THE MYSTERIOUS MR. QUINN (Mys-Harly Quinn/Mr. Sattertherwaite-England-1930) – standalone – Agatha Christie A conjurer of skill with an instinct for detection, Mr. Harley Quin has an almost magical flair for appearing at the scene of the most remarkable crimes. But is it just a trick of light that haunts his shadow with a ghostly apparition? Is it fate that invites him to a New Year's murder? And what forces are at work when his car breaks down outside Royalston Hall, an isolated estate with a deadly history?
Andrea – Good – Enjoyed the stories even though they did become repetitious. She didn’t quite understand the end. She also didn’t always understand the literary references. The stories were well written and she found the early stories charming, but the later ones, less so. Linda F – DNF – Read only 10 pages but became annoyed. The stories were written in the 1930s; she didn’t like the attitudes. LJ – Ex - In general, I’m not a fan of short stories, but I find myself frequently re-reading these. I do love Satterthwaite’s line of “I can put up with vulgarity, but I can’t stand meanness.” The stories have a slight supernatural quality to them, but always with a logical explanation possible, and certainly to the solutions of the crimes. I enjoyed Christie’s perception of 1930s England as being multi-cultural and non-denominational, but wonder who true that was. What I most enjoy, however, is that each story stands alone and is intriguing and compelling on its own merit.
Group Rating Average: Good
THE REDBREAST (Police Proc-Harry Hole-Oslo, Norway-Contemp) – 1st in series – Jo Nesbø Detective Harry Hole embarrassed the force, and for his sins he’s been reassigned to mundane surveillance tasks. But while monitoring neo-Nazi activities in Oslo, Hole is inadvertently drawn into a mystery with deep roots in Norway’s dark past, when members of the government willingly collaborated with Nazi Germany. More than sixty years later, this black mark won’t wash away—and disgraced old soldiers who once survived a brutal Russian winter are being murdered, one by one. Now, with only a stained and guilty conscience to guide him, an angry, alcoholic, error-prone policeman must make his way safely past the traps and mirrors of a twisted criminal mind. For a conspiracy is taking rapid and hideous shape around Hole . . . and Norway’s darkest hour may be still to come.
Aimee – VG – Really liked it. She was fascinating by the WWII subplot; partly liked the allusions to the birds. She was genuinely surprised by some of the shocks in the plot, but quickly became interested. It was well-written and interesting. She will definitely read more of his books. Linda S – Good – She found it a little confusing and was torn about the WWII content. On one hand, it was interesting to learn about Norway’s role during the war; on the other hand, she’s a bit tired of it as a plot device. There was one whole plot thread that was dropped in a completely unbelievable way. She might not read more by this author.
Group Rating Average: G+
Andrea read “The Snowman” by Nesbo – Good – The story kept her reading too late at night, and too early in the morning. It was engrossing, but also very gruesome and gory; truly repellant at times. She both liked, and didn’t like Harry. There were lots of plot twists, hints that were, sometimes, too broad and the ending seemed absurd.
A MINISTER’S GHOST (Mys-Fever Devlin-Georgia-Contemp) – 3rd in series – Phillip dePoy Fever Devilin is a folklorist who fled the fevered halls of academia to return home to the Blue Mountain region of the Georgia Appalachians and a hopefully quiet life. While on a trip collecting folklore, Fever spots an apparition at a railroad crossing. Such apparitions are traditionally omens of evil, and when he returns home he finds his suspicions are accurate: his friend Lucinda's two nieces have been killed in a suspicious accident. As he consoles Lucinda, Fever promises to investigate the girls' deaths. His promise leads him through a maze of train-hopping drifters, old ghost stories, and the wild ravings of an itinerant preacher - as he attempts to uncover the truth behind the tales that are told and the visions that are seen.
Evanda – VG – The author’s writing style is unbelievable; it’s as though he was let loose with a box of crayons in the way he described the colors of every day; very visual descriptions. The characters were marvelous. Very Southern. Linda F – Good – She has been a big fan of DePoy’s series but this wasn’t her favorite. She wanted to know more about the character of the dwarf. There was too much Fundamentalism for her. Linda S – VG – For her, this was a re-read and it held up well. She loves his language and his characters. Fever is quirky and funny and unexpected. She really loved the dwarf; one scene in particular was wonderful. While the information on snake handling was interesting, she feels DePoy may not have done as much research as he should have, but that was a minor quibble. LJ – VG – I love DePoy; his writing, his descriptions, his characters are wonderful. This book is not for everyone. As a reader, one must open oneself to the local culture, atmosphere and old beliefs of hill people where there is a different definition of reality. The characters include little people, a ghost, a snake-handling preacher, hobos, a junk-yard dealer with a unique musical instrument and Fever’s best friend, the sheriff who is not acting like himself. The mystery is not the strength of the story. The strength is the unusual, intriguing characters and atmospheric, lyrical writing. I very much enjoyed this book and this series and want to find out more about these fascinating people.
THE MYSTERIOUS MR. QUINN (Mys-Harly Quinn/Mr. Sattertherwaite-England-1930) – standalone – Agatha Christie
A conjurer of skill with an instinct for detection, Mr. Harley Quin has an almost magical flair for appearing at the scene of the most remarkable crimes. But is it just a trick of light that haunts his shadow with a ghostly apparition? Is it fate that invites him to a New Year's murder? And what forces are at work when his car breaks down outside Royalston Hall, an isolated estate with a deadly history?
Andrea – Good – Enjoyed the stories even though they did become repetitious. She didn’t quite understand the end. She also didn’t always understand the literary references. The stories were well written and she found the early stories charming, but the later ones, less so.
Linda F – DNF – Read only 10 pages but became annoyed. The stories were written in the 1930s; she didn’t like the attitudes.
LJ – Ex - In general, I’m not a fan of short stories, but I find myself frequently re-reading these. I do love Satterthwaite’s line of “I can put up with vulgarity, but I can’t stand meanness.” The stories have a slight supernatural quality to them, but always with a logical explanation possible, and certainly to the solutions of the crimes. I enjoyed Christie’s perception of 1930s England as being multi-cultural and non-denominational, but wonder who true that was. What I most enjoy, however, is that each story stands alone and is intriguing and compelling on its own merit.
Group Rating Average: Good
THE REDBREAST (Police Proc-Harry Hole-Oslo, Norway-Contemp) – 1st in series – Jo Nesbø
Detective Harry Hole embarrassed the force, and for his sins he’s been reassigned to mundane surveillance tasks. But while monitoring neo-Nazi activities in Oslo, Hole is inadvertently drawn into a mystery with deep roots in Norway’s dark past, when members of the government willingly collaborated with Nazi Germany. More than sixty years later, this black mark won’t wash away—and disgraced old soldiers who once survived a brutal Russian winter are being murdered, one by one. Now, with only a stained and guilty conscience to guide him, an angry, alcoholic, error-prone policeman must make his way safely past the traps and mirrors of a twisted criminal mind. For a conspiracy is taking rapid and hideous shape around Hole . . . and Norway’s darkest hour may be still to come.
Aimee – VG – Really liked it. She was fascinating by the WWII subplot; partly liked the allusions to the birds. She was genuinely surprised by some of the shocks in the plot, but quickly became interested. It was well-written and interesting. She will definitely read more of his books.
Linda S – Good – She found it a little confusing and was torn about the WWII content. On one hand, it was interesting to learn about Norway’s role during the war; on the other hand, she’s a bit tired of it as a plot device. There was one whole plot thread that was dropped in a completely unbelievable way. She might not read more by this author.
Group Rating Average: G+
Andrea read “The Snowman” by Nesbo – Good – The story kept her reading too late at night, and too early in the morning. It was engrossing, but also very gruesome and gory; truly repellant at times. She both liked, and didn’t like Harry. There were lots of plot twists, hints that were, sometimes, too broad and the ending seemed absurd.
A MINISTER’S GHOST (Mys-Fever Devlin-Georgia-Contemp) – 3rd in series – Phillip dePoy
Fever Devilin is a folklorist who fled the fevered halls of academia to return home to the Blue Mountain region of the Georgia Appalachians and a hopefully quiet life. While on a trip collecting folklore, Fever spots an apparition at a railroad crossing. Such apparitions are traditionally omens of evil, and when he returns home he finds his suspicions are accurate: his friend Lucinda's two nieces have been killed in a suspicious accident. As he consoles Lucinda, Fever promises to investigate the girls' deaths. His promise leads him through a maze of train-hopping drifters, old ghost stories, and the wild ravings of an itinerant preacher - as he attempts to uncover the truth behind the tales that are told and the visions that are seen.
Evanda – VG – The author’s writing style is unbelievable; it’s as though he was let loose with a box of crayons in the way he described the colors of every day; very visual descriptions. The characters were marvelous. Very Southern.
Linda F – Good – She has been a big fan of DePoy’s series but this wasn’t her favorite. She wanted to know more about the character of the dwarf. There was too much Fundamentalism for her.
Linda S – VG – For her, this was a re-read and it held up well. She loves his language and his characters. Fever is quirky and funny and unexpected. She really loved the dwarf; one scene in particular was wonderful. While the information on snake handling was interesting, she feels DePoy may not have done as much research as he should have, but that was a minor quibble.
LJ – VG – I love DePoy; his writing, his descriptions, his characters are wonderful. This book is not for everyone. As a reader, one must open oneself to the local culture, atmosphere and old beliefs of hill people where there is a different definition of reality. The characters include little people, a ghost, a snake-handling preacher, hobos, a junk-yard dealer with a unique musical instrument and Fever’s best friend, the sheriff who is not acting like himself. The mystery is not the strength of the story. The strength is the unusual, intriguing characters and atmospheric, lyrical writing. I very much enjoyed this book and this series and want to find out more about these fascinating people.
Group Rating Average: VG