Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy (The mother/daughter writing team of P.J. and Traci Lambrecht under the pseudonym of P.J. Tracy) Features Minneapolis detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth.
Tall, dark haired and complicated, riding boot-wearing Grace McBride is the fragile heart and soul of a group of oddball computer geeks with a collectively shady past. They are five friends on the run from violence who have banded together to form the successful Minneapolis software company, Monkeewrench. But when someone begins using the grisly scenarios from their new game, Serial Killer, as inspiration for real life murder, it quickly becomes obvious that the horrors of the past have finally caught up with them.
What I liked about this book is that even though I had my suspicions it was a lot more complicated and a bit shocking. I'm looking forward to reading more by this duo.
Live Bait is the 2nd title in this new series. I listened to it on tape. Elderly people are being murdered in Minneapolis, and detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth work to solve the case. On the surface it appears to be some kind of crazy serial killer who is going after old people. But as they delve into the details in the victims lives it becomes apparent that the people who were being killed have more in common than what meets the eye. We also have the original characters from the Monkeewrench crew in the story but in a much more background mode.
Another excellent suspenseful thriller by this new writing duo. I can't wait until the new one comes out.
Dead Run is the 3rd title in the series. And it does not disapoint.
Monkeewrench founders Grace MacBride and Annie Belinsky, along with Deputy Sharon Mueller, are driving from Minneapolis to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where they believe a new serial killer is just warming up. When their car breaks down deep in the northern woods, far from civilization and cell-phone towers, a walk through the forest leads them to the crossroads of Four Corners, where they find...absolutely nothing. Something terrible has happened in Four Corners, and the complete absence of life, together with severed phone lines in every building, makes it impossible to find help. Grace, her senses honed by a lifetime of justifiable paranoia, sees the sinister in every detail, and her instincts barely save the three women when they witness a horrifying double murder. Grace, Annie, and Sharon are suddenly running for their lives, while the rest of the Monkeewrench crew, along with Minneapolis cops Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, strike out on a blind search to find them.
This book was very hard to put down as I wanted to see if they could get out alive. Plus the women are the strong ones and able to bring the terrorist threat to it's head. Wow! Right to the end.
Snow Blind #4 in the series.
With the holidays over and the long cold winter looming, January can be a bleak month in Minneapolis. So what better way to bring a little cheer to the good people of the city than sponsoring an old-fashioned snowman-building contest? In a matter of hours, a local park is filled with the innocent laughter of children and their frosty creations. But things take an awful turn when the dead bodies of police officers are discovered inside two of the snowmen – sending the entire department and Detectives Magozzi and Rolseth on high alert.
The next day, Iris Rikker, the newly minted sheriff of rural Dundas County, comes across another body in another snowman. Fearing that Rikker’s inexperience will hamper the investigation, Magozzi and Rolseth head north, in a blizzard, to hunt for clues. As Grace MacBride and her crack computer jocks at Monkeewrench comb the Web for connections, a terrifying link emerges among the dead cops, Magozzi and Rolseth, and Monkeewrench – a link that must be broken before it’s too late.
Ok the Monkeewrench is a red hering! We see more about Magozzi & Rolseth plus the new female sheriff in Dundas County. What this book really comes down to is in regards to domestic violence who is responsible? The person doing the beatings? the police who won't help? the family, friends and neighbors who looks the other way?
What would you do if you could take action into your own hands and punish them all? Read Snow Blind and find out. This was a very interesting look at domestic violence and the consequences. I did not see how this book would end as they did a great job making this look one way and then taking it a 180 turn.
Friday, July 02, 2004
Eugenia Potter series by Virginia Rich (picked up by Nancy Pickard)
Cooking School Murders
In Harrington, Iowa, for her yearly hometown visit, dignified and down-to-earth Mrs. Potter becomes involved in the slashed-throat murder of a student in an advanced cooking class attended by Harrington's elite. We are introduced to Eugenia Potter and the other cast of characters. It is interesting as I read these many years ago and am enjoying it very much.
Cooking School Murders
In Harrington, Iowa, for her yearly hometown visit, dignified and down-to-earth Mrs. Potter becomes involved in the slashed-throat murder of a student in an advanced cooking class attended by Harrington's elite. We are introduced to Eugenia Potter and the other cast of characters. It is interesting as I read these many years ago and am enjoying it very much.
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Tom Ripley is chosen by the wealthy Herbert Greenleaf to retrieve Greenleaf's son, Dickie, from his overlong sojourn in Italy. Dickie, it seems, is held captive both by the Mediterranean climate and the attractions of his female companion, but Mr. Greenleaf needs him back in New York to help with the family business. With an allowance and a new purpose, Tom leaves behind his dismal city apartment to begin his career as a return escort. But Tom, too, is captivated by Italy. He is also taken with the life and looks of Dickie Greenleaf. He insinuates himself into Dickie's world and soon finds that his passion for a lifestyle of wealth and sophistication transcends moral compunction. Tom will become Dickie Greenleaf--at all costs.
Very interesting. I thought I had read it many years ago but now I'm not sure I did.
Tom Ripley is chosen by the wealthy Herbert Greenleaf to retrieve Greenleaf's son, Dickie, from his overlong sojourn in Italy. Dickie, it seems, is held captive both by the Mediterranean climate and the attractions of his female companion, but Mr. Greenleaf needs him back in New York to help with the family business. With an allowance and a new purpose, Tom leaves behind his dismal city apartment to begin his career as a return escort. But Tom, too, is captivated by Italy. He is also taken with the life and looks of Dickie Greenleaf. He insinuates himself into Dickie's world and soon finds that his passion for a lifestyle of wealth and sophistication transcends moral compunction. Tom will become Dickie Greenleaf--at all costs.
Very interesting. I thought I had read it many years ago but now I'm not sure I did.
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Jennifer Government by Max Barry
In a corporate-governed future world where people take the last names of the companies they work for, merchandising officer Hack Nike tries to get out of a contract that requires him to shoot teenagers, a situation that results in his unwitting involvement with an agent who is out to get Hack's employer. I really enjoyed this book. What a hoot!
In a corporate-governed future world where people take the last names of the companies they work for, merchandising officer Hack Nike tries to get out of a contract that requires him to shoot teenagers, a situation that results in his unwitting involvement with an agent who is out to get Hack's employer. I really enjoyed this book. What a hoot!
Monday, June 21, 2004
Lost and Found by Jane Sigaloff
When successful London Lawyer Samantha Washington leaves her diary, which contains a dark secret that could destroy her career, in a New York hotel room, TV producer Ben Fisher walks into her life and seems to know a lot about her, leading Sam to believe that he is now the owner of her diary. Lots of mis-interpretations lead to a funny modern romance.
When successful London Lawyer Samantha Washington leaves her diary, which contains a dark secret that could destroy her career, in a New York hotel room, TV producer Ben Fisher walks into her life and seems to know a lot about her, leading Sam to believe that he is now the owner of her diary. Lots of mis-interpretations lead to a funny modern romance.
