Paperback – Page 5 – Carol's Notebook

A Scandal in Belgravia by Robert Barnard

April 27, 2020April 24, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

I picked A Scandal in Belgravia up at a library book sale. I had never heard of Barnard before, but the title grabbed my eye because of the Sherlock episode. After i read the blurb on the back it sounded like one I'd enjoy and I think it was like 50¢. I have to say I'm really pleased I picked it up. Peter Proctor, a former politician, is writing his memoirs. Or at least trying to. But his mind keeps going back to the murder of his friend, Timothy Wycliffe, some 30 years ago. I liked the pace of this mystery. It's an old murder. The police think they knew who did it and the killer is safely out of the country. There's no rush; no one's in danger; there's nothing to be gained by solving the case aside for peace of mind - and maybe a book that will sell better than his memoirs. Peter can go around talking to people,...

Murder in Moscow by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

April 2, 2020April 2, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

Jessica is part of a delegation of publishers and writers meeting with their Russian counterparts, first in Washington, then in Moscow. This is just after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the goal of the gatherings is supposedly to help Russian publishers deal with the change to democracy and the free market. One of the government people attached to the group is found dead in Washington, but everything proceeds according to schedule. One of the Russian publishers dies at a dinner in Moscow, later in the week. Jessica finds herself entangled in what is more of a spy story than a mystery. The story was well-written and moved quickly. There are several bits left unanswered, governments on both sides want to keep their secrets. It was not the story I was expecting though. Jessica is mostly just a pawn, one with a lot of questions but who can't get any real answers. She's in danger, but has no control over...

Murder on the QE2 by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain

March 24, 2020April 2, 2020 by Carol1 Comment

Murder She Wrote was a tv staple when I was younger, so in the midst of all this staying at home, I thought I'd grab Murder on the QE2 off my shelf. I'm honestly not sure where I picked it up or who gave it to me, but it was enjoyable. There's a bit of nostalgia while reading it, they talk about floppy disks and VHS tapes and the internet is still pretty new. Jessica is on an all-expense-paid trip across the Atlantic on the luxury ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2, and mind you it's a crossing, not a cruise, no matter what it seems like. She's a guest lecturer, speaking about mystery writings, and she also writes an original play that will be performed on board. Surprise, surprise, someone's murdered. The dead woman is one of the other lecturers, an aging actress trying to revive her career. And of course, she's connected with multiple people on board, each of...

Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker

March 4, 2020March 4, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

Bruno is the only municipal policeman in the small town of St. Denis, France. He's a good guy, he is not a brooding policeman, he is not corrupt, he is not plagued by guilt, he does not go renegade. He's a good guy. He teaches tennis to local kids, he organizes parades, he makes sure the "hygiene" police don't catch locals selling cheese that doesn't meet the standards. He also cooks and has a wonderful vegetable garden. In general, the people of the town get along, with a couple of minor exceptions. And then the murder occurs. An Algerian grandfather is found brutally murdered in his cabin, a swastika carved into his chest and his medal of honor and a treasured photo missing. Members of the right-wing National Front, a political party that opposes immigration, immediately rise to the top of the suspect list. Given the background between France and Algeria, along with some anti-immigration sentiment, the investigation is...

Mailbox Monday – 2/17

February 17, 2020June 27, 2022 by Carol9 Comments

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. Tell us about your new arrivals by adding your Mailbox Monday post to the linky at mailboxmonday.wordpress.com. I used my Barnes and Noble gift card to get two books (and a coffee and cookie). ...

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

January 27, 2020January 27, 2020 by Carol6 Comments

Orlando is a beautiful novel. The writing is smooth and descriptive. Orlando, man or woman, is charming and intelligent and introspective. He/she cares about literature and nature, love and (sometimes) people. It's rather plotless. Time passes, fashions change, but not much really happens. And the things that do, like Orlando becoming a woman rather than a man or living 300+ years, are treated as no bigger, no life-changing than day to day events. Orlando handles everything with grace and honesty. at heart, she is the same person he had always been. Reading Orlando in 2020 is not the same as reading when it was first published. When Orlando becomes a woman, she cannot inherit her own home. She can't be an Ambassador again. She feels she needs to be more aware of others see her. We forget that at the time women were just gaining the vote when this was published, and Woolf uses her book to show the...