Month: June 2018

“The Liar in the Library” – A Fethering Mystery by Simon Brett

This is the first mystery I have read by author Simon Brett and I really enjoyed the dry intelligent style and witty characterizations in this seaside British mystery. The tone is understanding but sharp and the characters are portrayed with their quirks and flaws in a vivid but restrained way that codifies what being British means. Another element of this mystery is almost everyone is middle aged and a theme of the past and more youthful days returning to color and shape the present adds a moody reflective layer to the narrative.

The story revolves around the sudden death of a visiting celebrity author who dies after his talk at the town’s library. One of the chief suspects is Jude,  one of the main characters in this series, who together with her neighbor Carole get involved in unraveling the motives and past stories of the many suspects  so that Jude can clear herself as the primary suspect.

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“Death of a Bachelorette” – A Jaine Austen Mystery by Laura Levine

This series has some of the wackiest set of characters in mysteries with the most outrageous one Jaine’s cat the inimitable Prozac. Reading a Jaine Austen mystery is like a dizzy carnival ride with twisting loops and lurching turns written with consistent levity so even though it’s a mystery it’s also a comedy. That said it is tethered to Los Angeles and the exploits of Jaine Austen who gets into all kinds of situations as a freelance writer. This time she is thrilled to be hired as a writer for a new reality TV show about Bachlorettes vying for a British minor royal and the show is being filmed on an exotic tropical island – finally Jaine is getting her big break.

She soon comes down to earth once she meets the Producer and the cast and technicians and director and learns to deal with the horrendous conditions and food…not to mention some of the natives.

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“Turkey Trot Murder” – A Lucy Stone Mystery by Leslie Meier

The Lucy Stone series is quintessential domestic cozy – it defines the genre with a small town setting in coastal Maine, a restored farmhouse where part time newspaper reporter and full time Mom Lucy lives with her husband Tom, a carpenter/contractor who specializes in restoring old homes. They have four children and a grandchild. If you have followed the series you have seen the children grow and mature and are familiar with Lucy’s circle of gal pals, the crusty editor who is Lucy’s boss and a whole lot more town characters.

Absolutely love these books, they are dependably good reads that hook you with the way Lucy balances family, friends and her job and of course the way her investigator reporter curiosity gets her involved in so many mysteries. The plots are timely dealing with a wide range of social issues. In the ‘Turkey Trot Murder’ the social issue that afflicts one of the main suspects is opiod abuse. The other topical issue is immigration and prejudice towards Hispanic Americans which is a major theme in this book.

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