A Sunday Night (& Monday Morning) Post

Miss Scarlet and the Duke

The rain finally started tonight. Last I checked it's not been raining too hard. Clyde and I will check it out when we go for our walk. Jo and I are just watching Season 2 of Miss Scarlet and the Duke. Most entertaining series.

Jayne Barnard

This weekend Jo and I went for two walks downtown. Both times to Beninos. We've checked out the distance and it's about 6 kms both ways. So a bit of exercise. Yesterday we met with Canadian author, Jayne Barnard and her husband Kevin. Jayne has written a trilogy of books in the steampunk genre and has also written mysteries. I had ordered the Maddie Hatter steampunk trilogy and since she is in our Valley for the next few months, she brought them with her. We had such a nice time chatting. It turns out she is a military brat as well, s we had that in common. Cool. These are the books I received from Jayne.

1. Maddie Hatter and the Deadly Diamond (MH #1).

"Miss Maddie Hatter, renegade daughter of a powerful Steamlord, is scraping a precarious living as a fashion reporter when the story of a lifetime falls into her lace-gloved hands.

Baron Bodmin, an adventurer with more failed quests than fingernails, has vanished in circumstances that are odd even for him. While he is supposedly hunting the fabled Eye of Africa diamond in the Nubian desert, his expeditionary airship is found adrift off the coast of England.

Maddie was the last reporter to see the potty peer alive. If she can locate the missing baron or the Eye of Africa, her career will be made.

Outraged investors and false friends complicate her quest, and a fiendish figure lurks in the shadows, ready to snatch the prize... at any price."

2. Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge (MH #2).

"A mysterious message from a midnight duelist sends fashion reporter Maddie Hatter to New York's finest parasol dueling academy, where she foils a daring daylight kidnapping.

The grateful rescuee, only daughter of an American Steamlord, offers Maddie a job as her bodyguard. Soon both young ladies are up to their lace gloves in industrial intrigue and irrepressible street urchins.

Maddie's clockwork bird faces danger too: hungry owls, curious inventors, even a clockwork foe that hides sneaky tricks behind its jewel-green eyes.

From the mansions of Park Avenue to the Statue of Liberty, Maddie hunts a fearless spy and confronts an unexpected power from her past."

3. Maddie Hatter and the Timely Taffeta (MH #3).

"Maddie Hatter’s third Adventure finds her in Venice on an all-expenses-paid assignment: report on the season’s most extravagant Carnevale costumes. Determined to land an inside scoop, she enlists the help of her half-Venetian friend, Lady Serephene, to penetrate Madame Frangetti’s Costume Atelier in disguise.

Serephene is pursuing plots of her own: training in secret for a career that’s forbidden by her family and flirting madly with a low-born Scottish inventor in his airship laboratory. When the inventor’s fabulous new fabric is targeted by industrial spies, Serephene risks not only her family’s displeasure but her own safety to protect him and his work.

Pursued through the floating city’s legendary canals and squares, Maddie must draw on all her hard-won survival skills to keep herself and Serephene out of the spies’ clutches. With the help of unexpected allies among Venice’s underdogs, the daring young ladies just might reach Carnevale’s grand finale alive."

I'm looking forward to giving the series a try. It looks like lots of fun.

(Continued Mon morning due to computer issues)

So, Clyde and I are back and as Peter Kay would say, 'It's spitting!' (Update, it's not spitting this morning).

When we got back from our walk, Jo and I watched our new favorite show on PBS, Magpie Murders. It's excellent. Lesley Manville is fantastic. Now I'll have to get the book.

I've finished 4 books since my last update (one classed as a DNF). I'll provide the reviews of those books; plus, the synopses of the books I've started. I'll also provide synopses of the other new books I've added to my bookshelves.

Just Finished

1. The Mask of Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer (Fu Manchu #5 / 1932).

"The Mask of Fu Manchu is the 5th book in the Dr. Fu-Manchu fantasy / horror series by Sax Rohmer. This story is told by Shan Greville, assistant to archaeologist Lionel Barton and fiancé to Barton's daughter Rima. In Persia they find a treasure belonging to the prophet Mokanna. Fu Manchu finds out and wants the treasure to begin a Muslim uprising in the Mid-East.

Thus begins a battle between Fu-Manchu and his beautiful daughter Fa Lo Suee, and their minions, and Nayland Smith, his friend Dr Petrie and Barton's people as Fu tries to get the treasure. The story moves to Egypt and beyond. It's an entertaining story, an adventure with horrific / fantastical elements as Dr Fu Manchu knows and uses many secretive, mysterious tricks to get his way.

As always, you are left with an impression of the skill and wisdom / craftiness of Fu Manchu and the intrepid spirit and determination of Nayland Smith to battle him. I've enjoyed this series. It's not perfect but it's an interesting look at this fantastical genre. (3.0 stars)"

2. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (2020).

"Long Way Down is the graphic novel version of a novel written by Jason Reynolds in 2017. The graphic novel was drawn by artist Danica Novgorodoff. Such a unique work; excellent drawings, the story written in verse and a powerful, touching story.

William Holloman sees his older brother Shawn shot to death in the park. He decides he has to follow 'The Rules' to avenge his brother's murder. These rules were passed down from grandfather, to father, to uncle, etc. The Rules are simple. 

No. 1 - Crying; Don't, No matter what, Don't. 

