Mystery Crime Books

This book would have been a much better read if I had read it while connected to the Internet. Why? Because it is set in France and has a great deal of French words in it, no definition of terms, and the world's smallest map. I realize that I am approaching middle age and my vision isn't what it used to be, but the publisher should be embarrassed at not bundling a magnifying glass with this map. Since you can plainly see this is a street map pieced together with tape, I suspect the map was a last minute addition to the book at the insistence of either the author or a peeved proofreader.

But I think the blame for the lack of definition of terms must fall squarely on the shoulders of the author. She has flavored this book, set in France in 1995, with a great deal of French words. Most of them are secondary to the story and are words that non-French speakers can figure out like thank you, Miss and Mr., good morning, and the like. But there are two words that annoyed me throughout the entire book - mec and flic. Mec is a word used to describe various characters, all men. But it is never clear what a mec is. Is the author describing the men as workmen, bums, toughs, as being from a particular ethnic group or having some common physical characteristic like swarthiness? I never knew.

And a flic is some form of law officer, perhaps a beat cop. But because you don't know for sure, you spend the entire book trying to decipher the hierarchy of the police department. Imagine reading a book in which the local police, sheriffs, state police, FBI, and CIA all appear, but their departments and roles are never explained. My kingdom for a glossary!

Which brings us back to the map. This book is filled with interesting descriptions of the main character's travels through Montmartre, a neighborhood of Paris traditionally frequented by artists, in an effort to help a friend accused of murder. These histories of buildings, cemeteries, neighborhoods, and artists are extremely interesting and dispensed freely and frequently and you really want to put them all into context with a map. I was left with the feeling that I could have gotten so much more out of this book if only I had been given a little more information.

Did I guess it? Yes. The mystery is unexceptional - this is one you read for the flavor of a foreign land. Try it out, but remember to have a better map and a French dictionary available.

I'm a great fan of Cara Black's "Murder in..." series, but I found myself in a bad neighborhood with this book in more ways than one. The story line revolves around the suspected terrorist activities of Corsican nationalists (or are they gangsters?) and detective Amy LeDuc's related attempts to clear a childhood friend of a murder charge. The descriptions of Paris streets, cafes, restaurants and other sites are as interesting as ever, but the book's story line is contrived and uneven. The story opens with a hardly credible, but helpful-for-the-scenario, breakup of LeDuc and her doctor boyfriend. The book ends with LeDuc in the arms of another BF, whom she barely knows and for whom readers have had scant information about from the body of the story. There are other problems with character development here as well--LeDuc's partner, Rene, is given unusually short shrift (what's up with the new girlfriend?) and the childhood friend that LeDuc is trying assist is written into a convenient coma-like silence without much explanation to the reader.
The main point here is that Cara Black has done much better with other stories in this series. If you are considering this book, I believe that you would do better to start with "Murder in the Bastille" or "Murder in the Marais."

Private Investigator Aimee Leduc is at her most sensitive right after she's dumped by her boyfriend, so she takes it hard when a childhood friend, cop Laure, is accused of murdering her partner. Aimee knows Laure would never have killed the man she viewed as her mentor, but the police have their suspect and Laure is comotose and unable to defend herself. It's up to Aimee to do the job.

Aimee's investigation quickly takes her out of the everyday world of Paris into a seamy underworld of prostitutes, underemployed musicians living rough, and Corsican terrorists. It is clear to Aimee that the murder being pinned on Laure is somehow connected to the Corsicans, but the most likely suspect turns out to be the musician who restarts Aimee's bruised libido.

Always in the background is the fear of police corruption--a corruption that destroyed Aimee's father and that continues to haunt much of the Paris police department. What secrets did Laure hide? Could Aimee's father have been, after all, involved with some underhanded scheme?

Author Cara Black continues her Aimee Leduc series with an intriguing tale set in a world where ancient vendetta coexists with modern terrorism, and where the spirit of Tolouse Lautrec haunts the streets of Montmartre, the section of Paris he profiled--and a section of Paris that remains distinct from the rest of the city.

