Books in April
Wow, I can hardly believe it's the end of April already - time just keeps moving faster and faster, while also standing still! Lots of time to read, though:
It’s 1973, and Devin Jones, a 21-year-old college student, takes a summer job at Joyland, an amusement park in coastal North Carolina. At his boarding house, he meets and becomes friends with Erin and Tom, also both working at Joyland, and he gets to know the various carnies at the park too. He also meets Annie and her wheelchair-bound son Mike, who are staying at a very luxurious house on the route between his boarding house and the park; they quickly become very important to him, especially the boy. It’s an ordinary summer for growing up in, but when Dev begins to hear about, and then look into, a years-ago murder at the park’s haunted house, he learns that he must grow up very fast indeed…. Because this is Stephen King, there’s a bit of the supernatural in “Joyland,” but by and large the book is a coming-of-age tale, and a very gentle and sweet one at that. I’ve never been to North Carolina, so I don’t know how well Mr. King evokes that place, but I *was* around in 1973 and he evokes that *time* perfectly. And, as always with his work, the characters very quickly come alive for the reader - and really, become the reader’s friends too. A wonderful story, evocative without being nostalgic, and a great way to spend a few hours. Recommended.
Olive Belgrave is in search of a job in London in 1923, but she is having little luck: she is both too well-educated and too unskilled for any employer looking to hire a young single woman. Although her family is modest, she has been friends with her titled relatives since childhood, and they offer her an entrance into high society. As it happens, the younger daughter in that family, Violet, has contracted an engagement with a highly suspicious (because unknown) man, Alfred Eton, and Violet’s mother engages Olive to learn what she can about Alfred with a view to preventing the marriage. When Alfred is killed in the middle of a high society party and Violet is naturally suspected of the murder, it is up to Olive to uncover the truth about Alfred - if the real murderer doesn’t do her in first…. This is the first in the “High Society Lady Detective” series by Sara Rosett, and it’s quite a fun cozy. Olive is an engaging amateur detective, with plenty of energy and courage, although not always the most level-headed of creatures, and her friends and companions are also entertaining to know. I bought the e-book on a whim, because I craved a cozy set in 1920s Britain, and this does the trick admirably. I’ll definitely be reading more, and not just because I impulsively bought all six (so far) at once! Recommended.
Chief Inspector Hennessey and Sergeant Yellich are called to the scene of the discovery of a decades-old skeleton; in short order, they learn that the deceased had been a law student some 20 years earlier when he went missing, and that he had been murdered. As they work through the necessary steps of investigation, they are aware that the past may have extreme consequences for some people in the present…. In “The Return,” we know who did it, how and why quite early on; the story is rather concerned with how our lead detectives uncover the truth and how the past events impact various individuals, both the guilty and the innocent. This is the fourth Hennessey and Yellich novel; there are somewhere between 20 and 30 books out by now, but I’m having a difficult time finding them - so I was really happy to find this one! What I love about Mr. Turnbull’s writing is his “economy of style,” a term he actually uses in the book: that is, he describes the policemen’s activities and the thoughts and actions of the other characters in a straightforward, matter of fact style, leaving room for the reader to ponder the emotional states of the characters. In the meantime, we also learn more about the home lives of our two leads, their relationships and their histories, which are rich and complex in themselves. Recommended!
Despite her success at Archly Manor, Olive Belgrave’s attempts to establish herself as a lady detective in 1923 London aren’t going well; going so poorly, in fact, that she’s taken a job as a hat model at a society millinery to make ends meet. That is, until her friend Jasper Rimington puts her on to a possible case: Hightower Books’ most popular author, R. W. May, has gone missing and Mr. Hightower himself hires Olive to see if she can find him. He provides her with an excuse to visit Blackburn Hall, near where May has disappeared, and soon Olive is uncovering secrets there - about the author, about the family of the Hall, and about a mystery of her own past. But when murder occurs, she must pull out all the stops to prevent the possibility, even the likelihood, of being arrested for murder herself…. This is the second in the High Society Lady Detective series, and as such, it is just as light and cozy as the first. We again have a luscious country setting with a beautiful house; here, a highly mannered aristocracy and a small village filled with gossip lend colour to the events. Plus, we find out more about how Olive came to find herself in the financial straits that she is in, and her relationship with Jasper deepens, as well. A most enjoyable light read; recommended!
