The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale

Read: 16 March, 2012

The Road Hill House murder shocked Victorian England. The crime itself was brutal, of course, but what really shook the foundation of Victorian assumptions about social class and safety was that the murder took place in an otherwise ordinary middle class household and that the murder was evidently one of its inmates.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher follows the investigation of the murder and its aftermath, focusing on the lives of the Kent family and on Mr. Whicher, the detective, himself.

Summerscale does an amazing job of contextualising the murder and its aftermath. While she does go a little overboard in painting the Road Hill murder as the catalyst for change in Victorian society, she does at least make her argument rather convincing. Her writing style is approachable even for those unfamiliar with the era, and her frequent mentions of books and historical figures added extra fun to the reading for me because it brought back so many of my lessons from when I studied Victorian literature in university.

I highly recommend Mr. Whicher if you have an interest in the Victorian era, issues surrounding the interaction of law enforcement and privacy, or simply enjoy mysteries and want a little more background on real life detectives.

Buy The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher on Amazon.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Read: 2006

Rachel Verinder has inherited a priceless diamond from her uncle, a corrupt and misliked British officer who had been stationed in India when he died. But shortly after she wears it for the first time, the diamond goes missing from her bedroom. A search for the missing diamond, and for its thief, ensues.

The Moonstone is the progenitor of the modern detective novel. It is, as T.S. Eliot described, "the first, the longest, and the best of modern English detective novels." This isn't, of course, your average poolside detective fic. The Moonstone is filled with social commentary (some of it truly hilarious, such as Drusilla Clack reverse thievery of religious tracts). Collins's treatment of Hindus is years ahead of its time.

The novel is memorable. Franklin Blake's mad rant about the objective versus the subjective is still oft quoted in this household. Highly recommended for fans of Victorian literature who also enjoy a good whodunnit.

Amelia Peabody Mysteries #18: The Serpent on the Crown by Elizabeth Peters

Read: 20 January, 2012

Every good detective needs a special trait. Adrian Monk has OCD, Nero Wolfe is overweight, Gilbert Cunningham takes place in Medieval Scotland... Peters' Amelia Peabody is an Egyptologist working in the late 19th - early 20th century.

I've long been something of an amateur Egyptology aficionado (and, in fact, was set on a career in the field for years before the insecurity of puberty put me off any "hard" careers), so I was quite excited to give this mystery series a try. Also, I like to start series at the beginning, but I picked this but up at a sale so I thought I'd give it a try anyway.

In this adventure, a widow and well-known author presents Peabody&co with a "cursed" statuette and claims that a mysterious black afrit killed her husband and is coming after her.

The mystery was fairly blah. The detectives do very little detecting; instead, they spend 2/3 of the novel having things happen to them, and then the culprits confess everything. In the final chapter, it's revealed that Peabody had everything figured out much earlier, but she gave no indication of this at the time.

And, frankly, it's not like the detectives didn't have the chance to do some real detecting - they just sucked at it. For example, two of Peabody's party spend days trying to track down fugitives before they even think of the possibility that the fugitives might not be using their real names!

The writing  form was also rather confusing. Some sections were titled "From Manuscript H," but no indication was given as to what this might refer to. I suppose it's possible that this was established in an earlier book, but it was rather weird, especially since there were no other section titles. Peters also made the odd choice of switching back and forth between first person and third, without any real reason for the choice.

All in all, I'd say that this is a fine detective story for a poolside read, but it's not worth seeking out.

Gothic Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell

Read: 26 February, 2010

I've always loved horror stories, and I fell in love with Elizabeth Gaskell in University. So when I saw that Penguin had a collection of Gaskell's Gothic short stories, I knew I had to buy it immediately.

And it did not disappoint!

Gothic Tales is a collection of stories ranging from "wonder stories" to horror. While not of the same calibre as her novels, these are none-the-less the products of a master storyteller.

I'd say that this collection is definitely a 'must have' for fans of Gaskell, Victorian literature, or the Gothic genre.

Knights Templar Mysteries #21: The Death Ship of Dartmouth by Michael Jecks

Read: August, 2009

Amidst political turmoil, a man has been found dead in the road and a ghost ship has been found at sea. Meanwhile, the rebel Roger Mortimer has been sending out spies, threatening civil war.

I read this rather quickly while on holidays and the details were quickly forgotten. But I do remember quite enjoying it, despite being a little disconcerted by all the rape (and there truly is a lot of rape!).

