The Institute by Stephen King

First Line: Half an hour after Tim Jamieson's Delta flight was scheduled to leave Tampa for the bright lights and tall buildings of New York, it was still parked at the gate.

In the middle of the night on a quiet street in Minneapolis, a house is silently broken into. Inside, Luke Ellis's parents are slaughtered and he is drugged and loaded into the back of a black SUV. When he wakes up, he's in the Institute, in a room that looks like his room but isn't. When Luke opens the door, he finds other kids with special talents-- telekinesis and telepathy-- who got to the Institute the same way he did. These kids are in the Front Half. Other kids have graduated to the Back Half, the Institute's version of the Hotel California: these kids can check out... but they will never leave.

The director and staff of the Institute are dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extraordinary gifts. No compassion. No scruples. If you do what they say, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don't, punishment is swift and brutal. No one has ever escaped from the Institute, but as his friends begin disappearing into the Back Half, Luke is determined to get out and get help.

In any reading of the synopsis of The Institute, it should be clear that the torture of children figures highly in the story. If this is something you simply cannot read about, do not pick up this book. I've always seemed to have a higher tolerance level for some things and having read many Stephen King novels, I knew that the payback for the perpetrators would be extremely satisfying. King takes time in setting up his story, laying out plots and subplots, populating his landscape with memorable characters, and using pop culture references like spaghetti Westerns, Dr. Seuss, and Reese's peanut butter cups to make us feel as though we're part of the story, too.

Those who have read The Institute will know what I'm talking about when I mention the humming that can be felt with increasing frequency. I experienced my own hum... more of a visceral thrum of anger... as it became more and more clear what was being done to these children. King made me want to take part in his payback, oh did he ever!

King has written before about the amazing power of what children can do together as a group, and as I neared the climax of The Institute, I realized once more that there's nothing better than the end of a Stephen King novel when the Forces of Good finally have their act together and have taken aim at the Forces of Evil. Payback can be a wonderful thing in the hands of a master.

The Institute by Stephen King

eISBN: 9781982110598

Scribner © 2019

eBook, 576 pages

Standalone Thriller

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.


 

On My Radar: Larry D. Sweazy's The Lost Are the Last to Die

After reading Larry Sweazy's Marjorie Trumaine mysteries about a professional book indexer and farm wife in 1960s North Dakota, I became a fan of his storytelling. This led me to his first Sonny Burton mystery, A Thousand Falling Crows, which was one of my Best Reads of 2017.

At the time, I said that I hoped there would be more books about this ex-Texas Ranger who lost his arm in the shootout with Bonnie and Clyde. The early 1930s setting was pitch-perfect, and I knew Sonny could have a lot more to say. So, you know I did a little happy dance when I found out that there is going to be a second Sonny Burton mystery-- The Lost Are the Last to Die.

Let's find out a little more about it!

Available November20, 2019!

 Synopsis:

"After Sonny Burton lost his right arm in a shootout with Bonnie and Clyde, he thought his days as a Texas Ranger were behind him. When a convict escapes from Huntsville Prison and takes the warden's pregnant wife hostage, the Rangers come to Sonny for help because he had a long history with Billy Bunson. From his time in El Paso, when Billy was only a boy and a thief on the street, to a few years later when Billy killed his first man, Sonny was there, either chasing him or trying to save him. Sonny knows right away if he doesn't go after Billy, then Billy will come after him..."



Maybe it's because I live in Arizona that I like reading books in which I can soak up both the history and the landscape of the West. I know that Sweazy can certainly deliver on atmosphere and setting as well as a story that will keep me turning the pages, and I know that the first Sonny Burton book was a winner, so it's little surprise that I'm looking forward to The Lost Are the Last to Die. I even like the subdued cover of the book because those gray tones remind us that the book is set during the Dust Bowl and the Depression. Desperate times.

I know this book won't be to everyone's taste, but if you do enjoy well-written historical mysteries and haven't read his Marjorie Trumaine series, I urge you to read those. They are something very special... just like Sonny Burton.

An Out in the Noonday Sun Weekly Link Round-Up

Want to know what my favorite Dr. Seuss book is? For some reason, I was never a fan growing up, except for my favorite book: The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. It makes absolutely no sense because I hate hats. Every time I put one on, my head just wants to shiver it back off. But I've lived in two climates in which there are times where hats are necessary in order to sustain life. I've endured cold winters, and I mean cold like -50°F. I had to wear a hat or my ears would've snapped off in that sort of temperature. And now I live here in the Sonoran Desert where it's not a good idea to be out in the sun for prolonged periods without wearing a hat. If you do, you risk cooking your brains, and I'm rather fond of mine.

Recently, I decided that I needed a new hat. The one I've been wearing for several years now does a good job of protecting my tender brains, but it does absolutely nothing about the back of my neck, and I'm tired of it getting sunburned whenever I forget to slather on sunscreen back there.

This is the new hat I bought. Nice wide brim to shade my face and ears. My precious brains are protected, and the back of my neck is protected, too. I even look halfway human in it (which is a miracle). There were only three things wrong with it.

One, the chin strap had to go. That was an easy fix. Two, there's a slit in the back of the hat for a ponytail. I've never had a ponytail in my life, so I sewed that shut. Three, that tan bow at the back had to go. It just looked sorry for itself. Instead, I removed it and purchased two different rolls of wide, grosgrain ribbon to make my own bows. Now I can't make up my mind which one I want to make first: the paint splatter or the butterflies.

What do you think?

I'd better be careful when I mosey out to the corral. Those links might not recognize me in my new headgear-- but at least I'm protected from the noonday sun! Head 'em up! Moooove 'em out!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• From Baba Yaga to Hermione Granger: why we're spellbound by "witcherature." 
• Iconic New York Public Library lions Patience and Fortitude will get a $250,000 laser bath. 
• Discover Emily Dickinson's Herbarium: a beautiful digital edition of the poet's collection of pressed plants and flowers is now online.
• Dream Job: get paid to be a bookseller in the Maldives.
• For Sale: A 1699 treatise on the best ways to make salad. 
• The Middle East as old Hollywood saw it.
• The pay disparity is alive and well. When their book deal blew up after sexual misconduct allegations against Glenn Thrush, Thrush kept his advance. Maggie Haberman had to pay hers back. 
• Social media is helping keep a hilarious and brilliant Scottish language alive.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• An archaeological dig in Jerusalem has unearthed evidence of a biblical Babylonian conquest.
• The Codex Argentus-- a beautiful and mysterious bible from the sixth century-- is now safely stowed in Sweden. 
• Indigenous women are publishing the first Maya works in over 400 years.
• An ancient Celtic woman in fancy clothes was buried in a hollow tree trunk.
• A surprising twist in the hunt for Amelia Earhart's lost plane.
• A sorceress's kit was discovered in the ashes of Pompeii.
• The face of a female Druid from the Hebrides has been brought to life 2,000 years after her death.
• The Aztec death whistle makes one of the scariest sounds you'll ever hear.

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• How did the world's largest frog get so big? Possibly by building its own ponds.
• The U.S. loses a football field-sized patch of nature every thirty seconds.
• Researchers think they know why cats eat grass. 
• A human-sized penguin once waddled through New Zealand.
• Florida police found a raccoon burglar inside a high school's vending machine.
• Interspecies breeding is responsible for some squirrels' black coloring. 
• Two male penguins in Berlin join a long line of same-sex pairs to adopt an egg. 
• Scientists decry the ignorance of rolling back species protections in the midst of a mass extinction.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Pauline Cushman, the actress who left the stage to become a Civil War spy.
• Steve Cavanagh on writing legal thrillers for the little guy-- and serial con artists. 
• How Marian Anderson became an iconic symbol of equality.
• How Tana French inhabits the minds of her detectives.
• Authors Steve Cavanagh and Adrian McKinty: how growing up in Northern Ireland's Troubles shaped them.
• Yashoda D. Shenoy, the 12-year-old girl who runs a free library in India.
• Ten great boundary-breaking women of fiction.

►The Happy Wanderer◄

• Kuala Lumpur noir. 
• This historic Michigan library looks like something out of Hogwarts.
• Do not eat, touch, or even inhale the air around the manchineel tree.

►I ♥ Lists & Quizzes◄

• 38 Americanisms the British can't bloody stand. 
• Can you match the lock of hair with its author?
• Five great memoirs about mixed-race families.
• The 25 most important characters of the past 25 years.
• Five psychopaths we pity, root for, and identify with.
• The best books about running. 
• Eighteen obscure sports that are well worth rooting for.
• Six books by Texan writers you need to read.
• Six novels featuring psychologists and psychiatrists in key roles.

That's all for this week! Don't forget to stop by next Friday while I'll be sharing a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.

Have a great weekend, and read something fabulous!

A Girl Called Justice by Elly Griffiths

First Line: As soon as she saw the school, Justice Jones knew that it had potential for murder.

In October 1936 after the death of her mother, homeschooled Justice Jones finds herself bundled up and taken to the Highbury House Boarding School for the Daughters of Gentlefolk. The twelve-year-old finds no comfort in the fact that the place bears a resemblance to Dracula's castle or that the taxi driver muttered "good luck" when he left her at the doorstep. Inside, the place is freezing cold, Matron insists that her first name is Joan, the food is rubbish, and some of the girls are decidedly mean. But Justice knows that she must-- and will-- endure.

She even finds a thing or two to occupy her mind. Why does the school seem to be covering up the murder of a chamber maid? And why has the angelic-looking Rose made herself into Justice's nemesis? It's a tricky business trying to discover the truth about the maid while circumnavigating all the school rules, but with the help of a new friend or two, Justice is determined to get the job done-- even when a snowstorm cuts the school off from the rest of the world.

Since I am a long-time fan of Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway mysteries, how could I resist reading her first mystery for children? As you can see, I couldn't, and I found a delightful story that many adults are bound to enjoy.

Justice's voice pulled me right into the story, which includes blueprints of the school, her journal entries, and secret messages. Griffths has created a good mystery to solve, and I have to admit that when the villain was revealed, I couldn't believe that I missed the clues that had been planted along the way.

A Girl Called Justice isn't all about the mystery, however. Readers watch Justice as she learns how to exist as part of a group, and they may even laugh in sympathy as she discovers she has no skill at athletics. In addition, the setting is superb; I think I was frozen solid the entire time I was reading it-- which brings up a question. Why on earth (in so many British-set books that I've read in my lifetime) do people insist that living in icy conditions will "toughen a person up"? Especially when most of the students being toughened up were suffering horrible colds. It makes no sense to me.

But no matter. I loved the setting, the mystery, and the character of Justice Jones. I wouldn't be at all surprised if I read the next book in the series as well!

A Girl Called Justice by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9781786540591

Quercus © 2019

Paperback, 230 pages

Middle-Grade Children's Historical Mystery, #1 Justice Jones mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon UK.


