The Labor Day Murder: Review

Christine Bennett, her husband Jack, and their small son Eddie head to Blue Harbor on Fire Island, New York, for a two-week vacation including the Labor Day holiday. They've been promised plenty of fun, sun, beach time and relaxation. No one mentioned house fires and murders.

Long-time residents are stunned when the house of Blue Harbor's fire chief, Ken Buckley, goes up in flames. They're even more stunned when Buckley is found dead in the house. But he's not a victim of fire or smoke inhalation...he was shot before the fire was started. Though everyone claims what a great guy the chief was, there are plenty of motives lurking on the island--from the rumored affairs with island ladies, a vacationing lawyer, and even a girl half his age to his involvement in the ruining of a former resident's daughter to whispers of secrets from years past.

Chris sees the young girl running from the burning house and wonders what her involvement is...especially when Tina Frisch denies having been there. This time Chris gets involved to prove her own credibility--since the local police seem unwilling to believe her word instead of Tina. She starts asking questions soon finds clues that lead to another fire 15 years ago. Another murder and the disappearing lawyer add to the mystery. But Chris's nose for the truth leads her finally to the killer.

Generally speaking, these mysteries featuring Chris Bennett are fun and light. No matter how difficult the subject matter, Lee Harris rarely gets gritty when writing about it. This one does push the envelope on cozy in the final scene--making it the most grisly wrap-up in the series so far. Other than that, we definitely stay within the cozy realm and the book can easily be finished in an evening. While it may be said that Chris seems to have a lot of "luck" in her investigations, they are always interesting and her character is very likable and believable. It helps that she really likes what she does and is very compassionate in her dealings with victims and perpetrators alike. I highly recommend this series when you want something satisfying but not too heavy. ★★★



Thanks to the lovely Freda at Freda's Voice for this one. It was my prize for last year's 100+ Reading Challenge over at her place.
 

The Angel Doll: Mini-Review

The Angel Doll by by Jerry Bledsoe is a Christmas story set in the early 1950s in Thomasville, North Carolina. Sandy Black is a four year old girl who is the victim of poverty in the small, furniture-manufacturing town...and a victim of the polio epidemic. She loves her older brother, Whitey, and all things angelic--especially a book called The Littlest Angel. Then, right before Christmas, she makes it known that she wants an angel doll for her present. Whitey and his best friend--both ten years old--set out on a mission to get Sandy her doll. The only problem? There are no angel dolls to be had in Thomasville. The boys find the perfect doll and ask the mother of one of their friends if she can help transform an ordinary doll into an angel for Sandy. Through their quest the boys learn the value of friendship and the power of love.

This is a moving story that not only tells of the love and sacrifices of two boys during one Christmas, but also shows how the events that year affected them and changed how they would live their lives. While the book is tinged with sadness, it is still a very touching and heartfelt Christmas story.  ★★★★

Challenge Complete: Birthday Month

Birthday Month Reading Challenge 

Hosted by Lois at You, Me, & a Cup of Tea

Lois set us the challenge to read a book each month by an author whose birthday was in that month. I just read a short story collection by Rex Stout to claim December and have finished the challenge. See my list below.


Thanks, Lois for hosting this one. It was a lot of fun finding authors I like who would fit each month.


January: Mother Finds a Body by Gypsy Rose Lee [DOB: Jan. 9, 1911] (1/12/15)
January: Alpha 2 by Robert Silverberg (ed) [DOB: Jan. 15, 1935] (1/18/5)
February: Some of Your Blood by Theodore Sturgeon [DOB: Feb 27. 1918] (2/13/15)
March: Malice Domestic by Sara Woods [DOB: March 7, 1922] (3/26/15)
April: The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven [DOB: April 30, 1938] & Jerry Pournelle
May: Strange Wine by Harlan Ellison [DOB: May 27. 1934] (5/21/15)
June: The Humphrey Bogart Murder Case by George Baxt [DOB: June 11, 1923] (6/26/15)
July: The Case of the Borrowed Brunette by Erle Stanley Gardner [DOB: July 17, 1889] (7/6/15)
July: The Witch & the Hysteric by Alexander Doty & Patricia Clare Ingham [DOB: July 1, 1958] (7/14/15) 
July: Two & Two Make Twenty-Two by Gwen Bristow & Bruce Manning [DOB: July 15, 1902]
August: Death in Kashmir by M. M. Kaye [DOB: Aug 21, 1908] (8/25/15)
September: The Gay Phoenx by Michael Innes [DOB: Sept 30, 1906] (9/15/15)
October: Ax by Ed McBain [DOB: Oct 15, 1926] (10/21/15)
November: In Spite of Thunder by John Dickson Carr [DOB: Nov 30, 1906] 
November: The Red Redmaynes by Eden Phillpotts [DOB: Nov 4, 1862] (11/7/15)
December: Three Doors to Death by Rex Stout [DOB: Dec 1, 1886] (12/28/15)