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Ringan Laine series by Deborah Grabien
Weaver and the Factory Maid Coming into ownership of a restored eighteenth-century cottage, British folk musician Ringan Laine discovers that the property is haunted and is assisted by long-time girlfriend Penny in researching the identities of his otherworldly tenants. I liked the premise but it wasn't a prefered read. I will try another one to see if it improves.
Weaver and the Factory Maid Coming into ownership of a restored eighteenth-century cottage, British folk musician Ringan Laine discovers that the property is haunted and is assisted by long-time girlfriend Penny in researching the identities of his otherworldly tenants. I liked the premise but it wasn't a prefered read. I will try another one to see if it improves.
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Big Bad Wolf Tells All by Donna Kauffman Tanzy Harrington tells all in her online singles column. When her Aunt Millicent orchestrates an up-close-and-personal encounter with Riley Parrish, she rebuffs any niggling inner attraction to the all-too-obviously Clark Kent in ill-fitting clothing. And yet. It's the "and yet" that makes for the delicious two-step Tanzy and Riley dance around each other while he tries to protect her from a predatory online stalker-fan, and she tries to remember why the swingin' single life is her modus operandi.
Friday, May 21, 2004
Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler features five women and one enigmatic man who meet on a monthly basis to discuss the novels of Jane Austen, one at a time. As they debate Marianne's marriage to Brandon and whether or not Charlotte Lucas is gay, they reveal nothing so much as their own "private Austen(s)". Sylvia whose husband, Daniel, has left her after 32 years and three children. Jocelyn, her best friend, never married and now focuses on breeding dogs. Prudie is a French teacher in her late twenties, in possession of a worthy husband yet disoriented by persistent fantasies about sex with other men. Sixty-something Bernadette has decided that she's finally over the hill and can act a little dotty, just let herself go. The beautiful, risk-taking Allegra -- Sylvia and Daniel's lesbian daughter -- has quit speaking to her lover. And Grigg, a middle-aged science fiction fan and computer whiz, is strangely unattached. But then maybe he's gay?
This book was interesting in how much the author gave us glimpses into the various characters personal lives. It was just long enough. I felt very happy after reading it.
This book was interesting in how much the author gave us glimpses into the various characters personal lives. It was just long enough. I felt very happy after reading it.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Justice Hall by Laurie R. King features Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. Two old friends reappear, in decidedly different guise: the two “Bedouin” guides from O Jerusalem are in England, caught in a mesh of honor and justice and the death of a young nephew. Quickly Russell & Holmes discover that nothing is quite as it seems and together they will solve this very secret mystery.
Saturday, May 15, 2004
Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer - set as historical fiction in turn of the century San Francisco. At his birth, Max's father declares him a "nisse," a creature of Danish myth, as his baby son has the external physical appearance of an old, dying creature. Max grows older like any child, but his physical age appears to go backward--on the outside a very old man, but inside still a fearful child. The story is told in three acts. First, young Max falls in love with a neighborhood girl, Alice, who ages as normally as any of us. Max, of course, does not; as a young man, he has an older man's body. But his curse is also his blessing: as he gets older, his body grows younger, so each successive time he finds his Alice, she does not recognize him. She takes him for a stranger, and Max is given another chance at love. This is a very interesting if you can call it love story. It reminded me of the Timetraveler's Wife which I read a few months ago.
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan is a Newbery honor book for 2003.
Jake Semple is a scary kid. Word has it that he burned down his old school and then was kicked out of every other school in his home state. Only weeks into September, the middle school in Traybridge, North Carolina, has thrown him out, too. Now there's only one place left that will take him -- a home school run by the most outrageous, forgetful, chaotic, quarrelsome family you'll ever meet. Each and every Applewhite is an artist through and through -- except E.D., the smart, scruffy girl with a deep longing for order and predictability. E.D. and Jake, so nearly the same age, are quickly paired in the family's first experiment in "cooperative education." The two clash immediately, of course. The only thing they have in common is the determination to survive the family's eccentricities. This is such a fun read, I really got to like all the various characters. This story is from both E.D. & Jake's point of view and it flows well. Tolan is such a great author and really stands the test of time.
Jake Semple is a scary kid. Word has it that he burned down his old school and then was kicked out of every other school in his home state. Only weeks into September, the middle school in Traybridge, North Carolina, has thrown him out, too. Now there's only one place left that will take him -- a home school run by the most outrageous, forgetful, chaotic, quarrelsome family you'll ever meet. Each and every Applewhite is an artist through and through -- except E.D., the smart, scruffy girl with a deep longing for order and predictability. E.D. and Jake, so nearly the same age, are quickly paired in the family's first experiment in "cooperative education." The two clash immediately, of course. The only thing they have in common is the determination to survive the family's eccentricities. This is such a fun read, I really got to like all the various characters. This story is from both E.D. & Jake's point of view and it flows well. Tolan is such a great author and really stands the test of time.
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver Codi Noline, her self-confidence flagging after failures in med school and in a relationship, returns home to Grace, Ariz., where she renews a romance, comes to understand her father and worries about her sister, Hallie, who is helping farmers in Nicaragua. This is portrayed in a series of flashbacks for both Codi & her father who is declining from Alzheimers. It is so well written. I read it so long ago when I lived in Tucson so it was fun to read it again.
Thursday, April 29, 2004
After dark by Jayne Castle (aka author Jayne Ann Krentz)
A race of aliens once lived on the future Earth colony called Harmony, leaving behind them the ruins of a vast, beautiful, and mysterious culture that is still protected by the psychic illusion traps and eerie ghosts that they created. Lydia Smith is an archaeologist who can resonate and dissolve the illusions, and those talents, combined with her lack of finances and questionable professional reputation, make her the obvious hire for Emmett London, who is trying to track down a lost antique and the nephew who stole it. Lydia's first consulting job quickly turns dangerous, however, as corpses, ghosts, and illusion traps start popping up--not to mention the rather unprofessional electricity between her and her first client. I like her futuristic romances, very fun to read.
After Glow
It's the second time in a month that Lydia Smith has found a dead body. The first time pararchaelogist and museum curator Lydia became tangled up in a murder investigation it brought her together with her current paramour, ghost hunter Emmett London. So naturally Lydia thinks of Emmett when she stumbles across the body of her former professor, Lawrence Maltby. While the police believe Maltby's death was caused by his drug addiction, Lydia doesn't buy it. So with Emmett's help, she pursues her own investigation even as she tries to figure out exactly what kind of a relationship she and Emmett have.
It is a good follow-up to the previous books and it's fun to be back in the futuristic world of Harmony.
Smoke in Mirrors by Jayne Ann Krentz a well known romance suspence author. I have read many of her books. This title features Leonora Hutton who is investigating her half-sister's, Meredith's supposidly accidental death. When she gets a delayed email from the grave she knows that Meredith was murdered. She meets Thomas Walker who is also looking into another related death of his sister-in-law Bethany. His brother Deke Walker doesn't believe his wife's supposed suicide. Were these women murdered and if so why and by whom? Lots of romance, more deaths and finally an ending that is not easy to foresee. I prefer her science fiction romances but this was fun.
