Ming Tea Murder

I really love this "Tea Shop Mystery" series by Laura Childs. They are like English cozies set in modern day Charleston, S. Carolina. Childs does such a wonderful job of creating the atmosphere of the city, which operates in many ways like a village with gossip and deceit and...of course, murder most foul. This time  the murder occurs at the museum where Theodosia's boyfriend Max is the Publicity Director. It is an invitation only gala to celebrate the museum's purchase of a genuine Chinese tea house from Shanghai, which was purchased in large part through the donations of one particular board member, Roger Webster. He is also the murder victim. In between trying to solve the murder and run her tea shop, Theo is also running in a 5K with her mixed breed dog, Earl Grey, taking over the chairwoman's duties a big Halloween party in the historic district to help out the victim's widow, Charlotte, and setting up a booth at the charity craft market to help out the local service dog organization. Oh, yes and tea shop is hosting several themed "tea's" to celebrate the Halloween holidays and a funeral luncheon.
To complicate matters even more, Max gets fired from his job--the sleazy museum director needs a scapegoat, apparently. On the other hand, perhaps those who seem to be in Max's camp aren't exactly to be trusted either.
Lots of tasty meals are served up at Indigo Tea Shop, all accompanied by tasty tea's, with recipes offered at the end of the book. These books are such a treat on so many levels, and there are a hefty number of them to choose from...this is the 16th in the series! See also my posts on Blood Orange Brewing and Oolong Dead.

Two for Sorrow

This is actually the 3rd in the Josephine Tey series by Nicola Upson, but our library let me down by not having the 2nd in the series, Angel with Two Faces. I am having a bit of a time trying to figure out how to use my iPad mini to write and post this blog, but here goes. BTW there is already a post for the first book by Upson, An Expert in Murder.
Josephine is back in London staying quietly at her professional women's club, The Cowdray, while she does research for a new book based on the true life criminals Amelia Sach and Annie Walters. Nicola Upson has done her research on the crimes and has her writer protagonist do the same.  There are a few "draft" chapters of the book interspersed with chapters in which the characters are developed and the plot moved forward. In the book,  Josephine is able to actually interview some people who were involved in various ways with the two women before they were executed in 1903 and, it turns out, she actually went to school with the daughter of Amelia Sach without having known it at the time. In fact, the book relies perhaps a bit too much on several of the characters having connections to the crime Josephine is writing about and so bringing the old crimes and the new ones together. People have changed their identities to protect themselves from the harassment that followed publicity about the murders of babies and the eventual double hanging of the two women. And there are some other surprises about who people really are.
Friend Archie gets involved initially because there have been some minor thefts and some poison pen letters sent to members of the Cowdray Club. But then, one of the seamstresses working for the Motley sisters is murdered in a most gruesome fashion and the message sent by the method suggests she was talking too much. She had also been a former petty thief jailed at the same place the baby farmers had been imprisoned, Holloway Gaol. The Motley sisters have agreed to outfit the Board of the Cowdray Club for a benefit gala so they move into the club to complete the final work, having been barred from the site of the murder, their work rooms.
There are developments along a romantic line as well. Marta resurfaces with a surprising revelation and Archie is pushed into saying things that also rock the boat for Josephine. The characters in these books are complex and there are not necessarily happy endings or tidy solutions to the problems presented by messy human relationships. But they are very well wrought, capturing the essence of post WWI London, and I will undoubtedly finish out the series.

Breaking Blue

Author Timothy Egan is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and has also written several prize-winning non-fiction books, as well as several works of fiction. He will be the first author to visit Bend as part of the library's "Author! Author!" series. Here he provides a narrative account of an investigation into the oldest open murder case in the state of Washington, that of Newport town marshall George Conniff, which took place in 1935. The current Sheriff of Pend Oreille county, Tony Bamonte, while writing a history of the county's law enforcement for his master's thesis, uncovers evidence about Conniff's murder by black-market butter thieves that suggests Spokane policemen were involved, and covered up for the killers.
When Bamonte sought their help with his investigation into the cold case, Spokane PD were non-responsive and uncooperative; they wanted nothing to do with a "do-gooder" cop who is willing to go against the brotherhood (even though he was investigating the death of a law enforcement officer) and bring bad publicity to the Spokane police department in the process. But Tony is dogged and tracks down the few remaining witnesses, the murderer himself, and--amazingly--the lethal weapon, which had been thrown into the Spokane River over 50 years ago. His obsession brings closure to the children of George Conniff, even though he fails to get an indictment against the murderer, former Spokane detective Clyde Ralstin. However, it costs him his marriage of 25 years, and his job.
Evocative descriptions of Depression-era Spokane and eastern Washington, and of the dying towns of more current day eastern Washington as the mining, timber, and cement industries fade away.  This is true crime clothed in a readable story that fleshes out characters, motives and settings. If you enjoy the work of Erik Larson, are a true crime aficionado and/ or are a local history buff, you will enjoy this book. Additional reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, New York Times.

