Tag: British

British, Mystery, Short Stories

The Man in Black by Elly Griffiths

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Elly Griffiths has always written short stories to experiment with different voices and genres as well as to explore what some of her fictional creations such as Ruth Galloway, Harbinder Kaur, and Max Mephisto might have done outside of the novels. The Man in Black gathers these bite-sized tales all together in one splendid volume. There are ghost stories, cozy mysteries, tales of psychological suspense, and poignant vignettes of love and loss.

In the title story, Ruth Galloway crosses paths with a mysterious man in a bookstore, setting in motion a rescue mission that hinges on the legends and lore of Norfolk. Looking into the past, a young magician in 1920s Leeds wonders just what happened to his missing landlady in “Max Mephisto and the Disappearing Act.” In “Justice Jones and the Etherphone,” a witty girl detective investigates the dire prediction of a fortune teller in dreary postwar London. A flashback in time reveals Harbinder Kaur as a Detective Sergeant surviving her first day on the job at Shoreham DCI. To celebrate the holidays, Ruth gets her very first Christmas tree, and her beloved cat narrates his own seasonal story in “Flint’s Fireside Tale.”

The Man in Black illustrates the breadth and variety of Elly Griffiths’s talent for blood-chilling, page-turning stories all with her trademark humor and heart. 

My Thoughts

I’m not sure exactly what I expected in this short story collection from Elly Griffiths, but I found an absolute treasure of a reading experience. This book is filled with lovely vignettes, some featuring characters well-known to Griffiths’ fans and others completely new.

I got the sense that some of these were written as exercises as she was planning out some of her books because many felt like there was more to the story. The inclusion of local folklore was especially interesting (a favorite is the St. Lucia Day story). All of the disparate parts come together smoothly in a collection of stories that feels like a hug from the author. Fans of Griffiths work will certainly enjoy this one.

Publication Date: October 15, 2024
Published By: Mariner Books
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

British, Fantasy, Ghosties, Historical, Libraries, Magical, Mystery, Suspense, Victorian, Women

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is book one in New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston’s new, magic-infused series about Hecate Cavendish, an eccentric and feisty young woman who can see ghosts.

England, 1881. Hereford cathedral stands sentinel over the city, keeping its secrets, holding long forgotten souls in its stony embrace. Hecate Cavendish speeds through the cobbled streets on her bicycle, skirts hitched daringly high, heading for her new life as Assistant Librarian. But this is no ordinary collection of books. The cathedral houses an ancient chained library, wisdom guarded for centuries, mysteries and stories locked onto its worn, humble shelves. The most prized artifact, however, is the medieval world map which hangs next to Hecate’s desk. Little does she know how much the curious people and mythical creatures depicted on it will come to mean to her. Nor does she suspect that there are lost souls waiting for her in the haunted cathedral. Some will become her dearest friends. Some will seek her help in finding peace. Others will put her in great peril, and, as she quickly learns, threaten the lives of everyone she loves.

My Thoughts

Brackston’s latest appears to be the first in what promises to be an exciting series. While I’ve seen some reviewers complain about the end being unsatisfying, I found it quite the opposite – for me the end is a sort of gentle cliffhanger. No, the singular villain has not been revealed but that only serves to make me anticipate the future adventures of Miss Cavendish. And that definitely doesn’t mean that there’s a lack of a satisfying climax – in fact there are two very compelling scenes that lead to the end.

My previous reading of Brackston’s books led me to expect a slow burn of a story, and that’s what I experienced here. The story moves along at a gentle pace as Hecate navigates her new position as Assistant Librarian along with managing her mother’s ambition that she conform to society’s expectations of a young woman. Once the action starts, though, watch out. You’ll be turning pages as fast as you can read.

As a librarian, I connected right away with Hecate’s love of her new work. I enjoyed reading about her work and reveled in her discoveries. Additionally, I was delighted to find that the Hereford Mappa Mundi really exists and spent an enjoyable hour or so reading about it and exploring its images online.

This reader is definitely looking forward to more Hecate Cavendish.

Publication Date: July 23, 2024
Published By: St. Martin’s Press
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

British, Cozy, Mystery

The Pyramid Murders by Fiona Veitch Smith

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

A night at the museum, a dead body and a trail to Cairo. Sounds like a case for Miss Clara Vale!

1930: Miss Clara Vale, chemistry major turned detective, is taking a night off from sleuthing to attend the launch party of a new exhibition at the Hancock Museum in Newcastle. But when the piece de resistance, a rare ornate sarcophagus, is finally opened and it turns out the mummy inside it is a fake it looks like there is no rest for Clara after all…

Later that night, she is summoned back to the museum and asked to investigate a series of stolen Egyptian artefacts. Using her scientific and forensic prowess, Clara, with her trusted assistant Bella in tow, embarks on a trail that will lead from Newcastle to London and along the river Nile to Cairo.

