Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner is a wonderful book that combines history and mystery to produce a fun work of fiction. We are immersed from the beginning in the 1889 World Exposition in Paris. The entire city is focused on the new Eiffel Tower and the exposition. The joy and the excitement of going up to the viewing platforms has visitors in a frenzy. And when someone is murdered on the platform, the case makes front page news. But who would murder a maiden aunt taking her niece and nephews on an outing? Victor Legris, a young bookseller, is on the platform with newspaper friends when this happens and wants to find the culprit. And when more people start dying after visiting the viewing platforms and the exposition, he is determined to solve the case - even as his friends are turning into suspects.
The author (really a pen name for two lady booksellers in modern France) brings to life the Paris of the time, and Victor's occupations as bookseller and book critic. Victor is a compelling character who is trying to be modern but finds he is more conservative than he thinks he is. With a cast of interesting secondary characters, the story allows us a brief glimpse into their world. And we had a wonderful time. A very fun read.
Flowers and bee
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The Perfect Poison
The Arcane Society continues in Amanda Quick's The Perfect Poison. Quick (who is Jayne Ann Krentz) has written her sixth book in the series - the third historical one. And much to this reader's joy - she keeps the excitement in the series. (Can I tell you how many times books within a long series, have clunkers through out because the author can not keep up the quality?)
Finally Quick brings us Colin's story. Colin Jones' talent is a difficult one - he has a talent for strategy and making connections. He sees the patterns in his head and connects the dots so that the Society and his new project, Jones and Company can figure out what is going on in the battle for the founder's formula. He doesn't have Miss Lucinda Bromley in his pattern however.
Lucinda has a talent for botany - more specifically figuring out what botanic ingredients have been combined to create potions for good or for evil. She's been helping a member of Scotland Yard, with various cases that involve poisons and she discovers that one of the ingredients she has figured out was stolen from her greenhouse. She decides to enlist Jones and Company to find out who the thief is and where is her plant. She also has a bit of a reputation - she is rumored to have poisoned her fiance, and wants things handled as quickly as possible. When they meet - they end up surprising each other - with their talents and intelligence. And when Colin figures out her thief is connected to his quest - the hunt is on.
Quick once again gives us great characters, with pithy dialogue and a roller coaster ride of a plot. And she brings us an excellent subplot of an Arcane Society matchmaker in action. (It would be fun to have her again in another book!) Along the way she manages to deftly fill in more details about the Jones family, the Arcane Society, their history, and their members' talents. I can hardly wait for the next installment! A very good read!
Finally Quick brings us Colin's story. Colin Jones' talent is a difficult one - he has a talent for strategy and making connections. He sees the patterns in his head and connects the dots so that the Society and his new project, Jones and Company can figure out what is going on in the battle for the founder's formula. He doesn't have Miss Lucinda Bromley in his pattern however.
Lucinda has a talent for botany - more specifically figuring out what botanic ingredients have been combined to create potions for good or for evil. She's been helping a member of Scotland Yard, with various cases that involve poisons and she discovers that one of the ingredients she has figured out was stolen from her greenhouse. She decides to enlist Jones and Company to find out who the thief is and where is her plant. She also has a bit of a reputation - she is rumored to have poisoned her fiance, and wants things handled as quickly as possible. When they meet - they end up surprising each other - with their talents and intelligence. And when Colin figures out her thief is connected to his quest - the hunt is on.
Quick once again gives us great characters, with pithy dialogue and a roller coaster ride of a plot. And she brings us an excellent subplot of an Arcane Society matchmaker in action. (It would be fun to have her again in another book!) Along the way she manages to deftly fill in more details about the Jones family, the Arcane Society, their history, and their members' talents. I can hardly wait for the next installment! A very good read!
Fool's Puzzle
When you are reading the first book in a series, you hope for the best. The best would be that you are interested enough in the character, her surroundings and situations to continue reading the rest of the books in the series. The worst would be that nothing touched the reader enough to bother looking up the next book in the series. I'm here to say that Earlene Fowler's Fool's Puzzle has brought out the best.
Benni Harper is a widow who has taken up the job of a director of a small town folk-art museum. The museum also rents out studio space to various artists. Benni happens to stumble upon one - a dead one - when she is supposed to be setting up for her first quilt exhibition. Was it a former boyfriend? A stranger? Blackmail? Benni keeps getting hints from the local police chief to leave it alone. But as she asks more questions, she keeps finding more clues about what happened the night her husband died.
Fowler sets up a series filled with an interesting location - a farming/cattle area in small town California, quirky characters - her best friend Elvia is a stitch, and a question of romance between the Hispanic police chief and Benni. She leaves the reader wanting to know what happens next to these folks. A good read.
