I'm progressing nicely with the five books I'm currently reading. I just started Shards of Honor by Louis McMaster Bujold and I've got to say I'm enjoying it immediately. I'm glad I discovered the series (Vorkosigan Saga) and decided to give it a try. Bram Stoker's The Mystery of the Sea is a bit of a slow read so far; the main reason being the Scottish dialect that makes it somewhat difficult for me to understand.. the reading aspect. Anyway, I'm enjoying all of them and hope to finish a couple more before the end of October.
I was downtown Courtenay yesterday picking up food for our lunch from Cappuccinos and decided to check out 2nd Page Books because I haven't been there since February or so. It was a quick visit but I did find one book. I had recently written down some SciFi books listed in the back of one I'd just finished as they looked interesting. This was one of those books. So I'll provide the synopsis of that book. I'll also continue with my look at my favorite authors, this being an excellent mystery writer.
New Book
"Before becoming one of
today's most intriguing and innovative mystery writers, Kate Wilhelm was
a leading writer of science fiction, acclaimed for classics like The Infinity Box and The Clewiston Test.
Now
one of her most famous novels returns to print, the spellbinding story
of an isolated post-holocaust community determined to preserve itself,
through a perilous experiment in cloning. Sweeping, dramatic, rich with
humanity, and rigorous in its science, Where Later the Sweet Birds Sang
is widely regarded as a high point of both humanistic and "hard" SF,
and won SF's Hugo Award and Locus Award on its first publication. It is
as compelling today as it was then."
My Favorite Authors - Jane Haddam
Orania Papazoglu, who wrote under the name Jane Haddam, was born in Connecticut in 1951. I don't think I realized this but she died in 2019. She has written a favorite mystery series of mine, one featuring Armenian - American detective / ex FBI - profiler Gregor Demarkian. Since 1990, she wrote 30 books in this series and I've read 12. I'll look at the 5 most recent books that I've completed.
Jane Haddam
"An enjoyable mystery. I liked being introduced to Gregor Demarkian, the 'Armenian - American Hercule Poirot' again. It's unfortunate that his two side-kicks, Father Tibor and Bennis Hannaford, didn't' accompany him on this trip to Chesterfield, NY as they do add something to the Demarkian mysteries. Having said that, it was still an excellent mystery, well-paced and interesting. The resolving of the mystery was somewhat pat, but didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. It was well-written, well-paced and had interesting characters (3 stars)"
Synopsis - "In high school, Cheryl
was an outcast, tolerated only because the boys considered her easy. But
one night at Black Rock Park, the popular kids were strangely kind, and
for the first time in her life, Cheryl’s future seemed bright. Twenty
heartbreaking years later, Cheryl is dying of cancer, and wants to
return to the one place where she ever knew true happiness. But there is
something she doesn’t know about that night in Black Rock Park—and the
classmates who once pretended to befriend her will kill to keep the
secret buried.
After Cheryl is found poisoned, the case falls to
Gregor Demarkian, a former FBI agent with a knack for solving small-town
murders. To discover who killed this terminally ill woman, Demarkian
will have to peer into the mysteries of the local Catholic church—and
find the killer who is hiding behind a pious facade."
"A tale of malicious mayhem--and a most heartwarming Father's Day present--from Jane Haddam's acclaimed series of holiday mysteries. Rumors of a change in Charles van Straadt's will only widen the circle of suspects who would have liked to see the media mogul six feet under. Now former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian is tangled in a messy investigation." (3 stars)
"Another enjoyable Gregor Demarkian mystery, this one set on the high seas. Gregor brings along his friend Bennis Hannaford with him as he tries to solve the murder of one of the passengers and to relate it to a previous murder. High finances also involved, this is an entertaining mystery. I do enjoy the development of the friendship between Gregor and Bennis.. will they or won't they and I like his intuitive ability to solve the crime. It's not the most complex mystery but enjoyable. (3 stars)"
"Fountain of Death by Jane Haddam is the 12th book in the Gregor Demarkian mystery series. It's a nice series because you don't really have to read them in order. I'm sure that there are personal incidents, such as Demarkian's burgeoning relationship with Bennis Hannaford, that probably would be easier to track if you did read them in order, but it's definitely not critical to do so. With that preamble, Fountain of Death was, as all the others in the series I've read, an enjoyable, well-paced, interesting mystery. Demarkian, an ex-FBI profiler, goes to New Haven, Ct, at the behest of a police investigator there, to help work on the murder of a weight training instructor at a local health spa. His body is found naked, poisoned under a hedge at the spa. From the beginning, Demarkian feels that the police officer is ignoring him and just using him to show that all avenues are being explored in solving the murder. Demarkian basically goes off on his own, working with the local pathologist and getting assistance in travelling around from a friendly lady cabbie. There are other incidents and deaths that move the plot along nicely and the story also gets into the lives of those people who might be possible suspects or victims. It's an enjoyable story, Demarkian is fun to follow around and his instincts are always impressive. Most enjoyable. (4 stars)."
"Baptism in Blood is the 14th book in the Gregor Demarkian mystery series by Jane Haddam. I haven't followed this series in any particular order and for some of the character development it might have been a somewhat better idea (I refer to the development of the relationship between Gregor and Bennis Hannaford), but the books for the most part stand well on their own.
In this story, the Armenian - American, ex-FBI profiler, now consultant, Gregor Demarkian is asked by an old friend to come to North Carolina to help investigate the murder of a baby. Gregor is having some personal issues; he also thinks his friend Tibor, the priest is having troubles coping. But he still is persuaded to go to North Carolina to assist the local sheriff.
Gregor finds himself in the Bible belt, a small community that is just recovering from a hurricane, and a community that is also dealing with another community living on the grounds of a local mansion, a group of women, escaping from their own issues. They are accused of Satanic worship, they are lesbians. It's a fascinating dichotomy, especially in light of the daily issues I'm reading these days; anti-abortion, LGBTQ rights at risk, etc. Trump even makes his presence in this story, albeit only as a brief mention. (You can't escape the man!!) (Just kidding)
A young woman is accused of murdering her baby and is in jail. She accuses members of the lesbian community of practicing Satanic rituals and killing her baby. This is the situation wherein Gregor finds himself. Gregor is also somewhat adrift at sea; dealing with issues of his own past. He is having difficulties coping with the death of his wife, even thought it happened quite a long time in his past. And he is coping with is feelings for Bennis, the fantasy writer who lives back in his Armenian community in Philadelphia.
So that is the scenario. As Gregor and the local sheriff gather information, there are other murders which add to the urgency. Protests from the religious community against the lesbians, etc. The story is peopled with many fascinating characters, all with their own unique personalities and issues. It's a most enjoyable story, more than a mystery. The Demarkian series is a favorite of mine and the stories never disappoint. And Gregor is an interesting 'detective', his description as the Armenian - American Hercule Poirot is very apt. Excellent as always (4 stars)"
I have another 6 books on my bookshelves waiting to be read. It's a great series to try. The complete listing of Haddam's books can be found at this link.
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