Heading Into the Weekend - A Reading Update

 

OK. Well, I probably shouldn't be ranting but I feel like ranting a bit before I get into my reading update. This past week has just got me so darned mad. I look at things in Canada and they seem minor but it's just the tip of the ice berg I think. Do we want to let things get out of control so that we have the problems they have down South?

In the past week, both the NDP and Liberal leaders had to deal with threats and racist abuse from protesters, when they were attending local events. On Twitter (and I don't know how reliable that might have been) some guy was gloating that he had forced our Prime Minister to cancel his attendance at an event in BC. This guy had his picture taken holding a noose. In Peterborough, the NDP leader was subjected to racist abuse as he left a riding office in the area. This type of activity is becoming more and more prevalent in our country. And the Conservative Party does nothing to decry these activities. In the Ontario provincial election, people (and I can only assume it's from right wing agitators) are destroying political signs from Liberal and NDP candidates. Truck convoys disrupt Canadian cities and citizens shouting that their freedoms are being abused. But of course, that only applies to their petty peeves; they don't care about the rest of Canada's rights and freedoms. *rant*

This was the front page of the Uvalde Leader-news yesterday, May 24. The reason? Well, if you don't know yet, you've got your head in the sand. Another school shooting, an 18 year old armed with an AR-15 (maybe two) shot up an elementary school, killing 19+ children and two teachers. CHILDREN! And the right wing have already started mealy-mouthing their responses. 'Don't make it a political!' they shout. 'The guy was mentally - deranged', they say. (and yet he was able to buy these weapons and 100's of rounds of ammunition on his 18th birthday.) GOP Senator Rafael 'Ted' Cruz, the Senator for Texas, blamed it on the fact that a back door wasn't locked. He said that there should only be one unlocked door in schools. WHAT! Another, Senator Ron Johnson from Wyoming, blamed it on teachers, for not teaching values anymore! And of course, this weekend, just a couple of hours from where this murder took place, the NRA will be having its annual convention, with speakers like the self-same Rafael Cruz, the ex-President and others. It makes one so very mad. And if it doesn't, what's wrong with you! Even the President of Ukraine, who is battling to keep his country safe from invading Russian troops, took time out to offer his condolences to the citizens of Uvalde. 

I had to get it out of my system. Personally I hope that thousands of people demonstrate outside of the NRA convention, peacefully of course. Oh one last thing. The NRA convention has banned carrying weapons because the ex-president is speaking there. So while they rant on about 2nd Amdt rights, you're not allowed to exercise them at their own convention!! How's that for irony? Is irony the right word.

OK rant over, now on to a look at books. Since my last reading update, I've purchased a couple of books (I'll provide the synopses). I've finished a couple of more books as I wind down May and, of course, I've started a few others... more synopses for you). So let's go.

New Books

1. Suez: Britain's End of Empire in the Middle East by Keith Kyle (1991). I had seen this book a few years back but didn't buy it at the time. Recently I read a sort of primer on Suez and thought about this book again. I hope it gets more into the surrounding histories and personalities involved in this crisis.

"Keith Kyle has drawn on a wealth of documentary evidence to tell this fascinating political, military, and diplomatic story of how Britain, France, and Israel colluded in attacking Egypt, ostensibly to protect the Suez Canal, but in reality to depose Gamal Abdul Nasser . The US opposition to this scheme forced an ignominious withdrawal, and Nasser was triumphant. Above all, Britain's imperial posture was decisively over. "Suez" is acknowledged as the classic work on the subject."

2. Malice by John Gwynne (The Faithful and the Fallen #1 / 2021). This is a new series for me. I think I saw a review of this book or another by John Gwynne and I thought I should check him out. I do like me a good Fantasy story. 😃

"The world is broken. . .and it can never be made whole again.

Corban wants nothing more than to be a warrior under King Brenin's rule -- to protect and serve. But that day will come all too soon. And the price he pays will be in blood.

Evnis has sacrificed -- too much it seems. But what he wants -- the power to rule -- will soon be in his grasp. And nothing will stop him once he has started on his path.

Veradis is the newest member of the warband for the High Prince, Nathair. He is one of the most skilled swordsman to come out of his homeland, yet he is always under the shadow of his older brother.

Nathair has ideas -- and a lot of plans. Many of them don't involve his father, the High King Aquilus. Nor does he agree with his father's idea to summon his fellow kings to council.

The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Now, the stones weep red and giant wyrms stir, and those who can still read the signs see a danger far worse than all that has come before. . ."

3. Bedelia by Vera Caspary (1945). I had previously read and enjoyed Laura by Caspary. Jo and I have enjoyed the movie based on Laura quite a few times since. Bedelia was also turned into a movie. I'm looking forward to trying the book. This copy is a first edition hard cover and it does show it. Nicely for me, Jo took the time to fix the cover as it was falling apart. Book looks great now.

"Long before Desperate Housewives, there was Bedelia: pretty, ultra femme, and “adoring as a kitten.” A perfect housekeeper and lover, she wants nothing more than to please her insecure new husband, who can’t believe his luck. But is Bedelia too good to be true? A mysterious new neighbor turns out to be a detective on the trail of a “kitten with claws of steel”—a picture-perfect wife with a string of dead husbands in her wake.

Caspary builds this tale to a peak of psychological suspense as her characters are trapped together by a blizzard. The true Bedelia, the woman who chose murder over a life on the street, reveals how she turns male fantasies of superiority into a deadly con."

Just Finished

(I've finished two books since my last update, one history, one graphic novel, both excellent)

1. The Sandman Book 1 by Neil Gaiman (this contains the first 20 issues of the series.). I've enjoyed a few of the books by Gaiman; Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods. This was an excellent intro to a fascinating series.

"I saw The Sandman Book One by Neil Gaiman in my local book store while I was out shopping with my wife the other day. Since I knew I might have time to spare while she looked in stores, I bought it and sat outside one, beginning to read it. (Yes that's my story and I'm standing by it!). The book is a collection of the 1st 20 graphic novels in this series. Well, now I'm going to have to get Books 2 - 4 and I think also Death: The Deluxe Edition because she appears in this collection and was automatically one of my favorite characters.

So simply put, The Sandman was captured by a human, er... magician. He was trying to capture Sandman's sister, Death, but failed. His reason was that by capturing Death, Death would no longer exist. However, having captured Sandman, he keeps him locked up for years. Without Sandman (aka Dream) around to control the world's dreaming, everything goes somewhat crazy. People spend years just dreaming or trying to stay awake. The book focuses on certain people in the early chapters; e.g. Unity, who is basically in a coma, is raped while so and has a child. This will be resurrected in later chapters.

Sandman finally escapes and now has to spend the next chapters straightening things out. Some of his creatures have left his realm while he has been incarcerated and he's also lost some of his 'equipment', his helm, etc. so the next chapters involve him searching for these artifacts and beings. It's a fascinating adventure and we get to meet other characters, John Constantine, Death, etc. There are other smaller stories, like The Dream of a Thousand Cats and his work with William Shakespeare that add to the richness of this series.

Great artwork, great stories. The more I read Neil Gaiman, the more I enjoy and appreciate his imagination and story - telling. So what next, Death or Book 2? (4.5 stars)"

2. The Daughters of Yalta by Catherine Grace Katz (2020).

"The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War is the first novel by American author and historian Catherine Grace Katz. It covers the last meeting between President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Joseph Stalin at Yalta in the Ukraine. The purpose of the meetings is to coordinate the final battle against Hitler's Germany, to sort out the independence of Poland and to sort out a future world order, aka the UN. Winston Churchill brought along his daughter, WAAF officer, Sarah Churchill. FDR brought his daughter Ann Roosevelt and US Ambassador to the Soviet Union, Averill Harriman and brought his daughter Kathy. Stalin had a daughter, Svetlana but he didn't not bring her. In fact he didn't have much of a relationship with her.

It's an interesting, involved historical story, made more fascinating by the involvement of the daughters. We wander back and forth between the daughters, as they accompany their fathers to the conference, flash back into the lives before, their relationships within their families and their personal relationships and their efforts to help during the conference. 

We are also provided with an excellent perspective on the conference, it's importance and many of the historical events leading up to it. It's a rich story, filled with wonderful personalities, the people who helped end the war and even the results of their deliberations. Was the Yalta conference a success or a failure. Catherine Katz presents the history logically, offering personal perspectives, correspondence and the thoughts of the participants. It's a rich, entertaining, thoughtful view of an important part of WWII history. The women each had their tragedies and life difficulties, with relationships, with the parents and were complex, intelligent, thoughtful women. Such a fascinating, well written story. (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. Ursula K. Le Guin: The Last Interview and Other Conversations by Ursula K. Le Guin (2019). I recently finished a similar book on philosopher Hannah Arendt. I'm looking forward to reading this one as Le Guin is one of my favorite authors.

"Ursula K. Le Guin was one of our most imaginative writers, a radical thinker, and a feminist icon. The interviews collected here span 40 years of her pioneering and prolific career.

When she began writing in the 1960s, Ursula K. Le Guin was as much of a literary outsider as one can be: she was a woman writing in a landscape dominated by men, she wrote genre at a time where it was dismissed as non-literary, and she lived out West, far from fashionable east coast literary circles. The interviews collected here--covering everything from her Berkeley childhood to her process of world-building; from her earliest experiments with genre to envisioning the end of capitalism--highlight that unique perspective, which conjured some of the most prescient and lasting books in modern literature."

Women Authors I've Been Enjoying - Mo Hayder

Mo Hayder

Mo Hayder lived from 1962 - 2021 and created the Jack Caffery mystery series, as well as standalone novels. I have read the first two of the Jack Caffery series thus far, Birdman and The Treatment. I have 4 more of her books on my shelf to enjoy.

1. The Devil of Nanking (2004).

"With the redolent atmosphere of Ian Rankin and the spine-chilling characters of Thomas Harris, Mo Hayder's The Devil of Nanking, takes the reader on an electrifying literary ride from the palatial apartments of yakuza kingpins to deep inside the secret history of one of the twentieth century's most brutal events: the Nanking Massacre. A young Englishwoman obsessed with an indecipherable past, Grey comes to Tokyo seeking a lost piece of film footage of the notorious 1937 Nanking Massacre, footage some say never existed. Only one man can help Grey. A survivor of the massacre, he is now a visiting professor at a university in Tokyo. But he will have nothing to do with her. So Grey accepts a job in an upmarket nightspot, where a certain gangster may be the key to gaining the professor's trust. An old man in a wheelchair surrounded by a terrifying entourage, the gangster is rumored to rely on a mysterious elixir for his continued health. Taut, gritty, sexy, and harrowing, The Devil of Nanking is an incomparable literary thriller set in one of the world's most fascinating cities-Tokyo-from an internationally best-selling author."

2. Ritual (Jack Caffery #2 / 2008).

"Just after lunch on a Tuesday in April, nine feet under water, police diver Flea Marley closes her gloved fingers around a human hand. The fact that there's no body attached is disturbing enough. Yet more disturbing is the discovery, a day later, of the matching hand. Both have been recently amputated, and the indications are that the victim was still alive when they were removed.

DI Jack Caffery has been newly seconded to the Major Crime Investigation Unit in Bristol. He and Flea soon establish that the hands belong to a boy who has recently disappeared.

Their search for him - and for his abductor - lead them into the darkest recesses of Bristol's underworld, where drug addiction is rife, where street-kids sell themselves for a hit, and where an ancient evil lurks; an evil that feeds off the blood - and flesh - of others ..."

3. Skin (Jack Caffery #4 / 2009).

"When the decomposed body of a young woman is found, it appears that she’s committed suicide -- and that’s how the police want to leave it. But DI Jack Caffery isn’t sure: he’s on the trail of a predator, and for the first time in a long time he feels scared. Police diver Flea Marley is beginning to wonder whether her relationship with Caffery could go beyond the professional -- until a discovery that changes everything. This time not even Caffery can help her."

4. Gone (Jack Caffery #5 / 2010).

"When a car is taken by force, with an eleven-year-old girl inside, Detective Jack Caffery knows this is a carjacking unlike any other. Sergeant Flea Marley, head of the Police Underwater Search Unit, has a theory that the car-jacker is far more dangerous than everyone thinks. Soon the perpetrator will choose another car with another child in the back seat…"

The complete listing of Hayder's work can be found at this link. Now I'm going to take the dogs out and feed them and Jo and I are going to have a nice lunch at Benino's and play 3 games of Sequence. 😀 Have a great weekend!

