November 2024 Reads

A bit below my monthly average, but I thoroughly enjoyed the books I read during November. For some reason it completely escaped my attention that I read both the first and the latest book in the Lady Eleanor Swift series by Verity Bright. It's hard to believe we're getting close to Christmas and the end of the year. Before I do a reading round-up for the year, I've got a few more books to read first. If I posted longer or related reviews, the links can be found below.

A VERY ENGLISH MURDER (Lady Eleanor Swift #1) by Verity Bright (4*)

A fun, somewhat over the top but overall, very amusing and easy to read vanishing-corpse mystery. I’m looking forward to spending more time in early 20^th century England solving mysteries with Lady Eleanor, her butler Clifford, and her English bulldog Gladstone.

 

AGATHA CHRISTIE: A MYSTERIOUS LIFE by Laura Thompson NF (4.5*)

This was more than ‘just’ a description of Christie’s life. This biography also deep dives into her books, her writing, her storytelling powers, as well as the puzzles she created and solved. The author takes links and hints about Agatha’s life from her (mostly Mary Westmacott’s) fiction. All of it sounds plausible but none of it can be taken as fact since they are conclusions drawn by Laura Thompson and not biographical details provided by Christie herself. It is noteworthy that the author uses the word ‘elusive’ with regard to Agatha Christie given that Lucy Worsley titled her biography Agatha Christie: an Elusive Woman. This has been a most enjoyable bedtime read. Sure, at about eight pages per evening it took a looooong time read, but I wasn’t in a hurry. I’m going to miss my nighttime encounters with Agatha Christie.

 

LIAR’S ISLAND (CSI Ally Dymond #3) by T. Orr Munro (3.5*)

Two CSI investigators find themselves stranded on a small island with a tiny group of inhabitants, one of whom may well be a murderer. I enjoyed Liar’s Island and I’d call it a well-plotted and easy-to-read mystery that for me personally could have done with a little more tension and a little less personal backstory. My full review can be found here:  https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2024/11/liars-island-by-t-orr-munro.html

 

A MIDWINTER MURDER (Lady Eleanor Swift #20) by Verity Bright (4+*)

A delightful new instalment in the Lady Eleanor Swift series. The setting combined with the reclusive Earl who lives there create a wonderful contrast with the charming Christmas atmosphere Eleanor’s staff create in the gamekeeper’s cottage. Just as the mystery is wonderfully balances with the developing romance between Ellie and her Chief Inspector fiancé. My full review can be found here: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2024/11/a-midwinter-murder-by-verity-bright.html

 

OUT OF SIGHT (Second Sight #3) by K.C. Wells 4*

Detective Gary Mitchell and psychic Dan Porter tackle their third baffling case while their relationship continues to flourish. What should have been a cold-case investigation almost immediately turns active and takes them far out of their comfort zones in more ways than one. In the background runs the continuing unsolved mystery of Gary’s brother’s murder. Because this story arc stretches over all the books in this series, they should be read in order.

 

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE (Ernest Cunningham #1) by Benjamin Stevenson 4.5*

Gripping, well-plotted, and at times funny mystery in which the first-person narrator strictly follows the Ten Commandments of Detective Fiction as established during the Golden Age of Crime Writing. More than once I feared the story was trying to be too clever only for the ending of the story to prove that the plot was indeed that clever. I’m sorry now that I already read Everyone on This Train is a Suspect and Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret earlier this year. Not because they spoiled this book for me but because I’d love to be able to look forward to reading them.

October Reads

October was a solid reading month. I didn't have any star reads and my lowest score was 3 stars. See below for my thoughts on the books I read. The first two come with links to longer reviews on this blog because I was lucky enough to get ARCs through Netgalley.

What was your October like? Did you read any books you'd like to recommend? Please share in the comment section because I'm always on the lookout for new gems.

MISS BEETON’S MURDER AGENCY (Miss Beeton #1) by Josie Lloyd (4-*)

A fast-paced, thrilling mystery, and captivating crime-caper with a few too many wtf moments for me to rate if five stars. If you like your cosy mystery with a large dose of mayhem, a host of larger-than-life characters, a cute little doggo, as well as plenty of action, and you don’t mind suspending disbelief once or twice, you’re going to love Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency.

Longer review: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2024/10/miss-beetons-murder-agency-by-josie.html

 

EVERONE THIS CHRISTMAS HAS A SECRET (Ernest Cunningham #3) by Benjamin Stevenson (4.5*)

I found this book all but impossible to put down. Ernest’s chatty narration pulled me along and had my swiping through the pages as fast as I could. The cast of characters was fascinating and the possible motifs for murder kept me guessing until Ernest reveals all in the rather spectacular denouement. Did I pick up on all the clues? No! Did I figure out whodunit? Also, no! But did I thoroughly enjoy myself while reading this book? Absolutely!

