Love at First Sighting / Mallory Marlowe

 

4 out of 5 stars 

This book is every bit as charming and cute as the author's Love and Other Conspiracies. In fact, on page 87, there's a reference to Hallie and Hayden from that novel. What a fun little Easter egg! Ms. Marlowe obviously enjoys all things paranormal. LaOC dealt with conspiracy theories and Love at First Sighting sends us into UFO territory.

Carter is one of the infamous Men in Black, although he is not excelling in his government career. El is a very popular influencer who has a scary UFO encounter after a photo shoot out in the mountains. Carter sees her video and recognizes her sighting as the same as he saw just before he and his father were in the car accident that left him an orphan. El is very suspicious until she learns that Carter believes her—everyone else either calls her crazy or wants to exploit her. They team up to figure out what it's all about, all the while dying to get their hands on each other.

No love triangle, very little angst in the relationship. The romance features prominently but figuring out what happened to Carter's father is just as important. It's a sweet romance and a tense plot. I truly hope that my library purchases Ms. Marlowe's next book.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles / Agatha Christie

 

4 out of 5 stars 

2026 Re-Read

It has been a long time since I last read this novel, but not so long since I last visited Styles. Having recently finished the very last Poirot novel, Curtain, which also took place at Styles, I couldn't resist the temptation to revisit the first Christie novel. 

I was amazed at how much I have learned about Poirot and Hastings through the years of reading Christie's fiction. I mean Poirot is very much himself, but Hastings is already being distracted by women, especially if they have auburn hair. It becomes a matter of amusement as the books progress. Poirot tries valiantly to get Arthur to think about things rather than jump to conclusions. Already, Poirot is telling him that he is startlingly honest and has no idea of the capabilities of other people to do wrong. His thoughts show plainly on his face, forcing Poirot to bamboozle him a bit to prevent him from alerting the murderer!

Every time I read a Christie novel, I notice new things. It makes her mysteries a joy to revisit. 

Silver & Blood / Jessie Mihalik

 

4 out of 5 stars 

When my favourite authors recommend another author, I listen. So when Ilona Andrews mentioned this new novel by Jessie Mihalik, I placed a hold on it through my library. I've previously enjoyed Mihalik's science fiction romance series Starlight's Shadow so I knew that I like her work. When I saw this gorgeous cover art, I was hooked. The artwork is far more enticing than is usual in this genre and the artist has obviously read enough of the book to use accurate details, something that I appreciate.

Are Riela and Garrick initially enemies? Not entirely, I don't think. But there is certainly no trust between them. Riela has been forced into entering the forbidden forest to deal with an unknown monster using her weak and not dreadfully useful magic. Unfortunately for her, she is found by two magic creatures and is saved by a mage who is as grumpy as he is powerful. Garrick tells her that her magic would only make the forest worse should she be destroyed there, but he is not forthcoming with other information.

As it happens, enemies to lovers is my favourite romance trope, so this situation worked for me. I was entertained by the verbal fencing between Riela and Garrick and intrigued by the problem that they set out to solve together. I had the notion that this first volume of the series would be enough for me, but if the library orders the second book I will read it with pleasure.

A Field Guide to Murder / Michelle L. Cullen

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Ever since Richard Osman published The Thursday Murder Club, its success has inspired other authors to jump on the older character bandwagon. I don't mind because I'm an older adult myself and I have been enjoying fiction that features characters of my own age. Often the main character is a woman, but this novel features a man, Harry Lancaster, who has had a fall and injured a hip. He has hired a caregiver, Emma, to help out while he heals. This is an excellent way of introducing a younger sidekick to the action.

I appreciated that Harry was written as still being intellectually sharp and curious, just hindered by a temporary physical ailment. He assumes a somewhat paternal relationship with Emma, but isn't pushy with his opinions. Emma is supposed to be happily planning her wedding but is actually experiencing ice cold feet. Her fiancé seems to expect to run her life because he will make more money than her, which is bothering her (as it should). Harry encourages Emma to trust her feelings, even as she is pressured by her family to go ahead with the wedding.

The title of this volume inspired me to hope for a birding connection, what with the crow and binoculars on the dust jacket and the title including Field Guide. It turns out that Harry keeps an eye on his neighbours as a way of distracting himself from his grief for his late wife, not birds. So that was a tiny disappointment. More distracting was the stiff writing style. The author is an anthropologist turned writer and this appears to be her first novel. There is potential here, as I managed to lose myself in the action from time to time despite what I perceived as stilted expression. As usual with an amateur sleuth book, I found the level of meddling in an active investigation to be unrealistic and the detective involved puts up with far more interference than he should. This is a perennial complaint of mine, however, and Cullen is just following the established pattern of the cozy mystery genre.

Publicity for this novel recommends it for readers of Osman or Deanna Raybourn. Take that advice with a grain of salt, as Cullen is not nearly as skilled as either of those authors, but you could certainly do worse in the cozy mystery category.

Through Gates of Garnet and Gold / Seanan McGuire

 

3.7 out of 5 stars 

One of the things I appreciate about McGuire's Wayward Children series is that each volume is just a bite-size snack. In my opinion this one is better than the last couple of books as it isn't overly preachy. This is several children from Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children engaged in active problem solving.

Nancy Whitman has found her place: in the Halls of the Dead, serving as a living statue, reveling in the stillness and not being rushed by the pace of life in our reality. Trouble is stirring in those same Halls, however, as the restless dead suddenly start killing any of the “statues" who accidentally move and reveal their living status. The Lady of the Halls comes to Nancy and requests her help. Can she recruit friends to help prevent more deaths?

So Nancy returns to the school to petition for assistance from her friends. Several of them (Sumi, Kade, Talia and Christopher) volunteer to return with her to try to sort things out. Needless to say, there are complications.

I have the feeling that this is a transitional book in the series, that McGuire is setting the stage for the next installment. I really can't complain, as it was an engaging little adventure that didn't take a big chunk of my reading time.

Murder at Gulls Nest / Jess Kidd

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Jess Kidd has written a very original amateur sleuth in this mystery novel. Nora Breen has just been released from the religious order where she has lived for decades. The monastery has provided a few clothes, collected from women entering their service, and a small amount of money, which is how Nora finds herself wandering about Gore-on-Sea in a horrible puce coat, a beret, an ill fitting dress, and heavy, unattractive shoes (which will be of great utility later).

Nora has requested her freedom because she is concerned about a young friend, Frieda, who wrote to her weekly from Gore-on-Sea, and then seemingly just disappeared. Nora is now living in Frieda's room at a rundown boarding house, Gulls Nest, where she is methodically investigating her friend's fate. The denizens of Gulls Nest are rather rundown themselves. This may sound like an Agatha Christie setting, but Kidd's boarding house is much less genteel than any of Christie's. It is dirty, dusty, and shabby. The housekeeper, Irene Rawlings, has an ironclad set of rules and an unfortunate style of cooking. The landlady, Helena, is uninvolved in the running of the household, despite sharing the house with her boarders.

It turns out that everyone in Gulls Nest has a secret. The atmosphere of the house is tense and hostile. Nora sets about untangling this Gordian knot of personal histories and tracing the last steps taken by Frieda. It is like the convent trained her for the task, which she pursues quietly and stubbornly.

I was particularly fond of the gull that Nora feeds from her bedroom window (very much against the rules) that she has christened Father Conway. Watching Nora come alive again out in the world was pleasurable, as was watching as she took no shit from the men of the village. A disrespectful young Constable gets her heavy shoes flung at him until he learns to pay attention! It only took three times.

I didn't figure out the murderer until very late in the game although I did guess at some of the concealed relationships. Kidd set things up neatly and finds a method to satisfy inquisitive minds about the actual events. Nora's plan to move on seems to be put on pause in the last few pages of the book. I was glad to see that she will be featuring in another novel in the near future. Fingers crossed that my library orders it!

Shakespeare, the Man Who Pays the Rent / Judi Dench, Brendan O'Hea & Barbara Flynn

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I chose the audiobook version of this memoir and I'm still debating whether it was the right choice for me. I am such a visual learner and I wonder how long the details of this will stick with me. Incidentally, Barbara Flynn does a top rate job of performing Dench's part in the audiobook. Ms. Dench herself has very limited vision now, so reading from a script (the edited version of the original interview) is impossible for her.

It is fascinating to see my beloved Shakespeare's works from the opposite side of the stage. Dench discusses the female characters in the plays knowledgably, no matter how long it had been since she had played the role. Her ability to quote significant speeches from whichever play they are discussing is absolutely amazing—she does say at one point that she has a photographic memory, which would certainly help. She has acted in some plays multiple times with different casts and directors, giving her varying experiences to draw on. She has also played different parts in the same play, with the same result.

This certainly gives me more perspective on the women in the plays. Their roles are both necessary and important to the action. The boys who played these parts in Shakespeare's time had a big job! As Dench and O'Hea observe, Shakespeare explores all the human emotions which is what keeps his work relevant through the centuries. They also comment on the number of rebellious women that Shakespeare puts in his plays. Dench observes that it is no wonder the Puritans forbade their performance, as god forbid that women should have opinions of their own or refuse to obey men!

The after word reveals how much work went into this project: 120 hours of discussion rendered down into 12. Also, the effort to redact the swearing of Dame Judi! There's life in the old girl yet and she expresses the desire to live to 100. At 91 she stands a good chance at achieving that goal and I hope she is successful.