Pattison is an Edgar-award winning author who created the character Shan Yao Tun, an ethnic Chinese exiled in Tibet. Shan is one of the more unusual sleuths in today's mystery genre, and I am really intrigued by him.
Shan is an undocumented worker in Tibet who could basically be imprisoned at any time. He is an expert mountaineer, who makes his living helping expeditions get to the top of Everest and the other peaks in the Tibetan Himalayas. His current focus is finding a way to get his son, Ko, released from the Chinese "yeti factory," a hospital prison where the mostly political prisoners are subjected to medical and biological experiments. Ko must be rescued before his brain or other vital organs are extracted or tested to the point of turning him into a vegetable.
In "The Lord of Death" Shan solves several puzzles of how to get the monks in a threatened monastery over the mountains and into Nepal or India safely. He must enlist the help of an American climbing leader, some of his Tibetan climbing team members, and even some Chinese officials Shan helps tit-for-tat in order to get the life-saving rescue done for his son.
Along the way Shan also solves the mysteries of who killed a Chinese Party Communist Party official, an American climber, and a Nepalese climber.
Pattison has an excellent grasp on Buddhist traditions, Chinese philosophy and how these can be woven into a very fresh and interesting plot for a mystery. The reader is carried in to the story and gets involved with characters who live in a very different world, think differently, and have very different experiences, and yet one ends up thinking about many of the people in this book like friends, enemies and acquaintances in one's own life. That is quite an achievement to make such a different world come alive for those of us with a western perspective.
I am looking forward to reading more of the Shan mystery series.
Liz Nichols
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
A Separate Country by Robert Hicks
It has taken me much longer than usual to read "A Separate Country" than the typical 424 page novel. It is tough to wade through 19th century journal writing, and that is what makes up the majority of this book. At times I found it dull, and at times things picked up considerably and got quite absorbing. I especially liked the sections narrated by Eli Griffin, the grifter who befriended the Hood family right at the end of their lives and tried to wind up the loose ends.
Most of the book is made up of fictional journals and memoirs of CSA General John Bell Hood and his wife, Anna Marie Hennen Hood, who were, of course, real historical figures. The story is set in New Orleans after the Civic War, where several former Confederate generals settled. Hood and his wife had 11 children in a space of about 12 years, and family life plays a big part in Anna Marie's journals, understandably. Hood tries and fails at business, and in the end reaches a point of salvation for his sins on the battlefield by nursing black New Orleaneans during the yellow fever epidemic of the late 1870s, an epidemic that also took Hood's life, and that of his wife and his oldest and youngest daughters.
The book is a reminder that New Orleans has always been a hotbed of grifters and corrupt government and politics. It was an especially dangerous place to live because of the people and the pestilence during the Reconstruction period. Hick's book is a graphic reminder of both the seamy and the somewhat more noble side of the great Creole city of the South.
Even though I found it slow-going, I did enjoy the book for the most part. I found some of the characters a little one-dimensional, but even these characters come up with a surprise or two. I want to go back to Hick's first novel, the highly acclaimed "The Widow of the South."
Liz Nichols
Most of the book is made up of fictional journals and memoirs of CSA General John Bell Hood and his wife, Anna Marie Hennen Hood, who were, of course, real historical figures. The story is set in New Orleans after the Civic War, where several former Confederate generals settled. Hood and his wife had 11 children in a space of about 12 years, and family life plays a big part in Anna Marie's journals, understandably. Hood tries and fails at business, and in the end reaches a point of salvation for his sins on the battlefield by nursing black New Orleaneans during the yellow fever epidemic of the late 1870s, an epidemic that also took Hood's life, and that of his wife and his oldest and youngest daughters.
The book is a reminder that New Orleans has always been a hotbed of grifters and corrupt government and politics. It was an especially dangerous place to live because of the people and the pestilence during the Reconstruction period. Hick's book is a graphic reminder of both the seamy and the somewhat more noble side of the great Creole city of the South.
Even though I found it slow-going, I did enjoy the book for the most part. I found some of the characters a little one-dimensional, but even these characters come up with a surprise or two. I want to go back to Hick's first novel, the highly acclaimed "The Widow of the South."
Liz Nichols
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Chambers of Death by Priscilla Royal
In college at Lawrence University I had a medieval history professor, Dr. Cheney, who we always said had one foot in the middle ages at all times. He lived and breathed it. We could picture how people felt, what they did and how they talked by his descriptions. I topped of my medieval experiences at Lawrence by taking a seminar class in medieval literature, which I also enjoyed very much.
When I get an opportunity to read history, or history in the form of an historical novel, set in the middle ages, I usually read it. Priscilla Royal's "Chambers of Death" is no exception.
Royal studied medieval literature at San Francisco State University and continues to live in Northern California. She has five other novels set in that period, specifically the end of the thirteenth century. The Afterword in the book hints that she will be tackling the considerably more troubled 14th century next with her cast of characters from the Tyndal Priory. The 13th century was comparatively enlightened compared to the century after with its frequent Black Death scourges, harsh politics and mini-ice age.
"Chambers of Death" is set on a road trip away from the Priory. Prioress Eleanor, a high born woman who preferred to run her own domain from inside a convent, has gone to settle some disputes about the priory's far flung lands and has with her a young novice and a monk who is normally involved in the work of the infirmary in the Priory, Brother Thomas. The young girl, Mariota, takes deathly ill in a storm and the group stop to tend their sick companion at the manor that is stewarded by a gentleman named Master Stevyn. We meet his strange family at the door of the manor, and not everyone is very welcoming.
The groom is murdered shortly after the arrival and in the course of the book others die. Several members of the staff and family have either motive, means or opportunity, but Eleanor and Thomas are hard pressed to find anyone with all three at the time of each of the murders. I must say Royal had me fooled until shortly before the chapter where the murderer is revealed. The sheriff, Sir Reimund, never has a clue and is inclined to accuse and hang the first convenient low-born member of the household.
There is much to like about this book. It is very well researched. We have accurate descriptions of manor life in the thirteenth century. We get inside the minds of people of different stations. We find out what people thought about affairs and the inequality of treatment between husbands and wifes caught cheating. We find out about the rules of illegitimacy and what being born out of wedlock meant for the future of that child. We get inside the minds of not only the main characters, but also many of the people from the manor. The descriptions and the characterizations make this book so much more interesting than a mystery that is mainly plot and action. In fact, this book evolves rather slowly, but the complexity of it and the large cast of characters demands a little attention to detail.
"Chambers of Death" is a good choice of a mystery read for those who enjoy historical and medieval mysteries. Fans of Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas will not be disappointed.
Liz Nichols
P.S.: For those who have wondered about my son and his retinal surgery, it went well. He has to wait a week or so before much activity until a gas bubble inserted in the eye disappears. At that point the eyesight should have returned to around 20/30 and we can get his glasses adjusted.
When I get an opportunity to read history, or history in the form of an historical novel, set in the middle ages, I usually read it. Priscilla Royal's "Chambers of Death" is no exception.
Royal studied medieval literature at San Francisco State University and continues to live in Northern California. She has five other novels set in that period, specifically the end of the thirteenth century. The Afterword in the book hints that she will be tackling the considerably more troubled 14th century next with her cast of characters from the Tyndal Priory. The 13th century was comparatively enlightened compared to the century after with its frequent Black Death scourges, harsh politics and mini-ice age.
"Chambers of Death" is set on a road trip away from the Priory. Prioress Eleanor, a high born woman who preferred to run her own domain from inside a convent, has gone to settle some disputes about the priory's far flung lands and has with her a young novice and a monk who is normally involved in the work of the infirmary in the Priory, Brother Thomas. The young girl, Mariota, takes deathly ill in a storm and the group stop to tend their sick companion at the manor that is stewarded by a gentleman named Master Stevyn. We meet his strange family at the door of the manor, and not everyone is very welcoming.
The groom is murdered shortly after the arrival and in the course of the book others die. Several members of the staff and family have either motive, means or opportunity, but Eleanor and Thomas are hard pressed to find anyone with all three at the time of each of the murders. I must say Royal had me fooled until shortly before the chapter where the murderer is revealed. The sheriff, Sir Reimund, never has a clue and is inclined to accuse and hang the first convenient low-born member of the household.
There is much to like about this book. It is very well researched. We have accurate descriptions of manor life in the thirteenth century. We get inside the minds of people of different stations. We find out what people thought about affairs and the inequality of treatment between husbands and wifes caught cheating. We find out about the rules of illegitimacy and what being born out of wedlock meant for the future of that child. We get inside the minds of not only the main characters, but also many of the people from the manor. The descriptions and the characterizations make this book so much more interesting than a mystery that is mainly plot and action. In fact, this book evolves rather slowly, but the complexity of it and the large cast of characters demands a little attention to detail.
"Chambers of Death" is a good choice of a mystery read for those who enjoy historical and medieval mysteries. Fans of Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas will not be disappointed.
Liz Nichols
P.S.: For those who have wondered about my son and his retinal surgery, it went well. He has to wait a week or so before much activity until a gas bubble inserted in the eye disappears. At that point the eyesight should have returned to around 20/30 and we can get his glasses adjusted.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst
Furst is master of the historical spy novel. This one is set in pre-war Warsaw where Jean-Francois Mercier de Boutillon is an attache with the French Embassy and a secret spy master.
The operations that Mercier is asked to carry out are all in an effort by the anti-Petain forces in the French miliary to prove that the Germans plan to move against France by bringing tanks across Belgium. He watches tank war games in the woods of southern Germany, enlists a German resistance member to get documents that end up supporting the German command's intentions, and helps an old-guard Russian spy couple to defect. In the mean time, he finds his true love, Anna, an attorney in Warsaw.
The story may be fiction, but the history is accurate. It is frustrating to see how the French high command was coopted by those who did not want to believe what they could see with their own eyes, or secretly wanted an alliance with Hitler against Russia. France let the events that led to World War II unfold with little resistance until it was too late.
Furst is an outstanding espionage writer, and I look forward to both his future work and to picking up some of his previous works.
Liz Nichols
The operations that Mercier is asked to carry out are all in an effort by the anti-Petain forces in the French miliary to prove that the Germans plan to move against France by bringing tanks across Belgium. He watches tank war games in the woods of southern Germany, enlists a German resistance member to get documents that end up supporting the German command's intentions, and helps an old-guard Russian spy couple to defect. In the mean time, he finds his true love, Anna, an attorney in Warsaw.
The story may be fiction, but the history is accurate. It is frustrating to see how the French high command was coopted by those who did not want to believe what they could see with their own eyes, or secretly wanted an alliance with Hitler against Russia. France let the events that led to World War II unfold with little resistance until it was too late.
Furst is an outstanding espionage writer, and I look forward to both his future work and to picking up some of his previous works.
Liz Nichols
Friday, November 13, 2009
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
"Plum Spooky" is Plum good!
This Stephanie Plum rendition also brings a little change of pace because most of it takes place in a new location, the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey, and we get to meet a whole new eccentric cast of characters. We're also reintroduced to the hunky Diesel, an international bounty hunter who passes through Trenton once in awhile. It adds a little interest to see Stephanie Plum paired with someone other than Ranger or Morelli-- and to have it be more of a sibling relationship (not that Diesel doesn't try for more.)
Basically, Stephanie is on the trail of a mad kid scientist, Martin Munch, and runs in to the guy Munch is working for, Wulf Grimwoire, a very scary man who also happens to be Diesel's cousin. Diesel is after Wulf, who is wanted for a string of murders among other international terror charges. Wulf's main interest in Stephanie is that Munch takes a liking to her and wants her to be his sex slave. Every change Stephanie gets she uses her famous kick routine in the unmentionables.
For once Stephanie's car is not torched by bad guys. It would have been torched by a fire farting hermit who lives in the Barrens, but Stephanie's new jeep had already been trashed by a family of raccoons when she ran out of gas in the piney woods of the Barrens. She's also looking after a monkey for an acquaintance, and runs into a whole bevy of monkeys on an animal preserve in the Barrens. See what I told you? Lots of new and different zany characters and action.
Anyway, like most of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels, this is entertaining and totally effortless reading that will make you laugh out loud at regular intervals.
An idea-- Stephanie Plum and her pals would make such great characters in a film series. I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has approached the author with an offer. I suppose the filming budget would be pretty big given the number of vehicles and buildings that explode or get torched in every episode...
Liz Nichols
This Stephanie Plum rendition also brings a little change of pace because most of it takes place in a new location, the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey, and we get to meet a whole new eccentric cast of characters. We're also reintroduced to the hunky Diesel, an international bounty hunter who passes through Trenton once in awhile. It adds a little interest to see Stephanie Plum paired with someone other than Ranger or Morelli-- and to have it be more of a sibling relationship (not that Diesel doesn't try for more.)
Basically, Stephanie is on the trail of a mad kid scientist, Martin Munch, and runs in to the guy Munch is working for, Wulf Grimwoire, a very scary man who also happens to be Diesel's cousin. Diesel is after Wulf, who is wanted for a string of murders among other international terror charges. Wulf's main interest in Stephanie is that Munch takes a liking to her and wants her to be his sex slave. Every change Stephanie gets she uses her famous kick routine in the unmentionables.
For once Stephanie's car is not torched by bad guys. It would have been torched by a fire farting hermit who lives in the Barrens, but Stephanie's new jeep had already been trashed by a family of raccoons when she ran out of gas in the piney woods of the Barrens. She's also looking after a monkey for an acquaintance, and runs into a whole bevy of monkeys on an animal preserve in the Barrens. See what I told you? Lots of new and different zany characters and action.
Anyway, like most of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels, this is entertaining and totally effortless reading that will make you laugh out loud at regular intervals.
An idea-- Stephanie Plum and her pals would make such great characters in a film series. I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has approached the author with an offer. I suppose the filming budget would be pretty big given the number of vehicles and buildings that explode or get torched in every episode...
Liz Nichols
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Dead Man's Puzzle by Parnell Hall
This is the first time I've run in to Hall's Puzzle Lady Mystery series. I have mixed feelings about it.
This is one mystery where it was not that easy to decipher the killer half way through the book, and I appreciate the complexity of the process that went in to constructing the book. I don't happen to be a puzzle addict, so I did not take the time to try to solve the puzzles myself. If I had the book would have taken me a lot longer. I'm also not that familiar with Soduku, which I realize is very popular right now. Soduku lovers will love this book.
What bothered me was the disjointedness of the dialogue. The sleuth, Cora Felton, a puzzle creator who can't solve her own puzzles to save her life, has a thought process that is akin to someone who is ADHD or possibly bipolar, and that makes her dialogue and her thoughts difficult to follow. It all hangs together in the end, but it is easy to get tangled up in the process. The short, choppy dialogue makes the book at the same time a fast read, and a confusing one.
The other thing that bothered me about the book is the book's design. I usually don't complain about this. I appreciate the work that publishers do to create the finished product. This time, the changes in typeface between headings, pagination and the body of the page make the work hard to read and detract from it to some extent. Perhaps this contributes to the sense of disjointedness in the work.
I can't say that I got involved with the main character the way I do with my favorite mystery writers, and so I will probably not go out of my way to read another or to go back in the series to read some of the earlier books in the series.
However, the subject and the writing style will appeal to many readers. I can understand why Parnell Hall has a following.
Liz Nichols
This is one mystery where it was not that easy to decipher the killer half way through the book, and I appreciate the complexity of the process that went in to constructing the book. I don't happen to be a puzzle addict, so I did not take the time to try to solve the puzzles myself. If I had the book would have taken me a lot longer. I'm also not that familiar with Soduku, which I realize is very popular right now. Soduku lovers will love this book.
What bothered me was the disjointedness of the dialogue. The sleuth, Cora Felton, a puzzle creator who can't solve her own puzzles to save her life, has a thought process that is akin to someone who is ADHD or possibly bipolar, and that makes her dialogue and her thoughts difficult to follow. It all hangs together in the end, but it is easy to get tangled up in the process. The short, choppy dialogue makes the book at the same time a fast read, and a confusing one.
The other thing that bothered me about the book is the book's design. I usually don't complain about this. I appreciate the work that publishers do to create the finished product. This time, the changes in typeface between headings, pagination and the body of the page make the work hard to read and detract from it to some extent. Perhaps this contributes to the sense of disjointedness in the work.
I can't say that I got involved with the main character the way I do with my favorite mystery writers, and so I will probably not go out of my way to read another or to go back in the series to read some of the earlier books in the series.
However, the subject and the writing style will appeal to many readers. I can understand why Parnell Hall has a following.
Liz Nichols
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Cat Playing Cupid by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
I am really not a fan of books with talking animals. I just have a lot of trouble with anthropomorthizing animals-- and that is the whole premise of Murphy's Joe Grey Mystery Series.
Joe Grey is a "speaking cat" who lives with several other like-gifted cats in the small town of Molena Point in coastal northern California. Only a few people in this community know about this cat family's rare gift, and they are dedicated to keep the cats' secret.
The secret is threatened by the discovery of a book about speaking cats buried with a dead body in the ancestral home of the family that first brought this cat family line from Wales. The cats with their current people have to come up with a plan to get the body discovered after they have dragged away the offensive volume and without revealing the unusual talents of this family of cats. Since no one in the police department is privy to the secret about the cats it is a matter of getting the police to find the body without becoming suspicious about the cats.
The other thread is the "love" story between a feral "speaking cat," Sage, and his half-feral litter mate, Kit. Kit ultimately decides to stay with her people rather than to go back to the hard life of a wild cat. I find this relationship too filled with sentimentality and anthropomorphic for my tastes.
There are sections of the book that are exciting and attention-grabbing, in particular the chase of the suspect (there's no surprise about who that is) and the clever way the animals and their people use to get the police to find the dead body in the Pamillion ruins.
This book will appeal to mystery lovers who enjoy animal characters and can suspend disbelief a bit in terms of what the animals think, say and do.
Liz Nichols
Joe Grey is a "speaking cat" who lives with several other like-gifted cats in the small town of Molena Point in coastal northern California. Only a few people in this community know about this cat family's rare gift, and they are dedicated to keep the cats' secret.
The secret is threatened by the discovery of a book about speaking cats buried with a dead body in the ancestral home of the family that first brought this cat family line from Wales. The cats with their current people have to come up with a plan to get the body discovered after they have dragged away the offensive volume and without revealing the unusual talents of this family of cats. Since no one in the police department is privy to the secret about the cats it is a matter of getting the police to find the body without becoming suspicious about the cats.
The other thread is the "love" story between a feral "speaking cat," Sage, and his half-feral litter mate, Kit. Kit ultimately decides to stay with her people rather than to go back to the hard life of a wild cat. I find this relationship too filled with sentimentality and anthropomorphic for my tastes.
There are sections of the book that are exciting and attention-grabbing, in particular the chase of the suspect (there's no surprise about who that is) and the clever way the animals and their people use to get the police to find the dead body in the Pamillion ruins.
This book will appeal to mystery lovers who enjoy animal characters and can suspend disbelief a bit in terms of what the animals think, say and do.
Liz Nichols
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
Those who read my reviews regularly know that I don't review a lot of non-fiction. That doesn't mean that I don't read a lot of non-fiction. I get so much of my non-fiction reading from the research I do for my "day job" which is content management and freelance writing. I typically read two or three reports per day, several blogs and at least one newspaper. In addition, I will listen to one or two rebroadcasts of webinars or teleconferences per day as I get other things done. So, I certainly do spend the majority of my time absorbing information. When I kick back my reading is almost always fiction...
A few times per year, however, a non-fiction book comes to my attention as a "must read. Ferriss' book,"The 4 Hour Workweek," has been on the radar for a couple of years, and I finally picked it up last week at the behest of Nathan Jurewicz, the Short Sale Kid. He is an example of a twenty-something millionaire who took Ferriss' system to heart early on and now lives the 4 Hour Workweek lifestyle.
The heart of Ferriss' advice is to outsource. In my present situation I AM an outsourcer other entrepreneurs will turn to to get their article writing and blogging done. However, my partner and I are working diligently to turn our business into a turnkey system where we form writing and web development teams under managers to take care of our client's sites. We have been focusing on people who are already online, and that is one model--- supplying the people who are already successful with a way to get the content done for sites that can be projected out to strong sales as the traffic is built organically. The other model we are working to build up right now is one that is local-- helping successful local businesses become even more successful by capturing a log of the local traffic in niche areas. So, one of the things Ferriss' book does is to confirm the model we are developing. That's somewhat comforting to have someone like Timothy Ferriss confirm the appropriateness of the model.
Another aspect of the book is helping entrepreneurs make the most of the time that is freed up. Just because someone manages to replace himself in his work does not make someone happy. It is important to have a vision of what you want to do with your time and to do something that is socially and intellectually redeeming and challenging. Ferriss travels the world having new experiences and meeting new people. He also gives back through social service and charitable giving. Both are very important to having a fulfilling life.
The 4 Hour Workweek is neither the best written nor the most original book of its kind, but it certainly has had a wide impact on entrepreneurs around the world. It is therefore required reading for anyone who is an entrepreneur or wants to become a successful entrepreneur.
Liz Nichols
A few times per year, however, a non-fiction book comes to my attention as a "must read. Ferriss' book,"The 4 Hour Workweek," has been on the radar for a couple of years, and I finally picked it up last week at the behest of Nathan Jurewicz, the Short Sale Kid. He is an example of a twenty-something millionaire who took Ferriss' system to heart early on and now lives the 4 Hour Workweek lifestyle.
The heart of Ferriss' advice is to outsource. In my present situation I AM an outsourcer other entrepreneurs will turn to to get their article writing and blogging done. However, my partner and I are working diligently to turn our business into a turnkey system where we form writing and web development teams under managers to take care of our client's sites. We have been focusing on people who are already online, and that is one model--- supplying the people who are already successful with a way to get the content done for sites that can be projected out to strong sales as the traffic is built organically. The other model we are working to build up right now is one that is local-- helping successful local businesses become even more successful by capturing a log of the local traffic in niche areas. So, one of the things Ferriss' book does is to confirm the model we are developing. That's somewhat comforting to have someone like Timothy Ferriss confirm the appropriateness of the model.
Another aspect of the book is helping entrepreneurs make the most of the time that is freed up. Just because someone manages to replace himself in his work does not make someone happy. It is important to have a vision of what you want to do with your time and to do something that is socially and intellectually redeeming and challenging. Ferriss travels the world having new experiences and meeting new people. He also gives back through social service and charitable giving. Both are very important to having a fulfilling life.
The 4 Hour Workweek is neither the best written nor the most original book of its kind, but it certainly has had a wide impact on entrepreneurs around the world. It is therefore required reading for anyone who is an entrepreneur or wants to become a successful entrepreneur.
Liz Nichols
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Lost Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini
This is the first Chiaverini novel I have read, and I am pleased to make the acquaintance of her Quilter's Series. She is obviously an accomplished quilter and a quilt historian in her own right, and she very effectively sews together solid tales by using bits and pieces of historical fact and quilting lore to start off her works.
In this particular book Chiaverini uses historial tidbits from the Historic Charleston Foundation and the Edisto Island Museum to create a story around a slave woman who is sold south to South Carolina after being caught as a runaway along the Underground Railway in Pennsylvania in 1859. She fashions a Birds in the Air quilt out of scraps from her owners' castoff clothes and her own rags and hides in the stitching hints as to how to find the Elm Creek Farm again the next time she runs. She leaves a son, her offspring with her master, in the care of the Elm Creek Farm owners.
Before she is able to return she is sold by her master in Virginia to his relatives on Edisto Island near Charleston, SC and eventually is allowed to marry and have a baby daughter. The Civil War stops any plans that she and her spouse, Titus Chester, can make to run north, but does not slake the desire or the secret planning that goes on to regain freedom.
The book is well researched and manages to hold interest both for the historic details and the dramatic storyline. This is an effective way to personalize and humanize the atrocities of slavery so that we never forget what happened to those who were enslaved.
Liz Nichols
In this particular book Chiaverini uses historial tidbits from the Historic Charleston Foundation and the Edisto Island Museum to create a story around a slave woman who is sold south to South Carolina after being caught as a runaway along the Underground Railway in Pennsylvania in 1859. She fashions a Birds in the Air quilt out of scraps from her owners' castoff clothes and her own rags and hides in the stitching hints as to how to find the Elm Creek Farm again the next time she runs. She leaves a son, her offspring with her master, in the care of the Elm Creek Farm owners.
Before she is able to return she is sold by her master in Virginia to his relatives on Edisto Island near Charleston, SC and eventually is allowed to marry and have a baby daughter. The Civil War stops any plans that she and her spouse, Titus Chester, can make to run north, but does not slake the desire or the secret planning that goes on to regain freedom.
The book is well researched and manages to hold interest both for the historic details and the dramatic storyline. This is an effective way to personalize and humanize the atrocities of slavery so that we never forget what happened to those who were enslaved.
Liz Nichols
Death of a Witch by M.C. Beaton
British author, M.C. Beaton has spun another tale about Scottish bobby, Hamish Macbeth, and the small Highland village of Lochdubh. This tale is also appropriately read in the fall when we are thinking about the ghosts and goblins of Halloween.
The hero is called to investigate the murder of a woman considered by many to be a witch, Catronia Beldame. Beldame has been giving local men a potion that is supposed to enhance a certain part of the anatomy, but actually just creates an itchy rash. Hamish is about to investigate the potion complaints when Catronia turns up dead. Is she killed by a jealous wife, an angry client, or someone who knows something more about her past?
Vying for Hamish's attention and assisting in assessing the murder clues are Priscilla, the daughter of the local innkeeper, and Hamish's former girlfriend, Elspeth Grant, a journalist for one of the area newspapers.
It's fun as an American to read the Scottish dialect in this book and to try to beat Hamish at solving the case.
Liz Nichols
The hero is called to investigate the murder of a woman considered by many to be a witch, Catronia Beldame. Beldame has been giving local men a potion that is supposed to enhance a certain part of the anatomy, but actually just creates an itchy rash. Hamish is about to investigate the potion complaints when Catronia turns up dead. Is she killed by a jealous wife, an angry client, or someone who knows something more about her past?
Vying for Hamish's attention and assisting in assessing the murder clues are Priscilla, the daughter of the local innkeeper, and Hamish's former girlfriend, Elspeth Grant, a journalist for one of the area newspapers.
It's fun as an American to read the Scottish dialect in this book and to try to beat Hamish at solving the case.
Liz Nichols
Friday, October 9, 2009
Michael Gregorio's A Visible Darkness
This is one of the darkest tales I've read in a long time, probably since I read Gregorio's last mystery a year or so ago. Gregorio's protagonist, Magistrate Hanno Stiffeniis from a small city in Prussia, is ordered to investigate why Prussian women are being murdered along the Baltic coast while they are employed in mining for amber.
Gregorio weaves a psychological thriller mixed with Gothic mystery and the reader is left to decide whether the women are being killed for the amber they frequently smuggle to other communities in Prussia in 1808, or are there other reasons these women are being brutally murdered and mutilated? Are the French to blame? A mysterious Prussian doctor? A student at the Kantian school in Konigsburg? Stiffeniis has promised to solve the mystery within two weeks to be home in time to see the birth of his new child. He needs to figure out why the murder suspect knows so much about him and his family.
This book will take a strong stomach. It begins with a graphic description of a putrid cow dung problem in Stiffeniis' town, and continues with extremely graphic details in both sight and smells, about a mutilated body. The gore doesn't let up throughout the book.
Michael Gregorio, which is a pen name for a husband and wife team Michael G. Jacob and Daniela De Gregorio, are on top of the game in this taut and graphically written Gothic mystery.
Liz Nichols
Gregorio weaves a psychological thriller mixed with Gothic mystery and the reader is left to decide whether the women are being killed for the amber they frequently smuggle to other communities in Prussia in 1808, or are there other reasons these women are being brutally murdered and mutilated? Are the French to blame? A mysterious Prussian doctor? A student at the Kantian school in Konigsburg? Stiffeniis has promised to solve the mystery within two weeks to be home in time to see the birth of his new child. He needs to figure out why the murder suspect knows so much about him and his family.
This book will take a strong stomach. It begins with a graphic description of a putrid cow dung problem in Stiffeniis' town, and continues with extremely graphic details in both sight and smells, about a mutilated body. The gore doesn't let up throughout the book.
Michael Gregorio, which is a pen name for a husband and wife team Michael G. Jacob and Daniela De Gregorio, are on top of the game in this taut and graphically written Gothic mystery.
Liz Nichols
Monday, September 21, 2009
Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson
Whenever I see a new Diane Mott Davidson Goldy Schultz mystery I grab it, and I find it difficult to get anything else done until I've finished it! They always leave me wanting the next one right away.
This is one of those rare series where the characters are so compelling that it is as if they become part of your family. You care what happens to them and how they get out of the next mess. You watch as their kids grow up. Every nine months or year when the next installment comes out it's just like you've come for your next year's visit to a favorite cousin or best friend. When you finish, it's like wrapping up the visit until the next year.
"Fatally Flaky" does not disappoint. Goldy gets involved in catering a couple of weddings and it sets the scene for relationships that become important later in solving the mystery. The second wedding is for a ridiculously self-involved bride and her overly indulgent mother who is going out with Goldy's godfather, Jack, who recently moved to Aspen Meadows from New Jersey. Jack has his flaws, but he also has a heart of gold.
When Jack's friend, Doc Finn, is murdered it sets Jack and Goldy investigating. As usual in a Davidson novel, there are so many suspects each with a plausible motive, that it took me until shortly before Goldy breaks the case to figure it out myself.
This is classic Davidson and her fans will love this book.
Liz Nichols
This is one of those rare series where the characters are so compelling that it is as if they become part of your family. You care what happens to them and how they get out of the next mess. You watch as their kids grow up. Every nine months or year when the next installment comes out it's just like you've come for your next year's visit to a favorite cousin or best friend. When you finish, it's like wrapping up the visit until the next year.
"Fatally Flaky" does not disappoint. Goldy gets involved in catering a couple of weddings and it sets the scene for relationships that become important later in solving the mystery. The second wedding is for a ridiculously self-involved bride and her overly indulgent mother who is going out with Goldy's godfather, Jack, who recently moved to Aspen Meadows from New Jersey. Jack has his flaws, but he also has a heart of gold.
When Jack's friend, Doc Finn, is murdered it sets Jack and Goldy investigating. As usual in a Davidson novel, there are so many suspects each with a plausible motive, that it took me until shortly before Goldy breaks the case to figure it out myself.
This is classic Davidson and her fans will love this book.
Liz Nichols
Monday, September 14, 2009
City of Silver by Annamaria Alfieri
This is Annamaria Alfieri's first novel. She is a student of Latin American history, and her careful research shows in every detail in this book.
The story is about the events that lead up to and include the visit of the Grand Inquisitor to the City of Potosi in Chile. Potosi is the center of the silver lode in 17th century South America and the home to both sin and corruption and some saintly good works.
The saint is represented by Mother Maria Santa Hilda, the Abbess of the powerful Convent of Santa Isabella de los Santos Milagros. One of the convent's novices is found dead and the Abbess chooses to bury her in sacred ground, even though she cannot prove right away that the girl did not commit the mortal sin of suicide. When she is taken by the Inquisition for the crime of heresy her Sister Herbalist and the Father Confessor of the convent are left to resolve the issue of what killed the girl.
