blacklands

Blacklands by Belinda Bauer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When the book opens a young boy is digging holes out on the moor. There is something determined, and yet frantic about his digging. He has been digging for his uncle Billy Peters body. Billy was killed by a serial killer when he was about 12, the age of Steven, the digger. His body was never found. Steven lives with his mother and grandmother and it is his grandmother he is trying to find Billy for. The family is disfunctional and Steven thinks that if he can find his uncle's body, his grandmother will begin to live in the present again and pay attention to his mother who has been pushed to the side in her mother's obsession with finding Billy.

This is a well crafted story with an engaging protagonist. It deals with several disturbing subjects, but it is fast paced and well crafted.

It also delves into the story that never makes the headlines...the story of what happens to the family left behind, the family that never has closure. I enjoyed this very much.


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Murder At Ebbets Field

Murder At Ebbets Field by Troy Soos

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mickey Rawlings is a utility player for the New York Giants during the pennant race for the 1914 World's Series. When he is picked for a bit part in a movie about baseball, he meets a glamorous movie star and a young woman who is also in the movie. Unfortunately, the movie star is murdered and Mickey has a hard time proving that it isn't him. He and a young Casey Stengal cross paths and become friends in the midst of the mystery. This is not just a mystery, but a lot of fun historical information, both about Casey and baseball in it's infancy. It is a great read for anyone who has any interest in baseball.


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The Devil's Gentleman: Privilege, Poison, and the Trial That Ushered in the Twentieth Century

The Devil's Gentleman: Privilege, Poison, and the Trial That Ushered in the Twentieth Century by Harold Schechter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was the story of Roland Molineaux, a poisoner from the turn of the 20th century. He was the son of a famous and beloved General of the Civil War. He was accused of poisoning a rival for his intended wife and a man from his health club whom he had taken a severe dislike to. While the case added up, the motive seemed extreme for a gentleman of his class. The story was very interesting, especially as it was something of a "bad seed" affair. This is also another "Lizzy Borden" case in which there was a great deal of controversy about the verdicts which have not been agreed upon to this day.



Along with this is the story of the tabloid press or "yellow journalism" engendered by Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. Both men took over failing newspapers and turned them into wildly successful enterprises which left them multi-millionairs. What was especially interesting to me was the fact that the papers had detectives of their own and often managed to stay one step ahead of the police. This case changed journalism forever.



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This Body of Death by Elizabeth George

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I did not like this book nearly as well as the earlier books. Isabelle Ardery's is designed to talke Lynley's place if he can't be convinced to come back and she is abrasive, brash, idiotically unsensitive and totally unable to see any of her team as having a lick of sense. She is finally successful in getting Lynley out of the house and working on her team, but that doesn't ring true at all. You can tell from the beginning that she is to be a love interest for him and that just is beyond sense. He could easier fall in love with Barbara Havers, who at the very least is a good detective and friend despite her penchant for going against the rules.

The mystery itself is better than the last few and I thought very clever. It isn't too hard to figure what is going on by the Social Service reports, but you still can't work out the details until the end. As a matter of fact, I have oftened wondered about the subject of this mystery. I can't really say more without giving too much away.

So, it is still a good book, but I pray that Isabelle is bumped off or sent off in disgrace before the next book. She is totally unsympathetic and as for Lynley having any interest in her, well, I would put it down to post traumatic stress disorder due to the death of his wife. In order for him to continue a relationship with her, he'd have to be mentally ill.


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Close To Home (Inspector Banks, #13

Close To Home by Peter Robinson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Detective Banks books are always good, but this one was particularly enjoyable. DI Banks is catapulted into the past when the bones of an old school friend, Graham Marshall, are found. Banks and his friends were all about 14 when Marshall disappeared and no one knew what happened to him. At the same time, Annie Cabot is investigating a similar disappearance and possible kidnapping of a 15 year old boy. The cases seem to be so similar and Banks is caught somewhere between them. Both boys were not who they seemed to be and Banks found that Graham had a lot more going on in his life than he and his friends were aware of. To add to the problem, DI Michelle Hart, new at her post has uncovered police corruption in the old case. Why are the action log and the case notes gone? Who still has something to hide?

