The Black Tower is a detective novel in the Inspector Dalgleish series (the 5th of 14). P. D. James is one of the best crime fiction writers and all of her books feature careful craftsmanship of the plot, character development, and original stories. I have read most of the books over the years. I found this one to be slow and a little lackluster, … Continue reading →
When the Music’s Over is the 23rd book in the Inspector Banks series, a crime/mystery novel by Peter Robinson. Inspector Alan Banks and his team investigate two cases – a murder of a 14 year old girl and a cold case of the rape of a teenager by a famous celebrity. As the background to each case unfolds, the detectives find strong evidence of the … Continue reading →
Exiles was a book I tried to read once and put it down, then made a second attempt and enjoyed it a lot. It is the third book in the Aaron Falk series, all set in different areas of South Australia. Although Falk is with the police, his job follows financial crime in Melbourne. When he visits friends in a small town, the mystery of … Continue reading →
Force of Nature is a thriller/mystery novel written by Jane Harper, the second in the Aaron Falk series, set in Australia. Five women set out on a four day corporate retreat backpacking into the remote Giralang Range, but only four return. A search is started and the police question the women and anyone else associated with the missing Alice Russell. Their stories are not consistent … Continue reading →
The Survivors is a mystery novel written in 2020 by Jane Harper. It takes place in Evelyn Bay, a small town in Tasmania. The lead character Kieran, with his partner Mia and their infant daughter return to support his parents. Everyone knows everyone else, so they soon meet their childhood friends, Ash, Olivia, and others. There had been a tragedy more than … Continue reading →
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first book of ten in the Flavia de Luce mystery series by Alan Bradley. This was the author’s first book, going on to win the Debut Golden Dagger Award. He wrote the first chapter and a summary and from his proposal, he managed to get a contract to publish the book. The story is … Continue reading →
P.D. James has been called “the Queen of Crime” a title celebrating a life writing top-notch crime/mystery/police procedural novels (30 in total). Her books feature well-developed characters and carefully plotted mysteries. Her most famous series – Inspector Dalgleish – follows his career solving crimes from his start as a detective to his time as Superintendent, 14 books, and also a TV series. I have … Continue reading →
A World of Curiosities in the 18th book in the Inspector Gamache series by Canadian author Louise Penny. It is a police procedural crime novel, but there are many layers and intriguing developments throughout the story, completed by a thriller ending. The tale begins with several back-stories. The main story is an early Gamache case in which a prostitute is killed and her two kids are … Continue reading →
The Mysterious Affair at Styles was Agatha Christie’s first book. She wrote in on a dare in 1916 and tried to get it published, unsuccessfully until 1919. It was then releases in serial format with 18 parts. It was not published as a full book until 1920. In the book we are first introduced to Hastings, the narrator of the story and to the Belgian detective … Continue reading →
The Cadfael stories are medieval mysteries set in England in the mid 12th century. Brother Cadfael, a Benedictine Welsh monk, is the central character. Before entering the life of a monk in his 40s he was a soldier and a sailor, lived in Palestine, had relationships with several women, and had a wide range of experiences from his travels. When he entered the monastery and became … Continue reading →