The Interior

This is the 2nd of the "Red Princess" mystery series by author Lisa See, who will be coming to Bend as part of the Deschutes Public Library "Author! Author!" program. See also my blog on the first book in the series, Flower Net. Hulan is pregnant with David's child but keeping it secret from everyone in China, or so she thinks, and she is finding continual excuses not to join David in LA. She is continuing her work at the Ministry of Public Security but the cases have become routine and boring. She receives a letter from a woman who worked with her on the Red Soil Farm in the interior when Hulan was a teen and full of revolutionary fervor. Ling Suchee's daughter, Miaoshan, has died, apparently having hung herself. Suchee is sure this is murder and asks Hulan to investigate; after taking a leave from work and going to the poor farm of Suchee, Hulan is inclined to agree. She cannot get the authorities to investigate further, so she decides to go undercover at the nearby factory of American toy manufacturer, Knight International, where Miaoshan had worked.
She calls David as she is leaving Beijing and asks if he can find out anything about Knight International and David taps a former colleague at Phillips, MacKenzie & Stout. Keith seems nervous about David's questions; apparently he has been handling the purchase of Knight International for one of the law firm's major corporate clients, Tartan Industries. As they are walking out of the restaurant after dinner, shots are fired at David and Keith is run down by a car and killed. David assumes he was the target of another Triad attempt to kill him, and that Keith was an innocent victim, but the reverse turns out to be the case. David's old law firm asks him to come back and handle their Chinese clients, including finishing the purchase process for Knight/ Tartan. This would allow David to be with Hulan and he jumps at the chance.
Hulan uncovers horrendous working conditions in the factory, well hidden from the owner and any visitors. Children are working assembly jobs, dangerous machinery regularly causes injuries (Hulan herself is injured her first day on the line), and--if gossip is to be believed--those who are seriously injured disappear permanently. Still the women (all the factory assembly and packing jobs are held by females) put up with it because it is the only way to earn money and, therefore, any independence in this poor rural area of the country.
As David and Hulan eventually join forces, a 2nd murder near Suchee's farm occurs and now Hulan believes the two young people's deaths are not connected to the factory after all. But David is sure murder, bribery and other crimes have happened there, and he is determined to bring the perpetrators to justice. It very nearly costs them both their lives, as a fire, set by the killers, consumes the factory. This book raises disturbing questions about our own country's hypocrisy around labor abuses in China, politically at home, and on the ground in China. As before, a fascinating picture of modern China struggling to free itself from years of bloody and repressive history and take its place in the modern world.

Heresy: An Historical Thriller

This historical mystery by S. J. Parris (nom de plume of Stephanie Merritt) is based on the life of Giordano Bruno, an Italian philosopher who left his life as a Dominican monk and fled the Inquisition, who wanted to question him for his views on the structure of the universe. He followed the ideas of Copernicus that the earth was NOT the center of the universe, but rather moved around the sun; further, Bruno believed that the sun was only one of many such possible universes.
In this novel, Bruno has worked his way through Europe and come under the patronage of the French king, Henri III. Having arrived in London in 1583 as a guest of the French ambassador, he is on his way to Oxford for a philosophical "disputation," when he is solicited by Walsingham, Elizabeth's head of security, to become a spy. Walsingham seeks to root out plots against the queen by the Catholics and feels that Bruno, as a former Catholic, can get close to those who continue to practice "the old religion" in secret. Oxford is supposedly a hotbed of such activities and indeed that is the case, as Bruno eventually discovers. He is treated with suspicion as a foreigner, and with outright disdain for his philosophical views by his hosts at Lincoln College. When one of the college Fellows is attacked by a starved hunting dog in a locked garden, Bruno would pursue an inquiry into murder. But the college rector, Underhill, dependent upon the continued patronage of the Earl of Leicester and others for survival, will protect the college's reputation at any cost. Someone slips a description of a martyr's demise under Bruno's door, suggesting the death was indeed murder, but Bruno is thwarted by the administrators of the college. It is not until a 2nd murder of a college Fellow occurs, again in a manner mirroring the death of a famous martyr, that the Rector seeks Bruno's help. By the time one of the students is murdered, Bruno has had his own life threatened and gathered enough information to send his conclusions to his friend, the poet Philip Sidney (nephew of the Earl), and set off to rescue two young people he feels are next on the list of the murderer. But he finds surprises instead of victims and he himself is captured again and look set to meet his end.
There are some fairly graphic descriptions of the torturous deaths of those captured and convicted of crimes, so this is not for the faint of heart. The cruelty of man, acting on behalf of their religious beliefs, always leaves me shaking my head. But then, people can be cruel for any number of reasons.
The book well captures the flavor of the times, when constant intrigue and violence surrounded the struggle for the English throne. The plot moves along and Parris has drawn reasonably complex characters. This is the first of what is, so far, a series of 4 books with Bruno as protagonist. Presumably they cannot continue for an indefinite time as he was burned at the stake by the Inquisition in 1600.

