July Books: Mystery

 Because we were in the process of moving and only had wifi for short bursts of time, I never posted my July and August books. I'll start with July and try to get to August at some point in future.

Death of a Bean Counter by Sandra Balzo

I was in the mood for a cozy, so clicked over to the e-book section of the library website. I found this and it was available, so I borrowed it. It’s part of a series and not an early title, so a lot came before, but it can be read as  a standalone. It provided me with what I wanted. If I saw another book in the series at the library or a charity shop, I’d probably pick it up but for now I don’t feel inclined to seek them out.

‘Amy Caprese is the star barista at Maggy Thorsen’s coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds. But her new beau Kip Fargo has been shot dead in his bed – and Amy is the prime suspect. Determined to prove her barista’s innocence, Maggy soon makes a number of disturbing discoveries. Can she untangle a web of lies in time to avert the disaster that’s brewing?’

Death of a Glutton by MC Beaton (audiobook read by David Monteith)

I borrowed this at the same time I borrowed an e-book when I was in the mood for a cozy mystery. This is a Hamish Macbeth novel and I took it because it was available at the time. In this one, a marriage agency has booked a local hotel for their matchmaking getaway. The co-owner of the agency, who organized the whole thing, did this deliberately because her partner was on holiday. To the dismay of everyone, the holiday was cancelled and this woman shows up. She is a glutton and turns everyone off with the way and amount of food that she eats. She inserts herself into outings where she is not wanted. People try to steer clear until one night she gets a message from her accountant and announces that she is worth 3 million pounds. After that, the men in the group decide maybe they can put up with her after all. This popularity doesn’t last long, because she is soon found dead with an apple stuffed in her mouth.

I found this book problematic. The way she describes the victim is pretty over the top. For instance, at one point, she says she ate a 12-egg omelette with sides. I am not sure whether I will ever listen to any more of these, but if I do, it won’t be for a long while.

Grave Mistake by Ngaio Marsh

This is the 30th book in the author’s Roderick Alleyn series and the last to be considered an English cosy mystery. It takes place in the fictional village of Upper Quintern, with the quirky characters you’d expect in such a novel, both old-timers and newcomers. The Hon Sybil Foster and her childhood friend, Verity Preston are neighbours, each living in homes they inherited. Sybil decides to make yet another visit to a health spa/hotel called Greengages, which turns out to be her last. At first it seems like a clear case of suicide, but then it becomes clear that some things just don;t add up. Why did Sybil make a new will just before she died? Where is the rare and valuable postage stamp hidden away by her first husband before he was killed in the war? Where is her stepson? Alleyn and his sidekick, Fox proceed to find out.

I enjoyed this book as I have all the previous ones in the series. I have only two left before I’ve read them all, but there I’ve requested the collection of her short stories from the library. I also discovered that she had written the first few chapters of another novel before she passed away. This was completed by someone else. I’ve requested that one, too.

Black Coffee by Agatha Christie

Christie originally wrote this as a play and it was later turned into a novel by Charles Osborne. Poirot is summoned to the home of a well know scientist who is working on a formula that is quite valuable to the government that gets it. Just before Poirot and Hastings arrive, Sir Claud Amory is murdered, so they jump right into the case.

Death on the Air and Other Stories by Ngaio Marsh

Almost at the end of the Roderick Alleyn series by Marsh and as I was looking to see what book came next, I was reminded of this collection of short stories. I requested it from the library. 

Money in the Morgue by Ngaio Marsh and Stella Duffy

This book was completed after Marsh’s death. She had left part of it and Stella Duffy completed it. She did a good job. This book takes place during WWII, so it was not published in chronological order. Roderick Alleyn is in New Zealand in an undercover capacity—incognito at a hospital run by nuns. He is drawn into an investigation that he is afraid will blow his cover when some money and the head of the institution go missing.

Trent’s Last Case by E.C. Bentley

A classic mystery that I had on my e-reader. It was published as The Woman in Black in the US. Philip Trent is a freelance journalist who is commissioned to go to a country estate where a wealthy man has been found dead and report on the case. He investigates. He is no Miss Marple as his conclusions lead him in the wrong direction, but of course, the case is solved in the end. 

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