Purchased Archives – Carol's Notebook

The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo

May 19, 2023May 19, 2023 by Carol4 Comments

The Honjin Murders, set in 1937 in a rural Japanese village, is told by an unnamed narrator who is telling what he learned from the people close to the crime. The eldest son of a wealthy family was marrying a beautiful, talented, but lower-class, woman. But on the wedding night, the family heard terrible screams coming from the bedroom of the newlywed couple, the door and the windows were locked, and the couple was found stabbed to death. Detective Kindaichi was summoned by the bride's uncle, to investigate the double murders. While the characters are not well-developed, we get a definite feel for the culture and traditions of the time. The plot was intricate and had several twists. The narrator plays fair with us, even going so far as to point at what is significant and what can be ignored. I can't say I love a good locked-room mystery. The murder method can get a little overly complicated, which quite honestly was...

Death in Kenya by M. M. Kaye

May 11, 2023May 11, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

The colonial Kenya setting here is difficult. Death in Kenya is set at the tail end of the Mau Mau Uprising and focuses entirely on the British, how they live, how they view the people and land of Africa, and their ambitions, which makes sense given the author's background (see below). That portion of the story has not aged well. Aside from that, the setting is lovely and exotic, beautiful and dangerous. Victoria Caryll receives a letter from her Aunt Em asking her to return to Flamingo, her aunt's plantation in Kenya where she spent her childhood. Victoria, of course, leaves right away for Kenya but when she arrives, she learns that someone in the household has been murdered. The mystery was well done with plenty of suspects among the local British farmers and managers. I know that we often say mysteries have twists we didn't see coming, but this one did catch me off guard. I was surprised by who the...

Portrait of a Dead Guy by Larissa Reinhart

April 27, 2023April 27, 2023 by Carol2 Comments

As a small-town portrait artist, Cherry Tucker works hard to make a living. So when she hears that the wealthy Branson family wants a portrait of their trouble-making son, Dustin, she jumps on it. Yeah, painting a dead guy in a coffin is a little odd, but she can handle it. Then she finds herself accused of trespassing and stealing from a corpse. She's also the suspect in a murder. She needs to figure out who killed Dustin if only to save her reputation. Cherry is a fun character. She's sassy, smart, and talented. She has a weakness for pretty men and is firmly loyal to her friends and family. We've got the usual quirky characters and a stubborn goat, but it's all done with a bit of Southern charm and flare. The mystery itself was good. I guessed who the killer was but didn't know the motive. There were several clues and enough red herrings to keep Cherry on her toes....

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia

April 20, 2023April 20, 2023 by Carol2 Comments

I adored Bellweather Rhapsody. But as a former high school band geek of the early 90s who still accompanies kids at solo and ensemble and a lifelong lover of whodunnits, I am probably the perfect audience. It's fun quirky and there are a ton of characters all of whom I loved - well, except one, but she was the one I was supposed to dislike anyway. The Bellweather Hotel in upstate New York is long past its heyday of elegant ballroom dancing and fine dining. Now, which in the novels world is 1997, about the only thing that keeps the Bellweather afloat is hosting "Statewide", an event where the best NY State high school musicians and singers are brought together for four days of musical excellence and all the accompanying drama. So, this weekend, we've got tons of high schoolers, their chaperones, and conductors converging on the hotel. The characters are where this book shines. Yes, they're over the top and...

The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 by Carol4 Comments

The Blind Owl is unsettling and darkly romantic. It's an Iranian classic and I only ran into it because I was looking for something by a South Asian writer, but it's definitely worth reading. The book has two distinct parts. The first one feels almost like a nightmare, but a calm one. It has an inevitability but not one that makes you scream. I chose not to use the word nightmare because no matter how macabre this first part is, it has a peaceful almost tranquil quality to it. Our narrator sees a beautiful woman who he falls in love, or at least lust, with. Then, he ends up killing her and the section becomes more and more disturbing. Then we have a break. The second part presents an alternative story, maybe more realistic but our narrator is still not fully connected with reality. He tells us about his complicated family history and about how he is in love...

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

March 27, 2023March 28, 2023 by Carol4 Comments

It's not often that I pick audiobooks based on the narrator, but Simon Vance and Neil Patrick Harris, and the title is Murder Your Employer - I was sold. The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts is an exclusive institution of higher education for aspiring murderers, referred to by the school as deletists. The classes cover a large range of subjects from "Herbicide" to forgery to croquet (mallets can be deadly weapons). Murder Your Employer details the experiences of three students from the graduating class – aeronautics engineer Cliff Iverson (whose anonymous sponsor remains a mystery revealed at the end of the story), hospital employee Gemma Lindley, and Dulcie Mown (alias for Hollywood diva Doria Maye) - each of whom wants to kill their respective employer/boss. We follow all three candidates through their orientation, training, and ultimately their “thesis” or how well they apply what they learn and execute their plan. The 1950s setting gave it a nostalgic air and the campus...