The last week of April is now upon us; we've completed 1/4 of 2021. It's a cloudy, humid day. We're about to head out and do some shopping so I want to get this post done before we do. Over the past weekend, I finished two more books. I hope to finish one or two more before the end of the month. I'll provide my reviews for both books and the synopsis of the next two books. I received a new book today that Jo ordered for me. I'll also provide the synopsis of that book. And then I'll finish by going back to my ongoing look at my latest theme, women authors I'm enjoying.
Just Finished
"Murder in Belleville is the 2nd Aimee Leduc mystery / thriller by Cara Black. It had been 5ish years since I read the 1st book in the series. Looking at my review of the 1st book, even though I enjoyed it, I felt that Black was trying a bit too hard; too much action, too much tension and a bit all over the place. That may be why it took me this long to try the series again.
Well, I'm glad that I did. While still not perfect, Murder in Belleville was a most enjoyable thriller. Aimee and her partner Rene are trying to get a security consulting job with a large corporation. A friend of Aimee, Martine, asks her to check on Martine's sister, Anais. A subplot wending its way through the story is the a group of immigrants hiding out in a church, negotiating with the French government to be allowed to stay in the country.
The story does start with a bang. When Aimee goes to meet Anais in the Belleville district, one populated with immigrants from all countries, they are both injured in a car bomb, that appears to have been aimed at Anais and another woman. A group of armed men (thugs?) approach and Aimee and Anais must hightail it and try to escape. Anais' husband is a government minister and he tries to brush Aimee off, telling her he will handle everything himself.
Aimee, suspicious as to what is going on, decides, with the help of her capable partner, Rene, to continue investigation. It is an exciting entertaining story, enough action to satisfy you, tenuous threads that will come together and lead to a fascinating, satisfying conclusion. There are Algerian fundamentalists, government intrigue, money laundering, all sorts of neat conspiracies, but not so overloaded as in the first book. I like Aimee and her dog, Miles Davis. I also like her technical expert partner, Rene, a dwarf who can hold his own in a confrontation and can find access to any government information repository.
The whole story held my interest, flowed along at a nice clip, and highlighted the intriguing city of Paris, filled with so many varied cultures. I enjoyed this second story very much and look forward to reading the 3rd book in the near future. (4 stars)"
"The Yellow Dog is the 6th Inspector Maigret book by French writer Georges Simenon. It was a most enjoyable mystery.
A man is shot in the town of Concarneau. Maigret happens to be working in a nearby town, helping to reorganize the local force. He brings along a local detective, Leroy, to assist him in the investigation. It's a funny old story. No sooner does Maigret arrive and book himself in the Admiral Hotel and set himself down with the local hoi-polloi than the doctor announces that he thinks the brandy is poisoned.
Maigret seems to be very unenthusiastic about investigating. The Mayor pressures him steadily to arrest someone. Each day something new seems to happen until finally one of the group of rich friends is found poisoned. In the midst of the situation is a yellow dog. Nobody knows who it belongs to, although it does seem to settle itself at the feet of the maid at the Admiral, Emma. Maigret takes an instant liking to the lady.
It's an interesting story. Maigret is as stuffy and curmudgeonly as ever. He seems to be doing nothing to move the case along but you know that things are percolating in his incisive mind. There are many suspects and, at the same time, they all seem to have alibis. Leroy follows Maigret around, some times admiring him, other times being confused about what Maigret is doing. I enjoyed the story very much, liked the pace of it and ultimately enjoyed the ending very much. One of the more enjoyable Maigret stories I've read this past month. (4.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"With Madam President,
current co-host of The View and former White House Communications
Director Nicolle Wallace returns with an electrifying portrait of three
powerful women on a day that will change the country forever.
Charlotte
Kramer, the forty-fifth President of the United States, has done the
unprecedented in allowing a network news team to document a day in her
life—and that of her most senior staff. But while twenty news cameras
are embedded with the president, the unthinkable happens: five major
attacks are leveled on US soil. Her secretary of defense, Melanie, and
her press secretary, Dale, must instantly jump to action in supporting
the president and reassuring the country that the safety they treasure
is in capable hands.
But secrets have always thrived in President
Kramer’s White House. With all eyes on them and America’s stability on
the line, all three women are hiding personal and professional secrets
that could rock the West Wing to its very foundations…and change the
lives of the people they love most.
With an insider’s sharp eye
and her trademark winning prose, Nicolle Wallace delivers a timely novel
of domestic and political intrigue that is impossible to put down."
"How do you extort $600,000 from a dying man? Someone had done it very quietly and skillfully to the husband of Travis McGee's ex-girlfriend. McGee flies to Chicago to help untangle the mess and discovers that although Dr. Fortner Geis had led an exemplary life, there were those who'd take advantage of one "indiscretion" and bring down the whole family. McGee also discovers he likes a few members of the family far too much to let that happen...."
New Books
"Featuring more than 150
exclusive interviews with those who know her best—and a series of
in-depth, news-making interviews with Pelosi herself—MADAM SPEAKER is
unprecedented in the scope of its exploration of Nancy Pelosi’s
remarkable life and of her indelible impact on American politics.
Before
she was Nancy Pelosi, she was Nancy D’Alesandro. Her father was a
big-city mayor and her mother his political organizer; when she
encouraged her young daughter to become a nun, Nancy told her mother
that being a priest sounded more appealing. She didn’t begin running for
office until she was forty-six years old, her five children mostly out
of the nest. With that, she found her calling.
Nancy Pelosi has
lived on the cutting edge of the revolution in both women’s roles and in
the nation’s movement to a fiercer and more polarized politics. She has
established herself as a crucial friend or formidable foe to U.S.
presidents, a master legislator, and an indefatigable political warrior.
She took on the Democratic establishment to become the first female
Speaker of the House, then battled rivals on the left and right to
consolidate her power. She has soared in the sharp-edged inside game of
politics, though she has struggled in the outside game—demonized by
conservatives, second-guessed by progressives, and routinely
underestimated by nearly everyone.
All of this was preparation
for the most historic challenge she would ever face, at a time she had
been privately planning her retirement. When Donald Trump was elected to
the White House, Nancy Pelosi became the Democratic counterpart best
able to stand up to the disruptive president and to get under his skin.
The battle between Trump and Pelosi, chronicled in this book with
behind-the-scenes details and revelations, stands to be the titanic
political struggle of our time."
Women Authors I Enjoy - Lilian Jackson Braun
Lilian Jackson was an American crime writer who is best known for her The Cat Who.... cozy mystery series. She was born in Massachusetts in 1913 and died in South Carolina in 2011. Over the course of her life, she wrote 29 books in the series and also 3 collections of short stories. Like many of the series I highlight in my look at books and authors, I came late to this series. Since 2000, I've enjoyed the first 3 books in the series. I have another 4 books on my bookshelf and those are the ones I'll highlight in this look at her work.
Lilian Jackson Braun
"Inheriting unexpected millions has left reporter Jim Qwilleran looking like the cat who swallowed the canary. While his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum, adjust to being fat cats in an enormous mansion, Qwilleran samples the lifestyles of the rich and famous by hiring a staff of eccentric servants. A missing housemaid and a shocking murder show Qwilleran the unsavory side of the upper crust. But soon it's Koko's purr-fect propensity for clues amid the caviar and champagne that gives Qwilleran pause to evaluate the most unlikely suspects...before his taste for the good life turns into his last meal. "
b. The Cat Who Turned On and Off (#3 / 1968).
"The team of Koko, the brilliant Siamese cat, and Qwilleran, the reporter with the perceptive moustache, is back in action -- with an adorable female Siamese, Yum Yum, added to the household.When Qwilleran decides to do a feature series on Junktown, he gets more than he bargained for. Not the dope den he anticipated, Junktown is a haven for antique dealers and collectors -- as strange a lot as the crafty reporter has ever encountered. When a mysterious fall ends the career -- and the life -- of one of Junktown's leading citizens, Qwilleran is convinced it was no accident. But, as usual, it takes Koko to prove he's right."
"There's something rotten in the small town of Pickax--at least to the sensitive noses of newspaperman Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum. An accident has claimed the life of the local paper's eccentric publisher, but to Qwilleran and his feline friends it smells like murder. They soon sniff out a shocking secret, but Koko's snooping into an unusual edition of Shakespeare may prove CATastrophic...because somewhere in Pickax a lady loves not wisely but too well, a widow is scandalously merry, and a stranger has a lean and hungry look. The stage is set for Qwilleran, Koko, Yum Yum, and the second act of murder most meow..."
"Is it summertime blues or a career crisis? Newspaper reporter Jim Qwilleran is unsure but hoping a few days in the country will help him sort out life. With cats Koko and Yum Yum, he heads for a cabin owned by a longtime family friend, Aunt Fanny. From the moment he arrives, things turn strange. Eerie footsteps cross the roof at midnight, local townsfolk become oddly secretive. While fishing, Jim hooks on to a murder mystery. He enters into a game of cat and mouse with a killer, while Koko develops an uncanny fondness for classical music."
Well, there you go. Some books / authors for you to consider. Enjoy your week. Stay safe. 😷
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