A Cry in the Night by Carolyn Hart (book review)

A Cry in the Night
Author:  Carolyn Hart
Published:  December 2013 (in paperback)
Publisher:  The Berkley Publishing Group
Pages:  246
ISBN 9780425269909
Format:  Mass Market Paperback
Genre:  mystery/romantic mystery
Source:  I own it.

From the national bestselling author of  Dead, White, and Blue and Ghost Gone Wild  comes a mystery of intrigue and danger in the world of international art theft.  Egyptologist Sheila Ramsay develops a newfound interest in MesoAmerican affairs after meeting an outspoken—and attractive—Mexico City curator, a harsh critic of museums that deal in stolen art. And her own museum gives her the perfect opportunity to see him again: a valuable Aztec manuscript needs to be returned to its rightful owners, the wealthy Ortega family.  

But things don’t go as planned for Sheila south of the border. An anonymous note threatens her with death if she remains in Mexico City. The curator she longed to see treats her with contempt. And the Ortegas are as mysterious as they are charming. What Sheila has stumbled into is much bigger—and more deadly—than she ever dreamed. And amid the splendor of Mexico’s ancient ruins and treacherous hillsides, Sheila will realize that there’s no one she can trust.

My Thoughts

"The first time I saw him, he was furious." 

A group comprised of museum staff had gathered for a lecture Museum Responsibility in the Art Trade given by Jeremiah Elliot, a visiting curator from Mexico City.  His anger is evident as he lectures and admonishes about procuring artifacts with dubious backgrounds.  The tension was palpable in the room, to say the least.

Following the lecture, though, Sheila and Jeremiah seem to hit it off and decide to do some sightseeing on the spur of the moment. Sheila finds herself attracted to him and is taken in by his change in demeanour.  So when the opportunity to travel to Mexico to return an artifact to a family in Mexico City is posted at the museum, Sheila volunteers, hoping she will find Jeremiah again.

Upon arrival in Mexico City, Sheila's senses are heightened when she spots a man watching her.  A letter of warning to return home, a scream in the night, and shots aimed at her should have sent her home but she is apparently very stubborn and determined. That's the makings of a good sleuth, right?  Sheila sets out to discover why someone wants her dead and what secrets the Ortega family is hiding.

Carolyn Hart is one of my absolute favourite mystery writers and I adore her Death on Demand series.  Cry in the Night is one of Ms Hart's stand alone novels that could be classified as romantic suspense or romantic mystery considering the plot has a strong thread of romance strung throughout the mystery.  Well written and designed, Cry in the Night is a fast clean read with an ending that will appeal to the romantics out there. While I really enjoyed this foyer into Hart's works that lie beyond her addictive series of Death on Demand and Henrie O, I rather prefer them to this novel.  Perhaps because I know the characters, but I thinks it's more like Hart invested more of herself in the series.  Cry in the Night is a good read nonetheless, especially if you enjoy travelling, archeology, art, mystery and a love story to boot.

Meet the Author

An accomplished master of mystery, Carolyn Hart is the author of fifty novels of mystery and suspense.  Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards.  One of the founders of Sisters in Crime, Hart lives in Oklahoma City where she enjoys mysteries, walking in the park, and cats.  She and her husband Phil serve as staff - cat owners will understand - to an orange tabby and brother and sister tables.  Visit her website at carolynhart.com.

The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott (book review)

The Christie Curse
A Book Collector Mystery
Author:  Victoria Abbott
Published:  2013
Publisher:  Penguin Group (USA)
Pages:  296 (includes recipes)
Genre:  Mystery/cozy mystery
Edition:  mass market paperback
ISBN 9780425255285

In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared—making headlines across the world—only to show up eleven days later at a spa under an assumed name. During those eleven days, did she have time to write a play?

Jordan Kelly needs a new job and a new place to live. She’s back in Harrison Falls, New York, living with her not so law-abiding uncles, in debt thanks to a credit card–stealing ex and pending grad school loans.

Enter the perfect job, a research position that includes room and board, which will allow her to spend her days hunting down rare mysteries for an avid book collector. There’s just one problem: her employer, Vera Van Alst—the most hated citizen of Harrison Falls.

Jordan’s first assignment is to track down a rumored Agatha Christie play. It seems easy enough, but Jordan soon finds out that her predecessor was killed while looking for it, and there is still someone out there willing to murder to keep the play out of Vera’s hands. Jordan’s new job is good…but is it worth her life?

