Mary's Place by Charlotte Hinger

 

First Line: His heart leaped as the clock struck the first of the twelve strokes of midnight.

 

The lives of Mary and Franklin "Iron" Barrett and their extended family are about to implode. Their roots are deep in the land of western Kansas, and they are well-known for their crops and livestock. But the farming crisis of the 1980s means that disaster comes knocking at their door. Overproduction, debt, falling prices, rural bank restructuring, and even internal family disputes test each one of them to the limits of their endurance.

 

~

 

I am well-acquainted with Charlotte Hinger through her Lottie Albright mysteries which are also set in western Kansas. This author has a talent for giving readers a strong sense of place, a compelling story, and fully fleshed characters. When I saw Mary's Place, I knew I had to read it, and I'm certainly glad I did.  

Although this book is listed as historical fiction, it reads like a thriller. I immediately found myself in farm country and felt as though I'd known Mary and Iron Barrett my whole life. When the bank they'd always done business with is restructured, their lives are turned upside down, and the two soon learn that the government doesn't seem to care what happens to them as long as the bureaucrats get their pound of flesh.

I worried about Mary and Iron when I wasn't reading the book. Members of their own family couldn't be trusted. Some of the bureaucrats were secretly trying to feather their own nests. Every step Mary and Iron took was treacherous, and I needed to know-- I had to know-- if, and how, they were going to survive. 

If you like being fully invested in a book to the point where you worry about the fate of its characters, Mary's Place is the book for you. It's a perfect slice of history that reads like a first-class thriller. I loved it.

Mary's Place by Charlotte Hinger

eISBN: 9781496239884

University of Nebraska Press © 2024

eBook, 306 pages

 

Historical Fiction, Standalone

Rating: A+

Source: Net Galley

An Eye-Rolling Weekly Link Round-Up

 

I once saw a t-shirt that read "Some Mornings It's Not Worth Chewing Through the Restraints." It still makes me laugh, probably because I occasionally have one of those days. Last week I had several of those days.

Somehow I managed to pull a few muscles around my left hip which made it agony to get on and off my scooter as well as putting a cramp in several other movements I make several times a day. I've done this before-- only on the right side (I hate to repeat myself)-- so I knew it was a matter of taking it easy on those muscles and doing all those repetitive movements another way. Mission accomplished. Now I'm back to "normal" and grateful that the human body is so adaptable.

The brutal heat has set in here which means that Denis and I will curtail our visits to outdoor venues and switch to indoor ones. We haven't made a move to go to any museums yet; I think we're both waiting for the final words from our surgeons as to what will be happening to us next.

 

But we don't mind staying at home. It's cool. It's comfortable. (And it's filled with books and yarn and movies!) Here's virtual hugs to you all. I hope you're all cool and comfortable, with plenty of books at hand.

 

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• How Walmart's business model encourages gender discrimination.
• Which is the best book tracking app? A comparison of five book trackers.
• Here's why bringing One Hundred Years of Solitude to the screen took decades.
• If you don't shelve your books by color, you don't deserve books. (Eye roll, please...)
• Why are debut novels failing to launch?
• Should I feel guilty for checking out a book instead of buying it?
• AudioFile Magazine has announced the 2024 Golden Voice Award winners.
• Why did ransomware hackers target the Seattle Public Library?

 

►Book Banning & Censorship◄

• Uncovering the cover-up: How the Republican Pennridge (Pennsylvania) School Board directors secretly banned books.
• A Florida school district banned a book about banned books.
• A Texas county removed 17 books from its libraries. An appeals court says eight must be returned.
• The estimated cost was $54,500 to review materials in Jamestown (North Dakota) libraries. 
• A proposal to remove materials depicting sexual images from Knox County (Tennessee) Schools' library shelves fails.
• A new Lodi (California) school district policy allows parents to decide on appropriate books for teens.
• They came for the school library. Now they're at the public library in Escambia County, Florida.

