Purchased Archives – Carol's Notebook

A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison

March 21, 2023March 21, 2023 by Carol2 Comments

A Spell for Trouble is the first in the Enchanted Bay Mystery series featuring former risk assessor, Alex Daniels. After quitting her job in New York, Alex accepts an offer to visit her Bellamy Bay relatives whom she hasn't seen in many years. Alex is welcomed into the family with open arms and soon joins her Aunt Lidia and cousin, Minka, working at their apothecary shop. But when a troublesome customer is found dead, Lidia is arrested for the murder. Alex is determined to find out who the killer is and prove Lidia’s innocence. Bellamy Bay is a wonderful oceanside setting and the characters are charming. I loved how the author incorporated Alex's family's Polish heritage into the story. The magic was woven into the plot well and it was nice to learn about how the magic worked and the rules around it along with Alex. A Spell for Trouble was fun. The killer wasn't a surprise, but getting there was entertaining....

The Birdcage Murders by Karen Baugh Menuhin

March 17, 2023March 17, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

A man was killed at a dinner at Brundals, a private men's club in London. Lennox happens to be a member although he hasn't been there for years, so Scotland Yard asks him and retired Inspector Swift to go to the club and be the Yard's eyes and ears. Swift is delighted to be working with the Yard again, and while Lennox is a little leery of spying at first, the case soon captures his attention. I have read a lot of mysteries, but I think this may be the first I've come across with this particular method of murder. It's dreadful and very upper-crust. It turns out that all of the people in the dining room when the murder occurred are connected to an unsolved case from 12 years ago when several people were killed when a birdcage automaton exploded. This is the 8th in the series and by now we know Lennox, Swift, and the crew well. I always...

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

March 14, 2023March 14, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

Mossa is an investigator who is in charge of a missing persons case. Or maybe it's a suicide. Or murder. Any which way, a man disappeared from a sparsely populated platform at the edge of the colonized portion of Giant (Jupiter). Turns out the man was on faculty at the University at Valdegeld, as is Mossa's former girlfriend from her college years, Pleiti. So of course, Mossa reconnects with Pleiti and asks for her help. The world was interesting. Humans ruined Earth, so they colonized Jupiter. I liked that it had almost a gaslamp feel. Yes, they're living on platforms above a surfaceless planet, but our characters bundle up against the cold, walk through the swirling storm, have tea and scones on a regular basis. I liked Mossa and Pleiti and their slowly rebuilding relationship. Mossa is our Holmes, brilliant, but a bit emotionally distant and not one to share her theories. Pleite, our narrator and Watson, is loyal and resourceful. I...

Death of a Messenger by Robert McCaw

March 13, 2023March 13, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

I picked up Death of a Messenger because I needed a book set in Hawaii for one of the reading challenges I'm doing. I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed it. It's a good mystery and I learned a lot about Hawaiian history and culture. Hawaiian Detective Koa Kane is called to investigate a grisly murder – a mutilated body discovered in a lava tube at an army training area. The victim is difficult to identify and bears disturbing marks indicating an ancient ritual sacrifice. Further investigation uncovers an unknown archaeological site nearby and leads Kane to wonder if the victim had stumbled across a rare historical secret people will kill to protect. The plot is complicated in a good way. There are several convincing suspects including black market dealers, astronomers, and amateur archeologists, in the case, and enough clues and red herrings to keep the reader, and detective, on their toes. The pace was a bit uneven, but...

The Science of Murder by Carla Valentine

March 8, 2023March 7, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

I am a huge Agatha Christie and read a ton of mysteries, so I couldn't pass up The Science of Murder. The author, Carla Valentine, is a forensic pathology technician and the curator of Barts Pathology Museum in London. She also clearly loves Agatha Christie's work. The book is a fascinating look at the forensics behind Christie’s mysteries and examples from real crimes of the past. The Science of Murder moves through eight chapters that focus on various areas of forensic study like fingerprints, trace evidence, ballistics, handwriting, impressions, blood splatter, and toxicology. While discussing the technical side of gathering and studying these types of evidence, we also get details from Christie's books and her real life. The author talks about some of Christie's most famous plots, without giving too much away. We also learn about Christie's wartime occupations, memberships in murder mystery writer clubs, and work on her second husband’s archeological digs. We also get details about modern forensics and...

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

March 6, 2023March 6, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

I am not a Slasher fan. I watch the Scream movies, but that's about it. So, yes, I missed some of the references, but that doesn't diminish my enjoyment. It also didn't make me want to watch more slasher films though. And I rarely read horror. However, I loved the first in this trilogy, My Heart Is a Chainsaw, that I made Amber buy a copy. Don't Fear the Reaper is just as good. Jade Daniels is our star once again. It's been four years since the Independence Day Massacre, and while this might work as a standalone, knowing the events and characters from the first will definitely make this one richer. Jade and her chosen final girl, Letha, have grown and changed as they've dealt with the consequences. Jade has been in jail and her conviction has just been overturned. Letha is married and has a young daughter. But Jade's back in town, arriving, as is her luck, the same...