BLOOD DEBTS (Leonidas the Gladiator Mystery # 1)
Jennifer Ashley
JA/AG Publishing
July 9, 2017
Leonidas, the most feared and successful gladiator of Rome in the first century AD, has finally received his freedom. But what is a retired fighter to do with no money and no skills that easily translate into life in Rome? An unknown benefactor steps in and provides him with an apartment (one room) and a slave. The slave, Cassia, is the daughter of a scribe who was sold when the master of the house took an undue interest in her. Cassia can't cook, sew or do laundry, but she has the literacy that Leonidas lacks. She is also grateful that Leonidas does not abuse her as she feared might happen. The two are surviving on jobs that Leonidas picks up, such as a guard for incoming merchandise shipments. One such job, for a baker, has not been paid for, is overdue, and the coffers are low. When Leonidas goes to the baker, Quintus, he is sent to a money-changer to collect. The money-changer, Silenius, owes Quintus and Leonidas must get the money from him. But when Leonidas arrives, the money-changer is dead in a pool of blood. Leonidas leaves immediately but knows that the guard will be looking for him. After all, everyone in Rome knows him, and he was seen entering.
Cassia and Leonidas make a good team, each having what the other lacks. Having been taken off the streets as a child and enduring years of training and brutal fighting, it's clear that Leonidas suffers both PTSD and depression. It's a miracle that he has retained a core of inner goodness and a desire to protect others. Cassia's literacy and mathematical knowledge help them to solve the murder and pick up some new friends in the process. Ashley Gardner paints a vivid picture of the streets of ancient Rome; its heat, smells, and general injustice. I am expecting great things from this new series as we learn more about Leonidas and Cassia, and their mysterious benefactor.
RATING- 4.5 Stars
ROOM FOR DOUBT (Carol Childs Mystery #4)
Nancy Cole Silverman
Henery Press
July 18, 2017
Carol Childs is a 40ish single mom with a daughter in college and a 16-year-old son still at home. She is also a radio reporter who doesn't appreciate being called away from her son's birthday party to report on a scene at the famous Hollywood Sign. It's a grisly scene too... a naked man hanging from the sign wearing a red clown nose. The cop on site, Detective Riley, seems very eager to declare it a suicide, without even getting out of his car to walk up the hill and take a look. Carol doesn't think so, as she had had a brief interaction with the man on the sign the day before, and he in no way seemed suicidal. Another person at the scene, PI Gerhardt Chasen (Chase), doesn't think so either and spins her a tale of other recent deaths that have been called suicides, but he thinks are actually murder. Carol thinks that is crazy, and besides, what can she do about it?
Carol has been given a shot at a late-night talk show and in the era of cutbacks in radio, she is eager to make a success of it. The first night is not going well. The program director suggests talking about City Council matters and there has been not a single call-in. Until Chase calls in and starts talking about his theory of the murders and a woman calling herself "Mustang Sally" calls in suggesting that the dead men were abusers and got what they deserved from the "Tribunal". The switchboard lights up! Can there be a group of women who help other women on the run, and have gone off the rails? Carol and Chase need to find Sally before another death occurs. Carol is not eager to get involved, especially with Chase. She is attracted to him and does not want to be.
Nancy Silverman has taken a realistic look at the problems faced by abused women. It's a serious issue but she manages to inject some humor while coping with job and personal pressures. I was particularly interested in her take on commercial radio. My husband was a radio DJ (a long, long time ago) and we still have friends in the business. The program director and other people at the station ring true to me. She also brings in well-developed secondary characters: her friend, Sheri, and washed-up Hollywood psychic, Misty Dawn. Room for Doubt is the first of this series that I have read but I'm sure I will be catching up.
Thanks to Henery Press and NetGalley for an advance copy. The opinions are my own.
RATING- 4 Stars
A TOAST TO MURDER (Mack's Bar Mystery #5)
Allyson K. Abbott
Kensington Books
July 25, 2017
A Toast to Murder brings to a close an ongoing story arc about Mack Dalton's bar and the people who frequent it. Mac mostly grew up in the bar, as she was the only child of a widowed father and inherited it after he was murdered. Mack is grieving her father but wondering what she can do to solve the crime and enlists some of the long-time customers of the bar to help her. Mack has some unusual abilities that she thinks can help her. She has a neurological condition called synesthesia; one which gives her a heightened perception of stimuli. Synesthesia is described as a phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to an involuntary experience in a second pathway. For instance, she often sees colors and has tastes associated with certain people's voices. It also makes her an excellent lie detector. After a lifetime of coping with often conflicting sensory input, Mack sees a way to put her condition to good use. The detective investigating her father's murder, Duncan Albright, thinks so too.
With the help of the Capone Club, a group of old and new friends who meet in the bar, Mac has solved several cases, including that of her father, but there is a new problem. Two old friends have been murdered and Mac is receiving threating letters containing taunts about her abilities and newfound unwanted celebrity. Unless Mack solves the cryptic clues in the letters more friends will die and she will be the last victim. She must also do this without any help from the police or the Capone Club. The pressure is mounting and Mack decides that she must move to end it and forms a plan to bring all the suspects together at the Bar on New Year's Eve.
The Mack's Bar Mysteries have an interesting concept. Synesthesia is a real condition and Mack's version is an extreme one, as least from what I have read on the subject. My problem with the books is the number of suspects and characters, some of whom are not particularly memorable. Compounding the problem was the fact I missed reading one of the books and felt at sea until I realized it. There is a massive info dump at the beginning of A Toast to Murder but it didn't help so I went back to read the book I had missed. I don't recommend trying to read it out of series order.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a digital copy. The opinions above are my own.
RATING- 2.5 Stars
UNNATURAL HABITS (Miss Fisher #19)
Kerry Greenwood
The Poisoned Pen Press
July 4, 2017
It's 1929 in Melbourne, and Miss Fisher is on her way to her club, accompanied by her friend Dr. MacMillan when she comes across a young woman being menaced by thugs. With the help of the bodyguards provided by her Chinese lover, Lin Chung, Miss Fisher rescues her. Miss Fisher is not happy about the bodyguards but even she admits that they come in handy sometimes. The young woman is Polly Kettle, an aspiring investigative reporter with an overblown sense of self-importance and a limited sense of self-preservation. Polly is looking into the disappearance of three pregnant, unmarried girls sent to give birth at the home of a "pious" widow. Polly goes on her way but is reported kidnapped the next day. Phryne's Police Inspector friend, Jack Robinson, asks for her help in the investigation. Not only are the three pregnant girls and Polly Kettle missing, but several others as well, all young and blonde. Phryne's search takes her into a seamy underworld of brothels, piracy, white slavery and the infamous Magdalene Laundries.
I am a big fan of the Australian television version of the Miss Fisher Mysteries, starring the fabulous Essie Davis. I confess that I have read only a few of the books though they are perennially on my "TBR" list. With the background of the series, I was able to jump right into Unnatural Habits, even though there are differences. The books and series have a masterful blend of historical detail, action, highly individual characters, and social commentary presented with a light touch. I also enjoy Greenwoods' Corinna Chapman Series, set in modern-day Melbourne. I recommend Unnatural Habits with no reservations to fans of historical mysteries.
Thanks to NetGalley and The Poisoned Pen Press for a digital copy of Unnatural Habits. The opinions above are my own.
