Category: Historical Mystery

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (Historical Mystery)

I feel a melancholy knowing that this is the last of the Maisie Dobbs series. I’ve enjoyed the series tremendously — Winspear is one of my favorite historical mystery authors. The series follows Maisie Dobbs from 1910, when she was a 13-year old housemaid in the Compton manor house — through her experiences as nurse, psychologist, and investigator spanning two world wars and their aftermaths. Most involve mysteries, equal amounts mysteries of the spirit as well as of the body(ies). This is the 18th (and final) episode.

The book opens in October, 1945 with an unknown man in a demob suit looking at his reflection in a shop window and thinking to himself: “He couldn’t face home. Not yet. Perhaps not ever. Couldn’t face the wanting in the eyes of others, the wanting for him to be himself again, the man they had known so long ago. But that old self had perished, and now he was looking at the reflection of a wraith that turned out to be him. Alive. Against all odds.” I was hooked (and moved) instantly. This story is focused on recovery — the war is over and people are trying to rebuild lives and there are equal amounts of guilt, relief, worry, and grief. As the last book, we find closure for most of our favorite characters along with some new additions, all going through what it takes to heal from the overwhelming residue of the war. Because after all of the celebrations, England is still struggling with rampant homelessness (think the Blitz), food shortages, missed loved ones, broken bodies and minds, and near financial ruin at the national level. Winspear covers this without melodrama in a way that I rarely see captured in fiction. Full of the reality of individual lives that refuse to be overwhelmed by ubiquitous calamity, yet obviously experience great tears to the soul from the devastation of their homes and families.

I’m going to miss this series. I’ve grown to love the characters, the friendships, and the deep portrayals of individuals coping when faced with the barely surviving wreckage of their civilization. Winspear differs from other historical fiction authors not in her research of the past (which is excellent and thorough) but in her ability to find the depth and impact in “ordinary” lives during extraordinary times. She is a keen observer, diving into personalities and professions ranging from housewife to civic leaders to the aristocracy to Scotland Yard personnel to the many intricate layers of the British Secret Service. I keep reading WWII books, particularly regarding the British home front because I so respect the British spirit that got them through the destruction of two world wars with the attitude of “getting on with it” and “making do” and the strength that comes from real ties of community.

Just a couple of quotes — I love her writing:

“He often wondered why his calculating mind would spin in expanding and contracting circles until he came to the point where a new truth was revealed.“

“She had met a woman, once, who told her she could see the prayers from distressed souls littering the ceiling of every church she had ever entered, as if those heartfelt messages had been inscribed on fine tissue paper and cast up so God could reach down to collect each one.”

What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley (Mystery)

Flavia De Luce is back! Joined (against her wishes) by her obnoxious (but very similar IMHO) cousin Undine and the always welcome, long-time family retainer Dogger, Flavia sets out to defend the family’s cook against a murder charge. Major Grayleigh — a genial but private man — was found dead after eating the mushrooms picked and cooked by Mrs. Mullet. Obviously nothing is what it seems on the surface, and there are some big surprises that unfold with the mystery. All told in Bradley’s irreverent style and populated with arcane bits of history that I can’t believe are real. The Neck Verse and clergy indemnity? Timycha, a pregnant Pythagorean philosopher, who bit off her own tongue to prevent her disclosing secret information during torture? Look them up!

I always like the characters — some new, some old. Max — a retired concert pianist of “diminished verticality” (his words) — is a favorite of mine. In all, plenty of fun. I had wondered if Bradley had stopped writing as it’s been five years since the last volume, and they had been coming annually so I’m happy to see that it’s not over yet! I’m not actually sure how old Flavia is any more — she was 11 at the start of the series but that was nine books ago …

Thank you to Bantam and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on Sept. 3rd, 2024.

What Cannot Be Said by C.S. Harris (Historical Mystery — audio book)

The latest (number 19!) of the early 19th century series centered around Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, who has a calling to help Bow Street untangle tricky murder cases, particularly when the upper classes are involved.

This episode takes place in July, 1815 — just as Napoleon is captured for the second time, his fate left to the British to determine (exile was chosen because nobody wanted to create a precedent for murdering heads of state, regardless of their crimes). Sebastian is brought in to investigate the brutal murder of a Baronet’s wife and her 16 year old daughter, their bodies posed in the exact same positions as those in a prior crime fourteen years earlier. Through an investigation tangled with possibilities, we are led to a dark conclusion that I admit I never would have suspected (though all the clues were there).

Harris excels at the successive unfolding of layer after layer of intrigue, suspects, and background stories. From lunatic asylums to the work houses to neglectful baby fostering to Dickensian apprenticeships and cruel taskmasters for the unfortunate orphans to soldiers returning from war along with the ever present sniping, posturing, and opportunities for outrage of the upper classes, the story gets richer and richer as it progresses.

