Review: OLD BONES, Aaron Elkins

• 
  this issue published Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy; Reissue edition (8 July 2014)
  
• Paperback : 216 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1497643155
• ISBN-13 : 978-1497643154
• #4 in the Gideon Oliver series

Synopsis (Amazon)

Winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best mystery novel of the year. 1988

With the roar of thunder and the speed of a galloping horse comes the tide to Mont St. Michel goes the old nursery song. So when the aged patriarch of the du Rocher family falls victim to the perilous tide, even the old man's family accepts the verdict of accidental drowning. 

But too quickly, this "accident" is followed by a bizarre discovery in the ancient du Rocher chateau: a human skeleton, wrapped in butcher paper, beneath the old stone flooring. 

Professor Gideon Oliver, lecturing on forensic anthropology at nearby St. Malo, is asked to examine the bones. He quickly demonstrates why he is known as the "Skeleton Detective," providing the police with forensic details that lead them to conclude that these are the remains of a Nazi officer believed to have been murdered in the area during the Occupation. Or are they? Gideon himself has his doubts

Then, when another of the current du Rochers dies - this time via cyanide poisoning - his doubts solidify into a single certainty: someone wants old secrets to stay buried . . . and is perfectly willing to eradicate the meddlesome American to make that happen.

My Take

Members of the du Rocher family have been "summoned" to a meeting at which it's oldest member Guillame intends to make an important announcement. But before they can all get together he is dead, accidentally drowned on the flats of Mont St. Michel, caught by the galloping tide. Guillame's nephew claims to have been in his confidence, and to know what the meeting was about, but he is an unlovely character, and at least one other has a different idea about why they have been brought together.

Then the discovery of a skeleton in the cellar of the chateau, one that has apparently been there for over 40 years, calls for the involvement of the police and a bones expert, an American who is lecturing at a forensic science conference.

This is the first in this series that I have read, and it certainly won't be the last - there are plenty to choose from.

This is a many stranded plot, lots of red herrings, with engaging and interesting characters.

My rating: 4.6

About the author
Aaron Elkins is a former anthropologist and professor who has been writing mysteries and thrillers since 1982. His major continuing series features forensic anthropologist‑detective Gideon Oliver, "the Skeleton Detective." There are fifteen published titles to date in the series. The Gideon Oliver books have been (roughly) translated into a major ABC‑TV series and have been selections of the Book‑of‑the‑Month Club, the Literary Guild, and the Readers Digest Condensed Mystery Series. His work has been published in a dozen languages.
Mr. Elkins won the 1988 Edgar Award for best mystery of the year for Old Bones, the fourth book in the Gideon Oliver Series. He and his cowriter and wife, Charlotte, also won an Agatha Award, and he has also won a Nero Wolfe Award. Mr. Elkins lives on Washington's Olympic Peninsula with Charlotte.

Review: THE BURNING ISLAND, Jock Serong

• 
  this edition from The Text Publishing Company 2020
  
  
• ISBN 9-781922-330086
• 350 pages
• Shortlisted, Staunch Prize, United Kingdom, 2020
  

Synopsis (publisher)

A father’s obsession. A daughter’s quest.

Eliza Grayling, born in Sydney when the colony itself was still an infant, has lived there all her thirty-two years. Too tall, too stern—too old, now—for marriage, she looks out for her reclusive father, Joshua, and wonders about his past. There is a shadow there: an old enmity.

When Joshua Grayling is offered the chance for a reckoning with his nemesis, Eliza is horrified. It involves a sea voyage with an uncertain, probably violent, outcome. Insanity for an elderly blind man, let alone a drunkard.

Unable to dissuade her father from his mad fixation, Eliza begins to understand she may be forced to go with him. Then she sees the vessel they will be sailing on. And in that instant, the voyage of the Moonbird becomes Eliza’s mission too.

Irresistible prose, unforgettable characters and magnificent, epic storytelling: The Burning Island delivers everything readers have come to expect from Jock Serong. It may be his most moving, compelling novel yet.

My Take

In a sense this is a sequel to an earlier novel PRESERVATION in which Joshua Grayling was a key character. It involves the same geographic and historical setting - the Furneaux Islands in Bass Strait, the wreck of a ship and the disappearance of its passengers and cargo, but it is 30 years on, and Joshua Grayling, once assistant to Governor Hunter in the Sydney colony, is no longer the man he was. Now old, blind, and an alcoholic, he has been haunted for over 30 years by the thought of catching up with Master Figge, one of the survivors of the earlier wreck and the author of so much death.

Grayling is asked to undertake a private expedition to Bass Strait to discover what has happened to the Howrah, its passengers and its cargo. Some debris has been found that indicates that it has been wrecked. It is unthinkable that he take this voyage on his own, and so his daughter accompanies him. They arrive at the boat the Moonbird to discover that there is a paying passenger, doctor/scientist who will be studying birds and fish.

The Furneaux group in Bass Strait is largely populated by sealers who have taken Aboriginal wives, sometimes originally against their wills, and there are half-caste children. And the mad governor of Van Diemen's Land, Governor Arthur, is attempting to purge the main island and the Furneaux group of their Aboriginal population.

The story line didn't hold my interest as much as I would have liked, but that was certainly overlaid with a heap of interesting historical detail and and a wealth of very interesting characters, not the least the master of the Moonbird.

My rating: 4.4 

I've also read

5.0, THE RULES OF BACKYARD CRICKET
5.0, ON THE JAVA RIDGE
4.8, PRESERVATION
4.6, QUOTA 

Review: A STRANGER'S HOUSE, Clare Chase

• 
  this edition published by Choc Lit Limited 2017
  
• ISBN 978-1-781893-47-0
• 307 pages
• source: my local library
• #2 in the London and Cambridge series
  

Synopsis (author website)

What if you were powerless to protect the person you cared about most?

When Ruby finds out that her partner has done the unforgivable, she has no option but to move out of their home. With nowhere else to go, a job house-sitting in Cambridge seems like the perfect solution.

But it’s soon clear the absent owner hurts everyone he gets close to, and Ruby’s faced with the fallout. As violent repercussions unfold, her instinct is to investigate: it’s a matter of self-preservation. And besides, she’s curious…

But Ruby’s new boss, Nate Bastable, has his eye on her and seems determined to put a stop to her sleuthing. Is he simply worried for the welfare of a member of staff, or is there something altogether more complicated – and potentially dangerous – at play?

My Take

I picked this up expecting it to be similar in tone to the cosy by the same author (MYSTERY ON HIDDEN LANE) that I read a few weeks ago. But there is something a little more noir about this one, a little more mystery to be unpicked, with Ruby facing and solving some serious problems.  

There was an provocative twist in the tail right at the end too.

An interesting story that just kept me reading.

My rating: 4.4

I've also read

4.3, MYSTERY ON HIDDEN LANE

About the author

Clare Chase is becoming quite a prolific author with 3 separate series on the go.
Accord ing to Fantastic Fiction, Clare Chase writes romantic suspense and women sleuth mysteries, using London and Cambridge as settings. Brought up in the Midlands, she went on to read English at London University, then worked in book and author promotion in venues as diverse as schools, pubs and prisons. More recently she's exercised her creative writing muscles in the world of PR, and also worked for the University of Cambridge. Her current day job is at the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Her writing is inspired by what makes people tick, and how strong emotions can occasionally turn everyday incidents into the stuff of crime novels.

When she's not reading or writing, Clare enjoys drawing, cooking and trips to the Lake District. Closer to home, she loves wandering round the pubs, restaurants and galleries of Cambridge, where she lives with her husband and teenage daughters.

London & Cambridge Mysteries
   1. You Think You Know Me (2014)
   2. A Stranger's House (2016)
   3. One Dark Lie (2016)
 
Tara Thorpe
   1. Murder on the Marshes (2018)
   2. Death on the River (2018)
   3. Death Comes to Call (2019)
   4. Murder in the Fens (2019)
 
Eve Mallow Mystery
   1. Mystery on Hidden Lane (2020)
   2. Mystery at Apple Tree Cottage (2020)
   3. Mystery at Seagrave Hall (2020)
   4. Mystery at the Old Mill (2020)
   5. Mystery at the Abbey Hotel (2021)

Review: THE MURDER ON THE LINKS, Agatha Christie - audio book

• 
  edition available from audible.com
• Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
• Series: Hercule Poirot, Book 2
  
• Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
• Release date: 01-30-09 
• ©2008 HarperCollins Publishers

Synopsis (Audible)

An urgent cry for help brings Poirot to France. But he arrives too late to save his client, whose brutally stabbed body now lies face downwards in a shallow grave on a golf course.

But why is the dead man wearing his son's overcoat? And who was the impassioned love-letter in the pocket for? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse... 

My Take

I have recently read the printed copy which I reviewed here. So why, you say, listen to it as well? The narrator is Hugh Fraser and he does an excellent job. I'm not sure about his "French" voice but he does make the various characters easily distinguishable.

But the other thing with an audio book is that it forces you to "listen" (no pun intended) to the author in a different way, because in some ways you pick up the narrator's interpretation as well. Sub-plots seem to take on a life and certain nuances seem a little more obvious.

The one thing with an audio book is that it is not easy to go back over something and "read" it again, although my system does allow you go back in 30 second bits.

My rating: 4.5

Review: THE MURDER ON THE LINKS, Agatha Christie

• 
  First published 1923
  
• ASIN : B085VHVV9C
• Publisher : GENERAL PRESS; 1st edition (March 12, 2020)
• Language : English 
• File size : 809 KB 
• #2 Hercule Poirot series
• At AgathaChristie.com

Synopsis (AgathaChristie.com)

An urgent cry for help brings Poirot to France. But he arrives too late to save his client, whose brutally stabbed body now lies face downwards in a shallow grave on a golf course.

But why is the dead man wearing his son’s overcoat? And who was the impassioned love-letter in the pocket for? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse.

My Take

Yes, I have read this before, but have read it again, leading a group to read the first 5 Poirots and the first 5 Marples. So I am reading it with an eye to what I can point out to them.

The story is narrated by Captain Hastings and is set maybe 3 or 4 years after the first novel which introduced the Poirot/Hastings "team". Although this is only the second time we have seen Poirot in action, Hastings implies they have worked other cases together since THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES. In a reference to Inspector Japp from Scotland Yard in the opening pages, Hastings says that he had "more than once introduced us to an interesting case."

At the beginning we get an update on what Hastings and Poirot have been doing, and in France Poirot meets up with the Commissary of Police with whom he worked on a case in 1909. 

As investigating the murder begins, the "team" is joined by Inspector Giraud from the Surete, who is much younger, and obviously regards Poirot as a "has-been". One of the themes of the novel is the comparison of the methods Poirot and Giraud use - the difference between "little grey cells and logic" and what Poirot disparagingly calls Giraud's methods. Giraud is very sarcastic to Poirot. Eventually they have a bet on who will solve the case first.

Poirot elucidates his principles of investigation but Hastings is embarrassed by his friend's lack of action, and even betrays Poirot, as well as showing quite clearly how easily duped he himself can be.

The plot is quite complex and the reader needs to keep on their toes to make sure they understand each nuance.

We are introduced also to Poirot's "romantic streak", as he match-makes for Hastings and chooses a wife for him.

There are several denouements, a couple caused by the fact that poor old Hastings has not been able to make sense of what has happened.

I am also listening to the audio version read by Hugh Fraser but will review that separately.

My rating: 4.4

See also

• My earlier review
  
• Wikipedia
• Agatha Christie Reading Challenge 
• Agatha Christie Novels
• Fun Trivia Quiz 
• The movie 1996 - David Suchet is Poirot, Hugh Fraser is Hastings
  Note how the story is changed
  "While Poirot and Hastings are holidaying in France, a businessman tells Poirot that his life is in danger. The next day he is found stabbed to death on a nearby golf course."
• YouTube copy
  

Review: MYSTERY ON HIDDEN LANE, Clare Chase

• 
  This edition published by Bookoutre in 2020
  
• ISBN 978-1-83888-525-0
• 270 pages
• #1 in Eve Mallow mystery series

Synopsis (Fantastic Fiction)

Meet Eve Mallow: an American far from home, a professional busybody... and an amateur detective?

Seasoned obituary writer Eve Mallow has a new assignment: to tell the life story of famed musician Bernard Fitzpatrick. A chance to spend a few days in the sweet little village of Saxford St Peter, walking the country lanes with her beloved dachshund Gus and meeting new people sounds like a dream. But it turns out that Bernard's life was much less interesting than his death. On the day she arrives, news breaks that the charismatic cellist was the victim of a grisly murder. Could this quaint English village be hiding a dark secret?

As Eve starts to interview Bernard's friends and colleagues, she finds that he'd ruffled a few feathers. In fact, from the keepers of the Cross Keys Inn to his own staff at High House, there's barely a person in town who doesn't have some reason to hate him... is one of the friendly villagers a cold-blooded killer?

Eve hoped Saxford St Peter would be the perfect escape from her busy city life. But there is darkness even in the most sunlit of settings. And when a second body is found, Eve becomes certain that one of the people she's met must be the murderer. She has never done any detective work before... but is there something in her notes that can crack the case?

An unputdownable page-turner, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Agatha Christie and Betty Rowlands.

My take

The first time I have encountered a sleuth who is an obituary writer. Eve Mallow is keen to find out what people thought of the deceased, cellist Bernard Fitzpatrick. On the day she arrived in the village to begin work on the obituary Eve discovers that the police have announced that he was murdered. She feels a little uncomfortable that she might put herself in danger by actually interviewing the murderer, and, even worse, that she might realise this is the person the police are looking for.

She realises also that there are many candidates - the fact that Peter was charismatic doesn't mean that he was popular or well-liked. In fact he was very self-centred and even manipulative.

A nice start to what looks like it will be an interesting series worth following.

My rating: 4.3

About the author
Clare Chase writes romantic suspense and women sleuth mysteries, using London and Cambridge as settings. Brought up in the Midlands, she went on to read English at London University, then worked in book and author promotion in venues as diverse as schools, pubs and prisons. More recently she's exercised her creative writing muscles in the world of PR, and also worked for the University of Cambridge. Her current day job is at the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Her writing is inspired by what makes people tick, and how strong emotions can occasionally turn everyday incidents into the stuff of crime novels.

When she's not reading or writing, Clare enjoys drawing, cooking and trips to the Lake District. Closer to home, she loves wandering round the pubs, restaurants and galleries of Cambridge, where she lives with her husband and teenage daughters.

What I read in January 2021

 I have had a brilliant start to the year - 13 books- and a number of them from Australian authors (*)

1. 4.4., THE BLUFFS, Kyle Perry*
2. 4.5, STICKS AND STONES, Katherine Firkin *
3. 4.9, THE DARKEST EVENING, Ann Cleeves
4. 4.4, THE MIST, Ragnar Jonasson  
5. 4.5, THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES, Agatha Christie
6. 4.4, THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR, Rose Carlyle
7. 4.4, THE SAFE PLACE, Anna Downes  
8. 4.8, LOCKDOWN, Peter May
9. 4.4, THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS, Elly Griffiths
10. 4.5, THE NIGHT SWIM, Megan Goldin *
11. 4.5, SHELTER, Catherine Jinks*
12. 4.5, WHITE THROAT, Sarah Thornton*
13. 4.4, MY BEST FRIEND'S MURDER, Polly Phillips*  

My best reads though were by Ann Cleeves and Peter May.