RATING- 4 Stars
MURDER ON BLACK SWAN LANE
A Wrexford and Sloane Mystery #1
Andrea Penrose
Kensington Books
June 27, 2017
A clandestine meeting of shadowy figures in a church culminates in a grisly murder. The victim is the Reverend Josiah Holworthy, a pompous churchman who has been carrying on a very public feud with the Earl of Wrexford. The Reverend has held up the Earl as the very personification of wickedness. Enter Charlotte Sloane, a caricature artist with a wicked pen and a large following. She works under the pen name of A.J. Quill and guards her real identity jealously. As a woman, she would never be allowed to publish. Her late husband, Anthony, had used the name and she is forced to take up his trade to stay afloat. Charlotte has developed a number of sources and is able to get into the church between the discovery of the body and the arrival of the Bow Street Runners. Not only are the Runners eager to pin the murder on Wrexford, but the drawing Charlotte publishes the next morning of the horrible scene inflames all London against him. Wrexford must investigate the murder to save his own neck and his first order of business is find out the identity of A. J. Quill. Charlotte and Wrexford form an uneasy alliance, aided by a pair of street urchins that Charlotte has befriended. The two plunge into a swirling abyss of murder, alchemy, forgery, and treason with an explosive ending.
The Regency Era is a fascinating time in which there was great interest in science and new discoveries. The scientists working in The Royal Institution, led by Humphry Davy were the celebrities of their day and their discoveries followed and heralded by both the "ton" and the general public. Science and chemistry play a large part in the the story, forming a background to what is an excellent mystery and ripping good yarn. Both Charlotte and Wrexford are well-developed characters: Wrexford, very much the aristocrat of his time, but possessing a soft center, and Charlotte, who is a woman with a steely will and secrets of her own. She was obviously gently born and extremely well-educated but has sunk out of that circle of society. I am looking forward to learning more about her story and watching what is an obvious attraction between Wrexford and herself develop. The supporting characters, particularly Raven and Hawk, Charlotte's two street urchins are also welcome additions.
I thoroughly enjoyed Murder on Blak Swan Lane. Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions above are my own.
RATING- 4.5 Stars
DEATH IN THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE
Death on Location Book 1
Sara Rosett
Kate Sharp is a location scout based in LA who is also a Jane Austen aficionado. In fact, if life hadn't interfered, Kate would have worked on a Doctorate in Literature, specializing in Austen. Her boss, Kevin Dunn, is currently in England and scouting locations for a new production of Pride and Prejudice. When Kevin does not return as scheduled, Kate and her co-workers are very worried. Not only is Kevin a mentor to all of them, he has had substance abuse problems in the past. Rather than raise the alarm and possibly causing rumors in the industry, Kate sets off to the picturesque village of Nether Woodsmoor to find him. Her search takes her on pub crawls and a collaboration with a local scout, handsome if rumpled Alex Norcutt. The two make a good team, digging up information to help solve the mystery of Kevin's disappearance...even if the local constabulary is not all that happy about their efforts.
Book 2, Death in an English Cottage, finds Kate back in England. Her LA company has folded and the original P & P production is canceled.
Alex, however, gets her a new job on a new Jane Austen documentary to be filmed in the area. Not only does she need the work, but there are definite stirrings of attraction between Kate and Alex. The residents of Nether Woodsmoor seem happy to see her back with the notable exception of her new employer. The producer, Elise, seems to have taken an unreasonable dislike for Kate from their first meeting. Kate soldiers on, dealing with Elise and a celebrity historian, vandalism in the village and a dead body in the cottage next door. Alex seems distant at times and holding secrets of his own. Kate is beginning to think she has made a very bad decision in coming back to England at all.
Death in a Stately Home, Book 3, continues as the Jane Austen documentary is revamped and Kate and Elise have made peace (of sorts). She and Alex are now a couple and preparing for the visit of his 12-year-old sister, Grace, for whom he is the guardian. Kate is a little nervous about Grace and it appears that Grace is not too thrilled about Kate as well. The local stately home, Parkview Hall, is holding a series of Regency weekends in which Regency dress and customs are observed. Elise wants her to attend one of the house parties and Lady Beatrice of Parkview wants her there too. There have been a series of negative comments on the internet, not only about the house parties, but about Sir Harold, Beatrice's husband, and the owner of the Hall. Beatrice and Kate have formed a friendship and Beatrice wants Kate to use her powers of observation on the weekend. Beatrice thinks that the internet postings originate with someone on the staff. It's a motley crew at the weekend; financiers, fashionistas, Jane Austen enthusiasts and a party planning for a wedding. The first night culminates in a murder in a classic locked-room mystery. This is murder with a difference however in that Kate is considered a suspect by some.
I am very much enjoying the Murder on Location series. There is some, but not too much detail on the ins-and-outs of being a location scout. That is a job I had never thought about at all. I did find the character development a little weak in Death in the English Countryside, but as the series progresses I am learning more about Kate and Alex and finding them more likable. The vivid descriptions of the village and its residents are an added plus. The plotting is very good with plenty of twists. I will be reading more of the series in the future. I received a copy of Death in the English from an author giveaway and purchased Books 2 and 3. The opinions above are my own.
RATING- 4 Star
ASSASSIN'S FATE (The Fitz and the Fool # 3)
Robin Hobb
Del Rey
May 9, 2017
It has been a couple of weeks since I finished Assassin's Fate and it has taken me that long to let it settle. In fantasy, several factors play into the execution; world building, coherent social/magic systems and characterization being just some of them. World building and systems are important, but above all (at least for me) are characters I can invest in. I have been fully invested in FitzChivalry Farseer through three trilogies now; The Farseer Trilogy, The Tawny Man Trilogy, and now The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy. There are many memorable characters in the Six Duchies, but Fitz is indelible in his messy, chaotic, maddening humanity. His small, mysterious daughter, Bee, is another unforgettable piece of the tapestry. Following Fitz's life from bastard child to middle-aged man has been frustrating, rewarding, horrifying and often heart-breaking.
I'm not going to try to synopsize Assassin's Fate other than to say that after several years of relative peace living as Tom Badgerlock with his beloved Molly, Fitz's life falls apart with the seemingly impossible pregnancy of Molly. After a very long gestation, Molly brings forth Bee, a tiny girl who takes an inordinate amount of time to grow and develop. Molly dies when Bee is still a tiny child. Bee seems backward and odd in the extreme, but Molly gives her all the love and attention a child could need. When Molly dies, Fitz is overcome by grief and at a loss about how to raise Bee. The Fool's sudden reappearance complicates matters. The Fool has been horribly tortured by the sadistic White Prophets on the island of Clerres where the Fool grew up and then returned to, expecting a warm welcome. Fitz's efforts to save the Fool's life ensure that he is not at home when Bee needs him most. Bee is kidnapped by a band of the same White Prophets and Fitz's estate and people are destroyed. Fitz becomes convinced that Bee is dead and wants revenge. The Fool is not sure as he has had dreams about Bee. The two set out on the long journey to Clerres and Fitz's ultimate fate.
Robin Hobb incorporates elements and characters from the Farseer books as well as from the Liveship Traders and the Rain Wild Chronicles. I confess that I have read neither Live Ship or Rain Wild. In fact, after The Soldier Son Trilogy, I laid off Hobb's books. I found the Soldier Son books tough going. No doubt it would have made The Fitz and the Fool a richer experience had I read them but it was always Fitz's voice, and now Bee's, that intrigue me. Fitz's ultimate fate is not what I ever would have chosen or wished for him, but ultimately he is Robin Hobb's creation and her vision. I don't doubt that we will see more of the Six Duchies and the Farseer Dynasty, but Fitz will be missed. To sum up, I ran across a Facebook meme from one of the many "bookish" sites I frequent that expresses my feelings exactly:
me: This book brutally ripped out my heart and tore it to shreds then stomped it into the
ground as I drowned in a sea of tears and basked in eternal sorrow.
me: Here read it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for an advance digital copy. The opinions above are my own.
RATING- 5 Stars
