Death Likes It Hot

 Death Likes It Hot (1954) by Edgar Box (Gore Vidal)

The third in a trio of mysteries written by Gore Vidal under the name of Edgar Box. After his novel The City and the Pillar (1948) which featured descriptions of homosexuality that caused him to be blacklisted by The New York Times, Vidal donned the Box pseudonym and used it to produce the three novels for cold, hard cash. His series stars Peter Cutler Sargeant III, a publicity man turned amateur detective when his business lands him in the middle of three murder cases.

Although I have all three of Vidal's mysteries, I've been tackling them in a somewhat random order. Having previously read Death Before Bedtime, it looks like our author has a fondness for Golden Age-style country house mysteries. Bedtime was focused on the political scene in 1950s Washington D.C. while the current mystery is set at a lavish beach house in the East Hamptons. Sargeant is hired by Rose Veering to give her the right kind of publicity for an upcoming party. Rose is "new money" and has found it difficult to be accepted in the exclusive Hamptons. She hopes that making a nice splash with a party full of society's best and brightest will help boost her standing. 

So, Sargeant is invited to an advance weekend gathering where he and the hostess can discuss plans for the upcoming event. Also on hand is Veering's niece Mildred and her painter husband Brexton; Allie and Fletcher Claypoole, a brother and sister pair who seem more like a married couple than siblings; and Mary Western Lung, a garrulous author and book columnist who sticks to Sargeant through the weekend like a limpet. It looks like Sargeant's toughest job will be to escape Lung's clutches. Until...

The group goes to the beachfront and has a front row seat to watch Mildred Brexton drown. Fletcher Claypoole and our hero try to reach her in time, but are just too late. Initially, it seems to be a tragic accident caused by the powerful riptide--but then an autopsy proves that Mildred had a handful of sleeping pills before entering the water. Did the unhappy wife choose a very public suicide or did someone spike her breakfast drink? When Sargeant is slugged over the head upon his late-night return to the house, it begins to look a lot like murder. The PR man has had some previous encounters with murder and decides to lend a helping hand to Detective Greaves, the policeman assigned to investigate. But they won't gather sufficient evidence before another death occurs...will they be able to prevent one more?

This one appealed to me more than my previous Gore Vidal outing. Vidal gives us a better portrayal of the country house mystery. There are plenty of suspects and he muddies the waters well. I also liked Sargeant more than in Bedtime. He seems much more engaged in the mystery and more dedicated to detective. He still wants to show up the local detective but he's more consistent this time around. And--Vidal wins points for keeping me mystified until the end. I definitely did not spot the murderer. ★★★★

First line: The death of Peaches Sandoe the midget at the hands, or rather the feet, of a maddened elephant in the sideshow circus at Madison Square Garden was at first thought to be an accident, the sort of tragedy you're bound to run into from time to time if you run a circus with both elephants and midgets in it.

Last line: "Well, you see this elephant..."
*********************

Deaths = 3 (one trampled by elephant; one drowned; one throat cut)

[Finished on 9/17/26]

September Virtual Mount TBR

 

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The Agathas

 The Agathas (2022) by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson

Synopses (from book flap): Last summer, Alice Ogilvie's basketball-star boyfriend, Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. She's not talking, so where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove. Or it was, at least. Because now, another one of Steve's girlfriends has vanished, Brooke Donovan. Alice's ex-best friend. And it doesn't look like Brooke will be coming back...

Enter Iris Adams, Alice's tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn't have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke's grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter's whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn't so sure, and with Iris on her side, she might be able to prove her theory.

In order to get the reward and prove Steve's innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need--the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there's anyone who can teach the girls  how to solve a mystery it's the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they're about to walk into.

So...if you've read one (or more of the blurbs) and believe this to be a really Christie-driven narrative. Yeah, no. There are superficial Agatha Christie connections--like the title. Is there any real reason to give it this title? No. Did anyone at any point in the book every refer to Alice and Iris as "the Agathas"? Again, no--at least not that I noticed. Beyond the fact that Alice throws in a reference to Christie and/or her detective Hercule Poirot (and his little grey cells) periodically, the girls don't really follow any of the fictional detective's particular methods. They talk about the psychology of the crime, but is it figuring out the psychology that leads them to the murderer? No. They talk about "order & method" and go so far as to draw up a list of the suspects and motives and whatnot, but that's about as orderly as they get. The only other connection (and a somewhat tenuous one) is Alice's disappearance. It gives echoes of Christie's own disappearance when she found out her husband was cheating on her.

Full disclosure--I don't read a lot of Young Adult novels. They're just not my thing, but I needed one for a challenge. I chose this one because it was a mystery and it looked like having a nice Christie connection (Golden Age mysteries are more my thing). Now, it's perfectly possible that I might have rated this one higher if my expectations for better Christie connections either hadn't been there in the first place or had been met. But they were there and they weren't met in a satisfying way. The mystery is decent and it was a quick read. I enjoyed watching Alice learn what real friends are like once she gets involved with Iris and Iris's friends (who remind me of the gang from Mystery Inc). We had a multi-layer ending and just when I thought we'd hit the final layer, we went for one more. 

If Young Adult is your genre and/or you go into this with lower Christie connection expectations than me, then you may find yourself giving this one four stars (the most popular rating on Goodreads). As for me... ★★★

First line: ALICE OGILVE IS CRAZY.

Last line: We might as well make some trouble together.
********************

Deaths = 3 (two hit on head; one natural)

A Wallflower's Guide to Viscounts & Vice

 A Wallflower's Guide to Viscounts & Vice (2025) by Manda Collins

Synopsis (from the back of the book): A wallflower by choice, wealthy Lucy Penhallow would rather sit out the dancing all season than listen to the flattery from the fortune hunters who pursue her. But when she and her best friend's brother witness a crime in progress, they'll need to put every skill Lucy's learned from reading detective stories to the test in their hunt for a missing woman. And if Viscount Gilford happens to be handsome as sin and clever to boot? Well, that's no hardship for her.

