The Art of Short Stories

Vermeer to Eternity by Anthony Horowitz

This was a great read by an internationally known and highly respected mystery writer. Anthony Horowitz weaves a fun and engaging story about a widow with a painting that is allegedly a Vermeer and the art critic who initially determines it to be a forgery.

There is something about Anthony Horowitz’s work that keeps readers turning pages and investing themselves in the outcome of the story. His characterization is definitely part of the appeal, and in this book I found the choice of narrator to be fascinating. The narrator, James, is a neighbor of the widow and an old university friend of the art critic. James’ presence in the story allows the reader to see the widow and the critic from an outsider’s point of view—this adds a terrific element of relatability for the reader. As James’ story unfolded, I found myself agreeing with his assessment of the characters and with the situation they found themselves in.

Ghosts and karma play big roles in this story, and even if you’re not a fan of ghost stories, I urge you to read this one. Because who isn’t a fan of karma??

The book is 23 pages long and you can read it in a jiffy. It’s also just 99¢ on Kindle (not available in any other format) or free if you’re in Kindle Unlimited.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a great short story with a fun twist at the end. Thanks to Veronica Cline Barton for recommending this book on her blog!

The Body in the Water

The Maid’s Diary by Loreth Anne White

This book is billed as “psychological suspense,” but that description doesn’t fully capture the incredible layers of suspense—and psychological twists and turns—the story offers.

The plot of the book is complex and involves an intermingling of the past and the present in a way that’s shocking and totally satisfying for lovers of psychological thrillers. There is a tight cast of primary characters: a former Olympic gold-medal skier, his pregnant wife, the wife’s pregnant friend, an elderly lady with dementia, the lead investigator on this mind-bending case, and, of course, the maid.

Trying to summarize the plot of the book would be giving away too much of it, so I’ll just reiterate what the Amazon blurb says: the story is about a maid, Kit, with a snooping problem and a client with a past the color of onyx. Kit is about to get herself into a very dangerous situation, one from which she knows she might not survive. Because someone will stop at nothing to keep that dark past hidden.

There’s a lot to unpack in the book. At its heart is the notion that things are never as they seem. People offer carefully curated illusions of themselves and present those illusions to the world as fact. The rest of the world is drawn in by the beauty and perfection and fairytales people create, and don’t bother (or perhaps don’t want) to look further, to see the beast hiding behind the beauty or the ogre hiding in the fairytale.

The book is written from multiple points of view: an unknown person, the maid, the elderly woman, the lead investigator, the skier, his wife, and a photographer. I found the head-hopping easy to follow because the characters are all so different, but people who do not love head-hopping should be aware of this. There are scenes that address brutal sexual assault, though not in graphic detail. Readers who are particularly sensitive to this topic also need to be aware of it.

There are enough twists in this book to give one whiplash, and I loved it. The story unfolds at just the right pace, with bits of backstory being tantalizingly fed to the reader as the chapters progress. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves psychological suspense, to people who like mysteries told from various points of view, and to anyone who wonders what really goes on in the lives of people we follow online.

Locked Room Mysteries

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

This Agatha Christie classic, often referred to as the bestselling crime novel of all time, is a fun read that is baffling in all the good ways. It’s usually considered a locked room mystery, which means it takes place in some type of confined space, the cast of characters do not enter or leave the space once the mystery begins, the mystery seems almost impossible to solve, and the solution to the mystery does not involve paranormal or any kind of ghostly assistance.

Even though And Then There Were None doesn’t take place in an actual locked room, it is set on a remote and largely inaccessible island. The setting conforms to the most important elements of a locked room mystery: no one comes to or leaves the island once the mystery begins, there is no way to get back to civilization once everyone has arrived, and there is no one else on the island except the characters in the story.

Here’s a short summary of the story:

The new owner of Soldier Island has invited an unlikely hodge-podge of guests to spend some time at the mansion on the island. Each invitee has received a letter providing a different reason for the invitation. The reasons are many: one is invited to visit a new seaside retreat, one is invited to reconnect with old war buddies, one is asked to accept temporary secretarial position on the island, etc. The reasons seem logical and plausible to the recipients, so no one seriously questions the sender’s real motives.

