The Secret Ingredient Murders by Nancy Pickard based on character created by Virginia Rich

Published in 2001, this is a continuation of  Virginia Rich's Genia Potter series.  I don't always like the books when new authors take over the writing of a series, but in this case it seems to work.

Genia is called to Rhode Island to help out with her great-nephew, Jason, and his twin sister, Janie.  Jason has been arrested for marijuana, and Genia's family needs her there.

While there Genia is enlisted by an old friend to help write a cookbook, along with her familiar responsibilities.  Her old friend, Stanley Parker, suggests she have a dinner party featuring some of their cookbook recipes, and even suggests the guests that should be included.

The night of the dinner, Stanley doesn't arrive on time.  In fact, he doesn't show up at all.  Then his body is discovered, and her nephew is a suspect because he worked in Stanley's greenhouse, and has already been in trouble with the law.  But there are other people who didn't get along with Stanley, and are also suspects.

The story was very interesting, and kept me reading.  I enjoyed the looking at the recipes that were included, although I wasn't tempted to make any of them.  They all looked like a little too much work just for two people, and I'm at the point in life where simple is better.

The Lord Mayor of Death by Marian Babson

This is one of Marian Babson's stand alone mysteries, published in 1977.  I've read several books by Babson, and have enjoyed them all, and this was no exception.

In this story, the London police are called on by a woman to find her missing 5 year old daughter, Kitty.  During the investigation, they find out about a possible plot by an Irishman to bomb the Lord Mayor's Show, a parade to start the Lord Mayor's year in office, which had been going on for centuries.  The story switches from the police search for the man who took Kitty, and the possible terrorist, to the attempts of the mother, a policewoman, and a friend of the mother's to find the little girl, and the thoughts of the Lord Mayor, who is aware that he may be the target of a terrorist.

The story kept up the pace, and drew you in.  It was a little dated because of the Irish involvement and the lack of current technology, but still was an exciting read.

I don't believe I've ever been disappointed in any of the books I've read by Marian Babson. Looking forward to reading more by her.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Silver--I'm using this book as my free space for E--A Book you have to borrow. 

2014 Color Coded Challenge Update

The challenge was to read books with various colors in the titles.
Here are the ones I've read:
Shades of Blue--High Midnight by Stuart Kaminsky
                          Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
Shades of Red--Miz Scarlet and the Holiday Houseguests by Sarah M. Barton
Shades of Yellow--The Yellow Room by Mary Roberts
Shades of Green--Green for Danger by Christiana Brand
Shades of Brown--All Fudged Up by Nancy CoCo
Shades of Black--Fade to Black by Robert Goldsborough
Shades of White--Dead, White and Blue by Carolyn Hart
Any Other Color--Azalea Assault by Alyse Carlson
                              Death by Pink Flamingo by Elisabeth Crabtree
Suggests Color--Polka Dot Murder by Frances Crane
                           Dyed and Gone by Beth Yarnall


This is my completed list for the 2014 Color Coded Challenge.

Thanks so much to Bev for starting this challenge!

The Case of the Grinning Gorilla by Erle Stanley Gardner review

First published in 1952, this is another in the Perry Mason series of books.  This one is more or less from the middle of the series, so Perry isn't quite as abrasive as he was in the early ones.

I really loved the title of this book.  I've read several of the Perry Mason books and have enjoyed them, and when I saw this was on sale, I scooped it up last month--even though I've been trying to curtail my book purchases.

I've been trying to make my TBR pile smaller, and my goal was not to buy more books than I read from the pile.  So far this year I believe I've read 24 or 25 books from my TBR pile, but I've purchased....more than that in January alone.

But in my defense--they were cheap or free, or they were books in a series I love, or by an author I love, or sounded really good and were recommended by someone on the Cozy mystery group on Goodreads.   Actually, I blame Goodreads.com for introducing me to more books, authors and series that I really, really want to read!  And so I get them, and then when I read them, I want to read more.

Back to the book, The Case of the Grinning Gorilla.  Perry stops by an auction, and to help out he bids on a box of personal items of Helen Cadmus.  To his surprise, his $5 bid wins the box.  It turns out that Helen Cadmus was the secretary to Benjamin Addicks, an eccentric millionaire, and had committed suicide by jumping overboard from his yacht.  The box contains her diaries, and this stirs up interest in several different quarters.

Perry decides that he should find out what is in the diaries to make them so important, and discovers that the woman who wrote the diaries didn't seem the suicidal type.  He also finds out things about Addicks, including his personal zoo of gorillas and chimps, and his goal to hypnotize the animals.

Before long, Perry is involved in another interesting case that goes from theft to murder to being picked up by the police to confronting a grinning gorilla.   There is lots of excitement, and it keeps you interested and reading, even if the premise is a little strange.



This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--N--Book with animal in Title

The Adventures of Ellery Queen by Ellery Queen review

First published in 1934, this collection of short stories features Ellery Queen.  While the stories are short, they all have interesting mysteries that Ellery manages to solve handily.

I enjoyed this collection of stories more than the Roman Hat Mystery.  Ellery seemed less annoying and arrogant in these, and even had a sense of humor of sorts.  He also seemed younger and more like a regular young man, interested in women and willing to have a little fun.

He still managed to solve the crimes he came across, and I found the stories interesting to read.   The stories are a bit dated, but given that they were written 80 years ago, that is to be expected.

I've got a couple more Ellery Queen stories on my kindle, so I will probably read them.  I find the plots interesting, and I'm hoping Ellery develops into a less annoying main character, like he has in these stories.

Part of the Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Golden--E--Short Story Collection.

The Shape of Fear by Hugh Pentecost review

First published in 1963, this is the second in the series featuring Pierre Chambrun and the Beaumont Hotel in New York.

When old Mr. Cardew is found murdered in his room at the hotel, Chambrun, with his staff assisting, determines to bring the killer to justice.  There are plenty of suspects, including a famous race car driver who has been suspected of murder before, his ex-lover, her husband, and several others.

There are diplomats and spies, the police, former Nazis, and assorted other interesting characters.  The plot kept me guessing as to who had done it, and why.  The end was very satisfying. In a few words, a very enjoyable read, with everything I want in a book.

I really liked this book, it was fast paced and exciting.  Looking forward to reading more in this series.



This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Silver--R--Author with a Pseudonym.
It is also one of the books in my Mt. TBR reading challenge--bought December, 2013.

Fer-de-lance by Rex Stout review

This is the first of the Nero Wolfe mysteries.  It was first published in 1934, and was the basis for a film called "Meet Nero Wolfe" starring Edward Arnold as Wolfe, and Lionel Stander as Archie Goodwin.

I was delighted when I found this Nero Wolfe book I hadn't read before.  Unfortunately, I put it in my pile of books to be read as I was already reading a couple of other books, I got caught up in other things, and I forgot I had it.  While doing some sorting recently, I rediscovered it, and started reading it immediately!

The story begins with Fred Durkin asking Wolfe to talk with a friend, Marie Maffie. She is concerned that her brother, Carlo, a metalworker, has disappeared.  Wolfe takes the case, and sends Archie to get more information.

Investigating at Carlo's boarding house, Archie finds Anna Fiore, who had overheard a phone call Carlo had received just before he disappeared.  Wolfe talks to her and discovers that Carlo had clipped an article about the heart attack death of Peter Oliver Barstow from the paper, but won't tell Wolfe anything else.

Soon after, Carlo is found murdered in the country, and Wolfe suspects that the reason Carlo has clipped the article is that he knew something about the death--and that made the death murder.  Wolfe sets up a strategy to get Barstow's body exhumed and autopsied, and sets himself up for a big payday when he determines who the murderer is.

An interesting read, with many of the characters that feature in future books introduced here.  While reading it, though, I noticed that previous cases Wolfe and Archie had solved were mentioned, so it felt that I was reading one of the mysteries in the middle of the series, instead of the first one.

This is part of my Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--L--Book Made into Movie
It is also part of my Mt. TBR reading challenge--bought in Sept. 2011.

Dead, White and Blue by Carolyn Hart review

This was published in 2013, and is part of the Death on Demand series.  I really enjoy this series with Max and Annie Darling.

