Yesterday was one of our first indications that Autumn is pretty well upon us here in the Valley. We had high winds (almost blew down our deck umbrella) and it rained pretty well all day. It's much milder today. I finished one book yesterday. I also received a book in the mail yesterday. I'll provide my review of the first, and synopses of the next book in line and the new book. Then I'll finish with my look at my favorite authors.
Just Finished
"Death of a Stray Cat by Jean Potts was a perfect little mystery. I'd previously read one of her other books, The Man with the Cane, which was an entertaining spy story. This one was excellent.
It's a relatively simple, short story but at the same time, a rich, entertaining page turner. It starts off with a murder, of a young lady trying to find someone, Alex, at his summer cottage. Alex and his wife, Gen, along with two friends are heading to the cottage as well, and the two friends, Vanda and Theobold. While Alex and Gen stop at the local pub for dinner, Vanda and Theobold head to the house and discover the body.
Thus starts an interesting investigation with nicely crafted characters. You've got the slightly overweight, local sheriff, sympathetic and homespun, moving from possible suspect to suspect. It turns out Marcella, the victim had a brief relationship with Alex and another suspect. There is marital friction between Alex and Gen because of it. The peripheral characters, Vanda and Theobold, as well as best friends Brad and Dwayne are all excellent.
The plot builds nicely and while I had my suspects in mind, I kept changing my mind as I got more into the story. I would say that ultimately I was correct but then again, my final suspect came out in the last page, so maybe I'm just pretending that I knew who it was. The ultimate resolution was as satisfying as the story itself. It's an excellent, entertaining mystery and I enjoyed it so much. Nice to read a well-crafted mystery like this. In some ways it reminded me of books I've enjoyed by Margaret Millar and Hillary Waugh. I highly recommend and I'll definitely search for other books by Potts (5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"In the High House School for Disturbed Children, the windows are narrow, the shadows are dark, and the secrets can be deadly.
Unable to cope with his guilt, Joey Fane has been here ever since the afternoon when his little brother wouldn't leave him alone in the bathroom – the day that Joey cracked a block across Ralphie's head and left him to bleed.
Two years after the incident, Joey is finally released – but he will soon wish he could have stayed locked away forever.
While he was away, his mother fell completely under the spell of the Nanny who was hired before the accident. With Joey's return, it's time for Nanny to leave, but she's not ready to go.
Between these two ruthless souls, battle will be waged, and more blood will be spilled"
New Books
"On a planet whose very nature is a mystery, a massive decrepit city is pulled along a massive railway track, laying the line down before it as it progresses into the wilderness. The society within toils under an oppressive regime, its structures always on the point of collapse, the lives of its individuals lived in misery."
My Ongoing Look at my Favorite Authors - Michael Gilbert
Michael Francis Gilbert was an English author who lived from 1912 - 2006. He was born in Lincolnshire and died in Gravesend. He wrote both standalone mysteries and series, plus short stories and war stories, etc. He's written some of my favorite books. It was such a pleasant surprise discovering his work.
Michael Gilbert
"This is the 2nd book by Michael Gilbert that I've attempted. It was excellent. The basic premise is that the book follows Detective Chief Inspector Patrick Petrella, of London's Patton Street Police Station over the course of a year. It is a collection of short stories, each a different case, but, at the same time, some that follow one on the other. There are some mundane cases and as you get into the stories, some that create a great deal of tension. The last couple of stories, especially, where Petrella and his team are involved with the local heavy - hitter underworld, had me on the edge of my seat. I quite enjoyed the investigation process, how Petrella and his inspectors follow leads and sort through issues, reminded me of the process that Law & Order followed as the police investigate the particular crimes. I also liked the personalities of the various team members and the bursts of inspiration that come from Petrella. He knows his area and the people there and uses his smarts in sorting through the chaff to come up with solutions. Excellent, perfect little book. It turns out that Gilbert also wrote 4 other books featuring Petrella. I will have to check them out. (5 stars)"
"I've read a couple of other books by Michael Gilbert and have enjoyed them all so far. Smallbone Deceased ranks up there with Petrella at Q as my favorites of his. Smallbone is a perfect little mystery.