If you’re looking for a captivating, well-plotted and faultlessly executed mystery this Christmas, you are probably looking for Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret.

Longer review: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2024/10/everyone-this-christmas-has-secret-by.html

 

ONE OF US IS DEAD (Roy Grace #21) by Peter James (3*)

Rufus Rorke was supposed to have died two years ago but is recognised, alive and well by a man he used to be friends with. At the same time the police, led by Detective Superintendent Roy Grace are investigating a number of suspicious deaths. It isn’t long before the police's attention is focussed on Rufus. But how do you catch a man who has successfully lived undercover for years?

This is a well-written story with a fascinating plot. I was disappointed that it wasn’t a real mystery or thriller, though. This is not a whodunnit but a ‘how-do-we-catch-him’ sorta story and I kept on waiting for a twist in the tale that never happened.

 

MY BROTHER’S HUSBAND (My Brother’s Husband #1) by Gengoroh Tagame (4*)

I’m copying the original blurb here since I can’t put it better myself:

Yaichi is a work-at-home suburban dad in contemporary Tokyo; formerly married to Natsuki, father to their young daughter, Kana. Their lives suddenly change with the arrival at their doorstep of a hulking, affable Canadian named Mike Flanagan, who declares himself the widower of Yaichi's estranged gay twin, Ryoji. Mike is on a quest to explore Ryoji's past, and the family reluctantly but dutifully takes him in. What follows is an unprecedented and heartbreaking look at the state of a largely still-closeted Japanese gay culture: how it's been affected by the West, and how the next generation can change the preconceptions about it and prejudices against it.

I’m not sure how much I like reading Mangas but even turning the pages from back to front didn’t diminish how much I enjoyed this touching story.

 

AUTUMN CHILLS by Agatha Christie (4.5*)

A collection of 12 short stories featuring Hercule Poirot (4 stories), Miss Marple (2 stories), Harley Quin (2 stories), Parker Pyne (1 story), Tommy & Tuppence (1 story). Two of the stories were stand-alone and one of them (While the Light Lasts) wasn’t actually a mystery. While I enjoyed some stories more than others, all of them were a delight to read.

 

YOU ARE HERE by David Nicholls (4+)

Michael and Marnie have both retreated from the world after their marriages failed. Now they both find themselves on a coast to coast walk and with every passing kilometre they find themselves coming out of their self-imposed shells and getting closer to each other. A well-written and intriguing read about second chances taking them.

 

DEATH OF A BOOKSELLER by Alice Slater (3.5*)

A story about obsession that makes for an obsessive read despite the fact that I’m not sure how much I actually liked the main characters or the story itself. The book makes the reader wonder about the popularity of true crime books, podcasts, and television shows. How healthy is that fascination and how does that public interest affect those who have to live with the consequences of murder? The book’s ending was a bit too ambiguous for my liking too. Just as the title is a little misleading.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

 

Ernest Cunningham #3

208 pages

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Release Date: October 24, 2024

 

Blurb

My name is Ernest Cunningham.

I’m not a detective. I just happen to have a knack for what makes mysteries – and murderers – tick. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any killers out there might be willing to take a break for the holidays.

I was wrong.

So here I am, backstage at the Christmas show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. From the magician’s assistant to the hypnotist, my suspects are all professional tricksters. Masters in the art of misdirection.

My clues are even more of a mystery:

A suspect covered in blood, with no memory of how it got there.
A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens.
And an advent calendar. Because, you know. It’s Christmas.

Solving the murder is the only gift I want this year. But can I catch a killer, and make it home for Christmas alive?

 

Review

Ernest Cunningham can’t stay away from murders, it would seem. After Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone and Everyone On This Train is A Suspect he is back for a third instalment when his ex-wife Erin asks for his help. Her partner has been murdered and she is found with blood on her hands without having any idea how it got there. And, as if one impossible murder isn’t enough, it isn’t long before magician Rylan Blaze is decapitated by a blade made of paper. With only a few days until it is Christmas, Ernest is, once again, up against it.

“I’m not a private investigator. I just happen to have a knack for understanding how mysteries tick, provided they follow the rules set out by the classics, of course.”

As was the case in the previous two books, the narrator in this story is Ernest Cunningham himself and he often addresses the reader directly. In fact, he plays a game with the reader, providing them with all the clues needed to solve the mystery without actually pointing them out. In other words, plays fair and according to the rules set by the writers of the Golden Age of Mystery.

