Cross posting a couple 4MA posts. One is the summary of what I read in February and the other is a list of historical mysteries being released in March, as best as I can put together.
AFTER THE ARMISTICE BALL by Catriona McPherson 1st of 7 in series featuring
Dandy Gilver, a well-to-do woman in 1920s Scotland. "Dandy Gilver, her husband
back from the War, her children off at school and her uniform growing musty in
the attic, is bored to a whimper in the spring of 1923 and a little light
snooping seems like harmless fun. And what could be better than to seek out the
Duffy diamonds, stolen from the Esselmont's country house, Croys, after the
Armistice Ball? Before long, though, the puzzle of what really happened to the
Duffy diamonds has been swept aside by the sudden, unexpected death of a lovely
young woman in a lonely seaside cottage in Galloway. Society and the law seem
ready to call it an accident but Dandy, along with her fiancé, is sure that
there is more going on than meets the eye." It was published in 2005 and has 256
pages. A sort-of visit to the world of Downton Abbey (season 3 finale in
Scotland) with a crime to solve.
BELLADONNA AT BELSTONE by Michael Jecks 8th of 31 in series featuring Simon
Puttock, West County bailiff, and Sir Baldwin Furnshill, ex-Templar Knight, in
Devon, England. "It is 1321, and Lady Elizabeth of Topsham, prioress of St.
Mary's, is fighting to retain her position in the face of devastating
opposition. She has been accused by Sister Margherita, St. Mary's treasurer, of
giving much-needed funds to the new vicar, a man it is suspected that she sees
alone at night. Many of the nuns are convinced that Margherita would make a
better prioress—especially now that it is certain that Moll, a young nun, was
murdered in her sick bed. Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace,
together with his old friend Simon Puttock, are summoned to investigate. There
is no doubt that the threefold vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty are
being broken with alarming frequency. Then, when a second nun is murdered, they
find themselves facing their most difficult case yet." It was published in 1999
and has 332 pages. I like this series a lot.
DEATH IN ST JAMES'S PARK by Susanna Gregory 8th of 8 in series featuring Thomas
Chaloner, a spy for the Earl of Clarendon during the Restoration in 1660s
London. "Five years after Charles II's triumphant return to London there is
growing mistrust of his extravagant court and of corruption among his
officials—and when a cart laden with gunpowder explodes outside the General
Letter Office, it is immediately clear that such an act is more than an
expression of outrage at the inefficiency of the postal service. As
intelligencer to the Lord Chamberlain, Thomas Chaloner cannot understand why a
man of known incompetence is put in charge of investigating the attack while he
is diverted to make enquiries about the poisoning of birds in the King's aviary
in St James's Park. He becomes even more suspicious of his employer's motives
when he discovers that the witnesses he needs to interview have close links to
the business conducted in the General Letter Office, activities more firmly
centered on intercepting people's mail than delivering it. Then human rather
than avian victims are poisoned, and Chaloner knows he has to ignore his
master's instructions and use his own considerable wits to defeat an enemy whose
deadly tentacles reach into the very heart of the government—an enemy who has
the power and expertise to destroy anyone who stands in the way." It is
published in the US in April, (this book is from the UK published January 2012)
and has 464 pages. Love this setting; good series.
THE YARD by Alex Grecian 1st of 2 in series featuring The Murder Squad,
Scotland Yard, in 1890s London. "Victorian London is a cesspool of crime, and
Scotland Yard has only twelve detectives—known as "The Murder Squad"—to
investigate countless murders every month. Created after the Metropolitan
Police's spectacular failure to capture Jack the Ripper, The Murder Squad
suffers rampant public contempt. They have failed their citizens. But no one can
anticipate the brutal murder of one of their own . . . one of the twelve . .
.When Walter Day, the squad's newest hire, is assigned the case of the murdered
detective, he finds a strange ally in the Yard's first forensic pathologist, Dr.
Bernard Kingsley. Together they track the killer, who clearly is not finished
with The Murder Squad . . . but why?" It was published in 2012 and has 432
pages. I have mixed feelings on this one. I really liked the characters and the
story itself but the telling of it was a little different.
CALCULATED IN DEATH by JD Robb 45th of 45 (counting novellas) in series
featuring Eve Dallas, a homicide lieutenant in futuristic New York City. "On
Manhattan's Upper East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs,
stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but
Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better. A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and
mother, Marta Dickenson doesn't seem the type to be on anyone's hit list. But
when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the
lieutenant knows Marta's murder was the work of a killer who's trained, but not
professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence. But when someone steals
the files out of Marta's office, Eve must immerse herself in the world of big
business to figure out who's cruel and callous enough to hire a hit on an
innocent woman." It was published February 2013 and has 400 pages. Love and
adore Eve Dallas.
Non-mysteries:
AUSTENLAND by Shannon Hale (chick lit) "Jane is a young New York woman who can
never seem to find the right man-perhaps because of her secret obsession with
Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and
Prejudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort
catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane's fantasies of meeting the
perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have
imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick
the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a
Mr. Darcy of her own?" Published in 2010 and has 208 pages. Fluffy.
SATURDAY NIGHT WIDOWS: The Adventures of Six Friends Remaking Their Lives by
Becky Aikman (non-fiction). "In her forties – a widow, too young, too modern to
accept the role – Becky Aikman struggled to make sense of her place in an
altered world. In this transcendent and infectiously wise memoir, she explores
surprising new discoveries about how people experience grief and transcend loss
and, following her own remarriage, forms a group with five other young widows to
test these unconventional ideas. Together, these friends summon the humor,
resilience, and striving spirit essential for anyone overcoming adversity."
Published January 2013 and has 352 pages. Actually, very entertaining,
occasional tears.
And March Historical Mystery New Releases:
Bilyeau, Nancy THE CHALICE
Bowen, Rhys THE FAMILY WAY
Doherty, Paul THE STRAW MEN
Grant, Teresa THE PARIS AFFAIR
Harris, C S WHAT DARKNESS BRINGS
Kirk, David CHILD OF VENGEANCE
Macbain, Bruce THE BULL SLAYER
Pilkington, John MARBECK AND THE DOUBLE-DEALER
Thomas, Donald DEATH ON A PALE HORSE
Winspear, Jacqueline LEAVING EVERYTHING MOST LOVED
It is supposed to snow around 4 this afternoon but warm up again by Tuesday. I've got chops in the crockpot and we'll have hashbrowns with 'em. Tonight we have The Walking Dead and Talking Dead to watch. I'm kind of interested in the start of the new mini-series on The History Channel, The Bible, but it is conflicting with the other shows.
I finished the Griffiths book last night. I have a JT Ellison to pick up at the library tomorrow so I don't know if I'll start something else today.
Back at it tomorrow.
In the meantime, a very funny smashup of Schoolhouse Rock and Star Wars:
Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster
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