A race of aliens once lived on the future Earth colony called Harmony, leaving behind them the ruins of a vast, beautiful, and mysterious culture that is still protected by the psychic illusion traps and eerie ghosts that they created. Lydia Smith is an archaeologist who can resonate and dissolve the illusions, and those talents, combined with her lack of finances and questionable professional reputation, make her the obvious hire for Emmett London, who is trying to track down a lost antique and the nephew who stole it. Lydia's first consulting job quickly turns dangerous, however, as corpses, ghosts, and illusion traps start popping up--not to mention the rather unprofessional electricity between her and her first client. I like her futuristic romances, very fun to read.
After Glow
It's the second time in a month that Lydia Smith has found a dead body. The first time pararchaelogist and museum curator Lydia became tangled up in a murder investigation it brought her together with her current paramour, ghost hunter Emmett London. So naturally Lydia thinks of Emmett when she stumbles across the body of her former professor, Lawrence Maltby. While the police believe Maltby's death was caused by his drug addiction, Lydia doesn't buy it. So with Emmett's help, she pursues her own investigation even as she tries to figure out exactly what kind of a relationship she and Emmett have.
It is a good follow-up to the previous books and it's fun to be back in the futuristic world of Harmony.
Smoke in Mirrors by Jayne Ann Krentz a well known romance suspence author. I have read many of her books. This title features Leonora Hutton who is investigating her half-sister's, Meredith's supposidly accidental death. When she gets a delayed email from the grave she knows that Meredith was murdered. She meets Thomas Walker who is also looking into another related death of his sister-in-law Bethany. His brother Deke Walker doesn't believe his wife's supposed suicide. Were these women murdered and if so why and by whom? Lots of romance, more deaths and finally an ending that is not easy to foresee. I prefer her science fiction romances but this was fun.
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Angel Factory by Terence Blacker
Twelve-year-old Thomas Wisdom's seemingly perfect life with his peaceful British family begins to fall apart after he learns that he was adopted and that his parents and sister are really angels sent to Earth to prevent humanity from destroying itself. Their plan is to recruit adopted children and persuade them to cooperate with the Project by using brainwashing, threats, and even violence. When he discovers that even the President of the United States is an angel, Thomas doesn't know whom to trust. Then he is forced to make a decision–whether or not to go along with the Project. He discovers that nothing is like it seems and has to decide who to trust. A very engaging YA novel.
Twelve-year-old Thomas Wisdom's seemingly perfect life with his peaceful British family begins to fall apart after he learns that he was adopted and that his parents and sister are really angels sent to Earth to prevent humanity from destroying itself. Their plan is to recruit adopted children and persuade them to cooperate with the Project by using brainwashing, threats, and even violence. When he discovers that even the President of the United States is an angel, Thomas doesn't know whom to trust. Then he is forced to make a decision–whether or not to go along with the Project. He discovers that nothing is like it seems and has to decide who to trust. A very engaging YA novel.
Friday, April 16, 2004
Earlene Fowler Bennie Harper Mysteries
1. Fool's Puzzle
2. Irish Chain
3. Kansas Troubles
4. Goose in the Pond
5. Dove in the Window
6. Mariner's Compass
7. Seven Sisters
8. Arkansas Traveler
9. Steps to the Altar
10. Sunshine and Shadow
11. Broken Dishes
1. Fool's Puzzle
2. Irish Chain
3. Kansas Troubles
4. Goose in the Pond
5. Dove in the Window
6. Mariner's Compass
7. Seven Sisters
8. Arkansas Traveler
9. Steps to the Altar
10. Sunshine and Shadow
11. Broken Dishes
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Keepsakes Crimes by Laura Childs
Carmela's life is having its ups and downs. Her scrapbooking shop is doing well, but she's been separated from her husband for six months. She's trying to put that behind her and enjoy Mardi Gras.
While attending a parade with her friend Ava, she is shocked to see the body of a friend lowered from a float, dead. She's even more surprised to learn that Shamus, her husband, is the chief suspect. She doesn't believe he could really be the killer, so she sets out to see what she can learn.
Needlecraft Mysteries by Monica Ferris
1. Crewel World
2. Framed In Lace
3. A Stitch in Time
4. Unraveled Sleeve
5. A Murderous Yarn
6. Hanging by a Thread
Betsy is still new enough to Excelsior, Minnesota, to not know a scandal when she causes one. So, when she hires Foster Johns to fix her roof, the resulting uproar has her needled. The whole town has pinned a five-year-old unsolved double murder on him. Betsy believes Johns when he says he isn't guilty. But she'll have to use every stitch of her sleuthing skills to tie up all the loose ends that will prove his innocence once and for all. This included both knitting and stitchery. Very fun and the mystery was pretty good as well. I started with this one so will go back and see what the early ones were about.
7. Cutwork
Carmela's life is having its ups and downs. Her scrapbooking shop is doing well, but she's been separated from her husband for six months. She's trying to put that behind her and enjoy Mardi Gras.
While attending a parade with her friend Ava, she is shocked to see the body of a friend lowered from a float, dead. She's even more surprised to learn that Shamus, her husband, is the chief suspect. She doesn't believe he could really be the killer, so she sets out to see what she can learn.
Needlecraft Mysteries by Monica Ferris
1. Crewel World
2. Framed In Lace
3. A Stitch in Time
4. Unraveled Sleeve
5. A Murderous Yarn
6. Hanging by a Thread
Betsy is still new enough to Excelsior, Minnesota, to not know a scandal when she causes one. So, when she hires Foster Johns to fix her roof, the resulting uproar has her needled. The whole town has pinned a five-year-old unsolved double murder on him. Betsy believes Johns when he says he isn't guilty. But she'll have to use every stitch of her sleuthing skills to tie up all the loose ends that will prove his innocence once and for all. This included both knitting and stitchery. Very fun and the mystery was pretty good as well. I started with this one so will go back and see what the early ones were about.
7. Cutwork
Monday, March 22, 2004
Dewey Decimal System of Love by Josephine Carr features a librarian romantic figure who falls in love with a conductor. Take from her point of view we see her meet, fall in love and change her mind. Very fun especially since each chapter starts out with some books and the dewey classification number for the topic.
Sunday, February 29, 2004
Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
I have never read this series but always recommended it to girls. So I'm looking forward to reading this series. Very quick and easy to read during the lunch hour. I am really enjoing it.
