The Certificate by Priscilla Masters

First Line: The idea came to me one warm July day as I was watching a doctor fill one in.

When you're a Plain Jane, you get used to being one of two things: being denigrated or being completely overlooked. Jane Ziegler has been a district nurse her entire working life, and she's reached the end of her tether. That's when she starts wondering if anyone would notice a missing blank certificate from a very important book. Once she finds out, she then discovers that a learning curve means some changes to her plans.

Several years ago, I read Priscilla Master's River Deep, her first Martha Gunn mystery featuring a coroner in Shrewsbury, England. I really enjoyed it and have always meant to read more in the series. Finding "The Certificate" definitely reminded me of my good intentions.

Jane Ziegler is the type of character who makes you feel mixed emotions. Mixed because while so many of us can empathize with her and her life experiences, we still feel that she's creepy and we don't want to turn our backs on her. Hopefully, readers will also pause to reflect on how they treat others-- especially those they take for granted. The fast pace of this story made the ending arrive much faster than I wanted it to, and-- an added bonus-- it didn't end quite the way I thought it would. The Author's Note at the end made me laugh.

Yes, indeed. After reading "The Certificate," I really need to read Priscilla Masters' next Martha Gunn mystery, Slip Knot!

The Certificate by Priscilla Masters

ASIN: B01GQI3A4M

Lume Books © 2018

eBook, 100 pages

 

Short Story, Standalone

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

October 2020 New Mystery Releases!

The past few days have been a bit gloomy here at Casa Kittling, and I'm not talking about the weather. No, the sky is its usual brilliant blue here in Phoenix, but as I sit here to write this post, I'm mourning the death of one of my heroes, Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Some people... you just want them to live forever, and the Notorious RBG was one of those people for me. What a remarkable human being!

News from a friend also brought me low. As she was with her daughter in the hospital for the birth of her granddaughter, "persons unknown" broke into her daughter's storage unit and emptied it. No new baby furniture, no furniture at all for that matter, all the kitchen things gone, and so many memories... stolen. Only a very few "rejects" left behind. I've lived through this myself, and it's the theft of cherished mementoes that breaks your heart. The rest can be replaced. I mourn the loss of my grandfather's and father's dog tags years after their theft, and I always will. I won't go into what I'd still like to do to the thieves.

But the thought of new books can always distract me, even if it's only for a little while. Here are my picks of the best new crime fiction being released throughout the month of October. I've grouped them by their release dates, and the book covers and synopses are courtesy of Amazon.

Let's take a look to see if I've chosen any that tickle your fancy!

=== October 6 ===

 

Title: The Sicilian Method

Author: Andrea Camilleri

Series: #26 in the Inspector Salvo Montalbano police procedural series set in Sicily.

288 pages

Synopsis: "Mimi Augello is visiting his lover when the woman's husband unexpectedly returns to the apartment; he climbs out the window and into the downstairs apartment, but one danger leads to another. In the dark he sees a body lying on the bed. Shortly after, another body is found, and the victim is Carmelo Catalanotti, a director of bourgeois dramas with a harsh reputation for the acting method he developed for his actors.

Are the two deaths connected? Catalanotti scrupulously kept notes and comments on all the actors he worked with, as well as strange notebooks full of figures and dates and names. Inspector Montalbano finds all of Catalanotti's dossiers and plays, the notes on the characters, and the notes on his last drama, Dangerous Turn--the theater is where he'll find the answer." 

Title: On Borrowed Crime

Author: Kate Young

Series: #1 in the Jane Doe Book Club cozy series set in Georgia.

300 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Lyla Moody loves her sleepy little town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. She likes her job as receptionist for her uncle's private investigative firm, her fellow true crime obsessed Jane Doe members are the friends she's always wanted, and her parents just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. But recently, with her best friend Melanie on vacation, and her ex-boyfriend and horrible cousin becoming an item and moving in next door to her, her idyllic life is on the fritz. The cherry on top of it all is finding Carol, a member of the club, dead and shoved into a suitcase, left at Lyla's front door.

Unusual circumstances notwithstanding, with Carol's heart condition, the coroner rules Carol's death undetermined. But when they discover the suitcase belongs to Melanie, who had returned from her vacation the following morning, Sweet Mountain police begin to suspect Lyla's best friend. Determined that police are following the wrong trail, to clear her friend's name, and to not allow Carol become one of the club's studied cold cases, Lyla begins to seek out the real killer. That is, until she becomes the one sought after. Now, finding the truth could turn her into the killer's next plot twist, unless she wins the game of cat and mouse." 

Title: Murder on a Cold Street

Author: Sherry Thomas

Series: #5 in the Lady Sherlock historical series set in Victorian England.

352 pages

Synopsis: "Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes’s friend and collaborator, has been found locked in a room with two dead men, both of whom worked with his wife at the great manufacturing enterprise she has recently inherited. 
 
Rumors fly. Had Inspector Treadles killed the men because they had opposed his wife’s initiatives at every turn? Had he killed in a fit of jealous rage, because he suspected Mrs. Treadles of harboring deeper feelings for one of the men? To make matters worse, he refuses to speak on his own behalf, despite the overwhelming evidence against him.
 