When Lady Agnes of Mulvern Hall asks Olive Belgrave to investigate her last uncle’s death, Olive is thrilled: not only will she be staying at one of the most stately homes in London, but Uncle Lawrence was a renowned Egyptologist and his collection is most fascinating! Of course, the papers are scaring the public with a series of stories suggesting a “curse of the mummy” situation at Mulvern Hall, but such gossip has never worried Olive. Then again, receiving threats in the form of an Egyptian curse, not to mention a very odd break-in and a second suspicious death, might prove far more worrisome for our lady detective…. The early 1920s was a banner time for a huge Egyptology fad in England, and Sara Rosett takes full advantage of that situation in the third book in this series. Olive is an engaging sleuth, clever and resourceful even when the people hiring her want her to be rather less so, and the ins and outs of British high society of the time are well described. Definitely a light read, which seems to be just what my brain is craving these days! I don’t think it’s necessary to have read the earlier books in the series; this set seems to me to be the kind where one can just dive in anywhere and the reader will soon find his/her footing; recommended.
Olive Belgrave is happy to visit the home of her cousins for a house party; the guests include some old friends of hers and a few people who are new to her. When one of the guests, a rather pushy man who is selling signed antique maps, is found dead in the conservatory, suspicion quickly falls on Olive’s cousin Peter, a World War I veteran who is suffering from psychological injuries sustained in the war. Olive is sure that he cannot have committed murder, and she must race to find evidence pointing to another killer before the police charge Peter with the crime…. This fourth novel in the High Society Lady Detective series hits close to home for Olive, as not only are her cousins intimately involved, but her own stepmother has significant reasons to be suspected. As with the earlier books, this story is fast-paced, the tone is breezy and the characters are appealing (or appalling, in some cases); recommended for a fast, light, cozy read.
Olive Belgrave is invited to stay with her friend Lady Gigi at her sumptuous townhouse, primarily so Olive can meet Gigi’s formidable grandmother and help ease the Dowager Duchess’s fears of being targeted for murder. But when Olive speaks with the Dowager, the old lady denies any such worries, and Olive has few ways to investigate what seems to be nothing at all. However, all is not as it seems and soon, the Dowager is dead of poison - and Gigi is far and away the prime suspect…. This series is very entertaining, set as it is amongst the young aristocrats of early 1920s England - long enough ago since the Great War that the young people can be frivolous again, but always with the consequences of that war shadowing their dying way of life. Here we have a passel of Bright Young Things dashing about London in their posh motor cars in the middle of the night, on a treasure hunt; here we also have Olive determined to maintain her independence in the face of huge challenges. Once again the characters are likeable and their antics are entertaining; I actually figured out the culprit quite early on for a change, but the fact that I was right didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. Quite fun, recommended.
Olive Belgrave is rather miffed when her sweetheart Jasper suddenly bows out of Christmas festivities at her uncle’s home, so when she learns that he is staying at Holly Hill Lodge, she drives down to take a peek at it. Unfortunately, while leaving her car is struck by another vehicle, and she is brought to the Lodge to be treated for her injuries. The hosts welcome her, as they love having house guests, but trouble soon appears in the form of a butler who first goes missing and then is discovered dead. And back-to-back snowstorms are not helping the investigation…. This is the sixth in the High Society Lady Detective series, and it answers a lot of questions about Jasper, Olive’s childhood friend and now sweetheart. As such, it’s very entertaining, although I’m not sure I buy into the whole “more the merrier, including complete strangers” ethos projected at a stately home especially at Christmas, and I thought the butler was perhaps a bit too much of a bad guy. Nevertheless, I’ve enjoyed this series thoroughly and look forward to the next entry, whenever that may be! Recommended.
