Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death by James Runcie

April 11, 2016

If you’ve been watching Grantchester on PBS, or if you’re fond of thoughtful clerical mysteries featuring priests such as Max Tudor or Father Brown, the short stories in James Runcie’s first Grantchester mystery, Sidney Chambers and The Shadow...

Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton

April 07, 2016

Margaret the First was not a queen, but an original at a time when women usually were not recognized. Danielle Dutton writes experimental historical fiction to dramatize the life of Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle. Born Margaret Lucas, she was the youngest of...

Murder in Hindsight by Anne Cleeland

January 06, 2016

When I told Kaye Wilkinson Barley that I had just finished Anne Cleeland’s Murder in Hindsight, I said, “sigh”, and she agreed. I’ve finished all three of the novels about Doyle and Acton, and it’s going to be hard to let the characters...

Harbour Street by Ann Cleeves

December 13, 2015

Sometimes, I forget how much I love police procedurals. Then I read a book such as Ann Cleeves’ latest Vera Stanhope mystery, Harbour Street. Cleeves makes me regret every book I’m reading that is not a procedural. Just before Christmas, Detective Joe...

The Haunted Season by G.M. Malliet

November 16, 2015

I’m a fan of all of G.M. Malliet’s Max Tudor mysteries. It’s a treat to read about an M15 agent turned vicar, living in a small English village. Even in a village, Max Tudor, like Miss Marple before him, discovers that people can kill. And, this...