Mystery Crime Books

DEATH OF AN ENGLISHMAN (Trad. Mystery/Pol. Proc-Marshal Guarnaccia-Italy-Cont) - G+
Nabb, Magdalen - 1st in series
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1981, US Hardcover - ISBN: 0684177579

First Sentence: The small office was in darkness, except where the red night lamp stood by the telephone on the desk, and the white kid gloves lying on top of a sheaf of papers within the patch of light were flushed pink.

Marshal Guiarnaccia is a Carabiniere stationed in Florence. He wants to get home for Christmas with his family in Sicily but is laid low with a bad case of the flu so it's his young new police cadet, Carabiniere Bacci, faced with the investigation into the murder of a well-connected Englishman.

Inspectors from Scotland Yard appear on the scene and want to keep things quite. As he begins to recover, it is the subtle observations of Marshal that solve the case.

I was not familiar with this author, but it was recommended to me and I thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did.

It's the first of the series and a bit misleading since the actual protagonist spends most of the story being sick. I didn't learn much about Marshal in this book, but when he did make an appearance, I became completely intrigued and wanted more.

I loved the Florentine setting. Nabb is a wonderfully visual writer. Unfortunately, now I've found another author whose backlist I need to seek out and read.

Having really enjoyed Camilleri's Montalbano books, I was hopeful about this, especially after seeing such good reviews. I was greatly disappointed. The mystery itself was all right, although the red herrings were rather expected, but it was the feel of the story which was the greatest disappointment. Rather than having an Italian, much less Florentine, flavor permeate the story, I felt as if the author visited for local color and presented details without substance. Marshall Guarnaccia was barely in the story much of the time, and I got no feel for his personality or quirks. It was the English characters who had the most life, and that wasn't what I was looking for.The Terra-Cotta Dog: An Inspector Montalbano Mystery

I was going to read this book which looked nicely recomended but thanks to the kindly meant but unfortunately revealing review of Maiko Shimoi from Osaka, Japan I will not be reading this book.

Any one else who is planning to read the book please do not read Maiko's review...

The re-release of Magdalene Nabb's Florentine stories is long overdue ( and shame on her UK publisher for dropping her ).

Congratulations are due to SoHo Press for their continuing ressucitation of some of the finest crime writers ( Van Der Wetterring , Tokagi and Janes etc )who all seem to have been dropped in favour of half-witted serial killer clones.

These are some of the finest crime stories ever written and their evocation of Florence is flawless.Marshal Guarnaccia is one of the most engaging protagonists since Maigret and the stories have a similar emphasis on the observation of character and cause rather than Chritie-esque puzzles.In many ways the mystery seems secondary to Ms. Nabb's exceptional ability to draw the reader into the lives of her characters and the bustle of Florentine daily life.

Buy three copies, one to read and re-read to destruction , one to keep for the time when your first falls to bits and one to give to your best friend.

Brava Signora !

I am actually getting sad that I'm nearing the end of this incredible series about the US Marine Corps. Griffin's characters continue to captivate, and he always introduces new ones that you hope to see more of in the future. In this case a Chief Petty Officer called McGuire is one that I certainly want to hear more of. This book takes McCoy and Zimmerman into the Gobi Desert on a very dangerous mission that has a two-fold goal - one to establish a permanent weather station in the Gobi, and the other to rescue a band of US people who have been trying to get out of Japanese held spots in China. We get to see all the planning and preparation work carried out by Flem Pickering's men as they plan this incredibly dangerous mission again behind enemy lines. Griffin's descriptions of the unforgiving Gobi Desert are also unforgettable. What a barren land this must be. Anyway, the book kept me going right from the beginning. I love Griffin's writing style.

This series is the best one I think I have ever read. With characters that have been developed in earlier books coming back in the series with a little back story for those who have not read the previous books. All books in the series can stand on their own, but read in order, they tell an incredible tale. I am always checking to see when the next book will be available and preorder it the day I see it. I devour them, they are so well written and interesting, worthwhile reading.

The Corps series is one of the best series I have read. I can't wait for him to come out with the next book.

This one of my favorite "Corps" books by WEBG. I have read several of the reviews of this book. I find them too nit-picky.
Lighten up! This is fiction!!

