The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Former stage magician and current designer for Secret Staircase Construction Tempest Raj is invited to a recent client’s home for a housewarming of sorts.  This particular housewarming is more than a bit atypical:  Lavinia Kingsley wants to celebrate by having a séance to banish the spirit of her soon-to-be ex-husband Corbin.  Corbin isn’t dead, just obnoxious but that’s a minor detail.  She’s enlisted Tempest’s friend and fellow magician Sanjay to perform a symbolic séance complete with some appropriate illusions, to be followed by the burning of some of Corbin’s papers.  Lavina’s book club members will be in attendance along with a few others, including Tempest and her grandfather, Ash. 

As the séance begins, the group is gathered around the table, holding hands in the dark. There’s a sudden crash. The flickering light reveals a body in the center of the table.

Now they can do a real séance, because Corbin Kingsley is actually dead.

Someone in the room had to have killed him—but how?

This is the second in Pandian’s wonderful Secret Staircase Mystery series and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one.  It’s a classic locked room mystery series, and there are many references to Golden Age mystery authors such as John Dickson Carr and Agatha Christie. The illusion element is a fine addition:  as a magician herself, Tempest is well aware of misdirection and she doesn’t believe for a moment that anything supernatural has occurred.  The problem is proving it, a task that becomes more difficult as it turns out that the victim had apparently been in two places at once.

Pandian has created a cast of memorable characters, not to mention some truly wonderful settings.  The Secret Staircase Construction Company specializes in creating hidden rooms, sliding bookcases, and such, but more than that, they create a story. Gardens with gnomes, gates with dragons, or illusionary waters are all their stock in trade, but there are other wondrous places as well. My personal favorite is the faux train car that serves as a library for classic mystery fans.  All of which is to say that I found it wonderfully atmospheric.

While this one can be read and enjoyed as a standalone, there is an ongoing plot thread about the mysterious disappearance of Tempest’s mother and the family curse:  the eldest child will die by magic.

A Shimmer of Red by Valerie Wilson Wesley

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Things are finally looking up for Odessa Jones.   The pandemic has made real estate a hot commodity with houses are selling like hot cakes.  The agency has even picked up a couple of new agents who recently left the much more prestigious Delbarton Agency to join Risko Reality—despite the fact that Risko has been connected to more than one murder lately.  Anna and Bella have brought a new dynamic to the office, with handsome Harley becoming besotted with Anna and Louella becoming more sullen.  There’s something else, though: the two new employees seem a bit on edge behind their smiles, especially Anna.

 Dessa can’t quite figure it out, despite a slight supernatural advantage.  Dessa has the dubious gift of seeing auras, which gives her a sense of people’s mental states.  It a gift that can be reassuring or disquieting, but at least it’s not as bad as her other gift: when Dessa smells nutmeg, it means someone is going to die.  She tries to tell herself that she’s imagining the sudden whiff of spice is just bad memories, but in her heart she know differently.

When Anna is killed in a hit and run, the police believe it to be an accident. Dessa knows that it was murder. Is it her responsibility to look for answers? Or can she just walk away?

This is the third in the Odessa Jones mystery series but it could be read as a standalone.  I’ve read and enjoyed the others.  Wesley adds just a touch of supernatural in Dessa’s gifts, but never lets it overshadow the human elements in the mystery.  The supporting characters are well done; I’m very fond of Lennox in particular as well as the aunts who are determined to steer Dessa in what they consider to be the right direction.  Of course, I adore Juniper, Dessa’s cat, but that almost goes without saying. (I’m only saying that so people know there is indeed a cat in the story and it’s not just cover eye candy.)  The reader learns a bit more about Dessa’s past but again, no previous books need to have been read.  While there is a bit of cooking going on, this series has more the feel of a classic mystery than a cozy which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned.

This series has never let me down. I really like Dessa, who is an independent woman making her way in the world. She’s compassionate and driven to help those in need, but has no illusions that everyone can be “fixed.” I hope there will be another entry in this series.

