by Edmund Crispin, 1946 Delightful English mystery set in the town of Oxford in 1938, involving Gervase Fen (pronounced Jer-voz) and his poet friend, Richard Cadogan. Richard is bored and in need of a holiday in order to be inspired to write poetry again. He decides to go to Oxford and arrives late at night […]
Category: Mystery
Flashback
by Nevada Barr, 2003 Took me too long to finish, but it was interesting. Ranger Anna Pigeon is on temporary assignment on Dry Tortugas National Park, where Fort Jefferson was built during the Civil War to house war prisoners. She intersperses Anna’s mystery – finding out why she’s seeing ghosts and why her assistant was […]
Last Seen Wearing
by Colin Dexter, 1976 I love Inspector Morse mysteries. I miss them when I’ve finished because Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis are so likable, so human, and I just want to be with them. They take me to England and back to a time before much technology, except for color TVs. Morse consults maps, phone […]
Maisie Dobbs
by Jacqueline Winspear, 2003 Maisie is a Private Detective after WWI in England. She was a nurse on the front lines in France during the war. As a young girl, she was the daughter of a costermonger, a vegetable-seller, from a horse-drawn cart. She works as a maid for the Compton’s, Lord Julian and Lady […]
A Caribbean Mystery
by Agatha Christie, 1964 Quick read – set on Caribbean Island, St. Honore, where Miss Marple has gone for her health. Ends up solving a murder mystery. Fun, quick read – nice setting – English-type socializing at a Caribbean resort. Eccentric characters, lots of conversation, getting to know one another, figuring out who-dun-it. Miss Marple […]
A Fistful of Collars
by Spencer Quinn, 2012 Another Chet & Bernie mystery. This one about a movie star, Thad Perry, come to make a movie and Bernie is hired to make sure he sees it through. At one point, Thad is ready to kill himself, but Bernie and Chet show up in time. He’s haunted by the thought […]
Dog On It
by Spencer Quinn, 2009 GREAT MYSTERY! Chet the Dog and Bernie the Private I find Madison, the 15 yr. old kidnapped by Russian gangsters because her Dad got involved in shady financing. The story is told by Chet, the dog. It’s so funny and cute and enlightening about what dogs think about things – like […]
Into the Blue
by Robert Goddard, 1990 (Nord’s book) Intriguing mystery. Starts out on the Greek Isle of Rhodes. Harry Barnett, middle-aged, over-weight, is hiking with Heather Mallender, young girl (20’s), visiting from England, trying to recover from her sister’s death. She wants to go to the top of Profitis Ilias but Harry doesn’t. She goes on, he […]
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection
by Alexander McCall Smith (#13 in the series), 2012 Another sweet book where Precious Ramotswe meets her hero, Clovis Andersen, who wrote the Principals of Private Detection. He is visiting Botswana after the death of his beloved wife. He’s from Muncie, Indiana. A lady in Botswana doing charitable work is in love with him. He […]
Murder on the Orient Express
by Agatha Christie, 1933 I LOVE Hercule Poirot!!! Who stabbed Ratchett 12 times on the train called the Orient Express? Turns out all 12 of the 13 passengers took a turn! Except for the one who had the biggest motive, the sister of Daisy Armstrong’s mother, who Ratchett (Cassetti) kidnapped and murdered but was “acquitted […]
The Testament
by John Grisham, 1999 Recommended by the church newsletter library writer, Wayne Clegern. Very interesting characters – page-turner. A billionaire leaves his entire estate, 11 billion dollars, to an illegitimate daughter, Rachel Lane, who is a missionary in the Pantanal of Brazil. Nate O’Riley, an alcoholic lawyer, is sent to find her. No one knows […]
Blood Lure
by Nevada Barr, 2001 Anna Pigeon, District Ranger, is working in Glacier National Park with Joan Rand, a National Park Service bear expert, and Rory, a young man interested in bears. They are attacked at night in their camp by a bear, which they don’t see, but which destroys their tents. Rory runs away. Anna […]
The Double Comfort Safari Club
by Alexander McCall Smith, 11th #1 Ladies Detective Series, 2010 Phuti Radiphuti has his leg crushed by one of his delivery men who backed his truck into him. He has to have the lower part amputated. His Aunty won’t let Mma Makutsi visit in the hospital but Mma Ramotswe gets that changed and he heals […]
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
by Alexander McCall Smith, 2009 Great book! LOVED this one!! Mma Ramotswe solves the mystery of why the soccer team, the Kalahari Swoopers, are losing all of their games. Actually, her foster son, Puso, figured it out – it was that the owner, Mr. Molofololo, kept changing things and their shoes were uncomfortable so they […]
The Miracle at Speedy Motors
by Alexander McCall Smith, 2008 Not the best Ladies Detective book. Mma Makutsi & Phuti Radiphuti buy a bed – velvet heart headboard. It doesn’t fit into Mma Makutsi’s house when they delivered it the next day, so she has them leave it outside. The rainy season starts and ruins it. She buys a cheap […]
Death in Kenya
by M.M. Kaye, 1958 Great mystery set in Kenya right after the Mau Mau revolt. Flamingo, the estate owned by Aunt Em, in Kenya. Her niece, Victoria, comes to live there. First, Alice is murdered, the wife of Em’s grandson, Eden. Then, Kamau disappears, then Gilly Markham is murdered. Then an attempt on Victoria. It […]
Track of the Cat
by Nevada Barr, 1993 Good mystery set in Guadalupe Mtn of Texas. Anna Pigeon is a National Park Service ranger. Discovers fellow ranger dead in the wilds supposedly by mountain lion. She is suspicious, though. She gets sabotaged on a hike, falls, very treacherous, but doesn’t die. Then another ranger, Craig Eastern, dies of snakebite […]
Touch Not the Cat
by Mary Stewart, 1976 “bistered” lilies – bistered means brown “yesty” waves – yesty not in my dictionary Bryony Ashley’s father dies after being hit by a car. Bryony returns to England from Funchal, Madeira. She returns to Ashley Court, the mansion with a moat and a maze that has been in her family forever.
Death in Berlin
by M.M. Kaye, 1955 Miranda Brand goes to Berlin with cousin and his wife, Stella. Soon is involved in murder of Brigadier Brindley, who told story of stolen diamonds. Then the governess is murdered. Turns out it was Stella – she was going to murder Miranda – jealousy and wanted money. Miranda and Simon Lang, […]
Turning Angel
by Greg Iles, 2005 Penn Cage solves the murder of Kate Townsend, 17 year-old high school girl having an affair with Dr. Andrew (Drew) Elliott, Penn’s best friend. Grew up together in Natchez, MS. Full of bad stuff: drugs, sex, crime, UGH. No more books by him.