Annie’s case involves 15 year old, Luke Armitage, who was the son of a famous musician who committed suicide when Luke was very young. There is a lot of pressure on Annie because Luke’s mother was a famous model and his step-father a much loved Rugby player. Annie needs to use all her skills in untangling the mystery of Luke’s life before she can even begin to solve the matter of Luke’s death.



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Alice's Tulips

Alice's Tulips by Sandra Dallas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book. It was told through letters that Alice wrote to her sister. Alice was a young woman married for 1 year whose young husband has gone to fight as a Union soldier in the Civil War. She is living with her mother-in-law, a taciturn and critical somewhat elderly woman. They live in a small farm just outside a village in Iowa and the story gives a fairly good idea of the lives women led at the time. The sexual references are almost certainly inaccurate and would be best left out. I cannot imagine young women of that time writing about such intimate matters in letters. Alice's Tulips refers to a quilting pattern and quilting for soldiers and patterns are a thread that runs through the book. Eventually, Alice is suspected of murder and there is a bit of drama and suspense that brings the book to its conclusion.



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The Killing Doll

The Killing Doll by Ruth Rendell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is not one of my favorite Rendell books. There actually isn't much of a mystery. It is more a psychological and psychic book about a brother and sister in a very strange English family. The main characters are Pup and his sister, Dolly, and the twisted way in which they grow up.

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Fatal Voyage

Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was a little different from the usual Temperance Brennan in that she started out being totally involved in the wreckage of an airplane and then after finding a foot that doesn's seem to belong to any of the passengers, she is taken off the crash team. Not only is she not involved, but her reputation as a profession is brought into serious question.

I didn't like having to wait for other characters to provide information any better than Brennan did. At first it seemed as if she was getting side tracked with mysterious problems with her car and strange mountain folk, but it all came together in the end, making this one of her better books.
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The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sorry, no review yet. I am on vacation and will have to catch up later.

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Bones to Ashes

Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Temperance Brennan is curious about some old bones found in Arcadia. She had a friend from Arcadia who disappeared when they were girls. She was told nothing when her friend disappeared and discouraged from asking any questions. The bones bring back the old memories and she wonders if they could be her long lost friend. The skeleton has odd lesions that Tempe cannot explain and the don't seem to fit the situation of this girl's death.

I liked this book, but some of it was problematic. First, I am not a forensic anthropologist, but I knew what was wrong with the bones. I should think a professional would know right away. Next, the relationship between Tempe and Ryan is getting very tiresome. A real relationship doesn't proceed in such a painful and complicated manner. Tempe is an extremely intelligent person and yet her personal life is that of someone with an IQ of 80. There are some real problems with character development.

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The Dante Club

The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This novel was an interesting twist on a mystery novel. Holmes, Longfellow and other noted giants are trying to solve some gruesome murders that are based on Dante' Inferno. I didn't find that the focus of the story. I was most intriuged by the brilliant, but poor student who was forced to rob recent graves to provide cadavers for the students to autopsy. To me he was the main character and certainly learned a lot about the state of medicine during that time. I found the mystery surrounding this young man's mother to be most interesting.



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Seeing a Large Cat (Amelia Peabody, #9

Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book begins with Ramses, David and Nefret more as young adults than mid teens which they really are. In Egypt, they mature early and in this book, they begin to take a more active role.

The mystery centers around a mummified woman who turns out to be a contemporary corpse even though she is mummified. Emerson finds the body and the authorities don't seem to pay too much attention to it, leaving the mystery to them. There are 2 men who are possibly the murders and the reader is bounced between them.

In this book, Ramses emerges as a young man who becomes something of a T. H. Lawrence character. He and David have spent the summer with a Sheik of their acquaintance and returns with a beautiful Arabian horse and a talent for disguise. He and David make use of these disguises to follow Nefret and the various suspects.

One of the new characters is a woman who is pretending to be a medium who has an old friend under her spell. She develops nicely and hopefully will return in future books.



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