You should have died on Monday, by Frankie Bailey, is the third of her Lizzie Stuart mysteries. They just keep getting better and better.
In this outing, Lizzie bends all her efforts to finding the mother who abandoned her at five days old. With an old post card as her only lead, she travels to Chicago. It does not take long to discover her mother, at twenty-two, was already involved in a relationship with a gangster and, at the same time, with the leader of a group that later becomes associated with the Black Panthers.
When Becca’s close friend suddenly disappears from Chicago, Lizzie follows her to Wilmington, North Carolina and then to New Orleans.
Secrets – who murdered Reuben James and Becca’s lover-gangster – are covered. But one secret, Lizzie’s paternity, remains unknown.
Throughout, Lizzie struggles with the status of her relationship with John Quinn, a man who has his own secrets. Highly Recommended.
This past week I read Murder in the Fourth Position by Lori Robbins.
This is the fourth in this very interesting series. The protagonist/detective is a ballerina.
In this outing, Leah Siderova leaves the world of ballet for a musical on Broadway. The truth, though, is more complicated. There are rumors of problems on the set and the star of the show, Amber, is being targeted by online threats.
Then the online threats escalate into real world violence, resulting in the hospitalization, not only of Amber, but also of a costumer.
Then Leah herself is targeted. I love this unusual protagonist and setting and the mysteries aren’t bad either.
The second book for the week is Old Murders, the third in Frankie Bailey’s Lizzie Stuart mysteries.
I love this series. Lizzie Stuart is an engaging character with flaws as well as strengths.
Against the backdrop of a fight over the development of downtown Gallagher, a talented local artist goes missing. At the same time a fifty year old murder raises its ugly head. Someone wants to keep bury both mysteries and Lizzie is in the way.
At the same time, she is dealing with her fragile relationship with detective John Quinn.
As usual, Bailey does a great job of setting her mystery against the intersection of race, gender, and the imbalance of power. Highly recommended.
With tax season, and since I am redoing my kitchen, I only managed to read one book this week: The Twilight Queen by Jeri Westerson.
Jeri is the author of the medieval noir series featuring Crispin Guest. I loved that series and was sad when she called a halt to it. (Although, as a series author myself, I understand how difficult it is to write something fresh.)
The Kings Fool series takes place during the Tudor era. In this second mystery, Henry VIII is disappointed that Anne Boleyn has not produced a son and is eyeing Jane Seymour. So, it is easy to understand how dismayed Anne is when she finds a murdered man in her bed. Someone is trying to discredit her. And cuckolding the King is treason, punishably by death. The situation worsens when a ring, given her by the King, is found in the murdered man’s belongings. She asks Will Somers, the Fool, for help.
Will, and his much put upon wife Marion, investigate. Weirdly, Nicholas Padgett, one of the fool’s male lovers, also becomes involved.
I love the style these books are written in with all the appropriate slang of the era. The mystery is great and the different characters are well-drawn. My only problem is Will Somers himself. I don’t care for him and I think he treats poor Marion very poorly.Twilight Queen
Drowning with others is one of the four novels (so far) produced by the combined talents of Keir Graff and Linda Joffe Hull.
I met Keir at the San Diego Bouchercon when we were on a panel together. I frequently read the books produced by my fellow panelists. (One way to find new authors, right?)
Andi and Ian Copeland are the perfect couple. Except for one short breakup, they’ve been together since they were teenagers. Now their daughter Cassidy is attending the elite prep school, Glenlake, the sameone attended by her parents.
Then a car with human remains is pulled from the lake and the mysterious disappearance of a writer in residence, Dallas Walker went years ago, suddenly blows up into a homicide investigation. Both Andi and Ian knew Dallas and both had reasons to want him dead.
Cassidy, now taking a journalism class, begins to find evidence her parents knew Walker better than they claim. Were one, or both, of her parents involved in his murder?
In Ian’s and Andy’s journal entries, all secrets are laid bare. Gradually the facts of Walker’s disappearance become clear.
But there are still more secrets. The ending is a shocker with a twist I did not see coming. Recommended.
After enjoying the Michael Curravan series so much, I chose an earlier Karen Odden book to read.
Lady Elizabeth Frasier is returning home from a humiliating third season in London when the train derails. She pulls her unconscious mother from the wreck. They are treated by a railway surgeon, Paul Wilcox. Elizabeth feels an immediate connection although Society would never accept a marriage between an Earl’s daughter and a doctor.
While waiting in the hotel for her mother to recover, Elizabeth assists Wilcox and they become friends. She is shocked to learn the train accident was probably not an accident. Further investigation reveals Elizabeth’s family owns shares in the railroad and the profits directly affect her dowry.
Odden is a good writer and her mysteries are layered. My only criticism is that the ending (no spoilers here) was too rapid and seemed artificial.
Barbara Hambly has been one of my favorite writers for years. She is such a good writer. I read her Science Fiction/Fantasy novels, following her through the Dog Wizard fantasy and James Asher vampire novels to the Benjamin January mystery series.
The Nubian’s Curse is number 20.
The arrival of a woman January knew in Paris to New Orleans raises memories of a suspicious death in a haunted house. Was it really haunted and was the death from a malevolent ghost – or was it murder?
Now the murder of the man on scene in Paris, who arranged to marry the wealthy heiress left orphaned, raises more questions. Ben is asked to investigate.
As usual, the society in New Orleans – the Quadroon Balls, the custom of keeping a placee, a free woman of color who is mistress to a wealthy white man, the casual racism and the slavery, are front and center in these amazing mysteries. Highly recommended.
It is not necessary to read these in order but I would.
This week I read books by an old favorite author and a new favorite author.
First up, Tangled Roots by Marcia Talley.
Regular Readers know how much I enjoy these Hannah Ives mysteries. Somehow I missed this one and I took advantage of the holiday to backtrack.
Hannah’s sister Georgina discovers through DNA testing that she is 25% Native American. When Hannah tests as well, the results are the same. Through her subscriptions to the various DNA/ancestry sites, she sends out a request for matches. No one should be surprised that the she finds far more than she bargains for.
While Hannah is tracking down the Indian connection, Julie, her niece, follows some of the other matches. This search leads to many other matches and a big secret that culminates in a murder. Scott, Georgina’s husband, is struck down in his gardening shed.
Meanwhile, Hannah and Julie continue researching the Lakota Sioux – and meet another branch of the family – and discover the story of a long ago love and murder. Excellent as usual.
The second book was from a new author for me. Down a Dark River by Karen Odden is the first in a new series.
Michael Corrovan escaped the slums of Whitechapel when barely more than a boy. Now a senior Inspector in Scotland Yard, one of the few remaining after a corruption scandal, he is charged with investigating the murder of a young woman found floating in a rowboat. The daughter of a wealthy and respected judge, Rose seemed to have no enemies.
Then another young woman is found murdered and sent floating in a rowboat on the Thames. Then a third. Corravan can find no link between these young women.
At the same time, he is investigating the disappearance of Mrs. Beckford. When he finds her, she is so terrified of returning home he hides her in a hospital until he can investigate further.
Gradually, he discovers the two cases are linked and the murders are the result of a terrible injustice.
With this busy season, I Only managed one book this week. I thought I was finishing the Bucket List mysteries: Number four is Murder in the Tattoo Parlor.
I thought I was finishing this series, only to reach the end and a To Be Continued.
In this outing, our older, but still intrepid detectives become involved in a murder in a tattoo parlor. What are they doing there? Well, Joy, who is engaged to a local sheriff, wants to get his name tattooed on her shoulder. When Charlotte, Francine and Joy arrive at the tattoo parlor, they discover the artist dead. Joy leaves, not wishing anyone to know she was there, but Charlotte and Francine are filmed leaving.
Charlotte’s accident on her motorcycle and Francine’s new job lead to a solution – and the unveiling of several big secrets. Lots of fun. I look forward to the next installment.
If you are a writer, especially an unpublished one, add the following program to your calendar. The panel will be discussing our differing paths to publication. This is not to be missed.
Register Here for Zoom link: https://upperhudsonsinc.com/event/mavens-roundtable-my-road-to-publication/
Business meeting for members only at 10:30 am Eastern.
Program (free and open to the public) begins at 11:15 am Eastern. Bethlehem Library, 451 Delaware Ave, Delmar, NY 12054
And now for Currently Reading
I read two more Bucket List mysteries this past week. These are very light and, although not Holiday themed, perfect for this busy season. The skinny dipping Grandmas are mixed up in murder once again
In Murder under the Covered Bridge, the ladies are planning a racy calendar. As Francine and her husband, suitably costumed in Victorian clothing, are acting out the illicit relationship between Francine’s ancestor and coachman, gunshots pepper the covered bridge. When the shooting stops, Jonathan goes out to investigate and discovered a severely wounded man who turns out to be Francine’s cousin William. Why did he crash the photo shoot and what secrets does he hold? A series of misadventures, including a fire and a seance, abound as the ladies stumble their way to the solution.
In Murder at the Male Revue, a male strippers troupe offers the chance for one of the ladies to cross off another item on her bucket list. But at the first performance, Camille is found stabbed to death. The first suspect – her nephew Eric who is the owner of the Male Revue. But as our intrepid women investigate, they discover their neighbors had many secrets and some the murderer was willing to kill for.
This week I read two cozies. The first, Disco Dead by Marcia Talley, is one of my favorite series.
So far, this one is my favorite.
Hannah is asked by a group of retired cops to help solve a cold case involving what they think is a serial killer. Using her skills on Ancestry.com and other family tracking websites, Hannah dives in. Her familiarity with the Navy is also a plus, thanks to husband Paul, and Hannah provides the critical piece to finding the man who has raped and killed young women for decades. Excellent.
I discovered to my dismay that I read these out of order and missed a few so I will have to go back and pick them up.
I began a new series this week with Murder on the Bucket List.
A group of senior citizens, all with sixty items on their bucket lists, are planning to go skinny dipping – one of the items. But their plans are disrupted when one of the ladies smells something funny. A quick investigation reveals a dead body in the gardening shed.
The investigation quickly centers on the husband of one of the ladies and two local celebrities – car racers. Laugh out loud scenes sprinkle the mystery. Lots of fun.
