The SENTENCE is DEATH: a Novel by Anthony Horowitz...

The Sentence is Death: a Novel by Anthony Horowitz was published in 2019 by Harper Publishing. It is a classic yet modern-day whodunit with two main characters that couldn't be more different. Horowitz has again done a great job inserting himself into the second book of the Hawthorne and Horowitz Series as both narrator and one of the two protagonists in the story. This well-crafted novel has two storylines at work. 

The main plot centers on investigating the murder of a high-priced divorce attorney, Richard Pryce, in his home. A bottle of wine is used as a murder weapon. The catch...Richard doesn't drink, so where did the bottle come from, and why was this the weapon of choice? 

The subplot focuses on the slightly contentious relationship between the two men for whom the series is named. 

The storylines intersect when the police struggle to solve the case and call Daniel Hawthorne, a former detective and now a private investigator, to assist. Hawthorne, in turn, calls on Anthony Horowitz to follow him around, take notes, keep his mouth shut, and at the end of the day...write a book about him and the case he's currently working on...even though their first joint venture has yet to be published. Unfortunately, Hawthorne isn't very forthcoming with many, or any details for that matter, about his personal life to provide Horowitz with any background color to enhance the story. In addition, the two men aren't particularly fond of each other, or Horowitz, like most people, isn't that fond of Hawthorne. However, Anthony is interested in the case and again agrees to partner with Daniel on this latest venture. 

The book has all of the bells, whistles, and red herrings necessary to keep the story moving forward, one of which I could have done without. You must read the book to discover which one and whether you agree. You will definitely form an opinion. How does it all play out in the end? Again, you must read the book. But, overall, I think you will be satisfied.

My Personal Rating is ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The CHESTER CREEK MURDERS by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

The Chester Creek Murders by Nathan Dylan Goodwin was independently published in 2021 and is the first book in the Venator Cold Case Series, with the story centering on the murders of three young women whose bodies were dumped in Chester Creek. 

Detective Clayton Tyler is a police officer assigned to review and solve cold cases for the local police department. The file he chose to start with is the Chester Creek Murders. The problem? The murders were committed around 40 years ago, and no new clues or information has been revealed since the original investigation. 

With justice long overdue, Detective Tyler contacts Venator, a Utah-based company specializing in cutting-edge genetic genealogy investigations. Can this small team of investigators, using their expertise in forensic genealogy assisted by 21st-century technology, analyze the DNA evidence and find the identity of the person responsible for the three murders?

Goodwin’s novel explores the lives of the three victims to determine whether there is a shared connection between them and or the killer. It also delves into the personal lives of the Venator investigators and Detective Tyler and what drives them, adding a human element to the characters and keeping the story from becoming overly science-driven and dry. 

Genealogy-buffs will appreciate and recognize the research techniques and types of records searched for by the Venator team, making this book an excellent reference manual for their own research pursuits. 

So if you enjoy a good mystery and have a passion for genealogy, this book is for you.

My Personal Rating is: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

MIDNIGHT in the GARDEN of GOOD and EVIL by John Berendt

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, published in 1994 by Random House, is a nonfiction, true crime novel set in the Deep South.

Savannah is the oldest city in Georgia. It has a charming Southern ambiance and a vibrant history. It has many cultural attractions, historical landmarks, and works of art in various architectural styles. In addition, it has a large St. Patrick's Day parade, a famous river port, a renowned art college, and a beach nearby. Savannah is also a quirky city where you might find a man walking an invisible dog and a drag queen becoming a key witness for the defense in a high-profile murder trial. So it's no surprise that The Hostess City of the South is as much a character in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil as any human being involved in the novel. 

The book chronicles John Berendt's experiences while living in Savannah and the real-life events surrounding the 1981 murder of 21-year-old Danny Hansford, a profane young man with an explosive temper, and the trial that followed.

Jim Williams was a historic preservationist and antiques dealer, partially responsible for renovating historic downtown Savannah in the 1950s. He also renovated his home, Mercer House, once owned by the late composer Johnny Mercer, making it one of the grandest homes in Savannah. After finishing the restoration, Williams threw a glamorous Christmas party that soon became one of Savannah's most sought-after annual events. At the time of the story, John Berendt, who wrote a monthly column for Esquire Magazine, was there to write an article about Williams' Christmas party. 

