Death of a Witch (Pol. Proc/Cozy-Hamish Macbeth-Scotland-Cont) – 24th in series – M.C. Beaton
Andrea- VG – I’ve read many of these, but I’m not quite sure which when I look at the names. I had gotten sick of them, but I think this one is one of the better ones. There is more mystery and amusing quirks of the Scottish characters. The romances have little twists that make them more enjoyable. Fortunately, there is not much of the annoying Priscilla.
Corona – Okay – Had not read Hamish before. There was a lot of sexism. She kept having to remind herself that Hamish is young, as he came across much older. There was a touch of arrogance to the character which didn’t appeal to her. The story seemed as though it required a lot of license. She did like the setting very much and did read the whole thing.
Joy – VG – Thought it was great.
Linda – Okay – Likes the series in general, but not this particular book. She did like the setting, the character and their quirks. She did not like the set up for the mystery or the sexism and all the relationship entanglements with women. She might have cut it more slack had it been an earlier book in the series but, by this point, feels the books should be better.
LJ - Good - The Hamish books lie somewhere between traditional mysteries and cozies. On the traditional side, by the end of the book there are a lot of bodies and the protagonist is a policeman. However, rather than there being a detailed investigation, it’s almost as if, when Hamish appears, people confess and everything falls into place. On the cozy side, there is an awful lot of time spent dealing with his relationships with women. He has better relationships with his pets. As for characters, Hamish is a little too good to be true. He’s tall, red-haired, good looking to the point where every woman, but the one he wants, throws themselves at him, and can run like the wind. I was a bit annoyed that Hamish’s superior, CI Blair, is portrayed as so incompetent but at least it’s balanced by Hamish’s friend, DS Jimmy Anderson, and Blair’s boss, CS Davoit The style is a bit simple for my taste, almost as if written for young adults. I do like that the dialogue is written with an indication of people’s accents without it becoming laborious. The element I most enjoyed was the sense of place. Beaton’s descriptions of the highlands and the weather, which can be a critical element in living in, and navigating around, the highlands, is well done. This was a light, enjoyable read but it’s a series I’ve put behind me.
Trish – G+ - Liked it. She had never read Beaton before. As with Corona, she kept thinking Hamish was much older than he is supposed to be. She did like the sense of place and felt the story had some nice twists and clues.
The Coroner’s Lunch (Lic. Invest-Dr. Siri Paiboun-Laos-1975) – 1st in series – Colin Cotterill Laos, 1975.
Andrea – VG+ - I will definitely read more by the author. The back jacket of my library copy likened it to the Botswanan series by Alexander McCall Smith, but I think it is vastly better; it had real substance and a true mystery. The characters were equally charming, and it had an equally great sense place which was unfamiliar and exotic, but the story wasn’t syrupy. As a review I read on line said, “the mysteries provide many enlightening insights into all aspects of this mysterious country and it’s societies, and all the many disparate threads are bought together in a truly admirable and masterly way at the end.” I usually hate the spiritual stuff—and solving crimes through spiritual aids—but in this book, unlike the horrible Jade Cameron books—it worked.
Corona – G+ - Enjoyed it but does wonder how they’ll go for 12 more books considering the age of the character. The story was neatly done, engrossing and felt it really brought her there. She liked how the protagonist cut through the bull and especially appreciate his reflections on what he had been fighting for and what he was left with. He was elderly but never gave up respecting his dreams. Corona was glad for the trip and appreciated it. She will read more of this series.
LJ - VG+ - How have I missed Cotterill until now? Let me start with history. I am of the Vietnam era; I had friends who fought, and died, there. Once the war was over, I had very little interest in that area of the world. Now I find it fascinating to see how Communism controlled every aspect of individual’s lives. What I particularly like is that Cotterill doesn’t present it in a heavy-handed manner, but through the character’s perspective of that being the way life is. In some ways, I find that more effective. The characters are wonderful. Dr. Siri, who performs his first autopsy with the help of a very old French book, his assistants, Dtui who reads Thai fan magazines, and Geung who has mild Down’s Syndrome, plus his friends are all delightfully portrayed with affection and, often, humor. But it is Siri who takes the lead and is our connection to the metaphysical world. With his white hair, uncontrolled eyebrows and shocking green eyes, Siri stands out on his own, but he can also see the dead and communicate with spirits. Rather than making the book unbelievable, it adds dimension and an element of suspense to the story in a way that is hard to quantify. There is a wonderful sense of place to the story, but different from the usual. It is very much tied in with the way people live, rather than descriptions of the location in which the story is set. I am so pleased to have found this author and have already ordered the rest of this series.