Nevermore: Girls in the Stilt House, Writing Retreat, March Forward Girl

Reported by Rita

The Girls in the Stilt House: a Novel by Kelly Mustian

Murder breaks through the racial divide that separates two teenage girls, forging an unlikely friendship. A first novel.

Very well written - a real page-turner.  – KN      4 stars

 

The Writing Retreat: a Novel by Julia Bartz

While attending a month-long writing retreat at the estate of a feminist horror writer who issues a life-changing challenge, Alex, determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, ignores the strange happenings around her until the disappearance of a fellow writer leads her on a desperate search for the truth.

Turned out to be more horror than expected. – MH     4 stars

March Forward, Girl by Melba Beals

A member of the Little Rock Nine shares her memories of growing up in the South under Jim Crow.

Beautifully written - very moving.  – AH      5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

How to know a person : the art of seeing others deeply and being deeply seen by David Brooks

Snow by John Banville

Warriors don't cry : a searing memoir of the battle to integrate Little Rock's Central High by Melba Pattillo Beals

A mighty long way : my journey to justice at Little Rock Central High School; adapted for young readers by Carlotta Walls Lanier

Zodiac : a graphic memoir by Weiwei Ai

Jimshoes in Vietnam : orienting a westerner by James R. Klassen

So big by Edna Ferber

The covenant of water : a novel by Abraham Verghese

 The echo of old books : a novel by Barbara Davis Family lore : a novel by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

New Books

The mountain king : a novel by Anders De la Motte

The Warsaw Sisters : a novel of WWII Poland by Amanda Barratt

The joy of Photoshop : when you ask the wrong guy for help by James Fridman

Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford

 

Reviewed by Christy

            Jenny is 77 and has been married to her beloved Bernard for almost 60 years! Unlike some of her friends, Jenny never had any grandchildren of her own so she spends her time baking and doting on her late sister-in-law's grandchildren Poppy and Max. Poppy seems keen on baking herself, and Jenny loves to share her old family recipes with her. Jenny has built a quiet and happy life but she can't shake the feeling that the time for adventure might be over. And she doesn't like that. She doesn't like that at all.

            One night Jenny impulsively applies to be a contestant on Britain Bakes, a very popular baking competition show. She doesn't think anything will come of it, and her mind starts to settle once that is out of her system. But, of course, she is accepted. Through a whirlwind of currants and cameras, jam and judges, Jenny relies on family recipes to inspire her. Many of these recipes conjure up old memories – including a long-buried secret no one knows. Not even Bernard.

            I've been drawn to "character study" types of books lately, and this novel caught my eye (the colorful cover didn't hurt either!). I expected a cozy, wholesome read with descriptive baking passages (and it was that), but I did not expect to cry as much as I did. Jenny and Bernard are so sweet and still in love, and it was a delight to read about them. I only wanted good things for them! Jenny's shameful secret is devastating, and I felt so awful that anyone would have to go through what she did. (Though I don't think what she did was particularly shameful. How others treated her, however, certainly was.)

            Ford's writing is very sentimental, almost saccharine at times, but I loved it. It worked for me because all of it felt genuine. And I just wanted Jenny to be happy! This was a wonderful read and my first five star read of the year.

Historical Fiction with Libraries!

 Happy National Library Week!  Here are some historical fiction books which feature libraries and librarians.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict is a novel based on the life of Belle de Costa Greene who was hired to curate J.P. Morgan’s collection of rare books and manuscripts, making her a powerful woman—and one with a secret.        

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richards is a staff favorite!  A last-of-her-kind outcast and member of the Pack Horse Library Project braves the hardships of Kentucky's Great Depression and hostile community discrimination to bring the near-magical perspectives of books to her neighbors. There is a sequel, The Book Woman’s Daughter.

