The Books of August

Given that it's summer, I probably should have gone through more than six books -- but I was doing a lot of painting! Still, the ones I read were very enjoyable. Again, mostly mysteries, but two good novels were part of the mix, too. 

"London Particular" by Christianna Brand

 

One murder (or is it two?) and many suspects -- are they covering for each other, confessing to protect another or covering up their own acts? Christianna Brand takes us through a madcap romp of family dynamics in this British Library Crime Classic.

A "particular" in this case is the dense fog that covered the city of London in 1952, fog so dense that accidents soared. Cars could barely make their way through the shrouded streets. Journeys, whether by car or on foot, took longer. Timetables become as blurry as the foggy view. 

The characters here are the Edwards family -- Dr. Thomas, his wife Matilda, sister Rosie and his grandmother; Melissa, who lives with them and helps with Gran; Tedward, Thomas' medical partner and Damien, a Communist sympathizer and friend of Melissa. The victim is Raoul Vernet, a former suitor of Matilda, who may well have disturbing news to pass on.

Much of the plot centers around Rosie -- adored by Tedward and Damien, idoloized by her brother Thomas. She's beautiful, flirtatious, and more than a bit incautious in her affairs of the heart, often brief, and in one case, leaving her pregnant. When Rosie returns home from boarding school in Switzerland with this news, and Raoul asks to see Matilda, the plot is set in motion.

Fortunately, Inspector Cockerill, now retired, is a friend of the family and offers to work check a few things out.  

This is a fun one with some delightful humor and a look at family dynamics when a crisis hits. I enjoyed it. 

"Hamnet" by Maggie O'Farrell 

Before I go into more detail on this, I offer a warning. The subtitle describes this as a "book about the plague." This is secondary. If it is a book about anything (apart from an interesting story of an interesting woman and her life), it is a book about grief. Raw, searing, uncompromising, down-in-the-depth grief, and it minces no words or emotions in writing of it. For one who has suffered the loss of a child, in particular, it could either be cathartic or triggering. So, if this is something you might be experiencing, read this book with caution. (The elements of grief don't come into it until the final chapters, but the writing was so powerful, to me, that overcame the earlier part of the story.)

I have no idea why this book is titled "Hamnet." Hamnet, a child, is not in the book much at all, though it is his death (not a spoiler, by the way) that is the catalyst for the final chapters. Rather, it is more a book about his mother -- Agnes. She is a woman of 1500s Stratford, England. Today we would call her an herbalist and one with second sight. She collected flowers, leaves and berries and made them into potions for those in her town, her payment supporting the family. We never hear her husband's name but we follow their courtship and the early years of their marriage, including the birth of their first child, Susanna -- which triggered their marriage. 

A year or so later, the husband leaves for London, ostensibly to carry his father's glove business farther afield but he has has other plans and dreams. Although he sends money home and periodically returns to Stratford, he leaves Agnes pregnant, living with their daughter in a house attached to that of his somewhat disapproving parents.

Agnes gives birth to twins -- Judith and Hamnet -- and in the early chapters we learn that Judith is critically ill with what will becomes known as the plague. The story goes back and forth from this time through the days of Agnes and her husband's relationship, through the birth and lives of their children, especially the twins, and finally to the dreadful tragedy that occurs, triggering great grief and perhaps a masterpiece.

This is a piece of historic fiction about a woman of whom little is known. Of her husband, much is known, though more professionally than personally. How much of this true? I have no idea. But it was a fascinating book and character study, beautifully written and yes, powerful (maybe at times, too much so.) I'd recommend it. But, for some, with caution. 

"The Red House Mystery" by A.A. Milne

 

You won't find Pooh or Eeyore here. Instead, you will find diletante Antony Gillingham (rather Poohish in his enthusiasm, but lots smarter!) and his "Watson," Bill Beverley, confronted with a murder and determined to solve the case before the police. Yes, "The Red House" is a simply delightful mystery -- nothing heavy, just witty and fun.

Gillingham, independently well off, is without a current job. So, when he goes to visit his friend Bill, who is staying at the Red House with host Mark Ablett and other guests, he is surprised to be greeted by the distressed Cayley, Ablett's cousin, who has heard a shot from the locked office in the house. He and Gillingham run around the house, break in through a window and find the body of Ablett's cousin, Richard, a ne'er do well from Australia who has visited, nearly unannounced. Ablett, presumably meeting with his cousin, has disappeared.

