Tag Archives: book

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The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne & Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden by M.C. Beaton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my book clubs selected The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne, better known for being the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh.  This well crafted mystery  showed that A.A. Milne was not a one trick pony.  This was a traditional British mystery with a full complement of  “upstairs downstairs” characters set on an estate in a locked room.  We have the sleuth, Antony Gillingham, and his not so sharp sidekick.  There is misdirection in the form of disguise and assumed identity.  Very clever mystery with dry humor and a classic feel, Agatha Christie-esque.  The copy I picked up from the library is not the edition pictured, it is the 1962 edition printed by E.P. Dutton  & Co., Inc and there is a wonderful dedication page from A.A. Milne to his father:

My Dear Father,

Like all really nice people, you have  a weakness for detective stories, and feel that there is not enough of them.  So, after all that you have done for me, the least that I can do for you is to write you one.  Here it is:  with more gratitude and affection than I can well put down here.

A.A. Milne

Highly recommended read!

My second read of last night was another outing in the indomitable Agatha Raisin series, Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden.  Poor Agatha is in poor shape, unlucky in love more than once, the victim of  a vengeful hairdresser and stuck in a senior living facility disguised as a hotel.  Still Agatha manages to find a murder or two, trace down the clues, adopt a cat and along the way she gets some things muddled and meddles in some other people’s lives.  The character of Agatha Raisin is really the star, Agatha strives for love and companionship.  She wants to be liked but comes across as prickly and even high handed at times.  The mystery is fun and fast paced as is the whole book. I heartily recommend this series.  I do think you will appreciate it more if you read the books in order.

 

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South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haurki Marakami

 

This was my first experience reading Haruki Murakami.  I know that he is a well known and highly regarded author.  This book is written in the first person with the narrator, Hajime being a Japanese man born in the early 1950s.  The book is the story of his life or rather a life not lived.  The books main themes are memory and reminiscences.  Hajime is borderline obsessed with a mysterious woman from his childhood.  Even as he meets and marries, his thoughts are not far from this woman, Shimamoto.  Hajime experiences relative success in life, but he doesn’t really seem to take pleasure from it.  He is married and says that he loves his wife, but doesn’t really seem to have a connection to her.  That he reserves for Shimamoto, who drifts in and out of life intermittently.

He doesn’t even seem to take pleasure in his children.  Which is surprising because he discussed in depth his own childhood, as an only child and his experiences.  It’s as though, his own children are just something that happened to him.  Interwoven in this story, very appropriately given the flow of the plot is Jazz music.  It doesn’t seem that Hajime takes charge of his life, rather he is just being carried in the flow.  Likewise he doesn’t seem to take real responsibility for his own actions.  He expresses the idea that he hurt Izumi at one point, but  it doesn’t really seem to impact him.

This was an interesting read, certainly kept my attention. The author excelled at expressing mood through subtle details.  His prose was delightful to read, even though I didn’t particularly like the main character.  Hajime was very self-absorbed, only concerned with what was happening to him.   I read this as part of my One Drink Minimum Book Club and I’m glad that I was introduced to this author.  I will probably pick up another one of his books.

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Death Under the Dryer by Simon Brett

This is book 8 in the Fethering series by Simon Brett featuring the sleuths Carole Seddon and her neighbor Jude.  Although this is not my favorite in the series, it is still a charming fun mystery.  Simon Brett’s depiction of seaside town and its inhabitants is vivid and makes it easy for the reader to submerge  themselves in the story.  The mainstay of this series is the relationship between Carole and Jude, complements of each other, one fills in what the other lacks.  It is  a true duo sleuth team, rather than a leader and the sidekick.  Although we do know more about Carole, Jude is no mere ancillary character.  The fact we don’t know everything about Jude is intention and indeed is a often a source of frustration for Carole.  I love the fact that neither character is a stereotype, it makes them so much more interesting and real.

Brett’s wry humor is abundant as he pokes fun, all the while leading readers through a set of twists and turns to reach the conclusion.  If you like British village cozy mysteries, with a light touch of satire, and minimal romance, this is a great series to try.  I would suggest that you read the books in order as the relationships between Carole, Jude and others develops over time.  Besides, the first in the series, The Body on the Beach is one of  my favorites.

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A Perfect Proposal by Katie Fforde

 

I read this last night, a very light, romantic fun read.  The character of Sophie Apperly is a protagonist that anyone who has ever felt unappreciated will root for.  She is the nice girl who grew up being overlooked in a family that didn’t value her talents and skills.  I loved the fact that she is independent and so capable of dealing with everything that is thrown at her.  The older characters, Matilda and Evil Uncle Eric are charming and lovable.

The plot takes the reader from England to New York to Connecticut and back to England.  The romantic trials of Sophie and Luke are full of two steps forward and one step back type incidents and of course meddling matchmakers.  Intertwined parts of the plot include inherited oil drilling rights and a “missing” house in Cornwall.  Everything comes together in the end for a satisfyingly happy ending.  Lovely romantic “feel good” book.

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Death of a Valentine by M.C. Beaton

 

I have been reading the series of Hamish Macbeth for a long time now.  I love the setting of Lochdubh and Hamish Macbeth the sleuth.  This was another great whodunnit filled with humor and a more than slightly demented romance.  The clues take you from Locdubh, to Strathbane and from small outlying homes, to churches and even a disco. Hamish, his new hapless constable Josie, his dog Lugs and cat Sonsie deal with murders, a temptress victim, unrequited love, infidelity and a hit man.  A quick, fun read, if you like mysteries and haven’t tried this series yet you should.

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Dusted to Death by Barbara Colley

 

Cozy mystery time again!  I have read the rest of this series about Charlotte LaRue, cleaning lady sleuth, and enjoyed them all.  The mystery in this book is not my favorite of the series, but it is still a fun read. There is more of a romance element in this book for Charlotte and it is done very well with a light touch that didn’t overwhelm the mystery.  Charlotte is a very realistic, likable character.  She is spunky and independent enough to be someone you cheer for, but she is intelligent enough that she doesn’t deliberately endanger herself or others.  For example, when a mysterious vehicle is following her, she heads straight for the police station, unlike some sleuths who go home or to a friend’s house instead.

Fun light cozy.  This could be read as a stand alone, if you wanted, but I think some of the ongoing relationships are more enjoyable if you have read other books in the series.

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Countdown City by Ben H. WInters

I was so excited to get the call from the library that Countdown City, book 2 in The Last Policeman trilogy arrived.  This book picks up where The Last Policeman left off, the world is still ending, Detective Hank Palace has been “let go” from the police department, people are off bucket listing, and Nico is still involved with conspiracy theorists.

These books are well written, exciting and contain fantastic black dead-pan humor.  Ex-detective Hank Palace is a man who just “keeps on keeping on”, he is not super hero or a larger than life character, more of  a regular man in extraordinary circumstances.  Hank meets a wide cast of characters as he works his missing person case, each person has their own story and their own way of handling the impending doom.  The reader meets Dr.  Fenton again, in the first books she was performing autopsies, now with the need so great, she works on the living.  Her bedside manner provides some of the humor in the book,  as this excerpt of her conversation with a shooting victim shows:

“As circulation improves over the next couple weeks, you’ll start to get a persistent tingling, and then you’ll need physical therapy to work toward regular functioning.  Then, around early October, a massive object will strike the earth and you will die.”

The mystery is well plotted and believable  with several threads of the plot coming together.  I can’t wait for the final book to come out.

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True Grit by Charles Portis

A classic western that was dramatized by John Wayne in a film by the same name.  In this case, I saw the movie years before reading the book.  I haven’t read a western in years, not since indulging myself as a child in my father’s guilty pleasure, the Edge pulp fiction western series.  I picked this book up from the library after it was selected for a book club on Goodreads.  It is quite a change of pace for me, but a welcome one.  The character of Mattie Ross shows herself, like Rooster Cogburn, to have true grit.  This is Americana at its best.  All the determination and strength and loyalty that were values America held in high regard are displayed here.  The action is non-stop and the dialogue is well written and engaging.   This is a book that might not be popular today, not always politically correct, no romance at all, and the theme of retribution and justice served is not popular in this time of forgiveness themed books.

The very plain speaking, straight forward Mattie’s narration of the story lends an authentic air to the book.  You can visualize this stubborn, “old before her time”, no nonsense girl demanding nothing less than justice for the murder of her father.  The ending is perfect, not Hollywood perfect as it is not the ending of the John Wayne move, but perfect.  As an aside, John Wayne was the ideal Rooster Cogburn.

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Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

 

This is my first Elizabeth Peter’s book.  It was a selection for the Cozy Mystery Corner group at Goodreads last month but I just got to it now.  My library has a rather large selection of the books in this series.  I am glad that I got to this book.  Amelia Peabody is a fantastic character, as are Evelyn and Mr. Emerson.  They are well developed three dimensional characters,   The plot was well developed with a lot of depth through the details and description.   Ms. Peters skillful writing immersed me as a reader in Amelia’s adventures.  The humor is well done.  It doesn’t overwhelm the story or become ridiculous.

In humor, mood, and some characterizations, the book reminds me of the series of Mummy movies starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, which I loved.  Great cozy mystery that reads more like an adventure.  I will definitely read more in this series.

 

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Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves

I received an ARC of this novel at BEA in New York from the publisher.

I have not read the author’s previous work, On the Island, but the cover really grabbed my attention and that is primarily why I accepted the copy.

This is not a typical read for me.  I am not a fan of “infidelity is something that just happens” kind of stories.  But there is really nothing typical about this book.  The author is a very talented writer.  The characters are drawn so sympathetically that the reader is drawn into their lives. These are characters that under other circumstances or in a less talented author’s hands might just be seen as another group of overprivileged whiners.

I particularly am impressed with the author’s ability to convey the stresses and strains on a marriage that come with the loss of a job and financial hardship.  The treatment of emotional infidelity, feelings of abandonment, and depression are all sensitively handled. Chris, Clare and Daniel are all given voice in this book.  I will say that, for me, the sections about Chris and Clare and their marriage were much stronger than Daniel’s voice in the book.

This is not an easy book to read, especially if you have dealt with any of the myriad of issues explored on the pages of this book.  For fans of women’s fiction that deals with contemporary real life issues, this is definitely a worthwhile.