 

 

 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Ancient Mycenaean armor is so good, it protected users in an 11-hour battle simulation inspired by the Trojan War.
• Centuries-old Maya beekeeping tools have been unearthed in Mexico.
• Metal detectorists have unearthed a 300-year-old coin stash hidden by a legendary Polish con man.
• The oldest known Aboriginal pottery has been discovered in Australia.
• See the graffiti bored British soldiers carved into a castle door more than 200 years ago.
• An Austrian man discovered hundreds of mammoth bones while renovating his wine cellar.
• A 17th-century home was unearthed during an archaeology lab construction.
• Letters written by ancient Roman commanders have been found in a pet cemetery in Egypt.

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• DNA reveals how German cockroaches came to dominate the world.
• Mexico's howler monkeys are dying, "falling out of the trees," during a scorching heat wave.
• Prairie dog language.
• A study has found that some birds may use "mental time travel."
• Two coyotes were euthanized after an attack in a Scottsdale, Arizona neighborhood.
• Two bald eagles in California brought a baby hawk to their nest as food. Now they're raising it instead.
• Imperiled eagles are altering their migration routes to avoid the war in Ukraine.
• After rats were eradicated from this small island, seabirds thrived.

 

►The Wanderer◄

• The Sapodilla Hill carvings in Turks and Caicos were made by shipwreck victims from the Age of Sail.
• This Boba Fett figure is now the most valuable vintage toy in the world.
• Who took the cocaine out of Coca-Cola?
• UNESCO announced the 2024 World Book Capital.
• The 15 best small towns to visit in 2024. (I've actually been to two of them.)
• How the United States laid claim to the Mississippi River, one mile at a time.
• Denver: mountain air and plenty of crime fiction.
• I wouldn't mind going to Tasmania to check out a Jimmy Possum chair.
  

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• A new edition of Emily Dickinson's letters upends the myth of her reclusive genius.
• The women who fried donuts and dodged bombs on the front lines of World War I.
• James Lee Burke on Hemingway, Orwell, and a new chapter in the American battle against Fascism.
• Ancestry releases records of 183,000 enslaved individuals in America.
• Mary Cassatt's paintings take women's labor seriously.
• The scandalous witch hunt that poisoned 17th-century France.
• The unmasking of a 19th-century occult imposter.
• The real story behind Firebrand and Henry VIII's tumultuous relationship with his sixth wife, Catherine Parr.

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Twelve historical code words and phrases.
• Cozy mysteries set around the world.
• The twelve best sports journalism books.
• Ten compelling subplots cut from movies.
• Eight of the best books about intergenerational friendships.
• Twelve thrillers featuring amnesia.
• Ten iconic movies that pass the Bechdel Test.
• 25 of the most covered songs in music history.

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.

No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey

 

First Line: Jenkins the butler, ably assisted by Dewi the footman, was clearing the table after a delicious and highly entertaining lunch at The Grange.

 

It's the summer of 1912. Lady Hardcastle and her maid, Florence Armstrong, have been enjoying themselves at The Grange with their friends, the Farley-Strouds. The only unpleasantness seems to be the lack of musical entertainment for the forthcoming party until Lady Hardcastle's brother Harry calls with news of a murder.

 

Harry sends the pair to Bristol on behalf of the Secret Service Bureau, instructing them to prevent the police from finding out too much about the victim. When the two women find a connection between the victim and an impending visit from the Austrian trade delegation, things heat up. 

In no time flat, Lady Hardcastle and Florence find themselves in London to help with some very important security arrangements, and they're surrounded by misogynistic bureaucrats, Cockney gangsters, and men in strange hats carrying explosives.

~

I've been having so much fun with this series that it's hard to believe that An Assassination on the Agenda is already the eleventh Lady Hardcastle mystery.

The mysteries are always good and deeply rooted in the time period (don't miss the Author's Notes for this one!), but the highlight for me has always been the repartee between Lady Hardcastle and her maid, Florence Armstrong. Their banter stems from a long and loving relationship that has carried them through thick and thin-- and many countries. The dialogue sparkles even more brightly this time due to all the bureaucrats they must deal with.

An Assassination on the Agenda is another enjoyable entry in this series, and if I have to complain about anything, it's the fact that T.E. Kinsey has warped my mind. I used to be able to see the surname Featherstonehaugh and pronounce it correctly immediately (Fanshaw). But now, with the war of words between Florence and Lady Hardcastle's brother Harry, I stumble each and every time. Shame on you, Mr. Kinsey!

An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey

eISBN: 9781662512964

Thomas & Mercer © 2024

eBook, 317 pages

Historical Mystery, #11 Lady Hardcastle mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

July 2024 New Mystery Releases!

 

I decided to get up bright and early (which is saying something since I usually don't go to bed until 3 or 4 AM) to get some chores done. Now that they're done, I decided to move onto blog posts, and what better way to spend a quiet morning than talking about brand-new books to read?

While I'm waiting to get my hair cut, I'm going to share my picks for the best new crime fiction being released throughout the month of July.

I've grouped them according to their release dates, and the covers and synopses are courtesy of Amazon.

Let's see if I can add a title or two to your own Need To Read lists!

=== July 1 ===

Title: Mary's Place

Author: Charlotte Hinger

Standalone novel set in 1980s Kansas

330 pages

 

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

 

Synopsis: "Iron and Mary Barrett’s farming family is rural royalty, their success symbolized by a magnificent three-story house, Mary’s Place. Years in the building, the house is a testament to Mary’s grit and organizational abilities. But when bank examiners apply new ratings for agricultural loans in the 1980s, the family’s belief that its prosperity is a natural outcome of hard work is sent reeling.

Bank president J.C. Espy had never done anything crooked in his life until the FDIC changed the rules for agricultural loans. After becoming desperate to save his hundred-year-old bank, he worries that his resulting choice will cause his friend Iron to lose his land. Frantically J.C. works to convince Iron he will lose everything if he doesn’t comply with the new standards. In the meantime, both Iron and J.C. must negotiate with sons who have contempt for their fathers’ old-fashioned values. While Iron agonizes, Mary maneuvers to keep the family together and save the farm.

Mary’s Place is an unforgettable tribute to the rural families who weathered one of the worst agricultural disasters in American history." 

=== July 2 ===

Title: Death in a Lonely Place

Author: Stig Abell

Series: #2 in the Jake Jackson (former police officer) series set in rural England. 

352 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Former London detective Jake Jackson—introduced in the acclaimed mystery Death Under a Little Sky—finds his new life in the country threatened by an old case from the past in this absorbing mystery that will challenge readers’ detective skills.

In a quiet village, a storm is brewing . . .

Detective Jake Jackson left London for a quiet life in Caelum Parvum. The idyllic country village offers the peace he craves—tending to his chickens, swimming in his lake, and spending long, lazy evenings with his new love, Livia. It’s the perfect setting for their relationship to blossom.

Then a case from the past re-emerges, shattering the calm and plunging Jake into the shadowy world of No Taboo—a clandestine group which serves the extravagant whims of Britain’s elite. And when Livia accepts a position working for a powerful publishing magnate, suspicions arise about her new employer’s connection to the mysterious group.

As unseen forces manipulate those around him, Jake races to expose the deception that threatens his peaceful world. Amid the desolate beauty and seemingly friendly faces of this small, cozy community, Jake must decide who he can really trust . . . or learn just how far No Taboo will go to protect their secrets."

 

 

Title: The Quiet Woman

Author: Priscilla Masters

Series: #2 in the Nurse Florence Shaw series set in England.

208 pages

 

Synopsis: "Nurse Florence Shaw is baffled when a quiet patient dies in an apparent suicide pact with her husband. Can she uncover the truth behind this mysterious woman?

Richard and Christine Clay have been married for decades. Their relationship has stood the test of time despite Christine appearing passive while her husband is unmistakably dominant - at times bullying and controlling.

Nurse Florence Shaw has seen Christine at the surgery a number of times with minor complaints over the past year, none of which has led to a serious diagnosis. But when Florence hears that the couple appear to have entered into a suicide pact, she is shocked, though not surprised that Richard has survived. Was Christine's death really a suicide, or was there more to this quiet woman than meets the eye?"

 

 

Title: Dog Day Afternoon

Author: David Rosenfelt

Series: #29 in the Andy Carpenter series set in New Jersey.

304 pages

 

Synopsis: "Retired lawyer Andy Carpenter has run the Tara Foundation―the dog rescue organization named after his beloved golden retriever―for years. It's always been his calling, even as Andy's pulled into representing clients in court. His investigator, Marcus Clark, has been at Andy's side for a long time. Even though they've known each other for years, Marcus keeps his personal life a mystery.