Midweek Music Medley

I'll do a reading update later today or tomorrow, but in the meantime here is your midweek music medley to help get you through the rest of the week.

Midweek Music Medley - 25 May 2022

1. Swedish singer Alben Lee Meldau - Forget About Us.

2. Canadian singer Bryan Adams - Never Gonna Rain (2022).

3. American singer Gene Pitney - Princess in Rags (1965).

Enjoy the rest of your week. Stay safe.

A Saturday Reading Update and Other Things

The last couple of days have been actually springlike, sunny, bright, even moderate temperatures. Yesterday Jo and I went for lunch at Benino's and she beat me at two games of Sequence while we enjoyed our lunch. Darn her! At the moment it's sunny out so maybe we'll do some yardwork this afternoon. We'll see.

I like having books. What about it?

I got a few new books this week, went around to the local Little Free Libraries and dropped off quite a few books and found 4 that I think I'd like to try. When we were out yesterday, I checked out the book stores in Comox while Jo chatted with a lady that runs a consignment store. I picked up a couple of more books there. Yeah, yeah! I know. I already have too many. Sue me!

I also finished one more book, excellent Aussie mystery by Peter Temple. I'll update that plus provide the synopses of the new books. I'll also get back to my ongoing longtime thread of Women Authors whose work I've been enjoying.

Just Finished

1. Bad Debts by Peter Temple (Jack Irish #1). Only 4 books in this series. That's too bad.

"My wife introduced me to a great Aussie TV series, Jack Irish, starring Guy Pearce. The series is based on books by author, Peter Temple. There are four books in the series. Bad Debts introduces us to failed lawyer Jack Irish, now spending his time hunting for missing people and other odd legal jobs. Irish gave up the law profession for the most part when his wife was murdered by a lunatic client.

This is a fascinating, rich story with many varied plot lines. Irish receives a voice mail from a client he defended who went to prison. Out of prison, Danny McKillop, leaves a message that he wishes to talk with Irish. Irish gets his message too late and discovers that Danny was shot by police. This murder is the start of an entertaining investigation by Jack Irish, that will involve corruption and other things i won't get into that will threaten Jack's life and also other people associated with him.

On a lighter note, Jack helps two friends, Harry (an ex jockey) and Cam, manipulate gambling on horse racing to try and earn big bucks. (It's more complicated than my short synopsis of course, but fascinating stuff). Cam and Harry are great characters and good friends and partners to Harry. 

The story is peopled with so many excellent characters. Jack works for an old German furniture restorer (it helped him get over his wife's murder); the three old gents at the local pub who argue over old Aussie Football matches; the lovely reporter, Linda, who starts a relationship with Jack and helps him with his investigation into the death of McKillop and so many others..

It's a rich story that meanders along at times and as the story builds up, gets tenser and tenser. It's so well written that you feel yourself in the story, felling the same dread that Jack and Linda begin to feel as their lives become more and more at risk. I enjoyed the description of Temple, the characters, the whole story. Once you start it, you will just want to keep reading to learn more about the characters, enjoy the setting and follow the mystery. I thought I had it sort of figured out, but there were nice little twists and turns that surprised and satisfied me. I can't wait to read the next book. I have it on order. 😎 (5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Venetian Betrayal by Steve Berry (Cotton Malone #3). This is a new series and yes, I'm starting with the 3rd book. Blame the random number generator.

"In 323 B.C.E, having conquered Persia, Alexander the Great set his sights on Arabia, then suddenly succumbed to a strange fever. Locating his final resting place–unknown to this day–remains a tantalizing goal for both archaeologists and treasure hunters. Now the quest for this coveted prize is about to heat up. And Cotton Malone–former U.S. Justice Department agent turned rare-book dealer–will be drawn into an intense geopolitical chess game.

After narrowly escaping incineration in a devastating fire that consumes a Danish museum, Cotton learns from his friend, the beguiling adventurer Cassiopeia Vitt, that the blaze was neither an accident nor an isolated incident. As part of campaign of arson intended to mask a far more diabolical design, buildings across Europe are being devoured by infernos of unnatural strength.

And from the ashes of the U.S.S.R., a new nation has arisen: Former Soviet republics have consolidated into the Central Asian Federation. At its helm is Supreme Minister Irina Zovastina, a cunning despot with a talent for politics, a taste for blood sport, and the single-minded desire to surpass Alexander the Great as history’s ultimate conqueror.

Backed by a secret cabal of powerbrokers, the Federation has amassed a harrowing arsenal of biological weapons. Equipped with the hellish power to decimate other nations at will, only one thing keeps Zovastina from setting in motion her death march of domination: a miraculous healing serum, kept secret by an ancient puzzle and buried with the mummified remains of Alexander the Great–in a tomb lost to the ages for more than 1,500 years.

Together, Cotton and Cassiopeia must outrun and outthink the forces allied against them. Their perilous quest will take them to the shores of Denmark, deep into the venerated monuments of Venice, and finally high inside the desolate Pamir mountains of Central Asia to unravel a riddle whose solution could destroy or save millions of people–depending on who finds the lost tomb first."

New Books

1. The Hand in the Glove  by Rex Stout (1937). A standalone mystery by the creator of Nero Blanc.

"Wealthy industrialist P. L. Storrs has never approved of lady detectives, and he normally would not have made an exception of Theodolina "Dol" Bonner. But faced with a very delicate problem and surprisingly impressed, he hires her instantly.

It seems that Storrs' bird-witted wife has fallen under the spell of a smooth-talking religious charlatan, and now Storrs wants Dol to get the goods on him. But when the gorgeous gumshoe arrives at Storrs' picturesque country estate, Birchhaven, to meet the scoundrel, she finds more than she bargained for; namely, the corpse of her client and a garden party teeming with suspects!"

2. The First Law by John Lescroart (Dismas Hardy #9). I have a few books in this series now. I've heard good things about it. Now to try one, eh?

"John Lescroart -- author of the "New York Times" bestseller "The Oath" and a "master" of the modern thriller ("People")-- returns with a spellbinding novel about events that force defense attorney Dismas Hardy and Lieutenant Abe Glitsky outside the law and into a fight for their lives.

