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| I'll check now.. My turn! |
I've finished two books this weekend and started two more. I'll update that and continue with my look at English standalone mystery writers.
Just Finished
"Since I discovered the Anna Pigeon series a few years back, I've tried to read one or two every year or so. Hard Truth by Nevada Barr is the 13th book in the series and the 12th I've read so far. Anna Pigeon is a US Park Ranger and each book is generally set in a different US National Park, where Anna has found herself transferred for one reason or another.
In Hard Truth, Anna, newly married, has been transferred to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, filling the position of district ranger. This will mean a year away from her husband who stays back at Natchez, Mississippi. She has arrived at this position as the park has conducted a search for 3 lost girls, all belonging to a religious commune that resides just outside the park proper.
The story starts with Heath and her aunt Gwen Littleton who are camping in the park. Heath is an ex-mountain climber who was paralyzed in a fall and is still adjusting to her new life as a paraplegic and not going about the process too smoothly. The two discover two of the lost girls, both traumatized, both suffering injuries and dehydration. This brings Anna into the situation as well. The story now moves between the two women, Heath coping with her new limited body and trying to help one of the young girls, Beth, or as she calls her, the limpet. Anna, while working to learn the job in her new area and also to learn more about the other rangers who work there also works to discover where the other lost girl might be and who might have been involved in kidnapping them. The two girls, themselves, still traumatized, offer not too many clues as to what happened to them.
It's is at times a slow-paced story but still very interesting as Anna tries to sort things out in her mind and to find clues to what might have happened. We get a decent view of the park as well. The story gets darker and grittier as it moves along and the pace picks up rapidly as everything starts to fall together. There are many suspects that Anna must try to sort through and in the end must try to close out the case all the while trying to keep herself, the girls, Heath, and others alive from a dangerous, psychotic killer. As in most of her stories, Nevada Barr doesn't disappoint. (4 stars)"
"Doubled In Diamonds is the 2nd Rex Carver mystery by Victor Canning. There are 4 books in this series and this is the 1st I've read. Carver is a private detective in London and like many others, struggles to make ends meet. In some ways, he reminds me of Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike.
The story starts off relatively simply, Carver's assistant, Hilda Wilkins, books him for an easy job, finding Arnold Finch to let him know about a 5,000 pound inheritance. As he investigates, he finds that there is more to Finches disappearance that meets the eye. He might have been involved in a previous diamond heist and might not wish to be found.
Carver travels to Ireland and becomes involved with Chinese spies, two twins who want also to hire his services to help acquire the diamonds. He also get caught up by British intelligence and the British police and must try to wend his way between these competing interests and at the same time try to save a young woman from both the bad guys and the police.
I enjoyed this story very much. Carver is a sensible, reasonably smart character and I really liked his assistant / partner. I hope she plays more of a role in the other stories. The story moved along at a nice steady pace and had nice little twists and turns. Very interesting introduction to the Rex Carver mysteries. (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Donna Leon's international best-selling and award-winning Commissario Guido Brunetti novels have been praised for their ability to place their readers into the thick of contemporary Venetian life. Now Blood from a Stone brings Commissario Brunetti back on the scene: On a cold Venetian night shortly before Christmas, a street vendor is killed in a scuffle in Campo Santo Stefano. The closest witnesses to the event are the American tourists who had been browsing the man's wares—fake designer handbags—before his death. The dead man had been working as a vu cumpra, one of the many African immigrants peddling goods outside normal shop hours and trading without work permits.
Commissario Brunetti's response is that of everybody involved: Why would anyone kill an illegal immigrant? Because these workers have few social connections and little money, infighting seems to be the answer. And yet the killings have all the markings of a professional operation. Once Brunetti begins to investigate this unfamiliar Venetian underworld, he discovers that matters of great value are at stake within the secretive society.
While his wife, Paola, struggles to come to terms with their young daughter's prejudices about the immigrants, Brunetti finds that his own police force shares many of the same biases. Warned by Patta, his superior, to desist from further involvement in the case, Brunetti only becomes more determined to unearth the truth. How far will Brunetti be able to penetrate the murky subculture of Venice's illegal community? And how high does the corruption reach into the upper echelons of Brunetti's own world and the world at large?"
