Tag: historical mysteries
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Book review: The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters
The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters My rating: 4 of 5 stars Below is why I love this series so much: The last lines of the book (no spoilers): “And now, I suppose,” he said, seeing his friend’s face still thoughtful and undismayed, “you will tell me roundly that God’s reach is longer than man’s.”…
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Book review: The Adventures of the Bloody Tower by Donald MacLachlan
The Adventure of the Bloody Tower: Dr. John H. Watson’s First Case by Donald MacLachlan My rating: 4 of 5 stars The question of who murdered the Princes in the Tower (Edward V and his younger brother, Richard) has puzzled historians for centuries. Richard III, their uncle, has long been the leading suspect for those…
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Book review: Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the second in my newest mystery series discovery, the Maisie Dobbs series. This time, Maisie is looking for a woman who has disappeared on behalf of the woman’s father. She discovers that the daughter’s disappearance is somehow linked to the…
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book review: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the first in a mystery series that takes place after World War I in Britain. I really loved this book. Maisie Dobbs is an intrepid young woman who, through intelligence and hard work and determination, moves from the lower class into the…
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book review: Covenant with Hell by Priscilla Royal
Covenant with Hell by Priscilla Royal My rating: 4 of 5 stars If you’ve read my reviews of Priscilla Royal’s previous 9 books, you know that I love this series. This 10th addition to the series is no exception. The book takes place at Our Lady of Walsingham shrine, and there is a lot of…
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Book review: The Leper of St. Giles by Ellis Peters
The Leper of St. Giles by Ellis Peters My rating: 4 of 5 stars I am a huge fan of the Brother Cadfael novels, but this one deserves special attention. The plot itself is rather weak in comparison to the author’s previous Brother Cadfael mysteries as is the love story and the characterization of the…
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Book review: The Murders of Richard III by Elizabeth Peters
The Murders of Richard III by Elizabeth Peters My rating: 3 of 5 stars I love Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody series. This was my first foray into the Jacqueline Kirby series, and the book just didn’t resonate with me. It’s a fine line that an author walks: I adore Amelia Peabody–she’s smart, opinionated, stubborn, and…
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Book review: Pirate King by Laurie King
Pirate King by Laurie R. King My rating: 3 of 5 stars I have really loved this series, whose premise is centered on Sherlock Holmes coming out of retirement and marrying a young woman very much his intellectual equal, named Mary Russell. Unfortunately, as of late, the series has gotten a bit inconsistent. The eleventh…
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Book review: Monk’s Hood by Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael #3)
Monk’s Hood by Ellis Peters My rating: 4 of 5 stars This third installment in the Brother Cadfael mysteries lives up to its predecessors. A man is poisoned with one of Brother Cadfael’s concoctions, and his stepson is suspected of his death. Brother Cadfael is the only one who believes in the stepson’s innocence, and…