Book Reviews – Page 87 – Carol's Notebook

The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths by Olivier Barde-Cabuçon

January 19, 2021February 18, 2021 by Carol6 Comments

The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths is the first in a series by Barde-Cabuçon, but it's the only one currently translated to English. Hopefully, they'll get around to the rest soon because I really enjoyed it. The story takes place in 1759 Paris, somewhere between the shiny halls of Versailles ruled by debauched Louis XV and his cohorts, and the dirty, dangerous hovels of Parisian suburbs inhabited by the desperately poor. The general population of Paris is seething with resentment, misery, and anger, on the brink of revolution, while the elites seem oblivious to both the inequity and the risks.On the streets of Paris, a horribly mutilated body of a young woman is discovered; the inquiry into her death quickly leads into dangerous territory – to the boudoirs of Versailles, where terminally bored Louis XV is mostly preoccupied with his newest sexual conquests. The detective who has taken on the case is Chevalier de Volnay, named the Inspector of...

Bone Canyon by Lee Goldberg

January 4, 2021February 18, 2021 by Carol3 Comments

Bone Canyon takes off a few months after the end of Lost Hills, book one in the series. Since the second book builds on the first, I’d advise reading them in order. Eve has continued in the Homicide unit and still is partnered with Duncan, who reminds her at every juncture of his upcoming retirement. With that in mind, Duncan lets Eve take the lead on their case, a body that has been uncovered by recent wildfires in the Santa Monica area. The body has been there for years, but was clearly the victim of a murder. And we know that Eve is not one to give up on a case. Another body is found in the same area, so Eve and Duncan have a couple lines of investigation. As Eve uncovers more evidence, she finds information that may put her in danger and most definitely pits her against others in the Sheriff department. I love Duncan. Eve can be a...

Mistletoe Murder by Leslie Meier

December 30, 2020December 30, 2020 by CarolNo Comments

Mistletoe Murder is the first of the Lucy Stone mysteries, set in the fictional seaside town of Tinker's Cove, Maine. Lucy is mom to three, wife to Bill, and second shift telephone sale rep for the community's biggest employer, Country Cousins. As you can guess from the title, it's Christmastime. While on break one night, Lucy finds her employer, Sam Miller, dead in his car, a murder staged as suicide. But who would want to kill the company's likable boss? Though Lucy is busy with Christmas preparations, she can't resist doing a little investigating of her own. When friendly local policeman, Barney, loses control of his vehicle and ends up in a coma, the stakes rise. What did Barney know that made him a threat to the killer? I like the small town atmosphere. Meier does such a nice job of capturing everyday life, whether that’s working in a call center, everyone in a small town knowing one another, or covering childcare...

A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer

December 27, 2020December 27, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

A British country house Christmas party may be my favorite setting for a murder. Joseph and his wife, Maud, live at Nathaniel's grand home. Joseph has organized a Christmas party, even though he seems to be the only one in a festive mood. Like any good Christmas party, we've got a ill-matched bunch of relatives, significant others, a family friend, and a business partner. Nathaniel is a difficult and argumentative man, who has fights with just about everyone at the house. When he is killed, there are a plethora of suspects and plenty of motives, mostly revolving around who inherits Nathanial’s fortune. The murder obviously puts a damper on the Christmas celebrations. This was a good read, clever and funny. We've got a locked room mystery that makes for a good puzzle for the investigator. I adored Maud, placid, unruffled, unwilling to play hostess. She just wants to find her missing book. And how can you not enjoy a mystery that...

Murder at Mistletoe Manor by Holly Tierney-Bedord

December 24, 2020December 27, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

Thirty-four-year-old Klarinda Snow runs Mistletoe Manor, an inn/restaurant in Windy Pines, Idaho. When seven rooms are booked on a Tuesday night in December Klarinda finds it odd - the inn doesn't usually have that much business in December. But no sooner do the guests arrive and get settled in before many accidental deaths start occurring. And now they are snowed in. Who could be behind the deaths? And are all these guests connected somehow? This was an enjoyable mystery. I liked the snowy location of the inn. The story took place around Christmas even though there wasn't that much Christmas in it. Many of my favorite moments were the humorous inner musings and observations of the innkeeper, although I enjoyed the quirky secondary characters too. The cops were so incredibly incompetent, even more so than usual. Overall, though, it's funny and cute. Maybe the killer is too easy to spot, but I'll overlook that. Overall, it was a quick, easy listen,...

Murder at an Irish Christmas by Carlene O’Connor

December 18, 2020December 18, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

Murder at an Irish Christmas is the 6th installment in the Irish Village Mystery series, but the first I've read. It worked fine as a stand alone. I felt like I got to know the characters well and was given enough of the backstory but not too much. Siobhán and her family are spening Christmas with the family of James’ fiancé, Elise. Siobhán is a bit apprehensive about her brother’s engagement, but is still looking forward to a peaceful Christmas with all of them together. Of course, that's before the murder is discovered. Elise's grandfather, Enda Elliott, renowned conductor is found dead. His body is on the floor of the old mill, the very place where the village is panning on hosting a Christmas concert that Enda was to conduct. There are suspects galore, although for some reason the local garda is just focussed on one, Theodore Baskins, the village's bad boy. Siobhán thinks there's more to it and Enda's...