Having spent months immersed in detective series set in the 1920s (but written now), I thought I’d cap off my mania with a re-read of "The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits," from 2004. Most of the stories here are original to this anthology, a few are reprints from the 1930s to 1980s, and three are reprints of stories actually written and published in the 1920s. As with all anthologies, my favourite stories may not be yours; that said, I especially enjoyed “There Would Have Been Murder” by Ian Morson, involving a fledgling Communist party cell in England attempting to start a revolution; “Someone” by Michael Collins, about the uneasy pact between cops and mobsters in Prohibition-era NYC; Marilyn Todd’s “Thoroughly Modern Millinery,” where the heist revolves around the right hat; “The Hope of the World” by Mat Coward, another Communist Revolution story, this time set in a country house complete with aristocratic communists; Hulbert Footner’s “Putting Crime Over,” a novella published in 1926 and featuring a very clever woman; 1928’s “The Broadcast Murder” by Grenville Robbins, which uses then-new technology to great effect; “Without Fire” by Tom Holt, dealing with murder on an ocean liner; and Archibald Pechey’s 1928 story “The Man Who Scared the Bank,” which also features a very clever woman. This sounds like a lot of stories, but there are 23 in total, all of which have their merits. Quite a lot of fun; recommended, especially if you, like me, have during this Pandemic experienced a period of madness concerning the last, historic Roaring Twenties!
"The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits" is one of a series of anthologies edited by Mike Ashley, this one (from 1993) focussing on the sub-genre of historical detective stories. It consists largely of reprints, with a handful of original stories commissioned for this anthology, and it covers a vast amount of time, from Egypt in about 1400 BC to 1910s America; there’s a forward written by Ellis Peters, an afterword by Arthur Griffiths (a reprint from 1902), and a timeline of “The Chroniclers of Crime.” As ever with anthologies, my favourite picks will differ from other readers’ choices, but these are the stories that grabbed me: Elizabeth Peters’ “The Locked Tomb Mystery,” set in Ancient Egypt; John Maddox Roberts’ “Mightier Than the Sword,” which features a Roman city official; “The High King’s Sword,” by Peter Tremayne and apparently the first Sister Fidelma, original to this volume; a very early Brother Cadfael tale from Ellis Peters, “The Price of Light”; Margaret Frazer’s “The Witch’s Tale,” wherein justice is served; a complete (short) novel, “Captain Nash and the Wroth Inheritance,” which is set in 1771 England; and “The Case of the Deptford Horror,” a Sherlock Holmes story written by Arthur Conan Doyle’s son Adrian. With some 23 stories in all, however, there are certain to be at least a few stories to every taste, and for escapism from the present day, it’s hard to beat historical detective fiction; recommended!
Linus Baker is the quintessential company man: a caseworker with DICOMY (the Department in Charge of Magical Youth), he investigates orphanages to determine if the children are best protected there or if the orphanage should be closed. His obsessive attention to detail and rules and regulations makes him perfect for a highly classified investigation of an unusual orphanage on an island in the sea. Arriving for a month-long stay, he and his cat Calliope meet Zoe, the sprite-spirit of the island; Arthur Parnassus, the master of the orphanage; and the six children: Talia the gnome, Phee the forest sprite, the Wyvern Theodore, shy shapeshifter Sal, the amorphous blob called Chauncey (who wants more than anything to be a bellhop at a hotel) - and then there’s Lucy, who through no fault of his own is the Antichrist. How will Linus investigate this unusual household, and what will his verdict be?.... I can’t begin to state how much I loved, loved, *loved* this book, even though it was quite clear from almost the very beginning that Everything Would Be Okay In The End. Mr. Klune’s writing style is both terse and flat as befits a company man’s report writing, and as poetic and evocative as, well, magic must of necessity be: Sal’s essay will stay with the reader forever, and the scene in the ice cream shop made me cry. This is for any fantasy lover, and for anybody who ever felt or was made to feel “different” just for being who they are; very highly recommended!