A woman disappears after a Fourth of July fireworks display, and no one except her stepdaughter seems to notice.  Shell, the younger, second wife of Wesley Hurst, was a trouble maker.  She made her husband, Wesley Hurst miserable, and had caused the break-up of his first marriage.  Shell has a married lover she is threatening.  She is also causing problems with her stepchildren.  And then she and her new green Porsche disappear.

Most of the people in Shell's life are glad she's gone, and assume she has just taken off without telling anyone just to make trouble.  But Shell's stepdaughter, Hayley, is worried, and asks Max Darling to discover just where Shell is.

While trying to determine where Shell and her car could be, Max discovers that one of the waiters at the club the evening that Shell disappeared has also ended up missing.  Max also determines that Shell has to still be on the island, as no one has seen her leave.

I enjoy this series a lot, and the relationship between Max and Annie.  I also find the other recurring characters, Emma Clyde, Henny Brawley and Max's mother, Laurel Darling Roethke, to be a wonderful addition to Max and Annie's sleuthing.  However, in this story, the three of them are off on a cruise--although they manage to stay in touch and help out from a distance!

I found the mystery to be compelling, and had trouble putting the book down once I started reading it! 



This is part of my Color Coded Challenge--7)--A book with white or any shade of white.

Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie review

First published in 1936, this is one of Christie's Hercule Poirot books.  I've loved the Agatha Christie stories from the first time I read one as a teenager.

I enjoyed Cards on  the Table quite a bit, especially as I thought I had already read it, but it turned out it was one I had never read.  I think when I saw the title I had confused it with another of the Christie stories which featured a game of cards, The King of Clubs, a short story in The Underdog and other Stories.

In this story, Mr. Shaitana, an acquaintance of Poirot's, invites him to a dinner party. Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, well-known author of detective novels, Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard, and Colonel Race, who's job is hush-hush are also invited, along with Major Despard, Mrs. Lorimer, Dr. Roberts, and Miss Anne Meredith.

While the guests are playing bridge in two different rooms, someone is murdered.  It turns out that Mr. Shaitana, a vain man who liked to display a Mephistophelian attitude to life, had collected four"sleuthes" for his dinner party. He also included four people he suspected to be "murderers". It appears that at least in one case, he was correct in his suspicions.

The four sleuths co-operate as they try to determine which of the four suspected murderers had done the deed.  The investigation discovers the deaths that the "murderers" had been involved in, which Shaitana believed to be murders.

I was involved in the mystery throughout the book, and was couldn't seem to decide which was the real murderer.  The ending was a surprise to me, and I enjoyed this book immensely.

This is part of my Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Golden--E--A book with a detective team.

The Case of the Mythical Monkeys by Erle Stanley Gardner review.

First published in 1959, this is one of the many Perry Mason mysteries written by Gardner.

Gladys Doyle is the secretary of Mauvis Meade, a best selling novelist and former girlfriend of an underworld gangster.  Meade instructs Doyle to take her place for an appointment Meade's made for an interview.  Doyle is told to spend the weekend, and not come back until Sunday afternoon.  On her way back, she takes a wrong turn and gets stuck.  She finds a cabin and an unwelcoming occupant, who finally allows her to spend the night.  In the morning Doyle discovers her host gone, and a dead body in the other bedroom--and her car is no longer stuck and is facing back towards the main road.

When she finally arrives at Meade's apartment, it is ransacked, and Mauvis Meade is nowhere to be found.  Doyle immediately heads for Perry Mason, and tells him what has happened.  Perry accepts her as a client, and starts to investigate.

The story was interesting and exciting, there was a little romance thrown in, and a typical Perry Mason courtroom scene.  I enjoyed this story quite a bit.  I'm looking forward to reading other books in this series.



This is part of my Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Golden--N--set in US.

The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen

This was first published in 1929.  It is the first of the Ellery Queen mysteries.

 A shady lawyer, Monte Field, is poisoned in the Roman Theater in New York City.  Inspector Richard Queen is called in, and invites his son, Ellery to assist.

There are a number of suspects, as Field is reputed to be a blackmailer. His body was found before the play ended, and a policeman was notified immediately.  He shut down the exits of the theater, and sent for reinforcements.

Before the theater patrons can leave, they are thoroughly searched.  It is then discovered that the victim's top hat is missing, which possibly contained incriminating documents.  The theater is searched, but the top hat remains missing.

