The Fat Man by Ken Harmon

by Carol3 Comments
The Fat Man by Ken Harmon I'm sitting here munching on butter cookies that one of the carpet cleaning/restoration companies dropped off at work. You know the kind that comes in the tin and you only get at Christmas. They're not very good, but I do love anything sweet. I'm kind of like an elf that way. Elves are fueled by sugar. Cookies, candy, cakes, pies - an elf's sweet tooth is primal and not picky. Need six million Poopy Droopy Diaper Dolls with Wipe-Away by sundown? Toss a handful of elves a couple of sleeves of chocolate chip cookies and get out of the way. During the Christmas of '88, when it seemed like every tyke in the hemisphere was clamoring for the Z-Box's Grandma Hostage Ninja Rescue, Santa stepped up production with a few dozen rhubarb pies and a turbocharged how chocolate. (pg. 133) But this "Tale of North Pole Noir" is definitely not sugary sweet. Gumdrop Coal has...
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Escapade by Walter Satterthwait

by Carol8 Comments
Escapade by Walter Satterthwait I finally finished this last night. I wish I could say I liked it. It seems like it should be right up my alley - great characters, including Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a murder, a locked room, an English country manor. Throw in some "ghosts" and a séance and you can see why I was drawn to it. Unfortunately I was bored. Phil Beaumont is a Pinkerton detective whose current assignment is to guard Houdini from a rival magician. He accompanies Houdini to a weekend gathering at and English country manor where there are several other guests, including a slightly nutty Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. the old Earl is murdered, Phil and Houdini decide to investigate with the help of another guest's paid companion, Jane Turner. Jane is a very competent young lady and holds her own in the story. "Someone meant to kill her?" she asked me. "Sounds like it." "But that's insane," said Mrs. Corneill. "Why...
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Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler

by Carol9 Comments
Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler I do love Christmas mysteries, a combination of my favorite things really. Murder and theft for the holiday. This book collects 17 stories by am amazing list of writers. Each original story was commissioned by Otto Penzler, one a year beginning in 1993, printed and given to his bookstore customers as a holiday gift. The only requirements were that the story must take place during the Christmas season, involve a mystery and have a least some of the action take place at the Mysterious Bookshop in New York. I am so happy that he's sharing the stories with the rest of us! Each of the stories is written by a well-known author in the genre, and they vary from light-hearted and heart-warming to dark, like "The 74th Tale" by Jonathan Santlofer where a man discovers Poe and a penchant for burying people alive, and everywhere in between. As with most collections, I had...
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Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson

by Carol3 Comments
Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson Crispin is on the case again. This time a tavern girl comes to Crispin for help; whe has a dead man in room, killed by an arrow. It becomes even more complicated when Crispin discovers he is one of three Frenchmen bringing a religious relic to the King - Christ's crown of thorns. And someone's attempting to kill the King. I read this book while ago and had to return it, so I just have a few comments. I enjoyed this "medieval noir." Crispin, a former knight now peasant, is coming to learn what is truly important to him. He's smart, sexy, resourceful, a good hero. The book had several similarities to the first in the series - a woman in distress, a religious relic, but the story was well-plotted and did keep me guessing until the end. Once again, I love the setting, London in the late 1300's, and I'm beginning to feel like...
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A Fatal Feast by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

by Carol7 Comments
A Fatal Feast by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain I was looking for a Thanksgivingy book and saw this at my library, so I had to pick it up. I remember watching the Murder, She Wrote series on TV back in the 80s or 90s, so I was familiar with the characters and setting. Yes, I was a mystery lover even then. Jessica Fletcher has a guest in town for Thanksgiving, her would-be beau George Sutherland, a Scotland Yard Investigator. I have to say that Jessica is more attractive and adventurous than I remember her, flying planes and flirting with men. Of course, maybe my memory has tamed her over the years. Anyway, Jessica is preparing a Thanksgiving feast and the list of people who are planning on being there keeps growing, including and odd drifter who has been hanging out in the road in front of her house and her new neighbors, an odd couple themselves. It's really no surprise, though, when...
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Acqua Alta by Donna Leon

by Carol7 Comments
Acqua Alta by Donna Leon I just had a really nice lunch hour. It's beautiful outside, sunny but not too warm, so I took the dog for a walk and listened to Aqua Alta. Then I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich with American cheese and apples and finished listening to the mystery. Mind you, the fact that it was American cheese is notable simply because usually I have to use cheddar, Amber hates American. Like I mentioned I listened to the audio version of this read by Anna Fields. This is actually the fifth in the series but my first introduction to Guido Brunetti, a policeman in Venice. I didn't feel like I missed anything major by not reading any of the others first, although I guess a couple of the other characters, my two favorites actually, also had parts in a previous book. Brunetti is investigating the brutal beating of a friend of his, American art historian Brett Lynch. Before her...
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