The Five / Hallie Rubenhold

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First let me say that this author has done an amazing job of the researching the paths of these five women. Finding records of affordable housing, marriage records, work house stays, etc. Plus giving the reader general background on what life was like for impoverished people of both genders in Victorian London.

Even just a few pages into this book, I started to see parallels between 1888 and 2020. General unrest among populations who were unemployed and teetering on the brink of hopelessness. Governments resorting to police action and oppressive legislation to try to tamp down the turmoil. Drought making it difficult for any economic headway. Temporary gig work, not well paid, was the best many folk could strive for. “Fake news" got everyone riled up, as journalists wrote over the top stories about poverty and prostitution in the East End of London. Assumptions some how morphed into “facts.”

Women were most at risk, as they still are today, no matter whether they earned their money honestly by Victorian standards or not. Although many women earned their few pennies by honest means, society assumed they were prostitutes. Many of them did end up teamed with a man just for protection from the attentions of predatory men all around them, but these were pseudo-relationships, not financial transactions. (This can still happen today among impoverished women. See Barbara Erlich's book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America).

Mary Higgs, a minister's wife who went undercover as a female tramp to study the effects of poverty, was horrified to find that in her ragged dress she was continually verbally assaulted by men. "I had never realised before that a lady's dress, or even that of respectable working-woman, was a protection," she wrote. "The bold, free look of a man at a destitute woman must be felt to be realised."

Poor people were just one disaster from living on the street. An illness that prevented them from working or the death of a spouse could send respectability to the dustbin. Society's judginess was no help. In order to receive help, the poor person often had to accept a heaping helping of humiliation. As if illness or death were a moral failing.

The author makes it clear through her research that it's pretty unclear which women were prostitutes. If you accept a few drinks in a bar and then go home with the person who bought those drinks, does that make you a prostitute? If you choose to live with a partner without marrying them, are you a street walker? But calling these murder victims prostitutes had the dual purpose of making the crimes seem less evil (because they were “only" prostitutes) and adding a sex angle to the story to make it more sensational. In actual fact, the evidence points to the women being killed while laying down, likely while sleeping rough. Far more brutal and much less sexy than the current view of the Ripper.

I'm guilty of being interested in the killers and unaware of the victims of other murderers. Really, the Prime Minister of New Zealand had the right idea when she proclaimed that shooter in the 2019 mosque shooting should be named as little as possible to avoid glorifying the awful act. We've got to stop making heroes out of these criminals and realize that they are merely hateful people, bigots and misogynists.


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Bless Her Dead Little Heart / Miranda James

Bless Her Dead Little Heart by Miranda James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

🎃🎃🎃
Not a bad start to 2020 Halloween Bingo, if not what I had hoped for. I must confess that the title of this book was the lure that hooked me. Of late, I have been attempting to keep track of the point in each book where the title is referenced, and I was disappointed that no one in this novel ever uttered those words.

This is definitely a cozy mystery, despite multiple murders. Two elderly sisters, An'gel and Dickce, end up with their former frenemy on their doorstep, begging for help. Rosabelle is a selfish, grasping drama-queen and the sisters are none too glad to see her, especially when her whole family (all three husbands’ worth) also arrive and make it plain that they are not going anywhere. The whole rude selfish clan takes advantage of the Ducotes' Southern manners and hospitality, even after the first death.

The mystery seems to be a side issue in the novel. Front and centre are the bond between the sisters, their growing fondness for the cat, Diesel, that they are cat-sitting, and for Rosabelle's step-grandson, who seems to have no one left in the world once his mother is killed. As is usual in cozies, there is much discussion about food, menus, shopping, and household details.

The author has set things up so that those who are engaged will no doubt continue on to the next book. There are so many books to read and not enough time to get to them all! I expect I have read as much of this series as I ever will now that I've completed this book. I must give it more credit than a book that I read earlier this year, Ghostly Paws. The cat in this one acts smart, but at no point does he actually talk, something that reduced my appreciation of Ghostly Paws.





