Author: M.C. Beaton Genre: Cozy / British / Small Town Status:In Progress Cats?:Not Yet
Ginger Says:
I only just started reading The Quiche of Death the other day, but already I understand why my fellow cozy-enthusiasts have been encouraging me to pounce on this series: within the first couple chapters, it's already got everything you could ask for in a cozy. Oh, except nobody's been murdered yet. Obviously that isn't an obstacle to my enjoyment.
What I'm really loving about The Quiche of Death is the way our main character, Agatha Raisin, is a fish out of water in her new surroundings. In the first chapter, she sells her business in London and moves to a quaint town in the Cotswolds. Moving to a small English town is a fantasy for most cozy readers, even a Canadian kitten like me. I think that's half the reason we read cozies: for the setting.
Agatha Raisin is a fish out of water not only because she's a Londoner in a tiny town, but she's a contemporary person amidst a swell of characters who seem plucked from Father Brown. The townsfolk act, dress, and even style their hair like people from the past. Sure we're getting glimpses of Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages in this town, but there's a distinct period drama aspect to the supporting cast. It's a world the reader wants to inhabit all day long. The ins and outs of village life are so attractive to a city cat like me. And a rigged Quiche Competition? Yes, please!
I would love to tell you more, but that's all I know so far. As I say, I haven't even made it to the murder yet. But unless this book takes a wild turn, I'm sure to enjoy it tremendously!
Title: Catch a Killer Author: George Woods Genre: Action / Thriller / Police Procedural Status: Read Cats?: Zero
Zorro Says:
After reading that Hardy Boys mystery a couple months back, I've kept an eye out for other nostalgic action/adventure type books written for young people. That's why I picked up Catch a Killer by George Woods.
That Hardy Boys I read had a copyright date in the 1920s. Catch a Killer isn't that old. It hails from 1972. A quick Amazon search tells me this book isn't easy to get your hands on. There's no ebook version available, as far as I can tell. If you want to read this book, you'll have to buy a used copy of the hardcover or paperback.
The reason I figured this was juvenile fiction is that the copy I picked up was an educational edition printed specifically for a school board. It comes complete with follow-up activities and questions for students.
I half understand why a school board might pick this book for young people: the main character is twelve years old. But just because you've got a kid in your book doesn't make it a kids' book. Catch a Killer doesn't strike me as a juvenile fiction so much. Reminds me more of a police procedural TV series from the 1970s in the vein of Columbo. Except a lot of it takes place in the woods.
Andrew, the aforementioned 12-year-old, ends up witnessing a crime. His bad luck, because that crime is the murder of two police officers. The killer immediately takes Andrew hostage and leads him on a night hike through the wilderness.
They're on the run.
Since the only police on-scene are now dead, will investigators think it was young Andrew who killed them?
The way this book was written is very effective. You get one chapter about Andrew's experience, one about the investigators trying to solve the double homicide, yet another about the killer's childhood and upbringing. Instead of vilifying the young man, the author shows the reader what drove him to kill. By then end of the book, even the boy he takes hostage feels empathy toward him.
Since we know who the killer is, the two main mysteries in this book are: 1) what made the killer kill, and 2) will Andrew be blamed for the crime?
In order to find out, you'll have to track down a copy of the book and read it for yourself. I enjoyed it, and any reader nostalgic for adventure novels from the 70s should like it too. The book's a product of its time. Very reminiscent of police procedurals from that decade, but also delving into the psychology of the killer.
If you want to Catch a Killer for yourself, you can find copies at Amazon.
Title: Sand-Witch on Rye Author: Molly Dox Genre: Paranormal / Cozy / Mystery Status: TBR Cats?: I suspect so (there's a cat on the cover)
Ginger Says:
Hello friends! I have yet to begin The Soup and Sand-Witch Cozy Mystery Series, but I figured I'd post about it because these books look absolutely adorable.
In Not-So-Normal Town, strange things are happening. Turmoil, murder, and cookie jar spirits are turning the paranormal world upside down. Katy can’t help digging for clues when Miss Priss turns up dead at the local bowling alley. Too bad her magic is rusty. She’s having a spell of a time finding answers. Magic is only good when you remember how to use it. Teaming up with her best friend, Katy hopes to reveal the truth before it’s too late. With an itch to become a better witch, she knows she’ll need to brush up on her skills, but with no time to spare, she needs to find answers before the killer strikes again. Sand-Witch on Rye is the first book in The Soup and Sand-Witch Cozy Mystery series, and offers a family-friendly read with no foul language.
Title: The Witch Tree Symbol Author: Carolyn Keene Genre: Juvenile / Nostalgia / Mystery Status: Read Cats?: None, but there is an angry bull.
KitKat Says:
Inspired by Zorro's review of a Hardy Boys Mystery, I decided to give Nancy Drew a go. I've obviously heard references to this series, and I'm aware it's been popular for generations, but I've never read a Nancy Drew book for myself. Better late than never?
