A Weekend Reading Update, New Books and Women Authors

I have to say I just don't get it! The Blue Jays win their first game of a double header against Cleveland. Confused #1 - why didn't they let Stripling pitch into the 6th inning at least? They used two relievers when I don't really think they needed to. Even Buck and Dan seemed confused. They did win the first game at least. In the 2nd game, Matz was cruising along with a 4-0 win when the 3rd baseman bobbled the ball and gave up an out. So they let Matz pitch a bit more but he gives up a couple of runs. So they bring in Chatwood, who proves he can't throw a strike and after the 6th, it's now tied 4-4. Blue Jays take the lead in the 7th (it being a double header, they only play 7 innings. So Chatwood comes out in the 7th, walks 4 straight batters to tie up the game, without anyone EVEN warmed up in the bullpen!!!!! And of course, the final guy comes in with the bases loaded, one out and gets an out but the runner scores from 3rd. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!!! There, got that out of my system.

OK, it's the penultimate day of May 2021. I finished one book yesterday and plan to finish one more in the final day(s). I'll provide the review of the book I completed and the synopsis of the next book in line. Yesterday, I also dropped off a few books at my local and bought 4. I also received one in the mail on Friday, so I'll provide the synopses of those as well. Then I'll continue with my latest theme, Women authors I've been enjoying reading.

Just Finished

1. The Kindness of Strangers by Julie Smith (Skip Langdon #6).

"The Kindness of Strangers is the 6th book in American author Julie Smith's Skip Langdon crime series. Skip is a New Orleans police detective and as this sixth story begins, is suffering from depression from a shooting in the previous novel. Her Sgt tells her she needs to take a leave of absence and get some psychiatric help.

Skip is trying to find some focus and it centers on Errol Jacomine, a preacher / politician running for Mayor of New Orleans. He is a mysterious person and from things that Skip has heard, she feels he is a dangerous threat to New Orleans; a cult like following, miracle healings, prostitution, etc. Jacomine (aka Daddy) hears about Skip's informal investigation into him and starts a campaign to discredit Skip.

Side stories in this complex mystery, all of which begin to tie together, include Torian, a teenage girl, friend of Skip's 'niece' Sheila. Torian has problems with an alcoholic mother and divorced father. She is having a relationship with Jacomine's press secretary, for whom she babysits. The story around Torian and Sheila will coalesce as the book progresses, ultimately leading a life threatening crisis. As well, Hurricane Hannah is bearing down on New Orleans and will hit as the crisis hits its peak.

The story moves from Skip and her ongoing fight with Jacomine, to Torian and her struggles with her mother, Lise, to Jacomine and his hit man, Potter, to Noel Treadaway, his frustrations with his home life and the friction working for Jacomine, etc. The story is complex and moves along at a quick pace, pushed along by the impending threat of Hurricane Hannah. I can't say I related to or particularly liked many of the characters. So many issues, shouting, crying, anger... I do like Skip. She's a complicated person and I felt sorry for her initial depression, but liked how she struggled to find a focus to get herself out of it. I do like her boyfriend Steve; he brought her some joy and encouragement and was actually of assistance in this story.

Lots of action, a good perspective and portrait of New Orleans, building tension and a reasonably satisfying conclusion; not everything works out perfectly in life. Now to fill in the gaps with the remaining books in this series. (3.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. Doors Open by Ian Rankin (2008). This is part of my 12 + 4 Challenge, reading the 16 books I've had on my Goodreads' bookshelf the longest.

"Mike Mackenzie is a self-made man with too much time on his hands and a bit of the devil in his soul. He is looking for something to liven up the days and settles on a plot to rip off one of the most high-profile targets in the capital – the National Gallery of Scotland.

So, together with two close friends from the art world, he devises a plan to lift some of the most valuable artwork around. But of course, the real trick is to rob the place for all it’s worth whilst persuading the world that no crime was ever committed…"

New Books

1. Old Flames by John Lawton (Inspector Troy #2). I finished #1 just recently.

"Ten years on from BLACK OUT, it is 1956 and the Cold War is at its height. For the first time, Soviet leaders (Bulganin and Khrushchev) visit Britain. The body of a diver is found floating near a Russian ship at Portsmouth. Is this the excuse Bulganin and Khrushchev need to storm out and freeze the Cold War still further? Chief Inspector Troy, by parentage a Russian speaker, investigates ..."

2. Under Occupation by Alan Furst (Night Soldiers #15). It's been awhile since I read one of the books in this series. I'll have to try one this year.

"Occupied Paris in 1942, a dark, treacherous city now ruled by the German security services, where French resistance networks are working secretly to defeat Hitler. Just before he dies, a man being chased by the Gestapo hands off to Paul Ricard a strange looking drawing. It looks like a part for a military weapon; Ricard realizes it must be an important document smuggled out of Germany to aid the resistance. As Ricard is drawn deeper and deeper into the French resistance network, his increasingly dangerous assignments lead him to travel to Germany, and along the underground safe houses of the resistance--and to meet the mysterious and beautiful Leila, a professional spy."

3. The Morgaine Saga by C.J. Cherryh (Morgaine and Vanye #1 - 3). In my previous BLog post the woman author I highlighted was C.J. Cherryh. I saw this book in my local so thought I'd give it a try.

"Sword-and-sorcery meets hard sci-fi in C.J. Cherryh's epic story of a woman's mission across time and space to preserve the integrity of the universe."

