The past few months have gone by in a blur because of all kinds of personal chaos, but I did get some reading in to keep my sanity. Forthwith is a single post for the books read this fall, and yes, gentle readers, it is a small list, but in my defense, I was also trying to make a dent in a huge pile of magazines, including a literary magazine chock full of books I want to read.
The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout In case it hasn't been clear the past two years, I've been trying to read or listen to as many Nero Wolfe mysteries as I can. In this title, Wolfe and Archie tangle with the FBI and the NYPD; guess who will win? More topical than some of the Wolfe mysteries, and very resonant today, despite the 1965 original publication date. Perhaps not my favorite Nero Wolfe,
The Dancing Floor by Barbara Michaels I love Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters, love, love, love. My great regret is she died before I could meet her. They are top notch entertainment in my book--just enough mystery with just enough romance, and in the case of Amelia Peabody novels accurate historical detail and laugh-out-loud funny. I'm pretty sure I've read them all, but I don't mind re-reading ones I haven't read in a while. The plot to The Dancing Floor didn't sound familiar, so I took it out from my library. It didn't engage me the way a Barbara Michaels usually does, so I wondered if this was a very early book in her repertoire. It isn't, published in 1997, but it's not as good as others. I thought the way she incorporated Heather Tradescant, our plucky heroine, into the Karim family was a little too easy and unbelievable, even for someone like me, who happily suspends rational thought for a ripping good book. Barbara Rosenblatt's reading of this audiobook was as a good as I had heard she was. The Wiccan culture at the center of the mystery made this a great Halloween read. Not her best, but still very enjoyable.
Death of a Witch by M. C. Beaton Another fun visit to Lochdubh! I love the Hamish MacBeth series, and recently re-watched the television series just to spend more time with the quirky Highlanders and the beautiful scenario. In Death of a Witch (Halloween theme continued), a newcomer upsets the entire community with her herbal medicines, and Hamish manages to solve the murder, smooth the ruffled feathers of everyone in Lochdubh, and even engage in a passing romance with Leslie from forensics. The romance was typically Hamish-funny, with Leslie's disinterest in him until she realized Hamish is smarter than he acts pretty accurate as to how most of us feel about Hamish. I thought this was one of the more amusing of the Hamish stories, because so many of the eccentric community were embroiled with the mystery and I love it when they stymie Hamish.
The Bat by Jo Nesbro Scandinavian noir has been very popular in the mystery world for several years, but giventheir grimmer, grimier nature, I've resisted it. However, my library's acquisition of a audiobook of the first Harry Hole mystery was too much to resist. I enjoyed first half of the novel, even if it didn't take place in Norway. I overlooked the sometimes television-script-like dialogue between Andrew and Harry. I liked the burgeoning relationship between Birgitte and Harry. I especially liked the shock of the second murder, which threw some genre expectations out the window. The first and third thirds were great, fast-paced and attention grabbing. Hated the middle third when Harry, understandably upset after the second murder, tossed his hard-won sobriety (which had garnered a lot of sympathy from me) and the joy (existence?) of his new romance for a week of drunken excess and one night stands. This was trite and cliched and evaporated my sympathy for Harry, despite the rest of the story and its effects on him. I have read that this was not Nesbro's best effort; perhaps I should've followed my usual routine of starting with a later title in along series to allow for the author to learn their craft and their character better.
The Division Bell Mystery by Ellen Wilkinson I love the British Library Crime Classics imprint, and this is latest title from that series I've read. It's a great locked room mystery that reads as only slightly dated, despite dating to 1932. Further enjoyable since the portrayal of the politicians shows some of them to be just as inept and out of touch as to have been pulled from today's headlines. We can enjoy that ineptness more because it's fictional. Wilkinson served in Parliament, so her insight into the inner workings of that political body are fascinating. I can only hope that this just demonstrates that 85 years later, things have changed and yet some things have remained the same, which may mean peril can be averted.
The Body by Bill Bryson Bill Bryson and a deep dive into human physiology and bodily functions--perfection. One of my favorite books of the year!
Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa You know how I love cosy mysteries located in unusual or exotic (to me) locations with an overarching, country-home-murder vibe. So naturally when I stumbled upon a series called the Isle of Man mysteries, I had to give it a try. The writing was okay, the setting was described well, the mystery was obvious and could have used a few more suspects, but the main drawback to reading another in this series is Aunt Bessie herself. She's so self righteous and almost intolerant of anyone who does things differently than she. I like a curmudgeon, and I'm on my way to being an old spinster lady myself, but that doesn't mean I have to be a silver seniors version of a mean girl in high school. And yet she's supposed to be so beloved by everyone on the island that they call her Aunt Bessie and tell her everything? I also was floored at the end when a policeman on a stakeout left to go grocery shopping, especially as this took place immediately after an attempt on the life of the person whose home was being staked out, the eponymous Aunt Bessie?
And the other policeman watched through a window as Aunt Bessie nearly get killed "to see what the killer would do?" Generally I don't include spoilers, but I had to here to underscore why I found it hard to enjoy the book, despite liking some of the secondary characters and wanting to read and 'see' more of the Isle of Man.