With a copyright date of 1955, I was more than a little afraid of what I was getting into with The Witch Tree Symbol--particularly because the action takes place in Amish country. I figured a book written in the 50s would resort to broad stereotypes in representing Amish people.
I was surprised (and relieved) to find I was wrong. I'm not Amish, so I can't speak with any degree of authority on the matter, but it seemed like a fair and thoughtful representation of the families it depicted.
Not just that, but Nancy Drew is an intrepid investigator. She's pretty fearless. I can see why the series has been so popular throughout the years.
Having said all that, would I rush out to read another Nancy Drew mystery novel? Probably not, and here's why: I found the writing style outdated and impersonal. I don't mean that as a dig. These books were written, what, more than sixty years ago? Times change, trends change, tastes change. I really like to get inside a character's head and feel what they're feeling. That's pretty much impossible to do when the narrative bobs at the surface of the action.
I still think that, if you've never read a Nancy Drew mystery, The Witch Tree Symbol is worth your while. Aren't you curious what you've been missing out on all these years?
Whether you read Nancy Drew as a youngster and you're looking for a spot of nostalgia or you've never read this series and you don't mind starting with #33, you might want to spend a day with The Witch Tree Symbol.
Title: Counterblow: A Rogan Bricks Thriller Author: Steve Richer Genre: Maritime / Conspiracy / Thriller Status: TBR Cats?: Unknown
Zorro Says:
Bestselling thriller author Steve Richer has been making headlines again with Counterblow, his follow-up to The President Killed His Wife.
I haven't dived into this beauty yet. Kind of nervous. All that sea adventure and me a cat. Not saying I'm afraid or anything. I'm no scaredy-cat. Just not a fan of water. You know how it is.
But I wanted to tell you Counterblow is on my radar, and maybe it should be on yours too. Especially if you're not a cat. And not creeped out by water.
Their reach is vast. Their resources, unlimited. Their target... is an army of one. FBI Special Agent Rogan Bricks is called in to investigate a brutal attack on a fishing boat in the frigid and dangerous Bering Sea. It's no ordinary fishing boat, as it turns out. It was smuggling a deadly cargo and now Bricks must keep the sole survivor of the attack – the only living witness – alive. Soon he finds himself caught in the middle of a far-reaching conspiracy that may have been borne of his own past, a dark past that's about to catch up with him. In a desperate game of cat and mouse, Bricks discovers there are powerful players involved... players that want Bricks not just dead, but completely destroyed. This standalone novel follows the best-selling thriller The President Killed His Wife.
In past posts, I have spoken highly of Madeleine Mayfair. How reckless of me! As curator of Crazy Cat Stuff and editor of Cat Tales: Twelve Fabulous Feline Fables (not to mention creator of our very own header here at Cats Read Mysteries), one would imagine such a person might feel a certain sensitivity toward creatures of the feline variety. Madeleine (Maddie) Mayfair definitely had me fooled.
With her most recent book, Madeleine Mayfair has proven herself to be a traitor of the highest order. If you ask me, her “comical” alphabet book, A is for A**hole: The Alphabet Book of Cats, is akin to treason! Comedy, my foot! Any book that calls attention to a feline’s baser habits, such as emitting the odd hairball or elusively defecating outside of one’s litter box can as much be called a comedy as saltines can be called a savoury snack.
Do not be fooled into believing we cats have a sense of humour about our various eccentricities. We are sensitive creatures and do not appreciate humans who turn us into the butt of their jokes—no pun intended.
Madeleine Mayfair claims her new book makes a great gift for cat owners. As if any human deserves a gift! Your money would be better spent showering the household’s cat (or, potentially, multiple cats) with baubles, trinkets, toys and treats.
I would go so far as to advise the reader not to purchase Ms. Mayfair’s ridiculous trifle—that is to say, if we Mystery Cats were not indebted to her for the graphic design skills she has kindly donated in the past.
Going forward, Madeleine Mayfair would be well advised to keep her bizarre sense of humour behind closed doors and not torture the world with her “satirical” portrait of the feline kind.
Zorro's Hardy Boys review inspired me to dive into Nancy Drew. I've never read the series, if you can believe it, but I'm starting with The Witch Tree Symbol. Antique furniture and the Amish--what's not to love?
Zorro Says:
Haven't started it yet, but there's a Linwood Barclay waiting for me. Been hearing great things about his books for years. He's a bit of a hometown hero, too. So time to take him for a spin with The Accident.
It is always most difficult to choose a book to read after one has devoured an Agatha Christie mystery as brilliant as The ABC Murders (which I shall have to review on the blog sooner rather than later), but I have selected a Martha Grimes novel to follow. I must admit I've judged The Old Fox Deceiv'd by its eerie cover. I am very much looking forward to exploring its interior.
