Audio Reviews: The Jackson Brodie series by Kate Atkinson

Author: Kate Atkinson
Publisher/Format: BBC Audio America, 10 discs-11 hours, 312 page equivalent
Year of publication: 2008
Narrator: Susan Jameson
Subject: Three different crimes separated by years
Setting: Cambridge,England
Series: Jackson Brodie Mysteries
Genre: mystery- detective fiction
Source: public library


Author: Kate Atkinson
Publisher/Format: BBC Audio America, 12 discs-14 hours, 448 page equivalent
Year of publication: 2006
Narrator: Steven Crossley
Subject: seemingly random unrelated incidents of murder
Setting: Edinburgh Scotland
Series: Jackson Brodie Mysteries
Genre: mystery- detective fiction
Source: public library


This series has a lot to like about it.  I had just gotten the 4th in the series Started Early Took My Dog for our library, and was intrigued by the jacket blurb.  I really dislike starting a series in the middle, so I hunted down the 1st two to see if they might be worthy of including in our collection.  Since I needed some audios to get me through a couple of cooking/sewing projects this summer, these two really met the challenge.  They are intricately plotted, but somewhat hard to follow in the beginning.  In both volumes, Atkinson weaves together a series of seemingly unrelated characters and murders that leave the reader asking "where is this going?" until about half-way through each book.  The head scratching is well worth the wait however because not only do the stories mesh together, along the way we meet a cast of wonderfully eccentric and engaging characters who hold our interest and pull us toward their personal conclusions.

In Case Histories, Jackson becomes involved in a cold case of a missing toddler, another of a dead teenager, and an ax murder.  I don't want to spoil the delicious way Atkinson pulls Brodie through all of these with their reluctant witnesses, missing evidence, etc. so I won't reveal too much more about the story line or characters.  I especially like her borderline risquè sense of humor, her tartly funny remarks emerging from the most unusual characters, and Jackson's seemingly lackluster enthusiasm for some of the rigors of the cases.

In One Good Turn, we see Jackson continuing a relation that was only a glint in the first book, as he follows (somewhat begrudgingly?) his now lady friend to Edinburgh so she can participate in an acting festival.  He whiles away the time that she is in rehearsals by blundering onto a dead body, and then spends the rest of the book walking a tightrope between wanting to be totalling uninvolved in solving the crime, (he's on vacation after all!) and in wanting to take over the investigation completely.  His prickly personality and on-again/off-again motivation makes for a true page turner and some uproarious chuckles.  Again, the reader has to pay attention to be sure not to miss any of the many many clues Atkinson strews throughout, but that concentration is well worth the effort in the end.

Normally, I really enjoy audios, but I'm daring to say these are better read in print at first, unless you have exceptional powers of remembering who is who.  The audios done by BBC America were spot on, and easy to listen to, but I think being able to flip back and forth would be a definite advantage to the first time reader of either of these.  Susan  Jameson and Steven Crossly did a first rate job of bringing these doty characters to life so if you like audio, do give them a try, but maybe with a dog-earred paperback next to you for easy referral.   I don't necessarily see that they have to be read in order either, so my advice is to find any of the four in the series, grab a chair and settle back for a great and fun detective story.

PS...I think I'm going to be adding at least one more of these to our collection at the library.

Review: "U" is for Undertow

Author: Sue Grafton
Format: audio - 11 discs (14 hrs), 403 pg equivalent
Narrator: Judy Kaye
Subject: private detective working cold case
Setting: Santa Teresa California (fictional town)
Series:  Kinsey Milhone private detective (Aka Sue Grafton alphabet mysteries)
Genre: detective fiction
Source: public library audio download
Challenge:Support your local library, audio books

I hadn't read a Sue Grafton in several years and was pleasantly surprised by the well-crafted story in this one.  Kinsey Milhone, a divorced, living alone private investigator, is confronted with a cold case and a possible material witness when the police aren't quite sure it's worth pursuing - yet.  By weaving together the back stories of the major players in the crime with the current search for what really happened, Grafton gives us a more complex mystery than some of the earlier ones in the series.