 

Murder by the Minster by Helen Cox

First Line: The corner of Kitt Hartley's mouth twitched.

It's just another ordinary day for librarian Kitt Hartley in the Women's Studies section of the University of the Vale of York Library. Well, it is until Detective Inspector Halloran arrives at her desk to tell her that her best friend, Evie Bowes, is the prime suspect in the murder of her former boyfriend.

Although all the evidence points to Evie, Kitt knows there's no way her friend could murder anyone. Since the police have got it all wrong, there's only one thing for Kitt to do: conduct her own investigation fueled by all the mystery novels she's read. How hard can it be?

Finding that her assistant Grace can be a lot of help-- and receiving help from some of the more eccentric library patrons whether she wants it or not-- Kitt discovers that there's a lot more going on in the quaint streets and snickelways of York than she's ever dreamed. Not only that, but she must be careful. The murderer has a list of intended victims... and Kitt is being watched.

Trilby-wearing Kitt Hartley is definitely a character to watch. She's got all her librarian scowls and stares down pat as well as a sharp tongue that she's not afraid to use. It's also good to see that Helen Cox has given her main character an excellent mystery to solve. Any time that I haven't put all the pieces together-- or at least some of them-- is a rare day, and I was certainly kept guessing as I read this book.

There was only one thing wrong with Murder by the Minster for me-- and it may be the one thing that makes this book perfect for some of you-- it went way overboard on the romance. Once Kitt has seen the handsome detective inspector, her thirty-five-year-old hormones go into hyperdrive, and when the attraction heats up a notch, I found myself skimming a page or two. But, as I said, this may make this book the perfect cup of tea for some of you.

Even though I turn up my nose at romance, the author has done such a good job with her setting and the story that I'm willing to read the next book in the series. Maybe Kitt will have her hormones in therapy...

Murder by the Minster by Helen Cox

eISBN: 9781529402223

Quercus Books © 2019

eBook, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #1 Kitt Hartley Yorkshire mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from Amazon.


 

October 2019 New Mystery Releases!

Another summer has flown past with the speed of light. It brought me some mighty fine books to read amongst many other blessings. I have so many things to look forward to this fall, but I have to admit that my anticipation is dulled somewhat by the loss of my dearest friend in September.

Comfort can be found in routine; however, and what better comfort for a voracious reader than keeping an eye peeled for new crime fiction that is going to be released?

I've grouped my picks according to their release dates and give you a little information about each one. Book covers and synopses are courtesy of Amazon.



Let's see if I managed to include a title or two that will make it onto your own wishlists!

=== October 1 ===

Title: Dachshund Through the Snow

Author: David Rosenfelt

Series: #20 in the Andy Carpenter legal mystery series set in New Jersey. 

352 pages

Synopsis: "Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his wife, Laurie, have started a new Christmas tradition. Their local pet store has a Christmas tree, where instead of ornaments there are wishes from those in need. One poignant wish leads Andy to a child named Danny, whose selfless plea strikes a chord. Danny asked Santa for a coat for his mother, a sweater for his dachshund, Murphy, and for the safe return of his missing father.

It turns out Danny’s father doesn't want to be found, he’s on the run after just being arrested for a murder that took place fourteen years ago – a murder that Danny’s mother swears he didn’t commit.

With his trademark humor and larger-than-life characters – including a police officer and his K-9 partner, Simon – Rosenfelt never fails to deliver as Andy and his eccentric crew dash to reunite a family in time for Christmas."

Title: A House of Ghosts

Author: W.C. Ryan

Standalone Gothic thriller set in England.

384 pages

Synopsis: "Winter 1917. As the First World War enters its most brutal phase, back home in England, everyone is seeking answers to the darkness that has seeped into their lives. At Blackwater Abbey, on an island off the Devon coast, armaments manufacturer Lord Highmount has arranged a spiritualist gathering to contact his two sons, both of whom died at the front.

Among the guests, two have been secretly dispatched from the intelligence service: Kate Cartwright, a friend of the family who lost her beloved brother at the Somme and who, in the realm of the spiritual, has her own special gift; and the mysterious Captain Donovan, recently returned from Europe. Top secret plans for weapons developed by Lord Highmount’s company have turned up in Berlin, and there is reason to believe enemy spies will be in attendance. As the guests arrive, it becomes clear that each has something they would rather keep hidden. Then, when a storm descends, they find themselves trapped on the island. Soon one of their number will die. For Blackwater Abbey is haunted in more ways than one . . . .

An unrelenting, gripping mystery, packed with twists and turns and a kindling of romance, A House of Ghosts is the perfect cold-weather read."

=== October 8 ===

Title: A Bitter Feast

Author: Deborah Crombie

Series: #18 in the Duncan Kincaid & Gemma James police procedural series set in England.

384 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, have been invited for a relaxing weekend in the Cotswolds, one of Britain’s most enchanting regions, famous for its rolling hills, golden cottages, and picturesque villages.

Duncan, Gemma, and their children are guests at Beck House, the family estate of Melody Talbot, Gemma’s detective sergeant. The Talbot family is wealthy, prominent, and powerful—Melody’s father is the publisher of one of London’s largest and most influential newspapers. The centerpiece of this glorious fall getaway is a posh charity harvest luncheon catered by up-and-coming chef Viv Holland. After fifteen years in London’s cut-throat food scene, Viv has returned to the Gloucestershire valleys of her childhood and quickly made a name for herself with her innovative meals based on traditional cuisine but using fresh local ingredients. Attended by the local well-to-do as well as national press food bloggers and restaurant critics, the event could make Viv a star.