Gillingham wonders why Cayley took the long way around the house to get to the office windows, and then more things feel a bit unclear to him. He enlists Bill as his eager "Watson" to his own aspiring "Sherlock" to investigate for themselves. 

Milne weaves a clever mystery here and Gillingham and Bill are two delightful characters, half on a lark, half on a mission. This was written in 1922, part of the classical mystery era and was Milne's only foray into the genre (though "Four Days of Wonder" has some mystery elements.) It's a pity, for it is a delightful romp. 

"The Lake District Murder" by John Bude

When I describe this British Library Crime Classic as a "police procedural," I mean it in every sense on the word. If you ever wonder all the steps a detective goes through to solve a case, you can walk through one from crime to conviction in this fascinating, if sometimes a bit over-detailed book.

Or is it over-detailed? It does precisely what it sets out to do -- follow each and every step of its lead character, Inspector Meredith, as he begins with a murder to solve, one which reveals a crime ring engaged in a major fraud.

Set in England's Lake District in 1935, Inspector Meredith is called to the scene of a death -- that of one of the proprietors of a filling station, who is found asphysiciated in his car.  At first it is presumed a suicide, but certain clues indicate a suspicious death, one with which the medical examiner concurs. As Meredith investigates, motive is difficult to find. But all indications lead back to the company that provides the petrol for the station's tanks. But how or why could they be involved? As he discovers that the victim was due to leave the country soon with his fiancee and had a surprisingly large bank account, other possibilities come to mind. 

Bude takes us step by step through Meredith's reasoning -- his hunches, his attempts to prove or disprove them, his hits and misses, his witness interviews, his on-site investigations, his meetings with his superiors and experts, among other things. It is both fascinating, delightfully written (you can't help but really like Meredith). And yes, it is long. 

So, if really getting down to the bare bones of investigation is for you, then I think you'll enjoy this one. 

"We'll Prescribe You a Cat" by Syou Ishida

 

Imagine if you felt you might need to consult a phychologist or therapist (or your friends and family advised you to do so). You seek out the Kokuro Clinic of the Soul, a mysterious place with an address so confusing that one must want to find it and open the heavy door themself before they can enter. You walk into the office. No one is there and though you don't have an appointment, the somewhat unfriendly nurse tells you the doctor will see you now. He's very young, very personable and yet doesn't really appear to listen to your story (at least not for every patient). Instead, he says "We'll prescribe you a cat." The nurse comes in with a cat in its carrier and as you leave, you are given instructions and supplies. In a given time period, you must return the cat.

Sounds crazy, right? And yet this very charming book tells five lovely tales of such an encounter and how the cat makes a difference in the lives of those who bring it home. In one case, it is a man who hates his job and how he and his colleagues are berated. In another, a family man whose cheerful work supervisor's attitude sets him on edge. A mother and her daughter who don't seem to get along visit for counseling. The perfectionist, work-obsessed designer of boutique high-end handbags is faced with a dilemma when her staff walk out. And finally, a geisha seeks the counsel of the doctor when her heart is filled with grief.

I don't quite know how to describe this book other than to say it is a little magical, but then those of us who are cat people know how cats can make a magical impact on our lives -- and perhaps, how we make an impact on theirs. I can think of few other books I've read in recent years that better show the powerful bond between animals and humans and the profound connection that bond creates. 

I would call this one a delightful, somewhat fast read -- but with a lot of thought behind it and some good lessons along the way -- whether one is a cat fan or not.

"The Jewel That Was Ours" by Colin Dexter

 

Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis return for another investigation in Oxford, this one centered around a tour bus of American visitors and the Ashmolean Museum. 

When a valuable artifact that one of the couples is planning to donate to the museum is stolen, there are two mysteries to solve: Who took the "Wolvercote Tongue" and was Louise Stratton's death in her hotel room from natural causes or a murder? The second is solved easily -- it was a natural death. But the missing artifact is a case far more complicated.

There are many suspects. All the tour members might be aware of its value. So, too, could be the tour guide and the three Oxford representatives he has working for him while the tour is in the city. Sheila Williams is a boozy organizer, Cedric Knowles and Theo Kemp are both Oxford professors. Kemp has a book on the Wolvercote Tongue coming out soon and is especially distraught by the theft of the piece.

As one might expect, many of the passengers on the tour have a story, a reason for being in England. And for someone, that reason involves murder. With a theft and a murder on their hands, Morse has many theories -- some on target, some way off base. Will more have to die before they unravel the clues?  But with Lewis by his side -- and fortified by more than a few pints of beer, there is divine discovery in a well written conclusion.