But she is not the only person hunting for stolen antiquities and when she uncovers an international smuggling ring with a penchant for murder, it becomes clear that Clara’s own life is in danger too.

Can Clara catch the smugglers before they get away with another murder among the pyramids?

My Thoughts

The Pyramid Murders is a delightful cozy mystery that will appeal to readers who enjoy smart and sassy protagonists, interesting and not too complicated plots, and a whole lot of FUN! This is the second I’ve read in the Clara Vale series and I am coming to really like the elegant and determined heiress-chemist-turned-private-investigator.

Here, there is the added element of Egyptology – mummies, sarcophagi, digs in the desert, and maps to secret chambers housing untold treasures. Pair that with some sneaky antagonists and lots of madcap adventures and you have one of the most entertaining cozies coming out this summer.

Well done!

Publication Date: June 13, 2024
Published By: Embla Books
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

British, Historical, Magical, Mystery, New Releases, Romance, Suspense, Time Slip

The Murderer Inside the Mirror by Sarah Rayne

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Another day, another grand scheme! The thieving Fitzglen family are back in this second instalment of the spellbinding Theatre of Thieves gothic mystery series set in Victorian England.

London, 1908. The Fitzglens, one of London’s leading theatre families and part-time thieves, are plotting their next scheme when they receive terrible news about Great Uncle Montague. He’s been killed in a tragic accident at his Notting Hill home.

Montague will be much missed, not just for his talent in art forgery, but his death provides an unlooked-for opportunity: the chance to search for his infamous iron box. No one knows what it contains – if, that is, it even exists – but Jack Fitzglen is certain it has to be something highly valuable . . . or extremely dangerous. Why else would the grand master of storytelling have refused to even drop a hint?

Jack is amazed when he finds the box – and even more amazed by its contents. An unknown play by one of Ireland’s leading playwrights, entitled The Murderer Inside the Mirror. Jack reads the first few pages, and is struck by a nameless feeling of dread. But even he has no idea what kind of dangerous adventure the manuscript will take him on – one which will tangle him in revenge, madness . . . and murder.

This unsettling gothic historical mystery, following Chalice of Darkness, will appeal to fans of Daphne du Maurier, Laura Purcell, Rebecca James, Sarah Waters and Stuart Turton.

My Thoughts

Sarah Rayne rarely disappoints and in The Murderer Inside the Mirror she has delivered another tense, clever, and engaging mystery featuring the Fitzglens, one of her series families.

Rayne is exceptionally skilled at telling stories that alternate time periods and/or have some sort of time travel or past life connection. Here, the Fitzglen clan of actors and thieves find themselves embroiled in a mystery surrounding a previously-unknown play written by a well-known author which disappears as mysteriously as it was found. The search for the manuscript reveals a complicated web of scandal, betrayal, and love spanning centuries.

Rayne’s books are always well written and this is no exception. The plot will keep readers engaged, and will appeal to fans of mysteries, romance, and history. If you’re new to this author, check out her earlier series. All are terrific reads.

Publication Date: June 4, 2024
Published By: Severn House
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

British, Mystery

What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce, along with her pestilent younger cousin, investigates the murder of a former public hangman and uncovers a secret that brings the greatest shock of her life.

Flavia de Luce has taken on the mentorship of her odious moon-faced cousin Undine, who has come to live at Buckshaw following the death of her mother. Undine’s main talent, aside from cultivating disgusting habits, seems to be raising Flavia’s hackles, although in her best moments she shows potential for trespassing, trickery, and other assorted mayhem.

When Major Greyleigh, a local recluse and former hangman, is found dead after a breakfast of poisonous mushrooms, suspicion falls on the de Luce family’s longtime cook, Mrs. Mullet. After all, wasn’t it she who’d picked the mushrooms, cooked the omelet, and served it to Greyleigh moments before his death? “I have to admit,” says Flavia, an expert in the chemical nature of poisons, “that I’d been praying to God for a jolly good old-fashioned mushroom poisoning. Not that I wanted anyone to die, but why give a girl a gift such as mine without giving her the opportunity to use it?”

But Flavia knows the beloved Mrs. Mullet is innocent. Together with Dogger, estate gardener and partner-in-crime, and the obnoxious Undine, Flavia sets out to find the real killer and clear Mrs. Mullet’s good name. Little does she know that following the case’s twists and turns will lead her to a most surprising discovery—one with the power to upend her entire life.

My Thoughts

I was surprised and thrilled to find this new Flavia DeLuce book because I thought the author was finished with the series. I am so glad Mr. Bradley had this story to tell because it is a shocker! Flavia is older here – 14 and worrying that she’s “becoming a woman.” This opens up the opportunity for growth with the character, who has developed from a precocious, brilliant child to a young woman coming into her own power. And what power it is! There are some loose ends tied up here and even more information on the mysterious Nide, culminating in one of the best mic-drop endings I’ve read.