But a tragic car accident and a series of mysterious deaths rock the estate and pull Duncan and Gemma into the investigation. It soon becomes clear that the killer has a connection with Viv’s pub—or, perhaps, with Beck House itself.

Does the truth lie in the past? Or is it closer to home, tied up in the tangled relationships and bitter resentments between the staff at Beck House and Viv’s new pub? Or is it more personal, entwined with secrets hidden by Viv and those closest to her?" 

=== October 15 ===

Title: The Art of Theft

Author: Sherry Thomas

Series: #4 in the Lady Sherlock historical series set in England.

304 pages

Synopsis: "As "Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective," Charlotte Holmes has solved murders and found missing individuals. But she has never stolen a priceless artwork—or rather, made away with the secrets hidden behind a much-coveted canvas.

But Mrs. Watson is desperate to help her old friend recover those secrets and Charlotte finds herself involved in a fever-paced scheme to infiltrate a glamorous Yuletide ball where the painting is one handshake away from being sold and the secrets a bare breath from exposure.

Her dear friend Lord Ingram, her sister Livia, Livia's admirer Stephen Marbleton—everyone pitches in to help and everyone has a grand time. But nothing about this adventure is what it seems and disaster is biding time on the grounds of a glittering French chateau, waiting only for Charlotte to make a single mistake..."

=== October 22 ===

Title: A Cruel Deception

Author: Charles Todd

Series: #11 in the Bess Crawford historical series set in England.

320 pages

Synopsis: "The Armistice of November 1918 ended the fighting, but the Great War will not be over until a Peace Treaty is drawn up and signed by all parties. Representatives from the Allies are gathering in Paris, and already ominous signs of disagreement have appeared.

Sister Bess Crawford, who has been working with the severely wounded in England in the war’s wake, is asked to carry out a personal mission in Paris for a Matron at the London headquarters of The Queen Alexandra’s.

Bess is facing decisions about her own future, even as she searches for the man she is charged with helping.  When she does locate Lawrence Minton, she finds a bitter and disturbed officer who has walked away from his duties at the Peace Conference and is well on his way toward an addiction to opiates. When she confronts him with the dangers of using laudanum, he tells her that he doesn’t care if he lives or dies, as long as he can find oblivion. But what has changed him? What is it that haunts him? He can’t confide in Bess—because the truth is so deeply buried in his mind that he can only relive it in nightmares. The officers who had shared a house with him in Paris profess to know nothing—still, Bess is reluctant to trust them even when they offer her their help. But where to begin on her own?

What is driving this man to a despair so profound it can only end with death? The war? Something that happened in Paris? To prevent a tragedy, she must get at the truth as quickly as possible—which means putting herself between Lieutenant Minton and whatever is destroying him. Or is it whoever?"

Title: Strangers at the Gate

Author: Catriona McPherson

Standalone thriller set in Scotland.

368 pages

Synopsis: "Finnie Doyle and Paddy Lamb are leaving city life in Edinburgh behind them and moving to the little town of Simmerton. Paddy's been made partner at the law firm in town, and Finnie has snagged a job as a church deacon. Their rented cottage is quaint; their new colleagues are charming, and they can't believe their luck.

But only days after moving into the gatehouse, Finnie begins to have doubts. She keeps hearing strange sounds, and the thicket of trees make her feel claustrophobic rather than safe. When they witness the bloody aftermath of a brutal murder, it changes everything. They've each been keeping secrets about their pasts. And they both know their precious new start won't survive a scandal. Together, for the best of reasons, they make the worst decision of their lives.

And that's only the beginning. The deep, deep valley where Simmerton sits is unlike anywhere Finnie and Paddy have been before. They are not the only ones hiding in its shadow and very soon they've lost control of the game they decided to play..."

Title: The Night Fire

Author: Michael Connelly

Series: #4 in the Renée Ballard & #22 in the Harry Bosch police procedural series set in Los Angeles.

416 pages

Synopsis: "Back when Harry Bosch was just a rookie homicide detective, he had an inspiring mentor who taught him to take the work personally and light the fire of relentlessness for every case. Now that mentor, John Jack Thompson, is dead, but after his funeral, his widow gives Bosch a murder book that Thompson took with him when he left the LAPD 20 years before -- the unsolved killing of a troubled young man in an alley used for drug deals.

Bosch brings the murder book to Renée Ballard and asks her to help him find what about the case lit Thompson's fire all those years ago. That will be their starting point.

The bond between Bosch and Ballard tightens as they become a formidable investigative team. And they soon arrive at a worrying question: Did Thompson steal the murder book to work the case in retirement, or to make sure it never got solved?" 

=== October 29 ===

Title: Shot Through the Hearth

Author: Kate Carlisle

Series: #7 in the Shannon Hammer cozy series set in northern California.

304 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Shannon's good friend and retired tech billionaire, Raphael Nash, is loving his new retired life but he can't stay unoccupied for too long. He's started the Marigold Foundation that helps fund small companies and individuals who do humanitarian work around the world. It's an exciting time in Lighthouse Cove as Raphael hosts the first-ever global conference inviting big thinkers from every area of industry to give presentations on eco-living.

Raphael's old business partner arrives in town with a grudge and a plan to steal him away from his important new passion project. Shannon knows her friend has no intention of giving up Marigold and is proud of Raphael for sticking to his guns. But when his former associate winds up dead, all signs point to Raphael.

It's up to Shannon to hammer out the details of the murder before her friend gets pinned for the crime..."

Title: Silent Knit, Deadly Knit

Author: Peggy Ehrhart

Series: #4 in the Knit & Nibble cozy series set in New Jersey.

304 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Pamela has been in merry spirits since her artsy daughter Penny returned home from college for the holidays. But their mother-daughter bonding time gets cut short when a terrified Penny stumbles upon the dumped body of Millicent Farthingale, a wealthy craft shop owner who was popular for all the wrong reasons. From a scheming business partner to a seedy husband several years her junior, Millicent attracted scammers so in love with her assets, they’d toss her down a chimney to get their paws on them. Now, with only a hand-knit red scarf connecting the killer to the crime, Pamela and the Knit and Nibblers could use some extra creativity as they find out who’s really naughty or nice in Arborville—because going up against a looming culprit is DIY or die!"

=== October 31 ===

Title: A Body in the Bookshop

Author: Helen Cox

Series: #2 in the Kitt Hartley Yorkshire cozy series set in England.

304 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "It's nearly Christmas in York, but it seems the season of goodwill hasn't touched everyone... 

When DS Charlotte Banks is suspended from the police on suspicion of assaulting a suspect in the burglary of a local bookshop, librarian Kitt Harley and her friend Evie Bowes refuse to believe she is guilty. But why is she being framed?

With Charlotte's boss DI Malcolm Halloran unable to help, Evie decides to take matters into her own hands. Kitt takes little persuading to get involved too - after all, as well as Charlotte's career to save, there are missing books to be found!

From the tightknit community of York's booksellers to the most gossipy bus route in the country, Kitt and Evie leave no stone unturned to get at the truth behind the burglary.

Then the discovery of a body raises the stakes even higher. For Evie, and now Kitt, this case is as personal as it gets. Can they catch the murderer in time to turn a bleak midwinter into something merry and bright?"

Title: The Case of the Reincarnated Client

Author: Tarquin Hall

Series: #5 in the Vish Puri Private Investigator series set in India.

240 pages

*UK Release*

Synopsis: "When a young woman comes forward saying she's the reincarnation of Riya Kaur, a wife and mother who vanished during the bloody 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Puri is dismissive. He's busy enough dealing with an irate matrimonial client whose daughter is complaining about her groom's thunderous snoring. Puri's indomitable Mummy-ji however is adamant the client is genuine. How else could she so accurately describe under hypnosis Riya Kaur's life and final hours? Driven by a sense of duty - the original case was his late father's - Puri manages to acquire the police file only to find that someone powerful has orchestrated a cover-up. Forced into an alliance with his mother that tests his beliefs and high blood pressure as never before, it's only by delving into the past the help of his reincarnated client that Puri can hope to unlock the truth."

So many good new books for October! Which ones made it to your own wishlists? Inquiring minds would love to know!

First Degree by David Rosenfelt

First Line: Opening day. Said separately, they're just two ordinary words.

You just don't expect a man to waltz into your office and confess to murder, but that's exactly what happens to lawyer Andy Carpenter shortly after a police officer's body is found burned and decapitated. What's even more shocking is the person who becomes the number one suspect: the love of Andy's life, P.I. Laurie Collins, ex-cop and well-known enemy of the dead man.

Things are looking bleak during Laurie's trial. Andy is definitely going to have to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat in order to keep the woman he loves out of prison, but if anyone can do it, Andy can.

I don't know what kept me from this series for so long; it pushes all the right buttons for me. Nice, convoluted mystery, humor, dogs, and a wonderful cast of slightly oddball characters. I may not know what kept me from this series, but I do know that I intend to savor every single one. Who knows? There may be an Andy Carpenter Week (or two) in my future.

In this second book of the series, Andy is gathering together a first-rate "family." We're introduced to the very scary Marcus, whom Rosenfelt admitted he modeled after Robert B. Parker's Hawk in his Spenser series. Willie Miller, whom Andy defended in an earlier trial, makes himself at home with Andy and Laurie, and then there's the brilliant lawyer Kevin Randall who quit practicing because he couldn't face the possibility of either sending an innocent man to prison or letting a guilty man go free. And then there's Tara, the golden retriever that only seems to leave Andy's side... for Laurie's. This is ensemble casting at its best, ready and willing to expand for characters like Barry Leiter, a young man with a short role who punches a hole straight through your gut.

I would imagine that all true dog lovers like me roll their eyes whenever a normally well-behaved dog starts barking up a storm and its human ignores all the fuss. Well, that happens in First Degree, too, and I'm hoping that Andy learns to pay attention.

First Degree has a marvelous cast, laugh-out-loud humor, and a fun mystery with plenty of twists. As I read, I knew the identity of "Mr. Big," but I certainly hadn't filled in all the particulars. Now that I've read the first two books in the series, all I can say is that I'm looking forward to book three with a definite twinkle in my eye. Haven't made Andy Carpenter's acquaintance? There's no time like the present!

First Degree by David Rosenfelt

eISBN: 9780446507516

Grand Central Publishing © 2004

eBook, 256 pages

Legal Thriller/Humorous Mystery, #2 Andy Carpenter mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

On My Radar: Cara Black's Three Hours in Paris!

