Tag Archives: mystery

Book Review – What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw

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What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw! by Agatha Christie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my second Agatha Christie novel and my second Miss Marple novel.

In this one Miss Marple actually has more of a role than the previous book, A Pocket Full of Rye.

A woman is seen strangled on a passing train and Miss Marple’s friend, Mrs. McGillicuddy is the only one who saw it and no one believes her except Miss Marple!

An amazing cast of characters is assembled including a domestic worker who is so good at what she does that she only hires out for short periods of time for the big money. Lo and behold, she is quite the sleuth, too, and does all the heavy lifting Jane Marple can’t do.

All in all it’s an enjoyable read with a lot of interesting colloquialisms and mannerisms from the time. It was a nice quick read with some interesting twists and turns.



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Book Review – The Ex-Pats

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The Expats: A NovelThe Expats: A Novel by Chris Pavone

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Secrets, secrets, secrets.

Those we keep from strangers, from friends and family…and from our spouses. One secret and lie piled on top of others.

Ostensibly, that’s what this book is about. Although, it’s wrapped inside a financial spy thriller with the protagonist, Kate Moore, as a just retired CIA operative.

It seems her husband, Dexter, is a financial cyber security guru and has taken a job at a bank in Luxembourg which, evidently, is notorious for banking secrecy. So Kate quits the Agency to follow along and be the wife and mother (two small children) while Dexter brings home the bacon.

All is not as it seems, though. Kate and Dexter, now ex-pats (thus, the title), meet up with Bill and Julia who insinuate themselves into their lives. But, why?

Of course, Kate has never told Dexter what she really does and Dexter seems to have a few secrets of his own…and why did Bill and Julia show up all of a sudden with skimpy “cover” stories that can’t easily be verified by a suspicious Kate.

Lots of twists and turns. Lots of layers to this big, bad onion.

It’s an interesting book, a good first novel.

It does have it’s flaws, though.

I kept thinking that the plot could be wrapped up a little more quickly than it took. I also realized that there was quite a few things that were just unbelievable even within the genre of CIA spy thrillers.

The author also had this annoying device of a flash forward where you knew something was being revealed but not really sure what. It would bounce back and forth to these flash forwards at the oddest and seemingly most random times. The book also had the requisite flash backs where the protagonist remembers events in the past that help explain her need to keep parts of her life secret from her husband and the father of her two children.

All in all, it’s a good read an well worth taking the time.




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Book Review – Dead Wrong

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Dead Wrong (Joanna Brady, #12)Dead Wrong by J.A. Jance

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read J.A.Jance every now and then and I’m often surprised how much I enjoy her books.

This is book is definitely worth the time. I wouldn’t say it is a “page turner” or “heart thumping” but it does keep your attention with multiple sub-plots and interesting characters.

Joanna Brady, an elected Sheriff, is big time pregnant but still running the Sheriff’s department and fighting crime all at the same time. Meanwhile, her husband, Butch, is off at a mystery writer’s conference and obnoxious, overbearing grandparents-to-be drop in for an unannounced visit. So there are all kinds of interesting family dynamics.

The investigation of a current murder has all kinds of twists and turns including an investigation of a cold, cold, cold case that was initially investigated by none other than Joanna Brady’s long dead father who was a Deputy Sheriff at the time.

Simultaneously, an Animal Control Officer is beaten to within an inch of her life while investigating a dog fighting ring. This pushes Sheriff Brady’s shorthanded and budget constrained department to it’s limit a while everyone and their brother is waiting for “the baby” to come along any day.

The cases are all wrapped up with a nice bow at the end which is really the way I like it.

Good story. Enjoyable reading.





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Set in Darkness – A Book Review

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Set in Darkness (Inspector Rebus, #11)Set in Darkness by Ian Rankin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was my first Ian Rankin book.



In many ways, it is a well written book with a tight plot and lots of atmosphere. For me, though, it was a little too dark. The atmospherics were dark – lots of night, seedy pubs, unsavory characters – and the plot itself really didn’t have a satisfactory ending…much like real life.



It’s was interesting in that it didn’t depend on a lot of gratuitous sex to capture the reader’s attention. Plenty of violence but none that you wouldn’t expect from dealing with the underbelly of Edinburgh.



All in all, a good book and an engrossing read.



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