There were times when Aimee's investigation seemed a bit improbable (her invasion of the police computer system seemed particularly far-fetched), but Black's mystery is more of an impressionistic painting than a hard-edged photograph. If you're interested in Paris and in reading an author who treats that city as a dominant character, you won't want to miss MURDER IN MONTMARTRE

It's January 1995, and Aimee is once again involved in a murder mystery that leads her again to secrets concerning her father's death. With the Church of the Sacred Heart (Sacre-Coeur), the neighborhood of the Mound of Martyrs (Montmartre), and the stone quarry caverns below as background, Aimee tries to prove that her childhood friend (Laure) did not kill her policemen partner (yes, her friend is a flic). Laure's father was Aimee's father's partner before he left the force.

Her new friend, Guy the Doctor, has split and gone to the Sudan with Doctors Sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders). An old friend, who Aimee has been looking for for years (Jaubert), and was part of her father's police academy group along with Morbier, turns up in a spot she least expects.

As always, our heroine, Aimee, is not only resourceful but always stylish (a true fashionista) as she snoops out the bad guys. Somehow, this time she manages to stay off her scooter and therefore is kept from running into anything or anyone.

The plotline involving some fake Corsican Separatists, who are busy selling the guns (of eastern european make) that were the basis for the case her father had been working on at the time of his death, help Aimee to bring some nagging problems from that time to closure. The rest of the plot is there for Aimee to have something to do until the more important personal issues are resolved.

The people who have said they don't like this series, well, that's OK. We all like different things. Now, as for myself, I can't stand a single book which has won the Booker Prize, except for The English Patient. I like this series of mysteries. I feel like I have gone on a vacation to Paris which may be the only way I get there. I notice that every time I read one of these, I have to go to my neighborhood cafe and read it under awnings!! This may prove hard in the winter, when it is raining or snowing!! Bravo, Cara Black!!

When his young groom is found dead, the Prince of Wales asks Sir Charles Sheridan to look into the matter. Ably aided by Kate Ardleigh, an American who secretly pens penny-dreadfuls, Sheridan soon finds that behind it proper facades, the upper class is hiding some very sordid secrets.

Death at Daisy's Folly is a treat for readers of historical British mysteries. It is obvious that a lot of research went into the creation of this book. Set at an 1890's weekend house party and featuring real historical figures, the story explores the private lives of the privileged and contrasts it with the daily lot of the servant class.

Charles and Kate make a likable team. I was particularly glad to see the authors finally develop Charles into something more than just a science geek.

Having enjoyed this book, I will definitely read the next entry in the series.

Kate Ardleigh and Charles Sheridan are back. Clever Kate and nerdy but ahead-of-his-time Charles are a wondeful sleuthing team. Robyn Paige is wonderfully adept at including real historical figures in her books, and this installment is no exception.

Aside from the mystery, which is excellent, this book provides a fascinating look at the slightly disturbing lifestyles of the aristocracy and royalty in Victorian England.

I love how the authors always bring real historical figures into their plots - it such a fun way to learn a little more history! This is definitely a wonderful series! I love the characters!

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.

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 murder is set in an actual country estate and involves the historic individuals that owned it. The heavily structured lifestyle of the upper class English nobility, here that of the Earl and Countess of Warwick--Francis and Frances Brooke--and Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales at the Time (later Edward VII) is realistically portrayed; more so, as the authors have allowed the central historic figure to give voice to her own feelings about her circumstances, feelings that might not have been obvious to her contemporaries or even to those studying and writing about her and her contributions to society postmortem.

Interesting too is the sense of political and cultural change going on at this time. Europe and Great Britain have yet to go through the turmoil that brought about the modern era. Especially in this particular book, socialism as it was viewed by the establishment is just beginning to threaten the status quo; 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. These are the last of the fabulously wealthy 19th century aristocrats, and the authors make it evident that they are an endangered species. Even the characters seem to be aware of it. By this period, roughly 1880-1900, they are barely hanging on to what their ancestors fully enjoyed and left to them. Marriages between American heiresses and the upper nobility were being arranged to salvage what could be of the historic prerogatives and wasteful lifestyles of these families as conditions and society were changing forever.

The elements of the murder are not unlike another of the series, although the motives for murder are very real, but it is the opportunity to "see" the country house of an aristocratic family as vaunted as the Warwick's that is the true delight; one is almost "there." All of the senses are treated in the venue, sight, sound, smell, touch, even taste (menus are provided), making the experience total.

One of the touches I enjoy most with these books is the quotation from authors regarding the life of the time that head each chapter. Particularly poignant in this volume was the quotation from John Dryden:

Be fair or foul, or rain or shine,
The joys I have possessed, in spite of fate, are mine.
Not heaven itself upon the past has power;
But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.

Beautiful. A wonderful experience

Heroine Kate Ardleigh is an independent woman helping to solve crimes during Victorian times (late 1800s) in England. She doesn't quite fit in: she's American, she's of Irish descent, she's independent, she's interested in corpses, and she writes lurid crime stories under the pseudonym Beryl Bardwell. None of these characteristics is suitable for a proper British lady of society!
Part of what makes this series interesting is the historical research the authors have done into the people, time, places and events that Kate experiences. The time period is the birth of many techniques and technologies, such as photography, crime scene investigation, air travel, and the automobile.
Another element making this series enjoyable is the developing romance between Kate and Sir Charles. They are a perfect match for each other, but their secret backgrounds and responsibilities threaten to keep them apart.
The story is filled with actual historical figures, all of whom Kate and Charles manage to meet. Beatrix Potter and her furry characters become Kate's friends in the first book of the series. In Death at Daisy's Folly, Kate and Charles mingle with the Prince of Wales and his mistress, Daisy, at a weekend house party at Daisy's husband's estate. Daisy's Folly is the"hideaway" on the estate outfitted with boudoirs for amorous assignations. In all the books, death comes unexpectedly, and Kate and Charles are eager to solve the crimes.
For those of you who have devoured all of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series, there are similarities in Robin Paige's
books, though in a decidedly more sedate tone and with fewer harrowing adventures. Just as Amelia knows better than Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter where to dig in the Valley of the Kings, Kate and Charles are on the cutting edge, setting forensic practices in motion, always at least one step ahead of the constables. The characters are charming and the details make the Victorian Era come to life. And if a little murder and some sleuthing can be done among Britain's elite, so be it.

DEADFALL was my first exposure to Sue Henry's writings, and probably my last, as well. The plot was well conceived and the location interesting, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The author makes many glaring errors, and the heroine is rather foolishly displayed. Her moronic actions in confrontations with the killer were so frustrating that I kept screaming out loud, "Just shoot him, you idiot! Geez, how stupid are you?". Ms. Henry would do well to hire a ghostwriter to rewrite this piece. Then perhaps a worthwhile mystery would emerge. For a true master of the mystery genre, try Tony Hillerman's Navajo Mysteries. The audio tapes and CDs from Recorded Books are priceless; pass on the Books On Tape offerings.

This is an excellent book that is loaded with suspense. I've read most of Sue Henry's Alaska mysteries and loved them all.

I enjoyed this book for the suspense - it had plenty. Jessie shines in this one. I was puzzled by the convoluted motives of the bad guy.I guess Sue Henry wanted to make the book as mysterious as possible. I felt the frustration that the main characters had, but went along with the story anyway. I felt strongly agitated when the bad guy went after the dogs. I would give a lot to have a friend like Tank.:) The ending was really a reach but all's well that ends well. Altogether it was a competent and enjoyable read. On to the next.

Once again, the characters are weak; the plot is thin and this mystery has all the flavor of sidewalk chalk. A couple of the dogs surface momentarily but immediately disappear into the blank landscape.

I have to say that the quality of writing, the setting, action and details in this book were excellent, and the story well put together. I guess I would give it 3 and a half stars really. I haven't read the other books in the series, and this book is prompting me to find the others to read. Dispite the problems with the book, the richly described setting and conflict pulled me in.

The book does something of a "time jump" in which every other chapter is devoted to charachters in seperate places, and are also seperated by a day. I think this was a clumsy, and somewhat confusing way to let readers in on some facts.

Like other readers, I found the motive too far fetched to involve the people it did. Why didn't the perp just go directly to the problem he had?? I would say more but I don't want to give it away. Jessie took some actions which I keept thinking "No! Don't do that!" at her in the final conflict. Also, Jessie's conflict of independance vs. commitment to Alex, was, I felt, an afterthought to the story which soured an otherwise good ending.

Excellent book, suspenseful, a definite page turner. This book is among the many well written books by Kay Hooper, and is of the "Shadows" series. I have read several books by her, and she has become one of my favorite authors. I cannot get enough of her books. Her stories are filled with mystery, and the twists and turns keep you guessing. Highly recommend all of her other books. Received in perfect condition, and quick and easy transaction.

As a fan of historical romances, I usually don't deviate. A friend recommended this book and I couldn't put it down! Fast paced with interesting characters, Kay Hooper is now on my list of must read authors. It grabs you from the first page all the way to the end and I very much look forward to reading more of her books. Definitely NOT a dissapointment!!!

The beginning was quite promising but this excitement soon fizzled out as it moved beyond. By the middle of the book, I was just reading through aimlessly. (I do have a compulsion of having to finish every book I start reading, no matter how good or bad) By the end, I was thoroughly let down. And oh, the twist at the end was surprising but it could not rescue this wreck.

I really enjoyed this book- it's probably my favourite from the Bishop series to date (8 books, I think).

If you could read minds, would it be a gift. . . or a curse? . . .

Cassie Neill has escaped the crime filled streets of L.A. to silence her mind. She had run to a small town in North Carolina just so she could escape her fate, but danger followed her. She saw a man stalking a woman, heard him planning his kill, but when she went to law enforcement with the knowledge, they wrote her off as a charlatan, until a body turned up dead where Cassie claimed it would be left. Now, the town Sheriff and the town Judge want her help in finding the killer, they want her to get into his mind and read his thoughts. But if the killer senses her, he could trap her in his psychotic mind and leave her there to die!!!

This supernatural romantic suspense novel starts out fast, full of twists and turns that I will not discuss at the risk of spoiling the story. Mid-way into the story, the book starts to follow around 4 woman whose lives are in no way connected, except that all of them are in the killer's mind, in his plans. The suspense is nonstop as you get to guess which woman will be his next victim, and which one will escape. The ending was shocking and there were a few jaw dropping moments. If this first book is any indication of where the rest of them are going, then I can't wait to read the next in the series. Original, psychological, and addictive. . .

Great series, Ceepak and Boyle are quite a team. I've read all of Grabenstein's books and loved them all. Can't wait for the next one.

I really enjoyed this fourth book of the Ceepak Series. As always, I can just picture all of the NJ surroundings. The reading comes as easy as the laughs. I really like the relationship between Danny & Ceepak and the newbie Samantha Starky. I'm so glad I saved this one for the beach. This series just keeps getting better and better. I can't wait for the next one. Awesome A++++++++!

HELL HOLE is both a return and a departure for Chris Grabenstein. It's a return in the sense that it's another welcome addition in the John Ceepak series. Ceepak is a Sea Haven, New Jersey police officer who subscribes to a rigid and impressive code of honor. The stories are told through the voice of his partner, Danny Boyle, a method that infuses Ceepak with an enigmatic air, given that we don't know too much about him to begin with and are dependent upon what (precious little) Boyle learns during the course of each succeeding book. The departure for Grabenstein is that HELL HOLE, the fourth in the series, is much darker in tone and substance than the previous installments, being closer in mood to what are now known as his "holiday" books.

Sea Haven is a vacation destination, so that it is accordingly fitting that HELL HOLE begins with Boyle being dispatched to a rental house on a noise complaint. Upon arriving, he finds a group of soldiers home on leave and getting rowdier, and more intoxicated, by the minute. The party becomes deathly somber, however, when the soldiers receive a telephone call notifying them that Corporal Shareef Smith, one of their brothers in arms, is found dead at a rest area on the Garden State Parkway with a map to their house in his pocket. Boyle offers Sergeant Dale Dixon a ride to the site to identify the victim, thus neatly involving the Sea Haven police in the matter. The death appears to be a grisly suicide, but something about the scene doesn't look quite right, an impression that is confirmed by Ceepak when he checks out the photos of the scene. Rather than being a clear, if somewhat messy, suicide, it slowly becomes apparent that Johnson was the victim of a murder.

There is a nice contrast between Boyle and Ceepak as they proceed through their investigation, with Boyle jumping to serial conclusions while the more experienced, older Ceepak gently reins Boyle in by example, taking a step-by-step approach to reaching conclusions as opposed to making a 10-foot jump to them. The backdrop of Sea Haven, a fictional New Jersey resort town, as a setting for this and the other Ceepak novels is a stroke of nothing less than genius. Beneath the vacationers, and the constant sun, surf and alcohol, there is a gritty subculture of drugs and violence that only occasionally raises its head but that, like a shark, skims along just beneath the surface.

It is at first thought that one of the denizens of that undercurrent --- a group of trailer park occupants best known as the Feenyville Pirates and responsible for a great deal of the smash-and-grab incidents --- are involved. They are, if only indirectly. The true culprits behind Johnson's murder, however, have friends in high places, and before HELL HOLE reaches its end, betrayals great and small will abound, as Ceepak and Boyle pull out all the stops and follow the leads in pursuing justice for Johnson, no matter where the trail takes them.

One gets so caught up in Grabenstein's spot-on description of the environs of the south central Jersey coast that it becomes easy to overlook what an accomplished plotter he is. One example: the crime scene. Grabenstein has the Garden State Parkway rest areas --- the tired restaurants, the overpriced gas station trinkets, the restrooms --- down perfectly. If you have ever stopped at these places even once, it all will come back to you. Yet it is the plotting and characterization that truly make the book a success.

Although I found Grabenstein's choice of villains unfortunate, I was overwhelmed by his ability to infuse a pair of small town resort police --- well, three actually --- with a likable and credible ability to pursue a lead here and a clue there to a resolution. Throw in a couple of additional factoids about Ceepak's past --- could he possibly be from Mason, Ohio, a town not entirely unlike Sea Haven? --- and a potential love interest for Boyle, plus an unresolved issue or two, and you have another winning book in a continuing series that I happily will read for life.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Ceepak and Danny--two cops in a small town on the Jersey shore. Ceepak is ex-army and lives by "The Code", a rigid set of moral requirements that makes Ceepak both admirable and comical. Ceepak is Danny's boss and partner, in this small Jersey shore police force. Danny, is an amiable ex-slacker who began his police career issuing parking tickets in the summers, to support his laid back lifestyle.

Hell Hole is the fourth in this Ceepak and Danny series, and it may be the best. Here's a town that should have less serious crime than Mayberry, and part of the fun of this series is learning how the author will plausibly introduce another murder into their lives.

The plot is tight and twists, and the pace is quick. But the rarest thing about Hell Hole and the Ceepak and Danny series is that Grabenstein has succeeded in creating two original heroes. Danny, the narrator, is the most unlikely hero: not strong, not fearless, but rather with a natural predilection for comfort. And his admiration for Ceepak only makes him more comically aware of his shortcomings. Yet Danny, ultimately, is the greater hero. Against all of his natural inclinations towards comfort and safety, he does the right thing. Not exactly the same way Ceepak would do, but achieving the same end.

I would recommend reading Hell Hole first, even though it is the fourth in the series, because you get to enjoy Ceepak and Danny fully developed and in their stride. Then you can go back and enjoy the first three in order.

The latest entry in the John Ceepak series is easily the best, building on what was a brilliant series from the get-go. Grabenstein manages to be edgy and darkly realistic while retaining the humorous tone of Danny's narrative that makes this series so notable and successful. Like its predecessors, HELL HOLE follows traditional mystery form but drapes it with a grim authenticity and topicality that should appeal to mystery fans as well as those whose taste leans more to noir and thriller fiction.

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.

Not only is the story intriguing, but if you are interested in herbal lore this book is excellent. All of the China Bayles books have an interesting plot with many twists and turns.

I have greatly enjoyed the China Bayles series, so I am sorry to say that "Hangman's Root" does not do these books justice. I found the mystery incredibly uninteresting-- it revolved around office politics at a university & animal rights, which seemed interesting at the outset, but the plot just never came together. I think one of the main problems was China's knack for rambling off subject into background information. These asides really slowed down the plot, & I could barely finish the book. If you are a first time reader to this series, don't judge China Bayles by "Hangman's Root."

I love the whole series! I love the characters, the plots, the herbal references! Quick fun reading- a real page turner!

China Bayles becomes disillusioned with her career as an attorney so she moves to the small town of Pecan Springs in the Texas Hill Country and opens an herb shop. In this third book of the series, China's good friend, Dottie Riddle, a biology professor at the university in Pecan Springs, is being accused of murdering one of the other faculty members, Miles Harwick. Harwick's animal experiments have galvanized opposition from animal rights groups, but Dottie has personal as well as professional problems with Harwick. A piece of physical evidence is all it takes for Dottie to be arrested. As China does some investigating, she discovers that other people have a motive to murder Harwick as well. Just as she thinks that she has the mystery solved, yet another possible suspect appears on the scene. The setting of the Texas Hill Country is a great place for a mystery and the characters surrounding China, especially her boyfriend Mike McQuaid just add to the fun.

Susan Wittig Albert's third mystery of the China Bayles series, "Hangman's Root", is a solid mystery, with a surprising killer, and a murder victim with a history of doing horrible, sadistic things to people and animals. China's friend, Dottie Riddle, a biology professor and a "cat lady" is the prime suspect in the murder of the sadistic Dr. Harwick, a colleague. Soon China finds that extortion, embezzlement, and deep hatred figure into this killing. Meanwhile, China and Mike are trying to find a house that they could both move into, with some comic results, and Rudy is trying to deal with a reunion with the daughter she gave up years ago. Not quite as good as "Witches Bane", but the sotry introduces us to some intriguing new characters.

I have read almost every Nancy Drew book and I have to say that this is one of my favorites. I read it one day because I couldn't put it down. The plot is filled with twists and turns that make this story well worth the read. A must read for any fan.

this is an interesting book!nancy is asked to locate the missing dancer juliana johnson so she can clain her inheritaince and nancy only has three weeks to locate her.i loved every time nancy goes to heath castle,wich is going to be julianas inheirtance if nancy finds her because nancy gets in some sort of trouble when she goes there.this is a very good book.

Everyone can laugh, but Nancy Drew was my childhood hero, roll model, and favorite Diva! A housekeeper mother figure and a lawyer father help Nancy enjoy the freedom to help others with mysterious dilemas. This book was my favorite of the yellow bound series. The older books pre 1980 are the best of the series. Very wholesome reads for preteens. Nancy and her two best girl friends, Bess and George, use their wit and imaginations to solve mysteries and disappearances in a non violent world. I highly recommend anything Nancy Drew.

Nancy,Bess,and George are on another mystery ahead but this time one mystery leads to another and another. This book is very exciting and it will keep you thinking for hours but it's confosing. Cofosing yes boring NO.There are a lot a stuff happening all at once for that reson you migth have to read a sentece more than once.I often hound myself reading a sentece four times or more.But there is no dowtthat you will be intertain for hours.I loved this book for hours it wouldn't let me put it down.Every it seemed like nothing would happen if you kept reading they would find somthing else out and before you knew it you have you hooked again.But if you have like mysteries it will keep you thinkingfor hours.

When Nancy Drew is asked to find Julianna, a dancer that dissapeared almost eight years ago, Nancy becomes invovlved in an exciting and suspenseful case. If she doesn't find her, Heath Castle, an estate she inherited from her dead fiance, will be pulled down and used as something else. The action kicks in when Nancy investigates at Heath Cstle and finds a number of clues to help find Julianna, and mysterious dogged mn that are slowly destroying Heath Castle.
The Clue in the Crumbling Wall is an exciting, unpredictable, enjoyable, and suspencefull book. It is hard to put down and you never know what will happen next! I"ve read many Nancy Drew books in the series and this is definately one of the best. I suggest that you read it because I'm sure you'll enjoy reading it.

At first, I was amazed at the idea that a person can be charged with murder without any real evidence. As far as I could tell, the only evidence was:

* Thiam haad met the boy on the beach, where he worked
* Thiam had a Polaroid photo of himself with the boy (taken on the beach by the boy's grandfather)
* Thiam (a former teacher) had some children's books on his shelves
* A witness who believed "all niggers look alike" said he had seen Thiam in the area the day of the boy's disappearance

The police didn't even bother to keep accurate transcripts of witness interviews!

Then I remembered that in the not-so-distant past, an American court might have very well prosecuted a black man on equally flimsy evidence.

The descriptions of the lawyer's strategy are fascinating. The politics of the situation are a minefield and Guerrieri has to tiptoe through it --which he does with great skill.

An interesting point is that the author never tells us who did kill the boy. The emphasis is entirely on the trial. The author does, however, write very well, with wit and intelligence. The English translation gives a sense of the rhythm of the Italian language.

Another interesting cultural note is that everyone in Italy seems to smoke incessantly.

Rather more information on the procedures of Italian justice than I wanted, but a great narrator, and the emotional content of his relationships - to his (ex)wife, his new lover, and to the accused - were well developed. The book has a satisfying although not unexpected ending.

It's clear you don't want to be Sengalese and a transient vendor in Italy when a child disappears, but it's a story that could probably happen anywhere. An interesting book. Had it been an American/British murder mystery, we probably would have found out "who dun it" - if you need that, it's not here.

The author is a working criminal lawyer (an investigating magistrate, sort of like a cross between a DA and a judge, if I understand correctly).

In any event, it's clear that he knows of what he speaks in this marvellous Italian trial procedural. Carofiglio has an acid wit, and the book is very amusing.

I found the character development and the romance less interesting, as it was not captured as well as the criminal case. But that's not why one reads this sort of book, anyway.

What a pleasant surprise! I'd read a "Maggody" mystery some time ago, not realizing there was another Joan Hess series to savor. Claire Malloy is bright, sarcastic, ironic, and funny as all get-out. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you going... I stayed up way too late two nights in a row to finish it. Peter Rosen has definite possibilities, although his character wasn't developed quite as much as Claire's; since this was Claire's opening gambit, however, that's understandable. Loved this book, and right now I'm trying to figure out the order in which the rest were written so I can follow through properly (I always read a series in order to follow character development). Definitely have your library rustle up a copy of this one, and, I suspect, the rest of the series, as well!

The only good thing about this book is that you don't have to read all of it to find out whodunnit. The identity of the murderer is obvious from chapter 2 -- even before anyone has been murdered! With their identity so clear so early on, you don't need any clues or sleuthing, which is a good thing, because there aren't any. When the showdown comes and the murderer's identity is "revealed" to anyone who has bothered to read this far, whopping great loose ends are left hanging around, leaving you asking "But why -- and what about -- ?" The setting -- a bookshop -- could have been interesting but little is made of it. This book is the first in Joan Hess's Malloy series, and as far as I'm concerned, it's also the last.

Typical of Joan Hess, it's engaging, interesting and hard to put down. The characters are lifelike, and the town is one you feel like you know.

... It is old-fashioned in a way. The police procedures are unrealistic and being gay can lead to being fired from an academic post. Much of the humor is heavy-handed and corny (addressing the cop as "Sherlock" for instance) but somehow I found it worked for me. It's unpretentious fun in the tradition of those old English cosies that were relaxing and easy to read if you willingly suspended disbelief.