The audio book reader was new for me — the first 16 books were narrated by Davina Porter who is one of my absolute favorites. I have no complaints at all about Amy Scanlon but I do miss Ms Porter’s voice.

Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair (Mystery)

Writing: 3/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 4/5

Book six of the Sparks and Bainbridge historical mystery series. These books are just fun — a combination of novel, historical interest, and always an interesting body or two that unravel into quirks and twists and plenty of opportunity for the two women to evolve personally. Set in post-WWII London, the two have started the Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Iris Sparks, with a mysterious past in British Intelligence, and Gwendolyn Bainbridge, a genteel war widow who has recently been pronounced “sane” after an extensive engagement with the lunacy courts. I’ve only read book five so I’ll have to go back and start from the beginning to get all the details, but the author does a decent job of giving you enough background to make sense of the present.
In this episode, Gwen has fun with some bad boys and turns out to be a snooker shark (I’m afraid I skimmed over the snooker scenes — all I got was that it is played on a table with some balls) and has the uncanny ability to tell when someone is lying. Iris is dating a charming man whom we love instantly along with her, though he has ties to the underworld that should be unattractive. A body is found that ties back to history and an old bank robbery, and both women take some pretty interesting twists in their love life. They don’t actually match anyone in this story so (as a fellow reviewer pointed out) we have to hope that they manage to stay in business and nobody is paying them to solve mysteries!

Very entertaining and just the right amount of “cozy” for me.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 30th, 2024.

A Scandal in Mayfair by Katherine Schellman

I quite enjoy this cozy mystery series set in Regency era London (this is number 5 and they are arriving yearly). Socialite and war widow, Lily Adler, is approached by a young woman who feels her Uncle is robbing her of her inheritance. Of course, nothing is as simple as it seems, and missing wills, a body or two, and some mysterious illnesses combine into a real threat for Lily (who of course would never give up!).

A little romance, character development across the series, and some very good twists. I was quite pleased that I figured things out just pages before they were revealed — the mark of a mystery perfectly tuned to my taste — ie not obvious but directly related to the clues presented. Plenty of cozy style filler but I enjoyed the filler (and it wasn’t stupid) so that was just fine. The characters tended to be on the slightly non-conforming / diverse side which gave the London society setting a bit more flavor as various levels of snootiness struggle to apply the “correct” respect.

Fun!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on August 20th, 2024.

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (Historical Fiction)

Writing: 5/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 5/5

Thanksgiving 1954. Washington, DC. A women’s boarding house. A body. And blood — lots of blood. That’s how Kate Quinn’s latest book gets started. And yes, once I started, I never put it down as per usual with her books. She can really write!

Backing up from the Thanksgiving turmoil, the book starts in June 1950 and shifts the POV from boarder to boarder as the timeline makes its inexorable crawl towards the “exciting” date. This is an excellent device as not only do we get the events leading up to the end from different perspectives, we also get the stories of the women — all from different backgrounds and with different goals which together comprise a compendium of women’s lives at that time. An injured female baseball player from the short-lived women’s leagues; an older immigrant from Hungary; a young mother whose doctor husband has been overseas for two years; a secretary for the (real life) female Maine senator who goes up against McCarthy when nobody else has the guts; a secretary for HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee); a woman working for the National Archives in love with a gangster despite her best intentions; and the elusive Grace Marsh who brings them all together. These are just hints! Quinn does meticulous research and is able to bring so much of the McCarthy era to the surface — especially around the societal expectations of women. It felt like I was living it.

The book is non-stop action — but — I realized it is the kind of action I care about. Things change, people and their prejudices, fears, and disappointments have to be dealt with and some individuals actually use their experiences to shift their perspectives. Opportunities come up and people learn about themselves (for better and worse) when they choose a reaction. Action does not have to be long (and very dull) car chase scenes or long battles of any kind. Epiphany! Absolutely captivating characters — a couple of “bad men” with no real depth but plenty of men and women (and kids) who are each real in their own way. FYI two of the (fictional) characters were named after people who won the “name-a-character” raffle — what fun! Some impressive twists — do not read the end or the notes first. In addition to being a gripping read, I’m still thinking about it many days later. Always a good sign.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 9th, 2024.

Murder in Rose Hill by Victoria Thompson (Historical Mystery)

I like this late 19th/early 20th century series by Victoria Thompson starring midwife Sarah Malloy (nee Brandt) and her private detective husband Frank. The characters have continued developing at the rate of approximately one book per year since 1999 beginning with the initial meeting of the young widow and the rare, incorruptible Sergeant Frank Malloy. Thompson does an excellent job with historical detail — inserting each story in pieces of history with deftly integrated details that do not sound like a regurgitation of Wikipedia articles.

