Review: The Whispering Dead of Rewley Abbey by Peter Stephenson

Synopsis: "The Whispering Dead of Rewley Abbey" is the first in a series of murder mysteries following the sinister deaths in Rewley Abbey (Cistercian monks) and Godstow Abbey (Benedictine nuns) from the end of the 13th century to King Henry VIII's dissolution of the convents and monasteries in the 16th century.

Intrigue and secrets abound as a determined nun deciphers the clues in this timeless historical thriller for both young adults and seasoned readers.

~ ~ ~

Fairly basic cosy historical mystery fiction set in 13th Century England with an investigating Nun and Lady of the Manor as the main characters.

An up and coming lecturer at Balliol College, Oxford is murdered; a drunken violent student is a suspect; will what lies beneath the surface of the "town and gown" battles reveal the secret to the mystery that Sister Agnes must solve. 

The author uses quick, easy to read chapters to push the narrative along, however, we get no real sense of the characters (which are a little too modern for my liking). Using poetic license, the author loosely represents the period of the 13th century.

As the first in a series, this is adequate though I would hope to see more development as the series progresses.

Review: The Launch Party by Lauren A Forry

Synopsis: THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME. YOU'D DIE TO BE THERE.

Ten lucky people have won a place at the most exclusive launch event of the the grand opening of the Hotel Artemis, the first hotel on the moon. It's an invitation to die for. As their transport departs for its return to Earth and the doors seal shut behind them, the guests take the next leap for mankind.

However, they soon discover that all is not as it seems. The champagne may be flowing, but there is no one to pour it. Room service is available, but there is no one to deliver it. Besides the ten of them, they are completely alone.

When one of the guests is found murdered, fear spreads through the group. But that death is only the beginning. Being three days' journey from home and with no way to contact the outside, can any of the guests survive their stay?

~ ~ ~

"... we are all just strangers floating in a metal tube ..."

Ten people win a trip to a luxury hotel on the moon - alone on the journey, one is found dead. The guests are on their own - the staff and ship have mysteriously left. The guests assume they are in a reality TV show.

This is a cosy sci-fi mystery all about revenge for past actions and more than one guest is linked to the events.

That's pretty much it. I breezed through this as there was very little to tax the brain, despite the premise of a locked-room mystery, which could have been set in an abandoned and isolated hotel ... anywhere. Further exploration of the setting would have been useful as would character development. Read it for what it is ... light fluff entertainment. Agatha Christie or Lucy Foley this is not.

Review: Murder at Gull's Nest by Jess Kidd

Synopsis: I believe every one of us at Gulls Nest is concealing some kind of secret.

1954: When her former novice’s dependable letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda’s letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent.

A seaside town, a place of fresh air and relaxed constraints, is the perfect place for a new start. Nora hides her identity and pries into the lives of her fellow guests. But when a series of bizarre murders rattles the occupants of Gulls Nest it’s time to ask if a dark past can ever really be left behind.

~ ~ ~

Not a fan. No connection whatsoever with either the mystery or characters, especially ex-Nun Nora Breen. Writing style was rather ho-hum for me.  

Review: The Missing Maid by Holly Hepburn

Synopsis: London, 1932.

When Harriet White rebuffs the advances of her boss at the Baker Street building society where she works, she finds herself demoted to a new position… a very unusual position. Deep in the postal department beneath the bank, she is tasked with working her way through a mountain of correspondence addressed to Baker Street’s most famous resident: Mr Sherlock Holmes.

Seemingly undeterred by the fact that Sherlock Holmes doesn’t exist, letter after letter arrives, beseeching him to help solve mysteries, and Harry diligently replies to each writer with the same response: Mr Holmes has retired from detective work and now lives in Sussex, keeping bees.

Until one entreaty catches her eye. It’s from a village around five miles from Harry’s family estate, about a young woman who went to London to work as a domestic, then disappeared soon afterwards in strange circumstances. Intrigued, Harry decides, just this once, to take matters into her own hands.

And so, the case of the missing maid is opened…

~ ~ ~

Cosy mystery where a young society demoiselle plays detective to solve a case addressed to Sherlock Holmes. Harry White has been relegated to the basement of the bank in which she is employed after the spurning the unwanted advances of her boss. Here, she is tasked with replying to postage the bank receives addressed to Holmes - the bank straddles 221 Baker Street. The letter sends Harry White off on an adventure to solve ... the case of the missing maid.

A decent start to what looks to be a new mystery series.

Review: Bury The Lead by Hilton & Renzetti

Synopsis: A big-city journalist joins the staff of a small-town paper in cottage country and finds a community full of secrets … and murder.