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Ship of Magic / Robin Hobb

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been looking forward to this book and returning to the world of the Farseer Trilogy. Imagine my surprise at how completely different this story was. Oh, there was a reference to the appearance of dragons at some point in the recent past, but there was otherwise no overlap.

The Liveships are a wonderful idea—with their frames made from wizardwood, they eventually gain some level of sentience & personality. Once quickened, the ship is able to assist its captain and crew. As the book progresses, we learn more about the mystical bond between a Liveship and the family that commissioned it. Mystery seems to be a detriment to the current situation, as the uninitiated don't appreciate the needs of these amazing beings for a living link to their owners. And it is made clear that there is a definite link between the production of Liveships owned by the Bingtown traders and the Rain Wild River people, with their disfigured faces and their great wealth. There is a mysterious contract which both sides must adhere to, blood or gold.

You can read the book just as a tale of family dynamics, a family business having difficulty with the process of succession, or you can interpret things more deeply. What to make of Kyle Haven, who desperately wants to be a respected patriarch but doesn't realize that control doesn't mean lording it over everyone else in the family. He criticizes Althea as spoiled and then turns around and makes his own daughter, Malta, infinitely worse. A man who is willing to transport slaves and expects slavish devotion from his family & crew. I can't help disliking the man, but also find myself pitying him.

Also interesting are the sea monsters that plague those who sail the oceans. They seem to be merely predators, but we are privy to some of their thoughts in short vignettes and we watch their behaviour shifting during the course of the book. Their ultimate fate (and their relationship with the ship Vivacia) is merely hinted at in this volume.

I will definitely be reading on when I get a chance. What happens to Althea? Does the mad ship Paragon make nice with anyone? Do Althea and Brashen find their way back together? (That's a foregone conclusion, I would guess). What does Malta make of her Rain Wild River suitor? Will Wintrow ever recover some kind of relationship with his family? Or will a pirate conquer the Vivacia's heart?

Hobb leaves us with so many interesting questions. She is very skillful at manipulating my emotions and leading me on to the next book.

Book number 377 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.


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Preparing for Halloween Bingo

This year Halloween Bingo has moved from Booklikes (which has cratered) to Goodreads. As a result, we are learning how to participate in a new format. I thought I would try to keep track here on my blog as well. The festivities begin on Sunday, August 30th. I have several books lined up for Sunday. Let the games begin!

Here is the lovely bingo card that was created by my friend Christine:

The objective is to read a book corresponding to each square. The folks co-ordinating the game will call a category each day and we attempt to read strategically to attempt to get a bingo. (I usually just aim for a blackout, I admit).

I've chosen a book line up and placed a ton of holds at the library. I'm poised and ready to go!

August is a Wicked Month / Edna O'Brien

August Is A Wicked Month by Edna O'Brien
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Under the soft skin and behind the big, melting eyes her heart was like a nutmeg. Some of it had been grated away by life but the very centre never really surrendered to anyone…

I struggle with Edna O'Brien's writing. Despite her wonderful technique, I often feel that I am missing the point. I'd liked the descriptions of this novel—a divorced woman goes to France in search of sun and sex. What could be wrong with that premise? Lots, apparently. Perhaps because I'm not Irish Catholic, I don't feel sufficiently guilty about life to truly understand Ellen. She is a divorcee with a child, but still seems to be incredibly naïve.

For a while, I thought maybe O'Brien was showing the emptiness of a life based on liquor, sex, and celebrity. Ellen spends much of the book in the company of various men and is too nice to turn them down. By accident it seems, she ends up in the posse of a movie star, Bobby, whom she seems to actually want, especially as he holds himself aloof. O'Brien just kept throwing test after test at poor ineffectual Ellen, who by the book's end is finally starting to take her life in hand and be adult enough to handle large hotel bills, physical ills, grief, and getting rid of men who really mean nothing to her. Is that the point, that if we are lucky we can grow up and take the reins?