Death Ship is a solid mystery with strong characters, and the historical fiction aspect is well executed. The violence, particularly against women, is realistic without being gratuitous.

All in all, a well-written novel and an excellent addition to any historical mystery collection.

No Man's Land by G.M. Ford

Read: 11 August, 2010

It's impossible to escape from Mesa Azul. But, like the majority of stories that open in an impossible-to-escape prison, this is the story of the one person who escaped from it. Well, the three people, actually. Timothy Driver takes fellow inmate Kehoe and author Frank Corso along with him.

I read this last year and had to hurry through it so I could return it before boarding a plane,  so my memory is woefully spotty. I do remember enjoying it, as I do most detective novels, although the fact that I remember very little is perhaps an indication that this one didn't have have that special humph to convince my brain that it was worth remembering.

The story is filled with quirky characters with backstories. I was particularly interested in the journalist who helped create an alternate world Amber Alert after her daughter was killed. The idea of grief mixed in with her desire for public attention was messy and interesting.

I'd say that this is a perfectly good mystery story for fans of that sort of thing.

Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs

Read: 8 August, 2010

I enjoy the show Bones, so I was quite happy to find one of the novels while visiting a friend's summer cottage.

I was struck by the many and profound differences between the show and the book. For one thing, novel Tempe Brennan has a daughter. She's also not the asocial, abrasive nerd we see in the TV series.

There isn't too much to say about Bare Bones. It was a fairly standard detective story, fantastic light reading while sitting out on a lake. The forensic anthropology aspect was interesting, as investigator gimmicks do tend to be. That the stories are written by someone who is actually in the field adds a certain verisimilitude to the story that lifts it above the standard fare.

Overall, I'd say it was an interesting story, solidly written, and perfect for any detective novel enthusiast to take on a plane.

Gil & Alys Cunningham Mystery #3: The Merchant's Mark by Pat McIntosh

Read: 10 December, 2010

Gil Cunningham is eagerly awaiting a shipment of books. But when the barrel that was supposed to contain literature turns out to have a human head floating in brine instead, he and his companions become enmeshed in yet another mystery.

Another great addition to the series!

There's a bit more supernatural stuff (a ghost this time), but it's still manageable in quantity.

I like that Gil's station changes between the books. Each book is an isolated mystery, of course, but the character development is continuous throughout the series. I've really enjoyed watching Gil's relationship with Alys grow and change - which it does in a delightfully realistic and sensible way - as well as their accumulation of companions - first a baby, then a dog. I look forward to reading the next books in the series!

Gil & Alys Cunningham Mystery #2: The Nicholas Feast by Pat McIntosh

Read: 3 December, 2010

Soon after the events in Harper's Quine, Gil Cunningham participates in his old university's Nicholas Feast. But during the day, a young student is found dead. Because of his success in catching the killer in Harper's Quine, Gil is asked to solve this murder as well. Joined by his love, Alys, and her father, he immerses himself in politics and espionage to find justice for a student no one seems to have liked.

I bought this book, along with the next two in the series, as soon as I had finished the first one, but I didn't read it for quite a while. In my silliness, I loved Harper's Quine so much that I was afraid of burning through the series too fast!

This was an excellent addition to the series! Once again, the mystery was interesting, and I love the relationship between Gil and Alys (not to mention Alys's father). I'm not a fan of the supernatural element (the titular Quine from the last novel seems to be psychic - although like most psychics, his pronouncements are vague enough to be of absolutely no use), but it's low-key enough that it can be easily ignored. Besides, the rest of the story more than makes up for it.

Maigret et le marchand de vin by Georges Simenon

Read: 21 July, 2009

According to my dear ol' mum, bless her French book-reading heart, there's an entire series of Maigret detective novels. For my own part, I've only encountered this one, so I'll have to take her word for it. In this episode, the owner of a wine distribution company has been murdered and Jules Maigret is called in to investigate.

Le marchand de vin is rather different from many of the detective novels I usually read. For one thing, it's an actual detective novel - in that the person doing the investigating is a detective in the police force. This introduces a rather different dynamic than I'm accustomed to. My detectives are usually sucked in to a mystery, often reluctantly, and half the story is trying find some way to convince the authorities to serve justice. But here, Maigret has the benefit of the authorities being on his side, but he's also constrained by this. There are rules to follow, and tactics that are simply off-limits.