The first night on the island, it becomes clear that everyone has been tricked into coming by their host, who is unknown to each of them. Following their first dinner together, they are assembled in the dining room when a disembodied voice startles the party. With methodical and ghastly precision, the voice accuses each guest of causing the death of another person or persons at some point in the guest’s life. The voice provides scant details, but delivers its accusations with certainty and conviction. The guests, strangers to each other, feel the stirrings of paranoia, fear, and distrust.

One by one, the guests are eliminated over the ensuing hours and days. One drowns, one is poisoned, one is bludgeoned. No one knows who’s responsible, or who’s next. It seems inexplicable…until you get to the end, when the person and the blood-chilling motive behind the ruse is revealed.

This locked room mystery is a classic for a reason: it’s ingenious, brilliantly told, and timeless. Originally published in 1939, the book does include some elements of language and punctuation that seem aberrant today but were common during that era—I think those elements only make the book more special. And before you decide not to read the book because you’ve seen the television mini-series or any of the movies, think again! The book is better (and has a different ending, in many cases).

Even if you’ve read this book before, as I have, I urge you to read it again. It’s one of those tales that reveals something new each time you read it. You’ll find clues you never noticed and details you had forgotten.

I would recommend And Then There Were None to anyone who loves Agatha Christie, locked room mysteries, and mysteries in general!

I’m Very Late to the Party

The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves

A lot of you have probably read this book, given that it was first published 24 years ago, but I’m new to the world of Detective Investigator Vera Stanhope and I had to share my excitement with you.

Three women have taken on the assignment of helping to prepare an environmental impact statement for a company that wants to build a quarry in a picturesque area not far from a small village in Northumberland, England. The people who live in the village have vehement feelings about the quarry, both for and against. The quarry will provide jobs for people in the area, but it will also blight the landscape with belching industrial buildings, roads, and lots of noisy trucks.

While the women are conducting the environmental survey, they agree to stay in a small cottage very close to the proposed site of the quarry. This will make it easier for them to get out early every morning or to go out late in the afternoon or evening to do their work. Nearby is a farm, owned by Dougie and Bella Furness, which abuts the proposed quarry land.

Rachael, the leader of the trio, is the first woman to arrive at the cottage. Bella Furness is a good friend of hers and she looks forward to an evening of catching up before the project work begins. But when she goes looking for Bella, she finds, to her horror, that Bella has killed herself. It’s inexplicable. Why would Bella have willingly left her husband to fend for himself? He is disabled and requires around-the-clock care, which she has provided lovingly and willingly. Why would she have left the farm, which was the most important thing in her life after Dougie? And why would she leave behind a cryptic note that explains little?

Bella’s death is the catalyst which ignites a series of events that leads to more death and unanswered questions.

Enter Vera Stanhope, a detective investigator with a sharp tongue and a mind of her own. This is a woman who does not suffer fools gladly. She knows all the seemingly-unrelated deaths are connected somehow—she can feel it—but she needs the evidence to prove it. Through good, old-fashioned detective work and asking the right questions, Vera gets to the bottom of the mystery and the shocking reason behind all the deaths.

I love Vera Stanhope. She’s feisty and opinionated and smart. People listen to her because she demands it and because, more often than not, she’s right. She makes things happen and isn’t afraid of stepping on toes and making people uncomfortable to get the answers she needs. But she’s also a woman with a history, and little by little, the reader learns more about Vera’s unique background as the story progresses.

Ann Cleeves’ Vera Stanhope books are so engaging that they’ve been made into a television series (beginning in 2011). Again, because I’m apparently at least a dozen years behind the times, I’ve never seen the shows. Rest assured that’s going to change. Soon.

I plan to read every book in the Vera Stanhope series. Have you read them? Have you seen the shows? What did you think?

I would recommend The Crow Trap to anyone who loves a great British police procedural and anyone who loves a spunky female main character.

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St. Patrick’s Fray, book 7 in the Juniper Junction Cozy Holiday Mystery Series, will be released on Friday! Here’s a look at the cover and the blurb, and a link for you to preorder your copy. The paperback edition will be released very soon.

Lilly could use a little luck o’ the Irish…

When a business tycoon winds up dead shortly after unleashing a scathing and humiliating criticism of Lilly and her jewelry designs, Lilly finds herself under suspicion of committing murder. And though she has an alibi, the only person who can confirm it is a two-month-old baby.

To make matters worse, Lilly’s shop is the target of a shocking St. Patrick’s Day smash-and-grab robbery by an unlikely and frightful assailant. The real horror, though, comes after the robbery, when Lilly and her husband become the targets of an extortionist who’s willing to go to frightening lengths to get what he wants.

Can Lilly turn her luck around before the killer strikes again and she loses the people most dear to her?

Get your copy here!

https://books2read.com/u/3R0PkR

A Gripping Icelandic Mystery

Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason

This is the first book in Arnaldur Indridason’s acclaimed Inspector Erlendur series. You may remember how much I enjoyed Ragnar Jonasson’s Icelandic crime novel Snow Blind (you can read my review here). After I posted my review of Snow Blind, one commenter recommended I check out Indridason’s books. I’m glad she did, because the book was excellent. In fact, at the time of this writing, I’m almost done with the second novel in the series.

In Jar City, the reader meets Inspector Erlendur of the Reykjavik police department after he is called to a dingy basement flat to investigate the death of its only occupant, an old man by the name of Holberg. Two young boys living in a flat above Holberg discovered the body. Holberg died from a head injury inflicted by a heavy ashtray; there is no clue to the identity of the killer except a note found with the body. The note states merely, “I am him.” Hidden under a desk drawer in the flat is a photograph of a gravestone. There is no indication where the grave might be or who is buried beneath it.

What follows is a riveting story of Erlendur’s quest to find out everything he can about Holberg’s past, why someone would have wanted to kill him, and who that person might have been. Erlendur and his team of two other detectives discover Holberg, who was a lorry driver at the time of his death, hides a chilling and violent history. A long-ago associate of Holberg’s has also been missing for years, and Erlendur believes he knows where that person might be. Holberg’s death, the missing associate, and the photograph of the grave are all somehow connected, but the detectives struggle to obtain answers from witnesses and victims who are reticent to talk.

Erlendur’s attempts to solve the murder are interspersed with accounts of his life outside the police station, which is also quite bleak. He is a loner, a divorced man in middle age who left his wife and children when the children were very small. He has a tempestuous relationship with his adult daughter, who, like her brother, is drug-addled and scarred from Erlendur’s abandonment.

Geographically, Iceland is not technically part of Scandinavia (which includes Denmark, Sweden, and Norway). Culturally, however, Iceland (along with Finland and the Faroe Islands) is often considered part of the Scandinavian region. This may explain why Icelandic fiction is so similar to Scandinavian fiction. Consistently recurring themes mirror the weather: dark, bleak, and chilling. This is a highly atmospheric book that takes Erlendur and the reader from the docks of Reykjavik to Iceland’s Genetic Research Centre to the opulent home of a well-known researcher.

The author’s prose is direct and sparse in a way that lends a layer of authenticity and depth to the motif of darkness and gloom. If the prose were flowery or verbose, the reader would find it jarring and incongruous.

Please note: this book is not for everyone. It is gritty and fierce. It covers subjects including rape, graphic murder, and childhood disease and death. There is plenty of foul language.

I do recommend the book to anyone who likes a disquieting, atmospheric mystery that doesn’t hold back when it comes to difficult topics. I listened to the audiobook version of the story and I couldn’t imagine a better narrator than George Guidall.

***

From time to time I share with my readers news of my friends’ releases and sales. For the most part, I haven’t yet read the books. If I have, I’ll be sure to tell you.

This week my friend CeeCee James has a new book out. The Curious Case of Emily Lickenson is the first book in the Emily Lickenson Cozy Mystery Series and you can grab a copy for 99¢. Click the link below to read more.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQD2F2LP

Spellbinding Historical Mystery

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March

Happy 2023! I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

Out with the old….