All the regulars are still present-landlord Henry, bistro proprietress Rosie, and detective Chaney Phillips; Kinsey still lives over Henry's garage, still runs most mornings, still eats quarter-pounders with cheese, and still grouses about life in general but wouldn't change a lick of it.

Essentially (NO SPOILERS), this is the story of a young man who 'remembers' seeing what he believes to have been the burial of a kidnapped but never found young girl--of course he saw this on his 6th birthday and he's now 18!  No wonder the police aren't sure they want to believe him.  Kinsey helps him sort through the memories, and goes on---of course---to unearth and solve the case. Nuf said.  A great read.

Review: Blunt Darts

Author: Jeremiah Healy
Format: hardcover 192 pages
Characters: John Francis Cuddy
Subject : search for a missing teenager 
Setting: Boston and surrounding towns
Series: John Francis Cuddy
Genre: detective fiction
Source: public library
Challenge: Support your local library; Thrillers, Suspense and Mysteries

I read this for a mystery book club discussion.  It's a delightful, well-written example of pure detective fiction.  As the first one of the genre I read after reading P.D. James' book, I really had fun as some of her comments resonated about how such novels are constructed.  There are likable characters, believable plot twists, and enough of the Boston setting to make it quite enjoyable. Basically, John Francis Cuddy, private detective, is hired to find a missing 14 yr old boy, Stephen Kinnington.  Stephen's grandmother is the person doing the hiring, as the boy's father, Judge Kinnington seems to want the lid put on the boy's disappearance, does not seem anxious to find him, and everyone in the town is afraid of His Honor.

Cuddy's search lands him in some unfortunate scrapes as the judge's talons reach further and further, but he is determined to find the boy.  No spoilers, but it's a quick read, easy to follow, not at all banal example of good detective writing. As the first of over a dozen in the series, it has whetted my appetite for more of this gentleman's detecting.

Review: Talking About Detective Fiction

Author: P.D. James
Format: hardback 196 pages
Subject: writing crime fiction
Genre: non-fiction
Source: public library

A short, readable treatise on the history, structure, and importance of detective fiction written by one of the genre's best practitioners. P.D. James, at the age of 90 has more than a few decades of successful crime writing to her credit. In this easy to understand book she reviews what works and why, features the best of the Golden Age of detective fiction --defined as between the two world wars-- and goes on to opine about where the genre is heading in the future.

She gives us quotes from other critics and writers; she explains how she develops her stories; she offers her thoughts on which is more important-setting, plot, or characters. There is a delightful chapter about four of the women who were the stars of the Golden Age-Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh.

In explaining why this is such an important form of the novel, she writes:

The classical detective story is the most paradoxical of the popular literary forms. The story has at its heart the crime of murder, often in its most horrific and violent form, yet we read the novels primarily for entertainment, a comforting even cozy relief from the anxieties, problems and irritations of everyday life. (pg. 175)

 She certainly validated my love of the genre when she ended by saying:

Our planet has always been a dangerous, violent and mysterious habitation for humankind and we all are adept at creating those pleasures and comforts, large and small, sometimes dangerous and destructive, which offer at least temporary relief from the inevitable tensions and anxieties of contemporary life.  A love of detective fiction is certainly among the least harmful.  We do not expect popular literature to be great literature, but fiction which provides excitement, mystery and humour also ministers to essential human needs. (pg. 195)

Well worth reading for any lover of crime or detective fiction.

