Tag Archives: library

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Mrs. Pargeter’s Point of Honour by Simon Brett

 

Just finished another in the Mrs. Pargeter’s series, the sixth and final book to my knowledge.  In this outing, Mrs. Pargeter is trying to do a favor for the widow of one of her deceased husband’s friends…return all the artwork he had “acquired” during his career to the rightful owners.  We follow Mrs. Pargeter and her loyal band of ex-associates of her husband, Hedgeclipper Clinton, Truffler Mason, Gary the driver and some new additions.  In this book, we also meet a DI Wilkinson, who spent most of his less than illustrious crime fighting career trailing along in Mr. Pargeter and crew’s wake.

The story takes twists and turns and more than one villain is uncovered along the way.  Mrs. Pargeter weathers it all, maintaining herself as a lady despite the company she keeps.  The book is humorous in places, Mrs. Pargeter’s steadfast refusal to acknowledge that her husband was a criminal, and thrilling in others, the hiccups in the well laid plans.  I have enjoyed this series immensely both as a humorous cozy and as a social satire.

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M.C. Beaton: Death of a Kingfisher & Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam

I am working on getting up-to-date on two of my favorite mystery series, Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth, coincidentally or not by the same author, M.C. Beaton.  I picked these two up from the library and read them last night.    What I found interesting is that somehow both of them had strong references to fairies, just seems funny that I am in two different places in the series and happened to read books from both of them that had to do with fairies, in some respect back to back.

Agatha Raisin is one of my very favorite sleuths.  I love that you can’t keep her down.  She is always trying to solve her problems, even though sometimes in very ill advised ways.  In this book, she is trying to get over James, still, yet again and so decides to move away from her little cottage and move to a village, Fryfam, in Norfolk.  Of course, being Agatha once she arrives there is a murder in the sleepy little village which she has to solve.  Her loyal sidekick, Sir Charles Fraith assists again in the investigation.  Mrs. Bloxby is also regularly consulted about the  “James” situation and village goings on in Carsely.  The mystery is neatly resolved, although the good folks of Fryfam are not so happy with the resolution.  There is also another twist in the Agatha and James romance but you’ll have to read it to see.  In my opinion, you do need to read this series in order to appreciate the references to past events and the relationshp between Agatha and the other recurring characters, Mrs. Bloxby, Charles and James.

Death of a Kingfisher seems to me to be a darker outing in the Hamish Macbeth series.  There is still humor particularly in the relationship between Hamish and his constable, Dick, an incomparable game show contestant and trivia buff.  There is more than one crime occurring and many twists and turns on the way to the end.  Some truly disturbing, darker  characters are part of the cast.  Par for the course, Hamish is unlucky in love, or as Patty, the Millionaire Matchmaker, would say – “his picker is broken”.  This was not my favorite in the series but still a good read, that being perhaps Death of a Poison Pen or Death of a Cad, i can’t really choose, I really liked so many of this series.

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Birdman by Mo Hayder

 

I picked up this book from the library because I had read about it on a book blog.  The writer had said it was a really scary book.  I don’t think I would call it scary in the sense of horror, which is what I thought they were referring to in the post.  This is a thriller police crime novel.  So understand it was not what I was expecting which of course was my fault, I should have read up about it before just picking it up on a whim.

After all that, the novel was well written and it definitely was a thriller and Detective Jack Caffery is certainly a good example of the “tragically flawed” protagonist.  He keeps making mistakes in his personal life based on a  traumatic event that occurred in his childhood and that he seems to keep reliving today.  The villain was decidedly twisted and evil.  Rebecca, as a love interest, is strong enough to fight jack Caffery’s demons and is an interesting character in her own right.  The rest of the cast is rounded out by a other police personnel, prostitutes, an obsessive girlfriend, and Jack’s personal demon, neighbor Penderecki.

I have a hard time discussing a book such as this, in which I recognize the strengths of the book, however I still did not enjoy it.  I will just have to say it was not for me, brutal depictions of torture and mutilation, I don’t really find scary just disgusting.  I’m sure that if you don’t mind your thrillers with graphic violence against women, this would be a good read.

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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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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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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.