I enjoyed how dependent this novel was on conversation. The focus was very little on the discovery of clues, but rather on the interactions between Maigret and his various witnesses and suspects. The whole book reads more like a play than anything else. As a result, character development is emphasized, but also somewhat more subtle. We're rarely told what characters are feeling, but are left to guess based on their verbal responses. This is fairly common in French literature, but I read so little of it that it made for a refreshing change.

As far as the mystery itself goes, it's fairly run-of-the-mill. It's written from a local's perspective, so it doesn't have the charm of otherness that Daphne du Maurier's Don't Look Now had, for example. Maigret is not especially "quirky" like Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe. In other words, there's no gimmick to the story. It's just a plain detective story, albeit of a higher calibre than most. It's well worth the read for fans of the genre, if only for exposure to how good an ordinary detective without some extraordinary selling feature can be.

Gaius Ruso mystery #4: Caveat Emptor by Ruth Downie

Read: 22 June, 2011

A pregnant Iceni woman, a descendent of the fearsome Boudica, bursts into Britain's procurator's office claiming that her husband has been murdered and did not steal the tax money. Ruso, freshly back from Gaul and in need of work - any work - takes on the job of investigator. What he uncovers exposes the delicate peace between Rome and even the most "civilized" British tribes.

The Ruso series is written in a fairly straightforward and often humorous style. Ruso's (and occasionally Tilla's) commentary is injected into the narrative to give the series a sort of deadpan comedic element that is just so very British. But despite its similarity to other series, such as Ellis Peters's Cadfael, Caveat Emptor lacks much of the innocence. There is a hopelessness to the series, a reminder that justice is not always served and that desired outcomes are not always possible.

Caveat Emptor is similar enough to the rest of the series to satisfy the fan, while different enough to stand on its own merits. Downie has proven that she is not to be a "one hit wonder," and is more than capable of creating a sustainable series.

The mystery itself is good enough, but the best part of Downie's work is the characterisations. Main characters, like Ruso and Tilla (and even Valens) are complex and distinctive, likeable despite their many flaws. Side characters are similar enough to archetypes to be recognizable, but they provide a lovely illusion of unexplored depth.

This is another great addition to the series and I look forward to reading the next one!

Gil & Alys Cunningham Mystery #1: The Harper's Quine by Pat McIntosh

Read: 11 September, 2010

I think that anyone who pays some attention to my reviews here would easily be able to guess that I love mysteries and I love historical fiction. So when I came across Harper's Quine as a book that offers both, I had to buy it. But, as is so often the case, it sat on my shelf next to a whole lot of other unread books as I tried mightily to catch my reading rate up to my shopping rate.

Finally, finally, it was time to give Harper's Quine a turn, and I immediately regretted that I had waited so long!

Gil Cunningham is expected to enter the priesthood. But when he becomes mixed in with a murder investigation, he is led to meet the lovely Alys, his future becomes rather less than certain.

I really enjoyed this books for quite a few reasons. The biggest is that the mystery is solvable by the reader - pay attention while Gil gathers clues, and it's possible to figure out the murder rather early on. It's a little frustrating to see Gil continue to stumble about in ignorance, but it's immensely satisfying to be proven correct at the end. These are my favourite sort of mysteries!

Another aspect I really enjoyed was the relationship with Alys. Alys is an active participant in the mystery solving. She's smart, capable, and contributes a lot to the detective work. But at the same time, this doesn't feel anachronistic. Unlike Rowland's Uechi Reiko, Alys is not a modern feminist trapped in the past. She's a strong woman, but she's still plausible. And, as a woman, she has many responsibilities. While her father and lover are out having great adventures, she must remain mindful of her household and its need to be continuously managed.And she can't just "do it all" - there are times when she can't get to a particular task that's relevant to the mystery because she is occupied with being the lady of the house.

If I had to look for a flaw, it would be with the fate of the baddie. I've complained about this before, I know, but I find it rather distasteful when the baddie(s) meets with a gruesome end. I understand that it's supposed to be cathartic, or some such nonsense, but it just strikes me as barbaric. A simple hanging, while only slightly less brutal, would at least have the benefit of being that age's expression of justice.

But leaving that aside, this was a truly remarkable book, a rare gem. I can't recommend it highly enough to anyone who is a fan of mysteries and/or historical fiction!

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Read: 19 September, 2010

I bought the book because I kept seeing it everywhere and I thought - why not? Then it sat on my shelf for a long time as I read other books on my reading list that were a higher priority.

