Saturday Entertainment

Well, I finally started a new mystery series, The Bryant and May books, by Christopher Fowler. The first book, Full Dark House, delves into this London detective teams beginnings during the Blitz while solving a present day murder.

Arthur Bryant and John May, now both nearing their 80's, met during WWII, when they were assigned to the Peculiar Crimes Unit, a ragtag group of police and forensics people who worked on unusual, time consuming crimes at the height of the London bombings.

Reading this book made me realize what the citizens of London actually lived with on a daily basis during the nightly German attacks. And weaving it all into a modern day bombing of their own offices brought the two timelines together nicely.

Darkness plays a huge role in this story. London was largely dark at night, to avoid creating targets for the German bombing raids. And darkness envelopes an old Victorian theatre where members of the cast of a scandalous production of Orpheus and their loved ones are targets for a crazed, ghostly killer.

Is the Greek shipping magnate who's financing the show exacting some revenge through the Greek gods and goddesses on stage? Or is there really a ghost terrorizing the company? And how does this all tie in with the modern day bombing and death of Arthur Bryant, John May's partner of 60 years?

As always, I'm drawn to this book because of it's characters. Bryant is a flighty but brilliant detective, whose mind is more attuned to strange and far fetched theories than the feelings of the people around him. May balances his anti-social ways with a calm and likable personality and a methodical detecting technique. Together, they pool their thoughts and theories to catch the bad guys.

I’m already on the second book, The Water Room. But I found out my library is missing the fourth book-sounds like a trip to Amazon will be in order soon…

Do What You Love!

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Saturday Book Review (A Day Late)

Yesterday I did a jewelry show by myself (The Husband had to work) and I was pretty wiped out. So here’s the scoop on a book I read this week:

Fatal Fixer Upper by Jennie Bentley

Avery Baker inherits a rundown Victorian house from her Aunt Inga, a relative she barely remembers. The house is in Waterfield, Maine, a far cry from her life as a fabric designer in New York City. Originally intending to sell the house, she discovers that she could get twice as much for it if she does some renovations. After the unexpected break up of a love affair with her boss, Avery decides to spend the summer in Maine, renovating with the help of Derek Ellis, a hunky home repair man. That decision leads to a mystery involving a missing college professor, Marie Antoinette’s furniture and a robbery committed in 1934.

This book reads like a romance in some sections and I have to wonder if Jennie Bentley started with Harlequin. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, just that it makes Avery sound a little girlish and gives the book itself a fluffy feel. The mystery part of the book I thought was written well and the complications presented an array of would be killers/thieves that kept you guessing. The climax shows Avery as a resourceful and strong woman who holds her own.

As usual with books that I’m drawn to, this series has a likable cast, starting with Avery and Derek. Avery’s first friend in town, B&B owner Kate McGillicutty, has an outgoing personality and sparkling humor. Her boyfriend is the town sheriff, Wayne Rasmussen, a calm personality who’s no small town hick. The character you love to hate is local realtor Melissa James. Don’t want to tell too much about her--she has too many connections that would be giving away parts of the plot. And then there’s Jemmy and Inky, Aunt Inga’s self-reliant cats, who occasionally appear for their dinners.

Home renovation and design tips are included at the end of each book (Spackled and Spooked and the most recent, Plaster and Poison). I took a cursory look but I don’t usually take a lot of time with recipes and things like this, except when they’re written into the book, like the Domestic Bliss articles in the Leslie Caine series.

I see that my library has the next two in this series, so when I finish a few books I have at home (right now I’m reading No Sleep Till Wonderland, which is turning out to be just as good as last weeks review, The Little Sleep), I’m hoping to pick those up.

Do What You Love!

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Book Recommendation Saturday-Debutante Dropout

I just started the fourth book in this series by Susan McBride, having totally loved the first three. The main protagonists, Andy Kendricks, the anti-deb daughter of high society widow, Cissy, both live, work (Andy) and do charity fundraising (Cissy) in Dallas. To get me interested in a series, you’ve gotta have characters I enjoy and watching Andy and Cissy try to reconcile their relationship is a hoot. Cissy wants Andy to use her trust fund and become a “lady who lunches”. Andy wants to create websites for non-profits and do her artwork.

Naturally, I mean, this is a mystery series, Andy gets herself into situations that require amateur investigation and sometimes wild antics. Her boyfriend, defense attorney Brian Malone, and her mother’s maid and Andy’s former nanny, Sandy Beck, provide backup or a shoulder to cry on. Even Cissy has been known to get into the act and even initiate investigations. Sometimes you want to hold Andy back but however crazy things get, she always come out ok.

These are fun reads with mildly interesting mysteries. What I like most about them is the relationship between Andy and Cissy. What could have stayed a stereotyped portrait of a mother and daughter as polar opposites has grown into two women seeing the depth and importance of each other, while still having major differences in their lifestyles.

And since I’m running behind this week, due to tummy troubles, here’s my Wishful Thinking Sunday:

James Lipton asks all his Inside the Actor’s Studio guests, when you get to the Pearly Gates, what do you imagine God saying to you. My answer would be, Yes, Mare, Heaven IS a library.

Do What You Love!

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Book Recommendation Saturday- Crimes of Fashion Series

You don't have to know a Donna Karan from a Michael Kors to enjoy the Crimes of Fashion mysteries, featuring Lacey Smithsonian. Fashion clues are just a small part of the stories woven by Ellen Byerrum and taking place in Washington DC, the Land Fashion Forgot.

Lacey is a reporter on the fashion beat for a fictitious DC newspaper, by way of the police beat in Sagebrush, Colorado. Somehow, as happens in all my favorite amateur sleuth mysteries, Lacey is always smack in the middle of a murder investigation. And I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying she always comes out on top.

Filled with a motley bunch of endearing characters, including Stella, her spikey haired hair stylist, her best friend, Brooke, an attorney with a true belief in conspiracy theories, her editor, Mac, and a hotter than hot love interest from her Sagebrush days, Lacey always has someone to back her up. Even her mother and sister, who make an appearance in Hostile Makeover, are a load of fun and not as obnoxious as she thinks.

The aspect I like best about Lacey is that she inherited an old trunk from her favorite aunt that's filled with vintage patterns and materials that she has made into period suits when she has the cash. Her love of classic fashion and her late aunt add a very emotional aspect to this series and there's even one book, Designer Knockout, that revolves around that trunk.

This series has everything I like in my "cozies"~a strong female lead, a great cast of supporting characters, good writing and a love interest, not necessarily in that order. Plus all the allusions to the 40's and Lacey's independent spirit make this a series I'm hoping will continue for a good long time.

I just found out that two of the books have been made into Lifetime TV movies. To check out the author and movies, go here: http://www.ellenbyerrum.com/

Do What You Love!

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