Benni Harper is a widow who has taken up the job of a director of a small town folk-art museum. The museum also rents out studio space to various artists. Benni happens to stumble upon one - a dead one - when she is supposed to be setting up for her first quilt exhibition. Was it a former boyfriend? A stranger? Blackmail? Benni keeps getting hints from the local police chief to leave it alone. But as she asks more questions, she keeps finding more clues about what happened the night her husband died.
Fowler sets up a series filled with an interesting location - a farming/cattle area in small town California, quirky characters - her best friend Elvia is a stitch, and a question of romance between the Hispanic police chief and Benni. She leaves the reader wanting to know what happens next to these folks. A good read.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Traveling with Carolyn Blue
Sometimes when you find a "new" mystery series you get the urge to run out and read all the books in order, right away, because you are obsessed with the characters, theme or the setting. And because you are reading a series, you might shortly discover that the author might have a "formula" or "pattern" in their books. And the books might all seem similar. This is what is known as a genre, folks! (Some people may say there are only 6 stories - just told over and over and over again!) And in crime/mystery fiction somebody usually solves a murder/puzzle/crime. The art is in creating scenarios and characters that the reader wants to come back to.
I have been whipping through Nancy Fairbanks' books with the food writer/academics wife/mom Carolyn Blue. I had read the first one for it's New Orleans connection a while ago (see early posting). But now I needed to read her books about traveling to France - Death a L'Orange and French Fried. (And now I've been sucked into reading them all!) And travel we did. One book is set in the city of Lyons, the other in Paris and the surrounding countryside on a tour with a bunch of not so nice academics.
We can identify with Carolyn because she is an underestimated sleuth. She's the nondescript over 40+ lady who is supposed to stay in the background. But she doesn't and that is when she gets in to trouble or when the humor begins. In Chocolate Quake, she ends up on the back of a motorcycle to go interview a guy in a pool hall nicknamed Spider. Holy Guacamole has Mrs. Blue crossing the Mexican border by her hometown of El Paso with a female ex-vice cop and ends up being her partner in bounty hunting. (Pretty darn funny scene.)
I like reading travel narratives and this is really what these mysteries are about. (And it is a cheap way to travel!) Carolyn talks about and notices the food, but then that is her specialty and profession. She is my kind of traveler - looking at the cultural aspects of the area while having studied the history of the town etc. That is how I travel - which may be why I enjoy these so much. Are these realistic? Well - the travel part is pretty real - and she exposes the reader to sights that they may not have know about. It is a travel guide? No - but it is a heck of a good read. I'm up to the Mozzarella title and having a fun frothy time. A fun read with some quirky characters. Enjoy.
Crime Brulee
Truffled Feathers
Death a L’Orange
Chocolate Quake
The Perils of Paella
Holy Guacamole
Mozzarella Most Murderous
Three-Course Murder
Bon Bon Voyage
French Fried
Turkey Flambe
I have been whipping through Nancy Fairbanks' books with the food writer/academics wife/mom Carolyn Blue. I had read the first one for it's New Orleans connection a while ago (see early posting). But now I needed to read her books about traveling to France - Death a L'Orange and French Fried. (And now I've been sucked into reading them all!) And travel we did. One book is set in the city of Lyons, the other in Paris and the surrounding countryside on a tour with a bunch of not so nice academics.
We can identify with Carolyn because she is an underestimated sleuth. She's the nondescript over 40+ lady who is supposed to stay in the background. But she doesn't and that is when she gets in to trouble or when the humor begins. In Chocolate Quake, she ends up on the back of a motorcycle to go interview a guy in a pool hall nicknamed Spider. Holy Guacamole has Mrs. Blue crossing the Mexican border by her hometown of El Paso with a female ex-vice cop and ends up being her partner in bounty hunting. (Pretty darn funny scene.)
I like reading travel narratives and this is really what these mysteries are about. (And it is a cheap way to travel!) Carolyn talks about and notices the food, but then that is her specialty and profession. She is my kind of traveler - looking at the cultural aspects of the area while having studied the history of the town etc. That is how I travel - which may be why I enjoy these so much. Are these realistic? Well - the travel part is pretty real - and she exposes the reader to sights that they may not have know about. It is a travel guide? No - but it is a heck of a good read. I'm up to the Mozzarella title and having a fun frothy time. A fun read with some quirky characters. Enjoy.
Crime Brulee
Truffled Feathers
Death a L’Orange
Chocolate Quake
The Perils of Paella
Holy Guacamole
Mozzarella Most Murderous
Three-Course Murder
Bon Bon Voyage
French Fried
Turkey Flambe
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Dream a Little Dream
Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a story about redemption and healing. Gabe Bonner just wants to be left alone after the death of his wife and son. Rachel Stone is a widow, trying to stand on her own and survive with her son. She is trying to create a new life for herself that has nothing to do with the life she lead as the younger wife of a "take the money and run" preacher. Gabe doesn't want her son near him. It reminds him too much of his dead son.
Phillips is a writer who has a way with snappy dialogue and humor, but she has chosen topics that are not easy. Recovering from religious betrayal is not a popular topic in romance books. But she tackles it with grace and sensitivity. Rachel can be seen as just trying to grab her share of the pie, but Phillips shows us that beneath the tough shell, she is a person who has doubts and fears. She also tackles the topic of trying to have a relationship while having a child. That is never an easy process, and she makes the relationship between Gabe and Edward a cantankerous one. It does test the love Rachel has for Gabe.
She also has some excellent secondary characters in Ethan and Kristy. Ethan, Gabe's brother, is a preacher who seems attracted to the bad girls and doesn't notice the good girl - Kristy - who is in front of his nose, until she quits working for him. A fun couple to watch.
This book is part of an overall series (Chicago Stars) that Phillips has, but it can be read as a stand alone. It really is a nice example of well developed romance fiction. Some people may have trouble with the religion topic - there are good preachers and bad ones - but I think she is brave enough to take it on. A very good read.
Phillips is a writer who has a way with snappy dialogue and humor, but she has chosen topics that are not easy. Recovering from religious betrayal is not a popular topic in romance books. But she tackles it with grace and sensitivity. Rachel can be seen as just trying to grab her share of the pie, but Phillips shows us that beneath the tough shell, she is a person who has doubts and fears. She also tackles the topic of trying to have a relationship while having a child. That is never an easy process, and she makes the relationship between Gabe and Edward a cantankerous one. It does test the love Rachel has for Gabe.
She also has some excellent secondary characters in Ethan and Kristy. Ethan, Gabe's brother, is a preacher who seems attracted to the bad girls and doesn't notice the good girl - Kristy - who is in front of his nose, until she quits working for him. A fun couple to watch.
This book is part of an overall series (Chicago Stars) that Phillips has, but it can be read as a stand alone. It really is a nice example of well developed romance fiction. Some people may have trouble with the religion topic - there are good preachers and bad ones - but I think she is brave enough to take it on. A very good read.
Going Overboard
Some publishers have a sneaky way of having a story blurb on the back of a book that is supposed to be a mini peak at what the storyline is. Some have a paragraph that turns out to be nothing like the book inside. Talk about snarky! When you like the book - it is fine - but when you don't the consumer/reader might get a tad irritated. They are lucky this one was a good book.
I chose Going Overboard by Christina Skye as part of a book discussion on contemporary romance. I was interested in the setting a Caribbean cruise ship. I have always have wanted to go on one so this seemed like a way to enjoy one with out leaving my living room. (And that made it a bit cheaper on expenses, too.) Well, I think we are on the cruise for about the first third of the book and then it is on to all over the islands. This is no placid ride. This is a romance adventure.
It starts out simply enough. Photographer/Video Director Carly Sullivan needs a buff looking guy for her shoot that needs to take place during the cruise. It is an ad for the cruise line. The model they got was a bit flabby and she needs a last minute replacement. She starts scouting on board and finds Ford McKay who says he is a rancher from Wyoming. A very buff rancher. They start working together. And when the bullets start flying on a location shot on an island, Ford is definitely not just a rancher. (Hint - he's a Navy SEAL.)
There's intrigue, kidnapping, terrorists threats, assignation attempts and murders. (And you thought this just was a nice boat trip.) And through it all Carly and Ford learn about each other's strengths, desires and fears. They want each other but can their jobs and current situation keep their love alive?
A fast paced adventure from island to island with some great characters. A good read.
I chose Going Overboard by Christina Skye as part of a book discussion on contemporary romance. I was interested in the setting a Caribbean cruise ship. I have always have wanted to go on one so this seemed like a way to enjoy one with out leaving my living room. (And that made it a bit cheaper on expenses, too.) Well, I think we are on the cruise for about the first third of the book and then it is on to all over the islands. This is no placid ride. This is a romance adventure.
It starts out simply enough. Photographer/Video Director Carly Sullivan needs a buff looking guy for her shoot that needs to take place during the cruise. It is an ad for the cruise line. The model they got was a bit flabby and she needs a last minute replacement. She starts scouting on board and finds Ford McKay who says he is a rancher from Wyoming. A very buff rancher. They start working together. And when the bullets start flying on a location shot on an island, Ford is definitely not just a rancher. (Hint - he's a Navy SEAL.)
There's intrigue, kidnapping, terrorists threats, assignation attempts and murders. (And you thought this just was a nice boat trip.) And through it all Carly and Ford learn about each other's strengths, desires and fears. They want each other but can their jobs and current situation keep their love alive?
A fast paced adventure from island to island with some great characters. A good read.
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