Cat Conway has recently returned to Port Ellis to work as a reporter at the Quill & Packet . She’s fled the tattered remains of her high-profile career and bad divorce for the holiday town of her childhood, famous for its butter tarts, theatre, and a century-old feud. One of Cat’s first assignments is to interview legendary actor Eliot Fraser, the lead in the theatre’s season opener of Inherit the Wind . When Eliot ends up dead onstage on opening night, the curtain rises on the sleepy town’s secrets. The suspects include the actor whose career Eliot ruined, the ex-wife he betrayed, the women he abused, and even the baker he wronged.

With the attention of the world on Port Ellis, this story could be Cat’s chance to restore her reputation. But the police think she’s a suspect, and the murderer wants to kill the story―and her too. Can Cat solve the mystery before she loses her job or becomes the next victim of a killer with a theatrical bent for vengeance?

~ ~ ~

"The whole town was like a giant murder mystery game, 

except with real weapons, and real blood."

The murder of the lead actor in a local production sets local tongues wagging as the past intrudes on the present - much to the chagrin of those involved.  And for one, murder is seen as the best way to keep the past (dead and) buried. 

After a slow start, things finally start to pick up once the investigation into the murder, by Cat and the rest of the local paper's editorial team, gets under way.

There is the proverbial cast of characters - from the local towns' people to the actors themselves - all with links to the dead man.  The narrative is nicely paced with character development established enough with the potential for further exploration in future books.

All in all an enjoyable read and the potential start of a new series ...

Review: Showbiz Cakes & Deadly Slices by Amber Crewes

Synopsis: This is a short prequel that introduces the Sandy Bay Cozy Mystery series.

Meghan Truman always had a dream to become a Hollywood actress. Hollywood decided she wasn’t good enough. She left Hollywood broken but with a burning desire to start afresh in the Pacific Northwest, pursuing her second dream – opening a bakery.

~ ~ ~

This is the story - aspiring actress Meghan is passing around cakes at the studio where she worked - a big star is murdered and she, of course, becomes the prime suspect. Meghan and her best friend Karen investigate and the mystery is solved. As a result, Meghan decides Hollywood isn't at all for her and plans on leaving to start her bakery career. Best friend and neighbour Karen suggests ... Sandy Bay.

Nice set up for the fourteen books that make up this series.

Review: Donuts & Disaster by Amber Crewes

Synopsis: Meghan Truman’s relationship with her assistant is severely tested when she becomes prideful over a donut recipe she’s introduced to Truly Sweet’s menu. Matters are further worsened when a distant relative of this assistant, with selfish intentions and bad manners, is found dead in the town center.The local handyman is arrested and put in jail when several witnesses confirm they saw him having an altercation with the murdered victim. Handsome detective Irvin and Meghan believe he’s innocent but the evidence against him is too damning to overlook.

Will Meghan’s attempt to give her assistant a second chance at restoring their relationship backfire or will a determination not to harbor unforgiveness in her heart lead her to the true murderer?

~ ~ ~

Okay - so as this is number four in the Sandy Bay cosy series of fourteen, a little background.

Meghan Truman always had a dream to become a Hollywood actress. Hollywood decided she wasn’t good enough. She left Hollywood to start afresh in the Pacific Northwest, pursuing her second dream – opening a bakery.

It was not hard to pick up four books in as the backstory is mentioned. Not a particularly labourious read - a nice way to while away a few hours in the sun.

Review: Murder By Invitation Only by Colleen Cambridge

Synopsis: In this engaging historical mystery, Agatha Christie’s ever-capable housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, not only keeps the celebrated author’s English country home in tip-top shape, she excels as an amateur sleuth. But when a murder-themed game goes awry, can she outfox the guilty party?“A murder will occur tonight at Beecham House . . .” Who could resist such a compelling invitation? Of course, the murder in question purports to be a party game, and Phyllida looks forward to using some of the deductive skills she has acquired thanks to her employer, Mrs. Agatha, who is unable to attend in person.

The hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Wokesley, are new to the area, and Phyllida gladly offers their own overwhelmed housekeeper some guidance while events get underway. Family friends have been enlisted to play the suspects, and Mr. Wokesley excels in his role of dead body. Unfortunately, when the game’s solution is about to be unveiled, the participants discover that life has imitated art. Mr. Wokesley really is dead!

In the absence of Inspector Cork, Phyllida takes temporary charge of the investigation, guiding the local constable through interviews with the Murder Game actors. At first, there seems no motive to want Mr. Wokesley dead . . . but then Phyllida begins to connect each of the suspects with the roles they played and the motives assigned to them. It soon becomes clear that everyone had a reason to murder their host—both in the game and in real life. Before long, Phyllida is embroiled in a fiendishly puzzling case, with a killer who refuses to play by the rules . . .

~ ~ ~

Unfortunately, yet another book that I found myself far from being as engaged as I thought I would be. I mean, a mystery set at the time of one of my favourite authors - Agatha Christie - using the person of her housekeeper as the main character, and from who's "adventures in crime" Agatha bases her own stories around. This outting - I believe to be the second or third in a potential series - becomes the inspiration for Agatha's book, A Death Is Announced.

