Recent Reads

Having final finished the manuscript I thought would never be finished, I've had time recently to read and thought I would share the fruits of that reading. Particularly since I have read some excellent books (and in a couple of cases, re-read them).

Canadian writer Iona Whishaw is the author of a new series of historical mysteries set in British Columbia after World War II. The first book, A Killer in King's Cove, introduces  Lane Winslow, late of the British intelligence service, who has come to western Canada in search of escape from her former life. She settles on an old house near Nelson, BC, with its resident ghost, its former owner (this according to the owner's son and his fie, her nearest neighbors). All seems idyllic, despite some decidedly odd neighbors, until Lane and one of these neighbors, an unfriendly, irritable WWI veteran, find a dead body in the creek that is their water supply. The body of the young man yields no clues, other than a sodden piece of paper with Lane's name on it. The aptly named Inspector Darling and his subordinate, Ames, begin to investigate. Lane appears to be the chief -- and only -- suspect, but slowly details begin to emerge, and Darling, who is reluctantly drawn to Lane, tries to avoid arresting her. The scenery is vividly described -- you'll want to visit 1946 British Columbia after reading this -- and the plot is complex with some interesting twists. Above all, there is Lane Winslow herself, an enigmatic, yet appealing, character. There are four books in the series.

 

Amanda Allen (also known as Amanda Carmack and Amanda McCabe) has begun a series set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the early 1920s. First up is Santa Fe Mourning, and it introduces aspiring painter and war widow Madeline Vaughn-Alwin. Having settled in Santa Fe during a trip west with her cousin, Maddie is happy to escape the stifling confines of her upper-class New York family, to follow her muse and to recover from the death of her beloved husband. Ably looked after by her Native American housekeeper, Juanita Anaya, and her family, Maddie is troubled to observe marital discord between Juanita and her husband Tomas. When Tomas is murdered and his young son arrested, Maddie investigates with the help of a handsome English doctor who has come to Santa Fe to work in the nearby tuberculosis sanatorium. Evocative of time and place, and of the vibrant arts community at the time, Santa Fe Mourning is an auspicious debut for this historical mystery series.

 

The late Edith Caroline Rivett is better known to classic crime fans as E.C.R. Lorac and Carol Carnac. Connoisseurs of Golden Age detective fiction have long appreciated Lorac's hefty contribution to the genre, but today's mystery readers are largely unaware of her work. The British Library Publishing Division, in its Crime Classics series, is releasing two of her books, both of which I recently re-read, having first read them around thirty years ago. I have a near-complete collection of Lorac/Carnac, lacking only one book which is incredibly scarce. The first of the reprints is Bats in the Belfry (1937). Set in chiefly the Notting Hill and Regent's Park areas of London, the story focuses on the disappearance of novelist Bruce Attleton and the discovery of his suitcase and passport in a dilapidated artist's studio in the Belfry, a derelict house. Inspector Macdonald, the laconic Scot who is Lorac's series detective, ably sorts it all out.  Fire in the Thatch (1946) is one of several of Lorac's novels with a rural setting. Lorac actually spent time in the English countryside, and her experiences lend authority to her depiction to the settings and rhythms of country life. In this case, a soldier released from duty after an accident, takes refuge in Devon, renting a thatched cottage where he sets to work farming, renovating the cottage, and raising geese. A bored, flirtatious woman from a nearby farm brings a parade of fashionable visitors to the countryside, and when Vaughan's cottage is destroyed by fire, Macdonald must uncover a motive for murder. Lorac has long been a favorite of mine, and these are two excellent examples of her work. Another book available from a different publisher is Murder by Matchlight, set in London during the Blitz.

If you'd like to retreat into the past for a while, you can do so most enjoyably with any of these books.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

You are so well read! What a treat to read this…. Thank you. And perfect for such a snowy day!

[Kathy Lynn Emerson]

Excellent timing. I was just wondering what to read next.

[Nora-Adrienne Deret]

I went looking for Iona's boos but not one of the nearby county libraries have it on their shelves.

[Dean James]

Nora-Adrienne, the publisher might be Canadian. Not sure, but they are available in the US because I got them from Murder by the Book in Houston, and they are also available from Ingram. So the library should be able to get them if you request.

[Elaine Viets]

Thanks for the round up, Dean. These look like fun.

[Kristin Lundgren]

Thanks for the reviews! All are new to me, but the settings I find to be intriguing. The Blitz, old Santa Fe and post WWII B.C. Now those I can't wait to read.

[Mark]

Santa Fe Mourning caught my attention recently. Glad to know it is good. I'm hoping to pick it up soonish.