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Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Waiting on Wednesday - Marble Hall Murders

 


'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.

Today's book is the 3rd in Anthony Horowitz's series featuring Susan Ryeland, an editor, and author Atticus Pund.  Both the previous books, Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders have also had TV adaptations released.  I have read both the books, but not watched the TV adaptations.  I tried the first one, but somehow it didn't fit with my 'vision' of the characters.  Not sure if I will try again, but I did really enjoy the books.  Sometimes when books transition to TV, we don't exactly love how that happens.  However, I have heard a bunch of people have loved both the books and TV shows.  Here's what I thought about Magpie Murders.  Have you read or watched either of these?  Ready for #3? 



Marble Hall Murders

by Anthony Horowitz

Publication Date:  May 13th

Editor Susan Ryeland has left her Greek island, her hotel and her Greek boyfriend, Andreas, in search of a new life back in England.

Freelancing for a London publisher, she's given the last job she wants: working on an Atticus Pünd continuation novel called Pünd’s Last Case. Worse still, she knows the new writer. Eliot Crace is the troubled grandson of legendary children’s author Miriam Crace who died twenty years ago. Eliot is convinced she was murdered—by poison.

To her surprise, Susan enjoys reading the manuscript which is set in the South of France and revolves around the mysterious death of Lady Margaret Chalfont, days before she was about to change her will. But when it is revealed that Lady Margaret was also poisoned, alarm bells begin to ring.

The more Susan reads, the clearer it becomes that Eliot has deliberately concealed clues about his grandmother’s death inside the book.

Desperately, Susan tries to prevent Eliot from putting himself in harm’s way—but his behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic. Another murder follows . . . and suddenly Susan finds herself to be the number one suspect.

Once again, the real and the fictional worlds have become dangerously entangled. And if Susan doesn't solve the mystery of Pünd’s Last Case, she could well be its next victim.

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Waiting on Wednesday - The Queens Of Crime

 


'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.

This week I am highlighting a book that will feature several female classic mystery authors - very much 'The Queens of Crime'.  I have read another book by Marie Benedict a couple of years ago.  It was The Mystery of Mrs. Christie and I liked that one.  See what you think:



The Queens Of Crime

by Marie Benedict

Publication Date:  February 11th

London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.

May Daniels, a young English nurse on an excursion to France with her friend, seemed to vanish into thin air as they prepared to board a ferry home. Months later, her body is found in the nearby woods. The murder has all the hallmarks of a locked room mystery for which these authors are famous: how did her killer manage to sneak her body out of a crowded train station without anyone noticing? If, as the police believe, the cause of death is manual strangulation, why is there is an extraordinary amount of blood at the crime scene? What is the meaning of a heartbreaking secret letter seeming to implicate an unnamed paramour? Determined to solve the highly publicized murder, the Queens of Crime embark on their own investigation, discovering they’re stronger together. But soon the killer targets Dorothy Sayers herself, threatening to expose a dark secret in her past that she would do anything to keep hidden.

Inspired by a true story in Sayers’ own life, New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict brings to life the lengths to which five talented women writers will go to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world of letters as they unpuzzle a mystery torn from the pages of their own novels.

Monday, January 6, 2025

My Favorite Mystery Book Group - guess what we're reading for the first half of 2025?

I have been involved in a mystery book group for many years at the library where I worked and volunteered.  This group has been in existence since the spring of 2008 and it's still going strong.  Almost seventeen years isn't bad, right?  Several were there in the beginning and are still able to come.  Some have moved, but have remained involved by email.  It's a fun group.  Gayle is our leader these days and she does a really great job of moderating and planning what we'll read.  I thought I would share the upcoming books for Jan-Jun, 2025 with you guys and see if you had read any of them or had other thoughts about the authors, etc.  So, here we go:

January - One Wrong Word by Hank Phillippi Ryan

One wrong word can ruin your life. And no one knows that better than savvy crisis management expert Arden Ward. Problem is, she's now forced to handle a shocking crisis of her own. Unfairly accused of having an affair with a powerful client, Arden’s life and dreams are about to crash and burn. Then, Arden is given an ultimatum. She has just two weeks to save her career and her reputation.

