A Murder for Miss Hortense

This is the most frustrating book I have not finished. To be fair, I read 200 pages and still could not keep all the characters or the chronology of events straight. This book by Mel Pennant offered a look into the Jamaican diaspora in England and I was looking forward to that. But the dialogue was thick with word usage I didn't recognize and could not altogether figure out from the context. I have absolutely no idea what it means to "cuss your teeth" and she used the phrase dozens of times. Nevertheless, the reviews I found were uniformly positive.

Booklist says, "Pennant's debut is both a gripping mystery and an eye-opening portrait of life for the Jamaicans who immigrated to England as part of the Windrush generation, emphasizing the discrimination and mistreatment they suffered as well as their close community bonds...Pennant perfectly captures the Jamaican patois in this quirky, witty tale with an unconventional cast of characters, a dark edge, and a satisfying ending." Similarly, Library Journal offers this recommendation: "Infused with humor and heartbreak, playwright and screenwriter Pennant's delightful first novel is for readers who enjoy community-based mysteries led by amateur detectives of an older generation..." 

Publishers Weekly offers this summary and positive review: "British playwright Pennant debuts with a lively cozy centered on the indomitable Miss Hortense, a Jamaican nurse who’s been living in Birmingham’s Bigglesweigh neighborhood since 1960. In the decades since Miss Hortense emigrated from Jamaica, she and her friends and neighbors have started an unofficial investigative service to look into local crimes. One case that has remained unsolved is that of “the Brute,” a man who, in 1970, brutally attacked a series of women in Bigglesweigh and left them for dead. Now, in 2000, Miss Hortense’s nemesis, Constance Brown, has turned up dead. Authorities believe she died of a heart attack, but Hortense fears murder. Then the body of a mysterious stranger is placed inside Constance’s house with a Bible verse taped to it, and Miss Hortense becomes convinced that the Beast has returned. Pennant populates Bigglesweigh with colorful, well-drawn characters and strikes an appealing tone halfway between sweet and melancholy. It’s a promising start." 

Kirkus also gushes: "Pennant’s debut mystery is written with a playwright’s deft pen; the scenes are neat, the action direct. What stands out most is the care with which characters are written, in how they move, dress, and—most notably—speak. As a bonus, traditional recipes are peppered throughout with great effect. Surrounded by the smells of turmeric and cinnamon, Hortense does her best thinking while in the kitchen.A memorable cozy with lots of depth." 

Marble Hall Murders

Anthony Horowitz has returned with protagonist Susan Ryeland, book editor, who has just separated from her Greek boyfriend and the hotel on Crete that they ran together. She wants to re-establish herself in the publishing community so reluctantly agrees to take on a project she would just as soon avoid--a continuation of the Atticus Pünd series that she formerly edited for her previous employer. She knows the author, Eliot Crace, who is the grandson of a deceased children's books author. He has been a troubled youth and his marriage hasn't seemed to be the stabilizing force that many had hoped for. It quickly becomes apparent that the book he is now writing is intended to stand in for what he believes was actually the murder of his grandmother. He has captured the series' author's knack for inserting anagrams, tricks and clues in the text of the book and Susan fears he will put himself in danger by pursuing this. "Desperately, Susan tries to prevent Eliot from putting himself in harm's way--but his behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic. Another murder follows . . . and suddenly Susan finds herself to be the number one suspect. Once again, the real and the fictional worlds have become dangerously entangled. And if Susan doesn't solve the mystery of Pünd's Last Case, she could well be its next victim"--" (Library Journal). 

Publishers Weekly open with this praise: "Horowitz dazzles with the brilliant third entry in his Susan Ryeland series..."  (see also Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders), and closes with this: "Horowitz throws down a gauntlet for the reader: will finding the killer in Eliot’s novel, which takes up a solid chunk of this book’s page count, translate to a conviction in the frame story? Horowitz is at the top of his game here, linking past and present in a virtuoso finale worthy of Agatha Christie. Fans will clamor for the sequel." Kirkus also recommends the books suggesting the challenges that readers will find within: "Sharpen your mental pencils. Editor Susan Ryeland is taking on her most baffling mystery-within-a-mystery....Susan’s third metafictional whodunit is Horowitz’s most extended and intricately plotted yet—at least until next year." 

Making the Best of What's Left: When We're Getting Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered

You can tell from the title that 90-something Judith Viorst is not going to take aging altogether seriously, but she does delve into very serious topics and reports what she finds from interviewing dozens of he oldster cohort. Her chapter deal with leaving one's home for a "sensible safe retirement community," with the fact that we are all "losing it," our ardent wishes for a loved someone to "stop being dead," questions about an afterlife, thoughts on happiness and loneliness and the importance of community. A short and easy read that is still thought provoking and definitely worth your time.  

The Huntress

Another historical novel from Kate Quinn. Although the woman in question is the titular killer during WWII, she is not the narrator of any of the three braided stories. We have Jordan, a teen and aspiring photographer who lives with her widowed father. She has suspicions about her father's new love interest Anneliese but she falls in love with the woman's 4-year-old daughter Ruth and her father is so happy again that she keeps her worries to herself. The we have Englishman Ian Graham, a former war correspondent who has seen the worst that humans can do. He now spends his time hunting down Nazi war criminals even though the public taste for punishment has waned. He has a special focus on the Huntress because she killed his younger brother. Finally we have Nina, raised in the wilds of northeastern Russia by a father who drank himself unconscious on a regular basis and, at one point, tried to drown Nina in Lake Baikal. Nina leaves at the earliest possible moment, learns to fly and becomes a member of the Russian women's bomber squadron known at the Night Witches. She was witness to Ian's brother's murder and is the only one who can identify the Huntress. She is technically married to Ian in order to have British citizenship.  Booklist says that the secondary characters: "... from Nina's anti-Stalinist father to Jordan's pilot boyfriend, feel three-dimensional, and the coldhearted Huntress is a complex villain."

Publishers Weekly describes this as an "exciting" and "suspenseful' thriller, although I agree with them that the book was "longer than it needs to be." I would much rather the author had chosen to focus on a single strand or maybe two, and the shifting perspectives--although clearly labeled in the chapter headings--were disruptive. Still, as Library Journal concludes, "A great choice for historical fiction fans, particularly of World War II-set novels, mystery readers, or anyone seeking well-crafted stories in which good triumphs over evil." Kirkus notes "That Jordan’s suspicions are so easily allayed strains credulity, especially since the reader is almost immediately aware that Anneliese is the Huntress in disguise. The suspense lies in how long it’s going to take Ian and company to track her down and what the impact will be on Jordan and Ruth when they do. Well-researched and vivid segments are interspersed detailing Nina’s backstory as one of Russia’s sizable force of female combat pilots ..., establishing her as a fierce yet vulnerable antecedent to Lisbeth Salander. Quinn’s language is evocative of the period, and her characters are good literary company.

Dead Money

What a twisty techno thriller from Jakob Kerr. Even the title contributes to the subtrefuge. There are deceptions within deceptions. Publishers Weekly offers this summary and review:

"Kerr puts his background as a lawyer and tech executive to good use in his impressively unpredictable debut. Mackenzie Clyde, an attorney from humble beginnings, now works as an investigator for Hammersmith, one of San Francisco's hottest venture capital firms. When Trevor Canon, head of tech startup Journy, is discovered dead in his office and the SFPD fail to make headway on the case, the founder of Hammersmith--whose firm made a $5 billion investment in Journy--uses his influence to bring in the FBI. Mackenzie joins FBI agent Jameson Danner, the son of a U.S. senator, in leading the investigation, and the pair soon discovers that, before Trevor's death, he inserted a clause into his will freezing his assets (including Hammersmith's investment) until his murderer is caught. It gradually becomes clear that only a Journy executive would have had the access necessary to kill Trevor, but each one has an airtight alibi--except for the chief technology officer, who's just disappeared. After setting the stage for a standard, albeit glitzy, murder mystery, Kerr takes the narrative on a series of hairpin turns before arriving at a jaw-dropping finale. "

Booklist says of Kerr's character development of the female protagonist, "flashbacks take the reader through Mackenzie's past. She is a confident rebel, and these vignettes show just how far she'll go to get what she wants. Kerr's writing in the main story is fast paced and straightforward; it's in the flashbacks where the story shines, giving the reader insight into Mackenzie's character." Kirkus opens their review by saying, "Tech insider Kerr’s twisty, propulsive debut explores Silicon Valley’s dark side through the eyes of a wily outsider heroine." They go on to conclude, "This surprising nesting doll of a thriller, in which no one is who they appear to be, layers one story inside another within another...Kerr has created one of the most memorable female thriller protagonists in recent years. Striking not only because of her unusually tall height, the independent Mackenzie is determined to control her destiny in a male-dominated industry. A sharply observed portrait of the tech world and the role ambitious women play in it."

The Diamond Eye

 Another great historical novel from Kate Quinn featuring a strong female protagonist. Here is the summary and review from Publishers Weekly:

"Quinn ... draws on a historical female sharpshooter from WWII in her exciting latest. In 1937, Mila Pavlichenko studies history at Kiev University and raises her five-year-old son, Slavka. She's estranged from her husband, Alexei, a surgeon whom she met when she was 15. When the Germans invade Russia, Mila, who's already trained at a marksmanship school, enlists in the army, is assigned sniper duty, and earns the nickname "Lady Death" for her high number of kills. In battle, Mila is steadfast about completing her missions with her partner, Kostia, and also finds time to write letters to Slavka. In 1942, Soviet leaders send Mila with a delegation to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Roosevelt in a bid to seek American support... Mila unexpectedly develops a friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt, but faces a threat from a misogynistic male marksman who sends her threatening notes. Quinn humanizes Mila by showing how she and Kostia use humor--along with a healthy amount of vodka--to cope with their risk-taking, and she convinces with her description of Eleanor's political savvy and influence on the president. Historical fiction fans will be riveted. " 

Library Journal also praises with these additional observations: "There's so much packed into this book, from subtle, complex characters who grow and change throughout to lessons about this the real history behind the book. The relationships build an emotionally engaging foundation as tension builds on battlefields and danger tracks Mila in Washington. Quinn (The Rose Code) specializes in centering strong women; each of her books exceeds expectations set by the previous title." Booklist calls the book "thrilling" and concludes, "Recommend it to... all lovers of smart historical fiction....[Quinn's] inspiration for the hero of this powerful WWII tale, a librarian-turned-military-sniper, will appeal to an even greater audience."