Flavia’s relationships are stretched here, with the odious Undine playing a greater role in Flavia’s life. Bradley’s writing is saucy and eloquent as usual, although the murder plot seemed to be a vehicle used to guide Flavia through some startling revelations about her family and her place in Bishops’ Lacy as mistress of Buckshaw. Flavia’s odd relationship with Inspector Hewitt seemed less important here, but still something she values.

If Bradley has a few more Flavia books to write, this reader will eagerly devour them.

Publication Date: September 3, 2024
Published By: Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Bantam
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

British, Detective, Mystery, Suspense

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

As New York Times bestseller Ann Cleeves’s beloved Vera series explodes in popularity in print and on TV, this stunning eleventh book explores the web of secrets surrounding a young man’s death.

The man’s body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker in the park outside Rosebank, a home for troubled teens in the coastal village of Longwater. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous night but never showed up.

DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death, with her only clue being the disappearance of one of the home’s residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. Vera can’t bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can’t dismiss the possibility.

Vera, Joe and new team member Rosie Bell, are soon embroiled in the case, and when a second connected body is found near the Three Dark Wives monument in the wilds of the Northumberland countryside, superstition and folklore begin to collide with fact. Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, and the dark secrets in their community that may be far more dangerous than she could have ever believed possible.

My Thoughts

When an author gets to a certain number of titles in a series, the stories often get stale and the character development stalls. Not so with the latest entry in Ann Cleeves’ Vera Stanhope series. Here we find Vera and the team trying to recover from the horrific ending of the previous book, with Vera thinking more about her future and the people in it.

In past stories, Vera is often portrayed as a hard, unyielding, no-nonsense detective who can turn empathy and sympathy on and off when needed. In Dark Wives, we see a softer side of Vera as she encounters a murder outside a carehome for teens and gets an insight into that world.

As usual, the mystery is well paced and well-developed, with great characters, narrative, and dialog. Cleeves truly is one of the best writers of her generation. We see a softer, humbled Vera here who is grappling with grief she never expected, and that underlayment to the story drives everything forward to a very satisfying end.

Well done.

Publication Date: August 27, 2024
Published By: St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

British, Cozy, Family, Mystery

The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

In this “irresistible, immersive, and completely unputdownable” (Ellery Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author) debut novel, a former antique hunter investigates a suspicious death at an isolated English manor, embroiling her in the high-stakes world of tracking stolen artifacts.

What antique would you kill for?

Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.

Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But not all is as it seems. It’s clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions, and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing. What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved? More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?

My Thoughts

When I was a reference librarian, I adored Miller’s Guide to Antiques, so when I learned the author of this delightful mystery is part of the Miller family, it was a bonus reading experience!

Miller has delivered a clever mystery featuring two endearing and super-smart characters in Carole and Freya. The author does an excellent job with dialog, description, plotting and pacing although I admit I got a little irritated with the numerous references in the early chapters to the dirty deed done to Freya in Cairo. Just tell us what it was, for goodness sake! (I am an impatient reader sometimes!)

The deeper I got into the book, the more engrossed I became because the mysterious elements abounded! Observant readers will figure out at least two of the villains early on, but that won’t detract from the sheer pleasure of this delightful book. I hope this becomes a series with Carole and Freya going on all sorts of adventures.

Nicely done.

Publication Date: February 6, 2024
Published By: Atria Books
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

British, Historical, Magical Realism, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Women

The White Hare by Jane Johnson

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

In the far west of Cornwall lies the White Valley, which cuts deeply through bluebell woods down to the sea at White Cove. The valley has a long and bloody history, laced with folklore, and in it sits a house above the beach that has lain neglected since the war. It comes with a reputation and a strange atmosphere, which is why mother and daughter Magdalena and Mila manage to acquire it so cheaply in the fateful summer of 1954.

Magda has grand plans to restore the house to its former glory as a venue for glittering parties, where the rich and celebrated gathered for cocktails and for bracing walks along the coast. Her grown daughter, Mila, just wants to escape the scandal in her past and make a safe and happy home for her little girl, Janey, a solitary, precocious child blessed with a vivid imagination, much of which she pours into stories about her magical plush toy, Rabbit.

But Janey’s rabbit isn’t the only magical being around. Legend has it that an enchanted white hare may be seen running through the woods. Is it an ill omen or a blessing? As Mila, her mother, and her young daughter adjust to life in this mysterious place, they will have to reckon with their own pasts and with the secrets that have been haunting the White Valley for decades.

My Thoughts

This story has all the things that captivate me in a book: magical realism, plenty of folklore, colorful characters, secrets from the past, and complicated family relationships.