Viscount Gilford needs a wife to save him from financial ruin [after an unscrupulous steward embezzles funds from the estate], and there's only one heiress who's off limits [as his sister's best friend]. So when he and Lucy find themselves inextricably linked in the tabloids, it's a disaster. As their investigation progresses, their once unwelcome alliance becomes something more--a love match neither will give up. But there's a killer watching their romance from the wings who's only too happy to keep those meddlesome sleuths together in the afterlife.

This one is in a tie with How to Dance with a Duke for least favorite Manda Collins book so far. The romance progressed even more quickly than those in the other Collins romance/mysteries I've read. And the mystery was far less compelling and more confusing. I'm not sure if Collins is changing her style a bit for this new Wallflower offshoot from the Ladies Most Scandalous series or if this is just a less successful entry in her general romance/mystery repertoire. Either way, it didn't hold my attention in the same way and I wasn't terribly interested in the Lucy/Gilford relationship. We went from "I can't be interested in my sister's totally forgettable best friend" to "Wow, she's so beautiful I could never forget her" in less time than it takes to be reintroduced. All that was needed to push Gilford right off the romance cliff was for his friend Woodward to show an interest in her. Then he starts looking daggers at every man who even dares to look at her.

Spoiler Alert.... 

As far as the mystery goes....I don't understand why all the killing was necessary. After the fake kidnapping, why didn't the two violent lovebirds just hop on a boat for America and go get married? Did we really have to kill so many people? And I wish it had been more clear that Mr. Blackwood was really okay at the end. There's one sentence that makes it seem so...and I hope so. Hopefully, the next installment will get back on track. My favorite Collins book so far is A Spinster's Guide to Danger & Dukes. I hope to see another just as good in the future. ★★ and 1/2

First line: He was too pretty to die.

Last line: "My dear lady," he said as he rose with her in his arms and headed for their bedchamber, "is that not why you married me?"
*******************

Deaths = 5 (three stabbed; one natural; one hit by train)

Muscle & Bone

 Muscle & Bone (1995) by Paul-Victor Winters

A beautiful but short collection of poetry by a beautiful soul--taken from us much too soon in 2020. I was privileged to know Paul-Victor in his final year of MFA work at Indiana University. His work is touching and haunting with imagery (such as the flowers and plants) that finds its way through nearly all the poems in this book. The poems cover love and loss and grief and back again...all in the space of 32 pages.★★★★

First line (first poem): Give the old man eyes, the woman says

Last line (last poem):  above us.

A Catered Book Club Murder (Spoilerific)

 A Catered Book Club Murder (2021) by Isis Crawford (Barbara Block)

Synopsis (from the book flap): Sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons run a catering business in their upstate New York town and they're delighted for the chance to provide tasty desserts for the local mystery lovers' book club. But when fiction spills into a reality and the sisters find themselves investigating a suspicious death, it's up to them to figure out whodunit...

If anything can be said about the endearingly predictable Margo Hemsley, it's that she always serves elaborate desserts at her mystery book club meetings. That's why everyone fears the worst after she doesn't pick up her order from Bernie and Libby and skips out on the monthly gathering. The Simmons sisters can't imagine their acquaintance vanishing like a character from one of her favorite novels, at least not willingly.

When the search ends with the discovery of a dead body, Bernie and Libby agree to help the nine remaining book club members prove their friend was murdered. But a speed read through Margo's background reveals there was more to the victim than harmless hobbies and frumpy cardigans would suggest. As the sleuthing sisters unearth scandalous secrets about the book club members, they'll have to determine who was connected to Margo's shady dealings--and who sent her to an early grave...

So...I cannot discuss this without spoiling things left, right, and center. You have been warned!

Here we have a "cozy" mystery--amateur sleuths, small town setting, catering with baked goods, and recipes at the end of the book. And the solution is about as cozy as a rabid pit bull whose owner has trained it for dog fights. No, seriously. The solution to this cozy little mystery is a contract killer. What?? I mean, yes, I pointed my finger at the correct suspects (contract killer has a girlfriend...now there's a cozy little novelty)--mainly because contract killer guy kept appearing here and there when the sisters were investigating and the girlfriend kept insisting on how she "tried to warn Margo." I didn't have any real clues to go on. And how we were supposed to figure out that the suspect was a hired gun is beyond me--unless we were just supposed to assume that if a woman had a secret identity all lined up with fake passport and a stash of cash then, of course, somebody would want to hire a killer to do her in.

Another thing that niggles at me--the title centers this on a catered book club murder. The book club really doesn't come into it all. Sure, that's what this group of people have in common--they're all part of the book club. But do we actually see them in the book club? Does the murder happen at a book club meeting?  Do books get more than a passing mention? No, no, and no. For all that the book club figures in, this could have just been focused on any group of friends or neighbors. 

Oh and incidentally, once the culprits are apprehended and the dust settles, life just goes back to normal. All of the book club members were really ticked off at Bernie and Libby during the investigation (because the sisters kept discovering their little secrets and saying that each of the members had motive for murder). But all is apparently forgiven--we change the day the book club meets (to avoid bad vibes??) and change up our pastry order and that's it. We're all friends again. 

Last thing--not important to the mystery, but the recipes at the end of the book? They have no connection to the story whatsoever. I was really hoping for the recipe for the chocolate croissants.

The best part of the plot? Bernie and Libby are the daughters of a former cop, so they immediately turn info over to the police instead of keeping it to themselves. It doesn't keep them from running into trouble with the killers at the end and barely escaping being murdered--but at least it isn't because they haven't kept the authorities up to date on their discoveries. Overall, this wasn't my cup of tea--it didn't help that the book opened by dissing one of my favorite mystery authors of all time, Dorothy L. Sayers. ★★

First line: Lydia Baskerville cleared her throat, "I dreamt about you last night, Margot," she said, her voice loud against the air conditioner.

