It's a beautiful, fresh, sunny autumn day. We're just finishing lunch, Jo's leftover lasagna and watching tennis on TV. Jay is upstairs working on shelves in Jo's new office and I'm sitting down, relaxing (what else is new) and looking over some book purchases as I write this BLog entry. Firstly a review of a book I just finished.
Just Finished
The Bad Seed by
William March (1954). This book is the 3rd this month in my Horror challenge. It's not a terrifying story but suitably creepy and unsettling. My review is below.
"I've been reading
The Bad Seed by
William March as part of my October Hallowe'en horror selections. It's a book I'd not heard of. There was a movie based on the book and when I read the intro, I discovered that there was also a play. The Bad Seed was March's most well-known book and he died shortly after its publication.
Basically the story is about Rhoda Penmark and her mother Christine. They live in a town in Alabama while Richard, Christine's husband, is away in South America on business. Rhoda is a strange girl, acquisitive, seemingly without emotion. One of her schoolmates, a young boy, who won a penmanship pin that Rhoda felt she should have received, dies while the class is on a school picnic. This is the incident that starts Christine on a journey of doubt and suspicion towards her daughter. Did Rhoda kill the boy?
We also meet Christine's friends her landlady, Mrs. Breedlove, and Leroy, the irritating janitor / handyman, who has an ongoing battle of wills with Rhoda. The people surrounding Christine are all somewhat strange in their own right. Christine's voyage of discovery includes research into serial killers and she finds out things about her own past that further disturb her.
While the story is not terrifying in any right, it still has an overriding creepiness and creates a sense of uneasiness. It is difficult to put down as you want to discover further about Rhoda and Christine and also to find out how the story will be resolved. Very interesting and spooky. Appropriate for Hallowe'en month. (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
I Am Legend by
Richard Matheson. This story was the basis for a variety of films, including 1971's The Omega Man and 2007's I Am Legend. The synopsis is below for anyone who hasn't seen the movies. It'll be interesting to see how they differ from the book.
"Robert Neville may well be the only survivor of an incurable plague that has mutated every other man, woman and child into bloodthirsty, nocturnal creatures who are determined to destroy him.
By day, he scavenges for food and supplies, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But all the while the infected lurk in the shadows, watching his every move, waiting for him to make a mistake..."
New Purchases
In the past two days, I've received a book order from Better World Books in the UK and also visited the biannual Rotary Club book sale. Books were on sale for 3 for $5.00 and I found 12 books that move along series that I'm enjoying. Below are the books I received in the mail and the others I purchased with their synopses. I hope some might interest you.
Better World Books
1.
The Heretic's Apprentice by
Ellis Peters. I now have every book in the Cadfael series. I've read 10 so far.
"In the summer of 1143 William of Lythwood returns to Shrewsbury in a coffin, his pilgrimage at last at an end. William's young attendant Elave accompanies the body and tries to secure a burial place in the grounds of the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul despite William having been reproved for 'heretical views.' Elave, too, has evidently learned scepticism and after he drunkenly expresses heretical opinions, the mighty prelate Gerbert brings capital charges against him. The beautiful Furtunata, whom Elave adores, becomes a reluctant witness for the prosecution. When violent death follows, Sheriff Hugh Beringar turns to Brother Cadfael for help in solving the murder - but matters are complicated still further by the marvelous treasure box in Elave's care..."
2.
The Devil's Cave by
Martin Walker. This is the 5th book in one of my favourite mystery series, that of Bruno, Chief of Police. I enjoyed the first 4 very much.
"It's two weeks before Easter, and Satanism has reared its ugly head. A female body ha been found on a boat, bearing the ghastly signs of a black magic ritual. The victim is unknown and nobody is coming forward.
This is the last thing Bruno needs. the Chief of Police has too much on his plate as it is, mediating both a domestic abuse case and a local development proposal that seems just too good to be true.
Moreover, he has no one to share these stresses with. His dog, Gigi, is gone, as are his usual roster of ladies: Isabelle's in Paris; Pamela's in Scotland and Fabiola - despite still being in St Denis - is outright ignoring him.
But, as they say, nothing lasts forever.
And, with Balzac the basset hound and two new ladies added to the equation, Bruno soon finds himself back at his best; which is precisely where he'll need to b if he's to solve the mystery that's threatening to scar his town's reputation."
Rotary Club Book Sale Purchases
I spent $20 and bought some books from favourite series and others from series I'm still looking forward to starting, a mix of mysteries, adventures and thrillers.
