Female PI's
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| Cara Black |
"Aimee Leduc, the half-French, half-American detective in Paris, is approached by a rabbi to decipher a fifty-year-old encrypted photograph and deliver it to an old woman in the Marais, the old Jewish quarter. When she does so, she finds a corpse on whose forehead a swastika has been carved. With the help of her partner, a dwarf with extraordinary computer skills, she sets out to solve this horrendous crime and finds herself in the middle of a dangerous game of current politics and old war crimes."
"Parisian P.I. Aimée Leduc finds herself involved with a secretive North African radical group the French government would rather she didn’t investigate
When Anaїs de Froissart calls private investigator Aimée begging for help, Aimée assumes her best friend's sister wants to hire her to do surveillance on her philandering husband again. Aimée's too busy right now to indulge her. But Anaїs, a politician's wife with an unhappy marriage and a young daughter, insists Aimée must come, that she is in trouble and scared. Aimée tracks Anaїs down just in time to see a car bomb explode, injuring Anaїs and killing the woman she was with.
Aimée, who saw her father die in a car bomb five years earlier, is shaken by the attack, but manages to escort Anaїs to safety. But Anaїs can't explain what Aimée just witnessed. The dead woman, Anaїs says, is Sylvie Coudray, her cheating husband's long-time mistress, but she has no idea who wanted her dead, and Anaїs officially hires Aimée to investigate.
As she digs into Sylvie Coudray's murky past, Aimée finds that the dead woman may not be who Anaїs thought she was. Her Belleville neighborhood, full of North African immigrants, may be hiding clues to who Sylvie really was. As a prominent Algerian rights activist stages a hunger protest against new immigration laws, Aimée begins to wonder whether Sylvie's death was an act of terrorism, and who else may be at risk. To make matters worse, Yves, Aimée's ex-boyfriend, a journalist who seems to appear in and disappear from Aimée's life without any regard for her feelings, is back in town. Just the kind of distraction she doesn't need right now."
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| Liz Evans |
"Who Killed Marilyn Monroe? by Liz Evans, the first book in the PI Grace Smith series, was an entertaining, fun surprise. Of course, I was somewhat mislead by the title, of course, it had nothing to do with Marilyn Monroe. Grace Smith is a struggling PI working for Vetch Associates, somewhere on the coast of England (struggling because she never seems to have any money and seems to get the odd ball cases).
Marilyn Monroe is a donkey, belonging to December Drysdale, who runs them down to the beach for tourists to take pictures of and to ride them. Unfortunately, Marilyn has been murdered and Drysdale doesn't think the police will take the death seriously enough. Grace 'Smithie' is assigned the case and thus begins an interesting, odd case which might also involve the murder of one of Drysdale's neighbors, a young woman, who was also murdered the same evening.
While it seems an unlikely story, but Evans puts it together nicely, making for an interesting, even fascinating story. She develops her characters with loving care and you find yourself drawn into them and the story. As Liz Lemon would say, "I want to go to there" and meet Grace and the other people in her community; from bar owner and aging rocker, Shane (who feeds Grace for free and entertains with loud rock music), her co-worker, Annie (sarcastic and a tolerant, helpful friend); the residents of the old age home, even Drysdale's donkeys. You find yourself loving these characters.
Evans weaves a fun story, somewhere between Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books and Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone mysteries. Grace Smith is at times hapless, but always determined. She's scruffy, sexy and lovable. I've already ordered the next book, JFK Is Missing!. If you like a cozy, but action-filled, at times humorous mystery, try Liz Evans (4.5 stars)"
"Liz Evans is in top form in these, the first three investigations in the PI Grace Smith mystery series. Featuring a feisty and engaging heroine, and packed with cracking one-liners and unexpected twists, these pacey novels will keep you guessing to the end.PI Grace Smith is back, walking the mean streets of Seatoun, a seedy town on England's southern coast. Client Henry Summerstone has asked her to find a missing person, but he has no idea of her name, where she lives or works, or what she looks like -- he's been blind for years. In fact, he's not even sure she's missing. But he's offering cash, an offer that Grace finds hard to refuse. Soon she's got a lead on the girl -- several girls, as it turns out -- but instead of them leading her to Miss X, Grace finds herself caught up in government fraud, family feuds, and cold-blooded murder."
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| Sue Grafton |
"I think S is for Silence by Sue Grafton was a bit of a return to form for Grafton. While I enjoyed the previous three books; P, Q and R, I just thought they were ok. S was so much better.
The story is a cold case. Kinsey is hired by Daisy Sullivan to find her mother, Violet, who disappeared when Daisy was a child, 35 years previously. Kinsey doesn't want to take the case as she feels it's a waste of her time and Daisy's money. But Daisy is persuasive and gets Kinsey to accept the job for 5 days. Thus begins her investigation into Violet's life and the possible reasons she disappeared, or was she murdered? The story is presented in an interesting style; alternating between present day, where Kinsey interviews people who still live in the area and who knew Violet, and then presenting the final days of Violet's life in Serena Station.
There was so much to enjoy about this latest Kinsey case. It builds nicely, the plot is interesting, the characters are interesting and there is a tension that slowly develops as Kinsey seems to be getting close to a solution. I enjoyed S very much and hope the next, T is for Trespass is as good. (4 stars)"
"Before letting someone into your house and granting access to the intimate details of your life, it's a good idea to run a background check. But as Kinsey Millhone is about to discover, a clean record means nothing if it belongs to a stolen identity. And the consequences can be deadly..."
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| Kerry Greenwood |
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| Karen Kijewski |
"Katwalk is the first book in Kat Colorado mystery series by Karen Kijewski. I bought this book by chance because the synopsis looked interesting. I'm glad that I took that chance as it was an enjoyable, interesting mystery.
Kat is a private investigator from California (she reminds me somewhat of Kinsey Milhone) who is asked by a friend to help with her divorce. She believes her ex-husband has hidden $200K from her so she won't get her share in the divorce settlement. As much as Kat doesn't like working for friends, she agrees. The investigation brings her to Las Vegas and into shady real estate dealings, bribing and threatening of public officials and even murder.
It's a well-paced story and peopled with interesting characters. The one weakness is the main villain who is a bit of a comic book caricature. But all in all the story was an excellent introduction to the Kat Colorado series. I hope future books are as interesting and further develop her personality and story line"
"A murderer has struck home —and Kat Colorado is taking it personally. Her cousin Johnny has been found stabbed to death in the parking lot of the Homestead Cafe. And now Kat's on the prowl —trailing a killer through a dangerous world of shady real estate shenanigans and teenage hookers. And she's about to uncover a closet full of sordid family secrets almost certain to get an overly inquisitive Kat skinned."
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| Alexander McCall Smith |
I've read the first six books so far but sadly have neglected the series in recent years. I've got #7 sitting on my bookshelf though so hope to try it this year. I'll highlight #'s 6 and 7 here.
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| The Detective Agency Books |
"Precious is busier than usual at the detective agency when she discovers an intruder in her house on Zebra Drive—and perhaps even more baffling—a pumpkin on her porch. Her associate, Mma Makutsi, also has a full plate. She's taken up dance lessons, only to be partnered with a man with two left feet. And at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where Mr J.L.B. Matekoni is already overburdened with work, one of his apprentices has run off with a wealthy older woman. But what finally rattles Mma Ramotswe’s normally unshakable composure is a visitor who forces her to confront a difficult secret from her past."
b. Blue Shoes and Happiness (#7).
"A cobra has been found in Precious Ramotswe’s office. Then a nurse from a local medical clinic reveals that faulty blood–pressure readings are being recorded there. And Botswana has a new advice columnist, Aunty Emang, whose advice is rather curt for Mma Ramotswe’s taste.
