Linda Gillard, House of Silence (2011)

This novel is the British writer´s fourth stand-alone. It is probably more precise to call it gothic romance than mystery.

"I used to wonder if Alfie chose me because I was an orphan and an only child. Was that part of the attraction? I came unencumbered, with no family."

As Gwen Rowland´s mother died from an overdose of drugs some years ago, she is all alone in the world. She falls in love with the actor Alfie Donovan who is her opposite in many ways. He has more family than he cares for at Creake Hall. Four older sisters, an aging mother and a mysterious, yet quite attractive gardener.

Alfie´s mother has written the famous series Tom Dickon Harry, claiming her inspiration was Alfie, her only son. Alfie feels he has lived in the shadows of this fictional character all his life, and even as an adult he finds it very difficult to carve a career for himself as everybody see him as Tom.

Alfie and Gwen are very happy together, though, until Gwen insists on accompanying him when he goes home to Creake Hall for the traditional family Christmas. "... an Elizabethan manor house, a jumble of tall, barley sugar chimneys and crow step gables, red brick walls and a battery of mullioned windows..."

The story is very strong on atmosphere and suspense with a trace of gothic horror and a feeling of being caught in a web permeating the story. It is a very enjoyable read with several intriguing characters though the ending is more romantic than psychologically credible in my opinion. I bought the e-book myself.

Here is an interesting article about Linda Gillard and her ebook.
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Neil Gaiman, Coraline (2002)

Today I am visiting Kelly of Kelly´s Thoughts & Ramblings. Kelly and I will be ever so pleased if you peep in to say hello, and perhaps some of you also want to know why the vicar´s wife writes crime fiction. 

This British fantasy is brilliantly illustrated by Dave McKean. I only read Coraline because I needed some fantasy for a challenge (Bogudfordringen 2011), but I enjoyed it very much. 

Once you realize Coraline is a little school girl and neither the teenager she looks like on the cover nor the tiny midget she sounds like, the story works very well.

"Something moved. It was little more than a shadow, and it scuttled down the darkened hall fast, like a little patch of night."

Coraline and her family move into a new flat in a mysterious house. One rainy day when she is bored, she finds the door which leads to nowhere. Her mother does not lock the door afterwards, and of course you know immediately that this was very unwise of her. The next time Coraline tries the door, it suddenly leads to somewhere - a flat which looks deceptively like her own, but where everything is just a bit different.

And in this other world Coraline realizes she need all her courage and determination in order to change things back so she can return to her ordinary life which suddenly seems incredibly appealing.

I bought the Kindle version myself, and if you like fantasy/fairy tales, this one is strongly recommended.

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NB: I know I should be in touch with a few of you who have also invited me to guest blog, but that will have to wait until I have come to my senses after CrimeFest. 

Martin Edwards, Take My Breath Away (2002)

This British legal mystery is a stand-alone which will be published in the USA in July. It is set in London.

"The dead woman smiled. So far, so good."

Nic Gabriel, the writer of a true crime story about Crippen, is somewhat surprised when he meets Ella Vinton at a party in a friend´s flat as ´a stone in a Sussex graveyard bore her name´.

The woman seems to be very much alive, though, and before the party is over, she has killed Dylan Rees, the host and the man who was supposed to be the reason that Ella committed suicide five years earlier. And Dylan´s last words are just as mysterious: "Why not jazz?"

Nic Gabriel feels he should have been able to prevent the woman from stabbing his friends right in front of him so he decides to look into the background of Dylan´s death. His search leads him to the high-profile human rights law firm Creed, and to their new paralegal Roxanne Wake. She is sure she has finally landed her dream job, but for some reason she has omitted to tell her bosses that Roxanne is not her real name.

Apparently, most characters in this story have skeletons in their closets which they are very keen to keep in place. As a reader you assume that Dylan´s death and Roxanne´s story will be connected at some point, but you do not know how or why. And do we really get the full truth of this finely plotted mystery?

A fine mystery with a very apt title which offers an insight into the life of lawyers, but hopefully they are not all as devious as the book makes you think.

I bought the book myself, and this cover is from my British edition of the book.

Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley´s Secret (1862)

This British novel is a combination of mystery and romance. It is not the writer´s first work, but the story that made her rich and famous. According to Wikipedia, her own life was quite adventurous (warning: the article sums up the full plot).

