Devil Dance by Suzanne Arruda

First Line: Jade grabbed her companion's arm and yanked her out of the street.

Jade del Cameron and Sam Featherstone are going to be married, and Jade's parents have split them up for a little pre-wedding business. Richard and Sam are going on safari while Inez is taking her daughter shopping in Zanzibar. What could possibly go wrong?

How about slavery and witchcraft on the neighboring island of Pemba....

I have read every single one of Suzanne Arruda's Jade del Cameron mysteries, and I've watched the series grow from rather light-hearted adventure yarns into something much more substantive that gave me a real feel for the time period and the culture. When I saw Arruda had published Devil Dance, you had to know that I snapped it up immediately.

Arruda has created a good mystery with an excellent sense of misdirection. It was also a wonderful idea to split the engaged couple and pair each one with one of Jade's parents. In this way we become better acquainted with Jade's father Richard as well as Sam. Jade's mother Inez isn't as much of a mystery since she has appeared in other books. She and her daughter are so much alike that their time together can be a bit obstreperous.  In addition, there are several  humorous scenes as each couple begins having its share of adventures. 

The serious part of the book concerns slavery, and how-- although it had been made illegal quite some time ago-- some people are still involved in the sale of human beings. As I said earlier, these books aren't just light-hearted fun; the author really gives you a feel for the time and place, and this makes me enjoy her writing even more.

The tension in Devil Dance grows, and it's a given that the two couples are going to wind up in the same place eventually. The only question is... which couple is going to be saving the other?  

If you're new to the series, I think you could read this book and not be hopelessly confused. But if you enjoy good historical mysteries with interesting characters and a vivid sense of place, I suggest you begin at the beginning with  Mark of the Lion.

 

Devil Dance by Suzanne Arruda

ASIN: B00U53VSI0

Suzanne Arruda © 2015

eBook, 246 pages

Historical Mystery, #7 Jade del Cameron mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.


 

Mysteries for Downton Abbey Fans

Yes, I'm one of the thousands of people who are hooked on "Downton Abbey." When I get hooked on any sort of film, my obsession tends to go beyond the story and its characters. I almost always go searching into the time period in which the film or program takes place, and since I'm a voracious reader, my search into the time period always leads me to books. Non-fiction books, yes, but I love dabbling in fiction taking place in the same era, too.

I thought it would be interesting to take a look at a few mystery series that take place during roughly the same time as my new favorite television program. Some are series that I've already read and love, but a couple are new-to-me that have come highly recommended, and I can't wait to try them!

Are you the same way with your non-book obsessions? Do you tend to link them to books the same way I do? I hope so because I'm looking forward to getting your input on my choices, and I'm hoping you'll make a recommendation or two of your own.

Tried and True

The very first mystery series I thought of was Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series. Maisie comes from humble beginnings and became a maid on a big estate in the south of England. The owners of the estate recognized how bright and hard-working Maisie was and saw to it that she had a first-rate education. Maisie put everything on hold and became a nurse in France throughout World War I. Afterwards, she went to London where she began her own business as a private detective.

It's a joy to begin this series at the very beginning to see how World War I affected the entire country, and to see how Maisie's life and character develops. Maisie is very much the psychological detective-- a keen observer of those around her, and a person who loves to make connections between the facts and people's behavior.  The tenth Maisie Dobbs novel, Leaving Everything Most Loved, will be out at the end of March. I can't wait to read it!

The mother-son writing team known as Charles Todd writes the next two series I thought of.

Ian Rutledge left a brilliant career at Scotland Yard to fight in World War I. In 1919, he came home and resumed his police work, but he has a very heavy burden to bear: he is still suffering from shell shock, and he has a boss who would love to give him the boot at the faintest whiff of weakness or failure. A Test of Wills is the first book in this excellent series about a man who fights a daily battle for justice... and against his own demons.

A Duty to the Dead introduces us all to Bess Crawford, a nurse in France during World War I. Sometimes she comes across crimes simply by making a promise to a dying soldier and then going home on leave to carry that promise out. She's smart, she's brave, and she's so very conscientious. 

Yes, World War I was a pivotal event. It's when the entire world's opinion of government, religion, and so many other things began to change, to become distrustful and cynical. Books-- and programs like "Downton Abbey"-- are excellent vehicles for showing us how this all started.

Right on the heels of Jacqueline Winspear and Charles Todd came Suzanne Arruda. Mark of the Lion is the first book in her wonderful Jade del Cameron series, set in 1920s Kenya.

Jade grew up on a ranch in the southwestern United States and became an ambulance driver during World War I. She's an excellent shot, can repair just about any vehicle that refuses to run, and she's brave-- sometimes to the point of being foolhardy. Oh... she also has a cheetah as a companion, which means a lot to a critter lover like me. 

For the first two books, I thought of the series as a sort of serial cliffhanger: lots of action, lots of fun, but Arruda's research into the time period and into the history of Kenya rapidly added so much depth to the books that I refused to miss even one of the intrepid photojournalist's adventures.

Cocaine Blues introduced me to an adventurous modern (1920s) woman of independent means named Phryne (FRY-nee) Fisher in Australia.  Kerry Greenwood's series is light and fun with a main character who never fails to surprise, but the books also tackle some tough issues of the day.

Of the series I've recommended so far, this is the one with the most humor and the most dazzle. Phryne has money, and she believes in spending it well. She also believes in enjoying herself, but she's most definitely not a bubble-headed socialite!

Interesting... these mystery series that take place at roughly the same time as "Downton Abbey" take us from England to Africa to Australia. Not bad, eh?

Oh, So Tempting!

All righty then! The series I've just talked about are all ones that I've read, and I strongly recommend each and every one to you. However, there are two series that I've found that also take place within the same time frame, and I definitely want to try them both.

I've already read and enjoyed Barbara Cleverly's Joe Sandilands series that is set in post-World War I India, but it's her Leatitia Talbot series that begins with The Tomb of Zeus that I've got my eye on. Leatitia Talbot is an archaeologist based in post-World War I France. An occupation that fascinates me combined with a time period I can't get enough of? I've got to sample this series!

By the way, have you noticed how the 1910s - 1920s era is the true springboard for strong women appearing in all sorts of occupations that were formerly the sole dominion of men? Yes, there have always been strong women, but when World War I stripped so many countries of almost all their working men, women had to step in and get those jobs done. Once that door was opened, there was no going back.

I have heard so much good about Laurie R. King's Mary Russell series that I simply have to make the time to read my copy of The Beekeeper's Apprentice that I have sitting on the shelf.

Mary Russell is the pupil and then the wife of the one and only Sherlock Holmes. That one line in and of itself makes me itch to read the book!

With the 200th anniversary of the publishing of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, many readers have wondered how Austen would react if she knew how popular her book is now. I think that would also hold true for Sherlock Holmes' creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. All the books, television series, and films devoted to this one peculiar detective. Did Doyle have any earthly clue what sort of Pandora's box he'd opened?


These are my recommendations for those of you who'd like to read a few mysteries to help give you a little "world of 'Downton Abbey'" fix. Have you read any of them? Which ones-- and did you like them? 

More importantly... can you recommend any mysteries that I haven't listed? Any true bookaholic can never have too many recommendations!

Scene of the Crime with Suzanne Arruda!

There can be a lot of enjoyment in following a mystery series from the very beginning-- watching the characters develop and grow, seeing how pacing and plots can change.

One series that I've been having a lot of fun following is the Jade del Cameron series written by Suzanne Arruda. Jade is a feisty young woman from New Mexico who became an ambulance driver during World War I, and when the war was over, she found her way to Africa and employment as a photojournalist.

Jade doesn't scare easily; she can shoot straight, take your picture, fix your transmission, and take you for a scenic flight over Kenya. She also knows how to have some first-rate adventures.

When I began reading the series, I referred to the books as my "Saturday matinee reading", but it didn't take long for me to change my tune. "Saturday matinee" implies a well-worn formula that doesn't change. Jade and her fellow characters do change, and the plots and period details improve with each book due to the amount of research that author Suzanne Arruda does.

