Purchased – Page 49 – Carol's Notebook

Murder in High Places by Helen Marchmont

November 15, 2019November 14, 2019 by Carol4 Comments

I've been enjoying the Bunburry novellas, but I really think for Murder in High Places it's helpful if you've read a couple of the earlier ones. We finally meet Oscar! He comes down to visit, drawn by a party. To understand how kind of awesome that is, you need to know a little more about Oscar than this episode gives you. He's Alfie's best friend, but thinks living in the country and not London is ridiculous. And of course everyone in town acts like they already know him, since they've heard so much from Alfie. Alfie, Betty and Oscar go to the party. Alfie and Betty have some major communications errors and Alfie acts like an all-around jerk. Granted, Betty's not much better, but at least she isn't blatantly flirting with anyone else. And then we have a murder. Sergeant Wilson immediately arrests the most obvious suspect, but, since this is a cozy mystery, that's clearly not the right solution. The...

Drop Dead, Gorgeous by Helena Marchmont

November 14, 2019November 13, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

I was browsing Audible the other day and was happy to see Drop Dead, Gorgeous was out. This is just a fun little series. Alfie has inherited his aunt's cottage in the Cotswolds and has been living there for almost a year now. He's finally gathered the courage to ask the local beautician about getting a pedicure, something he enjoyed in London, but most men in Bunburry do not get pedicures. He meets the beautician while she is out walking her dog and they go back to the salon to set up the appointment only to find, what else? A dead body. Eve Mosby had been receiving a deluxe treatment, massage, hair, botox, the works, and the beautician had snuck out while Eve was napping, obviously not expecting her to be murdered while she was gone. Time for the Bunburry Triangle to take a look at the case. Alfie, Liz, and Marge toss around theories and go about asking questions as...

The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan

November 12, 2019November 12, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

David and I spent a day at Biltmore on vacation a couple of weeks ago. It's a gorgeous house and estate and we happened to be there when it was mostly decorated for Christmas inside; the big tree hadn't arrived yet though. I just wish it hadn't been raining. At that time I was over halfway through The Last Castle. I had picked it up to read before we left and had hoped to have it finished by our trip, but time doesn't always work like I want it to. I had finished the most important parts about the building of the house, the life George and Edith Vanderbilt had there as newlyweds, the early growth of the village around Biltmore and Asheville itself, and the loss of important people in the couples' lives. The Last Castle is thoroughly researched and reading it definitely added to my enjoyment of my visit to the estate. I loved seeing the rooms and views...

Unquiet Spirits by Bonnie MacBird

October 18, 2019October 18, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

I usually don't read two from the same series back to back, but I didn't feel like trying to decide which audiobook to listen to next, so just went with #2 in MacBird's Sherlock Holmes Adventures. It was an enjoyable follow-up to Art in the Blood. Unquiet Spirits is a fast-paced, multi-layered mystery. Of course, all three pieces of the plot are connected. They almost always are in mysteries. I loved the atmosphere of the haunted Scottish castle and liked learning the details of the whiskey industry at the time. Holmes investigation brings him to the home of the McLarens in Scotland. The McLarens are not a nice family, though they make excellent whiskey. They don't like each other, not even the married couples. They are spiteful and put ambition over just about anything else. They want Holmes to investigate a situation for them, but don't want him to expose any of their other secrets. Holmes of course has...

Art in the Blood by Bonnie MacBird

October 16, 2019October 17, 2019 by CarolNo Comments

It's not often that I say this, but what originally drew me to Art in the Blood was the cover. It's simple and stylish and while it doesn't scream "Holmes" it does give us the era with the top hat and walking stick. Add in that I love a god Holmes pastiche and I was hooked. The conceit here is that an old, unpublished adventure written by Watson has been discovered and the author is simply sharing it with us, reconstructing any pieces that time has faded. I don't know that MacBird accomplishes the task of writing in the vein of Conan Doyle. It doesn't feel Victorian. Touches of modern language sneak in and to be honest, I'm not sure that anyone else can work with a character so brilliant, addicted, prone to depression, gifted as Holmes without pushing him over one edge or the other in their attempt to send him out on new cases. But I enjoy Holmes in...

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

October 15, 2019October 16, 2019 by Carol6 Comments

Up until a few years ago, I was an insurance agent, but not like Walter Huff. Huff is good at his job, hard-working, and knows the insurance business inside-out. Then he meets a married woman who he falls for immediately. Her name is Phyllis and she has a thought, not even a plan, just a thought of what she would like to do about her husband. We don't realize at the time, but Phyllis knows exactly what she's doing, exactly what she's suggesting, and really has no qualms and is perfectly capable of holding up under pressure. She is not a nice girl, no matter how she seems at first. It doesn't take Huff long to come up with full-blown plan. They'll kill the husband and they'll get away with the insurance money. He has been in the insurance game for a long time and he knows about every angle ever thought up by anyone to try and pull one over...