An Expert in Murder

I originally encountered this author, Nicola Upson, in a book catalog and--for a change--decided to check it out from the library instead of buying it. But I may change my mind as I quite like this initial outing and there are several more in the series. In the world between the wars (WWI and WWII) life is getting back to normal in London, and the protagonist, ostensibly the popular author Josephine Tey, has been surprised by the success of the stage production based on her story of Richard II. On the train to London from Scotland, Tey is gently accosted by a fan of the play, Elspeth Simmons, and Tey is charmed by the young woman's enthusiasm and lack of pretensions. Elspeth has recently found love, someone who shares her passion for the theatre, and he has tickets for the best seats in the house during this final week of performances. When Elspeth is brutally murdered, clues left at the scene suggest to Scotland Yard's Inspector Archie Penrose that perhaps Josephine herself was the intended target. When a 2nd murder occurs within two days, this time of the play's producer, Archie is sure that the play is the key. However, the real solution comes only from learning about the victims--one a total innocent and the other, a keeper of secrets--and how the past has carried forward to the present. This is a complex but tightly plotted storyline with scads of colorful characters associated with the theatre world of London's West End. Josephine is friends with the costumers for the play, the Motleys, and is staying in their flat just across the road from the New Theatre, where "Richard of Bordeaux" is being performed. The somewhat cynical and very practical Archie is cousin to these successful and flamboyant sisters. Josephine has also become friends with the leading actress and so is familiar with the other performers, who have secrets and rivalries that drive their relationships and behavior. If you like historical mysteries and have any interest in the theatre, this is an easy one to recommend. The credibility of Upson's description of this world is bolstered by her interviews of actual cast members, including Sir John Gielgud. Written in a style reminiscent of writers from Britain's "Golden Age" --Christie, Marsh, Sayers.  A more in-depth review is here from The Guardian. A bit of history about the "real" Josephine Tey, a pseudonym for Elizabeth Mackintosh, is provided by Upson here.

Nightbird

Alice Hoffman writes books for tweens as well as for older ages, and this one has themes of magic,  friendship,  loyalty, and even a bit of suspense--enough to engage the adult reader as well as any teen. I love the opening quote on the book jacket because it feels so true in my own life. "Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, the world surprises you."
In the tiny town of Sidwell, set in the Berkshires, there are rumors of a monster that flies. Twig (formally known as Teresa Jane) Fowler fears these rumors because they are based on a very well-kept secret...the existence of a brother who has wings. Two hundred years ago, a love affair had tragically gone wrong, and the men in the Fowler family (hmmm, was there a pun intended here??) have been cursed ever since to have wings. Now the former home of the jilted lover, Mourning Dover Cottage --just across the orchard from Twig's home-- is being renovated and re-occupied by descendants of the very witch who cursed them. Daughter Julia wants to be friends, and of course Twig initially resists as she has resisted all contact with outsiders, in order to protect her brother James. But then Julia's older sister, Agate, sees James fly at night and they meet and fall in love. Is the tragedy to be re-enacted or can Julia and Twig find a way to end the curse? Even if they can reverse the spell, can James ever be content to be earth-bound now that he has soared with the birds?
This story has several side stories connected to various characters, which are all woven into a seamless whole with lots of intrigue and lovely settings. There is the town archivist, Miss Larch, who is Twig's source of information and solace. There is the ornithologist friend of Miss Larch, who is studying the rare black saw-whet owls that reside in the woods around Sidwell. There is the mysterious graffiti artist leaving messages around town descrying the possible destruction of those woods. Of course there is Twig and Jame's tragic mother who makes the world's best apple pie from the unique pink apples that grow only in Sidwell. There is a mysterious thief who takes everything from brea to quilts. There is a new owner of the local newspaper who might be Twig's supporter and seems to take an interest in Twig's mom. And then there is the absent father, left behind in New York, with no explanation offered. Lovely review in the New York Times offers more detail.