There is also considerable interplay between two rival families, both of whom lost their daughters to the convent when the girls disobeyed their fathers. There is considerable social commentary about the fate of women during the 17th century in Spain and her colonies, the miserable working conditions for the conscripted Indian miners, the rivalry between Spanish and Portuguese inhabitants of Potosi, secret debasing of silver coins and the King's punishment for this crime, colorful holidays and festivals, herbal remedies and poisons known by the Incas, costumes and weapons of the day, details on the Inquisition, and many other historical and cultural details. For those who enjoy this period of history and wish to know more about Latin American history while enjoying the excitement of a mystery novel-- this is the ticket.
I will say that I was a little confused and bored at first. I persisted and after the first 10 or 15 pages I got into the time period and locale and began to let the puzzle of how the novice died carry me into the details of the book. This won't be everyone's cup of tea, or matte, but those who like historical mysteries and Latin American history will probably appreciate the painstaking detail in this book.
Good first novel.
Liz Nichols
The story is about the events that lead up to and include the visit of the Grand Inquisitor to the City of Potosi in Chile. Potosi is the center of the silver lode in 17th century South America and the home to both sin and corruption and some saintly good works.
The saint is represented by Mother Maria Santa Hilda, the Abbess of the powerful Convent of Santa Isabella de los Santos Milagros. One of the convent's novices is found dead and the Abbess chooses to bury her in sacred ground, even though she cannot prove right away that the girl did not commit the mortal sin of suicide. When she is taken by the Inquisition for the crime of heresy her Sister Herbalist and the Father Confessor of the convent are left to resolve the issue of what killed the girl.
There is also considerable interplay between two rival families, both of whom lost their daughters to the convent when the girls disobeyed their fathers. There is considerable social commentary about the fate of women during the 17th century in Spain and her colonies, the miserable working conditions for the conscripted Indian miners, the rivalry between Spanish and Portuguese inhabitants of Potosi, secret debasing of silver coins and the King's punishment for this crime, colorful holidays and festivals, herbal remedies and poisons known by the Incas, costumes and weapons of the day, details on the Inquisition, and many other historical and cultural details. For those who enjoy this period of history and wish to know more about Latin American history while enjoying the excitement of a mystery novel-- this is the ticket.
I will say that I was a little confused and bored at first. I persisted and after the first 10 or 15 pages I got into the time period and locale and began to let the puzzle of how the novice died carry me into the details of the book. This won't be everyone's cup of tea, or matte, but those who like historical mysteries and Latin American history will probably appreciate the painstaking detail in this book.
Good first novel.
Liz Nichols
Saturday, September 12, 2009
31 Hours by Masha Hamilton
In the hours following 9/11 it's especially appropriate that my review is for Hamilton's "31 Hours," a dark exploration into the thought process of a domestic terrorist. Masha Hamilton is the perfect novelist to tell this tale. She is not only an accomplished fiction writer, but also a journalist with experience in such hot spots as Afghanistan, Russia, the Middle East and Africa. She understands how
Americans are seen in developing countries and she has obviously very carefully thought through how such a disaster as is told in "31 Hours" could happen-- very easily.
The plot is entirely plausible: a jihadist alien resident from Saudi Arabia has recruited a seemingly normal white, middle class student from New York City to be among the suicide bombers to detonate explosions in the major subway and rail stations in New York City on a given day and time.
We follow the last 31 hours of this young terrorist's life (or we assume it is) We watch as the terrorist, Jonas, shaves himself from head to toe. We don't necessarily get an explanation of why each of the rituals performed is important to the pre-suicide bomber protocol. We just know that the many activities and prayers that Jonas offers in that last 31 hours are on the list that Masoud, his Saudi friend, has given him following his return from terrorist training in Pakistan.
Jonas' reasons for this impending action are given, but most Americans will find it very hard to identify with his concerns. Essentially, Jonas believes that it takes extreme violence to end American intrusion into the affairs of other countries. He believes that other countries will back away from supporting U.S. imperialism if the price exacted by terrorists is truly fearsome. Somehow Jonas doesn't see that violence actually begets more violence most of the time. Perhaps the mindset is similar to that of the U.S. government when they dropped the atomic bomb. In that case, extreme violence did beget peace, but only because Japan was too weak by that time to continue.
This is an extremely well written, chilling psychological thriller that delves into the dark recesses of the mind of a terrorist. It is highly recommended.
Liz Nichols
Americans are seen in developing countries and she has obviously very carefully thought through how such a disaster as is told in "31 Hours" could happen-- very easily.
The plot is entirely plausible: a jihadist alien resident from Saudi Arabia has recruited a seemingly normal white, middle class student from New York City to be among the suicide bombers to detonate explosions in the major subway and rail stations in New York City on a given day and time.
We follow the last 31 hours of this young terrorist's life (or we assume it is) We watch as the terrorist, Jonas, shaves himself from head to toe. We don't necessarily get an explanation of why each of the rituals performed is important to the pre-suicide bomber protocol. We just know that the many activities and prayers that Jonas offers in that last 31 hours are on the list that Masoud, his Saudi friend, has given him following his return from terrorist training in Pakistan.
Jonas' reasons for this impending action are given, but most Americans will find it very hard to identify with his concerns. Essentially, Jonas believes that it takes extreme violence to end American intrusion into the affairs of other countries. He believes that other countries will back away from supporting U.S. imperialism if the price exacted by terrorists is truly fearsome. Somehow Jonas doesn't see that violence actually begets more violence most of the time. Perhaps the mindset is similar to that of the U.S. government when they dropped the atomic bomb. In that case, extreme violence did beget peace, but only because Japan was too weak by that time to continue.
This is an extremely well written, chilling psychological thriller that delves into the dark recesses of the mind of a terrorist. It is highly recommended.
Liz Nichols
Monday, September 7, 2009
Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
Stephanie Plum is at her prime in this zany installment about the attractive bail bond enforcer and her memorable entourage of family, friends, co-workers, and boyfriends. There are more blow ups and burned out cars and apartments in this book than in any previous one that I can recall, for those who like this type of pyrotechnics.
Stephanie has her usual collection of bond violations to enforce-- a flasher, an octogenarian with a beef against his dentist, a pyro-maniac, and a career criminal who will kill if given the chance. Mixed in are a couple of major plots-- Lulu is in danger of being whacked literally by a mob enforcer who cuts off his victims' heads. Lulu witnessed a gruesome beheading and is now in grave peril of the same fate. The other major plot line has to do with Ranger, Stephanie's sometime boss and love interest, who needs her help to solve who is breaking in to the buildings his security company has set up on alarm systems. The burglaries seem to be happening right under the noses of Rangeman employees.
As usual, Stephanie has a hard time deciding whether she likes Ranger or police detective, Joe Morelli better. In this round Ranger seems to be winning.
As always, a fast and entertaining read.
Liz Nichols
Stephanie has her usual collection of bond violations to enforce-- a flasher, an octogenarian with a beef against his dentist, a pyro-maniac, and a career criminal who will kill if given the chance. Mixed in are a couple of major plots-- Lulu is in danger of being whacked literally by a mob enforcer who cuts off his victims' heads. Lulu witnessed a gruesome beheading and is now in grave peril of the same fate. The other major plot line has to do with Ranger, Stephanie's sometime boss and love interest, who needs her help to solve who is breaking in to the buildings his security company has set up on alarm systems. The burglaries seem to be happening right under the noses of Rangeman employees.
As usual, Stephanie has a hard time deciding whether she likes Ranger or police detective, Joe Morelli better. In this round Ranger seems to be winning.
As always, a fast and entertaining read.
Liz Nichols
Sunday, August 30, 2009
In a Guilded Cage by Rhys Bowen
Bowen has brought the story about Molly Murphy, transplant to New York City from Ireland in the beginning of the 20th century to new heights. She helps to discover whether young women friends of hers are dying of influenza or they're being poisoned. She is also deeply involved in an investigation about what happened to the parents of one of these friends, Emily, while they were supposedly missionaries in China 20 years earlier.
Meanwhile, the information she comes up with helps her beau, Police Captain Daniel Sullivan to solve some crimes having to do with the opium trade and smuggling in drugs from China.
It appears that in one of the upcoming Bowen books about Murphy he will marry her off to the dashing police captain. When she does, will he lock her into the "guilded cage" and away from her detective work? One of the main themes in the book is about how women in the 19th and early 20th centuries were almost prohibited from working outside the home once they married. Ambitious women had a real dilemma whether to follow affairs of the heart or the mind.
Good read, as usual, from Bowen.
Liz Nichols
Meanwhile, the information she comes up with helps her beau, Police Captain Daniel Sullivan to solve some crimes having to do with the opium trade and smuggling in drugs from China.
It appears that in one of the upcoming Bowen books about Murphy he will marry her off to the dashing police captain. When she does, will he lock her into the "guilded cage" and away from her detective work? One of the main themes in the book is about how women in the 19th and early 20th centuries were almost prohibited from working outside the home once they married. Ambitious women had a real dilemma whether to follow affairs of the heart or the mind.
Good read, as usual, from Bowen.
Liz Nichols
Monday, August 24, 2009
I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming
This is about the 6th novel by Spencer-Fleming, and the experience shows in her ability to spin a gripping and compelling tale and to draw readers in to being concerned about her characters. The author is a multiple award-winner, and deservedly so.
Our heroine, Clare Fergusson, is an Episcopal priest and an Air Force reservist who toward the end of the book gets deployed to Iraq. This put a rather serious delay on the budding romance with the Millers Kill upstate New York Police Chief, Russ Van Alstyne.
The mystery revolves around discovering who is killing Mexican farm workers. It brings out deep-seated prejudice within the community that Clare needs to deal with inside her congregation. These issues are handled sensitively and make this book a more meaningful and deeper read than the average mystery.
I really look forward to reading more Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne mysteries.
Liz Nichols
Our heroine, Clare Fergusson, is an Episcopal priest and an Air Force reservist who toward the end of the book gets deployed to Iraq. This put a rather serious delay on the budding romance with the Millers Kill upstate New York Police Chief, Russ Van Alstyne.
The mystery revolves around discovering who is killing Mexican farm workers. It brings out deep-seated prejudice within the community that Clare needs to deal with inside her congregation. These issues are handled sensitively and make this book a more meaningful and deeper read than the average mystery.
I really look forward to reading more Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne mysteries.
Liz Nichols
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian
This is Michael Zadoorian's second novel. He also has published short stories. Zadoorian lives in the Detroit area, which is where the characters of "The Leisure Seeker," Ella and John Robina, have lived all their lives.
Ella and John now find themselves in their 80s and near the end of their lives. He has moderate Alzheimers and Ella has been told she has end stage cancer. They decide to take one more journey across the country, following Route 66 as much as possible, in their Leisure Seeker camper. Their children and doctors are, of course, opposed.
The book is beautifully written as Ella's observations as they travel from spot to spot, visiting shabby diners and motels, ghost towns, desert byways, and tacky tourist traps from Michigan to their destination, Disneyland in California. Some of the descriptions of sunsets, sunrises, and scenery are breathtaking. The often comical and nonsensical dialogue between Ella and the half-there John are reminders that we each will face issues of growing old. The situations that they get in to on this last journey are both poignant and humorous.
The only thing I don't find as convincing about this book is the voice of the main character, Ella. Her voice is more male than female in many cases, perhaps because of the author's perspective. There are some crusty old broads out there-- like Flo from Mel's Diner or most of the characters that Kathy Bates plays, but most women of Ella's age would find her language and the way she solves problems to be a little offensive. This issue bothered me less as the book went on, but I would say that the book is not for people who expect 80 year old women to be genteel.
With that one caveat, I recommend this book to lovers of travel novels and novels about end of life and old age issues.
Liz Nichols
Ella and John now find themselves in their 80s and near the end of their lives. He has moderate Alzheimers and Ella has been told she has end stage cancer. They decide to take one more journey across the country, following Route 66 as much as possible, in their Leisure Seeker camper. Their children and doctors are, of course, opposed.
The book is beautifully written as Ella's observations as they travel from spot to spot, visiting shabby diners and motels, ghost towns, desert byways, and tacky tourist traps from Michigan to their destination, Disneyland in California. Some of the descriptions of sunsets, sunrises, and scenery are breathtaking. The often comical and nonsensical dialogue between Ella and the half-there John are reminders that we each will face issues of growing old. The situations that they get in to on this last journey are both poignant and humorous.
The only thing I don't find as convincing about this book is the voice of the main character, Ella. Her voice is more male than female in many cases, perhaps because of the author's perspective. There are some crusty old broads out there-- like Flo from Mel's Diner or most of the characters that Kathy Bates plays, but most women of Ella's age would find her language and the way she solves problems to be a little offensive. This issue bothered me less as the book went on, but I would say that the book is not for people who expect 80 year old women to be genteel.
With that one caveat, I recommend this book to lovers of travel novels and novels about end of life and old age issues.
Liz Nichols
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Living the Vida Lola by Misa Ramirez
"Living the Vida Lola" is a first novel by Latina-by-marriage author, Misa Ramirez. Ramirez is a native Californian transplant to Dallas, Texas. This novel inaugurates the Lola Cruz Mystery Series.
Dolores Cruz is a 20-something PI working for the Camacho agency in Sacramento, California. She's a bit of a Stephanie Plum knock-off. The fact that Lola mentions Plum at one point makes it clear that the author has this Evanovich character in mind to some extent. They are similar in age, profession, and similar in the close ethnic family ties that they have. Cruz's 'hood is an older area of Sacramento where she grew up with her Mexican-American family and friends-- and a crush on a non-Latino guy from high school, Jack Callaghan, who is now a Sacramento Bee reporter.
Part of the plot line is the budding romance with Callaghan, and part getting ready for Lola's niece's quinceanera, and the business part is to solve the disappearance and murder of a local woman-- which she does with the help of Jack and a rival PI from her office, Sadie Metcalf.
The character of Lola grew on me, and by the end of the book I was looking forward to the next installment of this mystery series. I like the feisty-ness of this character, and her somewhat unusual value system for a PI. (She does not believe in carrying a gun.)
I did find the book was a little slow to get in to action and the characters got a little confusing at first so it was hard to concentrate on moving quickly from chapter to chapter. The text does not flow as smoothly as the works of more experienced mystery authors, but then, this is a first novel.
There is plenty here to like and to look forward to in future installments.
Liz Nichols
Dolores Cruz is a 20-something PI working for the Camacho agency in Sacramento, California. She's a bit of a Stephanie Plum knock-off. The fact that Lola mentions Plum at one point makes it clear that the author has this Evanovich character in mind to some extent. They are similar in age, profession, and similar in the close ethnic family ties that they have. Cruz's 'hood is an older area of Sacramento where she grew up with her Mexican-American family and friends-- and a crush on a non-Latino guy from high school, Jack Callaghan, who is now a Sacramento Bee reporter.
Part of the plot line is the budding romance with Callaghan, and part getting ready for Lola's niece's quinceanera, and the business part is to solve the disappearance and murder of a local woman-- which she does with the help of Jack and a rival PI from her office, Sadie Metcalf.
The character of Lola grew on me, and by the end of the book I was looking forward to the next installment of this mystery series. I like the feisty-ness of this character, and her somewhat unusual value system for a PI. (She does not believe in carrying a gun.)
I did find the book was a little slow to get in to action and the characters got a little confusing at first so it was hard to concentrate on moving quickly from chapter to chapter. The text does not flow as smoothly as the works of more experienced mystery authors, but then, this is a first novel.
There is plenty here to like and to look forward to in future installments.
Liz Nichols
Monday, July 13, 2009
Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
As those who have been reading this blog for awhile know, I am a fan of Lisa Scottoline. Her work is refreshing because her plots are anything but formulaic. Her characters tend to grab you and hold on. You care about what happens to them.
I certainly enjoyed "Look Again" for all those reasons. I relate to protagonist, Ellen Gleeson, perhaps because of her journalistic career and mindset, but even more so because she is an adoptive mother. We have twins we adopted at 15 months and went through some of the same angst in getting to finalization of the adoption, that Ellen has after the fact-- I can relate well to her feelings of helplessness and uncertainty when she finds out that, if the real parents' rights have not been legally severed, then the adoption is illegal and she has absolutely no rights.
The description of the difference between how custody battles are plaid out in court versus parental rights was a blast from my own past, and the explanation is right on the money. It's a hard distinction for adoptive parents to fathom or accept.
Anyway, fans of Scottoline will love this well written and nail-biting story of a missing child case gone wrong and how that impacts Ellen Gleeson and her son forever.
Liz Nichols
I certainly enjoyed "Look Again" for all those reasons. I relate to protagonist, Ellen Gleeson, perhaps because of her journalistic career and mindset, but even more so because she is an adoptive mother. We have twins we adopted at 15 months and went through some of the same angst in getting to finalization of the adoption, that Ellen has after the fact-- I can relate well to her feelings of helplessness and uncertainty when she finds out that, if the real parents' rights have not been legally severed, then the adoption is illegal and she has absolutely no rights.
The description of the difference between how custody battles are plaid out in court versus parental rights was a blast from my own past, and the explanation is right on the money. It's a hard distinction for adoptive parents to fathom or accept.
Anyway, fans of Scottoline will love this well written and nail-biting story of a missing child case gone wrong and how that impacts Ellen Gleeson and her son forever.
Liz Nichols
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Like me, Joanne Fluke grew up in Minnesota. Her Eden Lake, MN setting triggers so many memories whenever I read her mysteries in the Hannah Swensen Mystery With Recipes series. Eden Lake is a lot like the Lake Minnetonka area of suburban Minneapolis where I grew up, but perhaps a little further out from the Cities...
In this installment Hannah promises family members what she will track down the killer of a long lost Uncle Gus, who comes to visit for the first time in many years for a family reunion at "the lake." He seems like a jerk, and one likely to have had enemies during high school, as well as enemies back in Atlantic city where he runs a club.
On the personal side of things, Hannah begins to recognize that her dentist friend, Norman, is more than a friend, and cop friend, Mike, is only giving lip service to allowing her access to information in order to help solve murder cases. Mike, in fact, is worried that if Hannah knows too much it will jeopardize how well a case can stand up in court. When Hannah realizes that Mike is just humoring her, and also playing the field with other single women in town, it begins to make her choice of beaus a little more obvious.
I always have to ignore the scrumptious recipes in Fluke's books because they are very definitely not on my diet. I can salivate while I read and still get enjoyment from the book.
One minor irritation-- Fluke has been too long in California. She apparently does not realize that Minnesota is on Central time, and only one hour from Eastern. She repeatedly states that there is a two hour time difference between Lake Eden and Atlantic City. Geography is obviously not this author's strong suit-- but her editor should have caught this!
Liz Nichols
In this installment Hannah promises family members what she will track down the killer of a long lost Uncle Gus, who comes to visit for the first time in many years for a family reunion at "the lake." He seems like a jerk, and one likely to have had enemies during high school, as well as enemies back in Atlantic city where he runs a club.
On the personal side of things, Hannah begins to recognize that her dentist friend, Norman, is more than a friend, and cop friend, Mike, is only giving lip service to allowing her access to information in order to help solve murder cases. Mike, in fact, is worried that if Hannah knows too much it will jeopardize how well a case can stand up in court. When Hannah realizes that Mike is just humoring her, and also playing the field with other single women in town, it begins to make her choice of beaus a little more obvious.
I always have to ignore the scrumptious recipes in Fluke's books because they are very definitely not on my diet. I can salivate while I read and still get enjoyment from the book.
One minor irritation-- Fluke has been too long in California. She apparently does not realize that Minnesota is on Central time, and only one hour from Eastern. She repeatedly states that there is a two hour time difference between Lake Eden and Atlantic City. Geography is obviously not this author's strong suit-- but her editor should have caught this!
Liz Nichols
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Where It Lies by K.J. Egan
This mystery by lawyer and adjunct instructor in fiction at Westchester Community College, K. J. Egan, gives a refreshing look at life as a golf pro. It took me back to my childhood when we lived along the 3rd fairway of the Minneapolis Golf Club next door to the club's pro. I enjoyed going out with my mother on her late afternoon practice rounds.
The protagonist, assistant pro, Jenny Chase, is in the middle of preparing to play in her first U.S. Open when she discovers the body of the club's grounds keeper hanging in the golf cart barn. The police declare it a suicide, but Jenny and the grounds keeper's widow are not so sure. There are enough twists and turns in the plot, and enough well-honed character development to keep this book interesting from start to finish. I especially like the kind of relationship Jenny is building with her teenage son as a single mom, and I can empathize having gone through some of the same issues.
The book treats the characters as three dimensional people with real lives beyond what they do for a living. That makes the book so much more interesting and so much easier to identify with than some of the flat, cartoon-like mystery novels that are so prevalent out there.
I found it difficult to put it down and literally flew through this book in two or three days. I look forward to more Jenny Chase mysteries from Egan. I'd like to see Jenny actually make the U.S. Open cut and go out on the circuit in an upcoming book. That would make a great setting for murder.
Liz Nichols
The protagonist, assistant pro, Jenny Chase, is in the middle of preparing to play in her first U.S. Open when she discovers the body of the club's grounds keeper hanging in the golf cart barn. The police declare it a suicide, but Jenny and the grounds keeper's widow are not so sure. There are enough twists and turns in the plot, and enough well-honed character development to keep this book interesting from start to finish. I especially like the kind of relationship Jenny is building with her teenage son as a single mom, and I can empathize having gone through some of the same issues.
The book treats the characters as three dimensional people with real lives beyond what they do for a living. That makes the book so much more interesting and so much easier to identify with than some of the flat, cartoon-like mystery novels that are so prevalent out there.
I found it difficult to put it down and literally flew through this book in two or three days. I look forward to more Jenny Chase mysteries from Egan. I'd like to see Jenny actually make the U.S. Open cut and go out on the circuit in an upcoming book. That would make a great setting for murder.
Liz Nichols
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Brothers of Glastonbury by Kate Sedley
The peddlers in medieval England were among the few, outside of knights and royalty, to see more than a few miles within a radius of the place they were born. Peddlers owed no special allegiances, which makes the character of peddler, Roger Chapman, an ideal one for moving around the country solving mysteries in this series by Sedley.
In this mystery Roger is hired by the Duke of Clarence to take the daughter of one of this vassals to Glastonbury to be married to the girl's cousin, a paper maker. The paper maker was supposed to meet her at the town where the royal entourage is staying, but never made it. Once Roger and his charge get to Glastonbury Roger helps the mother of the missing paper maker and her other son discover what happened to the erstwhile bridegroom. Along the way there is another murder and the solution to a mystery about who is involved in a string of highway robberies in the area.
The mystery is so obvious that it actually makes a good puzzle with an exciting end.
Liz Nichols
In this mystery Roger is hired by the Duke of Clarence to take the daughter of one of this vassals to Glastonbury to be married to the girl's cousin, a paper maker. The paper maker was supposed to meet her at the town where the royal entourage is staying, but never made it. Once Roger and his charge get to Glastonbury Roger helps the mother of the missing paper maker and her other son discover what happened to the erstwhile bridegroom. Along the way there is another murder and the solution to a mystery about who is involved in a string of highway robberies in the area.
The mystery is so obvious that it actually makes a good puzzle with an exciting end.
Liz Nichols
Friday, June 19, 2009
Murder in the Dark by Kerry Greenwood
Greenwood's book is a good companion to the last one I read by Carola Dunn because both are set in the pre-World War II era-- Dunn's in England and Greenwood's in the Melbourne, Australia area. Both use quaint phrases and situations that were unique to that era and those localities. I appreciate the degree of research that went into both books in order to come up with realistic dialogue and situations for these novels. It makes them fun to read, if a little obtuse at time in terms of understanding all the dialogue.
The theme of "Murder in the Dark" is an elaborate, private Last Best Party of 1928 held over four days and nights at the mansion of a rich Australian brother and sister. The games that are played, the costumes and themes for each evening's dinner and entertainment, the music provided by a famous Billie Holiday-like jazz singer, all contribute to the fabric of the story and carry through from chapter to chapter building interest along the way.
The mystery revolves around trying to catch a "Joker" character who has threatened to kill the host and has also kidnapped the adopted son and daughter of the host and hostess. Finding the kids becomes the first priority while following a set of clues each day to get closer and closer to figuring out when and where the Joker will strike. He has also threatened the heroine, Phryne Fisher, a socialite sleuth, who is retained by the host to foil the Joker before it is too late.
The book does contain considerable episodes of drug use and sex, and the author explains that this is historically accurate activity. In the 1920s in Australia recreational drug use was not illegal, and was very common among certain elements of society.
I'd recommend this book for those who like historical mysteries from the 1920s era, and enjoy Australia as a setting.
Liz Nichols
The theme of "Murder in the Dark" is an elaborate, private Last Best Party of 1928 held over four days and nights at the mansion of a rich Australian brother and sister. The games that are played, the costumes and themes for each evening's dinner and entertainment, the music provided by a famous Billie Holiday-like jazz singer, all contribute to the fabric of the story and carry through from chapter to chapter building interest along the way.
The mystery revolves around trying to catch a "Joker" character who has threatened to kill the host and has also kidnapped the adopted son and daughter of the host and hostess. Finding the kids becomes the first priority while following a set of clues each day to get closer and closer to figuring out when and where the Joker will strike. He has also threatened the heroine, Phryne Fisher, a socialite sleuth, who is retained by the host to foil the Joker before it is too late.
The book does contain considerable episodes of drug use and sex, and the author explains that this is historically accurate activity. In the 1920s in Australia recreational drug use was not illegal, and was very common among certain elements of society.
I'd recommend this book for those who like historical mysteries from the 1920s era, and enjoy Australia as a setting.
Liz Nichols
Friday, June 12, 2009
Black Ship by Carola Dunn
It's been awhile since I've read one of Dunn's prolific Daisy Dalrymple Mystery series. I'd forgotten how much I like Daisy and her Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher husband. They make quite a team.
The theme is interesting and fresh. A man who claims to be a U.S. Treasury agent looking for people who are supplying shipments of alcoholic beverages to American crime families during the Prohibition of the 1930's shows up on the Fletcher doorstep in their new Hampstead Heath neighborhood. He's quite bumbling and has had his identity papers, passport and money stolen. Is he a real U.S. agent, or is he mixed up in the murder that very quickly happens in the communal garden on the Fletcher's street? If this Agent Lambert isn't involved, then what do the neighbors and their servants know and what have they seen? Are any of the neighbors involved?
Alec and his team of investigators do the usual thorough and methodical job that Scotland Yard and local bobbies do in Britain to investigate murder-- and they usually get the suspect in the end. It's also fund to see how Daisy interjects herself in the investigative team, and how Alec and his men use her skills without admitting too much publicly how much she helps them out.
Dunn's characters, right down to the minor ones, are always finely drawn and very memorable so it is easy to keep interest and easy to develop strong positive and negative feelings for the people you meet through her books.
The plot also raises a thought-provoking question about the role of British wine merchants in supplying American gangsters with merchandise during the Prohibition Era, and the different viewpoint that the British public had during that time about the use of alcoholic beverages versus that of Americans.
I recommend "Black Ship" for anyone who likes the quaintness of 1920's era British mysteries and that historical period.
The theme is interesting and fresh. A man who claims to be a U.S. Treasury agent looking for people who are supplying shipments of alcoholic beverages to American crime families during the Prohibition of the 1930's shows up on the Fletcher doorstep in their new Hampstead Heath neighborhood. He's quite bumbling and has had his identity papers, passport and money stolen. Is he a real U.S. agent, or is he mixed up in the murder that very quickly happens in the communal garden on the Fletcher's street? If this Agent Lambert isn't involved, then what do the neighbors and their servants know and what have they seen? Are any of the neighbors involved?
Alec and his team of investigators do the usual thorough and methodical job that Scotland Yard and local bobbies do in Britain to investigate murder-- and they usually get the suspect in the end. It's also fund to see how Daisy interjects herself in the investigative team, and how Alec and his men use her skills without admitting too much publicly how much she helps them out.
Dunn's characters, right down to the minor ones, are always finely drawn and very memorable so it is easy to keep interest and easy to develop strong positive and negative feelings for the people you meet through her books.
The plot also raises a thought-provoking question about the role of British wine merchants in supplying American gangsters with merchandise during the Prohibition Era, and the different viewpoint that the British public had during that time about the use of alcoholic beverages versus that of Americans.
I recommend "Black Ship" for anyone who likes the quaintness of 1920's era British mysteries and that historical period.
The Matters at Mansfield by Carrie Bebris
I generally enjoy period mysteries where characters are either real historical figures or characters we came to know and love from 19th century novelists. This is the case with Bebris' take-off on Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park" and the characters Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy.
The problem is, this novel is both plodding and forgettable. I found it difficult to care whether Darcy and his wife solve the mysteries of what has happened to a star-crossed relative's lover, and to others at Mansfield Park.
Instead of following Bebris' "A Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery" I recommend instead, Stephanie Barron's "Jane Austen Mystery" series, which I have always found delightfully in step with the spirit and language of Jane Austen herself.
Liz Nichols
The problem is, this novel is both plodding and forgettable. I found it difficult to care whether Darcy and his wife solve the mysteries of what has happened to a star-crossed relative's lover, and to others at Mansfield Park.
Instead of following Bebris' "A Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery" I recommend instead, Stephanie Barron's "Jane Austen Mystery" series, which I have always found delightfully in step with the spirit and language of Jane Austen herself.
Liz Nichols
Monday, June 1, 2009
Can't Never Tell by Cathy Pickens
This is a little different take on a Southern U.S. cozy mystery. It is set in a small town in northern South Carolina and is infused with the flavor of the rural, deep south. The heroine is a small town lawyer who had worked for a time as a law professor and is just getting used to small town politics and people again.
She gets embroiled in two potential murders when she finds a skeleton at a fun house at a county fair and then witnesses another victim falling off a cliff at a local falls on a family picnic. Both mysteries are woven effectively into the plot lines of the book. It is fun to get to know this character, Avery Andrews, and I'll enjoy getting to know her better in more editions of A Southern Fried Mystery series.
The author, Cathy Pickens, is an attorney and university professor in the law school at Queens University of Charlotte. She grew up in South Carolina, so she is very familiar with the territory.
Liz Nichols
She gets embroiled in two potential murders when she finds a skeleton at a fun house at a county fair and then witnesses another victim falling off a cliff at a local falls on a family picnic. Both mysteries are woven effectively into the plot lines of the book. It is fun to get to know this character, Avery Andrews, and I'll enjoy getting to know her better in more editions of A Southern Fried Mystery series.
The author, Cathy Pickens, is an attorney and university professor in the law school at Queens University of Charlotte. She grew up in South Carolina, so she is very familiar with the territory.
Liz Nichols
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Oolong Dead by Laura Childs
This is the tenth in the Tea Shop Mysteries series. Childs is also the author of the Scrapbooking Mysteries and the new Cackleberry Club Mysteries. I've read samplings of the Scrapbooking series, set in New Orleans, but this is the first time I've picked up one of Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries. I've been missing out.
For one the setting for this charming series is Charleston, SC, one of the world's most beautiful and atmospheric cities. Childs does a terrific job of weaving in Charleston locations and lore in this novel, and I'm sure the same is true of the earlier ones. Secondly, her characters are as likable and interesting as the setting. Third, I happen to be a tea lover, so I can relate to issues of running the Indigo Tea Shop and making the tea, scones and tea sandwiches featured in the book. The main character, Theodosia Browning, is likable and interesting.
I can't say that the plot is all that original or believable. In fact, it is quite contrived. But the characters and description of the location make up for it in a way and I was compelled to read the book in only a couple of sittings.
I plan on checking out more in the Tea Shop series and drinking in a little more Charleston atmosphere.
Liz Nichols
For one the setting for this charming series is Charleston, SC, one of the world's most beautiful and atmospheric cities. Childs does a terrific job of weaving in Charleston locations and lore in this novel, and I'm sure the same is true of the earlier ones. Secondly, her characters are as likable and interesting as the setting. Third, I happen to be a tea lover, so I can relate to issues of running the Indigo Tea Shop and making the tea, scones and tea sandwiches featured in the book. The main character, Theodosia Browning, is likable and interesting.
I can't say that the plot is all that original or believable. In fact, it is quite contrived. But the characters and description of the location make up for it in a way and I was compelled to read the book in only a couple of sittings.
I plan on checking out more in the Tea Shop series and drinking in a little more Charleston atmosphere.
Liz Nichols
Monday, May 11, 2009
Bordeaux by Paul Torday
"Bordeaux" is quite a unique and extraordinary novel by the author of "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen," Paul Torday. This is my first experience reading this author and I look forward to reading more by him.
The way this novel is structured is one of the unique elements, as well as the way the author plumbs the depths of the psyche of the main character, Frank Wilberforce. Each section of the book goes back a year in time. So the in the first section, 2006, we find out that Wilberforce is in seriously ill-health due to alcoholism and still in denial about his habit. It does not seem as if he has more than a few months to live, and may already have suffered irreversible dementia and other damage as a result of a 4 bottles of wine per day habit that has gone on for around 3 years. That first part is really quite painful to read, especially for anyone who likes to drink wine regularly.
The earlier chapters are easier to read because the first person chronicle makes a little more sense to the reader. Still, one catches Wilberforce in a tangle of illogical thinking and self-lies that become his reality over time. By the time one reads the last section, for the year 2002, it is easy to put all the puzzle pieces together to see how Wilberforce ends up the way he does.
This is not a particularly enjoyable book to read, but it is an instructional cautionary tale and one that could well save lives for current alcoholics and their friends and family.
Liz Nichols
The way this novel is structured is one of the unique elements, as well as the way the author plumbs the depths of the psyche of the main character, Frank Wilberforce. Each section of the book goes back a year in time. So the in the first section, 2006, we find out that Wilberforce is in seriously ill-health due to alcoholism and still in denial about his habit. It does not seem as if he has more than a few months to live, and may already have suffered irreversible dementia and other damage as a result of a 4 bottles of wine per day habit that has gone on for around 3 years. That first part is really quite painful to read, especially for anyone who likes to drink wine regularly.
The earlier chapters are easier to read because the first person chronicle makes a little more sense to the reader. Still, one catches Wilberforce in a tangle of illogical thinking and self-lies that become his reality over time. By the time one reads the last section, for the year 2002, it is easy to put all the puzzle pieces together to see how Wilberforce ends up the way he does.
This is not a particularly enjoyable book to read, but it is an instructional cautionary tale and one that could well save lives for current alcoholics and their friends and family.
Liz Nichols
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton
This is Bolton's first novel, and she promises to be a mainstay of British thrillers for a long time to come.
The author blurb indicates that the novel is borne out of Bolton's fascination for British folklore, and the basis for this book is a blood curdling folktale from the Shetland Islands that goes back to the Viking heritage of the isles. The heroine, obstetrician, Tora Hamilton, is a transplant from the mainland who moves to the Shetlands with her native born husband, Duncan Guthrie and discovers while trying to bury her fallen horse on their newly purchased farm a dead body of a woman who has both recently given birth and had her heart torn out from her body while she was still alive. Naturally, this sets off a forensic hunt for the killer or killers.
The frigid land and reserved people are finely drawn in this chilling tale. It is hard to know who to trust and whether most of the people Tora meets are in on a huge conspiracy to hide an ancient, bloody practice.
I must confess this book was hard to put down and I read it cover to cover in only two or three sittings, ignoring all kinds of other things I should have been doing.
This book is not for the squeamish, but those who can stomach a little gore will be well rewarded by the intrigue and twists and turns in the plot.
I can't wait for more by this new British author.
Liz Nichols
The author blurb indicates that the novel is borne out of Bolton's fascination for British folklore, and the basis for this book is a blood curdling folktale from the Shetland Islands that goes back to the Viking heritage of the isles. The heroine, obstetrician, Tora Hamilton, is a transplant from the mainland who moves to the Shetlands with her native born husband, Duncan Guthrie and discovers while trying to bury her fallen horse on their newly purchased farm a dead body of a woman who has both recently given birth and had her heart torn out from her body while she was still alive. Naturally, this sets off a forensic hunt for the killer or killers.
The frigid land and reserved people are finely drawn in this chilling tale. It is hard to know who to trust and whether most of the people Tora meets are in on a huge conspiracy to hide an ancient, bloody practice.
I must confess this book was hard to put down and I read it cover to cover in only two or three sittings, ignoring all kinds of other things I should have been doing.
This book is not for the squeamish, but those who can stomach a little gore will be well rewarded by the intrigue and twists and turns in the plot.
I can't wait for more by this new British author.
Liz Nichols
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Stealing Athena by Karen Essex
This is the kind of book I thoroughly enjoy from first page to last. It takes a small historical fact and builds a story around it that is, at least, plausible, if not in every detail true. I came away feeling I knew a lot more about both the British Georgian empire-building period and the Age of Pericles when the Parthenon was built.
The two simultaneous stories take the "diplomatic" coup of British Earl of Elgin in bringing to Great Britain a number of the frieses and columns from the Parthenon during his stay as Ambassador to Turkey. Despite what we may feel about the appropriateness of taking another country's artifacts, during the Napoleonic period it was really a matter of seeing them destroyed by the French or the Turkish, or taking possession of as many artifacts as possible for Great Britain.
The heroine of the 19th century part of the tale is Mary, Countess of Elgin, who was a trail-blazer as a woman in diplomatic circles within an Islamic country and managed to charm both men and women among the Turkish. Without her persistence and charming, and culturally sensitive social skills, her husband would never have been able to pull off the artistic and cultural feat of bringing so much of Greek antiquity to Great Britain.
The additional, and more speculative story, is that of Aspasia, the mistress of Pericles, who may have been the inspiration for the face of Athena at the Parthenon. This ancient story is not exploited in as much detail, but we do get a flavor of the Greek world in the Age of Pericles and the role of women during that time.
I strongly recommend this title for anyone who enjoys historical fiction for either the Napoleonic period, Ottoman Empire history or the history of the Greek Golden Age.
The two simultaneous stories take the "diplomatic" coup of British Earl of Elgin in bringing to Great Britain a number of the frieses and columns from the Parthenon during his stay as Ambassador to Turkey. Despite what we may feel about the appropriateness of taking another country's artifacts, during the Napoleonic period it was really a matter of seeing them destroyed by the French or the Turkish, or taking possession of as many artifacts as possible for Great Britain.
The heroine of the 19th century part of the tale is Mary, Countess of Elgin, who was a trail-blazer as a woman in diplomatic circles within an Islamic country and managed to charm both men and women among the Turkish. Without her persistence and charming, and culturally sensitive social skills, her husband would never have been able to pull off the artistic and cultural feat of bringing so much of Greek antiquity to Great Britain.
The additional, and more speculative story, is that of Aspasia, the mistress of Pericles, who may have been the inspiration for the face of Athena at the Parthenon. This ancient story is not exploited in as much detail, but we do get a flavor of the Greek world in the Age of Pericles and the role of women during that time.
I strongly recommend this title for anyone who enjoys historical fiction for either the Napoleonic period, Ottoman Empire history or the history of the Greek Golden Age.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
A Job to Kill For by Janice Kaplan
I'm back to the meat and potatoes of the books I normally read-- mysteries with Kaplan's "A Job to Kill For."
The heroine is interior decorator to a panoply of Los Angeles stars and business executives, and wife of a successful plastic surgeon, Lacy Field. When her college sorority sister and friend, Molly Archer, is accused of murdering the wife of her business partner, Roger Crawford, she asks Lacy Fields to investigate. The cops are sure Archer is having an affair with the husband, though she denies it and Field believes her.
What is absorbing about the book are the variety of suspects interwoven into the plot so that it is not easy to just guess at the real murderer. What I find tiresome is the contant product name dropping that Lacy does. Of course, as an interior decorator she is going to be detail oriented and very familiar with the best name brand merchandise. The book comes across as a running commercial for Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, any number of movies and stars as if just mentioning them in the book is going to make the author commissions. Maybe it does...
Anyway, the commercialism gets tiring even though it helps to set the context for this book and the lives of these characters.
Still, I kept reading for the plot, even though I must confess I could not identify with these characters, and I really did not care what happened to them. I think I might pass on this series in the future in favor of books with more likeable and complex characters.
Liz Nichols
The heroine is interior decorator to a panoply of Los Angeles stars and business executives, and wife of a successful plastic surgeon, Lacy Field. When her college sorority sister and friend, Molly Archer, is accused of murdering the wife of her business partner, Roger Crawford, she asks Lacy Fields to investigate. The cops are sure Archer is having an affair with the husband, though she denies it and Field believes her.
What is absorbing about the book are the variety of suspects interwoven into the plot so that it is not easy to just guess at the real murderer. What I find tiresome is the contant product name dropping that Lacy does. Of course, as an interior decorator she is going to be detail oriented and very familiar with the best name brand merchandise. The book comes across as a running commercial for Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, any number of movies and stars as if just mentioning them in the book is going to make the author commissions. Maybe it does...
Anyway, the commercialism gets tiring even though it helps to set the context for this book and the lives of these characters.
Still, I kept reading for the plot, even though I must confess I could not identify with these characters, and I really did not care what happened to them. I think I might pass on this series in the future in favor of books with more likeable and complex characters.
Liz Nichols
Friday, April 17, 2009
Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper
Harper is known as the bestselling author of "The Last Boleyn," so her credentials in historical fiction are well established. The latest book does not disappoint.
This is as close as we can know to the "real" story behind "Shakespeare in Love." If you liked the movie, you'll love the book. The author makes every effort to be historically accurate. She seems to take few literary liberties, and this is the kind of history that is easy to turn into colorful fiction.
Essentially, the historical fragments back up the story that William Shakespeare had a second wife with whom he grew up and married before his "shot gun" marriage to pregnant out of wedlock, Anne Hathaway. It appears that Shakespeare and his first wife lived separate lives, but were close through most of their lives. Anne Whateley supported herself by keeping the books and eventually taking over her father's transport business. She spent most of her time in London, where Shakespeare settled also.
The author contends that Anne Hathaway tacitly accepted this arrangement, just as long as she and her children were economically supported to their liking by the Bard.
Interesting read. I devoured it in a couple sittings.
Liz Nichols
This is as close as we can know to the "real" story behind "Shakespeare in Love." If you liked the movie, you'll love the book. The author makes every effort to be historically accurate. She seems to take few literary liberties, and this is the kind of history that is easy to turn into colorful fiction.
Essentially, the historical fragments back up the story that William Shakespeare had a second wife with whom he grew up and married before his "shot gun" marriage to pregnant out of wedlock, Anne Hathaway. It appears that Shakespeare and his first wife lived separate lives, but were close through most of their lives. Anne Whateley supported herself by keeping the books and eventually taking over her father's transport business. She spent most of her time in London, where Shakespeare settled also.
The author contends that Anne Hathaway tacitly accepted this arrangement, just as long as she and her children were economically supported to their liking by the Bard.
Interesting read. I devoured it in a couple sittings.
Liz Nichols
Friday, March 27, 2009
Damage Control by J.A. Jance
It's been awhile since I've posted here. I have been busy creating an ebook for a client and have gotten behind in a lot of things, including my reading and blog posting.
J.A. Jance is one of my favorite authors. She is prolific, but her stories never get old. She has a unique way of telling them just like they happened in real time to her characters. Her last book may have taken place just hours before the new one, or sometimes years. While one story does not depend on having read the last, everything is connected by the details in the life design of her characters.
This particular series is from the Joanna Brady series. She has a new hurdle in life as the mother of a newborn. She has a stay-at-home spouse who takes care of things at home, but he is chomping at the bit to get out and publicize his new book. They test out the grandparents to determine it they can cope with babysitting and settle on a family that has lost its trailer home to a fire.
As usual, Jance weaves two or three murders and other suspicious acts into the plot. Resolving things is just all in a day's work on the part of Brady and her sheriff's deputies.
This is must read for any Jance fan.
Liz Nichols
J.A. Jance is one of my favorite authors. She is prolific, but her stories never get old. She has a unique way of telling them just like they happened in real time to her characters. Her last book may have taken place just hours before the new one, or sometimes years. While one story does not depend on having read the last, everything is connected by the details in the life design of her characters.
This particular series is from the Joanna Brady series. She has a new hurdle in life as the mother of a newborn. She has a stay-at-home spouse who takes care of things at home, but he is chomping at the bit to get out and publicize his new book. They test out the grandparents to determine it they can cope with babysitting and settle on a family that has lost its trailer home to a fire.
As usual, Jance weaves two or three murders and other suspicious acts into the plot. Resolving things is just all in a day's work on the part of Brady and her sheriff's deputies.
This is must read for any Jance fan.
Liz Nichols
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker
This is the kind of hard-biting police thriller that appeals more often to men than to women. For that reason, I have not often picked up a Parker novel. It is, however, a fast read, and it is certainly very well written of its genre.
"Stranger in Paradise" reads more like a script for a TV thriller than a novel. There is lots of crisp, succinct dialog and not much descriptive connective tissue between the sequences of dialog.
The book is one in the series about Police Chief, Jesse Stone of Paradise, Massachusetts, who meets up for the first time in 10 years with a full-blooded Apache who hires out as a hit man, Wilson Cromartie. These strange bedfellows team up to protect a teenage girl from her gangster boyfriend and her organized crime boss father. In the process the girl's mother and lots of bad guys get killed. It is a little hard to feel sympathetic with the victims or most of the main characters.
Somehow the police chief manages to look the other way, as if, the ends justify the means, in ridding the world of gangsters without the benefit of trial. It's also ok to have guiltless sex with no strings attached.
While I prefer my fiction to have a little more descriptive and thematic content, I guess reading this book was at least as enriching as spending an evening watching the latest crime-buster series on TV.
Liz Nichols
"Stranger in Paradise" reads more like a script for a TV thriller than a novel. There is lots of crisp, succinct dialog and not much descriptive connective tissue between the sequences of dialog.
The book is one in the series about Police Chief, Jesse Stone of Paradise, Massachusetts, who meets up for the first time in 10 years with a full-blooded Apache who hires out as a hit man, Wilson Cromartie. These strange bedfellows team up to protect a teenage girl from her gangster boyfriend and her organized crime boss father. In the process the girl's mother and lots of bad guys get killed. It is a little hard to feel sympathetic with the victims or most of the main characters.
Somehow the police chief manages to look the other way, as if, the ends justify the means, in ridding the world of gangsters without the benefit of trial. It's also ok to have guiltless sex with no strings attached.
While I prefer my fiction to have a little more descriptive and thematic content, I guess reading this book was at least as enriching as spending an evening watching the latest crime-buster series on TV.
Liz Nichols
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Doggie Day Care Murder by Laurien Berenson
I seem to be on a dog story kick these days, having recently completed "The Art of Racing in the Rain" and "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" in the not too distant past. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for books that have animals among the cast of characters. Animals have such distinctive personalities that can be exploited under the power of the pen as easily as those of humans.
At any rate, the is the first Laurien Berenson mystery I've read and I'll probably go back and read others in her "Melanie Travis Mystery" series. The heroine is a teacher who is on leave after giving birth to her second son. Juggling a young family is part of the story line in this book, although Melanie does manage to get herself in the deepest do-do while her spouse is minding the kids.
In this book Melanie is kajoled into helping the owner of a doggie day care discover who killed her brother and partner in the day care business. There are the usual cast of suspects-- the maintenance guy, the sister/partner, the silent partner, and a variety of jealous husbands from the dead guy's amourous misadventures.
I can't say this is the most amusing or the best written mystery of all time, but it is amusing enough to keep me reading and wanting to read more of Melanie Travis' sleuth stories.
Liz Nichols
At any rate, the is the first Laurien Berenson mystery I've read and I'll probably go back and read others in her "Melanie Travis Mystery" series. The heroine is a teacher who is on leave after giving birth to her second son. Juggling a young family is part of the story line in this book, although Melanie does manage to get herself in the deepest do-do while her spouse is minding the kids.
In this book Melanie is kajoled into helping the owner of a doggie day care discover who killed her brother and partner in the day care business. There are the usual cast of suspects-- the maintenance guy, the sister/partner, the silent partner, and a variety of jealous husbands from the dead guy's amourous misadventures.
I can't say this is the most amusing or the best written mystery of all time, but it is amusing enough to keep me reading and wanting to read more of Melanie Travis' sleuth stories.
Liz Nichols
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
I've read some very fine novels in the past couple months, and Garth Stein's "The Art of Racing in the Rain" is no exception. Stein does a masterful job of using a dog as his narrator, a very wise dog, I must admit. This dog, Enzo, reflects on his life and his family on the last day of his life.
Enzo, educated by watching TV while his people are away, and by being taken on a variety of adventures with his race car driving master, believes firmly that he will become a man in his next reincarnation. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that dogs do not have an opposable thumb, they might be able to do a variety of human tasks already.
Enzo witnesses the struggles of his master's family while the wife goes through fatal brain cancer and the venemnous way the wife's parents go about taking their granddaughter away from Enzo's master. It is a heart-wrenching story that many people will be able to relate to on many different levels.
This is one of those books that will continue to define the best of American fiction writing for years to come.
Liz Nichols
Enzo, educated by watching TV while his people are away, and by being taken on a variety of adventures with his race car driving master, believes firmly that he will become a man in his next reincarnation. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that dogs do not have an opposable thumb, they might be able to do a variety of human tasks already.
Enzo witnesses the struggles of his master's family while the wife goes through fatal brain cancer and the venemnous way the wife's parents go about taking their granddaughter away from Enzo's master. It is a heart-wrenching story that many people will be able to relate to on many different levels.
This is one of those books that will continue to define the best of American fiction writing for years to come.
Liz Nichols
Monday, January 12, 2009
"Santa Clawed" by Rita Mae Brown
"Santa Clawed" is the 18th collaboration between Rita Mae Brown and her very wise cat, Sneaky Pie, in the Mrs. Murphy Series. This is one of those tried and true mystery series that you are always glad to read because you get to spend time with old friends in the process.
Harry Haristeen, her veterinarian husband, Fair, and their assortment of four-legged sleuths are always pleasant to revisit every few months.
The latest was published just in time for the Christmas season, and is set in the Haristeen's home town of Crozet, Virgina during the busy holiday preparations. A Christian brother is murdered at his order's Christmas tree lot, and there are eventually additional murders to turn the monastery and the town a little sour on the Christmas spirit.
As usual, Tucker the dog and his cat friends discover the murderer before their humans do. It's always interesting to to see how the animals get the message across to their owner when she is in the presence of one of the bad guys. The brave cats and dog always prevail.
A great holiday season read.
Liz Nichols
Harry Haristeen, her veterinarian husband, Fair, and their assortment of four-legged sleuths are always pleasant to revisit every few months.
The latest was published just in time for the Christmas season, and is set in the Haristeen's home town of Crozet, Virgina during the busy holiday preparations. A Christian brother is murdered at his order's Christmas tree lot, and there are eventually additional murders to turn the monastery and the town a little sour on the Christmas spirit.
As usual, Tucker the dog and his cat friends discover the murderer before their humans do. It's always interesting to to see how the animals get the message across to their owner when she is in the presence of one of the bad guys. The brave cats and dog always prevail.
A great holiday season read.
Liz Nichols
Monday, January 5, 2009
"A Royal Pain" by Rhys Bowen
One of my favorite new series Rhys Bowen's "A Royal Spyness Mystery" featuring the Lady Georgiana Rannock. In this second of the series our heroine is saddled with entertaining a royal princess from Bavaria at the Queen's behest. The Queen hopes that this young royal, who has just come out of convent school, will attract the attention of her son, David, and get him out of the clutches of Wallace Simpson. (Well, we know how successful that was.)
I like novels set in this particular period in history. With the depression and political upheaval in Europe, there's lots to add to the backdrop of this story. The first in the series concentrated a great deal on the mores of post-Victorian England. While this book continues to focus on the differences between the classes in Britain, it adds the political intrigue of the rise of communism and facism to the plot of this book.
A jolly good read for those who like English cozys and Rhys Bowen's work.
Liz Nichols
I like novels set in this particular period in history. With the depression and political upheaval in Europe, there's lots to add to the backdrop of this story. The first in the series concentrated a great deal on the mores of post-Victorian England. While this book continues to focus on the differences between the classes in Britain, it adds the political intrigue of the rise of communism and facism to the plot of this book.
A jolly good read for those who like English cozys and Rhys Bowen's work.
Liz Nichols
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