The Woman in the Library - Day 7 (August 2022)

 For the final day (7) of Bout-of-Book August 2022, I've selected a book I listened to and read parts of.

“The Woman in the Library” by Sulari Gentill

is a modern take on ‘drawing room’ mystery, a la Agatha Christie. 

Readers and Listeners, pay close attention to the characters who are both in and outside of the story.

Could the author think of a more convoluted tale than a writer writing about a writer writing about a murder in the Boston Public Library?  The writer is joined by a trio of strangers at the library, all curious about the woman’s murder which they heard. Each has a motive to murder the woman. And then there is Leo the fan / editor who corresponds with the writer and also shows up in the story. Yikes!

 

I'd tell you more about the tale but it's impossible to unpick the tangled web of tale the author crafted. You'll just have to read it for yourself.

Enjoy! 

Desperate Undertaking - Day 6 (August 2022)

 For Day 6 of Bout-of-Books (August 2022),  we're going back in time to the Roman Empire.

“Desperate Undertaking: A Flavia Albia Mystery #10” by Lindsey Davis

Murder in First-Century Rome!

Flavia Albia, adopted daughter of famed informer Marcus Didius Falco, takes on her tenth case as an Informer in Rome. Informer is Roman speak for Private Investigator. Flavia Albia is good at her job. She’s courageous, smart, and street savvy.

As Saturnalia ends, there’s a horrifying murder of the actor Chremes. No sooner is his crucified body discovered, then his wife, Phrygia is also found murdered, her dying words are “The Undertaker did it!”.

Who is this mysterious undertaker if not Suedius the gravedigger?

The murders fit a pattern; they are taken from famous Greek and Roman plays. Chremes and Phrygia’s acting company is in shock. They are all suspects, of course.

Actor Davos and his partner, Thalia ask Flavia Albia to investigate. Their acting company is also threatened by the killer or killers. They are terrified as are all actors in the city.

Flavia Albia teams up with Mucius, lead investigating officer of the VII Cohort of Vigiles, the local policing force. Mucius is experienced as are his officers. Together, Flavia Albia and Mucius interview suspects, study crime scenes and dead bodies, and wrangle with clues as they race to prevent yet another murder based on a play.

The plot is complex, the murderers diabolical, and the clues… they lead to more clues found in the names and themes of plays. Who could be so cruel and twisted?

Lindsey Davis has another hit with “Desperate Undertaking” starring Flavia Albia and her keen detecting skills. The writing is fluid, the murders ingenious, and the culprits are well-disguised.

Flavia Albia’s previous investigation is “Comedy of Terrors” . You might start at the beginning with “The Ides of April.” No matter what, there’s plenty of action and suspense in all of Lindsay Davis’ mysteries.

 

Fifty-Four Pigs - Day 5 (August 2022)

This story is perfect for day 5 of Bout-of-Books (August 2022)

“Fifty-Four Pigs: A Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery” by Philipp Schott 

The perfect mix of animals and mystery. Don't be fooled by the unassuming and fairly plain cover, it's a wonderful mystery.

Philipp Schott, Canadian author and veterinarian, brings readers the next set of mysteries and adventures of Dr. Bannerman in “Fifty-Four Pigs.”

 

Dr. Peter Bannerman loves the cold and snow. Good thing because he lives in Manitoba near Lake Winnipeg, in the town of New Selfoss, where winter temps reach 30 below and a balmy day might be minus 10.

 

Bannerman is the local veterinarian treating both house pets and farm animals. Peter also loves a mystery, a good cup of tea, and watching the sun rise. His dog, Pippin, is an excellent scent hound, winning many local and provincial contests. Pippin can always find “his man” and loves to seek out the objects Peter hides for him.

 

Laura Bannerman, Peter’s wife, knits sweaters, hats, and mittens with amazing designs, and isn’t always keen about Peter’s investigations.

 

Kevin is Laura’s brother and one of the Royal Canadian Mounted Policemen (RCMP) assigned to the area.

 

The story begins when a pig barn explodes killing all fifty-four pigs. The only problem is that there are 55 bodies in the burned-out barn, the extra being human. Who was the extra body? And why was he in the barn? Did he get caught in the blast? And where is Tom, the pigs’ owner?

 

Peter Bannerman investigates much to his brother-in-law’s annoyance. Peter also noses around a shed with displaced pots and some strange disappearances. A second dead body appears, and then the Bannerman home is robbed of a TV, some jewelry, and all the meat in the freezer. At which point, the puzzle becomes so tantalizing Peter must investigate.

 

Yes, Peter finds himself embroiled in a murder mystery he’s bound and determined to solve, not matter the cost.