Charlotte finds herself in a case strewn with lies and secrets. But which lies are to cover up small sins, and which secrets would flay open a past better left forgotten? Not to mention, how can she concentrate on these murders, when Lord Ingram, her oldest friend and sometime lover, at last dangles before her the one thing she has always wanted?"

Title: Saddled With Murder

Author: Eileen Brady

Series: #1 in the Dr. Kate Vet cozy series set in New York State.

416 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "It's the Christmas season and veterinarian Kate Turner is not feeling very jolly. She's overworked, unappreciated, and dealing with two dissatisfied clients. Throw in a very complicated personal life and Kate's definitely got a case of the holiday blues.

To make matters worse, Kate's ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, is mugged and robbed after they have a heated argument in the hospital parking lot. Then, two of her dissatisfied clients turn up dead (which really gets Kate's tinsel in a tangle). All of these events seem like coincidences, but they add up to something much more venomous."

Title: Still Life

Author: Val McDermid

Series: #6 in the Karen Pirie police procedural series set in Scotland.

436 pages

Synopsis: "When a lobster fisherman discovers a dead body in Scotland’s Firth of Forth, Karen is called into investigate. She quickly discovers that the case will require untangling a complicated web―including a historic disappearance, art forgery, and secret identities―that seems to orbit around a painting copyist who can mimic anyone from Holbein to Hockney. Meanwhile, a traffic crash leads to the discovery of a skeleton in a suburban garage. Needless to say, Karen has her plate full. Meanwhile, the man responsible for the death of the love of her life is being released from prison, reopening old wounds just as she was getting back on her feet."

=== October 13 ===

Title: Silent Bite

Author: David Rosenfelt

Series: #22 in the light-hearted Andy Carpenter series set in the New Jersey area.

299 pages

Synopsis: "Lawyer Andy Carpenter can finally take a breath; he’s back on dry land after a family Caribbean cruise forced on him by his wife, Laurie, to get into the Christmas spirit. Of course the family’s first stop is to the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization that has always been Andy’s true passion.

But when Andy arrives, his partner, Willie Miller, needs his help. Willie’s old cellmate, Tony Birch, has been arrested for murder. Andy doesn’t necessarily believe in Tony, but Willie does. And Andy believes in Willie, which is why Andy decides to take the case.

Once again David Rosenfelt puts readers in the Christmas spirit in a tale that is equal parts mystery and holiday cheer."

=== October 20 ===

Title: Apprehend Me No Flowers

Author: Diane Vallere

Series: #7 in the Madison Night cozy series set in Texas.

300 pages

Synopsis: "After a lawsuit puts interior decorator Madison Night’s business on indefinite hold, she needs a diversion. A walk in the park with police captain Tex Allen is anything but: they discover two corpses on the property. The bodies are unidentifiable, and inconvenient weather conditions have rendered the crime scene obsolete. With no leads, the case seems unsolvable.

With time on her hands, Madison joins a community volunteer group and discovers a clue that ties the victims to a local florist. A surprise court date catches her off guard, and her continuing involvement in the case may cost her more than she can afford to lose.

Can Madison dig up the evidence needed to catch a killer before the bloom fades on her business?

APPREHEND ME NO FLOWERS is the seventh thrilling cozy mystery in the humorous Mad for Mod series. If you like vintage fashion, edgy cozies, and police investigations, then you’ll love Madison Night’s latest adventure." 

Title: A Will to Kill

Author: R.V. Raman

Series: #1 in the Harith Athreya P.I. series set in India.

176 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "For fans of Knives Out, a book that embodies all the things we love about Agatha Christie—a haunted manor house, estranged relatives a will, and a murder— set in modern-day India, and the first in a series from author RV Raman.

Aging and wheelchair-bound patriarch Bhaskar Fernandez has finally reclaimed his family property after a bitter legal battle, and now wants to reunite his aggrieved relatives. So, he invites them to remote Greybrooke Manor in the misty Nilgiris —a mansion that has played host to several sudden deaths; a colonial edifice that stands alone in a valley that is said to be haunted by the ghost of an Englishman. But Bhaskar has other, more practical problems to deal with. 

He knows that his family is waiting for him to die to regain the family fortune, and to safeguard himself against violence during the house party, he writes two conflicting wills. Which one of them comes into force depends on how he dies.
Into this tinderbox, he brings Harith Athreya, a seasoned investigator. When a landslide occurs, temporarily isolating them all at the mansion, and resulting in a murder, Athreya finds that murder is not the only thing the mist conceals. WILL TO KILL is the first Harith Athreya mystery."

=== October 27 ===

Title: Fortune Favors the Dead

Author: Stephen Spotswood

Series: #1 in the Pentecost & Parker historical P.I. series set in New York City.