Last line: It was time to go.
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Deaths = one drowned; one shot

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How to Dance with a Duke

 How to Dance with a Duke (2012) by Manda Collins (read by Anne Flosnik)

 From the Goodreads Synopsis: Miss Cecily Hurston would much rather explore the antiquities of Egypt than the uncharted territory of marriage. But the rules of her father's exclusive academic society forbid her entrance unless she weds one of its member. To clear her ailing father of a scandalous rumor, Cecily needs to gain admission into the Egyptian Club--and is willing to marry any old dullard to do it. Lucas Dalton, Duke of Winterson., is anything but dull. He's a dashing and decorated war hero determined to help Cecily--even if that means looking the other way when she claims the dance card of Amelia Snow, this seasons most sough-after beauty. But Lucas has a reason for wanting Cecily to join the Egyptian. His brother went missing during [the last] of Lord Hurston's expeditions to Egypt. An alliance with the explorer's bluestocking daughter could bring Lucas closer to the truth about what happened...or it could lead him to a more dangerous love than either he or Cecily could have imagined.

After thoroughly enjoying Collins' Ladies Most Scandalous series (and needing another book by her for a challenge), I decided to try one of her earlier works. A number of things have come together to make this a far less satisfying read/listen.

1. The narrator is far less engaging than the one who performs the more recent series. She seems to be trying to keep a damper on any emotion or inflection--especially in the early chapters--and reads the words as if speaking to people who are rather slow on the uptake....and....who...need...a...lot...of...time to process everything. I've never upped the reading speed on an audio novel before but had to do so to help get through this at a reasonable pace and to keep my attention.

2. While the synopsis interested me greatly when I was scanning library entries for Collins' books, it just didn't grab me in the way her Ladies Most Scandalous series did. I think she has grown exponentially as a writer and has become much more adept at combining the romance and mystery aspects. 

3. Speaking of mystery aspects, this one is much weaker. As soon as the culprit appears on the scene, it was obvious to me that they were responsible. There really weren't a lot of viable options for other culprits and the biggest mystery to me was why Lucas and Cecily were still in the dark until the very end of the story.

4. Speaking of the romance aspect, as another reviewer on Goodreads noted: one of the spicy scenes was totally inappropriate--not as a spicy scene in and of itself, but because why on earth when you've been eavesdropping on potential bad guys and find yourselves locked in a room would you suddenly think this is the time and place to indulge your spicy nature??? Seriously?

5. Opening interaction between Lucas and Cecily was pretty stupid. First he chases her down the street, she's trying to avoid him. Then when she finds out he's the brother of her father's secretary (who's missing, by the way), she suddenly wants to talk to him. When she suddenly wants to talk to him, he thinks it's because of her avarice and his title (because of course if a female actually wants to talk to him, then she must be scheming to marry him now that he's a duke and all) and he tries to skedaddle. She chases him. Another stupid scene and she leaves in a huff. This time he lets her go--only to regret having done after the fact. AND supposedly she doesn't want to create a scene on the public street. What on earth does she think all that to-ing and fro-ing was doing?

6. It seems to me that Collins has a much better grasp of the historical time period in the more recent series as well. I never really felt like I was in the regency period here--even though all the trappings were present and there were mentions of Prinny and Napoleon. 

Good points:

1. Great premise. Love the idea of a mystery connected to an Egyptian expedition.

2. Love, love, love both the Duke's mother and Cecily's step-mother. It's nice to see story where the step-mother is not the evil stereotype. Other great characters include Cecily's cousins.

3. The promise of stories about the cousins actually made me want to continue with the series. 

I believe this may be Collins' debut novel and as such it is fairly solid with a great premise that just needed better follow through. But as mentioned, her later work is much more accomplished and better plotted from (my main interest) the mystery standpoint. If I go on to others in this series (Ugly Ducklings), I hope to find that they grow stronger as well. ★★ and 1/2 

First line: Miss Cecily Hurston batted her ivory tipped parasol against the hulking footman who none too gently thrust her through the doors of number thirteen Broughton Street.

Last line: Her reply, though enthusiastic, was unintelligible.
*******************

Deaths = 2 (one hit on head; one poisoned) 

A Governess's Guide to Passion & Peril

  A Governess's Guide to Passion & Peril (2024) by Manda Collins (read by Mary Jane Wells)

After Jane Halliwell's father killed himself and bankruptcy from gambling debts was found to be the reason, she and her mother were shunned by their former "friends" connected to the Foreign Office (where Halliwell had worked) as well as by the echelons of polite society. Jane's mother went to live with a cousin in Scotland and Jane was forced to support herself through governess positions. After being dismissed without a character from one post (because the man of the house couldn't keep himself to himself--and naturally she was blamed), one of her father's few remaining friends, Lord Guilford gives her a post as governess to his daughter Margaret (Meg). But his wife is none too pleased because she is friends of the woman who dismissed Jane and makes Jane's life miserable. She frequently reminds her to keep her place and not to "cast lures" at any gentlemen in the house if she doesn't want to cast out again.

Lord Guilford, a noted fancier of roses, is hosting a conference on rose gardening...which is totally not about roses. It's just a cover for a little diplomatic get-together in which England and other countries will be trying to convince a tiny little east European country (for which, read fictional) to sell its plans for a "long-distance talking device" to their governments. Guilford's right-hand man for this event is Lord Adrian Fielding who knew Jane and her family in Rome (Halliwell's last posting) and who...in Jane's mind...walked away from them* when they needed friends the most. And he's the last person that Jane wants to see. (*Jane didn't know that he'd received his own marching orders from the Foreign Office and had no time to say goodbye.) 

But fate has a way with things. When a woman cancels at the last moment, Lady Guilford asks Jane to attend the conference dinner to balance the numbers (heaven forbid that there be more gentleman than ladies...or vice versa). And so she comes face-to-face with the man she worshipped from afar (she was in her late teens when he was a twenty-something low-ranking official with the Foreign Office in Rome). And--as these things go--of course, they both are immediately drawn to each other while firmly denying any interest whatsoever....

When the ladies leave the gentlemen to their port, Lady Guilford sends Jane off to retrieve a shawl she left in Guilford's study. Jane finds not only the missing shawl, but the dead body of her employer. Lord Guilford has been stabbed. Did one of the rival diplomats take exception to England's leading position in the race for the new invention? Was there a personal grudge? When a page from Machiavelli--with an underlined quote--and a pressed rose are found in the dead man's pocket, Jane, Lord Adrian, and Inspector Eversham (who is called in on the case) realize that maybe someone is targeting men in the Foreign Office....and maybe Halliwell's death wasn't a suicide after all. A few other suspicion FO deaths are discovered and now the trio are in a race to uncover the villain behind the deaths before he can strike again.

If the previous "Ladies Most Scandalous" book was a nicely done, more fairly clued mystery in the classic style, then this one adds a bit of spymaster spice. We've got the elements of the Foreign Office thrown in so we're not sure whether the motive is more prosaic (personal gain, jealousy, etc) or exotic (national secrets, experimental devices, etc). It mixes things up nicely and I enjoy watching Collins try her hand at various mystery genres. My one complaint is how formulaic the romances are becoming--two people who claim to have no interest in one another now (whether they've just met or had reason to be friendly in the past) and all and sundry can see the obvious sparks between them and then suddenly they realize that they are mad for each other (and wind up having sexy scenes after like two kisses--and in the middle of a murder investigation, no less). But...it's fiction after all and I do like the romantic fluff in general, especially since it's tied to some pretty good mysteries. ★★★★

Oh...and I meant to mention this in the previous audio version reviews I did: Mary Jane Wells does an absolutely fabulous job with the narration and handling the various voices for all the characters. I thoroughly enjoy her interpretations of these people and especially how she is able to carry forward the intonations and vocal qualities she's given to characters who recur from story to story. 

First line: "Margaret, do stop staring out the window and pay attention to your geography lesson please."

Last line: "I love you more," Adrian said, framing her face in his hands and with the gentle sound of water lapping at the sides of the boat, he kissed her.
******************

Deaths =  7 (two carriage accident; two stabbed; two shot; one poisoned)

A Spinster's Guide to Danger & Dukes

  A Spinster's Guide to Danger & Dukes (2023) by Manda Collins (read by Mary Jane Wells)

Miss Poppy Delamare has been living in London under the name Flora Deaver. As such, she has been working as the secretary to Lady Katherine Eversham and as a reporter for Kate's newspaper. She had fled to the city to escape an unwanted marriage arranged by her odious stepfather--to his equally odious secretary. But when she sees a newspaper article stating that her half-sister stands accused of murdering her husband--the same odious secretary, she knows she must rush home to do whatever she can to clear her sister's name. She knows that Violet could never have killed the man--not just because she's her sister, but because he was shoved off the top of a tower and Violet is terrified of heights.

Poppy leaves a hurried note for Kate (who is a friend as well as employer) and Caro (recently wed to her Viscount) and makes a beeline for the train station where she is promptly relieved of her life's savings by a cut-purse. She runs after the man, shouting "Stop, thief!" and runs smack into Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham. The two have already met in the previous novel and were not exactly enamoured of each other. But Langham is a gentleman and can't leave a lady in need. When he discovers that she is headed to the same village as he (its conveniently home to his country estate) and why, he proposes a deal. He'll use his ducal influence in every way possible to assist her quest for justice and she will accompany him to the estate--as his fiancee! 

You see, Langham is due home for his grandmother's birthday party, an annual gala which the matriarch uses as an attempt to see her grandson hooked up with a suitable woman to become the duchess. He just knows there will be a harem of women for him to look over and he has absolutely no intention of marrying any of them. If Poppy will agree to a faux engagement for the duration, it will save him no end of bother and if she's appearing as his fiancee, there will be even more reason for his ducal protection. The uneasy bargain is struck and the two of them give the house party the shock of season when they step off the train and Langham makes the introductions.

Poppy faces fire from the society ladies whose noses have been put out of joint, but, fortunately, she was gently bred before leaving home and has the manners and courage to face things out. She even, after a rather stiff introduction, manages to win over the Dowager Duchess and Langham's two sisters. Poppy begins to feel bad about the deception, but once started she knows she has to go on with it if she's to have any chance of saving Violet. 

And...what about that murder? Well, it winds up that there is dirty work afoot between the dead man and his boss. They've been swindling people and a note that Lanham and Poppy find while investigating seems to indicate that the victim had been blackmailing various people as well. Was there a falling out between the thieves? Did one of his victims decide to eliminate the blackmailer? Or...there's an indication that there may have been an attachment between Violet and Langham's cousin & steward. Is the murderer closer to Langham than Poppy? 

Meanwhile, as Langham and Poppy work together to fool the house guests as well as play detective, they find themselves wishing more and more that the engagement wasn't fake....

So, the next audiobook in this series begins by telling us that these are romance novels with mystery thrown in. Perhaps--there is quite a bit of romance going on here and, of course, as happens when two people who dislike each other on sight are thrown into a faux engagement/relationship for one reason or another, they naturally wind up madly in love. But--this particular installment in the series has a quite respectable mystery in it. Very nicely clued and if I had thought just a little bit harder about the first one presented I could have figured out who the culprit was. As it happened, I didn't and went haring off after a red herring. And the romance is quite good as well--I really like Langham and Poppy. Especially Poppy. I loved how she stood up to the society women who were determined to put her in her place (without success). The scene in the tower (when they get locked in) seemed a bit rushed and forced for where the relationship was, but otherwise the progression of their relationship was handled well. I'm looking forward to finishing the next installment. ★★★★

First line: Violence regrettably was out of the question.

Last line: "You make a good point," she said as he took her mouth, and it was quite a long while before they spoke again.
********************

Deaths = one stabbed

Murder at the Royal Albert Hall

 Murder at the Royal Albert Hall (2021) by Lee Strauss (read by Elizabeth Klett)

August 1926. A night of operatic culture and a matrimonial triumph for Felicia Gold turns into tragedy. Ginger Reed and her family--husband Inspector Basil Reed, Grandmother Ambrosia & sister-in-law Felicia (by Ginger's previous marriage), and Felicia's beau Charles, Lord Davenport-Witt--are out for night at the opera. An event prompted by a note the Dowager Lady Gold received from two old friends from finishing school days. Ambrosia agreed to come and meet them at the interval, but insisted on sitting with her family. Before the curtain rises, Charles takes center stage and publicly proposes to Felicia (delighting the young woman who loves to be the focus of attention).

But her delight turns to horror later in the evening when the Duchess of Worthington, another of Ambrosia's former friends, falls from the balcony and dies. What initially looks like accident is soon proves to be murder. When the Duke of Worthington is also killed, it seems that somebody is working out a grudge. And when Basil and Ginger try to question Ambrosia and the remainder of the "sisterhood"--just to get background on the Worthingtons, none of the ladies want to talk. Could it be that secrets of the past are just now taking their toll? And what could possibly have happened now that murder seems like the only answer? Ambrosia's diary from those years may hold some clues, but will she be willing to share it before more murders take place?

This is an interesting twist in the Ginger Gold mysteries. Through Ambrosia's diary entries, we get a glimpse of what the Dowager Duchess was as a young girl (and we see shades of both Felicia and Ginger's personalities there--even though Ginger isn't blood related). We also get a more solid mystery with clues. If the solution had rested entirely on the clues given, I would have raised my rating even more but, alas, there isn't any way that I can see (well--hear, since I listened to the audio version) that the reader could have figured out the complete motive. I suspected the right culprit--but more from context than from clues to motive. I will concede that it's possible I missed the clues. It's more difficult for me to pick them up and track them when listening rather than reading with my eyes. But I don't think I did. I'm also not sure how to interpret that last line...I'm hoping that what I think might be in store is a figment of my imagination. ★★★★

First line: The anticipation surrounding the opera at the Royal Albert Hall was palpable.

Last lines: Ginger sighed. She would make a truce with Charles that their past wouldn't come to haunt them. Would it?
*********************

Deaths = 4 (two stabbed; two poisoned)

Murder in Hyde Park

 Murder in Hyde Park (2020) by Lee Strauss (read by Elizabeth Klett)

 It's time for the summer fashion show and, daring the weather, the organizers decide to set up the runway in Hyde Park. Ginger Reed and Feathers & Flair are major sponsors and Ginger had taken up the job of organizing the grand do. Famous designers from Italy and France--including the unconventional Coco Chanel--have models to display alongside the British design offerings. Despite Coco Chanel's calculated late arrival (anything for publicity!), the show begins smoothly...until models begin falling on the runway. It is soon apparent that things are far more serious than clumsiness. One of the models, an up-and-coming tennis champion with hopes of Wimbledon, dies and the cause is shown to be poisoning from a blow dart. Coco Chanel's one-of-a-kind bamboo parasol is missing and the bamboo shaft would have made an ideal method of delivery. And when evidence shows that the dart must have been sent on its deadly way from the direction of the famous designer's tent, the net gets a little tighter around her and her entourage. She calls in a favor from the Great War and hires Ginger to "prove my innocence." But as the evidence mounts, it begins to look like that may be an impossible ask. And then a second British tennis player is nearly killed...can anyone really believe that Coco Chanel or one of her fashion crew is out to knock off all the rising stars of British tennis?

A decent outing in the Ginger Gold mystery series. The mystery is fair--though once we clear one bit of evidence and possible suspect/s out of the way, there really isn't many options left in the suspect department. And the use of rare "froggy poison" that our culprit just happened to have access to and manage to sneak off with (supposedly before every having murderous thoughts against anyone). Seriously? I'm also not keen on the inclusion of Coco Chanel. First--I don't like her blackmailing Ginger over the knowledge that Coco has about Ginger's nom de plume during the war and the fact that she (Coco) isn't bound by the secrets act and could blab any time she wants to. Knowing what I now know about Coco's ties to Nazis in WWII, I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her. And, even though Ginger doesn't know what the designer is going to do in WWII, I don't see Ginger wanting to make friends with a woman who would use such knowledge as leverage (this is a "hope" Ginger expresses at the end of the case). We finally got rid of one secret service thorn in Ginger's side (two books ago), did we really need to saddle her with another? And...one final quibble: Here we have Ginger putting herself and her unborn child into harm's way again. This time pretty much on purpose--and why on earth she would trust the culprit when it was suggested that they just "shake hands and be friends" I have no idea. She's just lucky the killer had decided to aim at someone else AND had run out of "froggy poison." 

On the plus side, it was nice to see a slightly different side to the fashion industry--though a bit briefer than one might like. And the addition of tennis as a backdrop was also good. As always, the descriptions of the period and locales are detailed and intriguing. ★★★

First line: The grand fashion summer show set in Hyde Park was only one day away and Feathers & Flair was abuzz with energy.

Last line: Ginger sighed. Her natural inquisitiveness was a tremendous trait when it came to her investigative work but when it came to Ambrosia her curiosity would have to wait.
***************

Deaths = one poisoned 

The Well House Reader

 The Well House Reader (2022) by Donald J. Gray

From the book blurb: What did generations of Indiana University students think about their years on campus--the faculty, courses, administration, pressing social issues, and each other? Through student writings and art featured in The Well House Reader, the Bloomington campus across the years vividly and sometimes whimsically comes to life.

Poignant and reveling, The Well House Reader offers unforgettable glimpses of Indiana University through the eyes and experiences of is students across the decades.

An interesting cross-section of student views in essay, poetic, and fictional form with comments from everyday students to IU scholars (though sometimes only briefly) of more renown such as Theodore Dreiser, Ernie Pyle, and Hoagy Carmichael. It was a bit disappointing to see so few entries from the 1960s through the 1990s. Some of the literary journals may not have been operational during all of those years and perhaps there is not nearly as much in the archives for whatever reason, but one could have hoped for some letters to the editor from The Indiana Daily Student to give more representation. Most of the material seems to come from the 1920s and 1940s--maybe students were more vocal then. But given the turbulence of the 1960s-early 1970s, I would have expected more from that time period...at least in the Protests section. However, putting aside that disappointment, this is a pleasant trip down the memory lane that runs through campus giving us a look at the students of the past as well as highlighting some of the changes that have come to the campus itself. ★★★ 

First line (1st poem/essay): Kirkwood! Thou art not merely stone and sand;

Last line (last essay): Dean was squinting in exasperation at his next customer, and the Greek girl had found a fashion magazine to look at.

Murder at Brighton Beach

 Murder on Brighton Beach (2020) by Lee Strauss (read by Elizbeth Klett)

Ginger and Basil take the household--adopted son Scout, sister-in-law (loosely defined) Felicia, grandmother (loosely defined) Ambrosia, and two maids--for a family vacation at Brighton Beach. And even though she's four months pregnant, often nauseous, a bit foggy-brained at times, and often tired, Ginger can't help getting involved in a mystery. When they arrive, they immediately find out that Austin Bainbridge, the brother of one of the guests, had disappeared in the last week or so. He apparently went for a swim and never came back. The authorities have determined (without a body) that it must be accidental drowning, but neither his brother nor his sister-in-law believe it. They are sure there's more to the disappearance than meets the eye. The brother had a way of backing uncertain...even sometimes shady...ventures. Could he have disappeared on purpose? Or perhaps something more dreadful than an accident has occurred?

Meanwhile, Felicia is finally making her grandmama happy by getting interested in a man with a title. Lord Davenport-Witt, is a member of Bainbridge party and a charming man. Felicia is immediately attracted and sure that this time he really is the one. (She has a history of "falling in love" at first sight...). Ginger, on the other hand, doesn't feel quite right about him (is it only pregnancy hormones talking?). She has this niggling feeling that she's met him before and there's no good vibes associated with that meeting. Felicia also has competition. Film star Poppy Kerslake has already made a claim on Davenport-Witt and is all-out to keep Felicia from knowing him better.

But...Davenport Witt is invited to join Basil, Ginger, Scout, Scout's new friend--the youngest Bainbridge, and Felicity on an afternoon sailing excursion. While Felicity meets the lord's charm with her own, Scout and his friend spy something floating near the boat. It winds up being a large trunk and Ginger and Basil suspect that they've found the missing man. They're proved right when the trunk is later opened (sans the youngsters) and now there's a murder to be solved. The local authorities ask the visiting Yard man to investigate and Basil and Ginger are off on another mysterious adventure.

The trunk belonged to Poppy Kerslake--is she involved or did someone just find her trunk to be a convenient size? When Poppy winds up dead from a tumble down the stairway and evidence points to a push rather than an accident, it looks very much like the latter. Motives begin to pile up--Austin had been frittering away the family fortune on bad deals, giving his brother a motive. He'd been throwing wrenches in the works of his latest deal, giving his business partner (also on hand) a motive. He'd had an illicit (albeit short) affair with his brother's wife, giving each of them a motive. The more Ginger and Basil dig, the more motives emerge. Ginger makes one last discovery that will solve the case...but when the murderer finds her before she can tell Basil will it actually be her last discovery for all time? [Well--of course not, she is the heroine after all. But it does look dire for a bit...]

An interesting entry in the Ginger Gold mystery series with an interesting motive for the murder. I have to say though--Ginger puts herself (and her unborn child) into danger when she really has no business doing so. She should have gone back to Basil, told him of a certain confrontation she witnessed as well as her suspicions, and let him handle it from there. But then she does have "baby brain" and isn't thinking quite as clearly as she might. I also had high suspicions of the culprit long before Ginger did (based entirely on an earlier episode when X was somewhere unexpected). Real clues though? Not until Ginger finds them in the last (dangerous) scenes. This is a fun, historical series though and I'm looking forward to the next installment with Coco Chanel. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: Mrs. Ginger Reed gripped her husband's arm.

Last line: Ginger pulled back to stare at Basil, feigning offense, "As if I could."
*****************

Deaths = 4 (two broken necks; one shot; one mining accident)

Titanic Captain

 Titanic Captain: The Life of John Edward Smith (2011) by G. J. Cooper

From the book blurb: The definitive account of the life and career of the respected and popular captain of the Titanic includes original research drawing on the ship's logs, crew lists, newspapers, and first-hand accounts. Edward John Smith's career had been a remarkable example of how a man from a humble background could get far in the world, and this biography tracks the fascinating career and many voyages of a seasoned captain. Born to a working-class family he went to sea at the age of 17 and rose rapidly through the ranks of the merchant navy, serving first in sailing vessels and later in the new steamships  of the White Star Line. By 1912, he was their senior commander and regarded by many in the shipping world as the "millionaire's captain." In 1912, Smith was given command of the new RMS Titanic for her maiden voyage, but should have been among the crowning moments of his long career at sea turned rapidly into a nightmare following the Titanic's collision with an iceberg. In a matter of hours the supposedly unsinkable ship sank, taking more than 1,500 people with her, including Captain Smith. This account dispels myths about the man and tracks his movements and motives in detail on that fateful night.

To be clear, the ship's logs in question are not the Titanic's--those went down with the ship. And honestly--so much of what is given in the logs from the other ships Smith served on and captained are very dry, business logs. Very little is learned about Smith from these document other than where he and the ships were and ship's business--but telling us anything new about the man himself, not really. And when the logs or letters or newspapers don't tell us something, Cooper loves to speculate. The log doesn't tell us that Captain Smith did X, Y, or Z, but we can suppose that he did because "reasons." We get that a lot--a lot more than a well-researched book should be giving.

The best of the research comes from letters that Smith wrote to various people and primarily to his nephew. Kudos to Cooper for giving us a more balanced look at Smith and for giving us more of his background growing up. It was good to see his record as a sailing man and captain prior to his taking the helm of his last command. And it was interesting to see his interactions with the elite of the Gilded Age. There is quite a bit that's new about Smith's life before the Titanic and that made the book as interesting as it was. But giving us new details about that last fateful voyage? Not so much.  ★★★--just

First line: Hanley in North Staffordshire, where Edward John Smith, the future captain of the Titanic, was born in 1850 was one of six tons that by the time of his birth were known collectively as the Potteries.

Last line: With her death Ted Smith's line and story had finally come to an end.

July Virtual Mount TBR Reviews

 

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A Conspiracy of Poisons

 A Conspiracy of Poisons (1977) by J. G. Jeffreys (Ben Healey)

Synopsis (from book flap): The ace of Bow Street Runners, rollicking, resourceful, womanizing Jeremy Sturrock, and his dreadful clerk Master Maggsy, are back again, this time called on to investigate a Napoleonic plot which may threaten the safety of Britain in an ingenious and carefully worked-out mystery.

The year is 1804, and the trail leads from a beautiful but mysteriously poisoned prostitute to the grisly digging up of a still more mysterious corpse, back to the salons of a fashionable brothel, and on to a headlong ride to the wilds of Savernake Forest.

Once upon a time, a young Bev read A Wicked Way to Die (the second book in the Jeremy Sturrock series) and pronounced it good enough to put Jeffreys on the TBF (To Be Found) list. This resulted in my picking up both the current read (book #4) and Suicide Most Foul (book #5) along the way. I've not come across the first or third in my book hunts. And now, having finished, A Conspiracy of Poisons, I'm left wondering just what the heck young Bev was thinking. Sturrock has a fine head on his shoulders for detective work in these early days of the Bow Street Runners, I will give him that. But you'd need to do a hefty bit of detective work yourself to find a more unsavory cast of characters (every single one of them, from the "good" guys to the bad guys) in a piece of historical detective fiction. 

With the language of the book (which does its best to give us early 19th Century speech and writing patterns), it's a bit of a slog to make one's way through to the essential details. And with several characters running around under more than one name, it's a bit difficult to keep up with the players (with or without a scorecard)--especially keeping track of which ones might be minions of the chief villain. That's the good news. Once the chief villain is introduced, there's no problem remembering who they are. Unless you were looking for a good old-fashioned whodunnit and wanted to try and figure out the villain from clues. Then it's bad news, I suppose. 

We've also got a run of pretty senseless murders. The first one makes the most sense--we're afraid the woman is going to give away the whole plot against the British crown. But one is pure mistake and another is for reasons I still haven't gotten clear (and I read that bit twice). All in all, a fairly disappointing read. I can only suppose that either A Wicked Way to Die was a much better mystery or that young Bev wasn't nearly as jaded as she is now. I'll probably go ahead and read the last Jeffreys book I own--but unless it's much better than the ★★ outing I've just had, I won't be seeking out any more. 

First line: "Pray, Mr. Sturrock," said my publisher, tapping his fingers on the desk, "pray," says he, "let us have a work of more weighty matter."

Last line: I cheered as loud as Master Maggsy when His Majesty emerged from the sea.
*****************

Deaths = 6 (four poisoned; one stabbed; one shot)

Murder on Fleet Street

 Murder on Fleet Street (2020) by Lee Strauss 
(read by Elizabeth Klett) 

Lord George Whitmore is a well-known older society gent with a roving eye. He's also been dabbling as a "employee" of a London bank (though no one seems to know exactly what he does). Ginger Reed aka Lady Gold of Lady Gold Investigations also knows him as a fellow secret service agent during the war. When Whitmore is found dead in the bath of his latest side entertainment, it's difficult to know if the deed is related to his philandering (a vengeful wife or the mistress's wish to be rid of him, something mysterious at the bank, or his ties to the secret service. But after Ginger finds a coded message in her pocket after a chance encounter with the gentleman shortly before his death, she suspects the latter. And when Captain Smithwick, her "handler" during her war service, shows up and asks her to take up the job once more to help track down a Communist cell in London, she's proved right.

Whitmore had been on the cell's trail and had just discovered their meeting place (revealed once Ginger cracks his code) before he was killed. Smithwick insists that she pose as a French Communist contact and try to infiltrate the cell. At this point in her life, Ginger has more hostages to fate--especially with the recent adoption of Scout--and is reluctant to put them in danger. But she really doesn't have a choice. And it's going to be difficult to keep her undercover investigation from her sharp-eyed husband Inspector Basil Reed, especially since he's the one investigating Lord Whitmore's death.

Somewhat spoilerish ahead! 

So, this is one of my favorite historical mystery series. It's possibly my favorite cozy-leaning historical mystery series. That would be why the plot in this one (and to some extent Murder at Bray Manor) goes a bit against the grain. I'm sure Ginger was a terrific agent in the war and I'd even be willing to read a series of books that were based on that work. But--I'm not a huge fan of dragging in the secret service angle now. Especially now that she's married to Basil and has various family commitments--hostages to fortune as I mentioned. And I really don't like Captain Smithwick. He does redeem himself at the end of this one and (Spoiler!) I wouldn't wish his fate on anyone, but I haven't enjoyed the plots with him shoved in nearly as much. He also seems to bring a bit more violence with him when he shows up. In this one we get Ginger and Basil tied up with a bomb ready to blow them to smithereens. I'm just glad we didn't decide to somehow put Scout in danger as well.

Once the Communist cell connection was made, the solution became fairly obvious, though it was a coin toss between the two most prominent members as to who actually did the deed. Not one of the best-plotted mysteries in the series, particularly in terms of clues and red herrings, but a good enough diversion for a few days. ★★★

First line: Mrs. Ginger Reed, also known around the city of London as Lady Gold, loved a good party, and if the official adoption of her son Scout wasn't a fabulous reason to celebrate then she could think of what was.