While interviewing Williams for his article, Berendt meets part-time employee Danny Hansford during his tour of Mercer House. He is shocked that Hansford has such unlimited access to the home. Williams explains that he has a medical condition, which requires always having someone nearby in case he should blackout as his justification for Hansford's access to the house. So, as a trusted employee, why did Jim Williams kill Danny Hansford? Was it blackmail, self-defense, or a well-planned murder? The answer is in the pages of the book.

John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a true-life story that reads like a combination travelogue and murder mystery with a bit of history thrown in for good measure. The book is replete with eccentric, slightly off-center, and downright odd fellow characters. Berendt's novel became a New York Times Best Seller after its publication in 1994 and stayed there for four years. If you have yet to read it, it's worth reading, and if you have read it... it's worth reading again.

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The BIG SLEEP by Raymond Chandler

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler was published in 1939 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. It is a work of fiction told in the first-person point of view. This classic whodunit introduces the reader to the quintessential hardboiled detective, Philip Marlowe, the main protagonist, and narrator. 

The story takes place in Los Angeles and centers around the private detective's investigation into a blackmail scheme against Carmen Sternwood, the wild young daughter of General Sternwood, an elderly millionaire who has his hands full with both of his spoiled and impetuous offspring.  

The General hires Marlowe to deal with the latest blackmail plot. This one was perpetrated by Arthur Gwynn Geiger, the owner of an illegal pornography-lending library, against Carmen. As a matter of fact, this is the second time she's been faced with blackmail. The previous scheme was put into motion by a man named Joe Brody, a grifter who tries and fails to take over Geiger's racket. That blackmail plan ended when General Sternwood paid Brody off. With this latest attempt, the General hires Marlowe to, in essence, make this problem disappear. It seems Geiger has nude pictures of Carmen and intends to sell them unless she (or her father) can come up with the cash to get the photos back. 

During their initial meeting, the General also tells Marlowe about his eldest daughter Vivian who is in a loveless marriage to a man named Rusty Regan. But, unfortunately, it appears that Rusty has vanished. While determining whether General Sternwood wants him to look into the disappearance, Marlowe heads over to Geiger's bookstore, where he discovers the secret-pornography business being run out of the back of the shop.

Marlowe stakes out the bookstore and then follows Geiger home, where he witnesses Carmen Sternwood enter the house; a few moments later, there's a scream, the sound of gunshots, and two cars speeding away; Marlowe enters and finds Geiger's dead body and Carmen naked and strung out on drugs beside an empty camera. He takes Carmen home and then returns to Geiger's house, only to find that his body has been removed. 

When Marlowe gets a phone call from the police the next day telling him that Sternwood's car was found off the pier with the murdered body of the Sternwood chauffeur Owen Taylor inside, Marlowe knows that he is getting himself deeper and deeper into a much bigger scheme than what meets the eye and is putting his own life in danger due in part to all of the unanswered questions this mystery unfolds for the detective the longer he investigates.  

This novel is rife with atmosphere, plot twists, and a cast of characters you will remember. Unfortunately, like its film version, The Big Sleep has been called cryptic, confusing, and by some...impossible to follow. It has a complex plot, and I admit taking a few notes while reading the book to keep it all straight. You may want to judge for yourself, but none of this interfered with my enjoyment of reading this classic detective yarn.

My Personal Rating is ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

The MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett was published in 1930 by Alfred A Knopf, Inc. It is a hardboiled detective work of fiction. The story is told in the third-person narrative. 

The main character is Sam Spade, a private detective at the San Francisco Spade & Archer Detective Agency. The agency is approached by a potential client calling herself Ruth Wonderley. It seems Miss Wonderley wants to hire Sam and his partner Miles Archer to follow a man named Floyd Thursby, who ran off with her sister Corinne. 

The story told by Miss Wonderley is that she has made arrangements to meet with Thursby. But he refuses to let her see her sister, so she wants to hire the detectives to trail him and find out where he's staying. Neither Sam nor Miles is buying into her story, but the money she will pay them is too good to pass up. Miles volunteers to take the first shift tailing Thursby but is shot and killed while on the job. When Thursby is also later killed, Sam becomes the chief suspect and must now prove his innocence in Thursby's murder. 

Sam must also find out who killed Miles. The question is, why? For the answer...who could say it better than Sam Spade and the author himself? 