“You’ll find no hidden clues or unreliable narrators here. My job is to relay to you everything you need to reach the same ‘lightbulb’ moment I did.”

And, because we’re dealing with a Christmas mystery, the story has a seasonable flavour:

“…this whole thing’s best treated as an advent calendar. Twenty-four chapters hold twenty-four clues and various bits and bobs that help me with the case. Well, twenty-three clues and a killer.”

Readers with great self-control could treat this book like an Advent calendar and read one chapter each day starting December 1st. I like that idea, but I wouldn’t have been able to limit myself like that. There’s too much happening and the use of cliffhangers at the end of each chapter pushed me straight from one chapter into the next one. In fact, I found this book all but impossible to put down. Ernest’s chatty narration pulled me along and had me swiping through the pages as fast as I could. The cast of characters was fascinating and the possible motifs for murder kept me guessing until Ernest revealed all in the rather spectacular denouement. Did I pick up on all the clues? No! Did I figure out whodunit? Also, no! But did I thoroughly enjoy myself while reading this book? Absolutely!

If you’re looking for a captivating, well-plotted, at times laugh-out-loud funny, and faultlessly executed mystery this Christmas, you are probably looking for Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret.

One Bad Apple by Jo Jakeman

Pages: 416

Publisher: Little Brown Book Group UK / Constable

Release Date: September 19, 2024

 

Blurb

Welcome to Aberfal Boys High School. Independent jewel of academic and sporting excellence in the South-west -- until the headmaster is murdered in his study. And now the Year Seven School Mums' WhatsApp Group really do have something to talk about...

Clare Withoutani: OMG have you heard about Newhall?!!!
Becky Rupertsmum: Helen-Louise just texted. Can't believe it.
Asha: Not heard anything. What's happened?
Pam Geoffreysmum: What's he done this time? They're going co-ed, aren't they? I knew this would happen.
Clare Withoutani: Can't believe it, Becky. I'm in shock.
Pam Geoffreysmum: Are we going co-ed?
Becky Rupertsmum: No, Pam. Newhall died.
Pam Geoffreysmum: Oh GOD. Seriously??!! Can't believe it. So sad. He'll be such a loss to the school. The boys will be devastated. Will the school be offering grief counselling?
Rose Oliversmum: Anyone know what pages they're meant to do for chemistry? Ollie's homework diary says 'do questions 1-4' but no page numbers!

As the resulting police investigation reveals more and more of Aberfal's long-hidden secrets the list of suspects who wanted the headmaster dead grows by the day. And far from being a glittering jewel of exclusivity and excellence, it would appear Aberfal Boys High School is rotten to its core...

 

Review

“You really never can tell which one’s the bad apple.”

Asha Demetriou had no intention of enrolling her son Cassius in Aberfal Boys High School when she gatecrashed the open day. People with Asha’s background don’t belong in the privileged world of private schools. But Jerry Newhall, the headmaster can be persuasive and almost against her better judgement, Asha finds herself accepting a bursary for Cass and as a result, entering a world she doesn’t think she belongs to.

Initially, Asha is in awe of the school, the people who work there, and the other mothers she interacts with but it isn’t long before she notices that the school isn’t as shiny as it appeared at first glance. And when her son is the subject of bullying, Asha springs into action. But it isn’t until the day of a cricket match when Jerry Newhall is found dead in his office that things at Aberfal Boys High School come to a head.

While it’s clear that somebody murdered Jerry, nobody has seen the perpetrator and since his personal assistant states that she didn’t leave her post outside Jerry’s office all afternoon and didn’t see anybody enter, it appears we’re dealing with an impossible crime. Except that just as the school isn’t what it appears to be, neither are the circumstances of Jerry’s death. Everybody has secrets and nobody is telling the (full) truth.

The story in this book isn’t told in a linear way. The narrative jumps backward and forwards in time, but chapter headings make sure the reader doesn’t get confused. Witness statements are interspersed throughout the story. Those statements are a one-sided affair in that the reader only sees the answers given by the various characters and not the questions posed by the investigating police officer. In fact, Detective Mullins doesn’t make an appearance until the very end of the story. All the reader learns about the investigation comes from those statements and the (online) conversations between the mothers of the pupils.

The author hit the nail on the head with the dynamics between the various players in the story. The interactions between the mothers both in the WhatsApp group and face to face are recognisable for anybody who has ever been part of such a group. Everybody appears to have an assigned position in their social circle until the murder and the subsequent unravelling of secrets upsets the apple cart. Everybody has something to hide or is pretending to be something other than who and what they are. It isn’t until the extravagant end-of-term summer ball that things come to a head and Detective Mullins makes his appearance to arrest the murderer.

But remember even when the story appears to be over: “You really never can tell which one’s the bad apple.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing is smooth, and the story captured my attention from the start. The characters in this book were recognisable as were the interactions between them. At times reading the book was a little like watching a car crash in slow motion as slowly but steadily relationships and reputations unravel. All of it kept me captivated from the opening paragraphs until the surprising and unconventional ending.

A Recipe for Murder by G.S. Revel Burroughs

330 pages

Publisher: Mr. E. Entertainment

Release Date: September 5, 2024

 

Blurb

“You lot are bloody crime writers. If anyone can get away with murder, it would be one of you.”

 An invitation to Burnham Manor, home of celebrity chef, television presenter and bestselling crime writer Max Wilde, is the pinnacle of a crime novelist’s career. This year’s guests include Sanjay Chakrabati, India’s pre-eminent crime writer; Margaret Hemshaw, author of many bodice-ripping 17th Century crime tales; Sydney Fletch, a young rising star in the crime world and Gareth Sebastian Black, a self-published phenomenon. Also on the guest list is former Detective Inspector Jack Finney, famous for solving the Painswick Poisoning case.

This year’s annual gathering has an extraordinary twist….

On the menu this year will be the deliciously deadly Fugu, carefully prepared by a celebrated Japanese chef. Those who partake of this starter will be hoping that it doesn’t contain any of the poison, tetrodotoxin, one of the world's deadliest toxins.

Or perhaps the guests would enjoy a Soupçon of Suspicion or a serving of Murderous Mushrooms? Also on the menu is the deservedly entitled Poisoned Quail and a helping of Bella-doner kebab, made from some of the world’s finest ingredients, all washed down with a glass of Sparkling Cyanide.

But when Max Wilde is found dead in bed the following morning suspicion naturally falls on those present. But who slipped the inimitable Max Wilde a dose of Hemlock and why?

As the list of suspects increases the body count starts to rise…

 

Review

Max Wilde is the sort of man who seems to make a success of everything he turns his hand to. Celebrity chef, television presenter, and bestselling crime writer Max Wilde is about to hold his annual dinner party. Invited are four other successful crime writers as well as Max’s assistant and John Finney, a retired police detective-inspector. Even before they sit down to dinner it becomes clear that most guests at the dinner party have a reason to hate their host as does Gemma, Max’s assistant, and Robert, his brother.

Despite the menu on the night being murder themed with dishes named The Poisoned Quail, Red Herring, and Murderous Mushrooms accompanied by a bottle or two of Sparkling Cyanide it isn’t until the next morning that Max is found dead in his bed as a result of Hemlock poisoning. With almost everybody having both a motive and the opportunity to put the poison in the glass of water on Max’s bedside table, there are no easy answers. And while the police are on the case, the group of crime writers, led by John Finney, start their own investigation. But it won’t be until more deaths have followed that the culprit is unveiled in an action-packed finale.

This story is a bit of a slow burner. The book starts with introductions of the various characters followed by events on the night of the dinner party and it isn’t until we are about 40% into the story that Max is discovered dead in his bed and the investigation starts. In the hands of a lesser writer that relatively long introduction might have been boring, but I flew through it because all the characters are unique and interesting individuals. What’s more, as far as I can tell, this is the first book by G.S. Revel Burroughs, and I’m impressed. This is a clever, well-written, and captivating mystery. I enjoyed it from start to finish and found it difficult to put my Kindle down. The story is written from a third-person omniscient perspective, which isn’t easy to pull off but works remarkably well here. It was always clear whose head I was in and the transitions from one character to the next were smooth and flowed easily. Since among those characters is a murderer, we know that at least one of them has to be an unreliable narrator, but that only added to the reading fun for me.

Long review short: A Recipe For Murder is a special treat for anyone who enjoys a well-plotted mystery. I look forward to reading whatever G.S. Revel Burroughs may write next.

The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre

 

400 pages

Publisher: Little Brown Group UK

Publishing date: July 18, 2024

 

Blurb

            FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW

THIS IS NOT THAT CRIME NOVEL

You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed.

You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes.

Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer.

A cross-genre hybrid of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly, The Cracked Mirror is the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year, a genre-splicing rollercoaster with a poignantly emotional heart.

 

Review

Unique, original, and unlike anything I’ve read before are statements that get overused in reviews. However, for me they truly apply to The Cracked Mirror. There are plenty of twists and turns in this book but 85% into the story I gasped because I didn’t see that particular twist coming.

But, let’s start at the beginning.

It would be both right and wrong to say that The Mirror Cracked has two main characters because this book starts off with two different stories with different titles, different ways of numbering them, and written in different tenses. Penny Coyne is the main character in one story. She’s a lady in her 80s who lives in a picturesque Scottish village where she has solved numerous crimes. Johnny Hawke, the main character in the second story, is an LAPD police officer with a reputation for getting his partners killed. These two characters have nothing in common and should never have met except that they both end up at the same wedding.

There’s a third story headed Private Investigations followed by a place name. The PI in question is Dan Rattigan. These sections are short, and it doesn’t become clear how Dan is connected to Penny and Johnny’s stories until the end of the book.

That’s all I’m going to say about the story in this book. I hate spoilers in general, but it would be a crime (pun intended) to give anything away here.

Apart from apparently investigating the same mystery, Penny and Johnny don’t appear to have anything in common. It was only when I neared the end of the story that I realised there were other similarities between them. Once Johnny and Penny start cooperating the story is neither particularly cosy nor overly hard-boiled. Johnny adjusts to Penny’s sensibilities while Penny learns to accept that her cosy way of solving mysteries doesn’t always work.

“Penny felt unmoored. In her world, the police did not lie like this.”

This book takes you on a wild rollercoaster ride. Nothing is what it appears to be, and twists and turns keep the reader on their toes. Looking back now, a few days after finishing the book, I want to say that this story shouldn’t have worked but it somehow pulls off what are multiple shocking surprises without this reader rolling her eyes. Also in retrospect, I realised the author played fair with the reader. There were clues as to what was actually happening laced throughout the story. I just didn’t recognise them for what they were until the story spelled it out for me. And just when I thought I had all the answers the story ended and I realised that maybe, just maybe I didn’t. And that that is exactly as it should be.

I’m not sure if this book is ‘the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year, but it is most certainly in the running for that honour. For me, it is a title to add to my very short list of extra-special books because, as I said at the start of my review, this book deserves to be called unique, original, and unlike anything I’ve read before.

The Examiner by Janice Hallett

416 pages

Publisher: Viper

Release Date: August 29, 2024

 

Blurb

 Six Students. One Murder. Your Time Starts Now...

The students of Royal Hastings University's new Multimedia Art course have been trouble from day one. Acclaimed artist Alyson wants the department to revolve around her. Ludya struggles to balance her family and the workload. Jonathan has management experience but zero talent for art. Lovely Patrick can barely operate his mobile phone, let alone professional design software. Meanwhile blustering Cameron tries to juggle the course with his job in the City and does neither very well. Then there's Jem. A gifted young sculptor, she's a promising student... but cross her at your peril.

The year-long course is blighted by accusations of theft, students setting fire to one another's artwork, a rumoured extra-marital affair and a disastrous road trip. But finally they are given their last assignment: to build an interactive art installation for a local manufacturer. With six students who have nothing in common except their clashing personal agendas, what could possibly go wrong?

The answer is: murder. When the external examiner arrives to assess the students' essays and coursework, he becomes convinced that a student was killed on the course and that the others covered it up. But is he right? And if so, who is dead, why were they killed, and who is the murderer? Only a close examination of the evidence will reveal the truth. Your time starts now...

Review

WOW!!!

Where do I start?

This is the fifth book by Janice Hallett I’ve read, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect but WOW, the author managed to exceed my very high expectations with this well-plotted and intriguing story. It made for compulsive reading from the start with the tension initially building gradually until, by the time I reached the last quarter, the story suddenly exploded and rushed forward with shocking revelation after shocking revelation. And just when I thought I had all the answers, Hallett had another trick up her sleeve; one that will have me thinking and wondering about this book for some time to come.

Like Hallett’s previous books, the story is told in email messages, texts, and essays as the narrative follows a diverse group of students in an art master’s programme where nothing and nobody is as it appears to be at first glance. Also as in her previous books, we have a small cast of main characters. There is Gela who needs students for her new master’s programme before her funding is cut. She ends up with a hand-picked group of six students who couldn’t be more diverse. From the very first day the students are nothing but trouble, but it isn’t until Ben Sketcher, the external examiner who has access to all the communications between the university and the participants, starts asking questions that it becomes clear exactly how worrying the situation is. Ben is convinced one of the course participants is in serious danger or possibly, already dead. From the start there are growing tensions between the course participants. Messages between the participants individually or between Gela and one or another of the students imply that there’s stuff going on behind the scenes the others, and therefore the reader, aren’t aware of.

Although I took pages worth of notes while reading this story, I don’t want to say anything else about what happens for fear of spoiling it for other readers. Suffice to say that nobody in this story is who they appear to be. Much to my delight I was able to answer one or two questions before the author spelled the answer out, but I have no idea if that was Hallett’s intention or if I’m getting better at solving some of the mysteries in her story. What’s more, finding those answers only threw up new questions because the full mystery wasn’t unravelled until the very end. As it should be.

