Tag:

Women Sleuths

Review

I Died for Beauty

by Brian Kenney

Amanda Flower’s Emily Dickinson series just keeps getting better and better. It’s 1857 and Amherst, Massachusetts is experiencing one of the worst winters anyone can remember. Along with the freezing cold is the fear of chimney fires, and indeed an out-of-control blaze in Kelley Square, the Irish section of town, kills a young family, with the eight-year-old daughter, Nora Rose, the sole survivor. But the blaze has suspicious origins, and Emily and her maid Willa take it upon themselves to investigate. There is a lot going on in this novel, but it is all handled with great deft. Emily’s ongoing reliance upon Willa sets the maid apart from the other household staff, fostering jealousy. The marriage of Emily’s brother, Austin, and his wife,, Susan, continues to deteriorate. Women’s role in society, especially in marriage, is a source of ongoing debate. The future of the now-orphaned Nora Rose, an Irish Catholic girl in a largely Protestant town, and with no relatives, upsets the Dickinson household. Meanwhile, Willa’s own love life takes a dramatic turn. A great choice for book groups, which will appreciate both the book’s breadth and depth. Readers who enjoy this title may also like Mariah Fredericks’s The Wharton Plot and Kate Khavari’s A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

Shot Through the Book

by Danise Hoover

In this latest visit to the lighthouse library on the outer banks of North Carolina, locals await a YA book festival featuring a recently local and very popular author of a fantasy series. Our librarian and amateur sleuth, Lucy MacNeil, is surprised to find this gentleman on her doorstep wanting to talk. She escorts him to the deck, goes to retrieve refreshments, and returns to find him dead of an arrow shot. To say that chaos ensues is an understatement. The new widow has political ambitions and intends to use this to launch her campaign, local teen ultrafans of the author set up a shrine invading Lucy and her husband’s privacy, and two lesser local authors battle it out for the now vacant top spot on the festival program. The clever policing by the local force is, of course vital, but, as usual, the little details that our research-minded librarian provides begin to tie things together, though the culprit may come as a surprise. The local color and community spirit shine, and the quirky personalities are never more so. While this is certainly a cozy, it is never dull. The ending leaves clues promising changes, so readers will look forward eagerly to the next installment.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

The Last Hamilton

by Jeff Ayers

Bregman takes the history of Alexander Hamilton and his legacy, mixes it with a modern-day conspiracy, and delivers a fun and engaging read. Elizabeth Walker is the last heir of the Hamilton family line, and when she passes away, that’s it. During research, Elizabeth uncovers a key created during Hamilton’s life. On her way home after, she’s followed, and in the New York subway, rather than have the key taken, Elizabeth texts her best friend, Sarah Brockman, to contact Elizabeth’s husband, Ralph. Then she jumps in front of an oncoming train. Sarah, devastated by Elizabeth’s death, receives a box of documents her friend sent over before her death. Working with Ralph, they are shocked to learn that a secret society established by Hamilton still exists today. The bedrock of this society has kept the United States strong all these years. Still, sinister forces want to destroy the States, and they have plans to use Hamilton’s legacy to cause economic chaos by eliminating the foundation of the American dollar. Bregman has crafted a page-turning thriller of history and the financial world that will have readers wondering if any of the story could be real. Steve Berry and Dan Brown fans will want to add this to their reading list.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

No. 10 Doyers Street

by Henrietta Thornton

The hero of Vatsal’s (Kitty Weeks series) latest absorbing historical fiction is Archana (Archie) Morley, a woman braving two new worlds: 1910 New York, where she came for a short visit but stayed after her parents died in Bombay (the novel uses the era’s language), and journalism, working for the Observer newspaper. This charming, gutsy character is barely tolerated by the boss and looked upon with suspicion by her coworkers—perhaps for wearing pants as much as for her race and gender. At home, things are better: Archie is married to the loving and supportive Dr. Phillip Morley, a health department official whose job and tony background give her access to wealth and power. But she’s interested in intriguing stories from every part of town, and won’t let go when Chinese gangsters are killed and the city imposes stern measures on Chinatown. They specifically target tiny, crooked Doyers Street, home of Mock Duck, the steely leader of the Hip Sing Tong gang, whose calm demeanor is belied by the list of gruesome crimes he’s been accused of. The racism endured by New York’s Chinese inhabitants is on stark display as Archie works to report the tangled goings on among Tammany Hall, the city’s Board of Improvement, and the gang underworld. Adding wonderful flavor is the rich detail from Vatsal’s deep research on New York City social and political history, and the gulf between the city’s “more susceptible classes” and its well-off citizens. For fans of Vatsal’s previous works and of historical fiction by Mariah Fredricks and Anna Lee Huber.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

Molten Death

by Danise Hoover

Kristen and Valerie, long a couple, are in Hawaii on vacation, partly to help Valerie come to terms with her brother’s death. They are staying with Isaac, who’s a surfer buddy of Leslie’s, a high-school science teacher, and a lifelong resident of the islands. During an early morning excursion to see the glowing lava rolling down the landscape, Valerie sees a boot in the lava and realizes that there is a leg attached. It is quickly consumed by the lava, and as she is the only witness, all doubt the truth of what she has seen. The police report goes nowhere, so Valerie takes on the task of finding the identity of both the victim and the killer herself. With the luck and determination of the amateur, and the friendly and open nature of Hawaiians, allowing for a few glitches, she succeeds. This is a Hawaii we seldom see in TV police dramas. The locals speak a pidgin dialect, the importance of which is carefully explained by Isaac, and the customs and practices date back centuries. The landscape is of course dramatic and beautiful and the descriptions of food and produce mouthwatering. There are recipes for some of the dishes at the end, and a glossary of words and phrases. This is billed as the first in a series, so expect more to come from our interesting characters.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

The Language of the Birds.

by Henrietta Thornton

Arizona’s beloved father, the only one besides her mother and precious dog, Mojo, who really got her, died recently in a motorcycle accident. He was on a solo ride while mom and Arizona stayed in the trailer they travel in while the 17-year-old is being homeschooled. Mom and Arizona—who seems to be on the autism spectrum—are back in Bodie Historic Park, the California ghost town near where the accident took place, planning to spread Dad’s ashes. Arizona is barely holding things together as it is, she misses her father so viscerally, but things spiral out of control even further when her mom goes missing. It’s hard for Arizona to trust others at the best of times. But when it’s clear that harm may have come to her mom, a realistic and touching new friendship is a chance for readers to watch the girl force herself to open up to another. This is an inwardly focused book, with debut novelist Merson taking us inside Arizona’s sharp mind and exploring her feelings at having to depend on others while pushing relentlessly to uncover what happened to her family. A sparkling debut; readers, including young adults, will definitely want more from this new author.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

Abduction of a Slave

by Brian Kenney

What’s great about Stebenow’s Eye of Isis series—this is the fourth title–is its wonderful balance of history and mystery. The book is set during the reign of the all-powerful Cleopatra, seventh of her name, and we are treated to all the intrigue, gossip, and even fashion that one could wish for. At the same time, the ancient world is readying itself for war, with Caesar expanding troops in Sicily. Tetisheri, Cleopatra’s own Eye of Isis, gathers information both for herself and at the beck of her Queen, who surprisingly granted her leave from Alexandria to engage in some information seeking. In this novel, Tetisheri accompanies her uncle, an important trader, on a trip to the Kingdom of Cyrenaica, both to acquire more goods but also to be on the lookout for Cleopatra’s interests. Cyrenaica is awash in conflicting rumors, including those about Julius Caesar, his archenemy Mettelus Scipio, and King Juba I. Tetisheri must use all her skills to monitor what is happening in the Kingdom while also resolving a murder close to home. Mystery readers with a penchant for history will be delighted by this book.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man)

by Brian Kenney

Many readers will be delighted at the return of Vera Wong, a great cozy hero if there ever was one. In Vera’s first book, we saw her discovering the body of a dead man in her San Francisco tea house. A tragedy, yes, but one that led to quite a transformation for Vera, who discovered a whole new world thanks to that one death. She has a growing social life, her tea shop is burgeoning, and there are plenty of friends to enjoy her cooking. Except that life is growing a tad dull, compared to a murder investigation. But lucky for her, Vera comes across a young woman outside the police station who appears quite upset. It turns out that the woman’s boyfriend has recently died, possibly by suicide, and she fears that she may have had a role in his death. Well, did this young woman come across the right person. Through her own research, Vera discovers that Xander, the young man who died, was a well-known influencer, with an extravagant lifestyle. So how did he end up in Mission Bay? That question pushes Vera into a story that’s quite a bit darker than the first book. Vera is still a fun and lovable character, but here she takes on some challenging social issues. In other words, Vera grows. And readers will be happy to follow her.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

Deep Beneath Us

by Danise Hoover

Tabitha is compelled by the spiteful actions of her ex-husband to move back to her childhood home. This is not a cozy, safe space as one might hope. It is a sort of compound: two schoolhouses on different sides of a reservoir, one occupied by her family, the other by her uncle’s family. In the past, four cousins, Tabitha the youngest, ran and played like a pack. But her mother is an unstable artist, her father and uncle killed themselves, and her sister and cousin married each other at age 16. Now, cousin Davey purportedly dies by suicide as well, leaving his property to Tabitha. But is that what really happened? Davey’s two cronies, along with three smart teens, use skills learned from TV crime dramas and DNA analysis to get to the bottom of it all. The characters are captivating, the atmosphere is dark and dour, and the wretched weather contributes to the overall tone of the book. The novel is set in Scotland and the use of Scottish dialect and expressions is sometimes daunting, but never gets in the way of the telling. To say that the plot here is a tangled mess may be an understatement, but the untangling is a treat.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

Deep Dark Blue

by Danise Hoover

The city of Zurich, surrounded by water, offers scenery, culture, scientific innovation, and activism to its citizenry. Rosa, a member of the maritime police, usually swims or rows daily, but takes a morning off to have her eggs harvested and frozen. The body found in a fisherman’s net days later turns out to be that of the doctor who performed the procedure. Despite her personal involvement, Rosa is assigned to work the case with the regular police department, awkwardly partnering with a former love interest. Multiple crimes, seemingly unconnected, ultimately come together. Cutting-edge genetics, not usually mystery fodder, is the key. Rosa and her friends and colleagues are engaging, and unlike her American counterparts, Rosa has time for an active social life. The translation is smooth but still carries a cadence and flavor that keeps its context. Intrigue, corporate greed, runaway science, and sexual infidelity come together in a complicated story that may send readers to a map of Zurich for the bigger picture.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail