Middle Sister's October Reads

It was an unbelievably warm October, with cooler nights finally establishing themselves by Halloween,  

Murder in an Italian Cafe by Michael Falco This was the first in the Bria Bartolucci series that I have read, but Mr. Falco does a good job on catching new readers up on who our protagonist is and her past experience with investigating a mystery. Bria and her son live in Positano, Italy, where she runs a bed and breakfast. The details of the town and the setting were lovely and atmospheric and immerse the reader in a small tourist town on the Amalfi Coast. The cast of secondary characters is quite large: Bria's parents, her mother-in-law, the policeman she is very attracted to, the general manager of her inn whom she is also attracted to, her friends, a nun at her son's school--and I haven't even introduced the suspects and the victim yet. Bria's friend who own a cafe is delighted to host the filming of a cooking show, hopeful that the free publicity will help hers and the other local businesses. But no one expects good publicity when the chef dies live on air. There are a lot of characters with separate storylines, and many don't have an obvious connection to the victim. The way author weaves them in at times seemed a little farfetched and coincidental. This was, in my opinion, a passable read. It didn't leave me on tenterhooks wondering who the killer was (I found that fairly easy to guess), and everyone's physical beauty and the money the main characters seem to have was a little off-putting for this reader. Others may find escaping into that world relaxing and the perfect fantasy. I'm giving this a grade of C+/B-. (Net Galley)

Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham  Another read for the Summer of Mystery knit along hosted by Kate Davies Designs. This book was incredibly atmospheric. If you love swirling, thick fogs and dense local accents, you'll love this one. The book group was tracking how Albert Campion changes over the series, and this post-war book has an Albert that is more world-weary and jaded than pre-war Albert, a perfect metaphor for many people and societies in real life. The premise of the book is in some ways similar to earlier Allinghams, with a treasure that is being sought by several different people, but it diverges in the depiction of a criminal that is descried by Canon Avril as truly evil. His actions were very awful and I, Gentle Reader, am easily scared so I found him very frightening indeed. I've always enjoyed Campion and Allingham novels, and reading this with folks in England who can describe some of the dated references has made them even more enjoyable. Readers of historical mysteries and English mysteries will enjoy this novel. A+

Middle Sister's July Reads

 July was hot and rainy, and I didn't get to read as much as I had hoped. But here is what I did manage to finish this month,

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder This was recommended to me 6 months ago, and it took this long for my book reserve at the library to arrive because so many are wanting to read it. And I understand why. This is a fantastic, clear, and concise presentation of 20 things we should have learned from our history, but haven't. Things that have been happening again the past 8 or so years. I recognized the tyranny as soon as it surfaced 8 years ago, although I didn't have quite the word for it, because with my background in history and cultural processes, and my personal history as the daughter of a WWII vet and a woman arrested at the age of 8 in Poland in 1940, I saw with horror the same things being said and done as had been said and done in 1920s and 1930s Germany. But for those younger than me, or those without a family history like mine, or anyone with a faint niggling feeling that something is not right, this is a great distillation of what is happening around us put into it's historic context. As the song goes, "if you paid attention, you'd be worried, too." The book made me think long and hard about the people I know who have reacted differently to our current situation, and whether they would have been revolutionaries or loyalists, in the resistance or a collaborator. And that reflection has been uncomfortable. But I cannot recommend this book enough. It's a quick but dense read, and makes its argument cogently and with sparing prose. Highly, highly recommended.

Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham I am not reading all the Allinghams that my online group is reading this summer. My lirary doesn't have all of them, some are sold out, and some are just too expensive to buy. But this one was 99 cents, so I skipped a couple of our group reads for this one. The murder mystery is personal, unlike the raison d'être for the murder in the first book we read last month. And because the reason is personal, it's a darker exploration of the human psyche and not a rollicking adventure story. I enjoyed the book and the characters although Donna Beatrice was so annoying I'd have kicked her out on her ear decades before if I were Belle. But I found the ultimate punishment that the murderer underwent to be les than satisfying, perhaps because I find it unbelievable. But it was a great read, and I love seeing Campion changed, matured, angered, and facing the reality that evil can win. Recommended.

