Imogen Church – Carol's Notebook

The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro

February 29, 2024March 15, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

The Highgate Cemetery Murder opens with the discovery of the gruesome murder a young woman on the morning of All Saints’ Day, 1858, who is displayed on a cross in Highgate Cemetery with a pig’s heart around her neck. A journalist who may have witnessed the crime falls under the wheels of an omnibus and is killed. Gemma Tate, a nurse recently returned from the Crimea, is the sister of the journalist and doesn’t believe his death was an accident. Sebastian Bell is the police officer assigned to investigate the murder of the young woman victim in the cemetery. Soon the two begin working together against Bell's better judgement to solve the two suspicious deaths. This book is a little darker than what I usually read. The details around the murder really are horrific. And this is not a romanticized Victorian London; it's dirty, grim, and harsh for many that live there. The author shows us the prejudices, class distinctions, and...

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

July 2, 2019July 2, 2019 by Carol8 Comments

So, if I had to pick a favorite genre I would choose mystery, but I can narrow it down even farther: mysteries that take place in country houses over the holidays. These tend to be vintage mysteries, which I love, but The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley fits right into that category too. The holiday is New Year's and the country house is actually a remote resort in Scotland, where the group of friends has been isolated from the outside world by a blizzard. We know from the first page that one of them is dead, but we don't know who exactly the victim is until the last few chapters. I was impressed by how well Foley kept unfolding the secrets and clues bit by bit, without letting on who either the killer or the victim was. I can't think of a book I've read lately that kept the suspense going that well. The friends are not nice, likable people. They're like...

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

May 30, 2016May 23, 2016 by Carol2 Comments

Did you read the blurb above? It sounds really good, doesn't it? First off, i like house party murder mysteries, so the glass house in the middle of the woods with a small cast of characters appealed to me. Add an unreliable narrator and secrets of the past and it should have been a winner. Unfortunately, all the characters were annoying and juvenile and the big surprise wasn't that surprising. I didn't care about Nora and found her agreement to go to the party unlikely. Add in her obsession with a high school boyfriend character and she was just a pretty sad character who I didn't relate to or sympathize. Actually, I was hoping for a final twist that took into account her knowledge from crime writing, but no, she just puts herself in a dangerous position alone with the killer like so many amateur female detectives. Really, when will they learn to at least tell someone where they're going? I...