Challenge Complete: Monthly Mix-Up Mania

I was beginning to worry that I wasn't going to finish the Monthly Mix-up Mania Challenge this year as planned.  Not that I had to, mind you.  I mean it was set up to run from 2013-15.  But the last time I participated I managed to finish it off in a year and I was determined to do it again.  Just barely...four days to spare.

Here's a brief run-down of the basic rules I had to follow.

What: To read a book for each letter in the year. That's right, a title for the J in January and the A in January, etc.... 74 books total!

Official Start date: April 1, 2013, because we're fools to try this but any book read since 1-1-11 that you didn't already use for the 2011-2013 edition counts ;)

End date: March 31, 2015, yes, two years, because well, we have other challenges to do ;)
And here's a list of the books read:

J: Jack on the Gallows Tree by Leo Bruce (6/26/13)
A: Aaron's Serpent by Emily Thorn (2/22/13)
N: A Dark & Stormy Night by Jeanne M. Dams (1/4/13)
U: Unhappy Hooligan by Stuart Palmer (3/24/13)
A: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (8/6/13)
R: The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers (6/12/13)
Y: TheYellow Violet by Frances Crane (9/30/13)

F: The Monster of Florence by Magdalen Nabb (8/17/13)
E: The Evil That Men Do by Jeanne M. Dams (1/11/13)
B: Sherlock Holmes: His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (2/25/13)
R: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2/24/13)
U: Hammett Unwritten by Owen Fitzstephen (Gordon McAlpine) [3/30/13]
A: Andersen's Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen (8/20/13)
R: A Perfect Red by Amy Greenfield Butler (3/22/13)
Y: If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White (7/19/13)

M: The Mummy Case Mystery by Dermot Morrah (7/3/12)
A: Death in the Air  (aka Death in the Clouds) by Agatha Christie (8/5/13)
R: The Quiet Road to Death by Sheila Radley (12/8/13)
C: 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (3/20/13)
H: Holiday Homicide by Rufus King (4/23/13)

A: A Private History of Awe by Scott Sanders (4/27/13)
P: The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers (6/18/13)
R: The Patient in Room 18 by Mignon G. Eberhart (11/20/13)
I: Inland Passage by George Harmon Coxe (5/2/13)
L: Four Lost Ladies by Stuart Palmer (1/23/13)

M: The Mystery of Hunting's End by Mignon Eberhart (3/29/13)
A: Age of Desire by Jennie Fields (8/14/13)
Y: Murder Your Darlings by J.J. Murphy (12/4/13)

J: The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson
U: The Man Who Went Up in Smoke by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (1/8/13)
N: The Case of the Negligent Nymph by Erle Stanley Gardner (1/24/13)
E: Choice of Evils by E. X. Ferrars (5/4/13)

J: The Corpse of St. James's by Jeanne M. Dams (1/13/12)
U: Unthinkable by Richard Cibrano (10/12/13)
L: The Long Farewell by Michael Innes (8/4/13)
Y: Thank You, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse

A: Sally's in the Alley by Norbert Davis (3/25/13)
U: Unnatural Habits by Kerry Greenwood (2/11/13)
G: Death Has Green Fingers by Lionel Black (4/30/13)
U: Once Upon a Crime by M. D. Lake (10/28/13)
S: The Silence of Herondale by Joan Aiken (4/21/13)
T: Mystery Train by David Wojahn (6/28/13)

S: Slippage by Harlan Ellison (1/19/13)
E: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (6/7/13)
P: London Particular by Christianna Brand (7/22/13)
T: Tragedy at Law by Cyril Hare (6/21/13)
E: Evidence of Things Seen by Elizabeth Daly (11/12/13)
M: Murder on Safari by Elspeth Huxley (6/8/13)
B: Break Any Woman Down by Dana Johnson (6/17/13)
E: Man in the Empty Suit by Sean Ferrell (2/15/13)
R:  Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering (8/31/13)

O: Dead Old by Maureen Carter (7/22/13)
C: The Cavalier's Cup by Carter Dickson (Carr) [2/5/13]
T: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey N. Niffenger (7/10/13)
O: The World's Best One Hundred (100) Short Stories III: Mystery by Grant Overton (ed) [2/24/13]
B: A Bullet at the Ballet by Caryl Brahms & S. J. Simon (8/28/13)
E: Wycliffe & the Guilt Edged Alibi by W. J. Burley (12/21/13)
R: The Water Room by Christopher Fowler (10/25/13)

N: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (7/16/13)
O: Zuma Blue & Other Stories by Alastair Reynolds (2/3/13)
V: The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith (3/6/13)
E: Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence: The First Encounter by James L. Christian (12/26/13)
M: Malcolm Sage: Detective by Herbert Jenkins (9/8/13)
B: Death & the Gentle Bull by Frances & Richard Lockridge (6/29/13)
E: The End of the Alphabet by C. S. Richardson (9/10/13)
R: Ransom Game by John Buxton Hilton (12/23/13)

D: The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey (1/13/12)
E: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (11/27/13)
C: The Curse of the Bronze Lamp by Carter Dickson (Carr) [5/27/13]
E: Cold Earth by Sarah Moss (10/18/13)
M: The Lady in the Morgue by Jonathan Latimer (3/10/13)
B: Murder & Blueberry Pie by Frances & Richard Lockridge (9/3/13)
E: The Big Eye by Max Ehrlich (12/27/13)
R: Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie (9/6/13)

The Big Eye: Review

We scientists have been responsible for many of the world's ills for a longtime. We've failed to understand that science moves fast, it is revolutionary, while the human mind is slow, evolutionary. As a result, we have a gap of thousands of years between scientific achievement and the human capacity to use it wisely. ~Dr. Dawson (p. 144)

The Big Eye was written by Max Ehrlich in 1949 about the future...the near-future of 1960.  In Ehrlich's vision, mankind has learned very little from the two world wars of its recent past--even less than we who have survived the '60s (and '70s and '80s and...).  The Cold War has resulted in everyone having a piece of the atomic action and Russia and the United States are playing a nervous game to see who will drop the bomb first.  It isn't a matter of "if," but "when."  