No. 2 - Snitching; Don't, No matter what, Don't. 

No. 3 - Revenge If someone you love gets killed, find the person who killed them and... kill them. 

William finds the handgun that Shawn had hidden away and, knowing who killed Shawn (or believing he does) gets in the elevator on the 7th floor of his mother's apartment building, heads down to enact his revenge.

On the way down, the Long Way Down, the elevator will stop on each floor and a passenger will get on, the ghosts of family and friends who have all died of gun violence. Are they there to talk him out of his plan or to encourage him? 

It's a powerful, thought - provoking story, wonderful touching writing, strong artwork with a deadly theme. Must read. (4.0 stars)"

3. White Bird by R.J. Palacio (2019).

"White Bird by R.J. Palacio is a graphic novel telling a story with similarities to The Diary of Anne Frank. Set in France during WWII it tells the story of Sara Blum, a Jewish girl who ultimately spend the war hiding out in a friend's barn, to avoid the Nazis and French sympathizers. In the present, Sara is young Julian's grandmother, and she is telling this story to Julian to help him with a school project.

It's not a new story, one that has been told by many people since the war, i.e. The Diary of Anne Frank, Maus by Art Spiegelman, Night by Elie Wiesel, but it's one that needs to be told over and over because as Anne Frank says, 'What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it from happening again.". Or more appropriately maybe, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana.

In many ways it's a simply told story but horrific in its very simplicity. We see how France is split in two, the Nazi occupied north and the 'Free France' or Vichy France. Sara and her parents live in southern France and feel they are safe there, but Vichy begins to enact Anti-Semitic Statute on Jews.  They continue to live relatively freely but relatives in the North are being rounded up by the Nazis. Sara's father wants to leave France but is talked out of it by their mother. The French collaborators begin round ups in Vichy. Sara's mother is taken, she can't find her father. A French classmate of Sara's, Julian (who is reviled because he struggles with the aftereffects of polio) saves Sara and takes her to his home, where she spends the war in the family barn.

The rest of the story is Sara's hiding in the barn, protected by Julian and his parents as they try to avoid the Nazis (who now occupy all of France) and the milice (who are Frenchmen who support the Nazis). It's a fascinating tale, with heroics, excellent artwork. A story that has to keep being told, especially when you see what is happening in America, here in Canada and around the world. As Elie Wiesel says, "Never Again", #WeRemember.  The war started because Hitler persuaded Germany that the white Aryan race was superior to all other races and needed to cleanse the world of Others. Do you see any similarities today?

Final thought is a quote from the book, "Evil will only be stopped when good people decide to put an end to it" (Vivienne, Julian's mother) OK one last quote used by Elie Wiesel from Leviticus, "Do not stand idly by while your neighbour's blood is shed".  Excellent book. Oh, it was banned in Texas because "it's biased and could lead to the skewing of a young child's mind". More reason to read it, then. (5.0 stars)"

4. Day Shift by Charlaine Harris (Midnight, Texas #2 / 2015). This was a DNF.

"I have generally enjoyed the books of Charlaine Harris that I've tried. I liked the Lily Bard mystery series, the Harper Connelly mystery / fantasy series and I've enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse books, even though I preferred the TV series based on them. The Aurora Teagarden series did nothing for me, and I did try two of them. I enjoyed the first book in the Midnight Texas series very much and really liked the TV series. So it was with anticipation that I finally got around to Day Shift, the second book. *sigh* 

I am 240ish pages in, and it would be easy enough to finish it but as I lied in bed last night thinking about it (Yes, I do often think about what I'm reading. LOL), I didn't see any point in doing so. Why?

OK. Well, there is lots going on in this story. Manfred, who has a job conducting seances and talking with the dead, goes to Dallas for a work weekend. While there, a client dies in his hotel room, her spirit taken by her dead husband. The client's son accuses Manfred of stealing her family jewels. Olivia, the hired hit man, is in the same hotel on a job. Bodies turn up. Lemuel, her vampire boyfriend, is on the road trying to get help deciphering an ancient book. Bo, who runs the pawn shop, is tired and moping. The Rev has assumed responsibility for a young boy, who grows daily and wanders around Midnight getting new clothes and eating a lot. The other characters also kind of wander around. They are all suspicious of the people who bought the abandoned hotel in town and seem to be filling it with old people.

So, as I say a lot going on, but at the same time, nothing is going on. The story is filled with little incidents, people talking and eating and wandering about. There is some sort of tension in the air, maybe caused by the Hotel owners??? How to solve Manfred's problem and who is the kid are the main stories, I guess. Ultimately, I gave up trying to care. And that's unfortunate because I enjoyed the first book and the characters... Oh well, another series abandoned. I won't bother with the 3rd and final book now. But try it for yourself. You may disagree with me. (No Rating) (NR)"

Currently Reading

(I'm trying to not start new books so I can get back down to my normal 4 or 5 to make sure I finish every book I start before 31 Dec.)

1. Floating Staircase by Ronald Malfi (2010).

"Horror writer Travis Glasgow and his wife, Jodie, have bought their first house in Westlake, Maryland, just steps from Travis's older brother's home. Travis is buoyed by the thought of renewing his relationship with his estranged sibling and overcoming the darkness from his past. But the house has other plans for him. Travis is soon awakened by noises in the night and finds watery footprints in the basement that lead him to the nearby lake, which has a strange staircase emerging from its depths.

When Travis discovers that a former occupant of his house--a ten-year-old boy--drowned in the lake, he draws connections to his own childhood tragedy. As his brother and wife warn him to leave well enough alone, Travis is pulled into a dark obsession, following the house's secrets to the floating staircase--and into the depths of madness . . ."

New Books

(I already listed the 3 books I received from Jayne Barnard. These are the other new books)

1. The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes #9 / 1927). Always reliable and enjoyable.

"'Mr Sherlock Holmes, the well-known private detective, was the victim of a murderous assault this morning which has left him in a precarious position'.

Dr Watson stops dead in his tracks when he reads of the attempt on his friend's life. The forces of nature turn against man, love breeds hatred and cowardice, mothers appear to attack their own children, and Sherlock Holmes, the one man who can redress the balance, seemingly lies at death's door ...

When an assassination attempt is made on the great detective's life it seems that no one can escape the death and dread which blights Britain..."

2. The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves (Two Rivers #2 / 2021). I've enjoyed pretty well every book that I've read by Cleeves. She can spin a great mystery.

"North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coastline. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists. What he finds is an elaborately staged murder--Dr Nigel Yeo has been fatally stabbed with a shard of one of his glassblower daughter's broken vases.

Dr Yeo seems an unlikely murder victim. He's a good man, a public servant, beloved by his daughter. Matthew is unnerved, though, to find that she is a close friend of Jonathan, his husband.

Then another body is found--killed in a similar way. Matthew soon finds himself treading carefully through the lies that fester at the heart of his community and a case that is dangerously close to home.

DI Matthew Venn returns in The Heron's Cry, in Ann Cleeves powerful next novel, proving once again that she is a master of her craft."

Women Authors Whose Works I've Been Enjoying - Karen Kijewski

Karen Kijewski

Karen Kijewski is an American mystery writer who was born in Berkeley, California in 1943. She is known for her mystery series featuring PI Kat Colorado. Colorado is similar to Sue Grafton's PI Kinsey Milhone. From 1989 - 1998, she wrote 9 books in the series and then just stopped. Since I discovered the series, I've read 4 of the books and enjoyed very much. I still have one more of them on my bookshelf. I'll provide the synopsis of that book and the reviews of the most two recent that I've enjoyed.

1. Wild Kat (Kat Colorado #5 / 1994).

"It was a matter of principle that prompted Amanda Hudson to blow the whistle on the company that employed her - and manufactured a defective, potentially lethal product. It was a matter of pride that made Amanda hang on to her job with stubborn determination, despite the harassment, anonymous threats, and attacks that terrified her. And, by the time her hot-headed husband hired P.I. Kat Colorado, it was matter of life and death. For Amanda and Jude Hudson. For Kat, who would learn some hard - and deadly - lessons about vengeance, justice, and love."

2. Kat's Cradle (Kat Colorado #3 / 1992).

"Kat's Cradle by Karen Kijewski is the third book in her Kat Colorado mystery series. If you haven't yet tried the series, 9 books in total, Kat is basically Kinsey Milhone, a private eye working out of California. Kijewski wrote the nine books between 1989 and 1998 and then seemed to disappear. I've read the first 3 books so far and enjoyed them all.

Kat is hired by Paige Morrell to find out about her family, especially her mother and father. She grew up with her grandmother, since deceased, an evil woman, who told Paige nothing about her past. Paige stands to inherit the estate but only if no other relative (her mother specifically) turns up to claim the estate. There is much anger and frustration in Paige's soul and Kat is hesitant to take the case. Can Paige actually handle the truth?

So, Kat begins the investigation and there will be more deaths and threats to Kat. As well, Kat is dealing with her own life, her strange family and group of friends and whether she wants to move her relationship along with Las Vegas cop, Hank. It's a well-paced and at times exciting story, the best of the ones I've read so far. There is love, romance, tension, danger, all of the good things. Kat is not perfect by any means but still a character with whom you can empathize. Now to find the fourth book (4 stars)"

3. Stray Kat Waltz (Kat Colorado #9 / 1998).

"OK, I've kind of jumped around with this series; Stray Kat Waltz by Karen Kijewski is the last book in the Kat Colorado mystery series. I've not been following in any particular order and there is an ongoing story line that probably should have been followed in order. Having provided that qualifier, it didn't take too much to know what that story line was and how it affected Kat's present life. 

Without getting into specifics, Kat is dealing with a personal tragedy and has basically withdrawn from life and her PI business. A lawyer friend, Jenny, tries to get her involved in a stalking case but Kat has no motivation to do so. The woman, Sara shows up at Kat's office, and begs her to help her. Her estranged husband, Jed, a police officer, is harassing and threatening her. Kat doesn't want to get involved, feeling it's a job for the police (Sara doesn't trust them) and basically, she doesn't really like Sara.

