Mr. Kiss and Tell

Mr. Kiss and Tell (Veronica Mars #2) by Rob Thomas (2015), narrated by Rebecca Lowman

A young woman, close to death, was found in a field after being raped and beaten. She had been a guest at the Neptune Grand and when she regained part of her memory she accused a staff person from the hotel of the crime. The hotel hired Veronica Mars to investigate the claim, which is especially difficult since the afore-mentioned staff person has already been deported so Veronica can't talk to him. The victim herself, someone Veronica knows from her past, also isn't speaking much, refusing to tell Veronica who she was meeting at the hotel that night. With so few witnesses and a victim who won't talk, it's a tough case to crack, but of course we know that Veronica will get to the bottom of it.

The victim is Grace Manning, younger sister of Meg who died after the bus accident in season 2, leaving behind a newborn fathered by Veronica's ex-boyfriend Duncan Kane. Veronica remembers finding Grace as a child locked in a closet in her house by her religious fundamentalist parents. Now Grace is a young woman, an aspiring actress, and she won't say who her mysterious boyfriend is so that Veronica can talk to him about the parts of the evening that Grace can't remember.

Veronica enlists the help of her friend Mac and they spend a lot of time with security footage and hotel guest lists until they come up with a likely suspect. The tricky thing is that the person smuggled the unconscious Grace out of the hotel without it being on any of the footage, but these are smart women so they have a pretty good theory about how it happened. The hard part is finding evidence to support that theory, and as usual Veronica encounters a lot of surprises along the way and ends up in some fairly dangerous situations.

Meanwhile, Logan is on leave from the Navy and they are enjoying their time together. But when a tragedy occurs aboard his ship, he may be called back early and this causes some stress in their relationship. I fear it will never be smooth sailing for this couple, but at least this situation didn't have the drama that their early relationship did. Oh, and they got a puppy! That was a fun part of the story.

I thought this was a little better than the first book, The Thousand Dollar Tan Line. It was a more interesting mystery with a more satisfying conclusion and I think the plot was better crafted. Rebecca Lowman is one of my very favorite narrators and I'm always happy to listen to her. Some people who reviewed this on Audible seem to hate her and it's true that she reads very differently than Kristen Bell, but she's still great. And it didn't have the awkward feeling that Veronica Mars is talking about herself in third person. All in all, this was a very fun and satisfying book to listen to and now I feel prepared to watched the new season of Veronica Mars when it comes out later this month.

The Thousand Dollar Tan Line

The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars #1) by Rob Thomas (2014), narrated by Kristen Bell

Bear with me while I prepare for the return of this excellent show in July. I've rewatched all the original episodes, watched the movie, and now just need to listen to both of the books. One down, one to go!

It's spring break in Neptune, and the partiers have descended. But when a young woman disappears, it's bad PR for the town and Veronica is hired by the Chamber of Commerce to help find her. It's only complicated more when a second girl disappears. Veronica's investigation takes her to a mansion belonging to two very dangerous men, and also involves someone from her past.

This felt very much like watching an episode of the show, which makes sense since the same person writes it. It was so much fun to revisit Neptune and its inhabitants. Logan is away during this book and although he and Veronica Skype, their relationship isn't really in the foreground. What is, is her family because one of the missing girls is related to a family member she hasn't been in touch with and this brings up a lot of interesting developments.

I've got a couple of really minor criticisms. One is that I thought Veronica figured out way too many things near the end that didn't really have clues. She's smart - I get it - and often puts things together that I don't see, but it just seemed to happen far too much here, and with things that didn't always have real clues. The other tiny issue I had is that the title of the book is kind of a red herring and I don't know why it was chosen. But neither of these things really diminished my enjoyment of the story. I didn't have a ton of expectations, to be honest, because even though I know that Rob Thomas is a real writer who has written at least one book before, this is a book based on a TV show and somehow I just don't expect a lot from that kind of thing. (His young adult novel, Rats Saw God, was very good, by the way.)

