Carol's Notebook

The Right Murder by Craig Rice

January 8, 2026January 8, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

The Right Murder was my last read of 2025, which worked well, since the book starts on New Years Eve. Defense lawyer John J. Malone is getting drunk in a bar - no surprise - and missing Jake Justus and Helene Brand, who are on their honeymoon. This is a direct follow-up to The Wrong Murder, in which Mona McClane bets Jake her Casino that she can murder someone in a public places and get away with it. In that book a murder is solved, but Mona was not the killer and she states that they had ‘followed the wrong corpse," so the question of who she killed is still hanging out there. Then a man staggers into the bar, calls for Malone, and falls down dead, stabbed - and we're off. I don't think I'm giving away anything the title doesn't by saying this time the murder is connected to Mona. Before Malone and Chicago Police Captain von Flanagan have...

The Wrong Murder by Craig Rice

January 7, 2026January 7, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

The Wrong Murder is another one that I finished at the end of December. I actually wanted to read #4 in the series, The Right Murder, which opens on New Year's Eve, but all the reviews said to read #3 first, which was the right choice. The Wrong Murder has a self-contained mystery, but it is also the set-up for The Right Murder - and I love those titles. This is also the first of Rice's book I've read. I don't know how I missed her. Jake Justus and Helene Brand have just gotten married and they are at a reception hosted by her father. Everyone is drinking - everyone is always drinking in these books. Jake runs into socialite Mona McClane and she ends up making what seems to be an absurd bet, but both she and Jake take it quite seriously. Mona bets that she can commit a murder in broad daylight with lots of witnesses and get...

Read Christie 2026

January 6, 2026January 6, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and love participating in the Read Christie challenge hosted at agathachristie.com. This year the theme is “Biggest, Best, Beloved” books. There are “official” selections, but you can also choice to read alternatives. The hashtag is #ReadChristie2026. January - Best Opening (The Body in the Library)February - Beloved Character(s) (Mrs McGinty’s Dead)March - Biggest Impact on You As A Young Reader (Murder on the Orient Express)April - Beloved in your Collection (A Caribbean Mystery)May - Best Short Story Collection (The Labours of Hercules)June - Best to Read in One Sitting (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd)July - Best-Kept Secret (The Rose and the Yew Tree)August - Beloved Duo (By the Pricking of My Thumbs)September - Best According to Agatha (Endless Night)October - Best Cold Case (Sleeping Murder)November - Biggest Inspiration (And Then There Were None)December - Best Seasonal Read (Hercule Poirot’s Christmas)2026 - Best Book about AC (An Autobiography)...

Literary Escapes Challenge 2026

January 6, 2026January 6, 2026 by Carol2 Comments

The Literary Escapes Challenge hosted at Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book is one I don't do great at but have fun keeping track of. The goal is to read 1 book set in each of the 50 states + the District of Columbia. (51 Points). If you complete the challenge you earn 50 Bonus Points. You also can earn Bonus Points for books set in Countries around the world. 1 Bonus Point for each country – no repeats. Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Country #1...

2026 Audiobook Challenge

January 6, 2026January 6, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I’m signing up for the 2026 Audiobook Challenge, hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer and That’s What I’m Talking About. I might be a bit of an audiobook junkie. My goal for the year is 75+, which puts me at the Over-Achiever level. The hashtag is #2026AudiobookChallenge. Also, June is Audiobook Month, so there will be a special mini-challenge just for the month. Books read:...

The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie

January 6, 2026January 6, 2026 by Carol4 Comments

The Sittaford Mystery is a stand alone that doesn't feature and of Christie's usual characters. The book starts off with a party held in a stately manor in the middle of nowhere during a snow storm. The guests are an interesting mix and they decide to try table-turning, a way of contacting the spirits based on the movements of the table they are all sitting around. The table soon announces that the owner of the house, Captain Trevelyan, who is not present, has been murdered. Everyone assumes it is a joke in very bad taste, but Trevelyan's friend, Major Burnaby, decides he need to walk six miles in the snow to the house Trevelyan is renting, to check on him. Trevelyan has, of course, been murdered. We get a nice mix of amateur and official investigation here. Our amateur sleuth is Emily Trefusis, the fiancée of the man being held for the murder. She is determined and clever. She teams...