At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie

At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie

by CarolNo Comments
Miss Marple is staying at the luxurious and old-fashioned Bertram's Hotel as a gift from her nephew, author Raymond West. She find several other interesting characters staying there, including the rather colorful Lady Bess Sedgwick, a dithering old Colonel and his pretty ward, Elvira Blake. The famous racing car driver, Ladislav, is also hanging around. All things considered, Miss Marple sees trouble coming. Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Davies had been investigating a string of large, successful robberies with little progress. Add in an absent-minded cleric and we have an interesting, twisty, if slow-moving mystery. I listened to the audio and the narrator did a great job with the variety of characters and kept the story moving along at an appropriate place. I wish I could go stay at Bertram's Hotel, or at least one like it was pretending to be. I think I need a vacation....
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One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie

by CarolNo Comments
We all know I love Agatha Christie and Poirot has always been my favorite of her detectives, but I can't really pick a favorite when it comes to the stories. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe is not it, although it's a good one. A dentist dies of a gunshot wound in the middle of the day and it is believed to be a case of suicide by everyone, except Hercule Poirot who was a patient of his and had visited him the very same day. It's nice to have Poirot in at the very beginning, noticing potential suspects even before the crime is committed. As usual, Poirot observes and suspects far more than the police and doesn't take anyone's word as gospel. The mystery is solid with a nice mix of family drama and international tension - this was originally published mid- WW2. The characters themselves are a bit forgettable though. And, as always, Hugh Fraser does a fantastic job...
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Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

by CarolNo Comments
This time around Poirot happens to be passing through Iraq and is called upon by the local authorities to look into a suspicious death. Dr. Leidner is in charge of an archaeological dig. There are tensions among the members of the party and Dr. Leidner has hired a nurse, Amy Leatheran, to look after his wife, who has been overly nervous. Then, his wife ends up murdered. Nurse Leatheran is our narrator this time around. She has not known the members of the dig for long and has her own opinions about their personalities and what's been going on. We also see Poirot and his investigation through her eyes and she's not always complimentary. The characters are drawn well, with their secrets, fears, and jealousies. The whodunnit is not great. It just seems rather unlikely all around, but I still enjoyed the book....
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Crooked House by Agatha Christie

Crooked House by Agatha Christie

by CarolNo Comments
Crooked House is one of Christie's stand-alone mysteries. We have three generations of the Leonides family all living under the roof of the wealthy grandfather, Aristide. When Aristide is murdered, all the household comes under suspicion. His granddaughter Sophia tells our narrator and her fiancé, Charles Hayward, that they cannot marry until the killer is caught. Charles' father happens to be the Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard, so Charles investigates from the inside along with assigned detective, Chief Inspector Taverner. The Leonides family members are an interesting, mostly unlikeable lot and any of them could have a motive - money, control. There are plenty of tensions and secrets. Charles makes a decent amateur sleuth and this one is more about uncovering family dynamics and tensions than concrete clues. The whodunnit is surprising, but makes total sense....
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Dark Chocolate Demise by Jenn McKinlay

Dark Chocolate Demise by Jenn McKinlay

by CarolNo Comments
The Cupcake Bakery Mysteries are typical cozies. This time around Mel, Angie, and the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew have the truck set up at a local zombie walk. Of course, the event takes a horrible turn when one of the "zombies" is killed and left in their prop casket, a zombie whose outfit is strikingly similar to Angie's. I've complained before about over-arching storylines taking over a series. This time, it's Joe's super-important, super-dangerous case against a mob boss. It came up in the book previous to this one, maybe, when Joe had to break up with Mel. (But don't worry, he's still spying on her.) Since Joe is Angie's brother, everyone's worried that she might have been the actual target. The mystery is pretty obvious. And I'm tired of Angie and Mel's love lifes. Of course, next time I can't decide what to read, I'll probably borrow #8 from the library. The characters are decent and I love cupcakes....
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Death in the Spires by KJ Charles

Death in the Spires by KJ Charles

by Carol1 Comment
I don't really know where to start with Death in the Spires. Jem, our main character/amateur sleuth, has just lost his job thanks to an anonymous letter accusing him of murder. It's not a surprise. He's been getting letters on and off for ten years and he is tired - tired of the insinuations, tired of the not knowing, tired of his empty room. So he decides it's time to ask questions and find a killer. Jem is not a "good" amateur sleuth. What he is is dogged and determined. The story is told from his point of view, both in the present, 1905, and ten years before. We see the school and the people through his eyes, and he's not without biases. It's a sad, moody book and even the weather plays along, with plenty of fog and drizzle, and clear, but melancholy, nights. We have a closed circle of suspects. It had to be one of the six...
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