Six Degrees of Separation, from Post-Office Girl to Female Private Detective

 

Six Degrees of Separation is a monthly meme, currently hosted by Kate @ books are my favorite and best. On the first Saturday of every month, a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book. This month, we start from a German noir-fiction which I have not read:

0. The Post-Office Girl by Stefan Zweig Synopsis from Goodreads: The post-office girl is Christine, who looks after her ailing mother and toils in a provincial Austrian post office in the years just after the Great War. One afternoon, as she is dozing among the official forms and stamps, a telegraph arrives addressed to her. It is from her rich aunt, who lives in America and writes requesting that Christine join her and her husband in a Swiss Alpine resort. After a dizzying train ride, Christine finds herself at the top of the world, enjoying a life of privilege that she had never imagined. But Christine’s aunt drops her as abruptly as she picked her up, and soon the young woman is back at the provincial post office, consumed with disappointment and bitterness. Then she meets Ferdinand, a wounded but eloquent war veteran who is able to give voice to the disaffection of his generation. Christine’s and Ferdinand’s lives spiral downward, before Ferdinand comes up with a plan which will be either their salvation or their doom. For the first degree of separation, I would use "the post-office girl" aspect, and link it to another book, whose one of the main characters is a postmistress.

1. Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown

I have read this one last year for #ReadingtheMeow2025, and loved it! A cat detective and her mistress (or her assistant, really) are investigating a murder in a small town. Excerpt from my review: Mrs. Murphy is the cat-detective; she's a tiger cat who lives with a divorced-postmistress named Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen as her companion. To complete the household, there's a Welsh Corgi named Tucker. They all live in a small town, where everyone knows about everyone else, and there's not such thing as secret. Harry - as the postmistress - has a habit of reading postcards not addressed to her. In one of these, she found one postcard with Paris cemetery image, captioned "wish you were here". Few days later, a citizen was murdered - the one who'd received the postcard. Then another death, with similar "warning". It was then that Harry realized the significant of the anonymous postcards. There's a murderer among them, and most probably he/she knew that Harry knew more than she supposed to. Here's the full review. The cat is named Mrs. Murphy, and that instantly reminded me of another cat in fiction, named Mrs. Norris. Do you know who that is, or in what book it appears? ;)

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Mrs. Norris is the pet-cat of Mr. Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts School in Harry Potter series. I needn't bother to say more of the series; no doubt you know all about it. But here I must ponder for some time, what would my third degree is about. There are a lot of aspects discussed throughout the seven books, yet the most interesting one in my opinion is about free-will. In 2020 I have blogged about Top Five Classics About Free Will [click the link to read the post], and one of the book featured there is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Still on the subject of free will, another book that made it into the same list (and topped it) is...

3. East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Excerpt from my review: East of Eden is following the lives of two families in Salinas Valley: the Trasks and the Hamiltons; though along the way I felt that the Trasks were the center of this book, while the Hamiltons only its satellite. It was within the Trask dynasty that Steinbeck imitated the Book of Genesis, by naming its member (and drawing their destinies) following the symbol of good versus evil: Cain and Abel (C & A). And in case you want to read the full review, click here. This book has become one of my personal canon. I have even written a separate post discussing the free will aspect of the book, which I titled: On “Timshel” [East of Eden] | The Freedom of Choice [click the link to read]. 'Timshel' itself is brought up by the philosopher of this book: Lee (the old and wise Chinese servant of Adam and Cathy Trasks), an important figure in the saga. Now, while Chinese characters quite often appear in English canon, it is quite interesting that Steinbeck wrote another Chinese character in his other book, whose name is also Lee. Maybe he just didn't know any Chinese name except that?... 

4. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

Excerpt from my review: So Cannery Row is about a few blocks of fish canneries in the harbour city of Monterey, California, drawn from Steinbeck's memories when he stayed there. This is a tale about its remarkable inhabitants. Who are they? Mostly, a bunch of good-for-nothings. There's Mack and the boys, a gang of unemployed losers, whose only ambition was contentment without working. They occupy an empty building owned by a Chinese grocery store owner - whose 'wealth' mainly consists in the piles of tit bits in his shop, and in the debts of his customers - called Lee Chong. Here's the full review.

Although Lee Chong is a secondary character, he is quite memorable. Still on the Chinese secondary characters in English literature, this book instantly came to mind...

5. Murder in Williamstown by Kerry Greenwood

Excerpt from my review: Meanwhile, at the end of each chapter, we follow the fate of two girls - one of them called Peony - separated from the main events. From the snippets of their dialogues, we could feel that they are in misery. But of what kind, we are kept in the dark. Perhaps this would be the binding element of the whole mystery? Peony is a common name for Chinese girls, right? Chinese girls in misery, a Chinese man murdered, there's something in it, surely. To read the full review, just click this link. The sleuth of this series is a female private detective. Here's how I described her [excerpt from my review]: The Honorable Phryne Fisher is the most famous Australian female private detective. Live in St. Kilda, Melbourne in the 1920-1930s, she enjoys her aristocratic status, though never forgets her humble origin. And so, for the sixth and last degree of separation, here's another female private detective whom I have just been introduced to belatedly:

6. Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth

Excerpt from my review: As a debut of a series, Grey Mask is a wonderful one. It has the right amount of actions, light-heartedness, mystery, and a pleasant twist with quite surprising villain at the end. My full review is here. Unlike The Honorable Phryne Fisher, Wentworth's Miss Silver is not at all a formidable figure, although she has a rare occupation at that time (the 1920s): a female private detective. On the contrary, I often felt her presence only on the background. Here's what I described her: She was portrayed as a lady with her knitting; a woman with brain, who does all the deduction needed, but throws the dirty work, so to speak, to men. She once asked Charles to follow a suspect; and imagining that a detective asking his/her client to do the work he/she supposed to do, was quite hilarious to me. And so, this time I began with a post-office girl, and ended with a female private detective. How about you, where did your #6degrees bring you to this time?

Murder at the Spring Ball (2021) by Benedict Brown #20BOS26

🥂 Beginning a new series is always an exciting reading experience. It is doubly so when the debut proved to be a success, just like this one. Murder at the Spring Ball is Benedict Brown's first book of Lord Edgington cozy mystery series, set in the 1925 England. It's charm is thanks to the combination of the Golden Age Detective vibes - complete with red herrings, incompetent police officer, Poirot-ish style of rather dramatic denouement - and an unlikely sleuth of a former detective and his fourteen years old grandson. There's a little jazz, a little dancing, a little Downton Abbey-ish atmosphere, and a good murder mystery. What else would one need to enjoy one self thoroughly?

🥂 Elderly but still formidably Lord Edgington had been shutting himself from the world after the death of his wife. But now he was suddenly 'awaken', and intended to shake himself out of the heavy 'slumber' with a kick: a grand ball at Cranley Hall, to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday. He surprised everyone, though, by appointing Christopher, his teenage grandson and not altogether special, to be the party organizer. The ball gives us plenty of fun, from the planning, right up to the ball itself, where the first murder is about to be committed. Christopher, of course, made several blunders - imagine a fourteen-year-old organizing a grand ball! His ordering of too much flower for decoration is pretty hilarious; and his worrying whether it was his abundant flowers that have poisoned someone, is rather cute.  

🥂 The first victim is Lord Edgington's annoying daughter, who was poisoned to death via the champagne she'd been drinking through the evening. And now Lord Edgington, together with Christopher as his assistant, is conducting a murder investigation - to the chagrin of the Police Inspector - who was his former rival - who was tasked for it. The murderer must be someone who were at the ball: the family, the servants, and Christopher's nemesis: Marmaduke Adelaide, whom Christopher likes to call Marmalade, and who often bullies him at school. Lord Edgington suspects that whoever the murderer is, was trying to kill him, and/or the entire family at the party. But who would want that? And what's the motive? 

🥂 I love Christopher from the start, he loves nature and reading Dickens, with healthy appetite - a nerdy introverted like me. I also like the way Lord Edgington educates him (to be a future Chief Inspector like himself?) He encourages Christopher to build his own deduction; never mocking or scolding him too hard when the teenager makes mistake (which is quite often), and always ready to praise when he makes a good job. The way Lord Edgington helps Christopher arranging flowers (the abundant flowers he mistakenly ordered) in the vases until far to the night - a gentle way to let his grandson made mistake and be responsible to the outcome, while learning from it). But what I love most is the duo's dynamic. When Lord Edgington was succumb to his grief after not one, but two of his offsprings murdered (yes, there was a second murder), it was Christopher who made the effort to 'awaken' his grandfather.