Last year I had a hard time keeping up with the schedule of reviewing and recommending a mystery every Tuesday. There were two reasons for this. First, I didn’t feel I could recommend some of the mysteries I read. And when that happened, I felt pressure to read another one so I could recommend that one, and I didn’t have time for it. Second, I read lots of other things, too, and since this is a mystery blog, there were weeks I didn’t read a mystery and I would have nothing to recommend come Tuesday morning. I hope I’m making sense.

In with the new…

Thus, my goal this year is to review and recommend a mystery every other Tuesday. My blog posts will alternate with my newsletter, which also goes out every other Tuesday.

So without further ado, my first recommendation of 2023 is Nev March’s beautiful and engrossing mystery, Murder in Old Bombay. This is the first book in March’s Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries (no, not that Lady Diana).

Full disclosure: I have spent time with Nev on several occasions. She is an absolute delight. We belong to a couple of the same writing groups, we have had dinner together, and we have attended at least one reading together. But she doesn’t know I’m writing this review, and everything I say here is the truth. If I didn’t love the book, I wouldn’t recommend it.

When the book opens, we meet main character Captain Jim Agnihotri, a young man recovering from serious wounds sustained in battle. The British maintain control over much of India, and many Indian people harbor deep resentment toward the British. Captain Jim is caught between two worlds: his mother, who died when Jim was very young, was Indian; his father, whom Jim never knew, was British. This was a time in history when one’s pedigree and the color of one’s skin mattered very much, so Jim doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere.

While still in the hospital, Jim has little to read except newspapers and Sherlock Holmes mysteries. When he reads a newspaper story about the deaths of two women from a high-society Bombay family, he is struck by the horrific manner in which they died and by the sorrowful dignity of the man who lost his wife and his sister in the tragedy.

When he is finally released from the hospital, he takes a job as a journalist and one of his assignments is to interview the man whose wife and sister died. When Jim meets the man, Adi Framji, he is immediately drawn to Adi’s calm demeanor, intelligence, and determination to prove to himself and society that his wife and sister did not commit suicide, as the public has been told. The Framjis are an upstanding Parsee family and Jim has an instinctive notion that someone who means the family harm is behind the deaths. It is important to note that Parsees are a subset of the Indian people, having fled persecution in Persia centuries before. They are a relatively small part of the population, so they keenly observe the custom of marrying within the group—this will come into play later in the book.

Adi hires Jim to help him find out what really happened the day Adi’s wife and sister fell from the top of the university clock tower in broad daylight. As Jim soon discovers, his investigations have threatened someone (or more than one!) and that person intends to stop Jim at all costs.

This story is filled with British Raj history, excitement, and well-paced twists and turns. The author describes Bombay and the Indian countryside in vivid color. There’s enough romance to satisfy even the most jaded reader. More importantly, the main character’s pedigree forms the basis of a fascinating and unsettling look at racism and the social structure at that time in Indian history.

And, of course, there’s the mystery. The whodunit weaves complex (in a good way!) and dastardly motives to bring forth a page-turner that will have readers rooting for the Jim as he makes his way forward at a time when personal and professional stagnation might have been the destiny for people with his parentage. Readers are treated to a graceful and powerful arc of Jim’s character as he moves from self-loathing to self-confidence. And the ending…well, it’s highly satisfying. No spoilers.

I loved this mystery and I would highly recommend it to other lovers of historical mystery. I am looking forward to the second book in the series, Peril at the Exposition.

***

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Death in Tinseltown

Over Her Dead Body by Susan Walter

If you like twisty tales with jaw-dropping twists told from multiple points of view, you’ll want to keep reading.

I read Over Her Dead Body in a matter of hours because I couldn’t help myself. The mystery has a fascinating cast of characters, and I had a love-hate relationship with almost every one of them. The story starts out from the point of view of Ashley, a struggling actress in LA. She’s had a few bit parts, but she’s still waiting for her big break (what she doesn’t know is that it may be her heart that experiences the big break).

There’s Louisa, a former casting director who lives near Ashley in a cartoonish house down a creepy, overgrown drive. There’s Nathan, Louisa’s nephew and the only person in Louisa’s family who will have much of anything to do with her.

Louisa’s kids, Winnie and Charlie, have loads of personal issues. Their relationship has gone south in recent years, as a result of Winnie’s descent into alcoholism and Charlie’s marriage to a woman Winnie can’t stand.

There’s Jordan, Ashley’s roommate and probably my favorite character.

When you mix all these personalities together, there’s bound to be an explosion. And what the author gives the reader is an unforgettable explosion preceded by a gradual unfurling of mystery, drama, and high tension.

I love stories that are told from different points of view because the reader gets a glimpse into the psyches of the characters and is able to see different sides to every scene.

Here’s the basic outline: When Ashley’s dog, Brando, runs off for a midnight romp on Louisa’s property, the scene ends with warning gunshots and Ashley is, predictably, terrified. She runs home sans Brando. She and her roommate are leaving to search for him when she gets a phone call. It’s Nathan, Louisa’s nephew, letting her know that Brando is safe at Louisa’s house. Good thing Brando was wearing his collar with Ashley’s contact information.

When Ashley arrives to collect her dog, the sparks fly between her and Nathan. And it gets better—she is delighted to learn that Louisa might be able to help her land a plum movie role. Louisa has Ashley visit her over the next day or two to work on scripts … but everything comes crashing down when Nathan gets a phone call notifying him of Louisa’s sudden death. And—surprise!—Louisa has left her considerable fortune to someone whose identity shocks everyone.

What follows is a zigzag tale of greed, dreams deferred (or abandoned altogether), jealousy, and revenge. By the end, I was feeling (in a good way) like I had whiplash. Can anyone in this story be trusted?

The Hollywood angle is a brilliant stroke of storytelling. This novel wouldn’t be as scintillating if it were set in any other city because the manipulation on display mirrors that which we all associate with Hollywood. There’s glamour, certainly, but it’s mostly in Louisa’s past and that glamour hides a lot of pain. There’s betrayal in spades. If Hollywood wished to mock itself, this would make a great movie.

I highly recommend Over Her Dead Body to anyone who loves wry humor, satirical mystery, and an easy, fun read. Note: there’s some strong language at play in this book, so if you don’t like a lot of swearing, it’s probably not the book for you.

Death in Iceland

Snow Blind by Ragnar Jónasson 

I have been hearing for some time that I need to give Icelandic and Scandinavian fiction a try, so I finally took the plunge and read Snow Blind, Book 1 in Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series.

Let me paraphrase what’s coming for the #TLDR (Too Long, Didn’t Read) folks here: I will be reading more Icelandic and Scandinavian fiction, beginning with book 2 in the Dark Iceland series, Night Blind.

Snow Blind is the story of Ari Thór, a theology-student-turned-police-officer who moves from Reykjavik (starting here, I’m not putting the accents over the words because WordPress isn’t allowing it and I. Just. Can’t.) to Siglufjordur, a small town in the remote north of Iceland where the winters are long and dark and the residents seem to know everything about everyone.

Note my use of the word “seem.” Because when a well-known elderly writer in town dies under suspicious circumstances and his death is closely followed by another bizarre and violent occurrence, the residents are suddenly afraid and it quickly becomes clear they don’t know everything about everyone.

As the newcomer to a town where families go back generations and new faces are greeted with guarded suspicion, Ari Thor has his work cut out for him. He’s the rookie cop on the town’s very small police force and he needs to prove to his boss and the residents of Siglufjordur that he is smart and capable. It isn’t easy—he suffers from claustrophobia and now he’s stuck in a town where winter consists of constant darkness and tons and tons (and tons, and tons…) of snow with only one very treacherous road in or out. He’s left behind a serious girlfriend in Reykjavik and she’s unhappy with his decision to take the job. His new boss shifts on a dime from being fatherlike and kind to gruff and angry when Ari Thor suggests the old writer’s death wasn’t an accident.

This book says “Thriller” right on the cover, but I wouldn’t call it a thriller. I would call it a suspense novel. Here’s why: the reader knows certain things that Ari Thor doesn’t know; the story starts with a crime and circles back to it toward the end of the book; and the killer isn’t known until the final reveal near the conclusion of the story.

But with that being said, it’s a thrilling book. Ari Thor puts himself in harm’s way more than once to prove that he’s the right man for the job, and there are times when he’s in danger and the reader wonders how he’s going to fare. There are red herrings aplenty (pun intended—herring? Iceland? Get it?), and I was kept just off-balance enough to keep reading until way past my bedtime because I needed to know whodunit.

The characters in the book are complex and three-dimensional and the plot moves at a nice clip. I am already looking forward to book 2 in the series and I’ll be checking out other Icelandic and Scandinavian authors, too.

I would highly recommend Snow Blind to anyone who loves dark fiction and a clever mystery set in a desolate but beautiful place with plenty of atmosphere and tension.

A Magical Christmas

A Novel Noel by Veronica Cline Barton

This book, the second in the Hygge & Bisous Holiday Mystery series by Veronica Cline Barton, is out today! I read the first book in the series (Christmas Bizarre, 2021) and enjoyed it immensely, so I have very much looked forward to the release of A Novel Noel. 

Here’s the premise of the series: In the days leading up to Christmas, main character Rikkhe St. Claire gathers her family and closest friends for an evening of magical storytelling. Every person at the gathering in the posh Malibu setting gets a turn to tell a story, and at the end of the evening Rikkhe’s guests vote on their favorite. The stories are accompanied by libations specially chosen to complement each story. 

The stories are fun and cozy, spooky and paranormal. They embody the concept of hygge, which is a Scandanavian “invention” that emphasizes serene contentment and cozy warmth, to grossly simplify it. 

Rikkhe and her guests share five stories, each one an immersive experience wherein the reader is invited to sink deliciously into the magic of the telling. I found myself wishing for more after each story concluded. The mystery and enchantment of the Christmas season is explored in each story, whether it was a possible Krampus encounter, a spellbinding snow globe, a mirror desperate to share its secrets, a visit from Mister Kringle, or a little girl in Paris who helps three friends deepen their connections to each other through acts of kindness and love. 

If I were sitting by that Malibu fire pit just before Christmas, would I be able to choose a favorite? I really don’t know. I do know this, though: I’m already looking forward to Book 3 in the Rikkhe St. Claire Hygge & Bisous Mystery series. 

If you’d like to order your own ecopy (for 99¢!), click the cover above and you’ll be redirected to Amazon.

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What I’m reading:

The Consequences of Murder by Michael Sinclair

Over Her Dead Body by Susan Walter

Small Town Suspense

We are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin

This book is told from the perspectives of three people: Wyatt Branson, whose sister, Trumanelle, disappeared ten years before the beginning of the story; Odette Tucker, a police officer in the tiny Texas town where Trumanelle went missing; and Angel, a character we meet on page one.

Wyatt, Odette, and Angel have suffered tragedy. Their lives are thin threads (thin, but made of titanium) that hover between life and death, that hold untold secrets from everyone—and in one case, I think, even themselves—and that become inextricably linked by the events that led to the disappearance of Trumanelle.

With the exception of a few really low-down characters in this book, I felt sorry for almost everyone. The town has kept people, and not just the main characters, in the grip of an almost manic level of mystery surrounding Trumanelle’s disappearance, and no one seems able to escape or let go. Feelings of anger, rage, frustration, and violence run rampant even ten years after the disappearance, and distrust of Wyatt, especially, is a constant undercurrent in the book.

I would describe this novel as a slow-burn psychological suspense, with enough revelations and dirty laundry to make readers keep turning the pages. Though I knew who the villain was (or at least, who the WORST villain was) before the end, I didn’t know why that person did it and I enjoyed the little-by-little unfolding of the tale.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes psychological suspense, small town mysteries, and dark themes.

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What I’m reading:

2 ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) that I am LOVING and can’t wait to share with you

Audiobook: Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

A Storm Hits Valparaíso by David Gaughran

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Until next time,

Amy