Hello, fellow book dragons,
I actually did more writing than reading again this month. I hope to get my new mystery book out to beta readers by the first of June. I did manage to squeeze in a few books, though!
Murder Your Employer – Rupert Holmes
Despite the ominous-sounding title, this book is an absolute gem, one of the funniest, most entertaining mysteries I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a long time. It’s a delightful blend of a Harry Potter-esque boarding school story and a cleverly plotted Sherlock Holmes tale (the Benedict Cumberbatch Holmes more so than the Conan Doyle version!). If the author’s name seems familiar, he is the same guy who penned the iconic Pina Colada song of the late 1970s. Holmes uses his fiendishly clever humor to tackle the intriguing question: What if the person who brings more harm than good to society ceases to exist? Enter the McMaster’s Conservatory, a “Poison Ivy League” institution dedicated to keeping the world safe from tyrants. I’m such a word nerd, and Holmes’s witty wordplay was a treat for my literary senses. I realize this book isn’t for everybody, but I found myself captivated from page one!
Rainbow’s End – Martha Grimes
I had trouble getting into another book after I’d finished Rupert Holmes’s novel. Martha Grimes has been my go-to for clever, witty mystery stories since her first publication in 1981. Rainbow’s End is a re-read, but I always enjoy her well-developed, ingenious characters. Despite living in the States, Martha Grimes (now 93) chooses to set most of her books in England and name them after British pubs. The book opens in London with the deaths of three women. Grimes’ main protagonist, Richard Jury, soon finds a connection with a death in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jury and his sidekick, Melrose Plant, work on both sides of the pond to solve this baffling case. Although her plots sometimes meander, her character development is superb.
Bunburry Mystery Books – 4-9 – Helena Marchmont
Helena Marchmont’s short mystery novellas have been described as “Jane Marple meets Oscar Wilde.” These charming tales are great escape reads (are you sensing a pattern with my reading habits this month?) Alfie McAllister moves from his London home to a house in the Cotswolds, left to him by his aunt, Augusta. Alfie, along with two fudge-making elderly ladies, form the Bunburry Triangle, a crime-solving trio that helps keep the small-town crime-free (at least temporarily!) Again, it’s the characters that make Marchmont’s writing so enjoyable for me.
Books I’m reading but have not finished yet: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. James McBride, Dear Mrs. Bird – A.J. Pearce, What the River Knows – Isabel Ibanez,