Dr. David Hughes is a young astronomer sent by his boss Dr. Dawson to meet with the top US officials in an effort to determine if it is in the nation's best interest to be the first to launch the attack.  At the last minute, Hughes is called to return to the Palomar Observatory where Dawson has made a discovery that will change everything.  The days of the Earth are numbered.  A rogue planet, "Planet Y" is speeding through the galaxy on a collision course with Earth.  A collision that will take place in exactly two years on Christmas day 1963.  Dawson has gathered the world's astronomer's to verify his calculations and they make the terrifying announcement to the people of Earth.

In the wake of the horrible news, David finds some happiness with the woman he loves; and, ironically, the world is able to settle its differences creating a world at peace with the problems of war, hunger, and even cancer solved in the shadow of doomsday.  When Christmas 1963 comes, David and Carol go out into the open (along with most of the citizens of Earth) to face The Big Eye (as Planet Y has been named) and meet their doom.  What happens next is not a miracle, but a very believable twist that brings the story to a very satisfying conclusion.

This was a decent look at what a writer who has just been through World War II saw as the near-future of the 1960s.  The basic story line was interesting and believable--although the viewpoint is old-fashioned and somewhat preachy (particularly as viewed from the 21st Century).  I like the idea that mankind when faced with a common threat might actually pull itself together and look beyond our petty fears and disagreements--it would be nice if we could that act together without a catastrophic event looming over us..... Three and a half stars.

*Since the story begins and ends on Christmas, I'm totally counting this for the Christmas Spirit Challenge as well as others.  
 

Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence: The First Encounter--Review

Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence: The First Encounter is a collection of articles and essays edited by James L. Christian and published in 1976.  The articles were drafted in the shadow of the lunar landings and while the preparations for the Viking mission to Mars were well under way.  People had long looked up at the sky at night and wondered what was out there--but now astronauts were making the first steps into space to find out.  So, of course, speculation on what kind of life might exist on other worlds began to grow...particularly speculation about the possibility of intelligent life.  These articles from eminent scientists and science fiction writers (and some, like Isaac Asimov, who were both) consider what the discovery of intelligent interstellar life might mean to the human race--in philosophy and in practice; to our thoughts on religion and science.  We even have a word from one of science fiction's favorite aliens--Mr. Spock of Vulcan.

Some of these essays are quite good and interesting--those by Asimov, Ray Bradbury, James L Christian, Kendrick Frazier, and Michael Tooley are all thought-provoking and written in terms that a layperson can understand.  The "conversation" between Leonard Nimoy and his alter-ego Mr. Spock is charming and allows questions about interaction with aliens to be addressed in an entertaining way.  The rest of the book goes quite over my head--lots of detailed scientific discussion about the probability of life-supporting planets and how many of those might generate intelligent life and the odds of that life trying to contact us (or sitting out there listening to our efforts to contact them)...it all makes my head spin.  And, of course, this bit of non-fiction from 1976 is sadly out of date and out of touch.  Unfortunately, our space program hasn't really progressed in the ways predicted by the scientists and science fiction writers of the '70s.  We're not colonizing space; we're not making great efforts to explore much further than our backyard in the solar system.   And if there are intelligent civilizations out there...I wouldn't be surprised if they have marked our planet as the insane asylum of the galaxy.  We seem rather intent on doing ourselves in--if not through wars, then through pollution or disastrous climate or environmental effects.  Why would they want to get in touch with those crazy Terrans?

An interesting read--if only for Asimov, Bradbury, and Nimoy--but not quite the stuff that three star books are made of.  Two and a half stars.

Ransom Game: Review

It seems like if a detective fiction writer is at it long enough, s/he will try their hand at the Master Criminal plot.  Doyle did it.  Christie did it.  Chesterton did it.  And there have been others.  In Ransom Game, John Buxton Hilton pits his Inspector Kenworthy against "The Manager."  It all starts with what seems to be a random kidnapping--of the owner and patrons of a local shop in Morley Mortain.  That was big enough news--who ever heard of kidnapping nine random villagers all at once--but then the ransom demand comes in and an odd demand it is too.  "Let Franky Tasker keep white mice in his prison cell, and Morley Mortain will get its wives, lovers, and bingo callers back."  The authorities keep it quiet, but the ransom is paid and the kidnapped villagers return home telling tales of lavish accommodations and jailers who met their every wish.  It seems that the crime was a joke.  But Inspector Simon Kenworthy is called in and he suspects that this was just a practice run...and that a criminal master mind known to the police as "The Manager" is preparing for an abduction that will result in the death of innocents if his serious demands aren't met.

This is a decent police procedural.  The reader gets a real sense of all the levels of police working together to try and track down the master criminal while arranging to capture as many of the smaller fry as possible.  Inspector Kenworthy and his close associates have their share of "inspiration" and luck--but it is all believable in the context of the story.  An average mystery with interesting and likeable characters.

Wycliffe & the Guilt Edged Alibi: Review

I can tell that I'm pushing to try and meet my Outdo Yourself/Goodreads Challenge and whizzing right through books....There's a big ol' clue right near the beginning of Wycliffe & the Guilt Edged Alibi (aka Guilt Edged) by W. J. Burley that I managed to miss.  And when we got to the reveal, I all "Oh, yeah. Well that was obvious, wasn't it Bev?"  Wonder if anybody out there in follower-land would catch it?  [Yes, you might call that a challenge. :-) ]

So...Superintendent Wycliffe is called in to smooth an investigation that involves the wealthy Bryce family and, more importantly, his old schoolmate (and, more recently, former Minister of State) Clement Morley.   Beautiful Caroline Bryce, wife of Matthew Bryce and half-sister to Morley, has been found dead in the river that divides the town of Treen into East and West.  The Bryce family own half the town--from the timber yard to the canning factory to the coal yard and the harbor installations.  It would never do to have a scandal.  It is hoped that Wycliffe can quickly get to the bottom of the mystery.  But a case that starts with rumors of suicide soon becomes tangled with motives--from jealousy between Caroline and her daughter Zel to a family feud over control of the family business interests to tensions between Caroline and her adulterous lover.  Who struck Caroline over the head before she was dumped in the river?  And why was she and her car stashed in her brother-in-law's garage for a day before her final dunking?  Wycliffe will have to answer these questions and more before he can point the finger of guilt at the culprit.

  The Wycliffe books are pretty straight-forward police procedural fare--with just a bit of emphasis on the flair of our leading policeman.  He doesn't exactly track down clues in the usual police detective manner--taking long walks to submerge himself in the atmosphere and asking what may seem to be irrelevant questions.  But his methods work and the clues are definitely there if the reader is paying proper attention.  A good solid British mystery at three stars.

The Quiet Road to Death: Review

Things are getting a bit gruesome in the village of Breckham Market.  First, a young woman's body is found in a quiet lay-by just outside of town.  The police have not been able to identify her because the murderer decapitated her and removed the head.  Then someone leaves a vicious message on Angela Arrowsmith's doorstep--her own Siamese cat, decapitated as well, and the words "Your Turn Next" spray painted on the door.  While Chief Inspector Douglas Quantrill and his new Detective Sergeant Hilary Lord are trying to track down clues in the murder and the mutilation of the cat, someone is planning another death--and soon Angela joins the tally of victims.  Did she know something about the first woman's death?  Is that why Angela had to die?  Or has someone taken advantage of the circumstances to focus suspicions elsewhere?  After all, maybe Angela's husband Simon has finally realized that he'd gotten a raw deal in the marriage market.  Or maybe her brother is tired of being her galley slave. Perhaps her brother-in-law can't stand having the family name dragged through the mud...one more time.  Or...there are those shady connections from her barmaid days.  It all makes for an interesting investigation as Quantrill tries to get used to his first female second-in-command.

Written in 1983, The Quiet Road to Death by Sheila Radley gives us a glimpse of what it was like for the male detective branch to take on female detectives.  They'd gotten used to women in uniform, but there is still a "boys club" feel to the detective service.  Quantrill wavers between feeling that Lord will be a distraction for the men to thinking that her charms might well soften up male suspects.  He's obviously trying hard to work through his rather chauvinistic views and by the end of the novel they have struck an uneasy balance.  There will definitely be some further growing pains for this working relationship in any future novels.

The mystery itself is generally okay.  There aren't a great number of suspects, so it doesn't take much to figure out whodunnit and I'm a little hesitant about the motive...but it ultimately works.  I will have to say that Angela is a thoroughly unlikeable wench and I didn't shed any tears over her death.  Poor Simon really was being railroaded.  The most interesting part of this story is watching the integration of Hilary Lord into the detective team--understanding how groundbreaking that was for women in the police force as late as the early '80s.  Not a knock-out mystery, but I will definitely be trying more to see how the relationship develops.  Three stars.

Murder Your Darlings: Review

Murder Your Darlings by J. J. Murphy is a more modern look back at Dorothy Parker and her cronies from the Algonquin Round Table in the 1920's.  Just last week I read The Dorothy Parker Murder Case written by George Baxt in 1984 and it's interesting to see how the two historical mysteries stack up.  Each book makes the most of the incredibly witty and complex group who made up the self-anointed "Vicious Circle" as well as other famous luminaries of the time.  Murphy uses historical events with a fair dose of poetic license--as he says, "I do believe that Dorothy Parker and the other members of the Algonquin Round Table would have encouraged the embellishment of fact to tell a good story."

This embellishment includes bringing a very young and as-yet-unknown William Faulkner into the circle and under the protective wing of Dorothy Parker.  Faulkner has come to New York in the hopes of finding his voice as a writer and finding a way to sell his own books.  He gets to the Algonquin before any of the Round Table members arrive for lunch and loiters about "suspiciously."  So, is it any wonder that when a dead man is found stabbed to the heart with a fountain pen and lying under the famous table that Detective O'Rannigan immediately fastens on the "suspicious" Southerner?

But Dorothy has been introduced to Faulkner while they are waiting for the police to sort things out in the restaurant and he appeals to whatever motherly instinct she might have.  "You just wanted to protect him." And she, with the help of Robert Benchley and other members of the Circle, sets out to do just that.  They will have to defy a legendary mob boss and liquor-supplier to all the speakeasies (and policemen's balls) in town, elude a vicious contract killer, and finish with a mad-dash through the inner-workings of newspaper printing room before running the villain to earth.

This book was a little more action-packed and descriptive in comparison to the Baxt novel.  Baxt focused more on the wit and humor and gave the mystery and description of 1920s New York a very light touch.  Murphy has obviously done his research and you get the feel of Tony Soma's speakeasy as well as the newspaper business of the times.  The characters are also just a tad less cliche-ish.  But overall, I enjoyed each book equally--for different reasons.  I like the light and breezy feel of Baxt.  And I like the more authentic feel of Murphy.  Three solid stars for an enjoyable read.

Around the World in Eighty Days: Review

Around the World in Eighty Days is a classic adventure novel by Jules Verne.  I had seen two filmed versions of the story--the 1956 version starring David Niven and a host of stars in cameo roles and the 1989 TV mini series starring Pierce Brosnan and his own host of stars--but had never read the story (despite having a huge book with all of Verne's major works).  I still haven't "read" it.  Faced with a long car trip over the Thanksgiving holiday, I popped in the audio version featuring Christopher Plummer as my narrator and listened to Verne's original story.  I'm pleased to say that each of the films are remarkably faithful to the original--with only a bit of Hollywood glitz sprinkled in.

The story should be a familiar one, but just in case, here is a brief run-down.  Phileas Fogg is an eccentric English gentleman of precise habits.  He dines at the same hour every day, arrives at his club exactly on time, and always plays whist with his fellow club members at the same hour and for the same amount of time.  He is something of a mystery--beyond his obsession with precision and his preference for the game of whist, little is known about him.  That he is wealthy is obvious--how he came to be wealthy is another matter--whether it be through inheritance or sound investments or some other means...no one knows.  

