In the Woods

Detectives Robert Ryan and Cassie Maddox have been called out to an archeological site where the body of a young girl has been found.  It is a place which has memories for Ryan.  It was here that something happened to him and two of his friends.  His memory won't let him know what happened, and his two friends disappeared at the time.

It doesn't take long for the body to be identified.  When Ryan and Maddox speak to the family, they learn that the father of the girl had been supporting a cause to prevent a highway from being built over the archeological site.  He had also received threatening phone calls from an unknown man, who said he knew where they lived.  Ryan and Maddox wonder about the females in the family.  Why had the victim been sick for so long; why was her twin nothing but skin and bones; why was their older sister trying to be older than she is and why was the mother so quiet?

A hair clip found at the scene matches one from the cold case involving Ryan.  The pair get Sam O'Neill as a third on their team, plus several others to do the leg work.  Ryan gets a possible break when the twin sister of the victim tells him that the pair had been approached by a man a week before the killing.

Sam discovers a reporter who had researched the building of the highway and who was behind it.  He had been told to stop any further research.  However, he was able to surreptitiously provide Sam with the names of the three men behind it.  Are they possibly connected to the killing?

Can the three detectives solve the case based on the limited information that they have gleaned or will they get a break?  Author Tana French's first murder mystery is full of tough mysteries that seem so tangled for the detectives that it does their heads in. Although the book got off to a slow start and I was wondering what I had gotten myself into, I found the book hard to put down.  A very good read.

Incomplete Revenge

James Compton has returned from Canada to complete a business deal.  He asks Maisie Dobbs to do some investigative work about the business.  It just happens that her assistant, Billy Beale will be in that part of Kent hop picking for two weeks, so she tasks him with gathering information.  Shortly after he gets there he calls Maisie to ask for her help for a friend whose sons have been arrested for theft, which they deny.

Could the thefts be the responsibility of the gypsies camped nearby?  Maisie stays at an inn to do her investigation.  The first night there a fire breaks out in the coal shed behind the inn.  Maisie is sure that she saw a couple of people running away from the shed before she raised the alarm, yet the innkeeper denies that could be possible.

Also in play is the local lord, who seems to think that feudal life still exists.  He is the one that Compton is negotiating a deal with. Maisie doesn't feel that he is trustworthy.  She and Billy help to save a gypsy woman from attack by this lord claiming that everything belongs to him.

All of these threads must be sorted out by Maisie into order and then back tracked to find the truth.  Author Jacqueline Winspear's mystery novel has treachery throughout and her heroine's resolve leads to reckoning for many.  A good read.

The Daughters of Gentlemen

Bayswater Academy for Young Ladies is in need of a detective to determine who had placed pamphlets in the books of the girls, which discouraged them from marrying.  Obviously only a female detective would be suitable in this case, so the board of governors turn to Frances Doughty.

Frances is surprised when she ascertains that the headmistress is not happy that she is there.  The headmistress has burned all of the pamphlets.  Frances engages the services of her friends Chas and Barstie to do a bit of snooping for her.

The following day, when Frances returns to the school, she is surprised to learn that the house maid is missing and there is a stash of £20 in a box under her bed.  Why would she go missing when that money exists, and why was the money there?  Not long after this the maid's body is discovered in the Serpentine.  Was her death accidental or something more serious?

Frances is finally able to get her hands on a copy of the pamphlet in question.  She realises that the pamphlet is directed at the school's headmistress and her late husband.   Frances' helper, Sarah discovers that the person who had it printed was a woman between the ages of 40 & 50.  She then discovers that the girls in the school actually had the pamphlets in their possession a week earlier than thought.  What is going on?

Frances' investigation leads her outside of London.  While there, a body of a man is found on property belonging to one of the governors of the school.  Is there a connection to the other murder?

Frances determines who wrote the pamphlet, but she still is left with some puzzling quandaries.  Author Linda Stratmann writes like a person working on a jigsaw puzzle.  The parts are all there, it is just left up to the heroine, Frances to put it all together.  It takes time and effort and in the end a satisfying result.  A quite enjoyable read.

Murder in Thrall

DCI Michael Sinclair, Lord Acton and DC Kathleen Doyle are investigating a murder at a racecourse.  Unfortunately Doyle is in the DCI's bad books due to an error she has made.  The following morning they have to attend the brutal death of a woman they had questioned in the night.

The autopsy on the first victim shows that the bullet had been surgically removed, whereas the bullet went through the second victim and was removed from the wall behind her.  Same killer?  But, what was the motive?  Not long after they are called to an apparent murder/suicide.  However, the first constable on the scene feels that it is actually a double murder, and that is why he called for Sinclair.

As Acton and Doyle's relationship becomes more personal, Acton provides her with an illegal firearm.  He later informs her that the man in the double murder was actually her father.  He decides to remove her from the cases because he feels that there is a threat to her.

Doyle is sure that they are getting close to the killer when one of the forensic specialists is gunned down.  She is sure that the specialist knew who the killer is.  Can she and Acton get to the killer before he kills again?

Author Anne Cleeland is a new author to me, and I was quite impressed with this book.  It was complex with a few surprises thrown in. A good read and I have added the rest of her series to my reading list.

The Poisonous Seed

Frances' father William Doughty, a chemist, has been accused of accidentally poisoning one of his customers with a mixture which had been prescribed to him.  The victim had used this particular prescription in the past.  Had his own illness caused William to make a mistake in preparing the tincture?  Frances decides to become a detective and figure out the true cause of death.

She has only six days to gather evidence before the coroner's inquest.  She decides to dress in her late brother's clothing and using subterfuge, question the victim's brother.  She does gain some, which she shares with Constable Brown.  When questioned by their solicitor, William remembers having had a phial of pure strychnine.  Could this have been used to poison the victim?  Frances does some digging on her own and enlists the help of two new friends.

Unfortunately the inquest jury returns a verdict of death by misadventure owing to the poor health of William Doughty.  Frances is sure that one of the witnesses lied on the stand, but how can she prove it?  Before she can, the husband of the witness is arrested for fraud.  Thinking this proves her father innocent, Frances is shocked to find that her father has died in the meantime.  She is further shocked when her uncle Cornelius informs her that the business is badly in debt.  She begs his help to get out of the situation and he grants her a month.

As Frances gathers information, she seems to run into more conundrums.  Will she be able to clear her father's name and expose the real killer?  And what of the new mystery presented to her?

Author Linda Stratmann has tied so many strands together into an immensely enjoyable read.  The reader has to keep on top of every one.  A book, which I found hard to put down.  I'm looking forward to reading the sequels.

The Templar's Cross

It is 1424 and Sir Law Kintour has returned to Stirling in hopes of securing service with Archibald, Earl of Douglas.  However, he is sure that his badly wounded leg will prevent him from gaining employment.  The earl rewards him with a small purse for bringing news of the battle of Verneuil, and then sends him on his way.  Kintour and his friend, Duncan, head for Perth.

There a Lord Blinsele comes to him to ask Kintour to search for his missing wife and the man she disappeared with.  That night Kintour's friend Duncan is stabbed to death while doing his part in the quest.  Kintour later finds out that Lord Binsele is no lord after all, just an ordinary man in search of property belonging to the Knights Templar.  He is also not very trustworthy.

The sheriff tells Kintour that if he doesn't find the killer, he will hang him instead.  Kintour begins his search.  Along with a minstrel friend, Cormac, Kintour finds the object Binsele was looking for; it is a gold cross.  When Kintour is attacked and stabbed, he begins to wonder if there is another party involved.

Author J. R. Tomlin's mystery ends rather bluntly.  Although she built up the mystery well, the method in which she concluded it was unappealing.  A fair read otherwise.

Messenger of Truth

Maisie Dobbs has just agreed to take on the case of what appears to have been the accidental death of an artist.  His twin sister is sure that he was murdered.  Whilst the investigation is getting underway, the daughter of her assistant, Billy Beale, is unwell.  On top of that his brother-in-law's family have moved in with them due to the dire economy.

Maisie has some concerns regarding the post-mortem, bruises, which in her mind don't seem connected to the death of the victim.  She had seen the post-mortem notes in the company of DI Stratton, whom she had worked with before.  But, why after the meeting was he talking to a member of the flying squad?  She travels to the home of the artist to get a sense of who he was.

Maisie is surprised at a party hosted by her client when Oswald Mosley makes an appearance.  Later Maisie learns that the victim had no intention of selling his last piece; it was going to be donated to an art gallery.

Sadly, at this time, the Beales lose their daughter to diphtheria.  Not long after that, Maisie's office is broken into and papers relevant to the investigation are stolen.  Who did it and why?

Maisie is going to find herself involved with a criminal element as her investigation progresses.  Will author Jacqueline Winspear protect her from that, or lead her to the depths of despair?  An intriguing read, that keeps the reader involved start to finish.

Blue Lightning

Jimmy Perez has returned to Fair Isle to introduce his parents to his fiancé, Fran   The weather becomes a direct contrast to the island's name.  Jimmy's mother sets up a party to celebrate the pending nuptials in the birding centre.  Later that night a woman is killed at the centre.  The killer must be one of those staying in the centre.  How was Jimmy to handle it?  Transportation to the island was impossible in the storm.

Was the obvious killer the victim's stepdaughter?  The pair had argued the night before in front of witnesses.  Jimmy doesn't think that the obvious is really that obvious.  Not having a proper forensic team available, Fran helps out by taking photos of the crime scene.

Checking out the victim's trysting spot, Jimmy discovers the body of another woman.  The killing is very similar to the first.  This time the weather allows a forensic team to get in.  Unfortunately the forensic team finds nothing of value.  Will Jimmy catch the killer before he kills again?

Author Anne Cleeves has written an intriguing murder mystery that will have the reader on the edge of their seat in the closing pages.  An excellent read, hard to put down.  I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

An Experiment in Treason

The Secretary for the American Colonies has been robbed of a packet of letters, which he is unwilling to tell Sir John Fielding anything about.  Yet, the letters appear to be of some importance.  Constable Perkin's snitch is able to provide a pretty good idea of who the robbers are likely to be.

The Lord Chief Justice suggests that Fielding question a certain Benjamin Franklin.  Fielding decides to host a dinner party for Samuel Johnson and Franklin as a way to interrogate Franklin.  Jeremy's investigation points to a known associate of Franklin as being the possible instigator of the robbery.

Fielding and Jeremy are surprised when the Lord Chief Justice sends them a colonial thief taker to help them in their investigation.  However, it turns out that this man is a brutal slave chaser.  The investigation turns nasty and deadly for those involved.

Before the conclusion of the novel, author Bruce Alexander informs the reader that the Boston Tea Party has occurred.  Will Benjamin Franklin now be tried for treason?  Sadly I'm not sure that I will find out because the sequels are in different libraries and the government of Saskatchewan has cut funding, which allowed for inter-library loans.

Pardonable Lies

Maisie Dobbs has taken on the task of finding a pilot who had gone missing in France during the Great War.  He was the son of a prominent lawyer.  She does not look forward to returning to Flanders.  Also on her plate is the case of a girl who has been accused of murdering her uncle.  She tasks her assistant, Billy Beale, to travel to Taunton to check into the girl's background. She also gets the lawyer to act on behalf of the girl.

Her client's wife had consulted three psychics, and after visiting the last of the three, Maisie feels quite unsettled.  As Maisie's investigation progresses she is told by a few not to continue with it.  Military records she wants to see have mysteriously disappeared and shortly after that Maisie has a minor automobile accident, which she is sure was caused to be a warning to her.  But why and by whom?

Her investigation takes her to France, and her former mentor, Maurice Blanche accompanies her.  However, before she leaves, another attempt is made on her life.  Since she is going to France, a good friend of Maisie's ask her to look into the death of her brother, who also died during the war.

Author Jacqueline Winspear has some surprises and disappointments in store for the intrepid Maisie Dobbs before winding up this novel.  A very good read.

Quarterdeck

Thomas Kydd and his good friend, Nicholas Renzi have both been promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Royal Navy.  Kydd wants to become a gentleman, but Renzi will have his work cut out for him trying to eliminate the naval speech so readily to hand for Kydd.
Both are re-assigned to the Tenacious, but the captain is not impressed by the fact that Kydd is not a gentleman officer.

Kydd finds life as an officer very different with new responsibilities.  However, he is sure that he can handle them.  The whole crew is surprised when Tenacious is assigned to the North Atlantic, with Halifax their next port.  Kydd is to be the signals officer.  Tenacious is assigned to be the main warship guarding a 148 ship convoy to Halifax.

Kydd soon learns that Halifax is cold, but the North Atlantic is a colder, brutal mistress.  While in Halifax Kydd receives a letter from his sister asking him to search for their uncle.  Will he have any success accomplishing that in such a remote part of the world?  Frustrated at not being a gentleman officer, Kydd ponders leaving the navy.

Before Kydd can do anything, he is dropped ashore in the United States to spy on a French ship.  There he makes the acquaintance of an American naval officer.  Later, he is seconded to the newly formed American navy; to help and to provide an opinion on.

 In this historical naval novel, author Julian Stockwin, has not provided the reader with the intense action of previous novels, but charts a course that may take the hero and his friend in a different direction.  Although I look forward to sequels, I'm afraid that the recent action of the government of Saskatchewan to cut library funds, has left me wondering when I will have the opportunity to borrow the sequels.

The Blood Crows

Centurion Macro and Prefect Cato have returned to Britannia to take up new assignments.  Macro's mother has tagged along with plans to open an inn in Londonium.  The first task the pair will have is to join Governor Ostorius in a meeting with leaders of the tribes.  The hope is that during the meeting, Ostorius can convince them to stop fighting against Rome.  The alternative is to be destroyed by Rome.

One of the leaders they are to meet with is King Prasutagus.  His queen is Boudica.  She wonders about the value of peace that Rome wants to impose upon the tribes of Britannia.  Can the leaders meet congenially and agree to peace?  Some feel that they can, others not.  What will the strongest of the leaders, Caratacus, say?  It appears that he only offers war; war to the bitter end.

Ostorius plans on a total war.  Resistance means killing the men, women and children will be sold into slavery.  Before getting to their posting, Cato and Macro learn that the contingent they will be with are known as the "Blood Crows" because of their brutal methods.  Will the centurion in charge welcome Cato taking it over?  Quertus, the centurion in question has a reputation for brutality.

Quertus is not pleased when the pair show up to take over command of his fort.  Cato and Macro get the impression that they are going to have to watch their backs.  Cato is sure that there is a conspiracy in this Fort that extends all the way back to Rome.

All in the fort are surprised when Caratacus and his army appear at the gates of the fort. Is there any chance of escape when the Romans are outnumbered twenty to one?

Author Simon Scarrow's historical thriller is full of tension and excitement as Caratacus and the Romans face each other to the death.  Well written, and hard to put down.

Sadly due to the Province of Saskatchewan shutting down the inter-library loan programme, which was the envy of the country, it may be some time before I read the sequels.

The Thief Taker

In early June of 1815, Bow Street Runner, Henry Morton is called to examine the body of a young man who has suddenly died.  He is sure that the death isn't accidental.  Morton goes in search of the driver who had brought the man to the residence of Lord Darley.  The driver is able to provide him with some information, but Morton is sure that he is holding something back.

The following day he learns more about the dead man.  He had been involved in a dual, which had been broken up by two other runners; George Vaughn and Jimmy Presley. Could the other man involved in the dual have caused the death, because Morton is sure that the dead man was poisoned.  Unfortunately the powers that be prevent him from further inquiry.

However, the fiancé of the dead man wants to engage Morton to investigate the cause behind his death and look for justice.   From his young colleague Jimmy Presley, Morton learns that Vaughn could be involved in some nefarious activities.

Morton also discovers coincidences in the case; for example the surgeon who attended the victim's death had also been at the death of the man who had been the previous fiancé of the young woman who has asked him to do the investigation.  There are other concerns that bother Morton.

He goes outside of London to continue his investigation.  Along the way he learns some truths.  Back in London he and Mrs. Malibrant are attacked by a gang of men.  Fortunately they escape relatively unscathed.  Who would want to attack them and why?  Morton is finding it difficult to gather solid evidence.

Author T. F. Banks begins to build up the tension and suspense from this point on.  Surprises are in store for the reader.  An entirely enjoyable read.

One Man's Flag

Jack McColl is now in India hoping to gather information there.  He is also intent on stopping German arms from entering the country and being used to foment revolution against the British.

Meanwhile, Caitlin Hanley is pursuing her own agenda; to write the truth behind her brother's death and to find out more about the Irish independence movement.  When a New York newspaper offers her the position as European correspondent she know that she can now investigate things in Berlin.  She eventually is able to meet with socialists who feel the need for a greater war to gain power.

Having successfully helped to prevent an uprising in India, McColl is recalled to London.  Caitlin's stay in Berlin is short and then she is off to Switzerland to meet a Bolshevik leader by the name of Lenin.  And then she was off to Paris.  From Paris, on to London and then Dublin.  Unbeknownst to her McColl is ordered to Dublin, too.  Will he betray her again?

Author David Downing has plenty of action to come for the pair as Europe's war progresses and Ireland moves towards revolution.  Will either survive?  A good read, which is hard to put down.

Jack of Spies

Jack McColl is in China, spying for the British admiralty.  Ostensibly he is a businessman, there to sell cars.  One of his best sources of information are the Chinese prostitutes.  One informs him that the Germans were stockpiling coal with which to fuel their Pacific fleet.  Unfortunately one of the prostitutes gave away the game and McColl was forced to run for his life.  However, would he make it to safety without being captured?

Fortunately having safely made it to Shanghai, he searches out an American journalist he was attracted to.  Caitlin Hanley is there to report on a revolution, which has yet to happen.  He finds her to be an intriguing woman.  Later, he is attacked with a knife and stabbed in the abdomen.  Was it because of his spying or because he had been with Caitlin?  Fortunately it wasn't a terribly serious wound and McColl was able to leave for San Francisco on the ship as scheduled.

The long voyage would give him time to recover and spend time with Caitlin, who was headed home to the U. S. A.  McColl's spymaster wants him to extend his stay in the city.  He is to investigate the Irish-Indian-German connections and their potto do harm should a European war break out.  There he learns that a German businessman he had befriended in China is really a spy.  Also, could Caitlin possibly be a honey trap? Will McColl make it to New York without being murdered?

While in New York, McColl is offered a full time job with the secret service.  He needs time to mull it over.  Having decided to accept the offer, McColl finds himself being sent to Mexico to see what is going on down there.  Mexico was an important source of oil for the British navy.

Shortly after being called home, and assigned to Ireland, the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne was assassinated.  In Dublin he takes on the persona of an Australian republican.  But, facing one's enemies in their land when they know what you look like is not a safe thing to do.  Will McColl be able to survive?

Author David Downing's thriller is just that; full of action and fast paced, and hard to put down.  Well worth the read.

Red Bones

DI Jimmy Perez has been called out to Whalsay by one of his officers, Sandy Wilson, who late at night found his grandmother dead in her yard.  It appears that she might have been accidentally shot to death.  Her home is nearby an archeological dig.  Perez finds out that the victim was wearing the high visibility jacket of one of the archeologists at the time she was killed.  Could that have any relevance?

Coincidentally, a skull and other bones had been found at the archeological dig.  Why had the victim reacted strangely to their discovery?  Later one of the archeologists is found dead in the archeological trench by Sandy.  It appears that she slit her wrists.  The day before she had called Perez because she wanted to tell him something.  Why would she then have committed suicide?

Perez isn't sure that it really was a suicide.  He sends Sandy to London to speak to the victim's mother.  From his interview of the mother, it also appears that she had no reason to commit suicide.  How could Perez and Sandy prove that it was murder?

Author Ann Cleeves offers up a number of culprits with reasonable clues as to their culpability.  In the end, it is a surprise as to who the killer is.  A very good read, hard to put down, leaving the reader a desire to pick up the sequel.