336 pages

Synopsis: "It's 1942 and Willowjean "Will" Parker is a scrappy circus runaway whose knife-throwing skills have just saved the life of New York's best, and most unorthodox, private investigator, Lillian Pentecost. When the dapper detective summons Will a few days later, she doesn't expect to be offered a life-changing proposition: Lillian's multiple sclerosis means she can't keep up with her old case load alone, so she wants to hire Will to be her right-hand woman. In return, Will is to receive a salary, room and board, and training in Lillian's very particular art of investigation. 

    Three years later, Will and Lillian are on the Collins case: Abigail Collins was found bludgeoned to death with a crystal ball following a big, boozy Halloween party at her home--her body slumped in the same chair where her steel magnate husband shot himself the year before. With rumors flying that Abigail was bumped off by the vengeful spirit of her husband (who else could have gotten inside the locked room?), the family has tasked the detectives with finding answers where the police have failed. But that's easier said than done in a case that involves messages from the dead, a seductive spiritualist, and Becca Collins--the beautiful daughter of the deceased, who Will quickly starts falling for. When Will and Becca's relationship dances beyond the professional, Will finds herself in dangerous territory, and discovers she may have become the murderer's next target."

Title: A Solitude of Wolverines

Author: Alice Henderson

Series: #1 in the Alex Carter wildlife biologist/amateur sleuth series set in Montana.

320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "The first book in a thrilling series featuring a wildlife biologist who courts trouble as she saves endangered species . . . and a mysterious killer who buries his dead in the land she helps preserve—a fast-paced, action-driven tale of suspense with the atmosphere and propulsive tension of works by Jane Harper, C. J. Box, William Kent Krueger, and Nevada Barr.

While studying wolverines on a wildlife sanctuary in Montana, biologist Alex Carter is run off the road and threatened by locals determined to force her off the land.

Undeterred in her mission to help save this threatened species, Alex tracks wolverines on foot and by cameras positioned in remote regions of the preserve. But when she reviews the photos, she discovers disturbing images of an animal of a different kind: a severely injured man seemingly lost and wandering in the wilds.

After searches for the unknown man come up empty, local law enforcement is strangely set on dismissing the case altogether, raising Alex’s suspicions. Then another invasive predator trespasses onto the preserve. The hunter turns out to be another human—and the prey is the wildlife biologist herself. Alex realizes too late that she has seen too much—she's stumbled onto a far-reaching illegal operation and now has become the biggest threat.

In this wild and dangerous landscape, Alex’s life depends on staying one step ahead—using all she knows about the animal world and what it takes to win the brutal battle for survival."

Title: Murder in the Margins

Author: Margaret Loudon

Series: #1 in the Open Book cozy series set in England.

320 pages

Synopsis: "Penelope Parish has hit a streak of bad luck, including a severe case of writer's block that is threatening her sophomore book. Hoping a writer in residence position at The Open Book bookstore in Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, England, will shake the cobwebs loose, Pen, as she's affectionately known, packs her typewriter and heads across the pond.

Unfortunately, life in Chumley is far from quiet and when the chairwoman of the local Worthington Fest is found dead, fingers are pointed at Charlotte Davenport, an American romance novelist and the future Duchess of Worthington. Charlotte turns to the one person who might be her ally for help: fellow American Pen. Teaming up with bookstore owner Mabel Morris and her new friend Figgy, Pen sets out to learn the truth and find the tricks that will help her finish her novel."

You certainly can't complain with any month that has new books by authors like Camilleri and McDermid, can you? Of the new-to-me authors, I have to admit that I perked up the most when I saw the synopsis for Alice Henderson's A Solitude of Wolverines. You know me and critters! There are also a couple of very promising new cozy series, and I love Diane Vallere's Madison Night, so I was thrilled when I saw Apprehend Me No Flowers. 

What about you? Did any of the books on my list make your eyes light up with anticipation? Which ones? Inquiring minds would love to know!

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

First Lines: Killing someone is easy. Hiding the body, now, that's usually the hard part. That's how you get caught.

In an upscale retirement home, four friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss cold cases the police couldn't solve. The rest of the community think they're discussing Japanese Opera which is why no one else has asked to join, and that suits the four just fine. They call themselves the Thursday Murder Club, and the four members-- a nurse, a spy, a psychiatrist, and a professional protester-- despite being in their seventies and eighties, are mentally as sharp as razor blades even if they do suffer an assortment of aches and pains.

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left by the body, the Thursday Murder Club finds itself working its first live case with a detective constable who's keen to rise up the ranks. But they do have their work cut out for them, particularly as the body count rises.

~

I read so many mentions of The Thursday Murder Club being brilliant and hilarious that I began to wonder. For one thing, humor is probably the most subjective form of writing there is. For another, I always get nervous when the hype about any book begins to pile up. I almost changed my mind about reading it but decided to go against my better judgment.

The premise is fantastic. Four old folks who have all their marbles and are able to get out and about with no problem, who meet once a week to solve cold cases. What's not to like? The four-- a nurse, a spy, a psychiatrist, and a professional protester-- all bring their special skills and considerable intellect to the table, and they also get to help educate a detective constable who's new to the area.

