What
is better than finding a ten-dollar bill on the sidewalk? Finding a copy of a
book you haven’t read by a favorite author.
I still don’t understand how I
could have overlooked Black Dove. I
shocked myself when I discovered I had not read every single Steve
Hockensmith’s western mystery. His mysteries transport me to a time I love — the old
west — not the old west of villains in black hats, but citified business bad men
like the ones we have today. Better yet, these books are laugh-out-loud
hilarious.
Gustav "Old Red" Amlingmeyer and his brother, Ctto (a.k.a. "Big Red"), cowpokes by training, discovered Sherlock Holmes through the stories and are now devotees of his method of detectifying". The two brothers are in San Francisco in 1893 with an eye towards a real detective job. But that's not working so well and they are footloose, a little broke, and not-so-fancy-free. But serendipity is on their side. They run into an old acquaintance in Chinatown, who takes a shot at them. The girl Big Red has been searching for shows up bearing bad news. And a group of hatchet wielding…
I
read this book in two sittings, so it’s a fast read. I could easily visualize scenes
thanks to Freeman’s economical and effective descriptions.
What I relate to
most personally is her use of characters, especially women who are of middle
age or older. In typical historical mysteries in 1900 England, ladies of
the upper crust often appear as parlor decorations for tea time. Freeman’s
women are much more complex. They can turn on a dime from charming to waspish
and never stop manipulating the people around them—without those people having
a clue—one more thing.
Freeman has a
deliciously understated streak of humor. i.e., “It’s that coiffure that has me
worried. If it ever came down, it could take out two or three bystanders.”
From Agatha Award-winning author Dianne Freeman, the Countess of Harleigh Mysteries are a witty romp through the high society of Victorian England with a touch of romance, an appealing and independent female lead, and rich historical detail. In this delightful sixth installment, the American-born newlywed Frances Hazelton finds her honeymoon plans derailed by a murder among the upper crust of English society…“Pure unadulterated fun” (Publishers Weekly) for fans of Ashley Weaver, Deanna Raybourn, and Tasha Alexander!
With her new husband George busy on a special mission for the British Museum, Frances has taken on an assignment of her own. The…
I’m a sucker for a Jack the Ripper Book. I guess that’s
understandable, as I’m proud to say that my first published is about the subject.
I’ve done a fair
amount of research on Jack, so I know when a fellow writer has done his. And Brandreth
has surely done his. In an odd way, I also admire the convoluted plot structure
and the wacky way he brings the novel to a close.
Most of all, I love the Wilde witticisms
he sprinkles throughout. Talk about stealing from the best — Brandreth has that
covered.
Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle are recruited to track down Jack the Ripper in a novel that is at once a gripping detective story and a witty portrait of two of the most brilliant Victorian minds.
London, 1894.
When it appears that the notorious Jack the Ripper has returned to London, Chief Constable Melville Macnaghten recruits his neighbor Oscar Wilde to help him solve the case, hoping the author’s unparalleled knowledge of the London underworld might be exactly what the police need to finally capture the serial killer.
In an account narrated by Wilde's close friend, fellow author Arthur…
This book follows the yearning of a young girl to
run her own life during a time when society condemned women who dared to break
into a male-dominated profession.
In 1898 in St. Louis, Nellie Bly wannabe Jemmy
McBustle conned her way into a job at the Illuminator.
But now her six-month trial is up. If she doesn’t produce a paper-selling
story, her dream of being a reporter will go up in smoke faster than yesterday’s
headlines.
Desperation forces her to work as a maid in an insane asylum, the
scene of a most peculiar suicide. Jemmy suspects murder. She vows to find the
killer, no matter the cost.