I don't regret reading this slim volume, but I can't say that I will be recommending it to very many people either. I had a hunt to find this copy, but it won't be staying in my home library. I will give it freedom to join another reader who appreciates it more than I do.


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Smoke Bitten / Patricia Briggs

Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How I love a little jaunt in the Mercyverse! I always have fun there. This newest offering is no different, there are a number of Bad Things that need to be dealt with and, as usual, there is a kink in the Mercy-Adam relationship that makes this more difficult. Mercy has to wrestle with mate issues while dealing with Fae monsters and vampires who have been reading too much stalker literature.

I am always pleased when Kyle, the sharklike human lawyer, grabs a gun and gets to protect his werewolf hunny bunny, Warren. And I think Warren is too, that not-so-gruff old cowboy. I’m also glad to spend time with British Ben, foul mouth and all. He is just the gift that keeps on giving. This is one of the reasons that I love urban fantasy with the power of a thousand burning suns. It's a group effort. Mercy may be the unwilling catalyst for so much of the trouble that rolls into the TriCity area, but she also has good ideas about how to deal with the Big Bad. Being Coyote's daughter is a blessing and a curse. However, there is no reason that she has to do any of it alone. No lonely Batcave for her! She has Adam and the werewolves, a tibicena (see Fire Touched), plenty of Fae friends and almost-friends, plus one awesome vampire in her Scooby gang. Oh, and a magical walking stick, made by Lugh himself, that shows up whenever it's necessary (or it just wants to) to help Mercy out.

The Fae are perennial favourites of mine. I love their “I can lie by telling the truth" elusiveness, their elemental power, their tricky relics, and their dedication to obfuscation. It might not be fun in real life, but its great for fictional folk to figure out. I also adore Mercy's vampire pal, Stefan, and I'm thrilled when he makes an appearance in a novel. He didn't feature nearly enough in this volume, but he always makes me smile. As does creepy Wulfe, the vampire/witch/sorcerer who has taken a predatory interest in our coyote girl. Wulfe is always threatening, always enigmatic, and frequently in the right place at the right time. I think he's jealous of Stefan and doesn't know how to forge a friendship with Mercy, so he is reduced to stalker behaviour. Perhaps he became a vampire too young to have developed good social skills. Maybe Aidan, the young Fae refugee from Underhill can teach Wulfe a thing or two as he matures.

And here I am, talking about all these characters as if they were real people! But by now, twelve books into the series, they feel like old friends whom I can't wait to see again. My only complaint about these books is that they pass so quickly. One day's reading and then I must wait for many months for the next hit of my favourite drug.

The wait for lucky thirteen begins today.


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A Clash of Kings / George R,R, Martin

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've got to hand it to George R.R. Martin, he writes these books in a very even handed fashion. Most authors portray one side as good vs an evil foe. Martin shows us that there are as many sides as there are people and they are all dedicated to their own perceptions of each situation. We get to watch and possibly empathise with multiple players in the drama, not being told who we should favour.

Like almost all fantasy literature, there are a numbing amount of battles, complete with blood, guts, and gore. These details are appropriate to the situation, but it did grind me down a bit. I've read so much fantasy, sometimes all the violence just seems to hit me all in a landslide. Thank goodness Martin gives us some other things to break up the brutality a bit.

As willing as this author is to kill his pretties, he pulls a few tricks on us too. Characters that I thought were dead and gone suddenly reappear, hey presto! Tyrion better recover! I must have my favourite back in book 3. Daenerys could be sacrificed, although I guess that her dragonlings must feature dramatically at some future point. I must know how Arys and Sensa fare also. It feels good to cheer for people who seem to be on opposite sides, knowing that circumstances could change radically, throwing them together to sort things out. You know, like real life where things can change on a dime.

Book number 376 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.


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The Enchanted April / Elizabeth von Arnim

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an absolutely delightful novel! I have craved wisteria and sunshine, especially during the capricious Aprils of Western Canada, where we are as likely to get 30 cm of snow as to get sunshine. And there is nothing like new surroundings to help people let go of their poses and to become more of themselves.