There are poignant moments concerning growing old, death, and grief scattered throughout the book; this book is about more than your typical mystery. I did find myself smiling from time to time as I read some witticism, but at a quarter of the way through the book, that sort of humor seemed to vanish. I also didn't feel comfortable with a detective chief inspector working with anyone outside law enforcement so closely.  The Thursday Murder Club also suffered from one or two first-timer mistakes. First, the mystery solving seemed to vanish occasionally because the author was so enamored of his characters he forgot about the story and just wanted to spend time with them. Yes, they're interesting characters, but please don't forget why they're there in the first place. Second, I found the mystery confusing. Too many bodies piled up. Too many killers were hauled out of the shadows. Motives were flying around like bats pouring out of a cave at dusk. It takes a lot for me to become confused when reading a mystery, and I have to admit that I lost the plot a few times. I finally got to the point where I was reading just to get it over with, and that's not good.

As much as I wanted to enjoy The Thursday Murder Club, I did not, but since so much of the enjoyment hinges on humor (and as I said before, humor is so subjective), your mileage may definitely vary.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

eISBN: 9781984880970

Viking © 2020

eBook, 355 pages

 

Cozy Mystery, #1 Thursday Murder Club mystery

Rating: D+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Come Browse the Last of My Shelves!

One of the things I've done this summer is to take you all on a tour of my bookshelves. If any of you missed out, you can find links to all the posts on Come Browse My TBR Shelves and It's Time to Browse My Keeper Cases. As I said at the end of the last tour, I still had shelves here in the office but any browsing would just have to wait until I'd finished sorting and sifting through everything in the closet.

The closet is sorted and sifted (or is that sifted and sorted?), and I've condensed the contents of my bookshelves and removed one tall bookcase unit. It's been a long time since I've seen that section of wall, and I have to admit that I'm enjoying the empty space.

Now it's time to let you take a look at the last of my shelves here in the office where I sit and do all the work on my blog. There are two two-shelf bookcases under the window that looks out over the pool and backyard, and I have some books on the shelf above my monitors.

I've left the file sizes of the photos intentionally large so you can manipulate them to see titles because that's what we book lovers love to do-- do that head-on-the-side thing to read the spines. Here we go!

This is the shelf for all my knitting and needlepoint books. Many of the pattern books are so skinny that you're not going to be able to read the spines. Sorry 'bout that!

Then there's the shelf for wildlife and plant identification as well as dictionaries. The tall, thin, spiral bound book is a guide to making your own envelopes. The glass Planters Peanut jar holds plastic grocery bags. They breed well in captivity.

This shelf is for art and history books that I can't part with. If you think you see two white nooses on top of the books on the right side of the shelf, you've been reading too many mysteries!

More treasured books about horses, England, ballet, and art. Oh-- and my camera bag.

This is the shelf above my monitors. Books I want to read soon, more plant and wildlife identification reference works, a giveaway book, and some odds and ends.

And that's it! Now you've seen all my bookshelves. Perhaps I should do this series of posts every five years or so just to see how much things change (or don't change). What do you think?

A Life at 110° Weekly Link Round-Up

 

 

It's been a summer for the record books here in Phoenix. July and August were the hottest two months ever recorded, and we experienced at least FIFTY-TWO consecutive days of temperatures over 110° (43°C for my Celsius friends)-- another record.

What's it like? Like living in a blast furnace.

Don't worry about me. I had a pool, air conditioning, and plenty of iced drinks to keep me cool. Denis was at the airport working in that killing heat. I think the highlight of each of his shifts for him was coming home and getting in the pool, and even though he was doing this at 1 AM, the temperature was still over 100°. There's a saying we like to use here: Phoenix has two seasons, Heaven and Hell. This summer was a lower rung of Hell than previously experienced.

One thing I noticed was that there were a lot fewer birds at our birdbaths and feeders. Animals are not stupid, no matter what some people say. Those birds flew to where it was cooler. To where their food sources weren't fried to a crisp. Where it was easier to find water and shade. One of the signs that told me that we were finished with the blast furnace was the gradual return of the birds, and I am happy to see them.

What I'm not happy about is the pending death of our huge Aleppo pine tree out front. With my staying at home, my attention has been mainly focused on the backyard where the pool and all the feeders and birdbaths are. I should have realized that-- especially with the lack of a monsoon season this summer-- that poor tree needed to be watered. Denis and I are watering it now in hopes that it can be saved, but it might be too late. A lot of birds called that tree home. This place will feel very strange indeed if it has to be cut down.

The high temperatures aren't done with us; they're still over 100°, and you know you're a native when you can say that 100° feels cooler. But enough weather talk! Time to mosey out to the corral to turn all these links loose. Head 'em up! Moooove 'em out!

 

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• A historian accidentally discovered how our history textbooks openly taught white supremacy.
• Nineteenth century reading habits come to light via delightful comments scrawled in the margins of a crime novel. (And I talked about my own marginalia two weeks ago!)
• Agatha Christie and the art of opening a mystery novel.
• Dictionary.com revises definitions to eliminate prejudiced language.
• Some folks bring playing with their food to brand-new heights: an adorable Winnie-the-Pooh made out of eggs.
• Why Goodreads is bad for books.
• In praise of mail-order book clubs.
• Eleanor Roosevelt's son authored twenty mysteries in which his mother solves murders.

 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Did an earthquake topple this ancient Canaanite palace?
• At least 200 mammoth skeletons have been found at a Mexico City airport construction site.
• A Roman gaming piece crafted out of bone has been found in England.
• The "best lockdown find ever!"-- a Chinese teapot found in an English garage is worth a fortune.
• Rare 16th century Gothic boxwood carvings are so miniature researchers used X-ray to solve their mysteries. (How could the artists carve such tiny treasures?!?)
• Dated 1920, a postcard finally gets delivered.
• Lost pieces of a 19th-century steamboat wreck were found in Vermont.
• London's largest cache of Bronze Age objects is on view for the first time.

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• Acorn woodpeckers' bloody wars actually draw crowds.
• A tiny rescued piglet goes to sleep on the warm furry back of a very accommodating dog every night.
• Relocated Isle Royale wolves have formed groups and reduced the size of the moose herd.
• This would make my heart go pitty-pat! --Watch this video of a Massachusetts man sleeping by the pool and being awakened by a bear.
• Too bad I missed this: the National Weather Service radar picked up on a huge colony of bats over Phoenix.
• Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020 finalists have been revealed.
• A heart to heart with maned wolves.
• Hummingbirds in the Andes go to chilly extremes for a good night's sleep.

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Vera author Ann Cleeves reveals whether she will kill off the popular Northumberland detective.
• A Crime Reader's Guide to the Classics: Alexander McCall Smith.

►The Happy Wanderer◄

• The ghost towns of Lake Urmia, once West Asia's largest lake.
• How Chicago became a Monet destination.
• A bright idea? The Pasco County, Florida sheriff created a futuristic program to stop crime before it happens. It monitors and harasses families across the county.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Eight great books about women who disappear.
• Top ten goddesses in fiction.
• Five crime and mystery novels featuring deaf characters.
• Ten books to help you escape your house without leaving the house.
• The most memorable requests librarians have ever received.
• The twenty-six best pandemic thriller and drama books for Coronavirus times.
• Twelve great movies you didn't know were based on nonfiction books.
• Ten of the most morally bankrupt narrators in fiction.

That's all 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.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. And don't forget to curl up with a good book!

The Bone Seeker by M.J. McGrath

First Line: That Friday afternoon in late July was the last time Edie Kiglatuk saw Martha Salliaq alive.

Teaching summer school in the Canadian Arctic, Edie Kiglatuk is shocked when her favorite student, Martha Salliaq, is found dead in nearby Lake Turngaluk. Edie promises the Inuit girl's family that she will uncover the truth and enlists the aid of Sergeant Derek Palliser of the Ellesmere Island Native Police. While they begin their investigation, lawyer Sonia Gutierrez is working hard to overcome obstacles concerning the cleanup of Lake Turngaluk, but she's beginning to think that there is a larger conspiracy involved. What the three of them don't realize is that, while they're unearthing long-buried secrets, they're also putting their lives at risk.

 

M.J. McGrath's Edie Kiglatuk series ended at three books, but as far as I'm concerned it could have continued for much, much longer. The three books (White Heat and The Boy in the Snow are the first two) not only have absorbing mysteries to solve, they also give readers a vivid, fascinating picture of life in the Arctic Circle and of the Inuit culture. (Please do not call them "Eskimos" because that word means lice in another language.)

It's summer in the Arctic, and one of the things McGrath has her characters show us is how people deal (or don't) with twenty-four-hour-a-day sunlight. Camp Nanook is a summer military encampment not far from the village where Edie is teaching, and I was shocked to learn that "...thirty per cent of Arctic postings returned to the south with some kind of mental disorder." Scary stuff, right? The mystery is a good brain teaser for armchair sleuths since it involves the history of the Distant Early Warning line formed by Canada and the U.S. during the Cold War. Not only are there Inuits involved in Martha Salliaq's murder, but readers also have to navigate suspicious governmental goings-on.

The investigation is hampered, as always, by the government consistently giving the Inuit the short end of the stick. Edie and Sergeant Palliser have to wait days to receive extra help such as the most basic forensics equipment, and all the while, officers in nearby Camp Nanook are working in the shadows to find out what Edie and Palliser know-- and how to prevent them from learning anything more. 

The Bone Seeker benefits from an exceptionally strong cast of characters. Derek Palliser, derisively called "Lemming Police" by the locals, finds himself upping his game in light of Edie's passion for the truth even though he's hampered by insomnia. Edie's hunting skills translate well into a homicide investigation, and well, she's just a force of nature. "Only set of rules I know is mine...And I don't have any." A welcome addition to the cast is the lawyer Sonia Gutierrez from Guatemala. She has her own shadowy past, and after working for years on a lawsuit to force the government to clean up this area of Ellesmere Island, scarcely anything gets past her razor-sharp intellect and unflinching gaze. Whatever you do, don't mess with Edie and Sonia!

There's more than meets the eye to the title of this book, and when you come to that part (as I hope you will), you may find a chill running down your spine and a tear in your eye. The Bone Seeker works well as a standalone, but if you love mysteries with strong unconventional characters and learning about other cultures, I highly recommend that you read all three books in order. Then you will join me in wishing Edie Kiglatuk would appear to solve another mystery up at the Arctic Circle.

The Bone Seeker by M.J. McGrath

ISBN: 9780143127475

Penguin Books © 2014

Paperback, 368 pages

 

Amateur Sleuth, #3 Edie Kiglatuk mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Book Outlet.

Murder in the Piazza by Jen Collins Moore

First Line: Maggie White started fantasizing about Lord Philip's death on her third day.

When Maggie White's husband was offered a job in Rome, she welcomed the change of scene with open arms. A recently downsized marketing executive, she is still feeling humiliated, and for the first weeks of their life in Rome, she takes courses to familiarize herself with the Eternal City. But when she wants an actual job, she discovers that it's almost impossible to find one-- until she meets Lord Philip Walpole who hires her for his Masterpiece Tours Company. 

It doesn't take her long to find out that Lord Philip is a nasty piece of work, and when he's found shot to death in his penthouse, Maggie's thrown into the deep end of the investigation. She's got a palazzo full of guests, most of whose behavior would put them on anyone's suspect list, a valuable painting her boss might have stolen, and a policeman who has decided that she's the prime suspect. All that, and she has a tour to keep up and running while she's trying to clear her name.

One of these days, I'm going to travel to Italy, but until that happens, I have to be satisfied with being an armchair traveler. On that score, Murder on the Piazza, the first Maggie White mystery, delivers a feast. The Rome setting is superb, and I really felt as though I got to know the city. I also appreciate art, so being in the midst of a tour that includes sightseeing in art museums and classes on painting was right up my alley. If only my reaction to the characters and the mystery itself had been as positive.

I found the whodunit aspect of the book to be easily solved. I could say why but don't want to run the risk of spoiling the book for anyone who decides to read it. As for the characters, I wish there had been more actual interaction between Maggie and Lord Philip. Being told how nasty he was in brief snippets here and there doesn't pack as much punch as actually "experiencing" it myself. Let me stand in the room with those two and see the man in action. Moreover, I feel that readers' enjoyment of Murder in the Piazza is probably going to hinge on how they react to the main character, Maggie White, and that's where I had a problem.

I found Maggie to be extremely judgemental, and it really put me off. She reminded me of so many executives I've not had the pleasure of dealing with who would swan into my store with their entourages, take a few seconds to glance here and there, and then proceed to rip everything apart. To them, perception is everything even though we all know how deceiving appearances can be. One thing that I found puzzling about Maggie is that she also seemed to judge people's breath. What's up with that? Does having cigarette smoke on your breath mean you're automatically a villain? This woman is so used to being large and in charge that she thinks she knows how to run everything, and the major reason why she becomes the prime suspect in Lord Philip's murder is that she keeps getting in the police detective's face and telling him useful information that usually implicates herself. If she didn't think she knows better than everyone else, she wouldn't be in such a pickle. This is probably supposed to be funny, but my funny bone was unmoved.

Even though Maggie and I would not get along in real life, I am happy to say that Murder in the Piazza is wrapped up in such a way that I'm almost tempted to read the next book in the series. Will I? I haven't quite made up my mind.

 

Murder in the Piazza by Jen Collins Moore

eISBN: 9781947915718

Level Best Books © 2020

eBook, 276 pages

 

Cozy Mystery, #1 Maggie White mystery

Rating: C+

Source: Net Galley

Any Bookmark Collectors Here?

I've mentioned my bookmark collection a time or two (or three or four) here on the blog, and I finally had the bright idea that you might like to see some of them. So I went searching through my files where I just happen to have captured scans of a major part of my collection. My collection includes some of my mother's, gifts people have given to me, and ones that I've made. 

Years ago, one of the people I worked with was going back home to Palau (think Micronesia) for a couple of weeks, and she asked me what I wanted her to bring back as a gift. My mind went absolutely blank. I didn't want her spending any money on me really, and I certainly didn't want anything that would take up a lot of room in her luggage. Then the light bulb went off over my head: I wanted a geographically specific bookmark. Unless you go crazy, they don't cost much, and they take up scarcely any room. Ernestine gave me a set of three gorgeous bookmarks from Palau, and ever since then, if someone wants to bring me back something from their travels, that's what I request. It's a win-win for both parties.

Let's take a look at some of the ones I've collected over the years.

Handmade on paper from Mexico

Handmade tatted bookmark gifted to me

An online group I belonged to had a meet in Seattle. I decided to make laminated bookmarks as gifts for everyone who attended.

I also made bookmarks for each attendee that included their photo and a favorite quote. Everyone seemed to love them and made sure they had one of each. Here's mine.

This is one of the bookmarks Ernestine gave me.

When my niece Karen visited Monaco, she bought me this bookmark.

Here's one I bought for myself when Denis and I visited Waddeston Manor in England.

 

That's enough for one sitting, but don't be surprised if I trot out some more of them. Why? Well... you might just like seeing them, and I like the memories they bring back.

Do any of you collect bookmarks? Inquiring minds would love to know!

Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett

First Line: On those rare occasions when Magda thought of the past, she didn't recall the flames and the screams and the rows of bodies; she came here-- to these mementoes gathered in an old shoebox, souvenirs not of tragedy but of happiness.

When his debut novel becomes a bestseller, Robert Parrish's life and his cherished relationship with his girlfriend Rebecca begins to fall apart. Parrish knows that he must confront his secret demons in order to save the relationship, and doing that means diving headfirst into the books that changed his life-- a childhood set of serial novels featuring the Tremendous Trio. 

Guided by twelve tattered books and a tantalizing story fragment, Robert's journey takes him to 1906 Manhattan, but every discovery he makes only leads to more questions.

His quest intertwines with the stories of three young people trying to define their places in the world at the start of a new century. Magda, Gene, and Tom not only write the children's books that Robert will one day love, together they explore the city on their doorstep. One quest becomes four, and readers will want to know what happens to them all.

Charlie Lovett knows how to find literary topics that I can't resist. From book collecting in The Bookman's Tale to Jane Austen in First Impressions to the Holy Grail in The Lost Book of the Grail (my favorite), this man has put a stranglehold on my imagination and my attention. In Escaping Dreamland, he's done it again.

Probably the best thing Lovett has done is to bring back many wonderful memories of the books I loved as a child. A favorite scene in the book is the one in which Parrish visits an elderly collector who tells him about saving his ten-cent allowance for five weeks so that his father would take him to Brentano's Bookstore on Fifth Avenue so he could buy the latest book in his favorite series. I learned so much fascinating history about children's serial fiction in Escaping Dreamland that I'm tempted to make time to read some again. Lovett weaves one memorable scene after another into his story: the San Francisco earthquake, John Singer Sargent painting a portrait, the General Slocum disaster, visiting Dreamland on Coney Island... He brings Gilded Age America (and in particular, New York City) to life, and if you're the type of reader who is concerned about the appearance of historical characters in a work of fiction, read Lovett's notes at the end of the book. 

All the characters in the book except Parrish's girlfriend Rebecca have demons to fight. Only Robert's demon is left unspoken until the end, but it's rather easy to deduce. If there's one thing I don't particularly like about Escaping Dreamland, it is the "magic box" at the end, but at least the entirety of the lives of the three characters from the earlier timeline is not served up to Parrish on a silver platter. Readers know more than he does, and I like that. 

I'm looking forward to Lovett's next book. It's not often that you find an author who knows how to get a grip on both your heart and your mind, and Charlie Lovett is one of those writers for me. If you're a fan, you've got a treat in store. If you've never heard of him before, I highly recommend this man's books. He knows how to tell a tale.

 

Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett

ASIN: B086FG19M1

Blackstone Publishing © 2020

eBook, 323 pages

 

Literary Mystery, Standalone

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

A Treasure from My Shelves: Town Tours in Britain

We readers know that books are treasures, but most of us will admit that some volumes are more precious than others, and that's the sort of book I want to share with you today. But first, the background.

For all of our trips to the UK but one, Denis and I have flown into the Manchester Airport. Denis was born and raised in the Manchester area. Family lives there. And... if your trip includes driving up to Scotland, the Manchester Airport makes a lot more sense than one of the ones in London. 

On one of our visits, we spent the entire day with our niece Karen, who'd come to stay with us in Arizona more than once. (One of these days, I hope she can come again.) She geared the entire day to us, and in particular to me. I well remember our stroll through Hebden Bridge's High Street, and I think she'd be surprised to know that I remember many of the shops we visited throughout the day. Now... on the first couple of visits to the UK, I was in a fever to Buy Stuff. It couldn't be just any stuff, and I didn't go wild to the point where I was mailing box after box back to Phoenix (or any boxes for that matter), but I just wanted to find special items that meant a lot to me that wouldn't break the bank. You understand, right?

Well, when we spent that lovely, lovely day with Karen, I'd already reached my limit for extras going into the suitcases. I might have been able to shoehorn an earring or two in the luggage, but that was about it. That's when I found a book that I fell instantly in love with. But it was a big three-ring binder of a book, and there's no way I could have fit it into either suitcase without leaving our underwear or some other essential behind. It was with great regret that I didn't buy it.

I'd successfully managed to put the book out of my mind when-- lo and behold-- I received a gift package from Karen, and there it was! She'd gone back and bought it for me, bless her. 

I have spent so much time immersed in the pages of this book, and several of the pages even went with me on subsequent trips to the UK where they came in so handy. Town Tours in Britain is one of the greatest treasures on my bookshelves, and I will never willingly part with it. Precious memories of people and places are what need to be added to a book to turn it into a treasure. Would you agree?  

Now let me show you the book.

 

Here's the front of the book. One of the things that drew me to it was the cover. You may not know this about me, but I love maps. Real maps. Denis can have his GPS.

Here it is opened to the title page. Now you can see that it is, indeed, a three-ring binder.