The writing in this book is excellent. All the main characters have their own, distinctive voices and I was impressed with how the art the candidates create comes to life on the page and becomes visible to the reader. This story hooked me from the start and never released its grip. Just when things appeared to become a little clearer everything turned more obscure. The format means the reader doesn’t get all the information, only that which the characters want you to know, and that meant I was kept guessing for the longest time. Every time I thought I had a grip on what was really going on, something happened to make me rethink everything I thought I knew.

In my review of The Appeal I wrote: ‘After having read all three of Janice Hallett’s currently available titles I have to conclude that she is something of a genius when it comes to slow reveals and misdirection while still giving the reader all the information they need to keep up with the investigators.’ The Examiner has only strengthened that opinion. I’m in awe at how Janice Hallett managed to tie everything in this story together and answer (almost) every question the reader might have. One question remains unanswered, though but that perfectly fits the complexity of the story as far as I’m concerned. It also ensures that this is a book I will be thinking about long after I finished reading it.

Related reviews:

The appeal: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-appeal-by-janice-hallett.html

The Twyford Code: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-twyford-code-by-janice-hallett.html

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-mysterious-case-of-alperton-angels.html

The Christmas Appeal: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-christmas-appeal-by-janice-hallett.html 

The Pyramid Murders by Fiona Veitch Smith

#3 Miss Clara Vale Mysteries

 Pages: 300

Publisher: Embla Books

Release Date: June 13, 2024

 

Blurb

A night at the museum, a dead body and a trail to Cairo. Sounds like a case for Miss Clara Vale!

1930: Miss Clara Vale, chemistry major turned detective, is taking a night off from sleuthing to attend the launch party of a new exhibition at the Hancock Museum in Newcastle. But when the piece de resistance, a rare ornate sarcophagus, is finally opened and it turns out the mummy inside it is a fake it looks like there is no rest for Clara after all...

Later that night, she is summoned back to the museum and asked to investigate a series of stolen Egyptian artefacts. Using her scientific and forensic prowess, Clara, with her trusted assistant Bella in tow, embarks on a trail that will lead from Newcastle to London and along the river Nile to Cairo.

But she is not the only person hunting for stolen antiquities and when she uncovers an international smuggling ring with a penchant for murder, it becomes clear that Clara's own life is in danger too.

Can Clara catch the smugglers before they get away with another murder among the pyramids?

Review

This is my second Miss Clara Vale Mystery. Last year I read and reviewed The Pantomime Murders. I ended that review with the words: ‘I’ve got a feeling I’ll be spending more time with Miss Clara Vale in the future’, and what do you know, just over six months later I find myself solving mysteries with the spunky lady investigator once again.

The year is 1930 and Clara, our heroine, has donated some of her deceased uncle’s Egyptian artifacts and papers to a local museum. But what should have been a joyous occasion soon turns sour when she discovers a mummy that is very recent as well as a selection of Egyptian jewels that shouldn’t even be in England, never mind in her local museum.

When she’s asked to investigate it isn’t long before she finds herself on a journey to Egypt where she soon encounters danger as the plot thickens.

There is so much to enjoy in this book. The mystery is intriguing, Clara Vale is a wonderful MC, as is Bessie her assistant and there isn’t a dull moment in the story. This story is properly set in 1930. For example, there is mention of Dr. Fleming and penicillin, the start of (commercial) air travel, and most delightfully, Agatha Christie makes an appearance when Clara is in Egypt. The author’s biography states that Fiona Veitch Smith is a huge fan of the Golden Age of Mystery stories, and her books show that clearly.

I love Clara Vale’s independence which was still rare and mostly unheard of in the early decades of the 20^th century.

The Pyramid Murders was well written and filled with detail without ever dragging. The characters are vivid, and the mystery is very well-plotted. Which means I’ll end this review as I did my review of The Pantomime Murders. I will be spending more time with Miss Clara Vale in the future. And while I wait for book #4 to be published, I'll go back and read The Picture House Murders, the first title in this series. 

Random in Death by J.D. Robb

In Death Series # 58

Publisher: Piatkus

Publishing Date: January 2024

E-book

 

Blurb

 It's the best night of her life. It's the last night of her life.

Sixteen-year-old Jenna Harbough's parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It's the best night of her life. It's the last night of her life.

Minutes later, Jake's in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it's no use. It's time to call Lieutenant Eve Dallas.

Who could want this level-headed teen, passionate about her music, dead? Was she targeted or could she have been the victim of a random attack? And if she was, who's next..?

 

Review

Writing an original review for an In Death title is impossible by this stage. I have read and enjoyed every single book in this series and have run out of words to express my love for these mysteries, the setting, and the characters featured. From the moment I read Naked in Death, I have been intrigued by the near-future setting and the main characters. The interactions between Eve and Roarke, and the way they compliment each other enhance every single book.

As always, J.D. Robb brings us an original and heartbreaking murder in Random in Death. And, also as always, she and her team bring the mystery to a satisfying conclusion despite the odds being stacked against them. Fans of these books will enjoy the investigation of the crime as much as the personal news of the main and secondary characters. And if they are as big a fan as I am, they are already counting down the days until the release of, Passions in Death, In Death #59. 😊

The Pantomime Murders by Fiona Veitch Smith

#2 Miss Clara Vale Mysteries

290 pages

Publisher: Embla Books

Publishing Date: November 28, 2023

 

Blurb

 

Someone is killing fairy godmothers in Cinderella... Can Miss Clara Vale crack the case before the clock strikes twelve?

 

1929, December: Snow is falling, and Miss Clara Vale is wrapped up against the cold as she braves the icy streets of Newcastle in her latest investigation.

When a young actress from the touring pantomime of Cinderella arrives at her door, Clara isn't sure what to make of her request. Sybil Langford, the legendary fairy godmother in their production, has mysteriously vanished. Could Clara help track her down?

But a few days into Clara's search, Sybil's body is pulled from an icy river, and Clara finds herself in the middle of yet another murder mystery.

With scheming stepsisters waiting in the wings, handsome princes who aren't all they seem, and clues as elusive as glass slippers, Clara will need every one of her scientific skills to catch the killer...

And when Sybil's replacement meets her own tragic end, Clara is in a race against time before the murderer sends a third cast member to their unhappily ever after...

 

Review

Although this is the second title in a series, this was my first encounter with Miss Clara Vale, and it was a pleasure making her acquaintance and joining her on her sleuthing adventures. Furthermore, I can safely say that this book can be read as a stand-alone story.

Historical mysteries with female leads don’t always work for me. All too often the story becomes a little absurd or over the top in order to allow the sleuth to investigate within the world she inhabits. I had no such qualms about Miss Clara Vale. While it was still (very) rare, women were allowed into colleges in England in 1929, so it is plausible that she would be a knowledgeable chemist. The fact that most but not all men she encounters disapprove of her chosen profession and way of life, and try to discourage her, also makes perfect sense but thankfully didn’t take over the story.

I enjoyed the multi-layered mysteries in this book. What starts of as a case of a missing pantomime leading lady soon turns into something a lot darker and more serious when she turns up dead. Clara Vale moves along with developments, adjusting her investigation to new discoveries as required and making good use of science, friends, and associates.

I have to admit that I figured a lot (but not all) of the mysteries in this book out for myself well before Clara and the police arrived at the same conclusions. That’s not a complaint, however. It just means that this is a true puzzle mystery in that the reader is given all the clues they need to solve the riddles.

This story is filled with interesting and well-portrayed characters. I like Miss Clare Vale. She is a smart, practical, and feisty woman who mostly manages to steer clear of stupid decisions. There is a vast cast of secondary characters in this book, and I liked that they were described just enough for them to play their assigned role in the story without turning into boring stereotypes. I’m especially fond of Clara’s new assistant Betty, and I’m looking forward to reading more about her.

Overall, The Pantomime Murders was a delightful surprise. Who could ask for more than a well-plotted mystery, featuring a fascinating main character, intriguing side characters, and a satisfying solution? Especially when it’s all served as a smooth and captivating read. I’ve got a feeling, I’ll be spending more time with Miss Clara Vale in the future.

  

The Searcher by Tana French

Cal Hooper #1

391 pages

Publisher: Penguin/Viking

Publishing date: October 2020

 

Blurb

Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force, and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens.

But then a local kid comes looking for his help. Trey’s brother has gone missing, and no one, least of all the police, seems to care. Cal wants nothing to do with any kind of investigation, but somehow he can’t make himself walk away.

Soon Cal will discover that even in the most idyllic small tow, secrets lie hidden, people aren’t always what they seem, and trouble can come calling at his door.

 

Review

To say this book has a slow start would be an understatement. The first quarter of the story leisurely meanders along. The reader is in Cal’s head as he reflects on his new life and surroundings in Ireland and what, and more importantly who, he left behind in America. The writing was beautiful, and Cal is an interesting main character, but the slow pace didn’t urge me to keep on reading. On the other hand, it is fair to say the story's pace perfectly matched the pace of the life Cal thought he was settling into.

Everything starts to change and speed up as soon as Cal meets Trey, a thirteen-year-old kid who wants Cal to use his police skills to find out what happened to their older brother who disappeared a few months earlier. Once Cal starts asking questions the story and events pick up speed, but it isn’t until the last third of the book that the tale really explodes off the page and events follow each other at a much faster, at times rather uncomfortable but always fascinating, pace.

So much for the story since I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. I have a few thoughts about what exactly did and didn’t happen in the end. For starters, if you read crime fiction because you love the straightforward endings in which evil gets punished and everybody gets what they deserve, this may not be the book for you. I think it’s safe to say there are no clear-cut good and bad people in this story with the possible exception of Lena, the widow Cal befriends and ends up relying on for assistance. While that may not be ideal for a fictional mystery, it does feel true to life. In fact, true to life could be used to describe a lot of what happened in this book. The way small local communities are inclined to distrust outsiders and, for better or worse, tend to take care of their own, for example, as well as the rural gossip, and the leisurely pace of life. I haven’t decided yet whether or not I believe Cal, the former cop, would behave as he does in this story; his actions should go against everything he was trained to believe in. On the other hand, any other decision on his part might have let to more harm rather than a ‘satisfying’ conclusion so the jury is still out in that respect.

In an interview with the All About Agatha podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Sl35ZwxlgtSNxOrnKWYXb), Tana French revealed that she took tropes from the Western genre and applied them to the west of Ireland, and as far as I’m concerned, she succeeded very well. This story has that ‘loner against the rest of the community’ (the old gunslinger who gets rocked out of retirement for one more mission, to paraphrase Tana French) vibe that we also find in traditional westerns as well as the ‘us against the rest of the world’ sentiments we often encounter in small, close-knit communities.

For a long time while reading this story, I didn’t think I would want to read the sequel. The last quarter of the story changed my mind; I now can’t wait to find out what will happen next to Cal, Trey, and Lena. Bring on March 2024 and The Hunter.

 

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

400 Pages

Publisher: Penguin

Release date: September 14, 2023

Netgalley

 

Blurb

 

Six contestants. The nation's favourite baking show. And a prize worth killing for...

For six amateur bakers, competing in Bake Week is a dream come true.

But for the show's famous host, Betsy Martin, it's more than a competition. It's her legacy. As she welcomes contestants to her ancestral home, Grafton Manor, she's excited to discover who will have what it takes win the ultimate prize: The Golden Spoon.

Quickly, though, things start to go wrong.

The contestants are jittery - they've heard strange noises in the manor at night.
Betsy is irate - a new co-host has arrived, and he's out for her spotlight. Then, the sabotage begins. At first, it's small. Sugar switched for salt. A hob turned too high.
But when a body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.

Because someone at Bake Week wants to settle old scores...

 

Review

 

I love it when a book surprises me, and boy, did The Golden Spoon do just that. Because, while this book certainly falls under the ‘mystery’ heading, it’s anything but a stereotypical whodunnit. In fact, for the longest time it isn’t entirely clear what has been done, or to whom. All the prologue tells us is that Betsy makes a horrific discovery while there is a storm raging around her estate, where she hosts the Golden Spoon baking competition. The story then returns to a few days earlier. The six contestants in the baking competition are introduced as they arrive at the impressive location, and we subsequently follow them and their host Betsy Martin through the first few days of the competition.

Not all is well. Betsy finds herself having to work with a co-host she detests, while the competitors find themselves competing not only against each other but also against somebody unknown who appears determined to sabotage them and the competition. Add to all this mayhem that most if not all of the contestants may have ulterior motives for taking part in the competition…

You catch my drift. Much is happening between the covers of this book and quite a lot of it doesn’t become clear until very late into the story. And that could have been an issue. After all, I tend to read mysteries because I want to try and figure out whodunnit before the story reveals all. That becomes a lot harder if it is unclear who the victim is and what exactly has been done to them.

I’m very happy to report, that the set-up of this story, despite being untraditional, worked perfectly well for me. All the characters in this story are fascinating and watching their back-stories and motivations unfold kept me captivated. In fact, there were times when I all but forgot that the mystery in this story still remained a mystery itself.

While I can’t say anything specific about it, I would like to add that the resolution to this tale is somewhat untraditional as well. I’m sure there will be those who’ll end up frowning about the ending of this story but for me, it made perfect sense in the context.

To summarize: The Golden Spoon was a fascinating, well-written, and easy-to-read mystery featuring fascinating characters, an original set-up, and a captivating storyline. Colour me impressed.