A Murder Mystery Set in Modern China

 

Inspector Lu Fei, although graduating first in his class from the prestigious police academy, has been assigned to a backwater in northern China. Lu is not unhappy. He enjoys his Shaoxing wine and reciting poetry to the attractive bartender, Yanyan. Not much is happening until Lu receives a call. There has been a murder. A young woman has been killled. Lu and his constables find her in the bathroom. Disconcertingly, her heart, lungs, and liver have been removed and the cavity sewn shut with an autopsy type stitch.

Lacking the necessary resources to handle the case alone, he requests a team of investigators from Beijing. However, unlike Lu, the inspector who arrives is more interested in a quick arrest to enhance his reputation. This leads to conflict because Lu is determined to solve the case and not take the easy way out.

The setting in modern China was new to me, but I found it interesting and very well done. The descriptions of the characters and the physical setting are excellent. Some of the writing is almost poetic. The author enhances the feel of China by having Lu quote classical poetry, particularly to Yanyan.

The author starts each chapter with a quote from Chairman Mao Zedong. This sets the stage for the background of modern China where corruption is rampant and striving for position is more important than justice to some officials.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Growing up in the Sixties

 

Although the focus of the book is on the sixties, it opens in the fifties. Mick and Tara live on a small dairy farm in New York state. The farm doesn’t make much money. They’re poor but the children don’t realize it. There’s plenty to eat and the farm offers opportunities for exploration. Troy is an orphan. He runs away from the Catholic home where the priests beat him. He meets Mick by accident. They become fast friends and Mick’s family agrees to take in Troy. Daisy is Mick’s girl friend. He’s devastated when she moves away because her father takes a job in a plant out of the area.

I thoroughly enjoyed the opening of the book. The children were well developed and their concerns were very real. I wasn’t as impressed with the second part of the book where they moved into lives in the sixties. Mick was trying to find himself. Troy went in a different direction joining the Marines because he believed in defending the country. Daisy joined the peace corps, and Tara with a beautiful singing voice became part of the rock and roll scene with emphasis on sex and drugs.

In the second part of the book the focus is on Mick. Personally, I wanted to know more about what the other children, particularly Daisy, were doing. The other problem I had with the book was the rather pedantic treatment of racism. Sex was also overplayed in my estimation. Those were definite problems in the sixties. I know because that’s when I grew up, but other important things were happening also. It was a time when young people not immersed in the popular culture were also grappling with the changes and trying to find themselves in a less destructive way than sex and drugs. I thought the book was rather one sided.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Mystery Writers Tackle the Theme of a Stranger in Town

 

Anthologies are a good way to get a taste for a number of different writers. In this anthology from Mystery Writers of American, I was familiar with some of the authors like Dean Koontz, but others were new to me. I found at least one that I will look for again in longer works.

The theme of the stories is the idea that a stranger brings an element of danger and mystery simply because he or she is an unknown quantity. The stories ran the gamut of types from someone moving in next door to a victim showing up in an emergency room. My favorite, however, was by Lisa Unger. I liked the setting and was drawn to the main character. Some of the other stories were too creepy for my taste.

Short stories can be a difficult medium. Most were very well crafted, but several seemed better suited to a longer format and in a couple the ending seemed rushed. However, the total collection is well worth reading. One nice thing about an anthology is that if you don’t like one story, there are others to move on to.

I recommend this collection if you’re a mystery fan. It’s particularly good if you’re looking for new authors to follow.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Women of the Gilded Age (1876 to 1908)

 

In the Gilded Age in New York, society was the province of women and they jealously guarded their prerogatives. They sought to enhance their position using extravagant parties, clothes and jewels. The men were at their mercy. As Caroline Aster, THE Mrs. Aster, thinks when angry with her husband. He will do what I want because he knows I can get him banned from all the best parties, boards, and from his clubs.

The two women at the top of this social pyramid were Caroline Aster and Alva Vanderbilt. Caroline was a member of the old money Knickerbockers. Alva was from the South, married to a new-money Vanderbilt. Caroline was confident in her control of society, but Alva was brash and determined. She wanted to be at the top of the heap also and was willing to do anything to achieve it.

This is a fascinating, in-depth look at two strong women. Because society was the only avenue where women, particularly wealthy women, could achieve, they used their talents as ruthlessly as any man to gain and keep control of their position. In spite of their wealth and prestige, not all was happiness in their families. Extra-marital affairs, rebellious daughters, and the constant fight to maintain position give the book plenty of action. They also show how these women grew and changed over the years.

