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Haunted Ground: A Novel
Erin Hart
Pocket Star, 2004
A woman's head preserved from time's destruction stirs up a stagnant investigation of two missing people as well as its own end
+ Enchanting!
+ well written mystery...
+ Wow! What a book!
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A Plague on Both Your Houses (Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles)
Susanna Gregory
Little, Brown Book Group, 2003
Great Start to a Great Series
+ Good
+ Introducing a New Medieval Sleuth!
Susanna Gregory is the pseudonym of a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. Her series of mediaeval mysteries have gained a formidable following. This book is the first in the series and introduces the physician Matthew Bartholomew to the reader. There are now a number of books ...
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The Death of an Irish Politician (Peter McGarr Mysteries)
Bartholomew Gill
Avon, 2000
An interesting look at an Irish Detective
+ "Death" as metaphor
This is the first in a long series of books with Chief Inspector McGarr, based in Dublin after a long career with Interpol. This book focuses on Ireland's relationship with the IRA, and is quite interesting. The capabilities of master cop McGarr are also impressive. The story was well crafted, ...
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Gracelin O'Malley
Ann Moore
NAL Trade, 2001
Five Stars or More!
+ Beautifully written Historical Fiction
+ ONE EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN
Five star historical story about the Irish Famine in the 1840's with Gracelin O'Malley as the heroine. I could not stop reading this book from the beginning when the story opens with the tale of Sean O'Malley and his mother crossing an icy bridge in Ireland and ends with Grace's sad but uplifting ...
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The Nightingale Gallery (Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan)
P.C. Doherty
Headline Book Publishing, 1992
In 1376, the famed Black Prince died of a terrible rotting sickness, closely followed by his father, King Edward III. The crown of England is left in the hands of a mere boy, the future Richard II, and the great nobles gather like hungry wolves round the empty throne. A terrible power struggle threatens the country, and one of London's powerful merchant princes is foully murdered within a few ...
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Malice in the Highlands (Erskine Powell Mysteries)
Graham Thomas
Fawcett, 1998
Grand debut, thought provoking atmospheric mystery
+ Gripping stuff. Kept me guessing until the final page.
New Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Erskine Powell spends more time covering his superiors' butts than solving crimes. Every year he goes on a Highland vacation where he engages in a friendly fishing competition with the local constable, Chief inspector Alex Barret. This year Pinky Warburton join ...
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Fortune Like the Moon (Hawkenlye Mysteries)
Alys Clare
Hodder & Stoughton, 2003
A murder mystery in the time of King Richard
+ Excellent Medieval Mystery Introduces a Sleuthing Abbess
+ Introducing a New Team of Medieval Sleuths!
+ An enjoyable historical mystery
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The Bone-pedlar
Sylvian Hamilton
Orion Books, 2000
Historical fiction with a sense of humour
+ A wonderful book!
Hamilton is a refreshing change to overrated authors of the historical fiction genre such as Elizabeth Chadwick, Candace Robb and Ellis Peters. The goodies are believable because they have their flaws and the baddies are believable because you understand what they are up to. I also loved the ...
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Last Bus to Woodstock
Colin Dexter
Ivy Books, 1996
Noteworthy Book
+ Sophisticated Mystery
+ "Is sex more trouble than it's worth? I keep wanting to find the answer."
Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse now reigns quite alone among the post-Christie detectives. This may annoy any number of readers who prefer other modern writers' detectives, but none of their authors enjoyed the remarkable recreation John Thaw brought to the televised series. There was an almost ...
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Evans Above (Constable Evans Mystery)
Rhys Bowen
Berkley, 1998
Delighted to find this wonderful author.
Rhys Bowen is a new author for me and I am delighted to have discovered this series of mysteries. I enjoyed Evans Above for many reasons. The mystery is actually a good mystery. All the clues are given and discernible (if you read carefully) so all the action takes place in a very logical ...
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A Morbid Taste for Bones: The First Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
Ellis Peters
Mysterious Press, 1994
Faith, Peace, and Murder
+ This being the first chronicle of Brother Cadfael
+ Cadfael Begins
+ The first Cadfael and a great mystery
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Murder On Monday (Lois Meade Mystery)
Ann Purser
Berkley, 2003
Excellent fiction.
+ Great whodunit - real, working class British characters
+ So many books, not enough time.....
+ Books I have ordered and received from Amazon
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A Great Deliverance
Elizabeth George
Bantam, 1989
Inspector Lynley and Havers' first case together
+ Characters, plot and social commentary
+ oh, if I could write like this...
I just read this first of Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley mysteries in order to compare it to the BBC television version, which was shown in the US on PBS's "Mystery." It is more complex than the movie, even though the movie was allotted 2 90-min. episodes instead of one. Also, it is a more ...
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Absolution by Murder: A Sister Fidelma Mystery
Peter Tremayne
St Martins Pr, 1996
Enlightening and entertaining
+ absolution by murder
+ Amazing Woman
The author is a scholar of some renown, who is also a very good writer of murder mysteries that usually occur in ancient Ireland. This first book takes place at an important abbey in Northumberland, where the principal characters get together in an attempt to reach a meeting of the minds between ...
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Pale as the Dead: A Genalogical Mystery (Natasha Blake, Ancestor Detective, Book 1)
Fiona Mountain
Signet, 2005
Pale As the Dead
+ Quiet, understated English mystery
+ Strong on character and atmosphere, weak on plot
A great book for those interested in genealogy. Keeps you on your toes to the very end.
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