 "When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something  about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it. Then it happens we were in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed it's bad business to let the killer get away with it. It's bad all around... bad for that one organization, bad for every detective everywhere. -Sam Spade"

― Dashiell Hammett, quote from The Maltese Falcon¹

I will not tell you more of the story; you'll have to read the book, which has been in print for over 90 years, so that should tell you something. This book has been the basis for three movies, but only one has become a classic. If you're a film buff, you know which one I mean. 

If you like hardboiled detective fiction, especially from the genre's golden age, this book is a classic in every sense of the word. It's a great story and one you'll enjoy.

References:

¹The Maltese Falcon Quotes by Dashiell Hammett | Goodreads

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was published in 2020 by Viking, an independent publisher of Penguin Random House. It is a fantasy story centering around Nora Seed, a woman caught between life and death after attempting suicide over events that occurred in her life years earlier. 

The story takes place in the Hazeldene School Library in Bedford. Nora was a professional swimmer until she gave up the sport, much to her father's disappointment. In a state of flux about what she will do with her future, Nora discusses her concerns with Mrs. Elm, the librarian at the Hazledene School. Mrs. Elm points out to Nora that now that she is free from the rigors of swimming, she can do and be anything she wants. When Nora discovers that her father has died from a heart attack, Mrs. Elm comforts her during her grief.

Fast forward 19 years, and Nora is leading an uninspired life. Within two days, Nora's cat dies, and her estranged brother comes to Bedford to visit and ignores her; she's also fired from her job at a music store where she works and loses her only music student when he cancels his lessons. Coupled with earlier events in her life, Nora is spiraling into a depression. Events such as her mother dying of cancer, breaking her engagement to Dan two days before their wedding, turning down the opportunity of moving to Australia with her best friend, and backing out of becoming a rockstar with her brother Joe and his best friend, Ravi, are the contributing factors. Finally, with her life imploding, Nora writes a suicide note and washes down a handful of pills with wine. 

When Nora awakens, she finds herself in a building filled with books, confronted by someone who is the spitting image of the school librarian, Mrs. Elm. Hovering between life and death, Nora soon comes to learn, she is in an in-between state. Where exactly is she, you ask? It's a place called the Midnight Library, and the premise is that it allows her to move between an infinite number of possible versions of her life. Nora must use this library to find a life worth living before she dies, which may sound confusing because death is, after all, Nora's primary objective, or is it? Still, she engages "Mrs. Elm" by trying on countless lives and attempting to find and understand the meaning of life to her.

Midnight Library is a fantasy work of fiction on an unsettling topic. It brings the readers along Nora's journey to rethink some of her choices and save her own life.

My personal rating is ⭐⭐⭐½

The BULLET THAT MISSED by Richard Osman

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman, published in 2022 by Pamela Dorman Books, is another excellent installment in the Thursday Murder Club Mystery series that features a loveable geriatric group of friends living in a retirement community outside of London. Much like a book club, they hold weekly meetings and use some of their pre-retirement skills, Elizabeth Best, a former spy; Ron Ritchie, a longtime union organizer; Ibrahim Arif, an ex-psychiatrist; and Joyce Meadowcroft, a retired nurse, to solve cold murder cases. The group is called The Thursday Murder Club, and this review is about the 3rd book in the series.  

Elizabeth has a lot on her plate, which includes her husband's dementia which seems to be worsening by the day. A new foe sends her threatening notes, makes threatening phone calls, and ultimately pays her a visit with a kill-or-be-killed demand. In addition, the cold case the group has committed to resolving is heating up. It is a decade old and relates to the murder of Bethany Waites, an investigative reporter about to crack a case of tax fraud wide open. But unfortunately, before Bethany can break the case, her car careens off a cliff, and her body is never found. 

Never content to limit their research to online activities, the club members manage to wheedle their way into situations that give them access to Bethany's friends and colleagues, the chief constable that worked the case, a drug dealer the group previously put in jail, and wants to kill Ron as soon as she gets out, along with an assist by many other unsavory characters. But, of course, all this leads to a full schedule for this group of retirement village sleuths. 

From the crafty Elizabeth, kind-hearted Joyce, brilliant Ibrahim, and the fussy but loyal Ron, this quartet of friends are the ones you want around when things go sideways. The Bullet That Missed is as suspenseful as it is entertaining. In other words, another great story from an author that knows how to write them. 

  

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

The DEVIL in the WHITE CITY by Erik Larson

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson, published in 2003 by Crown Publishers, is a historical non-fiction book presented in a novelistic style.

The Devil in the White City story occurs between 1890 and 1895, mainly in Chicago. It weaves together the true stories of Daniel Burnham, the architect who created some of the most beautiful architecture of the day and was responsible for the grandeur of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition. Then there is Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as H.H. Holmes, often called the first serial killer in the United States. He roamed the streets of Chicago during the 1893 World's Fair. Holmes built an elaborately constructed hotel with its own gas-filled vault, later dubbed the 'murder castle.' The hotel was adjacent to the fairgrounds, and upon its completion, Holmes began to accept female guests. Unfortunately for them, they started disappearing.

Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City reads like fiction. What's unfortunate is that it's not. Nevertheless, Larson has captured the true story of two men at opposite ends of the social scale and what happened when a great city like Chicago, which should have been experiencing one of the best times in its early history, was the backdrop.

Dazzlingly beautiful neoclassical buildings provided the landscape along the city's south lakefront for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, which promised to be the most spectacular World's Fair of the 19th Century. With the introduction to the latest technological innovations on full display, the spotlight was on this toddling town. And that spotlight would also be shining down on one of the darkest episodes in the city's history up to that time. 

Chicago is indeed no stranger to tragedy. Before the start of the fair, there was the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, followed by The Haymarket Square bombing in 1886, to name two. But can the City of Big Shoulders rise like a Phoenix from the ashes after the damage caused to its reputation thanks to the brutal murders committed by the New England-born con artist and serial killer that cast a dark shadow over the White City? 

This true crime, non-fiction novel is a must-read for history buffs. So what are you waiting for? 

 

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

The LION's GAME by Nelson DeMille...

The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille was published in 2002 by Grand Central Publishing and is the 2nd book in the John Corey series. 

John Corey is a veteran New York City police detective that does not follow protocol if he can avoid it. Wounded on the job the previous year, Corey is assigned to work with the Anti-Terrorist Task Force during his recovery. Unlike John, the team, comprised of FBI and CIA agents, follows protocol consistently. 

Asad Khalil, whose name means Lion in Arabic, has been in training for the past decade to exact revenge against America for the 1986 bombing of his country. He is now ready to strike. 

While Khalil is stalking his targets, finding and stopping him falls mainly on the shoulders of the irreverent John Corey. Corey's street smarts come in handy after the Lion successfully fulfills part of his personal war against the U.S. However, the ATTF team must first identify and find Khalil's next victim and thwart any further attempts at completing his self-imposed mission of murder.

John Corey's cheeky attitude toward authority, along with his sometimes indelicate turn of phrase, adds a touch of humor that offsets the severe and tragic events of the novel and brings this character to life. But, of course, like any good story, there must be a love interest, and this is a good story! Kate Mayfield, an FBI agent on the task force, fills that role perfectly. She's intelligent, beautiful, good at her job, and keeps John on his toes, which helps him keep his job. 

The Lion's Game is an action thriller at its best. DeMille fans will love this novel. And if you've never read one of his thrillers, you will find The Lion's Game an excellent initiation into this author's work.

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

STILL LIFE: (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1) by Louise Penny

Still Life: (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1) by Louise Penny was published in 2005 by Macmillan Publishers. The story is set in the fictitious small Canadian village of Three Pines near Montreal. When a body is discovered in the woods, Chief Inspector Gamache of the Surete du Quebec and his homicide team are called in to investigate.

Jane Neal, a 76-year-old retired school teacher, has been found dead. While reviewing the scene, Chief Inspector Gamache finds a small puncture wound in her chest. He determines that Jane's demise came from the most unnatural cause. It seems that Jane was shot with a wooden arrow. Was it a hunting accident? After all, Three Pines is a popular spot for hunting. 

Ben Hadley found the body; according to him, Jane was well-liked and respected by everyone in the community. Jane's neighbor and best friend, Clara Morrow, informs Gamache that Jane entered a painting called Fair Day as her submission to a local art gallery opening just before she died. Gamache finds it odd that Jane has never shown her art to anyone before. He also finds it curious that another of Jane's friends, Timmer, died just a few weeks earlier of cancer and that Fair Day was painted at the same time as Timmer's death. What makes things even more curious to Gamache is that during Jane's lifetime, she never let anyone into her house beyond her kitchen. Now that she's dead, Jane's niece Yolande Fontaine will not allow Gamache to go into Jane's house... at all.

What goes on here in this small village? What's happening in Jane's house that seems such a well-guarded secret? Who is Timmer, and how is her death connected to Jane and her painting? Most importantly, who killed Jane... and why?

Still Life is the first novel in the Chief Inspector Gamache Series. Penny's descriptive writing and character development make this book a page-turner. I did not figure out 'whodunit' until the end. It was also the first Louise Penny book that I've read. Fortunately, it won't be the last!

My Personal Review Rating...⭐⭐⭐⭐

The QUICHE of DEATH by M.C. Beaton...

The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton was published in 2006 by St. Martin's Paperbacks. It is a cozy mystery and the first in the Agatha Raisin series of books. The story follows Agatha Raisin, a successful London public relation firm's owner, who decides to chuck it all in and retire from the business for a simpler life in the small village of Carsley in Cotswold. However, Agatha needs help fitting into her new community. Of course, it doesn't help that she steals her neighbor's housekeeper away within the first week of residence. 

When Agatha hears there is to be a baking competition in Carsley, her competitive nature kicks in. She decides to wine and dine the lecherous contest judge and his wife to get the inside scoop on the competitors and enter the competition herself. One problem...Agatha can't cook, so she buys a spinach quiche from a London quiche shop and submits it to the contest as her creation. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse as Agatha loses the contest, and as it turns out, someone adds an extra ingredient to her quiche, killing the judge. The only way to get out of this pickle is for Agatha to investigate independently of the local police. Along the way, Agatha enlists the aid of her former assistant Roy from her days at the PR firm, her newly acquired housekeeper Gemma, and P.I. Bill Wong, who has a not-so-secret crush on her. 

If you like detective fiction, particularly of the British variety, that is not too heavy on the gore, along with some light comedy and romance, you might enjoy this series as much as I do.  

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

VERA WONG'S UNSOLICITED ADVICE for MURDERERS by Jesse Q Sutanto

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a cozy mystery. The story takes place in San Francisco’s Chinatown. It centers around Vera Wong, the owner of a local teashop called ‘Vera Wang’s World-Famous Teahouse’ (named after the famous fashion designer with the hopes of drumming up more business). Vera is a lonely woman in her sixties who misses her late husband and feels neglected by her successful lawyer son. Vera lives upstairs from the teahouse that she owns and operates, which has seen better days, and she seems to be having a one-sided rivalry with the owner of the bakery shop next door.

One morning as Vera prepares to start her day, she discovers a dead man lying on the floor of her run-down shop. The police are called to the scene but are less than enthusiastic to include Vera in their investigation, no matter how many delicious delicacies and specially blended teas she tries to serve them. Not one to give up, Vera turns amateur detective. Finally, she decides to investigate independently when her teahouse suddenly attracts the attention of several individuals who seem interested in the dead man. The story continues as secrets are uncovered, suspects come and go, friendships are formed, and finally, the murderer is discovered. 

If you are looking for a mystery that does not include all the explicit gory details of the crime, has endearing characters, and will make you laugh out loud along the way, you should read this book.

My Personal Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

MAGPIE MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz is a mystery novel published in 2016 by The Orion Publishing Group. It's the first book in the Susan Ryeland series and an excellent introduction to it. The book uses a story within a story format, primarily focusing on the murder of a mystery writer.  

The main story goes like this, Susan Ryeland, a book editor, receives a copy of a manuscript by best-selling author Alan Conway. Unfortunately, Conway has a less-than-pleasant demeanor and is not exactly one of Susan's favorite clients. As a point of fact, Susan loves her job and only puts up with Alan because his books are so successful. And this latest story promises to be another triumph. However, the odd thing about this new manuscript is that as Susan nears its end, she notices that the book's final chapter still needs to be added. After all, who writes a murder mystery without an ending? And when Susan is told that Alan Conway has died of an apparent suicide, she suspects all is not as it appears. So she decides to investigate Conway's death to learn the truth and find the manuscript's missing chapter while at it.

Atticus Pünd, the 1950s fictionalized detective and the main protagonist of Conway's successful books, is charged with investigating a murder at a local manor house in this latest novel. However, the more Susan reads, the more convinced she is that another story is hidden in its pages. So can Susan solve the mystery in the final Atticus Pünd novel without the last chapter, or...can the fictional Atticus help Susan solve the mystery of Alan Conway's death? You'll need to read Magpie Murders to find out. This is a carefully crafted puzzler with an ending you won't see coming. And a must-read for anyone that loves a good mystery.

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