So it’s a shock when Marcus arrives at the Tara Foundation with two strangers in tow. Turns out Marcus takes disadvantaged young men under his wing, gets them jobs, a place to live, and a chance at a different life. And they want a dog. Andy’s specialty. One of the young men, Nick Williams, instantly falls in love with one of the dogs, Daisy.

When there’s a mass shooting at Nick’s work, leaving six dead, all signs point to Nick. Marcus, who's never asked Andy for anything, asks Andy for help. Despite Nick's troubled background, Andy trusts his friend and takes the case." 

=== July 9 ===

Title: The Burning

Author: Linda Castillo

Series: #16 in the Kate Burkholder police procedural series set in the Amish country of Ohio.

320 pages

 

Synopsis: "Newlywed Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is awakened by an urgent midnight call summoning her to a suspicious fire in the woods. When she arrives at the scene, she discovers a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased, an Amish man named Milan Swanz, was chained to a stake and burned alive. It is an appalling and eerily symbolic crime against an upstanding husband and father.

Kate knows all too well that the Amish prefer to handle their problems without interference from the outside world, and no one will speak about the murdered man. From what she’s able to piece together, Swanz led a deeply troubled life and had recently been excommunicated. But if that’s the case, why are the Amish so reluctant to talk about him? Are they protecting the memory of one of their own? Or are they afraid of something they dare not share?

When her own brother is implicated in the case, Kate finds herself not only at odds with the Amish, the world of which she was once a part, but also the English community and her counterparts in law enforcement. The investigation takes a violent turn when Kate’s life is threatened by a mysterious stranger.

To uncover the truth about the death of Milan Swanz, Kate must dive deep into the Anabaptist culture, peering into all the dark corners of its history, only to uncover a secret legacy that shatters everything she thought she knew about the Amish themselves―and her own roots." 

Title: A Refiner's Fire

Author: Donna Leon

Series: #33 in the Commissario Guido Brunetti police procedural series set in Italy.

288 pages

 

Synopsis: "Around one AM on an early spring morning, two teenage gangs are arrested after clashing violently in one of Venice’s squares. Commissario Claudia Griffoni, on duty that night, perhaps ill-advisedly walks the last of the boys home because his father, Dario Monforte, failed to pick him up at the Questura. Coincidentally, Guido Brunetti is asked by a wealthy friend of Vice-Questore Patta to vet Monforte for a job, triggering Brunetti’s memory that twenty years earlier Monforte had been publicly celebrated as the hero of a devastating bombing of the Italian military compound in Iraq. Yet Monforte had never been awarded a medal either by the Carabinieri, his service branch, or by the Italian government.

That seeming contradiction, and the brutal attack on one of Brunetti’s colleagues, Enzo Bocchese, by a possible gang member, concentrate Brunetti’s attentions. Surprisingly empowered by Patta, supported by Signorina Elettra’s extraordinary research abilities and by his wife, Paola’s, empathy, Brunetti, with Griffoni, gradually discovers the sordid hypocrisy surrounding Monforte’s past, culminating in a fiery meeting of two gangs and a final opportunity for redemption.

A Refiner’s Fire is Donna Leon at her very best: an elegant, sophisticated storyteller whose indelible characters become richer with each book, and who constantly explores the ambiguity between moral and legal justice." 

=== July 16 ===

Title: Pentimento Mori

Author: Valeria Corciolani

Series: #1 in the art historian Edna Silvera series set in Italy.

244 pages

 

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

 

Synopsis: "Pentimento Mori is the first book in the Edna Silvera series. Renowned art historian Dr. Edna Silvera is not your typical detective. In fact, she's not a detective at all. But when she stumbles across an apparently-impossible medieval painting in the suddenly-deceased Nando Folli's junk shop, her curiosity lands her in trouble with the police and on the trail of a shadowy world no one wants to admit exists.

What transforms Pentimento Mori from a great mystery to a must-read is Corciolani's adept use of solidly-researched and uniformly-fascinating art history, ranging from the significance of colors and pigments in medieval art to why the Pope blesses people with three fingers. If you're interested in art history, you'll want to read this book. If you're not interested in art history, read this book and you will be.