"The second of Trollope's "Palliser" novels introduces its title character, Phineas Finn, a talented but naive doctor's son from Ireland with Parliamentary aspirations. He must make numerous practical and ethical choices regarding his career, his political beliefs, and his romantic life, in hopes of emerging with his character, reputation, and prospects intact."
My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - English Standalone #2
In my last entry I highlighted Kingsley Amis, John Bingham and Frances Fyfield.
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| Michael Gilbert |
"Katie Steelstock was the small-town girl who made good; for millions of fans she was 'our Katie,' the toast of British TV. Then she is found brutally murdered after she had gone down from London to attend a local dance. Chief Superintendent Charlie Knott of Scotland Yard stalks her killer along a trail that leads from the very proper circles of the English country set to the sordid underside of the London show-business jungle."
"James Scotland, a young pathologist, has come to Melchester on a much-needed vacation. But amid the cathedral town's quiet medieval atmosphere, he finds a hornet's nest of church politics, town and country rivalries. . . and murder. When one of the community's most influential figures dies suddenly (and very publicly), Scotland uncovers some curious alliances among church, state, and big business. Modern forensic pathology, the age-old mysteries of the church, and a bit of unexpected romance all play a part as Scotland unravels the unsettling truth about Melchester."
"A collection of 11 stories:
- A Prince of Abyssinia (Mar 1962)
- On Slay Down (Apr 1962)
- The Cat Cracker (May 1962)
- The Headmaster (Jun 1962)
- Trembling’s Tours (Jul 1962)
- Prometheus Unbound (Aug 1962)
- Cross-Over (Oct 1963)
- The Spoilers (Oct 1965)
- Heilige Nacht (Jan 1966)
- The Road to Damascus (Jun 1966)
- “Upon the King...” (Mar 1967)"
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| Caroline Graham |
"Caroline Graham is noted for the Midsomer Murders mystery series. The Envy of the Stranger is one of here standalone books. The story follows Roz Gilmour an English radio presenter, happily married with two children. It also follows Fenn, a scary individual, who is basically a stalker. He feels that to get his big break in life, he just needs a push from someone well-connected. From the pictures of stars and starlet that he has posted on his wall, he picks Roz. When he rejected, he begins a campaign of stalking and threatening phone calls and letters. Roz' life is turned upside down as the pressure mounts. It is the interaction between the two and between Roz and her family and co-workers and also between Fenn and other people, as he slides into her life that makes this an interesting story. You'll read this and suddenly find that you've come to the end and think, wow, now that was interesting. (4 stars)"
"Caroline Graham is best known as the creator of the Midsomer Murders / Inspector Barnaby books. She also has written 3 standalone books, of which Murder At Madingley Grange was one.
Simon Hannaford and sister, Laurie are asked by their aunt to look after Madingley Grange during her annual month long vacation cruise. Simon, always looking to make money, has the great idea of using the estate to host a murder mystery weekend and persuades Laurie to help him organize and run it. An eclectic group of people show up for the weekend. He as well hires a brother and 'sister', Gaunt and Bennett, as butler and maid. They also have an interesting back story.
Adding spice to the story, a dead body is discovered the next morning and all are suspects. So there you go, the basic story. I like the way the story is laid out; 4 chapters, Simon Says Do This, The Set-up, Fun and Games and Murder. Each person plays a role and each chapter deals with each person's actions and story.
It's hard not to get involved in each character's story. They are quirky and interesting. There is romance, jealousy, suspense, everything you like. The story moves along nicely, then there is a twist to the left, then another twist to the right, then another little jig and a satisfying ending. I thought I had an idea of what was going on, but then there was a nice surprise and a final satisfying ending.
The setting is lovely and I found myself very engaged with both the story and characters. It's a an excellent story and will keep me reading Graham's other books. It's unfortunate that she has a relatively small catalogue as she is an excellent story-teller. (4 stars)"
The other standalone is -
Fire Dance (1982)
Well, I'm going to stop there as I'm making too many mistakes and getting frustrated.. lol. I think I'll go shovel the drive way before Fantastic Beasts and Creatures comes on.. Enjoy your week!
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