4. The Marching Season by David Silva (Michael Osbourne #2). Silva is a new author for me. I've got two or three of his books on my shelf and look forward to finally trying one.

"When the Good Friday peace accords are shattered by three savage acts of terrorism, Northern Ireland is blown back into the depths of conflict. And after his father-in-law is nominated to become the new American ambassador to London, retired CIA agent Michael Osbourne is drawn back into the game.

He soon discovers that his father-in-law is marked for execution. And that he himself is once again in the crosshairs of a killer known as October, one of the most merciless assassins the world has ever known..."

5. They Used Dark Forces by Dennis Wheatley (Gregory Sallust #8, Black Magic #7). I've enjoyed two or three of Wheatley's books, some wartime adventure, others B Movie horror. He was an interesting, prolific author.

"It is 1943, World War II, and secret agent Gregory Sallust is parachuted into Nazi Germany. In the company of an ex-Bolshevik General named Stefan Kuporovitch, the two of them join forces with the widow of a German diplomat who is in contact with Allied Intelligence. It is through her that Gregory becomes unwillingly involved with a Black Magician and when, 16 months later, they meet again, each decides to use occult forces in an attempt to destroy Hitler once and for all...."

Women Authors I'm Enjoying - Dame Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie

I've probably highlighted my enjoyment of Agatha Christie's mysteries in most of the various themes I've posted on. Since I started reading her books 'again' in the early 2000's, I've enjoyed 17 of her stories. She was one of my Focus authors in 2021 and I believe I read at least 4 of her books, one Poirot, one Marple and a couple of others. Even with that, I've barely scratched the surface of her prolific writing. I have another ten or more sitting on my bookshelf and will continue to enjoy her work for a long time to come. I'll highlight 6 of the books I'm looking forward to enjoying.

1. The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot #6).

"Bound for the Riviera, detective Hercule Poirot has boarded Le Train bleu, an elegant, leisurely means of travel, free of intrigue. Then he meets Ruth Kettering. The lovely American heiress--bailing out of a doomed marriage--is enroute to reconcile with her former lover. But by morning, the young bride's private affairs are made public when she's found murdered in her luxury compartment. The rumor of a strange man loitering in the victim's shadow is all Poirot has to go on. Until Mrs. Kettering's secret life begins to unfold . . ."

2. The Golden Ball and Other Stories (1971). Christie is one author who is comfortable with both full length novels and the short story.

"Is it a gesture of good will or a sinister trap that lures Rupert St. Vincent and his family to magnificent estate? How desperate is Joyce Lambert, a destitute young widow whose only recourse is to marry a man she despises? What unexpected circumstance stirs old loyalties in Theodora Darrell, an unfaithful wife about to run away with her lover? In this collection of short stories, the answers are as unexpected as they are satisfying. The Queen of Crime takes bizarre romantic entanglements, supernatural visitations, and classic murder to inventive new heights."

3. By the Pricking of Their Thumbs (Tommy & Tuppence #4). I've enjoyed almost all of this short series. I believe this was turned into a Miss Marple in some TV versions.

"When Tommy and Tuppence visit an elderly aunt in her gothic nursing home, they think nothing of her mistrust of the doctors; after all, Ada is a very difficult old lady.

But when Mrs. Lockett mentions a poisoned mushroom stew and Mrs. Lancaster talks about "something behind the fireplace," Tommy and Tuppence find themselves caught up in a spine-chilling adventure that could spell death for either of them . . .

A duty visit to Tommy's elderly and unpleasant aunt results in a strange inheritance, black magic--and danger for Tommy and Tuppence Beresford."

4. The Big Four (Poirot #5). 

"Framed in the doorway of Poirot’s bedroom stood an uninvited guest, coated from head to foot in dust. The man’s gaunt face stared for a moment, then he swayed and fell. Who was he? Was he suffering from shock or just exhaustion? Above all, what was the significance of the figure 4, scribbled over and over again on a sheet of paper? Poirot finds himself plunged into a world of international intrigue, risking his life to uncover the truth about ‘Number Four’."

5. Hickory Dickory Dock (Poirot #32). As you can see, Poirot seems to have been Christie's favorite protagonist.

"An outbreak of kleptomania at a student hostel was not normally the sort of crime that aroused Hercule Poirot’s interest. But when he saw the list of stolen and vandalized items – including a stethoscope, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack and a diamond ring found in a bowl of soup – he congratulated the warden, Mrs Hubbard, on a ‘unique and beautiful problem’. The list made absolutely no sense at all. But, reasoned Poirot, if this was merely a petty thief at work, why was everyone at the hostel so frightened?"

6. Elephants Can Remember (Poirot #40).

""The Ravenscrofts didn't seem that kind of person. They seemed well balanced and placid..." And yet, twelve years earlier, the husband had shot the wife, and then himself--or perhaps it was the other way around, since sets of both of their fingerprints were on the gun, and the gun had fallen between them. The case haunts Ariadne Oliver, who had been a friend of the couple. The famous mystery novelist desires this real-life mystery solved, and calls upon Hercule Poirot to help her do so. Poirot is now a very old man, but his mind is as nimble and as sharp as ever and can still penetrate deep into the shadows. But as Poirot and Mrs. Oliver and Superintendent Spence reopen the long-closed case, a startling discovery awaits them. And if memory serves Poirot (and it does!), crime--like history--has a tendency to repeat itself."

Besides these six, I have another 10 of Christie's books on my shelves. I may have to focus on her again. So there you go, some reading ideas for you. Enjoy your new week and upcoming June. Stay safe. 😷