There were a couple of things that seemed odd to me.  One was that the theater and the actors are intertwined with a wealthy family.  One of the actors is engaged to the wealthy family's daughter, and several of the other actors are friends of both the daughter and her brother.  Seemed odd that these relationships were accepted by the wealthy family.

And even though the daughter's purse is discovered with the victim, when she is asked to explain she says the victim followed her out during the intermission and propositioned her, and she must have dropped her purse.  Ellery accepts that, and eliminates her as a suspect just like that.

However, after quite a bit of investigating, there are still several possible suspects.  At the end, after a "Challenge to the Reader", Ellery identifies the murderer using a bit of logical deduction.

The book seemed to move a bit slowly, and Ellery seemed a little annoying to me. Inspector Queen seems to be overly impressed with Ellery, bringing him in to assist early on, without even attempting to solve the crime himself.  Ellery himself seems arrogant and smug.  On the upside, I'm sure it improved my vocabulary!

There were also a lot of comments that would not be allowed in this type of book today.  A person is described as monkey-like, another is discovered to have blood with a "black taint" and has a "strain of negroid blood in his veins".  There were a lot of these type of comments.

I had  heard of Ellery Queen for years, and have even read several Ellery Queen Magazines over the years, so I thought it was time to read the original.  I was a bit disappointed.  I'm going to read a couple more, hoping that Ellery becomes less annoying.


This is in my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--N--Written by author with Pseudonym.
It is also part of my Mt. TBR Reading Challenge--bought December, 2013.

Always Leave 'Em Dying by Richard Prather review

This is one of the Shell Scott stories, first published in 1954.  It's the eighth in the series, and it's not as funny as some of the later ones.  I hadn't read this one before, although I've read several other Shell Scott mysteries.  It is still an interesting read, but not quite as enjoyable for me as the later, slightly more looney ones I've read.

In this book, Scott is hired by a woman to find her daughter, Felicity, who has disappeared overnight.  The mother doesn't impress Scott, but when checking out the daughter's room, he finds she looks like the innocent 16 year-old girl that she is.  When he checks her out with friends, he finds her to be the kind of girl no one says a bad word about.

While trying to find her, he is told that she is a "Trammelite", a follower of cult leader Arthur Trammel.  Scott has previously had a run-in with Trammel, and they didn't like each other, but he went out to the Trammelite church to see if anyone there, including Trammel, could shed any light on Felicity's disappearance.  This results in Trammel and Scott arguing, including a few threats.  Unfortunately, a reporter who is a supporter of Trammel is a witness, and the slanted against Scott article is featured in his paper.

While investigating, Scott discovers that a local Asylum is involved in illegal activities.  He also ends up labeled as a violent mental case by one of the doctors, and is locked up, restrained in a staight jacket, and doped up.  He manages to get out, but gets a lot of bad publicity.  And then Arthur Trammel dies, and Scott is accused of his murder.

I enjoyed the mystery of this, and like the way I can follow along with Scott as he makes his discoveries, and can see some of his thought processes.   There are some less than politically correct concepts in the stories, but they were written in a different time, and that is the way it was when the story was written.

I've been a Shell Scott fan since I was about 15, when I found my dad's stash of mysteries in the closet.  My mom wasn't sure these were books I should be reading at that age, but my dad said they weren't that bad--after he pulled out all of the Mickey Spillane books.  What was left was about  10 Shell Scott books, which I enjoyed immensely--this was in the mid-sixties and I suspect that most of the books were from the late 1950s and early sixties, and featured that weird humor that I really came to enjoy.

Over the years I've come across random Shell Scott mysteries, and bought them whenever I've found them.  I believe there are over 30 Shell Scott mysteries, and I've probably read 20, so I have a few more to look forward to as I find them.



Part of the Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Golden--D--book with Professional Detective.

Walking Dead Man by Hugh Pentecost review

This was published in 1973.  It was written by Judson Phillips under his pen name of Hugh Pentecost, and is the ninth in the Pierre Chambrun series that take place in the luxury Beaumont Hotel in New York.  The story is told from the viewpoint of Mark Haskell, the public relations man for the Beaumont.

Chambrun is the manager of the Beaumont Hotel, running it for the owner, George Battle.  The two of them have known each other for many years, since they both helped the French Resistance, Battle with money, and Chambrun as a leader and fighter.  During that time they were responsible for several deaths.

Multi-millionaire Battle, for the last couple of decades, has spent his life on the French Riviera, sequestered in his fortified chateau from the world and the dangers of people who want to kill him.  Because of his choice to finance a movie, he decides to come to New York and stay at the Hotel, because he trusts Chambrun to protect him.  He is surrounded by his doctor, personal chef, butler, bodyguard and personal secretary (who formerly worked at the Hotel).  He takes over Chambrun's penthouse apartment, and his first night there he is shot at while in bed.

Chambrun, the police, and the hotel security try to figure out how the shooter got into the penthouse, and how he made his escape, without anyone seeing him.  They also aren't sure if it was Chambrun or Battle who was the intended victim.  This seems to be settled after additional deaths.

I have enjoyed several other Pierre Chambrun novels over the years, and this one is another enjoyable read.  I did solve the mystery before the reveal, but still liked reading the book.  The characters in the series are interesting, and I find the descriptions of the Beaumont and its inner workings fascinating.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Silver--S--locked room mystery
This is part of my Mt. TBR reading challenge, as it was purchased in December, 2013.

The Polka Dot Murder by Frances Crane review

This was originally published in 1951.  I had never read anything by the author, Frances Crane, but this features a married couple, Pat and Jean, and their involvement in solving mysteries.  I was hoping it would be similar to Nick and Norah Charles in The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammet, or like Pam and Jerry North in the Frances and Richard Lockridge series.


This mystery was set in New Mexico, and starts off with Pat and Jean's friend, rancher Jim Rand, becoming engaged to Maggie, who has a cute four-year-old daughter.  Then Jim's ex-wife arrives--after their divorce she married a gangster who has been recently murdered, and she uses one of her late husband's gangster friend as her chauffeur.  Not to be outdone, Maggie's former husband also shows up.

There are an assortment of artist type people to add color, and there are warnings of possible trouble brewing ahead, with an gossiping man to add more fuel to the fire.  There are a lot of stereotypes, which is par for the course for this time frame. Then there is the murder, committed using Jim's gun.  And Maggie's daughter is kidnapped and can't be found.  Jean and Pat get involved helping the sheriff find the missing girl, and solving the murder.

I was a little disappointed in this book, probably because my expectations weren't realistic.  There didn't seem to be much, if any, lighthearted bantering between Pat and Jean, and the story seemed more serious than other series that I've read.  It also seemed to be dragging at the beginning, and a little hard to follow.

It may have been because of the time frame this took place, or the subject matter, or I may have just not been in the right kind of mood, but this wasn't one of my favorite books, although I will probably read another book in the series to see if I like it better.  Perhaps, as this was one of the books from the middle of the series, I'll try to find one of the first books.

This is part of my  2014 Color Coded Challenge--9) A book with a word that implies color.
It is also part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery Bingo Challenge--E--book with detective team.

The Case of the Hesitant Hostess by Erle Stanley Gardner review

This is another of the Perry Mason mysteries by Erle Stanley Gardner.  It was first published in 1953, so it is a little more polished than some of his much earlier works, and Perry is not quite so rough around the edges--although he hasn't quite smoothed out  all of the rough edges yet.

In this story Perry is appointed a lawyer to penniless Albert Brogram, who is charged with armed robbery, and when nightclub hostess Inez Kaylor is found by Paul Drake, he knows his case is won.  But during the court proceedings Inez disappears, which threatens Perry's case.   He just has a couple of days to find Inez, or Albert will be spending time in prison.

But before the case is over, Albert is also charged with a murder.  If he is found guilty of the armed robbery, he will no doubt be found guilty of murder, and sentenced to death.  Perry gets a lot of help from Della Street and Paul Drake, and finds out what really happened.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit, even though it is a bit old fashioned.  I actually like the later stories better than the earlier ones, as Perry seems more like a lawyer, and not so ready to break laws.



This is part of my 2014 Vintage Bingo Challenge--Golden--D--already read by a fellow challenger--Major in July.

2014 Vintage Mystery Silver BINGO!

Just realized I finished a line in my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge!