My Thoughts:

It would seem the infamous play, it's very being in doubt, is a curse upon whomever seeks it.  Jordan's predecessor, while in New York seeking information about the possibility of a never before published Christie play, was pushed to his death in the subway.  This only makes Jordan more cautious as she investigates the whereabouts of a play that no one can ascertain even exists.  It's a rumour based upon the disappearance of mystery author Agatha Christie for a short period in 1926 when her first marriage ended.  Perhaps she spent her time at a spa?  Or, perhaps she spent her time in seclusion, writing a play.  No one knew for sure but conjecture would have it she was writing. This is the basis for the mystery The Christie Curse.

Jordan is hired to find it and her investigations soon become dangerous to anyone associated with her search.  Two attempts are made on a possible source's life and a woman is beaten. Everywhere Jordan turns, Officer Smiley is not far behind.  Everyone is suspicious to Jordan and it is uncertain who her enemies really are.  The search has become a matter of life and death.

Victoria Abbot is actually a mother and daughter writing duo.  The Christie Curse is the first in the new Book Collector series.  It is an excellent example of a cozy mystery with enough suspects to keep you guessing.  Like Jordan, I had brushed off the real assailant until it was too late.  Suspicion had been cast on a few others who had good cause or were just shady enough to be possible.  The characterization was plausible, scenarios wrought with suspense, and the plot twisted just enough to put me off.

For me this was a timely read as Sophie Hannah just released The Monogram Murders, a Hercule Poirot mystery and the Christie name is all the buzz right now.  The Christie Curse title caught my eye in the bookstore and the writing begs me to come back for more.  The Sayers Swindle is the second book in the series and I will be searching it out.  I'd love to collect them all.

Meet the author(s) of The Christie Curse

Victoria Abbott is a collaboration between the always very funny and creative artist, photographer and short story author, Victoria Maffini and her mother, Mary Jane Maffini, award-winning author of three mystery series and two dozen short stories. Mary Jane's two miniature dachshunds are understandably outraged that a pug and some Siamese cats have wiggled their way into the series, and now a pug has weasled her way into Victoria's home.  The indignity of it all.

Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand - the first mystery novel in the famous series

Death on Demand
Author:  Carolyn Hart
Publisher:  A Bantam Crime Line Book, Bantam Books, a division of Random House 
Published: original publication date:  1987
Pages:  213, though the numbering ends at 195 pages.  Includes meet the author and an introduction to Mint Julep Murder.
Genre:  Mystery
Source:  I own this book.

There are 77 authors' names dropped throughout this cozy mystery, some more than once.  See the author's website for complete list.

At Annie Laurence's Death On Demand bookstore on Broward's Rock Island, South Carolina, murder most foul suddenly isn't confined to the well-stocked shelves.  Author Elliot Morgan's abrupt demise  during a weekly gathering of famous mystery writers called the Sunday Night Regulars is proof positive that a bloody sword is sometimes mightier than a brilliant pen.

Who Could Plot a Murder Better Than a Mystery Writer

With Annie in the unenviable position of primary police suspect, the pretty young mystery maven and her wealthy paramour, Max Darling, embark on an investigation into a classic locked-room mystery with high stakes.  For failing to unmask a brutal and ingenious killer could mean prison for Ms. Laurence.  While success could mean her death.

My Thoughts:

I love these Death on Demand mysteries so much that I decided to start them from the very beginning which is where Death on Demand begins.  We are introduced to Annie Laurence who owns a bookstore which sells mysteries and to her "friend" Max Darling.  Their relationship gets much more serious in later books but for now they are deniably involved.

During a Sunday evening meeting of the local mystery authors, a black out occurs and when Annie manages to get the lights back on, Elliot is dead.  The store is locked and everyone is still present when the light returns.  When the police are called in, Annie becomes prime suspect because she had financial motive and could have had opportunity.  Being the proprietor of Death on Demand has put Annie in the sight lines of the local police who fail to see anyone else as possible suspects.  It is up to Annie and Max to clear her name but can they before the chief arrests her?

I hadn't before read this debut in the series and am thrilled to see that the plotting and characterization I know Carolyn Hart for is just as strong in the first of the series as it is in the rest.  I had an inkling of suspicion about the killer but those thoughts were put away time and again as new evidence was introduced and I was happily surprised at the end.  

