Another busy week now that tax season has begun. I only managed to read one book, Breaking the Circle by M.J. Trow.
Margaret Murray is an archaeologist who frequently consults with the Metropolitan Police on cases in Victorian England. In this outing, several mediums are found murdered with some unusual clue left behind; for example, a feather in the mouth or a tarot card crushed in one hand. Murray joins a local spiritualist group, with which the group had been affiliated, to dig up information. Few of the members are what they claim to be and someone does not like Murray poking around. One of the group’s members, who bears a close likeness to the archaeologist is found battered in the street.
Fortunately, Margaret Murray has a plan.
This is light but enjoyable. Just one note. This is the third mystery involving spiritualism I’ve read in a month. I guess it’s a thing?Breaking the Circle
In Ancient Greece, Willies, sometimes described as nymphs or magical maidens, were the spirits of girls who died before their time (before marriage and motherhood) and returned as spirit beings, or ghosts, to our world.
As described in some of the folklore, if they died disappointed or abused and were not put to rest with the proper rituals, they would return and haunt their families, usually for nine generations. (The number nine appears to be sacred to the Minoans.)
Arge, Martis’s sister, would be considered a willie. Martis relies on her to help solve the mystery of Arge’s death. Would we consider Arte a ghost? Not exactly. She is a spirit but there is a mystical component to her in accordance with Minoan beliefs.
Is this where the phrase Gave me the willies came from. I don’t know.willies
I read one book this week; Courting Dragons by Jeri Westerson.
I was a huge fan of Jeri’s Crispin Guest mysteries so I was curious about this new series. In this one, historical personages are more than cameos. Henry VIII, his wife, Anne Boleyn, Cromwell and quite a few others prance through these pages. The historical backdrop is Henry’s effort to divorce Catherine so he can marry Anne Boleyn.
Will Somers, the King’s jester, is a supporter of Catherine.
The first murder is that of a Spanish courtier who is charged with protecting Catherine.
But another murder occurs, by crossbow, and the bolt comes perilously close to Will Somers love. Already investigating, Will now has a personal reason to find the murderer.
An interesting mystery set in a fascinating time period.
The date for the release of In the Shadow of the Bull is now July 4 for the UK. No word on the release date in the US yet.
In an attempt to reveal what we know of this ancient culture, I thought I would begin with the bull. Bulls were sacred. I’ve read varying explanations. Is it because the Bull represented the male principle, even in a society with a Supreme Goddess? Is it because of the connection with Poseidon. also a God in this culture. (I have mentioned previously how much the Classical Greeks borrowed from the Minoans).
Whatever the reason, the mosaics, the statuary, the rites practiced were all centered around the Bull.
One of the practices was bull dancing or bull leaping. This is a feature of the Theseus myth. Since it was written by the occupying Greeks, it has a negative spin. In the myth, Minos, the ruler of Knossos, requires tribute from the mainland: 7 young women and 7 young men, to face the fearsome Minotaur in the labyrinth. (The creation of the Minotaur is another myth, a rather creepy one.) Theseus volunteers to be one of the tributes. Minos’ daughter Ariadne gives Theseus a ball of string and he is able to kill the Minotaur and lead the other tributes to safety.
Frescoes from Knossos show young men and women (probably teenagers) leaping over a charging bull. The bull dancer grasped the horns and flipped over the bull’s back. Another member of the team caught and steadied him as he landed. There seems to be no doubt that these performances occurred.
Remnants of mazes pictured in mosaics have also been found. But labyrinth, a synonym for a maze, is actually from the word labyrs, a sacred two headed axe used in religious rituals.
A stylized version of the bull’s horns, called the Horns of Consecration, were used everywhere. Examples have survived in Knossos.
This week I read two books that were really average. The first was the better of the two; Tendrils of the Past by Anthea Fraser.
I have read quite a few by Fraser and enjoyed them. This one, in my opinion, was not up to par.
The basic story is this: Charles and Sarah have a happy marriage. They socialized regularly with another couple: Lily and Luke. Luke becomes obsessed with Sarah but after a short affair, she attempts to break it off.
Fifteen years later, the deaths of Sarah and Charles are still a mystery. But their two daughters begin remembering the night in question. The stories of two other couples cycle in and out as well as Sarah’s mother’s. The adulteries and near adulteries are difficult to keep track of. The mystery is not much of a mystery.
The second book I read was more of a novella. I read it because it is set in the twenties.
It reads like it too with mysteries royalty, a secret treasure, and a key to the treasure that Pip, the protagonist, figures out. This one was very Nancy Dervish.
With the preparations for the release of the fist book in the new series (more about that in a few days), I have not been able to read as much as usual. However, I did finish two books, both about Maine.
The first is Death in Acadia, a nonfiction book about the park.
These are true stories about usually fatal misadventures in the park. The first section is devoted to rogue waves coming off the ocean and whisking away people seated on nearby rocks. Some are dashed against the rocks but survive; some succumb to hypothermia. A few entries deal with Thunderhole, an iconic tourist stop on Ocean Drive. I now understand why the steps leading down to the inlet are frequently closed off.
I also read Almost Midnight by Paul Doiron, another in the Mike Bowditch series.
Mike is called away from his vacation by an old friend, Billy Cronk. Billy is in prison and is suspicious about one of the guards. Mike looks into her but he suspects Billy is seeing a conspiracy when there isn’t one. Now what to do with the rest of his vacation? In quick succession, Bowditch is given an ultimatum by his girlfriend, Dani Tate, and is called to a Veterinary Clinic because his wolf dog Shadow has been shot by a crossbow. Mike, of course, decides to investigate on his own time and runs afoul of some of the scary characters in Northern Maine.
Now that In the Shadow of the Bull will be released this summer, I thought I should talk a little bit about the culture of ancient Crete.
Although it is called the Minoan Era, that is a misnomer. Minos was a mythical king mentioned in Greek stories from Classical Greece, many years later.
What we do know is that this sophisticated society flourished in the Bronze Age, only to be destroyed about 1459 B.C.E, The volcano on the island now called Santorini blew, sending ash as far away as Turkey., and causing massive damage to Crete. Some archaeologists discuss signs of rebuilding but the Achaeans, the Greeks from the Mainland, were able to take advantage and occupy the island.
The iconic statuettes from Bronze Age Crete are of women (priestesses probably although some scholars claim they are the Goddess) with snakes twining up their arms and around their waists. Snakes were sacred in this Bronze Age religion.
Snake Goddess describes a number of figurines of a woman holding a serpent in each hand found during excavation of Minoan archaeological sites in Crete dating from approximately 1600 BCE. By implication, the term ‘goddess’ also describes the deity depicted; although little more is known about her identity apart from that gained from the figurines. The ‘Snake Goddess’ figure first discovered was found by the British archaeologist Arthur Evans in 1903. The figurine found by Arthur Evans uses the faience technique, for glazing earthenware and other ceramic vessels by using a quartz paste. After firing this produces bright colors and a lustrous sheen. The figurine is today exibited at the Herakleion Archeological Museum in Crete. The snake’s close connection with the Minoan house is believed to indicate that the goddesses shown in these figures are Household Goddesses. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_Goddess
The shedding of their skins was a symbol of rebirth and regeneration. One of the resources I read said that the snakes were allowed to live in the houses. (I am not sure how she knows that.) If so, I’m sure that the presence of the snakes kept down the mice.
Currently Crete does not have native venomous snakes and it is thought that there no venomous snakes in Crete during the Bronze Age either. So, of course I had to wonder if the asp was ever imported from Egypt.
(I think everyone knows that Cleopatra is supposed to have committed suicide with an asp. According to my research, however, it was a mixture of poisons including opium and wolfsbane. But I digress.)
The prevalence of women in the artwork, not just statuary but also the mosaics, have lent support to the theory that women enjoyed a high status in this society. It is theorized that the religion featured a Goddess as well as less important Gods. Several were transported virtually unchanged to the pantheon of Hellenic Greece.
The first book I read this past week was Cliffs, the Journey’s of McGill Feighen by Kevin O’Donnell.
I didn’t realize it but this is the fourth of a series. However, I’ve had no trouble learning the backstory.
McGill is a Flinger, he teleports goods and people from world to world by envisioning a location in his mind. In Cliffs, a planet inhabited by an intelligent avian species, McGill is forced to involve himself in a a deadly plague spreading across the planet. I couldn’t help but draw analogies with COVID. Despite the lethal nature of the virus, the Rahmaians refuse to accept the danger or change any of their ways. Fun but scary too.
I also read Bootleggers and Beer Barons of the Prohibition Era. Entertainingly written, it is a good overview of the Prohibition Era (1920 – 1933). All the major players in bootlegging are here. Fun and informational,
I read two books this past week (outside of the books I am using for research)
The first is Racing the Light by Robert Crais, number 19 of his long running Elvis Cole Joe Pike series.
Cole is hired by a wealthy woman to find her son, who has disappeared. He is a podcaster, investigating such topics as Area 51 and alien abduction. But when Cole begins his search, he discovers the story is not so simple. Josh has gotten involved in something serious and a gang of dangerous strangers are on his trail.
Fortunately, Cole has Joe Pike to help.
This series is neither cozy or noir. Although there are dark scenes, these are leavened with tender moments between Elvis, his lady love and her son Ben. Another winner.
I also read the eighth in the Jane Yellowrock series. This one is called Broken Soul.
Leo, the vampire master of New Orleans, has Jane checking security procedures in advance of a visit by the European vamps. He also has Gregoire teaching Jane the finer points of swordplay. During one such lesson, a creature made of light appears and attacks, not only Gregoire but Leo and Katie as well. What is this strange creature?
In the hunt for answers, Jane discovers Leo is hiding an important and dangerous secret in the lowest level of his compound.
Why do I enjoy these books so much? The closest I can come is that they hold the same appeal as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Like Buffy, the Jane Yellowrock is part supernatural, part mystery, part romance and of course, lots of adventure.