It was a treat to get to know Lotty, Rose, Lady Caroline, and Mrs. Fisher, brought together by a newspaper advertisement and getting to know one another in Italy. Lotty becomes the catalyst for change, by changing herself, showing how it can be done and what happiness it brings. She begins the trip desperately desiring to get away from her husband and ends up happy with him again. Even in the early 20th century, before the internet & social media or the 24/7 work expectation, women still felt the need to escape their responsibilities from time to time.

Rose transforms from a grimly religious woman into a loving wife and even Mrs. Fisher realizes that she has been prematurely living in a mausoleum. If only a month away truly had such alchemical properties. Mind you, some of my fondest memories were spent with four women friends at a cabin that one of us owned. We would breakfast, birdwatch, picnic, declare happy hour, and take turns cooking delicious dinners to relax over at day's end, only to get up and repeat the process the next day. As Lotty says, heaven. Actually, that's what my friend used to call her cabin, Heaven.

I wish I could have read this during April, as I had planned but it was still an absolute delight.


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Blue Mars / Kim Stanley Robinson

Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sometimes I need a shove to get me moving. I've had this book out of the library for a while, but hadn't felt inspired to tackle it. I knew there would be a pile of (for me) yawn-inducing detail, both scientific and political. I'm sure Robinson must have read Frank Herbert's Dune series, but despite some similarities, that world captivated me and I struggle to care about this version of Mars. At any rate, I didn't click “renew" when I should have and found myself with only 5 days to read over 700 pages. I don't know whether to thank or curse the person who requested this title.

The anti-aging treatments that keep the original Mars settlers going and going seem to me to kind of petrify the new society. With little generational turnover, young people are stuck dealing with these elders who are rich in experience but short on flexibility. Like the Baby Boomers, they refuse to get out of the way and let younger folk explore new possibilities. Can you imagine if George Washington or Winston Churchill were still wandering around, wizened old things still trying to be relevant, sure they knew what was best for present societies? Perish the thought! Rather like the rock stars of the sixties struggling to stay hip without breaking a hip.

I thought it was quite perceptive of Robinson to have Maya approaching a youngish man at a gathering and being glad that he didn't act like she was “Helen of Troy or Lucy the habilene Fossil.” Close to the end of the book, as the ultra-elderly start dying, it gets a bit sad, but ask any 90 year old today about it. They are going through the same thing. My 86 year old aunt was watching all her friends die until she joined them. It gets lonely if you have a long life.

The issues that plague Mars society are also things that we are dealing with today. The Red Mars faction are devoted environmentalists who want to severely restrict development. There are debates over immigration from Earth and shady side deals are struck. Settlers are plunging onto the Martian surface illegally. Mars society is fractured into many groups with different world views and values. Leadership is essential, but its difficult for anyone to lead when public opinion is so splintered. Not to mention the generational differences mentioned above. In many ways Robinson seems to anticipate in 1996 many of the problems that face us in 2020.

I've got to hand it to Robinson, he has obviously done piles of research on terraforming, ground water management, space travel, geology, engineering and human memory & psychology among many other subjects. I wonder if Sax Russell is a kind of alter ego? It seems like they are both very familiar with obsessively researching interesting subjects. Like Sax, the whole trilogy held me at arm's length, not giving me much emotional purchase and making it difficult for me to truly connect with the story. Despite that, I did find the ending rather bittersweet and I'm ultimately glad that I read until the end. So, thank you, unknown requester of this library book, you got me to put some welly into the reading process and knock this title off this year's planned reading list.

Book number 375 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.


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Emerald Blaze / Ilona Andrews

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got my hands on this book a little early, by ordering through the website of a big chain store. I noticed that their “buy" button no longer said “preorder" so I took chance and ordered it along with a couple of other items that I've been wanting for a while. It arrived yesterday and I've read it twice.