Prodded by his father, Glitsky asks the new homicide lieutenant about the case, but the brass tells him in no uncertain terms to stay out of it. Guided by the Patrol Special -- a private police force supervised by the SFPD that is a holdover from San Francisco's vigilante past-the police have already targeted their prime suspect: John Holiday, proprietor of a run-down local bar, and a friend and client of Dismas Hardy.

While Dismas Hardy has built a solid legal practice and a happy family, John Holiday has not followed the same path. Despite this, Hardy has remained Holiday's attorney and confidant, and with Glitsky's help, Hardy finds ample reason to question Holiday's guilt. Hardy's case falls on hostile ears, however, and to avoid arrest, Holiday turns fugitive. The police now believe three things: that Hardy is a liar protecting Holiday, that Holiday is a cold-blooded killer, and that Glitsky is a bad cop on the wrong side of the law.

As the suspense reaches fever pitch, Hardy, Glitsky, and even their families are caught in the crossfire and directly threatened. The police won't protect them. The justice system won't defend them. Shunned within the corridors of power, and increasingly isolated at every turn, Hardy and Glitsky face their darkest hour. For when the law forsakes them, they must look to another, more primal law in order to survive."

3. The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #4). I've read nothing by Zafon before but the plot does sound interesting.

"In this unforgettable final volume of Ruiz Zafón’s cycle of novels set in the universe of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, beautiful and enigmatic Alicia Gris, with the help of the Sempere family, uncovers one of the most shocking conspiracies in all Spanish history.

Nine-year-old Alicia lost her parents during the Spanish Civil War when the Nacionales (the fascists) savagely bombed Barcelona in 1938. Twenty years later, she still carries the emotional and physical scars of that violent and terrifying time. Weary of her work as an investigator for Spain’s secret police in Madrid, a job she has held for more than a decade, the twenty-nine-year old plans to move on. At the insistence of her boss, Leandro Montalvo, she remains to solve one last case: the mysterious disappearance of Spain’s Minister of Culture, Mauricio Valls.

With her partner, the intimidating policeman Juan Manuel Vargas, Alicia discovers a possible clue—a rare book by the author Victor Mataix hidden in Valls’ office in his Madrid mansion. Valls was the director of the notorious Montjuic Prison in Barcelona during World War II where several writers were imprisoned, including David Martín and Victor Mataix. Traveling to Barcelona on the trail of these writers, Alicia and Vargas meet with several booksellers, including Juan Sempere, who knew her parents.

As Alicia and Vargas come closer to finding Valls, they uncover a tangled web of kidnappings and murders tied to the Franco regime, whose corruption is more widespread and horrifying than anyone imagined. Alicia’s courageous and uncompromising search for the truth puts her life in peril. Only with the help of a circle of devoted friends will she emerge from the dark labyrinths of Barcelona and its history into the light of the future."

4. Omega by Jack McDevitt (Engines of God #4). Another new author, this time Sci-Fi, that looked interesting. I'll be honest and say the book cover first caught my attention.

"Now, the writer who gets better with every book delivers a scorching novel of destruction and heroism-on a galactic scale.

Hailed as a sweeping novel of suspense and spectacle, Chindi was thought by many to be Jack McDevitt's finest book to date. Now he concludes the story begun almost a decade ago in "The Engines of God"-as Earth's military and scientific experts band together to save an alien society from a deadly force speeding toward its home planet..."

5. Kurt Vonnegut: The Last Interview (2011). I read one book in this series so far, that being Hannah Arendt. I also have Ursula K. Le Guin's on my bookshelf. 

"One of the great American iconoclasts holds forth on politics, war, books and writers, and his personal life in a series of conversations, including his last published interview.:

6. Searoad by Ursula K. Le Guin (1991). Le Guin is one of my favorite authors, along with Nevil Shute, John Wyndham, Margaret Millar, to name a couple. I've been snagging books by her as I find them, no matter the genre.

"In one of her most deeply felt works of fiction, Le Guin explores the dreams and sorrows of the inhabitants of Klatsand, Oregon, a beach town where ordinary people bring their dreams and sorrows for a weekend or the rest of their lives, and sometimes learn to read what the sea writes on the sand. Searoad is the story of a particular place that could be any place, and of a people so distinctly drawn they could be any of us."

7. The Listening Eye by Patricia Wentworth (Miss Silver #28). I read a couple of the Miss Silver books back in early 2000's but then kind of stopped as I wasn't in the mood for cozy mysteries. But this book had a great cover and it sounded interesting. I'm BAAACK for Cozy.

"NO one could have guessed that Paulina Paine was Stone-deaf. Her ability to lip-read was astonishing. So the two men who met that day during the showing of a new art exhibition did not realize until too late that the middle-aged tweedy figure sitting quietly out of earshot had understood every word they said. And it had been no ordinary conversation. In fact Paulina was so shaken by its implications that she went to see Miss Silver. It was the last thing she did...

Subsequent events soon involved Miss Silver in murder and robbery. And a very tense house-party, where all the members were linked in some way to Paulina—and one was a killer..."

8. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab (Shades of Magic #2). I just finished the first book in this series and it was so good. 

"Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift, and into Black London.

In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games-an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries-a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again-and so to keep magic's balance, another London must fall...in V.E. Schwab's "A Gathering of Shadows."

Women Authors Whose Work I Enjoy - Tessa Harris

Tessa Harris

Tessa Harris is an English author from Lincolnshire. I know her from her Thomas Silkstone, historical mystery series. I've read two of the books so far and enjoyed them both, a nice mix of thriller and beginning forensic science. I'm looking forward to reading the 3rd book in the series. I'll look at the two books I've completed thus far.

1. The Anatomist's Apprentice (Silkstone #1).

"The Anatomist's Apprentice is author Tessa Harris's first book in her historical mystery series featuring anatomist, Dr. Thomas Silkstone. Silkstone is a doctor from Philadelphia who moves to England to study under famed anatomist, Dr. Carruthers. Since Dr. Carruthers is now blind, Silkstone continues to teach at college and support Dr. Carruthers.

