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christianreader36. Children of the Storm (2003) Elizabeth Peters
The Great War is over, and three generations of the Emerson family are together for a season of excavation and intrigue in Egypt.
I like the characters, but I feel like everything has already been done in the mystery/adventure department. These are starting to feel like a chore to read. I think I need a long hiatus from Ameila's family in order appreciate them again.
37. The Shadows in the Streets (2010) Susan Hill
DI Serrailler is called in to investigate what seems to be a killer with a vendetta against prostitutes, but then the wife of the church dean goes missing. Are the cases connected?
The story has a wide variety of characters, and a foreboding atmosphere that makes every character introduced (no matter how unconnected they seem to be from the rest) have the potential to be the murderer or to be murdered. Although I guessed the killer early on, it didn't destroy the suspense as I waited for it to unravel. (strong language warning)
38. The Lantern (2011) Deborah Lawrenson
After a whirlwind romance, Eve moves to a crumbling French manor with secretive, charming Dom. In the not too distant past, the house's former owner Benedicte is haunted by ghosts and family secrets.
The contemporary portions are a rehash of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca minus Mrs. Danvers; unless the interfering Sabine was supposed to be her stand-in, in which case she really needs to work on her menace techniques. The alternating chapters are Benedicte remembering growing up in the same house in the 30s and 40s, and were more original and interesting. However, it was the intoxicating descriptions of southern France that really drew me into the story.
39. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (2009) Alan Bradley
Precocious eleven-year-old chemist Flavia de Luce discovers a dead man on her family's property and considers it the most interesting thing to ever happen to her.
When I was Flavia's age, I lived in Agatha Christie books, and imagined myself an amateur sleuth. Flavia's adventure is my most outrageous imaginings with the precocious and intrepid meters turned up to eleven. I loved the "voice" of Flavia, but there was bit too much repetition when she was going over the clues and conclusion.
40. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (2010) Alan Bradley
When puppeteer and children's entertainer Rupert Porson has an unfortunate rendezvous with electricity, Flavia de Luce is on the case.
The novelty of having an 11-year-old poison-expert as a heroine has ever so slightly worn off, but I actually preferred the plotting of this 2nd novel. The flavor was reminiscent of one of those delectable village soaps that Jane Marple was forever observing.
The Great War is over, and three generations of the Emerson family are together for a season of excavation and intrigue in Egypt.
I like the characters, but I feel like everything has already been done in the mystery/adventure department. These are starting to feel like a chore to read. I think I need a long hiatus from Ameila's family in order appreciate them again.
37. The Shadows in the Streets (2010) Susan Hill
DI Serrailler is called in to investigate what seems to be a killer with a vendetta against prostitutes, but then the wife of the church dean goes missing. Are the cases connected?
The story has a wide variety of characters, and a foreboding atmosphere that makes every character introduced (no matter how unconnected they seem to be from the rest) have the potential to be the murderer or to be murdered. Although I guessed the killer early on, it didn't destroy the suspense as I waited for it to unravel. (strong language warning)
38. The Lantern (2011) Deborah Lawrenson
After a whirlwind romance, Eve moves to a crumbling French manor with secretive, charming Dom. In the not too distant past, the house's former owner Benedicte is haunted by ghosts and family secrets.
The contemporary portions are a rehash of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca minus Mrs. Danvers; unless the interfering Sabine was supposed to be her stand-in, in which case she really needs to work on her menace techniques. The alternating chapters are Benedicte remembering growing up in the same house in the 30s and 40s, and were more original and interesting. However, it was the intoxicating descriptions of southern France that really drew me into the story.
39. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (2009) Alan Bradley
Precocious eleven-year-old chemist Flavia de Luce discovers a dead man on her family's property and considers it the most interesting thing to ever happen to her.
When I was Flavia's age, I lived in Agatha Christie books, and imagined myself an amateur sleuth. Flavia's adventure is my most outrageous imaginings with the precocious and intrepid meters turned up to eleven. I loved the "voice" of Flavia, but there was bit too much repetition when she was going over the clues and conclusion.
40. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (2010) Alan Bradley
When puppeteer and children's entertainer Rupert Porson has an unfortunate rendezvous with electricity, Flavia de Luce is on the case.
The novelty of having an 11-year-old poison-expert as a heroine has ever so slightly worn off, but I actually preferred the plotting of this 2nd novel. The flavor was reminiscent of one of those delectable village soaps that Jane Marple was forever observing.
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Date: 2012-05-31 04:21 pm (UTC)I still have not read Rebecca, and this reminds me I need to sometime!
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Date: 2012-05-31 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-01 03:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-01 03:47 pm (UTC)Rebecca is excellent.
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Date: 2012-06-01 08:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-03 10:19 pm (UTC)