All this means a lot of work for our heroine and her inestimable assistant, Grace Makutsi, and they are, of course, up to the challenge. But there’ s trouble brewing in Mma Makutsi’s own life. When Phuti Radiphuti misses their customary dinner date, she begins to wonder if he is having second thoughts about their engagement. And while Mma Makutsi may be able to buy that fashionably narrow (and uncomfortable) pair of blue shoes, it may not buy her the happiness that Mma Ramotswe promises her she’ll find in the simpler things—in contentment with the world and enough tea to smooth over the occasional bumps in the road."
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| Michelle Spring |
"Wildfell Cottage is a serene weekend oasis for three career women whose lives have taken sudden turns. But they are barely acquainted before one of them is dead—and another is determined to find out why.
Between the worlds of academia, art, and politics, someone slipped into a woman's life and snuffed it out in a burst of rage, leaving Laura Principal to untangle a wicked web of secrets and hypocrisy. What Laura finds is the perfect suspect. Unfortunately, a better one has found her. . . ."
"When Laura Principal rings the bell at theatrical producer Thomas Butler's London mansion, a young maid opens the door. And suddenly, Laura is plunged into a mystery whose depths she fears to plumb.
The maid asks Laura to help her find some missing money, but overnight she disappears. Neighbors say she was abducted; the Butlers insist no such person ever existed. But beneath the vicious underpinnings of affluence—in clubs, country houses, and charming mews—Laura uncovers the unbelievable truth. Proving it, though, could be fatal."
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| Jacqueline Winspear |
"This is a new series for me, one that was worth taking a chance on. I liked the cover and had read about Jacqueline Winspear somewhere. The series features Maisie Dobbs, a new private investigator starting out on her own after a period of tutelage under a now retired investigator. The story is set after WWI, in 1929, but does flash back to Maisie's childhood and her time working as a volunteer nurse at the front. Her investigation starts as she follows the wife of a businessman who suspects she might be cheating on him. The case is resolved fairly easily but leads on to another situation that Maisie decides to investigate, a retreat for damaged soldiers set in the countryside of Kent.
Is it quite what it seems? That is for you to find out. I liked Maisie and as the story developed, I like her more. She is somewhat prim at times, but I think that will change. Her mentor, Maurice, is an interesting person as well and of course, her new assistant, Billy, is excellent. I've read a few series set during this pre and post WWI period of England, Rennie Airth's John Madden series comes to mind. I like reading about the period and, if, as in the case of Maisie Dobbs, the story is excellent, then that just adds to the enjoyment. I will definitely look up more in this series now. (4 stars)"
"Birds of a Feather is the 2nd Maisie Dobbs mystery by Jacqueline Winspear. I've enjoyed the first two books so far. Winspear is a meticulous story teller, providing a lot of particular details while developing her characters and plot. Details about exactly what Maisie is wearing, etc seem irrelevant but they help provide a picture.
It's been hard to warm to Maisie as she is quite buttoned-up and does have personal issues from her time serving as a nurse during WWI and also between her and her father (guilt on both sides from her mother's death), but I'm getting to like her more. She is more than just a private detective. From her training with her old mentor, Maurice, she is more of a psychologist / private detective who provides both investigative assistance and then psychological assistance, whether the client wants it or no.
So, on to this story. Maisie is hired by a rich owner of a major grocery chain, Joseph Waite, to find his daughter. This is not the first time she has gone missing so he doesn't want the police involved. Maisie and her assistant, Billy Beale, agree to find her. They quickly realize that murders being worked on by Scotland Yard, especially Inspector Stratton, may be related to their case. As well, Maisie is concerned about Billy, an ex - soldier who had been severely injured during the war. He is acting strangely and Maisie is concerned. Also simmering is her relationship with her father.
It all makes for an interesting story and mystery. I will admit that I had a pretty good idea of what might be involved and ultimately also a pretty good idea of who might be the murderer, but the story is very well-written and crafted and was well worth reading. I am warming more to Maisie and look forward to reading the third installment. (4 stars)"
So there you go, the female PI. There are many more out that that I've yet to try. But I imagine I'll get around to them as well. I'll try to finish some of these first though.
Have a great week!
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