Death and the Chapman by Kate Sedley My rating: 3 of 5 stars The first of a series of historical mysteries set in fifteenth-century England and introducing Roger, a young man who quits the monastery to be a traveling salesman and discovers his talent for solving mysteries. Told in flashbacks by Roger as an old …
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was a fun, quirky story of a dysfunctional English family and the 11-year-old, precocious heroine who likes to snoop and specializes in poison. The post-WWII setting was appealing and the characters were certainly entertaining. I could tell …
Aztec 3. City of Spies by Simon Levack My rating: 4 of 5 stars One of my favorite series, simply because it is so different. Yaotl is a down-on-his-luck Aztec slave who is good at logistical problems and has an disfunctional, extended family. His cohorts are interesting and entertaining, in most cases, and the life-and-death …
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron by Stephanie Barron My rating: 3 of 5 stars A truly sad beginning mars this otherwise typical Jane Austin mystery, as a major character from the series dies. But there is no dearth of other acquaintances (and suspects) to fill the story with soap-opera angst and over-the-top aristocratic …
A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch My rating: 4 of 5 stars A very good Victorian mystery, flawed by patches of mundane domesticity. The protagonist is simply not very interesting, although he is certainly a good man, and has a fine supporting cast. What kept me going were the intricacies of the mystery itself, …
My book list at Flashlight Worthy Book Recommendations has been published. “Era by Era, Firsts in Historical Mystery Series” includes 14 of my favorite series. It was a difficult decision; I began with a huge list and had to narrow it down to a reasonable length. But leaving someone out was akin to insulting an …
I should have published this awhile back, but I’ve been on blog hiatus for some time now. I’m making up for lost time.Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen – First in the Lady Georgiana mysteries, 1930’s London. Lots of fun with this young, royally-connected lass who’s broke but determined to make it on her own. …