In this installment, Louise, a young woman determined to follow in muckraker Ida Tarbell’s footsteps, is digging up information to bring down the patent medicine industry which she is sure harms more people than it could possibly help. (She is clearly correct given that most potions are mixtures of alcohol, heroin, and cocaine!) When Louisa is found dead shortly after interviewing Sarah, her father comes to the Malloys asking for help in finding her killer. The story brings in the new technology of the time (electric motors! the telephone!) along with the mechanics of the police force, the (widely varying) attitudes towards women who choose education and working lives over lives as wives and mothers, and of course, the ubiquitousness and impact of patent medicines. Did you know that the word “flashlight” comes from the fact that the originals gave out only short bursts of light because batteries were weak and bulbs primitive? Pretty fascinating stuff!

The writing is fairly simple, the characters are likable, though not terribly introspective, I never do figure out whodunnit in advance, and the history illuminates the every day details of life in a completely foreign time period.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 23rd, 2024.

Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

Writing: 3/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 3.5/5

A perfect airplane read! Number four in the Electra McDonnell series in which a (former) safe cracking thief turns her skills to help the British government in the person of the (handsome, naturally) Major Ramsey in London around 1941. Some nice twists and connections to historical events. I like all the characters — they are interesting and well drawn. In addition to the case in hand, each book makes some progress on Electra’s backstory (father murdered and mother accused of the crime before Electra was born) while the Electra and stoic Manjor Ramsey romance continues at a steady parboil.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on May 14th, 2024.

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March (Mystery –Audio Book)

Writing: 3/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 4.5/5

Mixed feelings on this one. This historical mystery takes place in India during the late 1800s. It is full of intrigue and plot twists embedded in little known (to me or to average American readers) parts of Indian history. Captain Jim Agnihotri is recovering from a brain injury resulting from a military skirmish when he reads of the deaths of two Parsi ladies who “fell” from a watchtower to their deaths. Intrigued, he approaches the widower and is hired to investigate. So begins a convoluted plot that incorporates disparate religious and cultural norms, political machinations, and the question of British rule, the princely states, and new bids for Indian independence.

The writing is decent, the characters are appealing, and the historical context was fascinating. On the negative side (for me), there was far too much repetitive anguish on the parts of two characters whose love was forbidden, and too many “impossibly dangerous” situations which Captain Jim — in true heroic style — managed to defuse / rescue / solve without too much trouble. Also, too much unnecessary (to me) hand wringing. In one case, one character killed another — a truly evil person who had had no qualms of committing truly horrific crimes and was about to kill a family member — and still our character was full of pain at the thought of killing someone. Really? That always seemed false to me. I would not relish killing another person, but in those circumstances? I would neither hesitate nor feel any remorse.

I listened to this on audio, and although I very much liked the reader it was so slow that I listened at 1 1/4 speed — something I rarely do. That sped things up but made everything sound even more fraught with tension because of the increased speed! Might have been better to read it so I could skim over the repetitive parts. This is the first book of a series which is now up to number three. The (somewhat tedious) romantic plot was resolved so perhaps the next two books won’t have to go through all that constant angst. Glad I read it and I’m going to try book two in the hopes that she keeps the great plots and drops the romance and the endless heroics. We shall see!

To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs #14 — Historical Mystery)

Somehow I missed this one episode of Maisie Dobbs even though I’ve read all of the previous and the three following. Argh! Thanks to my friend for mentioning it in passing…

This England based historical mystery series starts during WWI and by this episode is up to 1940. Maisie Dobbs — a psychologist and investigator trained by the best — is such a compelling protagonist. She is intelligent, articulate, discerning, careful in speech, and empathetic. I love that she always earns the respect of the various men in power (police detectives, senior military types, etc.) without ever resorting to “feminine wiles” or anything other than dogged determination and sheer, unquestionable, competence. Each book in the series includes a good mystery, but also a great deal of what it is like to live in such “exciting” times.

Maisie is asked to investigate the odd behavior and eventual murder of a young boy working with a paint crew to cover all of the RAF stations with a new (poorly tested) fire retardant paint in advance of the expected German invasion. In the afterward (Winspear’s afterwards are always worth reading as they include more information on all the historical fact that is embedded in the pages), we learn that this boy working with (and being damaged by) the new paint is based on her own father’s experiences. The Dunkirk miracle also plays a big role in this book. This is a WWII episode that I never tire of reading about. If ever there was an event that showed true community commitment to achieve the impossible, this is it.

This is probably my favorite historical mystery series, and this book one of the best!