Trish – VG+ - We were delighted to learn that Trish has lived in Laos, among Asian countries, teaching English as a second language. She really liked the book and felt it gave a good feeling of life under Communism. She liked the character of the doctor, felt there were good twists on the murders happening for various reasons and the relationship with Thailand.
The Godwulf Manuscript (PI-Spenser-Boston-Cont) – 1st in series – Robert B. Parker
Andrea – G – I liked the character and the writing and the feel for my hometown of Boston. But the plot of the mystery was only fair. It was secondary to the character of Spenser and the people surrounding him. I read it awhile ago, but remember that the unfolding of the mystery of the manuscript seemed to be forgotten and that Spenser went with hunches that solved things amazingly easily. I read reviews on the web to remind me of the plot and remembered that I really didn’t like that Spenser slept with two of the characters. I also found his dealings with the Mafia boos, Joe Broz, fairly absurd.
Linda F – Okay – While you could detect the classic Spenser in this first book with his cracking wise, he was yet the Renaissance man he is in later books, who would never have had to ask what was an illuminated manuscript. She missed the rest of the team; Susan and Hawk. In fact, this first book seemed to be just an ordinary mystery.
LJ – VG - I’ve not read this book since the 1970s and it is an interesting cultural look back. I am very happy fashions have changed away from white vinyl boots and leisure suits and that technology has advanced from mimeographs and typewriters. As silly as some of the slang sounds today, at least it wasn’t as profane as today’s speech. It is also interesting looking at Spenser in his later 30s. He still thought he was funnier than anyone else did. This is a pre-Hawk, pre-Susan Spencer. As annoying as Susan can be, the one thing she did bring to the series was Spenser’s monogamy. What hasn't changed is his doggedness, determination to see the case through, dedication to the innocent and his cooking. I am always amazed that he has just the right ingredients in his kitchen to make a wonderful meal. Those are the little things. What Parker did extremely well was description, dialogue and plot. With a very few words, you knew where you were and the other characters in the scene. He often employed analogies—“The wet wool smelled like a grammar room coatroom.”—which put you right into his scene. His dialogue, even with the slang of the period, was always tight, crisp and real. As to plot, the story started a bit light and annoying. However, once it took hold, it hit its stride and I was completely engrossed. Re-reading this very first book makes it clear as to why I have read every other book Parker wrote.
Corona - G I enjoyed the book but was impatient with his 'snappy' comments, this fellow was a little too 'cool' for my tastes. I also didn't appreciate how easily the women got involved with him. But the trip back in time was fun but the plot seemed superfluous to me.
Andrea- VG – I’ve read many of these, but I’m not quite sure which when I look at the names. I had gotten sick of them, but I think this one is one of the better ones. There is more mystery and amusing quirks of the Scottish characters. The romances have little twists that make them more enjoyable. Fortunately, there is not much of the annoying Priscilla.
Corona – Okay – Had not read Hamish before. There was a lot of sexism. She kept having to remind herself that Hamish is young, as he came across much older. There was a touch of arrogance to the character which didn’t appeal to her. The story seemed as though it required a lot of license. She did like the setting very much and did read the whole thing.
Joy – VG – Thought it was great.
Linda – Okay – Likes the series in general, but not this particular book. She did like the setting, the character and their quirks. She did not like the set up for the mystery or the sexism and all the relationship entanglements with women. She might have cut it more slack had it been an earlier book in the series but, by this point, feels the books should be better.
LJ - Good - The Hamish books lie somewhere between traditional mysteries and cozies. On the traditional side, by the end of the book there are a lot of bodies and the protagonist is a policeman. However, rather than there being a detailed investigation, it’s almost as if, when Hamish appears, people confess and everything falls into place. On the cozy side, there is an awful lot of time spent dealing with his relationships with women. He has better relationships with his pets. As for characters, Hamish is a little too good to be true. He’s tall, red-haired, good looking to the point where every woman, but the one he wants, throws themselves at him, and can run like the wind. I was a bit annoyed that Hamish’s superior, CI Blair, is portrayed as so incompetent but at least it’s balanced by Hamish’s friend, DS Jimmy Anderson, and Blair’s boss, CS Davoit The style is a bit simple for my taste, almost as if written for young adults. I do like that the dialogue is written with an indication of people’s accents without it becoming laborious. The element I most enjoyed was the sense of place. Beaton’s descriptions of the highlands and the weather, which can be a critical element in living in, and navigating around, the highlands, is well done. This was a light, enjoyable read but it’s a series I’ve put behind me.
Trish – G+ - Liked it. She had never read Beaton before. As with Corona, she kept thinking Hamish was much older than he is supposed to be. She did like the sense of place and felt the story had some nice twists and clues.
The Coroner’s Lunch (Lic. Invest-Dr. Siri Paiboun-Laos-1975) – 1st in series – Colin Cotterill Laos, 1975.