Challenge Complete: 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge

January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015

Hosted by Robin at My Two Blessings

This was my fourth year joining in for the book a week challenge.  See below for my list (I actually have read 161 books total this year, but these are the ones I listed for the challenge). She has also asked us some questions as we wrap it up for 2015. I've chosen three to answer.

Top five books (of this list):

Ten Thousand Light-Years from Home

Strange Wine 

Conundrums for the Long Week-End

The Golden Age of Murder

Call for the Dead

Books/Authors Didn't Think I'd Read and Was Surprised By: 

Call for the Dead and Game Without Rules -- Both of these are spy thrillers and those aren't really my cup of tea. But they were exceptionally good and entertaining.

One Book I Thought I'd Love, But Didn't:

The Ghost Writer -- The synopsis sounded good. It had connections to the Victorian period--which I love, but ultimately it just didn't deliver.

 

Thanks for hosting this year!

 

1. Ten Thousand Light-Years from Home by James Tiptree, Jr. (1/2/15)
2. Police Procedurals by Martin H. Greenberg & Bill Pronzini, eds (1/9/15)
3. A Dead Man in Istanbul by Michael Pearce (1/14/15)
4. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (1/22/15)
5. The Golden Slipper & Other Problems for Violet Strange by Anna Katharine Green (1/26/15)
6. One Touch of Blood by Samm Sinclair Baker (2/5/15)
7. Caught Dead in Philadelphia by Gillian Roberts (2/11/15)
8. A Stitch in Time by Emma Lathen (2/17/15)
9. The World's Best 100 Detective Stories Vol. 1 by Eugene Thwing, ed (2/26/15) 
10. Death & Mr. Prettyman by Kenneth Giles (3/6/15)
11. Night Train to Paris by Manning Coles (3/14/15)
12. Playground of Death by John Buxton Hilton (3/18/15)
13. Malice Domestic by Sara Woods (3/26/15)
14. The False Inspector Dew by Peter Lovesey (4/1/15)
15. The Murder of Sir Edmund Godfrey by John Dickson Carr (4/8/15) 
16. RFK His Life & Death by Editors of American Heritage (4/15/15) 
17. The Smiler with the Knife by Nicholas Blake (4/21/15)
18. The Case of Colonel Marchand by E. C. R. Lorac (4/27/15)
19. The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards (5/5/15)
20. Dead Lion by John & Emery Bonett (5/13/15)
21. Strange Wine by Harlan Ellison (5/21/15)
22. Bones in the Barrow by Josephine Bell (5/29/15)
23. Double Cross Purposes by Ronald A. Knox (6/3/15)
24. Falling Star by Patricia Moyes (6/12/15)
25. The Diamond-Studded Typewriter by Carlton Keith (6/14/15)
26. The Riddle of the Traveling Skull by Harry Stephen Keeler (6/21/15)
27. The Summer School Mystery by Josephine Bell (6/29/15)
28. The Crime & the Crystal by Elizabeth Ferrars (7/9/15)
29. Resorting to Murder by Martin Edwards, ed (7/18/15)
30. Two & Two Make Twenty-Two by Gwen Bristow & Bruce Manning (7/23/15)
31. The Penny Murders by Lionel Black (7/31/15)
32. Conundrums for the Long Week-End: England, Dorothy L. Sayers, & Lord Peter Wimsey by Robert Kuhn McGregor & Ethan Lewis (8/7/15)
33. The Cases of Susan Dare by Mignon G. Eberhart (8/10/15)
34. Ringworld by Larry Niven (8/20/15)
35. Death in Kashmir by M. M. Kaye (8/25/15)
36. The Fourteen Dilemma by Hugh Pentecost (9/3/15)
37. The Bat Flies Low by Sax Rohmer (9/10/15)
38. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (9/14/15)
39. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (9/28/15)
40. At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie (10/6/15)
41. The Ghost Writer by John Harwood (10/16/15)
42. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (10/20/15)
43. Murder on Cue by Jane Dentinger (10/27/15)
44. Murder in the Hellfire Club by Donald Zochert (11/3/15)
45. The Red Redmaynes by Eden Phillpotts (11/14/115)
46. Call for the Dead by John le Carré (11/18/15)
47. Chef Maurice & a Spot of Truffle by J. A. Lang (11/24/15)
48. The Corpse & 3 Ex-Husbands by Sue McVeigh (12/5/15)
49. The Monday Theory by Douglas Clark (12/7/15)
50. Game Without Rules by Michael Gilbert (12/14/15)
51. Body of Opinion by Susannah Stacey (12/26/15)
52. Three Doors to Death by Rex Stout (12/26/15)

