Read in 2025 - 18, 20, 21

I have not forgotten how to count, but my read #19 has had its own post already. The three books I am reviewing now have in common that they were all free at Amazon's Kindle shop, each of them the first in a series offered for free so that readers might get a taste for the series and buy the next ones.

#18: Death by Candlelight

Emma Davies

 

In this “cosy mystery”, the sleuth is not just one person, but a duo – and they are Adam and Eve, although not in the biblical sense.

Instead, Francesca Eve is a self-employed caterer, and Adam is the son of one of her clients. He’s only half her age and a tech nerd.

 

Fran and Adam meet under peculiar circumstances while Fran does the catering at his mother’s birthday party. The hostess and her small group of guests play a murder mystery over dinner, a game custom-ordered specifically for the event.

Everyone is given written instructions about the character they are to play for the evening, without knowing who is the intended “murder victim” – let alone who the “murderer” is, according to the game.

They appear to have great fun… until something goes deadly wrong.

 

Fran finds herself not among the suspects, but still has an interest in learning what has really happened.

She has to juggle her family life, work duties and her completely unofficial detective work, helped by Adam who shows surprisingly useful skills.

 

Of course the two of them solve the case, and of course they both are in danger at some stage or other, but as usual there is no question that they surive when the book is clearly marked the first in a series.

 

I enjoyed the story with some of the dialogue and scenes being rather funny, but I wasn’t convinced of every character and their actions.

It was a fun and easy read but not motivating me to buy more from the series.

The author's website is here.

 

 

#20: Death by Dark Roast

Kate P. Adams

 

For me, the unusual setting was mostly what made this book a good read: The main character works at a large stately home in England, probably based on Chatsworth House; a beautiful palace-like house in vast grounds, still lived in by a duke and his family, but open to visitors.

Sophie manages the cafés on the premises, and her duties also involve taking care of the catering at events in the impressive rooms and well maintained gardens.

 

A food festival is held in the grounds, and Sophie has the chance to indulge her passion for coffee with two of the stalls that sell their own local roasts and pride themselves on their uniqueness and expertise.

Then, a body is found in one of the coffee stalls, and although there doesn’t seem to be much in terms of a motive for the murder, suspects are aplenty.

At the same time, a pattern of thefts of artwork from big houses like the one where this book is set begins to emerge. Are these related in any way to the murder?

 

Sophie helps the local police (against their advice, of course) by doing some investigating of her own, assisted by one of the tour guides at the house.

For a while it seems that the more she finds out, the less close she is to solving the puzzle, but of course she succeeds in the end.

 

As I said, the setting of the house and gardens made the book interesting, plus quite a lot of small detail related to working in such a place. The author has actually worked in similar capacities at stately homes for years (although she never had to solve a murder), and it is obvious she knows what she’s writing about. One example is the mention of why no red wine is served at receptions in marble-floored halls – any spills would be very hard to clean from the precious antique surfaces, whereas champagne and white wine do not present the same problems.

 

I also liked the characters and wouldn't mind reading more of the series, although I must admit I am not keen enough to spend money on it.

 

The author's website is here.

 

#21: A Book to Kill for

Harper Lin

 

Unlike the other two, this book is set in a small town in the US, most of it happening at the local book shop.

 

The owner is an elderly gentleman who is more interested in his books and helping the local community than in making a profit.

He employs Maggie, a young woman who is very pretty without knowing it, very smart and very bookish; she doesn’t like to talk to people and only really feels comfortable talking to her boss – mostly about books, of course.

 

When the old man dies, Maggie is not only heartbroken but also fears the unwelcome changes Joshua, the man’s son and heir, is going to make to the shop.

Then, someone is found dead in the shop – accident or murder? Someone has obviously been looking for something, but who apart from the owner and his employee would know how valuable some of the old books are?

 

Maggie's life revolves around the book shop, and she does not want to lose her job, which gives her enough motivation to investigate the goings-on.

She soon learns more about the people in the small town than she ever knew, and it’s not all nice…

 

While I liked the idea behind the book, the characters didn’t really come alive for me. Especially Maggie and Joshua could have done with some more fleshing out; they were left rather flat and two-dimensional:

He was gorgeous and not much else, while her dislike to talk to people was repeated frequently, as if the reader would need constant reminding.

 

Not a total waste of time, but definitely not a series I shall look into any further.

The author's website is here.

End of Summer Week

It's not "officially" the end of summer just yet, but this past week definitely felt very much like we are slowly but surely approaching early autumn. No day has been warmer than 27C/80F, and some mornings were rather chilly at about 12C/53F.

Also, the light has a certain quality it doesn't have in early and mid summer, and the shortening of daylight hours has been making itself felt. Add to that the harvest largely brought in, blackberries and rosehips on the hedgerows and chrysanthemums, dahlias and sunflowers in people's gardens, and you can't miss the signs. 

I know I say this every year this time of year; late summer/early autumn puts me in a special frame of mind. Part of me does not want to let go of summer, of the time when I can just up and go for a walk without having to think about coats and scarves and boots, of bright sunlight streaming into my kitchen first thing in the morning, of flowers in the meadows and green leaves on the trees. But I also love the golden light we get from mid-August onwards, the evenings beginning to feel cosier with a blanket on the settee, the green of summer slowly giving way to the colours of autumn, and walking effortlessly in crisp air instead of arriving at the end of a walk all sweaty and ready for a shower.

Last Monday (18 August), the only thing worth mentioning was my after-work walk to Benningen. It was the warmest day of the week, but not so hot as to make being outside uncomfortable.

Tuesday (19 August) saw me meeting my group of "girl"friends (we are nearly all in our 50s now, which makes us not exactly girls anymore) for a meal in the evening, something they have been doing more or less regularly but I had not joined in a while for various reasons. It was nice to see them; the restaurant that two of them had chosen wasn't very good, but nobody left hungry and the most important thing was to be together. We won't be going to that particular place again, though.

On Wednesday and Thursday (20 and 21 August), I worked at the office. On the Wednesday, I got off the train in Zuffenhausen and walked the rest, visiting my Mum. It was nice to sit and chat on her balcony facing west, now that it's not too hot anymore. 

Rosehips along the way between Stammheim and Pflugfelden

It finally rained on Thursday evening (the only rain we had all week) - not for very long and not all that much, but it was better than nothing, and the gardens around here looked a little less dusty and somewhat fresher for it.

O.K.'s sister had her birthday on Friday (22 August), and I was invited, too. A good train connection allowed me to arrive there earlier than when I usually travel to O.K. for the weekend, and we enjoyed a delicious meal at her and her husband's with family and friends.

Saturday (23 August) was a day of working around the house and garden for O.K. while I took care of a few household things at the cottage and spent most of the afternoon resting and reading. 

For the evening, we set up the small electric grill on the balcony and asked O.K.'s Mum to join us for a batch of spicy Merguez sausages, a tomato and feta salad (I used the tomatoes harvested earlier that day by O.K.'s sister at the family allotment) and crunchy bread. 

While O.K. and I were having coffee and cake on the balcony in the afternoon, he spotted something on the grey cover over the sunshade... it turned out to be a hawk-moth, an anmial we don't remember ever having seen before. According to wikipedia, they are not uncommon in our parts, although they cover Germany and central Europe only as a migrant species, not permanently as across large parts of Africa, for instance.

We were both impressed with this beautiful moth and kept checking on it until after dark, careful not to disturb it. As we were clearing away the things from our small BBQ, we were hoping to watch it fly, but it took advantage of a minute or two when neither of us were looking, and we were left with the empty spot where it had been resting, a few drops of its business on the foot of the sunshade (easily wiped off) and of course the photos.

On Sunday (24 August - 4 months to Christmas Eve!), the village band were booked to perform at a village fête about 45 minutes away by car. Those who were not away for their summer holidays all gathered at a parking lot in the village, loaded themselves and their instruments into various cars (we were able to go with a young couple) and set off.

Some members of the local village band after their performance

"Our" village band

After the previous band finished and "our" musicians could settle themselves on the stage, I had a bottle of water while listening to them. I then left the large tent and went exploring a little bit on my own. 

My short walk along the river was very pleasant. Fresh air, the Black Forest rising on all sides, blue sky with white fully clouds, green pastures with cows and sheep, picturesque houses and colourful flower gardens - it really is a beautiful part of the world, and I was a bit sorry that O.K. and I weren't here for a hike. We can of course always come back another day.

Eventually, the band wrapped up their set, and we finally had something to eat. Afterwards, O.K.'s fellow musicians drove us back to the village, and the two of us spent the short remainder of the evening quietly before it was time for lights out in view of our early start the next morning.

First Week Back

The first week back after my Yorkshire holiday was busy but not stressful. Many of my colleagues are on holiday right now, which means a lot less meetings than usual. That allowed me to wade through my piles of emails largely undisturbed; not that those piles were quite as high as expected. Mostly, after two weeks away from work, I find well over 200 emails waiting for me. This time, there were only 133.

Monday (11 August) started chilly at only 14C/57 F - perfect to let fresh air into the flat and maintain a pleasant room temperature throughout the day, while it became warmer outside with up to 29C/84F by mid-afternoon.

Of course apart from working at my desk, I did the usual return-from-holiday things such as washing and food shopping. Also, after finishing work, I had a chat with my downstairs neighbour who had been looking after my mail and my houseplants; I gave her a souvenir to say thank you, even though she had let my hydrangea die (which she apologised for).

As soon as she was gone, I put shoes on and was off on a walk to Benningen. Going for my standard walks is always part of the coming home process for me, and I enjoyed that first one very much.

It was my Mum's birthday on Tuesday (12 August), but because I was working and she was going for a meal with her former colleagues in the evening, I only saw her in the afternoon for an hour over coffee and a piece of delicious home-baked cake. My sister and I had collected several presents for her in Ripon and handed those over. I think she liked them all.

At 32C/89F, I didn't want a walk after work that day.

On Wednesday (13 August), I was back at the office for the first time since my return from Yorkshire. It was also the first day back for one of my colleagues, and so we had plenty of stories to exchange - and plenty to do, too.

Getting off the train in Ludwigsburg after work, I went to my sister's, and together we walked to the farm café/restaurant just outside town where we often have family celebrations and other meals. Our Mum had booked a table there for us and four of her closest friends, and in spite of sitting outside, we were unbothered by wasps (something I had really been afraid of). The meal, company and location all combined for a nice birthday celebration for Mum.

You wouldn't think this lady has just turned 81, would you?

Whereas this one has aged at least 5 years in the first half of this year.

Thursday (14 August) was another one or two degrees hotter at about 33-34C/91-93F, but it was well bearable at the office, since my room there faces north. Too hot to walk home from Zuffenhausen or Kornwestheim, though.

I waited until after the main news on TV before setting off on a short walk of about 45 minutes; stupidly, I had not thought to use mozzie repellant and got stung a few times when I had to stand still at a traffic light. For people in the cars passing by, it must have looked as if I was practicing the Schuhplattler.

Working from home on Friday (15 August) with no meetings, I was able to do my cleaning, changing of bed sheets, food shopping etc. in the morning before it got too hot, and work in the afternoon. My Third Room (study) is the coolest place in my flat, making it possible to focus without my brain completely melting.

Once again, I went out for a walk only at 8:30 pm, but this time I sprayed myself liberally with repellant before setting off, which made for a much more relaxed sunset walk.

O.K. arrived at around lunchtime on Saturday (16 August). We had a salad of watermelon, feta cheese and roasted pine nuts with some crispy baguette and then went into town for an errand. 

A rest followed before it was time to dress up a bit and walk back into town, where we attended the première of "Marie Antoinette" at an outdoor theatre. We'd been to their performances a few times before, and they are brilliant - a mix of hilariously funny, well done songs and some serious food for thought. It is amazing how much a small cast of only four actors (two of them playing several characters) can achieve!

Again, I had made good use of my bottle of repellant [note to self: stock up on that!] and was not stung or bitten in spite of there being quite a few flying nasties about.

After the performance, we sat in the adjacent beer garden for something to eat and drink before my sister took our Mum home in the car and O.K. and I walked home. (The tickets for the four of us had been a joined birthday present for Mum from my sister and me.)

Sunday (17 August) offered a very welcome respite of the week's intense heat; in fact the morning was so chilly that we shut the kitchen window while we were sitting there for breakfast.

We then set off on a walk that took in the lake (Monrepos), part of Asperg (not the castle on the hill this time) and a beer garden where we had a refreshing shandy (by this time, it had warmed up again and the sun was out in full force) and eventually ice creams in town, 14 km altogether.

A late afternoon nap was in order, after which I prepared watermelon (again!) for our meal, this time with Serrano ham and toasted slices of baguette with a bruschetta mix on top.

O.K. left at 7:45 pm, while I went for a very beautiful sunset walk of just under 10 km. It was dark by the time I reached home, but it had been so pleasant out there that I just did not want to turn in just yet - I only wished O.K. was there with me instead of in a traffic hold-up on the motorway, which made his trip home at least half an hour longer than usual.

This mast was full of starlings on the three tiers near the top - I could hear them long before I saw them.

Click to enlarge and see the clouds of starlings whirring overhead! It was most impressive; I just wish I had make a video of that.

This picture is not tilted; the field really is sloping at that point.

Read in 2025 - 19

(This year's reads # 18 and 20 will be reviewed in a combined post.)

The Queen of the Tambourine

Jane Gardam

Not my picture, but it was the only one I found which showed the same edition that I bought.

During my sister and my holiday in Ripon, among several other things I bought three paperbacks, two in my favourite book shop and this one in a charity shop, one of many lining Ripon's streets (can't remember which one).

I liked the cover and the description on the back. Also, I read "Old Filth" by this author some years ago, and found it very good; you can find my 2017 review here.

This one was also a very good read, although I must admit it was not quite what I had expected.

The main character is Eliza Peabody, surrounded by a cast of neighbours, family and other people she meets in her capacity as a volunteer at a hospice. She is a keen observer, and the reader learns a lot about each of them.

The entire story is presented in the form of letters Eliza writes to her neighbour Joan. They start out as short notes, with (unwanted) advice about Joan's health and family life. No answers are ever written, but Eliza continues with her letters, which become longer and longer, revealing more and more of Eliza's own life.

But how much of what Eliza writes has actually happened, and how much of it is just in her mind? And why does Joan never answer? Why does Eliza always talk of having two dogs, when everybody else seems to be aware of only one? Has her husband really left her, and if so, why?

I don't want to tell you too much, but there are unexpected twists; it's not crime fiction, but still a mystery. I perfectly agree with one excerpts of a critic saying that she found the book "very moving when it is not being exceedingly funny".

The very end comes with one last twist. It left me with a slight feeling of disappoinment; I was expecting something more quirky, not such a neat explanation and conclusion. But see for yourselves, if you are interested.

Jane Gardam (who by the way was from Yorkshire) only died this year. She wrote many books; this was the 2nd by her that I have read. You can read about her here on wikipedia. "The Queen of the Tambourine" has its own wikipedia entry here.

Read in 2025 - 16, 17

Two more of Martha Grimes' Inspector Jury novels were this year's summer reading for me, but neither of them what was for most people constitutes a typical holiday read.

The Blue Last

On the building site in London where a pub stood until it was bombed in WWII, two skeletons are found from that time. To the family who used to own the pub (“The Blue Last”), it is clear that it can only be the daughter of the former owner and the nanny’s baby girl – she had taken out the daughter’s child for a walk when the bombing happened, sadly losing her own child in the process. 

Richard Jury’s old friend and fellow detective asks him to investigate what he believes could be an old case of identity swap.

 

For Jury, this means facing his own past; as a little boy, he lost his Mum in a bombing after he’d already lost his father in the war, and ended up in care homes – not a childhood memory he wants to revisit, but can’t avoid either.

As he starts talking to the family members of the former pub owner, he discovers that one of them is writing a book about “The Blue Last” and has been doing extensive research.

Not long afterwards, the man is found dead, and his computer as well as his notes are missing, while nothing else has been taken from his luxurious home.

What had he come across in his research that could have cost him his life?

 

While Jury keeps investigating and finding motives and suspects, a parallel storyline involes a 9-year-old girl who nobody in her family’s big house is much inclined to talk about and whose provenience is mysterious.

A 12-year-old boy is her best friend, but he has a big secret of his own to guard while at the same time juggling all sorts of odd jobs. His dog plays a role, too…

 

The cleverly constructed story reunites the reader with many of the familiar cast, introducing some new ones who may or may not make a reappearance in later books, as is Martha Grimes’ habit with the Inspector Jury series.

It ends with Jury solving the case (of course), nearly losing his life in the process and finding out things about his old friend he’d never thought possible.

 

 

The Grave Maurice

This time it’s all about horses, breeding and racing. Jury knows nothing about it really, but he is asked a personal favour by the doctor who’s been treating him in hospital after he nearly died at the end of the previous book:

Almost two years ago, the doctor's 15-year-old daughter disappeared from her grandfather’s stables, where she was spending the night to be near a sick horse, which also disappeared. No ransom was ever asked, and while the police treat it as a cold case and presume that the girl must be dead, her family have been paying a private investigator to find out what happened, and at least some of them seem to be certain that she’s still alive.

 

Out of hospital but still officially on sick leave, Jury takes on the case and finds things getting more and more curious.

His friend Melrose is roped in to pose as an expert on race horses (just as he had him pose as an expert gardener in “The Blue Last”) so that he can get up close and personal with some of the people possibly involved in the case.

 

As usual, most characters have more than one secret, some more, some less relevant to the missing girl.

Also as usual, in the end Jury manages to unravel the thicket of lies and motives, but although he solves the mystery of the missing girl and horse, it is a sad ending.

 

 

When I found these and the other Inspector Jury books at a second hand sale, I had to take what was there but was lucky to get these two in direct chronological order.

The two children playing important roles in “The Blue Last” reappear in “The Grave Maurice”, as do of course the entire cast of Long Piddleton (Melrose’s home village) as well as Richard Jury’s neighbours in Islington.

 

I really enjoyed both books, although The Grave Maurice left me sad. Jury almost dying at the end of “The Blue Last”, didn't have me worry; I knew he wasn’t dead, because the series continued. But when the book was first published, readers probably weren’t so sure more stories would follow.

Now I have finished all the Jury books I have bought at the sale, but I have one or two more by Martha Grimes on my shelf, plus three paperbacks I bought in Ripon.