So while the sun shines in the kitchen window, let's get started.
New Books
"When Professor Bacci inadvertently unlocks the biochemical key to falling in love and develops a drug capable of creating emotions indistinguishable from the real thing, he is determined that the world benefits from his discovery.
A private Swiss bank steps in, owned by the secretive Kappel family, and offers to fund Bacci's drug. What Bacci doesn't know is the Helmut Kappel has his own plan for abusing the drug's power; a cynical nightmare of breathtaking arrogance far removed from Bacci's naïve vision.
Only two people can stop Kappel's dark vision. One is Bacci's daughter Isabella, a doctor dedicated to saving lives. The other is Kappel's son and heir, Max, a man raised to feel no emotion and show no pain, a killer apparently incapable of love. But before they confront Kappel they must first confront their feelings for each other."
"Something is stirring in London's dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust and blood. Something has murdered Saul Garamond's father, and left Saul to pay for the crime.
But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into Saul's prison cell and leads him to freedom. A shadow called King Rat, who reveals Saul's royal heritage, a heritage that opens a new world to Saul, the world below London's streets--a heritage that also drags Saul into King Rat's plan for revenge against his ancient enemy,. With drum 'n' bass pounding the backstreets, Saul must confront the forces that would use him, the forces that would destroy him, and the forces that shape his own bizarre identity."
"On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.
Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the centre of it."
"A simple enough case... on the face of it. A commercial traveler killed in a hotel bedroom on the Loire. But Maigret sensed falseness everywhere, in the way the witnesses spoke and laughed and acted and, above all, in the manner of M. Gallet's death, under a false name, from a shot that nobody heard, with his own knife plunged into his heart. And behind the falseness, as Maigret discovered, the pathos of a man for whom nothing had ever gone right - not even death."
Next week is the bi-annual Rotary Club Book Fair. I hope to go to the first day, next Wednesday. Then I head off to see my Dad so my brother and I will probably visit Allison the Bookman in North Bay. I may also visit a book store on Bank Street in Ottawa if I have time before I return home. I'll try to be good.
Just Finished
"What a perfect book Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott is! It reminded me of books I read back during my university years when I took my Canadian Lit course; books like Who Has Seen the Wind by W.O. Mitchell or Why Shoot the Teacher by Max Braithwaite. It's a gentle, loving, caring story that had me smiling and crying at different moments.
Clara Purdy lives in Saskatchewan and while driving home gets into an accident with a young family. Clara lives alone, her mother having passed away and is in a rut. When she goes to the hospital to check on the family, she discovers that the mother, Lorreine has to stay because they've discovered she has cancer. The family; Lorreine, hubby Clayton, grandmother Mrs. Pell and three kids; Dolly, Trevor and Pearce are basically homeless, living in their van as they drive to find work.
Clara makes a big decision and lets the family move into her house while Lorreine is in the hospital. Clayton takes her mother's old car and leaves (to find work somewhere?) and leaves Clary to fend with the rest. That is the gist of the story and we follow Clary (her nickname) as she recreates herself, rearranging her home to accommodate them all, learn to live a life with children (she is a divorcee who never had the chance to have children of her own) and all the things that entails.
It's a rich, wonderful story. The book is peopled with a wonderful cast of characters, starting with the lovely Clary. The kids are great as they try to adjust to living with her, trying to cope with their mother's illness. Grandma Pell is a cantankerous old biddy but a great character. Lorreine is brave, hard put. Her brother Darwin shows up, moving in with Clara and is fantastic, looking after his sister, helping Clary, recreating her home. And you've got so many others, the local priest, Paul, trying to cope with divorce and finding solace with this strange put - together family. I could go on; her neighbour, Mrs. Zenko, who helps so much and Clary's sister Grace, her hubby Morland and their daughter, Fern. There is something about them all to love and cherish.
The story is so well-written, and it draws you in. I wanted it to end a certain way, but it took a twist at the end and then another. I can't recommend this book more. It's a must read. Beautiful story and characters. (5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"First published in 1878, nine years before the debut of Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet, this atmospheric and suspenseful mystery well deserves a modern audience." — Publishers Weekly.