Fogg is so particular about the details of his life that as the story opens he has just dismissed his manservant for the inexcusable error of providing shaving water that was two degrees too cold.  He advertises for a replacement and a Frenchman by the name of Passepartout arrives at his door in response to the ad.  Passepartout has led a rather varied and adventuresome life, but is looking for something quiet and regular.  Having heard about Fogg's passion for regularity and precision, he believes this to be the perfect position.  Fogg hires him on the spot and sets off for his club.

At cards that evening, the subject of travel and how small the world has become with all the modern travel (trains, steamer ships, etc) options available--why, a man can go 'round the world in three months!  Eighty days, is Fogg's reply.  His fellow club members scoff at this, but Fogg recites the various methods of travel available, the length of time required for each leg of the journey, and adds it all up to eighty days.  After much discussion back and forth, a wager is made.  Fogg will offer up twenty thousand pounds (five thousand for each of his colleagues) if he is unable to return to the club in time for their usual whist game in precisely 80 days.  He finishes the card game and heads home to inform Passepartout that they must pack and prepare to journey around the world.  And so Fogg's grand adventure begins--an adventure that will include saving an Indian woman from being burned on a funeral pyre with her dead husband, preventing American Indians from taking over a train, and inciting a seafaring crew to mutiny in order to reach England in time.  

In the meantime, a great bank robbery has taken place and it is said that the thief is--of all things--a gentleman.  When the detective on the case--one Detective Fix--hears of Fogg's intended trip around the world, he becomes convinced that this mysterious gentleman with abundant funds but no visible means of support must be the thief and he takes off after him on the famous journey.  Fix dogs Fogg's steps until Phileas sets foot on British soil once more...where he serves him with a warrant.  By the time it is proved that Fogg is not the thief in question and flies by special train to London too many hours have passed and it looks like Fogg has lost his bet.  But there is one last surprise waiting for Fogg, Passepartout, and the Indian woman Aouda.  Fogg may collect after all.

This is my favorite Verne novel to date.  I've read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth and they're both fine adventure stories, but Around the World is the best.  I really enjoy reading about the proper, precise British gentleman making his way around the world and overcoming the various obstacles along the way.  And Passepartout is such a charming sidekick for Fogg.  I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of in-depth analysis on this one--listening to audio novels makes for pleasant driving, but limits my note-taking for review purposes.  A delightful novel coming in at four stars....and now I want to pull out my Brosnan version of the film and rewatch it.

The Patient in Room 18: Review

The Patient in Room 18 is the debut novel for Mignon G. Eberhart.  It is also the book that introduces Nurse Sarah Keate (who would appear in six of Eberhart's 57 novels). Nurse Keate is strong-minded, red-haired, and sharp-tongued. She has a bit of the Had-I-But-Known heroine's attributes and, though often quick-witted, she does fail to recognize certain danger on a couple of instances in this, her first encounter with murder.  She is much more assured and consistently perceptive in The Mystery of Hunting's End (my personal favorite)--but I'm sure that, as with all things, practice makes perfect and as her involvement in murders continues she becomes more adept.

In her debut, Nurse Keate faces the theft of radium (being used for medical purposes), the death of a patient and a doctor and the janitor/night watchman.  The patient in question, one Mr. Jackson who needs the radium for his treatment, is given a hefty dose of morphine and sent into a permanent sleep.  It would appear that the murder was necessary so the villain could steal the very valuable radium.  Detective Lance O'Leary, who has a very impressive capture rate, is called in to track down the radium and the killer.  And he's the one who discovers the patient's doctor dead in a locked closet.  Did the doctor walk in on the killer and get murdered to keep him quiet?  Or is there more to this mystery than meets the eye?  It would seem that there were at least four people wandering in and out of the Room 18 and most of them were carrying deadly instruments of one sort or another.

And then, in a classic little move, Higgins the janitor/night watchman pops up and confides in Nurse Keate.  You see--he's seen something that "just ain't right" and he doesn't know what to do about it.  Despite her best efforts Higgins refuses to reveal the most important bits of his information because he simply has to run off and see to his boiler.  And even though Nurse Keate sees one of the possible suspects slinking away, it doesn't occur to her that Higgins might actually be in danger because of his knowledge (this would be one of her less-than-stellar moments).  Naturally, before too many pages are turned we have another corpse on our hands...poor Higgins.

After finding the radium and losing it again, O'Leary (with helpful tidbits from Nurse Keate) manages to gather enough clues to stage a grand finale in....Room 18.  All the suspects are brought together and O'Leary gives us the standard Golden Age wrap-up monologue.  Accusations are thrown about until finally the villain slips up and reveals knowledge that only the killer could know.  Snap goes the trap! And snap go the handcuffs!

Despite my rather trite summation and being full of standard mystery plot devices, this really was an enjoyable read.  I liked seeing Sarah Keate in her first mystery and watching her relationship with O'Leary begin.  There are plenty of clues--I picked up on most of them--and plenty of plot twists--I missed some of them.  And the denouement was very satisfying.  I certainly recommend this early look at a hospital-based mystery with a strongly-written female character.  Three and a half stars.

Quotes
Clues are funny things. When they seem to point one way they are very apt, on close investigation to point another way entirely. So please don't hesitate to answer my questions. (Lance O'Leary; p. 93)

 Well--here is one definite and concrete trick. As a rule, given enough rope a man can hang himself. Often I find that there will be one little circumstance that only the guilty man knows. Sooner or late he lets it out. Sometimes I have to trap the man I suspect into such an admission. (O'Leary; p. 220)

Evidence of Things Seen: Review

Evidence of Things Seen is the fifth in the Henry Gamadge mystery series by Elizabeth Daly.  It is set in 1942 and Henry is off doing unspecified war work. (In various books it is mentioned that he worked in the US and in Europe for Counter-Intelligence. Whenever he is asked what he did, he says he flew around.)  His wife Clara and their maid Maggie have gone to an isolated cottage in the Berkshires for a little vacation and to make the place welcome for Henry's return.  Another couple is scheduled to join them--but there is a delay due to sickness.  The place is rather remote and just a little bit creepy--and it doesn't help that Maggie and Clara keep seeing a mysterious woman in a purple dress and a sunbonnet that obscures her face.  She always appears at sunset and following her appearance they find the formerly latched attic door open.