It's billed as an Inspector Hazelrigg mystery and, indeed, the good Inspector does play a prominent role. But the supporting cast also adds very much to the story, especially poor Sgt Plumptree who has to wander around London interviewing possible witnesses. He is an inexhaustible man, a credit to the London Police Force. As well, there is Henry Bohun, the newest member of the offices of Horniman, Birley and Craine, who finds himself helping Inspector Hazelrigg with his investigation to a great extent.
The basic story is that a body, that of Mr. Smallbone, a client of the firm, is found in one of the firm's deed boxes, having resided there for a few weeks. This starts up the investigation, which I enjoyed following very much. There was an interesting steadiness to the investigation; I've mentioned Sgt Plumbtree already, but the rest of the team of investigators are all excellent. I'll highlight Mr. Hoffman who works through the paperwork, checking the firm's finances to try and find reasons for the murder.
The investigation moves at a nice, steady pace, allowing all of the characters time to inculcate themselves into your memory. They all are enjoyable; there is a nice humour at times that keeps the story light. All in all, the book was so very enjoyable, even the ending was satisfying. I will definitely continue to find more books by Gilbert to enjoy. (5 stars)"
"I've read 4 other books by author Michael Gilbert, those being from his Inspectors Hazelrigg and Petrella mystery series. Death in Captivity is a unique mystery, set in a prisoner of war camp in Italy. The camp is filled with British soldiers. As most POW stories, they are digging tunnels and trying their best to escape. Into the midst of this scenario is thrust a murder mystery. A British officer, suspected by many of the other POWs of being an Italian spy, is found murdered under a fall of dirt in the main tunnel.
The British prisoners must find a way of letting the Italians discover the body without giving up the tunnel. They come up with the idea of moving the body to a disused tunnel. The Italians determine that Coutoules has been murdered. The senior British officer, Col Laverly, asks one of his officers, Captain Goyles, to conduct an investigation into the death and see if he can come up with a solution.
So you have a murder investigation, which may somehow implicate the Italians. You have a possible spy in the midst of the British prisoners, for some reason. As well, the Allied troops have invaded Sicily and the invasion of mainland Italy may soon come about. And, of course, the British troops continue their efforts to escape. This effort is increased as the thought of an Allied invasion of Italy comes closer and also a possible change of leadership in Italy.
So, as you see, it's a very rich story, with many varied plot lines. Consider also the ongoing plans for a play by some of the British prisoners, a remaking of The Barrets of Wimpole Street. Gilbert writes in an easy flowing style. He develops great characters. I particularly enjoyed Goyle, but there were many others as well. The story moves along nicely, the mystery is developed perfectly and the actions within the prison are interesting, both from a historical perspective and from a mystery perspective.
I enjoyed this story immensely. It was unique and refreshing. I just wished their had been a summing up on the final activities. Gilbert continues to impress me with his story telling. Excellent mystery and war story. (4.5 stars)"
"Anthony Leone, a savvy London parole officer, has the dual mission of monitoring warring youths in a racially tense waterfront neighborhood and aiding the army and the police in an attempt to capture an escaped terrorist and thwart a major IRA offensive. In a desperate race against time he uncovers an appallingly brilliant and complex scheme." (3 stars)
"I enjoyed this very much. It's one of my first Michael Gilbert mysteries. It was a slowish, procedural-type police mystery, but gradually, it began to twist and turn nicely. Inspector Hazelrigg was an excellent police inspector with an intelligence and ability to work his way through the crime. I also liked the peripheral characters and how they contributed to the plot and investigation. Nice conclusion, very interesting. (3 stars)"
I have five other of Gilbert's books on my shelf awaiting my attention. Hoping to read at least one more on my bookshelf. The complete list of Gilbert's books can be found at this link. Enjoy the rest of your week.
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