"Jelly's Gold" by David Housewright

Jelly's Gold is the 6th book in the series about PI Rushmore (Mac) McKenzie by David Housewright. When a graduate student (Ivy) comes to Mac and tells a story about lost gold from a bank robbery from 1933, Mac finds the story plausible and sets off to investigate and quickly finds out that the loot now worth $8 million is also being sought by others. Ivy's boyfriend is murdered outside her apartment just after making the decision to search for the money. Based loosely on a real crime of Frank "Jelly" Nash who robbed a bank in Huron, South Dakota in 1933, the money really was never found. This story is a mixture of real life stories and exploits with a fictional gold chase. The character does a lot of research and finds out a rich and colorful history of the city's infamous past, including that the nickname Jelly came from Nash's use of nytroglycerin to blow up safes. I had no idea that St. Paul Minnesota had been a haven of gangsters in the day. The only downside for me in this book which was a great story and a fairly easy read was the history behind the characters which came from previous novels on this main character. Many authors fill you in on the connections and this one left out a few details. I would love to read more in this series. I enjoyed the blend of history and fact with fiction. Everyone loves a treasure hunt and this one will not dissappoint. I chose this book because it was the Thompson Public Library Mystery Club choice for May. These books are available at many libraries in the area.

"The Dirty Secrets Club" by Meg Gardiner

For the mystery purists out there I think this is considered a suspense novel. I found this book/novelist on one of the book trading services I use and decided the premise sounded good and appropriate for the G author. This is the first in a series of books with forensic anthropologist Jo Beckett. Jo's job is to complete a psychological autopsy on a recent death. She soon discovers that the victim was wrapped up in what would be called "the dirty secrets club" and one by one the members are being stalked and killed. The thread of dark and dirty secrets lead Jo down some literal and figurative dirty paths. The suspense part is some chases scenes by a creepy club master that give you chills as you can imagine would make a great thriller movie. I had been acquainted with forensic anthropology in other series, but never through a psychological perspective. Without giving away the plot twists, Jo is brought into the underworld of sexual secrets and the clash of conscience and what people will do to protect loved ones. Jo is a smart character and likeable and a bit of a superwoman in more ways that one. I find myself wanting to read more in this series. The mystery part was interesting and a significant plot twist at the end was a total surprise. This would be a great beach read and also available as an audio. Check this author out and be prepared for a suspenseful ride.

The Five Bells and Bladebone confusing choice

"The Five Bells and Bladestone" by Martha Grimes made it as my "G" book simply because it was on my bookshelf. Originally, I had picked it up at a book sale because I had heard of the author vaguely and there it was when I needed it. This book published in 1987 is ninth in the prolific series featuring protagonist Richard Jury and his friend, wealthy Melrose Plant. In spite of that it was fairly easy to follow the story and realize who the characters were from other books. It was an engaging but confusing read. To tell the truth, I really still don't know who exactly either the victim or the killer was and I thought I knew half way through the book. I found the characters to be fairly stereotypical: gay antique dealer, ornery aunt, lovely but not quite available female interest, crotchety bar tenders, etc. All of the novels in the series are named for English pubs, a fact which initially intrigued me. In this one, the chapters are all named for lines in a poem. Twenty-three years later, Grimes is still publishing mysteries so I feel at some point I will try another one.
An interesting side note is, that although my blog partner and I usually surprise each other with our choice of alphabetical authors, this time we both chose Grimes. Can't wait to see what she has to say.

"A Child's garden of death" by Richard Forrest

This book by author Richard Forrest caught my eye on many levels. The main character is Lyon Wentworth a children’s book author who lives near the eastern Connecticut shore and his wife Bea Wentworth who is a CT state senator. These two features alone were enough for me to give the well-worn book another glance. The story begins with the excavation of some farmland that is due to become condos. Three bodies are unearthed, including the body of a child holding a Sonya Henie doll. The investigation begins from there. The characters look back in time to a crime that took place in the 1940’s. This book was written in 1975 and has none of the crime solving bells and whistles that you see in a mystery or crime novel set today. The other main character is Rocco a police officer and friend of Wentworth who work together to solve this mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the old-fashioned crime solving style which included Wentworth’s use of his hot air balloon to survey the crime scene. Wentworth and Rocco investigate the 'old days' of union activities and explore how Jewish immigrants were exploited during war years. The characters travel throughout areas of CT that I know well and that enhanced the story for me. Of the books I have read so far, this is the first book that I read in almost one sitting. This is the first in a series by this author that ran from the mid 1970’s through 2006 just after his death. I can’t wait to read the remaining books of this series and feel that I have truly found a gem. I took this book out of the Worcester Public Library and the care worn condition of this book lead me to believe at one time this was a popular novel and series. Check out Richard Forrest’s mysteries and you may find a new favorite.