Of course Kristen Bell is the perfect person to narrate since she's the voice of Veronica Mars herself. Since the book is written in third person it sounds like Veronica is talking about herself in third person, but that was only weird for a short time and I got over it. Hearing her voice added to the feeling I already had that I was immersed in another episode of the show. Because it's already a show I pictured everyone the way they appeared on screen and it just made it feel all the more real.

I've heard from a friend that the second book is better so I'm really looking forward to it. It's narrated by my favorite audiobook reader, Rebecca Lowman. The reviews on Audible aren't great, I think because her voice is so different from that of Kristen Bell. Hopefully that won't impact my experience.

Death of a Stranger

Death of a Stranger (William Monk #13) by Anne Perry (2002), narrated by David Colacci

Hester Monk is running a clinic in a sketchy part of London, treating prostitutes for disease and injury. But one evening, prominent businessman Nolan Baltimore is murdered in this neighborhood. It is presumed that an interaction with a prostitute or pimp went wrong. Then a young woman named Katrina Harcus approaches William Monk because she fears that the railway company Baltimore and Sons is involved in a shady deal that could result in unsafe conditions for its passengers. In the course of his investigation, Monk recovers some of his lost memories and they involve time working for this very rail company when a horrible crash occurred and his good friend Arroll Dundas was imprisoned. Is there danger of another train crash? And is that actually why Nolan Baltimore was murdered?

As with all of Anne Perry's mysteries, there is far more going on than there seems at first. What actually drew me in was that William would learn more about his past, after an accident that caused severe memory loss back in book one. He has always known that he was sort of a different person before his accident, judging from how people treated him after, so he has a certain paranoia about the sorts of things he could have done. But I also really liked the subplot about Hester's clinic. During the course of this novel they were having issues with their space and knew they might have to move. More importantly, because of the murder there were police everywhere, which meant the prostitutes weren't getting much work. One of my favorite parts of this book was a conversation about this problem between William and Hester, when she complained about the situation and William got a little snarky.

"You wish to find who killed Baltimore so the police will leave and the prostitutes can get back into business? You have strange moral convictions, Hester." 

I loved her takedown:

"If I could change the world so no women ever went into prostitution, I would," she said angrily. "Perhaps you can tell me where I should begin. Get every woman a decent living at something more respectable, perhaps? Or stop every man from wanting - or needing - to buy his pleasures outside his own home? Perhaps every man should be married, and every wife comply with her husband's wishes or better still, no man should *have* wishes he cannot satisfy honorably. That would solve at least half of it. Then all we would have to do is change the economy. After that, changing human nature should be relatively easy." 

Monks response: "You have rather escalated your demands. I thought all you wanted was for me to solve Nolan Baltimore's murder."

(I transcribed this from the audio, so I apologize for any inaccuracies in punctuation.)

This is why I love Hester. She is SO practical. A woman after my own heart. Had I lived in Victorian times, in a mystery novel, surely we would have been besties.

As with all the books in this series, it ends with a courtroom drama. Oliver Rathbone (mysteriously autocorrected by my phone, in a note, to "rat hobbies") is defending a young man of the murder using some rather elaborate questioning as he circles around to his point. The judge, who has obviously never read any other books from this series, gets more and more exasperated with Rathbone, asking him a number of times if he's planning to ever get to the point. I have to wonder that this judge isn't familiar with Rathbone, who I think is supposed to be a pretty well-known attorney in London at the time. I think this bit was maybe a bit overdone. However, when it all shook out, I was satisfied with the conclusion.

As I mentioned in my kntting post on Sunday, every winter I listen to one of these mysteries while knitting. It's so perfectly cozy. I almost stopped after the last book in this series, but I'm glad I chose to continue.

Funeral in Blue

Funeral in Blue by Anne Perry (2001), narrated by David Colacci

When two very different women are murdered together in an artist's studio, the case takes Hester and William Monk to gambling halls and the streets of Vienna. They delve into the personal lives of people close to them, and research the Vienna Uprising in 1848. One of the victims was the wife of Christian Beck, a doctor in a hospital where Hester has worked, making the case very close to the Monks and their friends.