1. Agony of Alice is the first in a series of books featuring 6th grader Alice McKinley. Her mother died when she was 5 and her father has tried to raise her the best he can but since there are no females in her life it is hard to figure all this growing stuff up out. Her 19 year old brother lives at home and she sees him struggle with various girl friends who give her a taste of female touch. The book starts as they move to a new city for her father to be the manager of a music store. Alice is loved by her family but needs a female to help guide her through adolescence. We experience her embarassing moments, opening a dressing room and see a boy in his underpants! (Patrick) and to her struggle to become a teenager. She takes her first trip by train to visit it her Aunt who she gets confused with memories of her mother. She gets her first kiss and her first bra and her period. A lot happens in this thin book.
2. Alice in Rapture, Sort Of is the summer Alice's "first boyfriend" before she starts Junior High. She is "going with" Patrick, who she met last year in the dressing room incident. She gets her first babysitting job and hangs out with her best friends, Pamela & Elizabeth and their boyfriends. But she discovers that she may not be ready to have a boyfriend and misses having Patrick as her friend. She learns how to deal with her girl friends when she and her dad take Pamela & Elizabeth to the beach for a week. Pamela becomes a wild woman and Elizabeth more uptight. How different can her friends be? Patrick takes her to her first grown-up dinner at a country club, she learns to how stand up for herself and to be true to oneself.
3. Reluctanlty Alice starts 7th grade where she and her friends are at the bottom of the pecking order in Jr. high. We see her struggle with finding her own identity and still be liked by others. When an 8th grade bully picks on Alice, she has to decide how to deal with it. We learn more about her brother and father as they try to help Alice without knowing too much themselves. We see her grow as she realizes that other people have bigger problems than her.
4. All But Alice Since she started 7th grade people have told her to find a group, a place to belong, be like everyone else, do what others do, and best of all, be part of the "in" group. It is with this in mind that Alice joins the All-Stars Fan Club and the earring club and becomes one of the Famous Eight. It helps, even when it's a bit boring. Yet Sisterhood, even Famous Eighthood, does not take care of all of her problems or answer all of her questions about life and love. Can she be Sisters with all three girls who want to be her brother Lester's girlfriends? How does she treat the fact that her father is dating her teacher, Miss Summers? How do you accept a box of valentine candy from a boy? In fact, how do boys fit into Universal Sisterhood -- or is there a Universal Humanhood? How far do you go when being part of the crowd means doing something you don't want to do?
5. Alice in April Still in 7th grade, Alice is about to turn 13, an official woman. But how will she be able to cope with all the responsiblities of womanhood, plus is her family? In school she needs a different kind of name, one given by a table full of boys in the cafeteria depending on their figures, girls are being given state names -- some states have mountains and others do not. Will flat, flat Delaware or Louisiana be her fate? Alice lives in fear that it might be, though even worse is the fear that she might not get a name at all. The month ends with a dinner party for her father's birthday (part of being Woman of the House) that has more downs than ups -- and with a totally unexpected event that makes Alice and everyone she knows grow up a little and wonder a little deeper about life and the future. April is a hard month, but reading about Alice in April is to find that most tragedies (though not all) pass and tears can turn to laughter and delight.
6. Alice In-Between Alice is finishing her 7th grade year and as she turns 13 she realizes that she is in-between, not really a child and not a teen-ager either. As her older brother, Lester, takes her out on the town, some almost grown-up things happen to her, but there are unexpected dangers attached. And a marvelous trip to Chicago with her best friends, Pamela and Elizabeth, proves that "in-between" may not be such a bad place to be after all, when Pamela, acting too old for her age, attracts some unwanted attention, and Elizabeth promptly goes into shock. And when Patrick comes back into Alice's life again, she realizes she doesn't have to rush things.
7. Alice the Brave - it is the summer before Alice and her friends are starting 8th grade. They everyone in Alice's gang goes to Mark Stedmeister's swimming pool almost every day. Alice sits at the shallow end. She plays badminton. She makes excuses, and keeps her problem secret. She is afraid to swim. Her brother helps her over this hump and she learns that it isn't so bad having someone to help you out once in awhile.
Everyone seems to be changing except Alice. Her friend Elizabeth brings a risque book to a sleepover but ends up confessing to her priest and her parents. But she is much more open to having a boyfriend than ever before. Pamela decides she wants to play the field. Her dad and Miss Summers seem serious but will they get married? She can't help but worry about it. I especially enjoyed Alice receiving a chain letter that she can't forget about while no one else even pays attention to it. Always a good way to spend a few hours with Alice.
8. Alice in Lace In this newest stage of Alice's journey to adulthood, the appealing heroine begins eighth grade with a million questions and few answers. Her health teacher, Mr. Everett, has assigned the members of the class various real-life scenarios to investigate and come to terms with. Some of Alice's friends are facing teenage pregnancy, shoplifting, totaling a car, and arranging a funeral. Alice and her friend Patrick are to plan their wedding, honeymoon, find an apartment, and buy furniture on a very limited budget. I somehow didn't read this one, so noticed some changes and wondered how Lester's girlfriend was suddenly working at the music store. Now it all makes sense.
9. Outrageously Alice Now that Alice is setting into eighth grade, the class she used to envy, Alice discovers it isn't as exciting as she thought. She's tired of being the same old Alice, and longs to be a bit outrageous. She tries to reinvent herself by dressing outrageously - a showgirl for Halloween but then is gropped by someone (later discovered to be Patrick) in the broom closet at school, then dies her hair green and wears it in spikes along with green eyeliner and eye shadow. When she is invited to be a bridesmaid for Crystal (Lester's former girlfriend) she gets to hang out with an older crowd but that doesn't fit right either. Her friends Elizabeth and Pamela are having problems of their own. Pamela's parents are divorcing and Elizabeth has a new baby brother. But together they find that their friendship is what makes them feel special.
10. Achingly Alice In eighth grade now, Alice grapples with lies, loss, loyalty, and sexual awakening, even as she worries about what to wear to the school Valentine's Day dance. She is still obsessed with getting her widowed father to marry her gorgeous ex-teacher. Like her readers, Alice wants to talk to someone about her body and her sexuality. Does everyone masturbate? What is it like to have a pelvic exam? (Deliberately outrageous, she tells her father and brother at the dinner table about the three things that the doctor says can cause wetness "down there.") Is it all right to feel "wet and tingly" when her boyfriend Patrick kisses her?
11. Alice On The Outside Alice likes her life, even though she realizes that change is on the way. She and her friends may develop separate interests and ideas, and sometimes she may find herself on the outside rather than inside her close circle, but the future looks good. Alice thinks she's ready for it. She's ready to know about sex and marriage so asks her cousin Carol and finds that it is a lot more complicated than she thought. She is also faced with a school project in which the students are governed by rules aimed at forcing them to recognize the evils of prejudice and arbitrary privilege. At the same time, Alice befriends a classmate; when she finds out the girl is a lesbian, she handles the situation with maturity and tolerance. But she finds that whether someone is a friend or more than a friend it matters how you treat everyone.
