.jpg)
Once again, Sherlock Holmes is called upon to prevent an international incident. Readers of Anthony Hope's books revolving around Kingdom of Ruritania may have thought that all was settled there. But Colonel Sapt comes to Holmes for help when the crown is in danger once again and the country is facing a threat from Count Rupert of Hentzau. King Rudolf the Fifth is deathly ill and Count Rupert plans to take advantage of his weakened state to take over the throne.
Colonel Sapt has come to England to ask Rudolf Rassendyll to impersonate the King one more time to save the kingdom (not to mention Queen Flavia, who Rassendyll loves). But Rassendyll is nowhere to be found. What starts as a simple request to trace the missing Englishman soon leads Holmes and Watson through a trail of murder and deception to the wilds of Ruritania and a daring impersonation by Holmes to save not one Rudolf, but two.
This is one of the best Holmes pastiches that I have read from Davies. It is a much shorter work (mirroring the length of The Prisoner of Zenda) and I think he does a very good job weaving Holmes into a swashbuckling tale. A fast-moving and engrossing tale and I'm glad that Watson (through Davies) was finally able to allow it to be published. The romantics among us will be happy to know that there is a (at least temporary) "happily every after" ending for Queen Flavia and Rassendyll...and for Ruritania as well. The kingdom is in much better hands than when King Rudolf the Fifth was in charge and we're definitely glad that Count Rupert has been taken care of. ★★★★
First line: I have often reflected that of the many investigations carried out by my friend, the celebrated detective, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, those which had the most dramatic openings often led on to even more dramatic conclusions.
Last line: "However, in this instance, old friend, I believe you may be right."
****************************
Deaths = 4 (one natural; two stabbed; one shot)
(Finished 11/5/26)
.jpg)
DCI Hannah Scarlett of the Lake District's Cold Case Squad has decided to open the seven-year-old case of Bethany Friend. Bethany was found drowned in the Serpent Pool's few inches of water. Though tied up with the leads from her car, there was no evidence of anyone else in the vicinity and it was just feasible that she had tied herself up and committed suicide for attention. But would a woman deathly afraid of water choose to drown herself? Bethany's mother always insisted it was murder and now that Mrs. Friend is dying, Hannah hopes to find out the truth before the woman is gone.
Just as she and her team begin investigating, the officers handling current day cases are faced with another bizarre suicide/possible murder. George Saffell, an obsessive book collector, dies in a blaze that consumes his expensive collection. Again, there is evidence that he was tied up...and the fire was obviously set. But would a man so obsessive about his book collection actually commit suicide by burning himself and his books up? Is it possible the two deaths are connected?
A third death occurs--first connecting historian Daniel Kind (who has worked with Hannah before) and his sister. But then a real connection between the three deaths becomes apparent: Marc Amos, Hannah Scarlett's partner. Marc is a bookseller and had supplied both of the dead men with books. And, as Hannah learns from other sources, Bethany had worked for Marc briefly before she and Marc became a couple. Why didn't Marc tell her? Does he know more about the deaths than he's let on? And then Marc disappears...
Running through the book is a theme connected to Thomas De Quincey. Daniel is researching for a book on the man known for his Confessions of an English Opium Eater and On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts. One of the suspects is organizing a conference about De Quincey and has asked Daniel to give a lecture. And then it occurs to Hannah that the murders seem to fall in line with De Quincey's thoughts on the subject. Bethany feared water and was drowned. George loved his books and it is now certain that he was alive to watch his books burn. And the last known victim, was claustrophobic and died of exposure in a small, deep well.
This was interesting entry in Hannah's and Daniel's dance towards relationship (I've read a later book, so I know what's coming). But I have to be honest, the cruelty of the murders and, especially the scenes with the last intended victim were a bit off-putting even though they were not as graphic as they could have been. Also, I caught on quite early to the De Quincey connection and the fact that the murders were committed in part to create as much suffering as possible for the victims. It wasn't nearly the a-ha moment that it should have been. As soon as De Quincey came up more than a couple times, I was right on it. And once the third victim is found the suspects aren't exactly thick on the ground. Not my favorite of the series. ★★★
First line: The books were burning.
Last line: Tomorrow would be another day.
***********************
Deaths = 11 (one drowned; one in fire; one exposure; two natural; one accident: two in car accident; one stabbed; two fell from height)
(Finished 10/30/26)
First line: The proud old house rang with excitement.
Last line: "But think of all that did happen!" laughed Arden.
******************
Deaths = 3 natural
(Finished 10/27/26)
1. Title starts with the letter "Q":
2. Audiobook with sound effects:
3. Author with three names:
4. Rags to riches:
5. A book you've been putting off:
6. Set in a close-knit community
7. Same series--book one:
8. Same series--book two:
9. Same series--book three:
10. Related to the word "fate":
11. 1st chapter is more than ten pages:
12: Book is a 3-time award winner:
13. Follows a character from childhood:
14. 2018--By an author under 30:
15. 2019--Name of color in title:
16. 2020--Published when you were 20:
17. 2021--A dual timeline: The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths (maybe)
18. 2022--Nonfiction bestseller:
19. 2023--A city/country name in the title:
20. 2024--At least 4 different POV:
21. 2025--Title is ten letters or fewer:
22. 2026--Spans a decade or more:
23. Any previous 52 Book Club prompt:
24. Read by a Narrator in Audible Hall of Fame: Death Notes by Ruth Rendell OR Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George (both read by Davina Porter)
25. Unrelated books with opposite titles (book 1):
26. Unrelated books with opposite titles (book 2):
27. A purple cover:
28. Divided into parts:
29. Has a tenth anniversary edition:
30. Leaves you questioning:
31. Underdog story:
32. Same publisher as prompt ten:
33. Eureka!:
34. Title is in 1st person:
35. Character is on vacation:
36. Political thriller:
37. Has an index:
38. Low fantasy:
39. Bird on cover:
40. Set in a fictional country:
41. ISBN ends in 6:
42. Includes a party:
43. Copy has a misspelling/grammatical error:
44. Image of person on the spine:
45. Mentions another book title:
46. Verb in the title:
47. A morally grey character:
48. "I prefer the UK cover":
49. Over 10,000 Goodreads reviews:
50. A nostalgic read:
51. Published in 2027:
52. Your final read of the year:
There continues to be a lot of love out there for both the Color Coded and Read It Again, Sam Challenges. Since I don't monitor these quite as closely as my other challenges and my linky provider limits the number of linky "parties" I can provide, I am setting these up on the same sign-up and headquarters sites again this year. The Headquarters with review links and wrap-up links will be updated on the sidebar at the beginning of the year. Here are the challenge descriptions and sign-up links:
Brand New for 2027! A challenge that can work as a companion piece to several challenges offered here at the Block--especially (but not exclusively) Mount TBR, Virtual Mount TBR, & Reading by the Numbers--or with other reading challenges. The object? To clear specific "shelves" off your TBR list, both owned and virtual. If you have masses of TBR books (like me), then there may be shelves or stacks or boxes of books hanging out that you just never seem to get to. I've got a whole pile of science fiction that I scooped up back when that was my primary reading genre. Then I got distracted by mysteries and let those SF gems languish. I'm going to try and do at least one shelf from that bunch. I'd love for you to join me in clearing off some shelves.
Rules
~Challenge runs from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2027. Books should be read during this time period.
~Select a "shelf" of at least eight books. For the purposes of this challenge, a shelf may be eight books sitting together on an physical bookshelf or eight books stacked on your nightstand or eight books in a pile that have been checked out from the library or eight books in a row from your e-reader list (not being an e-reader type of girl, I'm not sure how they appear).
~The key is that once selected, you need to read the books in the order they appear to you. Example: If I choose my books from the lower shelf above beginning with the second Wallace book with his profile on the binding (The Terrible People) through the blue Wells book (The Missing Link), then I will need to read them in that order. Or I could start with Wells and work backwards. If you use a stack or list of eight books then you read up or down the stack in order.
~The minimum challenge goal is one shelf. But when you sign up (link will be below), you will set your own goal. Four shelves = One bookcase. So, you could sign up for a whole bookcase if you've got quite a few books that you'd like to clear off the TBR shelves.
~DNF: As with my Mount TBR challenges, DNF books count--provided they meet your personal DNF criteria (I, for instance, generally give books about 100 pages unless they are 200 pages or less) and you don't plan on ever giving the book another try. If you feel like you might like it better at another time, then you'll need to replace it with another book.