"The house faced the arch, and occupied three sides of a quadrangle. It was very old, and very irregular and rambling. The windows were uneven; some small, some large, some with heavy stone mullions and rich stained glass; others with frail lattices that rattled in every breeze; others so modern that they might have been added only yesterday."

Not uncommon for the Victorian novel, there are several pages of description - the setting, the house, the characters - before we get to the actual story. Sir Michael Audley, the owner of Audley Court, has remarried recently. Pretty, blonde and blue-eyed Lucy Graham is much younger than her wealthy spouse. Despite her youth and beauty, she has a few skeletons in the cupboard.

Sir Michael is in the seventh heaven but his somewhat spoilt daughter Alicia dislikes her merry, childlike stepmother from the beginning. His nephew, the barrister Robert Audley, is taken by her beauty at first, but when his close friend Robert Talboys disappears, he begins to suspect that Lady Audley may be involved.

The plot involves bigamy, deceit, conspiracy, a court case and a discerning dog, to mention just a few pieces of the intricate puzzle. Modern readers may not be impressed by Robert Audley´s somewhat slow detective work (or the slow pace of the book); yet you will probably appreciate these words of his:

"Circumstantial evidence... that wonderful fabric which is built out of straws collected at every point of the compass, and which is yet strong enough to hang a man."

The sensational story was inspired by the true Constance Kent case in 1860. There is plenty of drama and atmosphere, but perhaps not much realism.

My review of "The Suspicions of Mr Whicher", a non-fictional account of the Constance Kent case.

I read this free e-book for the Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge # 5 + Bogudfordringen 2011 (novels from the 1800s).
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Catherine Sampson, Falling Off Air (2004)

This British novel is the first Robin Ballantyne story and Sampson´s debut as a writer of fiction.

"I am about to pull the curtains and shut out the weather when, at the margin of my vision, a woman falls out of the sky. I do not see how it began. All I see is that she falls, feet first but tipping forward, arms stretched out as if to break her fall, her clothes as chaotically twisted and tossed as the rain, and the weight of her body carrying her down through the currents of air straight to the earth like an anchor."

Robin hears a heated argument, and shortly after, a woman falls past her window and hits the street below. Robin is the single mother of the baby twins Hannah and William, but after this shocking experience, the renewed contact with the buzzing media world makes her yearn for her career as a journalist.

Soon after Robin´s ex-boyfriend Adam, the twins´ biological father, is killed by a hit-and-run driver - in Robin´s car. The police appear on her doorstep, and in the course of a few days it is apparent that the title applies to Robin as well as to her late neighbour.

Though I don´t really regard the everything-whirling-out-of-control plot as very plausible, this was a well-written and exciting story that I sped through in one day. Furthermore, Robin Ballantine is an intelligent and interesting character I am looking forward to meeting again.

I bought the book myself, and it may not take long until I grab the second volume which is ready on that TBR.

Neil Cross, Captured (2010)

- mini review -

This thriller is a British standalone.

After a MRI scan, Kenny receives his death sentence. One month left. Kenny reacts by writing a short list of people he feels he has let down because now is his last chance to make it up to them. One of the people on the list is Callie Barton, a school friend who was very kind to Kenny.

This was a quick and exciting read. Like C.J. Box, Three Weeks to Say Goodbye, it deals with what happens when everything in your life is turned upside-down. What are you ready to do, and is it possible to go back and change certain events? Intriguing questions and an unusual crime story, but what did I think about the main character? Not quite as appealing as the drama that surrounds him.

This was an ARC from Maxine of Petrona.

Martin Edwards, The Hanging Wood (2011)

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (a  NetGalley review copy).

The fifth Lake District Mystery, featuring DI Hannah Scarlett and historian Daniel Kind - to be published soon in the UK.

"I must talk to Hannah Scarlett, it´s a matter of life and death." This is how it all begins when Orla Payne calls the Cold Case Review Team of Cumbria Constabulary. Unfortunately she is so drunk that detective constable Linz Waller gives up understanding what she wants.

When Orla was a little girl, her teenage brother Callum went missing, and as his uncle committed suicide soon after, the police saw his death as an admission of guilt and closed the case. Orla never believed her Uncle Philip could hurt her brother, and even if he did, the body must be somewhere so she still wants closure of some kind. After her vain effort to get in touch with Hannah Scarlett, she goes to her father´s farm and commits suicide in a corn silo, however, a drastic action which indicates she may have received new information about her brother.

Central to the setting is St Herbert´s Residential Library where Daniel Kind is struggling to finish his latest book before deadline while all the beautiful women around him seem intent on taking his time. The library is also the place where Orla Payne worked, and so does the mysterious Aslan Sheik. Is the young man an idealist, or is there another reason why he chooses voluntary work among old books?

Followers of the series will know that Daniel has been single since Miranda left him, and now Hannah is also on her own as Marc moved out of their house a couple of months ago. Marc tries to make it up to her, but Hannah is not sure what she wants.

As usual, Martin Edwards offers a well-written story, an interesting setting and an intriguing cold-case mystery that captures your attention from the very first chapter. And what happens between Hannah and Daniel - well, you´ll have to read the book to find out.
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Martin Walker, Bruno, Chief of Police (2008)

[Dansk titel: Politimesteren i St Denis (2010)]


Mini-review. 

This police procedural, set in the French countryside, is written by a British author and the first in a series.

The village of St Denis is shocked when old Hamid al-Bakr, an immigrant from Algeria, is killed in the most brutal fashion. As the murder seems to be race-related, it soon leads to racial tension, accusations and heated demonstrations.

Captain Bruno Courrèges is a great protagonist, a village policeman who is very proud that he has never had to use his service gun. He believes in solving problems as quietly as possible to avoid confrontations and use of weapons. He loves his local community, but not necessarily stupid laws that are ´really laws of Brussels´.

Furthermore Bruno is a charming character who loves good (French) food and enjoys the company of intelligent women.

A good mystery with a fine sense of place - I bought the book myself.
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Peter Lovesey, Bloodhounds (2004)

This is the thirteenth British DS Peter Diamond novel. I had not planned to read it so soon after Diamond Dust, but when I closed that book, I realized a profound truth about TBRs and omnibuses: you cannot remove the book from the TBR until you have read both stories.

Shirley-Ann, who is new to Bath, joins the local crime fiction club, The Bloodhounds, a small group of individualists who discuss their favourite subgenres heatedly. Then a very valuable stamp is stolen, and one of the group is involved in the crime - apparently someone has grown tired of fictional crime and decided to play games with the local police.

This book struck me as more interesting than Diamond Dust, partly because the characters, e.g. the female members of the crime fiction club, Shirley-Ann and Jessica, seemed more real to me. Besides, lovers of crime fiction will probably enjoy the discussions of real crime fiction writers.

It is not likely that I will read all the volumes before these two (see my review of Diamond Dust), but I may return to Peter Diamond at some point.

I bought the omnibus myself.

H is for Horror

- I rarely read horror, but in this thriller the writer plays with the genres by adding a touch of horror (or perhaps I just wanted an excuse to combine Kerrie´s alphabet meme with a post about my latest read? Who knows what is true and what is fabrication?) 

Andrew Wilson, The Lying Tongue - a Death in Venice (2007)
This is the British writer´s first novel, and it is set in Venice.

One of the ways Wilson builds up suspense is creating a creepy atmosphere in the old, Venetian palazzo where much of the story takes place.

"Running down the centre of the large, three-storey, perfectly symmetrical building, like a spine of a long-dead monster, was a series of arched windows, four on each level, the extrados sculpted out of white marble. In one of the rooms on the first floor candles flickered, illuminating patches of the darkened interior and casting strange shadows up onto the ceiling."

The narrator´s description of the old writer Gordon Crace adds to this tone. Here is young Adam Wood´s first impression of his new employer:

"In front of me stood a man who seemed much, much older than I had imagined. He was stooped, nearly bent double, and as he slowly raised his head upwards to look at me I saw that the flesh on his neck had lost all definition. His tiny, grey-green eyes narrowed as he squinted into the sunlight, and instead of moving forwards to greet me he took one step back into the shade."

For two proper - and very fine - reviews of this interesting thriller, you may visit Petrona (Maxine who sent me the book) or "It´s a Crime! (Or a Mystery)". As I have not read much Patricia Highsmith, I can only say it reminded me of Oscar Wilde´s The Picture of Dorian Gray.

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I could also mention Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Minister´s Black Veil (1836) which I am reading in my English class this week as it also has certain horror aspects.  I´d like to share a fine example of show, don´t tell. The congregation has just seen their veiled minister and "... several little boys clambered upon the seats, and came down again with a terrible racket."
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Peter Lovesey, Diamond Dust (2004)

This is the fourteenth British Peter Diamond novel.

Peter Diamond of Bath CID ends a case successfully by putting one of the infamous Carpenter brothers in prison for life. He does not get much time to enjoy his success, however, because a few hours later his wife, Stephanie, is shot in a local park.

Of course he cannot be in charge of this case, and for a few weeks he is so engrossed in his loss and the funeral preparations that he accepts staying on the sideline, especially as his colleagues seem to be efficient and competent. But when he surfaces again, he cannot just watch the investigation which by now seems to lead nowhere.

After a slow part the story gathers speed in the second half. There is a good and entertaining plot, but I do get annoyed when experienced policemen forget about important clues for 300 pages. There is one unusual side to this detective, however; he genuinely loved his wife and remembered to tell her.

I bought the book myself for the What´s in a Name Challenge, a gem.

Belinda Bauer, Blacklands (2010)

This thriller is a British debut.

Eleven-year-old Steven suffers from lack of attention. His grumpy granny and his single mother have never got over the fact that Uncle Billy disappeared nineteen years ago. The little boy was killed by the paedophile murderer, Arnold Avery, but as Avery has never confessed to this crime, no one knows where he is buried.

For years Steven rambles Exmoor, digging holes to find his missing uncle and make everything in his family right, until one day when it strikes him that it would be easier to ask Mr Avery where he hid the body.

No spoilers, but the rest of this intriguing debut is an intellectual battle between a smart, determined boy and an imprisoned monster. As we get several sections from the child abuser´s point of view, this story could have been a nasty experience, but clearly this writer knows what her readers want to know - and what they don´t. She strikes a fine balance between what is scary and what is just sensational.

Besides, she draws the little, lonely boy and his Exmoor excursions very well. Strongly recommended page-turner!

Thank you to Maxine of Petrona for the book.
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Roald Dahl stories & An Interview

Meet me today in an interview on Maxon Canyon´s blog "Thoughts in Progress". I hope you´ll join me/us - and remember to take a look at Mason´s cool blog. 

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Roald Dahl, Parson´s Pleasure + Mrs Bixby and the Colonel´s Coat
This is my second post about Dahl´s collection of short stories, Kiss, Kiss from 1959.

Mr Boggis, antique dealer and trickster, roams the English countryside to find exquisite furniture. One Sunday afternoon he stumbles on something quite extraordinary, a piece of furniture he must have, so now he just has to persuade the local farmer to sell it for a song.

Mrs Bixby is married to a boring dentist in New York but goes off to Baltimore once a month to have some fun with her more interesting colonel. She is in ecstasies when he gives her a beautiful mink coat, but how can she return home from a visit to her ´poor aunt´ with such an expensive present? Mrs Bixby comes up with a plan.

Both of these stories are of the ´he who laughs last laughs longest´ type, and though they were good, I didn´t find them quite as entertaining as "The Way Up to Heaven."

"Præstemandens fryd" & "Mrs Bixby og oberstens pels"
Her er mit andet indlæg om Roald Dahls novellesamling, Kispus.

Mr Boggis, antikvar og svindler, strejfer omkring på landet i England på jagt efter udsøgte møbler. En søndag falder han over noget helt usædvanligt; et møbel han simpelthen må eje, så drejer det sig bare om at narre det fra landmanden for en slik.

Mrs Bixby er gift med en kedelig tandlæge i New York men tager til Baltimore en gang om måneden for at more sig med sin noget mere spændende oberst. Hun er ellevild, da han forærer hende en smuk minkpels, men hvordan skal hun kunne komme hjem fra sin ´fattige tante´ med så dyr en gave? Mrs Bixby udtænker en plan.

Begge noveller er af typen ´den som ler sidst, ler bedst´, men selv om de var udmærkede, kom de ikke på højde med "Himmelstigen."
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Roald Dahl, Kiss, Kiss (1959)

In January I read two "crime novels published before 2000" for my Danish reading challenge.
In February we have to read at least one collection of short stories so I have picked up this collection of the late British writer Roald Dahl´s short stories. I am sure many of you know him already either for his children´s books or for crime stories such as "Lamb to the Slaughter".

The first story in the Danish edition (with five stories only) is "The Way Up to Heaven". In this fine little story Mrs Foster is going abroad to visit her daughter. She is almost driven to distraction, however, as it is of the utmost importance for her never to be late, but her husband just doesn´t care. Or is it possible that he enjoys watching her growing frustration? Vintage Roald Dahl!

NB: remember, you have the chance to win an e-book until Sunday night! 


Roald Dahl, Kispus (1978).
I januar læste jeg to krimier fra før 2000 som en del af Bogudfordringen 2011. I februar skal der læses novellesamling, så jeg hev en samling Roald Dahl-historier ned fra hylden. Mange af jer kender ham sikkert, enten for "Charlie og Chokoladefabrikken", eller for hans finurlige kriminoveller.

Den første historie er Himmelstigen. Mrs Foster, som nærmest er besat af at komme til tiden, skal på et længere besøg hos sin datter i Paris, men som sædvanlig bliver hendes mand ved med at trække tiden ud. Er han bare et smøl, eller kan det tænkes, han nyder at se sin kones voksende ængstelse?

Førsteklasses Roald Dahl-historie!

Kate Summerscale, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher (2008)

This is a British non-fiction account of a true crime in Victorian England which took place in 1860.

The gruesome story begins when three-year-old Saville Kent is taken away from his bed in the nursery in the middle of the night. A few hours later he is found in the servants´ privy in the yard with his throat cut.

Almost immediately the local police suspect the nursemaid Elizabeth Gough, and they are rather unwilling to question the members of the middle class family though it is most likely that the killer was one of the eleven persons who spent the night under the roof of Road Hill House. One of their theories is that the boy caught Gough with a man in her bed and threatened to tell, but even though their prime suspect for this role is the father, Mr Kent, they focus on questioning and charging the young woman.

After two weeks Scotland Yard is called in, however, and the renowned Inspector Whicher suspects Constance, Saville´s sixteen-year-old half-sister who might be jealous because the younger siblings get more attention than her, and/or she might be mentally unstable like her late mother.

There were several aspects of this book I appreciated. The account of the death of little Saville is very thorough and well written, and it is obvious that Summerscale knows her crime and her period thoroughly so it is also an excellent document of crime and police work in Victorian times. Besides, there are several references to Victorian crime novels which are based on or inspired by the Road Hill murder (I plan to read one or two of these soon).

The wide scope was not quite what I had expected, though, so parts of the book felt more like work than entertainment, because I wanted to know who killed little Saville, plus how and why, so I skimmed some sections to get back to the case. I found the lengthy accounts of the detectives´ former careers and private lives particularly uninteresting.

Another weakness is that Summerscale often tells the reader something and afterwards she uses a lengthy quotation to say exactly the same.

I enjoyed this quotation from “The Semi-Detached House” (1859), however:

“´I like a good murder that can´t be found out,´ says Mrs Hopkinson… ´That is, of course, it is very shocking, but I like to hear about it.´” (So true, Mrs Hopkinson).

I bought the book myself and read it for the 2011 Global Reading Challenge (Seventh Continent, history). 



Kate Summerscale, Mr Whichers mistanker (2009)

Denne britiske bog om en virkelig forbrydelse i Dronning Victorias England er ikke en roman, men en fagbog.

Den grusomme historie begynder, da treårige Saville Kent bliver fjernet fra sin seng i børneværelset midt om natten. Næste dag bliver han fundet i tjenestefolkenes udendørs lokum med halsen skåret over.

Det lokale politi retter straks deres mistanke mod barnepigen Elizabeth Gough, og de er ikke meget for at udspørge medlemmer af middelklassefamilien, selv om det er højst sandsynligt, at morderen var en af de elleve personer, som befandt sig i herskabsvillaen den pågældende nat. En af deres teorier er, at drengen overraskede barnepigen og en mand i sengen og truede med at sladre, men selv om den vigtigste mistænkte mand er drengens far, retter de al deres opmærksomhed mod den unge kvinde. 

Men efter to uger bliver Scotland Yard tilkaldt, og den berømte inspektør Whicher mistænker i stedet Constance, Savilles 16-årige halvsøster. Han mener, motivet er jalousi, fordi de yngre søskende får mere opmærksomhed end de ældre, eller at pigen er uligevægtig, ligesom sin afdøde mor.

Der var mange aspekter af denne bog, jeg satte stor pris på. Beretningen om Savilles død er grundig og velskrevet, og det er tydeligt, at Kate Summerscale kender sit materiale og viktoriatiden til bunds, så den er et fremragende værk om forbrydelser og politiarbejde i perioden. Desuden er der adskillige henvisninger til viktorianske krimier, som er baseret på eller inspiret af Road Hill-mordet (jeg har tænkt mig at anmelde et par stykker inden så længe).

Den brede pensel var imidlertid ikke, hvad jeg havde forventet, så visse afsnit føltes mere som arbejde end fornøjelse, fordi jeg bare gerne ville vide, hvem der dræbte lille Saville, samt hvordan og hvorfor, så jeg skimmede en del afsnit for at komme tilbage til sagen. Og de lange redegørelser for detektivernes tidligere karriere og privatliv interesserede mig især ikke.

Endnu en svaghed er, at Summerscale har en tendens til at fortælle sine læsere noget, for bagefter at bringe et langtrukket citat, som siger nøjagtig det samme.

Dette citat fra krimien “The Semi-Detached House” (1859) morede mig imidlertid:

“´Jeg kan lide et godt mord, som ikke kan afsløres´, siger Fru Hopkinson… ´Det vil sige, det er selvfølgelig chokerende, men jeg kan godt lide at høre om det.´” (Ja, det kan vi krimifans jo).

Jeg købte selv bogen under en ferie i Skotland.
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Margery Allingham, Hide My Eyes (1958)

This British novel was the very prolific author´s sixteenth Albert Campion story.

I thought it would be very suitable for two of my reading challenges. I read it in Danish (I shouldn´t have, but my excuse is that I found it in a bargain bin).

On the first pages we meet the bus driver with the terrifying and uncanny face who carries a revolver and gloves in his case. He kills a money-lender, and for eight months he believes he has committed the perfect crime – until Inspector Charles Luke takes a closer look at some unsolved cases and sees a pattern emerge, assisted by Mr Albert Campion, the private detective. If the murderer had not turned out to be too smart, planning his very intricate crimes and alibis, they might never have caught him, though.

This story was a traditional crime story with lots of atmosphere and interesting characters, but the murderer´s behaviour was a bit incredible for me.

Read for 2011 Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge & Bogudfordringen 2011

Margery Allingham, En morder lukkes ind (1971)

De første linjer:
“Bussens ankomst var tidsmæssigt nøje beregnet. Køretøjet blev overhovedet ikke bemærket af nogen, som kunne være interesseret i det.”

Nej, man bør ikke læse klassisk, britisk krimi i venstrehånds-oversættelse, man risikerer at støde på ´possessive kvinder´og andet mærkeligt, men min undskyldning er, at den var så billig.

På første side møder vi buschaufføren med det rædselsfulde og uhyggelige ansigt, som render rundt med en revolver og et par handsker i sin taske. Han dræber en pengeudlåner, og i otte måneder ser det ud til, han har begået den perfekte forbrydelse – indtil kriminalkommissær Charles Luke kigger nærmere på en række uløste sager og aner et mønster, godt hjulpet af privatdetektiven Albert Campion. Men hvis morderen ikke havde været oversmart og gjort for meget ud af sine udspekulerede forbrydelser og alibier, havde de måske aldrig pågrebet ham.

Romanen er en meget traditionel krimi med masser af Londonatmosfære og interessante personer, men morderens opførsel virkede ikke alt for overbevisende. Hurtigt læst hyggekrimi som ikke ødelægger nogens nattesøvn. 

Læst som en del af:
Bogudfordringen 2011, januar: en krimi fra før 2000.
2011 Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge.
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Elizabeth Ferrars, Hanged Man´s House (1974)

This crime novel is a British stand-alone. In some ways it may be compared to the Danish writer Else Fischer´s novels, and it struck me as funny that their names are so similar. The main – rather important – difference is that Ferrars is much better at varying her plots.

After the loss of her husband, Valerie Hackett keeps house for her brother Edmund who is the right hand of Charles Gair, the director of Martindale, a research station. When Charles´ dogs keep barking, Valerie goes to see why and finds Charles hanging from the roof in his own kitchen. But the police can see immediately that he had been hit on the head before his ´suicide´.

The story takes place around Martindale with a small number of characters who all have their secrets, and perhaps also reasons to kill the director. And the plot included the use of a special cupboard which made me (and the police) very curious indeed. It is great to see an idea you have never come across before.

Ferrars (a pen name) wrote nice comfort reads which I buy whenever I find one at a reasonable price.
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Laura Wilson, Stratton´s War (2007)

This historical crime novel is the first in the Ted Stratton Series. It takes place in London in the summer and autumn of 1940.

The former actress Mabel Morgan is found dead, impaled on the railings beneath her windows. It looks like suicide, but Detective Inspector Ted Stratton is not so sure. Neither is young, gay Joe Vincent whose flat Mabel lived in. Soon after Vincent is beaten up by some gangster types who are searching for something in the flat.

Another plot line deals with young, beautiful Diana Calthrop who is married to a drip and working for the War Office which she finds much more interesting. She is trying to infiltrate a right wing club, and at the same time handsome and mysterious Claude Ventriss decides to infiltrate the bored wife – quite successfully.

I enjoyed the setting; the peculiar sense of gaiety while the Londoners were waiting for the invasion. Children were sent off to the country, but adults seized the day, never certain another one would come while homosexuals struggled to keep their preference secret. On the other hand the Diana Calthrop vs Claude Ventriss plot annoyed me. I have never been very fond of the ´dangerous, yet irresistible man´ whom no woman can ward off.

Ted Stratton is the old-fashioned policeman who has not lost his integrity and struggles hard to solve his cases under fairly hopeless circumstances while the MI5 officers seem more interested in sweeping embarrassing truths under the carpet. 

An intriguing and very satisfying mystery, and of course I will have to read more about the likeable Inspector Stratton. I think I bought the book myself, but it could be a gift or a win.
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Laura Wilson, Dying Voices (2000)

This British thriller is the author´s second stand-alone.

Young Dodie Blackstock´s mother was kidnapped in 1976 when Dodie was eight years old. Her father refused to pay ten million pounds to get her back, and when he agreed to six millions, the operation was botched so even though the kidnappers were apprehended, Susan Carrington was never found. She was later declared dead, and Dodie´s father married again.

In 1996 the police find Susan´s body, and she has clearly been dead for a few days only.
Throughout the rest of the book Dodie struggles to discover what happened twenty years ago and to come to terms with her mother´s disappearance plus her father´s unwillingness to pay the ransom. Her dominating father died a few years earlier, leaving her with a large fortune (though she would prefer to support herself) and a huge, looming shadow.

Of course we also hear about the police work. Futhermore, Dodie realizes that she is being followed. A bored teenager or someone related to the kidnapping affair? The main plot line is Dodie´s development, however.

I have read more convincing endings; still I enjoyed getting to know the character Dodie and for me the book was a genuine page turner.

I bought the e-book myself, and I enjoyed the new reading experience just as much as the actual book.
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Caroline Graham, A Place of Safety (1999)

This British cosy mystery is the sixth out of seven Inspector Barnaby novels.

In a quiet Midsumer village, Ann Lawrence, the former vicar´s wife, has an argument with one of the young delinquents her husband tries to rehabilitate. Carlotta falls or jumps into the river and disappears without a trace. Timid Ann is devastated, and when her spiteful gardener blackmails her, she sees no alternative to paying what he wants.

Typically for Midsomer, the plot does not end here. Someone kills the gardener, but for some reason the blackmail continues.

What else can I say? All the best cosy mystery features are there; the quirks, the oddballs, the grudges beneath the tranquil facade, the old vicarage and the new glass palace, but also a few endearing characters, and all more real than life itself.

I bought the book myself.
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