Three Doors to Death: Review

Rex Stout's Three Doors to Death is a Nero Wolfe threesome--a collection of three short stories/novellas featuring that armchair detective genius Wolfe and his confidential assistant, secretary, and general Man Friday Archie Goodwin. Regular characters such as Fritz Brenner, Saul Panzer, Inspector Cramer, and Purley Stebbins also make their appearances and the stories run fairly true to the Stout formula. But it is such a successful formula--time after time, Wolfe has Archie gather the suspects for interrogation and comes through at the end with the culprit. These are so well-written that it works every time.

In "Man Alive" Paul Daumery was a successful designer preparing for the Fall fashion shows until the family received word that he had committed suicide. His niece Cynthia doesn't believe it--and Archie is prepared to talk his boss into taking on another case where they have to prove murder when suicide has been accepted. Except that isn't what Cynthia means. She doesn't believe it because she's certain she saw her uncle at last week's show. In disguise--but she's sure it was him and she wants Wolfe to find him. Paul Damery will be found all right. But he won't be alive. And it really is murder. Now Wolfe has to prove to Cramer that his client didn't do it.

"Omit Flowers" is almost more Archie's story than Wolfe's. When Wolfe's friend Marko Vukcic asks him to prove that another chef (Marko's mentor) is innocent of murder, Archie must use his brains and observational skills to find a wedge that will open up the Whitten/Landry clan for investigation. If Virgil Pompa didn't murder Floyd Whitten, then one of that clan did. With the wedge Archie provides, Wolfe is able to bring the crime home to the appropriate villain.

"Door to Death" sees Nero Wolfe making one of his rare excursions away from the brownstone. This time he is in search of a substitute for his absent gardener Theodore. Theodore has been called away to his sick mother and the poor orchids are in need of expert care. Archie and his boss make for the wilds of north Westchester to steal Andy Krasicki from Joseph Pitcairn's greenhouse. But before they can make their get-away, a dead woman is found among the plants and Andy is the prime suspect. Wolfe shows just what he's willing to give up in order to prove Andy innocent and have someone competent caring for his plants. He misses both lunch and dinner at home, treks cross-country, not once, but twice, and falls down repeatedly in the snow and mud. Oh...and he traps a killer as well.

An excellent collection of short stories. ★★★★

2016 My Reader's Block Challenges Reminder Post

The final days of 2015 are upon us and as we wrap up the reading year and, if you're anything like me, dash madly through books trying to finish off those last remaining challenges, it's time to also look ahead to the reading fun waiting for us in the New Year. I just wanted remind my faithful challengers that the new posts for the four regular Reader's Block Challenges went up in November. The Headquarters links won't appear in the sidebar until January first. Here is a handy link to each one. Come join me for new reading adventures in 2016!

Vintage Scavenger Hunt

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 

 

The Color Coded Challenge

 

Read It Again, Sam Challenge

Challenge Complete: Back to the Classics

Well, I've decided that I've done as much as I'm going to do on this one. I've met the minimum six categories and added a bonus three more for a total of nine. I normally try to do all the categories but my classic reading just hasn't been quite up to snuff this year. Thanks to Karen for hosting this over at Books and Chocolate.

