A Howl of Wolves by Judith Flanders

First Line: "There are thirteen dead people here."

The old adage that no good deed goes unpunished certainly seems to be true for Samantha Clair. Having decided to spend a night out at the theatre in support of her upstairs neighbors who have small parts in a West End play, she discovers that her boyfriend doesn't care for bloody Restoration dramas with high body counts. When the curtain rises on the second act, the faux fatalities become all too real: the body hanging from the rafters is not a dummy, it's Campbell Davison, the director of the production.

As Sam learns more about the murdered man, she finds out he wasn't very well liked, so the suspect list grows-- and Sam can't help doing a little weeding of her own, especially if it will help the show go on for her upstairs neighbors.

About the only disagreeable thing I have to say about A Howl of Wolves is that the mystery took a while to get going, but then I didn't particularly care. This is a series in which I love the main character, and I love the way the author writes so I can forgive some things that other readers cannot.

Samantha Clair is basically a good person who's worked in a self-absorbed business for years... so that self-absorption rubs off from time to time. I adore her sense of humor, and I think I could live very happily inside her head (even though her paragon of a mother, Helena, would rapidly drive me around the bend). One of the perks of this series, I believe, is all the inside information readers glean, and this time A Howl of Wolves delivers twofold. Not only do we learn more about Sam's world of publishing, we're taken behind the scenes in the world of theatre.

This insider information helps to carry one of the themes that runs throughout the book: how society views the place of older women in the world. As Flanders expounded on her theme, I found myself with blood boiling one second and wanting to laugh and cheer the next.

Sam proves to be so good in digging up the dirt on the dead that I got caught up in the flow of the story and forgot to wear my deerstalker cap, so the killer's identity came as a bit of a surprise. (See what happens when one doesn't pay attention?) Now that I've devoured A Howl of Wolves, I find myself in a familiar position: waiting patiently for Samantha Clair to put down her editing pen and start investigating murders once more.

A Howl of Wolves by Judith Flanders

ISBN: 9781250087836

Minotaur Books © 2018

Hardcover, 304 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #4 Samantha Clair mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.


 

On My Radar: Judith Flanders' A Howl of Wolves

Yes, once again I've come across news of the upcoming publication of a book that makes me do a Happy Dance. Be thankful that you cannot see the aforementioned dance since my middle initial "G" does not stand for "graceful"!

I first became acquainted with Judith Flanders' writing through her social histories of the Victorian era because there was a time when I just read social histories, biographies of non-twentieth-century folks, and historical fiction. (Haven't changed much, have I?) When I read the first Samantha Clair mystery, A Murder of Magpies, it took me a while to realize that I was already familiar with the author. I enjoyed the publishing house setting, the characters, the solid mystery, and the snarky wit. Each Sam Clair book got stronger until the third (and most recent) A Cast of Vultures made my Best Reads of 2017 List. So what did I do when I learned that book four would be available on May 15, 2018? That's right: rubbed my hands together in glee and did a Happy Dance. Here's more about the upcoming book---

Synopsis:

"Sam Clair figures she’ll be a good sport and spend a night out at the theater in support of her upstairs neighbors, who have small parts in a play in the West End. Boyfriend (a Scotland Yard detective) and all-round good sport Jake Field agrees to tag along to what is apparently an extra-bloody play filled with dramatic, gory deaths galore. So Sam expects an evening filled with faux fatalities. Until, that is, the curtain opens to the second act, revealing a dummy hanging from the rafters, who’s been made up to look suspiciously like Campbell Davison, the director of the production.

When Sam sees the horrified faces of the actors onstage, she realizes that this is indeed not a dummy, but Davison himself—and this death is not part of the show. Now everyone wants to know: who killed Campbell Davison? As Sam learns more about the murdered man, she discovers that he wasn’t all that well-liked amongst the cast and crew, so the suspect list grows. The show must go on—but Sam knows a murderer must be apprehended, so she sets out to find out what happened, and why.

New York Times bestselling author, Judith Flanders once again brilliantly fuses mystery with humor in the fourth installment of her critically acclaimed ­Sam Clair series."


For fellow fans of Samantha Clair, this is good news indeed. For those of you who aren't acquainted with her yet, here's your chance! If you like to start in on the ground floor, the order of books in this series are:

1. A Murder of Magpies (APA Writers' Block)
2. A Bed of Scorpions
3. A Cast of Vultures
4. A Howl of Wolves

I wonder what book will make me do my next Happy Dance?

A Cast of Vultures by Judith Flanders

First Line: There was every possibility that I was dead, and my brain hadn't got the memo.

Samantha Clair hasn't even had time to recuperate from her post-book-party hangover when she finds herself right in the middle of a case of missing neighbors and suspected arson.

She's already hot on the trail of the missing neighbor when she learns that the fire did claim a victim. Now she's being followed by a determined pair of thugs. Good thing she has a Scotland Yard boyfriend, a loyal assistant, and a comprehensive knowledge of London's farmer's markets.

There's no simpler way to put this: I love Judith Flanders' Samantha Clair mysteries! Sam and I agree on meetings, shopping, and socializing. Now if I were only one-tenth as witty as she....

The mystery is a good one in A Cast of Vultures, even though the reader quickly learns the identity of the killer. The trick is in deducing why. In addition, Sam's impromptu investigation has some very scary moments in her home and at Kew Gardens-- and they showed me the importance of having a flashlight app on my smartphone.

Flanders also serves up another brilliant glimpse into the world of publishing. This time Sam's publishing house is restructuring in order to save money. The problem is, the experts that have been brought in have no clue what Sam and her co-workers actually do. Sound familiar?

The author (who is also one of the foremost social historians of the Victorian Era) has served up what is, to me, the perfect blend of mystery, the world of books, characters with whom you want to be best friends, wit, and humor. I don't want her to ever stop writing them. They are a delight, and if you haven't read any of them, I urge you to do so as quickly as possible. 



   

A Cast of Vultures by Judith Flanders

eISBN: 9781250087843

Minotaur Books © 2017

eBook, 320 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #3 Samantha Clair mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Net Galley  


 

A Bed of Scorpions by Judith Flanders

First Line: The summer was rumbling on the way summer does in publishing, and I was ready to murder someone.

Editor Samantha Clair and art dealer Aidan Merriam have been friends for a long time, so when she learns Aidan's partner in the gallery is dead of a suspected suicide, she's shocked. To make it even worse, the investigation into his death is being led by Sam's new boyfriend, Inspector Jake Field. 

When Aidan asks for her help, Sam finds that she's being pulled apart-- by Aidan and by Jake, who wants her to keep her nose out of it. What's a girl to do but call her mother? 

Now not only are Sam's loyalties being tested, her life is in danger from a killer who wants to keep her from putting all the clues together.

I really enjoyed Judith Flanders' first Samantha Clair mystery, A Murder of Magpies, and I'm happy to say that my enjoyment increased to love with her second book. Everything seems to sparkle in A Bed of Scorpions. Samantha Clair is sarcastic, cynical, and has a ready repertoire of information culled from all the reading she's done. Not all of you may like sarcastic wit, but I love it when it's done well-- and it is here. Sam's got a tough act to follow-- her maternal unit is not only the perfect mother, perfect guest, and perfect hostess, she's also the perfect high-powered lawyer. Watching Sam deal with her mother is part of the fun of this book (and thankfully Helena isn't nearly as abrasive as she was in the first book). Also... promise not to tell... this snarky editor who usually has her nose buried in a book has a secret heart of gold, and she's very capable of doing what's best, even if it's at her own cost.

Sam's other relationships-- with ex-flame Aidan, new flame Jake, and her reclusive upstairs neighbor Mr. Rudiger-- also sparkle, as does the mystery. I did pick up a couple of crumbs as I read. For instance, I thought the identity of the main "bad guy"  was way too simple, but I hadn't picked all the black hats out of the lineup. I also didn't do a very good job in deducing their motivations.

In many ways, I think Flanders' mysteries are perfect for book lovers. Why? Because one of the very best parts of the book is Samantha's wonderful insider's look at the world of publishing. (In fact her knowledge of publishing helps solve the crime.) As she's trying to solve the mystery, Sam also manages to explain many little ins and outs of publishing, which is bound to thrill the book lovers amongst us.

Do you have to start with the first book in the series? Not really, but I hope you do simply because I've enjoyed both of them so much. An extra little bonus is that I realized this time around that I've also read some of Judith Flanders' non-fiction (Consuming Passions, The Victorian House, and The Making of Home) and enjoyed that as well, so... if you're in the mood for some facts after enjoying this banquet of mayhem, I suggest you try those as well!
  

A Bed of Scorpions by Judith Flanders

ISBN: 9781250056467

Minotaur Books © 2016

Hardcover, 320 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #2 Samantha Clair mystery

Rating: A+

Source: publicist  


 

A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders

First Line: "Oh, just kill me now!"

Samantha Clair is an editor for the London publishing house Timmins and Ross. Until Inspector Field shows up at the office, Sam had been having a normal day, but when he's very insistent about the receipt of a package addressed to Sam, she knows something is wrong. That something wrong has been caused by one of her favorite authors, Kit Lowell, whose gossipy books focus on the world of fashion. Kit's latest is all about a recent fashion industry scandal, so there's all the usual legal prep to insure against libel, but someone out there really doesn't want that book to be published and will go to any lengths to stop it.

Reading A Murder of Magpies will make you feel as though you've just been dished some of the juiciest dirt on the publishing business, and author Judith Flanders has found the perfect character to tell us all about it. Sam Clair has an infectious snarky wit that's almost impossible to resist. She is a very self-contained character who, for some reason, has chosen to live her life on the outside. It can't have everything to do with her annoyingly perfect lawyer mother Helena, and I'd love to know more. (Yes, that means I hope we'll be hearing more from Sam.)

As clever as she is, she doesn't always get it right, and one of the funniest threads in the book concerns the trials and tribulations she has with her bestselling author and the author's latest book, which Sam believes is a total disaster. This editor thinks she has an inside edge on almost everything-- like when she goes to question someone because she thinks she-- as a middle-aged woman-- will get more out of the person than the police ever would. (She just may have something there.)

Flanders really ups the ante on readers' sleuthing skills because what is originally thought to be a missing persons case morphs into something much larger and complex. Something that the police are going to have difficulty in handling but is perfect for the sharp eyes and minds of Sam and her mother. Watching these two women dig for the truth is worth the price of admission, and as I've already said, I'm definitely looking forward to reading more about Samantha Clair.
 

A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders

(APA Writer's Block)

eISBN: 9781466860285

Minotaur Books © 2015

eBook, 286 pages

Amateur Sleuth

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley