Félicie is only the second Maigret book I've read and I don't think I have a good feel for the character or the writing yet. This time around an old man is found murdered in his cottage in a picturesque village outside of Paris. The actual focus of the book though, is his young housekeeper, Félicie, who was the only other resident of the house and who inherits it, to everyone's surprise.
Félicie is infuriating for Maigret, but has his full attention. She's headstrong, impetuous, angry, and trying desperately to control what she allows Maigret to see and know, but there's more going on than she realizes. Maigret's team is methodical, while his instincts tell him to keep arguing, cajoling, and spending time with Félicie. Turns out he's right and the clues she unwillingly gives him lead to the solution.
I listened to the audio and thought the narrator did a good job with Maigret's voice and keeping the other characters...
I liked Fatality in F a little more than the previous one in the series. It's back to more solid ground, or at least as solid as it can be when a ghost is around. Gethsemane is one of those amateur sleuths who has a knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and usually discovering a dead body in the process. This time around a rose show has come to Dunmullach and one of the competitors, who is also Gethsemane's friend Frankie's main rival, is found dead with a pair of garden shears sticking out of his back. In the meantime, Frankie is receiving bouquets reminiscent of the Flower Shop Killer of decades ago.
The plot moves along at a nice pace. We had several suspects, clues, red herrings, and several secret agendas. We also learn a bit about the language of flowers and plant-based pharmaceuticals.
I like Gethsemane. She a brilliant musician. She's strong and independent....
In a small, remote town in Sweden, two eighteen year-old boys leave a party only to discover the next day that one of their friends has been found murdered in the trunk of a car. Each of the boys is a suspect, but the case is never solved. Twenty years later, another man is killed and old secrets are uncovered.
It took me a while to get into this one. A lot of the names are unfamiliar to me, which can make the characters and places more difficult to keep track of. We had several points of view with the detectives and boys which worked well in the long run, but made it harder to connect to the characters at first. The story also takes place over twenty years and it takes a while before some of the scenes tie in with the rest.
At some point, though, the story had me hooked. The plot is multi-layered and so many...
Ayoola, our murderer in My Sister, the Serial Killer, is entirely different from the serial killer in the last book I read. She's beautiful and charming. She doesn't brag, but justifies and makes excuses. Ayoola kills men she dates and calls her older sister, Korede, to help her clean up afterward. She often tells Korede that the man attacked or threatened her, but the book opens with the third dead man Korede has helped deal with, and Ayoola never has any bruises.
The sisters are opposites. Ayoola is lovely, outgoing, flirty and a talented clothing designer. Korede is quiet, self-contained, and good at her job as a nurse. But they are sisters and Korede will do what she needs to to protect Ayoola. We are told the story from Korede's point of view and given her thoughts on her life, her sister, their family, the police, She has an interesting perspective, unusual when it comes to serial killer novels....
I like this series. I enjoy Ernest's narration and how often and well he breaks the fourth wall. I typically find them amusing and clever. This time around, however, the choices he makes just seem ridiculous.
Ernest and his fiancée, Juliette, go to a bank trying to get a loan to open a detective agency. They've been to several banks and this one is essentially their last hope. Instead, the bank manager hires him to find his brother who has gone missing along with the code to the vault. Then a bank robber takes them all hostage and things start to spiral out of control.
I like the set-up, that everyone is a thief of some kind, and there were a couple of very good twists. Some parts were downright funny and took full advantage of the characters and world the author's created. The hostages are an interesting bunch and it would be tough to keep control of. I'm fine with storyline...
Annie and Fletcher, from the Secret Bookcase Mysteries, have opened up their detective agency and have their first case. Kelly Taylor, a talented surfer and activist, recently drowned in her bathtub, but her elderly neighbor is convinced the young woman was murdered.
I like Annie and Fletcher and their friends. They're smart and dedicated. They also have a good relationship with the police and have no problem keeping them updated or calling them in when necessary. Annie's boyfriend is handsome and caring and supportive and her best friend is adorable and a whiz with coffee. Annie's life is pretty good, aside from almost getting killed. There are no conflicts with her friends or employees. The town she lives in is appropriately cozy and walkable. Even the crows like her. Yes, we're told parts of her background have been tough, but it's really no surprise that with her first case, she solves a murder, uncovers a drug dealing operation, and gets...