Review: Death in a Strange Country

Author: Donna Leon
Format: 8 discs (9+ hrs), 304 page equivalent
Characters: Guido & Paola Brunetti, assorted cops and criminals
Subject: murder, corruption
Setting: Venice and environs
Series: Commissario Brunetti
Genre: detective fiction
Source: public library
Challenge: Audio Books, Support your public library


In this episode of the Commissario Brunetti series, Guido Brunetti is called to investigate the body of an American soldier found floating in the canals of Venice.  The soldier is stationed at Vicenza, over an hours train ride away.  Brunetti feels he is not getting honest answers from the Americans he interviews, and feels he is being rushed to come up with a 'death by mugging' verdict that doesn't seem to fit. At the same time, he is also called to deal with the 'theft' of three priceless paintings from a wealthy business man's palazzo.  Eyewitness accounts of the crime don't seem to match the victim's account.

And the plot gets messier and murkier.  NO SPOILERS.  It's a great mystery, with compassionate, intelligent, educated and urbane characters.  Leon gives us an inside look at corruption at all levels of the justice system, as well as poignant vignettes of regional dialects and characters. This series reminds me quite a bit of Leighton Gage's series featuring Inspector Mario Silva. Both Silva and Brunetti are well-educated and almost aristocratic in their thinking, but at the same time they are entirely sympathetic and caring about all the people on whose behalf they are supposed to be fighting crime. Another detective that comes to mind in this same vein is Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley. The Brunetti series is fast becoming my favorite, and I'm already trying to figure out how I'm going to get to Venice to visit the scene.

My only minus to this particular audio was the narrator.  I have listened to several others in this series all done by David Colacci, but this one was done by Anna Fields and while I've been pleased with other books she's read, her voice just didn't do it for me on this one.  Brunetti is a macho hunky male, and part of the joy of listening to these has been Colacci's wonderful ability to use Italian dialect and accents for all of Leon's diverse characters.  The female voice detracted from the story for me, but it is a measure of Leon's great writing that it didn't deter me from finishing it.  I even got in an extra 20 minutes in the pool because I wanted to finish listening to it!

Review: The Case of the Missing Servant

Author: Tarquin  Hall
Format: audio book 8 hrs, 23 minutes, equivalent 340  pgs
Characters: Vish Puri, Rumpie, Tubelight, Facecream, Flush
Subject: solving crime in India (non-fiction)
Setting: modern day India
Series: Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator Series
Genre: mystery - private detective
Source: Overdrive download from public library
Challenge: Support your local library, Thrillers and Suspense, Audio  Books

I thoroughly enjoyed this one.  The author manages to take a basic mystery cozy format and give us a well drawn portrait of life in modern day India by contrasting the lives of haves and have-nots.  Vish Puri is a fascinating, intelligent, well-educated, detective who lives with his "Mummie-ji" (think Grandma Mazur from Janet Evanovitch), his wife Rumpie (she calls him "Chubbie" and tries unsuccessfully to regulate his caloric intake) and several servants who are well paid and well treated.

Puri's office crew all have wonderfully descriptive nicknames (they call him "Boss") -Tubelight, Flush, Facecream-- and they go about helping him not only serve a large clientele of parents researching prospective spouses for the arranged marriages so common in India, but also helping to prove the innocence of a famous lawyer accused of the murder of his servant Mary who has disappeared.  The family only knows her name was Mary and she was not from their town.  No last name, no picture, no registration papers, etc.  Puri smells a rat and goes about trying to find Mary (how many gazaillion women in India are named Mary?) find out if she was murdered, and if so, who did it.

The portrait of India reminded me of Alexander McCall Smith's loving portrait of Botswana in the 1st Ladies Detective Agency series.  Vish Puri is a believable, likeable detective and readers should hope that more of his adventures are forthcoming.

Review: A Fatal Grace

Author: Louise Penny
Format: audio -8 discs (10 hrs), 368 pages equivalent
Characters: Armand Gamache, Jean Guy Beauvoir
Subject: murder in a small town
Setting: Three Pines, outside Montreal
Series: The Three Pines Mysteries
Genre: mystery, detectives
Source: public library audio book



Once again, Louise Penny takes us to that idyllic village in the Pines outside Montreal, where we all want to go on our vacation to experience the beauty, the quiet, the inhabitants whom we are beginning to regard now as friends.  In this 2nd of the Three Pines Mystery series, we even begin to like that eccentric old lady Ruth, the poet, the head of the volunteer fire department.

Inspector Gamache and his team must find out who killed a woman who was electrocuted on a frozen pond while watching the town's annual Boxing Day curling match.

The fact that absolutely no one in the town liked the victim, or even seemed to know much about her, makes the job even harder.  Penny is beginning to hit her stride in this one, as she offers us several different possibilities for the perpetrator, introduces some new characters, and expands on the character of Armand Gamache that we met in her first book "Still Life."

When we finally figure it out (or did we?) there's still several chapters left, and we find perhaps we didn't get it right after all.

I listened to this in audio and it's such a treat to hear the bi-lingual give and take, the elegance of the Quebecois as they go about day to day life.  To read (or listen) to these books is to fall in love with characters, a town, a region. I can't wait to read more.


Challenge: Supoort Your Local Library, Audio books, Thrillers Suspence and Mystery

Mini-Review: The Black Echo

By now most of the literate western world is aware of Michael Connelly's Harry (Heronimous) Bosch-- a rugged individualist with great detective instincts.  I finally got around to reading him last fall when I got an ARC of The Brass Verdict and decided I wanted to go back to the beginning of this fascinating character.  Black Echo is the first of what is now up to fifteen adventures.

With still vivid memories of his days serving in Vietnam, Bosch is called to investigate the murder of someone who served with him. In a plot with many twists, and indelible characters who keep us guessing as to who is on which side of good or bad, Connelly presents us with a protagonist who shows humanity along with ingenuity. Paired with a female FBI agent, Bosch is soon on the trail of bank robbers who seem to be tied to his homicide victim. There are Internal Affairs investigators, pompous Police Captains, and officious FBI operatives, but somehow Connelly avoids stereotyping. Definitely recommended.



Challenges: , Audio Books, Thrillers Suspense, Support Your Local Library

Review: Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin

Title: Tooth and Nail
Author:  Ian Rankin
Format: audio: 8 discs (9 + hrs)
Characters: John Rebus
Setting: London
Series: Inspector Rebus
Genre: mystery - police procedural
Publication: 2001, Recorded books
Source: public library

I have another Rankin Exit Music to read as an ARC, and since that is supposed to be the last (#16) in the series, I decided I wanted to read at least one of the earlier ones (this is #3) before reading the last.

Inspector Rebus is a dour Scots detective summoned to London to assist the local police in solving a series of nasty murders by a perpetrator dubbed 'the wolfman' because of the bite marks found on the stomachs of each of the victims.  Not readily accepted (or easily understood) by several of the London team, Rebus has a tendency to stalk out on his own.

We have the divorced wife, the rebellious teenage daughter, a rather straight-laced (as far as Rebus is concerned) London detective, a delightfully rambunctious judge, and a shabby love interest, for backup characters.  A well written plot give us hints of the killer's motivation and identify, but not enough to spoil the story. A good solid police procedural.

I'm looking forward to reading more of these in this series.

Wednesday Earplugs- the Weekly audios

 
Several people have asked how I manage to listen to so many audios...so here's the answer:   I listen constantly if I'm not sitting physically holding a book.  And ---here's my other confession:   Shhh,,,,I'm a video game addict and have a new game I've been trying to master, so I sit at the computer, play a game, and listen to a book.

It's also baseball playoff season, so I'm spending a lot of TV time these days with my eyes on the screen, and my ears on a book.  That hobby ended abruptly this past weekend as our Red Sox decided to take an early vacation.  So I've been substituting needlework for TV viewing.  My husband is a crime writer (no more on that for now as I don't want to jinx him) so he's constantly got the TV on some shoot-em-up or other, particularly in the evenings.  Since our TV is right next to the fireplace, if I want to stay warm, I should be in that room.  It's often hard for me to 'tune out' what's on the screen, and I do love him dearly and want to be with him, so we compromise, he works on his laptop and watches Sleuth TV, and I listen to a book with good sound deadening earphones, and play video games on my laptop, or do needlework.

