A friend of mine and I were discussing spooky books, something fitting for October and the season of Halloween. We both have read a preponderance of Stephen King, and she came up with this book as something on her “to read” list that could fit the bill. I read plenty of Agatha Christie back in the day, though only Miss Marple, so Hercule Poirot was a new venture for me. It is worth noting that I went the audio route for this book, which was […]
Agatha Christie, in the Library, with a Revolver
My mother got me into reading — specifically, Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey. This turned into a lifetime of love of reading fantasy and science fiction novels. My mother’s favorites, however, were always murder-mysteries and she had a special love in her heart for Agatha Christie. She’s read every book Christie published in multiple languages. She had the entire collection in French! Given all of that, it’s quite surprising that I had never read an Agatha Christie novel until recently and I’m so glad I did! These […]
Terrifically Beguiling
I picked this book up on a whim while at a local thrift store. I had never heard of the author, Colin Cotterill, and I had never heard of the series, featuring Dr. Siri Paiboun. But, pick it up I did, and, when I needed something to cheer me up after the slog that was the last book I read/reviewed, Half-Blood Blues, this book did the trick. The Merry Misogynist is a mystery set in Laos in 1978. It features Dr. Siri Paiboun, a seventy-three-year-old […]
A rainy and murdery winter pick-me-up
In prepping for my move from the south to the Midwest in winter I asked some folks for reading suggestions in two categories: light fluffy happy things to cheer my spirits, and dark winter-y tales to remind me things could be worse, in a schadenfreude sort of way. This is the latter, and it definitely delivered. Set in rainy chilly Iceland, an old man is found murdered in his home. Motive unclear, and nothing too strange other than a note left on the body that […]
The Night Bird
The Night Bird (A Frost Easton Mystery) By Brian Freeman This is my very first Cannonball review ever! Hopefully my reviewing skills will improve as we go; I’ve been having a little trouble figuring out how to describe this one. I am going to start off by fully admitting the main reasons I read this book were: 1) it is set in San Francisco and I’m a sucker for home town stories; and 2) it was free on Kindle through Amazon Prime. As this was […]
Falconer Files Book 1
A nasty old man who everyone hated is found drugged and strangled in his kitchen. After everyone finishes dancing, they decide to call the cops. DI Harry Falconer gets the call. Unfortunately for him, a lot of people are on vacation (it’s July). So he’s stuck with “Acting” DS Carmichael, who doesn’t appear to be the sharpest crayon in the box. He’s also a really bad dresser, at least in Falconer’s eyes. The tiny village of Castle Farthing is home to the murder, as well […]