Summer's End by Juneau Black I love this series. It's like Nancy Drew meets Beatrix Potter with a slight twist of Dashiell Hammett. Lenore Lee has managed to convince Vera Vixen to volunteer as a chaperone on a school visit to the archaeological site, Summer's End. It's an important archaeoastronomy site, with an amazing solar event that happens once a year. The archaeologists working at the site will give the students a personal behind the scenes tour, so Vera decides that the opportunity to see the site with these guides is too good to pass up. I really enjoyed the action moving out of Shady Hollow although I did miss Orville. The school group is horrified when they discover a corpse on the site, and Vera springs into action when she realizes that the police's main suspect is Lenore's sister. But without Orville, her access to the site and information is restricted, and she finds that she has to nose around in some unconventional ways to discover the murderer. While I did think the culprit was easy to identify early on, that did not detract from my enjoyment at all. I'm a retired archaeologist, and I have to say the authors did a terrific job at creating a culture history and archaeological site, and the description of the site, the lab, the artifacts, etc. was terrific and spot-on correct. It is so well depicted that I wonder if someone has a background in anthropology or archaeology. Highly recommended to those who enjoy whimsy with their mystery,

Middle Sister's June Reads

It's hot, hot, and hotter in the desert in June, so diving into a good book is the best way to escape.

Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham Knitwear designer Kate Davies is hosting a Summer of Mystery, with a collection of patterns based on some of Ms. Allingham's mysteries ad a read along of a dozen of her novels. I've never made a pattern designed by KDD, but I have read several Albert Campion mysteries, so I decided to participate just for the reading alone. The first book was Sweet Danger, a rollicking treasure hunt murder mystery that introduces Amanda Fitton and her family to Albert, Lugg, and the friends that tag along with Albert as he attempts to solve an ancient mystery and prevent an international incident. The various threads seem a tangled mess at first, but Ms. Allingham skillfully weaves them all together into a neat and tidy package. This may not be the easiest book of hers to start with, but it's one of the most fun.

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman The second Tuesday Murder Club book is as good as the first, full of seemingly unconnected people and events that ultimately come together in a very satisfying story. This book focuses on Elizabeth, and we find out much more about her secretive past as a Cold War spy. Joyce's diary entries still begin many chapters, providing the background the reader needs to people and incidents. I wish we'd been able to read her persuasive argument to get Ibrahim to overcome his fears and leave his apartment again, but the author doesn't let us be privy to that. Again, I was surprised by the ending, although I had an inkling of the direction we were headed as every theory on whodunit I had conjectured turned out to be wrong. This might not be an easy series for everyone, with its short chapters that jump from character to character and to different points of view, but it's a good series that's very well written. And I hear it's going to be made into a movie. I can't wait. Who will be Bogdan?