For the Silver Challenge I completed all of the letters in line 2.

S--Set Anywhere other than US/England--The Mummy Case
I--Book with Number in Title--One Across, Two Down
L--Book Made into a Movie--In the Heat of the Night
V--Book with a Lawyer--The Case of the Troubled Trustee
E--Book with a Time, Day, etc--High Midnight
R--Place in the Title--The Copenhagen Connection

List of books I've read over the summer

Merit Badge Murder by Leslie Langtry--funny, really enjoyed this book!  1st in the Merry Wrath Mystery series.  Merry is a CIA operative who has been "outed", and moves to her small, everybody knows everybody, hometown to hide out.  While there, she helps out with a local scout troop, and on a camp-out discovers the body of an enemy agent.  Then another enemy agent. Really loved this!

Housewife Assassin's Handbook by Josie Brown--a mystery, but more of a romance.  It was okay.  Donna Stone is the housewife assassin.  Her husband had been a spy, and was killed, but she pretends he is just away (a lot) on business--for several years.  To avenge him, she volunteers to be an assassin.  Then, she is asked to allow another agent to take over her husband's identity, and move into her home with her and her children, to look for enemy agents in her neighborhood.

Murder as a Second Language by Joan Hess--featuring Claire Malloy, now married to Peter Rosen.  I enjoyed this as much as the other books in the series.  Claire, her daughter Caron, and Caron's friend Inez volunteer to teach English to immigrants--Caron and Inez because they think it will look good on their college applications, Claire because she is bored.  Someone Claire has met is killed, and Claire gets involved in trying to solve the murder.

And there are a lot of Matt Helm books that I read while camping.  My notes aren't very long, several of them were re-reads.

Matt Helm is a spy, but he is a lot different than James Bond.  Helm is rougher around the edges than Bond, and seems to have to deal with more inter-agency problems that Bond seems to avoid most of the time.  I really enjoyed all of the Helm books, although some are a bit dated.  They also have a lot of killing in them, and other types of violence.

The Wrecking Crew by Donald Hamilton--1960--re-read. Helm is sent to Sweden to kill an enemy agent.  There is a lot of violence in this one.

The Removers by Donald Hamilton--1961--re-read. Helm is called by his ex-wife to protect her and the children from mobsters, and discovers her new husband is a former mobster himself.

The Silencers by Donald Hamilton--1962--re-read.Helm is sent to Mexico to get a female agent out, but before he can, she is killed. Her sister ends up helping him when he has to protect a number of scientists and politicians.

Murderer's Row by Donald Hamilton--1962--(bought 09/29/2013) finished 08/2014  When Helm is assigned to beat a female agent to make her act as a disintegrating agent, drinking and disillusioned, more believable, she dies during the beating.  Helm has to take over her assignment, while dealing with the woman's partner, who blames Helm for the death.

The Ambushers by Donald Hamilton--1963--(bought 10/08/2013) finished 08/2014 Helm is sent to South America to assassinate a man, and then gets caught up in a plot by an ex-Nazi to use a stolen nuclear missle to threaten the U.S.

The Shadowers by Donald Hamilton--1964--(bought 12/14/2013) finished 09/2014  Helm is assigned to take out Emil Taussig, who has a plan to eliminate top scientists and politicians world wide to make it easy for a Russian attack.

The Ravagers by Donald Hamilton--1964--An agent fails to report in, and Helm is sent to Canada to check it out.  Helm finds the agent dead in a gruesome way, and is then assigned to protect a top scientist's wife (who's been having an affair with a Russian agent) and daughter--knowing that it is possible that the wife is the one to have killed the previous agent.  I think this is one of my favorite Matt Helm books so far.  The plot is tricky, and keeps you guessing throughout the story.
The Devastators by Donald Hamilton--1965--Helm is sent to London, and eventually ends up in Scotland, trying to prevent a madman from releasing a highly potent version of the Black Plague on the world.

The Betrayers by Donald Hamilton--1966--Helm has some vacation time, and decides to go to Hawaii.  Before he leaves,  Mac, his boss, mentions that another agent is in charge in Hawaii--an agent that doesn't like Helm, and who Helm has never been impressed with, as he enjoys blowing things up, even when it isn't necessary. Helm decides to go anyway, and Mac suggests that while he is there he find out what is going on with the Hawaii branch.