Also, I do some kind of physical exercise every day....either I work out on an elliptical or walk for about 40 minutes, or I drive an hour R/T to the Y to work out in the pool.  So....lots of listening.

Finally, I save the big 'chunksters' for reading...they often require a level of concentration I don't give to audios.  I tend to reserve the 'ear-reading' for short, cozy mysteries or pop fiction--although this week's batch does contain the less than spectacular non-fiction by Gore Vidal.

Here's the latest batch:

Christmas Secret

Anne Perry
Narrated by:Terrence Hardiman

An endearing cozy set in Victorian England- Anne Perry's forte.  Unlike her William Monk or Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, this stand alone features an amateur sleuth, a country vicar and his wife, who think they are simply spending Christmas at a rural parish while the current vicar goes on vacation.  Instead they find themselves solving a mystery.   A lovely little story, easy to read, and easy to listen to as an audio.  I've done both.  And I just found out these are an annual event, so I have four more to track down and read/listen to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inventing a Nation

Gore Vidal
Narrated by: Paul Hecht & Gore Vidal
 
If you've read any biographies of the 1st three presidents, this book will actually be boring, unless you are a great fan of Gore Vidal's snarky 'insights.'  I didn't learn anything new, and found myself constantly asking "What's the point?"  It's a quick read for those who want only an overview of these three founders, and who don't mind editorial comments mixed in with their 'history.'  I'd almost say a waste of time unless the subject matter is completely unknown to you (and don't ask me the focus of the subject matter--I couldn't find the focus.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Death in a Strange Country

Donna Leon
Narrated by : Anna Fields
Abandoned Book

I'm a big fan of Donna Leon and of this Commissario Guido Brunetti series.  However, I could not listen to this because the narrator has such a poor command of Italian.  Leon often has her characters speaking in either Italian or Venetian dialects, and other narrators in this series bring that glorious language to life.  Anna Fields slaughters it, and it was too painful to listen to.  I'll have to track this one down in print.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Devil's Claw

J.A.Jance
Narrated by: Stephanie Brush


Another episode in the continuing adventures of Joanna Brady, the first (and only) female sheriff in Arizona. Joanna is eagerly anticipating her wedding in a few weeks, although not eager about meeting her fiance's parents.  In the meantime, she's trying to solve a murder, locate a missing teenager who happens to be the daughter of the murder victim, deal with the unexpected death of her beloved next-door neighbor, keep her mother and future mom-in-law off her back, and keep her feet on the ground. In all of this she is supported by her future husband-Butch, her daughter, and her staff, who all become more like friends with each book in the series.

I was a bit confused about the ending at first, I really had to sit down and almost draw myself a diagram to see how the pieces fit so nicely together.  Jance's explanation may have wrapped it all up a bit too neatly, and left me saying 'Huh?'  When I finally understood what had happened and why, it made sense, but I think the resolution of the main crime (the murder) case could have been a bit more carefully explained as far as who all the players were and how they were involved.

They're Everywhere!!

As you can see , my TBR shelf is full--in fact it's grown to four shelves.

Since I confess to being someone who likes to seem like I'm in control, I decided to take today to prioritize things so I could leave town next week with a clear conscience:

• I have my sister Cheli lined up to do a guest review of one of the books she 'borrowed' from my TBR pile
• I'm taking my last 999 book (Saudade by Katherine Vaz) with me to finish while cruising (or flying over the Atlantic)
• I've been trying to straighten up the office and blog space because my daughter is going to house-sit/vacation/work here, and I'd like her to have a place to put a coffee mug at least.

So what happens when I return on Labor Day?

