Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers #1) Set in England in 1946 You can’t hold it against him. He had a bad war. He ought to have developed a callus over whatever part of his heart was meant for mourning, but instead, it was like a wound that never quite healed. “No, I […]
Sleeping Murder (1976) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple, #13) Set in England in 1944. The cover of several copies of this book say, “Miss Marple’s Last Case” which is confusing since it is clearly set well before Nemesis. I arranged with dear Gwenda that I would come round and do a little weeding while she was […]
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories (1985) Agatha Christie The Thirteen Problems (1932) 1. The Tuesday Night Club (1927) 2. The Idol House of Astarte (1928) 3. Ingots of Gold (1928) 4. The Bloodstained Pavement (1928) 5. Motive v. Opportunity (1928) 6. The Thumbmark of St. Peter (1928) 7. The Blue Geranium (1929) 8. The […]
The Missing Page (2022) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers #2) Set in Cornwall in 1947 “James has gone to Cornwall.” She said this as if announcing that James had taken up a life of crime and perversion. The more Leo thought about it, the less he liked it. Leo had read this detective story and […]
Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers #1) Set in England in 1946 What I love best about this book is she makes the time period (and much everything else) exactly like it does in the Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series. Only with some boinking. You can’t hold it against him. He had a […]
The Missing Page (2021) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers) Set in in England in 1947 “The letter from the solicitor said the uncle’s will stipulated that all legatees attend the reading at the family home in Cornwall or forfeit their bequest.” Leo’s eyebrows shot straight up. “Was it his uncle’s dying wish to reenact a […]
Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers) Set in England in 1946. This story reminds me very much of an Agatha Christie, only with boinking. A combination of A Murder is Announced and The Moving Finger. None of the witnesses could suggest a possible motive, nor did any of them think Mrs. Hoggett had […]
Secrets Typed in Blood (2022) Stephen Spotswood (Pentecost & Parker) Set in New York City in 1947 This is one of the books that I wanted to read, but couldn’t get myself in the mood for. So I went ahead and read it. First, I really hate the new covers. Well, hate is a strong […]
The Deadliest Fall (2023) Charlie Cochrane Set in England in 1947. The war is over but things are still settling back down. When Leslie Cadmore runs into Marianne Sibley, he is reminded how much he misses his best friend and lover (and Marianne’s twin), but still is unsure whether Patrick was involved in the death […]
The Missing Page (2022) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers) Set in England in 1948 James is called to Cornwall for the reading of the will of an uncle he hasn’t seen for decades. When Leo returns from his latest mission, he doesn’t like this discovery at all. The more Leo thought about it, the less […]
Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers) Set in England in 1946. Mrs Hoggett is dead, and although her death was certainly suspicious, there is nothing directory pointing to murder. None of the witnesses could suggest a possible motive, nor did any of them think Mrs. Hoggett had enemies. Leo had actually laughed out […]
The Missing Page (2022) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers) Set in England in 1948. It has only been a few months since James and Leo met during a murder case, but Leo is now claiming James “spare room” as his landing place when he is home from whatever missions he is sent out on. But […]
Murder Under Her Skin (2021) Stephen Spotswood (Pentecost and Parker) Set in NYC and rural VA in 1946. Will has been working for Ms. Pentecost for more than a year now, and is enjoying becoming a private investigator. But when Will gets a telegram from her old boss–Big Bob Halloway–asking to look into the death […]
Fortune Favors the Dead (2020) Stephen Spotswood (Pentecost and Parker) Set in New York in 1945. Will Parker ran away to join the circus, to escape her abusive father. But an event one night in 1942 in NYC changes everything, and she ends up working for Lillian Pentecost, a private investigator. “I trust you to […]
Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers) Set in England in 1946. Leo Page works for a government agency that kept him going all over the continent–first to try and keep England from war, and then trying to help get them out of it faster. He has no illusions about what he does, and […]
A Pocket Full of Rye (1953) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) This is one of the stories that has always stuck with me–probably because of the rye mentioned in the title. Rex Fortescue dies in his office, and the police immediately suspect murder. “I gather you don’t think it was natural death,” he said dryly. “Not […]
They Do It With Mirrors (1952) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) Something about this book has never quite worked for me. I never quite feel I have a handle on anything, and some of the characters melt into each other. The mystery itself is interesting, but getting to the solution just felt a little off. The […]
Murder Is Announced (1950) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6: 30 p.m. Friends please accept this, the only intimation. This is post WWII story, and there are so many bits regarding that I love. “You know the Fuel Office won’t […]
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories (1985) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) The first half of this edition is The Thirteen Problems / The Tuesday Club Murders, which I earlier. The second half has the following stories: From The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (1939) “Miss Marple Tells a Story” first in Home Journal (1935) [“Behind […]
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories (1985) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) These stories were published between 1927 and 1957. “(S)o many people seem to me not to be either bad or good, but simply, you know, very silly.” The Thirteen Problems (previously published as The Tuesday Club Murders) (1932) The Tuesday Night Club (1927) The […]
Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers) Set in England in 1946. I’ll be honest, although the premises of most of her books are my thing, I just haven’t loved most of Cat Sebastian’s books. They generally have a lot of sex, and the plot aren’t always enough of my thing to get past […]
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories (2013) Agatha Christie From The Thirteen Problems (1953) The Tuesday Night Club The Idol House of Astarte Ingots of Gold The Bloodstained Pavement Motive v. Opportunity The Thumbmark of St. Peter The Blue Geranium The Companion The Four Suspects A Christmas Tragedy The Herb of Death The Affair at […]
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (2014) Alan Bradley The previous book ended with the news that Harriet de Luce had been found. This book opens with Harriet’s body returning to Buckshaw, in all pomp and circumstance–none of which does Flavia and her sisters and father much good, since their home is still up for […]
Speaking from Among the Bones (2013) Alan Bradley The wolves are no longer at the door. Her father can no longer keep up with the creditors, and they’re out of money. Meanwhile, the vicar is excavating the bones of Saint Tancred, on the 500th anniversary of his martyrdom. But as much as some people want […]
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (2011) Alan Bradley It’s almost Christmas, and Flavia has grave suspicious about St. Nick. How he really come down the chimney to leave gifts? And if he does, can he be caught? Unfortunately, the de Luce household is in an even greater uproar than normal, since Father is allowing a […]