Kill or Bee Killed by Jennie Marts I thought I'd enjoy this mystery that takes place at a honey festival in Colorado, one of my favorite places.  But I didn't really enjoy it all that much. At first I thought it was going to be one of those mystery-in-name-only books that is really a romance, because the first few chapters were all about Bailey stumbling and bumbling and being embarrassed, rescued, and aroused at the same time by Sawyer, who is, of course, the sheriff. I think Bailey does the exact same pratfall that lands her in Sawyer's arms at least 4 times. It was funny the first time, but not the second and definitely not the third. The author has surrounded her main character with a quirky family and friends. I think I liked her grandmother and aunts more than Bailey. The town name--Humble Hills; dreadful. The murder takes place backstage at a cooking competition, because those are all the rage now. The hook is that all of the dishes must use honey as an ingredient. The cast is cliched--there's the smarmy emcee, the best friend who's competing, the good 'ole boy, the uptight snob who slowly unravels under the heat of the competition, the production crew members who are hiding secrets. I hate to be a snob, and I am as much a fan of salami and cheese on a cracker as the next person, but it is not a "gorgeous charcuterie board" when you're serving Ritz crackers. If Sawyer "scrubbed" his hand through his hair once, he did it 5 times. Scrubbed is not the right verb here. And after coming up with some ridiculous phrases for the characters to use so they don't curse (e.g., jagoff instead of jerk), the author has a main character call someone a "douche canoe" and a "douche wad." That ain't gentlewomanly in my book at all; I find that way more offensive that a four-letter word. But Ms. Marts needed to introduce a wild side to someone, somehow to move her story along,  so she has Bailey and Evie break into a motorhome to look for clues. Evie later makes a crude allusion to sex, and so does 12-year-old Daisy, so those expecting a squeaky clean book will be surprised. I sure was--that was totally out of character for Evie and if that was my 12-year-old, I'd be terrified.  I was floored when Daisy knowingly repeated some racy dialogue she overheard. There are more instances of out-of-character or just weird behavior (Evie reaches over and starts helping herself to the funnel cake eaten by someone she's met maybe two or three times, professionally, and has only known for two days; how rude) that almost made me think a second author was writing these scenes. The book has one good thing going for it--a golden retriever. There, I thought of two nice things to say: I like the dog and I like the great aunts. Otherwise, I disliked this book a lot. It read like an unedited draft (there were many typos in the Kindle ARC) written by an immature teenager trying to act grown up and cosmopolitan and failing miserably. It's hard to write this, but avoid this book. (NetGalley)

Driven to Murder by Debbie Young  After the disappointing previous ARC I had read, I thought "Let's read one that takes place in rural England, in a bookshop--that's my cup of tea." However, as the old knight says in the Indiana Jones movie, I chose poorly. Sophie is working at her boyfriend Hector's bookshop (craftily called Hector's House; yes. that's sarcasm) in a small village in the Cotswolds. The village is in an uproar because the company that runs the only bus service has suspended operations because it's too expensive and they are losing money. The villagers are up in arms, until Janice is murdered on the bus, and then their fury turns to fear. Sophie decides to solve the mystery herself in her spare time as she learns how to drive. For someone so scared of driving (which is hammered home in chapter after chapter and lots of internal dialogue), Sophie blossoms in one paragraph from scaredy cat extreme to a seasoned driver. So confident is she that, on her second driving trip, she spends her time reflecting on the murder than on the road; completely  out of character after a lot of time has been spent on her fear of and aversion to driving. There are other very unrealistic passages, but sadly, I found the resolution of the murder mystery to be the most unrealistic of all. The pat solution to the bus crisis was so unbelievable that it was lucky that scene came at the end of the book; any earlier and I'd have stopped reading then and there in protest at the assault on our common sense. It's hard to write this, but for the second book this month, I can only say avoid this book. The story and plot are fairly ridiculous and the resolution is at best terrible; most of the characters are not likable, and the author contrives silly behavior on Sophie's part and an unrealistic ending that carried my disappointment right through the very end. The one nice thing I can say--the location is the Costwolds. (NetGalley) 

Middle Sister's Mid-Month Holiday Reads

This December, I am continuing with non-stop holiday mysteries. I enjoyed two of these cozy holiday mysteries, and I recommend them as a great way to start the festivities. The third I personally didn't like, but would recommend to certain genre readers.

Campion at Christmas by Margery Allingham Albert Campion may not be as widely known as Hercule Poirot or Lord Peter Wimsey, but he was a contemporary of theirs int he classic golden age of cozy mysteries. This anthology offers 4 short stories set at Christmas in England, but not all feature Albert, Amanda, and Luggs. Several were published rather late in Ms. Allingham's career, but she is still at the pinnacle of her skills as a writer and storyteller. If you're too busy for a full length holiday novel, the short stories herein can be read between baking and cleaning and merrymaking. (a long overdue NetGalley review)