I think most of the audiobooks in this series are narrated by a woman so I did not have high hopes for this male narrator, but I was pleasantly surprised. The book itself, however, left a lot to be desired.

The way the stories usually go, Monk and Hester start out thinking the case is about one thing, but when they follow the trail it leads them to something else entirely. But with this one, it turned out not to have anything to do with anything they had been investigating and was basically all a misunderstanding. So, not very satisfying.

I've also gotten over the whole crazy introspection/mind-reading thing. Hester and Monk are constantly extrapolating a ton of information based on looking in someone's eyes. This is not limited to this series, of course, but is quite prevalent and I find it ridiculous. You simply can't glean more than someone's general mood from looking in their eyes or observing their expression, you just can't. This is something I'm willing to overlook if the story is better, but in this case I couldn't.

In general, this is a pretty good series and I'm a little surprised to see that I've already read twelve of them. I was considering stopping after this disappointing one, but then I read the description of the next book and it sounds more appealing, particularly since there is progress in the overarching story of William Monk's memory loss. So perhaps I'll continue on to the next book one day.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce #1) by Alan Bradley (2009), narrated by Jayne Entwistle

One morning at Buckshaw, the housekeeper opens the front door to find a dead bird with a postage stamp impaled on its beak. Later that night, 11-year-old Flavia hears her father arguing with a mysterious stranger in his study. Just hours later, she happens upon a dying man in their cucumber patch, who utters one mysterious word before expiring. Is this the man her father was arguing with? Did her father murder him? Is the dead bird related and, if so, what does it mean? Flavia sets off to get to the bottom of the case, investigating people her father knew in his youth, including a man named Twining, who he claims to be responsible for killing.

Flavia is the sort of character generally described as precocious. She's not really believable as an 11-year-old, but I was able to look past that because of her many fine and amusing qualities. She was smart, resourceful, witty, and very interested in chemistry (especially poisons). Luckily, Bradley made sure she did seem like a child in some ways, such as using her chemistry knowledge to try and poison her sister (non-lethally, of course).

In the course of her investigation, Flavia learns a great deal about certain very valuable postage stamps. Her father is a collector, and it was the destruction of an extremely rare stamp that led to the suicide of "old Twining" for whose death he blames himself. She also manages to put her knowledge of chemistry to good use.

The narration was excellent, but I think this is one that would have been better for me in print. I kept getting lost when someone started telling a story about the past. In print it was probably only a page or so, but it always feels longer in audio. At the same time, I don't know if I would have gotten around to reading it in print, so I'm glad I listened.

All in all, I can see the appeal of this series - I do especially enjoy the titles and covers. It didn't knock my socks off, but it was light and fun and I was happy to spend my commute listening to it.

Whose Body?

Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (1923)

When a body is found in a bathtub, Lord Peter Wimsey must not only determine the identity of the killer, but also that of the victim. He was wearing nothing but a pince-nez, and appeared around the same time as the London financier Sir Reuben Levy disappeared. Is this two mysteries, or one? Enlisting the help of his friend Inspector Parker, his resourceful manservant, Bunter, and even his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver, Wimsey is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Reading a book written so long ago is a rather different experience than reading a historical novel, that is, a novel written now about a former time period. The author of a historical novel would feel a need to provide context and explain the unfamiliar. But here, we're just plopped in the middle of a very different period and left to figure it out ourselves. It's not difficult - this isn't a big novel filled with complicated political and military references (see: War and Peace) but rather a short and simple story of a particular mystery. But still, I noticed things: the use of the apostrophe in 'bus, for instance, which reminded me that it used to be a longer word. Or the uncomfortable discussions of the missing Mr. Levy, who is repeatedly referred to as "the Jew" and described as "Hebrew." I kept cringing and expecting anti-Semitic commentary which, thankfully, never came. But obviously, cultural sensitivity changes through time so it can be a bit jarring - and educational - to read older books.