Next to Agatha Christie, Carolyn Hart is my favourite mystery author.  Her writing is witty, entertaining and suspenseful.  A clever and winning combination.  The Death on Demand series is hard to put down and highly addictive.  I'm so grateful Ms. Hart is prolific!!

http://www.carolynhart.com

Death on Demand series is available at your local bookstore and on Amazon.  Check it out!

Meet the author:

Hart is a native of Oklahoma City, a Phi Beta Kappa journalism graduate of the University of Oklahoma, and a former president of Sisters in Crime. She is also a member of Authors Guild, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, the International Crime Writers Association, the International Thrillers Association, and the American Crime Writers League. She taught professional writing in the University of Oklahoma School of Journalism from 1982-85. She is the author of 49 mysteries, winner of three Agatha Awards for Best Novel, two Anthonys and two Macavitys. (from the author's website)

Murder With Ganache: A Key West Food Critic Mystery by Lucy Burdette

Murder With Ganache

Author: Lucy Burdette

Published:  February 2014

Publisher:  Penguin Group

Format:  Mass market paperback

Pages: 308, including recipes

Source:  a complimentary copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Hayley Snow, the food critic for Key Zest magazine, has her plate heaped high with restaurant reviews, doughnut and sticky bun tastings, and an article on the Hemingway cats.  But this week she's also in charge of her best friend's wedding.  And then someone adds a side of murder....

For better or worse, Hayley has agreed to bake more than two hundred cupcakes for her friend Connie's wedding while still meeting her writing deadlines.  The last thing she needs is family drama.  But her parents come barreling down the island like a category-three hurricane, and on their first night in town, her stepbrother, Rory, disappears into the spring break party scene in Key West.

When Hayley hears that two teenagers have stolen a Jet Ski, she sets aside her oven mitts and goes in search of Rory.  She finds him, barely conscious, but his female companion isn't so lucky.  Now Hayley has to let the cupcakes cool and assemble the sprinkles of clues to clear her stepbrother's name -- before someone else gets iced.

My thoughts:

Ruined delicious lime cupcakes turn out to be the least of Hayley's problems when family comes to Key West for the wedding of her best friend Connie.  On the night of their arrival, Rory, Hayley's step-brother, disappears and is found unconscious on the deck of a dilapidated sailboat.  Later, the girl he was photographed with the first evening in Key West is found strangled in the water.  Is Rory guilty of her murder or are they both victims?  Determined to find the truth behind the mystery, Hayley sets out to uncover the events of that fateful evening.

Murder With Ganache is an enjoyable cozy mystery that, had I the chance, could be read in a day. Family drama, broken hearts, greed, and evil all reside in the beautiful backdrop of Key West where Lucy Burdette's (aka Roberta Isleib) protagonist Hayley Snow's deadlines are not only those of the Key Zest magazine.  

The author integrates delectable foods (one reason why I love foodie mysteries - good recipe ideas!) with a mystery involving runaway teens and treasure hunters with palatable results.  Murder With Ganache is the fourth in the Key West Food Critic Mysteries series.  This novel can be read as a stand-alone but once you've read it I'm sure you'll want to go back and read the others preceding.  I'm definitely trying the Chocolate Bars with Chocolate Ganache Frosting and the Strawberry Cream Pie with Chocolate Graham Crust looks divine for a summer dessert shared with a special someone.  Are you drooling yet?

Meet the author:

Lucy Burdette, aka Roberta Isleib, writes the Key West food critic mysteries including MURDER WITH GANACHE  www.lucyburdette.com

Biography

Lucy Burdette is the author of the Key West food critic mysteries. As Roberta Isleib, she has also written the golf lovers mysteries and the advice column mysteries. She is a clinical psychologist whose books and stories have been nominated for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She is a past president of Sisters in Crime.

Description

Lucy Burdette's mysteries star food critic Hayley Snow, scrumptious food, and the tropical island paradise of Key West. The books are AN APPETITE FOR MURDER, DEATH IN FOUR COURSES, and TOPPED CHEF, with MURDER WITH GANACHE to follow in February 2014.

http://www.lucyburdette.com
http://twitter.com/lucyburdette

Dead White and Blue - new Carolyn Hart novel coming May 2013

The following is an excerpt from the Carolyn Hart newsletter I received today.  I am so excited for a new Death on Demand mystery!!!  Three new titles will be released this year and six early books will once again be in print.

New: DEAD WHITE AND BLUE
the 23rd Death on Demand title, May 2013

Annie Darling looks forward being in Max's arms at a July 4th dance, but her pleasure in the evening is marred by obviously strained relations among some of the revelers. A hot young second wife taunts both her husband and the woman he dumped, dances with a middleaged man who looks terrified, toys with the affections of another woman's husband, talks to someone in a dark shadow as the fireworks begins. She is last seen walking into the pines.

Within a few days, a stepdaughter asks Max to help find her. Annie, too, begins to look and soon it is apparent that she hasn't been seen since the night of the dance. Did she sail away on a millionaire's yacht? Or did she never leave the island?

Annie and Max follow clues, unravel the odd incidents that plagued the country club the night of the dance, and finally believe they know who committed murder, but this killer may be too clever to catch.
 

Other New Releases

February 2013: Once again in print: THE DEVEREAUX LEGACY, romantic suspense,
March 2013:  A SETTLING OF ACCOUNTS, suspense thriller
June 2013: ESCAPE FROM PARIS, WWII novel
July 2013: NO EASY ANSWERS, suspense
August 2013: BRAVE HEARTS, WWII novel
September 2013: DANGER; HIGH EXPLOSIVES!, suspense
October 2013: GHOST GONE WILD, the 4th Bailey Ruth Ghost title
December 2013: CRY IN THE NIGHT, the first print edition of a never-before-published thriller. December

The thrillers and suspense novels are harder-edged and faster-paced and I think will introduce you to a Carolyn Hart you've never known.

There's more information about these and other books on my website:www.CarolynHart.com

All Carolyn Hart books are available from your favorite bookseller

Amazon.com | Books-a-Million | B&N  | IndieBound

Murder Walks the Plank by Carolyn Hart (book review)

Murder Walks the Plank
Author:  Carolyn Hart
Published:  March 2005
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 336
Edition:  mass market paperback
Category:  mystery
ISBN 9780060004750
Source:  purchased

Synopsis:  "Annie Darling's murder mystery cruise in the waters off her not-always-idyllic isle of Broward's Rock is going swimmingly -- until one of the revelers plunges overboard. And despite hubby Max's courageous rescue attempt, faux murder turns all too quickly into real-life death. As the body count rises over the next few days, the popular proprietress of the Death on Demand bookstore begins to suspect that all the victims were murdered most foully, and that they are all connected in some unknown way. But what intrepid crime solver Annie does not realize is that the killer she seeks is more ingeniously efficient than most -- and the puzzle she wishes to unravel is, in reality, a time bomb packed with an explosive mix of arson, assault, kidnapping, robbery ... and homicide, naturally.

One false step and Annie, Max, and their canny cohorts will be blown off Broward's Rock for good." (from the cover)

My thoughts:

Carolyn Hart never fails to entertain me while keeping me sleuthing right alongside her protagonist Annie Darling. Murder Walks the Plank is one cozy mystery, hard cover published in 2004, that I can't believe I hadn't read before now. Definitely one of my favourites!  I try to read every single Carolyn Hart Death On Demand series book I can find!

Annie Darling has planned another exciting event, this time aboard a ship cruising in the waters near Broward Rock, South Carolina. (fictional island). Annie is pleased to see so many in costumes of popular book sleuths and all is going well when there's a scream and someone is overboard. Is it a suicide or murder? Within days, the body count grows as shortly thereafter another murder occurs, a car is missing and a wealthy senior is dead, presumably another suicide. Things just don't seem to be so cut and dry to Annie who proceeds, with the enlistment of her husband and some local friends, to uncover the mystery of these occurrences and find the murderer before he/she strikes again.

I began to suspect who the murderer was at about the same time that Annie did, though it wasn't revealed until later in the story. This was a hard one to put down, though I had to read it in brief snatches because of my schedule of late.  That's the worst way to read a book that you are so intent upon!  Murder Walks the Plank is another magnificent example of superb writing by famous story teller Carolyn Hart!  Highly recommended!

Twelve Drummers Drumming by C.C. Benison

As I have been home sick yesterday and today, I have found one plus to this situation - more reading time! Therefore I have been able to finish Twelve Drummers Drumming, much to my delight!  Read on for the review:

Twelve Drummers Drumming
Author:  C.C. Benison
Published:  October 2011
Publisher:  Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Publishing Group
Pages: 374
Genre:  Mystery
ISBN 9780385344456
Source:  I won an Advance Readers Copy from GoodReads.

"Introducing a series utterly perfect for cozy fans of Alan Bradley, Alexander McCall Smith, and Louise Penny. The Reverend Tom "Father" Christmas, the newest vicar of Thornford Regis, an idyllic rural town in England, turns detective when one of his parishioners turns up dead in a drum, and everyone in town seems to have something to confess. Tom Christmas came to picturesque Thornford Regis with his young daughter to escape the terrible experience of losing his wife in the city. Her murder sent him packing to the bucolic and charming town, where violent crime isn't supposed to happen and the greatest sin is supposed to be nothing a member of the clergy can't handle. Then, at the town fair, a woman is found murdered. Tom soon learns that everyone in Thornford Regis has a secret to hide--infidelity, theft, even past murders. Twelve Drummers Drumming showcases a lovely place to live and/or die, and marks the debut of a planned twelve-book mystery series featuring the brilliant Father Christmas." 

My Review:

Twelve Drummers Drumming is the first in a new mystery series written by C.C. Benison and also my first of this author's works I've read.  When Tom Christmas (Father Christmas) left the big city with his daughter Miranda, he had hopes for a peaceful country village home.  A place to heal following the unsolved murder of his wife.  However, within a week of his arrival, a parishioner is found dead, her body hidden in a large o-daiko drum.  The mystery begins even before his arrival, however, with the disappearance of the village's previous clergyman.  As Tom discreetly questions residents, his curiosity and desire for justice having taken him over, he soon discovers this is not a sleepy peaceful village but rather a home of many secrets and mysteries.  

Twelve Drummers Drumming is a cozy English mystery which is perfect for a quiet read with a lap quilt and a favourite hot drink on a cold winter's day (or when you are home ill, as the case may be).  The cast of characters, as introduced in a section at the beginning of the novel as "Inhabitants of Thornford Regis", hold promise for several future books in this new series.  They are complex with only a few of what is likely many secrets hinted at throughout Twelve Drummers Drumming, building the promise for more captivating reading in the years to come.  I've read there is a potential of twelve books in the series!  

I look forward to learning more of the "Inhabitants of Thornford Regis" through the eyes of Father Christmas and the writing talent of C.C. Benison.  I am a new fan and I am sure you will be too!

Rated 4.5/5 (warning for the sensitive reader:  some profanity)

Book Review: The Cat Who Turned On and Off by Lillian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Turned On and Off
Author:  Lillian Jackson Braun
Publisher: Jove Books a division of The Berkley Publishing Group
Copyright:  1968
Pages:  186
Edition:  Paperback
ISBN 0-515-08794-7
Source:  My personal copy

From the back cover:  "The Cat Who Turned On and Off.  The team of Koko, the brilliant Siamese cat, and Qwilleran, the reporter with the perceptive moustache, is back in action -- with an adorable female Siamese, Yum Yum, added to the household.

When Qwilleran decided to do a feature series on Junktown, he gets more than he bargained for.  No the dope den he anticipated, Junktown is a haven for antique dealers and collectors -- as strange a lot as the crafty reporter has ever encountered.  When a mysterious fall end the career -- and the life -- of one of Junktown's leading citizens, Qwilleran is convinced it was no accident.  But, as usual, it takes Koko to prove he's right.

Qwilleran -- a prize-winning reporter with a nose for crime.  Koko -- a Siamese cat with a flair for mystery.  Yum Yum -- a lovable Siamese adored by her two male companions.  The most unlikely, most unusual, most delightful team in detective fiction!"

The Cat Who Turned On and Off is another brilliant cozy mystery by Lillian Jackson Braun, starring Qwilleran (journalist and cat owner), Ko Ko and Yum Yum.  Christmas is nigh and Qwilleran is assigned to write a feel-good story about Junktown, the antiques and oddities section of town.  He soon finds lodging in a two-story old Victorian, above an antiques store.  He's not even settled in when he learns of the "accidental" death of a fellow antiquer under very curious circumstances.  So curious, in fact, that Qwill cannot resist investigating.  All those years of writing of crime prod him onwards, poking and prying, towards dangerous grounds.

This is my second "The Cat Who..." mystery and I loved every minute of it.  This one kept me guessing just a bit more than my previous read,  The Cat Who Moved a Mountain, with well fleshed out characters and a plot that entertains the inquisitive mind.  Lillian Jackson Braun's style never ceases to enthrall her audience.

Definitely a 4.5/5, maybe even a 5/5.    I'll be looking for more of Lillian Jackson Braun's mysteries.