Although I'm participating in several personal reading challenges, I'm going to give priority to ARCs and Early Review copies I've agreed to read and review.

First priority: I have four books that I personally received from the authors:

• Susan Vaughan, a local author who has written several suspense romances, gave us a copy of her latest book Primal Obsession. Knowing how difficult it can be for Indie presses to get wide coverage, I offered to review for the blog. It's first up when I get back.
  
• Sam Moffie offered me a copy of No Mad. I confess it wouldn't be something that I would normally go out and buy, but I have been trying to expand into new genres and this looks like it will be interesting.
  
• Circle of Souls was sent by Preetham Grandhi -- another story with a young psychiatric patient with visions, her pyschiatrist, a murder, art therapy; the book cover calls it a "Stunning pyschological thriller". After reading The Rapture I think I can handle this and am looking forward to it.
  
• The Saint and the Fasting Girl was sent by the author Anna Richenda. It arrived just as I finished Sacred Hearts and I wanted to put some space between the two. It will be an excellent read for my 2nd 999 challenge's Historical Fiction category.
  

Then there are two Early Reviews I received from LT-- they will be the next up. Both are books I really wanted because the suspense thriller is a genre I am coming to enjoy more and more.

• Rizzo's War by Lou Manfredo
  
• Guardian of Lies by Steve Martini
  

Shortly after those, I have to get to ARCs I've received from publishers, and I'm going to try to behave myself and not request any more (unless they are to die for!) until I get this pile under control. In no particular order they are...

• The Maze Runner, by James Dasher - due out in October. I'm trying to expand and read more YA, and fantasy: genres I don't normally read. This one really caught my attention.
• The Weight of Silence, a book about children lost in the woods by Heather Guedenkauf. After I survived reading Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon,I guess I can do this one without fainting.
• Half-Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World by Douglas Hunter. I love biography, and this book is a topic that really interests me.
• The Boy who Harnessed the Wind LP: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba. Set in Malawi, this is a true story of courage and inventiveness. I have enjoyed the previous books I've read this year set in various countries of Africa, and this will be another to help expand my knowledge. I'm hoping this will also be suitable for the YA group in our library.
  
• An Artist in Treason: The Extraordinary Double Life of General James Wilkerson by Andro Linklater. I requested this one because it's set in a period I love to read about- the American Revolution- and it's about someone I'd never heard of. Curiosity is a great reason for picking books...
• Sand Sharks by Margaret Maron. I love the Deborah Knott series, so when Hachette Books offered me the chance to review and run a contest to share this one with others, I could not resist.
  
• The Christmas Cookie Club: A Novel by Ann Pearlman. I am a Christmas cookie nut...I go absolutely crazy baking for weeks before the holidays, and if I'm not going to be with people, I actually mail giant boxes of them. I'm always looking for new recipes and new mysteries, so in spite of the plain red cardboard wrapper on the galley proof, this one looks great. I'm hoping to be able to try some of the recipes as I read it, so I can share the results in my review.
• The Evolution of God, by Robert Wright. I honestly don't remember requesting this one, but it is an area in which I read a lot. I've tried three times to read Karen Armstrong's History of God but just couldn't get into it. Maybe this one will be better.
• South of Broad by Pat Conroy. Another of my favorite writers, and settings.
• The Brutal Telling (An Armand Gamache Novel) by Louise Penny. Another of my favorite authors. I was thrilled to be able to be among the first to get this one. My sister also wants it, so I may try to eek out a spot in the luggage to take it along for the cruise. The Armand Gamache books are some of the best in the genre today. I hope this one doesn't disappoint.

And finally, there are three others that I received as prizes from other people's contests that I am itching to get to:

• The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe.
• The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden by William Alexander.
• The Woman Who Named God: Abraham's Dilemma and the Birth of Three Faiths by Charlotte Gordon.

