Purchased – Page 12 – Carol's Notebook

Murder at Hartigan House by Lee Strauss

January 23, 2023January 20, 2023 by Carol2 Comments

Murder at Hartigan House picks up where Murder on the S.S. Rosa left off. Ginger has just arrived back at Hartigan House in London where she grew up, to take care of her deceased father's estate and decide what she wants to do with the house. The house has been shut up for the past 10 years and has just been readied for her return. There is some distressing news, however. Pippins, the family's long-time butler, has discovered the body of a woman. When circumstances and evidence begin to point towards her father, Ginger decides to investigate and once again finds herself "assisting" Chief Inspector Basil Reed. If I'm ever involved in a murder, remind me not to go the "party" where all the people who were at the event when the person was killed get together again. It never turns out well. Either somebody else gets killed, like in this story, or I'd end up getting accused of murder. The mystery...

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

January 12, 2023March 21, 2023 by Carol6 Comments

Seven years ago a ship, the Atargatis, sailed to the Mariana Trench looking for mermaids. Imagine Network planned to make a huge amount of money off the planned mockumentary. Instead, the entire crew was lost at sea and only raw video footage to show what happened. They had found mermaids - and mermaids are not friendly. Now, the entertainment company is planning a second voyage. A film crew and a large group of diverse scientists are going back to find out what happened and to prove mermaids exist. Diverse in disciplines - marine biologists, cetologists, chemical biologists, cryptid hunters, and diverse in backstories - sexual orientations, disabilities, financial resources, and cultural backgrounds. Some of the scientists have personal reasons for going, like Tory whose sister died on the Atargatis and Dr. Toth whose life's work has been centered on Sirens. Others are approaching it as a cruise where they get to do their own research, not believing in the mermaids. I...

Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen

January 9, 2023January 12, 2023 by Carol6 Comments

Lavender House was a satisfying mystery, but the characters and setting made it outstanding. San Francisco, 1952. Andy was a police detective until he was caught in a raid with his pants down at a gay bar. Fired, disgraced, and shunned, he is contemplating throwing himself into the Bay. Then he is approached by Pearl, who asks him to investigate the murder of her wife, Irene Lamontaine, the head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. Irene was killed at Lavender House, the family estate which is also a haven for the queer Lamontaine family and their staff. The mystery is fairly straightforward, although there are reasons to suspect most of the members of the household. The author does a good job with the historical part of the mystery, really setting it in its time and place, And the characters are fabulous - loving, hopeful, damaged, afraid, confident. I listened to the audiobook and while the narrator was sometimes a little...

Scoundrel by Sarah Weinman

January 6, 2023January 6, 2023 by Carol6 Comments

I knew nothing about Edgar Smith, or William F. Buckley, Jr. for that matter, before picking up this book. Turns out Smith was a psychopath, a manipulator, an author, and a murderer. Buckley was rich and the founder and editor-in-chief of the conservative National Review. Sophie Wilkins, the third, less-famous, piece of the triangle was a rather gullible editor at Alfred A. Knopf. The story of how Edgar Smith manipulated his friends, the legal system, and the public was interesting, but I don't understand his appeal. I can't see why they believed him, how he eventually got out of prison - only to almost kill again I should add. Weinman took us through his correspondence and conversations - it's a well-researched book. I would have liked a bit more discussion about how his experiences fit in with the larger issues regarding prison reform, race, and politics of the era....

The Christmas Caper by Gigi Pandian

January 4, 2023January 4, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

Edinburgh at Christmas sounds wonderful. In this short story, Tempest is asked by her grandmother's friend to figure out how a painting was stolen from a museum, a seemingly impossible crime. The plot is pretty straightforward, but I loved the setting. The author does a fabulous job at bringing Edinburgh and its Christmas market to life. I would really love to visit sometime. One of my favorite fictional bookstores even gets a mention. Tempest is her usual clever self and her grandparents are a joy. We don't get to know the new characters well, but they worked fine for the story. There are also a couple of recipes in the back that sound delicious. I haven't tried the yet though....

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

January 3, 2023January 3, 2023 by Carol11 Comments

The Paston Treasure, commissioned by either Sir Robert Paston or his father Sir William Paston in the early 1670s A painting, a copy of The Paston Treasure, is found in a bricked-up attic room, but it contains hidden messages and puzzles. During the graduation ceremony at the École Polytechnique, the women who were killed and injured during the Montreal massacre in '89 are remembered. Fiona, a woman found guilty of murder when she was 14, has been paroled, thanks in part to Gamache, and is staying along with her brother in Three Pines after her graduation from that same school. Harriet, the niece of Myrna, the bookstore owner, is also graduating and spending time in Three Pines. A local woman has been murdered, staged as a suicide. Penny takes so many threads and pulls them all together in a complex, tension-filled story. Gamache knows he and his family are under threat, but the damage could come from any of several directions. Sam,...