Silkstone becomes involved in investigating the death of Sir Edward Crick of Oxfordshire. His sister, Lydia comes to London to gain Silkstone's assistance in determining whether the death might have been murder.

This begins a sometimes convoluted investigation and tentative romance with Silkstone searching for clues to Edward's death and also to determine, if it was a murder, who might have perpetuated it. There are no shortage of subjects, Lydia's husband, possibly abusive and a womanizer; his friend, Lavington, who sticks his nose into so many parts of the investigation; maybe Hannah Lovelock, the maid whose daughter died recently? 

It's not a perfect story; at times Silkstone seems helpless to do anything with actions taking part at will about him. His developing feelings for Lydia seem kind of incongruous. But those are minor things. All in all, it's entertaining and a fine start to a four books series (so far anyway). I won't hesitate to check out the other books. (3 stars)"

2. The Dead Shall Not Rest (Silkstone #2).

"The Dead Shall Not Rest is the 2nd book in the Victorian mystery series featuring American anatomist / doctor, Thomas Silkstone by Tessa Harris. Silkstone practices in London and is engaged to Lady Lydia Farrell.

In this story we meet Irish giant, Charles Byrne, an actual figure in history. He is saved from the freak show by Lady Lydia and Count Boruwlaski, a dwarf friend of Lady Lydia. They want to help Charles gain a pardon from the Royal family for his father who was falsely convicted of murder. As well, Dr. Silkstone tries to improve the giant's health as he is very ill.  Introduced into this story is another historical person, Dr. John Hunter who wants Byrne's body for anatomical research and frequents grave robbers to get the corpses he needs to further his scientific work.

Complicating this story is the murder of an Italian soprano and the arrest of his mentor, another soprano and friend of Count Boruwalski. We also get another spanner thrown into the mix, Lady Lydia meets somebody who upsets her and her relationship with Silkstone. So there is lots going on and it makes for a complex story. Silkstone has many pots on the fire, trying to prove that Signor Moreno didn't murder Signor Cappelli, trying to help Lady Lydia and sort out her issues, trying keep Charles Byrne out of Hunter's clutches. It makes for a busy entertaining story, if somewhat far-fetched. 

The story kept my interest. I liked the historical elements and I like Lady Lydia and Silkstone. The resolution wasn't totally satisfactory but there is always the next book to read. (3 stars)"

The complete listing of Tessa Harris's books can be found at this link. Enjoy checking her books out.

A Midweek Reading Update and Other Stuff

Since my last reading update, er... well, a week and a half ago, we've had rain... and some more rain. Finally, Monday was bright and sunny so I dug the lawn mower out and cleaned the yard a bit. Dragged some broken branches off the lawn, cleaned up copious amounts of doggy doodoo, all those fun things. Good thing I did that because the showed up Tuesday morning (I was sure it was supposed to be Thursday, but was wrong) to turn on the sprinkler system. 

Sunshine!! You're kidding right!!

Of course, it rained all of last night, so I won't actually turn it to auto until we get a few days of sunshine.. Jo and I had a nice lunch at Benino's on Tuesday, enjoying playing a few games of Sequence while we enjoyed our sandwiches and then ice cream. Of course, she won! 

Yesterday, we took a trip down to Courtenay. I found a couple of books, we had more treats from Hot Chocolates and then finished off getting some groceries at The Old Farm Market, a new store that replaced a local Thrifty's. We kind of like it. We also noticed that Big Foot Donuts has opened up in its new and bigger location. We may have to treat ourselves one of these days. 🍩

So, not to books. Since my last update, I've completed 4 books. I'll add my reviews here as well as the synopses of the next books started. I'll also provide the synopses of the new books added to my shelves.. There have been a few.

Just Finished

1. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (2021). A new author for me and in a genre I don't read a lot of.

"What a fascinating story Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. It's not my normal type of novel but I enjoyed it very much. Let's see. It's set in San Francisco's Chinatown in the mid-1950's and features 17 year old Lily Hu, a young girl finishing high school and dreaming of her future. It's an interesting troubling time. The McCarthy era is taking place, the Feds are searching for Communists and the Chinese community is not immune to this pressure. 

Lily is trying to just grow up and decide she wants to do in the future. She loves Sci-Fi and dreams of working in the Jet Propulsion Labs with her aunt Judy. But Lily is also discovering something else; that she is homosexual and is falling for fellow high school student, Kath. Her friendship with Kath is causing friction with her Chinese - American friends, especially best friend Shirley. Lily finds an advertisement for Telegraph Club and its headliner, male impersonator Tommy Andrews and she feels a strong desire to go to the club which is just down the road. Her first furtive visit to the club with Kath will change the course of Lily's relatively sheltered life.

Malinda Lo has presented a rich, fascinating story where she follows Lily's life and also tries to tie her actions into the events taking place in San Francisco and the US during that time period. She portrays the history of Lily's family, how they arrived in the US, the pressures they are under as a result of the Communist witch hunt; her father has his citizenship papers taken away for refusing to implicate other Chinese in the Communist scare. The interplay between Lily's Chinese community and the surrounding San Francisco community is well-described. And the hidden, furtive life of the homosexuals in San Francisco is also brought into focus. 

It's an excellent story, emotional, sensitive and powerful, peopled with interesting characters and it leaves with a hopeful ending. Well worth trying. (4.0 stars)"

2. A Killing in Comics by Max Allan Collins (Starr #1). Max Collins writes comics and stories. This mystery, the first of 3 in the series provides a neat look at the early days of comics and is a darn good mystery.

"A Killing in Comics by Max Allan Collins is the first book in his Jack and Maggie Starr mystery trilogy. Collins is a novelist and graphic novel story-teller. After enjoying this, I'm checking out more of his work.

Jack and Maggie Starr run the Starr movie syndicate. Maggie is an ex-stripper and step mother to jack Starr, who was an MP during WWII and now works as a VP in the Starr syndicate. They have a working relationship with Americana comics, publishing popular comic strips from the Americana company; like Batwing, and Wonder Guy. The owner and co-publisher of Americana comics, one Donny Harrison is murdered at a party he is hosting (at his mistresses apartment). There are many suspects and Maggie wants Jack, a licensed PI, to look into it. Basically Jack is looking out for the best interests of Starr, as some of the suspects provide comic strips to them and because he knows the comic business more than the cops.