For sake of continuity, I would suggest reading this series from the start and not jumping in somewhere is the middle. I also found no connection with any of the characters, including Agatha herself.

Review: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Synopsis: In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved killings.

But when a local property developer shows up dead, 'The Thursday Murder Club' find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

The four friends, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it's too late?

Not having any idea who Richard Osman is and what he had previously written, I came into this with no preconceptions. I loved the premise of the story when I requested a review copy.

No surprises - I loved it! The story follows the first person narrative of newly arrived Joyce (as diary entries) and the standard third person narrative for the rest of the book. The setting is an up-market retirement village - Coopers Chase - populated by a vast range of retired (or semi-retired) professionals, four of who make up the Thursday Murder Club. This group meet together to look over cold cases from the files of one of the groups' former members - however, when real life steps in and the property developer Ian Ventham is murders, the group decide to get in on the sleuthing themselves. 

" ... if today was anything to go by, this whole murder investigation is going to be the most enormous fun ..."

This reminded me slightly of Charlaine Harris' "Aurora Teagarden" series - so if you love that, then you will also love this one.

The story builds up slowly and has a great twist at the end. It is witty, suspenseful, serious, fun; the characters are endearing, slightly questionable in their ethics, and nowhere close to retiring!. I do hope there is more.

Review: The Smart Woman's Guide to Murder by Victoria Dowd

Synopsis: A faded country house in the middle of nowhere. The guests are snowed in. The murders begin.

Ursula Smart (not her real name) gate-crashes her mother’s book club at an isolated country house for a long weekend retreat. Joining them are Mother’s best friend, Mirabelle, Aunts Charlotte and (Joy)Less, and Bridget with her dog Mr Bojangles. It doesn’t matter that they’ve read Gone Girl three times this year already. But someone has other ideas.

A body is found in the grounds. Is a lone killer hunting them? Or has one of their own group embarked on a killing spree? What they need is a guide to survive.

I enjoyed this for what it was - a modern version of the "locked room" mystery. The clues in this cosy-mystery are there from the beginning - its just that they have yet to be put into perspective - and there are also a few red herrings.

I enjoyed the style of writing (quirky and witty) - though the narrator - Ursula - did grate on me a little (bit of an attention seeking neurotic with a daddy fixation). The pace was steady (real time if you will) as we kick off with a bang and then wind back to the beginning and proceed from thereon. Snappy chapter headings offer some much needed advice if you want to survive a murderous weekend away. 

Would be interested in reading something else from this author. Nice little isolation read!

Review: Answer in the Negative by Henrietta Hamilton

Synopsis: At The National Press Archives on Fleet Street, archive assistant Frank Morningside has become the recipient of nasty poison pen letters and cruel practical jokes. With Frank disliked by many, his superior Toby Lorn is concerned and calls on his friends Sally and Johnny Heldar, two amateur sleuths, to investigate. Posing as researchers, Sally and her husband Johnny go undercover to scout out the myriad of suspects at the archive. But just as the Heldars begin to make some progress, Morningside is found dead, bludgeoned by a box of glass negatives, in his office. When another suspicious death occurs within the company, the Heldars fear they may be in over their heads. 

What readers need to get their heads around first and foremost is that 1950s Britain was vastly different from today.

The major cities, and particularly in London, there were vacant bomb-sites, unrepaired houses, temporary prefabs and gardens turned into allotments. War damage and a scarcity of manpower and materials created a serious urban housing problem - and the population began to spread out of the city limits, there was talk of demolishing the slums and rebuilding. The continuance of rationing encouraged people to produce their own food in back gardens and allotments. There were also severe shortages of most consumer products, which prompted the continuance of the wartime ‘make-do-and-mend’ culture. 

At this time, Britain was the most urbanised and industrialised country in the world and consequently one of the most polluted. The reliance on coal for both residential heating and energy generation resulted in chronic atmospheric pollution which was harmful both to people and to buildings. The London smog of 1952 lasted five days and killed more than 4,000 people from heart and lung diseases. In industrial areas, factories polluted not only the air but also the waterways, while mines and spoil tips scarred the landscape.

The 1950s were a golden age for public transport - buses, trams or trolleys, trains and bicycles were the most common forms of transport; few owned a car.

Public attitudes towards sex and marriage still remained strongly conservative. British society was still strongly influenced by war, with the return of many serviceman and  as a consequence there were far fewer women were in paid employment than today. Women were generally not expected to have proper careers, but to seek short-term employment before they married and had children. After the war, many young women gave up paid work and raised a family at home.

The 1951 census showed that only 3 per cent of the population had been born overseas and the great majority of the immigrants were white and European. The largest immigrant group – over half a million – were the Irish - and this is one of the themes running through this book.

The British media in 1950s was still dominated by the press. The national newspapers – all published around Fleet Street – were dominated by autocratic press barons and restrictive print unions. Newspapers were a far more important source of news than they are today.

So this then is our setting for this cosy mystery.  Today's readers might find some of the themes running through this as a little dated - but that is what you get when reading something that is over 60 years old and written at a specific time in history.

This isn't the first in the series but there is enough contained within to ensure that you aren't completely left in the dark.   However if you are interested in in reading more, these are the books in order of publishing:

The Two Hundred Ghost (1956); Death At One Blow (1957); Answer In The Negative (1959); and A Night To Die (1959)

I was rather intrigued about finding out more about this author, however, she herself is rather an enigma.  I could find nothing about her except the following blurb:

Hamilton name was a pseudonym for Hester Denne Shepherd. She was born in 1920 in Dundee and went to St Hugh’s College, Oxford, where she studied modern languages. In War World Two she served in the wrens and after the war she worked in a London bookshop for a while. She died in 1995.

If you are looking to read something out of your standard comfort zone and for an afternoon's escapism, look no further than this series.

Review: Murder at the Villa Byzantine by RT Raichev

Synopsis: When a birthday party for one of their Hampstead neighbors turns deadly, Antonia Darcy and Major Hugh Payne end up investigating the murder of one of Melisande Chevret's other guests. The aging actress becomes a natural suspect, as the victim was her love rival. But after the first murder, a second takes place at the Villa Byzantine. The owner of the house is royal biographer Tancred Vane, who swears he is innocent. And surely Catherine Hope, an elderly lady helping him with his research, can have nothing to do with it. A damning piece of evidence points to the victim's daughter--but why would that a teenage girl have a dainty silk handkerchief bearing her monogram? And would she drop it so conveniently beside her mother's body? As the questions mount, Antonia Darcy and Major Payne search desperately for answers.

This is one in a series - Country House Crime Mystery Series - and it appears later in said series - though I did not realise it at first when I picked up a hardback copy second hand. I just liked the cover, the title, and of course, one of the character's name.

This is a perfectly acceptable cosy mystery with crime solving couple Major Hugh Payne and detective fiction author Antonia, as they are drawn into a local murder. I had this on my shelf for a few weeks before deciding that - as I am on holidays and the sun was out - I would sit outside on the decking and read a few pages. So engrossed was I that I am sun-burnt!

Pay attention as there are a couple of moments when the story is told from the first person narrative - which is not prevalent throughout the bulk of the story - but it worked okay. Most mystery readers will get a sense of where the story is heading .... to a point .... no spoiler alert here! Read on before being led astray yet again!

An enjoyable read despite the pains of sunburn! 

Review: Dover One by Joyce Porter

Synopsis: For its own very good reasons, Scotland Yard sends Dover off to remote Creedshire to investigate the disappearance of a young housemaid, Juliet Rugg. Though there's every cause to assume that she has been murdered - she gave her favours freely and may even have stooped to a bit of blackmail - no body is to be found. Weighing in at sixteen stone, she couldn't be hard to overlook. But where is she? And why should Dover, of all people, be called upon to find her? Or, for that matter, even bother to solve the damned case?

DCI Wilfred Dover is not your usual Scotland Yard detective - he is not exactly likeable; he is described as tall, fat, unkempt, lewd, obnoxious; and never without his trademark bowler hat. His Sergeant, Charles MacGregor, is the total opposite - and like Nero Wolfe's Archie Goodwin, does all the leg work for Dover.

Kenneth Cranham as Dover

Dover was obese, lazy, unhygienic (the only man in the Metropolitan Police Service with underarm dandruff) and bordering on corrupt. MacGregor was keen, clean and ferociously ambitious. However, on the rare occasions he was able to put aside plate, pint-glass and cigarettes long enough to concentrate, Dover usually saw the answer first.

For reasons known only to the Scotland Yard hierarchy, Dover & MacGregor are sent to the investigate the seemingly innocuous disappearance of a local girl, Juliet Rigg, from Creedshire. Upon arriving in the village, Dover finds the eccentric inhabitants all had good reason to do away with the victim - for as Dover announces, murder it is.

I am really enjoying discovering some of these lost gems of British crime. This title originally was published back in the early 1960s - so to the modern senses, it may appear to be slightly un-PC - but get over it, afterall what is PC today may not be in 40 years time!

I am certainly interested in following up with the rest of the books in the 15 book series, and look forward to listening to those Inspector Dover books that were adapted for BBC Radio 4 by Paul Mendelson, and star Kenneth Cranham as Dover and Stuart McQuarrie as Sgt MacGregor (I found a few links on youtube)

side note: I love the fact that the author was born in ... Marple!

Review: The Vicarage Murder by Faith Martin

Synopsis: in a quite Cotswold village, all hell is about to break loose!

Monica Noble is throwing a party to welcome the village’s new residents. The guests include Margaret and her cheating husband Sean, a celebrity chef, an Oxford university professor, a 40-something divorcee, and the owner of a chain of gyms. Then as the drinks are flowing, a shotgun blast rings out. One of the guests is found dead.  DCI Dury and Sergeant Jim Greer are soon on the scene and discover that the victim had many enemies. Almost all the guests harbour secrets and motives for murder. Even Monica’s daughter comes under suspicion. When another villager is strangled to death nearly a week later, the stakes are raised.