Horatio Leavenworth, a wealthy merchant and pillar of nineteenth-century New York society, has been found shot to death in his Fifth Avenue mansion. Circumstances point to a member of his household as the killer and particularly to his lovely nieces, one of whom will inherit his fortune. The idea of a lady murderer, especially one of the Leavenworths' social stature, is almost too shocking to entertain, although the evidence — a broken key, an incriminating letter, and an overheard snatch of conversation — points toward the young nieces. But which one?
This brilliantly plotted tale of love, greed, sacrifice, and betrayal introduced the first American series detective, Ebenezer Gryce, and is widely considered the first full-length detective story written by a woman. The suspenseful bestseller is credited with attracting writers to a genre previously considered unworthy of serious literary attention. It remains not only a fascinating whodunit but also an absorbing look at nineteenth-century mores and manners."
The Mystery Genre - English Cops
There are so many great police mystery series set in England, it's hard to decide how to organize them. I think I'll just do it the easy way and work through them alphabetically. Here are the first three.
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| Mark Billingham |
"Detective Inspector Tom Thorne now knows that three murdered young women were a killer's mistakes -- and that Alison was his triumph. And unless Thorne can enter the mind of a brilliant madman -- a frighteningly elusive fiend who enjoys toying with the police as much as he savors his sick obsession -- Alison Willetts will not be the last victim consigned forever to a hideous waking hell." (4 stars)
"This is the 2nd Tom Thorne thriller and as the first one, this was just as interesting a read. A story with 2 serial killers following each others kills. I like how the story moves from Thorne to the killer's perspectives. I like the relationship/ friendship between Thorne and his friend, the coroner, wry and funny at times. I do like that even in a tense thriller, that there is room for humour; note Thorne's continuing battle with the corner of his desk. It's a tense ride and well-directed. I recommend this series. (4 stars)"
"Teenager Luke Mullen is missing. He was last seen by schoolmates getting into a car with an older woman, and it is unclear whether he has disappeared voluntarily or been abducted. "Police looking for the boy are pretty certain they are dealing with a missing-persons case. The son of a former police officer, Luke has no history of being out of touch, no track record of truancy or misbehavior. And they know that the longer he is missing, the more likely he is to turn up dead. Then the videotape arrives ...
On special assignment, Detective Inspector Tom Thorne searches desperately for the boy and for anyone who might have a grudge against him or his father, former detective Tony Mullen. As someone responsible for convicting many tough villains in his time, Luke's father is asked to list a few potential suspects. But it is the names Mullen carefully omits from the list that intrigue Thorne. Has Mullen simply forgotten about the criminal who threatened him? Is he so distraught in the emotional trauma of his son's disappearance? Or is he hiding something?
When the kidnapper demonstrates, shockingly, that he is not reluctant to kill, Thorne knows he does not have the luxury of time. He must dig hard and deep into old cases and past lives. He learns that secrets are as easily hidden as bodies, and that even if Luke Mullen is still alive, making assumptions is the quickest way to get him dead and buried." (4 stars)
The remaining books in this series are - (I have the ones asterisked)
- Lazybones (2003) *
- The Burning Girl (2004) *
- Lifeless (2005) *
- Death Message (2007)
- Bloodline (2009) *
- From the Dead (2010) *
- Good as Dead (2011)
- The Dying Hours (2013)
- The Bones Beneath (2014)
- Time of Death (2015)
- Love Like Blood (2017)
- The Killing Habit (2018)
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| W.J. Burley |
"I've read a few of the Superintendent Wycliffe mysteries and enjoyed. This is the second in the series and finds Wycliffe on vacation with his wife, Helen at the coast. While there he gets involved in investigating a murder in a hotel by the waterfront. He's an interesting character, is Superintendent Wycliffe, likes to use his instincts more than criminal analyses of the CSI vein. As we delve into the story and find out more about the woman who was murdered and what she's been involved in and the people around her, the story becomes a nicely complex puzzle. I enjoyed it very much and am glad that I refreshed my acquaintance with Wycliffe. Nice ending too. 4 stars."
"Wycliffe and Death in Stanley Street by W.J. Burley is the 5th book in the Chief Superintendent Wycliffe mystery series. Wycliffe works for CID in a West County town. It's a few days from Xmas and a prostitute is murdered on Stanley Street.
As Wycliffe and his team investigate, the murder is not as simple as it seems; is the prostitute blackmailing people, are drugs involved, is it a spurned lover? Wycliffe is a grumpy fella, adjusting to a new appointment and new location. He has an excellent team, from his assistant, WPC Saxton to crusty Inspector Gill.
The story moves along matter-of-factually. We do get so spend a brief time with wife, Helen and the family. But it's all about the case for Wycliffe and he just seems to fall into the solution. The story is a pleasure to read, almost cozy, with a slight edge. (3 stars)"
"This is the second Wycliffe mystery I've read in Oct/ Nov and once again I've enjoyed very much. I like Burley's writing style. Wycliffe is a diffident copper, one who isn't easy to really like or put a finger on. He has a lazyish style of investigating, preferring to wander about on his own and let the information he accumulates formulate a conclusion. He is distant from the people he works with, often sharp with them but at the same time his number two, Inspector Gill seems to like him and respect him. The story was very interesting, the people interesting as well and I was ultimately satisfied with the result. I'm looking forward to reading more of the Wycliffe mysteries. (4 stars)"
The remaining books in the series are below. (Asterisked books are ones on my bookshelf and I've rated the ones I've read)
- Wycliffe and the Three-Toed Pussy (1968) *
- Wycliffe and the Death in a Salubrious Place (1973) * (3 stars)
- Wycliffe and the Pea-Green Boat (1975) *
- Wycliffe and the School Bullies (also the Schoolgirls) (1976) *
- Wycliffe and the Scapegoat (1978) * (3 stars)
- Wycliffe in Paul's Court (1980) *
- Wycliffe's Wild Goose Chase (1982)
- Wycliffe and the Beales (1983) *
- Wycliffe and the Four Jacks (1985) *
- Wycliffe and Quiet Virgin (1987) * (3 stars)
- Wycliffe and the Winsor Blue (1987) *
- Wycliffe and the Tangled Web (1988) *
- Wycliffe and the Cycle of Death (1990)
- Wycliffe and the Dead Flautist (1991) *
- Wycliffe and the Last Rites (1992) *
- Wycliffe and the Dunes Mystery (1994)
- Wycliffe and the House of Fear (1995)
- Wycliffe and the Redhead (1997) *
- Wycliffe and the Guild of Nine (2000) *
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| Steve Burrows |
"A Siege of Bitterns is the first book in the Birders (Domenic Jejeune) mystery series by Steve Burrows. Jejeune is a Canadian who has moved to England and had success as a Police Inspector in London. His fame in solving a particular case (not much info provided about that) gets him a transfer to the Norfolk town of Saltmarsh. Jejeune is a 'birder' and the Salt marshes are a treasure trove of birds. It turns out that there is a competition going on where the birders are trying to identify 400 species in a year.
Quickly after his arrival a body is discovered; a famous local environmentalist and also a birder is found hung in a tree on his land. The evidence persuades the police that the man was murdered. Why? Jejeune's initial thoughts lead him to assume it might have something to do with this competition. A jealous opponent?
Jejeune is not immediately welcomed by his police staff as he is a quiet, distant type. But they are willing to give him a chance and we do get to know these other investigators maybe because they often are required to work on their own. We also get to meet Jejeune's wife, ex - crime reporter, Lindy, who now that they live somewhat off the beaten path works as a columnist for a local paper.
The story does wander around a bit, sort of jumping at times from one suspect to another, with not a lot of explanation why? It might have something to do with Jejeune's character as he does prefer to keep his cards close to his chest and work on his own.
The story develops slowly, with a cast of interesting characters and we do get a feel for the birders themselves, especially as represented by Quentin Senior, an interesting character, who might be a murderer as well? As I got into the story, I found it getting more and more interesting and as the characters developed, I found myself more drawn to them, whether the cops themselves, or the witnesses and possible suspects. I found myself satisfied as I closed the book at the end and even liked the final segment dealing with the Bitterns and their habitat. A nice introduction to Inspector Jejeune and his team (4 stars)"
The remaining books in the series are, so far, -
- A Pitying of Doves (2015)
- A Cast of Falcons (2016)
- A Shimmer of Hummingbirds (2017)
Well there you go.. The weekend is now upon us. Jo and I are enjoying The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco (of course, filmed in Vancouver) and then we're ordering a curry for dinner. A perfect start to the weekend.
Have a great weekend!
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