 |
| How about taking a break from reading, Dad?? |
Over the weekend I finished 2 more books, one excellent, one average. I've also started two new books. I'm also going to get back to my look at the mystery genre. For the last two categories, I looked at English mysteries featuring, firstly, English police procedurals and then, secondly, English private eyes. This next series of entries will be a catch-all from my last two. I'll look at English authors who write standalone mysteries, either as their primary type of mystery or in concert with series. I may just focus on specific books per author but also look more generally if the case fits.
So on that note, let's get started.
Just Finished
"Iceberg by Clive Cussler is the 3rd book in the Dirk Pitt series featuring NUMA and the 2nd book I've read. I've also read the first to in Cussler's Isaac Bell series and have to say that so far I prefer the latter series. But if you like an adventure with lots of action, you'll enjoy this.
The plot is quite convoluted and difficult to describe concisely. So let's see... An iceberg, monitored by the US Coast Guard is discovered to have a ship frozen into it. Dirk Pitt and an oceanologist, Hunnewell, fly to it on a helicopter and discover its been destroyed by fire along with the crew. The Russians also seem to be interested. Flying onward to Iceland to report their findings, their helicopter is attacked by a mysterious jet, forcing Pitt to crash into the sea, but not before he manages to also disable the aircraft. This begins a fast-paced, twisting adventure about undersea exploration, taking over countries and involving many, many deaths / murders.
It's an entertaining adventure / action thriller, but with almost too many twists and turns. As well, there is a constant almost toxic masculinity, but I guess that's a product of the times. Heroes had to be aggressive, masculine, tough.. Pitt is all of those things. In general, I was entertained and the story moved along quickly. (3 stars)"
"I've probably said this before in reviews of other books by Ross Macdonald but I started reading his work after enjoying some of the mysteries by his wife, Margaret Millar. Sleeping Beauty is the 3rd book of his Lew Archer series I've read now and all I can say is that I'm so glad I finally took a chance on Macdonald.
Lew Archer is a private eye in Los Angeles. He's an ex-cop who decided to work on his own. In Sleeping Beauty, he has just returned from a trip and hears about an oil spill west LA as he's driving back from the airport and decides to check things out before he returns home. While there he meets a young woman, Laurel Russo, who is upset by the spill and also by the death of a seabird that she had pulled from the oil-soaked waters.
Archer offers to drive her home, takes her to his place to calm her down. She leaves and he discovers that she has taken a bottle of Nembutal (tranquilizers) from his medicine cabinet. Concerned, he drives off to try and find her. He checks with her husband, a pharmacist, from whom Laurel is currently estranged. Tom Russo hires Archer to find her.
It turns out that Laurel is from a rich family. In fact, they own the oil well that has sprung the leak. They don't like Tom Russo, feeling he is beneath their status. Laurel has an on and off again relationship with them and with her husband. Yes, she has issues.
This begins Archer's investigation into Laurel's disappearance. It appears that she has been kidnapped as her parents receive a ransom threat. Archer finds himself getting deeper into this family's history / skeletons in their closets as he continues to investigate. Is that enough to pique your interest?
This was a fantastic mystery. Ross Macdonald has such a clear and descriptive writing style. You can see the characters, the locale and even with the twists and turns, the story flows along so neatly and smoothly. Lew Archer is a fantastic character and the characters he meets over the course of his investigation are all interesting with flaws and personalities that make the whole story even more interesting and readable. I enjoyed this so very much and even the ending, which had a nice little twist, was eminently satisfying. (5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Benjamin Weaver, a Jew and an ex-boxer, is an outsider in eighteenth-century London, tracking down debtors and felons for aristocratic clients. The son of a wealthy stock trader, he lives estranged from his family - until he is asked to investigate his father’s sudden death. Thus Weaver descends into the deceptive world of the English stock jobbers, gliding between coffee houses and gaming houses, drawing rooms and bordellos. The more Weaver uncovers, the darker the truth becomes, until he realizes that he is following too closely in his father’s footsteps - and they just might lead him to his own grave. An enthralling historical thriller, A Conspiracy of Paper will leave readers wondering just how much has changed in the stock market in the last three hundred years ..."
"Rex is a private eye and a case leads him to Ireland and to France, where he is trying to find a man left a legacy by an aunt. The man is involved with a large haul of diamonds, and Rex has to deal with people about to trade these stolen diamonds for heroin."
My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - English Standalones
 |
| Kingsley Amis |
"This was a very entertaining book. Besides being a well-crafted mystery with interesting characters; I particularly liked Peter and the Colonel, there were some surprising bits as well; not what I expected in this story. While not graphic, there were sexual inferences that surprised me. I won't go into them as you should be surprised (titillated?) as well. This is the second Kingsley Amis novel for me; I'd previously read The Green Man and enjoyed that as well. I much preferred this story though and readily recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery. (4 stars)"
Synopsis -
A classic armchair mystery, THE RIVERSIDE VILLAS MURDER has for its hero a 14-year-old boy, Peter Furneaux.
Like all 14 year olds he is hovering hopefully on the brink between sexual inexperience and initiation, and in this book, under our very eyes, Peter suddenly becomes an adult!
A crime, truly murderous, is committed by an unknown and almost unidentifiable assailant. Only Peter begins to guess at the truth--a dangerous truth--which leads him to the river bank by moonlight. A delightful book, and as with all works by Kingsley Amis, guaranteed to please."
 |
| John Bingham |
"This was the first book I've read by John Bingham and I enjoyed very much. It was a very nice little psychological mystery about a man who is married but falls in love with another woman and must sort out how to resolve this situation. Add to the mix a jealous friend and you have a nice little story. It was well-paced and well-written. The ending was a nice twist. Very enjoyable. I will be trying to find more books by him. (3 stars) "
"Michael Sibley and John Prosset shared a history that dated back to their first years at boarding school, and so the news of Prosset's murder came as a great shock to his old friend - especially because Sibley had been staying only the day before at Prosset's country house, where the body was found.
When the police arrive to question him in connection with the murder, Sibley finds himself lying about his recent visit, and thus begins to reveal the true nature of a longstanding but volatile friendship, fraught with mutual deception and distrust. As he tells his version of the truth to the police - and to the reader - Sibley makes the first of many fateful mistakes and finds himself not only under suspicion, but a primary suspect in the investigation.
Seen through the eyes of Sibley himself, 'My Name Is Michael Sibley' is a mesmerizing account of murder, as the narrator purposefully attempts to elude the police and prove his innocence to the reader in the same breath."
The complete list of Bingham's books can be found here.
 |
| Frances Fyfield |
"I've had this book on my bookshelf for quite awhile now, but I've wanted to try Frances Fyfield just as long. This book was a bit of a slow build. It took me awhile to get used to the characters; who was Joe, or John or Jack??? But I'm glad I took the time to get used to the story. It starts off with the violent murder of Elizabeth Kennedy's sister. You realize that something also happened to Elizabeth at a later date. Was it due to her drunkenness at the time or something else. It was interesting watching the plot develop, to get to understand the connections between the various characters and to gain an understanding of what actually happened. It builds so nicely, the tension increasing, the story clearing up and the ultimate, very satisfying, conclusion. Discovering how and why everything happened was nicely presented. It was a true gem, this story. I grew to like Elizabeth and Joe very much. I even liked the very ending, how the letter that Elizabeth's mother is writing might possibly completely resolve the first murder. Give it a try. (4 stars)"
Synopsis -
"Frances Fyfield's latest heroine, Elisabeth Kennedy, is a complicated, prickly ex-police detective, haunted by the memory of her younger sister's murder, and recovering from a senseless, brutal attack that left her with physical scars and a fractured spirit. Determined to fight back, Elisabeth flees the safe confines of her mother's seaside home to her life in an apartment atop a crumbling London belt tower, where she assumes she will be safe and anonymous. But she finds that even the most cloistered places are not sacrosanct -- especially the human heart. As she tracks her quarry, Elisabeth is headed for something far more chilling than loneliness, more savage than self doubt...."
The other standalone mysteries are -
- Undercurrents (2000)
- The Nature of the Beast (2001)
- Seeking Sanctuary (2003)
- The Art of Drowning (2006)
- Blood from Stone (2008)
There you go folks.. Now to get back to reading.. :0)
No comments:
Post a Comment