In a cross between Agatha Christie's "Miss Marple", MC Beaton's "Agatha Raisin", and Caroline Graham's "Midsomer Murders", comes the first in a new British cosy mystery series featuring Monica Noble, wife of the local vicar of Heyford Bassett, where "... crime was practically unknown .."

After discovering one of her garden party guests is quite dead, we follow the investigation into the murder mostly through the eyes of Monica. Whilst Monica herself does a bit of sleuthing, it is mainly up to DCI Jason Dury and Sergeant Jim Greer to solve the murder.

I really enjoyed this - the story flowed along, there was enough tension as the police slowly work their way through the suspects - all of whom are hiding secrets of their own. 

As mentioned, Monica is not quite prominent as a sleuth in this outing, quite possibly, having gotten a taste for murder, she will step out into the limelight in the following stories. I am looking forward to reading more and see how the character of Monica develops.

Winemaker Detective Series by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noel Balen

The Winemaker Detective series delves into the underworld of a global luxury industry, where there’s money, deceit, death, crime, inheritance, jealousy—all the ingredients needed to distill a fine detective series! That and a decent dose of Epicurean enjoyment of fine food and beverage. It follows master winemaker Benjamin Cooker and his sidekick Virgile Lanssien in their adventures solving mysteries in vineyards throughout France and beyond. Each book is a homage to wine and winemakers, and is now a French series - Blood of the Vine.

Of the 22 books in the series, I have a read a number of the 14 books currently released by Le French Books- as indicated ***

Treachery In Bordeaux: ***

Journey to Bordeaux to go behind the scenes of a grand cru wine estate that has fallen victim to either negligence or sabotage. World-renowned winemaker turned gentleman detective Benjamin Cooker sets out to find out what happened and why. Who would want to target this esteemed vintner? He and his assistant gumshoe around the region to find out.

Grand Cru Heist ***

renowned wine critic Benjamin Cooker’s world gets turned upside down one night in Paris. He retreats to the region around Tours to recover. There a flamboyant British dandy, a spectacular blue-eyed blond, a zealous concierge and touchy local police disturb his well-deserved rest. From the Loire Valley to Bordeaux, in between a glass of Vouvray and a bottle of Saint-Émilion, the Winemaker Detective and his assistant Virgile turn PI to solve two murders and very particular heist. Who stole those bottles of grand cru classé?

Nightmare in Burgundy

The Winemaker Detective leaves his native Bordeaux to go to Burgundy for a dream wine tasting trip to France's other key wine-making region. Between Beaune, Dijon and Nuits-Saint-Georges, it urns into a troubling nightmare when he stumbles upon a mystery revolving around messages from another era. What do they mean? What dark secrets from the deep past are haunting the Clos de Vougeot? Does blood need to be shed to sharpen people's memory? 

Deadly Tasting ***

A serial killer is on the loose in Bordeaux. A local chief detective calls wine expert Benjamin Cooker to the crime scene of a brutal murder. The killer has left a strange calling card: twelve wine glasses lined up in a semi-circle with the first one filled with wine. Cooker is charged with the task of identifying the fabulous grand cru and is astonished by what he learns. A second victim is found, with two glasses filled. Is the killer intentionally leaving clues about his victims and his motives? Memories are jogged about the complicated history of Bordeaux during Nazi occupation. It was a dark time: weinfuhrers ruled the wine trade, while collaborationists and paramilitary organizations spread terror throughout the region. In present-day wine country, time is running out. Will Cooker and his young assistant Virgile solve the mystery before all twelve glasses are full?

Cognac Conspiracies ***

The heirs to one of the oldest Cognac estates in France face a hostile takeover by foreign investors. Renowned wine expert Benjamin Cooker is called in to audit the books. In what he thought was a sleepy provincial town, he is stonewalled, crosses paths with his first love, and stands up to high-level state officials keen on controlling the buyout. Meanwhile, irresistible Virgile mingles with the local population until a drowning changes the stakes.

Mayhem in Margeaux ***

It s summer in Bordeaux. There s a heat wave, the vineyards are suffering, vintners are on edge, and wine expert Benjamin Cooker s daughter is visiting. A tragic car accident draws the Winemaker Detective and his assistant Virgile into a case where the stakes are very personal, and they uncover some dirty secrets hiding behind the robe of some of Bordeaux s finest grand cru classe wines from Margaux."

Flambe in Armagnac ***

In the heart of Gascony, a fire ravages the warehouse of one of Armagnac s top estates, killing the master distiller. Wine expert Benjamin Cooker is called in to estimate the value of the losses. But Cooker and his assistant Virgile want to know more. Did the old alembic explode? Was it really an accident? Why is the estate owner Baron de Castayrac penniless? How legal are his dealings?"

