Cloak and Dagger 2024 – Page 8

Murder at Ravenswood House by Louise Marley

May 13, 2024May 12, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

We first met Milla Graham and DI Ben Taylor in Murder a Raven's Edge and saw the beginnings of their rather complicated relationship. So we're not surprised that at the beginning of Murder at Ravenswood House, Milla is meeting a friend/ex-boyfriend, rockstar Lorcan Black, in the evening at his house without letting Ben know. And when she runs into a problem, it's not Ben she turns to but rather PI Kieran Drake to help clean up the mess. But when a woman's headless body is found in the pond and Lorcan is discovered asleep on a crypt covered in blood, it will be tough to keep anything secret. This time around Ben's family and history are at the forefront. Ben has tried for years to distance himself from his rather notorious family, but this case is bringing them all back together. I love the characters, Ben, of course, is dealing with his own past while trying to figure out what's going...

The Devil’s Flute Murders by Seishi Yokomizo

May 10, 2024May 10, 2024 by Carol2 Comments

The Devil’s Flute Murders is set in 1947, as Japan continues its slow recovery from WWII. A young woman, Mineko, asks Kindaichi for help. Mineko's father, Viscount Tsubaki, was found dead, apparently of suicide, but it seems that his ghost is haunting their family, especially her mother Akiko. It turns into a complex case with multiple murders, questions of ghostly visitation, a family history that must be explored, and many family members, friends, and servants living on the estate grounds. It's an atmospheric mystery, with the potential ghost, spooky music, even bad weather all playing into the feeling. The book is also full of period detail. Following the war, Japan is dealing with a lot, including planned blackouts, crowded trains with hard to obtain tickets, food shortages, and bombed and lost homes, some of which contribute to the plot. I listened to the audio. The narrator did a good job with the pronunciations and accents, as far as I could tell, and...

Murder at Raven’s Edge by Louise Marley

May 9, 2024May 2, 2024 by Carol1 Comment

I truly enjoyed Murder at Raven's Edge. Milla Graham has returned to her childhood home for reasons of her own. At the same time, Inspector Ben Graham has a case which may be linked to the death of Milla's mother, Rosemary, 18 years ago. But is Milla really Milla Graham? Milla was presumed to have died in a fire the same night her mother was killed. Things get more complicated when Ben realizes he ight be falling in love with Milla, who lies as easily as breathing but is so likeable. She's a member of a wealthy family but feels very much alone. Ben is a divorced cop who doesn't always play by the rules, but is also uncomfortable straying too far from them. He's also very competent at his job and has learned when to trust his instincts. The setting was interesting. It's a quirky, small English town, but this one leans into its witchy history. The book just worked really...

The Widening Stain by W. Bolingbroke Johnson

May 3, 2024May 3, 2024 by Carol2 Comments

The Widening Stain is a quirky, funny and humorous mystery from 1942. It's set at a university and the cast are professors and staff. When Mademoiselle Coindreau, the French assistant professor, is found dead in the library, apparently having fallen off a ladder, the police assume it's an accident. Gilda Gorham, the Chief Catalogurer, is suspicious, however. Too many things just don't make sense, so she begins a discrete investigation. The mystery was fine. We have several suspects including professors and the chief librarian, but Gilda maybe spends more time thinking about who the killer is than actually trying to solve the case. The book shines in its setting and dialogue. The author knows academia well and pokes fun at it just enough. The characters are entertaining and don't see how funny they are. The word play is fabulous, including more limericks than I've ever come across in one book before. I listened to the audio, which worked well for me....

The Taste of Datura by Lorenzo Petruzziell

April 24, 2024April 23, 2024 by Carol1 Comment

The Taste of Datura is set in Naples and does a fabulous job of bringing the city to life - the place, food, people, and some of the mythology. Nick is in Naples when he is contacted by a black market dealer about a bracelet he has in his possession. Turns out there are several people interested in the bracelet, which makes Nick curious about its history and meaning. I was not in love with Nick. I didn't quite understand what his profession was, if he had one. He's resourceful and stubborn but has little common sense when pretty women are involved. The book is fast-paced with plenty of action, violence, and tension. We've also got a touch of the paranormal, too, with Laura who is a medium. Her visions center around the bracelet and the people touched by it. She's nice but a little too trusting for my taste. The mystery here is why the bracelet is so important and...

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

April 19, 2024April 19, 2024 by Carol3 Comments

Every time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a great title and the setting is fabulous. Bestselling author Eleanor Dash is on a book tour in Italy with several other authors, her ex-lover, and about 20 contest-winning fans. A fictionalized version of the ex-, Connor, is one of the main characters in Eleanor's mystery series, and he has been using that to his advantage for years. Now, however, Connor is convinced someone is trying to kill him. Of course, Eleanor does want him dead, but only the fictional version of course. This book was fun enough. We've got murder, lies, gorgeous scenery, and even a touch of romance. Eleanor is a good character. She's writing the story that we're hearing. (I listened to the audiobook.) She breaks the fourth on a regular basis, either pointing something out to the reader or reassuring us. She also includes a lot of footnotes, but on the audio, they just blended in to the...