The Books of July

Gee, I love a good summer for catching up on reading! At the lake there are fewer distractions and for whatever reason, I don't feel overly guilty if I read during the day! Not surprisingly, mysteries make for good lake-reading fare but I also enjoyed a couple of memoirs and revisited a childhood favorite. 

 

This is a long one (ten books), but if you enjoy reading, onward!

"Cold Earth" by Ann Cleeves

 

Shetland Chief Superintendent Jamie Perez is at the funeral of a neighbor when a mudslide washes away parts of the cemetery and property in its path. When checking on a nearby, presumably vacant, cottage close by, he discovers the body of a somewhat formally dressed woman, apparently a renter of the cottage. But her identity is unknown and he and detective Sandy Wilson are having a difficult time learning who she may be. 

When her identity is discovered, it turns out there could be numerous potential perpetrators. There are neighbors nearest to the cottage -- he, a farmer who has been keeping suspicious hours, she, a recovering alcoholic who wonders if her husband is having an affair; a town councilman with whom the victim was seen arguing; the psychiatrist she visited, perhaps revealing something damaging; the councilman's wife or daughter, who knew that he had a reputation with the ladies? Or was it someone else with their own vendetta?

Perez calls in Willow Reeves from Inverness to be his Senior Investigating Officer, a woman with whom the widower and now single parent is intrigued. Might he be ready for a new relationship?

Cleeves hasn't disappointed yet with the "Shetland" series and this is no exception. She's a gifted writer and even should you guess the murderer (I did), you're not really quite sure how you got there!  

"Beastly Things" by Donna Leon

 

This is the 22nd entry in Leon's "Brunetti" series of mysteries set in Venice. And this is yet another that makes you wondering if you really ever want to visit Venice, or at least eat there, despite Italy's reputation for marvelous food!

This one finds Brunetti and his vegetarian sergeant Viaello investigating the death of an inspector from a meat slaughterhouse. The unidentified man is found in a canal, stabbed before dumped in the water. Struggling to identify the man, with notable physical features, they eventually learn he was a veterinarian, recently separated from his wife and child. He had a second job, as an inspector in the slaughterhouse, determining if animals (cows, pigs and lambs) were diseased or safe to be slaughtered and processed into meat.

While Brunetti is quite certain that the wife is not involved in the death, he and Vianello are less certain about others involved in the slaughtering industry. Their quest takes them into that business, and, with the help of secretary/hacker Signorina Elettra, into their finances as well.

Let me say if you are squeamish about what happens to your food between barnyard and table, you may choose to pass over a few fairly graphic pages of the detectives' tour of the slaughterhouse. I'm a meat-eater, but after reading this, I hesitate. 

Leon never disappoints with a satisfying conclusion to a good mystery. It's not necessary to read this series in order, but if you do, you will note that over time, Vianello and Signorina Elettra's aversion to meat and its impact on ecology has developed to match that of Brunetti's daughter.   

"Famous Father Girl" by Jamie Bernstein

 

I've always thought of Leonard Bernstein as a gifted composer, conductor and teacher and nothing about "Famous Father Girl," written by his daughter, Jamie, changes that. (The film "Maestro" is based in part on this book.) But clearly, he was no prince and his life -- both personal and professional -- was complicated.

And yet, this book is not really a biography of Bernstein. It is more like an autobiography or memoir of Jamie and her relationship with her gifted but erratic father, who -- as he grew more famous and universally admired and adored by fans -- became more out of control, relying more on uppers and downers to get him through the days.

And, it is equally Jamie's story of trying to both be in the Bernstein orbit and yet carve out a performing life of her own without the connections. It is a challenge to be sure.

This is no "Mommy Dearest" angry-child-revenge story, but an honest look at a very famous -- and very loving family (if a somewhat dysfunctional one). Perhaps moist poignant to me were the early sections about Jamie's mother, actress Felecia Montealegre, a beautiful actress who adored her husband and three children. Felecia was a glamorous social hostess, whose marriage was challenged by her husband's fame and homosexuality and whose tragic early death may have been a catalyst for what was to come. They were a family of privilege in the '60s and beyond when the elite life included plenty of sex, drugs and more. 

I'm trying to decide if I liked this book and the answer is yes, but . . . The "But" is that it is long, and the older Jamie gets in telling the story, the more there is of Jamie as she strikes out on her own and less of Lenny. It is no biography of her father to be sure, but adds a great deal to the personal and private image of a man who was so public and whose work remains so admired today. 

 "The Spy Coast" by Tess Gerritsen

 

 This mystery/thriller recommendation came from Bill and seconded by Shari in her review. Purity, Maine, is a quiet town in the north of the state where over the course of years, retired agents from the CIA have found a retirement haven. The local crime is minimal -- breaking/entering, shoplifting, domestic issues -- and local acting Chief of Police Jo Thibedeau has it under control.

But when a dead body is found in chicken farmer Maggie Bird's driveway, Jo has a bigger case on her hands. And it doesn't seem to be helped by the butting in of Maggie's friends, Declan, Ben, Lloyd and Ingrid, who seem to know things and spot details at the crime that have been missed by Jo. Who ARE these people, she wonders. But, they all claim to be mystery fans of their Martini Club, a book group.

But when an attempt is made on Maggie's life, things get even more serious and it is time to go into hiding -- and on the prowl to find Diana, the missing woman who may be at the heart and soul of both the dead body and the threat to Maggie.

Gerritsen weaves a compelling tale, taking us into the past to discover why people may want to kill Maggie. It dates back nearly two decades to her time in the service when Diana asks her to do one more mission, a mission that has haunted her past and thaat now comes to haunt her present.

There are shades of "Thursday Murder Club" in this one, with the reluctant police officer and the unofficial "detectives." But these detectives were all trained at the highest levels of espionage and their quest for answers takes some of them to exotic locations around the world where the stakes are high indeed. One really can't compare, but simply enjoy them. (I finished this in about two days -- it was hard to put down.) And yes. I'll be reading the next book in the series.

"Murder at Claridge's" by Jim Eldridge

 

Set in 1940s London, "Murder at Claridge's" finds the city in the midst of the Blitz, a spot where people both live their most valiant, if challenged, lives -- or live on the edge, engaging in the black market, espionage and illicit operations.

Chief Inspector  Edgar Coburg of Scotland Yard is assigned the case of a murdered kitchen porter at the famed Claridge's hotel, much to the chagrin of Inspector Lomax, the local detective first called to the case. Coburg's aristocratic background makes his boss feel him best qualified to handle a case at a hotel where many of Europe's aristocracy and crowned heads are sitting out the war. Lomax, meanwhile, finds himself dealing with a series of murders dealing with the black market and a thug named Hooky Morton. They are about as far from glamorous and high profile as one can get.

But when a Free French aide worker is found strangled in a way similar to that of the kitchen porter, Coburg decides that rather than continue to antagonize Lomax by being the chief investigator that perhaps they should work together on the case. Clearly the deaths were assassinations, but why? And who was responsible. 

There are plenty of subplots to keep straight in this book and Eldridge does a pretty good job of doing that with a cast of characters that includes two aristocrats with some seedy business dealings, Coburg's wife Rosa, an ambulance driver and well-known jazz singer, and Coburg's and Lomax's sergeants, Lawson and Potteridge, who provide able support.

I do have one quibble with this book, and it reminds me of something Sue wrote when she reviewed another by Eldridge. Some of the writing (or perhaps editing) gets a little sloppy. In Sue's case, it was historic information, In this book, near the end, Coburg is arriving to a meeting with an unnamed  dignitary, wondering who it might be. "Could it be. . ." mused Daniel.

Daniel? Who's Daniel? Clearly it was Coburg musing and a look back to when his full name (middle too) was revealed said nothing about Daniel.

It's not a deal breaker for this entertaining mystery. But it does remind one of sloppy proofing!

"Mrs. Kennedy and Me" by Clint Hill with Lisa McCubbin

 This memoir by the Secret Service agent in charge of protecting Jacqueline Kennedy during and immediately following the Kennedy administration is a fascinating look at both the former First Lady and the mechanics that go into protecting any member of the president's family.  

Clint Hill was assigned to Jacqueline Kennedy's protection detail right after JFK won the election. It wasn't an assignment he wanted, having previously been one of President Eisenhower's Secret Service agents. But it didn't take long for him to come to know and respect Mrs. Kennedy and to establish a relationship with her that would last until her first year following the assassination of her husband in 1963.

Hill's job was to basically stay at Mrs. Kennedy's side any time she was out of the security of the White House or with guests, a job he shared with another agent. He had believed it would be many tea parties and ladies lunches. But he hadn't met the determined force of nature that was Jacqueline Kennedy, a woman who was smart, cultured and incredibly shy. She came to trust him in many ways and he was her companion on many antique expeditions related to redecoration of the White House, returning it to its historical roots, finding her a well schooled woman in history and design. His other duties included accompanying her on state visits with JFK, as well as family holidays in Hyannis Port and Palm Beach, and tours around the world to such countries as Greece, Morocco, India, Turkey and countless others. 

But perhaps his biggest role came during the motorcade in Dallas in November 1963. As JFK, Jacqueline Kennedy, Governor and Mrs. John Connolly of Texas rode through the city streets, it was Hill who threw himself over the bodies of the Kennedys when an assassin's bullets struck the president, pushing her back into the convertible as she tried to crawl out as it sped to the hospital. It was an experience from which he never really recovered emotionally. 

The book looks at the mechanics of planning any kind of presidential event -- whether it is a state visit or a campaign event, focusing on all the security elements. It is a job that took him home and away from his family far more days than he was with them. And while he worked with a woman for whom he had profound respect and affection, the job was anything but easy, with a myriad of logistics. Anyone interested in knowing what life in the Secret Service is like would get a crash course.

I found the whole book so interesting -- both the roles of the agents and then life with Jacqueline Kennedy herself. I always was intrigued by her. Now I would like to know much more about her sad and tragic life. 

"Trixie Belden and Mystery in Arizona" by Julie Campbell

I mentioned Trixie Belden books in my earlier post about life at the lake, then and now. Several bloggers commented on how they, too, enjoyed these mysteries as kids. I had one at the lake so I decided to give it a reread and see how it has held up over time.

The answer is -- not too badly. The characters in the book are 13 (Trixie and her friends, Honey and Diana), 15 (brother Mart) and 17 (brother Brian and Honey's brother Jim). I probably read these around the time I was twelve, maybe a bit older. 

The plot finds Trixie and her friends invited to the dude ranch of Diana's uncle in Arizona for Christmas. But when they arrive, they learn that the Mexican family that is the housekeeping and kitchen staff (apart from the cook) departed mysteriously with no warning. It was return home or help out and Trixie volunteered the services of herself and her friends to fill their roles during their visit. Naturally, she is curious as to why they so suddenly disappeared and why new hire Rosita and Maria, the cook, seem to be hiding something. 

There are no bodies here but the mysteries are solved (as many are) by asking the right questions and listening (and sometimes eavesdropping!). The ending felt very satisfying, considering this was written for young and pre-teens.

But what was really cool about it was how educational it was. I never thought of these as being educational when I read them as a youth. But I learned an awful lot about the people and Native Americans of the Southwest, the cowboy lifestyle (why do cowboys wear bandanas?), Mexican holiday customs and more. What worked as narrative was subtle, sneaky and very informative! And, the characters held up for modern readers, I think. A few references might seem odd (twin sweater sets worn by the girls) but for the most part, I'd hand this to a kid today and I think they might enjoy! So, yes, I'd recommend. 

"Last Seen Wearing" by Colin Dexter

 

Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis are back on the case, this time taking over a cold case from a fellow officer who had died. Theoretically, it is a missing person case, but Morse is pretty certain the woman is missing because she is dead. 