The series feels like a labor of love, and I can't wait for each new book. Speaking of new books, the latest in the series-- The Crocodile's Last Embrace-- became available late last year, and my review of it is easily found. Here's what Publishers Weekly had to say about the book:

Starred Review. Set in Kenya in 1921, Arruda's rip-roaring sixth Jade del Cameron mystery finds the motorcycle-riding photojournalist tangling with an old nemesis who's as slippery as a crocodile. Lilith Worthy, mother of Jade's lost WWI love, David Worthy, has escaped from her London prison and is out for revenge. The crooked widow hates Jade and her associates, Lord and Lady Avery Dunbury, who helped her late husband's illegitimate son claim half her husband's estate. Now David, who died in Jade's arms, appears to be sending Jade taunting messages from the grave (e.g., "Why did you let me die?"). Murders connected to a gold mine scheme provide extra intrigue, while Jade yearns for the return of her boyfriend, pilot Sam Featherstone. Jade, a female Indiana Jones with a touch of Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody, and Biscuit, her companion cheetah, make a vibrant duo.

Author Suzanne Arruda loves the outdoors, and she loves wildlife, facts that are very obvious in reading her books. She is also an artist, which I discovered on her Facebook page. Here are some of the ways you can learn more about one of my favorite authors:

Suzanne Arruda on Twitter

Suzanne Arruda on Facebook

Suzanne Arruda's website

Suzanne Arruda's blog

Let's see how she fared with all the questions I tossed in her direction, shall we?

What was the very first book you remember reading and loving? What makes that book so special?

I actually have a really long memory so the FIRST was probably "Vicki the Chicky" (she was very brave and I was maybe 3 yrs. old). BUT... I remember being very excited about THE BLACK STALLION (Walter Farley). Not for the horse, mind you, but for the adventure. And, of course, I loved Tarzan as a kid.

Outside of your writing and all associated commitments, what do you like to do in your free time?

Weather permitting, I love to hike. Love being in a forest if possible. I've quite a number of hobbies. Outdoors, I really enjoy my flower beds. Indoors, I'm now taking up watercolor painting.

If I were to visit your hometown, where would you recommend that I go? (I like seeing and doing things that aren't in all the guide books.)

I'll answer this about the town I grew up in, Greensburg, Indiana. You really have to go downtown and see the Large Tooth Aspen that grows on the courthouse tower. Seriously. One showed up in 1870 and there's been one ever since.


You have total control over casting a movie based on your life. Which actor would you cast as you?

Val Kilmer  [Has she been talking to Leighton Gage?]


Who is your favorite recurring character in crime fiction?

I was always intrigued when Professor Moriarty showed up in another Sherlock Holmes story. I find a good villain to match against the sleuth is very important. I think Moriarty influenced my character of Lilith Worthy.


Before your very first published mystery, what else had you written (short stories, articles, unpublished manuscripts)?

I wrote children's science and nature articles for magazines, some almanac articles, and three biographies for the children's school library market. I have a file cabinet of unpublished stuff.


I loved the Girl Guides in The Crocodile's Last Embrace. What was your inspiration to include them?

I wanted Jade to have a chance to show off some of her outdoorsy skills and needed a good reason. Then, in a copy (microfilm) of the old Nairobi newspapers, I saw that the Girl Guides had just formed a troop at that time. Sounded like something Beverly and Jade should get involved in.


What did you do the first time you saw one of your books on a shelf in a bookstore? How did you celebrate when you first heard you were to be published?

When I first learned I had a book contract, it was also near my birthday so I combined the two and took my husband and twin sons out to a very fancy French restaurant that had (until recently) been tucked away in one of the little mining towns around here.

Seeing my books on a bookstore shelf for the first time was incredible. I think I just stared for a while.


I don't know if you've seen it, but I love Parnell Hall's video about book signings. What is the most unusual experience you've had at a book signing or author event?

I signed books at The Smithsonian's Museum of African Art while my right hand (and I'm right handed) was in a cast. Those are probably very collectible signatures, too.


The way some people talk, the only way to read now or in the future is with some sort of electronic device, like my husband's Nook. What is your opinion of eBooks, and how will they affect you as a published author?

I am very concerned about the future of books. On one hand, I know e-books open up a good service to my readers who always wanted large print books (not available) because the electronic readers can allow one to alter the text size. And I'm glad that kids are reading a lot more, possibly because they can do so on a cool gadget. But I know of a lot of book stores that are folding because of lower book sales. Yet some people actually go into the store to browse and then buy the e-version. You can't expect a store to stay in business just so a person can see what's available. And without independent book stores, a lot of new writers don't stand a chance of getting noticed.


Thank you so very much, Suzanne, for spending some time with us. Speaking as a woman who has a bit of Jade del Cameron in her soul, I hope your marvelous series continues for many, many books to come!

Who's next up on Scene of the Crime? Stop by next Monday to discover for yourself!

The Crocodile's Last Embrace by Suzanne Arruda

Title: The Crocodile's Last Embrace
Author: Suzanne Arruda
ISBN: 9780451231178
Publisher: Obsidian, 2010
Paperback, 400 pages
Genre: Historical, #6 Jade del Cameron mystery
Rating: A
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: From his hidden vantage point, the man watched the young American woman called Simba Jike.


Returning from a rather ill-advised trip to Europe where all destinations did nothing but dredge up painful memories, Jade del Cameron greets the sight of Kenya with two certainties: Africa is her home, and Sam Featherstone is the man she wants to spend her life with. When a letter arrives, Jade hopes it's from Sam, telling her the date of his return. Instead, she finds a message written in the hand of her long-dead fiance, asking "Why did you let me die?"

After witnessing a car going off a bridge and having more deaths follow, Jade begins an investigation that she believes is tied in with a fraudulent gold mine scheme, but when she learns that her old nemesis, Lilith Worthy has escaped from an English prison, Jade knows the case has just turned every bit as deadly as that huge, hungry crocodile that's been hanging around the foot of Fourteen Falls.

Although this Biscuit fan thought the cheetah was cheated out of his share of the spotlight in this book, I really did enjoy The Crocodile's Last Embrace. Arruda continues to draw more and more news and information of the period and the surrounding colonies into the books to give the reader an excellent sense of what life was like in Africa in the early twentieth century. For instance, this time we learned what Leopold, King of the Belgians, had his minions doing in the Congo.

These books just about have it all for me-- probably because I fell in love with and watched "Out of Africa" at least once per week while it was in the theatres here in Phoenix. To have an ongoing series of books dealing with roughly the same time frame, the same land, the wildlife, the early days of aviation and photojournalism is a delight.

The delight does not end with the aforementioned list. Arruda has a cast of characters that continues to adapt and grow with each new experience. Of course the major changes belong to Sam and Jade as these two fiercely independent people have to figure out if they can truly be together, but they aren't the only two who've changed through the passage of books. Just ask Jelani, the young Kikuyu boy befriended by Jade.

Speaking of younger characters, the young band of Girl Guides that Lady Dunbury is trying to gather under her wing? They're a hoot. Whenever those youngsters appeared, they made me laugh. I certainly hope they'll make another appearance in Jade's next adventure. I'll be looking for them (and Biscuit)!

The one thing most readers want to know about a book in a series is can they pick it up, read it, and not get confused if they haven't read any of the other books? In the case of The Crocodile's Last Embrace, readers should not have a problem, since Arruda included enough information from previous books to fill in the gaps.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from the Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

Treasure of the Golden Cheetah by Suzanne Arruda

Title: Treasure of the Golden Cheetah
Author: Suzanne Arruda
ISBN: 9780451227898
Publisher: NAL Hardcover, 2009
Hardcover, 368 pages
Genre: Historical, Amateur Sleuth, #5 Jade del Cameron mystery
Rating: A
Source: Purchased from Bookcloseouts.

First Line: The woman astride the poppy red Indian Power Plus motorcycle would have been considered beautiful in many cultures.

When I saw that there was a new Jade del Cameron mystery out, I knew I was running behind. Sure enough, there was Treasure of the Golden Cheetah sitting on my shelves staring balefully out at me. Although I do try to keep one unsampled volume of favorite mystery series on hand, I don't want to get too far behind the story. Off the shelf came the book, and I began to read.

It's Kenya in 1920, and Jade finds herself hired on as second-in-command on a safari run by Harry Hascombe. Hascombe has agreed to take a Hollywood film crew to Mt. Kilimanjaro to make a movie based on an ancient legend of King Solomon's lost treasure. Before they even have a chance to leave Nairobi, the producer is stabbed to death by a native who then commits suicide. This death throws a pall over the entire expedition which, once it begins to climb Kilimanjaro's slopes, is beset by deadly hoaxes and serious accidents. Before this is all over, Jade will be glad that she's accompanied by the young healer Jelani and her pet cheetah, Biscuit.

At one time I referred to these books as a guilty pleasure and my "Saturday Matinee Reading". It is past time for me to say that they have involved into much more than that. Jade-- although still talented, beautiful and headstrong-- no longer behaves as though she's ten feet tall and bulletproof. Arruda has done an excellent job in researching the area and the era. (For example, this book had the added bonus of showing us what train travel was like in the Africa of 1920.)  The character of the young Kikuyu, Jelani, not only gives us a look at native life and customs but allows us to see how natives were treated by the white people who ruled the roost.

I enjoy the early motorcycles and airplanes, and being on safari with a Hollywood crew of actors and technicians was in turn funny and exasperating, as Jade discovered: "Sweet Millard Fillmore. Can't these people be left alone for more than five minutes without someone having a hissy fit?"

An added, enjoyable, plot thread is the relationship between Jade and pilot/ filmmaker Sam Featherstone. Both of them are a bit too stubborn for their own good. Neither of them want to live alone. They love each other. But Sam won't think outside the box and Jade refuses to even look inside the box as far as making that final commitment to each other.

This entire series has been a fascinating journey, and I can't wait for it to continue in the next book, The Crocodile's Last Embrace.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

September 2010 New Mystery Releases!

It's almost impossible to believe that another month has flown by. If someone asked me where summer went, I certainly wouldn't be able to come up with an answer!

Like every other bookaholic in the world, I have my favorite genres, and I always want to know when new books are being published. Whether they're by new-to-me authors or ones who are tried and true, I'm insatiable when it comes to new books.

The following books are my top ten picks for new mysteries being released in September. (Don't tell anyone, but I squeezed in one historical fiction title...shhhh!) The titles are grouped by release dates, and I've included the information you'll need to find them all at your favorite book spots. Let's see which titles have me drooling this month!

===September 2 Release===

 

Title: The Shadows in the Street
Author: Susan Hill
Series: #5 in the Simon Serrailler series set in Lafferton, England
ISBN: 9781590204085
Publisher: Overlook
Hardcover, 384 pages

===September 7 Release===

Title: Russian Winter
Author: Daphne Kalotay
Historical Fiction
ISBN: 9780061962165
Publisher: Harper
Hardcover, 480 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Title: Dexter Is Delicious
Author:Jeff Lindsay
Series: #5 in the Dexter Morgan series set in Florida
ISBN: 9780385532358
Publisher: Doubleday
Hardcover, 368 pages

Title: Thirteen Hours
Author: Deon Meyer
Series: #2 Benny Griessel mystery set in South Africa
ISBN: 9780802119582
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Hardcover, 384 pages

Title: The Crocodile's Last Embrace
Author: Suzanne Arruda
Series: #6 in the Jade del Cameron historical series set in Kenya
ISBN: 9780451231178
Publisher: NAL Trade
Paperback, 400 pages

===September 28 Release===

 

Title: Blue Lightning
Author: Ann Cleeves
Series: #4 in the Shetland Island Quartet
ISBN: 9780312384357
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 368 pages

Title: Bury Your Dead
Author: Louise Penny
Series: #6 in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series set in Ontario, Canada
ISBN: 9780312377045
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 384 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Title: Saving Max
Author: Antoinette Van Heugten
ISBN: 9780778329633
Publisher: Mira Books
Paperback, 384 pages

Title: You Are Next
Author: Katia Lief
ISBN:  9780061809026
Publisher: Avon
Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages

Title: The Day of Small Things
Author: Vicki Lane
ISBN: 9780385342636
Publisher: Dell
Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books









It looks as though September is another wonderful month for crime fiction-- in particular the 28th with the books by two of my favorites, Ann Cleeves and Louise Penny.

Which ones did you just add to your own wish list?

The Leopard's Prey by Suzanne Arruda

Title: The Leopard's Prey
Author: Suzanne Arruda
ISBN: 9780451225863, Obsidian, 2009
Genre: Amateur Sleuth, #4 Jade del Cameron mystery
Rating: B+

First Line: I'll be fine.

Jade del Cameron is working for an American outfit that's capturing wild animals to take them to zoos in the United States. Shortly after acting as leopard bait, Jade finds the body of a local merchant on a coffee plantation owned by two of her friends. The chief suspect is the man in love with Jade-- Sam Featherstone, an American pilot and filmmaker. Dissatisfied with the way the investigation is going, Jade begins to look into things and discovers that the dead man had his fingers in the sort of pies that would make other people very angry. All Jade has to do is narrow down the list of real suspects. Of course she can never seem to do this without stirring up a bit of trouble: "Can we not leave you alone for a minute, Jade, without your getting kidnapped or involved in something unseemly?" asked Beverly.

In a review of an earlier book in this series, I called Arruda's books my "Saturday matinee reading". The primary reason for this being one of my favorite series has always been escapism. Jade grew up on a ranch in New Mexico. She knows how to ride and how to shoot and how to pitch a tent. She's a former World War I nurse who learned how to take care of her ambulance while shells were bursting all around and wounded men were screaming for help. Now she's in Kenya as a photojournalist, and she's learning to fly. She goes out into the country for a ride on her motorcycle in order to give her cheetah, Biscuit, some quality exercise. Although I have to admit that the idea of going for a run out in the country with my cheetah definitely has its allure, this series is growing into something more.

The "more" is how Arruda shows Kenya and the rest of Africa changing. Populations are exploding in the cities, and as the cities grow out, the wildlife is being chased further and further away. Arruda also begins showing readers the native Kikuyus' unrest as they are required to carry identity papers and travel documents at all times as well as pay the dreaded hut tax. The longer Jade stays in Africa, the more she learns about the people and the land, and we learn right along with her. This time, we learn about the Maasai when Jade crash lands in a plane. Arruda includes several tidbits of Maasai wisdom and folklore in the book, such as the following:

"So you hunt for animals for the white men to take, you hunt for a killer, and you hunt for his wife," Tajewo shook his head. "It is not good to do too much at once. We have a saying. A man cannot walk on two different paths at the same time. It will crack his buttocks."

I like the path these books are taking, away from strictly escapist fare and into a truer depiction of the area and the time. Murder, wildlife, colonial Africa, native customs, and a budding romance-- all this and more is to be found in The Leopard's Prey. The next book in the series, Treasure of the Golden Cheetah, is available starting today. It won't be long until I have my hands on a copy!

Review--The Serpent's Daughter

Title: The Serpent's Daughter
Author: Suzanne Arruda
ISBN: 9780451222947/ Obsidian, 2008
Genre: Historical Mystery, #3 in the Jade del Cameron series
Rating: B+

First Line: "One should never trust the shopkeepers," declared a young man seated across from Jade.

When I picked up the first book in this series, Mark of the Lion, I fell in love. Jade del Cameron, a young American who grew up on a New Mexico ranch, learned how to repair automobiles while driving an ambulance in France during World War I. Ranch life taught her about roughing it out in the wild, being an expert shot with a gun, refusing to put up with fools, and wanting some adventure and meaning in her life. It's now the early 1920s, and Jade is finding that adventure and meaning as a photojournalist in Africa.

With this third book in the series, I find my love affair continuing. Jade has agreed to meet her mother in Morocco in an attempt to patch up their stormy relationship. Her mother, Inez, grew up in Spain dancing with gypsies and riding horses better than anyone else. Now she's a tightly corseted society matron, more concerned with etiquette and the proper clothing to wear for each occasion. Nothing her fiercely independent daughter does is right. Their meeting in Morocco starts off on the wrong foot, but before there's time for any repair work to be done, Inez is kidnapped, and Jade has to find her. Jade's search takes her through Morocco, from Tangier to Marrakesh to a Berber village high in the Atlas Mountains, dodging drug smugglers, slave traders and an old adversary every step of the way.

Although Arruda does provide a great deal of period detail in her books (and I actually learn while I turn the pages), I have to admit that I read them for the sheer escapism. These books are my "Saturday Matinee" reads, reminding me of Tarzan, Indiana Jones, Frank Buck, Karen Blixen, Denis Finch-Hatton, and Beryl Markham. Fans of the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters would probably enjoy them, too. I like to read serious literature-- history, biography, current events, etc.-- but sometimes I just want to have fun when I read. When those times occur, there are few books better than a Jade del Cameron mystery by Suzanne Arruda.