Montmatre Mysteries ***

Wine expert Benjamin Cooker travels to the French capital, where his is called to help care for some vineyards in Montmartre, a neighborhood full of memories for him. He stops in on an old friend. Arthur Solacroup left the Foreign Legion to open a wine shop good enough to be in the Cooker Guide. But an attempted murder brings the past back into the present. But which past? The winemaker detective and his assistant Virgile want to know more, and their investigation leads them from the the sands of Djibouti to the vineyards of Côte du Rhône.

Backstabbing in Beaujolais ***

Vintage rivalries — A business magnate calls on wine expert Benjamin Cooker to kickstart his new wine business in Beaujolais, sparking bitter rivalries. Can the Winemaker Detective and his assistant keep calculating real estate agents, taciturn winegrowers, dubious wine merchants and suspicious deaths from delaying delivery of the world-famous Beaujolais Nouveau?

Late Harvest Havoc ***

Winter is in the air in Alsace and local customs are sowing trouble, piquing the curiosity of the famous winemaker from Bordeaux, Benjamin Cooker. While the wine expert and his assistant Virgile settle into their hotel in the old city of Colmar, distinguished vineyards are attacked. Is it revenge? The plot thickens when estates with no apparent connection to one another suffer the same sabotage just days prior to the late harvest. All of Alsace is in turmoil, plunged in the grip of suspicion that traces its roots back to the darkest hours of the German occupation. As he crosses back and forth into Germany from the Alsace he thought he knew so well, Cooker discovers a land of superstition, rivalry, and jealousy. Between tastings of the celebrated wines, he is drawn into the lives and intrigues of the inhabitants.

Tainted Tokay ***

Celebrating the success of the Cooker Guide, the Winemaker Detective Benjamin Cooker takes a cruise down the Danube with Elizabeth his wife and editor. Enjoying mythic Tokaji wines in Budapest, all is not what it seems. Meanwhile, Virgile must handle the business in Bordeaux, while Alexandrine is attacked.

Red-Handed in Romanee-Conti ***

When world-renowned wine expert Benjamin Cooker’s elderly father needs him most, the erudite consultant and his dashing assistant Virgile Lanssien are called away to Burgundy to orchestrate the harvest, where a catastrophic hailstorm endangers some of France’s most celebrated wines and a mysterious murder jeopardizes Cooker's reputation.

Requiem in Yquem

In the mist-covered hills of Sauternes, where the wine is luscious and the landscape beguiling, the brutal murder of an elderly couple intrigues the wine expert Benjamin Cooker and awakens memories for his dashing assistant Virgile Lanssien.

Foul Play in Vouvray

Wine expert Benjamin Cooker and his handsome sidekick Virgile, are shooting a documentary in the Loire Valley, tasting the ebullient flowery wines, noting their boisterous acidity. When a beguiling actress meets with foul play, they rush to the rescue of a dear friend only to find that everyone is a suspect. What intrigue is playing out behind the scenes?

If you like wine or just want to learn more whilst enjoy a cosy mystery set in France, then these books are for you.  They are easy to read, there is no overt violence, the descriptions of the scenery make the story come to life; and there is a great personal interaction between Benjamin and his protegee, Virgile.  The stories are not overly long, and the pace is constant, all being riveting to the end.

Reviews: Bodies of Art Mysteries by Ritter Ames

Enter the world of the shady art transactions and the recovery of lost, looted, stolen or misappropriated treasures. Agents work with some of the world’s finest art historians and provenance researchers to investigate the history of an object to support, or refute a claim. The work involves the repatriation of artwork and antiquities on behalf of governments and private citizens, and can take the agent across continents, whilst recovered works can total in the millions of dollars. Often, recovery agencies may find themselves in (sometimes, deadly) competition .....

Counterfeit Conspiracies

Laurel Beacham, premier art recovery specialist with a penchant for lycra, narrates our story:

As the foundation's leading art recover expert my life was pretty much a series of different hotel rooms every week. Tonight's event was one of a series of smaller jobs directing me to the person who held an art object I needed to return to the person or institution that had true ownership.

After a successful mission, Laurel trades her "catwoman" outfit for something a little more classier; however, this next mission finds Laurel in less than ideal circumstances when her efforts to recover a priceless icon go pear-shaped. 

There was no mistaking him. Propped on the john was the man from the photo who I was supposed to meet. Half of his handlebar moustache was jaggedly slashed and discarded on the floor, while blood from a gash at his throat spilled down his round belly and onto the cushioned turquoise seat.

And then there is the permeating question of Jack Hawkes, a shadowy figure that keeps popping up:

I tried to figure which camp he fit into, but got nada. With so many players in the art game, it was hard to keep everyone straight, both above and below ground. But a new American would have stayed in my memory, especially a tall male one with a deep Southern accent. Was it simple egoism, or did he work for someone plotting against me? My money lay on the latter. 