Wimsey was an enjoyable character in many ways. I like his habit of ending a sentence with "what?" as in, "Hate anything tiresome happenin' before breakfast. Takes a man at such a confounded disadvantage, what?" He also took great delight in everything about the case. "I love trifling circumstances...so many man have been hung by trifling circumstances." Although it was a decent story on its own, it was really Wimsey's character that makes it stand out.

I've heard of Dorothy Sayers and knew she was a well-known and loved mystery author, but never picked up one of her books until now, when we chose Whose Body? for book group. It was a fun little whodoneit, which I found all very charming and British. It was short and easy, a great counterpoint to the mammoth and complex other book I'm reading right now. If you're looking for a easy but entertaining mystery, I bet this would fit the bill.

The Clockwork Scarab

The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason (2013)

Mina Holmes and Evaline Stoker are mysteriously called to a meeting at the British Museum at midnight, where they are asked to investigate the deaths of two London society girls. The case, which takes them through the streets of an alternate London, involves steam technology, ancient Egyptian rituals, and time travel. The niece of Mina Holmes and the younger sister of Bram Stoker must channel all their strengths to thwart a dark figure's dangerous plans, and prove they're worthy of their family's reputations.

This is the first steampunk fiction I've ever read, and I really liked those aspects of the story. If you're not familiar with steampunk, it is basically the way that people in the 19th century would view the future. So there are a lot of high-tech machines but they are mechanized rather than digital, and there are flying machines but they are airships rather than airplanes. There's a particular style to it all too (a Google image search on steampunk would give you an idea). The author Holly Black once described it quite aptly, saying "Steampunk is what happens when goths discover brown."

In the world of Stoker and Holmes, electricity has been outlawed, and everything runs on steam. Buildings are so tall they sway, and sky-anchors float above them to keep them stable. London is built up vertically in addition to horizontally, with several levels of walkways. The best businesses are on the upper levels, and pedestrians must pay to rise up to those levels. Some of the clothing sounded extremely stylish as well - at one point Mina Holmes was wearing a dress in alternating panels of brown and rust, all embellished with pocket watches and clockwork gears. I found it all utterly fascinating and would love a movie version just for these visuals.

Unfortunately, the story didn't quite live up to the world it inhabits. I liked it, it was good, but it didn't knock my socks off. At the very beginning a visitor arrives from the future accidentally, which could have been quite interesting, but he was almost completely superfluous. There were a couple of other characters, too, who weren't brought into the story as much as I expected. But this begins a series and I wonder if there are more plans for these characters. If so, I think they may have arrived prematurely.

Nonetheless, I found much to like and I'm curious to hear what people think of the follow-ups. It's a great premise, and I found the characters of Mina Holmes and Evaline Stoker to be quite promising. They are smart and strong, and lock horns enough that working together as a team could be both thrilling and exasperating. I'm not sure whether I'll try the next one in the series, but it may well be worth checking out.

Slaves of Obsession

Slaves of Obsession (William Monk #11) by Anne Perry

Investigator William Monk is hired to find the parties who are trying to blackmail a gun dealer named Daniel Alberton. But that is not Alberton's only problem - America is in the midst of the Civil War and he has promised to sell a large quantity of guns to the Confederates. Their representative is present when Monk visits, and they are soon joined by a man named Breeland who represents the Union and urges Alberton to sell to his side instead. But Alberton will not go back on his word infuriating Breeland as well as Alberton's own daughter Merrit, who is romantically interested in Breeland. A heated exchange about the war and slavery is followed later that night by a murder, and soon William Monk and his wife Hester find themselves on their way to war-torn America in search of a killer.

I hadn't expected to pick up another Anne Perry mystery so soon, but I needed something comforting and familiar. After finishing When Nights Were Cold, I didn't know what I wanted to read and started about 5 different books, finally settling on MASH Angels and Slaves of Obsession which I ended up reading concurrently. Do you ever get in that sort of a reading funk where nothing seems right? It happens rarely, but I really hate it. I know by now that all I can do is pick something and force my way through while waiting for the feeling to eventually pass. It's a good time to pick up a book where you know what to expect.

There were, however, a couple of things especially interesting about this one. First, the Civil War. This was unexpected but welcome. Slavery is a part of our history that no matter how much I read about it is still somehow difficult to believe, and I liked seeing it from the perspective of the British. But also, the trip to the US during the war was a great opportunity to see Hester in action as a nurse. My favorite part of the story was when Monk and Hester were searching for Breeland and Merrit who had run off together and were suspected murderers. They found Merrit right away and she joined Hester on the battlefields helping wounded soldiers. One of my favorite aspects of this series is Hester's experiences as a nurse and though we learn a bit about her experiences in the Crimea, those are told through flashbacks. I was very happy to get to see her in action on the Civil War battlefield.

Another important thread in this series is Monk's memory loss. In the very first book he wakes up after an accident and cannot remember anything about his life before, or the person he once was. Slowly he discovers things here and there and doesn't like what he learns about himself. In the course of this investigation he stumbles across someone he knew in his previous life and learns something about himself that is especially distasteful and about which he feels quite ashamed. This would have been bad enough before, but now that he is married to Hester - and doesn't keep anything from her - he worries about her reaction when he tells her. This all adds a bit of extra tension to their relationship while all these other events are going on.

I'm over halfway through this series - it's up to #19 as of this year - and still enjoying it. I think now I'm caught up to the point where I can start getting the audio version again (the last few weren't available) so I look forward to that for the winter!

The Twisted Root

The Twisted Root by Anne Perry (1999), narrated by Terrence Hardiman

A young man approaches William Monk, frantic because his fiance has been missing after suddenly fleeing a garden party without warning. Guests saw her leave in a carriage and when the coachman is found murdered, all eyes turn to the bride-to-be. But when Miriam Gardner is found, she won't say a word about why she left the party, or who killed the coachman. It is up to William Monk, with help from his wife Hester, to get to the bottom of the mystery.

As with the other books in this series, there are apparently disparate plotlines that come together later in the book. While the main mystery is happening, Hester is investigating the theft of some medicines at the hospital where she is a volunteer. As I predicted, that story began to converge with the murder but not in the way I thought it would.

This is the first book in this series that I was tempted to give a two-star review on Goodreads. I was frustrated because Miriam Gardner clearly knew the answers Monk and the police were looking for, and simply wouldn't tell them. Usually things are a mystery because the only person who really knows what happened and is still alive is the person who has committed the crime. Here, there is an innocent witness who refuses to speak and I didn't quite buy it. There are ways to get delicate Victorian ladies to speak is all I'm saying. However, in the end during the trial when the truth came out - as it always does - it was so deliciously scandalous it was completely worth it. So, three stars it is.

Monk and Hester are now married, and that added an extra layer to the narrative as they both struggled to navigate this unfamiliar territory. Neither are used to having to answer to anyone, and it causes a bit of a strain, though clearly their affection outweighs the compromises they must make. Another point of interest was Hester's fight to gain respect for nurses, especially difficult when one of them seems to be stealing medicines, presumably for nefarious reasons. Hester concedes that many of the stereotypes of nurses are well founded, and points out that it doesn't help that part of their compensation is beer.

When I first received this audiobook from the library I was disappointed to find a male narrator, because I was hoping for Davina Porter, who narrated the first books in the series. But Hardiman was certainly up to the task and I came to find his voice comforting and enjoyable to listen to. I seemingly never tire of this series, regardless of how I experience it.

The Winter Queen

The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin (1998)

One day in 1876, a young man walked up to a young lady in a park and asked her (what did he ask her?) while brandishing a gun and when she refused him, he shot himself in the head. Simple suicide? Maybe, but Erast Fandorin doesn't think so. Twenty years old and just a (rank) he sees something more and is eager to get to the bottom of the mystery. Of course the apparent suicide in the park is just the tip of the iceberg and Fandorin is soon pursuing a large and mysterious conspiracy.

I found a lot to like in this novel, not the least of which is that Russia is one of my favorite settings. As an added bonus, there was a great deal of dueling. Dueling! But of a very different kind than you might think. The opening scene was one of the best in the book and drew me in instantly and I easily carried along on the casual and easy style.  

A minor quibble is that Fandorin's romantic interest was a completely throwaway character; calling her two-dimensional would be generous. Fandorin was smitten the moment he saw her, and I just never care about these shallow romances no matter how much they may insist upon their undying love. But I didn't find this relationship important enough for it to bother me much.

My main problem was with Fandorin himself, who I found be rather an idiot. This was his first case and still wet behind the ears, he regularly made bumbling mistakes with dangerous consequences. It's unlikely he would have come out alive. For instance, there is a situation in which he has learned of somebody's dastardly deeds and that person starts telling him all about the things they have done. This should set off warning bells. Instead, Fandorin actually says "Why are you being so frank with me? Surely you do not hope to win me over to your camp?" I wanted to smack him.

Despite his apparent stupidity, Fandorin still held some appeal. Young and eager, one can sympathize with an orphan who wants to rise above his station and solve crimes. I can only assume he will learn from his mistakes and grow as a character as he takes on more cases in future books. The Winter Queen is the first in a series and I was surprised to see more loose ends than in any mystery I've read. I can only presume these threads will be followed in future books in the series.

A Breach of Promise

A Breach of Promise (William Monk #9) by Anne Perry (1997)

Oliver Rathbone is employed to defend a young architect in a breach of promise suit. Killian Melville is accused of backing out of his plans to marry Zillah Lambert, but he says he never proposed to her in the first place. Rathbone considers it a hopeless case; not only is it hard to defend someone for allowing plans to go so far without clearing up the misunderstanding, but he also doesn't understand why Melville is so dead set against marrying Zillah in the first place. He knows there's more to the case than this, but Melville refuses to reveal all. Rathbone employs William Monk to help him find out as much as possible about the family to help his case.

Meanwhile, Hester Latterly is nursing a returned soldier who has been grievously injured. Employed in the household is a woman who is interested in finding her two disfigured nieces who she lost track of years ago after her brother's death. She implores the visiting Monk to help her find them, and he agrees to take on what he sees as a hopeless case. Predictably, the two cases end up converging.

I thought I had the breach of promise case all figured out early on, but I was pleasantly surprised with how wrong I was. There was a twist that I didn't see coming at all! The plot is more complex than in the past books of this series. In fact, a lot of things came up in the end that would have resulted in another whole court case. I think we are left to assume that it was tied up neatly, but man, I wanted to see it happen. It was only very loosely related to the original case but was really very interesting. I wish the resolution of the original case had led into another book about this other case. But alas, the next book is something different entirely. It's strange how oddly rushed and incomplete the ending felt.

This is also a pivotal book for the long-coming romance between Monk and Hester. Unfortunately, it was just thrown with all the other wrapping-up that happened in a rush at the end. I've been waiting patiently since book one for them to recognize their affection for each other, so I was satisfied that it finally happened.

In many ways the books in this series are all the same. The same sorts of people appear over and over, Monk and Hester have the same sorts of conversations and arguments. They are also a little too accepting of things like homosexuality and women's rights considering the time in which they live (which I'm fine with, as it makes them more likable to me.) But these books are such comfort reads! Here in the Boston area last week, that was exactly what I wanted. I was far too distracted by the events surrounding the Marathon bombing to read anything else and was very glad to have this paperback on my shelf when I most needed it.

Despite my criticisms of the ending, I think the plots were among the most interesting and compelling of the series so far. As a side note, I don't think I ever notice the covers on these books - I can't even think what any of the others look like - but I really like this one. Something about the black and white photo, especially the lady with her umbrella, appeals to me. I'm looking forward to continuing on to the next book in the series!

The Silent Cry

The Silent Cry by Anne Perry (1997)

Policeman John Evan finds two men in an alley, one dead and one gravely injured. They aren't from this dangerous part of London; they were a father and son from a nicer area, and Evan sets out to find out why they were in such a neighborhood and who was responsible for these crimes. The son, Rhys Duff, regains consciousness but is unable to speak. His mother hires a nurse to help care for him as he recovers from his serious injuries. The nurse, of course, is Hester Latterly. Meanwhile, William Monk - the star of this series - is conducting an investigation in another bad part of town, determined to find out who has been beating and raping prostitutes. He knows nobody would ever be convicted of mistreating prostitutes, but if only he can find out who it is the people of that neighborhood may seek their own sort of justice.

The eighth in the William Monk series of Victoria-era mysteries, this novel has similar appeal to the others. But it seems to contain even more examples of injustice. No judge in this society will convict someone of raping a prostitute, and everyone knows it. Rhys Duff, a victim himself, begins to look like a possible villain but he can't speak - and both of his hands are convenient broken, so he can't even express himself in writing. I was surprised when he had to appear in court anyhow, without the ability to tell his side of the story or defend himself in any way. As usual, we learn the truth at the very end and in this case it was an uncharacteristically horrifying ending that I just did not see coming. Yikes.

Hester is the main reason I read this series, and I was happy that there was a lot going on with her in this story. In addition to nursing Rhys Duff, she was having a bit of romance. In reading descriptions of later books, I know that she ends up married during this series and I'm rather eager to get to that, which will be soon. A strong, independent woman, I can imagine that her courtship and marriage won't be a conventional Victorian one and I'm quite looking forward to it.

Hester's ascerbic wit really makes this series. For example, in one memorable scene she is meeting Rhys's friend Duke, who gravely underestimates who he is talking to. Seeing her carrying a book on the history of the Ottoman Empire, he assumes she was taking it to Rhys. Sensing his assumptions on what would interest a woman, Hester tells her of her impressions of the people and culture of Istanbul from her visit there. Duke recovered from his surprise and went on:

    "Is there much call for domestic servants in Istanbul? I would have thought most people would have employed natives, especially for fetching and carrying."
    "I imagine they do...I was too busy to think of such things. I left my own lady's maid in London. I did not think it was any place for her, and it was quite unfair to ask her to go." She smiled back at him. "I have always believed consideration for one's servants is the mark of the gentleman...or lady, as the case may be. Don't you agree?"
   "You had a lady's maid?" he said incredulously. "Whatever for?"
    "If you ask your mother, Mr. Kyneston, I am sure she will acquaint you with the duties of a lady's maid," she answered, tucking the book under her arm.

Hester is used to being underestimated, and having her duties as a nurse relegated, in some eyes, to that of a housekeeper. She always responds quickly and cleverly and I enjoy every minute of it. If only I were so clever myself.

Upon finishing The Silent Cry, I really wanted to move right on to the next one (which I bought in used paperback at the same time) but I have a couple of other books I need to get to first for book groups. Hopefully soon though, I've been moving through this series far too slowly!

Bad Little Falls

Bad Little Falls by Paul Doiron (2012)

Game warden Mike Bowditch has clearly displeased his superiors, and finds himself transferred to "the unpeopled hinterlands of Washington County." During a snowstorm Mike is called to a residence where a local couple is trying to save a half-frozen man who claims his friend is still out in the storm. What appears to simply be an accident soon turns into a murder investigation. Mike, who apparently doesn't learn from his mistakes, ends up involved with the sister of the murder suspect, a young mother of a strange little boy. Meanwhile, someone is playing nasty tricks on Mike, seemingly trying to send him a warning message to mind his own business.

I wanted to try Paul Doiron again after listening to The Poacher's Son on audio, and when I heard that his new novel takes place in Machias, Maine I knew I had to read it. Bowditch describes the area as "a place known for its epidemic drug abuse, multigenerational unemployment, and long tradition of violent poaching" but it's also the place where I grew up. My town is not far away from Machias (and was mentioned a few times in the novel), but it was so small that Machias is where we had to go for any supplies other than basic groceries. So I know the area. Doiron apparently does too.

As with his first novel, he expertly captures the feel of rural Maine, making his characters and situations seem genuine. He doesn't live in Washington County as far as I know, but he's clearly spent some time there. Details like the McDonald's "Cafe" and the very tall mailbox with the "Air Mail" sign are not made up. He also included an Indian doctor at the Machias hospital, noting how out of place he was. There are, in fact, one or two doctors from far-flung countries working at that hospital. I'm always afraid of getting a tourist's-eye view in books set in Maine, but Paul Doiron knows the real thing.

Although the unusual and well-drawn setting make this novel stand out, it's also a good story. The plot was complex enough to easily hold my interest, and if the solution to the crime wasn't a complete shock, it was still a satisfying conclusion with small surprises along the way. The characters were varied, three-dimensional, and entertaining.

I like Mike Bowditch. I like his sense of justice and his need to set things right. He's as weak as any human being though, and manages to muck things up for himself just a bit now and then, but in a believable way that's easy to sympathize with. His empathy for others, and self-deprecating sense of humor make him both more realistic and appealing. You just can't help but root for him.

A Christmas Promise : a review

A Christmas Promise by Anne Perry (2009)

Thirteen-year-old Grace Phipps happened across a lost-looking 8-year-old a few days before Christmas in Victorian England. The young Minnie Maude is looking for Charlie, her donkey, who was missing, along with his cart, after Uncle Alf was killed. Despite her reservations Grace says she’ll help look for the donkey, but of course they end up investigating the murder of Uncle Alf.

This short novel by Anne Perry has a stronger Christmas theme than the other one that I read, as it took place in the days leading up to Christmas and there were frequent mentions of preparations for the holiday. Another major contrast is tht A Christmas Journey took place among the upper classes, while A Christmas Promise was set in a poor neighborhood and the main characters were children.

Just as quick to read, it was less cozy than A Christmas Journey because of the frequent mentions of cold and discomfort. It seems there was always a harsh biting wind, and the characters were constantly pulling their shawls more tightly about their bodies. Still, it was enjoyable in its own way, so I recommend it if you enjoy mysteries set in the Victorian period.

A Christmas Journey : a review

A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry (2003)

Anne Perry is my guilty pleasure. I secretly yearn to live in Victorian times and wear ornate dresses with constricting undergarments while attending balls and adhering to strict social standards. Ok, maybe not. But I really felt like slipping back in time and indulging in one of her historical novels, and this short Christmas-themed book was perfect.

Little festivity appeared in A Christmas Journey, however. It began at a country house where a group of friends gathered for a long weekend in early December. A budding romance between Gwendolyn and Bertie was cause for much speculation, but at least one person was unhappy with the situation. One evening Isobel made a cruel remark about Gwendolyn’s romantic motivations in front of everyone. Later, Gwendolyn’s body was found in the icy river, after having apparently thrown herself off a bridge.

Vespasia, our heroine, offered support to Isobel, now ostracized for her assumed role in Gwendolyn’s suicide. The two women set off on a journey to deliver Gwendolyn’s last letter to her mother along with news of her death. The journey is longer and more arduous than they had expected, and they learn a great deal about Gwendolyn’s shocking past.

Aside from brief mentions of Christmas at the beginning and end of the book, this was a normal murder mystery so it wouldn’t feel strange to read it at another time of year. It was a very short 180 pages, which I read in just over a day. A perfect quick cozy read! Anne Perry has written several short Christmas mysteries, and I’ll keep these in mind over the next several months - they’ll be perfect for snowy weekends.