I read two Terry Shames books back to back. Both are Samuel Craddock mysteries.
The first was The Last Death of Jack Harbin. Jack is a severely disabled vet; blind and confined to a wheelchair. Who would would want to murder someone so disabled? The mystery is compounded by the death of Jack’s father, just a week or so before Jack. The funeral pulls together several people from the High School and Craddock slowly unravels the threads. As usual, the mystery is excellent and Craddock is a great character.
The second in this series is Dead Broke in Jarrett Creek. The town is in a terrible financial situation. They are broke, so broke they cannot afford a police force. When banker Gary Dellmore is murdered, Craddock is pulled into becoming a temporary police chief so he can investigate.
Dellmore was not a good banker; he is a little too free about spreading details of people’s finances around. As Craddock investigates, he finds that Dellmore cheated on his wife and engaged in dodgy business deals. Craddock begins to wonder what else Dellmore was engaged in. Whatever if was, it cost him his life.
The mysteries by Shames are delightful.Last Death of
Finally, I read The River by James e’toile. And independently published book, it is not available on Amazon.
On a vacation to Jamaica, two young girls disappear. The father of one and the mother of the other fly to Jamaica to find them. They barely arrive before being menaced by a thug known as the Haitian. The two parents forge on with their investigation anyway. The Haitian cannot allow that to happen.
The story is captivating and fast moving. The style needs some help, however.
One of the questions I’ve been asked consistently is why Martis is so young. Martis is a fifteen year old-aspiring bull leaper, When her sister dies at the altar on her wedding day, and Martis is told by her sister’s spirit that she was murdered, Martis takes on the responsibility of investigating.
Isn’t a fifteen year old too young? We would certainly think so. But the average lifespan then, and through most of human history, was only about forty.
This is a somewhat misleading statistic since the average lifespan was brought down by maternal death during childbirth. Illness and accidents, and of course war injuries, account for significant mortality. Still, a few of the bodies disinterred from graves, even from this time, indicate some people survived to their sixties or even their seventies. But that was not common.
All of life’s milestones were earlier. Women married in their teens and were grandmothers in their thirties. Many of the seasoned warriors described in the Iliad were barely in their twenties.
The other factor is that any bull leaper would have to be young: fast, agile and strong. Even now, with all the benefits modern health has to offer, sports figures in their forties are a rarity. I make a point of emphasizing that most of the bull leapers age out of the sport by their late teens. At fifteen, Martis is already facing the end of her career as a bull-dancer.
I met Tessa Wegert at the Severn dinner during Thrillerfest. I usually try to read the books of fellow writers I meet.
I read Death in the Family. And it was creepy.
Shana Merchant is a cop who recently relocated to upstate New York. Shas only recently returned to work after a traumatic experience in New York. With her partner Tim, she is called to a private island to investigate the disappearance/murder of a young man.
This was truly creepy. I plan to read the next in the series.
After that dark and creepy book, I wanted to read something lighter. I chose one of my favorite authors: Marcia Talley,
The crime is always late in the book but the reader remains captivated nonetheless.
Hannah and her sister plan to take a sister cruise. Georgina’s 14 year old daughter Julie is added. Everyone is having a good time when Hannah learns of the disappearance of a counselor on a previous cruise. As she looks into it, Julie is abducted. Although they find her unharmed, Hannah is now sure a predator sails these cruises in search of young victims. Although these seem like cozies, Talley is skilled at revealing the dark underbelly without getting too noir.
I read a true cozy last: Cookin’ the Books, by Amy Patricia Meade,
Tish Tarragon is setting up a cafe (with all things literary themed) in a small town. She is asked to cater a library event for 300 people. At this event. the Director Binnie Broderick dies – poisoned. Worried about the success of her business, Tish sets about donating home baked goodies to all and sundry, picking up clues as she goes along. Tish unmasks the murderer, natch.
This is very well written and cute, but a little too light for my taste.
What did they eat in Ancient Crete? Archaeologists struggle with determining the food eaten by ancient peoples. The remains of bones – meat or fish – provides a clue. But what else do they eat?
We know the Minoan civilization already had the olive tree and were pressing oil. Grapes were harvested and fermented into wine long before the beginnings of the so-called Minoan society. What else? Since they had flocks of sheep and goats, and bones with cut marks have been discovered we are pretty sure they ate goat, lamb and mutton. What about beef? Well, they had bulls (for the bull leaping) so maybe they ate beef.
What about cheese? They would have had milk, goat and sheep milk at least. Although there are theories, I haven’t found a definitive answer on cheese.
Vegetables and grains are tougher. We know they grew herbs, at least for medical and religious uses. Maybe they used them to season their food. The remains of grains have been found in bowls excavated at digs. But did these ancient peoples eat bread? Ancient Egypt had bread from about the fourth century B.C.E. Did they eat it earlier? Maybe. Since the ties between Crete and Egypt were strong, I assume that the Minoan culture also had some form of bread, maybe a flat bread. They certainly had beer and beer and bread were usually companions. Even in the Middle Ages, the bread makers and the brewers were part of the same guild. I took a calculated guess and had my characters in In the Shadow of the Bull eat flatbread.
No potatoes, no squash and no corn – these are from the New World and wouldn’t make it to Europe for another thousand years.
I missed a week of posting since I was on vacation. I even missed any celebration on the Publication Day of my new book, In the Shadow of the Bull.
Through out the week, I read a book titled Woman’s Lore: 4000 years of Sirens, Serpents and Succubi, as part of my research for the next couple of books in my Ancient Crete series.
Even for the general reader, this is an interesting discussion of the treatment of women, and the goddesses women appealed to for help with pregnancy and childbirth, and how men co-opted them and turned them into sirens and succubi.
Another nonfiction title I read was Gardening can be Murder, a discussion of gardens, poisons and more in mystery fiction. For me, the most interesting and helpful section is a list of mystery authors and their books. I will definitely use that for my future reading.
I also read several fiction titles. The first was Hide Away by Jason Pinter. I met him at a Severn House dinner. I plan to read the books written by my fellow Severn authors.
I really enjoyed this book and have already ordered the second. Rachel Marin and her children are hiding under assumed names. Rachel’s husband Brad was murdered by a serial killer who is still out there. When the disgraced mayor of the little town in Murdered, Rachel calls the police and ends up involved (and accused) of the murder. A conspiracy is unmasked and Rachel almost gets killed by the murderer. A connection with a cop hints at a romance.
I also read book eight of the Deanna Raybourn series with the intrepid butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell.
In this one, the brother of Veronica’s love interest tells her he is afraid he is going to be murdered. He proactively invites everyone who was present at a long ago party. Sure enough, there is a murder. At the same time, Veronica, who is on the outs with her Lord, has to figure out a way to woo him back.
Funny, lots of fun, and with a twisty mystery. A+.
Finally, I went back to book one of the Samuel Craddock series, A Killing at Cotton Hill, by Terry Shames. I love this series. Craddock is an appealing character and the mysteries (I’ve read two so far) are great. But the best thing is the style. The books are amusingly written in a down home way. One of my favorite lines from this one: he couldn’t investigate his way out of an outhouse with two doors. A+
Another busy week. I finished only one book, the second in the Sophie Burgoyne series.
Rumors of smuggling at Lady Holme reach Sophie’s ears. Since the Lord and Lady of Lady Holme are planning a large riding party, they need four additional maids. Sophie, Flora, Ada, and Fern a young girl with a photographic memory, are employed as those maids.
Within days of their arrival, Richard Smythe is murdered and now the hunt is on to find the murderer. There are several possibles. The Inspector investigating this case arrests Dr. Beaton but Sophie does not believe he is the guilty man.
The murder, and Lord Hazlet’s 39 year house arrest, are entangled in the smuggling. References are made to a mysterious consortium, in operation for several hundred years.
The mystery is twisty, although the identity of the murderer is soon discovered. I found the beginning a little confusing as the young women all choose different names. But the book is charming and fun and I will definitely read the next in the series.
The Game of Fear, by Charles Todd, is the 24th in the Ian Rutledge series. The Inspector is sent to Essex to investigate reports of a ghost. Rutledge’s good friend recalls there was an airfield there during the war (WWI) and a mysterious death.
Rutledge at first wonders if Lady Benton is seeing things but when he meets her, he changes his mind. Now he wonders if it is a prank. But he soon finds there are many unanswered questions about Captain Nelson’s death. Then Rutledge himself sees something mysterious.
As he investigates, he realizes this case connects to events during the war (an omnipresent theme) and to a fugitive accused of killing his family.
Another winner from the duo of Charles Todd and his mother. Now that she has died, the continuance of this series is in doubt and that is a shame. A wonderful series.Game of
My schedule for blogging is out of whack because my husband and I were on vacation in Alaska. (More about that later).
I finished the Dark Queen by Faith Hunter.
Jane Yellowrock is promoted to Dark Queen by Leo Pellisier just as the European vamps arrive. Naturally, there are betrayals and wheels within wheels. During the epic battle, that the last few books have been heading for, it looks as though the New Orleans contingent will lose and the Europeans will win the United States.
Jane also meets a long lost brother, and she is not sure how she feels about that. More about her past is revealed.
This episode in the long running series ends on a cliff hanger so I now am looking forward to the next one in the series.
I also read the first in a new series for me: Secret Agency, by G. T. Bellamy.
Sophie Burgoyne is the daughter of a poor vicar. Knowing that she has to make her own way in the world, she starts an agency for hiring domestic servants. At first, the fledgling business is so slow Sophie is afraid she won’t be able to pay her bills. But a meeting with an old friend offers her another pathway. This new business quickly spirals into an investigation into an attempted murder, several successful murders, and espionage.
This was absolutely charming. I have already ordered the second in the series.
The third book I read was Marcia Talley’s The Last Refuge.
When the main female lead in a reality show withdraws because of illness, Hannah jumps in. The reality show is supposedly set in 1774 and while Hannah enjoys the clothing, she, and all the cast, struggled with the lack of modern amenities. They are supposed to be living as they would in 1774.
The murder occurs late in the book and the murder and the mystery are not the focus here. Nonetheless, a captivating story. Talley never disappoints