🥂 In short, this is such a delightful murder mystery and a beginning of a series, which I would definitely continue on. You can feel a bit of the 1920s vibes, if not from the narrative, at least from the ball. Christopher has been inadvertently introducing jazz to the family reminded me so much of how Rose first brought jazz to Downton Abbey!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for: 20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026 hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

Bramton Wick (1952) by Elizabeth Fair

 

💙 I still find it quite hard to believe that Bramton Wick was Elizabeth Fair's debut novel. It doesn't feel amateurish the way she had interwoven so many characters into one coherent story. Bramton Wick is an English rural country side, the setting of this cheerful slice-of-life story in the aftermath of WWII, where ration coupons were still in use, and fuel is a luxury. Fair opened this by introducing her characters, bringing us from one cottage to the mansion; from one family to other residents. As usual, there is a healthy mix of eccentricity and pompousness to spice up the plot. First there's the pompous Lady Masters with her son Toby, who was tyrannized by his mother; then the Coles who've been living in Lady Masters' house before moving to a humbler place - Mrs. Cole lives with her daughters: war widow Gillian and the dreamy Laura.

💙 Next, there's the Misses Cleeves, whose poverty doesn't diminish their dignified place in Bramton. But, when they are quite dull (excepting Pussy-the-gossip-monger), there are the other spinsters who're more interesting: Miss Selbourne and Miss Garret, who had first met when they drove ambulances during the war, and now live together as dogs breeder. Besides those spinsters, we also have two middle-aged bachelors living in Bramton Wick to balance the equation (and to create one or two love-is-in-the-air situation). A young man called Jocelyn (Isn't Jocelyn a girl's name? It is where I live) was added to the mix, being a nephew of a Major Worthy and his wife. 

💙 At first it seems we don't have any definite plot. Just the interaction of these people and several events, like a dog show, which create the usual stir in a small village. But later on I realized that it is centered, at least, upon one family. And the issue that bind the whole story together is romance. The characters are mostly amiable, each with his or her own eccentricity; and they were nicely portrayed. The little village dynamic is plausible and felt as charmingly as one would expect in this kind of story. My only regret is the abrupt manner which Fair ended the story. I realize that this is called slice-of-life story for a reason. However, I would prefer to get a slightly more neatly tying-up of the many lose ends of every character. Or perhaps, just the one other than the main character. I mean, it's such ashamed to waste the entire characters to focus only on one of them, isn't it? But on the whole, this is just the perfect comfortable read to close a day.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax (1971) by Dorothy Gilman #Reading1971

 

👒 On her third mission from CIA, the septuagenarian Mrs. Emily Pollifax was given a task to convey eight forged passport into Bulgaria, to help members of the underground political movement to flee the country. As usual, despite of the seemingly simple task, Mrs. Pollifax embarked on another more thrilling adventure. It all started when Mr. Carstairs visited Mrs. Pollifax's apartment (it's the first time he saw her on her natural habitat, so to speak). She's embrace a new hobby (besides karate lessons), which is growing, in her balcony, night-blooming cereus - a species of flowering cactus, which, true to its name, only blooms at only a single night. But of course, she must leave her flower for a while, to embark on a new adventure to Bulgaria. But the positive side is, she's to get a new hat intricately trimmed with flower and bird, which was especially designed to hide that eight forged passports she must smuggle to the country. 

Night-blooming Cereus, source: Wikipedia

👒 Unbeknownst to her, however, Mr. Carstair had cheekily slipped something else inside her coat. He shouldn't do that, in my opinion. It's a dangerous game to play with amateur spy-courier, don't you think? Another complication, which Mr. Carstairs would never had imagined, came from Mrs. Pollifax's brief acquaintance with her fellow flight passenger: Philip Trenda. He's a young American college student who's travelling together with several friends to Bulgaria. As often happened, Mrs. Pollifax's affectionate heart usually brought her to further complications. Not that she ever failed to emerge triumphantly from every obstacles. This time, when a young girl called Debbie, a friend of Philip Trenda, brought news about Philip's being arrested by secret police, just after her arrival at Sofia, of course Mrs. Pollifax could not ignore it, could she? 👒 I don't why, but this book felt a little bit off for me. Usually I would immersed into the adventure (and usually there's aplenty of it), but this time, things get excited only when the rescue of Philip Trenda from his captivity in the Panchevsky Institute began. It was quite a mission-impossible, and only Mrs. Pollifax's genuine thinking and encouragement that made it success. The earlier part of the novel was a bit weary; the Balkan tourist agent and Mrs. Pollifax's encounters, while provided a little hilarious conversation, felt redundant. I'm sorry to say, this is rather a disappoinment, but I would still be reading the series through. Davida @ The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog has reviewed the fifth book, and mentioned it as the best so far, so I have a lot of expectation on this one. But maybe I should give Mrs. Pollifax a break next year, and come back to her more fresh the year next.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

The Golden Collar (1968) by Elizabeth Cadell

 

💚 My first ever Elizabeth Cadell brought me to Portugal with delight. It follows David Eliot, an architect who grew up in England, but has inclination to live in Brazil. But before he got chance to secure his career in Brazil, he was offered a job in Sir Bertram's establishment. Sir Bertram is a wealthy and powerful man; the kind who always get what he has set to get, either with money, or cunning. David first got entangled in the bargain by Marly Tranter, Sir Bertram's daughter, a beautiful but overbearing girl who inherits her father's personality. In the end, with a perfect engagement and a promising career, David was stuck in a place where, he slowly realized, he might never fits in; and to get there, he had to sacrifice everything he loved, especially his freedom. Hence, the golden collar - including the chain - had been set upon David.  

💚 Sir Bertram sent David and Marly to Portugal to secure a deal over a property, set in a strip of beautiful and secluded beach in the Algarve region. It was to be the couple's wedding present; so in this case, David would have added interest in accomplishing his mission. The property belongs to a highly respectable widow amongst her people, whom they called Senhora Silva. To foreigners, Senhora Silva seems to be an eccentric woman, who refuses wealthy foreigners who offer her big money to buy her property, while she herself is living in a dilapidated big house. The truth is, Senhora Silva is weary over the foreigner's harassment upon her peaceful existence. She dislikes these noisy boisterous tourists who arrive in their beautiful country to buy land and build holiday villas, where they would only live in few months of the year. In the process, they would change and ruin the country. Hence, her decision to close her door, meaning, refusing of selling. But Sir Bertram and Marly interpret Senhora Silva's closing door to merely a business haggle - it's impossible for any person to close their eyes over so much money (and Sir Bertram has that much). 💚 While trying to carrying out the task, David slowly comes to his senses about his engagement with Marly, as well as his position in the Bertrams. All this thanks to some of his new acquaintances who saw it before David is certain about his position. These new friends of him are including an American wealthy businessman who doesn't look one, an eccentric and bossy elderly woman, a Portuguese lawyer of Sir Bertram, and the elusive Senhora Silva herself - whom David eventually meet, causing astonishment to everyone. But most importantly, there's Teresa, Senhora Silva's niece. Teresa is the opposite of Marly in every way, and here we can see how David and Marly are very unsuitable from the beginning - how men can be thus deeply disillusioned, I will never understand. The rest is needless to say here, but although the plot is predictable, the process and the rough beauty of this Portugal coastal village are the main attraction of this book. Not mentioning, the lovely characters of David, Teresa, the demurred Senhora Silva, and even the dear Mr. Easter (the wealthy businessman). 💚 On the whole, this book feels light, but with a bit of depth in it also. For Senhora Silva and Teresa, money and wealth does not mean anything. They created a crèche facility for local young children in one of the Quinta do Infante (Senhora Silva's house complex) buildings. And this, as well as taking care of stray cats, apparently gave Teresa immense happiness, a wholesomeness in her life, that she decided to stay in the Quinta forever. In time, David too, is attracted with the serene and peaceful atmosphere of the place, and, of course, of the girl he falls in love. There's some funny moments too, usually involving Mr. Easter, what a dear old man he is! In short, I love everything about this book, and would certainly read more of Elizabeth Cadell in the future! Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Fell Murder (1944) by E.C.R. Lorac

 

🌾 The 24th instalment of Lorac's Robert Macdonald series, which combines murder mystery and the charm of farming village in the English countryside of Lunesdale. As usual with these stories, it runs a very slow pace. Robert Macdonald, the C.I.D, didn't even appear in about the first forty percent of the story. The story begins with some kind of reunion. Richard Garth has left his home, Garthmere Hall, in the moorland (fell) some nineteen years ago, over a big quarrel with his tyrannical father, now eighty years old Robert Garth. Richard met secretly with the Garths' bailiff. He just wanted to see again his beloved land, without seeing his family, in particular the father whom he hates.