1.
Busman's Honeymoon (1935) by
Dorothy L. Sayers. This is one of the stories featuring gentleman sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. I've read 3 so far.
"Murder is hardly the best way for Lord Peter and his bride, the famous mystery writer Harriet Vane, to start their honeymoon. It all begins when the former owner of their newly acquired estate is found quite nastily dead in the cellar. And what Lord Peter had hoped would be a very private and romantic stay in the country soon turns into a most baffling case, what with the misspelled 'notise' to the milkman and the intriguing condition of the dead man - not a spot of blood on his smashed skull and not a pence less than six hundred pounds in his pocket."
2.
Murder Down Under by
Arthur W. Upfield. I have yet to try this series, featuring Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte of Australia. I've enjoyed other mystery series set in Australia and am looking forward to trying this one too.
"Bony is the sort of detective who enjoys nothing better on a holiday than a little informal investigation. When he agrees to help a colleague in the matter of the disappearance of George Loftus, a farmer whose car was found wrecked near the world's longest fence in the wheat country of western Australia, he cannot immediately find evidence of the murder he suspects. Loftus's wife seems concerned about him, but his handsome hired is an enigma. It is not until Bony becomes absorbed in the second mystery of Mr. Jelly, an amateur criminologist who himself often disappears on secret business, that he finds the key to the strange goings-on in this seemingly ordinary farming community."
3.
The Black Dudley Murder by
Margery Allingham. This is the first book in Allingham's Inspector Campion mysteries. It was originally published in 1929 under the title The Crime at Black Dudley. I've read 5 books in the series so far.
"You are cordially invited to a weekend house party at Black Dudley Manor. While there, you will participate in a gruesome ritual, your host will be brutally murdered, you will be held hostage, and someone will interrogate you in a most unpleasant manner. But never fear! Albert Campion is a fellow guest .. and you just might survive to tell the tale."
4.
The Cat Who Saw Red and 5.
The Cat Who Played Brahms by
Lilian Jackson Braun. I've read the first two books of this cozy mystery series featuring reporter Qwilleran and his cats Koko and Yum Yum. These are books 4 and 5 in the series.
The Cat Who Saw Red. "Something is amiss at Maus Haus. Not just the mystery of an unsolved 'suicide' which hangs over the old mansion, but something ominous in the present-day residence. When Qwilleran moves in to work on his new gastronomical assignment, strange things begin to happen. First it's a scream in the night, then a vanishing houseboy. But when his old girl friend disappears, something has to be done. Qwilleran, Koko and Yum Yum set out to solve the mystery - and find a murder!"
The Cat Who Played Brahms. "Is it just a case of summertime blues or a full-blown career crisis? Newspaper reporter Jim Qwilleran isn't sure, but he's hoping a few days in the country will help him sort out his life.
With cats, Koko and Yum Yum for company, Qwilleran heads for a cabin owned by long-time family friend, 'Aunt Fanny'. But from the moment he arrives, things turn strange. Eerie footsteps cross the roof at midnight. Local townsfolk become oddly secretive. And then, while fishing, Qwilleran hooks onto a murder mystery. Soon Qwilleran enters into a game of cat and mouse with the killer, while Koko develops a sudden and uncanny fondness for classical music."
6.
The Mystery of the Blue Train by
Agatha Christie. A classic from Christie, the fifth Hercule Poirot mystery from 1928. I've enjoyed getting back into the Agatha Christie books the past few years.
"Bound for the Riviera, detective Hercule Poirot has boarded Le Train Bleu, an elegant, leisurely means of travel, free of intrigue. Then he meets Ruth Kettering. The American heiress - bailing out of a doomed marriage - is en route to reconcile with her former lover. But by morning, her private affairs are made public when she's found murdered in her luxury compartment. The rumor of a strange man loitering in the victim's shadow is all Poirot has to go on. Until Mrs. Kettering's secret life begins to unfold..."
7.
Every Dead Thing by
John Connolly. This is the first book in a new series for me, featuring ex-cop Charlie Parker. I have found a couple of others in the series as well so am looking forward to giving it a try.
"John Connolly superbly taps into the tortured mind and gritty world of former NYPD detective Charlie 'Bird' Parker, tormented by the brutal, unsolved murders of his wife and young daughter. Driven by visions of the dead, Parker tracks a serial killer from New York City to the Deep South, and finds his buried instincts - for love, survival, and ultimately for killing - awakening as he confronts beyond imagining."