One novelty of this presentation was the inclusion of the viewpoint of Society as a counterpoint of that of Caroline and Alva. I enjoyed those short excursions. It was almost like the Greek Chorus setting the stage to better understand the era.

I received this book from NetGalley for this review.

A Murder Suspect with Dissociative Identity Disorder

 

Penny was adopted by Grace and Arthur under unusual circumstances when she was a small child. Although Arthur seemed uncomfortable with the arrangement, Grace was determined to make Penny a part of the family and a sister to the boys, Jack and Ryan. However, there are things that Grace doesn’t know about Penny’s early childhood.

At sixteen Penny takes the family car to visit an unknown woman. Later that night, she’s found in the house, covered in blood with the dead woman. Penny is incoherent and appears to be suffering a dissociative state where other personalities emerge. The district attorney thinks he has an open and shut case, so Penny is locked in the Edgewater State Hospital to await trial.

Grace wants to save her daughter. She hires an attorney, Matt Navaro, who frequents her restaurant and offers a reduced fee. Grace also befriends Dr. Mitch McHugh, at the hospital. Together Grace and Mitch try to get to the bottom of Penny’s multiple personalities. Grace is convinced that her daughter didn’t commit the murder and the answer lies buried in Penny’s dissociative personalities.

This is a fascinating thriller. I particularly liked all the psychological details the author presented about Dissociative Identity Disorder. It was the best part of the book. The scenes at the trial and the state hospital were well done and very convincing.

I found some of the characters not so convincing. Grace seemed to be in her daughter’s corner, but she took incredible chances that could have turned out badly. I also found Grace’s sister-in-law, Annie, less than convincing. However, this is a clever thriller with lots of twists. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, this is a good one to read.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Publishing for this review.

A Family Copes with Alzheimer’s

 

Margarette, widowed three times, is preparing breakfast in her rambling house on the Maine coast. She leaves a frying pan with grease on the stove, goes upstairs, get distracted by a mouse, and when she returns to the kitchen it’s in flames. When she calls her daughter, Liddie, to confess the accident, Liddie realizes that her mother’s Alzheimer’s has reached a point where she can no longer live alone.

With her husband, Harry’s support, the family of four moves from Michigan to Maine. The move requires adjustments for each family member and living with an Alzheimer’s patient isn’t easy. Plus the Vietnam War is heating up. It activates Harry’s memories of being a conscientious objector in WWII and puts additional strain on the family.

This is the story of a family coping with problems: growing and changing throughout the book. It’s not an easy book to read. Many of the interactions are messy. However, it’s very realistic. Coping with difficult problems is never easy. The pace isn’t fast, but once you get to know the characters, it’s hard to put the book down.

I loved the setting in Maine. The author does a good job of using the setting to bring the story to life and amplify the lives of the characters. I recommend this book, particularly if you’re coping with a loved one with Alzheimer’s.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Murder of a Barrister in Daniel Pitt’s Firm

 

When Toby Kitteridge is late for a meeting with Daniel, he is annoyed, but when he’s summoned to the morgue to identify a body, he’s terrified to find it’s his friend. This is reinforced when he sees Kitteridge’s coat hanging in the morgue room. However, when the sheet is pulled back he finds himself looking at another member of the firm, Jonah Drake.

Drake was a brilliant lawyer, but a taciturn individual who Daniel didn’t know well. What then was he doing with Daniel’s card in his pocket? Drake was found in the dangerous area of Mile End. What was a respectable lawyer doing there?

Toby and Daniel are tasked by Marcus fford-Croft, head of the firm, to find out what was going on to protect the reputation of the firm. This is a particularly critical task since Marcus can be of little help since his memory is going. Even so, Daniel and Toby worry that he knows more than he’s letting on.

The investigation touches people in high places including the owner of the shipyard Britain is counting on to build vessels to counter the German threat. Daniel’s father Thomas Pitt become involved because he is warned that his son should not pursue some areas of investigation. This puts Daniel and his father in a struggle with Daniel’s sense of justice.

I always enjoy Daniel Pitt novels. He’s a rather naive young man, but his sense of justice and perseverance make the pursuit of the mystery take a higher road than simply solving a crime. This was not the most well plotted book in the series. There was too much going over and over evidence and there were major leaps in the action. However, it was a good read. If you enjoy Victorian mysteries this is a good one.

I received this book from NetGalley for this review.