Two Spinsters and a Madman

Eve Tarrington's Two Spinsters and a Madman was published on March 1, 2025. It is my selection for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge. My initial thought about the book is that I have no idea what I just read.

The publisher's summary: 

A foundling, a murder, and a home full of people society has deemed mad. Can two intrepid spinsters save themselves and this rare refuge?

Wealthy Louisa-Margaretta Haddington is spending a London season in the company of Mr Fortescue, a notorious rake and spendthrift. She knows she should not seek him out, but she finds him intriguing. Meanwhile, her old friend Judith St Clair has left her home to work in the Home, a refuge for men and women who are thought to be mad. The resident doctor is Mr Ludlow Fortescue, who is as serious as his London brother is irreverent. Though Judith finds the Quaker beliefs strange, the work is meaningful. When a foundling child is abandoned at the Home, its residents band together to care for her.

Then Mr Ludlow Fortescue is killed.

Suspicion quickly falls on the men and women who are residents of the Home, though Judith knows that not one of them would have intentionally harmed the doctor. Louisa-Margaretta, in order to escape her suitor, promises to solve the murder. But neither of the two friends knows where to start. And when a second foundling is left outside the Home, they begin to wonder if death and new life might be connected.

I must say right off the bat that I don't normally read regency stories. This type of writing was a little strange for me but that is not what bothered me. When I reached page 85 (out of 248) there still had not been a murder. Instead there was 85 pages of characters behaving oh so proper. At this point in the story an infant had been discretely dropped off on the premises. The staff and patients of this upper class psychiatric facility decided to keep the baby instead of taking it to the foundling home. Strange. However, the resident physician and superintendent are supposed to be murdered so I stopped reading for a few days. When I picked up the book again the murder finally occurred.

The investigation was done by two main characters: Judith St. Clair and Louisa Margaretta Harrington. They are friends even though they come from different classes. Louisa Margaretta is an aristocrat who isn't sure that she wants to marry. She has left her family's London manor to stay with Judith at the facility. Strange again. Who vacations in a psychiatric hospital? Louisa offers her hand in marriage to one of the facility's superintendents who just happens to be the brother of the deceased. Louisa Margaretta made a deal with him:  if she discovered the identity of the killer first, she wouldn't have to marry. If she didn't then she would marry Mr. Fortescue. Judith is also on the lookout for a husband. Their investigation consisted of a search of the house belonging to their suspect. The identity of the whodunnit was announced but I have no idea how these two ladies figured it all out. It was surprising though.

The dialogue was particularly old-fashioned because the Quakers running the hospital insisted on everyone speaking with thees and thous. I am not opposed to reading more regency novels but if they are mysteries I want a good pace. I don't know what the standard formula is for regency stories so I don't know what to expect from them. I am not even sure what genre applies here. Initially I thought the book was a cozy mystery. After finishing the book I wondered whether it's a historical mystery. I guess it could be both. 

I enjoyed reading this novel regardless of the problems I mentioned above. I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars. 

Agony in Amethyst

Agony in Amethyst is the 5th book in the Harriet Gordon historical cozy mystery series. The series takes place in Singapore during the 1910s. It was a fantastic finale to the series and was published last month on October 28, 2024.

The publisher's summary:

Harriet Gordon, newly settled in her new role as a teacher at a girls' school in Singapore, faces uncertainty in her budding relationship with Robert Curran, who has just returned from months in Kuala Lumpur. Curran's expected promotion turns sour when the position is given to an old adversary from his Scotland Yard days.

The arrival of the Colonial foreign secretary, Sir Henry Cunningham, revives memories of one of Curran's unresolved cases. The death of a schoolgirl at a lavish ball, hosted by the Governor in honour of the visitor, brings Curran into direct conflict with his new superior officer. When he confides his suspicions to Harriet, she inadvertently betrays his trust, threatening his already shaky career.

With their relationship on the brink of irreparable damage, a second death changes the course of the investigation. Can Harriet and Curran bring justice to a grieving family and emerge from this ordeal with their connection intact?

I loved this novel! The past of the new foreign secretary Sir Henry Cunningham is the basis for the three deaths that occur in the story.  The first death is the murder of sixteen-year-old Amelia Hardcastle while at a ball celebrating the coronation of King George and the arrival of the Cunninghams. Amelia was thrown off of a balcony while wearing a beautiful amethyst colored dress and it was initially thought to be either a suicide or an accident. However, the position of the body doesn't show suicide. Her autopsy shows injuries to her head which happened before she fell.

Sir Henry dies in his sleep a few days later. Again, the position of his body shows he probably was killed and poison becomes the leading reason for his death. The powers that be would like these deaths to be swept under the rug but Curran will not let that happen. Then Lady Cunningham's maid is killed, further intensifying Curran's investigation.

There’s also a secondary plot that involves the search for some jewel thieves that will be fraught with personal danger for Robert Curran which is a given in the series. Curran always gets injured at least once in each book in the series. The personal relationship between Harriet and Curran has been developed over the course of 5 books and reaches new heights in Agony in Amethyst. I don't want to be a spoiler but the author gives us a very satisfactory finish for these characters.

The writing is superb as usual. You have to think hard about the evidence as it is presented and wonder how the clues come together. The perpetrators are not obvious until the end of the book, mainly because there are alot of villains to choose from. Through Curran we get to see a thorough police investigation.  There are several intriguing twists to weigh in determining the whodunnit, which I was unable to figure out. 

