A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

by CarolNo Comments
I was looking for something shorter to end my October with and decided I couldn't go wrong with a Sherlock Holmes story. I'm sure I've read A Study in Scarlet at some time in the past, but didn't remember much about it. It's the first of the Holmes stories, the one where he and Watson first meet. Dr. John Watson is back from the war, in London and running a bit low on funds. He isn't able to afford a decent apartment but is introduces to Holmes through a mutual friend. Holmes, as we know, is a "consultant detective", consulted not only by private individuals, but also by Scotland Yard. Soon, Holmes is called to the scene of a murder, and he brings Watson along with him. We get to know a lot about Holmes. He's strange and brilliant and has developed his own methods of detection. Part 2 of this one goes a little amok, off into Utah and Mormonism...
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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

by Carol4 Comments
The Haunting of Hill House is more eerie than scary. Jackson's writing is so tight and so descriptive in ways that make you think about ordinary things, like houses, differently. The plot itself is not outstanding, maybe because it's almost become a template of haunted house stories. Three people, Eleanor, Theodora and Luke, are invited to stay in a supposedly haunted house for the summer to aid a scientist, Dr. Montague, in his pursuit of paranormal investigation. We some started banging, laughs, cold spots, a ghostly scene, but really the story is about Eleanor. We see this world through her eyes. Eleanor's eyes. She is insecure, introverted, and often finds herself fantasizing about her current and future situations. She's not a reliable narrator to any extent. Eleanor is affected by the house more than any of the others. While they all see and feel some of the manifestations, but some she only hears and others are directed at her by...
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The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

by Carol4 Comments
Walter Hartright, is walking down the street, his mind absorbed with his own problems, when suddenly a woman, dressed in white appears. She is clearly scared, and he walks with her toward London, eventually putting her in a cab and seeing her off. Shortly thereafter he is informed by two men who are chasing her that she had escaped from an asylum. And that's all we see of the lady in white for now. Hartright is left with a mystery. He takes a job as a drawing master, instructing two half-sisters as different as night and day. One is fair, and one is dark. One is pretty, and one is…well…unattractive. Marian is brave, brilliant, and resourceful, a marvelous character given the time period. Marian can hold her own. Hartright, of course, falls in love with Laura Fairlie, the fair and beautiful one, an heiress, an orphan, a woman in need of protection. Unfortunately, she is engaged to Sir Percival Glyde....
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An Old Money Murder in Mayfair by Sara Rosett

An Old Money Murder in Mayfair by Sara Rosett

by Carol2 Comments
Olive is staying at the home of her school friend, Gigi, and enjoying the champagne lifestyle of the ‘bright young things’ of the 1920s while employed to look into Gigi's grandmother's fears that someone is trying to hurt her. Of course, grandmother does end up being killed, and several people have motives, not the least of whom is Gigi. If her grandmother did change her will like she threatened, it would be Gigi who was left out in the cold. I enjoy this series. The regular characters feel like old friends and the plots are entertaining. I adore all the 1920s details - the fashion, etiquette, and colloquialism. It also paints a good picture of the gap between the servants, the upper class who have money, and the upper class who don't, like Olive. This feels in a lot of ways like a vintage mystery. It's an easy read, without any real violence or graphic scenes. It's well-written and the solution was...
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Death in Damascus by Karen Baugh Menuhin

Death in Damascus by Karen Baugh Menuhin

by CarolNo Comments
I've been thoroughly enjoying this series. I love Lennox and his relationships with his butler Greggs and with his friend Detective Swift. I love his affection for animals, especially his delightful dog, Mr. Fogg. That being said, I did not enjoy this as much as the others. In this one he and Swift go off to Damascus, Syria, to help out lovely Persi Carruthers, the archaeologist we met in the previous book and who now may be Lennox's love interest. It seems she needs help proving the innocence of her ex-fiance, who has been accused of murder and is in the custody of the French police in Damascus. I don't know if it's the change of scenery, maybe I prefer Lennox to stay in England, or the not very believable romance- Lennox and Persi have little chemistry and most of their interactions are stiff- but this one was just not as good as the first three. Percy's ex-fiance has been accused...
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Murder by the Book edited by Cynthia Manson

Murder by the Book edited by Cynthia Manson

by Carol6 Comments
Like a lot of anthologies, Murder by the Book is a mixed batch. All the stories have some literary connection, whether it be books, or a character or is a writer or whatever, and most have a crime that needs solved. Several authors I've read before and was not surprised that their stories were good like Dorothy L. Sayers (even though I don't think I'll ever be a Wimsey fan), Edward D. Hoch, Margaret Maron, Bill Pronzini, and Lawrence Block. I really enjoyed the "Jane Austen Murder" mostly because the main character was a hoot. I will be on the lookout for more by Knowlden. In "A Women's Voice," Hansen did a great job of letting us get to know the characters, even though it's a short story, and surprising me with the whodunnit. I didn't care for "In the Bluebell Wood" or "Body Language." Overall, though, I enjoyed the collection. I think I need to pick up a Halloween...
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