When my dad came to visit, he was looking over my bookshelves and saw that I had The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I admitted that I hadn't read it yet, and he told me that I absolutely must. Well, with an endorsement like that, how could I refuse?

I say this because it tainted much of my experience of the book. When I got to the anal rape scene, for example, all I kept thinking about was my dad reading it... and liking it. Yes, I know, the book is excellent and I'm sure that my father's endorsement was not predicated on a predilection for anal rape. Still, though, it made reading about anal rape even more uncomfortable that it is normally.

Not that I normally read about anal rape...

But apart from all that, this was an amazing book. It's a mystery - a disgraced journalist is hired by a wealthy businessman to solve the 40-year-old murder of his niece. But it's far more than that. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a statement about misogyny and violence towards women. In one way or another, each of the book's plots and subplots hinge on hatred towards women. Larsson strikes that very delicate balance between making his point without being it. Again and again, he shows us violence against women, but he never allows it to normalize. It's as horrific the last time as it is the first.

And boy, is it ever horrific! The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was an extremely uncomfortable book to read. Larsson takes society's dirty little secrets and shoves them right in the reader's face with unrelenting force. But the writing is so masterfully executed that I found myself unable to put the book down, even while my head and stomach both were reeling.

When my dad was making his pitch for the book, he said that it's incredibly long, but that the style is so accessible that he was able to finish it in under a week. It took me only a couple of days. It takes a while to get into, introducing the vast network of characters slowly, and it might be easy to give up within the first couple dozen pages. But stick with it, the payoff is well worth the wait.

Black Man by Richard Morgan

Read: 5 June, 2010

Black Man (or Thirteen, as it's known in the US) envisions a future in which genetically modified super-soldiers have come and gone. Carl Marsalis is a 'Variant Thirteen' whose escaped persecution by becoming persecutor, his job is to use his enhanced abilities to hunt down others like himself.

It was an interesting book with a rather frightening image of the future. For one thing, the US has been split apart by ideology, with a vast portion fenced off and backwards, an anti-technology society referred to as 'Jesusland.' The hints dropped throughout the book about how this future came about are frighteningly plausible.

Given the subject matter, it should come as no surprise that the book contains quite a bit of graphic violence. It did verge on the gratuitous at times, but it fights with the context. Thirteens are hated and excluded from society precisely because of their psychopathic violent tendencies.

I've read that the name was changed in the US to avoid the more racially-charged title. It's a shame, because the fact that Carl Marsalis is black plays a fairly important role in the story. The whole idea of the 'Variant Thirteen,' people who are seen as not quite people, echoes back to the rhetoric we've so often heard in the context of race. To censor the title, eliminating the big neon sign pointing at the analogy of the book, doesn't avoid racism. Rather, it just hides it - and it's questionable just how much use not talking about a problem can have in fixing it.

All in all, a solid future-fiction with a good plot and an excellent premise.

Gaius Ruso mystery #3: Persona Non Grata by Ruth Downie

Read: 4 October, 2009

When Gaius Petreius Ruso receives a strange letter from his brother, he has no choice but to return to Gaul. Once there, however, he discovers that he has been tricked and he's about to find out just how dangerous "civilization" can be.

We've seen quite a bit of Roman-occupied Britain, but now we get a glimpse of Ruso in his own environment; and this presents its own whole set of dangers. Once again, Downie is able to stay faithful to everything I love about the series without making it seem like just another replica.

I was a bit concerned when Christianity was introduced to the story, as Tilla spends time with Christian slaves. Books with Christian subplots so often devolve into apologetics either for or against the religion. I was practically holding my breath through the whole novel! But Downie manages to handle it with great finesse, simply including it as she does other historical details, and remains blessedly non-partisan.

Gaius Ruso mystery #2: Terra Incognita by Ruth Downie

Read: 2 July, 2009

Britannia's Twentieth Legion is heading north, to the very edges of civilization, and taking Gaius Petreius Ruso and his slave, Tilla, along with it. As in Medicus, he soon finds himself pulled into a murder investigation. Only this time, Tilla may be connected.

Terra Incognita is a wonderful sequel, capturing much of what made Medicus such a great novel while simultaneously finding its own unique value. As with the first book in the series, the murder comes almost secondary to the comedy and drama of the characters as Ruso and Tilla explore their growing relationship.

One of my favourite things about this series is how well Downie is able to balance making the characters true to life and yet also ridiculous. It's that subtle, deadpan British humour - and Ruso certainly does come off as the proto-typical old school Brit!

Funny, interesting, and  suspenseful, all at the same time!

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

Read: 20 December, 2009

Will Graham is tracking down the Red Dragon killer, but he needs a little help to get into the mind of the beast. It is Hannibal Lecter, a serial killer, who provides Graham with the dues he needs to solve the case. But Lecter has his own motivations, and Graham must outwit him if he's ever to catch the Red Dragon.

This was an interesting story with some pretty good suspense. However, after having seen the movie, I found the character of Hannibal Lecter to be somewhat lacking. Anthony Hopkins was able to give Lecter an almost god-like presence, and to appear simultaneously enticing and frightening. His dialogue, his expression, everything about movie-Lecter made him the perfect monster. By comparison, book-Lecter seemed only half-developed. It was really quite disappointing, especially since the book format offers so much more opportunity for character development.

But the book was quite good, and it's certainly an easy read. Certainly, a great choice for beach reading now that the summer is here.

Mistress of the Art of Death #4: A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin

Read: 24 June, 2010

Adelia Aguilar has been enjoying a simple life with her daughter and friends, but King Henry II has come for her again. This time, he needs her to accompany his sister, Joanna, to Sicily. To ensure that Adelia returns when the task is completed, he keeps her daughter in England as a hostage. As the procession makes its way, strange things start to happen and Adelia is suspected of witchcraft.

There isn't much to say about this that hasn't been said for the last three books. If you've enjoyed the last three, you'll enjoy this one too.

Mistress of the Art of Death #3: Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin

Read: 21 November, 2009

Two bodies have been found in Glastonbury, and King Henry II sends Adelia Aguilar to confirm that the two mysterious skeletons belong to King Arthur and his lady Guinevere. If Henry can prove once and for all that Arthur is nothing more than a pile of bones, it will crush the Celt rebellion for good.

But things are never quite so simple. What should have been just a short trip to identify some remains quickly turns into a life or death struggle for Adelia and her companions.

Grave Goods is another excellent addition to the Mistress of the Art of Death series. Adelia is still something of a Mary Sue, but the plot is so interesting that this is quickly forgotten.

Throughout the series, I've been particularly impressed with the portrayal of Henry II. It certainly isn't one that I'd seen before.

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

Read: 6 February, 2011

Jordan Scott is a Lost Boy. As a teen, he was expelled from his polygamous community after being caught holding hands with one of his step-sisters. Now, he's just received news that his mother has been arrested for his father's murder. Thus starts an exposé of polygamy in Mormonism, both in the 19th century and today.

I found the historical fiction portions of this book very interesting. Ebershoff mingled the present-day mystery with "historical documents" to compare a modern day 19th wife to Brigham Young's famous 19th, Ann Eliza Young. What makes this technique so interesting is that the author will frequently re-write actual documents - for example, he writes several fictional chapters of Ann Eliza's real Wife No. 19. It's a weird approach that both adds a great deal of verisimilitude and makes it difficult to separate those parts of the novel that are fact from those that are fiction.

The modern portions of the novel were appropriately gritty - lending realism without being gratuitous. I particularly liked the choice of making the main character gay (and pursuing a relationship) without it being necessary for the plot. I hope to see more novels with gay main characters without the novel itself being about a gay main character.

When I had finished reading the novel, I was curious as to how Mormons have reacted to the less-than-flattering portrayal of the early LDS church, not to mention the sensitivity of mentioning Mormonism in the same context as polygamy. So I took myself to the chat feature on Mormon.org.

Unfortunately, the missionary I was assigned (a lovely young man named Tim) was not aware of the novel (and doesn't "really discuss books very often with friends either"). I would like to pursue the question a bit further and perhaps try my luck at another time, but so far my sample of one seems to indicate that the Mormon boat hasn't been rocked too deeply by The 19th Wife.

EDIT 1: Attempt #2 got me Nicole, who assured me that Ebershoff's book is "not accurate at all unfortunately," but not to worry because "the Book of Mormon is 100% accurate!" Hoorah!

Unfortunately, she didn't acknowledge my follow-up questions about whether she had, personally, read The 19th Wife or if her impression was just from what had been discussed in her community. Rather, she wanted to know if I had heard of the Book of Mormon, if I knew what it was, if I was planning to read it, yadda yadda. And so my search continues...

EDIT 2: Attempts #3-4 got me Sloane and Emily, neither of whom had heard of the novel. I officially give up...