I am sad that the author has no plans to continue this series. She made this same statement after book number 3 but we are lucky to have received books 4 and 5. She did not say that we have seen the last of the Harriet and Curran characters though. Perhaps we will see them again in the future. The author has left that possibility open. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Evil at Alardyce House

This is the fourth book in the Alardyce House series. It was just published on June 30, 2023. I love this series and couldn't wait for June 30 to roll around so it would appear on my Kindle. Please note this is an updated and extended version of the previously published The Ancestral Tides.

The publisher's summary:  

THE HISTORY OF THE ALARDYCE FAMILY IS FRAUGHT WITH SCANDAL AND INTRIGUE.

But after her eldest son Robert leaves the country, finally Amy Alardyce can enjoy some peace. Robert is wanted by the police for some unspeakable crimes, and his family hope he has run far enough and never looks back.

A decade after his disappearance, Robert has forged a successful life for himself, making his fortune from the diamond and gold mines of Africa. But when he sees a death notice in the newspaper, the call to go home to Scotland grows ever louder.

At Alardyce House, there are big changes too, and the fragile peace the family have enjoyed for so long is feeling more fragile than ever. And as the past comes back to haunt Amy and her children, will she have to finally accept that the curse of the Alardcye family can never be outrun…

I read somewhere recently that this was the last book in the series. I hope this is false because it has been wonderful to read these four books. The ending of Evil at Alardyce House was shocking and I cannot tell whether the author intended it to be final or not. Perhaps it will be spun off into another series as she has done in the past.

The intricate plot certainly notched up the suspense level. There were many, many twists and turns in the second half of the book. Everytime I thought that I had a handle on where the story was going, another unbelievable twist occurred. The twists came faster and faster as the plot progressed and they all were shocking. When the story finally ended I was stunned at what had happened. To say it was unexpected is an understatement.

I enjoyed reading about the estate setting. You can never go wrong with a Downton Abbey type home for a novel. At one point a character went missing and we found out that some parts of Alardyce House had not seen anyone enter for several months. I cannot imagine a house that big but I'm willing to live in one of them! 

If you haven't had a chance to read the series, I can highly recommend it to you. The first 2 books were published in 2022 and the last 2 this year. Check it out.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Strangler Vine

I selected this book because the title of it's sequel fits the requirements of the Color Coded Reading Challenge. I will be reading The Infadel Stain next month for this challenge. This series by M. J. Carter is a historical thriller series. 

The publisher's summary:

India, 1837: William Avery is a young soldier with few prospects except rotting away in campaigns in India; Jeremiah Blake is a secret political agent gone native, a genius at languages and disguises, disenchanted with the whole ethos of British rule, but who cannot resist the challenge of an unresolved mystery. What starts as a wild goose chase for this unlikely pair—trying to track down a missing writer who lifts the lid on Calcutta society—becomes very much more sinister as Blake and Avery get sucked into the mysterious Thuggee cult and its even more ominous suppression.

There are shades of Heart of Darkness, sly references to Conan Doyle, that bring brilliantly to life the India of the 1830s with its urban squalor, glamorous princely courts and bazaars, and the ambiguous presence of the British overlords—the officers of the East India Company—who have their own predatory ambitions beyond London's oversight

There isn't much of a mystery in this novel. I would say it is an atmospheric mystery where the setting is predominant over the action. We mostly read about the customs, sights and sounds of India. While I love India fiction, I also want a story. There is a murder to solve but it takes second place to the setting. 

The novel is described as a historical thriller. It is historical as it takes place in the nineteenth century. However, this is not a thriller. None of this bodes well for my reading and review of The Infadel Stain but since it's already on my Kindle I plan on reading it.

Murder Under a Red Moon

Murder Under A Red Moon is the second Bangalore Detective Mystery. The first book, The Bangalore Detectives Club, was published last year and I loved it. As you would expect, the stories take place in Bangalore, India during the 1920s. Kaveri Murthy is our main character and she is the amateur sleuth of the series. While she has a group of women who help her with investigations, Kaveri is the star. Her group includes a street urchin, a nosy neighbor, an ex-prostitute and a policeman's wife.  In this installment of the series she is a fairly new bride with a domineering mother-in-law. After a murder occurs during the blood moon eclipse, Kaveri agrees to investigate. Against a backdrop of rising anti-British sentiment and a charismatic swami's influence, Kaveri's hometown of Bangalore is becoming more and more a dangerous place to live. Kaveri continues to investigate anyway, wearing her usual sari and driving her 1920s Ford. 

I loved that Kaveri always wore a sari. Even when it restricted her legs as she maneuvered through fields and muddy paths Kaveri always wore a beautiful sari. The Hindu faith tradition is a huge part of the story. Most of the characters are practicing Hindus whose insights into the why and how of the murder are influenced by their faith. As for Kaveri and her husband Ramu, a doctor, they are atheists. Food is another big part of the story. The author writes meals into her story which were both captivating to me and giving me angina at the same time from imagining the spiciness of these foods which I myself have eaten in the past. The investigation of the murder had twists and turns that I did not expect and I was surprised by the ending. The identity of the killer was not a surprise but why the killer felt the need to kill was a surprise. 

Murder Under a Red Moon was a satisfying read.  I highly recommend this historical mystery series to all mystery fans and am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

His Fatal Legacy

 

This third book in the Alardyce House series ended with a cliffhanger just as the earlier books ended. Now I will have to wait until June for the next one to be published. Grrrr. The series is fantastic. It takes place in Victorian Edinburgh and features the Alardyce family as the main characters. Amy is married to Henry and is the mother of Robert. Robert is the villain. He has beaten, raped and killed several characters and is unable to stop his compulsion for violence. The family don't want him to hang so his crimes are covered up. 

The publisher's summary:

Amy Alardyce's once-perfect life is in tatters. Her eldest son, Robert, has come of age, become the master of his own home, and married his childhood love Jane.  But with maturity has come a terrible legacy, and the dark desires Robert inherited from his evil father Matthew, are fighting to get loose.

Whilst Jane is working hard to get her and Robert accepted into fashionable society, poor women are being hunted on the streets of Edinburgh, and Amy fears her son is to blame.  And once the infamous Inspector Murphy takes up the case, Amy has to face a stark choice - denounce her son as a monster or risk her own safety to protect him from the consequences of his lethal actions.

This series is remarkable. It has captivated me since I read the first two books last month. They all are page turners and His Fatal Legacy is no different. The Edinburgh setting is not prominent. The Victorian era is more of a setting here as the characters fumble under the era's strictures on life.  It is amazing to me that the Alardyce family is more concerned about their reputation than stopping one of their own from beating and raping women.  Every decision they make is centered around maintaining their social standing. Robert is the perfect villain.  We don't know why he kills other than a darkness coming over him before he strikes. It sounds like schizophrenia to me and a diagnosis for Robert in a future novel would be interesting to read about. His dark side was abated for a short while after the birth of his daughter which I did not believe would last. It didn't. Robert is a character that I enjoy hating. He does not like anyone in society, refuses to attend balls or parties with his wife and is generally disagreeable. 

His mother Amy metamorphoses quickly between motherly love and the desire to protect society from her son. While she has tried to help him, ultimately, she will protect him from himself.  I don't think her character, or Henry's, was as strong in this installment of the series as in earlier ones. This novel was primarily about Robert and his wife Jane. The arrival of Inspector Murphy brings suspense to the story because he is never far behind Robert and I thought that he would catch Robert in the act. 

The writing in the novel was suspenseful and with its quick pace is a fast read.  I highly recommend this historical mystery.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Papal Assassin

The Papal Assassin is the first book in S. J. Martin's Papal Assassin Series. She previously published five book in her Breton Horse Warrior Series. The second book in the new series, The Papal Assassin's Wife, was published last month on December 5, 2022. I am looking forward to reading it because the Papal Assassin was wonderful.

The publisher's summary:

It is 1088, King William the Conqueror is dead, and his two eldest sons are about to go to war for the throne of England. It is a turbulent time in Europe, and Chatillon, at the heart of it all, must decide which of William's sons the Pope should support. Should it be the eldest, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy or William Rufus, who has already crowned himself King of England?

Piers De Chatillon, the tall, handsome master swordsman, powerful Papal envoy and assassin, has finally married the beautiful young Isabella Embriaco. He intends to turn her into a top political courtesan, assassin and spy. She will be trained to bring him valuable information by moving through the noble beds of Europe and removing those men who cause him problems. His dangerous lifestyle will repeatedly put her life at risk as she becomes a pawn in a deadly game.

Chatillon, involved in the imminent war between the two brothers, disregards the warnings of his friends to take care. They know a brutal Saracen pirate is out for revenge and will try to kill Chatillon and his new wife. Chatillon sends Isabella to Ghent on her first mission to kill an old enemy of his, not realising she is now carrying his child. Meanwhile, the Saracen assassins follow close behind her, and Chatillon is over a hundred leagues away in Normandy, too far away to save her.

This was a great read. From the first pages to the ending I was unable to put the book down. The Eleventh Century is a favorite period of mine so it made this fast paced historical mystery extra special. I heard that some of the characters from the Breton Horse Warriors Series are included in this new series. I will have to read at least one of those novels to see if I would like the series.

Piers is the consummate politician. Having worked in government for most of my life, I appreciate seeing someone with the skillset to get things done. He has a dark side but so do our current crop of leaders and if I'm honest, every great leader in history has had this too. Yes, I studied political science. I was amazed at Piers' successes and was rooting for him all along. He is a fascinating character and with the comeuppance he received from an enemy toward the end, I can see him having a soft side in future novels.

This is a lovely start to a new series. I am excited about it's future. 

The Magdalene Deception

The Magdalene Deception is the first book in a trilogy called The Magdalene Chronicles. It is Gary McAvoy's debut novel.  McAvoy has published 6 books to date but recommends that readers begin with this book before reading any of the later novels including his Vatican Secrets Archives series. I have already read three books in the Vatican Secret Archives Series, but I decided to take McAvoy's advice and go back to the beginning. 

The publisher's summary:

For two thousand years, believers have relied on Christ's Resurrection as the bedrock of Christian faith. But what if the Vatican had been blackmailed into suppressing a first century manuscript revealing a different story about what happened after Christ's death-and that long-hidden document suddenly reappears? Michael Dominic, a young Jesuit priest expert in the study of ancient writings, is assigned to the Vatican as an archivist in the Church's legendary Secret Archives. Hana Sinclair, a reporter for a Paris newspaper whose privileged family owns a prominent Swiss bank, is chasing a story about Jewis gold stolen by the Nazis during WWII - millions of dollars in bullion that ended up in the vaults of the Vatican Bank. When Dominic discovers a long hidden papyrus written by Mary Magdalene -one- that threatens the very foundations of Christianity - he and Hana, aided by the brave Swiss Guards, try to prevent sinister forces from obtaining the manuscript, among them the feared Ustasha underground fascist movement, Interpol, and shadowy figures at the highest levels of the Vatican itself. Based on illuminating historical facts - including the intriguing true story of Berenger Sauniere, the mysterious abbe in the French village of Rennes-le-Chateau; and that Cathars, fabled keepers of the Holy Grail - The Magdalene Deception will take readers on a gripping journey through one of the world's most secretive institutions and the sensitive, often explosive manuscripts found in it's vaults.

As someone who loves codicology and paleography, this book was a perfect fit for me. I loved reading about the Vatican library and found myself dreaming about being able to personally sit inside its walls and choose manuscripts at will. The book introduces all of the characters in both the Magdalene Trilogy and the Vatican Secret Archives Series. Hana Sinclair, Cardinal Enrico Petrini and Karl Dengler resemble their characters in subsequent novels. Father Michael Dominic is quite different though. I was surprised that as a priest he didn't believe that prayer works or that his faith could be shaken by this new found document. Two years after his ordination, Dominic had plenty of doubts about his vocation. This perplexed me.

Also, there was not much suspense or mystery to the story. I got bored in several parts of the novel and did not feel a sense of impending doom over the possible release of the manuscript to the public. When Dominic translated it, I rejected its allegations about church history (no spoilers here) and can only assume that the general public in the story would reject it too. It was too far-fetched to be taken seriously but on top of that there was no mention of the manuscript being validated or not validated. It was only translated.

I expected more as the 3 books that I previously read had alot of suspense. Perhaps the author just got better at writing, which is always a good thing. The best I can say is that The Magdalene Deception is a good start to the series.

3 out of 5 stars.

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House is Heather Atkinson's first book in her Alardyce Trilogy. It takes place in Edinburgh during the Victorian Era and was published in June 2022. The second book in the trilogy was published in October 2022 and the third book will be published later in 2023. This is the first book of Atkinson's that I have read. I recognized her name when I selected the book but was not aware that she has published 50 novels. Wow! Why am I just getting around to reading her works?

The publisher's summary:

Edinburgh 1880. When Amy Osbourne’s parents are lost at sea, she is forced to leave her London home and is sent to live with her aunt and uncle at the opposite end of the country.

Alardyce House is depressing and dreary, her aunt haughty and cruel. Amy strikes up a friendship with her cousin Edward but his older brother Henry is just as conceited as his mother, and a mutual loathing develops between him and Amy. 

As her weeks of mourning pass, the realisation begins to dawn on Amy that her aunt has designs on her inheritance and the candidate she favours to be her niece’s husband fills Amy with horror. Struggling in this strange, unwelcoming environment, Amy begins to suspect that something isn’t right at Alardyce House. 

There are rumours below stairs of a monster on the loose, local women are being brutally attacked and her cousin Henry is the prime suspect. Alardyce House is full of dark secrets and Amy isn’t sure who she can trust…

The story is pretty fast paced for historical fiction. Amy's story dominates the book and the reader does not hear about any girls going missing from the house until the end so the title is misleading. The publisher's summary was also somewhat misleading. There is alot of sex, including rape, in the story but there are no graphic descriptions. We only read that it happens. If this would bother you, be on notice that you probably don't want to read the book. There is also physical and emotional abuse among the characters. Part of the mystery is figuring out who is abusing whom.

I thought the book was entertaining. The brutality that Amy experienced was something that women of the era were unfortunately subjected to so it seemed normal to me. 4 out of 5 stars.

Lock Up Honesty

Lock Up Honesty is the 8th book in Anna Castle's Francis Bacon Mysteries. It was published in January 2022.  In this installment of the series Francis Bacon's clerk, Thomas Clarady, has finally passed the bar exam. He is now ready to sue his guardian for his livery in the Court of Wards.  When Tom's father died, he was just shy of his 21st birthday. Not being of majority age, Tom was required by law to have a guardian who would take control of his father's assets and his marriage plans. However, the Court of Wards is the most corrupt institution in Tudor England and the Attorney for the Court of Wards expects bribes to be paid in order for cases to go forward. Now 27 years old, Tom is having none of it. During a dispute with the Attorney he yells loudly that he hopes the Attorney chokes on the expensive wine that Tom gave him. By the end of the day the Attorney is dead from poisoning and Tom is the main suspect.

This was a delightful story. It was fun to reconnect with my favorite characters. Francis doesn't play a big role in the investigation of the murder. Tom's friend Alice Trumpington, also known as Trumpet, is the character who leads the investigation, giving everyone else assignments but really performing most of the legwork. Tom also contributes to the investigation but, naturally, is terrified that he will be arrested if he is seen in public. Francis' lifestyle is portrayed a little differently than he has been in earlier books in the series.  I could not remember whether the readers were given an idea of where he would take his life in the earlier novels. It's been a year since I read the last book in the series so I was surprised. Trumpet dresses up as a male on occasion in order to get witnesses to talk to her.  This has become a norm for the series and I now expect that she will do this in every installment of the series.  How she dresses, though, is different in each novel and her unreserved, lovable personality carries it off well. 

Lock Up Honesty has lots of twists and turns.  Author Anna Castle has kept her series entertaining with well plotted stories and steady development of all of her characters. Not every author develops each character in their stories but Ms. Castle does and she does it skillfully. I can, with pleasure, rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

Royal Heir

Royal Heir is the 3rd installment of the Jagiellon Dynasty Series by P. K. Adams.  It takes place in Poland and Lithuania beginning in 1563.  The series began as a historical novel about Queen Bona. Bona has already passed away when this story began and it did not seem fulfilling or interesting to me. The plot concerns the son of Bona's best friend. 