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany I am a fan of some of Vicki Delany's series and not so much a fan of others. This was the first Year-Round Christmas Mystery that I've read, although it's book 6 in the series. The series is set in Rudolph, New York, a small town that has re-invented itself as a year-round Christmas destination. It's the week before Christmas, and Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus' Treasures naturally has her hands full with the influx of holiday tourists, but this year, things are more hectic as her shop assistant, Jackie, is distracted by her performance in the community theater's presentation of a musical Christas Carol. Merry's mother, retired opera diva Aline, has agreed to perform int he play and serve as musical director. But the normal pre-performance tensions and ego clashes escalate wildly out of control and culminate in the death of the original Mrs. Cratchit. With Jackie as a major suspect, and her mother menaced by a ghostly phantom, Merry has to discover who is killing the actors and why. I really enjoyed the book. Merry, her mom, and her dad are charming and delightful people, and Merry's has a sweet boyfriend in Alan. The characters are relatable and fully fleshed out, the town of Rudolph seems like a fun place to live, and the cold weather and holiday hijinks in running a store are realistic. I also approve of Merry respecting the skill of the local police and there is never a single disparaging word about their competence--this, would be cozy writers, is how you weave your amateur detective into the story without making the police out to be bumbling idiots. I will absolutely look for more books in the series. I looked into it and while several are set at Christmas, one is at Thanksgiving and one is in the summer, and I hope the next story is also a non-Christmas week mystery, just so that I don't start worrying about timelines and break through the fourth wall when reading. 

Stalking Around the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Frost This book is also set in a year-round Christmas destination: Mistletoe, Maine. It's a week before Christmas, and that means it's a week until Holly White marries her love, Sheriff Evan Gray. (Was it intentional to give them color names?) As part of this year's holiday celebrations, Holly's best friend Caroline's father, the mayor, has managed to get a regional ballet company to offer several performances of The Nutcracker. The ballet troop is participating in the holiday parade when the dancer playing Clara drops dead. Holly is determined to help Evan solve this so that their wedding can proceed unhindered. But that's not the only dangerous situation in town: Evan's sister Libby is being menaced by a stalker, and it's likely to be related to the mobster she testified against. This story line is very distracting. Although I thought this book was not written as well as "Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas:" there are weird words usages ("Hugged her abusively"--not sure what the author intended here), typos, and grammatical errors (Evan scrubs his hair when he's running, or rubbing, his hand over it to think; the word discontent used as a verb, etc.). I was reading a galley and there were quite a few missing hyphens and some formatting problems on the Kindle. My main objection was to Holly; by three-quarters of the way through the book, I actively disliked her. It's not just the complete disregard of Evan's requests to please stop investigating and let his team do their job, it was the concomitant implication that Holly thinks she's better at it than him. And the setting was too reminiscent of  a Hallmark Christmas movie for me--so saccharine that it was unbelievable. There are named Christmas stockings for all the guests hanging from the fireplace in the Inn; okay, they buy them in bulk so it's cheaper than you think and Holly adds the names herself. OK, Holly is the only employee at her family Inn and does all the cleaning, etc. herself and still has time to fill dozens of her online jewelry store business orders (I actually liked her having a second job when the book began; it sets the story very cleanly in a contemporary setting when so many people have online side gigs.). But she cranks the heater for warmth and then, in the same sentence, cracks the window open to inhale "the clean oxygen-drenched air." (insert grimace here at that description.) There are times when characters say things to each other that came across as patronizing to this reader ("That was smart of you." "I stood, unable to be cool, listen to Evan's advice, or ignore my instincts any longer."--which meant, that she abandoned her mother when her mother needed her emotional support in order to run after a suspect.). Apparently there is a murder here every Christmas, just in the Vicki Delany series; not sure anyone would want to visit at that time, then. The assumption by the local small townspeople that being from out of town is enough reason to be suspicious of them reminds me that small town living is not the paradise these cozy mysteries make it out  to be. I could go on and on (a calendar can be photographed, edited, printed, and mailed in one week--Christmas week? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!). But then I hate the overly-sweet Hallmark Christmas movies, so this book left me cold. Cozy mystery readers who want a fairly clean mystery (there's an implication that Evan spent the night, but the characters are aghast that Caroline might have slept with her new boyfriend and she's quick to assure them she hasn't) and a super-sweet ending will enjoy this book. I didn't, so I won't look for any others in the series. (NetGalley)