Here are two leaflets from the book. They are easy to take out of the binder so you can use them when you're out and about in those locations. In case you're wondering, yes, I did leave the file sizes large so you can take a closer look!

Here's the leaflet for Cambridge, where Denis and I spent the day exploring. The front of the leaflet is a walking map... did I tell you that I love maps?

The reverse side of the leaflet tells you about the area, some of the places you can visit and some of the things you can see.

 

I hope you enjoyed this look at one of the treasures on my bookshelves. I may just have to do this again! Would you like that?

A Putting in the Miles Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Before you think "putting in the miles" means that I've left the premises and gone somewhere, think again. I've been putting in time every day on the new exercise machine and almost immediately began experiencing benefits. When it looked as though Denis thought bringing the thing inside and putting it together was the sum total of his involvement, I gave him a gentle nudge (honest!), and now he's fallen under its spell, too. The machine is closely related to the one I was using at the lymphedema clinic only better, and I'm not just talking about the price. 

It's amazing how quickly a pool can cool off here in the desert. We actually had a couple of days with temperatures below 100° combined with three to four days of overcast skies due to the smoke from poor California. When you combine those two things with the fact that this is the exact time of year that the sun's position in the sky changes, all of a sudden, yikes! The pool water turned cold. Denis was in the habit of going for a swim when he got home from work. Last week, he was back in the house in slightly less than a minute. "My knees wouldn't let me go in any further!" he told me. Thus endeth another season, and I'll end this with another t-shirt, which would be completely true if only someone had added "Books"...

 

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• An interactive map of Earth shows where your home was 500 million years ago.
• The unexpected politics of book cover design.
• The oldest cookbook in Korean was written by a genius noblewoman.
• Surprising secrets of writers' first drafts.
• Why U.K. publishers released 600 books in a single day.
• Researchers have figured out why return trips always seem to go by more quickly.
• The Game of Thrones producers will be adapting the Chinese Sci-Fi novel The Three-Body Problem for Netflix.
• What the country is reading during the pandemic: dystopias, social justice, and steamy romance.
• Good on 'em! Old Navy will pay its employees to work at polling stations on Election Day.
• Donating books during COVID-19.
  

 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Norwegian archaeologists have unearthed the grave of a left-handed Viking warrior.
• Severe cyclones may have played a role in the Maya collapse.
• The world's most expensive coin is up for sale.
• Montezuma Castle: this incredible ancient dwelling is still intact thanks to Teddy Roosevelt.
• An ancient Egyptian funeral home reveals embalmers had a knack for business.
• Archaeologists discovered a teenage mummy buried with a trove of ornate jewelry.
• A naive retiree reveals that she declined a free Van Gogh painting now worth $16 million.
• The remains of a Bronze Age chieftain were found beneath a U.K. skate park.

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• This thirsty squirrel begs to drink from a man's bottle of water.
• Thought to be extinct, New Guinea's singing dogs have been found alive in the wild.
• Want to support wildlife conservation in Africa? Start by going on a virtual safari.
• Underwater footage of flamingos feeding.
• A tiny yellow bird learns how to skateboard like a pro.
• An Ohio woodworker built a beautiful curved backyard bar for squirrels with a wide variety of nuts on tap.
• Ten golden retriever puppies sit transfixed by a purple dragon reading to them at storytime.
• In France, a bloody World War I battlefield has become a wildlife refuge.

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Elsie Conick, the first Black woman tennis player to appear on the cover of an American magazine.
• Remembering the forgotten women writers of 17th-century Spain.
• Parnell Hall: while waiting on a life-saving lung transplant, I finally finished writing that thriller.
• It took nearly fifty years, but this week, Octavia Butler made the New York Times Best Sellers' List.
• The paralyzed World War II veterans who invented wheelchair basketball.
• Denise Mina: Where to begin with the award-winning Scottish crime author.
• Richard Osman: "I want
•  to be writing novels for the rest of my life now."

 

►The Happy Wanderer◄

• Hotel del Coronado: L. Frank Baum wrote part of the Wizard of Oz series in this wooden Victorian beach resort, and movies like "Some Like It Hot" have been filmed there.
• Gustave Eiffel's secret apartment. Guess where it is...
• Why up to 100 authors live in this mountain town of 14,000 (Canmore, Alberta, Canada).
• Sanford Biggers' quilts carry secret messages.
• Poveglia Plague Island.
• Tampa Bay Noir: shady stuff in the sunshine.
• Seven spectacular libraries you can explore from your living room.

 

►I ♥ Lists & Quizzes◄

• What type of reader are you based on your bookshelf opinions? According to the quiz, I am a slow reader, which-- after reading their definition-- is only partly true.
• Five ways to think about social injustice through crime fiction.
• Ten books about space travel.
• Twelve immersive reads about families: the good, the complicated, and the crazy.
• Ten novels that will fly you to Italy.
• Ten riveting reads filled with shocking secrets.
• The elusive "good marriage" in crime fiction.
• Ten unforgettable thrillers about memory loss.
• Top Latin American short stories.

 

That's all 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. 

Stay safe. Stay healthy. And don't forget to curl up with a good book!