Tag Archives: mysteries

Book review: The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich

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The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is the first in a new series by a well-known mystery author, Janet Evanovich, who writes the Stephanie Plum series. Gabriela Rose is a “recovery agent,” someone who is retained to find lost/stolen/missing items. And this time she is off to find lost treasure in order to save her family’s home.
While the premise of this mystery is wildly improbable (lost treasure based on a family legend), the author, as usual, writes fun and appealing characters with entertaining dialogue and well-paced action plots. I was highly entertained by the book, which can best be characterized as a fabulous beach read. You don’t have to think too hard, it’s an easy read, and (surprise, surprise), the heroine lives on to fight another day (or, more accurately, in book #2, which is coming out in June).
If you’re looking for an easy escape read, this one is for you. Fans of Stephanie Plum will enjoy this book as well. While the main characters aren’t quite as quirky as Stephanie’s posse is, they are also a bit more accessible and just as much fun. I will definitely be picking up book #2 in the series.



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Book review: The Murder of Mr Wickham by Claudia Gray

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The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The premise of the book is clever–the author has taken many of the characters from Jane Austen novels, thrown them together, and murdered one of them (no spoilers, but based on the title, it’s clear which character it is). Then, two children of 2 couples from the novels are thrown together to solve the murder.
Like I said, the premise of the book is quite clever, and I applaud the author on her imaginative rendering of the story. The mystery is cleverly plotted, and as a fan of Jane Austen novels, it is fun to see the characters after their stories were told, as it were.
The issue is if you are going to borrow characters from Jane Austen’s novels, it would help to be as satirical and insightful and perceptive as she was. And while the author is a very good writer, the tone of her book falls flat, especially when compared against the original author.
This is, of course, not entirely the author’s fault. There are few writers as gifted with light-hearted satire and irony as Jane Austen. But if you are going to extend Jane Austen’s characters, then you should not be surprised to be compared to her (which is probably not to your benefit).
That being said, the book is creative and clever. It’s just that the characters don’t quite ring true to the originals. I enjoyed reading the book but will probably not read its sequel, at least not while my TBR pile is so long.



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Book review: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

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Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a difficult-to-place genre of a book, which I really enjoyed). A group of middle-aged female assassins are retiring, but someone is trying to kill them, and they have to “unretire” long enough to fend off attempts to kill them while trying to figure out who has ordered the hit. The book alternates between the past lives of this squad and the present. It’s a technique that generally annoys me since it breaks up the narrative thread and results in a choppy story, but I didn’t mind it in this case because the author is skillful enough to interweave the threads of past and present seamlessly, and both story lines are interesting enough to keep the reader engaged.
Part mystery, part thriller (without a lot of gratuitous dead bodies so common in the thriller genre), and part revenge fantasy for older women, this was a hoot to read and was a very enjoyable story. (The author also writes the Lady Julia Grey series and the Veronica Speedwell series.) I think this is a standalone book, which is a shame, because I certainly would love to read more about the idiosyncratic characters in this book!



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Book review: Sweet Revenge by Andrea Penrose (A Lady Arianna mystery)

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Sweet Revenge by Andrea Penrose

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The debut novel of the Lady Arianna Regency Mysteries (I think my theory is that if I keep discovering new good series, I will never run out of books to read. I think I will never run out of books to read anyway, but that’s a different matter altogether.)
This series is actually an earlier series from the same author as the Wrexford & Sloane series. Both of these historical mystery series have a female protagonist that is “modern,” in that the character does not consider herself bound by the female norms of the times. Both do it because they have no choice–life has dealt each a bad hand.
Lady Arianna has accumulated some interesting skills as part of her unusual childhood, and these skills come in handy in her initial quest to seek revenge for her father and then in her subsequent quest to find a murderer.
This is a grittier, darker Regency mystery series, more along the lines of C.S. Harris’s Sebastian St. Cyr series (although not quite as dark) then Georgette Heyer mysteries. The perspectives of hero and heroine are interesting and unusual, and the mysteries are well crafted. I am thoroughly enjoying this series!



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Book review: The Frangipani Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu

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The Frangipani Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A new author! And a new mystery series! (For me, anyway.) The setting for this series is in 1930s Singapore, when Singapore was a British colony. It’s a period and place in history that I know very little about, and I love how I can learn more about it while enjoying a well-plotted, well-placed mystery. (Dead bodies always make learning history more fun.)
The heroine of the series is Chen Su Lin, a young orphan girl from the powerful Chen family. She assists the Chief Inspector Thomas LeFroy with a murder investigation by providing local insights and sharp observations.
The description of Singapore and its stratified society is fascinating without being too preachy. Su Lin is a lovely, smart, and interesting narrator. And I have found a new fun and engaging mystery series!



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Book review: Jane and the Man of the Cloth by Stephanie Barron

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Jane and the Man of the Cloth by Stephanie Barron

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I had read the first of this series a long time ago because it’s Jane Austen and a mystery, what is there not to like? But as I recall, the debut novel didn’t grab me, and as my TBR list grows daily, I set this series aside. But the author also writes the Merry Folger mysteries set in Nantucket (as Francine Mathews), which I’ve really enjoyed, and I thought I’d give this series a second chance.
My impression of this book is more positive than my memory of the first novel in this series. The author incorporates phrases from Jane Austen’s works into the books, which is fun for Jane Austen devotees. In addition, this book has an interesting plot and while I don’t think the culprit was difficult to pick out, I like the indirect tribute to “Pride and Prejudice.”
It’s a nicely themed series and this book, at any rate, is a quick and engaging read.




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Book review: Death in the Off-Season by Francine Mathews

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Death in the Off-Season by Francine Mathews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


First in a mystery series. (Because, of course, why finish any of the many other series I’ve started? I am beginning to think I have commitment issues.)
This was a fun and good read, with interesting characters and a well-constructed plot. It helps if you’ve been to Nantucket, not because the mystery is lessened at all, but because it’s fun to identify the various types of people and the landmarks that are mentioned throughout the book. The tension between the locals and the off-islanders is real and accurately portrayed with nuance and complexity.
The author also writes as Stephanie Barron with a Jane Austen mystery series, which I will have to re-start. But this contemporary mystery is intelligently written and the literary skill of the author adds to the enjoyment of the book itself.
Note: the first few books of the series came out many years ago, but the author has revised and updated them as part of re-launching the series and adding to it.






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Book review: Singapore Sapphire by A.M. Stuart

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Singapore Sapphire by A.M. Stuart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the first in a series (because, of course, I have finished reading all the other books in all the other series I have started). This book caught my attention because it takes place in Singapore in 1910 during British colonial rule, and it’s a period I know very little about.
I really enjoyed the debut novel to this series. The heroine is strong-willed but flawed, and the portrayal of the constraints of her position as a woman as well as the privileges of her position as a British white woman are both realistically described with little fanfare. The plot is interesting and well-paced. Even though you know the heroine survives (because, a series), the anticipation towards the climax is well done. And the author does an excellent job of portraying Singapore as it was with all its warts without either being preachy and with a deft touch, as the best historical mystery authors can do.
I have already bought the second book in the series and look forward to learning more about the main characters and Singapore during this time period!




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Book review: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

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A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book (the first in a series) is based on a clever premise: what if there was a female detective agency and what kind of women would be part of that effort? And off we go, launched into the story. A young woman, Mary, is headed for the gallows but is rescued by the head of the all female detective agency. Mary is educated, trained, and given her first assignment. Who would suspect a woman, after all?
Whatever the reality is, the book’s premise is a fun one, and it enables the author to write convincingly about Mary’s background and the era, one where the role of women is extremely circumscribed, with few outlets for a strong, smart woman.
I really didn’t want to start yet another series (my TBR pile is yet again out of control), but the first book, at least, is a quick read, as the series is geared towards YA. It is also a fascinating read of the role of women, the historical period, and of Mary herself. I highly recommend it!



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Book review: Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose

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Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the first novel in a mystery series with an interesting premise. The hero, Lord Wrexford, is a member of the aristocracy and very scientifically minded. The heroine, A.J. Quill, is a satirical artist, who seems to know facts about the murder before the police or Lord Wrexford discover them. The murder of a priest brings them together, working in tandem (kind of).
The plot is an intricate one and while I figured out the villain halfway through (which I try never to do when reading mysteries), I like the main characters, I like the plotting (and the plot), and I like the time period. I also tend to give authors the benefit of the doubt in the first of a mystery series, and this book is well written, which is promising.
I’ve already bought the second in the series! 🙂



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