Last line: "Oh, Basil! I can't believe we're going to have a baby!"
*******************

Deaths = 3 (one electrocuted; one stabbed; one bomb explosion)

The Case of Cabin 13

 The Case of Cabin 13 (1999) by Sam McCarver

Synopsis (from the back of the book): Passengers are dying on the White Star Lines transatlantic ocean liners. Three mysterious suicides, on three different ships--all in first-class cabins numbered 13. And with the maiden voyage of their newest ship imminent--an incomparably lavis vessel called the Titanic--the cruise line can't afford a fourth. With the police stumped, Professor John Darnell, the world's first and only "paranormal detective," may be their last hope of debunking rumors of a murderous ghost. Soon the famed skeptic has agreed to be the next occupant of cabin 13--and he's sure it's no spirit he's after.

As the world's largest and purportedly safest ship sets sail, neither Darnell's sixth sense nor his investigative skills can protect him from the twin perils he is about to face. Can the American-born Englishman possibly survive the deadly forces of both nature and man? Because somewhere on the icy sea, a killer is lurking...

Okay...I've got to get a couple of things off my chest at the outset. First there's our hero, the "first and only 'paranormal detective.'" Really? I believe (if we're sticking to fictional characters) that Sheridan Le Fanu's Dr. Martin Hesselius (from the 1870s) and William Hope Hodgson's Thomas Carnacki (first written of in 1910) would like a word. And then, like the historical mysteries that are littered with strong-minded women and the men who love and encourage them, the Titanic seems to be bursting with fictional detectives who are hot on the trail of murderers and who manage to find one of the limited spots on a lifeboat to live to tell the tale. As I said in my review of the Holmes pastiche which finds Holmes and Watson onboard the ill-fated ship:

...if all the fictional people who have sailed on the Titanic and lived to tell the tale had actually been there and done that....well, none of the real, live people who survived the tragedy could actually have made it. There wouldn't be room on the survivor roll call. 

Now that we've got those two quibbles out of the way...I am enthusiastic about this take on a mystery set on the Titanic as well as the mystery itself. The plot has a few flaws (like Darnell not actually deducing who the killer is and only finding out when the culprit sneaks into his cabin to see if the poison in his sherry had done the job), but Darnell is a charming character with a lot of promise and potential. The motive for the crimes make sense and could have been deduced, so there's a definite attempt at fair play here. It was interesting to see that McCarver gave some of the reported actions of Lightoller and Ismay to Darnell and the killer respectively, but it was done in good faith to service the fictional murder plot. This is a good debut to a series that has five more entries. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: Professor John Darnell smiled as he poked his way along through the clammy opaqueness of the thick, moist fog, using his black umbrella as a walking stick.

Last line: "I think you know," he said, smiling into her eyes, "which cabin we won't take."
****************

Deaths = 18 (two overboard; one poisoned one shot; one natural; thirteen drowned)

A Case of Life & Limb

 A Case of Life & Limb (2025) by Sally Smith

It's the Christmas season in the Temple and even the King's Counsellors are feeling festive with the dusting of snow. It's time for a break in court appearances, family gatherings, and presents in pretty packages. But the gaily-wrapped that shows up on Sir William Waring's doorstep doesn't exactly contain glad tidings of great joy. A desiccated severed hand is wrapped up in the tissue paper within...with a card that says: Can I give you a hand?

After Sir Gabriel Ward's success at tracking down a murder just a few months ago, Waring turns to him again to discreetly investigate the origins of the grisly package. Gabriel would much rather spend his time preparing for a particularly difficult libel case brought by the beautiful and beloved music hall star Topsy Tillotson against the notorious tabloid newspaper, the Nation's Voice. The newspaper had published a story that Topsy, known as "the unconquerable," had been truly conquered by the Honorable Frederick Sewell. She swears she doesn't know the man, has never even met him, and that the story is a filthy lie. And she wants Gabriel to represent her in the case against the tabloid. He has quite a job ahead of him to prove their case. And now he has to divide his time on a hunt for the practical joker with a morbid sense of humor.

But when more packages arrive and the shock of receiving one kills one of Gabriel's oldest friends withing the Inner Temple, he knows he must devote more time to the investigation. It becomes quite evident that someone has a deep-set grudge against the members of the Temple and doesn't mind if a few people die while they exact their revenge. Gabriel teams up with his new-found friend Constable Wright of the City of London Police to bring the culprit to justice...all while finding a way to salvage the reputation of his client in the libel case.

This was a terrific follow-up to Gabriel's debut in A Case of Mice & Murder. Often the second book in a series is weaker than the debut, but not so in this case. Gabriel has gained confidence in his sleuthing skills (which spills over into his conduct of the libel case--out-performing the histrionic Sir Edward Hopkins and winning over the jury with flair and emotion). His relationship with Constable Wright has also progressed and the two make an even better sleuthing team than before. I enjoyed watching them investigate the mysteries--both together and separately--and particularly enjoyed Wright's dishing out a bit of extra justice when Sewell receives what seems to be a mere hand-slap. 

This is a particularly satisfying mystery--even if I did see one part of the ending coming. But I have to say that I found the development of Gabriel's character even more satisfying. Smith is gradually widening his experience--the man has had a set pattern to his life and few social interactions or commitments beyond those necessitated by his profession. Constable Wright is becoming a good friend and the way a certain cat by the name of Delphinium insinuates herself into his routine is delightful. I am eager to see where the next Case takes him. ★★★★ and 1/2

First line: No hint of the horror to come was discernible in the pure snow.

"Nothing is horrible beyond description," said Gabriel, his inner lawyer--ever alert to inaccuracy of vocabulary--challenged this observation. "Words are all we have. Everything is describable, however terrible. Look at Medea; look at the Book of Revelation; look, for that matter, at Dracula." (Gabriel Ward; p. 10)

Last lines: Really, he thought to himself disagreeably, sometimes I do wonder about Sir Gabriel Ward KC. Now he has taken to walking about the Tempe with that objectionable cat at his heels. A lawyer of his seniority and distinction. One of our King's Counsell! In public! I shall have to speak to him.
*******************

Deaths = 4 (two natural; one hit on head; one strangled)