I am a bit burned out on fantasy and science fiction books at the moment, and have decided to play catch up with some of my favorite mystery series. I think I have mentioned these in earlier posts in this thread; though it is possible that the hacker attack might have eaten some of those mentions...
I have read the latest book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith. It is called In the Company of Cheerful Ladies. Danlo, if you see this, please let Lady Tam know that I think she might really enjoy these books! They are set in Botswana, which sounds like a truly lovely place. The main characters are all very likeable people that you would like to have as friends if you were to ever meet them. There is a great warmth to these stories.
Next up was the latest Blackbird Sisters Mystery by Nancy Martin, called Have Your Cake and Kill Him Too. These stories are about three sisters born to a cursed family. Every daughter born in that family from Colonial days is attracted to bad boys who die young, leaving them as young and beautiful widows. This generation contains three such women. They were once wealthy and powerful in Philly high society, but their parents skipped town leaving them huge tax bills and odds and ends, such as the colonial era estate (which is falling apart), an art collection which cannot be sold due to sentimental value, vintage couture, etc. The books are written in a very funny tongue-in-cheek style as the girls try to come to grips with having to work, widowhood, etc.
Then came the latest Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown and her cat Sneaky Pie Brown, called Sour Puss. This series is set in small town Virginia, among the horse breeding set whose roots go back to colonial days. The main characters are a girl everyone calls Harry, her friends and aquaintances in the small town of Crozette, and especially her beloved animals - Mrs. Murphy, a tabby cat; Pewter, a fat gray cat; and Tee Tucker, a Welsh corgi. Harry is insatiably nosy and gets involved in investigating all of the major crimes in her small town. This novel involves grape growing, bioterrorism, wine making, and murder.
Last but not least was the latest mystery novel by Nevada Barr. I do not know if this series has a name, but the books are all about a woman named Anna Pigeon who works as a Ranger in the National Park Service. In order to get ahead in the service you have to move around a lot and work in a variety of the parks. This book sees her get a promotion and moving from the Natchez Parkway in Mississippi to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. While there she has to deal with a case of nearly unimaginable child abuse. It was actually pretty grim reading. However, having been to Rocky Mountain National Park, knowing how beautiful it is there - and even having driven some of those roads and hiked some of those trails - it was cool reading about the Park, even though I found the mystery itself to be very disturbing. ******************************************************
Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell <i>Edited by: Duchess of Malfi at: 4/18/06 10:45 am </i>
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