This is a fast paced game of cat and mouse, with plenty of plot twists and red herrings to keep the reader suitably intrigued. Think James Bond crossed with Lara Croft.

Marked Masters

Laurel, now head of the London branch of the Beacham Foundation, and Jack Hawkes return for another adventure, involving yet another art theft:

If I couldn't bring back the painting, perhaps this book could be used as an alternate method to stop the blackmail. 

This starts where book one finishes and sets up book three nicely. Who is who, and what are their true motives, will keep you guessing till the end. 

Abstract Aliases

Abstract clues lead to new questions. New leads turn to “dead” ends. A heist plot ties to forgeries. Adversaries resurface twisting an already complicated case. And art recovery expert Laurel Beacham must not only outwit criminals, but keep her wits around Jack Hawkes’s cheeky ego.

Fatal Forgeries

When art recovery expert Laurel Beacham’s personal and professional worlds collide, she learns no good theft goes unpunished. Incomplete intel and a missing source compel her to make a huge mistake, and she’s left with a divided team. Every retrieved masterpiece has a price—and the cost of forgeries can be deadly. This time Laurel could lose not only her best lead, but also her most trusted ally. 

Bronzed Betrayals

A masterpiece swapped for a forgery, a murder victim left behind, and a relentless game of hide and seek keeps Laurel Beacham and Jack Hawkes on the run. They are racing to find answers despite roadblocks at every turn. 

Review: Miss Seeton Series

Emily Seeton, aka Miss Seeton, Miss Ess, or the Battling Brolly, is the fictional heroine in a series of British cosy mystery novels written in part by Heron Carvic; then following Carvic's death, by Roy Peter Martin, writing as Hampton Charles (I guess preferring to focus more on his own "The Superintendent Otani Mysteries" under the name of James Melville); then picked by Sarah J. Mason (writing as Hamilton Crane), before branching out on her own with the “Trewley & Stone” series .

 

In each book, we find Miss Seeton using her skills as an art teach as she randomly draws psychologically and, perhaps, psychically informative sketches that allow Inspector Delphick of the Yard, and his assistant Bob Ranger, to solve the crime. The primary storyline is the seemingly naive and oblivious Miss Seeton finding herself in awkward situations, then managing to provide enough random clues and insights for the detectives to use to solve these mysteries.

I have read a number of titles in the series (of which there are 23 - 22 and a prequel). The character of Miss Seeton is standard cosy fare (elderly spinster involved in solving crimes); the villagers, distinctly unique (reference "The Nuts"); the crimes predominantly local with a few trips further afield; the community, typically English of the 1950s style. Whilst the first five stories were original and charming, as the series goes on, it does get a bit repetitive, and with so much crime in one sleepy village, I'm surprised Scotland yard has opened a branch there! In the end, Miss Seeton comes across as a poor man's Miss Marple crossed with Inspector Clouseau as the final author, I feel, struggles to provide anything original with which to involve our heroine. 

So a little synopsis of the titles (those I have read are prefaced with ***):

Heron Carvic Books:

*** Picture Miss Seeton: our introduction to Miss Seeton and the story behind "the battling brolly". In this outing we are faced with kidnappings, a drug ring, series of untimely deaths of rich elderly people.

*** Miss Seeton Draws The Line: series of child murders, robberies; introduction of the recurring character of reporter Amelita Forby.

*** Witch Miss Seeton: heroine is call in to infiltrate the latest witchcraft craze, Mss Ess takes on a teaching role and (unofficially) joins the Yard.

*** Miss Seeton Sings: setting is Geneva, with Miss Ess on a mission for the FO and Bank of England; art fraud, and attempt on her life, introduction of Thrudd Banner, investigative journalist.

*** Odds On Miss Seeton: gambling and a casino are the setting, a day at the races, a shooting, a death, a kidnapping.

Notable lines:

"... she is one of those people things happen to - or she happens to them .."

"... arm her with a brolly and all hell let loose. But take it away and everything quietened down at once .."

Hampton Charles Books:

Miss Seeton By Appointment: Buckingham Palace, a traitor, royal treasures.

Advantage Miss Seeton: tennis anyone?

Miss Seeton At The Helm: luxury cruise to the Greek islands, warring art experts.

Hamilton Crane Books:

*** Miss Seeton Cracks the Case: highway robbery and a series of break ins linked to the past.

Miss Seeton Paints the Town: best kept village competition, arson. 

Hands Up, Miss Seeton: Miss Ess is mistaken for a thief and jailed. 

Miss Seeton by Moonlight: how to trap an art thief - with Miss Seeton at the centre of a sting operation. 

*** Miss Seeton Rocks the Cradle: kidnapping case; feud between the Campbells and MacDonalds; revival of the Jacobite cause; lost gold mine.

*** Miss Seeton Goes to Bat: cricket is the word of the day, inter-village competition, burglaries.

Miss Seeton Plants Suspicion: hop-picking season, and the unsolved gruesome “Blonde in the Bag” murder.

