I've received two books in the mail in the past couple of days; older mysteries by new authors for me. I'll provide the synopses for both and also continue with my ongoing and winding down look at my favorite authors. (NB. I've decided on my next 'book look'.. 😀)
New Books
"An unscrupulous actress is perpetrating a supernatural hoax that has stunned the country. She's the Dream Walker - a mysterious apparition who shows up in two different cities at the same time, then disappears, untraceable. Olivia Hudson, an acting teacher at a private Manhattan girls' school, considers this no more than a mean-spirited prank born of desperation and blind ambition. Until, that is, it tarnishes the deservedly spotless reputation of a beloved, but famous, family friend. Now, Olivia respects a good actress, but when this woman's antics begin to involve murder... someone has to intervene. Someone who can best an actress at her own game... to escape with her life!"
"For the third graders at
Jefferson School, a field trip is always a treat. But one day at the New
York Aquarium, they get much more excitement than they bargained for. A
pickpocket sprints past, stolen purse in hand, and is making his way to
the exit when their teacher, the prim Hildegarde Withers, knocks him
down with her umbrella. By the time the police and the security guards
finish arguing about what to do with Chicago Lew, he has escaped, and
Miss Withers has found something far more interesting: a murdered
stockbroker floating in the penguin tank.
With the help of
Detective Oscar Piper, this no-nonsense spinster embarks on her first of
many adventures. The mystery is baffling, the killer dangerous, but for
a woman who can control a gaggle of noisy third graders, murder isn't
frightening at all."
My Favorite Authors - Michelle Spring
Michelle Stanworth was born in Victoria, BC in 1947 and is both a sociologist and crime writer. Under Stanworth, she wrote sociology books. As Michelle Spring, and having moved to the UK, she wrote a number of books featuring British PI Laura Principal. I discovered the series in early 2000's and enjoyed each of the 5 books. I've also read her one standalone mystery. I'll highlight the 6 books for you here. Each of the Laura Principal book titles is from a song title. The neat titles and the cover photos both attracted me at first.
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. . . ." (4 stars)
"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." (4 stars)
"The shocking murder
lingered in the tabloids for weeks. A sweet elderly lady bludgeoned to
death in a quiet corner of Cambridge by her eleven-year-old foster
child, Daryll Flatt. Hideous as the crime was, the case was closed when
the boy confessed to the murder. Now, two years later, Daryll's older
brother hires private investigator Laura Principal to revisit the
case—and to answer the baffling question: Why?
On the surface,
Daryll fit the mold of a child murderer perfectly—a hopeless boy, abused
and cast off by a wretched family. Yet as Laura Principal probes
deeper, several curious facts reveal themselves. And with each step
closer to the truth, Laura senses someone in the corner of her eye, a
threatening presence . . . standing in the shadows . . . watching her
every move." (4 stars)
"At the annual May Ball, a
jubilant celebration marking the end of examinations at Cambridge,
private investigator Laura Principal is hired to provide security. Then,
somewhere between the dancing and the fireworks, a student disappears.
Katie
Arkwright wore white, a vision of purity. But when Laura starts probing
into the missing woman's life, she finds that Katie concealed a dark
side. The deeper Laura searches into a tangled past, the more tension
mounts in every corner of Cambridge—where someone waits, coiled to
strike. And strike again." (4 stars)
"Twelve years ago,
four-year-old Timmy Cable vanished suddenly from a wild and lonely
stretch of East Anglian beach. After a massive police search fails to
find a body, the boy is presumed dead.
Now, on a quiet street in
Cambridge, Timmy's mother, still wracked with grief, is drawn to a
teenage street musician—and feels desperately certain that this tall,
blond boy must be her son. Has the long nightmare of loss ended at last?
If so, where has Timmy been all these years? And why, whenever the boy
is questioned about his past, does he become strangely hostile?
It
falls to private investigator Laura Principal to ferret out the truth.
Is this young stranger with a badly bruised face truly Timmy Cable? Or
is he merely a dangerous interloper, bent on taking the wealthy Cable
family for a lucrative ride? And what can explain the trail of violence
that begins with his arrival—and ends with murder?
As Laura
Principal searches for answers, she confronts a loss that threatens to
turn her own world upside down. For Laura, this is a haunting case that
reaches its breathtaking climax . . . in the midnight hour." (4 stars)
"I had previously read Michelle Spring's Laura Principal mysteries and enjoyed very much. The Night Lawyer is a standalone mystery and it didn't grab me as much. The main character, Eleanor Porter, is recently hired as the night lawyer for a London newspaper, meaning she works the night shift reviewing articles for possible legal issues. Sounds like an interesting job. Ellie has a past, a previous nervous breakdown, something from her childhood that is alluded to throughout the story and also a stalker. Ellie isn't a confident character; she's trying to rebuild her life, from a previous relationship breakup (the reason for her nervous breakdown) and also trying to build her body and character with a karate course. There are things I didn't like at all, her neediness to reconnect with her ex, her constant panic attacks. But I imagine these characteristics are realistic; but the extent of them kind of irritated me. However, the story moved along nicely and ultimately resolved itself to my satisfaction. Not my favourite of her, but nevertheless, a well-paced mystery. (3 stars)"
I do hope that Michelle Spring writes more books in the series. I'll keep looking. Check out the first book and enjoy your week.
No comments:
Post a Comment