christianreader | July book list

July: 3
2010: 37

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Sunday Philosophy Club #2) (2005) - Alexander McCall Smith

Isabel meets a recent recipient of new heart who is having strange memories of things that never happened to him. Could the donor have been murdered?

I liked it more than the first in the series. It was more even in tone. However, I still don't feel invested in these characters. It focuses more on philosophical musings than clues. They are beautifully written, but I will probably not continue with this series.

The Rector's Daughter (1924) - F. M. Mayor

Mary --plain, middle-aged, shy, and reliable-- lives a quiet life with her father. What she least expects is finding love.

BBC's 'Open Book' listed this as one of the best 'neglected classics.' It's a sad story but also lovely in a way. It felt true to real life. It reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Gaskell's writing. I could really imagine this making an excellent BBC production.

The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing (2010) - Tarquin Hall

Dr. Suresh Jha, known for unmasking fraudulent swamis and gurus, dies in a fit of giggles. Witnesses claim he was slain by Kali, the four-armed goddess of destruction. It's a case for Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator.

This is the second novel featuring Puri but it was very easy to pick up. It immediately took me into it's world, a modern (and very humorous) India. I loved Puri's crime-fighting mummy-ji! The author has a lot of ideas and hints at all sorts of cases in Puri's past. I wanted to learn more about the undercover operatives, especially the one known as "Facecream." I look forward to reading more from Puri's case file and seeing where the characters go.