Cara Black has written nineteen mysteries featuring private investigator Aimée Leduc. I've read five of them, and even though I've enjoyed the stories and I've loved all the things I've learned about Paris, I have to be honest and say that I've never really warmed to Aimée. That's probably why I was so glad to hear that Black has written a standalone historical thriller. If I like everything about her writing except her main character, the odds are in my favor when I get my hands on a copy of Three Hours in Paris, don't you think?

Let me tell you more about the book!

Available April 7, 2020!

Synopsis:

"In June of 1940, when Paris fell to the Nazis, Hitler spent a total of three hours in the City of Light—abruptly leaving, never to return. To this day, no one knows why.

The New York Times bestselling author of the Aimée Leduc investigations reimagines history in her masterful, pulse-pounding spy thriller, Three Hours in Paris.

Kate Rees, a young American markswoman, has been recruited by British intelligence to drop into Paris with a dangerous assignment: assassinate the Führer. Wrecked by grief after a Luftwaffe bombing killed her husband and infant daughter, she is armed with a rifle, a vendetta, and a fierce resolve. But other than rushed and rudimentary instruction, she has no formal spy training. Thrust into the red-hot center of the war, a country girl from rural Oregon finds herself holding the fate of the world in her hands. When Kate misses her mark and the plan unravels, Kate is on the run for her life—all the time wrestling with the suspicion that the whole operation was a set-up.

Cara Black, a doyenne of the Parisian crime novel, is at her best as she brings Occupation-era France to vivid life in this gripping story about one young woman with the temerity—and drive—to take on Hitler himself."



Three Hours in Paris sounds like the best kind of pageturner. What say you? Will this book be going on your wishlist? Inquiring minds would love to know.

Now... hurry up, April!

A Single Rose, A Single Friend Weekly Link Round-Up

A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.

--Leo Buscaglia

One week before her birthday, Helen died. Our friendship began when I became her supervisor at Target. I was impressed by her dedication, her hard work, and her upbeat attitude. It was the start of a profound friendship.

At the time, I was battling severe depression. I had surrounded myself with friends, but the worse the depression got, I took stock of my "friends" and realized that most of them were broken in some way and waiting for me to fix them. I couldn't even fix myself! It sounds brutal (and probably was to them), but I divested myself of those people, and with No-Fix Helen by my side, my outlook began to change. 

Helen and I did a lot more than go to dinner and a movie or sit around watching TV, and we seldom went shopping. Sometimes I think the major things we did were talk and laugh. No subject was left undiscussed. When Denis came into my life, Helen was there to check him out when he came for visits, and yes, she gave him her seal of approval. When he immigrated in December 2001, the pace picked up.

She and her daughter were witnesses at our wedding. They were among our dearest friends at our wedding dinner-- when the restaurant patrons sitting close to our extended table stayed much longer than they'd intended because they were enjoying how much fun we were having. Helen was with us when Denis went through the Oath Ceremony to become a U.S. citizen. When another dear friend from Illinois came for a visit, Helen was there when I took Jeanie to a casino to play bingo.

And no one could have a better friend to help with home renovations. Whenever I see all the white trim in the living room and hallway, I think, "Helen painted all that." When I see those six white doors in the hallway, I remember the assembly line we set up to get them all painted. Helen was there when I took a chisel to those bricks on the kitchen walls and then smoothed the walls down with a sander. I can still see her paint-speckled butt sticking out of a bottom cupboard as we hurried to finish painting them before the new countertops arrived.

Leading the way to another adventure.

Helen was so much fun when we went out on trails. She loved going off the beaten path every bit as much as Denis and I. Once, the three of us saved some ill-prepared teenagers from tragedy in the desert outside Wickenburg. When one trail got so bumpy that Helen's head kept banging the top of the Jeep, from there on out I made a point of yelling, "You okay back there?" every time I heard an "Oomph!" She always had a smart-alecky reply.

She'd watch me photograph wildflower after wildflower and then look for more. She didn't want me to miss any-- and she always wanted to know the names of every single one. She and Denis are the major reasons why I have a shelf of wildlife and wildflower reference books right above my head.

One of the things I appreciated about her most was that she wasn't a city girl. We could be out in the middle of nowhere-- often literally-- and she absorbed it all. No stopping at holes and being afraid that snakes would pop out. No being afraid that we were lost. Of course that last bit probably has a lot to do with her horrible sense of direction. She put herself in our hands and trusted us to get back home, and we always did.

In later years, life got in the way. Issues arose. Helen's family demanded more and more of her time. I saw her less and less. But she's part of my heart and always will be. Now I think of her as she often was-- walking up ahead on a rugged trail out in our beloved Sonoran Desert, leading the way to a new adventure. 

I love you, Helen. One of these days, we'll be hitting the trail together again.

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• A rare first edition Harry Potter book with two typos sold for $34,500 at auction.
• How World War II changed the meaning of "barbaric."
• The rise and fall and restoration of Anna Katharine Green's The Leavenworth Case. 
• A brief history of fingerprints in the 19th century.
• On the gleefully indecent poems of Gwerful Mechain, a medieval Welsh feminist poet. 
• This Nantucket apartment is a live-in library.
• A lost book of exquisite scientific drawings has been rediscovered after 190 years.
• What were people reading in the summer of '69?

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Discovered on a college site in Wales, astonishing finds dating back more than 1,600 years have been revealed to the public by a top international archaeologist.
• Naked cooks, excrement, rats: the secretly disgusting history of royal palaces. 
• Researchers concocted an ancient Egyptian perfume perhaps worn by Cleopatra.
• This bread was made using 4,500-year-old Egyptian yeast.
• Laser mapping reveals new finds on the lifestyle and rituals of the Mayans.
• The bizarre story of Vasa, the ship that keeps on giving.