In addition, Johnson is an accomplished writer, equally skilled at narrative description, character and plot development, dialog, and scene setting. There are so many wonderful scenes in this book that I keep going back to re-read parts long after I finished reading.

There is a nice balance of good and evil presented here, both between Mila and her mother, who harbors a horrifying secret from her own past, and between Jack and the Vicar who are bound by an equally horrifying experience from their past.

Johnson capably moves the story along through Mila and Janey, who act as the fulcrum for resolution of both storylines. I was reminded of Eve Chase’s work as I was reading, but also of Kate Morton, M.J. Rose, and Kate Mosse.

Highly recommended.

For fans of Alice Hoffman and Kate Morton, The White Hare is a spellbinding novel about mothers and daughters finding a new home for themselves, the secrets they try to bury, and the local legends that may change their lives.

Publication Date: October 2022
Published By: Simon & Schuster

British, Cozy, Ghosties, Mystery

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

A fast-paced and hilarious debut crime novel, in which a burnt-out Millennial medium must utilize her ability to see ghosts and team-up with a band of oddball investigators to figure out which member(s) of a posh English family are guilty of murder.

“This book has bags of humor, bags of heart, and a proper murder mystery at its core.” —Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal

Almost-authentic medium Claire and her best friend, Sophie, agree to take on a seemingly simple job at a crumbling old manor in the English countryside: performing a seance for the family matriarch’s 80th birthday. The pair have been friends since before Sophie went missing when they were seventeen. Everyone else is convinced Sophie simply ran away, but Claire knows the truth. Claire knows Sophie was murdered because Sophie has been haunting her ever since.

Despite this traumatic past, Claire and Sophie are still unprepared for what they encounter when they arrive at the manor: a ghost, tragic and unrecognizable, and clearly the spirit of someone killed in a rage at the previous year’s party. Given her obsession with crime shows—not to mention Sophie’s ability to walk through walls—Claire decides they’re the best people to solve the case. And with the help of the only obviously not-guilty members of their host family—sexy ex-policeman Sebastian and far-too-cool non-binary teen Alex—they launch an investigation into which of last year’s guests never escaped the manor’s grounds.

What follows is somewhat irregular detective work involving stealing a priest’s cassock, getting too drunk to remember to question your suspect, and of course, Chekhov’s sparkly purple dildo. As Claire desperately tries to keep a lid on the shameful secret that would definitely alienate her new friends, the gang must race against their own incompetence to find the murderer before the murderer finds them.

My Thoughts

This was an absolute delight to read!

A protagonist and her “familiar” ghost and who will appeal to young readers as well as seasoned mystery fans like me, plus lightly disguised caricatures of the typical upper class English family (including a daughter named Figgy, a brother named Basher, and a mother named Clemmy) blend together to create a sassy and clever mystery.

Fans of cozy British mysteries that include a bit of the supernatural will gravitate to this one. I’ll be recommending this as part of my “31 Days of Halloween” reading list.

Publication Date: September 5, 2023
Published By: Vintage Anchor
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

British, Detective, Mystery

Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie Hannah

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

The world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot—legendary star of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile—puts his little grey cells to work solving a baffling Christmas mystery.

It’s December 19, 1931. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are looking forward to a much-needed, restful Christmas holiday, when they are called upon to investigate the murder of a man in a Norfolk hospital ward. Cynthia Catchpool, Edward’s mother, insists that Poirot stay with her in a crumbling mansion by the coast, so that they can all be together for the festive period while he solves the case.

As Poirot digs into the mystery, he discovers that the murdered man was a retired post office master, and by all accounts very well-liked. The local constabulary’s investigation failed to uncover how someone could have entered a hospital room and killed him under the noses of the staff. Cynthia’s friend Arnold is soon to be admitted to that same hospital, and his wife is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to explain why.

With no obvious motive or suspect, Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent more murders, if he is to escape from this nightmare scenario and get home in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, someone else—someone utterly ruthless—also has ideas about what ought to happen to Hercule Poirot…

My Thoughts

I’ve been hit or miss with the Sophie Hannah Poirot/Catchpool series. I enjoy Hannah’s writing but I have found past entries in the series to be a bit muddled with convoluted plots and way too many characters. They’ve all been salvaged by Hannah’s brilliant writing, though.

While I found a bit of both in this newest, there was something about this story that kept me reading. I have come to appreciate the relationship between Poirot and Catchpool, and in this instance, Catchpool’s overbearing mother adds an interesting and maddening wrinkle.

The end result is that this twisty mystery takes some careful reading to keep everything straight, but it’s worth it. Fans of the series will enjoy it and I will be recommending it to mystery fans.

Publication Date: October 24, 2023
Published By: William Morrow
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy