From the back cover: Award-winning author Elizabeth George gives us an early glimpse into the lives of Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, forensic scientist Simon Allcourt-St. James, and Lady Helen Clyde in a superlative mystery that is also a fascinating inquiry into the crimes of the heart. Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton, has brought to Howenstow, his family home, the … [Read more...] about A Suitable Vengeance by Elizabeth George: C+
Mystery
The Keys to the Street by Ruth Rendell: A-
From the back cover: When Mary Jago donates her bone marrow to help a complete stranger, the act bonds her with the young man who lives from her transfusion. He will change Mary's life in ways she could never imagine. But every act has consequences, often unforseen. Mary's generosity returns her not only love, but also its opposite. She finds herself in danger from both the … [Read more...] about The Keys to the Street by Ruth Rendell: A-
The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton: B
From the back cover: One hundred years ago, Dies Drear and two runaway slaves hiding in his house, an important station on the Underground Railroad, were murdered. Legend has it that the ghost of Mr. Drear still haunts the lonely old house. But Thomas Small's father, a Civil War history professor, doesn't believe the legend and buys the house. The house is fascinating, thinks … [Read more...] about The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton: B
Case Closed 25 by Gosho Aoyama: B
I'd never just jumped into the middle of a series before, but the nature of Case Closed made it an entirely painless process. The "case briefing" laid out the basic premise (including a helpful list of detecting equipment), and it was pretty easy to grasp the essential relationships between the characters. Coming in at the beginning of a murder mystery at a skating rink also … [Read more...] about Case Closed 25 by Gosho Aoyama: B
The Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers: B+
From the back cover: The body was on the pointed rocks alongside the stream. The artist might have fallen from the cliff where he was painting, but there are too many suspicious elements—particularly the medical evidence that proves he'd been dead nearly half a day, though eyewitnesses had seen him alive a scant hour earlier. And then there are the six prime suspects—all of … [Read more...] about The Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers: B+