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• Researchers have documented the first known case of a female dolphin adopting a whale calf. More from the India Times.
• An artificially conceived southern white rhino offers hope for its critically endangered cousin.
• Bats use leaves as mirrors to locate and catch their prey.
• Turtle embryos may be able to influence their sex by moving around inside the egg.
• How mosquitoes helped shape the course of human history.
• Eating even one piece of plastic has health consequences for baby seabirds.
• Toxic pesticides are driving an insect apocalypse in the U.S. (They aren't doing humans much good either.) 
• The Trump administration has re-authorized "cyanide bombs" to kill wildlife. These things also kill humans. Thankfully, someone with some sense prevailed.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• How one determined FDA scientist-- Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey-- saved American children from a birth defect catastrophe.
• Maria Mitchell, the pioneering feminist astronomer who fought for women in science. 
• Kauser Razvi, the woman who turns vacant lots in Cleveland into Literary Lots-- real-life constructions of popular children's book scenes.
• "The greatest menace to the writer is the reader" and other advice from Shirley Jackson. 
• Priscilla Royal on "Why write medieval mysteries?"
• Sylvia Arthur, the founder of Ghana's wondrous one-woman library.

►The Happy Wanderer◄

• San Francisco is getting a monument to Maya Angelou.
• Searching for crime fiction in Mumbai's beloved English-language bookstore.

►I ♥ Lists & Quizzes◄

• The best books about doppelgangers. 
• What would The Golden Girls read?
• 31 of the world's most alluring lighthouses.
• Quirk Books on how to find your literary BFF. 
• Eleven famous writers on the genius and influence of Shirley Jackson.
• Fourteen fun facts about giant pandas.
• Six cozy mystery titles with truly magnificent puns.
• The best book about the great outdoors.

That's it for this week! Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll be sharing a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.

Have a great weekend, and read something fabulous!

The Service of the Dead by Candace Robb

First Line: One moment Kate was laughing as Griselde called Matt back for yet another "final" instruction, and the next she was watching in horror as the young man stepped into the street, cried out, and fell beneath a runaway wagon.

It's 1399, and once again England is fighting over who is the rightful king. The city of York is filled with political unrest, and young Kate Clifford is trying to stay well away from it all. She has her hands full with trying to get out from under the crippling debt left by her late husband, as well as trying to care for his two illegitimate children who showed up unannounced on her doorstep.

One of the more lucrative businesses she has set up is a guest house where she discreetly rents out bedchambers to wealthy merchants and their mistresses when the rooms aren't needed by more lawful occupants. When a guest is murdered and his companion is nowhere to be found, everything that Kate has worked so hard for is in jeopardy. Before anyone else in town hears anything about this murder, Kate must solve the crime to save herself from ruin.

I have a friend who loves Robb's Owen Archer mysteries about a medieval spy for the Archbishop in Wales while I greatly enjoyed her Margaret Kerr series set in thirteenth-century Scotland. This author certainly knows how to write historical mysteries, and I looked forward to this first Kate Clifford mystery set in fourteenth-century York. Fortunately for those of you who don't love a lot of politics in your mysteries, Robb uses just enough of it to give a clearer understanding of what's going on without making readers' eyes glaze over.

I found Kate to be a strong, interesting, multi-faceted character. She grew up on the Borders in Cumbria where the Scots and the English are always fighting each other, so she's learned out to take care of herself with bow and arrow, battle-ax, or anything else that comes to hand. Although she loved her husband, his debts and illegitimate children have caused her to think differently of him, and she's actually enjoying the freedom of her widowhood to make her own decisions and build a life for herself that she can be proud of. When you add that she has good family connections that can help her out with pesky things like murder, her character gets better and better.

But it's not all about paying off debts and becoming wealthy for Kate. When she first had the chance to dismiss old servants who might be a bit slow or crippled with arthritis, she kept them on instead, finding useful work that they could do with pride. But she has brought on new servants who come from different walks of life and have a variety of very useful skills. Her attitude toward herself and others is also seen by how she ultimately treats an elderly tenant named Odo, who has let one of her properties go to wrack and ruin.

With a brother-in-law who's intent on stealing her inheritance and the Earl of Westmoreland's knight who looks at her with a gleam in his eye, Kate doesn't need any more stress if she's going to solve the murder in her guesthouse, and with the danger coming from so many different directions, this was an extremely difficult investigation for this particular armchair sleuth, which means...

Candace Robb has done it again, and I look forward with pleasure to reading the next books in this series. She is an author of historical mysteries who should not be missed.

The Service of the Dead by Candace Robb

ISBN: 9781681774534

Pegasus Books © 2016

Paperback, 256 pages

Historical Mystery, #1 Kate Clifford mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.


 

Boy, Have I Got Martin Edwards Covered!

Sometimes, I would love to be the proverbial fly on the wall in publishing houses when decisions are made about which covers to use on books. Sometimes the publishers use the same cover in the US and the UK, but usually, they are different.

What I didn't expect when looking up information on Martin Edwards' newest book Gallows Court (reviewed here on the blog yesterday) were the three chosen covers.

There are three according to Amazon US and Amazon UK. One for the hardcover edition on both sides of the pond, and two different ones for the US and UK paperback editions. Interesting, huh?

I think this calls for a Cover-Off, don't you? Let's take a look!

As you can see, the hardcover and UK paperback editions chose to use Art Deco graphics, which I love and which fit the period in which the book is written.


UK Paperback--

The UK paperback cover is done in cool shades of blue, showing a person standing in the beam of the headlights of an oncoming car. The information-- title, author, and two blurbs-- is very understated. All in all, pretty, but not eye-catching.


US Paperback--

This is a generic disappointment. I've seen so many covers done in much the same style-- usually on books publishers deem to be of interest to women-- that they all blur together. This cover gives a tiny bit of period feel and that's about it.


US & UK Hardcover--

While the UK paperback cover is cool and classic, the cover chosen for the hardcover edition on both sides of the pond retains that period feel and stands out. There's more contrast in the colors chosen, and the slant of the font gives the impression of speed, which is important when a person is shown standing in front of a car. And-- wonder of wonders-- there's no blurb. Be still, my heart!


I think there's no doubt in your minds that I prefer the art for the hardcover edition, but what do you think? Which do you prefer-- UK paperback? US paperback? The hardcover? None of them? Inquiring minds would love to know!

What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr

First Line: Rose's head drops, jerks, and she's awake.

Rose Dennis wakes up in a gaping hospital gown standing out in a strange park. Her brain in a fog, she's hustled back to the Alzheimer's Unit in a nearby nursing home. Rose doesn't think she belongs there, but her brain is so jumbled that she is concerned. But she's even more concerned when she overhears a conversation in which she's not expected to make it through the week. That does it. Rose stops taking her medications then stages her escape.

But she's got a major hurdle to jump: how does she convince anyone that she's not demented? After all, her relatives were the ones who committed her, the legal papers are drawn up and on file, and the authorities are on the side of the nursing home. Even Rose herself isn't completely convinced that she sounds totally sane. But all doubts are erased when a would-be killer shows up in her house in the middle of the night. Now Rose knows that someone wants to get rid of her.

With the help of her computer hacker/recluse sister Marion, her thirteen-year-old granddaughter Mel and Mel's friend Royal, Rose begins to fight back. She wants her life back... but someone out there has other plans.

It's been too long since I had the pleasure of reading a Nevada Barr novel, and as I devoured the story of Rose Dennis, I cheered, I laughed, and after its conclusion, I closed the book with a huge smile on my face. What fun!

What Rose Forgot reminds me of Barr's Anna Pigeon mystery, Destroyer Angel, and for me, that is a very good thing. This newest story from Barr has a lot to say about ageism at both ends of the spectrum. Many of us are not very kind (or accurate) in our assessments of the old or the young, and Barr shatters the stereotypes of both age groups with ease and a maniacal gleam in her eye.

She's also blunt in what she says about life being tough on the elderly at both ends of the pay scale. When you're old and poor, chances are that no one gives a damn about you. When you're old and rich, you get more attention, but it may not be the kind you want.

What Rose Forgot is laugh-out-loud funny in many places, and-- yes-- the action is often over the top, but check reality at the door and buckle up your seat belt. Nevada Barr has written a ripping good yarn that is a delight to read.

What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr

eISBN: 9781250208033

Minotaur Books © 2019

eBook, 304 pages

Thriller, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley


 

Gallows Court by Martin Edwards

First Line: My parents died yesterday.

A series of violent deaths-- so violent that the details are too awful to print-- have hit the fogbound streets of 1930 London. Rachel Savernake, the daughter of a notorious hanging judge, solves the Chorus Girl Murder and now she's on the trail of another killer.

Young newspaperman Jacob Flint is looking for the scoop that will make his name, and he's convinced that there's more to Miss Savernake's amateur sleuthing than meets the eye. (He's not the only one.)

There's only one problem. The more he tries to discover the identity of a killer as well as the truth about Miss Savernake, the closer he comes to losing his own life.

Martin Edwards is one of my favorite authors, so I was looking forward to this first-in-a-new-series with a great deal of anticipation. The setting of Gallows Court is pitch-perfect. The streets of London in the dark and the fog are suitably creepy, and Edwards describes a world in the grips of the Depression very well. In addition, if you like creepy houses on remote islands in the Irish Sea, you should love Gaunt Island.

The story has intermittent chapters from a young girl's journal written in 1919 that give us some backstory on the mysterious Rachel Savernake, and those chapters really make a reader wonder what type of person she is. When another character says, "Rachel Savernake is the most dangerous woman in England," you feel as though you must agree.

The young newspaperman, Jacob Flint, is a callow youth. He's really not been out in the cold cruel world long enough to knock some sense into him, so he's completely unprepared when people he interviews are killed and thugs jump out of dark alleys to rough him up. He does have a knack for investigative journalism and he certainly doesn't know when to quit, so he does have plenty of potential.

Gallows Court is a mystery in which nothing and no one should be taken at face value. Little is as it appears to be, and this is exactly the sort of mystery that can be so much fun to solve. And I did, indeed, solve most of the mystery. The problem is, I am not a fan of plots in which one of the characters has to spend a lot of time explaining what really happened to everyone else, and this happens not once, but twice.

With the exception of those two long sections of exposition and the fact that I never did warm up to Jacob Flint, I give everything else in Gallows Court high marks. If you're the type of reader who doesn't mind exposition and has more patience for the callowness of youth, this could be your perfect cup of tea.
    

Gallows Court by Martin Edwards

eISBN: 9781492699293

Poisoned Pen Press © 2018

eBook, 368 pages

Historical Mystery, #1 Jacob Flint mystery

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley