Review: Murder in the House of Omari by Taku Ashibe

Synopsis: Osaka, 1943: as the Second World War rages and American bombers rain death down upon the city, the once prosperous Omari family is already in decline, financially ruined by the terrible conflict. Then the household is struck by a series of gruesome murders.

Can anyone solve the mystery of these baffling slayings before the Omari line is extinguished entirely? To do so, and unravel the killer's fiendish plot, they will have to delve into the family's past, where a dark and deadly secret has been festering for decades...

~ ~ ~

To be perfectly honest I was not a fan of this one. I had to have a serious think about this one before putting pen to paper a it were.

Even for Japanese crime fiction, this book was excrutiatingly long winded with a snaking narrative that when it finally gets to the point, doubles back on itself, becoming long winded and snaking yet again.

I did enjoy facets of the book - the family dynamics and historical content, but felt my interest waning as the pathway to the conclusion became lost.

I am sure many other will enjoy this - and I will continue to champion Japanese crime fiction as I have grown to love it.

Review: The Six Loves of James I by Gareth Russell

Synopsis: From the assassination of his father to the explosive political and personal intrigues of his reign, this fresh biography reveals as never before the passions that drove King James I.

Gareth Russell’s “rollicking, gossipy” (Dan Jones, author of The Plantagenets), and scholarly voice invites us into James’s world, revealing a monarch whose reign was defined by both his public power and personal vulnerabilities. For too long, historians have shied away from or condemned the exploration of his sexuality. Now, Russell offers a candid narrative that not only reveals James’s relationships with five prominent men but also challenges the historical standards applied to the examination of royal intimacies.

This biography stands as a significant contribution to the understanding of royal history, illuminating the personal experiences that shaped James’s political decisions and his philosophical views on masculinity and sexuality.

~ ~ ~

Russell aims to tell the story of James I - his life and rule - through the prism of the men and women he loved and was intimate with, from his youth until his death.

For a man "nurtured in fear", James placed great store in the intimate relations he cultivated, with men and women alike, and in both a sexual and non-sexual way. These close and strong attachments often reflected the way James acted and behaved in private and on the political field.

James was said to have "loved indiscreetly and obstinately" which gives an insight into the person and character of the monarch. However the reader cannot fall into the trap of assuming that every friendship or attachment was a camoflaged romance - a strong cohort of loyal and trusted intimates - whether personal or political - was important - and not just to James, but also to his kindred monarchs.

As mentioned, against the backdrop of James' personal and political life, Russell introduces the reader to the agreed consensus of those whom James held in great affection. We begin with his cousin, Esme Earl of Lennox, who was the first to organise James' household along more "royal" lines; Patrick Gray, who was dismissed amid accusations of of espionage and sedition; James, Earl of Huntley, later imprisoned by Charles I; Alexander Lindsay who was contemporary with James' marriage to Anne of Denmark; Alexander Ruthven, James' frequent hunting companion; followed by two lesser known favourites whose time in the sun coincided with James' succession to the English throne upon the death of Elizabeth I.

We the reader musn't overlook James' interaction with his female favourites and here Russell looks at James' brief relationship with Anne Murray, and - more importantly - that of his wife and queen, Anne. Again, the reader cannot assume that Anne was completely ignorant as to James' sexuality, indeed at times she was more than complicit in soliciting "companions" for her husband. This in itself shows that she was a powerful and influential figure on the political scene, even if her influence was channeled through others.

Finally we arrive at the two men who were considered to be the most influential of all of James' men - Robert Carr and George Villiers. Both men meet James after he takes the English throne, both become involved in politics and scandal - only one would outlive James.

Russell finishes with a brief outline of the events from the death of James to the accession of Charles II and the sisters, Mary and Anne Stuart; followed by the extension notes and references used in this well constructed biography.

The reader will be suitably entertained with the "gossipy scandal" of James' love-life, and informed through this user-friendly historical study of both English and Scottish politics under the first King of a united kingdom.

Review: The Spiral Staircase by Ethel Lina White

Synopsis: Helen Capel is hired as a live-in lady-help to the Warren family in the countryside. She enjoys the eccentric household and her duties, but her peaceful and simple life is soon disturbed by a series of mysterious murders in the isolated community.

As Helen’s employer, Professor Sebastian Warren, battens down the hatches and locks all the doors of their remote country house, the eight residents begin to feel safe. But somewhere out there lurks a murderer of young girls. As the murders crawl closer to home, Helen starts to wonder if there really is safety in numbers—and what happens when those numbers start to dwindle?

~ ~ ~

The premise evolves around a young maid, employed in a remote country house, where not all of the members of the household are what they seem; the setting is suitably gothic and claustrophobic; a murderer is on the loose and closing in.

I am in two minds - I love classic crime fiction, which is what this is; on the other hand, it was rather tedious in the initial set up, which I found distracting. The ending was rather curious and not all-together ..... well, believable. However, as this is fiction, the author has provided the reader with a fairly decent psychological drama.

First published in 1933 as "Some Must Watch"

History Play - Marlowe Lives?

Rodney Bolt's book is not an attempt to prove that, rather than dying at 29 in a tavern brawl, Christopher Marlowe staged his own death, fled to Europe, and went on to write the work attributed to Shakespeare. Instead, it takes that as the starting point for a playful and brilliantly written "fake biography" of Marlowe, which turns out to be a life of the Bard as well. 

Using real historical sources (as well as the occasional red herring) plus a generous dose of speculation, Bolt paints a rich and rollicking picture of Elizabethan life. As we accompany Marlowe into the halls of academia, the society of the popular English players traveling Europe, and the dangerous underworld of Elizabethan espionage, a fascinating and almost plausible life story emerges, along with a startlingly fresh look at the plays and poetry we know as Shakespeare's. 

Tapping into centuries of speculation about the man behind the work, about whom so few facts are known for sure, Rodney Bolt slyly winds the lives of two beloved playwrights into one.

Spymistress - A Biography of Vera Atkins

She was stunning. She was ruthless. She was brilliant and had a will of iron. Born Vera Maria Rosenberg in Bucharest, she became Vera Atkins. William Stephenson, the spymaster who would later be known as "Intrepid", recruited her when she was twenty-three.

Vera spent most of the 1930s running too many dangerous espionage missions to count. When World War II began in 1939, her many skills made her one of the leaders of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a covert intelligence agency formed by, and reporting to, Winston Churchill. She trained and recruited hundreds of agents, including dozens of women. Their job was to seamlessly penetrate deep behind the enemy lines.

As General Dwight D. Eisenhower said, the fantastic exploits and extraordinary courage of the SOE agents and the French Resistance fighters "shortened the war by many months." They are celebrated, as they should be.

But Vera Atkins's central role was hidden until after she died; Author William Stevenson promised to wait and publish her story posthumously. Now, Vera Atkins can be celebrated and known for the hero she was: the woman whose beauty, intelligence, and unwavering dedication proved key in turning the tide of World War II.

Benjamin Wallace - Duck & Cover Series

Even a mushroom cloud has a silver lining.

Join the Librarian and his mastiff as he does his best to make the post-apocalyptic world a better place by protecting the weak,fighting injustice, squaring off against a group of former renaissance fair workers who have established a kingdom in the Rocky Mountains, and so on. 

Can one man make a difference in the face of such murderous cannibals and super smart bears? Probably not.

Visit Benjamin's website for more on this series.

Dirk Cussler - reflections 50 years on

From an article posted in CrimeReads:

In 1973, a paperback thriller was published by Pyramid Press, written by an aspiring writer from Southern California. The book opened with an antiquated World War I German Albatross biplane strafing Brady Air Force Base on the Greek island of Thásos, destroying its fleet of F-105 jet fighters. The attack is disrupted by the arrival of a lumbering PBY Catalina flying boat, whose pilot engages in an unlikely dogfight with the Albatross and somehow prevails. The Mediterranean Caper was the debut novel by my father Clive Cussler, and introduced the indomitable character of Dirk Pitt at the controls of the Catalina, along with his fictional employer, the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA).

Read full article here @ CrimeReads

My first introduction to both Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt was through his third novel, "Raise The Titanic". I needed to do a book report for school, and was definitely not into romance, having been raised with a healthy dose of murder and action adventure. This book still occupies a small corner of my mind even to this day.

Raise The Titanic: The President's secret task force develops the ultimate defensive weapon. At its core: byzanium, a radioactive element so rare sufficient quantities have never been found. But a frozen American corpse on a desolate Soviet mountainside, a bizarre mining accident in Colorado, and a madman's dying message lead DlRK PITT~ to a secret cache of byzanium. Now he begins his most thrilling, daunting mission -- to raise from its watery grave the shipwreck of the century!

A Woman of Pleasure by Kiyoko Murata

In 1903, a fifteen-year-old girl named Aoi Ichi is sold to the most exclusive brothel in Kumamoto, Japan. Despite her modest beginnings in a southern fishing village, she becomes the protégée of an oiran, the highest-ranking courtesan at the brothel.

