Murder is Easy - Agatha Christie

Murder is apparently so easy some people make a career of it. What DO the people in Christie's books do for a living? They're all, apparently, independently wealthy and none the better for it. I'd tried to read this one years before but had to return it to the library before finishing it. It was worth the wait. A frighteningly high body count, though, wasn't it? At least for Christie? Seems like this should have been some kind of record for an English "cozy." Caught the TV version the other night and thought they did a pretty good job of it.

Groucho Marx, Master Detective - Ron Goulart

"Let's see you be funny with THESE boys," said the Herald Examiner reporter disdainfully.

"If you want to see that, you'll have to buy a ticket," said Groucho.

This is enjoyable little tale by Ron Goulart stars Groucho as himself, most of the time, barring a few side runs as his cigar wraggling alter-ego and even a brief stint, in full regalia, as his brother Harpo. For his crime-fighting efforts solving the murder of a Hollywood starlet, Groucho enlists a radio-show hack and a cartoonist. With his determined side-kicks, Groucho takes on crooked cops and movie moguls and manages to not make it all read like some bad cliche. We get only very brief historical references, placing us in the reality of the time without reading like a travelogue. There is some name-dropping, period style, and we get little run-ins with the likes of John Garfield, but nothing is over-done and it all manages to keep the story rolling along without stretching credulity. Of course, there are smatterings of Groucho's comedic patter, although there is never enough of that to satisfy my Groucho-fixation, but what there is is very welcome and quite in character:

"Is this the face that launched a thousand ships? Not to mention three dirigibles, a tuna barge and a garbage scow?" Groucho stroked his chin. "Next time, I'll tell them to use a champagne bottle."

As an avid movie-buff, I enjoyed the book enough to give it four stars. It's the first in a very short series and I hope to stumble across the rest of the series during my book scroungings.

Rex Stout: Not Quite Dead Enough and Booby Trap

Rex Stout: Not Quite Dead Enough and Booby Trap: Two Nero Wolfe Mysteries is, as the title suggests, two short mysteries under one cover. Both feature Archie Goodwin in uniform. ::flutter:: Neither tale was up to Wolfe's usual standards. Both were too short to get a real feel for, but there were some laugh-out-loud moments and I thought each was certainly worth the bit of time it took to read them. Recommended as a quick pick-me-up.

In an unrelated note, I had a customer name come across my desk today: Rex Wolfe. I do believe someone's parental units were fans...

DNF: E X Ferrars: Skeleton in Search of a Closet

I stumbled across this one and loved the title. I just didn't bother past chapter one, thus the DNF (Did Not Finish). I don't normally review my DNF's, but I just wanted to say that there was nothing wrong with this book really, it's just not my cuppa. About the fourth time I was having to read a description of how someone took off their coat and where it was put and what someone was dressed in -- in detail-- and it apparently had nothing to do with what was going on, I gave up. I mean, hey, I get up in the morning, take my shower, brush my teeth, put on undies, pants, top, my watch, brush my hair... but I don't think anyone should be bored to tears with that kind of detail. I got up and went to work. I assume you understand I did all the usual stuff it takes to get to that point. I have a peeve about that kind of writing. Can't help it. Won't change it. Sorry. If you've got a story to tell, get to it already. Life is short and my TBR (To Be Read) pile is endless.

Agatha Christie: By the Pricking of My Thumbs

Wow, another Christie detective duo I'd not been aware of: Tommy and Tuppance. Have I been living on the moon, or what? I like Tommy and Tuppance much better than Frankie and Freddie, but that could have something to do with my age. Tommy and Tuppance just felt as though they had more substance, and certainly they have more life experience. By the Pricking of My Thumbs is quite a bit darker than Why Didn't They Ask Evans? What starts as a suspected elder abduction twists into a cold case of child murder. A case someone wants very much to remain cold. Christie twists the plot into multiple layers and doesn't hold back on the wit or charm to temper the horror. It's quite a good read. I'm looking forward to reading more of Tommy and Tuppance.