Is Cordelia Bannister the answer to her prayers?

Cordelia needs Arden’s help for her husband Ned, a Boston real estate mogul. Though he was recently acquitted in a fatal drunk driving accident, his reputation is ruined, and the fallout is devastating not only to the Bannisters' lives, but the lives of their two adorable children.

Arden devotes her skill and determination—and maybe her final days on the job—to helping this shattered family, but soon, revelations begin to emerge about what really happened the night of the accident. And then—another car crash throws Ned back into the spotlight.

This case is Arden’s final chance to protect her own future and clear her name. But the more she tries to untangle the truth, the more she’s haunted by one disturbing question—what if she’s also protecting a killer?

Gossip. Lies. Rumors. Words like that can hurt you. And Arden knows the reality. Sometimes one wrong word can kill.

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February - How To Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.
 
In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?
 
As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.

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March - The Busy Body by Kemper Donovan

“I tell other people’s stories for a living. . . . I nip and tuck their excesses, soften their hard edges, polish whatever an armada of editors and publicists deem unsightly till it sparkles.”

It’s a dream assignment. Former Senator Dorothy Gibson, aka that woman, is the most talked-about person in the country right now, though largely for the wrong reasons. As an independent candidate for President of the United States, Dorothy split the vote and is being blamed for the shocking result. After her very public defeat, she’s retreated to her home in rural Maine, inviting her ghostwriter to join her.

Her collaborator is impressed by Dorothy’s work ethic and steel-trap mind, not to mention the stunning surroundings (and one particularly gorgeous bodyguard). But when a neighbor dies under suspicious circumstances, Dorothy is determined to find the killer in their midst. And when Dorothy Gibson asks if you want to team up for a top secret, possibly dangerous murder investigation, the only answer is: “Of course!”

The best ghostwriters are adept at asking questions and spinning stories . . . two talents, it turns out, that also come in handy for sleuths. Dorothy’s political career, meanwhile, has made her an expert at recognizing lies and double-dealing. Working together, the two women are soon untangling motives and whittling down suspects, to the exasperation of local police. But this investigation—much like the election—may not unfold the way anyone expects . . .

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April - Holmes, Marple, & Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

In New York City, three intriguing, smart, and stylish private investigators open Holmes, Marple & Poe Investigations. Who are these detectives with famous names and mysterious, untraceable pasts?

Brendan Holmes—The Brain: Identifies suspects via deduction and logic.

Margaret Marple—The Eyes: Possesses powers of observation too often underestimated.

Auguste Poe—The Muscle: Chases down every lead no matter how dangerous or dark.

The agency’s daring methodology and headline-making solves attract the attention of NYPD Detective Helene Grey. Her solo investigation into her three unknowable competitors will delight mystery fans.

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May - The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

On Memorial Day in Jewel, Minnesota, the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. The investigation falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn’s murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past.

Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through Jewel are a war widow and her adolescent son, the intrepid publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy, and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom struggle with their own tragic histories and harbor secrets that Quinn’s death threatens to expose.

Both a complex, spellbinding mystery and a masterful portrait of mid-century American life that is “a novel to cherish” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), The River We Remember offers an unflinching look at the wounds left by the wars we fight abroad and at home, a moving exploration of the ways in which we seek to heal, and a testament to the enduring power of the stories we tell about the places we call home.

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June - Award Winners Month

In June each year we read any book that is nominated for or wins a Mystery Book Award for the previous or current year.  Lists of these can be found on the 'Stop You're Killing Me' website here.  This is always a fun reading and telling month too as we get lots of good suggestions and comments on what members have read.   

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So, what do you think?  Interested in any of these books or have you already tried them.  Do tell and feel free to join us by email or comment if you'd like.  I'd be glad to pass your thoughts along to the group.  

Friday, January 3, 2025

My reading in 2024 and some sorta plans for 2025 reading...

Hello everyone!  Hope you have had a nice couple of days after the 'Happy New Year' festivities!