Happy Beltaine!
It’s 1973, and Devin Jones, a 21-year-old college student, takes a summer job at Joyland, an amusement park in coastal North Carolina. At his boarding house, he meets and becomes friends with Erin and Tom, also both working at Joyland, and he gets to know the various carnies at the park too. He also meets Annie and her wheelchair-bound son Mike, who are staying at a very luxurious house on the route between his boarding house and the park; they quickly become very important to him, especially the boy. It’s an ordinary summer for growing up in, but when Dev begins to hear about, and then look into, a years-ago murder at the park’s haunted house, he learns that he must grow up very fast indeed…. Because this is Stephen King, there’s a bit of the supernatural in “Joyland,” but by and large the book is a coming-of-age tale, and a very gentle and sweet one at that. I’ve never been to North Carolina, so I don’t know how well Mr. King evokes that place, but I *was* around in 1973 and he evokes that *time* perfectly. And, as always with his work, the characters very quickly come alive for the reader - and really, become the reader’s friends too. A wonderful story, evocative without being nostalgic, and a great way to spend a few hours. Recommended.
Olive Belgrave is in search of a job in London in 1923, but she is having little luck: she is both too well-educated and too unskilled for any employer looking to hire a young single woman. Although her family is modest, she has been friends with her titled relatives since childhood, and they offer her an entrance into high society. As it happens, the younger daughter in that family, Violet, has contracted an engagement with a highly suspicious (because unknown) man, Alfred Eton, and Violet’s mother engages Olive to learn what she can about Alfred with a view to preventing the marriage. When Alfred is killed in the middle of a high society party and Violet is naturally suspected of the murder, it is up to Olive to uncover the truth about Alfred - if the real murderer doesn’t do her in first…. This is the first in the “High Society Lady Detective” series by Sara Rosett, and it’s quite a fun cozy. Olive is an engaging amateur detective, with plenty of energy and courage, although not always the most level-headed of creatures, and her friends and companions are also entertaining to know. I bought the e-book on a whim, because I craved a cozy set in 1920s Britain, and this does the trick admirably. I’ll definitely be reading more, and not just because I impulsively bought all six (so far) at once! Recommended.
Chief Inspector Hennessey and Sergeant Yellich are called to the scene of the discovery of a decades-old skeleton; in short order, they learn that the deceased had been a law student some 20 years earlier when he went missing, and that he had been murdered. As they work through the necessary steps of investigation, they are aware that the past may have extreme consequences for some people in the present…. In “The Return,” we know who did it, how and why quite early on; the story is rather concerned with how our lead detectives uncover the truth and how the past events impact various individuals, both the guilty and the innocent. This is the fourth Hennessey and Yellich novel; there are somewhere between 20 and 30 books out by now, but I’m having a difficult time finding them - so I was really happy to find this one! What I love about Mr. Turnbull’s writing is his “economy of style,” a term he actually uses in the book: that is, he describes the policemen’s activities and the thoughts and actions of the other characters in a straightforward, matter of fact style, leaving room for the reader to ponder the emotional states of the characters. In the meantime, we also learn more about the home lives of our two leads, their relationships and their histories, which are rich and complex in themselves. Recommended!
Despite her success at Archly Manor, Olive Belgrave’s attempts to establish herself as a lady detective in 1923 London aren’t going well; going so poorly, in fact, that she’s taken a job as a hat model at a society millinery to make ends meet. That is, until her friend Jasper Rimington puts her on to a possible case: Hightower Books’ most popular author, R. W. May, has gone missing and Mr. Hightower himself hires Olive to see if she can find him. He provides her with an excuse to visit Blackburn Hall, near where May has disappeared, and soon Olive is uncovering secrets there - about the author, about the family of the Hall, and about a mystery of her own past. But when murder occurs, she must pull out all the stops to prevent the possibility, even the likelihood, of being arrested for murder herself…. This is the second in the High Society Lady Detective series, and as such, it is just as light and cozy as the first. We again have a luscious country setting with a beautiful house; here, a highly mannered aristocracy and a small village filled with gossip lend colour to the events. Plus, we find out more about how Olive came to find herself in the financial straits that she is in, and her relationship with Jasper deepens, as well. A most enjoyable light read; recommended!