Kat is attacked in her back lane and Sara is almost drowned (blaming Jed) and a friend is killed in the same incident. Kat is dragged into the situation. She begins following Jed, tracking his movements, stopping him from following Sara, etc. There is a lot of friction between Sara and Kat; Sara won't listen to Kat, refuses to take her advice / suggestions. None of Jed's friends believe he is capable of being a stalker or of hurting a woman; he's involved in charities, is a church goer, is a WONDERFUL guy and he's great in bed (well, that's Sara's thoughts)

It's a fascinating story, probably the best in the series so far for me. It's told from a first-person perspective, but not just from Kat's, also from Sara's and Jed's. This can be somewhat confusing at times, but it does really help you to get to know the characters. It's also great, during the course of the story, seeing Kat reclaiming her life, her emotional stability, her ability to act promptly and decisively. Her pal, Charity, plays a nice little role, a shoulder to cry on, a source of strength and companionship. The story takes a neat little jump to the left as you get into it and takes an unexpected path to resolution. Kijewski writes easily and the story moves along very nicely and comes to a very satisfying resolution. This is the last book in the series it seems. That's too bad, but at least I have some of the earlier ones still to enjoy. (4 stars)"

The complete list of Kijewski's work can be found at this link. (Finally finished this post. Took a brief break to meet Jo downtown after she went to the clinic to do some blood work. Played five games of Sequence at Beninos. Jo won 3. Then we went for a nice walk around the area, finishing off by walking through the Filberg. Now it's time to relax a bit and watch some TV). Have a great week!

Midweek Music Medley

🎸It's Wednesday 19 Oct 2022 and here is your midweek music medley to help get you through the rest of your week.

Midweek Music Medley

1. English pop duo Bananarama - Masquerade (2022).

2. Kosovo / Albanian DJ Regard w/ English pop singer Years & Years - Hallucination (2022).

3. English pop / rock band The 1975 - If You're Too Shy (2020).

Enjoy the rest of your week. Stay safe.

A Sunday Update

Jo is out doing some shopping and I'm watching a Twilight Zone stack on MeTV (currently one with Telly Savalas and a talking doll... Yipes!). Lunch is ready and just awaiting Jo's return. So let's work on an update in the meantime.

Me dashing off to Benino's for dessert

(Editor's Note. Jo came home and we had a nice Greek salad for lunch. Then we decided to walk down to Benino's for a few games of Sequence and dessert. We just got back, fed the dogs and are watching Bullitt for the umpteenth time. Now to get back to my reading update)

So let's see. Since my last reading update, I've completed 2 books and I've also acquired a few books. (As an aside, I've been going through and vetting my library of unread books as I prepare for 2023's challenges and fleshing out my Little Free Library. I don't feel guilty about getting new books, but this will make room for them. 😏). I'll do my normal thing here, provide reviews, synopses and maybe even get to get back to my look at Women Authors whose work I'm enjoying.

Just Finished

1. Lair by James Herbert (Rats #2 / 1979). Creepy and gruesome.

"Lair is the 2nd book in The Rats trilogy by English horror maester James Herbert.  In the first book, a horde of mutant black rats terrorized London as they tried to satisfy their craving for human flesh. England thought they had destroyed them all but unfortunately, a group, led by an even more mutant two-headed rat, fled through the sewers and took up residence in Epping Forest. There they bided their time until their leader's cravings for human blood forced them to renew their assault. (Yipes)

The story starts off slowly (-ish) as the rats begin to make their presence known, attacking animals and buildings. Pender, who works for Ratkill, an organization that has grown after their 'successful' efforts to eradicate the rats previously, is sent to the forest to discover if the rodent presence might be the black rats once again. Jenny Hammer, a tutor at the Forest, claims she saw 3 of the rats while she took a group of students out into the forest for a tour. The government and other high-ranking officials want to avoid an uproar so ask Pender to do a quiet investigation of the situation.

Unfortunately, while this goes on, the rats begin their assault, attacking various people and even a group of students camping overnight. It comes to a head when they assault the Forest's visitor center itself. The Army is called in to assist Ratkill and the story moves on from there as the humans battle for their lives to find the lair of the rats and destroy them once and for all.

Herbert knows how to create tension and build it to a peak. The story is gritty and gruesome and violent and yup, scary. The main characters, especially Pender and Jenny, as satisfactorily developed to make you cheer for them as they battle this implacable, violent enemy. It's a fast-paced, entertaining horror thriller. There is one more story in this series, with the additional menace of nuclear war involved, it seems. Wee haw! (4.0 stars)"

2. Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo (2022). I find myself reading quite a few graphic novels this year. In fact, December I'm focusing on graphic novels, and I've got a few set aside to enjoy. Anyway, this was entertaining.

"Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo is an entertaining young adult graphic novel, part fantasy, part horror (horror on the light side). It is set in a witch school where one student, Noreen, goes missing. While the school staff seems to be doing nothing to find her, her friend Abigail, tries to get her other friends, Goldie and Enver, to help search the grounds.

Abigail ends up having to do it herself as Goldie and Enver are persuaded to drop the search. Haunted by ghosts in the school and suspicious of what the teachers are up to, Abigail and her familiar, Seymour, endanger their lives at the school and their very physical lives continue to investigate. It's an entertaining, exciting adventure.

Abigail is a strong, interesting character and determined to find her friend. The story is well-crafted and well-drawn by Sweeney Boo. Great artwork, great coloring and an exciting story. It draws you in and keeps you turning pages. Most enjoyable. (3.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

(I've only started one more as Over My Dead Body was a quick throw in)

1. MaMa by Ruby Jean Jensen (1983). OK, it's horror month and Ruby Jean is a new author for me. I'm looking forward to starting this with some trepidation.

"There once was a dolly, with the face of an innocent little baby. She could eat and breathe through the hole in her mouth. Her single eye stared relentlessly, some would say malignantly, as though full of evil, watching, waiting . . . As the years rolled away, she waited in the attic to be picked up, cooed over, and set free to work her will . . .