8.
The Third Victim by
Lisa Gardner. This is the second book in Gardner's Quincy thriller series. I read the first book, The Perfect Husband 4 or 5 years ago.
"An unspeakable act has ripped apart the idyllic town of Bakersville, Oregon, and its once-peaceful residents are demanding quick justice. But though a boy has confessed to the horrific crime, evidence shows he may not be guilty. Officer Rainie Conner, leading her first homicide investigation, stands at the center of the controversy. It's hitting too close to home, bringing back her worst nightmares, threatening to expose her secret sins. But with the boy's life at stake, she won't let anything stop her from finding the real killer.
With the help of FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, Rainie comes closer to a deadly truth than she can imagine. Because out there in the shadows a man watches her and plots his next move. He knows her He knows her secrets. He kills for sport. He's already brought death to Bakersville and forever shattered the community. But what he has really come for is Rainie - and he won't leave until he has destroyed her..."
9.
Rumpole's Return by
John Mortimer. I've read two books in this fun legal series. This is book is the third in the series.
"Horace Rumpole who is supposed by all and sundry to be enjoying well-earned retirement basking soggily in the Florida sun beside She Who Must be obeyed (his loving helpmate), learning to rap with strangers, has apparently hung up his wig..."
10.
Last Day in Limbo and 11.
The Night of Morningstar by
Peter O'Donnell. I've read 4 books in this entertaining series so far. I was pleasantly surprised to find two more books in the series at the sale. They were in excellent condition. There is one more book in the series. Modesty Blaise is a larger than life heroine who gets involved in fantastic adventures with her partner, Willie Garvin.
Last Day in Limbo. "The men and women in Limbo have no hope of escape or rescue, for to the world outside they are dead. They know that when the old and failing Mistress of Limbo herself dies, their death will become a reality, for they will be destroyed.
Of all the slaves in Limbo, only Danny Chavasse nourishes a slender thread of hope, for outside he has a friend who can save him, Modesty Blaise.
Modesty, too, has been chosen as a candidate for Limbo. Only after an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap her does she and her incomparable henchman Willie Garvin find themselves alerted to Danny's plight. And so the hunt begins.
It ranges from London to Switzerland, from New York to the jungles of Guatemala, and an ancient Mayan temple where the Mistress of Limbo has commanded a bizarre sacrifice to the Old Gods. Modesty takes the only sure road to Limbo, the road of the captive, and becomes a slave herself, while Willie Garvin strikes from another direction with a surprising partner - Maude Tiller of British Intelligence.
But Willie and Modesty are together in the hour when the crisis breaks and the battle begins, the seemingly hopeless battle for survival on The Last Day in Limbo."
The Night of Morningstar. "In the Night of the Morningstar, the tenth of her adventures, Peter O'Donnell begins his story with a flashback to the last days of The Network when Modesty was about to retire, and describes the organization's final, astonishing operation before it was wound up.
It is this operation that is echoed in the present story several years later, when Modesty, with her cockney sidekick Willie Garvin, finds herself drawn into conflict with the mysterious group known as The Watchmen.
What is the purpose behind The Watchmen's seemingly random acts of killing, destruction and atrocity? What is the connection between the attempt to kill Modesty in London and to destroy San Francisco's famous Golden Gate during rush hour? In seeking to find the answer to this and many other baffling questions, Modesty and Willie face disaster when luck turns against them. On the night of Operation Morningstar, designed to bring chaos upon the Western World, they find themselves prisoners on a drillship off the Ilhas Desertas. How their resourcefulness enables them - imprisoned, sedated and unarmed - to overcome and destroy the trained army of The Watchmen, brings the story to a startling conclusion."
12.
The Nightmare by
Lars Kepler. I enjoyed the first book in this series, The Hypnotist but haven't tried another for a few years now. This is the 2nd book in the series so I'm looking forward to getting back into the series.
"On a late-spring night, police recover the body of a young woman from an abandoned pleasure boat drifting around the Stockholm archipelago. Her lungs are filled with brackish water, and the forensics team is sure that she drowned. Why, then, is the pleasure boat still afloat, and why are there no traces of water on her clothes or body? The next day, a man turns up dead in his state apartment in Stockholm, hanging from a lamp hook in the ceiling. All signs point to suicide, but the room has a high ceiling, and theres's not a single piece of furniture around. Detective Inspector Joona Linna begins to piece together the two mysteries, but the logistics are a mere prelude to a dizzying and dangerous course of events."