I thought I might share a little about my 2024 reading and then also talk about what I might be reading this next year.  Oh, there also will be a post on Monday about what 'My Favorite Mystery Book Group' (we've been meeting since February of 2008!) will be reading and discussing for the first half of this year.

According to my reading journal, I finished 97 books in 2024.  I was so happy about that!  That is the highest number I've read since 2020!  Yay!  The last few years have been busy and distracted.  Glad this one was a little better in those areas.  Still busy - trying not to be so distracted.  

One of the goals I had for 2024 was to read the entire series by J.D. Robb featuring Eve Dallas and Roarke.  There are 59 full-length books at this time and #60 will be coming out in February.  Did I make it?  Yes, I did.  So, 59 of the 97 were in that series.  As you probably know, I love mystery series and this is one of my favorites.  The first book is Naked In Death and the one published last September is Passions In Death.

Other books that stood out for me are below:

The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill - I led a book discussion of this one in October at the afternoon book group that I attend.  It's the author's debut book and I really look forward to seeing what she will write next.  Set in the late '90's in Texas and also in Japan before and after WWII, it tells the story of a Japanese war bride and a grandmother and granddaughter.  It's based on the author's family and her grandmother.  Have you read this?  I recommend it.   

The Goddess of Shipwrecked Sailors by Skye Alexander - my thoughts here.

The Unquiet Bones by Loreth Anne White - my thoughts here.

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves - my thoughts here.

Think that's about all for 2024.  I did enjoy many other books, but we'll move on to 2025 plans.

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As I said above, I'll be sharing what the mystery book group I attend is reading for Jan-Jun of 2025.  I do attend an afternoon book group (mystery group is an evening group) as well when I can.  I don't always read all the books for that one.  That group is reading The Women by Kristin Hannah in April and I want to try it.  Also, the May meeting will be 'Books About Books' - don't think I'll have trouble finding any of those.

After doing that big reread of the J.D. Robb books for 2024, I'm thinking of doing a couple of other series catch-ups or complete rereads.  I do plan to reread all of Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway books and have already started.  I also need to go back and sort of analyze where I am with several other series.  I think for a few I'm only a book or two behind.  Others more than that.  Mostly, I plan to read what 'speaks' to me for 2025.  And have one goal - reading 100 books or more this year - ha!!  Can I do it?  I think so!

Let's all have some fun and meaningful reading in 2025!!!         

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Happy New Year!! It's 2025!!

 



I've shared these quotes before, the last time in 2020.  I think they all bear repeating, so here are a few things to ponder as we begin a new year...wishing all of you much peace and joy in 2025!


“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” — C.S. Lewis


“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” —Maya Angelou


“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” —William James


“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” —Ghandi


“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” —Albert Einstein

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas...let your heart be light....


I'm repeating the Christmas wishes that I shared last year at this time.  They bear repeating!!

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas....truly!  Wishing each and every one of you much 'Peace', 'Love', and 'Joy'.  I am very, very blessed to have each of you in my life and I'm hoping your holiday season is filled with good smells, good food, good fellowship, good feelings.  And if you're not in that sort of place right now...well...and sometimes we are not, I'm wishing you an extra measure of 'Peace'.  Happy Holidays - however you celebrate them!

Monday, December 23, 2024

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves

First Paragraph(s):

It's November today.  I hate November.  Two years ago, in November, my dad ran off.  A year ago Mam stopped eating and started slipping away.  She got the sack from the travel agency in town, and I caught her talking to the TV when it wasn't even switched on.  She had the idea that it was talking back.  There was just her and me, and I felt I was drowning.  I'm only fourteen, so what could I do to help?

I tried to tell Miss at school.  I'd always thought she was okay, but in the end, she was only interested that I wasn't wearing the uniform socks and that I hadn't got my homework in on time.  When I told her about Mam, she frowned and said I was making excuses.  I needed to stick to the rules, whatever was happening at home.  If I had real problems, I should talk to pupil welfare.

My Thoughts:

I was happy to catch up on another of my favorite mystery series.  Written by Ann Cleeves and featuring DI Vera Stanhope, it's the 11th book and it's a good one.  A little poignant and sad, partly due to the adjustments Vera and her team have had to make after the last book, and partly because of the underlying societal issues it highlights.  These include mental health and how society cares for the vulnerable.  And, of course, there is a murder and some vivid descriptions of Vera's part of the world.  Vera herself is getting older, but she soldiers on determined to still make a difference.  I enjoyed the book and look forward to more in the series.

I will say that I have also watched and loved the Vera TV series, based on these books.  Sadly, that is coming to an end.  There will be a 14th season, but it will only contain two episodes.  I think it will be available in early January and this new season is based on this book, but different.  Brenda Blethyn, who has played Vera through all the seasons will be retiring and, honestly, no one could do the character justice besides Brenda.  In my opinion anyway.  Ann Cleeves has said that the books will continue, so we'll see what's to come in that regard.  Have you read any of Cleeves work or watched any of the TV adaptations of her books?  Do tell!  

Blurb:

As New York Times bestseller Ann Cleeves' beloved Vera series explodes in popularity in print and on TV, this stunning eleventh book explores the web of secrets surrounding a young man's death.

The man’s body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker in the park outside Rosebank, a home for troubled teens in the coastal village of Longwater. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous night but never showed up.

DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death, with her only clue being the disappearance of one of the home’s residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. Vera can’t bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can’t dismiss the possibility.

Vera, Joe and new team member Rosie Bell, are soon embroiled in the case, and when a second connected body is found near the Three Dark Wives monument in the wilds of the Northumberland countryside, superstition and folklore begin to collide with fact. Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, and the dark secrets in their community that may be far more dangerous than she could have ever believed possible.

Friday, December 20, 2024

The Waiting by Michael Connelly

The Waiting by Michael Connelly

First Paragraph(s):

She liked waiting for the wave more than riding the wave.  Facing the cliffs, straddling the board, her hips finding the up-and-down rhythm of the surface.  Riding it like a horse, making her think about Kaupo Boy when she was a child.  There was a reverence to the movement before the next set came in and it was time to dig down and paddle.  

My Thoughts:

The Waiting is #6 in Michael Connelly's Renee Ballard/Harry Bosch series and I enjoyed it a lot.  I've read all the books in this series and I like how Connelly has managed to keep Bosch involved in police work even though he's retired.  Plus his daughter, Maddie, is now a cop and she comes into the story as a volunteer for Ballard's unit.  Bosch himself has also worked with the 'cold case' unit in another book.  

I've also watched all the TV adaptations of the Bosch storyline and enjoyed those as well.  What I wanted to share is that I understand there will be a new 'Ballard' TV adaptation with Maggie Q playing Renee Ballard and Titus Welliver continuing his role as Harry Bosch.  Filming started last summer - not sure when it will be available for viewing.  Here's a link to some info from the author's website.

Have you read any of the Bosch books or the Ballard/Bosch books?  I've enjoyed them and hope they continue for quite a while.  Also will be interested in knowing how Maddie Bosch will fare in the LAPD as she follows in her father's footsteps.

Blurb:

LAPD Detective Renée Ballard tracks a serial rapist whose trail has gone cold, and enlists a new volunteer to the Open-Unsolved Unit: patrol officer Maddie Bosch, Harry’s daughter.

Renée Ballard and the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit get a hot shot DNA connection between a recently arrested man and a serial rapist and murderer who went quiet two decades ago. The arrested man is only twenty-four, so the genetic link must be familial: His father was the Pillowcase Rapist, responsible for a five-year reign of terror in the City of Angels. But when Ballard and her team move in on their suspect, they encounter a baffling web of secrets and legal hurdles.

Meanwhile, Ballard’s badge, gun, and ID are stolen—a theft she can’t report without giving her enemies in the department ammunition to end her career as a detective. She works the burglary alone, but her mission draws her into unexpected danger. With no choice but to go outside the department for help, she knocks on the door of Harry Bosch.

At the same time, Ballard takes on a new volunteer to the cold case unit: Bosch’s daughter Maddie, now a patrol officer. But Maddie has an ulterior motive for getting access to the city’s library of lost souls—a case that may be the most iconic in the city’s history.

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Waiting on Wednesday - Holmes Is Missing

 


'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.

This week I'm highlighting the second book in the 'Holmes, Marple, & Poe' series.  I read the first book in the series last year and talked about it here.  I shared that while I thought the book was fast paced and interesting, I had a bit of hard time with the 'update' of the three famous characters.  Wasn't sure if my love for the original 'Marple' had affected my thoughts (note: likely, yes, likely).  Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I learned that 'Holmes, Marple & Poe' would be our mystery book group's selection for this coming April.  I then determined that I would reread the first book and also noticed that the sequel would be published in January.  Seemed like a good sign.  Here's the scoop on the new book:



Holmes Is Missing

by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Publication Date:  January 6th

Success has come quickly to Holmes, Marple & Poe Investigations. The New York City agency led by three detectives—Brendan Holmes, “the brain,” Margaret Marple, “the eyes,” and Auguste Poe, the “muscle”—with famous names and mysterious pasts is one major case away from cementing its professional reputation. 

But as a series of child abductions tests the PIs’ legendary skills, the cerebral Holmes’s absence leaves a gaping hole in the agency roster.

Only by closing ranks and solving the mystery within can they recover all that’s been lost.

Friday, December 13, 2024

The Black Loch by Peter May

The Black Loch by Peter May

First Paragraph(s):

     The sun set some time ago.  Although it is not yet dark enough, somehow, for murder.

     The east side of the island lies in dusky purple shadow, with the rising of the moon still hours away.  But what little light remains in the sky is reflected pale and pink upon the unusually still water of An Loch Dubh, making silhouettes of the man and woman as they run from the house.  For more than an hour, only the single lit pane of a downstairs window has broken the twilight, seeming to flicker feebly, like a candle, in its fight against the smothering half-light.

My Thoughts:

I was extremely surprised to learn earlier this year that Peter May was returning to the Isle of Lewis for another book to add to his 'Lewis Trilogy'.  It's been over 10 years since the last of that trilogy was published.  In any case, I was interested to hear what this author would add to his stories of Lewis and also Fin Macleod.  And this book, I think it ties things up nicely in the end, but it's quite a bleak journey through the storyline to get there.

If you haven't read this particular set of books, I suggest that you begin at the beginning with The Blackhouse.  My thoughts on that book here.  The second book continues Fin's story and it's The Lewis Man - my thoughts here.  Last of the trilogy is The Chessmen - again, my thoughts here.  I have read the trilogy more than once, but only revisited The Blackhouse for a quick skim before starting The Black Loch.  

I honestly don't want to share too much about this book because of spoilers, but I enjoyed it and 'catching up' with Fin and his family and friends.  That being said, these stories set in the Outer Hebrides do reflect the setting, the cold wind, the people who live in a place that is a bit harsh, but also beautiful.  I always feel a bit shivery while reading them.  Have you tried any of Peter May's work?  I'd love to hear.    

Blurb:

THE RETURN OF FIN MACLEOD, PETER MAY'S MUCH-LOVED HERO OF THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING LEWIS TRILOGY.

A MURDER

The body of eighteen-year-old TV personality Caitlin is found abandoned on a remote beach at the head of An Loch Dubh - the Black Loch - on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. A swimmer and canoeist, it is inconceivable that she could have drowned.

A SECRET

Fin Macleod left the island ten years earlier to escape its memories. When he learns that his married son Fionnlagh had been having a clandestine affair with the dead girl and is suspected of her murder, he and Marsaili return to try and clear his name.

A RECKONING

But nothing is as it seems, and the truth of the murder lies in a past that Fin would rather forget, and a tragedy at the cages of a salmon farm on East Loch Roag, where the tense climax of the story finds its resolution.

The Black Loch takes us on a journey through family ties, hidden relationships and unforgiving landscapes, where suspense, violent revenge and revelation converge in the shadow of the Black Loch.