Review of The Man With a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes (1981) (Richard Jury Series)
Bottom line: A pleasant and intriguing read with a few murders thrown in for good measure. Rating: Recommended Blurb: At the Man with a Load of Mischief, they found the dead body stuck in a keg of beer. At the Jack and Hammer, another body was stuck out on the beam of the pub’s sign, […]
Why is it so hard to write a good cozy mystery?
Why is it so hard to write a good cozy mystery? I asked this first out of frustration – it seems that every new series I try is just not that good – and then out of genuine curiosity. Cozies are one of my favorite genres, and I feel like I’m running out of new […]
Review of Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert (1992) (China Bayles Series)
Bottom line: Okay Rating: Recommended if: you’re looking for a light mystery, or have a connection to the Texas Hill Country Blurb: China Bayles has it all – a prestigious Houston law practice, money, power – but it’s not enough. She’s smart, she’s tough, she’s confident, and she knows she wants something more out of […]
Review of Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (1990) (Jurassic Park Series)
Bottom line: A classic, both in paper and on the screen, that is worth the hype. Rating: Recommended Blurb: An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now humankind’s most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all […]
Review of Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (1975) (Amelia Peabody #1)
Bottom line: A fun Victorian cozy set on the banks of the Nile Rating: Recommended Blurb: Set in 1884, this is the first installment in what has become a beloved bestselling series. At thirty-two, strong-willed Amelia Peabody, a self-proclaimed spinster, decides to use her ample inheritance to indulge her passion, Egyptology. On her way to […]
Review of A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (2007) (Three Pines Mysteries #2)
Bottom line: A strong continuation of a very good series. Rating: Recommended Blurb: CC de Poitiers managed to alienate everyone in the hamlet of Three Pines, right up to the moment she died. When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache begins his investigation, it seems like an impossible murder: CC was electrocuted on a frozen lake, in […]
Review of A Rumpole Christmas by John Mortimer (2009) (Rumpole series)
Bottom line: A fun holiday read with a little murder, theft and blackmail thrown in here and there. Rating: Recommended Blurb: Of the late Sir John Mortimer’s many beloved characters, it is widely agreed that Horace Rumpole was his greatest fictional creation. Here, collected in book form for the first time, are five delightful tales […]
Review of The Anatomist’s Wife by Anna Lee Huber (2012) (Lady Darby Mysteries #1)
Bottom line: A powerful mystery with a great new detective. Rating: Recommended Blurb: Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister’s estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to […]
Review of Inferno by Dan Brown (2013) (Robert Langdon Series)
Bottom line: Take all the negative aspects of Dan Brown’s writing, leave out the good stuff, and add in a very thorough self-guided walking tour of Florence. Rating: Not Recommended Blurb: In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring […]
Review of Whiskey Sour: A Jack Daniels Mystery (2004) by J.A. Konrath (Jack Daniels Mysteries #1)
Bottom line: Definitely worth a read for hard boiled fans who don’t mind a little cliché and dose of humor in their gruesome detective stories. Rating: Recommended Blurb: Lieutenant Jacqueline ‘Jack’ Daniels is having a bad week. Her live-in boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, chronic insomnia has caused her to max out […]