Mystery Crime Books

Lochdubh's finest, the ease-loving Police Constable Hamish Macbeth, finds himself wanting to help others reduce their loneliness in Death of a Scriptwriter. The only trouble is, no one thinks very much about his loneliness.

When English people come to Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands, they often don't adjust very well. Patricia Martyn-Broyd, a mystery writer, seems to be no exception. She sees herself as being socially above her neighbors and doesn't make any friends. Her writing has been out-of-print for some time, and she's suffering from writer's block. Ms. Martyn-Broyd also knows that her style of sedate, well-plotted mystery is no longer in favor. A momentary bright spot in her life comes when Hamish takes pity on her and they go trout fishing together without a license.

The writer's outlook is turned upside down, however, when a television producer, Harry Frame, decides to option her first mystery. She makes a classic mistake and signs the contract without advice. The television people are now free to take her title and characters and do with them as they want. Her refined detective, Lady Harriet Vere, is transformed by a lout of a bullying scriptwriter into a loose-living hippy in a sixties commune who tears her clothes off at the slightest provocation. The role will be played by a shapely, young actress, Penelope Gates, who is best known for baring all.

The production company gets the needed financing and heads north to scout locations. Hamish doesn't like the scriptwriter, Jamie Gallagher, and recommends that dark den of negative passions, Drim. The fool takes Hamish's advice, and strong emotions are soon simmering as shooting begins. It's hard to say who is angrier about the series idea, Patricia, the local minister, or Penelope's drunken husband who made her swear to keep her clothes on.

Everyone is soon trying to fire or stop everyone else, and tempers flare even more. When someone bashes in the scriptwriter's head with a rock, Detective Chief Inspector Blair is easily satisfied that he's found the guilty party. But when another person is killed, all bets are off. Blair's bullying gets him suspended from the force.

Meanwhile, Hamish is trying, once again, to solve the cases from afar . . . as a favor to distraught Patricia. There's a bright spot for Hamish; there seems to be a mutual attraction between Sheila, the attractive young assistant, and him. Could this relationship go someplace? Priscilla makes a brief appearance over the telephone to remind Hamish to look into the backgrounds of the suspects.

This story is much more complex than most of M.C. Beaton's novels in the Hamish Macbeth series. You have the saga of Patricia's writing career, the squabbles and problems among those in the television production company, the undercurrent of anger and envy among the women in Drim as they vie for attention, the new minister's unstable marriage, Hamish's courting of his new lady friend, as well as two murders. Hamish also has to deal with two heavy-handed detectives, rather than just Blair.

There are many ironies in the story, as befits a satire of making a soap opera based on a fusty fictional detective story. Naturally, the fact that the BBC produced so many stories based on the books in the series adds even more irony. How much of this book is autobiographical? I found myself laughing much more than usual as standard soap opera complications were worked into the plot of Death of a Scriptwriter.

The character development in Death of a Scriptwriter is much better than in most of the other books in this series. Almost all of the new characters become people you'll feel you understand before the book is done. It is most impressive to put in so many plot elements and such fine character development.

Unlike some of the other stories in the series, you could read this book without having read the earlier ones and appreciate the book quite well.

Strongly recommended.

I've read about 3/4 of the Hamish Macbeth series, and have just gone through all but 3 of the available episodes of the BBC TV series. I wonder how many of the characters are based on people the author met during the adaptation of her series. The prolific MC Beaton need not fear the loneliness or stagnation of her character Patricia, but I wonder whether she felt any indignation over the old-fashioned morality of the Hamish in her books being transformed into the sexual willingness of the TV Hamish. Here she lampoons all the personalities of smalltime show biz. I love the way Hamish helps the residents of Drim milk more money out of the production company. The book also shows the utter self-centeredness and narcissism of even the smallest players in show business, and in true MC Beaton style, everyone who deserves their comeuppance gets it one way or another.

Normally I prefer the Hamish Macbeth books that focus on the villagers rather than outsiders, but after seeing the BBC series, I feel like this book lets us in on MC Beaton's inside jokes, and it is as satisfying as the literary comfort food she usually serves.

Other reviewers have already summarized the plot, so I won't recount that information.

I just have to say that this was an engaging, fun little book filled with quirky characters in a quirky little village. Poor Hamish Macbeth - the guy is about as nice as you can get, but keeps getting his heart broken, is constantly underestimated and insulted by his out of town law enforcement superiors, and has the thankless job of questioning the bizarre and sometimes crazy inhabitants of the local village whenever a murder occurs. But he takes all of it in stride, and never abandons his work or his cheerful nature. He's a great character.

The mystery itself is fine, but it's the nutty characters that really make this book work. You'll find yourself shaking your head at their antics but cheering for Hamish to solve the mystery and put everyone in their place.

In this book we see Hamish at his best. He's charming and endearing. This book portrays the life of an aging mystery writer in the way only M.C. Beaton can. A television company is going to serialize some of Patricia Murtyn-Broyd's old, out-of-print books, which puts Ms. Priscilla over the top. But then people begin mysteriously dying. Is this potential revial to her books going to go up in smoke? Hamish is on the case (minus his Priscilla this time), and you can bet he solves it, but not before uncovering more twists and turns and potential murderers than he knows what to do with. Again Hamish steals the book. He is the most endearing sleuth out there right now.

I like a relaxing read now and then, and these Hamish Macbeth mysteries by M.C. Beaton fill that need perfectly. I must admit to being a big fan of Hamish, a constable in a small village in the Highlands of Scotland, having read most of this series over the years. This story, and the others in the series can be classified as cozy village mysteries. Beaton's ability to describe the people, villages and land make these books quite remarkable. Now, as others have pointed out, the actual "mysteries" are not all that mysterious. The stories are quite laid back, and yes, they are somewhat predictable. This is good though, from my point of view and my needs.

In this particular book, a retired, and not aging mystery novelist, who has retired to Hamish's area, is given a second chance when a T.V. crew moves into a nearby village to film one of her long out of print books. The cast and crew arrive, the village is set on end, and the story begins. Beaton has filled her story with, as usual, two murders, both of people you do not particularly like, and then thrown in plenty of likely suspects. Beaton gives us plenty of leads (yes, you can figure out who done it if you read closely), but does not throw in surprises right at the end to allow her hero to solve the case, while you, the reader, could not simply because you did not have access to all the facts.

This small novel does contain many twists and curves, but none of them are all that sharp and the story is easy to follow and easy to read. The usual village characters are present complicating things for our hero, who, I am glad to say, does not step out of his long established character. He is still quite laid back and simply wants to live a simple life "doing his thing." Per usual, Hamish's love life is a mess, but not even that seems to bother him all that much. Tending a few sheep, feeding his chickens, and solving a murder now and then are quite fulfilling.

You can read this work in one or two settings, depending on how fast you want to read, and I highly recommend them for clearing the mind, escaping, and for just simple reading enjoyment. Hope the author keep them coming.

Really bad writing. I could read through the "surprise" way before the ending. Threw the book away after that.

This is the second Lehane I have read, following Mystic River (before the movie came out), and I wasn't at all disappointed. The theme of this book is very different from Mystic River in that it is less realistic, but I found myself buzzing right through it. I was always looking to figure out the next turn. I am a person who bores with books very easily (I can't even count the number of books I have read half of), but this book really kept my attention and interest. The end, when everything is pulled together, is pretty brilliant as well. Looking forward to Scorcese's movie.

I solved the anagram on page 205 and from that I predicted the entire last half of the story. LeHane should have hidden such a revelatory clue a little better. It is like a major spoiler right in the middle of the story, making the last half a bit of a chore instead of the breathless progression it was intended to be. The finale still stung my heart, but if I had learned the twists when they were properly revealed, I would have called this story a masterpiece.

This book is well written, yes. At several points it had me frightened, and caught between dying to turn the next page and too scared to. It got my blood pumping, got me angry, I think, as it was intended to. I cared about Teddy, and I really liked Chuck. Cawley and Naehring were delightfully mysterious and sinister. A number of the surprises were fairly organic and quite shocking.

I know what you're thinking. How did this idiot manage to click one star, when he's obviously writing a five star review. You would be right to think this. However, you are wrong. This is a one star review, and here's why:

DO NOT READ THE BACK OF THE BOOK!!!!!!! To any person with half a brain (I know, not THAT many people have that much of a brain) the book description will give it ALL AWAY.

DO NOT READ THE BLURBS IN THE BOOK!!!!!!! To any person with half a brain that can add, after reading the back of the book, two and two, will immediately get four.

If you read these, you will know EXACTLY what's going to happen within the first couple of pages. And it will make you mad, just waiting for it, hoping that, praying that, this isn't the case. Its a trick. Please, God, let it be a trick. Its not. That's what's going to happen.

Now, for those that have NOT read the back of the book or any of the blurbs. You will have a little more fun. You will enjoy the first fourth of the book. Then you'll know too. You'll know exactly what's going to happen. Maybe you'll be like me. You'll think its a trick. A red herring. Again, I say, ITS NOT!!!!!!!!

Scorsese's movie I know will be good. Perhaps he and the screenwriter will think up a way to make the ending more organic. But, I don't think that's possible. Regardless, I can't wait to see how atmospheric and shocking the movie will be. I mean, look at what Eastwood did with Mystic River. The book was good, yes, but my God, man, not in a thousand universes could coincidences stack up like that. When everything fits like a jigsaw puzzle, you lose large amounts of realism, and tend to make people weary, and you take a lot of the punch out of it. But Eastwood's film had a transcendence to it (I'm picturing the scene at the end where Sean Penn has his arms spread like a shrugging Christ as he drinks his way from all this. . . coincidence). And Scorsese is at least twice the filmmaker Eastwood is. So, here's hoping. . . . . .

This is my first Dennis Lehane novel, and I read this because I know this is the next Scorsese/DiCaprio movie. And having read this novel, I think this will be the first and LAST Dennis Lehane I'll read.

The story starts off VERY slowly--two US marshals investigate the disappearance of a crazy woman who'd killed her three kids. This woman is in the loony bin on Shutter Island, where the story takes place exclusively.

So the beginning unfolds, and I can say this much: Dennis Lehane is not a great writer. His dialog is often witless and overly long, and his prose quite pedestrian. When he tries to be poetic, he is often pretentious and nonsensical, like writing "he had a silkworm of a smile." And structurally the story would've been better if he'd sped up the pace a bit.

Then the middle act is absolutely terrific when we find this giant conspiracy, and Teddy and his partner Chuck (the protagonist and his sidekick) have to escape the entire island because of this giant conspiracy. Yes, Lehane's prose is still pedestrian, but you can write inelegant prose and the novel can still pack a wallop. So I was very excited reading this middle part.

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

Finally, though there's the climax, and when Teddy gets to the lighthouse and confronts the mad doctor, and the mad doctor starts babbling away, I was like, You got to be kidding me?!! This is A TOTAL RIP-OFF of the 1920s movie The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari! I was like, No, it can't be. At some point, we would see the mad doctor truly IS the mad doctor, and he's just trying to trick Teddy into thinking he's insane. But noooooo, Teddy really is insane, and everything in the story is just his delusion. Even cheesy action movies like Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Recall don't stoop to: "Ohhh, everything's just a dream." I mean, this is grade-school storytelling!

Cop-out ending + ripping off a famous movie = a crappy novel. I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because Lehane had me fooled it was a decent novel in the middle.

Having read a lot of "serious" books lately, I found this to be a light and easy read. Being an avid scrapbooker myself, I was enthralled that a new series was based on scrapbooking. The beginning of the book was slow, as mentioned by other reviewers. And sometimes I felt like I was reading the script for a Hallmark Channel or TV Movie. But, it was enjoyable nonetheless. I wasn't expecting a literary masterpiece. The ending could have been a little more creative, but as other reviewers said, perhaps it was the fact that it was her first story in the series or that she was writing too many at one time. I learned a little more about New Orleans and Mardi Gras, so the author is well versed in that area. I'm hoping that next time the plot will be a little more interesting and the ending a little more creative. I will be reading the 2nd title soon - maybe on vacation at the beach.

There were more references to the foods of New Orleans than to scrapbooking. And, the author spent more time on red herrings than the actual crime. However, the book was still a pleasure to read. The heroine's friends are very interesting and I look to spending more time with them in future books.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I feared it would be a little too "cutesy," especially with that awful cover. But I found Carmela, Childs' scrapbook store-owning protaganist, to have more of an edge to her than I expected.

Still, the mystery was a little light, as other reviewers have mentioned, and there were some extraneous occurrences and absolutely strange goings-on, including characters (like Carmela's ex) who pop in for no apparent reason and then disappear again. But overall, Childs is a smooth writer who can, apparently, make a book from the slimmest of plots.

I love reading theme books as well as mystery. I am a "new" scrapbooker so enjoyed her tips. This is a "light" read. I go to these books after I have read heavy classics or history books. I took it camping and was happy to escape into the world of murder, scrapbooking and New Orleans. Never having been there I don't know how historically accurate it is but this book made me want to visit New Orleans. I hope to try some of the recipes. Laura Child made them sound quite yummy. The depth of the characters are a little weak and somewhat inconsistant but it doesnt' necessarily detract from an entertaining story line.

I enjoy the entire series. I do enjoy scrapbooking, which is a fairly new experience, but I am a long-time mystery buff. I enjoy the scrapbooking scenes, since they remind me of comfortable sessions I have scrapbooking with friends.

The mystery part is pretty good. I picked out the murderer, but only slightly before the reveal, so I enjoyed that area as well.

The author has an easy, comfortable style of writing. It is an easy read. I enjoy her characters. They are clear and very interesting in their own right. I hope many more of these books are going to be written.

I am enjoying reading this series and this was the best so far. It was very hard to put the book down once I got started.

This book works on many levels. It works as a mystery and as a story for anyone who has ever had to meet new in-laws and older friends of their new spouse.

I enjoyed this book it reels you in as if you are a part of the characters. Definetly recomend the series to all mystery readers.

This was my first Benni Harper book and I loved it! I will admit, though, I got to meet a lot of people in my next book since this one didn't have any of the major secondary characters. I love the dynamics of the Benni/Gabe relationship and how real it is!

Benni Harper and her new husband, Gabe Ortiz leave California for a vacation in Kansas so that Benni can meet Gabe's family and old friends. The experience is stressful for Benni because she knows very little of Gabe's background or former life. As usual, Gabe is not into explaining things to Benni and they are constantly locking horns in between their flirting. Gabe's sister shares Benni's love of quilts and asks for her help in setting up a local quilt show. In the mean time, the murder of a young woman singer named Tyler takes place. She happened to be dating Gabe's old friend Rob and he is a suspect in her death. Tyler was also a runaway wife from the local Amish community and a superb quilter. When Benni sees the last quilt that Tyler made, she discovers some clues that could lead to the identity of the killer.

There's a lot of fascinating "quilt talk" in this book and some interesting facts about the state of Kansas. This is the third book in the Benni Harper series and I'm now committed to reading them all.

"Death at Bishop's Keep" was a book that I could not put down. The short chapters & interesting plot made for fast reading. This book is set in late Victorian England & delves into the Order of the Golden Dawn, which was as esoteric society & part of spiritualism. I have been interested in the Order of the Golden Dawn for some time, so I could not believe that "Death at Bishop's Keep" was about this society. I am a fan of the China Bayles series, so I would have read "Death at Bishop's Keep" anyway.

There are appearances by 3 major literary figures: W. B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde, & Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These cameos made the book for me. I also loved the fact that one of the main characters, Kate Ardleigh, writers penny dreadfuls. My only negative comment about this book would be the Victorian setting. I never felt like I had been transported to 1890s Victorian England. In her China Bayles series, the author does a magnificent job of giving each book a Texas feel.

I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed this book. I am anticipating reading the next one just to see how the relationship between the main characters develope. Kate is not the typical Victorian lady of the time period, but she definitely has spunk. Charles is a bit different as well. I kept picturing these two as Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant.
The historical detail was delightful because I love the Victorian era. The mystery flowed with plenty of clues and turns in the story that made the reader keep guessing at who might have done it. The finding of the feather was definitely a BIG clue, and Kate found that.
So enjoyable, I am going to read the next one in the series. Would recommend to all cozy mystery readers who love history thrown into their readings.

If you like historical figures blended with a detective .you will enjoy this book quiet a easy read and since reading this book i have bought the remaining 11 books in the series

Death at Bishop's Keep is the first book by Robin Paige/Susan Wittig Albert that I have read. The "Cozy" mystery has never really been my first choice for a book to read. That being said, I was a little more than pleasantly surprised to find how much I truly enjoyed this book! Kate Ardleigh receives news that not only does she have relatives she never knew existed, her Aunt Sabrina has requested that she come to England to stay with her and become her personal secretary. Kate is so NOT your every day woman of the Victorian time! She is brash, outstoken, quick-witted, doesn't give a hoot about fashion....and is the author of some very popular "penny-dreadfuls"! What a wonderfully strong female character! Once she arrives at Bishop's Keep, Kate finds herself at once mixed up in all sorts of situations: a secret occult society, a closet full of family skeletons, tensions abound, and a local murder!

Sir Charles Sheridan is a guest the Ardleigh's neigbors, and a bit eccentric himself. A bit of an amatuer scientist, Charles is trying to help the local police solve the murder of the unknown French man. He is at once dazzled and frustrated with Kate. What ensues is a great mystery and the development of characters that I can't wait to read about again!!

I got started in the series with one of the later books, Death at Blenheim Palace, and was totally taken by the historical detail and the quality of the characters, so I purchased several more in the series, this is the introductory story.

As with the other works, the husband-wife authors have worked magic with their thorough research of the period in which they have set their action. Susan Wittig Albert is a former professor of literature--I assume it is she who is primarily responsible for the writing--and this is abundantly apparent from the skillful use of the English language and the principles of composition; this is very readable literature, not just a "who-dunnit."

Also evident is the extent to which there is attention to the details of the period. The research has to have been pretty immersive, since little that creates an authentic ambiance has been neglected. I presume, although I could find out very little about him, that Bill Albert is responsible for the research, and I suspect a degree of at least some level in history. Whatever the case, it seems to be quite thorough, which makes the books the two write together very authentic.

In this case the characters of this and the succeeding volumes are introduced to the reader. The heroine is a plucky but poor Irish-American woman or "spinster," since she is unmarried yet at 27. She is given passage to England by her aunt who wants a good companion/secretary, and the action takes off.

The murders are set in the "small" country estate of her benefactress, and involve secret societies, secret sins, and mysterious upstairs/downstairs tensions. Although the book contains fewer historic figures than the later works by the authors--although Conon Doyle and Oscar Wilde do appear briefly--the authentic presentation of society during the Victorian-Edwardian period is already in full swing.

The sense of the political and cultural change going on at this time is very evident. Europe and Great Britain have yet to go through the turmoil that brought about the modern era. Being privileged to the knowledge of WWI and WWII and the changes that these wars introduced, the reader can almost sense how close to the edge the characters are.

The murder is predictable to anyone familiar with the genre, even the murder is not a surprise, but the historical ficiton itself is well worth the price.

Lovely entertainment.

The gloomy tone that pervades this novel which seemed to turn a lot of people off was actually what I found interesting. The Inspector, recovering from an illness goes to visit an elderly priest who is a family friend at a home for people with degenerative diseases. When he arrives he's informed that the priest has died, but Dalgliesh begins to wonder if it was natural or murder. My only complaint with the story was partially to blame on my own attention span: Many of the suspects began to bleed together, and my inability to consume long passages at once left me looking back to keep the characters straight in my head. As a result I didn't find the book as absorbing as some of her others. Yet at the same time, the final forty pages was some of the most suspenseful of anything I've read thus far, and Dalgliesh's personal struggles throughout the book gave a human dimension to the character that up to now hadn't been seen.

This book begins in a gloomy mood and in a setting that seems hardly designed to hold a reader's attention: a nursing home. But the writing is so good that I stuck with it, and it all comes to a thrilling finale. Then I did something I rarely do: reread the book. This time I was completely bowled over by the quality of the writing. This is one of the most perfectly crafted books I have ever read. As such, I would rate it with such works as The Great Gatsby, Jude the Obscure, and Appointment in Samarra. What a surprise from a mystery novel.

First I should admit that I'm not a PD James fan. In fact this is the first of her books that I've read. It may be that the darkness of this book gives me the wrong impression as to how she writes. It does remind me of Agatha Christie's type of stories but it may also be because the singular character of Commander Adam Dalgleish is going through a dark time related to a recent illness.

The story itself is nothing special, though it may have been in 1975, but now it's kind of dated. It may also be because I find her style to be a little slow or ponderous and I'm used to the writings of Ian Rankin and James Lee Burke. No I don't think that there needs to be a shooting or car chase every other page, but it would be nice to read about something other than a description of the scenary.

To be fair about it I am planning on reading one of her later stories in the series, and to catch up on the character by watching some of the episodes on PBS. Just one man's opinion.

Adam Dalgleish is back in this well written, though ultimately depressing and bleak thriller. Recuperating from a near-death illness, Adam is summoned to a small village by an old friend, a priest named Father Michael. However, when he gets there, his old friend has died of a heart attack, and Adam finds himself involved with a hospice for the young disabled, i.e., terminally ill patients. James serves up a host of pathetic, sad creatures and as usual, a cast of mostly unlikeable characters. Dalgliesh serves more as an observer than a detective, since he is having his own crisis of whether to retire or not, but he nonetheless manages to investigate a series of deaths that may or may not be murder.
James continues her mastery of atmospheric tension and the culprit's identity is expertly hidden until the end.

Unlike some authors (Jonathan Kellerman, Maeve Binchy, Steve Martini) who write some terrific books and then go downhill, PD James's books get better and better with time. It's her early works I can't stand. It's not just me, either. Some of her early novels were entirely rewritten for television to get people to watch. I once contacted PBS to see if I had missed some of her books that seemed so good on Mystery! They actually told me this. This book was about in the middle of her long career, but it just never captured my interest. Look at her settings--hospitals, nursing homes, monastaries, hardly the locales for a hotbed of action to keep you on the edge of your seat. This book is set at a home for the disabled with progressive diseases out in the middle of nowhere. Dalgliesh is working alone, in fact recovering from mono and pneumonia and goes there to visit an elderly priest who turns up dead of a heart attack. There isn't much to suggest crimes have in fact been committed and Dalgliesh's sudden deduction of what is going on at the end is not even remotely believable. The only interesting thing anyone does in this book is drop dead occasionally. It's not a police procedural. When I compare it to something like Death in Holy Orders, there's no reason to read this book. It isn't awful (and some of James's other books are really awful) but she has much better ones in her repertoire.

...but it is worth resetting your mind to the "old way" of doing things. The language isn't old-school but getting around some of the terms to describe things can be difficult. Otherwise a good read.

I've read several of this author's--actually these authors`--works and have enjoyed the characters and the settings very much. Since I have a Master's Degree in history, I find their attention to detail and the information they share about the actual historical figures they include in their story very enjoyable.

This book includes a delightful personality, that of Beatrix Potter, with whose actual life story I only recently became acquainted with through a film based on her early life. It was interesting to learn of her other pursuits, particularly her interest in mushrooms and other fungi, and the significant part that they played in her overall development as a person, particularly as a female person in Victorian England.

The story is a marvelous development of the story of Peter Rabbit, and I enjoyed the characters of the people involved and of the supposed use to which Ms Potter put them in her stories.

The plight of the little girl was very well developed, and reminded me of Martha Grimes at her best in the Inspector Jury Mysteries.

Another good addition to the Kate Sheridan series of mysteries.

Although I heartily enjoyed the series debut (Death at Bishop's Keep), I found this one rather slow going at times. I opened the book expecting a mystery; instead I found myself trapped in Mr. McGregor's garden.

Now, I had no objection to the character of Beatrix Potter appearing in the book. In fact, I found the endnote about her real life interesting and informative. The problem was that the entire book seemed to be an homage to Beatrix Potter's stories, complete with Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, Hunca Munca, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Mr. Tod. It was sort of cute at first, but as it went on page after page, it became an annoyance.

Having said that, this is not a horrible book. It is well written, with descriptions that create a wonderful sense of Victorian England. The characters are likable, believable people that you want to spend time with. The mystery, while hardly complex, does keep one's attention, especially as the villains are brought to justice.

Kathryn Ardleigh is a pretty interesting compilation - secret author of mystery "penny dreadfuls" written under the pseudonym "Beryl Bardwell"; heiress and now mistress of Bishop's Keep, the Ardleigh estate, after the death of her Aunts; a rather independent, outspoken, (dare I say?) feminist American who has oftentimes attracted the disdainful, scandalized sniffs of the local elderly dowagers with her free-wheeling dress and behaviour; and an attractive, intelligent, very feminine young lady who has turned the eye of her acquaintance, Sir Charles Sheridan, a devotee of the burgeoning science of forensic criminology and a skilled amateur photographer.

When Sergeant Arthur Oliver is murdered and the body is discovered in the field of a local gameskeeper, all the evidence points towards Oliver's involvement in a nefarious poaching ring. But the local constable, Edward Laken, (who holds an unrequited fondness for Oliver's widow in his heart) and Sheridan (Oliver's long time friend) feel the evidence points elsewhere. Ardleigh, of course, manages to involve herself in the investigation up to her proverbial bloomers and the hunt for the killer is on.

Paige succeeds with this novel on any number of different fronts!

Let's label "Death at Gallows Green" as a cozy mystery in which "cozy" means "cozy" - that is to say, the nature of the mystery is entirely local in nature, completely credible, realistic to the time, somewhat narrow and low key in scope and interest and all of the characters stay well within themselves and their abilities. Ardleigh, for instance, despite her obvious sleuthing skills and deductive ability retains a firmly rooted understanding of the fact that she is, after all is said and done, a Victorian lady. The warm fuzzies seem natural and ... well, warm and fuzzy ... Sheridan's hesitant romantic overtures towards Ardleigh and her cautious, measured response in light of her desire to retain a degree of feminine independence; Laken's head-over-heels love for Oliver's widow and the realization that Oliver's death has given him a second opportunity at the love that he lost out on as a younger man; and the compelling, stomach churning urgency of the manhunt for Oliver's daughter, Betsy, who has been kidnapped and potentially drowned. Beatrix Potter's amazingly realistic introduction into the novel as Kathryn Ardleigh's close friend has a charm all its own and serves as an interesting historical biographical sidebar of Potter's intensely sheltered real life.

The flavour of this novel definitely leans toward Agatha Christie but there is also a strong hint of the realism of Anne Perry's or Bruce Alexander's somewhat grittier mysteries. Paige has provided us with a most interesting look at the local politics of the constabulary and a glimpse into that day's use of the as yet unproven tools of forensics and photography.

No doubt about it ... I'd happily recommend "Death at Gallows Green" to other readers as I step out the door to seek out my copy of "Death at Daisy's Folly".

Paul Weiss

DEATH AT GALLOWS GREEN is the second book in this Victorian Mystery series that feature Kathryn Ardleigh and Sir Charles Sheridan. The authors are a husband and wife team who do a lot of research to fit the Victorian time period. They also introduce some real historic characters into this series.

Kate is now comfortably settled in her new life as mistress of Bishop's Keep, but she still maintains her independent American ways. On a visit to a house party, she meets Beatrix (Bea) Potter and the two instantly bond. Bea and Kate find a lot in common, both are in their late twenties and both are writers. Kate invites Bea back to Bishop's Keep and the two women become real friends. Bea, a shy and very sheltered woman, sees how self-secure that Kate is and thinks that she must gain her own personal freedom from her very domineering parents.

The title, DEATH AT GALLOWS GREEN is a reference to the death of Inspector Oliver, a well-liked local policeman who has been murdered. The Inspector, known for his honesty, has left behind a wife and precocious daughter named Betsy. When evidence shows that the Inspector may have had his hand in smuggling, Kate, Bea, and their friend Charles Sheridan hope to solve the mystery and insure that the man is cleared of any suspicion of wrong doing. The welfare of Inspector Oliver's wife and daughter depend on his pension.

Kate and Charles are keenly attracted to each other, and to the dismay of Charles, there may be other suitors interested in the high spirited Kate; however, their romance appears to be blooming.

For fans of Beatrix Potter's books, the authors have included some of Potter's animal characters in this story. The animals add a very whimsical and cozy touch.

Another great adventure of Mrs Pollifax. One of the best mystery series I've read in a long time. Just so sorry the author isn't writing any more after the 14th one.

I've enjoyed all 14 Pollifax books in Gilman's series. As someone approaching 60 myself, it's fun to imagine a woman of a certain age who pursues such an unlikely "second act'' in her life. But some of the books have had, unfortunately, weak cliche-ridden endings that hurt otherwise enjoyable, humorous and spell-binding adventures.

However, the Golden Triangle is something different, and on a plane by itself. Author Gilman is at the top of her form. Best character development of any in the series, outside of the first (The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax.)
This book offers the best rendition of Mrs. Pollifax's meandering thoughts and meditations (one of my favorite aspects of all the books), and the best observations of a world and challenges beyond anything that our heroine has ever known. Also, for some reason, I'm enamored with the author's portrayal of the CIA official presumably run amuck -- Lance Mornejay -- who exemplifies the personal conflicts that face most of us (although his family troubles are, thankfully, far more extreme than most of us will ever confront.)

I never tire of listening to Rosenblat read this book; she inhabits the characters like a glove.

As usual, this is a page turner. Amazon is the only place I can get this series and I love all of the books in the series.

The Pollifax series is a great series that I highly recommend. In this contribution, the location is Thailand, which with its local color and interesting characters, has the possible of being one of the best of the series. But somehow it does not quite live up to this potential. Mrs Pollifax is too passive, relaying on her Thai guide to solve all the problems and constantly complaining that he is not doing it fast enough. I prefer a more assertive Pollifax, who because of her empathy for other people, depite stumbling around, always manages to be in the right place at the right time. This book has some of those elements, but not enough. Still for fans of the series, it is a nice contribution. If it is your first visit to the series, I would recommend you start with another. But by all means, start.

Mrs. Pollifax is trying to recover from her last adventure in Hong Kong and is planning a trip to Thailand with her new husband, Cyrus. Just as they are about to leave, CIA emissary Bishop arrives and asks them to go on a "simple mission" in which they would divert their travels only slightly and would deliver something to an agent and retrieve something in return.
She and Cyrus agree and soon they are off on their latest misadventure. As always, in Mrs. Pollifax tales, things do not go according to plan and there are unfortunate incidents of murder, kidnapping, and opium dealing before Mrs. Pollifax finally triumphs and ties up these untidy details in a nice, neat package. This is a typical book in the series.

As expected, Volume 2 of Monster continuues the story from Volume 1. Excellent art and story. Definately a must-buy

Sorry I'm exploitive and I wanted you to read my review from the title. That said, Monster Vol.2 is a slow burn. Unlike #1 where it exploded at the very end of that volume with horror, tension and true suspense--Vol. 2 is the continuation of an 18-volume (in Japan work) and it shows. This volume leaves the horror from 1 and focuses more on more tension and more suspense as it tightens the noose grip on Dr. Tenma's life and we begin to realize that this book is moving more from murder mystery to conspiracy and 'fugitive' style storytelling mechanics. I'm pretty awed by the craftmanship of this book as under lesser hands it would quickly fall apart into disbelief and silliness of characterization but all the while we continue to learn more about the character (in this volume) of Tenma, the sister and even Tenma's ex (which is a surprising turn for her character although the ending in this volume may not seem it). This is a grand series--highly recommended to fans of true mystery books, adult fiction or true lovers of manga (if you can read a manga on cooking just as well as Naruto then this is for you). Finally, One Piece and Monster both have a very cartoony style. It's hard to see if you're not reading many different types of manga (or I could just be crazy) but I've come to have an appreciation of both styles which have more of a true cartoony storytelling in the effectiveness of its' draftmanship, panel design and overall approach to characters...while One Piece is very cartoony..the similarities I find refreshing as this is not anime style just to fit the oppotunities for easy transition into animation like many manga has become nowadays. Great book...pick up both volumes.

Dr. Tenma, a neurosurgeon who finds himself caught in a moral quagmire, chose to execute what he believed was right when he ignored the hospital's orders and instead operated on a boy who had been shot through the head.

The series then brings us down a horrifying trail of serial murders as Dr Tenma goes down his path in search of the serial murder - the boy whom he resurrected. He accumulates clues and evidences, which ultimately point towards a greater, more horrifying social experiment.

While the series may be slow in pace, its intensive execution of emotions is well-played: there is enough time for transition between multitudes of emotions. This is important and lends the story depth, for as the story progresses, characters are fleshed out, like multi-faceted gems. Therefore, though it may be slow, it is certainly not boring; the psychological aspects of small characters bring to life the conspiracy and makes it a very real experience for the reader.

Urasawa's art is also competantly executed and highly dynamic in its own right.

The storyline itself brings us face-to-face with death and the darkest aspects of human nature. It goes beyond its genre and dishes out very poignant, but illuminating questions about human nature and what it means to be human.

If you are looking for easy entertainment, don't bother reading this series. On the other hand, if you want to learn more about life, finish this series. It is a ride through the kindest and the cruellest aspects of human nature, a ride which began and culminated with this fundamental question: The value of life.

(This review was written solely for vol. 2 of Monster, not vol. 3, where this review is also posted. I had no control over this; it was mistakinly posted as a review for vol. 3 by Amazon.com.)

Once I finished this second volume of Monster, I was amazed at how such a simple manga could achieve what this one did. The multi-tiered plot continues to get thicker, and the tension builds as the characters interact. Plus, the simple art style seems to add rather than take away, and in many ways legitimizes this story by taking away some of the exaggerated models found in most manga. And, as if I didn't have enough to make this good, the dialogue is top-notch and believable, which is key to me when reading manga as matching the words to the art is often mishandled, especially in translated manga.

The story, continuing from volume one, follows Tenma as he searches for the twin of the boy Tenma saved. But he's having a difficult time digging up information, and finding people to take him seriously. That's mostly because the twin does not have her memories from that time, and even goes by a different name... Later on, we also get to see how desperate Tenma becomes during his search for the killer of the families. He changes drastically, almost to the point of inhumanity, all in the efforts to stop a plague he believes he released on Germany.

To be honest, the continuing story in this volume slows a bit from the previous volume, which was slow itself. Though the first few chapters where Tenma searches for the twin is dramatic and in direct correlation with the last volume, it gets away from that when old characters are reintroduced and new ones are brought in. It doesn't make it bad in any way, but it seems to lengthen an already massive story, and it leaves me hungering for the third volume in this series so that things can get back to normal.

I can still recommend this manga above any other right now, though, as the story is as intelligent as I've ever found in manga. The technical details and nonchalant style of art doesn't weigh the plot down in any way, and the constantly building suspense makes you wish that they released graphic novels in larger formats (say four-hundred page hardbacks). To compare, Monster goes well alongside Death Note in terms of suspense, but because it has no fantasy elements, there is something about the horror in Monster that puts it above Death Note.

In A Cold Sweat picks up with the grass growing in on Cassandra's grave, and Black still tryin to come to terms with why his wife's life ended and her captors still flyin in the wind. In this installment we see Black maturing in his new role as a single parent,widower,and the illustrious gangsta. Roy Glenn depicts a sharp witty,and cunning tale that will take yur breathe away we he unveils treachery & murder among Black's squad. this is a definite must read.... If you're a true Mike Black fan

This is the first book I read in this saga but, it made me go back and read everything I could find by this author. Try it you won't be disappointed!

OH MY GOD!!!

I love Mike Black and the crew. This book picks up where Outlaw left off and definitely holds its own. Mike is still out to avenge his wife Cassandra's death which ss hunting him. On top of that, they have to deal with a snake in the grass...there own grass. What to do, what to do???
One thing's for sure, Mike Black has a plan and you will be shocked at the end of the book. I must say that my heart broke a little. I can't wait to read the next one. I was excited, thrilled and sat on the edge of my seat all the way to the end. Get ready for sex, murder and mayhem and a couple shocks. THe person you least expect will be killed and Mike BLack will attain an unbelieveable ally. You will not be disappointed ...this is definitely a page turner. I recommend everyone buy it. :)

This is a must read if you are following the Mike Black saga. Great job Mr. Glenn and I look forward to reading the next installment.