 

Philipp Schott writes an intriguing mystery filled with suspense and humorous scenes. The winter landscapes will freeze readers no matter the temperatures in their homes. Once you read a Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery, you’ll want to try them all.

 

Want more stories about animals? Try “The Accidental Veterinarian: Tales from a Pet Practice” by Philipp Schott   and, of course, “All Creatures Great and Small” by James Herriot

  and “Doctor Doolittle” by Hugh Lofting, the amazing doctor "who talks to the animals."

 

Innkeeper Chronicles - Day 4 (August 2022)

 For the fourth day of Bout-of-Books (August 2022), I've selected the first book in a fantasy adventure series.

"Clean Sweep: Innkeeper Chronicles 1" Ilona Andrews

After listening to book 3 in audio, I decided to go back to the beginning of the series and see what all the fuss is about.

What a fun series. It's filled with magic, werewolves, vampires, and things that go bump in the night. 

Best of all, this first book provides all the backstory about the Inn, Dina and her powers, and the multi-verse she's living in.

For fun, laughter, and a little fighting, okay a lot, tune into the Innkeeper Chronicles.

You can listen to this book, which is tons of fun since Graphic Audio  produces the audio book with a full-cast and tons of sound effects. Or you can read it and make up your own voices and sounds!

I'm hooked on the series and am just about to read #4.
 

Hotel California - Day 3 (August 2022)

 For Day 3 of Bout-of-Books (Aug 2022), I went with a series of short stories. I'll admit I haven't read them yet but I love the concept.

Hotel California: An Anthology of New Mystery Short Stories is edited by Don Bruns. 

Each author selected a song from the Eagles album and spun a story off the title. The stories may have nothing to do with the lyrics. No matter what, the authors had a good time crafting their stories.

 

You'll find the blurb reads "Eight deliciously talented mystery authors have lent their skills of crafting murder and suspense to this collection of gripping short stories." Now who can resist this anthology?

 

Read more about it here: https://murder-mayhem.com/hotel-california-mystery-anthology

The Texas Job - Day 2 (August 2022)

 It's Day 2 of Bout-of-Books for August 2022 and I'm looking south and into the past.

The Texas Job by Reavis Wortham 

For western and historical fiction lovers alike. 

Reavis Wortham’s latest mystery thriller is “The Texas Job.” In this tale of hard men and gun slingers, you’ll meet Texas Rangers, cold-blooded killers, Oily oil men, crooked bank owners, and Chicago mobsters. 

Meet Texas Range Tom Bell. He’s a WWII veteran, a survivor of numerous gun battles, and already has a reputation as a successful fugitive tracker. Ranger Tom Bell is on the trail of Clete Feras, a killer who won’t think twice about murdering women and children. 

Just as Bell is arriving in Pine Top (in east Texas) on his buckskin, he’s flagged down by young Booker Johnston who stumbled across a dead woman in a dry river bed. Right away there’s a gun fight where Bell wings the shooter who sadly gets away. 

Quinn Walker, recently from Hog Eye, recently married to an oil land rich widow Mallie, has teamed up with Gene Phillips, also recently married. They are deeply involved in a scheme to buy up as much oil land and as many leases as they can. They don’t care about cost or lives.

They’ve hired Clete Feras, via Chicago mobsters, to kill off land owners who resist land sales.   

“The Texas Job” by Reavis Wortham is a ring-side seat in the scandals, swindles, and schemes of oil men of the 1920s and 1930. It’s a time of hard men, the depression, and too much money to be had in black gold. 

Set on the eve of the dustbowl, this gritty piece of historical fiction is a western and mystery rolled into one. Based on real events, it is set a decade after the 1920s oil strikes and land grabs from the lands of the Osage Indians in Oklahoma as described by David Grann in “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI"

I loved the action which included an active investigation, gunfights, and a great car chase (sadly few horses). This one is based on real events of the 1931 Oil Gushers and Oil Boom. Best of all, it's set in a part of the country I don't know at all, East Texas.

I admit I was sucked into Reavis Wortham’s “The Texas Job”. The writing and the characters will stick with you for a long time. As it happens, “The Texas Job” is a backstory or prequel (although it's not identified as such) for Tom Bell’s early career. He’s already a seasoned Texas Ranger when you meet him in The Texas Red River Mysteries which begin with "The Rock Hole”.

I heard this author speak about his mystery / thriller / western and had to read it. It's set in the 1930s Texas during the oil boom. It takes it's theme and crimes from real events that affected the Cherokee and the Osage peoples in 1920s Oklahoma.