So if you are OCD and counted the books in the pictures, there are 75 there. The ones that are left after the ARCs, and ERs are books that were on my original list to be read for various challenges during 2009. I'm not sure I can finish all 75 of them before New Years but I'm going to have a wonderful time trying.

Reviews: Mystery Read-A-Thon Recap

Today's Mystery read-a-thon was lots of fun. I managed to complete two books, Michael Connelly's Scarecrow and On What Grounds, the first of the coffeehouse series by Cleo Coyle. I'm half-way thru a third one, the Mint Julep Murders by Carolyn Hart. I'll finish that one tomorrow. I'd never read anything by Michael Connelly before, but that hole in my reading is going to be filled sooner rather than later. The Scarecrow had me on the edge of my chair throughout. As is probably apparent, I am a heavy internet user, and this story about bad people's ability to track, and manipulate data in the virtual world is as scary as anything Stephen King ever wrote. He almost had me pulling the plug on my laptop. It is stunningly plotted, with wonderful characters, and lots of action. A really good read. My sister pointed out the coffeehouse series to me. I am more addicted to coffee than I am to reading, if that is believable. So I really enjoyed meeting the heroine Clare Cosi, her ex-mother in law, and several other fun characters in this opening round of what promises to be a coffee loving clone of Goldi in Diane Mott Davidson's books, or Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson. I love them all but I'm not sure I could handle a steady diet of any of them (pardon the culinary pun.) They're all just fun reads to have around when you're in the mood for something delicious, interesting, but not too taxing. Notice I didn't say 'not too fattening' because they're all worth it just for the recipes. Finally, I'm already a fan of Carolyn Hart's Death of Demand series, but haven't read any in almost a year. Our heroine Annie Darling is embroiled again in another murder. Can't wait to see who dunnit. It was great fun to sit back today and read and listen (I did Scarecrow in audio while I kept my eye on the Red Sox and then grilled outside on a glorious Maine early summer Sunday.) I'm not sure I'm reading for another 12 hour marathon in the near future, but all the books were enjoyable, and it was a great excuse to bury my nose in them.

Review: Mistress of the Art of Death

This book is the Summer 2009 Highly Rated Book Group online discussion over on LT. I can't believe I missed it when it first came out in 2007. This is going to be one of my top 5 of the year. It is so good, that I galloped ahead and stayed up 1/2 the night to finish listening to the audio, which is masterfully done by Rosalyn Landor. I could hear the medieval street noise, smell the river, and see the mists. If you like historical fiction, forensic pathology suspense thrillers, medieval pageantry, romance, and intricate plots, this is the book for you. The characters are unforgettable and the story is many layered:

1. Young children are disappearing from the town of Cambridge, and turning up later as skeletons showing evidence of unspeakable torture and death.
2. In England at that time, money lending was illegal. Only Jews were allowed to lend money, so they were tolerated. However the Jews were accused of killing the children.
3. Henry II, needing the Jews to keep his country solvent (no bishop could build a cathedral, no knight embark on a Crusade without borrowing) orders the entire Jewish population of the town into sanctuary within the castle walls. Still the killings continue.
4. At this same time, the town of Salerno in Italy is turning out trained forensic scientists and doctors. Henry sends to his friend the King of Sicily for a "Doctor of Death" to solve the mystery of who is killing the children.
5. Sicily sends its most noted Doctor of Death,Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, perhaps not realizing that in England, women who 'practice medicine' are more often seen as witches. Adelia is accompanied by Simon the Jew of Naples, and Mansur, a Saracen eunoch who acts as a bodyguard....a sort of medieval CSI team.

Those are just a few of the layers. Add in a Prior with a bad prostrate, an Abbess with a lousy attitude and even worse abbey management skills, an adorable child right out of Dickens, some rather rude and nasty knights, a delightful eelmonger/housekeeper and her helpers Mathilde A and Mathilde B, and you have the beginnings of a wonderful bubbling cauldron of a story. And let's not forget the dog named Safeguard....her description is so great, I can almost smell him myself. All the ingredients blend into an absolute page-turner. Just when you think it's solved, something else twists and you're off on another rollercoaster of emotion, and terror. In spite of the horror of the subject, Franklin manages to inject spots of humor that leave you chuckling with glee. The scene where she catherizes the poor Prior is worth the price of the book. The humanity and compassion displayed by all members of the team bode well for future books in the series. These are people you want to get to know. This is a woman you can root for. This is the first of what is promised to be a series about this wonderful female forensic pathologist. I've already ordered the next in the series: The Serpent's Tale.

Review: A Taste for Death

Another reviewer has said that James demands a bit more of her readers than others. How true. This one also took me over a week to read, but it was worth it. Adam Dalgleish, the detective inspector is James' renaissance man. He is also a poet, a thinker, and a cool customer who serves as an intelligent mentor to his two subordinates, detectives Kate Miskin, and John Massingham. This particular mystery concerns the death of an M.P. He was found in the vestry of a small Anglican church with his throat cut, his razor near his hand, and a dead tramp nearby. Was it suicide or was it murder? There is a well drawn cast of characters: the deceased's mother, his pregnant wife and her lover, the housekeeper, the chauffeur, the vicar, several little old ladies, the brother-in-law, the daughter and her lover, and the old lady and young boy who found the body. Each has a piece of the puzzle, and James weaves them together elegantly. No spoilers, so I can't say much more, but the motivation of each is examined, cast-off, re-examined, and it is not until the end that we have an excellent resolution. I'm betting you can still find this one in libraries and at yard sales this time of year. It's worth it.

Review: Girl of His Dreams

Another marvelous Commissario Brunetti story. The urbane, well-read Brunetti discovers the body of a young girl floating in a canal. The search to discover how and why she died eventually leads him to a camp of gypsies where he must struggle with the prejudices of his fellow workers, and his own distress at the lack of apparent interest in the girl's death. The young age of the victim, coupled with bureaucratic indifference he must overcome to pursue answers, deeply disturb Brunetti. He keeps comparing this death to Greek tragedies he is reading, and at one point, is unable to continue reading because the similarities are too close. He is unable to sleep and often sees the girl in his dreams. He keeps asking himself who would not report a daughter missing? As usual, Leon provides us with an outstanding plot, incredibly rich characters, and a resolution that is true to real life.

Review: Wife of the Gods

Inspector Darko Dawson has been sent to Ketanu, a village several kilometers away from his home base of Accra, the capital of Ghana, to investigate a murder. He has mixed emotions about going, since Ketanu is the site of his mother's disappearance more than 25 years ago. In fact, he still has relatives living there. While in Ketanu, not only must the urbane Dawson contend with a population fixated on witchcraft, but the murder investigation involves him with many local superstitions, faith healers, and priests with several wives. While the publisher compares this book to Alexander McCall Smith's 1st Ladies Detective Agency series, the only similarity is the setting. This is a good police procedural, with well developed and believable characters, an engaging setting, and a cleverly twisting plot that kept me guessing until the end. Dawson is a wonderful character-- a dope smoking, firey tempered, independent, 'take no prisoners' detective. He reminds me very much of J.A. Jance's J.P. Beaumont character. While he fights his own demons, sneers at inept superiors and peers, and constantly annoys everyone, he befriends the helpless, listens to his inner senses, and cleverly solves the crime. Dr. Quartey writes eloquently, in spare but beautiful prose. The book proceeds quickly from the opening to the end, --in fact, the cliche 'page-turner' is very applicable. I especially enjoyed having a glossary of Ghanian terms available. It made the dialogue (which is masterful) readily accessible to a reader unfamiliar with the area. I was thrilled to see that he is already working on book #2. Both the character of Dawson and the author have the makings of a great series. I was lucky enough to get this as an Early Reviewer for LibraryThing. Watch for it in July!