12. The Grooming of Alice The first day of the summer vacation between eighth and ninth grades, Alice, Pamela, and Elizabeth decide they have to get in shape. "However you look when you start ninth grade, that's how people will think of you for the next four years," says Pamela. And they all begin jogging three miles every morning. But when Elizabeth becomes obsessed with her weight it becomes more of a problem. They discover more about themselves as a woman when Elizabeth's mom makes them take a "Just for Girls Course", and instead of being embarassing it's a learning experience. Alice is also doing her first volunteer job at the local hospital where she finds her 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Plotkin, is hospitilized and then dies Alice has her first real brush with loss. Even though her mother died when she was young she doesn't remember any of it. The summer seems ruined when Alice makes a poor decision by hiding her friend Pamela in the house after she runs away. Alice gets grounded and Pamela moves to Colorado to be with her mother. Alice's father goes to visit Miss Summers in England and end up getting engaged. The whole family is growing up. But with all the ups and downs of the summer it all ends on a positive note. They can't wait until 9th grade.
13. Alice Alone - Alice's first year in high school gets off to a difficult start when she and her boyfriend Patrick break up. There's a new girl in town, and she's got her eye on Alice's longtime steady, Patrick. What's worse, Patrick seems to enjoy the attention. Alice and Patrick have been a couple so long, Alice can't imagine life without him. How can Alice forge a post-Patrick life for herself when she doesn't even know who she is on her own? She makes her first Thanksgiving meal and invites 3 women from the Community Connections for Female Offenders for dinner. The dinner is a commical event. Also we see more development with her friendships with Elizabeth and Pamela. Elizabeth confesses that she was sexually molested by a friend of her parent's when she was 7-8 years old. Together they support Elizabeth as she finally tells her parents what happens. More drama developes when Alice discovers that Miss Summer's former fiance is going to England to visit her over Christmas. But all ends well because of communication between them all.
14. Simply Alice is the 2nd half of Alice's 9th grade year. She has found new interests and new friends. She just doesn't have time for everyone and everything she wants to do. After she is hazed by the boys on the set of the new play and decides to expose the problem in the school paper Alice finds she has a real passion for writing but as she gets more confident in herself her old friends are shutting her out. And if Alice ever needed friends, she needs them now. She's got a secret e-mail admirer she's not sure how to handle. Her brother, Lester, is plunging headlong into a risky romance with a professor. And her new friend, Faith, seems unable to break free of an abusive relationship with her boyfriend. It's not simple being simply Alice.
15. Patiently Alice Alice, Elizabeth and Pamela are off the work as Jr. Counselors for 3 weeks at a coed camp for disadvantaged children. Her father and his longtime love, Sylvia Summers, are finally preparing to walk down the aisle, and her brother, Lester, is planning to move out. But then Sylvia's sister becomes deathly ill and has to postpone the wedding. Maybe for good? to help care for her.
I laughed out loud when Elizabeth buys condoms for their friend Pamela, "just in case,". And it ends up that Elizabeth might need to use it as she goes further than either Alice or Pamela can imagine. As with the other Alice books we're left wanting more as Alice's former boyfriend Patrick seems interested again. Can one girl handle all this change?
16. Including Alice
Alice is now a sophomore, and finally, after four long years, her dad is marrying Sylvia Summers. When the wedding day arrives, Alice is excited but quickly begins to feel left out. Changes come to the household; first her older brother, Lester, moves out and then her father and Sylvia begin making plans to remodel without talking to Alice. She is further exasperated when the embroidered sheets she toiled over for a wedding gift do not fit the new bed Sylvia and her dad have purchased. Over time, with patience from both sides, Alice realizes that though her dad has a new life, she is very much a welcomed part of it. She realistically deals with the challenges and angst that teenagers face in their daily lives including fitting in, peer relationships, getting braces, and blended families.
17. Alice on Her Way
The biggest event (except maybe for her dad's wedding) in Alice's life is about to happen. She's been waiting for it forever, ever since Lester turned sixteen, but now it's finally her turn ... to get a driver's license. Alice can't stop thinking about all the freedom she'll have once she can finally drive. It's like being a grown-up. Almost. What with learning to drive, trying to keep chunks of food out of her braces so that she can kiss her new boyfriend, and planning a school trip to New York City, there's not much room for anything else. So when her father signs her up for a class on sexuality at their church without her permission, Alice is outraged. Who wants to learn about sex at a church? But what Alice learns this year surprises her as she begins to realize that there's a lot more to being an adult than taking a trip without your parents, getting a driver's license, or having a boyfriend.
18. Alice in the know
Alice fills the summer before her junior year of high school with a job at the mall, hanging out with her friends, and wishing she had a bigger family. It's the summer before junior year, and Alice is looking forward to three months of excitement, passion, and drama. But what does she find? A summer working in a local department store, trying to stop shoplifters, and more "real life" problems than she could have ever imagined: A good friend becomes seriously ill, Lester has more romance problems than even Alice knows what to do with, and the gang from Mark Stedmeister's pool is starting to grow up a bit faster than Alice is comfortable with. Fortunately for Alice her family and friends are with her through it all, and by the end of the summer, Alice finds she knows a whole lot more than she had in June.
I have never read this series but always recommended it to girls. So I'm looking forward to reading this series. Very quick and easy to read during the lunch hour. I am really enjoing it.
1. Agony of Alice is the first in a series of books featuring 6th grader Alice McKinley. Her mother died when she was 5 and her father has tried to raise her the best he can but since there are no females in her life it is hard to figure all this growing stuff up out. Her 19 year old brother lives at home and she sees him struggle with various girl friends who give her a taste of female touch. The book starts as they move to a new city for her father to be the manager of a music store. Alice is loved by her family but needs a female to help guide her through adolescence. We experience her embarassing moments, opening a dressing room and see a boy in his underpants! (Patrick) and to her struggle to become a teenager. She takes her first trip by train to visit it her Aunt who she gets confused with memories of her mother. She gets her first kiss and her first bra and her period. A lot happens in this thin book.
2. Alice in Rapture, Sort Of is the summer Alice's "first boyfriend" before she starts Junior High. She is "going with" Patrick, who she met last year in the dressing room incident. She gets her first babysitting job and hangs out with her best friends, Pamela & Elizabeth and their boyfriends. But she discovers that she may not be ready to have a boyfriend and misses having Patrick as her friend. She learns how to deal with her girl friends when she and her dad take Pamela & Elizabeth to the beach for a week. Pamela becomes a wild woman and Elizabeth more uptight. How different can her friends be? Patrick takes her to her first grown-up dinner at a country club, she learns to how stand up for herself and to be true to oneself.
3. Reluctanlty Alice starts 7th grade where she and her friends are at the bottom of the pecking order in Jr. high. We see her struggle with finding her own identity and still be liked by others. When an 8th grade bully picks on Alice, she has to decide how to deal with it. We learn more about her brother and father as they try to help Alice without knowing too much themselves. We see her grow as she realizes that other people have bigger problems than her.
4. All But Alice Since she started 7th grade people have told her to find a group, a place to belong, be like everyone else, do what others do, and best of all, be part of the "in" group. It is with this in mind that Alice joins the All-Stars Fan Club and the earring club and becomes one of the Famous Eight. It helps, even when it's a bit boring. Yet Sisterhood, even Famous Eighthood, does not take care of all of her problems or answer all of her questions about life and love. Can she be Sisters with all three girls who want to be her brother Lester's girlfriends? How does she treat the fact that her father is dating her teacher, Miss Summers? How do you accept a box of valentine candy from a boy? In fact, how do boys fit into Universal Sisterhood -- or is there a Universal Humanhood? How far do you go when being part of the crowd means doing something you don't want to do?
5. Alice in April Still in 7th grade, Alice is about to turn 13, an official woman. But how will she be able to cope with all the responsiblities of womanhood, plus is her family? In school she needs a different kind of name, one given by a table full of boys in the cafeteria depending on their figures, girls are being given state names -- some states have mountains and others do not. Will flat, flat Delaware or Louisiana be her fate? Alice lives in fear that it might be, though even worse is the fear that she might not get a name at all. The month ends with a dinner party for her father's birthday (part of being Woman of the House) that has more downs than ups -- and with a totally unexpected event that makes Alice and everyone she knows grow up a little and wonder a little deeper about life and the future. April is a hard month, but reading about Alice in April is to find that most tragedies (though not all) pass and tears can turn to laughter and delight.
6. Alice In-Between Alice is finishing her 7th grade year and as she turns 13 she realizes that she is in-between, not really a child and not a teen-ager either. As her older brother, Lester, takes her out on the town, some almost grown-up things happen to her, but there are unexpected dangers attached. And a marvelous trip to Chicago with her best friends, Pamela and Elizabeth, proves that "in-between" may not be such a bad place to be after all, when Pamela, acting too old for her age, attracts some unwanted attention, and Elizabeth promptly goes into shock. And when Patrick comes back into Alice's life again, she realizes she doesn't have to rush things.
7. Alice the Brave - it is the summer before Alice and her friends are starting 8th grade. They everyone in Alice's gang goes to Mark Stedmeister's swimming pool almost every day. Alice sits at the shallow end. She plays badminton. She makes excuses, and keeps her problem secret. She is afraid to swim. Her brother helps her over this hump and she learns that it isn't so bad having someone to help you out once in awhile.
Everyone seems to be changing except Alice. Her friend Elizabeth brings a risque book to a sleepover but ends up confessing to her priest and her parents. But she is much more open to having a boyfriend than ever before. Pamela decides she wants to play the field. Her dad and Miss Summers seem serious but will they get married? She can't help but worry about it. I especially enjoyed Alice receiving a chain letter that she can't forget about while no one else even pays attention to it. Always a good way to spend a few hours with Alice.
8. Alice in Lace In this newest stage of Alice's journey to adulthood, the appealing heroine begins eighth grade with a million questions and few answers. Her health teacher, Mr. Everett, has assigned the members of the class various real-life scenarios to investigate and come to terms with. Some of Alice's friends are facing teenage pregnancy, shoplifting, totaling a car, and arranging a funeral. Alice and her friend Patrick are to plan their wedding, honeymoon, find an apartment, and buy furniture on a very limited budget. I somehow didn't read this one, so noticed some changes and wondered how Lester's girlfriend was suddenly working at the music store. Now it all makes sense.
9. Outrageously Alice Now that Alice is setting into eighth grade, the class she used to envy, Alice discovers it isn't as exciting as she thought. She's tired of being the same old Alice, and longs to be a bit outrageous. She tries to reinvent herself by dressing outrageously - a showgirl for Halloween but then is gropped by someone (later discovered to be Patrick) in the broom closet at school, then dies her hair green and wears it in spikes along with green eyeliner and eye shadow. When she is invited to be a bridesmaid for Crystal (Lester's former girlfriend) she gets to hang out with an older crowd but that doesn't fit right either. Her friends Elizabeth and Pamela are having problems of their own. Pamela's parents are divorcing and Elizabeth has a new baby brother. But together they find that their friendship is what makes them feel special.
10. Achingly Alice In eighth grade now, Alice grapples with lies, loss, loyalty, and sexual awakening, even as she worries about what to wear to the school Valentine's Day dance. She is still obsessed with getting her widowed father to marry her gorgeous ex-teacher. Like her readers, Alice wants to talk to someone about her body and her sexuality. Does everyone masturbate? What is it like to have a pelvic exam? (Deliberately outrageous, she tells her father and brother at the dinner table about the three things that the doctor says can cause wetness "down there.") Is it all right to feel "wet and tingly" when her boyfriend Patrick kisses her?
11. Alice On The Outside Alice likes her life, even though she realizes that change is on the way. She and her friends may develop separate interests and ideas, and sometimes she may find herself on the outside rather than inside her close circle, but the future looks good. Alice thinks she's ready for it. She's ready to know about sex and marriage so asks her cousin Carol and finds that it is a lot more complicated than she thought. She is also faced with a school project in which the students are governed by rules aimed at forcing them to recognize the evils of prejudice and arbitrary privilege. At the same time, Alice befriends a classmate; when she finds out the girl is a lesbian, she handles the situation with maturity and tolerance. But she finds that whether someone is a friend or more than a friend it matters how you treat everyone.
12. The Grooming of Alice The first day of the summer vacation between eighth and ninth grades, Alice, Pamela, and Elizabeth decide they have to get in shape. "However you look when you start ninth grade, that's how people will think of you for the next four years," says Pamela. And they all begin jogging three miles every morning. But when Elizabeth becomes obsessed with her weight it becomes more of a problem. They discover more about themselves as a woman when Elizabeth's mom makes them take a "Just for Girls Course", and instead of being embarassing it's a learning experience. Alice is also doing her first volunteer job at the local hospital where she finds her 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Plotkin, is hospitilized and then dies Alice has her first real brush with loss. Even though her mother died when she was young she doesn't remember any of it. The summer seems ruined when Alice makes a poor decision by hiding her friend Pamela in the house after she runs away. Alice gets grounded and Pamela moves to Colorado to be with her mother. Alice's father goes to visit Miss Summers in England and end up getting engaged. The whole family is growing up. But with all the ups and downs of the summer it all ends on a positive note. They can't wait until 9th grade.
13. Alice Alone - Alice's first year in high school gets off to a difficult start when she and her boyfriend Patrick break up. There's a new girl in town, and she's got her eye on Alice's longtime steady, Patrick. What's worse, Patrick seems to enjoy the attention. Alice and Patrick have been a couple so long, Alice can't imagine life without him. How can Alice forge a post-Patrick life for herself when she doesn't even know who she is on her own? She makes her first Thanksgiving meal and invites 3 women from the Community Connections for Female Offenders for dinner. The dinner is a commical event. Also we see more development with her friendships with Elizabeth and Pamela. Elizabeth confesses that she was sexually molested by a friend of her parent's when she was 7-8 years old. Together they support Elizabeth as she finally tells her parents what happens. More drama developes when Alice discovers that Miss Summer's former fiance is going to England to visit her over Christmas. But all ends well because of communication between them all.