The Menacers by Donald Hamilton--1968--re-read.  An interesting story, involving UFOs, and the people who see them. Helm's attitude toward UFO reflects what a lot of people think.  I enjoyed this story as i re-read it, as it has been several years and I had forgotten a lot of the details.

Four of the books by Donald Hamilton count toward my Read it Again, Sam Challenge.
Three of the Donald Hamilton books also count towards my Mt. TBR Reading Challenge. 

Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon review

This was first published in 1930, as Pietr-le-Letton, in French.  This is the first in the Inspector Maigret series.  Somehow, I have managed not to read any of the books in this series until now, although I've meant to for several years.

The story takes place in France,and introduces Inspector Maigret.  He is a large, quiet man, who is persistent in his pursuit of Pietr.  There are several deaths that are caused by Pietr, and Maigret means to bring him to justice.

I felt the story dragged a little, and the attitudes of Maigret and others in the story were very out of date compared to attitudes of today.  There were spots in the book which I found really boring and it seemed to move so slowly while Maigret tried to figure out exactly who Pietr was.

However, keeping in mind when it was written, and that it was the first in the series, I will probably try another of the Inspector Maigret books.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--E--Translated Work
It is also part of my Around the World in 12 books Challenge--France (Europe)

Amateur Corpse by Simon Brett review

This is one of the early books in the Charles Paris series by Simon Brett, the fourth in the series.  It was published in 1976. 

Charles is asked to critique an amateur production, as a favor to a friend.  Shortly thereafter, the friend's much younger second wife is found murdered.  Charles becomes involved in solving the crime to keep his friend from being convicted of the murder, which is made more difficult because his friend, Hugo, has already confessed to the murder.  Hugo feels he must of done the murder, as he was too drunk to remember what had happened.

I found the characters to be interesting and believable, and it was difficult to determine the murderer, even with the many clues Charles discovers--several were red herrings, and took me in (as they did Charles for a while).

Very enjoyable book, looking forward to others in the series. In fact, I've enjoyed books in several of Simon Brett's series, and he's become one of my favorite authors.





This is a book in my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Silver--E--Set in England.

He Done Her Wrong by Stuart M. Kaminsky review

He Done Her Wrong is part of the Toby Peters series of books.  It was published in 1993.  Like many of the others in the series, it takes place in the 1940s, and revolves around Hollywood and its stars.  The main star of this book is Mae West.

Toby gets involved in protecting Mae West at the instigation of his brother, Phil Pevsner, a Los Angeles Homicide lieutenant, who knew Mae before he got married.  A manuscript Mae West had written about her life has gone missing, and someone has called her and offered to return it for $5000, but she feels something is funny about the deal, and thinks the guy is some kind of nut, and wants some protection during the exchange.

Turns out that Mae is right, the guy is nutty, and Toby ends up in the middle of a murder or two, gets involved with several other mentally ill people, calls on his friends for assistance, and has problems with his wardrobe and his car.  Pretty much par for the course for Toby.

As with the other books in this series, I enjoyed the mystery and the feeling of being in the 1940s.

This is part of my 2014 Mt. TBR challenge.  (bought 12/13/2013).

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun review

This is the first in the "Cat Who..." series by Braun.  It was first published in 1966.  Many years ago I remember reading one of the later books in the series, and enjoyed it.  I really don't know why it took me so long to read another.

This book introduces Jim Qwilleran, who formerly had been an ace newspaper reporter, but due to drink had lost many of his reporting jobs.  After cleaning up, he is trying to re-establish himself in the newspaper business.  He takes a job on a small paper, assigned to covering the art beat, although he knows nothing about art.

He ends up finding the dead body of an art critic, and gets involved in the investigation as he is reassigned to covering the crime.  He also befriends the victims cat, who has a talent for reading newspaper headlines.

I enjoyed reading this story, although it seems really dated.  The characters are well presented and interesting, and I find the interaction between KoKo and Qwilleran enjoyable.

As I have acquired many of the books in the series, I will be reading more in the future!


Part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Silver--R--Book with animal in title.