Rex Stout: Fer-de-Lance

Fer-de-Lance marks the debut of Nero Wolfe, but there is no stumbling here. Like Athena, he seems to pop forth fully formed from the brain of Zeus. The scene where Wolfe tries to comprehend golf in 60 seconds or less was priceless. I love the humor and the spunk of the Wolfe mysteries. They've just got their own sensibility and you really feel like you've just walked into Stout's world and he's winking off-stage saying, enjoy, don't you wish you could live here? I do, indeed. I have a goal of reading/re-reading every Nero Wolfe story at least once before I die. And Kindle, eReader, Fictionwise, etc, need to get off their duffs and get these in e-format. I've been slurping up Stout's omnibuses (is that a word?) as fast as I can find them. My grandfather once upon a time had several Nero Wolfe novels way high up on his bookshelf, but I was way too young back then to appreciate them. ::attempting to kick self -- not a pretty sight:: Youth is wasted on the young.

Agatha Christie: Sad Cypress

This mystery, I think, was much better than Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Sad Cypress starts with what you would expect to be the ending: the suspect in the dock, accused of double homicide. As Poirot reluctantly begins his investigation, he finds that everything points to the accused being guilty. But Poirot decides it all fits too neatly. He turns contrarian and sets out to free his woman. So to speak. Christie's up to her usual misdirection and does it quite well. I'm surprised this isn't one of her more famous tales. It really is quite good.

Donald Harstad: The Big Thaw

As I noted, Harstad's Eleven Days was excellent, but The Big Thaw blew me away. I was reading out of order again, rushing to beat a library deadline, and there were some references to a previous book, but nothing I couldn't follow. Plenty of spoilers for the missed book, though. Oh, well. My bad. I like Harstad's world. It's a world in which forensics are costly and labs are backed up. You know: reality. Not like CSI Las Vegas or Miami or Whereverthehell, where you work in a glass-walled lab and have more high-tech equipment than NASA. And where the lab techs are all deputized to interrogate prisoners and take an active part in the investigations. Pu-leeze.

But I digress. This novel didn't have the gore of Eleven Days and felt a bit more action-oriented. Not like Bruce Willis action-oriented, but you get the gist. This time out, Harstad's crew was up against the FBI and a team of home grown terrorists. Good character development and good procedural. Did I mention I really like this author? OK. I'll stop gushing.

Agatha Christie: Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

This was my first Bobby and Frankie mystery. In fact, I didn't realize Christie wrote more than Poirot and Marple mysteries. Well, pardon my duh. As a couple, Bobby and Frankie were cute and the book was enjoyable but it all felt quite light. I wasn't expecting that from Christie but it was enjoyable. One thing I thought was a bit of a stretch, the victim falls over a cliff, but his last words are "Why didn't they ask Evans?" Talk about focused... A good read, but I'll stick to Poirot and Marple as my favorites.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas - Agatha Christie

Apparently, I'm on an Agatha Christie kick this month, but wow, if I could plot like this, I'd never have time to read. I'd be too busy writing! All the clues were there and I still didn't see it coming. I admit that with all the whining family members, it was nice to find a couple of people with a spine. Too bad they were hell-bent on revenge. But still, with all the back-stabbing family members, who wouldn't feel right at home? Christie, not for the first time, borrows a page from Sherlock Holmes in this one, this time a page from The Hound of the Baskervilles with the family resemblance via an old family portrait. It was kind of fun realizing that, like a little inside joke between reader and author. I was reminded of the quote by Edith Wharton:

Another unsettling element in modern art is that common symptom of immaturity, the dread of doing what has been done before.

Dear Ms. Christie had no such difficulty and good for her. When it's this good, it's not plagiarism, it's homage.

Eleven Days - Donald Harstad

Eleven Days is my first Donald Harstad, which is fitting since it is also Donald Harstad's first novel. Reading this one, I tend to think the man is either a genius or he has a couple dozen more novels squirreled away he hasn't admitted to yet. Either way, he reads like a seasoned author, one who has learned to trust his characters and the intelligence of his readers. Harstad draws on his 26 years of service as a deputy sheriff in northeastern Iowa and he never stumbles. Most of the murders he details are particularly gruesome, but I get no sense that he has embellished anything just for the sake of gore. In fact, I get the distinct impression that he is deliberately down-playing the scenes, trying to avoid too realistic a presentation of the violence and that is in itself most unsettling. I own a copy of Practical Homicide Investigation and some of the pictures (even though, thankfully, in black and white) will make you hurl at first glance. I get the sense that it is that type of reaction Harstad is protecting us from. Still, the story reads with such reality that I read with a knot in my stomach, cringing at the violence we do in this world, and hoping for the safety of Harstad's characters.