The clothes belonged to Eva Hickson who had died the year before of "gastric trouble."  It is rumored that her sister Alvira may have murdered her for her money.  And it does seem strange that Alvira, now the landlady to the cottage and owner of a small farmstead, refuses to set foot in the cottage despite Clara's warm invitations.  When Alvira's horse shies and overturns her cart directly in front of the cottage, breaking her ankle in the process, she is brought fainting into the very room where her sister died.  Clara and another local couple promise to sit up with her--so she won't have to be alone in the "death room"--but even their presence can't prevent another tragedy when the lady in purple appears once more.

For Alvira is strangled right before Clara's eyes and the local police are forced to believe that 1) Clara is hysterical/crazy and making up ghost stories, 2) Clara fainted even though she swears she didn't and anything might have happened, or 3) Clara killed Alvira herself.  Henry shows up just in time to lay the ghost to rest and to prove that there is a flesh-and-blood killer....who isn't Clara.

I've always loved these mysteries with the quiet, unassuming, genteel Henry Gamadge.  They are charming slices of life during another period and Daly writes a pretty mean murder plot.  She offers up one twist after another....and even though the plot device is one I've encountered before, she still managed to pull the wool over my eyes.  I settled on first one suspect and then finally another--and still managed to be wrong.  I do appreciate it when the author can fool me.  One small point that keeps this one at three and a half stars (although I'll round up on Goodreads) is that periodically I felt out of step in the conversations.  It was like I was only hearing one half of what was said or that there were all kinds of unspoken, "between the lines" things going on that I wasn't quite getting.  I don't think it affected the mystery plot necessarily--it just made me feel a little off.  Otherwise, a highly enjoyable outing with the Gamadges.

Once Upon a Crime: Review

Campus Cop, Peggy O'Neill, is back to crime-busting in M. D. Lake's Once Upon a Crime.  The fact that Peggy is represented as little more than a glorified nightwatchman hasn't kept her from landing in the middle of five murder investigations in the previous series books and being on the disabled list won't keep her out of this one.  According to Peggy, all she's supposed to do at night is walk the beat, watch out for suspicious-looking loiterers, and shepherd the inebriated undergraduates home. Detective duty is not supposed to be on her duty roster, and yet....

As mentioned, Peggy is on the disabled list--recovering from the lingering effects of her last tangle with a murderer (see Murder by Mail). In her now abundant spare time she meets Pia Austin, undergraduate Hans Christian Andersen scholar and girlfriend to Christian Donnelly--the university's star quarterback.  Her friendship will result in Peggy landing a minor role in a play adaptation of The Emperor's New Clothes and a leading role in the investigation of the murder of Pia's father.  Pia's dad is Jens Aage Lindemann, Danish scholar and the leading expert on Andersen.  Lindemann has been invited as the keynote speaker at the university's symposium on Anderson, an event meant to christen the newly built children's library and special Andersen room.

After the keynote address, Lindemann is found dead in the Andersen room--with a statue of the Little Mermaid as the weapon and a smashed display case at his side.  It looks as though Lindemann walked in a thief making off with original letters written by Andersen to a friend and paid for it with his life.  But Peggy isn't so sure.  What if Lindemann--a man who seems to have gathered more than his share of adversaries and enemies--was the target all along?  Peggy will have to wade through academic rivalries and Lindemann's past love life before the motive and the culprit become clear.

This series by M. D. Lake is a very pleasant, very cozy little take on the academic mystery.  Peggy O'Neill is a very likable character--and a very down-to-earth, believable one.  It is very nice that she is able to manipulate the case so she finally gets a guarantee from her boss that she'll be sent for detective training.  She really is wasted on that night beat.  The mystery is a pretty straight-forward one with very few bells and whistles.  There are, however, enough suspects and red herrings to keep the average reader guessing.  I spotted the vital secret--but I must say I wasn't able to spot the correct killer.

My one major quibble is having Peggy act as judge and jury at the end.  A character like Holmes or Poirot packs enough punch to carry that off....I'm just not convinced that Peggy does.  Three stars for a good solid mystery outing.

The Water Room: Review

The Water Room by Christopher Fowler is the second book in his Peculiar Crimes Unit series.  It stars John May and Arthur Bryant, the octogenarian leaders of a unit of detectives who handle all the cases that the regular detective forces won't touch or can't solve.  This one begins with a simple question: How can an elderly woman drown, fully dressed to go out, in her otherwise dry basement?  Their search will lead them through a maze of shady real estate men, racist threats, shy academic types with something underhand on the side, lectures on the city's undergound river system, and some lessons in Egyptian mythology.  There's a killer on the loose who leaves no clues and who is ruthless in a hunt for a valuable art treasure.  Bryant and May are out to locate the treasure and capture the criminal before anyone else has to die. 

The use of "water" in the title of this one is very fortuitous...in a way.  Because this story is, quite frankly (in my opinion), duller than ditch water.  There are long explanatory, historical bits about the underground rivers.  There are repeated episodes with one of the characters hearing rushing water in her house, fighting off spiders, and thinking that someone is entering her house when she's not there.  There's a long time between the first murder (that no one except Bryant and May considers a murder for quite a while) and the next.  There's a lot of talk and not a whole lot of action.  The mystery could be a quite interesting one....if the story would just move along....

I read the first of this series quite a while ago (pre-blogging days) and all I can tell you about it is that I enjoyed it enough to snatch up a couple of the books when I got a chance.  But I honestly don't think I'll be reading any more.  This one just didn't do it for me.  One star.

Cold Earth: Review (possible spoilers)

Cold Earth is a debut novel by Sarah Moss.  It is set in Greenland with a team of six archaeologists and researchers from the United States, England and Scotland spending a few weeks at the beginning of the Arctic summer searching for traces of a lost Viking settlement. While they are on the expedition, there is an epidemic of some sort going on and they gradually lose contact with family at home and the outside world in general.  In response, they each write what may be their last letter home.

Added to their increasing distress at what might be happening to the world around them is the unease created by Nina.  Nina isn't really an archaeologist--she's an English major trying to tie Vikings into her research...and a friend of the team leader, Yianni.  Nina begins seeing and hearing things and believes that the ancient Vikings are not pleased to have their resting place disturbed.  With their connection to the outside world lost, food running out, and the possibility that no one will come back to get them, the possibility of a haunted burial site may be the last straw.

Described on the back of the book as an "exceptional and haunting debut novel" and a "heart-pounding thriller," it does sound like there's a lot of cool things going on.  Doesn't it?  Well....there's a lot of really cool ways that this story could have played out.  And it doesn't use any of them.  The ending is incredibly disappointing.  After creating all this tension regarding the "epidemic" back home, we don't really ever find out how this epidemic affected them. Or affected anyone, really.  After building up this atmosphere of a haunted archaeological site, we never find out if it's really haunted or if Nina is just one disturbed academic.  There's the suggestion that it might all be in her head or that she's even behind the odd things that happen (somewhat reminiscent of The Haunting of Hill House), but it's even vaguer than Shirley Jackson's novel on that point.  

This was a fairly decent read.  It kept me going to the end.  But I was thoroughly dissatisfied when I finished. I had very little sympathy with any of the characters--and two of them--Yianni, the team leader, and Ben--get very short shrift indeed.  Nina gives us 103 pages for her letter, Ruth--79...and the letters get shorter and shorter.  While both Yianni and Ben (the last of the writers) give us a mere four pages apiece.  The team leader has only four pages to relate about one of the most important digs of his career?  

So...this is represented as an apocalyptic, end of the world tale with dash of ghost story for added flavor.  It comes off as rather bland and certainly not "thrilling" in any sense of the word.  I didn't hate it--but I can't say that I'll be recommending it. Two stars.

Unthinkable: Review

Unthinkable by Richard Cibrano is a book that I expected to like.  It had a lot of things going for it...Time Period: early 20th Century.  Subject: the sinking of the Titanic. Mystery: was there more to that tragedy than meets the eye?  It involved the Pinkerton Detective Agency and a cross-Atlantic conspiracy.  What was there not to like?

Item One: The Present Tense narrative--that's what.  I guess I'm picky--but if you're telling me a story, then the story has already happened. You went here.  You did that.  You talked to those people over there.  I just don't get the recent craze with present tense.  I've read quite a few new releases that seem to think telling it like it's happening right now is the best thing since sliced bread.  It's not. It's awkward.  It makes the narrative ungainly.  It feels laborious. It just doesn't work. It especially doesn't work when that's your primary narrative tense and then you throw in several quick-changes to past tense.  That's even more uneven.

Item Two: There is way too much telling and not enough showing going on.  We get tons of narrative telling us what Pinkerton, or his operatives, or Ismay, or J.P. Morgan and company, or British Intelligence or whoever did off-stage.  Then a bunch of dialogue mixed in with what's happening (currently, right now, present tense).  Then more telling about stuff.  Just let the characters do--let the reader follow along and see what actually happened.

Item Three: Minor point--but the word is used repeatedly and it began to bug the crap out of me.  The word scam, according to every website I can find as well as my good, old-fashioned hardbound dictionary, was first used in mainstream America in the 1960s. Fifty years after the events in this novel.  No wonder Pinkerton and company sometimes sound like private investigators from the James Bond era.

There...I got all the complaints out of my system.  Now, let me tell you what I liked about this novel.  First and foremost, kudos for the sheer audacity of the idea.   Here it is:  So, what if the sinking of the Titanic wasn't just the unfortunate run-in with an iceberg that we've always thought?  What if there was this huge plot to take the ship down and start an international incident?  Maybe even war? Wow.  And the thing is Cibrano really made me believe it could have happened.  It's scary to think it could have happened--that men could be so ruthless in the pursuit of their own goals.  The investigation is logical and the events that lead up to what could have been the greatest confidence scheme in recent history make such an event seem perfectly plausible.

The Pinkerton Agency is contacted by former President Theodore Roosevelt to investigate just such a possibility.  Roosevelt has received a letter from his former adviser, Major Archibald Butt, which was mailed just before the Titanic set sail.  Since assisting Roosevelt, Butt has been serving current President Taft and was on his way back from a diplomatic visit to Italy.  Butt writes that a representative from Italy had told him in confidence that there were rumors of a plot to bring about world war.  This plot would focus on the sinking of a passenger liner and the pomp and circumstance surrounding the launch of the mighty Titanic made her a prime target.  Now that the White Star's pride has indeed gone down, Roosevelt wants Allan Pinkerton and his men to discover whether there is any truth to the rumors from Italy. What they find is even worse than what is first suspected.

The other very strong component of this novel is the characterization.  I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Allan Pinkerton, Francis Dimaio, and the fresh-from-Dartmouth, young detective Oswald Mogg.  They are well-defined, genuine men of action with very human sides.  Cibrano also does very well with his representation of the already larger-than-life Roosevelt.  He uses the President's well-known phrases and mannerisms to emphasize his character without making him a caricature.

Overall, a fantastic story idea that could benefit from a little bit better delivery.  Still--very enjoyable at 2 and 3/4 quarter stars.  Almost 3 and I will round up on Goodreads.

[Disclaimer: My review policy is posted on my blog, but just to reiterate....The book was offered to me for impartial review by the author's publicists and I have received no payment of any kind. All comments are entirely my own honest opinion.]

The Prayer of Jabez: mini-review

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying,
"Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil, 
that I may not cause pain."
So, God granted him what he requested.

The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson was a pretty big deal in Christian publishing back in 2000 when the book first came out.  I remember seeing the book everywhere--in secular bookstores and on the library shelves as well as in the Christian bookstores.  There was a lot of buzz about it in the Protestant church world.  There were Prayer of Jabez study groups and prayer groups.  All that seems to have died down.

Dr. Wilkinson's insights into that very short portion of the Bible--1 Chronicles 4:10--are very enlightening.  I do appreciate his interpretation of Jabez's request.  He asks for God's blessing--for "the wonderful, unlimited goodness that only God has the power to give."  We are to ask for what we cannot do for ourselves.  But--not selfishly.  We ask that we might "enlarge our territory."  In Wilkerson's interpretation, "enlarge my territory" means to increase our opportunities to use that unlimited goodness to touch individual lives and the larger world for God's glory.  He rephrases the prayer to read:

O God and King, please expand my opportunities and my impact in such a way that I touch more lives for Your glory.  Let me do more for You!

And the rest of the prayer is to be kept from evil--to be kept even from the temptation of evil--so that our works will be good and we will not hurt anyone (even ourselves) by what we do.

Anyone who reads this book and thinks that the prayer is about "God make me rich.  God make me Big. God, it's all about me." has absolutely missed the message.

I do agree with others who have commented on the mantra-like style to Wilkinson's insistence that this is the only prayer you need. That this is what it's all about 24-7.  If this were it, then there wouldn't be a whole Bible.  There wouldn't be the teachings of Jesus.  This is an insightful prayer...and one that should be understood.  But it's not the only one.  Three stars.

The Yellow Violet: Review

This kind of case is tricky from the very first and sometimes it keeps getting more and more so right up to the minute you solve it. ~Pat Abbott

The Yellow Violet is the third novel in the Pat and Jean Abbott (though still Jean Holly here) mystery series by Frances Crane.  Jean has come to San Francisco in order to marry the man of her dreams, detective Pat Abbott.  The trousseau is all ready and the orchid corsage has been delivered. Jean has changed into her wedding apparel (a new dress suit--no white wedding dress in the war years for her) and is ready to head to the chapel with her handsome hubby-to-be when a case intervenes.

Before Pat can make his romantic get-away with the lovely Jean, Molly Terrill comes to his office looking for his help to locate her missing brother who managed to get himself mixed up with the Fascists when they were in Italy.  With an eye towards his honeymoon, Pat suggests that Molly consult a fellow detective so he and Jean can get married. Molly agrees.  Swell.  Except, then Charley Dickens (the fellow detective) is found shot in his office...with a single yellow violet as the only clue. Toni Ravel, a beautiful Spanish entertainer, is on tour in the Western United States.  Toni's trademark just happens to be the yellow violet corsages that she always wears.  There are Fascist spy rings, suspicious Asian bellboys, and a man in a brown hat who follows Jean wherever she goes.  There's a dachshund named Pancho and the ubiquitous taxi driver Angelino Angelo.  It will all end with a struggle over the tea set...and the teapot will come in handy when Jean needs to lend Pat a hand in subduing the bad guys.

Very fun war-time mystery, although not quite as humorous as the Pam & Jerry North series.  Jean is very determined to help Pat--but she tends to misjudge each and every person she encounters.  She doesn't trust Toni Ravel's boyfriend/manager because his name sounds German.  She doesn't trust the bellboy because...well, he's always there.  She doesn't trust Molly's housekeeper/mother-figure because because of the way she talks about Molly's brother.  But, for all her misplaced (and sometimes well-placed, but for the wrong reasons) distrust, Jean is there for Pat when it counts and helps him collar the villains in the end.  Three and 3/4 stars (rounded to four on Goodreads).

Malcolm Sage, Detective: Review

What's up with the give-away cover?

Malcolm Sage, Detective (1921) is a collection of short stories by Herbert Jenkins.  Sage had been involved in intelligence for Britain's Z Division during World War I and when the war ended Sir John Dene (who owed much to Sage) helped set him up in the Malcolm Sage Detective Bureau--meant to be a British Pinkerton's.  This volume details the first years of the agency's cases.  Sage has a staff of devoted and able men and women--James Thompson, his principle assistant; Gladys Norman, confidential secretary; William Johnson, junior staff member; and Arthur Tims, chauffeur. What follows is a set of seven cases.  The stories are broken up into more than one named chapter--which makes it look like there are seventeen mysteries.

Sage's style owes much to the Sherlock Holmes school.  He examines everything and keeps some of the clues in reserve.  But, unlike Holmes, he reveals just enough that the astute reader can get a hint of the proper solution.  In fact, in a couple of the stories, there are questions asked that should immediately flag the culprit.  But Sage also offers a preview of the Hercule Poirot style--using psychology and a keen eye for detail when interviewing witnesses.  Two of the stories have a bit of a speculative fiction feel to them--involving, resepectively--race memory as a motive and a youth serum--but it is straight detective work that solves the cases--no hocus-pocus.  These stories are short and feature a clever and likeable detective--as well as likeable supporting characters.  There are two early "locked room" murders and SPOILER a "the butler did it" story that precedes Mary Roberts Rinehart (highlight previous to view possible spoiler).  A very enjoyable collection from the early 20th Century.  Three and a half stars.

Here is a brief run-down of the cases:

"Sir John Dene Receives His Orders": details the beginnings of the Malcolm Sage Detective Bureau and gives background details on Sage and his staff.

"The Strange Case of Mr. Challoner" and "Malcolm Sage's Mysterious Movements": Mr. Challoner is found, an apparent suicide, dead of a gunshot wound.  The door is locked with the key in it and all the windows are locked as well.  But Sage finds little indications that it must be murder and suspicion begins to rest on Challoner's nephew who had quarreled with his uncle earlier in the evening.  But is he the only one with motive?

"The Surrey Cattle-Maiming Mystery" and "Inspector Wensdale Is Surprised": Over 30 incidents involving the mutilation and deaths of cattle have occurred over the last two years.  The police have already been on the case--with no results.  And the local men have organized a village watch to no avail.  So, when General John Hackblock's mare is attacked he decides to consult Sage--who despite asking all sorts of questions and looking up various things in the almanac seems reluctant to get involved.  But it's all a blind to keep the culprit from knowing he's on the case (a la Holmes and The Hound of the Baskervilles).

"The Stolen Admiralty Memorandum" and "The Ourtrage at the Garage": Sage is summoned to a country mansion where the Prime Minister, the First Lord of the Admiralty, and the Secretary of War are all in a panic.  A very sensitive memorandum has gone missing and a great deal of damage could be done if it finds its way into the wrong hands.  There is a houseful of weekend guests and servants.  Who is the guilty party?

"Gladys Norman dines with Thompson": A non-mystery intermission in which Gladys muses on the whys and wherefores of the staff devotion to their "Chief."  A fun little send-up of the expectations for romance in the mystery/thrillers of the time.

"The Holding Up of Lady Glanedale" and "A Lesson in Deduction": A jewelry-loving cat burglar seems to be on the loose.  Five weeks ago, Mrs. Comminge was the victim of a burglar who crept into her bedroom and threatened to shoot her if she didn't hand over her jewel case and keep quiet until he could make his escape.  Now, it appears that he has struck again at the home of Lady Glanedale.  The Twentieth Century Insurance Corporation Limited calls in Sage to verify the particulars--and he reveals the surprising identity of the Glanedale cat burglar.

"The McMurray Mystery" and "The Marmalade Clue": Professor James McMurray has been hard at work--trying to perfect a "youth serum," or at least one that will lengthen the average life span.  He is discovered dead in a locked laboratory....with a blow to the head from a poker and a strangely youthful appearance to his features.  Sage must discover how the murderer got in and out....and decipher the clue of uneaten marmalade (every bit as significant as the depth that parsley sinks into butter).

"The Glyston Slander" and "Malcolm Sage Plays Patience": It's a case of poison pen notes in the village of Glyston.  Sage must find out who hates the vicar's daughter and/or the curate enough to write such vicious notes about them and spread lies throughout the community.

"The Missing Heavyweight" and "The Great Fight at the Olympia": Charley Burns, the British champion is set to fight Bob Jefferson (whose name changes to "Joe" towards the end of the story) for the heavyweight championship of the world.  But then he disappears two days before the match.  It's up to Sage to find the clues that will produce the fighter in time for the bout.

"Lady Dene Calls on Malcolm Sage": is a non-mystery closer in which Lady Dene stops by to festoon Sage's office with roses--in honor of the first anniversary of the Malcolm Sage Bureau.  She also presents him with an antique ring to "adorn his lovely hand."  [He regularly studies his hands when interviewing clients, witnesses, and suspects.]

Detective Wisdom:
An empty stomach neither sees nor thinks. ~Malcolm Sage (p. 264)

Elephants Can Remember: Review

This is one of Dame Agatha's weakest mysteries.  At least I think so now (I don't have a record of how I rated it the first time I read it).  And I say that because Christie is one of the few mystery writers who can fool me almost every time.  It doesn't matter how many times I've read her stories--there's usually a plot twist that get me.  Or I may have a vague feeling who did it....but I'm never sure.  Not this time.  I had it all figured out long before the ending on the cliff.  And it's been at least 30 years since I read this one--so we can't say it's stuck in my memory.  I also find it weak because everything is so vague--all the interviews with those involved in the mystery are just vague.  Each one remembers things a little bit differently and there seem to be no real facts.  Nothing one can really get hold of.

So...here's the scoop: Hercule Poirot's friend Ariadne Oliver, a mystery writer, attends a literary luncheon.  It's the first she's ever attended because she always dreads the standard questions: "Where do you get your plot ideas from?"  "Are your characters base on real people?" and she doesn't know how to respond to the gushing "Oh, I just loved your last book!  How do you do it?"  But she is pleasantly surprised at how much she enjoys herself....until a Mrs. Burton-Cox corners her and insists that Ariadne (who must know all about murders and whatnot since she writes about) find out whether her (Ariadne's) god-daughter's mother shot her father--and then herself--or if her father shot her mother--and then himself.  It's ultra-important, you know, because Mrs. Burton-Cox's son Desmond is thinking about marrying the god-daughter, Celia Ravenscroft, and we want to know what's what with these murderous tendencies.  And if Mrs. Oliver doesn't know the answer, then she should ask the god-daughter.

Which Ariadne says she absolutely will not do. And she won't try to figure anything out. No way, no how.  But then she has a good think about it and decides to visit Poirot and tell him all about it.  Needless to say, she ignores his advice to leave it all alone, and soon she and Poirot are digging up all sorts of ancient history (well...13 years ago, anyway).  She goes off to find the "elephants" who will remember--because there are always people who remember things.  And Poirot makes contact with the officials who were involved at the time.  Everyone they talk to seems to believe that it was a sort of suicide pact.  But the more they investigate the more hints the find that there may be more to it.  There are stories of children who died or were hurt, identical twins, madness or illness in the family, and a dog whose attitude changed.  It all leads Poirot to one conclusion--and he reveals all on the very cliff where Celia's parents were found.

I generally like the stories with Mrs. Oliver--but this one, at least this time, has not impressed me as much as, say, Hallowe'en Party or Dead Man's Folly. It seemed obvious and not nearly as mystifying as Dame Agatha's usual efforts.  Two stars.

Quote:

It is easier to hate where you have loved than it is to be indifferent where you have loved. ~Poirot (p. 178) 

9/7/13 Update!: Just watched the David Suchet production of this story--and I have to say that it is an improvement on the story.  A whole (connected) subplot has been added that fills out the story in a very nice way.  David Suchet and Zoe Wannamaker are excellent as Poirot and Mrs. Oliver.  It is nice that they were able to take a sub-par book and make it into a pleasurable viewing experience.