Through the teachings of her oiran, Shinonome, Ichi begins to understand the intertwined power of sex and money. And in her mandatory school lessons, her writing instructor, Tetsuko, encourages Ichi and the others to think clearly and express themselves. By banding together, the women organize a strike and walk away from the brothel and into the possibility of new lives.

Based on real-life events in Meiji-era Japan, award-winning and critically acclaimed veteran writer Kiyoko Murata re-creates in stunning detail the brutal yet vibrant lives of women in the red-light district at the turn of the twentieth century—the bond they share, the survival skills they pass down, and the power of owning one’s language.

Translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter

Review: Women in the Scottish Wars of Independence by Beth Reid

Synopsis: The Scottish Wars of Independence are often celebrated for the heroic deeds of men, but behind the scenes, noblewomen played an equally pivotal role in shaping the nation’s fate. In Women in the Scottish Wars of Independence, Beth Reid brings to life the stories of these remarkable women, from royalty to influential landowners, whose contributions to Scotland’s turbulent history have long been overlooked.

From noblewomen like Isabella MacDuff, Agnes Randolph, and Agnes Comyn—who made kings, defended castles, and led conspiracies—to royal women who influenced key decisions and defined dynasties, this book paints a vivid picture of resilience, strategy, and courage. Through chronicles, royal charters, and material culture, Reid uncovers how these women navigated war and politics, revealing their critical yet underappreciated roles in shaping the outcomes of the Wars of Independence.

Focusing on noblewomen rather than ordinary lives, this book offers a fresh perspective on a male-dominated narrative, shedding light on the influential partnerships and actions of women who stood at the heart of Scotland's history. With meticulous research and compelling storytelling, Women in the Scottish Wars of Independence is essential reading for history enthusiasts eager to explore the often-untold contributions of Scotland’s noblewomen during one of its most formative periods.

~ ~ ~

On the one hand, Reid's book is a very detailed history of the period commonly known as the Scottish Wars of Independence - the era dominating the political landscape of Scotland from the death of the little Maid of Norway to the Treaty of Berwick which formally ended the wars and secured the release of King David II of Scotland from English captivity.

On the other hand, it is an attempt to give to a small cohort of women a more visual role on the political chessboard than they may have previously been given.

To the first, Reid provides an ample study of the succession, sovereignty and overlordship of Scotland during this period. The internal political factionalism, dynastic ambitions and prevalent warfare was dominated by men. Reid states her intent to provide a renewed focus on experience and perceptions of real people, particularly women; and this this tome will provide an accessible "correction to the wider understanding of 13th and 14th century Scottish women in warfare". However, the evidence is sparse and Reid relies on a wider context and a fair bit of speculation as to what may or may not have occurred.

Reid then collates her chosen subjects into three categories: politics, warfare and captivity. Under "politics" the focus in on the rise of the Bruce women; under "warfare" the focus is on the likes of Agnes Randolph and her ilk, who defended their castles against enemy armies; whilst "captivity" focuses on the humiliating and isolating fate of primarily the Bruce women after the defeat of Robert (kudos for exploring and and expanding on this in particular).

My issue, as with many other tomes of this style, is when an author attempts to ascribe to their given subject much more than is their due, particularly when "evidence" is lacking. 

To summarise: the women featured have not been overlooked - there is ample documentation both on the internet and in print - and what his been provided herein can easily be found via both if that is what you are looking for - I could put my hand on a number of books in my own library to support this. Secondly, I would question whether all these women had "critical roles in shaping the outcomes" - one or two or three perhaps, or is Reid possibly referring to this "critical role" in the context of dynastic political marriages. Thirdly, and unfortunately, I - personally - found no "fresh perspective on a male dominated narrative" - because that is essentially what it was - a period dominated by men and their actions on both the political and military fields. Yes, there were a number of women who stood out for their deeds and actions - however, we can find many examples among their historical counterparts both on the Continent and on home soil, both before and after their own times.  These are not singularly exceptional or unique only to the Scottish Wars. Again, these actions must be put in context to both the politics of the period and of personae dramatis in whose orbits they circled.

To give the author, Beth Reid, their dues, the book is well researched, providing a good background and context of the politics of the day; it accessible (conversational even) to the lay reader, thus not a dry, academic tome; and provides a good launching pad for further research. A well-read historical researcher will not find anything new.