mystery

Eleanor and the Cold War

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Eleanor and the Cold War by Ellen Yardley

Read this mystery to view Washington, D.C. and New York in 1951 through the eyes of Kay Thompson, temporary secretary to Eleanor Roosevelt. Kay is 25 and very pretty, and expects to find an attractive, well-off man to marry rather than have a career. Working for Mrs. Roosevelt is quite the eye-opening experience. While many historical characters are featured, Kay is fictional, as is the mystery, the first in a planned series featuring Eleanor Roosevelt.

Eleanor is 66, and working with the United Nations. Kay is filling in as secretary for her aunt. Atomic scientist Elsa Meyer contacts Eleanor from Sweden, looking for her daughter Susan. Eleanor makes contact and arranges to meet her at Union Station in Washington. Kay and Eleanor instead find her body on the train. Detectives Barlow and O’Malley investigate, but Barlow assumes a Soviet communist is to blame, and doesn’t look further. Kay has reason to think the Russian is innocent, as is the train porter, and helps Eleanor investigate. Young politicians, another scientist, a man investigating Communists, and even young Jacqueline Bouvier, a newspaper photographer, are all involved. New York City, Washington, and Long Island are clearly described, with the historical figures, clothing, meals, drinks, department stores and women’s roles setting the story firmly in the early 1950s.

I look forward to another book in the series, and enjoyed reading about Kay and Eleanor. The author studied Eleanor’s autobiography and her many My Day newspaper columns to bring her character to life. A clever mystery that is perhaps deliberately tricky to figure out, but the characters and immersive setting make for an excellent read.

Brenda

The Orb of Cairado

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The Orb of Cairado by Katherine Addison

A very welcome novella for fans of Addison’s science fiction, set around the time of The Goblin Emperor, but closer in tone to The Witness for the Dead. Ulcetha Zorvena, a shopkeeper’s son, was a history scholar until five years ago. He was accused of stealing the bejeweled Orish Veltavan from Osmer Bruna Aidrina. Aidrina, a scholar from the University of Cairado, found the object in the ruins of the Summer Palace. Ulcetha is not a thief, though he has spent the last several years writing provenances for fake artifacts.

After the sudden death of a friend, Ulcetha is stunned to find himself traveling to the site of the Summer Palace on an expedition for the ultimate prize, the Orb of Cairado. Faced with difficult choices, Ulcetha keeps trying to steel himself to do the next right thing. A twisty plot, a mix of mystery, adventure and scholarship set on a steampunk world populated by elves, goblins, and half-elves make for a fast-paced read. I really enjoyed the scenes set in the university library, where Ulcetha no longer has a scholar’s access.

This memorable novella has me looking forward to Celehar’s return in The Tomb of Dragons, just published this month.  While I read an eBook, Subterranean Press also offers a gorgeous hardcover.

Brenda

A Death in Diamonds

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A Death in Diamonds by S. J. Bennett

This is the fourth Her Majesty The Queen Investigates mystery, but is set much earlier than the others, in 1957. The premise of this delightful British mystery series is that Queen Elizabeth II, with the assistance of her assistant private secretary, solves mysteries. She never takes any credit for her detective work, and doesn’t even share her secret with Prince Philip.

Joan McGraw is a typist at Buckingham Palace and is thrilled to fill in for the Queen’s assistant private secretary Fiona, who is out on sick leave. Joan had worked at Bletchley Park during the war, and speaks French and German. While the mystery she helps the Queen solve is completely fictional, the official events, travel, and gowns are based on fact, including an unexpected encounter with Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The Queen’s friendship with a famous author is also real. A sabotage plot is, however, made up.

The Queen has noticed several minor problems connected with her official travel, including a speech that goes missing. Is one of her staff making mistakes, perhaps deliberately? How will this affect her upcoming visit with Prince Philip to Canada and the United States? There will be televised speeches, including one in French and English, a first for the Queen. Her children Charles and Anne are still quite young, though Charles is soon to enroll at a boarding school.

While I enjoyed the palace scenes and the travels, this wasn’t my favorite of the four mysteries in the series. 1957 wasn’t a terribly happy year in Great Britain, and the crime, which involved a secret room, a stolen tiara, and a man of uncertain nationality, takes a long time to solve and casts suspicion on quite a few people. Joan is very clever, enjoys her time with the Queen, and figures out which member of the staff is betraying the Queen’s trust. I look forward to Queen Elizabeth’s next case.

Brenda

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee

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Rockin’ Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews

Every fall, I look for the latest cozy holiday mystery by Andrews. They are always a delight to read, or to listen to. Meg Langslow and her husband Michael have a very large extended family. Her mother decorates Meg and Michael’s large house to the utmost every Christmas, and someone in the family is usually involved in a Christmas production. Michael often does a one-man Christmas Carol and twins Josh and Jamie, now about 13, have appeared in many Christmas pageants. Meg herself often organizes holiday events in their town of Caerphilly, Virginia, where downtown traffic slows to a crawl as visitors enjoy the holiday decorations and carolers.

This mystery is largely set at the luxurious Caerphilly Inn, where a relative is hosting the Presumed Innocent conference, with presenters giving information on how to exonerate wrongly convicted people. Meg and Michael have a very pregnant relative staying with them, tended to by herbalist cousin Rose Noire, and Meg’s dad, Dr. Langslow. Meg, with the assistance of relatives and town residents, is a skilled amateur sleuth, and is soon asked to investigate the death of someone involved with the conference. While not as funny as some of her other holiday mysteries, Josh and Jamie, along with their friend Adam, provide comic relief as they help Meg and Chief Burke by attempting to exit the Inn unseen by security cameras. Meg and Michael’s family continue to charm, as does the town of Caerphilly. More, please! Earlier holiday mysteries include Duck the Halls, The Nightingale Before Christmas, Owl be Home for Christmas, and several more. Enjoy!

Brenda

We Solve Murders

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We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Sometimes I need a fun crime thriller or caper for escapist reading. This first book in a new series by Osman is just the ticket. While different from his Thursday Murder Club mysteries, fans of one series may enjoy the other. To begin with, Amy Wheeler and her father-in-law Steve are the good guys. Steve is a widowed ex-cop with a cat named Trouble. He lives in the English town of Axley where he walks to a favorite park bench every day to talk with Debbie, his late wife. Then there is lunch at the pub, where Tony can diagnose the problems with his car’s clutch, and quiz night once a week. He has just located a missing dog. There are frequent texts and regular chats with Amy, a bodyguard, and less frequent texts with his son Adam, currently en route to Dubai.

Amy is guarding longtime bestselling writer Rosie D’Antonio on her private island off the coast of South Carolina. Recently, three couriers have died, all with ties to Maximum Impact, the security company owned by Jeff, Amy’s boss, and to a small public relations firm in England. One of the deaths happened off the coast of South Carolina, and Amy learns that she’s a suspect. When she’s not sure who to trust, she asks Steve for help. At first reluctant to travel, Steve finds that he enjoys private plane rides, and the action moves to St. Lucia, Dublin, Dubai, and the New Forest in England. Pubs, posh restaurants, airports, golf courses and spas are all featured here. Steve and Amy make connections, ask questions, are occasionally in danger, and along with Rosie, are vastly entertaining. A movie actor, another security guard, and a caddy all help them figure out who’s responsible for the crime wave. Adam also gets to help, but is a minor character here. In the end, loose ends are tied up and the reader finally emerges back into the real world, refreshed.

Steve and Amy decide they will work together to solve mysteries, and Rosie may have located a missing cat. The Marseille Caper and The Corsican Caper by Peter Mayle are readalikes.

Brenda

Murder Among the Pyramids

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Murder Among the Pyramids by Sara Rosett

A new historical mystery series from Rosett is always welcome news. I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla Digital, with excellent narrating by Elizabeth Klett. Rosett researched 1930s Egypt, lady explorers, and more to creating the first Lady Traveler in Egypt mystery, featuring Blix Windway and Hildy Honeyworth. Blix was introduced in the 6th High Society Lady Detective series, Murder on a Midnight Clear. The author intends to continue the earlier series.

Blix is a resourceful young woman, traveling the world, taking photos, and delivering lectures to women’s groups. Often, she works as a lady’s companion to fund her travels. Arriving in France after a rough channel crossing, Blix needs to find a new patron to cover her travel past Paris. In Paris, Blix and her new traveling companion, Hildy Honeyworth, participate in an exciting road race in Paris.

They travel on to Marseilles, Alexandria, and then to Cairo, Egypt. There is a death in a tent near the pyramids, and an Egyptian diary and expensive jewelry go missing. When society gossips start whispering that Hildy is a suspect, Blix investigates. With the help of reporter Mr. Denby and the scornful Mr. Heathcliff, who works with but not for the police, Blix finds many clues, and almost gets caught up in a street riot. Egypt of the 1930s is vividly described, and Blix is a very appealing amateur detective. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, which is wonderful historical armchair travel. I look forward to Blix and Hildy’s next adventure, on a trip down the Nile.

Brenda

What Time the Sexton’s Spade doth Rust

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What Time the Sexton’s Spade doth Rust by Alan Bradley

After a five-year wait, another Flavia de Luce mystery is most welcome. Flavia is a young teen in early 1950s England, a skilled chemist, and an amateur sleuth. Her clever younger cousin Undine has come to live in the large family house in Bishop’s Lacey, and constantly shadows Flavia. Flavia’s sister Daffy is still there, but oldest sister Ophelia is now married. Dogger and Mrs. Mullett look after the three girls and the house since their father’s death. Flavia and Dogger have long chats in the greenhouse.

Mrs. Mullett has also started cooking meals for Major Greyleigh, her long ago sweetheart. When he is found dead, she is suspected of cooking him poisonous mushrooms for breakfast. While sleuthing, Flavia uncovers a huge family secret and learns that Mrs. M also knows. Does Dogger? British intelligence is operating nearby and it looks like Flavia, Dogger, and also cousin Undine will have more fiendishly clever cases to solve in the future, to the delight of Flavia’s many fans.

Brenda

Forget Me Never

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Forget Me Never by Susan Wittig Albert

Incredibly, this is book 29 in the China Bayles Herbal Mysteries. Thyme of Death is the first book. China owns an herb shop in Pecan Springs, Texas, a fictional town in the hill country between Austin and San Antonio. A former lawyer in Houston, she’s now an amateur sleuth. Her spouse McQuaid is a PI, a former cop, and a professor of criminal justice. Ruby, her business partner, is a psychic. Their friend Sheila is the local police chief.

China investigates a recent hit-and-run death that might be connected to a 20-year-old arson case. Gardens, scenic landscapes, pets, delicious food, and time with her spouse make a charming frame for China’s cases. In this one, the suspected arsonist of twenty years ago may have faked his death in Mexico and may be living in or near Pecan Springs. Chapter headnotes describe herbs that may (or may not) help with memory issues. This is an interesting read and a clever mystery. China is still in top form, and I look forward to book 30.

Brenda

The Comfort of Ghosts

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The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

The final, nostalgic, Maisie Dobbs mystery is set in England after World War II. The first book was set over 30 years earlier when Maisie was a young teen, beginning work as a maid, then going on to be a nurse in World War I. Now Maisie is married to an American, has a daughter and an Alsatian dog, and works as a psychologist and investigator. Her current case has ties to her youth, and is connected to four teens she finds squatting in a vacant mansion along with a very ill soldier who’s just returned to England from east Asia.

Priscilla, while facing some challenges, is still Maisie’s best friend, and Maisie’s father, stepmother, and former mother-in-law all live nearby. Many connected strands of plot and Maisie’s past need to be untangled, and both Maisie and her long-time coworker Billy have need of advice. I found this to be a very satisfying read. A friend commented that there are too many coincidences in this mystery, and I agree. It feels like the author wanted to connect as many of her characters as she could within the covers of this final book. The first book is titled Maisie Dobbs.

Brenda

A Daughter of Fair Verona

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A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this historical rom com, set 20 years after the events of Romeo & Juliet. In this version, Romeo and Juliet have a different ending, and are raising a family in Verona. Oldest child Rosaline is almost 20 and still unmarried. She’s had a few fiancés, but has matched them with other young ladies. Then Duke Stephano, widowed multiple times, encounters Rosie and wants to marry her, even without a dowry. Rosie is enamored of fair Lysander, who climbs into the Montague compound with a special ladder, and they have a few humorous encounters. Then there’s the scarred Prince Escalus, who’s raising his young sister, Princess Isabelle. Rosie’s whole family likes Isabelle, and she enjoys their lively and boisterous household, with loving parents. Many women are attracted to Romeo, but he only has eyes for his Juliet, who is pregnant, again. Romeo still has a temper, as does Rosie.

Rosie spends time at the apothecary shop run by Friar Laurence, escorted by her formidable Nurse. They all go to the scene when a young man is poisoned, and later find another apothecary dead. Rosie is soon suspected of murder and needs to clear her name lest she be sent to a nunnery, so she investigates. The investigation makes this novel a mystery, but it’s mostly a family story set in Verona with some romance and quite a lot of humor. I enjoyed the setting and the characters, and look forward to a planned sequel. The recipe for Juliet’s fruit and nut bread is available on the author’s website, here.

Brenda