~Please sign up at the challenge Google Form. And if you would like a bookcase graphic to fill in as you read, then I have put this one together with eight books per shelf: Bookcase
~If you post on social media, please use #ReadYourshelfSilly2027.
Year number six for the Reading by the Numbers Challenge on My Reader's Block! Over the years various blogs sponsored reading challenges that were all about tracking how many books you read. But those that I participated in are no longer active, so I decided to create my own. This is the reading challenge at its most basic--just track everything you read. Anything counts--graphic novels or comic books, hard copy, e-books, audio novels, etc. If it is a book, it counts. Books with numbers in the title are not required. I merely used those above as a play on the challenge name. And, although the covers shown in the challenge image are all mysteries, you may read from any and all genres that interest you.
~Challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2027.
~No pre-set challenge levels. You decide on your personal goal.
~May be used concurrently with other "number" reading challenges (such as the Goodreads Challenge) or with any other challenge.
~A blog and reviews of the books are not required to participate, but if you have a blog, please post your sign-up for the challenge and link the post in the form linked below. You are also welcome to link up other media sites where you log process (Instagram; Goodreads; etc.).
~Please sign up for the challenge on this Google Form.
~As with my other challenges, I will update the Headquarters link in the left sidebar of the blog at the beginning of the year.
~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #ReadingByNumbers2027.
Rules
*Object: To find as many words from the word search puzzle list as you can--with a minimum goal of at least eight books in a single Mystery Era to claim completion of the challenge. Feel free to set a more challenging goal for yourself if you'd like.
*Please know that "red herring" was meant to be one phrase, not two separate words to find. The puzzle creator didn't quite get the memo. So, it's intended that you find a red herring in just one book. But--if you want to find a book for "red" and a book for "herring," please feel free.
*This version of the challenge is parenthetically called "reader's choice" because you may choose how you find the words listed. The word itself may appear in the title. If the word is an object (such as rope), then you could claim a cover (see below). Or maybe you find a particularly apt quote that features the word. It's up to you--just keep track of how you've found each word claimed.
* All books must be from the mystery category (crime fiction, detective fiction, espionage, etc.). The mystery/crime must be the primary feature of the book--ghost stories, paranormal, romance, humor, etc are all welcome as ingredients, but should not be the primary category under which these books would be labeled at the library or bookstore.
*As with all versions of the Vintage Mystery Challenge, the Golden Age Vintage Mysteries must have been first published before 1960. Golden Age short story collections (whether published pre-1960 or not) are permissible provided all of the stories included in the collection were originally written pre-1960. Please remember that some of our Golden Age Vintage authors wrote well after 1959--so keep an eye on the original publication date and apply them to the appropriate card. Silver Age Vintage Mysteries may be first published any time from 1960 to 1989 (inclusive). Again, Silver Age short story collections published later than 1989 are permissible as long as they include no stories first published later than 1989. Yes, I admit my dates are arbitrary and may not exactly meet standard definitions of Golden or Silver Age.
*Challenge runs from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2027. All books should be read during this time period. You may sign up at any time. Any books read from January 1 on may count regardless of your sign-up date. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge and a little bit about your commitment—if you’re going Silver or Gold…or maybe both. Then sign up via the form below. And please make the url link to your Challenge post and not your home page. If you do not have a blog, links to an online list (Goodreads, Library Thing, etc.) devoted to this challenge are also acceptable OR you may comment below to indicate your sign up.
* Please sign up at this Google Form.
*"On the cover" may apply to either the front or the back cover of the book. For example, Dell Mapbacks are sometimes perfect--with interesting illustrations on the back cover. Also, the item should be found on the cover of the edition that you read. If at all possible either post a picture showing the item on the cover in the monthly review linky or provide a link to a page showing us. Exception: If the edition you read has no picture whatsoever (hardbacks that have no dust jacket, e-copies, etc.), then you may go on a scavenger hunt online to find a cover image--again, please provide a link to the edition used. Bottom line: if I choose to check up on entries, I must be able to find the item claimed on a cover for the book read.
*No double-counting within the challenge. If a book has several words from the list in the title or on the cover or in really cool quotes, then you need to choose just one. You are welcome to change the word claimed at any time.
*Books read for this challenge may be used for other challenges as well.
*Reviews are encouraged, but they are not necessary to participate. If you do not have a blog, post to the comments below that you intend to join and then post again at the end-of-year wrap-up site when you have completed your challenge (include a list of books read, categories you have completed, and how to find images of covers).
*The Vintage Headquarters link which appears on my sidebar will be updated for the 2027 version once the new year begins. You can go there for review links and information.
*If I am able, I will provide a PRIZE Opportunity: Challengers who complete the minimum eight books from a single era may be eligible for a drawing at the end of the year for a book from the prize list. Please keep track of your progress and be prepared to submit a final wrap-up post or comment at the end of the year. Please do not submit completion notifications prior to the posting of the Wrap-Up Link. Thank you.
*If you post on social media, please use #2027VintageWordSearch.
.jpg)
This is the second of three books featuring the ghostly cousins James and Charles Latimer and their pet monkey Ulysses (also a ghost). The Latimers met their fate in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. Full of the courage that comes from strong drinks, they had tried to stop a German advance and the residents of a small French village had given them an eternal (so it was thought) resting place in their local cemetery.
But our brave, gentlemanly ghosts just can't stay put--at least not when a relative is in trouble. So, when their young cousins Sally and Jeremy come to pay respects at the gravesite and James and Charles pick up an air of disquiet, they know they must come back to the earthly realm and fix up whatever's wrong. Sally and Jeremy are on their way to a bachelor uncle in Italy who is being hounded by an eager widow who doesn't know the meaning of the word "no." Poor Uncle Quentin definitely needs a rescue.
By the time James and Charles materialize, their young cousins have spun away in their spiffy Rolls and our heroes must find a way to get hold of more modern clothes as well as means of transportation. They outwit two sets of thieves--winding up with the loot and helping the local policeman earn a promotion by capturing a murderer. Then, after keeping enough of the money to meet their sartorial needs and to buy a motor car, they play Robin Hood to various citizens in the town. We then follow their adventures as they learn to drive (the last thing they drove was a pony cart), stage an old-fashioned duel, and solve an old murder with help from the victim (who just happens to be a fellow ghost). They also find themselves in the middle of a terrific muddle when Ulysses, who loves wine and occasionally misses the company of others of his kind, discovers a yard full of retired circus animals in a small garrison town. The drunken Ulysses thinks it would be a fine idea to set the 78 monkeys, juggling seal, kangaroo couple, and an Educated Elephant by the name of Ernie free. Once the hullabaloo calms down, James and Charles (and Ulysses) finally catch up with Sally and Jeremy and they all set off together to rescue Uncle Quentin.
If you're looking for good, clean fun with ghosts. This will be right up your alley. If you need absolutely everything to make sense....well, then maybe not. But if you're willing to suspend your disbelief and swallow the idea that ghosts can become just as solid as you or I (at least for limited amounts of time), then this is a rollicking good read. James and Charles are fish out of water. Life has moved on quite a bit since they were put in the ground and even their first adventure with Sally and Jeremy (see Brief Candles, 1954) didn't quite prepare them for everything in the modern world. It's great fun to see our well-mannered gentlemen of yesteryear try to to adjust to whatever year it's supposed to be--that was never quite clear to me. There are fast cars and motor bus tours--but then we have an old-fashioned duel, so it's really quite confusing.
While James and Charles do help solve mysteries--thefts and murder, those who want clues and the ability to work out the puzzle before being told may be disappointed. The best thing to do is to just hop in the car with the Latimers, hang on tight, and enjoy the ride. It's been a while since I read one of the Manning Coles ghostly mysteries (the non-Latimer book The Far Traveller) and I had forgotten how much fun the ghost story version of mystery was. ★★★★
Thank you to Kate from Cross Examining Crime for the gift of this one in our Secret Santa 2019 (see, Kate, I do read my TBR books eventually!)
First line: St. Denis-sur-Aisne, like most towns, has a cemetery.
Last lines: "Where do you and Cousin Charles want to go?"
"To St. Denis-sur-Aisne."
*********************
Deaths = 5 (two in war; one shot; one natural; one pushed off cliff)
[finished 10/24/26]