14. Simply Alice is the 2nd half of Alice's 9th grade year. She has found new interests and new friends. She just doesn't have time for everyone and everything she wants to do. After she is hazed by the boys on the set of the new play and decides to expose the problem in the school paper Alice finds she has a real passion for writing but as she gets more confident in herself her old friends are shutting her out. And if Alice ever needed friends, she needs them now. She's got a secret e-mail admirer she's not sure how to handle. Her brother, Lester, is plunging headlong into a risky romance with a professor. And her new friend, Faith, seems unable to break free of an abusive relationship with her boyfriend. It's not simple being simply Alice.
15. Patiently Alice Alice, Elizabeth and Pamela are off the work as Jr. Counselors for 3 weeks at a coed camp for disadvantaged children. Her father and his longtime love, Sylvia Summers, are finally preparing to walk down the aisle, and her brother, Lester, is planning to move out. But then Sylvia's sister becomes deathly ill and has to postpone the wedding. Maybe for good? to help care for her.
I laughed out loud when Elizabeth buys condoms for their friend Pamela, "just in case,". And it ends up that Elizabeth might need to use it as she goes further than either Alice or Pamela can imagine. As with the other Alice books we're left wanting more as Alice's former boyfriend Patrick seems interested again. Can one girl handle all this change?
16. Including Alice
Alice is now a sophomore, and finally, after four long years, her dad is marrying Sylvia Summers. When the wedding day arrives, Alice is excited but quickly begins to feel left out. Changes come to the household; first her older brother, Lester, moves out and then her father and Sylvia begin making plans to remodel without talking to Alice. She is further exasperated when the embroidered sheets she toiled over for a wedding gift do not fit the new bed Sylvia and her dad have purchased. Over time, with patience from both sides, Alice realizes that though her dad has a new life, she is very much a welcomed part of it. She realistically deals with the challenges and angst that teenagers face in their daily lives including fitting in, peer relationships, getting braces, and blended families.
17. Alice on Her Way
The biggest event (except maybe for her dad's wedding) in Alice's life is about to happen. She's been waiting for it forever, ever since Lester turned sixteen, but now it's finally her turn ... to get a driver's license. Alice can't stop thinking about all the freedom she'll have once she can finally drive. It's like being a grown-up. Almost. What with learning to drive, trying to keep chunks of food out of her braces so that she can kiss her new boyfriend, and planning a school trip to New York City, there's not much room for anything else. So when her father signs her up for a class on sexuality at their church without her permission, Alice is outraged. Who wants to learn about sex at a church? But what Alice learns this year surprises her as she begins to realize that there's a lot more to being an adult than taking a trip without your parents, getting a driver's license, or having a boyfriend.
18. Alice in the know
Alice fills the summer before her junior year of high school with a job at the mall, hanging out with her friends, and wishing she had a bigger family. It's the summer before junior year, and Alice is looking forward to three months of excitement, passion, and drama. But what does she find? A summer working in a local department store, trying to stop shoplifters, and more "real life" problems than she could have ever imagined: A good friend becomes seriously ill, Lester has more romance problems than even Alice knows what to do with, and the gang from Mark Stedmeister's pool is starting to grow up a bit faster than Alice is comfortable with. Fortunately for Alice her family and friends are with her through it all, and by the end of the summer, Alice finds she knows a whole lot more than she had in June.
Friday, February 27, 2004
Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James by Deborah Crombie
Share in Death First in the series and introduces Kincaid and James. When New Scotland Yard detective Duncan Kincaid finally takes a well-deserved vacation at a Yorkshire time-share resort, he becomes involved in the murder of an employee there. He enlists the aid of his London partner, Sergeant Gemma James, and the two gather enough material to weed through the resident/suspect young politician, spinster sister, adulterous lovers, etc. Very well written and I didn't know who done it until the very last and I finally realized at the end that I've read it years before. Still read fresh and kept me guessing.
All Shall be Well
Jasmine Dent, a 50-year-old spinster born in India who is dying in London of lung cancer. She is discovered dead by Duncan and though her death resembles suicide it leaves her friend and neighbor from the flat above, him uneasy. The postmortem he orders reveals an overdose of morphine, prompting him and his sergeant, hot-tempered, copper-haired Gemma James, on a thorough investigation. Suspects include 30-ish, disheveled Meg Bellamy, a timid friend with whom Jasmine had considered suicide, and the downstairs neighbor known as the Major, a veteran of the Muslim-Hindu clashes in Calcutta in 1946 and an avid gardener with whom Jasmine had often sat "like two old dogs in the sun." Others include Meg's stunningly handsome, bullying beau Roger, who urged that she help Jasmine end her life; Felicity Howarth, Jasmine's faithful home-care nurse who slaves to keep her brain-damaged son in an institution; and Jasmine's weak-willed brother Theo, owner of a village junk shop who has failed at every venture he's tried. Helped by Jasmine's journal and a visit to a mental hospital, the clues finally click into place to reveal the culprit. Meg makes a decision that promises hope for two people, while Gemma and Duncan, both unlucky in love, move closer to each other.
I did not supsect the ending. As with other Crombie novels she is able to give subtle clues of the innocent and the guilty. Plus she is able to weave this with Kincaid's relationship with his
Sergeant Gemma James.
Leave the Grave Green
Twenty years after their son, Matthew, drowned in an accident near their home, noted opera conductor Sir Gerald Asherton and his wife, Dame Caroline Stowe, who retired from the opera stage after Matty's death, have an eerily similar tragedy to face: The body of their daughter Julia's estranged husband, Connor Swann, of whom they've remained inexplicably fond, has tumbled from the Hambledon Lock. But Connor's death, as Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James soon realize, was anything but accidental, and someone among the circle of mourners must be feigning grief- -unless his killer was his widow. We see the development between Kincaid & Emma develop as well. A very intense read. I listened to this on tape and it was so engrosing.
Mourne Not the Dead
Dreaming of the Bones
Kincaid is asked by his ex-wife in Cambridge to help her prove that a talented poet did not commit suicide, but was murdered. They discover startling news that leads them into an engrossing history of poetry and scandal, found secrets and lost innocence. I'm not sure if I have read any of the books in this series but I will defintely start reading more from this author. I listened to this on CD and enjoyed it the reader.
Kissed a sad goodbye
Duncan Kincaid is trying to spend time with 11-year-old Kit, the grieving son of his recently deceased ex-wife while he determines how to tell the boy that he is his father. The intricacies of this case, however, draw him away from that endeavor and put him and Sergeant James in the company of a complex cast of characters. The murder victim turns out to be Annabelle Hammond, the daughter of rich and powerful William Hammond, the sister of Jo Lowell (whose marriage Annabelle broke up after having an affair with Jo's husband), and the lover of two other men. Hence, there is no shortage of suspects. The clues to the intriguing mystery present themselves as the layers of the story are revealed, much like peeling an onion. Scenes of East London's Isle of Dogs are vividly described. Readers learn about the forced evacuation of children from London during World War II as well as the privations and devastation suffered by England, and especially London, during the war.
And justice there is none
In a dark house
Share in Death First in the series and introduces Kincaid and James. When New Scotland Yard detective Duncan Kincaid finally takes a well-deserved vacation at a Yorkshire time-share resort, he becomes involved in the murder of an employee there. He enlists the aid of his London partner, Sergeant Gemma James, and the two gather enough material to weed through the resident/suspect young politician, spinster sister, adulterous lovers, etc. Very well written and I didn't know who done it until the very last and I finally realized at the end that I've read it years before. Still read fresh and kept me guessing.
All Shall be Well
Jasmine Dent, a 50-year-old spinster born in India who is dying in London of lung cancer. She is discovered dead by Duncan and though her death resembles suicide it leaves her friend and neighbor from the flat above, him uneasy. The postmortem he orders reveals an overdose of morphine, prompting him and his sergeant, hot-tempered, copper-haired Gemma James, on a thorough investigation. Suspects include 30-ish, disheveled Meg Bellamy, a timid friend with whom Jasmine had considered suicide, and the downstairs neighbor known as the Major, a veteran of the Muslim-Hindu clashes in Calcutta in 1946 and an avid gardener with whom Jasmine had often sat "like two old dogs in the sun." Others include Meg's stunningly handsome, bullying beau Roger, who urged that she help Jasmine end her life; Felicity Howarth, Jasmine's faithful home-care nurse who slaves to keep her brain-damaged son in an institution; and Jasmine's weak-willed brother Theo, owner of a village junk shop who has failed at every venture he's tried. Helped by Jasmine's journal and a visit to a mental hospital, the clues finally click into place to reveal the culprit. Meg makes a decision that promises hope for two people, while Gemma and Duncan, both unlucky in love, move closer to each other.
I did not supsect the ending. As with other Crombie novels she is able to give subtle clues of the innocent and the guilty. Plus she is able to weave this with Kincaid's relationship with his
Sergeant Gemma James.
Leave the Grave Green
Twenty years after their son, Matthew, drowned in an accident near their home, noted opera conductor Sir Gerald Asherton and his wife, Dame Caroline Stowe, who retired from the opera stage after Matty's death, have an eerily similar tragedy to face: The body of their daughter Julia's estranged husband, Connor Swann, of whom they've remained inexplicably fond, has tumbled from the Hambledon Lock. But Connor's death, as Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James soon realize, was anything but accidental, and someone among the circle of mourners must be feigning grief- -unless his killer was his widow. We see the development between Kincaid & Emma develop as well. A very intense read. I listened to this on tape and it was so engrosing.
Mourne Not the Dead
Dreaming of the Bones
Kincaid is asked by his ex-wife in Cambridge to help her prove that a talented poet did not commit suicide, but was murdered. They discover startling news that leads them into an engrossing history of poetry and scandal, found secrets and lost innocence. I'm not sure if I have read any of the books in this series but I will defintely start reading more from this author. I listened to this on CD and enjoyed it the reader.
Kissed a sad goodbye
Duncan Kincaid is trying to spend time with 11-year-old Kit, the grieving son of his recently deceased ex-wife while he determines how to tell the boy that he is his father. The intricacies of this case, however, draw him away from that endeavor and put him and Sergeant James in the company of a complex cast of characters. The murder victim turns out to be Annabelle Hammond, the daughter of rich and powerful William Hammond, the sister of Jo Lowell (whose marriage Annabelle broke up after having an affair with Jo's husband), and the lover of two other men. Hence, there is no shortage of suspects. The clues to the intriguing mystery present themselves as the layers of the story are revealed, much like peeling an onion. Scenes of East London's Isle of Dogs are vividly described. Readers learn about the forced evacuation of children from London during World War II as well as the privations and devastation suffered by England, and especially London, during the war.
And justice there is none
In a dark house
Sunday, February 15, 2004
Alpine mysteries by Mary Daheim features Emma Lord, small-town newspaper owner & editor in Alpine, Washington.
1. Alpine Advocate
2. Alpine Betrayal
3. Alpine Christmas
4. Alpine Decoy
5. Alpine Escape
6. Alpine Fury
7. Alpine Gamble
8. Alpine Hero
9. Alpine Icon
10. Alpine Journey
11. Alpine Kindred
12. Alpine Legacy
13. Alpine Menace
The Seattle strangling murder of Alpine native Carol Stokes is generating headlines, but the accused killer is Emma's long-lost cousin Ronnie, who swears he was out drinking when his girlfriend was strangled. But he can't prove it, and neighbors claim they heard the couple fighting moments before the murder. Now Emma and supersnoop Vida, the Advocate's house-and-home editor, must find another suspect. So they spend their Easter weekend up in Seattle looking into Carol's life as well as Ronnie's. As usual they find distant relations to Vida but will it be enough to help discover the truth.
14. Alpine Nemesis
15. Alpine Obituary - Still distraught over the death of her lover, Emma mopes through the first half of the novel and even considers turning down a request by Marsha, the local judge, to look into a threatening letter she has received. But when Emma learns that Marsha and Jack Froland, an elderly resident who may have been murdered, are distantly related, she decides to find out if the two incidents are connected. For some reason the the book is divided between the present and Alpine of the 1916-17 time period. Every chapter switches between the two. It isn't really that clear of why we need to know about the early families even by the end of the book. But it's good to see Emma's character develop.
1. Alpine Advocate
2. Alpine Betrayal
3. Alpine Christmas
4. Alpine Decoy
5. Alpine Escape
6. Alpine Fury
7. Alpine Gamble
8. Alpine Hero
9. Alpine Icon
10. Alpine Journey
11. Alpine Kindred
12. Alpine Legacy
13. Alpine Menace
The Seattle strangling murder of Alpine native Carol Stokes is generating headlines, but the accused killer is Emma's long-lost cousin Ronnie, who swears he was out drinking when his girlfriend was strangled. But he can't prove it, and neighbors claim they heard the couple fighting moments before the murder. Now Emma and supersnoop Vida, the Advocate's house-and-home editor, must find another suspect. So they spend their Easter weekend up in Seattle looking into Carol's life as well as Ronnie's. As usual they find distant relations to Vida but will it be enough to help discover the truth.
14. Alpine Nemesis
15. Alpine Obituary - Still distraught over the death of her lover, Emma mopes through the first half of the novel and even considers turning down a request by Marsha, the local judge, to look into a threatening letter she has received. But when Emma learns that Marsha and Jack Froland, an elderly resident who may have been murdered, are distantly related, she decides to find out if the two incidents are connected. For some reason the the book is divided between the present and Alpine of the 1916-17 time period. Every chapter switches between the two. It isn't really that clear of why we need to know about the early families even by the end of the book. But it's good to see Emma's character develop.
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