Dorrie had lost her father and was trying to adapt to her new surroundings. She found happiness in the attic, with her new-found dolly. Her mother, brother and sister seemed busy doing other things. If she had better understood this life and death thing, she might have been concerned when her little doll began to move on its own. If only Dollie had understood that her little doll might have a mind of its own, she might have wondered if the doll was capable of killing … killing …"

New Books

1. The Blood Pit by Kate Ellis (Wesley Peterson #12).

"Never has DI Wesley Peterson witnessed such a bizarre crime scene. The victim, Charles Marrick, has been murdered, his body drained of blood. Described by those who knew him as 'evil', it seems that Wesley isn't going to have any shortage of suspects - until a popular local vet is murdered in an identical fashion...and a third body is discovered many miles away.

And when Wesley's archaeologist friend, Neil Watson, starts getting disturbing anonymous letters written in gory detail about macabre events at a medieval abbey - which Neil fears are being sent by the killer Wesley is looking for - Wesley wonders whether there could be a connection between all these deaths and Neil's letters. And could Neil himself be in danger? As the sinister truth unfolds, both Wesley and Neil are forced to face tragedy and shocking revelations...and a killer who bears the scars of past sins."

2. The Deadly Joker by Nicholas Blake (1963). I've enjoyed other books by Blake in his Nigel Strangeway series.

"When John Waterson and his young wife chose Netherplash Cantorum, Dorset, for their retirement years, they could not have predicted that this idyllic spot had one severe but unforeseeable drawback: among its inhabitants was a practical joker whose fertile mind ran to the most bizarre and grotesque designs. The Village was no place for a quite retirement, or for a gentle recuperation from the nervous breakdown that had afflicted Waterson's wife. In Netherplash, the peace is continually disrupted with extraordinary events tripping over each other which, in the end, lead to a hideous and painful murder."

3. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris (2013). I keep acquiring books by humorist Sedaris and I will read one!

"A guy walks into a bar car and...

From here the story could take many turns. When the guy is David Sedaris, the possibilities are endless, but the result is always the same: he will both delight you with twists of humor and intelligence and leave you deeply moved.

Sedaris remembers his father's dinnertime attire (shirtsleeves and underpants), his first colonoscopy (remarkably pleasant), and the time he considered buying the skeleton of a murdered Pygmy. The common thread? Sedaris masterfully turns each essay into a love story: how it feels to be in a relationship where one loves and is loved over many years, what it means to be part of a family, and how it's possible, through all of life's absurdities, to grow to love oneself."

4. Murder in the Palais Royal by Cara Black (Aimee Leduc #10). Not a perfect series but lots of action usually.

"Just as Aimée is about to leave for New York City to follow up on a lead about a possible younger brother, her partner in Leduc Detective, René Friant, is wounded by a near-fatal gunshot. Eyewitnesses identify Aimée as the culprit. The police have pegged her as the guilty party. Aimée is distraught over René’s condition and horrified to be under suspicion.

 
At the same time, a large, mysterious sum appears in their firm’s bank account, and the tax authorities descend upon Aimée. She has no idea who would have sent this money.
 
It seems that someone is impersonating Aimée, someone who wants revenge. But for what? Two murders ensue. How do they relate to the youth whom Aimée’s testimony sent to jail in the very first Aimée Leduc investigation, Murder in the Marais?"

5. Hunt the Toff by John Creasey (The Toff #26). I've enjoyed so many of Creasey's series, Gideon, The Toff, The Baron, etc.

"While on holiday, the toff befriends a lovely girl who calls herself Marion Lane, but who is not all she appears Why, for instance, is a man called Harry Marvel, whom she seems to know, following her and why does she want nothing to do with him?"

6. The Blood Books, Vol III by Tanya Huff (Blood Debt & Blood Bank). I enjoyed the first 4 books in this series.

"Henry Fitzroy has managed to survive the centuries by obeying the vampires’ code, never invading another vampire’s sanctuary, never slaughtering needlessly. But now he’s being forced to do the unthinkable…A ghost has invaded his home, beginning a dangerous nightly game in which Henry is allowed to ask a single question. If the answer is no, an innocent and unsuspecting person is killed. Henry soon comes to the horrifying realization that this wraith—and the others who join it—is using him to wreak vengeance on the people it holds responsible for its death.

Henry can’t find the source of these murders on his own, so he calls on the one person he trusts to help—private investigator Vicki Nelson, with the small hope that they can stop these otherworldly forces, without losing their lives.

Also includes a brand-new short story featuring Vicki and Henry!"

7. A Spider in the Cup by Barbara Cleverly (Joe Sandilands #11). I like this historical mystery series.

"London, 1933: An amateur dowsing team searching the Thames for precious metals unearths the body of a young woman with a priceless coin in her mouth. The case falls on Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Joe Sandilands, but he has another, very high-profile assignment. London is hosting a massive economic conference to address the global Depression, and political tensions run high as world leaders stand either with or against a rapidly militarizing Germany. Sandilands is to protect visiting American senator Cornelius Kingstone throughout the conference. But a when a series of bizarre coincidences links the riverbank body to the senator, Joe realizes that Kingstone is caught up in a dangerous game that might cost not just one but thousands of lives."

Women Authors Whose Work I'm Enjoying - Julia Keller

Julia Keller

Julia Keller is an American author born in West Virginia. I've been enjoying her Bell Elkins mystery series. There are currently 8 books in this series set in West Virginia. I've read the first two and have the next one on my bookshelf.

1. A Killing in the Hills (#1 / 2012).

"A Killing in the Hills is the first Bell Elkins mystery by Julia Keller. The story is set in rural West Virginia and Elkins is the local District Attorney. Something happened to Bell during her childhood in the town of Acker's Gap, which becomes apparent as you progress through the story. She married at a later date and moved to Washington DC with her husband, a new lawyer. Bell also got her law degree but wanted to return to Acker's Gap to help the people of that community, ending up with her going alone with her daughter, Carla.

The story starts with a triple murder in the town, 3 old men sitting having coffee at the local restaurant. Carla is one of the people who sees the shooting. Bell is also working on a case in which a mentally handicapped boy is charged with the murder of his friend. As well, Carla, a typical teenager, is rebelling, anger issues, suspended driver's license. Bell's best friend, Ruthie, is suffering with cancer, and, oh yes, Bell's sister is coming up for a parole hearing for the murder of their father, many years ago. So, yes, a lot is going on. 

But Keller is able to tie this all together to make an interesting, tense story. It flows very nicely and there are characters, especially Bell (Belfa) and the sheriff, Nick Fogelsong, with long ties to Bell, who are developed nicely. The past and the present are tied together, the murderer is well-described and interesting/ somewhat scary, and the mysteries are nicely tied up. There are enough loose ends at the end of the book; especially re. Bell's daughter and Bell's sister, to make you want to find out more about this series. I enjoyed very much and look forward to trying the next, Bitter River. (4 stars)"

2. Bitter River (#2 / 2013).

"Bitter River is the 2nd book in the Bell Elkins series by Julia Keller. I enjoyed the first book, A Killing in the Hills, but this one was even better. Keller is an excellent author spinning a tense mystery and crafting excellent characters.

Bell Elkins is the DA of a small town in West Virginia. She is called out by the sheriff, her friend Nick Fogelsong, when a body is discovered in her car in the Bitter River. The body is that of a young girl, Lucinda Trimble, a high school senior, who is also pregnant. The story basically involves their investigation of the murder of the girl. Complicating the story is the fact that Nick had previously had a relationship with the girl's mother, Maddie many years ago. Both had moved on, Nick marrying someone else and Maddie marrying as well.

Besides this main story, Bell is also dealing with a number of issues, her ongoing relationship with a younger man, Clay; the fact that her daughter has moved to Washington to live with her father and Bell's ex-husband; the absence of Bell's sister after her release (in the last story) from prison. As well, an ex-friend of both Bell moves to Raythune County to get away from things for a while. He has some issues, it appears. Will this affect anything?

This is more than simply a murder mystery, as things begin to spiral out of control as the story moves along. The tension builds nicely and there are a number of surprise happenings that add to it. Judith Keller is an excellent story - teller. She develops characters very nicely, making them more than words on paper. She presents the locale and events clearly and in a manner that draws you in to the story. 

I found the story flowed along smoothly and could feel the tension of the characters and events as they occurred. I enjoyed it very much. Some of the events seemed far-fetched, but in Keller's hands they just made for a more entertaining story. Well worth reading. I look forward to continuing the series. Next in line is Summer of the Dead (4.5 stars)"

3. Summer of the Dead (#3 / 2014).

"It's high summer in Acker's Gap, a small town nestled in the beautiful but poverty-stricken West Virginia mountains—but no one's enjoying the rugged natural landscape. Not while a killer stalks the town and its hard-luck inhabitants. County prosecutor Bell Elkins and her closest friend, Sheriff Nick Fogelsong, are stymied by a murderer who seems to come and go like smoke on the mountain. At the same time, Bell must deal with the return from prison of her sister, Shirley—who, like Bell, carries the indelible scars of a savage past.

In the third mystery chronicling the journey of Bell Elkins and her return to her Appalachian hometown, we also meet Lindy Crabtree—a coal miner's daughter with dark secrets of her own, secrets that threaten to explode into even more violence. Acker's Gap is a place of loveliness and brutality, of isolation and fierce attachments—a place where the dead rub shoulders with the living and demand their due."

The complete listing of Keller's books can be found at this link.

Enjoy your week.

Midweek Music Medley

Jo and I have been enjoying the mild weather. The past two days we've walked downtown, wandering through paths in the woods. It's been so nice. I think today I will visit a few of the local Little Free Libraries and drop off some of the books I've completed.

Here is your midweek music medley for Wed Oct 12, 2022.

Midweek Music Medley

1. Australian singer / songwriter Kylie Minogue - Magic (2020).

2. Swedish singer / songwriter Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend (2011).

3. Swedish singer / songwriter Tove Lo - No One Dies From Love (2022).

Enjoy the rest of your week.

OK, Here We Go...

Brad Gushue

Totally devastated at how easily the Blue Jays got knocked out of the baseball play-offs. They need to see what they want to do to improve for next year. At least Brad Gushue won the Pinty Curling Tournament this week.

We've been having unseasonable warm weather. Hard to believe it's October.

Since my last update, I've read 3 books. I'll provide my reviews as well as the synopses of those books I'm now reading. I've also got a few new books so I'll provide the synopses of those as well. And here we go.

Just Finished

1. Goth Girl and the Pirate Queen by Chris Riddell (Goth Girl #2.5). This was an interim book for International Book Day. It's such a cute series with wonderful drawings.

"Goth Girl and the Pirate Queen by Chris Riddell was written for World Book Day 8 March 2015. In this cute tale, Ada Goth goes to Brighton with Lady George and her three dalmatians to attend the World Frock Day Ball. Her father, Lord Goth, gives her a cheque for 20 guineas to buy a frock so she can enter the contest, but she loses the cheque. How will Ada get a frock for the ball? Who will win?

It's an entertaining story and half the fun is the wonderful artwork within. Riddell provides wonderful drawings throughout this short but lovely story that adds to the richness and texture of the story itself. Don't expect deep, thoughtfulness. It's a young adult adventure with neat characters and lots of fun packed into 80 short pages. You'll meet fashion designers like Lady Vivienne Dashwood and Jean-Paul Goatee and see all sorts of weird and wonderful fashion creations. Lots of fun and a quick, entertaining read. I love this series. (3 stars)"

2. A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor (Chronicles of St Mary's #3). An excellent time travel series.

"A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor is the 3rd book in the Chronicles of St Mary's time travel series. Each one seems a bit better than the previous book. So far anyway.

In this story, Max, head of the History department of St Mary's travels with her teams to Troy, a cheese rolling competition and the battle of Agincourt. Oh yes, she will meet up with arch-enemy Ronan again too. Her relationship with head engineer Leon is up and down and there will be tragedy and historical arguments (shocking and scary). Max is considering her retirement; will Troy be her last visit into the past?

The Chronicles are gritty and realistic and when necessary, hold back no punches. Troy is a violent and shocking battle. The way it is portrayed and how the team prepares for observing the events is very interesting. Taylor presents a fascinating representation of the events at Troy. It's a very dark time, quite scary. 

The story is so well-crafted, moving from the time traveling to relationships. The cast of characters are all excellent and fleshed out. Jodi Taylor deals with the space-time conundrum, sometimes ignoring but it's always present.  The ending is surprising and makes you want to move along to the next book. RIGHT AWAY! So entertaining and 'enjoyable'. Just don't expect light fluff. I look forward to continuing the series and also trying the Connie Willis time travel series to compare the two. (4.0 stars)"

3. I Know This To Be True by Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2020). A quick read.

"I Know This to Be True: Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Ruth Bader Ginsburg is one of a series of books published in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela foundation. The series consisted of 12 interviews a year (6 women and 6 men) over a period of five years; leaders who believed in and fought for social justice. I have ordered the book featuring NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as well. 

This is a small quick book which discusses Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life in brief, her beliefs, her activities and also has an interview with Geoff Blackwell. I have another book about RBG's life and this one provided a nice teaser that will hopefully get me into that one soon. This book focuses on RBG's activism, started at an early age. She was one of nine women in a class of 500 at Harvard Law School, this being 14 months after the birth of her daughter, Jane.

Throughout her life, she focused on women's issues. She co-founded the 1st US law journal that dealt with women's legal issues. She co-founded the Women's Rights Project at the ACLU and became a lead council there. She was a fascinating woman. She talks about a case she took, let's see. When a husband dies, the wife is entitled to benefits to help her support herself and children. But as she said, this was not the case when the wife / mother died as the husband was not entitled to similar benefits. As RBG described it, "And it stemmed from dividing the world into separate spheres; women and children go together, men work outside the home. We were trying to change that way of thinking so that men - if they were parents - would have the same benefits as women. And women who wanted to be whatever - a doctor or a lawyer, police officer or pilot - that would be fine." I liked that way of looking at the whole perspective.

The two females who inspired her when she was growing up were Amelia Earhart, who was flying planes when women were kept out of such jobs and also Nancy Drew, a girl who led her boyfriend around while she solved crimes. 

What RBG found strange was that women were restricted from doing certain jobs and men considered it as protecting them. Women couldn't be prosecutors because they couldn't deal with tough criminal types. But women were already legal aid and representing these tough criminal types. She says that Supreme Court Justice Brennan had put it so well, 'the woman was not, in fact, on a pedestal, she was, instead in a cage. A cage that confined her'

Throughout this short interview, RBG said how encouraged she was about the changes that had been wrought to give women so much more equality, inclusivity. As I read it, I couldn't help but wonder what she would think about what has happened since her death; the most recent Supreme Court ruling about Roe v Wade, how it is women governors and federal representatives (not just women, mind you) who are fighting to take away women's rights to choose what they do and what happens to their bodies. I'm sure she'd be leading the charge to fight these restrictions if she were still alive.

Anyway, this is a review, not me venting. To get a perspective on the Notorious RBG, this is an excellent starting point. Check it out. (3.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Detective's Daughter by Lesley Thomson (Detective's Daughter #1).

"Kate Rokesmith's decision to go to the river changed the lives of many.

Her murder shocked the nation. Her husband, never charged, moved abroad under a cloud of suspicion. Her son, just four years old, grew up in a loveless boarding school. And Detective Inspector Darnell, vowing to leave no stone unturned in the search for her killer, began to lose his only daughter. The young Stella Darnell grew to resent the dead Kate Rokesmith.