 Here are this year's categories:

1. 19th C Classic: 

2. 20th C Classic (between 1900-1965): Brighton Rock by Graham Greene [1938] (3/2/15)

3. Classic by a Woman Author: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie [1934; Classic Mystery] (9/23/15)

4. Classic in Translation: Paris in the 20th Century by Jules Verne translated by Richard Howard (10/11/15)

5. A Very Long Classic (500+ pages): 

6. A Classic Novella (less than 250 pages): The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham [228 pages] (1/22/15)

7. Classic with Person's Name in Title: The Murder of Sir Edmund Godfrey by John Dickson Carr [classic mystery author with one of the earliest fictional accounts of a true crime] (4/8/15)

8. Humorous/Satirical Classic: 

9. Forgotten Classic (less than 1,000 ratings on Goodreads): The Golden Slipper & Other Problems for Violet Strange by Anna Katharine Green (1/26/15)

10. Nonfiction Classic: Into the Valley by John Hersey [1943] (2/28/15)

11. Classic Children's Book: Penny Allen & the Mystery of the Hidden Treasure by Jean McKechnie [1950]

12. Classic Play: Antony & Cleopatra by Shakespeare (8/12/15)

2016 European Reading Challenge

The European Reading Challenge

Sponsored by Rose City Reader January 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017

TO SIGN UP, GO TO THIS PAGE

TO POST A REVIEW, GO TO THIS PAGE.
TO ADD YOUR WRAP UP POST, GO TO THIS PAGE.

Gilion is once again offering the European Reading Challenge in 2016 – where participants tour Europe through books.  And have a chance to win a prize.  Please join us for the Grand Tour!

THE GIST: The idea is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour. (Check out the full details at her page)
THE LIST: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City. 

I'll be aiming for the FIVE STAR (DELUXE ENTOURAGE): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries. I've listed possible titles from my TBR stacks below--the list may change as the year goes on.

1. The Girl in the Cellar by Patricia Wentworth [England/UK] (1/9/16)
2. The Philomel Foundation by James Gollin [Switzerland] (3/11/16)
3. The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas [France] (4/21/16) 
4. Death in Cyprus by M. M. Kay [Cyprus] (4/22/16)
5. The Family Tomb by Michael Gilbert [Italy] (5/10/16)
6. Running Blind by Desmond Bagley [Iceland] (5/11/16) 
7. Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö [Sweden] (5/20/16)
8. Murder in Amsterdam by A. J. Baantjer [Netherlands] (6/3/16) 
9. The Warsaw Anagrams by Richard Zimler [Poland] (7/17/16) 
10. A Dead Man in Athens by Michael Peare [Greece] (7/28/16)
11. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre [Germany] (8/2416)
12. Grendel by John Gardner [Denmark] (12/28/16) 
13. Frame Work by Anne Faigen [Czech Republic]
14. The Private Face of Murder by John & Emery Bonett [Spain]
15. Step in the Dark by Ethel Lina White [Belgium]
16. The Private Wound by Nicholas Blake OR Bogmail by Patrick McGinley [Ireland]

Challenge Complete: European Reading Challenge

European Reading Challenge
Hosted by Rose City Reader
Dates: January - January (Click above for full details and to join)
My Goal: 5+ Books (Five Star, Deluxe Entourage)


Here is the list, in alphabetical order: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.  

I actually completed my goal back in May, but I kept adding as I read more books from Europe throughout the rest of the year. My final tally is eleven.




My List:
1. The Case of the Painted Girl by Frank King [England/UK] (1/6/14)
2. A Dead Man in Istanbul by Michael Pearce [Turkey] (1/14/15)
3. A Dead Man in Trieste by Michael Pearce [Austria] (1/27/15)
4. Death Over Deep Water by Simon Nash [Malta] (2/8/15)
5. Night Train to Paris by Manning Coles [France] (3/14/15)
6. The Abominable Man by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö [Sweden] (5/29/15)
Complete but Still Reading!
7. The Bookfair Murders by Anna Porter [Germany] (7/29/15)
8. The Albert Gate Mystery by Louis Tracy [Italy] (9/14/15)
9. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen [Poland] (9/14/15)
10. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie [Croatia--in what at the time was Yugoslavia] (9/29/15)
11. In Spite of Thunder by John Dickson Carr [Switzerland] (11/7/15)

Challenge Complete: Reading Road Trip

January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015

Adriana at She's Got Books on Her Mind hosted a Reading Road Trip for 2015 that will take challengers through the 50 United States via a bookmobile. The ultimate goal was to read one book set in each of the 50 states. But if you weren't up for quite such a long trip, there were various levels.

I decided to go small and do the first level

Hitchhiker: 10-20

I thought I might be able to level up, but that didn't happen. I did manage the top end of the Hitchhiker level, though and will finish with 20 books from the states listed below. I don't know if Adriana plans to sponsor this again in 2016, but I am going to keep adding to my list in 2016 and see if I can actually make to to all 50 states.

Alabama: The Darling Dahlias & the Cucumber Tree by Susan Wittig Albert (6/5/15)
California: Top of the Heap by A. A. Fair (3/11/15)
Florida: Murder in the Wind by John D. MacDonald (4/13/15)
Illinois: The Riddle of the Traveling Skull by Harry Stephen Keeler (6/21/15)
Indiana: The Lack of the Irish by Ralph McInerny (7/11/15)
Iowa: The Avenging Parrot by Anne Austin (8/4/15)
Kansas: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (11/15/15)
Louisiana: The Secret of Magnolia Manor by Helen Wells (2/24/15)
Maryland: The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl (9/25/15)
Massachusetts: The Three Fears by Jonathan Stagge (5/17/15)
Michigan: Penny Allen & the Mystery of the Hidden Treasure by Jean McKechnie (5/31/15)
Minnesota: Whisper Murder! by Vera Kelsey (6/24/15)
Mississippi: Murder Past Due by Miranda James (7/13/15)
New Jersey: The Diamond-Studded Typewriter by Carlton Keith (6/14/15)
New Mexico: Ride the Pink Horse by Dorothy B. Hughes (1/3/15)
New York: Police Procedurals by Martin H. Greenberg & Bill Pronizini, eds (1/9/15)
Oregon: Perpetual Check by Conrad Haynes (11/20/15)
Pennsylvania: Caught Dead in Philadelphia by Gillian Roberts (2/11/15)
Texas: Mother Finds a Body by Gypsy Rose Lee (1/12/15)
Wisconsin: Deep Lake Mystery by Carolyn Wells (8/25/15)

Read It Again, Sam Wrap-Up Post

It's time to start thinking about the end of the 2015 reading year. Wrap-up posts for the challenge will be accepted through January 6, 2016 .In each case the url you enter should be a direct link to your wrap-up post. A winner will be chosen and awarded during the following week. I will offer a prize from my prize vault of gently used books. Please link up below.

 

Mount TBR Final Checkpoint

Wow. We're almost done with 2015 and it's time to get ready for the Final Mountaineering Checkpoint. Where does the time go? I'm ready to hear how all our mountain-climbing team members have done out there on Pike's Peak, Mt. Ararat, Mt. Everest....whichever peak you've chosen. Checkpoint participation is absolutely voluntary and is not considered necessary for challenge completion.
For those who would like to participate in this checkpoint post, I'd like you to at least complete the first of these two things.  And if you feel particularly inspired (or generous about humoring me during the holiday season), then please do both.

1. Tell us how many miles you made it up your mountain (# of books read). If you've planted your flag on the peak, then tell us and celebrate (and wave!).  Even if you were especially athletic and have been sitting atop your mountain for months, please check back in and remind us how quickly you sprinted up that trail. And feel free to tell us about any particularly exciting book adventures you've had along the way.

2. The Year in Review According to Mount TBR: Using the titles of the books you read this year, please associate as many statements as you can with a book read on your journey up the Mountain.  I have given my titles as examples.

Describe yourself: She's got Murder on Her Mind  
Describe where you currently live: Ten Thousand Light-Years from Home  
If you could go anywhere where would you go?: Paris in the Twentieth Century
  Every Monday morning I look/feel like: The Vanishing Corpse  
The last time I went to the doctor/therapist was because: I drank some Strange Wine  
The last meal I ate was: At Bertram's Hotel  
When a creepy guy/girl asks me for my phone number, I: give him a number that will Call for the Dead  
Ignorant politicians make me: consult The Poisoner's Handbook    
Some people need to spend more time: contemplating The Last Question 
My memoir could be titled: A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict  
If I could, I would tell my teenage self: that life is a Game Without Rules  
I've always wondered: about The Riddle of the Traveling Skull


And what do you get for all that hard work? The Checkpoint will close at 11:59 pm on Sunday, January 3. On Monday I will crank up the Custom Random Number Generator and pick a winning climber. He or she will have the chance to add to their TBR stack via my gently-used book vault (prize list will be sent). This prize is the only book given to you in 2016 that may count towards a 2016 TBR climb.

Even if you're not in the mood for a prize or if you got distracted by pretty scenery or side trails (library books, ARCs, what-have-you), I'd love to have you check in and tell us how your 2015 mountain climb went!

***Please note--Links are for Checkpoint posts only. Links that are not Checkpoint-specific will be removed--to make it easier for me to track a winner.