When Lady Agnes of Mulvern Hall asks Olive Belgrave to investigate her last uncle’s death, Olive is thrilled: not only will she be staying at one of the most stately homes in London, but Uncle Lawrence was a renowned Egyptologist and his collection is most fascinating! Of course, the papers are scaring the public with a series of stories suggesting a “curse of the mummy” situation at Mulvern Hall, but such gossip has never worried Olive. Then again, receiving threats in the form of an Egyptian curse, not to mention a very odd break-in and a second suspicious death, might prove far more worrisome for our lady detective…. The early 1920s was a banner time for a huge Egyptology fad in England, and Sara Rosett takes full advantage of that situation in the third book in this series. Olive is an engaging sleuth, clever and resourceful even when the people hiring her want her to be rather less so, and the ins and outs of British high society of the time are well described. Definitely a light read, which seems to be just what my brain is craving these days! I don’t think it’s necessary to have read the earlier books in the series; this set seems to me to be the kind where one can just dive in anywhere and the reader will soon find his/her footing; recommended.
Olive Belgrave is happy to visit the home of her cousins for a house party; the guests include some old friends of hers and a few people who are new to her. When one of the guests, a rather pushy man who is selling signed antique maps, is found dead in the conservatory, suspicion quickly falls on Olive’s cousin Peter, a World War I veteran who is suffering from psychological injuries sustained in the war. Olive is sure that he cannot have committed murder, and she must race to find evidence pointing to another killer before the police charge Peter with the crime…. This fourth novel in the High Society Lady Detective series hits close to home for Olive, as not only are her cousins intimately involved, but her own stepmother has significant reasons to be suspected. As with the earlier books, this story is fast-paced, the tone is breezy and the characters are appealing (or appalling, in some cases); recommended for a fast, light, cozy read.
Olive Belgrave is invited to stay with her friend Lady Gigi at her sumptuous townhouse, primarily so Olive can meet Gigi’s formidable grandmother and help ease the Dowager Duchess’s fears of being targeted for murder. But when Olive speaks with the Dowager, the old lady denies any such worries, and Olive has few ways to investigate what seems to be nothing at all. However, all is not as it seems and soon, the Dowager is dead of poison - and Gigi is far and away the prime suspect…. This series is very entertaining, set as it is amongst the young aristocrats of early 1920s England - long enough ago since the Great War that the young people can be frivolous again, but always with the consequences of that war shadowing their dying way of life. Here we have a passel of Bright Young Things dashing about London in their posh motor cars in the middle of the night, on a treasure hunt; here we also have Olive determined to maintain her independence in the face of huge challenges. Once again the characters are likeable and their antics are entertaining; I actually figured out the culprit quite early on for a change, but the fact that I was right didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. Quite fun, recommended.
Olive Belgrave is rather miffed when her sweetheart Jasper suddenly bows out of Christmas festivities at her uncle’s home, so when she learns that he is staying at Holly Hill Lodge, she drives down to take a peek at it. Unfortunately, while leaving her car is struck by another vehicle, and she is brought to the Lodge to be treated for her injuries. The hosts welcome her, as they love having house guests, but trouble soon appears in the form of a butler who first goes missing and then is discovered dead. And back-to-back snowstorms are not helping the investigation…. This is the sixth in the High Society Lady Detective series, and it answers a lot of questions about Jasper, Olive’s childhood friend and now sweetheart. As such, it’s very entertaining, although I’m not sure I buy into the whole “more the merrier, including complete strangers” ethos projected at a stately home especially at Christmas, and I thought the butler was perhaps a bit too much of a bad guy. Nevertheless, I’ve enjoyed this series thoroughly and look forward to the next entry, whenever that may be! Recommended.
Having spent months immersed in detective series set in the 1920s (but written now), I thought I’d cap off my mania with a re-read of "The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits," from 2004. Most of the stories here are original to this anthology, a few are reprints from the 1930s to 1980s, and three are reprints of stories actually written and published in the 1920s. As with all anthologies, my favourite stories may not be yours; that said, I especially enjoyed “There Would Have Been Murder” by Ian Morson, involving a fledgling Communist party cell in England attempting to start a revolution; “Someone” by Michael Collins, about the uneasy pact between cops and mobsters in Prohibition-era NYC; Marilyn Todd’s “Thoroughly Modern Millinery,” where the heist revolves around the right hat; “The Hope of the World” by Mat Coward, another Communist Revolution story, this time set in a country house complete with aristocratic communists; Hulbert Footner’s “Putting Crime Over,” a novella published in 1926 and featuring a very clever woman; 1928’s “The Broadcast Murder” by Grenville Robbins, which uses then-new technology to great effect; “Without Fire” by Tom Holt, dealing with murder on an ocean liner; and Archibald Pechey’s 1928 story “The Man Who Scared the Bank,” which also features a very clever woman. This sounds like a lot of stories, but there are 23 in total, all of which have their merits. Quite a lot of fun; recommended, especially if you, like me, have during this Pandemic experienced a period of madness concerning the last, historic Roaring Twenties!
"The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits" is one of a series of anthologies edited by Mike Ashley, this one (from 1993) focussing on the sub-genre of historical detective stories. It consists largely of reprints, with a handful of original stories commissioned for this anthology, and it covers a vast amount of time, from Egypt in about 1400 BC to 1910s America; there’s a forward written by Ellis Peters, an afterword by Arthur Griffiths (a reprint from 1902), and a timeline of “The Chroniclers of Crime.” As ever with anthologies, my favourite picks will differ from other readers’ choices, but these are the stories that grabbed me: Elizabeth Peters’ “The Locked Tomb Mystery,” set in Ancient Egypt; John Maddox Roberts’ “Mightier Than the Sword,” which features a Roman city official; “The High King’s Sword,” by Peter Tremayne and apparently the first Sister Fidelma, original to this volume; a very early Brother Cadfael tale from Ellis Peters, “The Price of Light”; Margaret Frazer’s “The Witch’s Tale,” wherein justice is served; a complete (short) novel, “Captain Nash and the Wroth Inheritance,” which is set in 1771 England; and “The Case of the Deptford Horror,” a Sherlock Holmes story written by Arthur Conan Doyle’s son Adrian. With some 23 stories in all, however, there are certain to be at least a few stories to every taste, and for escapism from the present day, it’s hard to beat historical detective fiction; recommended!
Linus Baker is the quintessential company man: a caseworker with DICOMY (the Department in Charge of Magical Youth), he investigates orphanages to determine if the children are best protected there or if the orphanage should be closed. His obsessive attention to detail and rules and regulations makes him perfect for a highly classified investigation of an unusual orphanage on an island in the sea. Arriving for a month-long stay, he and his cat Calliope meet Zoe, the sprite-spirit of the island; Arthur Parnassus, the master of the orphanage; and the six children: Talia the gnome, Phee the forest sprite, the Wyvern Theodore, shy shapeshifter Sal, the amorphous blob called Chauncey (who wants more than anything to be a bellhop at a hotel) - and then there’s Lucy, who through no fault of his own is the Antichrist. How will Linus investigate this unusual household, and what will his verdict be?.... I can’t begin to state how much I loved, loved, *loved* this book, even though it was quite clear from almost the very beginning that Everything Would Be Okay In The End. Mr. Klune’s writing style is both terse and flat as befits a company man’s report writing, and as poetic and evocative as, well, magic must of necessity be: Sal’s essay will stay with the reader forever, and the scene in the ice cream shop made me cry. This is for any fantasy lover, and for anybody who ever felt or was made to feel “different” just for being who they are; very highly recommended!
Happy Beltaine!