*** Starring Miss Seeton: village pantomime of Cinderella is the back drop to a series of robberies baffling the Yard; a bomb is set off and a treasure uncovered.

Miss Seeton Undercover: konker battle, a popular TV cookery show in search of rare apples, gin party. 

Miss Seeton Rules: Guy Fawkes Night sees modern day treachery and treason, and a vanishing princess. 

Sold to Miss Seeton: a relentless storm, a visit to an auction house, an ancient chest.

Sweet Miss Seeton: artiste of the chocolate medium, a rejected muse, a gang of criminals. 

Bonjour, Miss Seeton: a screening of Henry V, a trip to France, murder and mayhem at the grand bulldozer race.

*** Miss Seeton Quilts the Village: a wedding, mystery dating back to WWII with Roman silver, Nazi gold, wartime collaborators and modern-day bikers.

Miss Seeton Flies High: a production of Camelot at Glastonbury, a hot air balloon, a missing heir.

Watch the Wall, Miss Seeton: smugglers and poachers, and a fundraising concert.

*** Miss Seeton’s Finest Hour (prequel): backstory of Miss Seeton during WWII, wich features wartime sabotage and or course murder; enter the brolly (umbrella).

see also: The Singular Miss Seeton and Farrago Books

Review: Imogene Museum Mysteries by Jerusha Jones

Platts Landing, Washington, in the Columbia River Gorge—small town, breathtaking scenery, and impossibly nosy neighbors. But Meredith Morehouse, reformed city girl and curator of the eclectic Imogene Museum, is learning to live with it. Even though just about everyone, including Sheriff Marge Stettler, has impertinent suggestions about how well she should get to know hunky tugboat captain Pete Sills.

I will preface this by saying I have not read the final in the series, but here is a brief synopsis of each:

Rock Bottom: missing grad student, chamber pots, dope crop

Doubled Up: murdered ex-fiance, strange masks, gold, burglars

Sight Shot: family secrets, the re-emergence of the eyeball from book 1 (read book 1)

Tin Foil: bombs, old ordinance, a new friend, death of a cougar

Faux Reel: ghastly painting of a fish, a hollywood crew, the mob, a legacy uncovered

Shift Burn: firebugs, gun-running, murder

Stray Narrow: a murder, a secret witness, a crime exhibition

Okay - so definitely cozy mysteries that can be read in one sitting - but that doesn't detract from any reading pleasure. The setting is picturesque, the characters quirky and at times fallible, the mysteries engaging, the heroine likeable, and some scenes humourous.

What I enjoyed was the story telling, the authenticity of characters, the wonderful settings, the community of characters, and how each story seamlessly followed on from the one previous.

Jerusha herself says of her characters: " It’s my goal that you will never think the main characters make bad decisions—that you would’ve made the same decisions in the circumstances." And of her view of law enforcement officers portrayed in cosy mysteriues: " Incompetent law enforcement officers is the trope common in the cozy mystery genre that I dislike the most." - and I agree with her there!

This is a great series - and I intend to revisit the earlier books again before tracking down number seven.

Now having said that, Sockeye County Mystery Series: "This new Sockeye County series has given me the chance to expand on the cast of characters from the Imogene Museum series, develop them in more depth in the context of their community and give you a peek inside the heads of many of them. Also, I think the tone may be more lighthearted and frisky. But there’s still definitely a mystery, and I’m having loads of fun incorporating actual local news stories (fictionalized, of course) into the plot. Crazy things that only (but really, truly) happen in the country…"

So look out for this series as well.

Review: Fiction Can Be Murder by Becky Clark

The premise caught me - life becomes stranger than fiction. When author Charlee Russo's agent is killed via method used in her yet to be published manuscript, the question is asked "... who had access ..." Turns out, at least 15 people from the members of Charlee's critique group, people at her agent's office, her boyfriend, her beta readers. Even Charlee herself is front and centre.

So, what does one do when being accused of murder .... one investigates. And thus we have the slow process of eliminating - one by one - all those who could have read the manuscript and had motive for murder. Most annoying character is Charlee's brother - he constantly refuses to take her calls, doesn't assist in her investigations (as every good family member should); just what is his role, why is he even in the book, I couldn't fathom it.

Its a standard cosy mystery where revenge is a dish best served cold. And I am in no hurry to take this series any further.

Review: Killing In C Sharp by Alexia Gordon

Third in the Gesthemane Brown series - and although I didn't read the first two, although there is a lot of character, background and scene setting before things actually start to kick off.

I'm not a fan. I loved the setting - Ireland - and the theme of ghostly revenge, however the character of Brown (and indeed of the supporting cast) did not illicit any connection / empathy that other "cozy crime" sleuths have done. I didn't have an invested interest in either character or the storyline that developed. For me personally, it just doesn't stack up with all the hype. Glad it was a freebie read.