It is, appropriately, the characters who drive the drama. I like that in a novel. There is nothing hokey here, no "gosh-blame-it" Opie hicks in sight. These read like real people with real concerns and hurts and good humor. Despite the violence, Harstad's small town Iowa sounds like a place I'd love to live. A place where the sheriff's department is just a phone call away and where I'll find someone who cares on the other end of the line. I'll be visiting Nation County again. I already have the rest of the series lined up on my desk, ready for the weekend.

The Devil in Bellminster: An Unlikely Mystery - David Holland

I read this one for the 4MA July challenge of reading books with place names in the titles. The story and characters were interesting, and held my attention straight off the bat, but I had gone into this one expecting the main character to be a Bow Street Runner. Instead, the lead was a Reverend Tuckworth, and I admit I floundered for a couple of chapters because of it, but that was my fault for not reading the blurb. I knew only that this was a historical mystery set in 19th century England and so had walked in with preconceived notions. I'd bought this novel as an ebook well over a year ago, and just pulled it up and started reading without investigating any reviews or such. I later found that The Devil in Bellminster is the start of a series featuring the intrepid Rev. Tuckworth. In this first book, the good reverend finds his crisis of faith interrupted by a serial killer making mayhem in his flock. The characters were well written and the atmosphere was sufficiently rendered to keep me reading straight though and I devoured the tale in one sitting. (The family units heading off for bed early probably didn't hurt, either... ) The story was well plotted. It wouldn't surprise me to see it made into a movie at some point. It certainly read like one. Recommended.

They Do It With Mirrors - Agatha Christie

I love Miss Marple. My first was the filmed version of Murder She Said and then somewhere I caught just a piece of one of Joan Hickson's versions. My ideal Miss M is a cross between Margaret Rutherford and Joan Hickson.

As appealing as Marple is, however, I don't know why anyone would invite her anywhere. People drop like flies when she's about. Of course, with Christie's usual flair for populating her novels with so many people you need a program to keep track, the body count -- and suspect count -- can get hip deep pretty easily. I had this one figured out way too early. Still, a decent read.

Sudden Death - David Rosenfelt

Sudden Death by David Rosenfelt. I was attracted to this series for the simple fact that the cover of one of the books featured a dog. I'm a sucker for books with dogs, no matter how slight the reference. In my defense, I checked out reader reviews before actually making a purchase. Even so, I find that I'm guilty of reading this series out of order, having read Dead Center first (which should have followed Sudden Death). I managed to keep track of everything just fine, however.

As with too many mysteries lately, I had the who-dunnit figured about mid-way through, but enjoyed the characters too much to care, Overall, the novel was pretty tightly plotted for what was still a "relaxed" read, with just the right level of humor and cynicism. I think this would make a decent TV series. A kind of Perry Mason meets Eureka, maybe.

Or maybe not.

Once Were Cops - Ken Bruen

This is my first Ken Bruen. I enjoyed the style: stark noir, without all the description. A number of scenes packed a real emotional whallop and surprised me, considering I was reading about characters for who I had no empathy whatsoever. My take is that Shea, Rodriguez and Kebar were all serial killers; Rodriguez and Kebar operated within the cover of the job whereas Shea didn't bother. Rodriguez killed Nora just to mess with Shea's head. I think Rodriguez is without doubt the most dangerous and unstoppable of the three: a sociopath who blends. Anybody read Martha Stout's The Sociopath Next Door? I've worked with people like that. No, I'm not in law enforcement--I'm in the automotive industry. LOL! Despite popular fiction, not all sociopaths kill; some enjoy other methods of decimating people's lives and enjoy watching them grieve their losses. And when sociopaths realize they've been recognized it can get a little eerie...

The ending felt somehow oddly rushed, however. I can't explain why, but it just felt it was simply, suddenly, over.If it were film, I'd chalk it up to the studio planning a franchise. Still, recommended.

The Doorbell Rang - Rex Stout

I had this one laying about the house for at least a decade and finally got around to reading it. My first Nero Wolf, if you can believe it. Someone mentioned on 4 Mystery Addicts that the book that plays a lead roll in The Doorbell Rang, The FBI Nobody Knows, is, apparently, an actual book. I wonder if Stout fielded any heat about that, because the book is obviously damning to the FBI. I can't believe J. Edgar took it lying down. Anyhoo, I enjoyed the plot, loved the snappy dialogue. Loved the character of Archie. He can ring my doorbell anytime.

Downside? Thanks to this book, I've officially added lots more books to my To Be Read stack... And why aren't Stout's books available on the Kindle!? Scandalous!