Apart from being surreptitiously educational, Pentimento Mori is a fun read. Corciolani's style hits the sweet spot between cozy mysteries and more gritty fare. While there's a colorful and engaging cast of characters, lots of laughter, and limited violence, there's real tension and solid action that drives the plot. With something for everyone, Pentimento Mori has "book club choice" written all over it." 

=== July 30 ===

Title: Murder at the White Palace

Author: Allison Montclair

Series: #6 n the Sparks & Bainbridge historical series set in England.

320 pages

 

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

 

Synopsis: "In the immediate post-war days of London, two unlikely partners have undertaken an even more unlikely, if necessary, business venture―The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. The two partners are Miss Iris Sparks, a woman with a dangerous―and never discussed―past in British intelligence and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, a genteel war widow with a young son entangled in a complicated aristocratic family. Looking to throw a New Year’s Eve soiree for their clients, Sparks and Bainbridge scout an empty building―only to find a body contained in the walls. What they initially assume is a victim of the recent Blitz is uncovered instead to be a murder victim―stabbed several times.

To make matters worse, the owner of the building is Sparks’ beau, Archie Spelling, who has ties to a variety of enterprises on the right and wrong sides of the law, and the main investigator for the police is her ex-fiancée. Gwen, too, is dealing with her own complicated love life, as she tentatively steps back into the dating pool for the first time since her husband’s death. Murder is not something they want to add to their plates, but the murderer may be closer to home than is comfortable, and they must do all they can to protect their clients, their business and themselves." 

Title: Havoc

Author: Deborah J. Ledford

Series: #2 in the Eva "Lightning Dance" Duran police procedural series set in New Mexico.

347 pages

 

Synopsis: "It’s been over a year since the case that almost broke her, but when Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran is called back to duty, she doesn’t hesitate to answer. A bank robbery has left an officer down and a suspect on the run. Law enforcement is in hot pursuit, and residents are on the lookout―but before anyone can catch the criminal, tragedy strikes.

A member of the Taos Pueblo tribe has been shot and killed. The culprit? An untraceable 3D printed gun. With the support of fellow tribal cops, Eva breaks the news to the victim’s family and swears to find justice.

More violence follows, feeding the rising racial tensions between the Taos Pueblo people and the Hispanic community. New evidence forces Eva to consider the possibility that the bank robbery and 3D guns are related, but until she figures out how, there’s no telling how deep this crime ring goes…or how far its evasive ringleader will go to protect it." 

 

 

There you go-- my picks for the best new crime fiction being released in July. I'm probably most excited for the books by Allison Montclair and Stig Abell. How about you? Are any of these books already on your lists? Did I tempt you to add any? Which ones? Inquiring minds would love to know!

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

 

First Line: From the flat roof of the kitchen Patch looked out through serried pin oaks and white pine to the loom of the St. Francois Mountains that pressed the small town of Monta Clare into its shade no matter the season.

 

It's 1975, and in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges a thirteen-year-old local boy called Patch, who saves the girl at great cost to himself.

 

Little does Patch know that this is merely the beginning of an obsession that will take him years to resolve.

 

~

 

 

In 2021, Chris Whitaker's We Begin at the End became one of my Best Reads of the year, and he's repeated himself with All the Colors of the Dark. Whitaker has a talent for creating compelling stories featuring exceptional thirteen-year-old outsiders. In this book, it's Joseph "Patch" Macauley, a boy who loves pirates, and his best friend, Saint Brown, who convinces her grandmother that she wants to become a beekeeper. 

All the Colors of the Dark begins with Patch's traumatic rescue of a young girl being attacked by a serial killer and follows Patch, Saint, and others through to 2001. I think what grabs me most about Whitaker's writing is that he has such a gift for making me feel all the emotions of his characters, and sometimes that is exhausting. 

 

I want to talk about this book for pages and pages, but I don't want to risk spoiling anything for anyone else. All the Colors of the Dark is part missing persons mystery, part serial killer thriller (in which the serial killer is more shadow than substance), and part love story. It's a tale of obsession, and-- above all-- a tale of hope. 

Read it.

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

eISBN: 9780593798881

Crown Publishing © 2024

eBook, 608 pages

 

Literary Mystery, Standalone

Rating: A+

Source: Net Galley

On My Radar: Elly Griffiths' The Frozen People!

 

Faithful readers know I'm such a huge fan of Elly Griffiths that I pre-order the UK editions of her books-- I don't want to wait for the US release. In fact, I've already pre-ordered the one I'm about to tell you about now. 

 

Let's cut to the chase!

 

Available in the UK February 13, 2025!

Synopsis:

"SOME MURDERS CAN'T BE SOLVED IN JUST ONE LIFETIME.

From the No 1 bestselling author, a brand new series with a brand new heroine to fall in love with. Ali Dawson is as memorable as her fire-engine-red hair - warm, funny, forthright - and mother to a grown son, Finn. Ali works on cold cases, crimes so old, the joke goes, that they are almost frozen.

What most people don't know is that Ali and the team travel back in time to complete their researches - a process pioneered by the mysterious Italian physicist, Serafina Pelligrini.

So far the team has only ventured a few years or decades back but Ali's boss has a new assignment for her. He wants her to step back to 1850, the heart of the Victorian Age, to clear the name of Cain Templeton, the eccentric ancestor of Tory MP Isaac Templeton, her son Finn's boss.

To ready herself for the challenge ahead, Ali researches the Victorian era. She learns that Cain Templeton was part of a sinister group called The Collectors, the rumour being that you had to kill a woman to become a member. Duly prepared, she arrives in London in January 1850 - the middle of a freezing winter. She is directed to a house inhabited by artists, and is greeted by a dead woman at her feet.

Soon she finds herself in extreme danger. Even worse - she appears to be stuck, unable to make her way back to the present, to the life she loves and to her son, Finn.

The Frozen People is a lavish, cleverly plotted mystery with a cast of unforgettable new characters to get to know and love."

 

 

I know that some readers aren't going to like the time traveling aspect of this story, but I've always loved it. With Griffiths' skill in characterization and plotting, I can't wait to get my hands on this one. How about you?

A Gobsmacked Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Same old, same old around here at Casa Kittling. Doctor appointments, visiting nurses, keeping the birdbaths and feeders filled so all our feathered friends have plenty of water in this heat...

 

I'm about to finish one knitting project, which means I'd better pick out the pattern and yarn for the next. The other project (I normally have two on the go) will take me some time to complete, since I'm making new hand towels and washcloths for the main bathroom to go along with the new bath towels I purchased. I've still got four big cones of cotton yarn to go through, so it's a good thing I love the colors and the stitches I've chosen. The woman who comes to clean the house loves the colors, too, and she keeps a close eye on this particular project.

 

 

 

Someone asked me recently about the strange men our cameras had caught wandering around the property a while back. Thankfully, neither hide nor hair have been seen of any such creatures since.

 

You've been waiting patiently to find out why I'm gobsmacked (some British expressions are wonderful, aren't they?). Unbeknownst to me, one of my readers takes part in a podcast called Paperback Perspectives, and she recommended Kittling: Books to their followers. How cool is that?!? I've watched the episode, and the types of books they talk about are wide-ranging and include some of my own favorites like Remarkably Bright Creatures and Lessons in Chemistry. (They talk about mysteries and thrillers, too.) If you'd like to take a look, you can check it out on YouTube.

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Is it bad behavior to want to put a dozen blurbs on your book?
• How oil companies manipulate journalists.
• Millennials reveal the phrases they heard growing up that kids are never going to hear today.
• How TikTok is driving a book-buying renaissance.
• Men's shirts button on the right. Why do women's button on the left?
• Why is Chinese art full of dragons, phoenixes, and tigers?
• Can you read a book in a quarter of an hour?
• Want to write better fiction? Become a translator.
• "It's Out of Africa meets Pretty Woman!" On the problem with comp titles.

 

►Book Banning & Censorship◄

• Florida revises school library book removal training after a public outcry.
• Records reveal that a Fort Bend (Texas) Independent School District board member is the only person pushing for library books to be removed.
• New rules on "age-appropriate" books in South Carolina classrooms are set for automatic approval.
• Books take center stage again at a New Hanover County (North Carolina) school board meeting, this time over selections in a statewide competition.
• Alpena County (Michigan) demands answers over controversial books at the library.
• Virginia Beach (Virginia) libraries scale back partnership with Virginia Beach schools as a result of the new book vetting rules.
• A Wichita (Kansas) pastor checked out LGBTQ books in protest. Librarians say the strategy could backfire.
• Three parents sue Florida over book bans.
• Here's how Utah plans to enforce a statewide book ban retroactively.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• An "exceptionally rare" painting-- dating back 300 years-- was found in plain sight in the UK. (I've always found that to be the best place to hide something...)
• A stone with a 1,600-year-old Irish inscription was found in an English garden.
• Egyptian egg ovens are considered more wondrous than the Pyramids.
• Archaeologists are excavating a medieval timber hall at the historic Skipsea (Yorkshire, England) site.
• A gold earring found in the burned ruins of an Iron Age village may reveal a "moment in time".
• The 6,800-year-old burial of a Neolithic "mayor" has been unearthed in Bavaria.
• A 130,000-year-old decorative bear bone may be the oldest known Neanderthal art.
• Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Roman swimming pool in Albania.

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Scientists have discovered a "phonetic alphabet" used by sperm whales, moving one step closer to decoding their chatter.
• How scientists are protecting plovers' beachfront lifestyle.
• Hundreds of starving brown pelicans have turned up on California beaches, puzzling wildlife rescuers and scientists.
• Watch a mixed-breed border collie named Nimble fly through the Masters Agility Course at the Westminster Dog Show.
• Orcas have attacked an sunk another boat in Europe-- and experts warn there could be more attacks soon.
• Twenty-two pieces of medieval pet advice.
• The origins of twelve beloved dog breeds.
• How spider silk could inspire microphones of the future and revolutionize sound design.

 

►The Wanderer◄

• Mysteries set in New Mexico.
• Mysteries set in Venice.
• Alaska's rivers are turning bright orange and as acidic as vinegar as toxic metal escapes from melting permafrost.
• I wouldn't mind visiting T.H. White's grave in Athens, Greece. His Once and Future King encouraged me to do a deep dive into Arthurian legends.
• This 100-foot "walking tree" in New Zealand looks like an Ent from The Lord of the Rings-- and is the lone survivor of a lost forest.
• The owner of the world's biggest fossilized poop collection has opened a museum in Williams, Arizona. I'm tempted to visit the Poozeum.
• Over 125 years, millions of people have looked at van Gogh's Starry Night. No one really saw it until recently.
• Ursula K. LeGuin's home will become a writers residency.

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• How the murder of a Black grocery store owner and his colleagues galvanized Ida B. Wells' anti-lynching crusade.
• Bill Walton's book list has been revealed-- the basketball legend's favorite 70 all-time reads.
• Helen Taussig: the doctor who pioneered pediatric cardiology and saved "blue babies".
• Ten explorers who vanished without a trace.
• Susan Elia MacNeal on the conclusion of her series, women's role in war, and Coco Chanel's Nazi collaboration.
• Martha Gellhorn was the only woman to report on the D-Day landings from the ground.
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program is expanding to every area in Kentucky.
• Greg Iles on a lifetime of crime writing.

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Thrillers where the heroine saves herself.
• Ten common phrases that came from pop culture.
• Top girl names from the 80s that "did not age well".
• The most popular histories and biographies of the last ten years according to Goodreads.
• Books for fans of The Da Vinci Code.
• Atmospheric mysteries and thrillers.
• Five mysteries and thrillers that will make you laugh.
• The twelve most valuable movie posters.

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.

No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

First Frost by Craig Johnson

 

First Line: "You're too big to surf."

 

It's the summer of 1964 and recent college graduates Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear have enlisted to serve in the Vietnam War. Catching a few final waves in California before reporting for duty, a sudden storm capsizes a nearby boat, and Walt and Henry rescue some of the crew. Unfortunately, the boat was carrying valuable contraband, and the police are reluctant to turn Walt and Henry loose. But they finally do, and the two young men head east on Route 66. They have a date with the military.

Back in the present day, Walt is forced to speak before a judge concerning the fatal events of The Longmire Defense. It doesn't take the sheriff long to realize that he's got some powerful enemies lurking behind the scenes. 

These are two pivotal moments in Walt Longmire's life. Moments in which he stands in the crossfire of good and evil, of law and anarchy, and of compassion and cruelty.

~

When Vic Moretti starts cleaning out Walt's basement and finds a battered surfboard, it's the perfect beginning to the dual timeline tale of First Frost. Although the present-day timeline concerning Walt being questioned about the events in The Longmire Defense is important to his future, it's the treat of seeing Walt and Henry Standing Bear as young men that steals the show. 

Who wouldn't want to see these two on a road trip traveling Route 66, and where else should they be stranded than in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Arizona? Stranding Walt and Henry at the location of an old World War II Japanese internment camp lets Craig Johnson bring out a stellar cast of the weird, the downtrodden, and the deadly, and I relished meeting every one of them. 

Although Walt is still at a crossroads in his life, First Frost is also a return to some of the things longtime fans love the series for. There's Undersheriff Vic Moretti at her mouthy best and Henry Standing Bear, side by side with Walt, for example. I'm hoping that we'll get to see more of these two as young men, but who knows what Johnson has in store for us?

 

Characters, setting, story... Johnson is a master at all three. Moreover, he's also a master of the descriptive phrase that can really grab me. "...cruising away in the school of traffic like a killer whale." "...the hand that had reached up to me in the darkness like a flower breaking from the dark earth." "His eyes came up above the sunglasses again, dark, like swirling drains." 

I'm still smiling after finishing this latest installment in the life of my favorite sheriff, and once again, I'm waiting impatiently for the next. Boy howdy.

First Frost by Craig Johnson

ISBN: 9780593830673

Viking © 2024

Hardcover, 336 pages

 

Police Procedural, #20 Walt Longmire

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen Bookstore.

At The Poisoned Pen with Susan Elia MacNeal!

It had been a long time since Denis and I went to The Poisoned Pen Bookstore to attend an author event, mainly due to the fact that Dial-a-Ride kept us waiting two-and-a-half hours on a dark, cold street corner for our ride home. But when I saw that one of our favorites, Susan Elia MacNeal, was appearing on Denis's birthday, we both decided to throw caution to the wind. After all, it may be dark after 8 PM in June, but it's not going to be cold! 

Denis and I enjoyed ourselves, and Dial-a-Ride was right on time to take us home, so that's an encouraging sign for future visits. I'm sharing some of the photos I took during the event. If you'd like to watch the event itself, you can see it on Facebook Live or The Poisoned Pen's YouTube channel. Susan talks about ending her Maggie Hope series and the new books we'll be able to enjoy in the future.

We all raised a glass to Susan and Maggie.

Susan being interviewed by staff member John Charles.

Susan being interviewed by Barbara Peters.

Susan Elia MacNeal

Barbara Peters

 

 

The Last Hope is a fitting end to Maggie's "doing her bit" during World War II. I look forward to Susan's future books.

Death in the Air by Ram Murali

 

First Line: Ro Krishna crouched on a white wooden dock and peered into the rapidly darkening Harrington Sound.

 

The American son of Indian parents, educated at all the best schools, at home in London's most exclusive clubs, Ro Krishna finds himself at loose ends when forced to leave a high-profile job. Deciding that he needs some R&R, Ro heads to Samsara, a world-class spa for the global cosmopolitan elite in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. 

 

However, the cast of characters Ro meets harbors a murderer among them. Maybe even more than one. As more people die, Ro finds himself a reluctant sleuth.

 

~

 

I had high hopes for Ram Murali's Death in the Air. Unfortunately, almost none of those hopes were realized. First of all, the writing style kept me at a distance. I felt like I was peering down at the stage from the nosebleed seats. This kept me from being fully engaged in the story.

 

Secondly, the setting in the Himalayan foothills was one of the major reasons why I chose to read this book. As far as the setting goes, Death in the Air could have been set anywhere. 

Thirdly, the cast of characters did nothing to engage my interest. They were an assortment of entitled young people swanning around the resort in designer clothing and jewels. Oh, and most of the men had great hair, too.

The only thing that truly interested me was the mystery itself even though one of the reveals at the end wasn't a surprise to me. Death in the Air is a mystery for the plot-driven reader, who should enjoy deducing whodunit. Alas, I am not a plot-driven reader.

Death in the Air by Ram Murali

eISBN: 9780063319325

HarperCollins © 2024

eBook, 368 pages

 

Amateur Sleuth, Standalone

Rating: C-

Source: Net Galley