The publisher's summary:  

At twenty-eight, Julian Konarski runs the family estate outside of Krakow, and he finds the job boring. Leaving the day to day work to his steward, he spends his free time reading Machiavelli, debating philosophy with friends at the university, or drinking at taverns at night. It is while on his way back from one such revel that Julian witnesses a brutal attack on a young nobleman in a dark alley in Krakow's ill-repute district. When the attackers flee, Julian rushes to aid the victim, but the unfortunate man dies in his arms. But before the last breath escapes the nobleman's body, he entrusts Julian with a mysterious message. Filled with sympathy, Julian promises to fulfill the dying man's wish and find its intended recipient.

When the judge presiding over the inquest dismisses the death as a result of a drunken brawl, Julian decides to conduct his own investigation. Aided by his cousin Rozalia and an impoverished noblewoman Magda, he soon discovers a connection between the murdered man and the household of Princess Anna, heir presumptive to King Zygmunt August. The search for justice becomes a desperate race to stop the throne from being usurped - but by whom? And will Julian avoid the deadly trap his elusive opponent is determined to set for him? 

I am sad to say that I did not like this installment of the series. It was dull. If you have not read the earlier books in the series, you will have no idea who the characters are. The main character, Julian, is not specifically named until page 57. Every paragraph begins with the word "I" and even though I had read the prior books I was not sure who "I" was. I kind of thought that he was the son of Queen Bona's female assistant but after a year passed from the time the last book came out, I was not sure. The author wrote alot of inner dialogue.  Each page we hear about Julian's thoughts, what he wanted to do on a given day, what he wanted to eat, etc... Even the crime to be solved was not known until around page 83 and I could not tell if this murder was the one that the plot would concern. All our information about it comes from Julian's thoughts.  

The series started out well with books one and two.  If there are subsequent books in the series I hope that the author will go back to the writing formula that has worked for her in the past. This is her fifth novel but only the first bump. I can't see that any action in this story will advance the series for future novels so let's hope she gets her groove back.

The Good Death

The Good Death is the 5th book in S. D. Sykes' Somerhill Manor Mystery series. It began with Plague Land and is set in 14th Century England. The sleuth is Oswald de Lacy, a third son who was originally sent to a monastery as a child. However, he was called home to become lord of the family manor following the death of his father and two older brothers during a plague epidemic. 

In the opening of this installment of the series Lord Oswald de Lacy makes a devastating confession to his dying mother.  He is an eighteen-year-old novice monk at Kintham Abbey and had been sent to collect herbs from the forest. While there, Oswald came across a terrified village girl named Agnes Wheeler. She was terrified of him even though she knew him well and ran headlong into a river saying "stay away from me priest." She drowned. Oswald pulled her broken and bruised body from the water and returned her to the local village. Here he discovers that several other women have disappeared within the past month. A killer is on the loose but because all of the missing women came from impoverished families nobody seemed to care. 

Oswald vows to find this killer himself but as the plague approaches, his tutor, Brother Peter, insists they stay inside the monastery.  Oswald instead seeks out the women of the village for help, particularly the beautiful Maud Woodstock, a woman who provokes strong emotions in him. As he closes in on the killer, Oswald makes a discovery that is so utterly shocking that it threatens to destroy him and his family.

If you haven't read any of the earlier books in the series you may not want to begin with this novel. It has an alternating plot that spans 20 years between 1347 and 1370. New readers may not be able to pick up the action from 1347 without knowing the characters well. It makes sense that with the 5th book in the series this would happen. The reason for the alternating plot concerns Oswald's dying mother in 1370. She is in possession of a letter from him written in 1349 when they were dealing with the Black Death. She needs an explanation from her son about those events so that she can forgive him of any sins he may have committed against her and obtain a good death.

That said, The Good Death is another perfectly plotted and written medieval mystery from Ms. Sykes. While we get a nice resolution of the murder itself, the ending also provides a shocking accusation from Oswald's mother over all the actions he has taken throughout his life. It was unexpected as it didn't relate to the murder mystery. I expect that the next novel in the series will expand upon this. I can't wait!

5 our of 5 stars.

Murder in Venice

Murder in Venice is a historical mystery that takes place in Venice in 1752.  High magistrate Marco Pisani is tasked with investigating the grisly murder of a man found strangled in a dark alley. When two more bodies are discovered, it is clear there is a serial killer on the loose.  Helped in his investigation by lawyer Zen, daring gondolier Nani and the cunning Chiara Renier, Pisani is determined to uncover the truth before the murderer strikes again.  In order to find answers, he must move among the city's criminal underworld of spies, shady taverns and gambling halls.  When the innocence of the victims is called into question, the case is turned on its head.  For the first time in his career, the principled Pisani has to ask himself what is more important: following the letter of the law or pursuing justice?

I am so glad that this story is going to be a series. The Pisani, Nani and Chiara characters work well together and I would hate not to read about them in the future.  They are a marvelous team of investigators. The secondary characters were interesting as well.  The first person to be arrested for the murder is Tommaso Grassino, a/k/a Maso, and he is Chiara's apprentice.  He is quickly let go after the other murders occur. The first person to be killed, Marino Barbaro, is an impoverished noble who cannot stop gambling his money away.  His business dealings are suspicious and are subject to Pisani's investigation as well. Several other noble families were prominent in the story and it was interesting to read about their power, businesses and foibles.  The lives of their servants were also chronicled and the lack of influence of these characters revealed even more about the Venetian power structure.

The Venetian setting is charming.  If you have ever been to Venice you will recognize the street and place names.  You will also know how far it is for the characters to go from point A to point B.  The descriptions of the markets and foods served at parties always captivates me and I cannot get enough of novels set in Venice.  The grand palaces that the nobles lived in contrasted with the tenements that their servants resided in.  I was surprised to read that there were slum areas of this great city. It as always seemed golden to me.

Marco Pisani was methodical in his solving of the murders.  As an avogadro (magistrate) he was in charge of the investigation.  His gondolier Nani was meticulous in garnering information for Pisani.  Since he was not a noble, people felt more free to talk with him concerning what they knew about the suspects and their businesses.  Chiara did not become a part of this team until the latter third of the novel.  What she was able to reveal about the murders through clairvoyance was confirmed by Pisani as he carried on with his investigation. 

I loved this novel and cannot wait for installment #2 to be published.  Since the author is Italian, her books need to be translated into English and that takes time.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Art Collector's Daughter

As I was reading this novel I had a sneaking suspicion that I had read it before or saw a movie based on it. It seemed familiar. A search of my blogger posts did not find anything so I continued to read.  It has an interesting plot but because it was so familiar I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have if the storyline was new to me. I guess I have read too many Nazi art theft novels.

The publisher's summary:  

As the German's advance on Paris in 1940, a young Jewish girl, Sylvie Vasseur, is sent by her father to rural Ireland to live with the Courtney family.  He also sends his valuable art collection - including a portrait of Sylvie by the renowned Mateus, Girl on a Swing.  Sylvie is education by the narcissistic elder son Nicholas Courtney when she is eighteen, but he abandons her when he discovers she is pregnant.  To avoid the inevitable social stigma, Sylvie marries his brother Peter.  In Dublin, she becomes involved in the art scene, achieving critical acclaim as a painter.  But, trapped in a loveless marriage, she continues to be obsessed with Nicholas.  Until, unexpectantly, secrets from her father's past emerge, leading her to question everything she once believed.  Shortly after, she is found drowned on a Wexford beach.

Seventeen years later, Claire Howard, struggling art historian, is hired by the Courtney family to record Sylvie's lifeworks.  Fascinated by the artist and working with Sylvie's son Sam, Claire travels between Dublin and Paris, eventually unravelling a labyrinth of deceit and lies that threaten to endanger her life.

The books is advertised as an historical thriller.  It is not a thriller but rather an historical mystery.  I don't think that the writing style meets the thriller formula. That said, the plot is intricate and sophisticated.  A plot twist at the halfway point moves the direction of the expected outcome toward a different path.  I was not expecting this twist and it added to my enjoyment of the novel.

The Irish setting interested me because I have never read a book that was set in Ireland.  When the story alternates between Ireland and Paris, the Paris setting is familiar to me as I have read many books that were set in France.  I have always loved reading about Paris.  The writing about Ireland, on the other hand, could have been more descriptive.  I was expecting to read more about the weather and the topography of the island.  What we read read about is the societal norms of the country, which I believe most readers already know about for this war era.

The characters could have been more developed, particularly Peter.  We don't really know what makes him tick.  Why did he put up with so much shunning from Sylvie? What is his personality like?  We know more about Nicholas than Sylvie's husband.  Nicholas is the usual male cad and we women know exactly what to expect from him.  Sylvie was a compelling character.  She grew from being a shy, fearful girl into a confident woman but only after discovering her artistic talents.  As an artist myself I can feel exactly what she feels when she is painting.  There is an ecstasy to the process of creating something on a canvas.

This was a good book but as I stated earlier, the familiarity of the story to other books that I have read affected my enjoyment of it. 3 out of 5 stars.

Midnight at Malabar House

This is the first book in a new historical crime fiction series that features Persis Wadia as India's first female detective.  It takes place in Bombay during 1949.

The publisher's summary:  

As India celebrates the arrival of a momentous new decade, Inspector Persis Wadia stands vigil in the basement of Malabar House, hone to the city's most unwanted unit of police officers.  Six months after joining the force shw remains India's first female police detective, mistrusted, sidelined and now consigned to the midnight shift.  And so, when the phone rings to report the murder of prominent English diplomat Sir James Herriott, the country's most sensational case falls into her lap.

As 1950 dawns and India prepares to become the world's largest republic, Persis, accompanied by Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, finds herself investigating a case that is becoming more political by the second. Navigating a country and society in turmoil, Persis, smart, stubborn and untested in the crucible of male hostility that surrounds her, must find a way to solve the murder  - whatever the cost. 

The plot could have been interesting but the book seems to have been written as historical fiction instead of the historical crime mystery as it has been advertised.  There were more details concerning what people wore, where they lived and the history of Partition, than clues in the mystery of who committed the crime.  The pace was excruciatingly slow and I found myself skipping pages without missing anything important. Only the final thirty pages were written crisp as Persis began her big reveal of the killer.

Sadly dull. 2 out of 5 stars.

Now and Then Stab

Now and Then Stab is the seventh Francis Bacon Mystery novel by Anna Castle.  I thought that the series ended a few years ago when The Spymaster's Brother was published in 2019. However, it will continue. The eighth book in the series will be published in 2022.

The story opens in the Spring of 1593 when a ballad promoting violence against immigrants is found posted on the Dutch Church door in the center of London. After the Lord Mayor promises a 100 crown reward to the person who can identifiy the author, Tom Clarady begins to investigate. He needs that money in order to file legal papers to assert his livery in the Court of Wards.  Tom interviews poets while his patron Francis Bacon analyzes the verse. At first, this investigation is solely about collecting the reward. After two of Britain's best poets are targeted, both are killed. One of them dies after being tortured for information and the other dies under dubious circumstances. Christopher Marlowe, one of Tom's friends from his Cambridge University days, is killed after starting a brawl in a pub. However, Tom doesn't believe Marlowe started the fight and thinks he was murdered.

This novel is one of the best in the series. The period is, as usual, meticulously researched. Our real-life Francis Bacon was at odds with Queen Elizabeth in 1593. The author wrote this fact into her novel to add to its authenticity. English poet Marlowe was, likewise, killed in a bar room brawl. These facts are only background information to the plot, which moved forward quickly. 

The characters are lovable, even the stern Francis Bacon.  I love how their lives advance significantly with each novel.  Here, Francis is about to receive the promotion he has longed for and Tom's love affair with Alice "Trumpet" Trumpington continues after her marriage.  Tom, Trumpet and Tom's university friends provide lightweight fare while Francis Bacon's serious demeanor offers a contrast.

Another great installment of the series!  5 out of 5 stars.

Death and the Maiden

Ariana Franklin's daughter Samantha Norman wrote this book. Franklin had no input in the writing. The book that Franklin was writing when she died in 2011 was The Siege Winter, which her daughter finished. Norman is a chip off the old block. Her writing is superb and as a lover of medieval mysteries I am glad that she wrote this final installment in Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series.  This historical mystery is set in Norman England during the year 1911.

With this installment of the series, Adelia Aguilar has just lost her friend and patron, King Henry II.  Adelia is living comfortably in retirement and training her 19 year old daughter Allie to carry on her healing craft.  Allie is already a skilled healer and has a particular gift for treating animals. Being of marriageable age, Allie's father, Rowley, the Bishop of St. Albans, and his patron, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, have plans to marry  Allie to an influential husband. 

When Adelia's lifelong friend in Cambridge, Gyltha, falls ill, Allie is sent to Ely to help her.  There she crosses paths with Lord Peveril, a young aristocrat who would make a most suitable match for Allie. However, when Allie arrives in Ely, all is chaos.  A village girl has disappeared and she is not the first.  Over the past few months, several girls from the villages surrounding Ely have vanished.  When the body of one is discovered, Allie manages to examine the remains before burial. The results lead her to suspect that a murderer is on the loose. The question remains, will Allie be able to help find the killer before becoming the next victim?

The period details of the era were beautifully described. One detail that I have never read about before was the level of power a bishop had over the communities he oversaw. In this case, an interdiction was issued that prevented a priest from performing mass, funerals and burials. Bodies that could not be buried were piling up outdoors with no where to be interred. The effect this had on individual people was aptly described; they were horrified.

The writing was good but there was one thing that bothered me. The murder to be investigated happened late in the story. While I was reading I was captivated by the background information but I kept expecting a crime to occur. It finally happened at the halfway point but, for me, the crime should occur early in the story. I prefer for it to be in the first two chapters but this doesn't always happen in a historical mystery.

4 out of 5 stars.

Revenge in Rubies

Revenge in Rubies is the perfect whodunit. This second Harriet Gordon Mystery, following 2019's Singapore Sapphire, is a superbly plotted mystery. The fact that it takes place during a historical period, 1910s Singapore, is secondary.  I love that the murdered body of Sylvie Nolan was found on page three so that the remainder of the story can be about finding the killer.  Sylvie is the very young wife of  middle aged Lieutenant Colonel John Nolan, an army officer in the South Sussex Regiment. When Inspector Robert Curran of the Straits Settlements Police Force Detective Division begins to investigate, the military families stationed in Singapore come together to thwart his investigation.  They prefer to keep their truths in-house.  Amateur sleuth Harriet Gordon works as a typist for Inspector Curran. He has come to rely on her for advice and assistance with his investigations as she has proven herself adept at finding clues in the past.  Her friendship with the victim's sister-in-law, Priscilla Nolan, proves to be useful and she is able to learn many family secrets from Pris. Harriet lives with her brother Julian Edwards, an Anglican priest stationed in Singapore. Together they run a school for young boys, the St. Thomas School.

I love the names of the characters, names which can only belong to the British. Lavinia Pemberthey-Smythe is perennially British and I had to laugh when I saw her name in the book.  How did the author create this one? Some of the names of the Asian characters are true to life such as Huo Jin, Sergeant Gursharan Singh, constable Tan Jian Ju and constable Musa Bin Ahmed.  One interesting thing that I like about this series is that all of the characters are strong.  They have interesting backgrounds too, which could come into play in future books in the series.  

Author A. M. Stuart has created a Pinterest board for Revenge in Rubies that is worth checking out. Here she has pinned photos of grand mansions, churches, vehicles, maps, clubhouses, fashions and famous military men who were stationed in Singapore. It is pretty cool for an author to have created this type of advertising for a novel. Now I have to wonder if other authors whom I have read are doing the same thing.

The third book in the series, Evil in Emerald, is scheduled to be published some time in Spring, 2022.  I cannot wait!  I love this new series.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Night Portrait

Laura Morelli has changed her usual historical period from the Renaissance to 1930s and 1940s Germany with The Last Portrait. It includes an account of the Butcher of Poland Hans Frank's acquisitions of stolen art from Polish families and museums. He is an historical figure who was executed at Nuremberg in 1946 for his war crimes.  Frank is known for killing six million Poles during WWII. Morelli's fictional characters were not likable but, of course, they worked for the Nazis.  The story alternates between the WWII era and 1490s Milan.

The blurb summary reads:  

"Milan, 1492:  When a 16-year-old beauty becomes the mistress of the Duke of Milan, she must fight for her place in the palace - and against those who want her out.  Soon, she finds herself sitting before Leonardo da Vinci, who wants to ensure his own place in the ducal palace by painting his most ambitious portrait to date.

Munich, World War II:  After a modest conservator unwittingly places a priceless Italian Renaissance portrait into the hands of a high-ranking Nazi leader, she risks her life to recover it, working with an American soldier, part of the famed Monuments Men team, to get it back.

Two women, separated by 500 years, are swept up in the tide of history as one painting stands at the center of their quests for their own destinies."

I am not sure how I feel about the Edith Becker character who was a conservator at an art museum.  I believe the author tried to portray her in a positive light. I just don't buy it. While I understand that it is hard to go against the political tide, especially when that puts your life in danger, she did in fact participate in stealing artworks in Poland for the Nazis.  She got off easy.  Edith was never tried for war crimes.  She was retained as an adviser to the Allies when the war ended.  I don't know if this is plausible or not. Likewise, I don't know if it is plausible for a German citizen to have felt sympathy for those whom the Nazi's targeted as Edith did.  My history education showed that the Germans were enthusiastically behind Hitler. They were crushed when he died and the war ended.  I wish that I could find out what the author intended for her characters and her plot.  Did she just want her readers to think? I would love to interview her to find out.

I am always suspicious when WWII stories are told by characters who were German but never felt the love for Hitler. If this many people opposed Hitler in real life would he have been successful? When am I going to see a WWII story about a German who loved working and killing for Hitler? I guess this protagonist would not be sympathetic to readers but neither are the white washed characters in current historical fiction. With 68% of American youths disbelieving that the Holocaust happened, these stories are not helpful. 

The Cecelia Gallerani character was more believable. She had no choice in life other than to enter a convent or become a kept woman. I respect her decision. This is the type of character Morelli is good at writing about. She excels in writing Renaissance novels.  In addition, I had a slight problem concerning the promotion of the book. It is advertised as a novel of DaVinci's Italy. However, DaVinci was not central to the plot. Also, the WWII subplot overshadowed the Renaissance era subplot. The WWII story covered 70% of the book and I did not feel that I was reading a DaVinci plot as advertised. The horrors of the second world War made me feel overwhelming sadness as I read the book.  For example, Morelli explicitly details Allied soldier's thoughts as they liberated one concentration camp after another.  One striking fact that I never thought of before is that someone (soldiers) had to clean up the emptied camps; such a gruesome thought.

I usually love a Laura Morelli book but this one left me with many questions.  As I contemplated Edith more and more I realize that I just did not like her. I did enjoy following the plot even though half of it left a bad taste in my mouth. I hoped that Edith would get her act together but she never did.  An unlikable protagonist is death to a novel.

I don't know how to rate this book.  It was an emotional journey.  It certainly made me think and my misgivings affected how I feel about the book.  My personal biases concerning the actions of the German people during WWII  were challenged, which made writing this review difficult.  If the author intended to create such a flawed and unlikable character, she just wrote the book of the year. 

The Bone Fire

I have been anxiously awaiting S. D. Sykes' latest installment of her Oswald de Lacy historical mystery series, not being aware that it was published almost one year ago.  This series takes place in the mid 1300s England with this installment taking place in 1361 when the plague was making its second round through England.

Our protagonist Oswald de Lacy is taking his family to a castle on the remote Isle of Eden where his friend Godfrey, Lord Eden, resides. Godfrey is sympathetic to the reformers and is housing several same thinking friends for the next six months to prevent them from being exposed to the plague.  Once the portcullis to the castle is raised up,  no one can leave the castle until the six months is up. Food has been hoarded and stored in a warehouse on site so they won't starve. The day after the de Lacys arrive, Lord Eden asks Oswald to visit him in his library to discuss a confidential matter. Upon meeting, Godfrey hands Oswald 2 sealed envelopes that Oswald should deliver if Godfrey dies. One letter is addressed to a reverend and the other is addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He tells Oswald that he will be leaving the castle early the next day to pick up 2 more people but won't tell him where he is going or how he will get outside without lowering the portcullis. The next morning Godfrey is found dead. Godfrey's lazy, alcoholic brother Edwin becomes the new Lord of Eden and promises to find his brother's killer.  Knowing that Edwin is not capable of investigating, Oswald offers to help. He begins by interviewing all the occupants including a court Fool, an old priest who is Godfrey's uncle, a couple and their mute daughter, Edwin, two Dutchmen who are building an astronomical clock for Godfrey and a former soldier who is protecting the castle. 

This 4th installment of the series was an exciting read. It is a stand-alone novel but it would be helpful to read the series in order as there are some events from the past that are referred to here. It is a locked room mystery with a medieval twist. The  title comes comes from the history of plague survivors burning the bodies of those who died from the plague. The smell of burning bones had a distinct smell that everyone could identify. It is also where the word "bonfire" comes from.

5 out of 5 stars.