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslein Charles is based on a true story of how a lonely, 1980s teenager befriends an elderly neighbor and uncovers her past as a librarian at the American Library in Paris who joined the Resistance when the Nazis arrived.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan When the Blitz destroys Bethnal Green Library in London, librarian Juliet Lansdown, along with two other women, relocates the stacks to the local Underground station where the city's residents shelter nightly, determined to lend out stories that will keep spirits up, but soon tragedy after tragedy threatens to destroy what they've built.

Library Mystery Series

 In honor of National Library Week, here are some popular mystery series with libraries and librarians!

The Unkindness of Ravens by M.E. Hilliard Librarian Greer Hogan matches wits with a deviously clever killer in a chilling series debut. First in the Greer Hogan series.

A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert:  Librarian Amy Webber must archive overdue crimes and deadly rumors before a killer strikes again in her new Virginia home in Victoria Gilbert’s charming series debut.  First in the Blue Ridge Library mystery series.

Murder Past Due by Miranda James: A famous author returns to his hometown and is murdered. It's up to Charlie Harris, the town's librarian, and his cat Diesel, to find the killer before the wrong person is arrested for the crime. The trouble is, every last one of Charlie's friends and coworkers had a score to settle with the novelist. First in the Cat in the Stacks mysteries.

Curiousity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly:  Small-town librarian Kathleen Paulson discovers that the two stray cats she has taken in--Owen and Hercules--are truly special when she, the prime suspect in a murder, gets some unexpected feline help in solving the crime and clearing her name. First in the Magical Cats series.

Miss Zukas and the Library Murders by Jo Dereske:  Librarian Helma Zukas and her friend Ruth, a six foot tall bohemian artist, investigating a dead body in the library’s fiction stacks. First in the Miss Zukas series.

Real Murders by Charlaine Harris: Roe Teagarden joins forces with police detective Arthur Smith and mystery writer Robin Crusoe to investigate a series of killings in which the victims are slain in the fashion of famous historical murders. First in the Aurora Teagarden Mystery series.

By Book or By Crook by Eve Gates: After her ten-year relationship implodes, Lucy escapes to the Outer Banks to heal and finds her dream job at a lighthouse library on Bodie Island, until a theft and a murder ensnares Lucy in a real-life mystery. This is the first in the series of Lighthouse Library mysteries.

Real Libraries and Librarians!

 Here are some fascinating non-fiction books about libraries in celebration of National Library Week!

The Library Book by Susan Orlean examines the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution: our libraries.

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer is the inspiring story of how an average, mild-mannered archivist and historian became an expert smuggler when she organized a dangerous operation to sneak 350,000 precious manuscripts out of Timbuktu in the face of the 2012 al Qaeda takeover.

This Book Is Overdue! by Marilyn Johnson is a romp through the ranks of information professionals who organize our messy world and offer old-fashioned human help through the maze. Johnson celebrates libraries and librarians and discovers offbeat and eloquent characters in the quietest corners.       

The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Joshua Hanagarne traces the author's inspiring story as a Mormon youth with Tourette's Syndrome who after a sequence of radical and ineffective treatments overcame nightmarish tics through education, military service and strength training. He is also a librarian with Salt Lake City Public Library.

The True Tails of Baker & Taylor: The Library Cats who Left Their Pawprints on a Small Town and the World by Jan Louch: The memoir of a small-town librarian from Nevada's Douglas County Public Library describes her loving relationship with two Scottish Folds who through promotions for the book-distribution company for whom they were named became two of the world's most famous library cats.

Dewey by Vicki Myron is the true story of a librarian’s discovery of a half frozen kitten in the drop-box of her small town library in Iowa.  The kitten becomes a beloved library mascot whose intuitive nature prompted hundreds of abiding friendships.

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson: Showcasing the smart and talented people who live between the pages, this inspiring collection of true stories, as told to one of the greatest novelists of our time, invites us into a world where we can feel our curiosities, discover new voices, and find whatever we want or require.