Death Likes It Hot by Edgar Box

by Carol3 Comments
Death Like It Hot was a fun look at summer in the Hamptons in the 50s, in addition to being a decent mystery. I have to admit I liked Peter Sargeant, even if he was a bit chauvinistic. He was smart and funny and a good observer, an outsider who sees all the quirks and tensions. And the rich and comfortable have a lot of quirks. This is the only one of the three in the series I've read, but it stood on its own well. The mystery was okay. I think the author played fairly, that we knew most of the clues along with Peter. It felt like a standard mystery, which is fine. I like guest house mysteries, whether they be in the Hamptons or the English countryside. I did guess the killer, but only because it was the best option, not because I had it all figured out. The book was bit racier than I would have expected, more so than...
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Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton

by Carol3 Comments
Janet Evanovich can be hit and miss for me. I'm not sure which category Curious Minds falls into. I like Knight and Moon. He is over the top eccentric, but cute and funny. Moon follows the rules, usually, but ends of having to go along with Knight. They are a good couple, and the dialogue at times is laugh-out-loud funny, but I'm not quite buying the sparks yet. I think for the pair of them, this was a good first novel. I think I'll enjoy them in later books, as long as the plot is a bit better. The whole conspiracy in this one was just over the top. Brothers working together to steal money from the Federal Reserve and more or less control all the world's economy, I think. The conspiracy reaches into the NSA and the Supreme Court. Maybe something like that could happen, but it stretched believability for me. It's just too big for the wacko and side kick to deal with...
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The Boscombe Valley Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle

by Carol1 Comment
I was going running/walking at the park the other night and didn't have anything to listen to. I found "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" on Audible's Mystery Channel and it was just the perfect length for how long I wanted to spend exercising. I have been a Sherlock Holmes fan forever, but I don't remember reading this one before. That doesn't necessarily mean I haven't though - I don't have the best memory. What seems like an open and shut case - James McCarthy killed his father - of course isn't and it's up to Sherlock Holmes to prove James' innocence. There's not much action, but we do see Holmes doing a thorough crime scene investigation, even making use of his knowledge of tobacco ash. I guessed who the killer was, although I didn't know all the ins and outs of why. For a short story, the motive is pretty complicated and I enjoyed the solution. Holmes softer side comes through a bit...
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Murder in a Wish-Book House by Wayne Zurl

by Carol1 Comment
Murder in a Wish-Book House is a novella that's heavy on plot, light on character, but is definitely enjoyable and a good little mystery. Sam Jenkins is a police chief in small town Tennessee, but he used to be a New York detective so he's got plenty of experience, friends on call and a bit of an attitude - all of which help him out here. The narrator does a great job with Sam, giving him a bit of that New York accent. At first the mystery seems simple enough, but there's a bit of a twist that worked well. Sam is used to knowing what's going on, he's good at reading people and tough to fool, but this time around someone gets the better of him. There's action, blood, some good dialogue. A lot's crammed into this hour of audio. It's available on the Audible mystery channel, free for members. I think it makes a nice introduction to the series, even though...
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A Midsummer’s Equation by Keigo Higashino

by Carol2 Comments
Higashino might be one of my favorite authors. A Midsummer's Equation is the fourth of his mysteries I've read I've read. It's the third Detective Galileo translated into English but the 6th in the series. It doesn't matter; the ones I've read definitely stand-alone. As the blurb above says, Manabu Yukawa is at a run-down resort town to attend a conference when, surprise, surprise, someone gets murdered. Yukawa is a physicist - good at observing, logical, thoughtful, quiet. He's that character that knows what's going on but isn't going to brag about it. We also get to see his more caring side here. He becomes friends with a boy who is also staying in town and they have some very good scenes together. His concern for the boy is what pulls him into the case, and his natural tendency to get involved in mysteries - he is the series' star. A lot of mystery blurbs talk about a surprise twist, but Higashino actually lives up to...
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Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

by Carol2 Comments
I picked up Missing, Presumed because a.) I enjoy mysteries and b.) the blurb sounded interesting. I was expecting the standard police procedural, but what I got was more about the characters than the plot. I thought it was excellent, but if you're looking for a standard formulaic mystery, this isn't it. If you care about the people involved, about their flaws and strengths, their disillusionments and personal struggles, pick it up. It's more a general fiction than mystery to me, if that makes sense. It's not a puzzle with a neat set of clues and a clever wrap-up. Don't get me wrong, I love those too, but this one is less linear, slower pace with lots of side-tracking. Although Edith is the missing, presumed dead woman, Manon is the star, but she's complicated. In hindsight, she may have a few too many issues, but while reading the book I loved her. She's tough and smart, but lonely and needy. She's probably...
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