Set around a school in the Oxford area, Valerie Taylor disappeared and was never seen again. Time has passed and yet her memory hangs over some of the teachers who were part of her school as well as her parents and a young man with whom she was presumed to have stayed for a time in London. While Morse and Lewis have their predecessor's notes, for the most part they are starting from scratch with interviews of her headmaster and his wife along with the parents and teachers. As Dexter weaves the story, the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place. But the detectives are still baffled, when a murder of one of those in question adds new mystery to the plot.

But just when one thinks they have a puzzle almost put together, there can be a hitch. This time, the deal breaker is the evidence, and when one bit of evidence contradicts another, all the theories in the world don't always fit. Morse and Lewis have plenty of them and it isn't till the last few pages of the book that a satisfying conclusion is found.

I liked this -- but I didn't love it. Part of that might be the size of the book -- one of those old paperbacks with tiny type, the edition published in 1977. But I also don't think it was one of Dexter's best. However, one of the joys of reading used books is that sometimes an earlier reader has written margin notes, as one did here. The handwriting was pretty bad (well, they didn't write them for me, did they?) but it was fun to see what the reader felt was important and they were fun to discover like a little present every ten pages or so! 

"Murder at Aldwych Station" by Jim Eldridge

 

This is my second Eldridge book this month and I've decided I like him and his main characters, Chief Inspector Edgar Coburg, Rosa (his wife), and Ted Lampson (his sergeant). Rosa is a jazz singer and this plot finds Benny, a jazz guitarist she knew murdered, his body dumped in a tube station. This is set in the 1940s during the Blitz, where people took refuge in the tube from the bombs. As Coburg starts searching for the murderer, Rosa decides to help, visiting a guitar shop and a club she knew. Shortly after, she was abducted at gunpoint, but managed to escape. Not long after, the men who abducted her were found dead.

Those aren't the only murders. A group of four Auxiliary firefighters, who have taken to looting while putting out fires in the wealthier parts of London also have a connection to Benny, through the guitarist's sister Alice. And so does Coburg's long-ago fiancee, Lady Pamela Cuddington, who had a recent fling with Benny, angering her husband, Lord Cuddington.

As the murder count piles up, the number of suspects seems to diminish -- mostly because they, too, are murdered. And Coburg and Lampson are baffled.  So am I, right down to the end!

"An Amateur Corpse" by Simon Brett

 

If I'm ever accused of murdering a spouse in a drunken haze -- to the point where I even confess to it -- I hope I have a friend like Charles Paris in my camp who believes that despite the evidence, I am innocent and will go to the mat to prove it.

Paris, Simon Brett's actor-sleuth, has been doing commercial voice work for advertising agency partner Hugo Mecken, who lives in the village of Beckton and whose wife, Charlotte, is playing the lead in the amateur dramatic society's production of  "The Seagull." Charles is invited to provide a professional critique of the show (note to self -- decline such invitations; they rarely turn out well). 

Two things become clear during his visit: Hugo has an out-of-control drinking problem that leads to explosive bursts of temper and his marriage to Charlotte is clearly experiencing difficulties. And the third? After his "professional critique," Charles isn't Beckton's most popular visitor.

When Simon finds Charlotte dead on a coal heap after one of Hugo's drunken binges (at which Charles was present but then went off to bed), he recounts the evening before to the police. But he is wracked with guilt that his honest assessment may well have sealed Hugo's fate. His feelings are deeper still when he realizes that Hugo has confessed to the murder, although he can't remember doing it.

Charles is on the case, with the reluctant permission of his friend Claude, Hugo's solicitor. The most likely suspects are the members of the drama society, none of whom were too fond of newcomer Charlotte. When Charles learns Charlotte was having an affair and might even been pregnant, a motive falls into place. But actors act, and when questioned, can even Charles tell who is telling the truth or giving a performance?

This was a fun pocket-sized paperback (the kind published back in the late '70s, 1978 in this case) with tiny type. I've read other Brett books featuring Paris years ago and was glad to rediscover him. It was a tidy plot and an enjoyable mystery.  

Sharing with:   Share Your Shelf