Now, thirty years later, Stella is dutifully sorting through her father's attic after his sudden death. The Rokesmith case papers are in a corner, gathering dust: DI Darnell must have copied them when he retired from the force. Stella knows she should destroy them. Instead, she opens the box, and starts to read..."

2. Lair by James Herbert (The Rats #2). Second book in the Rats trilogy. The first was pretty intense.

"The mutant white rat had grown and mated, creating offspring in its own image. They dominated the others, the dark-furred ones, who foraged for food and brought it back to The Lair. Now the dark rats were restless, tormented by a craving they could not satisfy. But the white slug-like thing that ruled them knew. Its two heads weaved to and fro and a stickiness drooled from its mouth as it remembered the taste of human flesh."

New Books

1. Lifeblood by P.N. Elrod (Vampire Files #1). I've read three or four books in this series, a combo of horror and noir mystery, and it's nice to finally get the 1st.

"Jack Fleming was an investigative journalist in Prohibition-era Chicago until he got shot by an unknown assassin, bitten by his vampire girlfriend, and became one of the undead. Now, this nice guy nosferatu has a bunch of crazy vampire hunters on his trail armed with crosses, silver bullets, and sharp wooden stakes. He doesn't know how they found out about him or why they are "out for his blood," but it's not a problem for this streetwise gumshoe, until someone starts shooting. Jack himself may be bulletproof, but his friends are not. And Jack is determined to get some answers, even if it kills him-again. It's a case of the living versus the undead. But who's hunting whom?"

2. The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman (The Sandman #2). I enjoyed the first graphic novel in this series.

"A being who has existed since the beginning of the universe, Dream of the Endless rules over the realm of dreams. In The Doll's House, after a decades-long imprisonment, the Sandman has returned to find that a few dreams and nightmares have escaped to reality. Looking to recapture his lost possessions, Morpheus ventures to the human plane only to learn that a woman named Rose Walker has inadvertently become a dream vortex and threatens to rip apart his world. Now as Morpheus takes on the last escaped nightmare at a serial killers convention, the Lord of Dreams must mercilessly murder Rose or risk the destruction of his entire kingdom."

3. A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson (2022). A new author for me.

"Myra Whitlock has a gift. One many would kill for.

She’s an artist whose portraits alter people’s real-life bodies, a talent she must hide from those who would kidnap, blackmail, and worse in order to control it. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone.

But one frigid night, the governor’s wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor's dead son. Desperate, Myra ventures to his legendary stone mansion.

Once she arrives, however, it becomes clear the boy’s death was no accident. Someone dangerous lurks within these glittering halls. Someone harboring a disturbing obsession with portrait magic.

Myra cannot do the painting until she knows what really happened, so she turns to the governor’s older son, a captivating redheaded poet. Together, they delve into the family’s most shadowed affairs, racing to uncover the truth before the secret Myra spent her life concealing makes her the killer’s next victim."

4. Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner (UNSUB #2). I've enjoyed books in the other two thriller series by Gardiner. She does know action.

"In southern Texas, on Saturday nights, women are disappearing. One vanishes from a movie theater. Another, from her car at a stoplight. A mother is ripped from her home while checking on her baby. Rookie FBI agent Caitlin Hendrix, newly assigned to the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit, fears that a serial killer is roaming the dark roads outside Austin.

Caitlin's unit discovers the first victim's body in the woods, laid out in a bloodstained white baby-doll nightgown. A second victim in a white nightie lies deeper in the forest's darkness. Around the bodies, Polaroid photos are stuck in the earth like headstones, picturing other women with their wrists slashed. The women in the woods are not the killer's first victims, nor are they likely to be his last.

To track the UNSUB, Caitlin must get inside his mind; he is a confident, meticulous killer, capable of charming his victim until their guard is down, snatching them in plain sight. He then plays out a twisted fantasy--turning them into dolls for him to possess, control, and ultimately destroy. Caitlin's profile leads the FBI to focus on one man: a charismatic, successful professional who easily gains people's trust. But can they apprehend him before it's too late? As Saturday night approaches, Caitlin and the FBI enter a desperate game of cat and mouse, racing to capture the cunning predator before he claims his next victim."

5. The Orphan Choir by Sophie Hannah (2013). Hannah has written an updated Hercule Poirot series but this is one of her standalone novels.

"A mother with an empty nest is being haunted by a ghostly children's choir. Are they giving her an important message that only she can hear, or are their motives more sinister?

Louise Beeston is being haunted.

Louise has no reason left to stay in the city. She can't see her son, Joseph, who is away at boarding school, where he performs in a prestigious boys' choir. Her troublesome neighbor has begun blasting choral music at all hours of the night—and to make matters worse, she's the only one who can hear it.

Hoping to find some peace, Louise convinces her husband, Stuart, to buy them a country house in an idyllic, sun-dappled gated community called Swallowfield. But it seems that the haunting melodies of the choir have followed her there. Could it be that her city neighbor has trailed her to Swallowfield, just to play an elaborate, malicious prank? Is there really a ghostly chorus playing outside her door? And why won't they stop? Growing desperate, she begins to worry about her mental health.

Against the pleas and growing disquiet of her husband, Louise starts to suspect that this sinister choir is not only real but a warning. But of what? And how can it be, when no one else can hear it?"

I should really continue with my ongoing look at women authors whose works I'm enjoying but it's almost teatime and the puppies are giving me owly looks. Enjoy your week. Read a good book.