🌾 The story then moved to Garthmere Hall, where we met the rest of the household: Marion Garth - the eldest daughter who loves farming and has been running the business alongside her father; Elizabeth Meldon - the land girl who helps around with farming; Charles Garth, Marion's brother who's just returned from Malay and who loathes the hard labor of farming; and Malcolm, the youngest son who's physically weak - a weakling who loves poetry more than farming. One morning, an accident involving a gun shot almost took Robert Garth's life. The gun belongs to Marion, and it shouldn't have been loaded. Who had loaded it, and why? Then on a hunting day, when the whole neighborhood carrying and shooting guns, Robert Garth was found dead, shot on his back. 🌾 At first, the local Inspector investigated the murder. However, his abrupt and straightforward manner didn't suit the slow pace rhythm of the dale, and he got nowhere. That's how Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald from Scotland Yard at last entered the scene. He begins by gaining respect and trust from the dales people, in the way of blending himself to the farming life. The dales people usually talk about the weather, and the farming, the crops etc. before finally get to the point. This Macdonald follows by instinct. And only then that he begins collecting clues and proofs. It's quite clear from the start that this was a closed-knitted family mystery (despite the fact of the hunt day, which might include outsiders). Now, who has the chance and motive to murder old Robert Garth, who had been ruling both his family and his farm with iron rod, and thus universally despised? 🌾 Needless to say that, as was with all Lorac's books with similar theme, this one has been a satisfying read for me. The slow pace was comforting, rather than annoying, as it enabled me to taste the farming life, and to get to know each character more closely. My favorite here is Elizabeth Molden - the passion which drives her hard working is pleasant to follow. Marion is also remarkable in her own passion, but she is nevertheless member of the family, who thus, has a direct interest to the farm's prosperity. But Elizabeth is an outsider, and to work for other people with that kind of passion is something one ought to be much grateful for. The plot itself is plausible. I have guessed the murderer without trouble, from their character traits, if not from their conversation. What a pleasant murder mystery to read, but only if you have penchant for slow living or farming. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026 hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

20 Books of Summer 2026 and Reading the Meow 2026

Hooray to the return of two of the most anticipated yearly reading events for me! First is 20 Books of Summer 2026, which will be hosted by AnnaBookBel. She's going solo this year, but this reading event, which runs from June to August, was started by Cathy, then continued by AnnaBookBel and Emma last year. Also make its return in June, Reading the Meow 2026, hosted by Mallika. I have almost given this one up, thinking that Mallika was perhaps too busy to host, but I'm very grateful that she's just announcing it a bit later than usual. Anyway, here's the list of my possible reads:

20 Books of Summer 2026

1. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide (2001) - also for #ReadingtheMeow2026
2. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (2012) - also for #ReadingtheMeow2026
3. To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn (2010) 
4. In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall - also for my #Reading1971 5. A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont (2024) - also for #ParisInJuly 6. Murder on Wheels by Stuart Palmer (1932) 7. A Walk Across France by Miles Morland (1992) - also for #ParisInJuly 8. The Hidden Gardens of Paris by Susan Cahill (2012) - also for #ParisInJuly 9. French Windows by Antoine Laurain (2023) - also for #ParisInJuly 10. The Carter of "La Providence" by Georges Simenon (1931) - also for #ParisInJuly 11. When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen (2024) - also for #WITMonth 12. Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee (1959) 13. Mr Kato Plays Family by Milena Michiko Flasar (2018) - also for #WITMonth 14. Much Dithering by Dorothy Lambert (1938) 15. One Fine Day by Mollie Panter-Downes (1947) 16. The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson (2020) 17. Murder at the Spring Ball by Benedict Brown (2021) 18. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (2005) 19. An Afternoon Walk by Dorothy Eden - also for my #Reading1971 20. Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce (2018)

Reading the Meow 2026

1. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide (2001) 2. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (2012) 3. Paw Prints in the Moonlight by Denis O' Connor (2004) Of course, they are possible reads only, I might or might not read them (or adding new titles instead). it all depends on the availability of the titles when I pick the books to read, and, as usual, it also depends largely on my mood. Anyway, have you read any of those titles? And would you participate in either reading events?