Audiobook – Carol's Notebook

Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

May 19, 2025May 19, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

Poirot is on holiday at a secluded hotel on an island in Devon and, as always, is very much interested in the people around him. The other guests are a varied lot, including an actress and her family, a young married couple, and several single individuals. Most of the conversation (gossip) centers around the actress, Arlena Marshall, who is obviously flirting (having an affair) with Patrick Redfern, upsetting both her husband and Patrick's wife. When Arlena is found dead, strangled, at one of the coves, no one seems surprised. Evil Under the Sun is not kind to its women characters. With one or two exceptions, their importance/ relevancy to the plot comes from the men in their lives. But the plot is clever and the clues fit together well. I liked the setting too. The small, isolated hotel seemed relaxing, until with the murder it becomes isolated and claustrophobic. I listened to the audiobook narrated by David Suchet and feel like...

Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie

May 16, 2025May 16, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

Most Agatha Christie's are rereads for me, including Cards on the Table. I remembered the setup. Mr. Shaitana invites Poirot to a dinner party, promising to introduce him to one of his collections, murders who have gotten away with their crimes. It turns out there are four "murderers" and four of Christie's detectives, Poirot, Colonel Race, Superintendent Battle, and Ariadne Oliver, at the dinner. After dinner, they play bridge and by the end of the night Shaitana is dead. It's a clever mystery. We only have four suspects, but figuring out which one is guilty is not as easy as it seems. All of them have the same motive - Shaitana made several veiled references to the crimes and, if they were actually guilty, any of them may have been afraid he would go to the police. Poirot is the lead, but he does a nice job collaborating with the others. It's fun to see the different personalities and...

Death at the Highland Loch by Lydia Travers

May 15, 2025May 15, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

Death at the Highland Loch is an enjoyable, typical historical cozy. Our sleuth is Poppy Proudfoot, a young, well off widow whose parents are in Australia. So she has the money and freedom to more or less do what she wants. She's pretty, smart (she has a law degree), and has the requisite dog, an adorable lab named Major. In this first outing, she has two cases she's working on. Her friend, Lady Constance Balfour, wants her to find out what happened to an bracelet that her husband apparently purchased shortly before his death. And then there's the murdered man down by the lock. Granted Inspector MacKenzie has told her to stay away from the murder investigation, but at least he seems to have a sense of humor about her interference. If nothing else, Poppy is sure of her own competence. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a good job dealing with the large cast and variety of...

The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan

May 14, 2025May 14, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I enjoyed the first in this trilogy, The Justice of Kings. There we met Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an itinerant Justice, his taskman and friend, former soldier Dubine Bressinger, and his clerk and protégé, Helena Sedanka. The Tyranny of Faith starts with our party, including Sir Radomir, former sherriff, going to Sova, the Empire's capital. The Magistratum is in disarray, losing influence and harboring traitors. The Emperor is worried about issues closer to home than Claver, the big bad guy from book 1. The writing is good. The plot moves along at good pace. The world is medieval-esque, with religion wrapped up in politics. And i will probably read the third just to see how it all plays out. The investigation this time around centers on finding the Emperor's grandson, which Vonvalt allows to become more complicated than it is. However- The characters in this just make such bad decisions. Let's trust this lady we've never met before. Granted, so does half the Senate,...

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

May 12, 2025May 12, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I read The Tainted Cup, the first in the series, last year, but apparently didn't review it. I loved it. The world building is amazing and Ana and Din make a fantastic team. I would read it before starting A Drop of Corruption though. This second kind of drops you into the world and Dinios Kol's life. The world revolves around the leviathans, giant sea creatures who "attack" the Empire every wet season. The Empire protects the people from these monsters, but the leviathans' blood has infused the soil, the plants, the creatures. The blood also fuels the Empire's power and technology. Ana Dolabra is an brilliant, but eccentric investigator. Din is her assistant, an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, but he is becoming more adept at putting what he learns together. This time, the two are investigating the disappearance and murder of a Treasury officer, but as soon as Ana...

10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte

May 5, 2025May 5, 2025 by Carol1 Comment

I will admit I picked up 10 Marchfield Square based on the blurb alone. Granted, I've only seen a couple of episodes of Only Murders in the Building and haven't read The Paris Apartment, but I know I would enjoy both of those and a mix of the two sounded. fun. And it was a good pick. Marchfield Square is a close-knit, safe community—until one of its residents is found dead. The elderly and eccentric landlady, Celeste, doesn't trust the cops and recruits two of the other residents of the square to solve the murder, Audrey and Lewis. Audrey, Celeste's cleaner, is personable and knows everyone in the square and some of their secrets. Lewis is a crime writer who's writing career has stalled. He's socially awkward and lives a solitary life, but sees this as a way to kickstart his writing. The interactions between these two are funny and heartwarming. The characters really drive the book. Audrey and Lewis of course,...