Semper Fi,

Hugh W. Davis

I think W.E.B Griffin(his real name is William E. Butterworth)is the best current day writer. I highly recommend this and all of his other books. This book is number 8 of 10 in the Corps series

Ruth Rendell does her usual wonderful job of engaging you in this mystery from the very beginning. The book is about a man who comes into a large sum of money and decides to give it away to those in need. Several different story lines are woven together skillfully. The book is a real page turner, but the ending was disappointing. I won't give it away.

Like most books by Ruth Rendall, this is a masterly study of the minds deviating from what we would call the normal.

It keeps the reader excitedly hoping for a happy ending --that never comes. Or maybe it does, after all. This goes beyond a common crime novel. Absolutely recommendable.

I went to my library to check out "A Sight for Sore Eyes" as I was trying to describe it to a friend and wanted to re-read it for some details. Discovered "The Lake of Darkness" on the Ruth Rendell shelf.

What a great book! I could hardly put it down. I loved the ending where the bad guy forgets one very important detail and can't do anything about it. We assume that he will be caught, but don't know for sure.

What I like about this book was that the characters seem to be normal, but they are anything but. It makes one wonder what ones neighbors might really be doing.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a great story.

Ruth Rendell is a fabulous British author who has churned out mystery after mystery filled with dark, demented twists. This is another tautly plotted, well crafted mystery with characters that, though seemingly normal, are just a tad off the beaten path.

This book features Martin Urban, a staid and somewhat stuffy young man who would have felt at home in Victorian England. Martin wins a very large sum of money in a football pool with a little help from Tim Sage, an old friend of his. Altruistic and given to some rather god-like pronouncements, Martin wishes to give the money away to the deserving poor, in order to enable them to buy a home. Poor Martin, there are none so blind, as those who will not see.

Beset by subliminal homo-erotic thoughts regarding Tim Sage, he meets a mysterious young woman named Francesca, who is as demure and submissive as a Victorian maiden and captures his heart. Unfortunately, she is bound to another. All, however, is not as Martin thinks that it is.

Enter Finn, the twisted son of Lena, former cleaning lady to Martin's mother. When Finn's path crosses that of Martin's, during one of Martin's fumbling attempts to give some of his winnings away, a very clever dialogue ensues between these two with some unexpected, deadly results.

Fans of Ms. Rendell will not be disappointed by this book. It is filled with the slightly off-beat characters for which she is known, some of whom harbor dark twisted thoughts, while others are entirely socio-pathic. Well-written is spare, clear prose and filled with enough twists and turns to satisfy the most discerning of readers, this is another gem in Ms. Rendell's treasure trove of mysteries.

For those interested, this book is available as part of a two book package, ISBN # 0 09 187009 7, which combines the present novel with "The Veiled One" at a bargain price.

This is not a long novel, but it is compelling and hard to put down. There are no major flaws in the novel: it is well balanced, it has good characters, it has a a good plot, and it has mystery. It is what one expects from the author. She delivers a near perfect tale. The book came out in 1980.

There are no extraneous diversions or literary trips made. All the writing is directed around the plot of what happens to an accountant after he wins an English football pool, and a prize of over £100,000.

Highly recommend: 5 stars.

Bloody Mary is one of the greatest books I have ever read. J.A. Konrath is spectactular this is a book you will not be able to put down. I normally take awhile to get through books. I have gotten through Whisky Sour, Bloody Mary, and Rusty nail all 3 books under 2 weeks. They keep you going there is always something happening. I promise you will not be disappointed with Konrath's books. They are a combination of Mystery/Thriller/ and graphic horror. *****'s to J.A. fantastic keep up the good work.

J.A Konrath is one of my favorite new authors. His writing style is fast and fun, even when he is describing horrible instances. The books are fast paced, and are great page turners. The characters are very well written, and the story lines are compelling. I enjoyed getting to know the characters deeper, that were first introduced in the first book of the series "Whiskey Sour." If you like mystery/thriller/cop fiction you will enjoy this series.

While Patterson is my all time favorite mystery writer, I loved reading Konrath because his stories revolved in the Chicago area where I recognize all the nooks and cranies he writes about. That adds even more to the story for me since I'm from the area.

Bloody Mary starts with Lieutenant Jacqueline Daniels being called down to the county morgue because a few extra body parts have been found. Not just any body parts though. This pair of arms was found held together with Daniels' own handcuffs. Like it? It gets better from there.

If you told me that the bad guy would be revealed and caught in the middle of the book and that the remainder of the story would still be just as intense and suspenseful as the hunt for the perp I never would have believed you. But finding the killer's name is just the beginning of the story.