Full Dark House introduces Bryant and May

"Full Dark House" by Christopher Fowler introduced me to Arthur Bryant and John

May, 80ish detectives and members of the Peculiar Crimes Unit in London. The detectives move back and forth between their first crime investigation during the London Blitz to present day when as elderly men, they revisit that crime. It can be somewhat confusing as many of the characters are present in both time frames. Sometimes the clues to past or present are a simple as a backpack in use or the mention of Sony. In any case, both men are interesting although to me Bryant is the more intriguing with his use of witches, psychics and other paranormal resources. May, while dubious of Bryant's methods, is loyal and more of a by-the-book guy. The setting is blitz torn London and a palatial theater, with hints some quite broad of a "phantom," all kinds of references to Greek gods, and the various whimsies of the artistic world. This book was a 2003 Barry Award Nominee and CWA Dagger Nominee,and a 2004 BFS August Derleth Novel of the Year Award Winner. There are six more Bryant and May novels available to readers and I plan to check them all out. I particularly loved the descriptions of the inside of the theater and the workings of the props and sets. One of the characters actually suffered from agoraphobia which I wouldn't have thought was well known in the 1940s. I was drawn to this book by the age of the detectives and the recommendation of the Pomfret, CT librarian who is never wrong on mysteries. It is available in libraries in both Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Fellowship of Fear by Aaron Elkins

My choice of this book is a recurring theme of reading a 'first' by an author. I was browsing at a book store and found Aaron Elkins' Gideon Oliver series. This is his first published in 1982. Gideon Oliver is a forensic anthropologist who finds himself in Europe as a visiting scholar. Who knew before the CSI and other forensics shows and books that are popular today, that Elkins would be a trendsetter. Gideon while traveling around Europe becomes embroiled in the murders of other visiting scholars and himself a perpelxing case of mistaken identity and for a while only you the reader know. Gideon has a special talent for linguistics and has an uncany ability to tell where some is from not just by accent or dialect but by the sequence of their sentence structure. It was a fascinating glimpse into that world. This is a mystery that is a bit of an international thriller and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Gideon is a widower and the author has him begin to thaw in the romance department with an intelligent love interest and the promise of more with later novels. His characters all well crafted and if this had been a stand-alone novel it still would have satisfied the reader. Elkins has a personal website and writes also in colaboration with his wife Charlotte. I look forward to continuing with this series and see where the author takes Gideon to his next case. This series is available at area libraries and bookstores.

Speak Daggers to Her Contains Vivid Detail

"Speak Daggers to Her" A Bast Mystery, by Rosemary Edghill has title straight from Shakespeare "I will speak daggers to her, but use none." (Hamlet). And, like Shakespeare many of her terms were similar to reading a different language and more importantly the characters often had secret personalities.

On the surface, the question is: who killed Miriam? And more importantly, why? But other questions quickly arise just some of which include: what exactly is Wiccan, can you belong to more than one coven, trust and loyalty, and more.

Set in modern day New York City, in the hot summer, with characters holding a variety of jobs including a number of independent bookstores, the terms sometimes interfered with the story for me. I got so involved with the New Age Wiccan philosophy and the ethical questions involved in it that I lost track of trying to figure out the murder. However, the characters were all interesting, different and impossible not to have feelings about. There are several more stories in this series and more to learn about the protagonist, graphic artist and sleuth, Karen Hightower aka Bast.

Rosemary Edghill, pen name for eluki bas shakar, has written in many genres including mystery, urban fantasy, Regency Romance, X-Men tie-in and short stories. Her research is copious and detailed. The books are available in local libraries and on-line.