Andrea – VG+ - I will definitely read more by the author. The back jacket of my library copy likened it to the Botswanan series by Alexander McCall Smith, but I think it is vastly better; it had real substance and a true mystery. The characters were equally charming, and it had an equally great sense place which was unfamiliar and exotic, but the story wasn’t syrupy. As a review I read on line said, “the mysteries provide many enlightening insights into all aspects of this mysterious country and it’s societies, and all the many disparate threads are bought together in a truly admirable and masterly way at the end.” I usually hate the spiritual stuff—and solving crimes through spiritual aids—but in this book, unlike the horrible Jade Cameron books—it worked.
Corona – G+ - Enjoyed it but does wonder how they’ll go for 12 more books considering the age of the character. The story was neatly done, engrossing and felt it really brought her there. She liked how the protagonist cut through the bull and especially appreciate his reflections on what he had been fighting for and what he was left with. He was elderly but never gave up respecting his dreams. Corona was glad for the trip and appreciated it. She will read more of this series.
LJ - VG+ - How have I missed Cotterill until now? Let me start with history. I am of the Vietnam era; I had friends who fought, and died, there. Once the war was over, I had very little interest in that area of the world. Now I find it fascinating to see how Communism controlled every aspect of individual’s lives. What I particularly like is that Cotterill doesn’t present it in a heavy-handed manner, but through the character’s perspective of that being the way life is. In some ways, I find that more effective. The characters are wonderful. Dr. Siri, who performs his first autopsy with the help of a very old French book, his assistants, Dtui who reads Thai fan magazines, and Geung who has mild Down’s Syndrome, plus his friends are all delightfully portrayed with affection and, often, humor. But it is Siri who takes the lead and is our connection to the metaphysical world. With his white hair, uncontrolled eyebrows and shocking green eyes, Siri stands out on his own, but he can also see the dead and communicate with spirits. Rather than making the book unbelievable, it adds dimension and an element of suspense to the story in a way that is hard to quantify. There is a wonderful sense of place to the story, but different from the usual. It is very much tied in with the way people live, rather than descriptions of the location in which the story is set. I am so pleased to have found this author and have already ordered the rest of this series.
Trish – VG+ - We were delighted to learn that Trish has lived in Laos, among Asian countries, teaching English as a second language. She really liked the book and felt it gave a good feeling of life under Communism. She liked the character of the doctor, felt there were good twists on the murders happening for various reasons and the relationship with Thailand.
The Godwulf Manuscript (PI-Spenser-Boston-Cont) – 1st in series – Robert B. Parker
Andrea – G – I liked the character and the writing and the feel for my hometown of Boston. But the plot of the mystery was only fair. It was secondary to the character of Spenser and the people surrounding him. I read it awhile ago, but remember that the unfolding of the mystery of the manuscript seemed to be forgotten and that Spenser went with hunches that solved things amazingly easily. I read reviews on the web to remind me of the plot and remembered that I really didn’t like that Spenser slept with two of the characters. I also found his dealings with the Mafia boos, Joe Broz, fairly absurd.
Linda F – Okay – While you could detect the classic Spenser in this first book with his cracking wise, he was yet the Renaissance man he is in later books, who would never have had to ask what was an illuminated manuscript. She missed the rest of the team; Susan and Hawk. In fact, this first book seemed to be just an ordinary mystery.
LJ – VG - I’ve not read this book since the 1970s and it is an interesting cultural look back. I am very happy fashions have changed away from white vinyl boots and leisure suits and that technology has advanced from mimeographs and typewriters. As silly as some of the slang sounds today, at least it wasn’t as profane as today’s speech. It is also interesting looking at Spenser in his later 30s. He still thought he was funnier than anyone else did. This is a pre-Hawk, pre-Susan Spencer. As annoying as Susan can be, the one thing she did bring to the series was Spenser’s monogamy. What hasn't changed is his doggedness, determination to see the case through, dedication to the innocent and his cooking. I am always amazed that he has just the right ingredients in his kitchen to make a wonderful meal. Those are the little things. What Parker did extremely well was description, dialogue and plot. With a very few words, you knew where you were and the other characters in the scene. He often employed analogies—“The wet wool smelled like a grammar room coatroom.”—which put you right into his scene. His dialogue, even with the slang of the period, was always tight, crisp and real. As to plot, the story started a bit light and annoying. However, once it took hold, it hit its stride and I was completely engrossed. Re-reading this very first book makes it clear as to why I have read every other book Parker wrote.
Corona - G I enjoyed the book but was impatient with his 'snappy' comments, this fellow was a little too 'cool' for my tastes. I also didn't appreciate how easily the women got involved with him. But the trip back in time was fun but the plot seemed superfluous to me.