Carol's Notebook

In Scales of Justice, Marsh takes a calm little town, throws in a murder, and exposes the dark corners of everyone's closets. It's an enjoyable whodunnit. By the way, think fish scales when you read the title. It reminds me of the titles of many of today's cozies, with their play on words and puns. Swevenings is picturesque village where the upper class may be a little snobbish and eccentric, but overall it's a pleasant place, no scandal, no black spots. Well, that is until Colonel Cartarette is murdered, his body found lying beside the peaceful trout stream. Inspector Roderick Alleyn is called in to investigate, and all the residents' secrets, jealousies, and past indiscretions come out. And they are quite a mixed group, from the widower with too many cats to the older, heavy-set woman who enjoys painting. There's also a young couple quite obviously falling in love, as often appears in Mash's mysteries. First of all, I have to say...

I had actually plannedon reading and reviewing The Haunted Hotel by Wilkie Collins last month for Venice in February, but totally ran out of time. I'm glad I went ahead and read it though. It's kind of a gothic horror story/ mystery, a bit unbelievable, but definitely spooky. The story opens with a mysterious woman, Countess Narona, asking a doctor if he thinks she is going mad. She is a widow engaged to be married to Lord Montbarry, man who has jilted his previous fiancée. She explains to the doctor that when she met this other woman she "turned cold from head to foot, and shuddered, and shivered, and knew what a deadly panic of fear was, for the first time in [her] life." The doctor leaves the encounter with the mysterious woman with the distinct, if unfounded, impression that she is in fact wicked. We soon meet Agnes Lockwood, the woman who was deserted by Montbarry. She is a charming, kind,...