Ilona Andrews never fails to deliver a story that makes me happy. The Andrews provide imaginative, complex fantasy settings, excellent action, characters that I love, and just the right amount of romance. The romantic elements do not overwhelm the adventure. I don't know how long they can keep this story line going, but I will enjoy every scrap that they dish out! This will never be “classic" literature, so something in me refuses to give these books 5 stars, but they are 5 stars in my heart.

In this installment, Catalina is settling into her new semi-secret role as Deputy Warden of Texas and into being Head of House Baylor. She is learning to play Prime games by spending time with the evil grandmother, Victoria Tremaine and her efforts are paying off. Just as she is consolidating her position and recovering from giving up Alessandro Sagredo, he is thrown back into her life, complicating an already intricate problem.

Watching a grown up & calculating Catalina is a treat. She can swim with the sharks and cope with the Prime magic users like a pro. Plots are revealed, weaknesses exposed, and secrets are revealed! Is that sufficiently non-spoiler like? One of the major joys of this series is that it doesn't focus exclusively on Catalina's relationships (or lack thereof); the secondary characters get to evolve in their relationships too. If I had one ask, I'd love more detail on those pairings, but I realize that the author's can't overwhelm us with detail. They edit things down to just the elements that move the plot along (because not everyone will be the glutton for details that I am).

When my life gets complicated, I always turn to Ilona Andrews books for comfort and now I have another volume to cuddle with during those times. Covid is making a mess of the publishing industry, but I shall anticipate future offerings by House Andrews with excitement nevertheless. Thank you authors for the capital entertainment.


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Daughter of the Blood / Anne Bishop

Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me halfway through this book before I could tell the men apart or figure which woman I was reading about! They all act the same, that is to say badly. I can see why this book is one of those “love it or hate it” novels. So how did I end up in the middle of the road? Well, I can perhaps see what Bishop was trying to achieve—a dark fantasy with women at the top of the hierarchy.

But I found the execution of this idea to be so clumsy! It was as if she took her cue for this Dark Kingdom from R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt series. The whole witch & black widow business seemed pulled right out of Menzoberranzan and the cult of the spider goddess. And how completely unimaginative to name your two main male characters Saetan and Daemon, locating the former in Hell. For a society which claimed supremacy of women, those two men seem to actually run things. If you believe what Bishop says, the women are in charge, but she doesn't find them interesting enough to centre the story around them. Saetan and Daemon seem to trump even Jaenelle, whom they all claim to adore. (I'm somehow reminded of J.R. Ward's Dark Lover series, which had powerful vampires tripping all over themselves for goodie two shoes Beth, and not just because one of those “bad boys" was named Zsadist). *eyeroll*

It was finally the mystery around Jaenelle that kept me reading. Why was she unwilling to leave a home where she was so obviously unhappy? Plus, it was interesting to watch the manoeuvring of older people around her, much like I imagine powerful people would have circled Victoria before she became queen of England, trying to buy her gratitude and/or her regard before she ascended the throne. Everyone seems to forget that young women have more brains than adults give them credit for.

It may be awhile until I can get to book two. My library has withdrawn the copy that I had a hold on, and I assume they have ordered a replacement, since there is still a hold in existence. In these uncertain times, who knows when that new book will be received and processed? A break doesn't worry me, as I'm not champing at the bit to continue, but I am intrigued enough to continue whenever that volume makes an appearance.

Book number 374 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.


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Come Tumbling Down / Seanan McGuire

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A return to the world of The Moors, where mad scientists and vampires have come to a hostile, fragile balance. Sisters Jack & Jill have been a large part of that balance, until Jill and her vampire “father" take things a little too far. Jack returns to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children to enlist some help. Suddenly, one of Miss West’s cardinal rules (No quests) is broken with abandon, as several of our acquaintances from past volumes join Jack in her ambition to prevent war on The Moors.

Of all the portals that McGuire has described thus far, The Moors has always been my favourite and I have also enjoyed the off kilter relationship between these two sisters. Jack realizes that she didn't understand her sister's needs when they were children, but now must be adult enough to fix the current problem. Few of us have to make decisions of this magnitude, but it can be a reminder to be more understanding with the people in your own life. Our perception of others is necessarily skewed by our own lenses that we see life through, making our view of others always incomplete.

Still looking forward to more promised adventures of the Wayward Children!


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Poirot Investigates / Agatha Christie

Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am not usually a fan of short stories, but I really enjoyed this collection of Hercule Poirot tales. They were published early in Dame Agatha's writing career and help us to get to know both M. Poirot and Captain Hastings. We get a good idea of their respective strengths and weaknesses and of the chemistry of their friendship.

These stories are Christie's laboratory where we can enjoy her experimenting with the detective & mystery tropes. She was obviously a student of Arthur Conan Doyle. Poirot and Hastings are her versions of Holmes and Watson, affectionate renditions of these famous characters. Indeed, she gives Poirot the ultimate in reason, but perhaps a deficiency in sympathy, while Hastings is all emotion with scant logic. Many of these short stories remind me of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but where Conan Doyle excelled at this format, it seems to have been just the first step toward a novel for Christie. Kind of a test kitchen, where she bakes a small test batch before committing herself to a larger baking frenzy.

Poor Hastings really suffers in these vignettes, thinking that he is so superior to Poirot, yet constantly bamboozled by the clues and distractions. Like Dr. Watson, there isn't a pretty woman who can't turn his head, especially if she has auburn hair! (But woe betide her if she has a brain, he loses interest immediately). Because he is tall, athletic, and English, he assumes he is better than the short, fussy foreigner. That's probably a situation that Christie ran into rather frequently in her travels.

But why, I asked myself, does Poirot put up with this silly man let alone treat him as a friend? My theory is that he is part of Poirot's camouflage. His concern with his clothing & shoes, his preferences for tisanes rather than “good English tea," and the presence of an obviously thick friend allow most people to underestimate the Belgian, leading them to reveal more to him than they would to an English investigator. As for Hastings, he is drawn to celebrity and success like a bee to honey. Poirot can make fun of Hasting's lack of imagination, but as long as Poirot is winning, Hastings will be at his side, trying to bask in the reflected glow.

My speculation is that the author was an introvert who spent a great deal of time quietly observing the people around her and using these observations to create believable characters who behave in understandable ways.



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Less than Angels / Barbara Pym

Less than Angels by Barbara Pym
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thus far, I have really enjoyed Barbara Pym's work. Mind you, I’ve read only three books, but I've purchased a stack of them to be enjoyed (I hope) in the future. Less Than Angels seems to explore the opposite end of life to Quartet in Autumn, studying university students instead of retiring civil servants. Having been an undergraduate and having taken a number of archaeology & anthropology courses, I remembered some of my own experiences and realize that I was just as green as these young people.

Pym's experience as assistant editor of the anthropological journal Africa is on display in this novel. She writes confidently about departmental politics and finances, relations between faculty members, and the unacknowledged underpinning of single female secretaries & assistants who make the whole thing run smoothly. I wonder if Edith Clovis was based on someone she knew?

Usually, Pym's observations are quite gentle, but this novel seems a bit more ruthless, somehow. As when she has one of the young men comment on Tom & Catherine's common law relationship:

""It would be a reciprocal relationship--the woman giving the food and shelter and doing some typing for him, and the man giving the priceless gift of himself," said Mark, swaying a little and bumping into a tree. "It is commoner in our society than many people would suppose."

Apparently male entitlement was fully recognized in 1955!

Pym would have been in her early 40s when this was published and have been living with her formerly-married sister, Rhoda to her sister's Mabel in terms of this book. Still young yet, which may have been the source of the observation of Deirdre: “She was as yet too young to have learned that women of her aunt's age could still be interested in men; she would have many years to go before the rather dreadful suspicion that one probably never does cease to be interested.”

Tom, the highly sought after anthropology student, would have been far more comfortable in a polygamous society where he could have been amourously attached to all three young women. The reactions of Digby & Mark on their interview weekend when their prof indicated that they should be celibate in the field was telling too. Oh, the good old double standard, where women are supposed to be chaste and put up with men who are not!

This is not the dark, distant past, but still it seems far from our reality. I love my glimpses into this world through the shrewd eyes of Miss Pym. Human nature doesn't change, so her observations still hit the mark for me.


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Unnatural Causes / P.D. James

Unnatural Causes by P.D. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another step on the journey to get to know Adam Dalgliesh. In this installment, we get to meet his aunt, Jane, who shares many characteristics with her nephew. They are both taciturn, comfortable in their own company, and rather detached observers of other people's behaviour. They are rather the mirror image of Christie's Jane Marple and her nephew, Raymond West.

As so many good mysteries are, this one is set in a small community where everyone knows one another at least a passing fashion. They have what is usually called history—grudges, friendships, dependencies, and prejudices. We sort through all these potential distractions with the help of Dalgliesh, who regularly vacations in the area and has pre-knowledge of the cast of characters. I was forcibly reminded of M.M. Kaye's Death in … series.

Dalgliesh is not included in the investigation officially; he is peripherally involved and too valuable a resource to be excluded. Indeed he and Inspector Reckless don't particularly like one another and tend to be like roosters, puffing themselves up to look more impressive when they are in the same room. In this way, Adam has taken on the expert amateur role of Jane Marple.

James is very aware of the romance of being a mystery writer and explores her own field through this group of published and aspiring writers. I wonder if she found it amusing? Perhaps some of these unpleasant people were based on the real thing? A friend of mine uses her fiction to kill off the people that annoy her. A good use of imagination, surely.

I find that I like Dalgliesh, despite his reticence to engage with humanity. Investigating homicides must tend to estrange a person from general society.


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The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning / Hallgrimur Helgason

The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning by Hallgrímur Helgason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you enjoy clever word play, something more complex than a pun, and done by someone who is fluent in at least two languages and can play them off one another, this is the book for you! The main character, known as Toxic, speaks Croatian and New York gangster. His attempts at Icelandic (a jaw cracker of a language) are hilarious. The author has obviously heard a lot of us outsiders mangling his mother tongue.

Toxic is a hitman for the Croatian mafia in the Big Apple, until he screws up and must flee the country. But while waiting for his flight to Europe, he recognizes that the authorities must be onto him. In a panic, he hides in the men's room, eventually killing a clergyman and taking his place on a flight to Iceland. His amazement at what he finds there (or doesn't find) is the basis for a lot of the black humour of the novel.

Our narrator can't believe that he's ended up in the land of no guns. How can he possibly stay here? But a few phone calls indicate that going to Europe or back to the States is not recommended. His “host's" daughter, Gunnhildur, becomes enamoured with him. Toxic calls her Gunholder and declares that he finally has a gun to hold, and since she smokes like a chimney, she is his Smoking Gun.

It's hilarious how well Toxic actually gets along with the televangelists who had recruited Father Friendly (whose body was abandoned in the bathroom at JFK). They have their own shady pasts and seem to be involved in exploitative foreign worker schemes. Helgason certainly plays with the idea that these guys are less-than-honest snake oil salesmen.

Be warned, if you dislike books with plenty of swearing and lots of violence, this book is not for you. For me, it was better than a cozy mystery any day.


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Have His Carcase / Dorothy L. Sayers

Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, this installment was far superior to the previous Five Red Herrings. Although there is a bunch of code-breaking which I allowed to just flow by me as I did all the train schedule details in that previous volume. The difference was very much due to Miss Harriet Vane, an intelligent and spirited match for Wimsey.

In fact, it is her sharp observations on the station of women during this time period that made the book for me. She realizes that, if she remains single, it doesn't matter how well she does for herself writing detective novels, she will always be an object of pity and derision. Hell, we're barely past that state even in 2020! I can't tell you how many people are ready to twist an ankle in their hurry to pity me! Despite the fact that I have traveled a great deal, supported myself quite successfully, and arranged to retire at a reasonably young age. But because I've never married, some would consider my life a failure. It makes me laugh, but it seems to make Harriet bitter. She realizes, while watching Mrs. Weldon, that marriage and widowhood may not rescue a woman from this fate.

I think the author herself was coming to realize this situation for herself. She was educated, supporting herself (and an illegitimate son), writing successful novels that are chock full of witty observations and complicated plots, but she was still a woman and therefore not admitted into the top circles of the literary field. It didn’t help that she wrote mysteries, part of the despised genre fiction. That snobbery remains strong.

I love Harriet ogling Wimsey when he dons a bathing costume to search around the infamous Flatiron Rock, where Harriet discovered the corpse that gets this story rolling. She reluctantly (?) teams up with His Lordship when he makes his appearance on the scene, and we witness her gradual conversion (or Peter wearing down her objections) to matrimony. Mind you, she hasn't consented just yet!

Well written, if a bit convoluted, but I did appreciate the final conclusions re: time of death, and kicked myself for not thinking of the solution! One got so used to thinking of the murder victim as a poser, it was hard to think that he might just have some basis for his beliefs!


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Skeletons in My Closet / Dave Sweet & Sarah Graham

Skeletons in My Closet: Life Lessons from a Homicide Detective by Dave Sweet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The August choice for my in-person book club. Written by two local authors, it seemed a natural choice, but this Covid-19 year has been anything but normal. I had met one co-author, Sarah, at a conference last year and asked if she & Dave would be willing to come talk to our book club about their process. We've had to postpone for quite a while, but hope to achieve the meeting this week.

A self-help style book with an interesting angle, that of an experienced homicide detective. Although he describes the Calgary cases in anonymous form, I recognized several of them which dominated our local news at the time. I've attended one of Dave's crime sessions at our local writers conference and he does a good job of teaching authors of crime fiction what real crime scenes are like. I remember a concluding quiz: he gave us a photo & some crime details, and we were to decide cause of death. Natural causes, homicide, suicide, accidental or undetermined. It was an interesting way to solidify the concepts in our minds.

That's the best aspect of this book, using policing experience to teach the life skills that can benefit everyone. Any habitual reader in the self help genre will recognize many of the “lessons" and identify with some of the situations. I know through conversations with my sisters that we have all three benefitted from this kind of literature, having come from a rather sheltered background and having our naivety make us vulnerable to manipulation.

I'll be very interested in talking with the authors about their shared experience in the writing of it.


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Wizard and Glass / Stephen King

Wizard and Glass by Stephen King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.65 stars

Crikey, this was a bloody long book. And this series is such an odd mishmash of genres: western, fantasy, horror lite, romance.

I made it about halfway through, really rolling along, and then it was just like I hit a road block and I had to go read other things for a while. Makes sense, I guess, if you were to divide this one huge book into two reasonable sized ones. But my Dad always taught me to get back on the horse that threw me, so I saddled up and resumed my journey. I “remembered the face of my father,” even if I had forgotten gobs of the back story from previous volumes.

Why is it that prolific authors at some point in their later careers start trying to jam all of their creations into some kind of closer relationship? Randall Flagg shows up yet again, along with references to the flu epidemic from The Stand. There's even a moment when Roland's ka-tet considers going to see Abigail from that other novel, and Roland tells the group that “that's another story.” And what's with all the Wizard of Oz stuff? Another example of the “everything but the kitchen sink" approach to writing this novel that King employed.

I'm glad to have finished this kitten squisher and be able to move on to other worlds than these! I guess I'm somewhat glad to have read it, but I know that many people adore this series. There's a lid for every pot—no doubt those folks would hate some of my favourites. What a good thing that we have so many reading options available to us!

Book number 373 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.


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