The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

by Carol7 Comments
I have not read anything by Joseph Conrad before. Obviously, I've heard of him, but neither Heart of Darkness or Lord Jim ever made it to my TBR list. Honestly, I was looking for a classic audiobook available to "read now" from my library and came across The Secret Agent— the title grabbed my attention and the blurb made me borrow it. Verloc is our secret agent in London who works for Russia? Germany?—it's not really clear. Mostly he collects a check to pass on whatever rumors come his way and hangs out with anarchists. He also keeps on the cops' good side by sharing info with them. His wife Winnie marries for security for herself and her brother, but has no idea about the true nature of his work. Then, the rather nasty Mr. Vladimir, from "the embassy" tells Verloc that he needs to do more than observe to keep getting his check. He needs to do something, specifically blow up...
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Murder on Pointe by C. S. McDonald

Murder on Pointe by C. S. McDonald

by Carol9 Comments
C. S. McDonald had a table at a craft fair my mom and I went to before Christmas, and of course, book tables always draw my attention. McDonald told us a little about her Fiona Quinn, a cozy mystery series set in Pittsburgh. Yeah, I was sold. My mom picked up the first two for me, signed, provided she could read the Christmas one (#2) after me. I was hoping to get the Christmas one read in December, but since that didn't happen I decided to go ahead and start with the first, Murder on Pointe. Fiona and her old friend, Silja, a ballerina in the show currently playing at the Benedum, go out for a bite to eat. When they get back, however, they discover that one of the other dancers has been murdered. Silja's not a suspect, but handsome Detective Landy finds out that Fiona used to be a dancer, so he convinces her to join the cast and...
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Cherringham, Episodes #10-12 by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

Cherringham, Episodes #10-12 by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

by CarolNo Comments
There's been more murders in dear little Cherringham. And of course Sarah and Jack have to solve them. I enjoy these novella length mysteries. They're long enough for clues and suspects, but short enough that they have to keep moving. In "A Deadly Confession," the cops think Father Byrne died of a heart attack, which is true, but his old friend is convinced there's more to the story. Once again Sarah's internet skills come in handy. I like the old-fashioned denouement here, something this series doesn't usually have. It drags the whole motive(s) out into the open, but allows for a bit of grace in the handling of the whodunnit. Jack and Sarah have to solve the crime in "Blade in the Water," because there's no real evidence that a crime, aside from vandalism, has occurred. That's one of the tricks with cozy mysteries, giving a legitimate reason for the amateur and/or retired detective to need to solve the case, a...
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Cherringham, Episodes #7-9 by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

Cherringham, Episodes #7-9 by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

by CarolNo Comments
Cherringham is a charming English village - aren't they all - that has more than its fair share of murders. Happily, Sarah, a web designer, a Jack, former NYPD, make a good team who can apparently solve the mysteries that for whatever reason people won't take to the police or that the police can't solve. I like that they are good friends, that Sarah's family and Jack are close but there's no romance, a hint that maybe it will happen eventually, but none of that will they/won't they garbage. And they both bring their own skills to the table. Sarah is good at talking to people and digging for information online. Jack is a little tough, prefers paper files to online and doesn't mind a little breaking and entering for a good cause. There are few situations he's afraid of, while this whole crime business is still fairly new to Sarah. "The Body in the Lake" was my least favorite....
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A Murderous Ride by Helena Marchmont

A Murderous Ride by Helena Marchmont

by Carol2 Comments
"A Murderous Ride" is the second in the Bunburry series. I guess it could stand alone, but I'd suggest reading #1 first. It's short anyway, just over 100 pages, so it's not a huge commitment, and that way you'll be introduced to the town and Alfie and have more background going in to this one. Alfie has discovered that in addition to the cottage, he has inherited a 1950s Jaguar. While it does help him remember a moment in his childhood spent with his aunt, he has given up driving for reasons of his own. Between the car and the urging and "helping" of his friend Oscar, we know he'll get back behind the wheel again. But, we have to have a murder, and unluckily for Alfie, his car turns out to be the murder weapon, which makes him the prime suspect. He does get some help as he tries to figure out who the killer actually is. Bunburry is a charming town...
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Murder at the Mousetrap by Helena Marchmont

Murder at the Mousetrap by Helena Marchmont

by Carol6 Comments
Yes, I picked up Murder at the Mousetrap because of the Agatha Christie and Oscar Wilde references, and that it was on the shorter side. I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable it was. Alfie McAlister has retreated from London to the cottage in Bunburry he has inherited from an aunt he barely remembers. We get to meet all the townsfolk along with Alfie, and they are a nicely varied lot. He also gets recruited by the AA, Agatha's Amateurs, who put on The Mousetrap every year. The problem this year is their director is dead, and the death maybe was an accident, since this is a mystery, it's clearly murder. Alfie and two elderly neighbors, Liz and Marge, start investigating, asking questions, visiting people. The dead man was not very nice though, so we've got lots of people with motives, even if the reasons don't seem quite strong enough to lead to murder. It's a fun read. I enjoyed the...
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