Book Reviews – Page 39 – Carol's Notebook

The Semester of Our Discontent by Cynthia Kuhn

March 3, 2022March 14, 2022 by Carol6 Comments

First off, the cat in The Semester of Our Discontent is Cady, named after the suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Our dog's name is also Cady. It's the one she came with from the shelter, but maybe I can use the suffragist line too? This is the first in the Lila Maclean mysteries, all of which I'm hoping to read during March for the Can You Read a Series in a Month? challenge. Dr. Lila Maclean, a recent PhD graduate, has just been hired at the prestigious Stonedale University, where her cousin, Calista, is also a professor. Lila loves teaching and is passionate about Gothic and Mystery writing, probably one of the reasons I like her. She is not however thrilled with the pompous, sexist chair of the English department, who of course winds up murdered. The Semester of Our Discontent is a smart, fun mystery, with a bit of humor to it. The college was a perfect setting and the...

A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn

March 2, 2022March 2, 2022 by Carol4 Comments

A Beautiful Place To Die is a mystery/thriller set in South Africa in 1952 right after the Boer government came to power and instituted laws that restricted relationships between racial groups. Emmanuel Cooper, an English detective, is sent to Jacob's Nest, a small town near the border of Mozambique where the chief of police, Captain Pretorius, has murdered. Cooper is tasked with investigating the crime but runs up against roadblocks galore. First, Pretorius was not just the police chief, he dominated the town. He was a prominent landowner, he and his family owned or controlled most of the businesses, he felt free to do what he wanted. He was also a model Afrikaaner. Then, the Security Branch arrives, determined to find the killer but to be sure that it's a killer that suits their needs, effectively pushing Cooper out of the official investigation. Of course, like any good detective, Cooper continues his search. The mystery itself is well done, with a...

Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives by Rick Bleiweiss

February 25, 2022February 25, 2022 by Carol1 Comment

I expected to thoroughly enjoy Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives. It features a chief police inspector but is at heart a cozy mystery set in a small town in England in 1910. Unfortunately, it didn't really work for me. Scorbion, is a dapper, overly observant detective, à la Poirot. He is a little more aware of other people's feelings and actually has a love interest, but he didn't stand out for me. There are a lot of characters, the folks at the barbershop, the local bookseller, the townspeople involved in the cases. There were too many for any to have more than one or two defining characteristics - this one's short, this one is from France, this one is "modern." I didn't really care about any of them. The mysteries were okay. They're solved through interrogations at the barbershop, with a few behind-the-scenes phone calls from the police station. The flow wasn't great, but there were a couple of interesting twists....

Secrets on the Côte d’Azur by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

February 24, 2022February 24, 2022 by Carol2 Comments

Yep, it's another one of the Mydworth mysteries. Secrets on the Côte d'Azur might be my favorite so far. Harry and Kat are on a work/pleasure trip to the French Riviera. Harry has to do a bit of government work and then they can enjoy themselves. Until Aunt Lavinia introduces them to a friend in need of help. Percy Porter, an English pickle baron, is being blackmailed over his relationship with a younger French cabaret singer. The mystery is good. Harry and Kat do a lot asking questions and tailing people. I appreciated the twist in the whodunnit. The characters in this one were great. Harry and Kat are their usual charming selves, but we meet some new people who are entertaining and add a lot to the story. ...

The Wrong Man by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

February 23, 2022February 23, 2022 by Carol2 Comments

The Wrong Man is #7 in the Mydworth series. I don't know that it can really stand alone. I think you'd miss too much about Kat and Harry's place in the village, and honestly, they're each short and fun so why not read them all? Actually, I listen to them. They are perfect for car rides, for walking the dog, for doing chores. The Wrong Man is interesting, has some twists and turns, but is light enough that doesn't need your full attention. It is almost Valentine’s day when Kat and Harry are asked to do whatever they can to save Oliver Brown who is set to be hung for murdering his lifelong friend Ben Carter. The problem is the evidence is overwhelming, and the execution is at dawn in just a couple of days. I really wish the wife would have talked to them earlier, but that would have taken away the tension the deadline provides. Ben’s murder was a...

Danger in the Air by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello

February 21, 2022February 21, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

Amelia Earhart is in England doing a series of shows in order to raise money toward the “Ninety-Nines” – a new organization Amelia is helping found for all female aviators worldwide. Amelia has just finished a show in London and she, along with her sister, Pidge, American reporter Ronald Greene, scheduling agent Wallace Smythe, and chief engineer Paddy O’Brien are heading to a fundraiser at Mydworth Manor. She is flying in a new plane, the Firefly, while the others are driving there. Of course, something happens to the plane, but Amelia manages to land it without injury or damage. Harry realizes that the accident could have been an attempt on Amelia's life and he and his wife, Kat, decide to find out who caused the sabotage and to make sure it doesn't happen again. We've got several suspects, but it was pretty easy to figure out who the bad guy was. Overall, it's a fun story, but not my favorite of...