Thus begins an interesting, kind of noir, investigation into the comic business to find out who murdered Donny. There are no shortage of suspects; his partner, straight - laced Lou Cohn with his own ideas for the future of comics; hard done by comic creators Mort and Harry, who haven't received the credit due for their creation of Wonder Guy; Selma, Donny's wife, who has to put up with the embarrassment of Donny's affairs; Honey Daily, Donny's mistress... There are others that might also fit the bill and Jack checks them all out.

The story is interesting but the whole comic business makes for a unique story. Jack is a great character, in the vein of Mike Hammer and other well-known PI's but to me the best character is his stepmother, Maggie Starr, smart, common-sense and great looking. She stays in the background but is the guiding influence of Jack's investigation. I also liked Honey Daily, another great character.

It's an enjoyable, easy to read story that flows along nicely. It provides a great picture of the early days of comics and of the time period, the late '40s in New York. Most enjoyable and I've got the 2nd book in the trilogy on order. Will check out more of Collins's works. (I also have Vol 1 of hs Ms. Tree comic series on order) (4.0 stars)"

3. Dead Beat by Val McDermid (Kate Brannigan #1). An excellent first story in a new series by one of my favorite mystery writers.

"Scottish author Val McDermid has been a number of crime series and I've enjoyed books from her Wire in the Blood series, her Karen Pirie series and her standalone books. Dead Beat is the first book in her Kate Brannigan mystery series of six books. Brannigan is a PI working out of Manchester UK.

Brannigan works for Bill Mortensen as a junior partner in their firm. They specialize in white collar crime and security issues. Their current case is helping the police investigate a gang of criminals who specialize in selling fake high-end watches and other items. They have now gone to the point of pretending their fake watches are the real thing. It's been an ongoing investigation. Brannigan's boyfriend Richard is a rock music reporter and has been promised the opportunity to write the auto-biography of a local musician, Jett. Jett's agent puts the kibosh on that by hiring another reporter to do the work. At the same time, Jett hires Brannigan to find his ex-writing partner, Moira, who disappeared after the 2nd album. 

Kate accepts the job and while still working on the fake watches, she also begins to look for Moira. Moira's life has hit a roadblock, drug (heroin) dependency, prostitution... Kate is a solid, smart detective and she is successful in finding Moira and reuniting her with Jett. Tragedy will result and change the course of Kate's investigation, her work causing friction with the Manchester police.

The story reminds me of another series I've been enjoying, Liz Evan's Grace Smith mystery series. Like Grace, Kate Brannigan is a competent, smart investigator. Kate has a much more stable life than Grace. She is every bit as enjoyable a character though and her boss, Bill, while somewhat subordinate in this story, is also smart and they work competently together. I also enjoyed being introduced to boyfriend, Richard.

The mystery is well presented and investigated, with a suitable cast of suspects. Each is well-crafted and interesting. I enjoyed the flow of the story, the setting and ultimately the ending. Excellent first book in this series and I'm looking forward to reading #2, which is waiting on my bookshelf. (4.0 stars)"

4. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (Shades of Magic #1). The first book in an excellent fantasy trilogy. Two excellent characters, great story.

"What can I say? Well, Wow! and oh yes, Wow! Did I say Wow? Well, Wow!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab is the first story in her fantasy trilogy, Shades of Magic. What a great story! I enjoyed it so very much.

The setting is London, or rather, a variety of London's, layers of London. There is Grey London, home of wanted criminal Delilah (Lila). Grey London is a non-magical version of London. It is connected by magical doorways to Red London, home of Kell, an Antari (one of two left in the 'world'), who can travel between the various Londons. The other Antari is Holland, who lives in White London, the most magical of the three. London is ruled by the Danes (brother & sister, magical evil twins). The final London has not been seen for many years (centuries?), that is Black London. Black London was sealed off when it's magic became wild and unchecked. It was connected to White London which was left alone to battle the magic of Black London.

Got that? Kell is a traveler. He takes messages between the Londons, from the king of Red London to the other rulers. Kell also likes to take artifacts from one London to another and sells them to interested people. This is an activity that is frowned on. His best friend is the son of the King of Red London, Rhy, a happy - go - lucky, gadabout, but a nice guy all the same.

Kell is given an object to bring from White London to Red London, which turns out to be a piece from Black London. This will cause turmoil in the Londons. It will cause the meeting of Lila and Kell and their adventure through the Londons as they try to save themselves and also bring the piece of evil magic to Black London. It's a rollicking piece of great magical fantasy fun. Kell and especially Delilah who is one of my favorite characters ever. She's spunky, strong, smart, just a great heroine. She is a perfect foil and partner to Kell. The action is high -paced and builds steadily through the story. It's a page turning exciting fantasy story. The ending was completely satisfactory and it left me wanting to read the next one. If you like fantasy, this book will totally satisfy you. (5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Mark of the Assassin by Daniel Silva (Michael Osbourne #1). This has been on my bookshelf for a long time. I'm enjoying it so far.

"Bestselling novelist Daniel Silva (author of The Unlikely Spy) draws upon his experience as a foreign correspondent and a Washington journalist in The Mark of the Assassin. Set in London, Cairo, Amsterdam, and Washington, the story line follows CIA case agent Michael Osbourne as he attempts to locate the terrorists who shot down an airliner off the coast of Long Island. Osbourne has two main antagonists: Delaroche, a KGB-trained expert assassin ordered to kill the handful of people who know the truth, including Osbourne, and the corrupt political culture of Washington, which ominously stymies him at every turn. There's a love story at the core of this book, as well as a brave attempt by Osbourne to reconcile a mystery in his past with a present he has not fully accepted. The prose is slick, and readers will find themselves racing through these pages as the body count grows and the conclusion nears. "

2. The Daughters of Yalta by Catherine Grace Katz (2020). I'm enjoying this so far. I like a good history told from a personal perspective.

"The untold story of the three intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference with Stalin, and of the fateful reverberations in the waning days of World War II.

Tensions during the Yalta Conference in February 1945 threatened to tear apart the wartime alliance among Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin just as victory was close at hand. Catherine Grace Katz uncovers the dramatic story of the three young women who were chosen by their fathers to travel with them to Yalta, each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that powerfully colored these crucial days. Kathleen Harriman was a champion skier, war correspondent, and daughter of US ambassador to the Soviet Union Averell Harriman. Sarah Churchill, an actress-turned-RAF officer, was devoted to her brilliant father, who depended on her astute political mind. Roosevelt’s only daughter, Anna, chosen instead of her mother Eleanor to accompany the president to Yalta, arrived there as keeper of her father’s most damaging secrets. Situated in the political maelstrom that marked the transition to a post- war world, The Daughters of Yalta is a remarkable story of fathers and daughters whose relationships were tested and strengthened by the history they witnessed and the future they crafted together."

3. Bad Debts by Peter Temple (Jack Irish #1). Jo and I enjoyed the TV series based on these books very much. Another great Aussie series. I hope the books are as good.

"A phone message from ex-client Danny McKillop doesn’t ring any bells for Jack Irish. Life is hard enough without having to dredge up old problems: His beloved football team continues to lose, the odds on his latest plunge at the track seem far too long, and he’s still cooking for one. When Danny turns up dead, Jack is forced to take a walk back into the dark and dangerous past."

4. Ensign Flandry by Poul Anderson (Ensign Flandry #1). It's been nice getting back into Sci-Fi. This has started off interesting.

"Introducing...Dominic Flandry.

Before he's through he'll have saved worlds and become the confidante of emperors. But for now he's seventeen years old, as fresh and brash a sprig of the nobility as you would care to know. The only thing as damp as the place behind his ears is the ink on his brand-new commission.

Though through this and his succeeding adventures he will struggle gloriously and win (usually) mighty victories, Dominic Flandry is essentially a tragic figure: a man who knows too much, who knows that battle, scheme and even betray as he will, in the end it will mean nothing. For with the relentlessness of physical law the Long Night approaches. The Terran Empire is dying..."

New Books

I've picked up a variety over the past week. I got some more today when I made the rounds of the Local Little Free Libraries but I'll do those in my next post.

1.Interfaces by Ursula K. Le Guin w/ Virginia Kidd (1980). I was researching a book by Isaac Asimov, The End of Eternity. It was supposed to be a three-parter, with each part written by another author. Part 3 was to have been written either by James Blish or his wife, Virginia Kidd. So I started checking out Kidd and found she was more of a publisher. she worked with one of my favorite authors, Ursula K. Le Guin on this collection of short stories.

"The Reason for the Visit by John Crowley; Set Piece by Jill Paton Walsh; Everything Blowing Up: An Adventure of Una Persson, Heroine of Time and Space by Hilary Bailey; Shadows Moving by Vonda N. McIntyre; The Gods in Winter by Sonya Dorman; The New Zombies by Avram Davidson and Grania Davis; Earth and Stone by Robert Holdstock; A Short History of the Bicycle: 401 B.C. to 2677 A.D. by Michael Bishop; Two Poems by Laurence Josephs; The Pastseer by Phillippa C. Maddern; Hunger and the Computer by Gary Weimberg; Household Gods by Daphne Castell; Bender Fenugreek Slatterman and Mupp by D. G. Compton; Precession by Edward Bryant; A Criminal Proceeding by Gene Wolfe; For Whom are Those Serpents Whistling Overhead by Jean Femling; The Summer Sweet the Winter Mild by Michael G. Coney; and Slow Music by James Tiptree Jr."

2. Tales of Gooseflesh and Laughter by John Wyndham (1956). Wyndham wrote some of my early favorite Sci-Fi stories. I've been checking out some of his earlier works and short stories in the past few years.

"An original collection of short stories.

Contents: Chinese Puzzle, Una, The Wheel, Jizzle, Heaven Scent, Compassion Circuit, More Spinned Against, A Present From Brunswick, Confidence Trick, Opposite Number, Wild Flower."

3. Off the Record by Peter Mansbridge (2021), Some good person left this in my Little Free Library, an autobiography by one of the most respected newsmen in Canada.

"Peter Mansbridge invites us to walk the beat with him in this entertaining and revealing look into his life and career, from his early broadcasting days in the remote northern Manitoba community of Churchill to the fast-paced news desk of CBC’s flagship show, The National, where he reported on stories from around the world.

Today, Peter Mansbridge is often recognized for his distinctive deep voice, which calmly delivered the news for over fifty years. But ironically, he never considered becoming a broadcaster. In some ways, though, Peter was prepared for a life as a newscaster from an early age. Every night around the dinner table, his family would debate the news of the day, from Cold War scandals and Vietnam to Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

So in 1968, when by chance a CBC radio manager in Churchill, Manitoba, offered him a spot hosting the local late night music program, Peter embraced the opportunity. Without a teacher, he tuned into broadcasts from across Canada, the US, and the UK to learn the basic skills of a journalist and he eventually parlayed his position into his first news job. Less than twenty years later, he became the chief correspondent and anchor of The National.

With humour and heart, Peter shares never-before-told stories from his distinguished career, including reporting on the fall of the Berlin Wall and the horror of 9/11, walking the beaches of Normandy with Tom Brokaw, and talking with Canadian prime ministers from John Diefenbaker to Justin Trudeau. But it’s far from all serious. Peter also writes about finding the “cure” for baldness in China and landing the role of Peter Moosebridge in Disney’s Zootopia. From the first (and only) time he was late to broadcast to his poignant interview with the late Gord Downie, these are the moments that have stuck with him.

After years of interviewing others, Peter turns the lens on himself and takes us behind the scenes of his life on the frontlines of journalism as he reflects on the toll of being in the spotlight, the importance of diversity in the newsroom, the role of the media then and now, and the responsibilities we all bear as citizens in an increasingly global world."

4. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang (Poppy War #1 / 2018), A new series for me, a book I saw in our local new books store, Books4Brains. I've bought a few there.

"A brilliantly imaginative talent makes her exciting debut with this epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic, in the tradition of Ken Liu’s Grace of Kings and N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy.

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late."

5. The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories by Philip K. Dick (2016). I've enjoyed so many of Dick's unique brand of Sci-Fi. I saw this book at 2nd Page Books in Courtenay and thought I should get it.

"Many thousands of readers consider Philip K. Dick to have been the greatest science fiction writer on any planet. Since his untimely death in 1982, interest in Dick's works has continued to mount and his reputation has been enhanced by a growing body of critical attention. The Philip K. Dick Award is now presented annually to a distinguished work of science fiction, and the Philip K. Dick Society is devoted to the study and promulgation of his works.

This collection includes all of the writer's earliest short and medium-length fiction covering the years 1954-1964, and featuring such fascinating tales as The Minority Report (the inspiration for Steven Spielberg's film), Service Call, Stand-By, The Days of Perky Pat, and many others. Here, readers will find Dick's initial explorations of the themes he so brilliantly brought to life in his later work.

Dick won the prestigious Hugo Award for the best novel of 1963 for The Man in the High Castle. In the last year of his life, the film Blade Runner was made from his novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

The classic stories of Philip K. Dick offer an intriguing glimpse into the imagination of one of science fiction's most enduring and respected names.

CONTENT

Autofac • (1955)
Captive Market • (1955)
Explorers We • (1959)
How Do You Know You're Reading Philip K. Dick? • (1987) • essay by James Tiptree, Jr.
If There Were No Benny Cemoli • (1963)
Notes (The Days of Perky Pat) • (1987)
Novelty Act • (1964)
Oh, to Be a Blobel! • (1964)
Orpheus with Clay Feet • (1987)
Recall Mechanism • (1959)
Service Call • (1955) •
Stand-By • [Jim Briskin] • (1963)
The Days of Perky Pat • (1963)
The Minority Report • (1956)
The Mold of Yancy • (1955)
The Unreconstructed M • (1957)
War Game • (1959)
Waterspider • (1964)
What the Dead Men Say (1964)
What'll We Do with Ragland Park? (1963)"

6. The Dead of False Creek by Sarah M. Stephen (Journal through Time series #1 / 2021). A friend from England asked me if I'd heard of this Canadian mystery / Sci-Fi author. Of course I hadn't but the plot sounded very different. I'm looking forward to trying this book.

"He chases crooks. She dusts off maps. With important men vanishing, can one key document prevent death?

Vancouver, 1897. Jack Winston refuses to let his bloodline decide his vocation. Keeping his family connections secret as he joins the Constabulary, the rising detective works hard to make a name for himself on his own merit. But when he investigates a missing young lawyer, he's shocked to find his own journal connects him to a woman claiming to be from the future.

Vancouver, 2017. Riley Finch adores history. With life pulling friends and family further away, the archivist throws herself into her new position cataloging police files from the nineteenth century. And her excitement with her research bears thrilling results when she finds a way to contact a policeman from the past.

Despite his well-founded suspicions, Winston still struggles to wring answers out of his list of prime suspects. And as Riley risks her job to unearth useful information, she's inexplicably drawn to Jack's great-grandson but forced to keep both men in the dark.

Can the pair forge a partnership across decades and solve an impenetrable crime?"

7. Strip for Murder by Max Allan Collins (Jack & Maggie Starr #2). I enjoyed the first book in this historical mystery series. Looking forward to reading this one.

"Manhattan, 1953. Hal Rapp's Tall Paul, one of America's most popular comic strips, is now a Broadway musical, infuriating Rapp's longtime rival Sam Fizer, creator of the Starr Syndicate's biggest strip Mug O'Malley. Adding insult to injury is the casting of Misty Winters, Fizer's wife, as one of Rapp's hillbilly gals sashaying across the Great White Way. Then Fizer is found dead, his apparent suicide actually an obvious homicide—with all the evidence pointing to Rapp.

Starr Syndicate also had connections to the new musical, which added fuel to the fire between the cartoonists, but Jack and Maggie believe Rapp's been framed. Between loan sharks, jealous husbands, bitter artists, and Fizer's widow—who has taken a romantic interest in Jack—there are more colorful characters with murderous motives than in a month of Sunday funnies—"

8. Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart (Kopp Sisters #2). Another interesting historical mystery series, based on real people. I enjoyed the first. I like the covers too.

"In 1915, lady cops were not expected to chase down fugitives on the streets of New York City. But Constance Kopp never did what anyone expected.

Constance and her sisters aren’t living the quiet life anymore. They’ve made headlines fighting back against a ruthless silk factory owner and his gang of thugs. After Sheriff Heath sees Constance in action, he appoints her as one of the nation’s first female deputies. But when a German-speaking con man threatens her position—and puts the honorable sheriff at risk for being thrown in his own jail—Constance will be forced to prove herself again.

Based on the Kopp sisters’ real-life adventures, Girl Waits with Gun introduced the sensational lives of Constance Kopp and her sisters to an army of enthusiastic readers. This second installment, also ripped from the headlines, takes us farther into the riveting story of a woman who defied expectations, forged her own path, and tackled crime along the way."

9. Falling in Love by Donna Leon (Commissario Brunetti #24). I discovered this series in early 2000 and it became a quick favorite mystery series of mine. It's been awhile since I've visited Venice to see how Commissario Brunetti and his family are getting on. I hope to get back to it this year.

"Donna Leon’s Death at La Fenice, the first novel in her beloved Commissario Guido Brunetti series, introduced readers to the glamorous and cutthroat world of opera and one of Italy’s finest living sopranos, Flavia Petrelli—then a suspect in the poisoning of a renowned German conductor. Years after Brunetti cleared her name and saved the life of her female American lover in Acqua Alta, Flavia has returned to Venice and La Fenice to sing the lead in Tosca, and Brunetti has tickets to an early performance.

The night he and his wife, Paola, attend, Flavia gives a stunning performance to a standing ovation. Back in her dressing room, she finds bouquets of yellow roses—too many roses. Every surface of the room is covered with them. An anonymous fan has been showering Flavia with these beautiful gifts in London, St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, and now, Venice, but she no longer feels flattered. A few nights later, invited by Brunetti to dine at his in-laws’ palazzo, Flavia confesses her alarm at these excessive displays of adoration. Brunetti promises to look into it. And when a talented young Venetian singer who has caught Flavia’s attention is savagely attacked, Brunetti begins to think that Flavia’s fears are justified in ways neither of them imagined. He must enter in the psyche of an obsessive fan before Flavia, or anyone else, comes to harm."

There you go. I hope there is something there that interests you.