Spring has sprung! We've had some rain out here in the desert, but not at the right time to give us any spring flowers. However, given he decades-long drought we are in. I will happily take whatever rain I can get, whenever it comes. Rainy nights are great night to read.
The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger by Agatha Christie Yes, I am still reading Agatha Christie, and while I had hoped to read them chronologically, availability of titles has caused me too jump around a little. In this short story (which I listened to as an audio play dowloaded from my library, rather then a book read by one narrator), Tommy and Tuppence Beresford are drawn into international espionage, and Tommy is secured by Tuppence at the last minute. Research tells me Dame Agatha modeled the story on series written by Douglas Valentine. A mystery rabbit hole to explore further.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie My library has obtained a number of audiobooks that are apparently either radio recordings or books read and recorded as plays, with several actors portraying different characters. It had been a long time since I'd read And Then There Were None, although I recently watched yet another version of it. This is deservedly a classic Christie that touches on self righteous behavior and self delusion, fear, and paranoia, and wraps it all up in a fast-moving, clever mystery.
A Is for Arsenic by Kathryn Markup As long as I was reading Christie, why not read a book about Christie? This book takes an unusual slant by focussing on some of the poisons Dame Agatha used to dispatch her victims. Ms. Markup does an admirable job of summarizing the chemistry of each poison and its affects on the body, the availability of the poison at the time the book in which it appears to help shed light on how easily Christie's murderers could have obtained that poison for their dastardly intentions, and then summarizes the actual Christie novel, with a brief discussion on the victims and what poisonous effects appear in the Christie story. Real life murders using those potions are also presented, although in some cases these would probably not have neen known to Dame Agatha and therefore didn't serve as inspiration, although other real cases surely did. A novel concept, and I enjoyed the book. The nerdy scientist in my liked the actual chemical structure of each poison being included, and also given their own appendix. I also enjoyed the appendix that listed all the different ways that victims were killed in all the books and short stories. One quibble--the book ended very abruptly. There is no final chapter, however brief, that sums up the book. The last poison is discussed and then the appendices and a select reference list is presented. Some neat tidying up, some summary conclusions, something would have been better than turning the page to see the book was done. But enjoyable overall, especially to Christie aficionados.
Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien Volume 8, Noodle Shop Mysteries. I read Hot and Sour Suspects as an advanced reading copy from Net Galley, and the series was brand new to me. What a winner! I loved everything about this cosy mystery. I love the characters; Lana Lee and her mixed race family reminds me exactly of my ethnically and racially mixed family. The secondary characters, no matter how infrequently a part of the narrative, are so skillfully sketched that the reader immediately gets a sense of their personality and the relationship dynamics (e.g., Lana's grandmother). The dialogue and relationships between Lana and her sister, Lana and her roommate, Lana and her boyfriend the policeman, etc. are all very realistic and engaging. I adore the fact that the author was creative in how she gets Lana involved in the murder. Rather than relying on Lana simply pumping her boyfriend Adam for information he shouldn't tell her as he's a policeman working the case, Lana (and the author) respect his professionalism and keep him out of the picture. After last month's disaster Bear Witness, where the police investigator slept with the amateur detective/suspect and told her police information she should never had been told, to have Lana and Adam's relationship treated so professionally, so respectfully, so realistically, was delightful. Kudos, Ms. Chien! The story itself moves along at a pace fast enough to keep reader interest despite Lana doing things like actually working at her job (I hate it when the main character is able to drop everything to go haring after clues, as if jobs and commitments didn't exist) and having Sunday dim sum with her family. Absolutely enchanted with this series, and I will absolutely be looking for the rest of the Lana Lee books to read. Net Galley.
100 Great American Parks by Stephanie Pearson Beautifully photographed new book published by National Geographic that present 100 of the many amazing natural wonders, historic sites, seashores, and wildernesses across the United States. This was a galley from Net Galley, and unfortunately, only 7 parks were included in this sample for review. From what I saw, the layout is nice (large format color photographs, many full page), with fairly engaging text and side bars with additional information. It's divided geographically, and as the entire list of parks is not presented not he Table of Contents, it's impossible to tell if the book focuses on the most popular national parks and monuments, or if it details some of the smaller and less well known parks. This is the first time an advanced reader copy obtained from net Galley did not include the entire book for review, and I must say I'm disappointed. It's National Geographic, so we can assume the quality is high, but if you opt not to provide the entire book, why not just rely on your reputation alone/ And full disclosure--I worked on projects funded by National Geographic, although that was over 30 years ago. Net Galley
The Supper Club Murders by Victoria Dowd Smart Woman's Mystery, Book 3. Well, I'm a pretty smart woman, so that series name appealed to me (smart intellectually, smart mouthed? Either sounded intriguing), and I read this galley hoping that I'd find a second new-to-me series to add to my TBR pile. The book and author were described as being along the lines of an Agatha Christie--a supper club in a lonely, deserted part of England is stranded during a terrible storm, the roads are flooded, the phones are out, and then, someone is murdered. Sounds like perfect reading material. It was not. The reader is immediately thrust into a series of conversations amidst the protagonists (the smart women) that revolve around what happened in previous novels with little to no explanation, so the reader is left confused and bewildered. Now, that might work to an author's advantage as a deliberate plot device to increase tension, if we were supposed too identify with the main protagonist, but I could never get a real handle on the protagonist, Ursula, and what happened to her and why she was reacting as she was, and there was no elucidation that alleviated my confusion. What the heck happened with Mirabelle and how does it relate to these women and why won't someone tell me the reader what the heck is going on? I should be drawn into caring for these people; instead, I started to be heartily irritated by Ursula, Pandora, Aunt Charlotte, the hairless cat, everyone. This made me very testy as I read on. The writing style was unusual: "The whites of his eyes had a dirty, tarnished color to them, as if they'd see too many things they regretted." An attempt at noir, maybe, it just reads as dreadful. "Torches cast only moments of light into darkness." "Threads of water made their way down my neck..." Rivulets of water, streaks of water, trickles of water I can see, but threads of water? The rain "...typed with fast efficient fingers on the stone cobbles." "The room was so taut I could hear the high note of tension ringing in my ears." Sorry, but these descriptions are laughable, although I don't think they were meant to be. There is a paranormal element to the story, and I dislike paranormal mysteries, so I was unpleasantly surprised by his appearance. The book did not live up to its description, and though I didn't hate it as much as the few others panned over the years, I will not be reading any others in this series. Net Galley
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