EBMRG discussion

Death on the Holy Mountain (Hist. Mys-Lord Francis Powerscourt-Ireland-1905) – 7th in series – David Dickinson
Linda – Good – Really appreciated the historical take from the Protestant prospective. The author did a good job with the sense of place, characters and time. But the book was a bit long and confusing at times.
LJ – G+ - I always enjoy Dickinson’s writing but this was dryer and more focused on history than murder than his books I’ve read so far. Dickinson’s wonderful wry humor is still there, as is his perceptiveness. There is a wonderful comparison of two clergymen; the Catholic priest and the Protestant minister. His introspection is there as well; Powercourt’s dilemma as to whether he is for or against the Irish struggle. The descriptiveness of his writing always appeals to me. He involves all the senses and allows you to see, hear, smell and taste the elements of the story. I particularly liked that he included songs of the period. His characters are well defined and alive. Powerscourt, Lady Lucy and, particularly Johnny Fitzgerald are always a pleasure to rediscover. The plot, in this particular book, was a bit heavy-handed with Irish history. It was fascinating and I did learn a lot, but it also rather overshadowed the suspense of the story. It was a shame as Dickinson can do suspense very well. Even so, this was a pleasure to read, kept me involved and certainly anxious to read the next book in the series.

The Oxford Murders (Mys-Argentian student/Arthur Seldom-England-cont) – Standalone- Guillermo Martínez
Corona – Good – She found the book engaging at the beginning but it then slowed down. It bothered her that the narrator is Argentinean yet there no trace of a Spanish voice. The protagonist is an arrogant young man. The character rang true, but she didn’t like him. She did like that it is about mathematics.
LJ – Poor - I must confess that math and puzzles of logic are a foreign language to me so many of the discussions in this book were beyond me. As a mystery, it didn’t have much to offer. Normally, I love books set in England. Here, it didn’t really matter as there was no real sense of place. There was also little character development, including the fact that we never new the name of the narrator nor had any real reason to care about any of the characters. The book read very flat. There was nothing to draw me in; no suspense, no fascinating characters, no strong sense of place, and event the murders were uneventful. The worst was that I identified the killer almost immediately and, in spite of the twists which ended up being rather silly. I found the ending totally unsatisfying. The best thing is that the book was short and enables me to move on to my next book very quickly. Mathematicians or logisticians might enjoy this book. I recommend mystery lovers give it a pass.

Buckingham Palace Gardens (Pol. Proc-Thomas Pitt-England-Victorian – 25th in series – Anne Perry
Charlotte – Good – She missed Charlotte being in the story and much preferred other books from this series. Some of the characters seemed contrived and artificial. The bad guy was very bad.
Corona – Okay – It’s almost a cozy. A lot seemed silly and stereotypical and she didn’t like how Grace was used in the story. It just didn’t work for her; seemed very contrived.
Linda H - - She is about half-way through and finding it a struggle. She doesn’t like all the jealousy and emotion of the women. Historical mysteries are just not her favorite.
LJ – Ex - I am so glad Perry has moved away from conspiracy theories and back to a classic murder mystery. Yes, I missed that Charlotte wasn’t in this story much, but I loved that sassy little Grace, at 4’11.5”, had a chance to shine. It provided her an opportunity to emotionally grow while working for her country. Pitt is a marvelous character who, here, is torn between his regard for the monarchy, yet his having to face the weaknesses of the individuals. The wonderful Lady Vespasia makes a brief, but important appearance. Perry’s characters are so perfectly drawn and wonderfully alive, you do feel you get to know them. The mystery, itself, is a good one. There are a lot of twists and turns along the way and her depiction of Victorian life among the classes is always fascinating. Not only has Perry not lost her touch, with this, her 25th book, she’s as good as ever and always provides and excellent read.

Corona, thanks for posting this. Now that I've noticed it's here, it is an easier place to look than my emails. Also, I can access it at the library when I'm trying to find the books to check out.

Thanks Linda! Those are exactly the reasons I started this thing. :)