Konrath must have been laughing at the idea that all mysteries reveal the bad guy at the climax. He absolutely shattered my preconceived notions of what a mystery should be.

Bloody Mary is fun, funny, incredibly dark, and completely pulled me in. My only regret is that I finished it at 3am, and alas all the book stores that carry the third book in the series were closed.

I really enjoyed Whisky Sour, the first story about "Jack" Daniels, a female police officer. I liked her strong character, the witty writing, and the characters in general. In many ways it struck em as a female "Spenser" character. The only issue I had was the sometimes extreme, nasty gore in it. I struggled through that because the rest of the story was so enjoyable.

I had really hoped that Bloody Mary would provide the same great characters and environment, and tone the gore down. Unfortunately, this was not to be. If anything, the gore level was cranked up here. Now we have a sadistic psychopath who enjoys torturing his victims for days, if possible, with as gory a result as humanly possible. He literally covers the walls with plastic to make the cleanup of blood and body bits easier. It gets overly disgusting.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the rest of the book! I love the writing style. I love the one-liners and the sharpness of the characters. I love how generally strong Daniels is - although she does slip quite a lot here, for some reason becoming more like a "stereotypical female in a cop job" than she had in the first book. I liked the fact that her mom, a retired cop, was also still sharp, active and had a sex life.

The mid-life crisis, the dealing-with-an-aging-parent, and many other side stories were integrated in an interesting, although sometimes over the top, manner. For someone who spends her life evaluating peoples' discussions and seeking for meaning in a questioning, Daniels seems blissfully clueless about the importance of communication in her own life. So be it, some people are like that.

In the end, though, the gore levels are just too much for me. A lot of it was in there just for gross-out factor and had little real plot meaning. Even if a serious motivation was laid out, it might help - but there wasn't. It was more of a "this incredibly, completely insane person has landed in Daniels' life, so let's have fun with the idea." Somehow Daniels personally seems to attract more complete psychopaths in 2 years than most states see in a 50 year period.

So I'm afraid that for me, personally, I can't read any more of these. There are tons of other writers out there who give me the same level of enjoyability without the detailed body ripping apart. If someone wants to contact me should future books tone down the gore level, I'd be quite happy!

Vegas in the late fifties, the setting for this novel, was a different place. Mega corporations weren't involved back then and it certainly wasn't a place for families. Instead, Vegas was a city run by the "syndicate" with all that implies and the occasional independent. The occasional independent like, Joe Martin, owner of the "Rainbow's End Hotel and Casino" who doesn't bow down to anyone, including the syndicate, even though he does run his business by syndicate rules.

Now somebody, or a group of people, has decided they want him shut down. It could be the syndicate or it could be others. Who it is doesn't really matter because for Joe and his staff they are under siege. To shut him down, a number of things have been put into play with some very obvious and others much more subtle. The most obvious one was when Bello made his first appearance and picked up a pair of dice. Bello is a professional gambler and somebody who, if he rolls the dice right and really gets going, could bankrupt the casino. His plan is to win 10 million dollars and if he does it, the casino is finished and Joe Martin will be making his own long walk out in the desert. The next 74 hours will be critical, but, Bello isn't the only one playing a game.

Through the main plot line and several secondary story lines, prolific author Steve Fisher weaves a tale of Vegas from fifty years ago. A tale that is stiff, flat and dated while also filled with numerous lectures on various aspects of Vegas and gambling. Those lectures, instead of raising the suspense level, bring the story to a dead stop.

A story that already has little action to it and instead relies on the suspense angle as well as character development to entice readers. Unfortunately, both fail to work for readers with experice in mysteries or noir. Stereotypes abound in this book with every character a caricature of what one expects in a genuine character. Then there is the issue of the extensive dialogue that doesn't ring true at least for current time ears with it coming across as unnaturally stiff and formal while saying very little. Characters in this novel talk around issues and never really say with clarity what they mean. Then there is the fact that the entire novel and therefore nearly all the various outcomes are utterly predictable with no twists much like the stereotypical cover art.

This flat read was the July section for the Hard Case Crime Book Club. Unlike many of their releases, this read is painfully dated, flat, completely predictable and thoroughly disappointing for readers with a background in the genre. What may have read well fifty years ago doesn't work at all now.

Kevin R. Tipple (copyright)2008

Steve Fisher writes a fantastic novel. No House Limit is a marvellous, suspenseful, exciting, almost addictive piece of fiction. From the prologue, we get a glimpse behind the scenes at Joe Martin's independant casiono. The waitresses, the entertainment, the powerful owner, and the syndicate. Bello is called in to break Joe Martin and winner takes all. With his empire at stake, Martin must be at his best!

Fishers' writing is packed with characterization, plots, and oozes passion for his craft. Simply outstanding.

Wow! Hard Case Crime has yet another winner in the series. Steve Fisher was a popular author who penned screenplays, and original novels in a long career.

Among the twenty-plus movies that Fox has put out as part of its film noir series, one of my favorites has been I Wake Up Screaming, a gem with Victor Mature, Betty Grable, Elisha Cook and - in a scene-stealing performance - Laird Cregar. The movie was based on a novel by an almost-forgotten writer named Steve Fisher. Hard Case Crime, which has been reissuing a lot of out-of-print works from decades past, has given readers a chance to be introduced to Fisher with his 1958 novel, No House Limit.

No House Limit is a tale of early Las Vegas, that is, the period when the city was really taking off with all new (often mob-financed) casinos. This was not a place for family vacations; all there was to do was gamble and occasionally see a show or go swimming. Joe Martin owns the Rainbow's End, a big casino that is independent from the syndicate; fortunately, Martin is savvy enough to prosper, but the syndicate has decided it's time to take him down.

This doesn't involve anything as crude as murder; instead, the syndicate has staked the best craps player around, the infamous Bello, to win $10,000,000 from the Rainbow's End, ruining Martin in the process. Bello comes in early on a Sunday morning, and Martin - knowing what's coming - needs to monitor the gambler's play and okay the high bets that will be laid down. To some extent, the next few days will be a test of endurance as much as skill, as a marathon gambling session will occur with very little in the way of breaks.

Complicating matters are little distractions that the syndicate has prepared to keep Martin and his security chief Sprig on their toes, a lounge singer who has caught the eye of Bello's girlfriend, and a beautiful schoolteacher who has enamored Martin.

Fisher's prose has a nice lean quality to it that draws the reader in quickly and wastes few words. In addition, he begins most chapters with a little description of the workings of Vegas, establishing the city as a cruel town of superficial pleasures and desperate people. It's good stuff; actually, it's great stuff, the type of tough, short crime novel that you rarely see nowadays. Steve Fisher wrote a lot of books (and films) in his day, but with most of them forgotten, No House Limit is one of the rare chances to read him.

I've enjoyed all of Ellen Byerrum's "Crime of Fashion" series and I think that they have gotten better with each book, a rare thing among series mysteries! "Grave Apparel" is no exception, I liked it a lot and I think everything about it was well done. The story is set at Christmas, but it doesn't have that "Christmas episode" throw away feel to it. The holidays are integral to the story and provide a funny episode as a start of the mystery plot.

The bit of Lacey's life in this story is set mostly in the newsroom of her paper, the Eye Street Observer. I liked the further development of some of her colleagues that the setting gave. I also was happy for a break from Stella the stylist, who makes only a brief appearance. Vic's Mom looks to be a great addition to the cast of characters too.

I was happy that Byerrum avoided her plot device of Lacey attending a big ball or other high social event as the ultimate "discover and confront" the bad guy venue. It had become predictable. There is still plenty of opportunity for Lacey to dig into her trove of vintage apparel and the Observer's holiday party is a grand event, Lacey just doesn't reduce anyone to a bloody pulp at it!

"Grave Apparel" is a great story and it is very well-written. For genre fiction it is less shallow both in content and in character and plot development than many others on the market. I'd recommend all in the series!

"Grave Apparel" is the fourth book in this mystery series about Lacey Smithsonian, a newspaper fashion reporter who works for "The Eye Street Observer" and who seems to follow her fashion sense nose into some weird and wonderful murder mysteries. Lacy is fortunate, she is an attractive career woman, she has good friends, and she has a glamorous vintage wardrobe, stored in a wonderful old trunk and inherited from her aunt. All this and more: Lacy also has a handsome ex lawman, turned security expert, for a lover, and he is also RICH!

However, Lacy yearns to be a "real" reporter not just a fashion editor, and because of this, she has previously placed herself in situations where she has had to confront cold-blooded killers to solve mysteries. However, after several close calls, she is reluctant to do so ever again.

But...this is the Christmas season and once again Lacey stumbles on a crime. Lacy gets placed in the middle of the battle between mother earth, anti-materialism editor Cassandra Wentworth, and the food editor Felicity Pickles. Cassandra is attacked in an alley during the Eye Street Observer's holiday party and Felicity's Christmas sweater is left at the scene. Lacey comes to Cassandra's help after a phone call from a young child dressed in a shepherd robe who witnessed the attack and who runs away before talking to the police. Despite her reluctance to get involved since she dislikes both women, Lacey is pressured into investigating by nearly everyone at the Eye, and because a child is involved as a witness, and the police seem determed to place the guilt on this young boy, Lacy decides to investigate the crime. Once again, her detective boyfriend Vic, her free-spirited friend and hairstylist Stella, and her lawyer/friend conspiracy theorist Brooke, help Lacey to solve the crime.

The Author, Ellen Byerrum's experience as a Washington DC journalist, shines through and helps to make this a fun and facinating series.

Gaudy Christmas sweaters may be a crime against fashion, but they shouldn't be a reason for capital punishment. However, newspaper columnist Lacey Smithsonian nearly discovers the contrary after she is blamed for an editorial attacking the sequined and glittery fashion faux pas. Lacy gets placed in the middle of the battle between the real culprit, cranky anti-materialism editor Cassandra Wentworth, and the food editor Felicity Pickles, who boycotts cooking her holiday treats until Cassandra recants. Instead, Cassandra is attacked in an alley during the Eye Street Observer's holiday party and Felicity's Christmas sweater is left at the scene. Lacey comes to Cassandra's aid after being summoned by a phone call from a young child, a street urchin dressed in a shepherd robe who witnessed the attack and escapes before talking to the police. Despite her antipathy towards both women, Lacey is pressured into investigating by nearly everyone, from Felicity's and Cassandra's two paramours to her fellow reporters who are suffering from the withdrawal of Felicity's baked treats. Against Lacey's better judgment she's soon interrogating Cassandra's fellow radicals as well as her stalker, all in an effort to discover who has it in for the unlikable woman. Much more important to Lacey though, is the desire to rescue the missing witness whose life may be in danger from the would-be fashion murderer.

The reluctant fashion columnist Lacey Smithsonian continues to be an entertaining heroine in this fifth entry in the Crime of Fashion series. The fashion tips never intrude on the plots, although they do often provide valuable clues. The reader sympathizes with how poor Lacey is virtually railroaded into starting an investigation, but it's her softer side compels her to find the sassy and savvy urchin who is homeless during the holidays. Again accompanied by her steadfast and resigned detective boyfriend Vic, her unique and free-spirited friend and hairstylist Stella, and her other BFF conspiracy theorist Brooke, Lacey shines through with her sharp wit and determination. Author Ellen Byerrum brings in her experience as a Washington DC journalist to reveal the fascinating - and hilarious - side of newspaper journalism to this continually enjoyable series. This is the perfect treat for the holidays or any other time the reader needs some Christmas spirit.

The staff at the Eye Street Observer newspaper had a name for the fiasco that arose when an anonymous editorial (eventually discovered as written by staffer Cassandra Wentworth) disparages the seasonal sweaters worn as fashion statements. They call it Sweatergate.

Food editor Felicity Pickles champions the wearing of the artistic fare and proudly flaunts her seasonal collection of wearable "art." The editorial against her wardrobe choices causes her to stop bringing in her culinary creations to share with her colleagues at the office, and the boss notices.

He calls on fashion editor Lacey Smithsonian, who has a history of dabbling in mysteries, to repair the damage. Smithsonian's cell phone rings and the voice tells her to come outside where she discovers Wentworth on the street, whacked on the head with a huge candy cane, but living, and dressed in the most garish of holiday sweaters. That sets Smithsonian off and running on a quest to discover who did the terrible deed.

If you can get past the contrived character names and skip over the trite romance that adds little to the plot, you'll discover a truly intriguing mystery. Typical of the book's setting of Washington, D.C., you'll find politicians, lawyers, those driven by the latest cause, and even the homeless in the mix of characters. Add the other details of the clothes stolen from the figures in a creche scene outside a locked church, a party where business casual along with Santa hats are mandated, and a filthy apartment that housed the injured editor and her cause-obsessed friends, and the mix makes for an enjoyable quick read.

Be prepared to discover you didn't have a clue about the real mystery in this book until you almost reach the end--the way a fun mystery should be.

Armchair Interviews says: Grab your favorite seasonal sweater and be prepared for a great read.

If any book is positioned at Ground Zero for contemporary Chick Lit, this one is. The canny author, who is a member of a group of authors calling themselves "The Mystery Chicks," for Pete's sake, has hit just about all the points. "Grave Apparel" is a breezy-spirited book about Lacey Smithsonian, the attractive young woman with the glamorous wardrobe, the glamorous job, the (conventionally) wacky friends and the handsome hunk for a lover--a handsome hunk who has just unexpectedly turned out to be a RICH, handsome hunk.

In tried-and-true Chick Lit form, all is not perfect in Lacey's apparently glamorous life. She's trapped in her newspaper's fashion reporting ghetto--except for the odd occasions, that is, when she finds herself, by accident as it were, tackling cold-blooded killers with whatever improvised weapon might be at hand. But not to worry, that hardly happens more than once per book. The glamorous wardrobe may be both terrific and free, but in the four previous books in this series, it has led directly to those intimate encounters with the aforesaid cold-blooded killers, an unfortunate side-effect that some might regard as a definite buzzkill. And about that handsome, rich hunk, of course she's full of angst: Does he love her? Is he faithful to her? More important, should she be faithful to him? How does he REALLY feel about that unspeakable, clingy ex-wife of his? WHAT direction will her relationship with the hunk take, and WHERE will it all END?

Golden lads and lasses must, like chimney sweeps, come to dust. And so it is with mystery series: they must pay obeisance to the holidays. This is Lacey's Christmas Adventure. The holiday season--and tensions--in the District of Columbia make for a pleasing and slightly unfamiliar backdrop. Naturally we are presented with Lacey's chick lit shopping anxieties: how to make time to get to the stores and once there what to get. Can Lacey possibly give a gift to match one which she has received?

And naturally, there are adorable moppets to fire up strong maternal emotions.

Canny Byerrum is not foolish enough to change an effective plot that has worked four times before, so here is the plot of "Grave Apparel" [SPOILER ALERT!]: By a series of coincidences related to her job as a fashion reporter, Lacey stumbles on a crime. Lacey reluctantly, even half-heartedly follows up on the mystery, much to the annoyance of her colleagues who believe that she is poaching on their reportorial territory. Lacey delves into a trunk left to her by a dear departed Aunt that contains a treasure trove of 1940s and 50s high fashion stuff which just happens to suit her perfectly. [Say, how big is that trunk, anyway? It seems inexhaustible.] Almost by accident, Lacey finally confronts an individual of distinctly homicidal proclivity ... and goes into Wonderwoman-mode, stabbing, beating, bonking, bashing or otherwise seriously discommoding the aforesaid antisocial individual.

That is the plot of "Grave Apparel," just as it is the plot of "Killer Hair," "Designer Knockoff" and the rest. Now, before the self-appointed spoiler-police go apoplectic, I'll point out that the value of the story is not in its plot but in its handling and the details. Besides, equally accurate and sweeping generalizations could easily be made about the stories featuring Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Peter Wimsey and Philip Marlowe.

And it is the handling of the story and its details that make "Grave Apparel" a thing out of the ordinary. Ms. Byerrum has set her sights low (although admittedly straight at the hard-core book buying demographic), but I think that deep beneath her glossy exterior she hides the heart and soul of a real writer. Most cozy mystery specialists turn out flat, straightforward prose, seldom venturing on verbal flights. Take a look at this description of Lacey attending a Christmas party in the National Press Club:

"It was a chance for the regular reporters to mingle in a place where they felt they belonged, by right of their profession, but they didn't, by right of the hefty membership dues.... The walls were covered with photos of famous journalists from the ubiquitous Helen Thomas, the reportorial bane of presidents, to Margaret Bourke-White, the glamorous journalist who made her name in the 1930s and 40s and 50s. All the usual famous male journalists were present and accounted for, too, but Lacey's attention focused on her role models, the women of the Fourth Estate. Missing, of course, were dames like Hildy Johnson, played by the fabulous Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday, and the irresistible and in intrepid Brenda Starr from the comics." [Page 40-41]

Consider that transition, from mundane, work-a-day Thomas to distant, historical Bourke-White and then the leap into the realm of those magical dames, Johnson and Starr. (Don't worry, Lois Lane isn't forgotten, either. She turns up in Lacey's thoughts elsewhere in the book.) That's a leap not often found in today's cozy mysteries.

Or take this free flying commentary:

"For most of the year, Felicity wore shapeless smocks in a depressing palette of earth tones and faded floral prints. But when fall kissed the air and the days grew shorter, she suddenly embraced her wardrobe of eye-popping, seasonally themed sweaters with a love that only a mother could bestow on a balky child.... By the day after [Thanksgiving], Felicity's sweater mania was in overdrive. Christmas washed over her wardrobe like Santa's tsunami. Wool, cotton, or one hundred percent acrylic, her sweaters blazed with Christmas bulbs, sang with choirboys, shivered with snowmen muffled in crimson and green and plaid with icicles in gold and silver, ho-ho-hoed with Father Christmas in velvet-trimmed burgundy Victorian tableaus, and on-Dasher-on-Dancered with Santa Claus, the jolly old elf himself, with his sleigh and tiny reindeer. She was a woman possessed." [Page 3-4]

This is Chick Lit, and intentionally so, but it is also at bottom a finely crafted story from a writer who understands her business better than most. Yeah, sure it's Chick Lit but a guy can read it, and like it, too.

This item is wonderful!!!!! I think everyone should get a chance to redad it! Even rented on the library.Really!

The book The Haunted Hotel by Ron Roy is part of the A-Z Mysteries series. I have enjoyed many books written by Ron Roy. In The Haunted Hotel there is this ghost that terrorizes the hotel and three kids try to figure out who the ghost is. The main characters are Josh, Dink and Ruth Rose .The book is set in a hotel. It shows how hard it is to be a detective.
My favorite part was when they found out who the ghost was. The book is very exciting and fun to read. I recommend this book for people who like mysteries. That's what I think of the book.
By Hilda

The time that I read this book I felt so thrilled for the ghost that tortures the Shangrala hotel.This book is the one reason that I bought the entire series. Ron Roy is a person that loves mystery books. I am glad he made those books because if he didn't then I wouldn't be thrilled by any other book.

This book was great. I liked it because it was a good mystery for younger kids! My favorite part was when they found out who the ghost ...was! I think it was a good book and I hope other kids enjoy reading it like I did!!!!!!!

It was the first book I ever read in the A to Z mysteries. I like it because it was short and there were map in the front page. It about three kid, Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose who solve the mystery of the ghost in the hotel. Read it, you will like it.

I like a book that I can read in two or three nights, one that has good clean writing. This is my fifth book in the series, another feel good, amusing story. Pretty soon I will have a shelf full of his works. Next.....

Another A.M.Smith's upbeat and sensible effort. Leaves one in a positive frame of mind. Another in the matchless No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.

Amazon had my books delivered to me in perfect condition in a few short days, as always. The book series, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith, and by the way, his LAST name is McCall Smith, are delightful, filled with humor,good nature, and kindness.

This is another winner in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series. I read these delightful novels between heavier reading. They are deceptively simple. However, there are charming pearls of wisdom framed in Precious delightful phrasing throughout. I finish one only to hunger for the next.

This was a another installment of McCall Smith's wonderful series of books set in Botswana. Having lived in Kenya 35 years, every book of this series has caused me to pleasantly remember my life in Africa. Smith treats the characters gently and carefully, giving them very believable personalities and lives. While reading, it is hard to think that Smith is a man writing the thoughts and feelings of an African woman.

After the stellar 'Death of a Perfect Wife' this book is a bit of a let-down. The beginning, the part that deals with the village of Lochdubh, is priceless. But then, for the mystery, it falls back to being more like the previous ones - a bit more outside of the community - and features an unlikeable cast of characters. The bright spot is the development of the relationship between Hammish and Priscilla, which is important for later books. I think the mystery itself was a bit of a bore, perhaps because I wasn't overly concerned with any of the participants. They didn't interest me and I certainly didn't care what happened to them. There was a bit of action, but mostly the characters left me scratching my head. And the conclusion was quite out-of-the-blue, rather jarring and odd. Or I missed something that was supposed to clue me in (always possible).

While the main story is a disappointment, it's still an important book in the series if you want to understand Hammish, Priscilla, and a lot of the dynamics of the village. And it's not a terribly long read, so if you're a fan of the series or plan on reading all of them, it's worth it. If you're reading it as a one-off, I'd strongly suggest another book in the series.

Constable Macbeth has an unusual problem, he is too good at his job. Crime in the village is down, way down mostly because Macbeth is very good at his job. Unfortunately for Macbeth, this coupled with the fact that his superiors suspect (rightly) that he is better at his job than they, has led to his assignment to a larger town. Macbeth is miserable there and the village of Lochdubh is miserable without him. What to do? New village resident Maggie Baird has a suggestion, Lochdubh needs a crime wave, one that can only be checked by Macbeth. Once Macbeth returns home the crime rate does return with yet another murder in this sleepy little town.

This is another in the Hamish Macbeth series of cozy mysteries. We are again treated to scenes of village life and given the chance to spend some time with the charming young constable. Of course there is a little more progress, of a sort, into the stumbling romance of Hamish and Priscilla and oh yes, there is this little murder thing.

The only complaint I have about this one is that it's a bit short (150 pages). I would have enjoyed a couple more twists to the plot and maybe a bit more time in Lochdubh, especially with Hamish and Priscilla.

Ms. Beaton is the queen of village mysteries, and each one of her Hamish Macbeth books is as delightful as the last. In this one, the story starts with Hamish living in Strathbane where he has been tranferred. He's not a happy man because he has had to move from his beloved Lochdubh. The villagers of Lochdubh aren't happy either, and they stage a number of "crimes" in their small village which forces the authorities to send Hamish and Towser back where they want to be. But in true Hamish fashion, murder seems to follow his reinstatement. One of the villagers is burned inside her car, and it's apparent to Hamish that it was murder. He opens up a whole wasp's nest of potential murderers, and it's up to Hamish to find the one who did it. This book is a delight - offbeat and funny.

What's a hussy? The definition that fits this book is "an immoral woman." As you can imagine, hussies are not well regarded in the conservative Scottish highlands. Put a hussy in that locale, and the results can be explosive.

If you love Hamish Macbeth mysteries, you have a great treat ahead of you with Death of a Hussy. But if you haven't read any of the books in the series, you owe it to yourself to begin with the excellent, Death of a Gossip. Then go on to read the books in order of their publication. You'll enjoy the development of the ongoing characters better that way.

As the book opens, Hamish has been banished to Strathbane to be beat officer. His new partner there proves to be a good foil for lots of humor. But he misses Lochdubh. Feeling forlorn, rescue comes from an unexpected direction: New resident Maggie Baird suggests that the locals make up imaginary crimes to force the powers to be to send Hamish back . . . even though she's never met him. Strathbane capitulates and Hamish returns. Then the story leaps forward in time as Maggie retires from the scene to work on recovering her previous good looks from the days when she was a highly sought-after companion for rich men. Her timid niece, Allison, remains behind with one thing on her mind: Becoming a driver. Hamish is pressed into duty as her driving instructor. The book alternates between Hamish and Allison as the narrators, and the contrast enlivens the story development. Maggie unexpectedly returns, much thinner, more toned, with freshly dyed and cropped hair, and wearing expensive clothes. But she's in a bad mood. She has set up four of her former lovers in competition to marry her for her money. In the meantime, Maggie makes life difficult for Allison, her heir. When Maggie dies following a suspicious car fire, the criminal investigation part of Death of a Hussy begins. You probably won't have any trouble figuring out who the murderer is, but it's a most enjoyable story. There's also a development on the Priscilla-Hamish front to look forward to.

Death of a Hussy has several qualities that make it stand out from other books in the series:

1. The subplots are long, interesting, and invariably humorous.
2. The time involved isn't compressed into just a few days. As a result, there's more room for interaction and development in relations among the characters.
3. There's more variety of locales than usual.
4. The humor is much stronger throughout the book. You almost get a sense of M.C. Beaton as being a perfectly happy person in reading this book.
5. The plot nicely brings out new dimensions of the on-going characters in ways that strengthen the series for future books.

This book shows much more care in planning and execution than the earlier or later books in the series. It's as though M.C. Beaton realized that she had a potentially bigger winner on her hands if she made some mid-course corrections in the series . . . and those corrections are perfect!

Short and sweet and jam-packed with fun, DEATH OF A HUSSY is the fifth in the series of Hamish Macbeth mysteries. There are some really colorful characters here. Beaton is so good at creating characters with both good and bad sides. Even the "hussy" has some good points -- and the combination of characters can be pretty funny. Satisfying conclusion. Thoroughly enjoyable.